For many of us, the number seven is associated with something unusual. Indeed, in Russian folklore, the seven has remained incredibly popular for a long time. Rome and Moscow rise on seven hills, and finally, Buddha himself sat under a fig tree that had seven fruits. Agree that this figure has acquired some kind of sacred meaning.
The number "seven" is mentioned in many religions. For example, the Old Testament treats about the seven-day creation of the world, and Christians - about vices and virtues, which are also seven. Pilgrims in Mecca walk around the Kaaba stone seven times; in Islam, seven heavens and as many gates are mentioned.
Since ancient times, peoples who had no connection with each other revered the seven as a sacred number. From the Parsis we can learn about the seven angels who oppose the seven demons, and besides, about the same number of heavenly abodes, which are in accordance with the lower spheres. The Persians can tell about the divine horses of the sun, of which there were exactly 7. Phoenicians - about the seven Kabirs, the Egyptians - about the 7 highest gods.
In Egypt, for a long time, there is a legend about the transmigration of souls, which speaks of seven methods of gradual improvement and a similar number of states of purification. Only by breaking through the guarded gates can one reach the kingdom of the dead. For the peoples living in the East, the hierarchy of clergymen had 7 degrees. The altars in the temples can be approached by seven steps.
In the distant past, mankind was completely subordinated to the natural elements, on which the productivity and prosperity of our ancestors in general depended. Drought was perceived as punishment for bad deeds, and rains as a heavenly blessing. The sun seemed to be the source of divine power. Time passed, and the seven planets known at that time were spoken of as gods.
Seven means harmony
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Over time and in everyday life they started talking about the seven. In the treatises of the ancient Jews, the commandments were prescribed that allowed the soil to rest from agriculture. In the seventh year, land work was stopped, and since there was no harvest, no taxes were levied.
The disgraced ancient Greek warrior, who did not fulfill his military duty, should not have caught the eye of his fellow tribesmen for 7 days. The god Apollo, born on the seventh day of the month, played the seven-stringed lyre.
All seven planets, observed with the naked eye, move along a constant trajectory and are equally distant from each other, which allows us to perceive the number "7" as the number of absolute harmony.
The Earth is 49 times smaller than the Sun, and 49 is 7 times 7. In nature, there are seven metals used to make various alloys - from lead to gold.
The discoveries of individual human characteristics are impressive. The duration of a woman's pregnancy is two hundred and eighty days, which is forty times seven. In the vast majority of babies, the first teeth begin to erupt at the 7th month of life. At the age of 21, which is three times seven, a person stops in his physical growth. The cells that make up the human body are completely renewed after seven years, and the development phase of most viral diseases corresponds to a seven-day cycle.
Sacred day of rest
Among the ancient Sumerians, each calendar month included four weeks, which consisted of 7 days. The people of Babylon celebrated the seventh day, which was dedicated to the God of the Moon. The holiday was considered unsafe, and so that nothing bad happened, it was made a day off. A similar tradition is followed by modern Christians and Jews.
By its location, the Moon is the closest celestial body to the Earth. It has a huge impact on everything that surrounds us: the changing behavior of flora and fauna, the ebb and flow of the oceans and seas. Most people experience a surge of energy on the new moon.
At all stages of life, from birth to death, there is a certain cyclical dependence on the seven. The seven-day rhythm was the basis for the existence of many algae that filled our earth in ancient times, when the highest forms of life did not yet exist.
Eighth does not belong at the table
Even at the current time, the seven gives rise to many myths and superstitions. Californian scientists concluded that seven is the maximum memory capacity of the human brain. A simple test confirms this conclusion perfectly. If a person is asked to memorize 10 words, he usually memorizes 7 of them.
Most researchers who have studied various working conditions gradually came to the conclusion that seven people are needed in a creative or scientific team for a fruitful discussion and making the right decision. According to sociologists, no more than seven people are able to communicate normally at the table. As the number of people grows, they form small groups according to their interests.
How many films were associated with the number seven? You can immediately recall the "Seven Samurai", "The Magnificent Seven", "Seven old men and one girl", etc. You can still track a similar number of heroes, but if there are more of them, it will become almost impossible. Naturally, the filmmakers realized this circumstance, and therefore settled on the magic number "7".