celebrity writers

Sacred Geometry

Form and the Power of One

Jul 22, 2008

Sacred geometry is a universal blueprint of coherence between geometry and matter discovered by the ancients and codified into a form of sacred wisdom.

The fundamental tenet of sacred geometry is that the universe bears the signature of divine intelligence. This power of one is a universal template that is repeated in all things, from the solar system, nature, music, to the embryonic cells of living organisms. Once the property of secret societies and mystery schools, sacred geometry has become part of modern science. Electronic microscopes and infrared technology have provided the basis for close examination of crystal structures and living tissues which, in recent years, has confirmed the idea that man and universe are indeed one in ratio and form.

Sacred Geometry and Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler was convinced in the 17th century that planetary motion was determined by geometric constants. He tried to explain this motion with reference to platonic solids. In his view, the solar system was a series of nested solids. Earth was circumscribed by a dodecahedron (solid with 12 sides), which was surrounded by a sphere, Mars, which, in turn, was encircled by a tetrahedron (four-sided pyramid) that in turn was enclosed by another sphere--Jupiter. While his propositions were not entirely accurate, they helped solidify the view that the cosmos was far from arbitrary and that a geometric and mathematical template form was at the basis of our spiralling galaxy. Interestingly enough, his vision of nested planets anticipates our modern discovery of fractals, self-similar structures nested or repeated within an organism.

Pythagoras, Musical Form and the Power of One

It was Kepler as well who noticed that the ratios between the planets' extreme angular velocities were all harmonic intervals. Harmonic intervals are geometric progressions in sound that point to an intentional repetition of form. The discovery that these formal repetitions are found in relationships between planets, musical notes, geometry and mathematics has bolstered the idea of the power of one in a coherent universe. Pythagoras in 5th Century B.C. discovered a specific relationship between geometric line and music. Stopping a string halfway its length produced an octave; stopping it at a ratio of three to two produced a fifth interval. More recently, Drunvalo Melchizedek, a guru on sacred geometry, reveals that harmonic intervals can be correlated to the proportions of a line moving through an equivalent triangle.

The Fibonacci Spiral and Fractals in Natural Forms

In the 13th century, Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci discovered that plants sustained a growth progression rate that was constant among various species. This constant he converted into a mathematical sequence (1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8. 13. 21. 34, 55, 84....).

Plotting the numbers of this sequence on a graph produces a distinctive Fibonacci spiral that can be found in many natural forms such as a nautilus shell cut in half, tornadoes or hurricanes. More recently, the term "fractal' has been used to identify the repetition of a self-similar form within an organism such that the part is a reflection of the whole. Spiralling fractals that define both part and whole can be seen in abundance in nature: in the hexagonal scale patterns on the surface of a pineapple, in the spiral floret patterns in the head of a sunflower, in spiral galaxies like the Milky Way and in the spiralling chakra system of the human body. Fluorite crystals, found mainly in the United States and China , have been seen to oscillate between two geometric forms--the cube and the octahedron ( eight sided solid).

Platonic Solids and the Human Form

Proponents of sacred geometry point to the formation of geometric templates during the first few hours of life in both human and animal forms. They claim that the progression of life through cell division is a geometric one. From the union of sperm and egg into a zygote--the first cell of the human body--life progresses through a series of platonic solids. The first cell is a sphere. One cell becomes two , two become four and four become eight. Linking the centers of the four spherical cells together produces a tetrahedron( four sided pyramid). Linking eight spheres together produces a cube. At sixteen cells, a sphere is formed and at 512 cells, a torus ( a doughnut shape) is constellated.

Once a form of ancient wisdom, sacred geometry has become popular in recent years because it reflects a strong current in the 21st century -- man's need to locate himself within a universal form of the power of one.

Sources:

Livio, Mario. The Golden Ratio.New York: Broadway Books, 2002.

Martineau, John. A Little Book of Coincidence in the Solar System. New York: Walker & Company, 2001.

Melchizedek, Drunvalo. The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life Vols. 1-2. Flagstaff: Light Technology Publishing, 2000.

http://www.west.asu.edu/achristie/548/02WQ/linda/Fractals.htm

The copyright of the article Sacred Geometry in Alternative Spirituality is owned by Mary Desaulniers. Permission to republish Sacred Geometry in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.