Renaissance occultists often offer apparently contradictory views on the created universe. There is a common sense of a struggle between spirit and matter, where material things are imperfect and contrary to spiritual things, as per contemporary Christian teachings. Illustrator and occultist Robert Fludd often espouses this view. However, there is also a common school of thought extolling the creations of God, and this is the issue Fludd addresses in this particular diagram.
Symbols of God
There are two symbols employed here to represent God. The first is the tetragrammaton at the center of the upper triangle, the unutterable name of God.The second is the use of the triangle. Because Christianity envisions God as a tripartite being of Father, Son and Holy Ghost united within a single godhead, the triangle is commonly used as a symbol for God.
The upper triangle, with the tetragrammaton centered within it, is therefore the totality of God.
The Created Universe
The lower triangle is the created universe. It too is encased within a triangle, only this one is reversed in orientation. This is the reflection of God. The created world reflects the nature of God, which is important to occultists because they commonly accept that through close examination of the universe, we can learn hidden clues regarding God's nature.The lower triangle has three concentric circles within it, with its center being a solid mass. The solid mass is actual physical reality as we common experience it, the most material portion of creation. The circles represent the three realms: Physical, Celestial and Angelic (labeled here as the Elemental, Aether, and Emperean).
Read more: Occult Cosmology in The Renaissance: The Three Realms
