seven layered-world

With so much talk about the supposed relationship between four and
seven and their becoming taboo/holy words (e.g. japanese shi and
shichi respectively), my current thinking is that the holy
Hebraic"seven" came from the same idea we find in Hinduism,
Buddhism, Islam and elsewhere.

The idea is that the way to "ultimate" heaven/paradise (in many
cases lost and in many cases for attainment or regain) involves
crossing formidable six-fold barriers.
In some forms the barriers become heavens or paradises themselves
producing the idea of the seven-layered heavens as well as the seven-
layered hell. Side by side with the seven-layered world or human-
worlds. We can see these ideas in seven-stepped pyramids in Egypt,
Oceania, Mexico or in seven-storey pagodas in Southeast Asia.

But I doubt the usual argument that such idea came naturally or
developed independently of each other because of the seeming
differences in geographical locations and time differences. Nor are
they the result of invention from some artistic minds.

I think that the idea was the result of several people's experience
that they see the world as divided into seven. With their own home
as center or wherever they are. Or it relates to the memory of a
very unforgettable kingdom in which the way there was by traversing
six barriers which are alternately land and water. Originally that
was only three barriers (simplifying one combination of land-water
as one) with the fourth one as the ultimate pilgrimage location.
With the fourth one as the 'holy one'. As in the seventh layer in a
seven-layered world as the final destination. Just like in Nirvana.
Just like in the Apocalyptic New Jerusalem which is supposed to be
the seventh Judaeo-christian world. We are now in the sixth if we
talk of it in the time-domain.

It seems that ancient kingdom was an island (actually an island
within an island within an island) and for the Semitics/Middle
Eastern they see it as if they were still on the outermost first
layer if we talk of the space-domain. The kingdom (otherwise known
as paradise, heaven, Eden, Dilmun, Avalon etc) was lost and various
explanations were given such as 'eating the golden apple' (Genesis)
or 'Noah's flood' according to the Book of Enoch (and Genesis too).

And so such idea jives with the Hebraic notion of
renewal/ressurection as well as rest on the fourth day of the No
Moon (which could be the first day of the appearance of the 'New'
moon) or the seventh day. Four and seven being the holy
ground/layers as well as number.

But the Japanese and Chinese took them as just taboo words or word
which are equivalent to 'death'. A reversal of the Hebraic concept.

to continue the seven-layered world can also be a complication of
the three-layered world we find on so many people's model of the
universe.
The original sense could be right-center-left or upriver-home-
downriver. Then it became the skyworld-earth-underworld.

Such ideas found in hunter-gatherer societies, in Nordic, Greek,
Christian and Austronesian societies.

And the land-river-land-river-land-river-land which can otherwise be
seen as land-island1-island2-island3 (the pilgrim
place/paradise/olympos) from skyworld-earthworld-underworld (plus
paradise) became seven-layered worlds/heavens/hells/paradises.

And if the idea(s) can be found in Japanese, Chinese, Indic, Hebrew,
Greek then the original source can be found among them but more
plausibly from some place (in between) and some people which has the
capability of ancient transmission. And perhaps the original
paradise/Eden was their ancient home which they lost. The idea of a
lost paradise found in the psyche of the west as well as in the
people of Polynesia.

And to conclude four and seven did not come from Astronomy nor in
calendars. But more probably from religion, (experiences) and
geography.

Loreto

PS: Sorry for the fanciful thoughts.