The Vesica Piscis is formed when two circles of equal radius overlap so that the centre of each lies on the circumference of the other. The resulting almond shape — the "vessel of the fish" — is one of the most ancient and universal sacred forms.
The Geometry
The proportions of the Vesica Piscis are not arbitrary. The ratio of its height to its width is √3:1 — an irrational number that appears throughout nature, from crystal structures to organic growth patterns.
From this single form, you can derive: - The equilateral triangle - The hexagon - The square root of 2, 3, and 5 - The golden ratio (through further construction)
It is, quite literally, the seed from which all sacred geometry grows.
Symbolic Meaning
The Vesica Piscis represents the space between opposites: - Spirit and matter - Masculine and feminine - Known and unknown - This world and the other
It appears in the Chalice Well cover at Glastonbury, in Gothic arch windows, in the Christian ichthys symbol, and in the yoni of Hindu tradition. Wherever two principles meet and something new emerges, the Vesica Piscis is present.
The Geometry of Relationship
What makes the Vesica Piscis profound is not its mathematical properties alone, but what it teaches about relationship. Neither circle is complete without the other. The sacred space — the mandorla — exists only because two separate things chose to overlap.
This is the geometry of love, of community, of ecology. Nothing exists in isolation. Everything meaningful happens in the space between.
Practice: Drawing the Vesica Piscis
You need only a compass and a straight edge:
- Draw a circle
- Place your compass point on the circumference
- Draw a second circle of equal radius
- The almond shape where they overlap is the Vesica Piscis
Sit with what you've drawn. Notice how from two simple circles, extraordinary complexity and beauty emerge. This is the teaching.
Published by
The Greene Man
Learning from nature in order to self-initiate. A digital mystery school rooted in nature philosophy.