Dear Ken;
A couple of observations to share with you, to perhaps open up a new
perspective on topics such as sacred geometry or for that matter those items
that are imbuded with a sacred dimention because mankind or some humans
chose to see life that way.
When my grandfather travelled to Saskatchewan on foot in the 1800's he lived
with the Indians. What was unusual for his background, was that there was in
the aboriginal culture a lot of animation and spiritual import that was
given to places and things in nature. Now Darwin was relatively new at the
period and the teachings of the day were far less science oriented than the
prevailing knowledge that exists today. It was common to subscribe to
inanimate objects the hopes, and fears of the observer. Indeed the object
incorporated the mysteries of life. And many of those fears were invisable.
A small example, small pox being one. Remember the prayer heard in
Saskatchewan (and elsewhere) in 1900? "Now I lay me down to sleep, the Lord
I pray my sould to keep". Waking up the next day was not assumed. Invisable
forces could remove a child over night. An accident on the prarie was often
fatal. Many of the early settlers in the Province were superstitious. Many
of our ancestors carried many explainations for what they observed in life,
and the Scots were by in large a fairly superstitious people in their
beliefs, stories and legends.
In a similar vein, many objects of beauty have for all mankinds history
frequently been held as sacred. Hence icons have from time to time abounded
with their supporters, and detractors. Great monuments to human kind have
always been sacred simply because the earliest construction of the "great
buildings" were naturally churches. And into construction to and for the
Lord, was in its very essence sacred work. And all that was designed could
be designed with sacred principals and logic of the day. That said there was
a lot of science used which is why the buildings stand today. One only has
to view a cathedral. perfect in dimention and form, regular and
proportionate. Then the dimentions were sacred, for sure.
Finally it is of note that architecture for many reasons has also been
intermingled with the sacred purposes of man. One can turn readily to the
history of the guilds and masons to see this history well documented over
hundreds of years. But it is not unique to the building trades of the middle
ages. One can turn to Easter Island and Stone Henge, or the Myan culture and
so on. Much of human building construction has been tied in with sacred and
geometric principals because the builders chose to see mystery, a higher
purpose and meaning into what they were constructing. And math and geometry
well are "pure" in a scientific perspective, but also from a theological
one. I respect this wisdom without always embrasing it, but also plead my
own ignorance in maths and a curiosity for the culture that linked math,
construction, and religion together. Rosslyn was such an ediface and the
mystery throughout is mankinds connection with the spiritual dimention.
Rosslyn is also perfect is sacred geometry masonic principals.
Now to the trained eye of the scientist living in 2000 of course there are
different perspectives than that abounding in the years before 1900. But one
can not, nor should dismiss the beliefs, cultures, sciences or history of
mankinds journey to reach 2000, and if I might suggest that mankind has a
way to go yet even in understanding pure sciences or mathematics. I have a
cousin (Sinclair) that obtained his Doctorate in Mathematics to educate me
on sciences which are still capable of exploration. We are just starting to
measure the matter between the electron and the nucleous. DNA is not
haphazard. The scientific mysteries abound still and every year, the more we
know, the more we recognize that we do not know.
Now lastly Ken, let me suggest that mythologies in mankinds history is what
gives us literature and the arts. Is there something familiar with George
Lucas portrayal of the "Dark Side" or the "Force" ? We seem to have had this
sci fi story before and of course we have. It predates Genesis, and
permiates all cultures. The story Star Wars is as old as stories go.
Similarly, Dungeons and Dragons is one variant of a mythology that spreads
into all corners of the world. It is a mythical journey as was the Odessey.
We have Chinese Dragons in the streets of Toronto and the Cross of St George
on the Anglican churches. Both a testament to dragons and perhaps to those
living creatures the Japanese movies love showing as fierce dinosaurs.
But never mind, humans will pay millions to engage in this fantasy world
from Hollywood. All fiction for sure, but the stories of Jurassic Park are
ancient as the fair damsal getting saved by the handsome knight in the
ledgends of Arthur or the works of Chaucer. And why? Perhaps Carl Jung has
some insights in psychology that are worthy of exploration when he visited
the archetypes in mans subconscience. Many mysteries still abound and half
of mankinds knowledge is come about only in the last 40 years in the
information explosion and knowledge we are still in the early stages of
trying to comprehend.
Now I agree that much of this study is academic in nature and far from
practical, and certainly far from being "down to earth". But in a
technocratic world it is still sometimes pleasureable to know that
adventures over the "dark side" still exist. Hum now why do we all not
count in hexi-decimals? Must be a Computer "Bug" A "Mouse" is certainly not
descriptive of a devise to move cursors. We animate even the tools we use
daily. So did our ancestors. And the science of Math 16H + 2 + ? Oh lets go
back to binery. 01001 + 1110 = ? Perfect logic, but so was geomety which
predates binary and hance was the penultimate science of the day prefessed
in religious times for frequently religious purposes. The pyramids were
perfectly proportional. They had to be. Otherwise the fell down, and some
did. The priests of the day had to keep the measurements and science exact.
The were making a religious monument that could only stand if the gemotry
was perfect. Of course sacred as well, handed down to the knowledge workers
through the generations that happened to be priests. There is more to sacred
geomety that meats the eye and scholarly study is warranted as it is with
any other mystry and history. .
Have a good day and a salute to you and the fine citizens of Saskatchewan
that are so close to the forces of nature, and have such clean skies and
lakes and keep custody of these lands one might almost suggest in a sacred
manner.
Neil Sinclair
Toronto/Saskatchewan/PEI/Argyll
(Toronto being well full of a kind of geometry with the great cement
structure dedicated to I am not sure what but called for now the CN Tower
and given biological mythologies)
----- Original Message -----
From: "K.W.S" <kensin66@sk.sympatico.ca>
To: <sinclair@matrix.net>
Sent: 17 May, 2000 5:46 PM
Subject: Re: sacred geometry
> Hi All
> This is worse nonsense than Dungeons and Dragons or modern Science
Fantasy.
> Worse because some people seem to be serious about it.
> Sad because of the time and energy wasted on absolute crap.
>
> Ken/SK/Canada
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