Symbolism and numerology are useful tools for finding elusive relationships and correspondences among diverse groups. Exploring how diverse cultures viewed symbolism and spirituality can reveal our shared human consciousness, individuation, and self-development. Of all the numbers, four has the most potent and prolific correspondences. The celebration and repetition of numbers and numerical sets of the same number can be revealing, as can exploring shared celebrated symbolism.

I explore such sets in The Matrix of Four (2014) through the duality of polarity. One set-of-four tool that has helped me gain and refine perspective concerning exploration of innumerable concepts is the four PaRDes, or four paths to paradise, the paradise of comprehension. The four PaRDeS suggest that spiritual or religious ideas and stories can be interpreted in four ways. The four PaRDeS is a set of four interpretations: literal, allegorical, comparative, and secretive.

One of the most intriguing and common symbols celebrated among diverse peoples is the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life symbol unifies diverse cultures of humanity and symbolizes the unity of numerous ideas. Our mutual dependence and reverence for trees is obvious. A deeper idea is the tree as a reflection of the microcosm and macrocosm — the individual life and the universe itself. The Tree of Life is symbolic of our genealogy.