Metaphysical Icosahedron

Details: Friday, 22 October 2010; Written by AndEl

Physical Qualities of the Icosahedron

The Icosahedron is the last in this series of the five Platonic Solid shapes. It contains 20 faces, 12 vertices and 30 edges. This symmetrical solid is made up 20 equilateral triangles.

Interestingly enough, the Icosahedron and the Dodecahedron both have the same number of edges (30) with the number of faces and vertices being reversed (Dodecahedron has 12 faces and 20 vertices Icosahedron has 20 faces and 12 vertices).

Icosahedron - Water Element

Metaphysical aspects of the Icosahedron

The Icosahedron, in keeping with Plato’s associations, represents the element of Water. Water is all about movement, flow, and change. Water moves easily from a gas to a liquid to a solid. It can be visible one minute and invisible the next.

The Icosahedron is also linked to the Sacral Chakra. This is the Chakra that is connected with emotions, and sexuality. It is the center of creativity on both the physical and mental realms. The Sacral Chakra is also associated with all of the fluids and liquids, which nurture the body.

This shape can assist in enhancing the creative thought process. It may assist in unblocking and removing any emotional stressors that have cut off the creative energies.

The Icosahedron will also help to understand emotions as they arise. Since the Sacral Chakra is the center of emotions, the energy of the Icosahedron can assist in observing the emotions, allowing a clear insight as to why they arise and how to react instead of using patterned responses taught by ego and/or conditioning.

It is a perfect piece to use when working with the energies of physical healing to find balance and harmony, especially in the areas of fertility and reproduction.

Suggested Metaphysical Uses for the Icosahedron

From a physical healing aspect, the Icosahedron could be used in a healing session where fertility is an issue. Place the Icosahedron directly on or over the Sacral Chakra area to remove any blockages or murky energies within the area. If there are any strong emotions attached to these issues, the Icosahedron will help to clear these as well.

For those with creativity issues, such as writer’s block or that mental wall that can occur in the process of creating—Simply sit still while holding an Icosahedron, clearing your mind of all judgments and ego. The shape and the energy contained within will help to break free from these constraints.

This shape would also be an excellent bathing companion, as it will infuse the water with healing energies. This, in fact, is one of my favorite ways to utilize the Icosahedron when I find myself stuck in the creative process. Place directly into a warm bath for a few minutes before submerging the body.

Wearing a wrapped Icosahedron pendant, allowing it to come into contact with your skin is an excellent partner to have when doing intense work on emotional reactions and how ego/old programming affect your responses. It is like a teacher in that it allows you to view the situation, see your old reactions, become aware of the pattern, and formulate alternate and emotionally healthy responses. It is an intense and eye opening experience!

As with all of the Platonic Solids, the Icosahedron is a perfect meditation tool. Place this shape in front of you at eye level and look intently into its center. Information and ideas will flow as you merge into the energy of the Icosahedron. You may even find yourself within the shape itself; gaining a unique perspective into the questions whose answers you seek.

Closing Comments for the Icosahedron

The Icosahedron is an amazing tool that teaches us to “go with the flow” allowing the freedom of expression, creation, and the challenge of change to move through us effortlessly.

Platonic Solids

Platonic Solids are a set of five, three dimensional, shapes that date back to the Greek mathematician Pythagoras and later named after the Greek Philosopher Plato. The Tetrahedron, Cube, Octahedron, Dodecahedron and Icosahedron each have unique characteristics, in that the sides, edges and angles are all congruent. In other words, all sides are equal, the angles are the same and the faces are identical.

It was the great Greek Philosopher, Plato, who paired each of the platonic solids with a classical element (fire, earth, water, air, and ethers/Universe). He believed that these three dimensional shapes were the building blocks to the creation of everything—in us, around us and beyond. If you view a 3-D model of any of the elements contained in the periodic tables, you will see that each has a crystalline structure at the Atomic level made up of these Platonic Solids shapes.

five_platonic_solids