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 The Lemniscate
The symbol of an "eight on its side" is sometimes known as the lemniscate and is a glyph for infinity. The English
mathematician John Wallis (1616-1703) introduced the symbol to represent mathematical infinity in his
Arithmetica Infinitorum of 1655. The term lemniscate refers to the shape itself, and the Swiss
mathematician Jacob Bernoulli (1654-1705) first called the shape a lemniscus (Latin for ribbon) in an article in
Acta Eruditorum in 1694.
In spiritual terms, the lemniscate represents eternity, the numinous and the higher spiritual powers. The Magus, the first card
in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, is often depicted
with the lemniscate above his head or incorporated into a wide-brimmed hat, signifying the divine forces he is attempting to control.
The use of a figure eight to represent infinity is an interesting choice, as eight is linked to pre-creational infinity
through the Ogdoad and to the cyclical sense of infinity through the
eight pagan festivals of the year and the octagram.
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