Pillaloo Codi
The Pleiades star cluster, colloquially known as "hen and chickens," carries ancient symbolic weight across cultures, often representing primal feminine energies, cosmic origins, and the foundational structures of existence, linking astronomical observation with esoteric knowledge.
Where the word comes from
The term "Pillaloo Codi" is a phonetic rendering, likely derived from a misinterpretation or localized pronunciation of "Pleiades" and possibly "codex" or a similar word suggesting a collection of knowledge, appearing in the context of popular astronomical nicknames rather than a formal linguistic root.
In depth
A nickname in popular astronomy given to the Pleiades, meaning "hen and chickens". The French also, curiously enough call this constellation, "Poussiniere". Pillars, The Tivo. Jaehin and Boaz were placed at the entrance to the Temple of Solomon, the first on the right, the second on the left. Their .symbolism is developed in the rituals of the Freemasons. Pillars, Th( Three. When the ten Sephiroth are arranged in the Tree of Life, two vertical lines separate them into 3 Pillars, namely the Pillar of Severity, the Pillar of Mercy, and the central Pillar of ^lildness. Binah, Geburah, and Hod form the first, that of Severity ; Kether. Tiphcreth, Jesod and Malkuth the central pillar; Chokmah. Chesed and Netzach the Pillar of j\Iercy. [w.w.w.] Pillars of Hermes. Like the "pillars of Seth" (with which tiiey are identified) they served for commemorating occult events, and various esoteric .secrets symbol icall}' engraved on them. It was a universal practice. Enoch is also said to have constructed pillars.
How different paths see it
What it means today
The term "Pillaloo Codi," though presented as a mere nickname for the Pleiades, functions as a whisper from a time when the celestial sphere was not merely a subject of scientific inquiry but a living text, a divinely etched atlas of cosmic truths. Blavatsky's inclusion, linking it to the universal practice of inscribing esoteric secrets on enduring structures, from the Pillars of Hermes to the foundational columns of Solomon's Temple, highlights a deep-seated human impulse: to anchor the ephemeral, the profound, the occult, in tangible, visible forms. This impulse is mirrored in the very naming of the Pleiades as "hen and chickens," a primal image of nurturing, origin, and the perpetuation of life, an echo of the Great Mother archetype that resonates across mythologies.
Mircea Eliade, in his exploration of the sacred and the profane, would recognize in such designations the archaic worldview where the sky is not an empty expanse but a realm imbued with meaning, a source of order and divine pronouncements. The "Pillars of Hermes," in particular, speak to a Hermetic tradition that sought to preserve Gnosis through symbolic representation, a practice that predates written language and continues in the symbolic language of alchemy and Freemasonry, as Blavatsky notes. The arrangement of the Sephiroth on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life into three pillars—Severity, Mercy, and Mildness—further illustrates this archetypal structuring of reality, suggesting that fundamental cosmic forces, like celestial bodies, can be understood as pillars supporting the edifice of existence.
For the modern seeker, "Pillaloo Codi" is an invitation to look beyond the scientific classification of stars and to perceive the ancient vision of the cosmos as a repository of wisdom. It encourages a return to a more holistic understanding, where astronomy, mythology, and spirituality are not disparate fields but interconnected threads in the great tapestry of human consciousness. The act of naming, of giving form and meaning to the celestial, becomes a sacred act, a way of participating in the ongoing creation and revelation of the universe. The Pleiades, in this light, are not just distant suns but celestial signposts, guiding us toward an understanding of the foundational principles that govern both the heavens and the human heart. The enduring power of such ancient designations lies in their ability to bridge the gap between the observable universe and the inner cosmos, reminding us that the deepest truths are often found in the simplest of images.
RELATED_TERMS: Pleiades, Krittikas, Pillars of Hercules, Archetypes, Gnosis, Sacred Geometry, Cosmology, Mythology
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