Astarte, the Mother of the Gods, Queen of Heaven, and Goddess of Wisdom is inextricably linked with the number 117. Through many years of research, we found that it was one of many keys to unlocking the outward expression of ancient goddess. 117 is a number of harmonic growth, manifestation (meaning the physical form something takes on), and infinite expansion.
“Even before Heaven and Earth, maybe the Mother of the Universe, there, already existed an inexpressible being. I know not its name, a void and silent, free being. I called it Tao. Immutable and self-sufficient, it is found everywhere. And it is inexhaustible.”
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Though the number 117 sounds random, it is the number of individual epithets of Astarte and it is a mathematically significant number relating to the Fibonacci Sequence (the Golden Ratio).
117 in the Fibonacci Sequence
Cell growth by addition shows divinity through its shapes and proportions. If you’ve ever heard of the Golden Ratio, the Golden Spiral, or the Golden Proportion Relationship, it follows a distinct rhythm known as the Fibonacci Sequence. Starting with 0, 1 is added to create another 1. 1 and 1 are added to create 2, 1 and 2 are added to create and 3, and so on. The last two numbers are constantly summed which leads to the following sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89,144, 233,377,610,987, 1597, 2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657, 46368...
This pattern is found all throughout our universe. In plants, the spiral arrangement of leaves, petals, and seeds often follows Fibonacci numbers, as seen in sunflower heads, pinecones, and pineapples. Tree branching patterns and the spiral growth of shells, such as the nautilus, also exhibit these mathematical principles.
In the animal kingdom, the golden ratio is present in the proportions of various body parts. For instance, the segments of an insect’s body and the spiral formation of a ram’s horns often conform to this ratio. Even in human anatomy, the proportions of facial features and body measurements frequently align with the golden ratio.
Galactic structures, like spiral galaxies, demonstrate these mathematical patterns on a cosmic scale. The arms of spiral galaxies often form logarithmic spirals that closely resemble the golden spiral. Additionally, the arrangement of planets in our solar system has been observed to roughly follow the Fibonacci sequence in terms of their orbital periods.
In fluid dynamics, the golden ratio appears in the formation and patterns of meandering rivers. It can also be found in the fractal geometry of coastlines, mountain ranges, and cloud formations. These ubiquitous occurrences in nature highlight the fundamental role these mathematical concepts play in the structure and growth patterns of the natural world.
We found the presence of this expansive sequence in so many places, and for the longest time, it was just that. An expansive sequence. A pattern. A blueprint for beauty. All of that dramatically changed, though, when we learned about the importance of 9-digit number systems, also known as a nonary system, rather than the common 10-digit decimal system.
In a nonary system, digits range from 1 to 9, and numbers like 10, 11, 12, etc. can be reduced to a single digit by adding their individual digits. So, 10 would reduce to 1+0=1, 11 would reduce to 1+1=2, and so on.
If each of the numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence mentioned already were reduced to single digits (1 through 9) in this manner, we would get the following:
This can then be turned into a simplified single-digit sequence: 1 1 2 3 5 8 4 3 7 1 8 9 8 8 7 6 4 1 5 6 2 8 1 9
And if we add these numbers all together, can you guess what the sum is? Yes, 117. Don’t believe me? Grab a calculator or pencil and crunch the numbers for yourself real quick.
So, what does this really mean? It means that 117 is a number of the physical manifestation of divinity, or the number of energy taking on a quantifiable form. It is the harmonic growth number of what can then expand into infinite possibilities (such as a spiral growing outward continuously). Within the context of the goddess Astarte, this is the number of ways we can connect to her, relate to her, and begin to grasp her multi-faceted reality. In magickal, witchcraft, and occult spaces, this concept of an entity taking on a “personified mask” for us to be able to understand it, is often referred to as an epithet.
We will speak to each of these epithets as a personified entity or aspect of the Great Goddess because that is how we connect to and understand her, but whether you think of an epithet in conceptual terms or literal personified terms doesn’t make a difference to me, as long as your goal is to understand life, existence, and divinity in a deeper way.
What we discovered through the process of meeting each of the 117 epithets of Astarte is that these fundamental aspects of who she is make it possible for everything else to exist and infinitely expand. Just as the Golden Spiral can infinitely grow, so to can the Fibonacci Sequence continue ad infinitum. Each of these epithets, by nature of being core energies present throughout the universe, are both within us (as we are the microcosm) and around us (as we are a part of the macrocosm).
Interestingly enough, 117 isn’t a number isolated to sciences and mathematics (or even just our own personal discoveries), but can also be found in the folk and magickal traditions of the Mayan and Chinese peoples.
117 in Mayan Traditions
The Mayan Books of Chilam Balam say the following: “The 9 Lords of Time (Bolon-ti-ku) seized the 13 Lords of Time (Oxlahun-ti-ku).” A very early nod to the significance of the number 117, with 9 times (seizing) 13 equaling 117. This was a subtle but powerful way to maintain a tradition that an expanse of multiple divine beings could emanate from the original few lords. Another important tidbit within the Mayan traditions is that their 13 main gods of day and night were divided into 9 gods (masculine) and 4 goddesses (feminine).
We firmly believe that the Mayans saw the connection between spirituality and science. They saw that the mathematical formulas and their knowledge of the cosmos all fit together, telling the same story but through different languages.
117 in Chinese Traditions
In Chinese traditions, their dragons, whether it be in folklore stories or artwork, are typically depicted as having 117 scales, which they almost always describe as being directly linked to Yin and Yang energy. They claim the 117 scales (9x13) are divided into 81 (9x9) of the scales being linked with Yang energy and 36 (9x4) being linked with Yin.
They placed a clear emphasis on the overlap of science, mathematics, spirituality, and folklore—and that is what we intend to also present to you in this book. We see the significance of the numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence and its significance as the formula for the expansion of the universe. We see the patterns in the sacred texts telling the story of Astarte, who is the conscious universe itself. And we see that the two are one and the same, but from different perspectives.
As the Mother of the Gods, no matter who you choose to venerate in your mystical path, Astarte is present. She is the creator of the threads of energy or magick that comprise the fabric of our reality, and that gives way to the infinite possibilities and the vastness of the universe. This is magick that operates on the highest cosmic level and yet directly relates to the nature of our craft on the physical plane of existence, as well as the psychological and spiritual spheres of our reality. Mystic Kate Jade teaches this magick in the in-depth 3.5-year pathworking program called The Mystic's Journey, which is now enrolling.
