The riddle of the mysterious creature of Greek legend Edipus Sphinx –
With the body of a winged Lion and head of a woman.

What animal is it that in the MORNING goes on four feet, at NOON on two feet and in the EVENING on three feet?

She revealed the answer to be man – as a toddler who crawled on hands and knees, in manhood stood erect and in old age shuffled with a staff.

Those who fail to answer she destroyed. Those who knew the answer she cast herself from the cliff – she represents the gatekeeper for the souls and to attain spiritual wisdom before passing this plane ..

Deeper still was revealed by Pythagorean values of numerology – the 4, the 2 and the 3 make up 9 – which is the natural number of man and also of the lower world.

The 4 represents the ignorant man, the two the intellectual man and the 3 the spiritual man.

Infant humanity crawls on four legs, evolved humanity on two legs, and to the power of his own mind the redeemed and illuminated magus adds the staff of wisdom.

The Sphinx is therefor the mystery of nature and of secret doctrine, and all who cannot solve her riddle of life will perish – to pass the Sphinx is to attain personal immortality.

Manly P Hall