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3 Top Healthy Living Concepts from Pythagoras Secret Society

By Effluo | Published February 18, 2022 | No Comments

Pythagoras spent over 20 years studying secret knowledge from Egyptian priests and scientists.  He brought that knowledge to Greece and created a secret society where his teachings thrived.  Before being initiated into the secret knowledge, new followers had to undergo three years of rigorous exercises and trials.

Luckily, we no longer need to endure three years of rigorous exercises to be initiated into Pythagoras teachings.  The Golden Verses of Pythagoras remained as the best source of Pythagoras’ beliefs that the followers wrote down. The healthy living concepts discussed here were pulled from these Golden Verses.

“Plato, Xenophon and Aristotle make frequent references to Pythagoras. In order to impress men like these, the man must have taught a very exalted philosophy”. 

Elbert Hubbard

Elbert Hubbard, who was a great American writer, wrote an excellent study on Pythagoras, giving us insights into the life of this great teacher.  In his book, Little Journeys To The Homes Of Great Teachers   Elbert Hubbard: Collected Works he described Pythagoras’ life and teachings in great detail.

In addition to numerology, music, science, mathematics, the cult of Pythagoras placed great importance on healthy living concepts. So what were these essential concepts of healthy living that Pythagoras and his followers adhered to?

“32. in no wise neglect the health of thy body;

33. But give it drink and food in due measure, and also the exercise of which it has need.

34. Now by measure I mean what will not incommode thee.”

Pythagoras

Great importance was placed on the fact that we should not neglect the health of our bodies.

Healthy Living Concepts Overview

1. Give your body drink and food
2. Give your body the exercise of which it has need
3. Practice mindfulness and moderation

Give Your Body Drink and Food

The first of the essential concepts of healthy living is giving your body enough food and drink.  

Enough, or specifically “in due measure,” would mean that Pythagoras frowned on under-eating and overindulgence.  Typically following the body’s cues for hunger and satiety is sufficient to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

Does that mean that Pythagoras and his followers followed an intuitive eating approach?  Well, not necessarily.   Pythagoras and his followers believed in the transmigration of the soul, meaning that after death human souls can go into the bodies of animals.  This belief made them strong proponents of the vegetarian diet.  They were some of the earliest documented vegetarians in our history.   The cult of Pythagoras did have very specific dietary restrictions, mainly avoidance of meat. However, moderation was the key.

In his description of the Pythagorean lifestyle, Elbert Hubbard pointed out that eating in moderation was the first pillar of the healthy living concepts.

Eat moderately, bathe plentifully, exercise much in the open air, walk far, and climb the hills alone.

Elbert Hubbard

Give Your Body the Exercise of Which It Has Need

The emphasis on the importance of exercise is not a new phenomenon in human history.  Over 2500 years ago, Pythagoras pointed out that the human body needs exercise.   This was before automobiles, television, and today’s sedentary lifestyle. Bodies are made for movement, and Pythagorean teachings emphasized this. Unfortunately, or fortunately, there is just no getting out of exercising.

In his biography of Pythagoras, Elbert Hubbard pointed out that taking morning dips in cold water was ingrained in his lifestyle from childhood. You can follow a similar lead by incorporating cold showers into your morning routine. This was as big of a healthy lifestyle as outdoor exercise and climbing mountains.

When Pythagoras was only four or five years old, his mother taught him to take his morning bath in the cold stream  

Elbert Hubbard

Eventually, the motto for the importance of exercise continued into his teachings.  Specifically, what was called out was exercising in the open air, walking, and climbing hills.

Practice Mindfulness and Moderation

“Churchmen of the Middle Ages worked the memory of Pythagoras great injustice by quoting him literally in order to prove how much they were beyond him. Symbols and epigrams require a sympathetic hearer, otherwise they are as naught.”  

Elbert Hubbard

Often Pythagoras verses were misinterpreted through history.  For example, Pythagoras said, “Leave the vinegar at a distance,”  which is another way of saying keep sweet, or “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”   This did not mean that you should not consume vinegar. 

“Eat not in the chariot” 

Pythagoras

This was another misinterpreted verse.  Elbert Hubbard reworded it to, “when you travel, travel.”  Meaning you should practice mindfulness and pay attention to what you are doing at the moment.  Travel if you are traveling, eat when you are eating, and exercise when exercising.  Live your life in the now, avoid multitasking.

The concept of moderation was woven through the teachings of eating, drinking, and exercising.  The most visible example that remains until today is the Pythagoras cup or the Pythagorean cup.   It is said that his students used this Pythagoras cup to practice moderation, specifically when drinking wine.

It looked like a regular drinking cup with a central column in it. When the cup is filled below the fill line, it works just like a regular cup.  However, when the cup is filled above the fill line, all contents drain to the floor, giving a very visual representation of the importance of moderation.

This seemingly simple and yet ingenious cup did not have any programming or technical mechanisms. It used already available mechanics and laws of physics to teach a lesson on moderation.

Summary of Healthy Living Concepts

What separates these healthy living concepts from all of today’s diet trends? They have survived and remain true two thousand years later.    Pythagoras and his followers did not believe in quick fixes and fast results, but they followed a healthy lifestyles through regular exercise and moderation in food.  

1. Give your body drink and food
2. Give your body the exercise of which it has need
3. Practice mindfulness and moderation

They paid attention to their diet and abstained from meat, but they did not starve or overindulge.  They emphasized exercise in the open air and practiced regular walking and climbing hills. 

Pythagoras cup remains a genius invention without any programming or technology; it uses simple mechanics to teach moderation.

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