“Nothing in excess” (μηδέν άγαν: mēdén ágan) was one of the famous phrases carved into the temple of Apollo at Delphi. These phrases were attributed to the Seven Sages of Greece. In our own times full of extremism and polarisation words like these seem more actual than ever.
Ancient Greek thought has always been a source of inspiration for me. Aristotle built a whole ethical theory around the principle of the golden mean, the desirable middle between two extremes. Interestingly enough, a doctrine of the mean or Middle Way can be found in many wisdom traditions around the world. To name only one, it was also central to the ethical theories of Confucius.
The golden mean has therefore become one of the three treasures of the gamma way. It is the “rational” treasure.
The first meaning of the word “rational” is: based on or in accordance with reason or logic. The ancient Greeks played an essential role in the development of logical thinking.
Rational thinking should be applied whenever it is appropriate, but the rational treasure of the gamma way does not only refer to what is reasonable or logical, it is also related to the mathematical concept of ratio. This second meaning of “rational” is: based on proportion.
The golden mean therefore not only indicates what is logical or reasonable, but also what is proportional. In this appearance the rational treasure can also be expressed as the golden ratio.
The golden ratio is an important concept in geometry, photography and art. It is not only a concept of the human mind. The golden ratio can also be discovered in many forms of creation in nature.
While the golden mean may seem to be a rather conservative and static concept, the golden ratio can more easily be associated with (efficient and natural) growth.
The presence of the golden ratio and so-called Fibonacci numbers in sunflowers is a well-known phenomenon. Apart from their beauty and constant movement towards the sun, the golden ratio is an important reason why sunflowers are to the gamma way what lotus flowers are to Buddhism.
The beauty and symbolism of the gamma sunflower is that the seeds all have different black-and-white patterns. These patterns represent our present conditions. From these seeds we need to grow and flourish as human beings, proportional to our natural potentials. And in our lives, just like sunflowers, we always create multiple seeds and conditions for the future.
The gamma way represents a cycle from seed to seeds.
The gamma way always stays within the basic realms of religions. It can be a stepping stone to and from other traditions.
There is nothing on this way that withholds anyone from going beyond the gamma and to flourish as a lotus flower or something else equally beautiful that will contribute to the wonderful diversity of life in her or his own unique way.