CHRISTOPHER BAMFORD

m 0
KEITH CRITCHLOW
ROBERT LAWLOR
ANNE MACAULAY
aoras
KATHLEEN RAINE
ARTHUR G. ZAJONC
FORM
NUMBER
GEOMETRY
ARCHITECTURE
CONTENTS
93-<16981
CII'
4. What is Sacred in Architecture?
Knlh Crilchlow /69
2. Ancielll Temple Architecture
Robert Law/or 35
. 2/3
6. Pythagorean Number as FOfm, Color, and Light
Roberl Law/or. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /87
3. The Platonic Tmdition on the Nature of Proportion
Keilll CrilcMow /33
I. InlroduClion: Homage to Pythagoms
Chrisloplier /Jamford .................................. //
5. Tweh'e Criteria for Sacred Architecture
Keillt Cn'lch!(Jw , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . /73
i. The Two Lights
Arthur Zajollc .
LlBRARl' or CO;<.:GRt:ss L\TALOGII\('.. I l rL B I .l C \T I O~ IMTA
*\\'hal I' Saul-.:I in Archi1l'clurt,;'- ami -n,e I'btonic Tr..dition 011 'he ;<':,uurc of I'ru.
l)()ftion h' Ikllh (:ritchk,n,' lind *Ancient T"lllple: A,chitecture'" Ruhert 1..",lor
"'cn: l're';ousl) publish..d in 1.",dtJ ;/"rn~ l.nln- 10: Cot'O'Ifrl'] ,md"rrll,'I'(''''''', (',Qp,right
oTh.. Lindi)farm' A'iSlXi:uion. 1980.
-r"ehe enteria for Sacred Archit ....tun.. I" Keith Criu:hlow w) pft...iousl, pub-
h.'hed In I.md,s/am, l..ttl". 12: TIw I ..lI I duf(/m~ ClulpA. Cop'right 0 nle U ndi ~arn ..
A I .~i :ui on. I!JRI
Introxluction: Ilomage: to l"'lhaK0r.\sln (]lTisiopher Bamford: f'l1hagorean
..... umOer'" Fonn. C.ok'r. ;lIul Light-lJ\ Roben La....lor: -0.1' T....o Ughts' Iw Arthur
7..;1.1',>11("; -,\pullo: n,e l"lhaKorran Odinillon ofGod-lJ\ Anne ;\Iacau':...~ and-Stake:.
l ~ats ami I...lh:lgo.....s In ";l l hk~n Keune ....ere pre...ious'" published in 1.",nu/"nIt J.n-
In- 14: Jttl_/!"tI f ~ haf ,Or1u. Cop'right C The Lindisf.. m .. &sociaLion. 198'2.
Homag~ to l \"I h;agor.l ~: r..cli'ICo....ring Qued Kience edited lJ\ (]\l;slOpher
Rarnford.
Indudrs bibliogr.lphical reflrencrs.
Colllcnts: lntroducIKlII b\ C hri ~l opher B;.mrord - The platonic tradition on th..
n.Hure of proportion I" Keith COH:hlo.... - Wh.l1 is $l l Cr~d in lIrchitccturd b)
Keith Crilchlo" _ 1...(:I'e cnlen,. for i .~.."d architecture In Keith CritchIO"'-
Ancient temllk :,r("hil..-Clur.. I ~ Rohert 1_....lor- P\lhagorean number as form.
color. and light I" Roben 1~,,,l or - The two lights b) Anhllr 7~.yonc - Apollo I
b). Anne ;\1olC'.Iuhtl - nl:lkr. l"'"ts :md '''th...goras I ~ ""thken R...inr.
1511;<': (l.910262-6j.{) (pbk.)
I. Lindi4:lnlC A.'I.......i..uon. 2. 1')"Ih...gor;1) and tnh... go~ean liChool.
3. ,\rchitcctllrc :md religion. l. 5\mbolism in ... rchitecture. 5. Sl'mbolism of
numbe~.
I. &lIlford. Christopher.
RI'605.1_'>611{i(i 19')1
IM2.2--dc:!O
I'ubhsh..d b\ LindlSr;lI11e Boob
3."90 ROUle 9.lIud()n. " l ~ 12534
............I1ndlSlame,org
The dr,.wing, ror "I')thal;un',m Number l ~ Furm, Color. :u\l1 Light" ,md for Apollo:
The l')thllgore:t1l DcJinitiOIl urGotl" Were urad.. III R:,chd ~l etcher.
Fwnt co\"Cr :In: l')thaR"lOlc. Ropl I'urtal. Ch"rtr"es Cathedral (lrom A'l I lI rlJ lml~d
,I/rlllogm/,h Of(J l fI l ~ (;"IIIfdml. Ftier'llC I-lou,et).
8. Apollo: The Pythagorean Definition of Cod
!ln1/"ll'lacaulay.
. 245
1098765432
All lights reserved. No pan of this b<Juk ",av I ~ rrprodllcccl 01" used ill allY n"mucr
"ithmu the written permis'iull lOf lh... pl,hlisllcr. e"cel'r in thc ca5c nf briefqUOlalion,
crnbo:xlicl\ in critk;.1 r",'ic,,"s .met .,rtide,.
I'tintc'd in the Uniled St:l1l" lOf Amer rf""d
9. Blake, YeaLS and Pythagoras
Kat/denl Rail/P..
NOles on lhc COlltribulOn>
........
.273
.... . 30/
/Jul aper his jather AllltSllrd,us had relllmed jrom Syria 10 Samos, willI gr-tlll
w"all1,. whirll hi' fwd Co/lffljrom a proS/H:rOllS navigation, ht buill (I 'I'mpl"o
Apollo, wilh Ihe hum/Hio" of P)'thilu; and look rare 10 11011/ Jlis SO" Ilourishul
willI 1J(jriOIlS and Ih, bi'st disd/,lhltS, al 0I1i' lime by Creo/,hilus, (II (molll" fry
Phctrpfn Ihe Syrian, a'id al allolh" by almosl alllhoS#! who presideti lJfJi"f sacml
ronctr1l$. 10 whom Ili'tllnlntl)' rtromm,.,llfffi Pj'/lwgonu, /lwt he might IN as mucll
as Jxmibll' sllffirilmlly ;lIslnu:ltd in divine co"rmu. He. h~. was rt!,lcaltd
ill sllch a ",mlll". as 10 befonlUll/ld)' Ih" mosl bamtiful olld pUllt ofall I host
Ih"l hlrlNbertl rrkbmltd ill tht alln"u ofhistory. all Ihe death ofhisfalhtr. l i 1c~
wist, Ihougll ht was slill but (I YOlllh, his aspttt was mosl1Jtntrabk and his hahiu
mosl Itmptratt, so Ihal hI' was tvtrl mJertflctd alld honomi by ddnly mm; (md
COllvtrttd Iht altmlioll ofali who Will ond htard him speak. 0" hillUdf, mId ap'
ptartd 10 IN an odmimb/e IN'nOII (a nxry O"i' who INhi'ld him. HtIlrt it was
reasollob/y assmtd by mOrl}. Ihal hI' was the son ofa God. BId he bring corro/Jo.
raltd by frtlOWtl of this kind, by the tducation which M had reui t~ jrom his
ilIJanCJ. alld by his tll/illmi dnfonn a#Mranct, ill a srill gmdtrdrgm ~i nctd
Ihal he dtstnJi'tf his praml p'fl'fOgl1lit'i'S. Ht was a/.w adornul by pUlJ mid disci-
piinn, by a mode ofliving transumUtil!y good. byfinnnns ofsoul, and by a body
in due subjet:1 10 Oli' "llmdaltS ofmuon. III ali his worlds ami (/(:Iiotu. his duaw
",.td atl inimi/abit quilt alld strtnily, nol bring subdutd al Oil) timl' by anF, or
ioughltr, or emldaliol/, or cOllli'lllion, or (III)' O/hd pnturbalhJ/l or pm:ipilllli(m
ofcom/uct; bul hI' lfwelt al Samas /ikl. some MltjiC"'II datmOll,
IAMBLICI-I US, Lifl' of1')'lhagortls
1
Intraduction
Homage to Pythagoras
Christopher Bamford
Oh! Friend. we come 100 laiC. TOle the gods lh'c.
But above OUf heads. up there in another \ooorld.
Endlessh IhC\ acllhcrc, :lIld ~111 (0 care lillie
\\ll('[hcr we live, Ih:1I much the hca\'cnly Ol l ~ sp<lrc liS.
for a weak \ ~I is nOI alwars able 10 relain lhem,
And on1) ocC'".ISionall}' is mom able 10 bear l.he hea\'cnly fullness.
.\ dream of them is life arL C~r l..hal. BUI wandering helps.
And slumber. and lIced :lIld nighllllake tIS strong.
L'ntil heroes enough in the bral.cn cradle ha\"c grO\\T1
I leans strung as the hC:I\'cnly 011(."5', like bcfon:.
Thundering the\' cOllle then. Meanwhile. it orten .seems to me
BeUet"to sleep than to be so withom friends,
So to w:lit: and \,'hal to do or 50...) meanwhile
I do nOI know; and what arc poets for in a destitute lime?
Ihn ,they arc. rOll S:l)', like the hoI)' priests urlhe "inegod.
\\ho mO\'cd frolll COtllll'1' to country in the holy night. I
p ALCMAEON OF CROTON, who hved ;n the old age of
ythag-oras himself .. ' I tl I' b
be' . ,!;,II( 1.1l men (IC ccause they cannot join their
gl11l1lng and lhe' > I" I ' I
I ' 11 Cll(, t IS I lcrcfore extrcmely auspicious I feel
t loll we han: come togeLher LO "d.. Py I ,"
is LI . , consl CI l lagoras, who III so many ways
lC prCSI(ltng lTcnil f ' I, I ' ,
j,p . 0 IS a alii cu IUle nllc lhe ongmalor of so many of
",go\,t:rnlngl)" .' I. 1'1
eVCIY h- , Ilnclp CS, rl( ced, a good case may be made not ani)' that
t mg which ,. "1 I' I '
_ \\c conSI( cr 0 V;\ llC denvcs from the enigmalic spirit
I.ThC'I
'ealnu,el],i,la . fli II ,. '. ..
Crt lill'. "t1(, r<Ti!'"<1 h" _'M" 0, ,,( ~T 111 S . Jlrcad ~"d \\'111" as:m el'igr:'ph cam" from R,,1r
fo~ I d'"<:id"'llo' l"d
t1
:',n,I,Lllnn or~l :u:, l"'p"""" I" 111)' 1.,11>, Ill' "~ s 'Iuite lighl, and ,II,''''''''
mc II C 11 he"c. om III 111)"0,,"" 1r0l1lsbtion.-C.8.
Chrislo/lJuT Bam/OTtl II
we are here to ilwokc bm also that in fact the entire epoch or evolution-
ary momcnt whose end we are now witnessing began with thc birth of
Pythagoras and rcpresents bm a continuing mctamorphosis of the
teaching whose sceds hc was catted upon to plant. I am overst;uing thc
case; ncvcrthelcss it is certain, as Simonc Wei! for one made very clear,
that Pythagorean thought is the seminal mystery of Creek civilization
and recurs cverp.... here, impregnating almost all religion, poetry, philos-.
ophy, music, archilccture, not to mention the 'sciences' which in many
w'''''ys arc still those of today, And not only Creece: since then ever)' criti-
cal mome11l in the de\'e!opment of our civilization has \viUlcssed a
rcvival, a deepening even in somc wa)" and cert,linl)' a metamorphosis,
of principles related to this Pythagoras who at each instant-at the time
ofChriSl, in the twclfth century, during thc Renaiss...ncc, in the Roman-
tic period and now today-is inmked b)' name. When we come to
considcr him, then, wc have in man)' wars to consider thc destiny of our
culture, that culture, for better or worse, whose vessels oftransfonnation
we ha\'c chosen to be, In other words, to rendcr homage to Pythagoras
is to ask who we are, \.... here we have come from and where we are going.
It is to seek the meaning of our culture, and hence an answer toJoseph
Needham's quest.ion, pul so forcefully in his Scienu and Civiliuzlion in
China, namcly: MWhy did modem technological scicnce de\'elop only in
the Westr Not for nothing tl1erefore was Pythagoras assimilated to
Apollo, \"hose injunction MKnowThyselr he taught to the fullest degree.
Let me inteljcCl herc a personal note. !'I'ly first guide in these matters
was probably Charles Olson, \\'110 taught the need and possibility of
thinking the whole earth and its history. B)' the old plinciplc-aclually,
of COUl"sc, Pythagorean-tll3t Ma one is onI)' if it produces a one,~ he
showed that the world, the eanh, was a knov.... dble, sizable, single and our
thing. If the universe is a whole, that is, it must producc a whole, and we
arc it-ill/ago IIIUIUJi, flllima mUlldi--which means that we can know iL
Myth thus beC:lme for Olson history in the sense ofa finding OUt for one-
sclf, as the way man, estranged from that with which he is most familiar,
namely himself. could return to himself. Following Olson, Bateson gave
me a morc philosophical, epistemological w<.IY of thinking about thesc
things, ahout the universe, that is, viewed from the sidc of the primacy of
mind, or rathcr viewed as mind. He taught me about the dynamic. recur-
sive, self-org'<Inizing pauern-nature of the mental world of rclations,
which is lhe \\'orld we live, calling his path or approach Pythagorean and
giving it a lincage: Pythagoras, the Gnostics, Alchemists, Goethe. aJake,
L::1Ill<u'ck, Samuel Bllllcr-and made it velY dear that if wc did not un-
derstand and fully achievc this way of thinking thc conscqucnces would
be appalling. I Iherefore bCg:lll to study deeply in this tradition he had
proposed and at lhe same. timc, having I ~arned the valuable lesson that
t: iSle11l010gics or world-VlCws werc nOl Irrevocable. I found myself led
b~th to thc school of Gucllon, Schuon and thc othcr 'traditionalists',
and to scholars and teachers likc Corbin, Hcidegger, Ricocur, Barfield.
Steiner. de Lubicz and many others, some of h'hom are gathered here.
All these showed lIle that this so-called Pythagorean thinking which Bate-
son was trying to reeo\'er, in its cpistemology at least, was common to all
the spiritual traditions of the wodd. In other words. it was in the velY na-
ture of things. which led me t.o the study of nature and of Christianit),.
15:1\ allihis both 10 excusc in advance thc mixture oflanguages I shall
be USi:lg and to confess that what in all this has remained most elusive
for me is the actual mission, meaning, comribution of Pythagoras him-
self. 11101t is. though pythagoreanism. as it ,,'ere Witl1 a small 'p' and in
tl\C broadest possible scnse. is an easil)' graspable notion-we knowwhat
it is and can talk ahoUl music. number, pattern, Conn, relationship, ge-
omclr)', etc., as plimary :lnd im'oke tlle great traditions of Egypt, Vedic
India. Islam. as well as find apparem echoes among such contemporar-
ies as Heisenberg. Wheeler, Eigcn, Spencer-Brown, etc" who seem to
inquire after pattern rather than after substance-what Pythagoreanism
with a capital 'P' is. what he stands for. what I have suggested is the very
essence and mp>tery of our culture, is much more obscure. In fact the
closer one examines the Western lineage of pauern-seekers, from the
early Neo-Pythagoreans and Neo-PlatonislS on tluough, tllC harder it is
to gr-<lsp the archct)'pe, One traces the c\'olution of an ecology of ideas,
but the central idea continually evades one. Today, I am going to sug-
gest this is because I"')'thagoreanism, though re\'olutiona'1', is not
original.Jl1st as its histOI)' shows (."vidence of mewmol'phosis, a continu-
ous change of lorlll or understanding-a changing framc\\'ork of
application of the principles if )'Oll will-so Pythagoras himself insti-
tutedjust such a changc, As wc arc the seeds generated from the plant
which sprung from thc seed which was Il'thagoras, so Pythagoras, too, a
sced. sprang from another plant.
To discovcr. then, what it is lhal we are destined to carry forth into
the fUture-should we have a future, by which Alcmaeon would mcan,
can ..
we JOin our beginning and our cnd. our seed and our fnlil-we
mUst examine the past. The problem here is that the so-called past is ob-
SCure, unccrtain, ambiguous: Olll" memOI)' is dcfectivc; things are
forgotten, confused, misauributed. In a word, il is difficult to recall
~h~t we arc tl)'ing to remcmber. To help liS do so. as in this confercnce,
a kllld of crabwisc procedurc is neccssal)'. B)' circling around the point
-
12 1-IO.\IAC.: TO !'YTIIACOKAS Cllri.dopJla Bamford 13
of oblivion, now lUl"Iling this way. now that. b)' connot~ti on. not deno-
tation, by waiting, as Hcidcgger would say, nOl pointing. the point will
perhaps come to meet us.
Now, for the ancients, though Pythagoras had tnl\'clled and learned
much of God, naturc and humanity in Egypt, 8ab)'lon. Crete (and per-
haps e\"en India, whence he would have acquired the dcsignation Pitta
Guru), from the Grcek point of view what he taught and practiced \''as
a fonn of Orphism. Indeed, from quite earl)' on a number of Orphic
texts were even .utributed to him. both confirming his Orphism and
suggesting the nature of Orpheus to be an angelic, initiatic Slate per-
haps similar to that of Hermcs Trismcbtlstus. Thus 10 understand the
riddle of Pythagoras we must confront the prior riddle of Orpheus. from
whom tradition asserts that p)'lhagoras derivcd most of whilt we associ-
ate with the idea of Pythagoreanism, including the Numbers. Witness
Iamblichus, \"ho writes: Mlfanyone wishes to learn what werc the sources
whence these men derived so much piety, it must be said that a perspic-
uous paradigm of Pythagoric theology according to Numbers is in a
cermin respect to be found in the writings of Orpheus, Nor is it to be
doubted that Pythagoras, rcceiving auxiliaries from Orpheus. composed
his Treatise Con.cerning Ihe GOlls. [which] contains the flower of lhe
mOst m)'Stical place in Orpheus." Indeed, according to this sacred dis-
course it was Oq)hCliS who, l c~mi ng [rom his mother on Mount
IJangaeum, said lhat the elel1lal essence of number is the most provi-
dential principle of the univcrse, of heaven and earth, and the
intennediate nature. In other words, as Spianus sa)'s: MThe P)'thagore-
ans received from the tJleology of Orpheus thc principles of intelligible
and intellectual numbers, assigning them an abundant progression and
extending their dominion as far as sensibles themsekes." And not only
numbers, of course, but the entire religious framework of their study
was Orphic from the Creck point of"iew. That is. we can find the whole
of Pythagorean number theol)' in Orpheus, but embodied in m)tholog-
iC<ll, symbolic, religious language.
Indeed. we must never forget that, from many points of view, Pythag-
oras was primarily a 'religious' teacher. Aristoxenus, a pupil of Aristotle
and friend of the P)'thagoreans of his day. wrotc of them: 'Evel)' distillC
tioll they lay down as to what should be donc and not donc aims at
conformity with tlle divine. This is lheil' staning-poinl: Lheir whole life is
ordered with a dew to following God, and it is thc govcrning principle
of their philosophy:'
Note here the idemity of philosophy with following Cod. Pythagoras.
who was traditionally the first to call himself a philosopher, clearly
meant something differenl by il than we, Men come to life, he said, as
to a fcstj\'al: most come 10 buy and sell and compete in the mall)' compe-
titions that arc offcred, btll. some come simply to observe, reverc and
contemplate the order, beau)' and puq>ose of what is occurring, the
golden t1llif)'ing thread ofessential wisdom that holds, binds aJltogethcr.
As Heideggel' suggests, the philosopher is thus one who 100'es-phikill.-
this \\isdom-sophitl. Love here having the connotation of amity. hal'
mom'. cOITCSl>ondellcc-Platonic friendship almost-rather tllan tJle
strhi;,g \caming which is eros or the purely spiritual identity which is
agapt. Though these tJlree loves are all one Lo\'e, the Greek can distin-
guish withoul sepamting, and (think that phile;ll definitely has a friendly
feeling of cOOpcrJ.tiOIl and communi[)', of f ~mi l i al affection between
equals and codependenlS. The philosopher is the friend, tJ,e intimate, of
wisdom-holds amicable discourse with her, We may recall Philolaus'
definitiOlI of IlarmOn)' as the common thought of separate tllinkers or
the agreement of disagreeing elements, the reciprocal unity or third in
which two things arc brought together, The philosopher, lhen, is one
whose thinking is in accord or harmony with wisdom, and whose prac-
tice of philosophy is dcvotion and dedication to it. This is why
Heidegger says that /Jhileill here means hQl1Iolegein, to speak in accor-
dance with the wisdom which for Pythagoras, since only like can know
like. is itself a harmon)' and a Philia-in other \\'ords with the wisdom
which is the Kosmos, that divine, true and beautiful order held togelhcr
hamloniously by bonds of amity, reciprocit)' and affection or sympathy.
TIle Pythagorean philosopher tllUS strove to align his being, unite his
thinking-though thcse are one, not tWQ--with the thinking and being
~urces ofthc Kosmos. i.e., the Gods. Numbers or Archetypes. Assimila-
U O~l to the di\'ine, then. imitation of it, by the J>r<1ctice of a way of life-
ph,.wslJ/Jhya word meaning in its beginning a right relationship with the
universe and with God-the famous MPythagorean way of life," was what
Pythagoras taught. Pythagoras' teaching is tJlereby 'religious' rather
than scicntific OJ' philosophical, though these three of course are one
fo.r him. perhaps distinguishable-though this is not clear-but cer-
tamly IlOt divisiblc. By the same token all three are quite different from
~ hat we lIsually consider them. Indeed, his bringing ofthcse logether,
Inaneww'IY ",',1" . "1, I " I . I .
. ' ,\ ,1 SOCI,I <Inc ,11 tlSUC \'ISIOll a so. tS w lOll from ancIent
tlO1CS accorded him the staws, quite spccifically, of a religious genius,
oneblesscd",tl,' "1" I' ....
\ ,I r C IgIOtlS reve allon or miSSIon, Agreater good never
Came 1I0r C"C' '11 k' I" .
h' . 1 WI come to man l.llC. wl'ote lambhchus ~than that
~ i c~ was impancd by the Cods through this Pythagoras." ~nd what he
ad III mind was not that I),thagoras inaugurated a n(:\\, approach 1.0
).)
HOMAGE TO I'YTIIAGORAS Christop"" Damford 15
(Rilke, Tilt SO/wets to O'1)!JeuJ. First Scrics, I.
Trnns. C. Bamford.)
but from listening. Bellow, cr)'. roar
seemed small in their hearts. And where hardly
even a huL had been to receive this.
a shelter from darkesL desire,
with an entry. whose posts shake-
therc. in hC:lring, fall made a temple for them.
17 GIl riSI Qf!I ,~r fJam/ortt
p}"lhag
oras
. Plato-was the "child of Oq)hic l l 1ysl agogy.~ Yel Orpheus is
a I11vstcry. al1d in many ways has alwa}'s bcen so, from Ihe beginning, that
" r"'011l
I
he lime of P),lhagoras and PlaIa. who while tacitly proclaiming
"" thCll1sch e~ Orphics changed Orphism so much that a hiatus-what
Bachclard wOllld c<"111 "all cpistemological nlplurc"-was placed be-
I.'weell them and Ihdr lounder thal we, Pythagoreans and Platonists,
have not \L'I \Ucccc.:c1ecl in overcoming. Thel'e, indeed, is our task.
Brien,. the problem is and was I.'wofold. Firsu}', Lhe 0'l)hic teaching
which is nnthOlogical, spnbolic, connolalive, concrete and sylltheLic was
incompalible and increasingl}' incomprehensible 10 Lhe rising analYlic,
denolillhe and ab'ill<lCI sclf<onscious mentality, Secondl}', his hislory
was odd. 1':0 one kne\\' allymore where Orpheus had come from. As a
'person' he was dated somelime between 1500-1200 B.G.. for he had
suppost'dl\' s,,'l.ikc1, after a visil 10 Eg}'PI, \\;thJason on Lht' AI'gO, ele\'en
generation.. before thc Trojan War, in search oflhe Golden Fleece. TIle
search for the Fleece. of course, suggests an alchemical or Hemletic as-
sociation. \\'hile Ihe "isit LO Eg}'Pt. ifat that time. brings Orpheus and Ihe
Orphic impul'iC tanlalizingl)' illlO associalion wilh Akhenaton (c, 1377),
the Crl'atm' of a I"adical. solar theism that rejecled nOI only the subde
l heol Ob~ of Amun-Ra-Pr<th bUI also the ancicllI canons of proportion
and me;L'iure. SllbSlitllling for Ihem a kind of naturalism, in which
Akhenaton and his famil}' were portra)'ed in 'androgynous' form. This
is illlercsting because esotericall)' Akhenaton is considered a premoni-
tion of the coming Solar Agt."-a mixed, androgynous principle
medialing between the pa$ing Osirblll and the rising Horian emphases,
The rcle\OlncC here lies in the faeL thal Osiris and Horus, according 10
Plutarch, were Dionvsus alld Apollo of the Greeks, belween whom, as we
shall see, Oq)heu<; is precisely the medialOr.
. The histol'ical manifeslation of OrphisIll, however, does nO( occur un-
ul abouL half a millenniulli after this, whcn Orpheus appears as a
prophet or priest III Dionysus, a l'efOnller of the allcient m)'steries, who
at. dle same time paraduxically is an initiate of Apollo and a proclaimcr
of. a sol,II' monotheism. And il is this Orphislll which, whilc clearly con..
Stlll.ltin<r '\ Ino " r I""
". \CtllCnt 0 rc Igl0US renewal or rt:form. is acumlly morc of
a revohnioll l' " I" 0" I "" "
. 01 ,\' \<11. I P 11sm seelllcd to havc proclal1ned was the Or-
phiC wa}' of l i l ~ tl,' "I "I" I" "I" "I I "" "
rr '-, t POSSI)I II)' () any Ill( IV1( U:l al.la1ll1llg by hIS own
('''Ort Logcthe' " I I " r
' . I hill Lle aCllOII 0 grace, a uOlnscendent purity synony-
mous WIth r '. T
o I' (IV1l11t)'. he rcvollllion:ll)' ilspcClla}' both in the faci that the
~ 1I.
c
wa), wa.s open to all and so lInivcrsalil.ed the M)'SLCIY and hic.-atic
IllllJalJons fl'
cr d () t Ie p:L,t epoch. rclcasmg lhe one from detcnnimuion by sa-
c geography and the oilicr from dCICnllination by caste and Temple,
l-IOMAGE TO I'VTl-IAGORAS 16
Rilke clearly realized the myslcry and the magic, thc dream, the pres-
ence and the prcmonition which is Oq)heus, scnsing in him morc than
myth and hislory, something akin perhaps to consciousness itself. For
Gocthe, toO, this was the casc. and Orpheus, and Orphic 'Archctypal
Words'-Unuorle--camc to stand for the velY archetypes of org-<lnic be-
ing. Thus. fOl' the Renaissance. Orpheus was of the 'prisd thcologi'-
u1e Greck represent'ltivc of 'ancient theology', thc peer of Moses, Zoro-
aSiCI'. l-Iel'll1CS Trismcgistus. And this was the view of the Greeks
themsch'es for ,.,.hom. as Proclus said all theology-Homer, I-Iesiod,
Animals of stillness pushed from the clear,
opened wood of lair and nest:
and it happened that noL from cunning
and not from fear were thcy so quiet,
A tree rose up. 0 pure over-rising!
oOrpheus sings! 0 high tree in the ear!
And all ....'as quiel, Yel even in lhat quiet
came forth a new beginning, sign and trnnsfomlation.
nature or to mind, though he would have agreed these werc imporlant
if hc had had the language to articulale them. What lamblichus means
is a lillie diffel-cnl. Just before making this Slatement he has said thal
Pythagoras W ~I S associaled by many wiLh Apollo-Pythian and Hyper-
borean. AndJUSt afler it he invokes Aristotle to the cffect that one Oflhc
principal arcana of li'lhagorean philosophy \\'as the di \~si on of beings
into threc kinds: Gods. humans and such as l:lythagoras. In other words,
Pythagoras was fell to augur a new kind of being, the possibility ofa new
kind of being. Or rathcr that consciousness manifested a new religious
or redtmptive possibility in Pythagoras. And il is ulis religious aspect, at
once Orphic and Apolline. lhat I want LO look al first..
and also in that, as far as onc can gather, 0l1)hism taught thc possibility
or promise ofrcSulTection: thc idca ora transccndcnt, unfallcn aspect of
the soul, \vhich we lIIay callthc Daimon.
Who then was this founder? Looking more closely at the lIIyth we dis-
cover the following. Orphctls was the son of the i...luse Calliope-that is,
the Muse of PQl!/1)', the Leader of the Muses--cither by Apollo, their
chief, or by Oeagnls, A Dion)"Sian River-Water-Wine God. In any evcnt,
thcn, his gr..\I1dmother would have been r-,'Inemosyne, Memory, the
mother of thc Muses. and Zeus himself would have been his grandfa-
ther. It was Apollo on the other hand who ga\e him his lyre, which had
originally belonged to Hennes who had cxchangcd it for the CatlIlCms.
Apollo and Hennes (and so Orpheus) arc brought into the closest con-
nection, as arc the Caduceus and Lhe L)Te; and wc may therefore
associate Oq)heus with the Hennetic tradition, that is, "ith the science,
cosmolob,,)' (alchcmy) and perfection of the intcmlediatc or human
realm, the realm mediating between Hea\'cn and EarUl.
Oq)hcus then. laughtto play on his I)TC by Ule Muses-and so too we
may imab';ne b)' MnCmOS)'lle and Apollo--creatcd or introduced the ans
of prophetic poelr)' (under \\'hich head we may include theology, In)'-
tholog)', hymns), song and dance, so excelling at Lhesc thal by Ule beauty
of his hamlonics all nature--trces, stones and animals-join(:d togeLher
in (X'ace and joy. His science, in other "'orels, was a magical one which
bl"Ought all nature to some kind of blessed consummation. And in the
same spirit other sciences and inventions, medicine. agriculture, ritual.
astrolob')', architCClllrc. maUlcmal.ics were all auribuwd to Orpheus.
This is the figure. then, whom we must see malTicd to the fateful Eu-
rydice who, biuen by a snake, was taken down to Hades. Orpheus.
descending aftcr her. implored Pluto 10 pennit her return. This was
granted him. of course, on condition that he 1101 look back l.1I)(Jn hcr un
til she stood in the full sunlight. Liller "ersions say that Orphcus failcd;
earlier vcrsions have him completely successful. Here we may note, wi th~
out comment for thc moment, thai according to l-Ier..lclilLls Hades and
Dionyslls arc one and thc same; we may further note the similarity of this
StOI)' and the gnostic one of Christ and Sophia-a similarity borne out
by the more timid medicval mind's interpretation of the StOI)' in termS
of spirit and soul. This lasl interpretation is supponcd by the most rc-
cellt etymological findings concerning I.he Greek word /Wus 01' spirit!
mind as derivesl from a whole cluster of words having to do with the re-
turn to life and light from death and darkness.
finally. il is told of Orphcus that he rose daily to grcct lhe sun on
Mount Pangaculll, calling Helios whom he named Apollo the greatest
(Rille. 17lt!Sonllt!l.s to Orpht!lu: Firsl Series, 26.
Trans. C. Bamford.)
FinaJl\' Ihey tore YOLI. impelled by vengeancc.
\\'hilc \'Our sound still lingered in rock and lions,
ill tre<-'S and birds. YOli still sing there 110\\'.
19 Christoph" lJlIlI/ford
o VOl! losl God! You cndless tr.lce!
Onh becausc in thc cnd hate divided rou
arc wc now' naturc's lllouth and Iistencrs,
01" the Gods. for which the Maenads, followers of Dionysus, dismcm-
bered him, casting his head imo the River I-Iebros. h'hence it lloated Ollt
to sea. coming to land on Lesbos wherc it long continued to prophesy.
Alternatively it is said that Orphcus, having introduced the lites of Di-
Ol1\'MIS into Greece. had to suITer thc death of his Cod. As Rilke wrotc:
But before getting into that, and to the question of the relations be-
tween Apollo and Dion)"Sus, and to the mrtholog)'. wc must first
consider something else.
Kamel,.. that therc is an echo in this OrphiC Story of someUling ex-
tremel)' archaic, of an almost plimordial tradition and time. It comes at
IU from almost cvery ilSpCCl, and if we had to give it a name \\'c would
call it -Shamanic.- And cen.ainl)' Orphcus is that. as Eliade poinl.S om,
not onI,. in his descclll intO I-lades, bUI in his healing, his love of music,
his charms, his I)(JWCI"S of divination. Indeed from that point of view. as
Ciorgio de &llll.illana &."I)'s. "Shamanism is not primitive al all bm be-
long,;, as all our ci\'ili''':ltions do, to the vast company of ungrateful heirs
of Some <Ilmosl unbelicvable ncar-Eastern ancestor who first darcd to
undcrstand the world as created according to number, measure and
wei ghl .~ And that is truc. but I think it confuses the issue. In a sense the
k~y word helC is Illusic, for though Orphells was the "divine musician"
hIS lllusic primaril)' and pl-imordiall)' was prophetic, divinely inspired
song, th;ll is.I)()('II)'. Orpheus harb back to an ancient time when words
and things were not yet separ-lled but were united in a kind of melodic
chant N'IP'"'''' .. . I . I . I . . I . .
. " ,g. slllgmg. was lC Cllllca Wll 1 crealton. Wit 1 lIlakmg reallly.
Or rather .' I G , .
. . tll lhulling. t Ie oc s spoke through the name. To smg was to
Invoke 11, G I
lc oc s, for only lhe God. the Archetype had a name. In this
sense 'lOCi . ,
I' I)' was sClencc; anguagc was knowledgc and power: at least in
tile mouth of the prophet-poet-shaman, language was the language of
t1cCods \... ., V
. f\.S It sa),s 1Il t IC edas: "The gods created I.he h),mns first. thcll
HOMAGE TO I'Y"lIi\GOIUIS 18
thc Iirc. thcn the burnt offcring....... The essence of this view, which
Owen Barfield has tenned Moriginal participation, M is that there sl.-mds
behind phenomena, on the other sidc of thcm from us. something
which is of the same nature as humaniry. Of this \ision, music is thc priv-
ileged model, both as to cosmolob"Y and as to communication. Of this
w*ultur of poetl")'. prophecy, theology and inspired knowledge Nora
Chadwick writcs: -Everywhere the gift of poetry is inscpamblc from di-
vine inspinnion. Everywhere tllis inspimtion carries with it knowledge..
.. Always this knowlcdgc is ullcred in poctry which is accompanied by
music.... M\lsic is everywhere the medium of communication with spir-
its." In other words. behind every sensible phenomenon thcrc lics a
reality of an animistic, super-scnsible order, and just as one can makc an
open string vibratc by sounding its own note on a ncarby instnlmcm, so
onc may cOI ~ure up and communicate with a spirit b)' providing it with
a song or tone. TIle universe, which is body, is song from this point of
view, and Orpheus is tlle child of what he teaches. "Song is being," says
Rilke. Marius Schneidcr writcs in T I i ~ Ntru Oxjord History oj Mllsic; "To
produce a sound, effort must be made. The bowstring has to be
stretched. and the brcath must impinge on a sharp resisting cdge. TIle
ground must be stampcd down. All life arises solely from stamping, from
the tension of twO opposing factors, which h,we to 5<"l.crifice tllcir
strength, if need bc tlleir lifc, for the birth of new life...." This is a fun-
damelllal Orphic notion as wc shall see-enacted typically in thc
polarity of Aether and Chaos, Apollo and Dionysus-that in creation a
sacrifice has been made, a debt must be paid. Life is a gift, imposing cer-
lain duties and obligations. behind which as C<llISC and Origin lies a
cosmic, universal primordial sacrifice that must be atoned, harmonizcd.
This is what Plato refers to when hc 5<"l.YS tllat we are prisoners of the
Gods-an idea which secn in Orphic perspective and with Christian
hindsight is clearly not primitive at all.
With all this in mind, then, Ict us consider the Orphic theolog)' or cos-
mogcny, from which P),thagorns reputedly deri\'ed his philosophy and
to which, in fact, all transcendent, symbolic imaginal philosoph)' rnay
trace its roots.
We begin with an ineO'able First Principle or Principle of Pl-inciples,
ChroIlOJ, conccivcd under the aspect of Infinite Time. Proclus describes
it as "Once-Beyond'": it is in fact irreduciblc. indescribable, incompre-
hensible. Why under the aspcct of Time? This is vcry difficulL I will
hazard two suggestions. Firsl, this is a d)'namic cosmogeny of action in
which aClion is anterior to timt.--space-movcment-matter in any fonn. Sec-
ond. tllis primacy of Infinite Time suggests the possibilil}' of concei\ing
of Lhe Orphic Gods, which aCler all becomc the ':>ythagorean Numbers,
as. in some ,cnse. Rhytluns. In any event, Chronos, this Ineffable First,
polari
1C
\. that is. ad~s i~c1flo itself, pre~nts ilSClfto itself, doublcs il'lelf,
\ing rise 10 tWO pnnclples: At!llter. that IS Hea\'cn or Fire, a male princl-
:Ic. and OI ~ O: thai is, \.Vhal. is. Poured 0; Wat~r, a female pri l ~ci pl e.
Denwthologlllllg these t\\o prmc'ples, the Ilatol1lc Pythagoreans Will call
tllcm Pn"tlS. a I'rinciple of Limitation or Distinction, and Apeiroll, a Prin-
ciple of Unlimitedness or L."l.ck of Distinction or Indefinitude. Thal is to
sa)'. as an ["lamic source has it: "Whcn from the Cause emanates One,
there emanates from it Not-Cne,M that is: Two. Thus it is between Onc
and Two that creation occurs, and Plato will call thc Pl"inciplc of Intelli-
gible ~1:l tl e1", the AfP'iron, tlle Indefinite Dyad. What is importam is not to
confuse I hi ~ Principle of the Unlimited \\~th an),thing related to mallcr
as we know it. Indecd one ofthc fiT'Stthings to be overcome in these ques-
tions is, as Colcridgc sarlO, thc obsession with maller, the need for a
Matter as a damm. MAs soon as this gross prejudice,- he wrilcs Mis cured
by tllC appropriatc discipline, and the ~ I i nd is familiarized to the con-
templation of ~I atl er as a product in time, the resulting phenomenon of
the equilibrium of tWO antagonist forces, Anraction and Repulsion ..
the idea of creation alone rcmains." Coleridge, in fact. is very good on
these things. As what hc calls a Mtmnscendental philosopher" he 5<"l.)'S not
"Give me matter and motion and I will conSU'uct you the universe," as
Descartes docs, but I.nhcr: "Gmlll me a nalLlre having two COlHl<UY
forces. one of which tends to expand infinitel)', while the other strivcs to
ap~rehcl l d or lind ilself in this infinit)', and I will c<tUup tllC world of in-
telhgcnccs with the whole s),stcm of their reprcsentations to arise before
)'ou.- I.1l Olhel' \\'ords: "Evcl)' power in na(Ure and in spirit must evoh'c an
PPOSIlC as thc sole mcans and conditions of its manifestation: and all
oPpo~i l i on is a tendency to reunion. "111is is true uni\'crsally_ E\'en Cod,
the t;1~kl 1o\\ abl e Cause \\~thoul c."l.lISC, must cvoh'c an opposite b)' the
ne:e~"I I oj Jlimsdf. and lhat opposite can only be Himself, so that tllC
pnn~lple of polarit) becOlm.. 'S thc principlc ofidelltity. In other words, to
~al l l f e~l Ililllsclr lO Himsclf. to know Himself, to lakc fonn, Chronos
n
liSt placc Ilimsclf as Acthcr bcfore Himself as Chaos: or rather, must
ow fonh fro I-I' If C
III llllSC as .haos to return to l-li1nselfas Aether. TIlLIS
even tlw Notl' 1 c '
..... ling )c,orc IlSclfbccOIllCS Something: ill filet as we shall sec
UCCOllles Secd L' I I' V' , ,
d L' ,Ig ll, ower, lSlon: whIch we might call \\~th Schwallcr
c T l l l !~l ~l the '"Cosmic or Divine Ego," the D h~nc Mj am.-
lis IS the lc"cl,' C 1 be' , ,
Pvt.h .. mg .rom tle gmllmg. As Plulolaus, the first
, agorean to wn'le - _.' d 'd -N' ,
fill d an)'ullng own, s.."l.I: aturc III tllC Unn'cl':SC was
e together [' h 'd] f ' ..
I.e. annOIlI7.C rom tlle LlI1l1tmg and the Unlimited.
20 IIOMt\Gl' TO 1 1~nl l \GOR t\S Chri.slQ/lhtT Bam!Qrd 21
both lhe Universe as a wholc and C\'cl)'lhing in it." Just so Plato. in his
unwritten dOClrines, animled that the Onc and the Indefinite Dyad
wcrc the principles of all thinbrs, cven of thc Eide. the Fon"s, thcm-
selves. And in the Philevu.s he calls it a gift from thc Gods, a gift passed
on in thc fOfm ofa saying, namely: ~A l l thi ngs that are cver said to be
consist ofa one and a many, and ha\'e in lheir nature a conjunction of
limit and unlimitedness. ~ Note the language: c"erything is formed. fit-
ted tOgether. by a conjunction, a man;age: "Creat is the mystery of
marriagc." sa,'s the Gospel of Philip. ~f or by it the world is creatcd."
This is the Orphic \'ersion, too. Chronos. polarized by addition into
Aethcr ;lnd Chaos. fonus an Ellipse. an Egg: silvcr, bright, shining. This
we may sa}' is the Golden Genn, seed, \\'omb and embryo of all things, in
Sansk,;t the Hirtl1lJagharoa, which is but another name for Pmjapllli, the
Creator, the Lord of Produced Beings. So. tOO, in Orphism the Egg
cracks. revealing the perfectcd manifcsmtion of the conjunction of the
IWO pl;nciples, called Phant$. Here we must notc that while Chronos
must in some sense ha\'c contained these two natures, It did so in Uller
darkness of potentialiry, while Phanes in some sense manifcslS them-
for Phancs, ProlOgonos, First-born of beings, is thrcefold. He-Shc is
Phanes, first of all. who firstshone forth and appeared in a blaze of light,
illuminating. lighting. creating. This name was said to dcrive f"om plln-
llein. to shine; from which we derive phenomenon or what is
iIIuminatcd. But to begin with Phanes only illuminates himself, that is,
Chronos, giving to him an ineffable bod}' of light. He is thus thc knower
known, the Crcator-created, Fiat Lux and Logos: the primordial cosmic
divinc Amhropos. As threcfold First Adam, he is also Eribpaius, power.
masculine, and Metis, intelligence, feminine. In other words, the first
form or salt, conjunction of ACUter and Chaos, Fire ~l I l d Water. is Light.
Illlclligence-I)owcr, a triple being also called in thc cosmogcny Eros,
Pan and Dionysus, lhe first oftbree.
This Phancs-DiollYsus is symbolized as a God wilhout a body-he is
entirely spiritual-with golden wings on his side. bulls' heads aboUl him
and a monStrous serpelll encircling his head, with evcl)' fonn of crea-
ture engraved upon it. Accordingly hc is, as Proclus has shown, tl ~e
model or paradigm of the universe, the seed of all. As Plato tcaches In
lhe Till/llells. the universe is one single. visible living being madc by ule
Dcmiurge afler the model of the most perfect imclligible living being.
And what difTerellcc is there, Proclus asks, thinking of the Orphic Egg.
between calling il an Egg or Seed or that which is unfolded from it,
nanlcly Phanes, a bci ng or ani mal. In f<lct. as the Pytllagoreans knc\\', the
dilTercncc is most important, for bctween Egg and Animal, bel\\'een
~~ J ~ ~~:~I ; ~!~, i l ~ ~I t< (."'111.1"":. l'lal" ;tlso g;'c' -1'H,king IIp....~.nls- ,IS lltc meaning uf (millm/If
$ajl of t\ ' ""l ~. I hus ,,~. <Ire 'crn,n<!t',1 th.11 cach 1<'\"<-'1 i' hum.tn, lmtccd, ;U OI''''lliodoms
7
lc,," hUll' rd' \'0 I \ '
.... u~. and IY . g11\ <l III I.u>- ,)' ",Iudl Iw nll'a,IS thc 'dgns uf Oumnos. Chronns,
Oa}'. the lk- I."II):SUS (l'hancs, tht Firs. Ad;un of l.ight bcil1R ",uirdy spiritual 'md of thc Fi,'<t
'.' !,'lnmn,l_llte) "... ,. . ..
-..\0,';\\"5 th"" ' ~ no ""''' tnncs CilISI'tlt. $"""'luncs 'IOn..,KIS!cnt. hilt Ihc) ;lrc
"OU11'al'1 .~ ,md tilL'" ""prt"ctlt in 1Il)"StiCitl tmgtl"gc lhc s<','cl;d Ik,reL's uf \~nl l C Ih,lt our
11' "<:11(" ."
I
""d fruit. lhe .,Iages or logic or developmenl unfold. Hence
sect .. . .
I
e
~ unfolding from Ihe Egg, as Proclus sa}'s. "alllecedelllly comprc-
plan .>,
hends or unfolds i 1~ himself.lhe .Causes o~ l he ~econ.dary ordcrs," That
. in this process 01 lhe COllllllg IlHO medIated Idenuty of Unspcakable
'" I" I I 'd f '
Chro
llos
,IS PlJancs I lere IS contalllC( t lC I Cil 0 loglc.al development.
In phanes, as Unil)'. all Numbers, that is, felations or phases of develol>-
menI. ;lI'e contained. Ilo\\e\'er. since at this stage there is nOI yet any
space_time-mO\'cment.milue,, lhese numbers or acti\;ties are identical
with \\'hat ulldcrgocs them: they arc what they know and govern. At this
point we must recall that this Phanes is at once the Di\;ne Self-Idemity
and C o~mi c I :uu. ~K t.ep thc~c thing5 in th}' mind. deal' son, and in thy
heart,- s. l .~~ Orpheus in a fragmcnt to his student Musaeus. ;'well know-
ing all the things of long ago, evcn from 1)I 13nes.~ Here then we have thc
basis of a p.,thagorean thcol)' of knowledge. The innate consciousness
ofhumanily is total.
Continuing this cosmogen}' which is at once anthropogen}' and epis-
temology. Phanes. ha\ing his own daughtcr-<:onsort aspect N}'X, or
Night, produces Ouranos and Gaia, Ouranos, according to Plato, mean-
ing ~I ooki ng upward" and SO signifring the pure inlclligible world of
NOllS or mind. the level of contemplation according to Olympiodonls.
2
This levclnow produces in turn. by contemplation Plotinus \\ill sa}', be--
sides the Fates and Karmic Powers, thc Titans: Chronos (Time/Saturn).
Rhea (Earth). Okeanos (Space) and Tcth}'s (Disposer). Chronos, of
courst', lakcs O\'er from Ouranos, castrating him and marrying his own
sister, Rhea. The age of Chronos now begins which is paradoxically at
once the COldcn Age of Saturn or "the urn of BeingH-Chronos is said
to l ~ean salcd ~i rH el l i gence" and purification-and also the beginning
ofLllne. In lhis ~ensc il marks a fall. indccd a fall into Ule bodyofbolh
reason/discourse. i.e., soul. and birth and death. It is the realm of di-
anoia and Illarks the Illoment whcn. as Plotinus so beautifully pUlS it. thc
soul, lhrough scll:will tCl1lporalilcs herscll: ~T here WilS a nature which
was forward and wished 10 own and fule itsclfand had chosen to strive
for mOte tha l . TI '
. twas prcsclll LO It.. lLlS Il started to move, and along with
It also mOved \' I I
nile, all( I IC movement was towards the cver-still-<:oming
and later 11 I I
' Ot towar( S l )C sclf-sMlle butlowards tIle ever and again oUler.
23 CI,ri.5!op"ff IJrtmfor(f IIOM,\Gf TO I'YTIIt\COKAS 22
Unbreakablc is thc hold rou havc on the boundlcss cosmos.
o Chronos, begctter of lime, Chronos of conu1lSung discourse.
Child of Earth and Stan)' Ilea\'cn,
In you therc is birth and decline, augusl and prudenI Lord of Rhea
Who. as progenitor, dwcll in l....cll!).1.rl oflhc world....
... ThllS also tllC Soul, when she madc tile sensiblc world ... first of all
temporalized hcrself. generating Limc as a subsLitutc for ctcmity.... As
thc Soul i mparL ~ her aC l .i \~ti cs in porLions--one sllcceeding another and
succceded by a different one-shc generatcd succession as such along
with her bcing acLivc; and at one wilh discursive thought which is each
time different from the preccding one, Ulerc came forth whal had nOI
been before.... ~ Or, as the Orphic Hymn to Chronos say'S:
Although \\;th Chronos time and death arose, to begin wi th~ne
imagines for the duration of the Golden Age or Earthl}' Paradise-he ale
all his children, lhat is kept them within himself. until Rhea concealed
Zeus from him. gi\;ng him a Slone instead. Zeus, ulen. attaining sover
eignlY, o\'crthro\\'S his falhcr. casting the Tiwns inlo TtU'tarus, and the
Age of Zeus thus begins. However. we must not forgellhat each contains
thc whole. Zeus, for insmnce. is said to swallow Phanes, thereby making
himself the beginning, middle and end of the Uni\'erse, Thal is, the
\\'hole is still \\holly prcsclll. Then. cutting a long stOI)' shon, Zeus con
joins with his sYl)'g}' 10 produce Dion}'Sus, Bakchos, also called Zagreus.
The SlOlY now goes that Hera. another aspeCI of the consort RheaDemC'-
ter-Perscphone, jealous of lhc child Dionysus, releases the Titans from
Tartarus. 111esc, whitcning Uleir faces, lure UlC child, engrossed in his
own image in a min'or, ..way from his guardians, tear himlo pieces, roast
him and cat him. Zcus. an'iving on the scene too laIC, slrikes the Til...1.ns
with his lightning boiL From the ashes then. or the smoke, Zcus creates
humankind, a mixed creature of Dionysian and Titanic e1emcnts. That is
one ending: in the other Apollo comes and gathers up the picces, .
Here a~"<l i n, of course, we arc faced wilh thc relation betwecn DI
Otl)'Sus and Apollo. than which, as Jane l-IalTison says, "mythology has
left us no tangle mort imricate and assuredly 110 problem halfso inter
csting." Orphcus himself is clearly an Apolline figure, yet his God, the
God or OrphiSll1, is equally clearly Dionysus. Orpheus, and Oq)hism,
thCll, lead 1'1'0111 onc to the olher. Howcver, we must not imagine anyop-
position betwcen these, rather a kind ofcomplcmental'ity. The uni vcrs~
is or one piecc:.o-it b a "aile onl}'-: one humanity, one nal1ll'C, one unl
verse, one God-and there is no more an opposition betwcen Apollo
25 Christoph" B(lll/fOl'tl
and Diollysus than between the Sun and tl:e Moon,. or ~etween Plinci
les of Transccndence and Immanence. Ilularch, III IllS Essay on the
~eani l l g or Ei engraven o:~er Ihe Gale o~ Apollo's Temple at Dclphi. at
one point speaks or the "E as repl'csenullg the five or quinaly, the pri-
mordial maniage of evcn and odd, two and thrce. At the same time, he
'" five represents mllure, forjust as nature taking a grain of wheat for
~~ .
seed will difTuse and produce many forms and speclcs of growth, to re-
lUITl once again 10 seed which once more w1ll contain that same
polentialitV, so the I l l l l nb~r f i v~ \\'ill illwa)'S retllrn lO itself, that is when
multiplied \\'ill produce either Itself or tcn.
Dionyslls thus ,., 'I I)" I' . I . . .
. IC l\lnC nnClp c III lIs genCSIS or becoming' lorn
to pIeces 'fi d I '
AI. ,sacn ICC ' the TiTans, il must be reasscmbled, remembered;
po 10 IS Ihe tran' I ..
tJ. . . SCClle c.:1It pnnclplc, that aspect of the Divine whereby
1ISlsmadepo"bl I b
o ' SSI e. W Iere )' nature or becoming is made supenlatural
nee ag-dl1l Al I ... .
re. .' t1(: S,Hlle llmc. as transcendent presence, Apollo is the di
Cllngwlsdolll 1'1 . .
Ilatu al 0 )eCOllllng, simultaneousl}' present and inelTable in all
F I processes as the olher principle ol'wisdom.
rOm another . f D
the So I pOInt 0 VICW, 1011}'SUS stands rathel for the descent of
U, Apollo for its ~cc" o . . I . .
'''' , I I Cttllll-t Ie one suggesllng llllmanence
And Ihis as far as all number can eXlend, this number imitating the
beginning or Firsl Calise which gO\'CnlS the universe. For as that First
Cause. prescr.ing the \\'orld by itself, does reciprocally perfect itselfby
me world, as HCI-:lditus S<1}'5 offirc , .. SO the congress of fi\'e \\ith itself
is framed b} Nature to produce nothing imperfect or straoge, but has
limited changes... , :"Jow if:lIl)'onc shall sa)'. What is all this 10 Apollo?
",'c will answer, that it concerns not Apollo onl)', bUl. Bacchus also, who
has no less to do with Delphi lhan Apollo himself. For \\'e ha\c heard
the di\inl..'S .. ,S<l)'ing and singing Ihat God is of his own nature incor
mptible and eternal, but )'el. Ihrough a certain decrce and reason,
suffers changes of himself, having somelimes his nature kindled into
a fire, and making all things alike. and Olhcrwhiles becoming various.
in differcnt shapes. passions and powers, like lIntO thc World, and is
named by this besl known of names. But Ihe wiscr, concealing from
the vulgar the change, , . tilll him both Apollo from his unilY, and
Phoebus from his purilY and unpollutcdncss. But as for the passion
a~d chang~ o.r his cor1\ c~i on into winds, Miter, earth and Sial's...
p an~ and ,lnllnals ... tins thc)' obscurcl)' represent as a certain dis-
tracuon .;I l .I ~1 dismembering: and lhe)' now cilll him Dion)'sus, Zagreus
... exlublllng and chaming forth certain corruptions. disparitions.
deaths and resurrections....
1l 0M "G~~ TO I'VTllAGORAS 24
3. 8ul..-ltat is Teiurrectlou? II is thll uncO\ering at an) gi\"en time oflhe dements thaI ha ~
"'lrisc:n:
Now if )UU should re~"l l l l hol,ing reOld the CosI)Cl tholl Eli;1S oIPI)C,"cd-.lIld Moses-in ~ l ~s
companr, dQ not suppose that raurr~"C ti ol l is an app:lrilion. It is nOt an apparition; r,lIher 11 IS
something n:;,l. [nstc"d VIlC oughl to maintain th:llthc world is;lll apparition .",ulcr Ih'lI1 rei-
lIrrcaion.... Llut let l!1e 11m deprecatc thc dn;umsmnc~ S of this WOrll]. Sttllplr r~ SurrcC
tiun is not of this son, for it is rcal.
or rciru:3nmtion, the Olilcr transccndcncc and rcsurrcction.:S "The souls
ofmcn, sccing their images in thc mirror of Dionysus, as it werc havc cn-
tered into that realm in a dowll\""',lrd leap from thc Supreme; }'ct cvcn
thcy arc not cut oITfrom their origin, from the Divine Intcllcct," so wJites
I'lotinus. The Dion)'!.ian fallen soul ma)' ha\'e forgonen its Apolline, Dai-
monic nature, but it is not cut oIT from iL TIlat is, therc is a paft of the
soul that remains, or rcmained, forc\'cr unfallcn, out of time. In tllis
sen.sc, Apollo is tlle Sa\;or of Dion}'Sus. Damascius writes: "When Oi-
OIl}'SllS had projectcd his renection in tlle mirror, he followed it and thus
was scattered o\'er tlle universe. Apollo gathers him and brings him back
to heaven, for he is the purifying Cod and u'uly the Savior of Dionysus,
and therefore he is celebrated as the 'Dionysus-givcr'. Like Kore, the soul
dcsccnds into generation, like Prometheus and the Titans shc is chained
to the body. She frees herself by acquiring the strength of Hercules, gath-
ers herself through t.he help of Apollo and Athcna ... that is. by tnlly
purifying philosophy."
Thercwith we rcturn to Pythagoras, who, as we said, 'invcntcd' this no-
tion of philosophy that Damascius teaches, and whose God, as we said,
was Apollo. Or rather: whosc teaching, and practicc and wa)' was that of
Apollo. First it must be stressed that these notions that Orphism intro-
duced, whethcr they derivcd pl;marily from Egypl, Crete, Thrace or
even Babylon (and an equally comincing case may be made for all four)
were new to Creece. Apollo is alwa}'S remembercd as a 'Iate-comer' into
the compan}' ofCocts, and tlle idea ofa u-anscellClent self was not known
in Homeric timcs. More than a late-comer, however, I tllink we should
think ofApollo as one who was 'still arridng. Where from? He was called
Hyperborean, and tllOugh through TIuace and Crete thc idea may have
come from tllC North, as Anne Macaulaywill suggest. \\'C should not nec-
essaril}' consider him as arridng only from the geographic north but
I
"",Iso rrOlll 1hc Cosmic North, the Sacrcd or Tl"ansccndcnt Peak or
ratlCI"
(',Osmic i\lounwin, the pole and focus of all truc orient<ltion. An-
~L 1~cr similar inlcr.prctati?n makes him a 'Sh.ephcrd Coer. another a
engel' or mcchator, hke tlle Archangel Michael. All these bespeak
~es;l " anscendcnl origin, from which point of \;ew we may ~ke his bow
Ius .' . ...
and 1\1'e to snnbohle proJccuon, emanauon IIlto lI11manence.
Again" thi" basc, then, 11'lhagoras carries Out his mission. But in
fact things ;Ire moving \'ery fast and he institutes some very radical
change". LeI u" pick him up as he arrivcs in Crotona, ha\;ng passed his
\-ears or wandering and apprenticeship: in Phoenicia, on Mount Car-
mel, in Eb"Yj>1. Bab}lon, Crele. He arri,'es, as c.J. de Vogcl sal'S, inllaly
with ccrlain definite vic\\'S: \~ews on the struCture of the uni\'erse, on
the nature orman :Ind his place in it, and vicws on his 0\\'11 calling. The
ancicnl sources arc unanimous. ~A I l show us l>ythagoras as a man who,
bccause of bi ~ \ ite\\'s on cosmic order, reI! called upon to form and lead
a human COllllllltl1ity to teach people to take their appropriate place in
the cosmos."
We ha\'c had philosophy as a Pythagorean innovation, and now we
have cosmos, <tRain a \\'ord we must rethink to undcrsland itas he meant
il. Cosmos i" much more thanjuslthc universe. It includes the idea of
beauty, order or goodness, and struclliral perfection which we might
call t:ruth. All of these al'e held together by the prior principle of unity,
which. manifesting as Cosmos--one mass of Life and Consciousness as
the Corpus f-ImJlt'l;clIlII will say-becomes a lcaching of the harmony,
S)mpathy and kinship of all things-a universal interrelationship and in-
terdcpendence: a Imnnony, which in the broadest sense we ma)' take to
~ .tlle "oid of God, the (l Priori law and dh~nc order. incomprehensible
In Itself but presiding over all things. As Phanes we S<"lid was the model
o:tl ~c Cosmos, "0 the process of unfoldmelll he resumed and contained
;~~I .n hi n~scl r_ al l lhe Numbers, Coels, Archetypes-is I-Jarmon)': the
clatJonslup beth'cen phascs.
.TIlllS in his public speechcs Pythago.-as affirmed as cosmic law the
pnmacy principle r" ] " r "" "
co 0 unlvcrsa amity or nendshlp, whose embochment
\lId be achieved b)' tcml)eranCe, resl)onsibility affection honesty re-
speCtd ' , ,
an. spolllaneit)'. And at the centcr of these he placed a religious
enlphasls: ror th' . I "] ""
M C }OUllg, P11 osophy: for the Elders, the 1 emple or the
IISes; and 1"0' ] ". .. .
As r t 1(; \'Olllell, leadershIp III devotion.
rot' the P)tl . .. S I ] " "
the AI I lagOIC.\I1 C 100. the hcan of thts was conslllutcd by
atlemf/lid tho I "d d" " ]" I " "
inten' ,,,c w10 practice ISClP tnes, matle5u. FII'St, an oral
'lcw; next .\ p" I" " " I" "
ncgl
ecl
. . 10 latlOna!)' penO( of observation; then, a period of
, a three lear rcsidency on tJlC pcripher)' of tJ1e communit},;
27 Chri.Jtol,ht!r Bamford
It is wh.u is ron-tanl:
and UIC rc\"c.lling vf,,'hat truly cxists. .
And it i_, ,,'h:ll onc rccd,'CS in cxchange for the ci t~um,,,ul cc of thIS "urld:
and a migrativll inlO 1\CWIU'M.
For incorruption is stre;tming down upon corruption:
And lil;llI is ,t",,,ming dO\'o'" "1)01\ d"rkn01l. ,..~,l I owi "g it.
And the fulm_'S> IS lilling lip its lack.
111e Gnoslic Tre:ni,., on Resurrection- from T4t Nag lIa".lIld, l..ibmry
1I0MAGt: TO /'YTIIt\GORAS 26
then, finally, elllrance illlO the community, \... hich beg"dn with a fivc-year
silence. During this period one could listcn, but nOt qucSlion; one be-
gan 10 prJ.ctice the various disciplines of recollcction, tcmperance,
memol),-memory was much stressed; music and chaming werc daily
employcd, both as purification (hence rccollection) and as worship-
thesc \\'ould be the MOrphic hymnsM_and there was dancing, also;
goods were held in comilion, in a cenobitic life. This W;:IS the first stage.
Next came the real mathematics or practices; arithmetic. geometry, the-
ory of music, ste"comctry, astronomy, music. These were still a means
and not an end. Proclus says that the Pythagoreans recognized that cv-
cI)'thing we call learning is remembering, and that through avr.tkened
sense-perception learning has its source within us, in our understand-
ing's aucnding to itself. Thc explanation is, he S<"I.)'S. that what
remembers is the understanding--dianoia, the le\'el of Chronos in the
cosmology-which is that part of the soul having its source and essence
in the dh~ne spirit, Ouranos, \\'here the Archetypes or Numbers have
their being. alld so it has prior knowledge of these. even when not using
it. Possessing them all in a latent fashion, it can bring them to light
when set free of hindrances. all of which stem from objectification by
the senses. Evcry divisible thing, everything dh;ded from us, is an obsta-
cle to our returning upon ourselves. - C onsequentl y.~ ProchlS writes.
-when \\'e remove these hindrances we are able to know by understand-
ing itself the ideas that it has, and then we become knowers in actuality.
that is. producers of genuine knowledge.-
There. then, is one end ofP)'thagorean philosophy, to bccome a pro-
ducer of genuine knowledge. The implication at one level is that the
forms of thought are the la\\'s of form, and that that through which the
mind undersmnds is one with that through which the .....orld is created.
so thaI knowledge of mind is knowledge of creation. "You sec, then. my
friend,M writes Plato in the RejJublic, "that this branch of study really
seems indispensable to us, since it plainly compels the soul to empl ~y
pure thought with a view 10 truth i tsel r.~ The soul's self-knowlcdge In
purc thought thus becomes its knowledge of the universe, I t~ other
words, thc int.ention seems to have been for the student entel'lng the
Pythagorean school by means of various disciplines 10 become onc-
A-pallo. not many-and by becoming onc elllel' il1lo relation with the
all-Dionysus.
That was the intention, btU, as Proclus' descdption shows perhapS
only tOO well, there was a tendency in the intention to isolatc the knO~\ "
ing and the knower from what was known, a tcndency cOluaining Its
shadow, or opposite, namely the isolation and separation of the kno\\'I1
I e knOwn. hcre, I mcan lilc sellSC \\'orld. Though Pythagoras himself
By t 1 Inve taken great carc not to separate Numbers from things,
celllS to '
s . a vision the consciousness of the time did nOt seem to be ablc to
thIS was.
d
r r b\ Plato who is a l'ythagorean, the Numbers, which he calls
hal. ,0 ' .
f< nns or ideas. <Ire already III some sense separated from the sense
Old' the\' afC no longer thinbrs: nor are things, as they were for Thales,
\\'01' ,
I
' ogl"l)hs fun of Gods. They are and they aren't, and Plato is suspi,
ncr , .
, both of the senses and of tJ1C sense world. Consequently f!/Jistim-,,/
ClOUS .
lnowledge the world of Ideas becomes separated frOIll the sense-per-
ceptible world-not that the senses do nOl mislead. but tile idea that the
senses can be tfan<;fomled begillsto be doubted. AJso the ethical/moral
naUJre of thl" sense-pcrceptible world begins to be lost. Though
Philolaus ~ l \ that -cvcrphing that can be known has a number, for
\'o;mout numher nothing can be tllOught or known" and that "'number
fiLS allminw> into the soul through sense-perception, making them rec-
ognizable and compar;:lble with one another. in that Number gives them
bodY," me emphasis in latcr Pythagorcanism is increasingly one-sidedly
tumed upon the soul or mind, its laws, and there is littJe suggestion of
f ri endl ycongre~phi l o- sophi a- wi th the wisdom of 'nature' or the so--
called sense world. There is no gi\'e and take. or rather tJlere is nothing
given in turn for what the 'scnses' ha\'e pro\~ded. And in fact the form
of Pythagoras' School makes clear wh)' this occurred.
Original Orphism, however, equally clearl}' harked back to sollle-
tiling diffcrclll, at Icast held the promise of something different.
Meaning and cxperience arc still one in tile sense.objeCl; what a thing
is, its meaning, i'i revcalcd in the I>crception of it. Through sense-im-
ages. which arc names. words, songs, the Gods are spoken. So
knOWledge is concrete. something seen. witnessed, lived. By the time of
l >Y th~goras, howevcr, it seemed as though meaning and objecl were
com~ng apan. thc Gods were growing silent, meaning seemcd to be
rn
O
\1ng to another dimension. As il did so. the senses were increasingly
seen to betray and mislead.
Ilere \\c arc ,1 ) ," I' I I '
I IOSllacer Wit I t 1e story of Oq)heus agaln-thc Ulge-
san.g alkr I\'Pt I A
O
. J'II, l1e J'ChCI)'pal Story of All Beings, as Herder called il.
I pheus losl tI "1 [ , "
" d 1C \\01 (, the bcaUllful soul of rnal1lfCSlLltlon and he de-
cncddown!' .. .- .. ' ..
Di .1 It I II tnlo 11.l{lcs, which Heraclitus tells us IS onc With
onysus, the gr'll)' [, 'I ,[ I r b' I ' ,
sio
n
..' I ,I\C{ WOI {o In 1 and deat.h. He faded. III the vcr-
taught In (,rec . > I b' ,
of So d . cc, to ratse leI' up, l.It he forcver holds the promIse
hu,'n ?tng, of the reunion of mind and nature. bcing and becoming
anltya I I . '
a nOn b' n~ l. Ie unlvcrse.ln other words. he presents the possibility of
-0 ~ectl rl l l l g I'e .. .. I I' ,
lCepllon, an Imagma tlll1kmg.
28 I I 0M A G~: TO I'YTIIAGOKAS Christol,ht:r Bamford 29
Bateson struggled with this. And Goelhe. as m this char.lcterinic
piece:
We arc too late for the gods and too earl)'
for Being. Being's poem,
ju.sl begun. is man.
'I
In this \,lSt nighl. be lhe magic power
at your senscs' intersection.
thc lI1eanillg of their su<mge encounter.
Earth, Is not lhis whal )'011 want: to resllrrect
in us ilwisibl)'? Is il not )'our dream
to be imisible one da)'? Earth! Im1sible!
What's )"ollr urgent charge, if not tr..msfonnaLion?
So Rilke in the NinLh Dllino Elegy; and in the last Sonnct to Orpheus:
successive, as we muSl in an idea. seems to drive us to the vergc of in-
sanit),. The inlelleci cannol piclllre united what the senses present 10 it
S('p:lnllel}', and thus the duel between the perceived and the ideated re-
mains fore\'er unsolved,
And if lhe canhlr has forgouen
)'Oll. sa}' to the still earth: I flow.
To lhe ru,~hi ng W<lter speak: I am.
From the primordial beginnings of time unLiI now it seems as though
the whole cosmic process has been moving towards a point where it is,
as it \\'cre. H1rned inside OUL We arc at tJlat turning, rcall)' that same
turning still that Pythagoras ,.... as on and situated. We are still doing what
he did. onl)'we arc a little further on. and so it is clearer to us that ha\ing
arisen out oftlle cosmic process it is time LO retum it, to gi\re back whaL
we have received. Heidegger speaks of art as creation, as ule bringing
forth of the unconcealedncss of what is; as ule projecting of the uncon
cealedncss (lnllh) of what is. As a letting be and a letLing speak, as the
sctLing-into-work of !nllh, bestowing. grounding and beginning. This is
a new birth of the Orphic word, a return of PYlhagoreanism into Or-
phism. ,I new dirCCLi\'c from Apollo. It is a rCLUI11 LO Mlanguage- as that
which brings what is into the open.
HOMAGt; TO PYTHAGORAS
In obse"ing the cosmic structure from its broadest expanse down to ilS
minlllt."St parIS, we cannOI escape the impression t.hat underlying the
..... hole is the idea that Cod is oper.ui\e in Nature and Nature in Cod,
from cternit)' to etemil)'. Intuition, observation, and contemplation
lead us closer to these 1ll)'Stcries. We are presumptuous and venture
ideas of our own: tuming more modest, we merel)' form concepts thal
might be analogolls to those primordial beginnings,
At this pOilU wc cncounter a characteristic difficult)'---onc of \,'hieh
we arc nOt al\\'<I)'S conscious--namel)'. that a definite chasm appears to
be fixed between idea and experience. Ollr eITorlS to overbtidge the
chasm arc forever in vain, but nevertheless we strive eternall)' to over-
come this hiatll:j with reason. illlellect, imagination. faith, emodon,
illusion, or-if we arc capable of nothing better-with folly.
Ily honest persistcnt en'ort we finally discover Llmt the philosopher
might probabl)' be right who asserts that no idea can complcl.c1)' coin-
cide with expel'iencc. ncvertheless admitting thal idea and experience
arc analogollS, indeed must be so,
In all scientific research the difficult)' of uniting idea and experience
appears to be a great ObStacle. for an idea is independcnt or time and
place bIll research mllSI be restricted within Ihem, Therefore. in all
idea. lhe simultrlnCOlIS and sllccessi\'c arc intimatel)' bound lip to-
gelher. whereas in all experience thc)' are alwa)'s sep;mlted. Our
attempl to imaginc an operation of Nature as botJl simultaneous and
Pythagoras seems to stand for, or l"<Ilher, at a turn in the St01Y. He
seems to stand, in some ways, for the transform'Ilion, the development
of pure thinking, of a thinking, abrain. in some ways free of the senses.
In this sense, he opens the door to Docctism and idealism, to the kind
of r.,tional mysticism, mystical r.lLionalit)' that cuhninates perhaps ill He.
gel. But this is only one side of Pythagoras' dream; the other is purel)'
Orphic and has to do with the redemption and transfignraLion of the
Cosmos. It is time, I think. to rcturn to that, to the world of the senses.
to re-spiritllalizc it. From another point of view. this is to rcturn to art-
tJle speaking, disclosing. embodying of tftnh-as the origin of culture.
We arejusl at the beginning. As J-1eideggersa)'S,
'0
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Morro...'. Princeton: Princeton Uni\'crsilv Preu, 1970.
Rilke. Rainer ~f ari a. Duillo EI,.,pn ulld TIlt SOIln"ts to OrJlhro5. TransJOltt.-d by t\. I'Qlllin.
Jr. Boston: lIollglnon J',limin Comp.. :lI1y, 1977.
llel' <ItO Lubicz, Ish,l, Mt\khcnaton,M Chaptcr 39 in Htr.. Bnk. 'Cilicll-Pm: Tmns-
Scln,'3,' -d 1J\ Charles E. Sprague. Nt."W York: Inner Traditions Intcrnational. 1978.
alt:
1
d ~ \Iarius. Ml'rimiti\'c Music.
M
In ThL NtID Oxfurd Hislory of M1Uic. London:
Sclllel c,. _~
Os'ford Unh'ersilv Prcss. 19.:>f.
Spencer.UwI"Il. G. Lows of Form. .N~ :ork: TheJulian .I'ress, 1972., .
Weil. Simone. IIl/illln/ic'IIIS of C/ill$tllllll/y (/It/ong tht Allam/ Greth Educd and lrans-
hued by Eli7.abedl Chase Geissbuhler. London: Routledge & Kegan I'all!. 1976.
_. Notrbooks. Tr.lI1sl;lted by Arthur Wills. London: Routledge & KCg"dn Paul, 1956.
WesteriTlk. L G. The GmIt Col1lmrnlarits on Plato sPhoedo: Vol. I. OiympioMrus, Vol. II.
[)m1laVillJ_ Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company. 1976, 1977.
33 Christopher Bfllliford
1-I0M,\CE TO 1"{TlIAGORAS 32
2 Ancient Temple
Architecture
........................................... Robert LawLor
I~ Til ESE TALKS I WOULD LIKE 10 look at andem. and partic-
ularly Egyptian. Temple Architecture, nOt from the point of\i.cw of an
his10'1' nor eyen from the point of "iew of religion, but instead from
thal of the history of science. I would like to show mal Temple Archi
tecllIre was s)'mbolic language, chosen b}' a hieroglyphic cuhure for the
purpose of recording its scientific philosophy and epistemological
technique.
This approach should have the advantage bOlh of revealing the rele-
vance of the ancient position with ,'cgard to the problems facing the
philosoph}'ofscicnce to<ta), and ofprc\'eming our exposition ofTemple
geometry from remaining simply a historical curiOSity. Symbols have to
be slain in order to resurreCl, and I feel most slrongl)' that the anciem
wisdom can ani)' gain relevance for LIS ifit accepts the challenge ofver-
ification within the terms and data of modern science.
For this to happen, however, it will be necessary first to place the
Temple in the broad context of the scientific beliefs which have ap-
peared througholit histOI)'. Therefore, so as not to be accused of
wandering away from the agreed lIpon topic. I would like to state right
at the beginlling that I feci that the title, ~A nci el l l Temple Architcc-
turc.~ amhorizes. and c\'en necessitates. that we discuss fOllr areas of
thought: namely, Time, Perception, Resonance, and Symbolization.
, This is Ill)' reasoning, The first word, "Ancient," implies the idea of
hISlory. wh ich implies a panicular way of perceiving and recordi ng tJ,e
passage of Time, while the second word, "Temple." is derived 1'1'0111 the
~ l ti n, lemjJIIs, meaning "temporal ol'der," and tell/jJlum, meaning "spa-
ll'll order," and the third word, "Architecture," means in Greek "the
way or method of structudng what is archctypal." Temple Architecture
/lob"' Lawlor I 35
.l.
It is relative" cas)' 10 demonstrate spatial concepts in rclation [0 archi-
tecture. but Time is vcry difficult 1.0 conccplUalize. let alone discllss. in
anycolHexl. NC\'crtileless, those cultures which are steeped in m)'th gen-
erally ha\'e a model of Time which is not only cyclical but re-cyclical, onc
of whose essential premises is thai Light is the carrier of the messages of
Timc. an idea which is supported by modern research in bioclocks and
helia-biology.
According 10 this m)'lhic perception, time. in the fonn of light,
fOlmed, filtered and resonatcd through tile effects of celestial law, is
drawn towards eal'th, ~E arth .. here meaning a field of objectification or
manilesL.'ltion.
Readling eanh, it forms, energizes, particularizes, drh'es, animatcs,
creates and destroys; and is ilSelf absorbed, assimilated, reflected, re-
frActed. distoned, captivated, tr:msfigured and transformed; before
finally being released back again towards its celestial origin, modified,
and carrying ill paucrn form a record of all the evcnts lJlat occurred dur-
ing its given momcnt of interactiOn WilJl the forces of manifesunion.
From tbis point of view, Lime, likc light, as itrccedes from the earth
towards the heavens and movcs :lway from its phenomenal condition
back Lowards i\..S original condition of order based upon laws of celestial
~otl f i gl l rati ol l , may be said to dim.lsc, expand and shift iL'i spectral tonal-
Ity relative LO the viewing poin1 from which it was perceivcd as an
objccti\,c event. It follows from this t.hat since cvery event in time is on1)'
tl,le result of a complex lllolllelllary relation between a \'iewer and a
Vlcwed, the morc an event recedes in time the more it recedes in space.
and conversely. In other words, lhe quality of time, [ike that of lighl,
Time. Perception, Resonance, Symbolization
Roberl LawlQr I 37
INTRODUCTION
ANCIENT TEMPLE ARCIIITECTURE
is th,ercforc the structllring or symbolizing of the archetypal concepls
ofT.ll11e and Space and thus "AndeIH Temple Architccture," as Ollr li-
.~c, lI ldudc~ three Ollt of our four areas of thought. The selection of
Resonance as OUI' fouJ'th will become more obvious latcr on.
Before approaching the meaning ofancient Temple Stnlcturcs. then,
an al l cn~pt should bc made to examine the ways in which Timc and
Sp~ce nllglll ha~ e bcen pcrceh'ed, expcrienced and s)'mbolized by their
bUilders. For tillS reason I would like to begin by outlining certain mod-
els for these conceplS which I feel are suggested b)' tllC architectllre,
mythology al,1(1 gcomcu: conlained particularly in the Egyptian Templc
of Luxor, uSll1g ~ a gUl d~ the \'oluminous work on this edifice b)' R.A.
Schwaller dc LublC2, 111t!11IjJk d~ L 'H011l'M, Apet du Sud a Louqsor.
In th~ lalks that follow I shall present sciemific, mythological and
gcolllctnc data that may act as support for these models.
36
changes as it recedes in space-time; and the red-shift in light has a par-
allel in the mythic shirt in time.
_',..6 _,.. ,....I'DV'.,..
'>r"' __-'_ "'.-
-- ,.,
...,..,..;,_rww
1"_ .nrU/$
...............-
<-_....
---
We are given an image, then, in which time is qcled and re<ycled in
a volle)'-Iike exchange betwcen a celestial organiz.. .... tion and an earthly or
manifest organi7.ation; in which there is an unfolding of a pre-pattern
energy within the contingencies of emcrging forms and structures; a
movcment in which um<....light descends from a m)'thic to a phenomc-
nali7.cd level, undergoes a modification within the varied )'et limited
possibilities of a material Slate, and then retUnlS ag-din to the reaJm of
potentiality,
Thus 1.0 the m)'tJlic mind an C\'Cnt in time may nc\'el' be retricved as
a factual replication but only in its new qualit), as it recedes towards, or
returns from, its oligins in M)'thic Time, Hislory is then always eitJler a
deduction or an intuition based upon a residue of receding light in
space and memory-which can only act as a s)'mbol, not a fact, for
thought. \-Vhen the Egyptian pdestLOld Herodotus that the first kings in
Eb'YPI were preceded by lhe gods, he was saying thai phenomenal time
before the period of the kings had already been absorbed back into the
archetypal field of celestial organi"...... tion, called in Egypt the realm of
the Nelers. In this sense, we will be consi der~d gods to some future gen-
eration-that is, our phase and formation of light will have become a
recurring influence within the possibilities of future evolution,
38 ANCIENT TEMII.... ARCIlITt:CTURt:
This cosmic dialogue between the existing-the changing-and the
pre-existing is expressed in Egyptian lllythology by the linguistic play of
modulations on the verb "to become" or "to come into existence,"
KhqJi!r. while the Nelty of the rising sun, whosc symbol is the scarab. is
called KlIef1ri. One text reads:
When I manifested m)'SClfimo exisLence, existence exisLed, I came into
existence in the form of the Existent, which came into existence at the
First Time, Coming illlo existence according to the mode of exislence
OftJ1C Existent. I therefore existed. And it is Lhlls that the existent came
into existence. for I was anLerior LO Lhe two Anteriors, for ffi)' name was
anterior to Lheirs. for I made Lhem Lhlls anterior to the Two Ameriors.
~ - -~-
~~,~;
Such a cyclic and intcl'\vO\'en time-space mctaphor, depending upon
a ~Onti nl l ous. oscillating movement in duration. in \vhich time is con-
ceived of as a modulation shifting through variations in tendency and
Roiwrt Lawlor I 39
WeSlern culture bas made, lhrough language, a provisional analysis of
reality and, wilhoul correclives, holds rcsolutely to lhatanalysis as final.
The only correctives lie in alllhose oUler tongues which by aeons orin-
dcpcndclll evolution have arrived al ditTerelll, but CqUlIlly logical,
provisional anal}'SeS,
EXPLae1T&Wj
RolMrl Lawlor 1 4 I
. In his book, Ncisser refutes lhe cOl1vClllionallinear model ofpercep-
liOn and rcplaces it with a circular model in which the perceptual
,
Ii:' ~
l 1\ "';;.
\---- ---,~,-- -------J
])tAECTJ
o/J.rr&TtYE
rHRJAlllArttwA/"
REo
In his 11C\\' book, Mimi (llId Naillre, CrcgOl), Bateson delineates the sub-
jecti\"C nature of all kl~o"w.ledge, ~l~e to the limitations and parti cl i l ari ~es
of our pcl'ccptuill actlvlllCS. ThiS II1terdepcndency between percepllon
and what can be known of reality is, according to Baleson, ~what evel)'
schoolbo) 'ihould know." Such ideas, which began to break upon the
world of empirical science with relativity theory and the uncertainty
principle, arc now often dismissed as tnlisms.. Unfortunately, howcver,
this is happening before we have been able lO lIlcorporate lhe new con-
cept of the imcrdependeney of perceiver and perceived into an active
disciplinc and technique of thought.
I have already proposed one interdependency between time and the
perception of time. Now J \\'ould like to examine a perceptual model
gi\'en in Ulric Neisser's book Cognition (lIld /Ualily, \\'hich is, as may be
seen from the diagram. relat.ed to the model we have just used to con-
ceptualizc ~t)"thi c Time.
"2 "
before we can approach Lhe language of thc Temple directly, \\'e
But be d" "d" f d
k
owledge thal we have 'en rawn mto a conSI erauon 0 1e
mm
tKn
" ..
" of perception in general through the shifting Interdependency
quesuon
I a
\e found to exist between ule concept of time and the percep-
tll;Jt \\"C 1.
lion of limc.
ANCIENT TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE
intensity, is a particularly dilTicult image of time for us. both because we
havc vcry few lerms in our language to express !.hese l)'flCS of concepts,
and because we ha\'e the linguistic habit of objectifying time by applying
formal, spatial, or quantitative terms to describe il. For example, we say
a "long" time or a "short~ time, or break it into quantified segments,
such as "ten days," Ctc. But time, of course, is not an objcct, nor is it mea
surablc in the sense that we measure space,
Thus in Eb'Yplian, as in many languagcs of myth-imbucd cultures,
there is no absolute grammatical segmentation of lime irno past, prescnt
and ftllure tenses, Such languages, on !.hc contrary, are stmClured ac-
cording to a continuous, gradualed mo\'ement-first into a particu-
larized condition, then out again-just as Iighl mo\'es in and out of phe-
nomenal perception. For example, in hieroglyphic writing, lhe \'erb ~tO
listen" includes, like olher verbs, modulations which indicate a process of
mo\~ng through \~... rious SlaWS of aClUali7..ation. One fonn means "ap-
proaching U1e state of being able to lislen," and another means "u1e state
of being able to listen," and finally there is "listen." A further form
indicates a continuing present: "all the time thal he is listening." The
fUlllre, however, may only be indicalcd by a son of conditional.
Il is e,~dent, u1en, that each language reformulales in different ways
(auditory, visual, symbolic) U1C cxperience of lhe mind's perception of
light; and it is these language pauems which pennit the experience of
,~bratol ) arrays to manifesl in the realms oflhought and embodied con-
sciousness. To quole Benjamin \\'horf:
The mythic analysis of realily is summarized in u1e csscnual concept
underlying the Egyptian "Book of Transformations," called 1M Book of
Whll/ is in tMDum/, u1e Dwatbeing ule "invcrsed" or nethen\'orld: Re, who
is Consciousness in the form of light, symbolized by the Sun, becomes
nesh (Uj), in order to know himself as embodiment. The universe of lime
and space is UllIS the field through which Light can know itself as nesh
and. ultimalely, 1esh can know itself as LighL J would like to propose in
these talks lhat Temple ArchilecLUrc is a particularly synthetic I;mguage
which describes this cosmic unfolding-a language that is a logical, even
scientific, emisioning of the mythic allaJysis of realilY.
40
proccss lakes placc not instant,meoLlsly blll in time, through constant
accumulation. The perceiver is seen as cng<tged in a modifying ex-
change with a ricld of informational stimuli, that is, wilh information
reaching him as vibratory variations carried by light, sound, etc. These
pauems of varied vibnnional intcnsity interaCI with ,. previously CStab-
Iishcd anticipatory Kschema" which is the coagulation of unavoidable
linguislic and wltlllal biases subjectively maintained by the observcr.
the sum of his experientiall)' acquired and internally stored cognitivc
pcrceptions. This internction of an extemal object or informational
rieJd \\~th intcmal "schema" will naturally tend to cvoke direct explora-
tion by the perceiver. which may then yield new infonnation that may,
in turn, modify, to SOme degree, the initial Kschema,K which may then
perpetuate the C)'c1e by directing furthcr exploration, and so forth.
The processes of perception are thus ,isualized by Neisser as d}'-
namie. C)'c1ie triads. in which a conslamJy nowing circulation of
interfused activity between perceker and perceived, imenority and ex-
teriority, subjcct and object, is dominated by an inhercntly selective
schematic organization maintained \\~thi n the consciousness of the per-
ceker in the form of p."memcd neural s)'stems in the brain.
This unbroken circuJaril)' of the perceptual acti,ity demands an im-
agc of reality which must always incorpordte the sensing and cognizing
organism as an inseparable aspect of percei,'ed stimuli or events. Hence
only a Slatus of mind which simultaneously perceivcs not only the object
rieJd but also the stnJcture and limitation of its own instnJment in thc
act of perceiving can glimpse the Real. Such a status of mind appem-s to
be achicvablc only through dcep introspectioll and self-knowledge. of
both a psychological and a ph}'siological character, in combination with
empirical methods of obsen'ation.
Although from a limited perspcctive along thc continuous cun'c of
thc perceptual cycle the perceh-er and the perceived, or Ihe imernaI
and the external, can and must be distinguishcd from one another, it is
the continuous circular itHegration of pC"ceiver and perceivcd that I
shall be referring to as our definition of objecti\'e reality. FQI'this reason
the subj ect- ol ~j ect illtegl<l.tion of mythOlOgy and sacred architccturc ap-
pears to me to be an effective language for sciemilic formulation.
Indeed, when we reiaLe research from Cognitive Psycholo6'Y to the im-
plications of Heisenberg's unccnainty principle and aspectS of
Einstein's rclativity theory. we arc already carefully beginning to free
ourselves from the ninetccllth-celllury conviction that, ,"cason <md ex-
perimental epislemologies have an cxclusive access to the faclUality of
the empil'ical world.
-
42
.... Ncn:NT TUtl'I-t: .... RCHITECTURE
lillcrnl!' of Cognitive P .~ychol of , Y . if we lend Lo bclieve what we see,
10 to a great degree sec only what we havc been laught to believe;
\I'ea
s
" '"'"'"C" b , I ,ll pcrccpllon IS a process W IIC '] provl( es llllonnauon a out t le
ane . , '" " d -r, ""d d
'
"""1' a<: well as t 1C tllng perceiVe. liS same 1 ea was stale "ely
perce ... ". . . .".
clearly in ancIent J-1ll1du metaph)SlcS.
\\lu,ther we know it 01' nOI, all things lake on their reality from that
II'hich pcrcch"es lhem.
An Egvptian papyrus similarly speaks of three men walking togethcr:
To one oflhem therc arc ani)' two
_thus I>oiming out "cry simply ho\\' we forget that wc are part of our
own observations"
It follow'i, then. that perceptions. along \\~th the modc of symboliza-
tion used to communicatc them, arc an inseparable aspect of uniVCfS<IJ
creation. ?\'othing is a thing by itself. It takes its meaning and indeed its
existence onh in interaction with something else. From this poilll of
,iew. tlle original and creative force. whcther we call it the ultimatc na-
ked singulal"ily. or non-polarized encrgy, or God, exists only insofar as
creation is in interdependent rclation \\~th the percei ,~ng conscious-
ness. No creation comes into existcnce without perception. This
philosoph,. which leads us om of Strict empiricism, need not drag us
into sol i p~i sm where the observer is the onl}' reality, if we keep in mind
tll:lt the circlc of per"ception docs include aClllal vibrational mriatiOllS of
light and sound.
The Egyptians \'cry succinctly formula led this subtlc concepllinguis-
tieally. In Egypl lhe symbol of the Eye was used to designatc l>Oth the
verb M
lo
scc" and the '"crb "to make" or "to creatc. _We havc a similar lin-
guistic merlap in our Indo-European languages betwccn the \\'ord5
Kfact" and -manufacture." In summary. wc may say thatlhc factual sense
of lhc univcrs(' is manufacturcd within the inlelligence oftl1e Eye.
Ro~rl Low/or I 43
In Thematic Origins oj Science Jrom KqJ(er to Einstein, Cemld Hollon
sllOws how pn.."-Cslablished cognilive Mschemat.t
M
arc aclive in the history
and de"e!opmcnt of the sciences. He proposes that all communicable
thoughlS, no matler how empirical or 1ll)'Stic they may purport to be,
conL.'l.in imrinsic substrata of very basic assumptions such as underlie
any formulated endeavor. Thesc hidden critcria cause a pre-selection of
beliefs, faclS, hypothescs, explanatory and experimental methods, disci.
plines, lire directives and goals-and no communicative teaching can
escape this conceptual substraLum. Thlls ever-varying combinations of
these thematic notions move through hislOry, vacillating gradually,
then stabiliz.ing for a period, gaining a pervasi\'eness among a popula-
tion and establishing the broad ouuines of a culture's spiritual,
aesuletic and imcllectual style.
Holton poinlS out that thematic notions tend to exiSL in couplet or
u'iplet foml, For instance, beforc a philosopher or scientist can ap-
proach ule universe, he must ask, or have conscious or unconscious
assumptions aboUl, the following questions: Is the universe spatially fi-
nite, or is it infinite? Does it have a beginning and an end, or is it
eternal? Is it basically a W<l\'C continuum, or is il made of distinct parti-
cles? Are the la\\'5 of development probabilistic or detenllinistic or pre-
deterministic? Are these uni\'CfS<'l.1 laws absolute or relative? Is the uni-
\'crse driven by an ultimate teleological goal, or is it an open ended,
indetenllinate eventfulness? Any formulation, any language, philosophy
or teaching, Holton claims, whether scientific, religious or aesthetic, will
be either overtly or unconsciously built upon assumptions falling on or
between these basic polarized positions concerning the nature of real-
ity, QUI' twentieth centlll1', for instance, has witnessed a victory for the
particle theory of reality, but only after a struggle which, in the course
of history, has il1\'ol"cd such thinkers as Hemclitus, Democritus, Aris-
totle, Einstein, de Broglie, Heisenberg, and many others.
In response 10 this recurring debate, Niels Bohr in 1927 olTered West-
ern scientific theory and method a profound and far-reaching
conclusion, Bohr So."lid that science should not allempt to reduce ilS un-
derstanding of mdiation to a single, direcu)' comprehensible mode but
should accept instead the paradox ulal one cannot construct an experi-
melll that simultaneousl)' exhibilS the wave and u1e particle 'lSpeclS of
mallcr. Each experiment at ulis level of penetration shows only one view,
The observer's allempl should therefore be to incorporatc apparently
comrddiCiory descriptions illlo an exhaustive o\'erlay of the multiple as-
pects of a single reality, I will nOI go any further here into Bohr's well
known L11COI1' ofcomplemelllarity, bUl will expand il mthcr into a broad,
ANCtENT TEM I'LE ARClllTECTURE
. hic:!l premise which relales directly LO the approach to knowl-
pllllOSOIp "Irated by Teml>le Architecture. This is that the universe in
edge ( elllOI> . , .
_ I ~ '" contains both polanues of all fundamental thematiC no-
realliv a \\ ,I)" ' ,
_ _I - 11 emerge from Illan s attempt to faulOlll Its basIC nature,
uons \\ lIC "
I
- l)Oinl of\iew we may assume that Ul1lversal Nature IS a pos-
From I lIl>
__ blg
uous
passive field, which is someho\\' in stnletural or
IU\'c!)' al11 . " '
, corresl>ondcnce w1th the cvolulJon of MInd, and whIch lakes
VIbratOr") ..".
I
-.nects certain characterIStics prOjected onto It by the cmbodled
on an( I . " ,
_ II -rItUl> il has been said that man always dISCOVCI"S outsldc hlln-
InIe ecl. .'
self-in his cosmologies or nal l ~~1 sClence-what.he IS about .to becom~,
I do not. ho\\'e\'cr, intend tlus Image of a multiple or ambiguous Ul1l-
verse to be taken in any theoretical sense, such as is found in relativity
theory, ,,'hiclt 'ices events as detemlinablc only by the positional rela-
tionships of the observer in space-time, The picture of the universe that
I \\~sh 10 approach is more ncarl)' related to cermin ideas presently
emerging from probability equations in Quantum Mechanics. Herc we
find the pl'opositionthat, ifan atom of, say, uranium is to decay or not
to decay within a gi\'en number of seconds-and if it is not forced to de-
cay-t1lcn il C<'111 onl)' be determined probabilistically whether it will
decay or nOlo This being the case, it should then be equally possible for
the atom 10 do either one or the oUler, If it does not ha\'e both possibil-
ities, t1lcn we are faccd with the implication of an e\'em that is
predetermined, which is a disagreeable concept in modem physics, es-
pecially in \'iew ofule faCI L1lal, thanks lO general relati\i'Y theory, every
evellt is connectcd to cvcry oUler event.
Pantdoxically cnough, lhen, probability theOI)' brings up ancw ule
whole question of predetermination and, in order to avoid it, finds it
nccc5Sal)' 10 postulate at each ;l ci ther/or~ intersection in the life of an
atom, an <lctual universe \\'hich expresses the extended ramifications of
both possibilities cvoked at that intersection, This leads to the question
of whether it is possible to conceptualiz.c a uni,'erse such that all differ-
ent possible futures arc not just theorctictl but real possibilities. TIl is, in
tu",O, has led physicislS to a multi-branChing model, in which all possible
un,lverscs are concei\'ed of as lying in an interwO\'en or overlaid simulta-
nelt)', awailing their awakening from a potential st1\le into a manifested
SL.'1te asa result of the eOCCI ofcvcnLS, In other words, wc havc a universal
expression, which contains in an actual way all possibilities, but which
tllovCSa I -
ne grO\\"S one way or .mother, due La the selecled branclung out
of the possibilities contained in C\'el1' atomic moment. Certainly, il is
only in a Illulti-branching, simultaneously interwovcn or o"erlaid uni-
\c:~ thai free \\ill could exist. If an actual universe did nOI somewhere
Uobut Lawlor I 45
,3,
Lct us leave here the ponderable question of perception and turn
Ollr attention LO those ficlds of resonam and vibralOly variations which
we agree b}' consensus surround LIS in the form of an external world.
A uni\'erse where each God knows all the Gods and their plilces in exist.
cnce, ....'here each idea admilS all other ideas and lheir right to be, cach
force conccdes a place to all other forces and their lI1.1lh and conse--
quences; no delight of separ.ue fulfilled existencc or separate
experience denies or condemns the deliglH of othcr existcnces and
their expcriences.
Ilobnt Lowlor I "7
1 olhcr words. therc is an almost magicilltrallsfcr of rcsonancc, nOI
1
10 'e" dislallces but also between different octaves which-sincc
011 \' 0\
1
'
e"'1 thought allows liS to lISC lhc characteristic laws of audible
I')tlag
o
...
d
~~ a metallhor for all other penodlc or oscl1latory phenomena-
SOlin ..."
. think of as parallel to different definable le\'els of existence,
\\'e ma\
1
--lhe OCt.1.\'C of the spirit, lhe octave of lhe mind and me octave of
suc l .~
the bo<l\'.
In order to better concei\'e of bodily exislence as a dbralory condi-
tion. let us reGllI Ihat all metabolic processes dcmonstrate oscillalol)'
ropertics. Indeed, C\'ery I i\~ng creature, from onc point of \~e\\ , is an
:Iecu'omagnetic system. and ultimately e\'cl"}' actidt), is governed lO
some degree by e1ectromagnctic laws. For example, our bodies arc
madc up of molecules containing roughly the samc number of posilive
and negative electrical charges; we have ncrve impulses in the form of
bio-electric waves \\'hich trilvel at thirty-five meters per second; our brain
and its varied activity levels generate electromagnetic fields which ex-
tcnd outside the head; elcctricity is used by the brain to store and
compute information; 0111' nervous system is a compact, efficient, self-I"{.....
pairing bio-electromagnctic structure, containing three distinguishable
neural systems (thc sympamctic, parasympathctic and the voluntar)')
constructed of \\'hat is estimated to be over twenty billion cells, all care-
fully routed and imerL\\;ned; cells lhemselvcs usc minutc elcc
tromagnetic messages in conjunction with chemical compounds to re-
act and to communicate \\ith each other; and the ere-brain converts
sunlight in the \~si bl e electromagnetic spectnun into phol.Ochemical
and biochemical messages which are carded along to higher centers in
!.he brdin for morc nellro-electrical processing and transmission. QUI'
bodies, finall). from an electromagnetic point of \~ew, fall about mid\\'3Y
on the scale of electrical conducti \~t}" being vcry poor conduCl.ors when
compared with metals, but very good conductors when compared \\~dl
mc atmosphere which surrounds us. (The bod)', tJlough it is hardly
m~re than a leathcI"}', mcmbranous sack or waleI'. does conl.ain minute
~ntneral compounds obtained mostl}' through digestion, which in ion-
Ized st.."ltes in the cells. SCi up a charge dincremial enabling ncuro-
electrical currents lO now. As we shall sec further on, tJlcse minerals in
bondage with organic compounds causc bodily tissue to be responsivc
10 clcc,,',1 I' , 'I )
..... cone ltlOns 1\1 l 1e environment.
What I am trying to cSlablish with all these bits of information is a
m~det of man as ~I -I omo Electromagncticlls.~ That is. the body con-
cc~ved of,lS a rcccplor. an independcll1transmitter and transducer. and
a roadcasler of elccll'omagnetic fields and impulses.
ANCIENT TE.... I'I.E AKCI-IITCTURE
potentially exist containing the consequcnces of the choice wc did nOt
makc, ifonly the Ilni\'crse rcsulting from the choice we did make cxistcd,
then there would be no free will or choice at all. But of course to con.
ceivc of, and respond to, such a multi levelled, simuhancous world.
model would require a supra-rational conceptual Ic\'c1 quite differcnt
from our own-one perhaps similar to the level of Highcr Mind de-
scribed by the Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo:
Two vcry impol1a1ll concepts arise OUt of mc laws of resonance: reso-
nance at a dista.nce and the phcnomcnaliZo.'ltion of tones through
angulation.
Let lIS look at the first concept. When a piano tuner strikes his i\.
pitched tuning fork, it \;brates at 440 qcles per second (cps). If a nearby
piano is tuned to this A abovc middlc C, then the A string in that piano
will start \ibrating by ilSClf at the same 440 cps frequency in response to
the wa\'es emitted by the fork--duc to the right combination of lhe
string's mickness, lenb't.h and tcnsion. E\cn the Ast.fing in a piano in tlle
next room will start to vibrate.
From this obsen71tion, it is imponalll to takc note of sc\'eral ideas.
Firsl, similar or con'csponding resonant potentials in sepanue bodies
(Lc., a lUning fork and a sU'ing) allow for a direcl transfer of pattcrned
activit}'; that is to sa)', when IwO elemcnts arc in a state of vibrational afIin-
it)', identical or similar pallerns can pass between lhem across distances.
SecOIld, not only is this lransfcr ofpauerned activity possible on a basis of
one-to-onc equality (lhat is. 440 cps in one clemen I to 440 cps in an-
other) but also. if the sounding is forceful enough. a stdng tuned to 880
cps (lhe tone an octave abovc '140 cps) and a string wned to 220 cps (one
octavc below) will bolh vibratc in responsc to our tuning fork at 440 cps.
'6
-
Now, from this point of view, the cosmos also appears to be an e1ec.
uomagnetic system, which means that it too may therefore fall
metaphorically under the laws of resonance and harmonic aninity. In-
deed, since Kepler's time there have been numerous mathematical
models based upon the periodic movements of the solar system, all of
which indicate that the solar system is a resonant structure-in the or.
bital and rotational periods of the planets, in their mean distances and
rotational speeds, in the perihelion to aphelion ratios of their elliptical
orbits, and even in the eight simult."lneous quantulll mechanic equa-
tions of the physicist Molehanov. All these models say the same thing:
the planets musically resonate with each other and with their moons in
what may be called an extremely 10\\1, inaudible yet acoustical, wave fre-
quency. Resonance alTects the planetary eddies which sweep across and
between each of the planets like winds, and also the vast electromag-
netic plasmic field which envelops the entire solar system. Planetary
resonance on the inte'l)lanetaIY field can also affect the electromag-
netic radiation cycles of the sun and thereby indirectly the earth's
aunosphere. Thus even from these brief comments one can glimpse the
vast implications of this idea of resonance at a distance.
The second characteristics of acoustical or resonant fields, called the
phenomenalization of the partial or overtones, is another vibrational
principle which can, in the Pythagorean spirit, be expanded into a cos-
mological model.
When we sound a fundament...1.1 tone, say A at 440 cps, and we wish to
generat.e its octave at. 880 cps, we can do this in olle of twO ways. We can
either divide the sUing length (A) in half immediately, or we can sound
aU the "partial" tones or divisions in between 440 and 880 cps by sound-
ing, for example, one ninth of the string, or a fifth, or a quarter, or third,
etc., all the way lip to the di \~si on by two into halves. This is simita, to
obtaining the note A either as a whole dollar bill or in the form of nick
els, dimes, quarters, etc. In other words, every tone thal we hear as a
single note is actually a composite of many panials and sub-partials, all
merged together.
In orde, to hear a particular partial which is normally blended int.o
the whole or "fundamelllal" tone, I-Iermann Helmholtz designed small
cup-like resonators. These, when held to the ear, at somewhere be-
tween a [arty and a fony-five degree angle to the eardrum, allow one to
hear separately-to "phenomenalize"-these partial tones, the particu-
lar partial heard depending upon the shape and size of the little cup.
Another method is simply to take an ordin<ll"y drinking tumblcr and to
hold it next to the car while sounding a fundament.al tone. By slightly
48 ANCIENT TEJ\II'I.E A R C H I T ~;C T U R E
. ,1" the :Ingle of the tumbler while the tone is sounding, one can
shl f Ol l ~ .'\ \' f 1 \ '\
. .' .ogrcssion a senes ofparua s resu ung rOIll t 1e c l,lllge m t1e
heal In Pl. . .
.,. , It follows fmlll thIS, not only that en:ry whole tone IS a sllTltiltk
angle ...\ \ \ 1 \ '\" \
c llnbinaLion of all lIS parua s, suc 1 t1a1 t lC Slit m t 1C
!leons l . .
I
, " ~11 or the resonat.or allows one to hear the different paruals
:1ngu ,I l ,
, ",I in it but also u1at there is a relationship between the struc
contaln .
lllrc of audi blc sound and geomeu"y, in w~l i ch the ~eol l l ctri .c. angles act
as a controlling device to release certam pot.enual quahucs locked
within a hol i ~ti c sound palLern.
ll" we consider angles as whole number raLios or proportions, as did
the alll'ieIlU;-SO that two to three (2:3) fonllS an angk"-then this phe-
nOllll.:nalil.atioll of tones has wide implications and applicat.ions to
architectural design. And if we apply this model on a cosmic level, then
the clTecl ofangulal.ioll on resonant patterns could be a key to under-
standing how angles of planctal"y configuration might alTcct or modify
thc electromagnctic at.mosphere of the solar system and thus affeClthe
dispersal of radiation from t.hc sun.
In any case. if we begin to consider ourselves, our architeClllre and
our solar system as interpenetrating resonant ficlds, we would un-
doubtedly ha\'e a much diffcrent set of personal, cultural and scientific
cOnC(pLs. methods and goals than we presently have. For example,
both the scientific and the science-fielion search for life on other plan-
ets would cease immediately, becausc wc would clearly conceive that all
the planets are part of a resonating system of harmonies which allows
cnerb"Y to manifcst iLsclfas life on eanh. From this pOilllofview, all t.he
plancls would partake of this '"eanh" process, and ~eanh" would be
considered t.he locus at which the combination of factors allowing \'i-
bratol)' resonance to embody iLself intersect. It would be realized that
the geometry ofljfe is the geometry' of earth-that the slightest change
in till' rate of rOlation or in the tilt of the axis or in the 11100n's gravita-
tional pull. or the slightest shift in the distance frolll the sun-anyone
of Ihe,e-\\,ollid dcstroy life as we know it. "Earth," then, is a terribly
precise geometric and rhythmic equation whose result is conscious
life. Anywhcre in the universe that this equation occurs is, in essence
and ill consciousness, ~E arth," and is therefore nOlseparate from us in
distance.
It is for this reason that the andent sages sought to find and retain
the dimensions of the earth and its periodicities, considering it to be
the module in lhe harmonic structurc lhl'ough which resonanl eneq~, )
mUSl pass ill order to become incarnate form. And IOday, cuntempo
rary research in the field of helia-biology is revealing the lclationship
NO/H,..I Lawlor I 49
bclwccn celeslial rcsonance and life proccsscs, and showing that man
and many li,;ng crC<lturcs have a scnsilivit), to c1ecLromagnctic changes
in the man-made and natural environments surpassing that of the mOSt
claborate mechanical instnlments, We live in a turbulent sea of clectro-
magnctic rields. many of which are neccssary for our biological
maintenance and Illany of which can be debilit..... ting or deadly. For the
time being, however, let us look again more gencrally at what the laws
of resonance tell us about the transmission or patterns from one field
to another.
A pcriodic driVing forcc will produce a maximum rcsponsc from an
adjaccnt S)"StCIll whcn the rrcqucnC)' of thc applied system is cqual to
thc natural ,;bl"'aLOry frequency of tlle second system. Theorelically,
thcrefore, there is no reason why the elcctromagnetic signals of our
bodies should nOt bc penetrdted, disruptcd 01' interfered wiLll by other
ficlds outsidc the body. It has, for instance, been shown in experimcnts
with volulllccrs exposcd to cenain Very Low Frequency (VLF) ranges
that the body suffers almost immcdiately from fainting, nausea or loss
of cOlllrol under such exposure. On the othcr hand, it has also bcen
shown that if classical music is pla)'ed during the experiment the ill-ef-
fects attributed to the VLF waves are nulliried. So we arc given here an
idca of hannonious sounds fOnlling a kind of illlerceding vibratory ar-
chitecture around the bod)', protccting it, so to speak, from disnlpti,'e
or imbalanccd CJlvirOnmelllal radialion.
We have other means than music, howcvcr. by which we can orga-
nize the often chaotic rields that al'e containcd in, and surround, the
body. Strong fields of concentrated thought, or emotional patterns
and images, can be focussed by our minds on the body rhythms and
markcdly alter them, in benericial or non-bellericial ways. Words, par
ticularly mantric forms, but all speech-including gesture and
dance-act to organize the vibratory conditions around us, as do the
emanalions from colors and the fields set up b)' graphic and sculptcd
images.
All tllC methods of s)'mbolization, then, a1'e lools with which we
mould and shape LllC oscillatory fields and patterns around LIS, and Olr-
chitcClllre is our mosl powerful symbolizing process for acting UpOJl
and forming the rcsonalll environment. The architecLUre of the past,
particularl)' Temple Architeclure. generall)' acted as an electromag
netic insulator-that is, like a Faraday cage. screening out the
en\'ironmcmaJ electricit).. magnetism and noise. Such architCCLUrc, as
we know, was conceivcd accOl'ding 10 llnh'ersal consonant proportion,
ther'd' gh;ng the inhabitalllthc opportunity of being Mbio-entrained
M
--
50 ANCIENT TEMI'LE ARCIIITECTURE
.' ~ of the original cosmic harmony, (And. as wc shall see,
hi,: p.ltlCln"
10 t bo<h is shielded from random electromagnetic acl i ,~ty. all tlle
-hen tilt: I 1 I
" ,. roccsses slo\\' down.) Our rccent arc lltectllre, on t le otler
enbo IC P
m Ins been construclcd of materials which arc not insulators but
han~. " 1good electrical or ,'ibratory conductors-hollow blocks or
are IllstC'.t! . ' '
. ",1"'11 frames or Iron beams and gll'ders, or lllctal-,'cmforced
hollow \\0 t:' .'
Ie
In 'Iddition we sllrrollnd these conductlvc structurcs With
concretc. c,' '. '
I
I,
o"rlgnetic transmlllCI"S and applmllces, and thell submerge
~nseecC " ,
. . II of thi.. e1eclromagneuc tllrmOl1 III a chaos of urban mechall-
In wrn 3
ical noi~c, . . '
To conclude this scction: Wc ha'c bo(lIly lIlstnlll,ents which arc con-
sciou"h- or unconsciousl)' rcceptive to the terrc~tri <l l and celestial mi l i ~u
le,
. I.. offrequcIlCj" these external cnVlrolllllcntal pattems tng-
on 111<111' "- , , .'
ger and guide. and to somc dcgree control, the IIlternal :uncuons \... hlC~l
unfold the metabolic time capsule of the electromagneuc body. But this
is not all. for we h,l\'c al our disposal the processes of s)'mbolization--of
the Word or Logos-through which we can select, allune. harmonize
and elevate our individual vibratOly allotment towards that of the uni-
\'crsal form of creation.
.4.
All lile-pl'Ocesses and all l i ,~ng organisms conform to onc and the
same paUl'rn: a dc\,c1opment.....1growth which COTllillUeS until allaining
a gcncticall}' coded, predetermined form. Here is a well-kno\\'Il and
Ol)'5tcriolls cxample, from Kenneth Boulding's "I 11~ Imagp, conceming
the behavior of certain amocbas:
Ilobl'r/ Lml/fQr I 51
-
As long as the food supply is abundant they cat, grow, divide and so
multiply. If, howc\'er, food becomes scarce, an cxtraordinary change
in beha\'ior occurs. Thousands ofsepaIdtc cells movc together to form
a wormlike object. By means of concerted movcments along the cclls.
this object mO\'es forward somcwhat on the principle of the inchwonn.
Mler it has mO\'cd a ccnain distancc, it begins to erCel itself into a
plant-like object. DiJTercm.iation takes place within the sepaIdte cells,
depcnding all their position within the obj<:ct. Those in the stalks be-
come hard and rigid and die. Those in the nower-like ponion
cvcntually transform themseh'es into a seed-like sporc, which is then
scattered :lnd may thcn remain dormant for a long lime, until condi-
tions bCCOt1IC f;t\'orable again. Here is exhibiu:d in most dramatic form
the myster}' of the plalll, that is, the cell society. Can it be doubted that
each single-ecllcd amocba possesses in some sense an image of its
function in the social org-.mization and that certain mCSS'1ges that it re-
ceives-for instance thc frc<lllency of food ingestion-are illlcrprctcd
to mean thai the dIdma must now begin.
Organisms grow much as do buildings. The genetic material aclS
both as blueprint and mason, compelling substance from the environ-
ment to adopt the required or imagined form. As long as such an
intrinsic pallcrn of predetermination exists in living systems, it is possi-
ble that it also exists as a univcrsal factor, since matter can be nOlhing
more than iI symbolic descriplioll of the unsecn physical and mctaph)rs-
ical forces which form it. This uni\'ersal biological theme-thc passage
from a seed-idea or genetic pattern into a form-was the metaphoric ba-
sis of the theology and cosmology of temple-building civili7.ations.
Humankind and universe were considered to be growing tow..lrds a pre-
detennined image containcd in the seeding which initiall)' caused pure
cosmic space to contract or warp into galactic formalion. The rcvclation
of this cosmic seed, Word or plan was the subject and contclll of s.'\cred
architectural design. TIle explanation of exactl)' how genetic messages
exercise control o\'er the orbrani7.ation of the fonus and behavior of li\'-
ing creatures is a persistcnt biological 1ll)'Stery, as is, philosophically, lhe
question of how an initial teleological intention could preside O\'er this
univcrsal e\'olLnion. In this, as in other areas, scicnce scems to be a dis-
cipline that avoids dealing with the important questions \vhicb
apparently cannot be <lIls\\'ered, and lackles inSLCad the unimporu'\J1l
questions which apparently can be answered.
TIle nco-Darwinian thl:Ory of (.volution, fOI" insmnce, rel)";ng as it does
upon a concept of natuml selection acting upon what is considered to be
a random occurrence ofgenctic mutation, is unable to explain adequately
ANCIENT TEMI'LE ARCIIITECTURE
.' ofasllccts of organismic evolution-such as incidents in nature

nUlllb..:1 . l' ... 1bel

. .d behavior in anlllla speCies convcrts n1l0 II1sunctua . lrw-
"here \c;tI IIC . .
\\ ._ ,.., tint behavior, onglllall)' leamed, may, after generations,
. It appt.I .~ , . .
lor. _ ,sferreel and then fixed III Lhe .lutOIlOlnlC nervous system,
beC0llle U.ll .
becoming an instinct whIch can apparentl)' accelerate the sdec-
t~ere f ., ted bodily charactcristics. This acccleJ<l.lion, due in animals
tlonorea .
I
'f ['Olll h~"l rl l cd to autonomic neural patterns, appears to be n....
to s 11 L'I ' <
d
' 11Ullliln cvolution. Here autonomIc ncural patterns-such as
vc~ III
1
, " 1""lrtbc"lt blood circulation, fear and pain rcncxcs, and sex-
brcilt uno, ' ,. ..
1 d
'" C"" I)c transferred from autonomtC to conscIous le\"els of
ua nv..:'-'
I
'. "",1 "onLrol and thercby act, accordinr
r
to ancienL spiritual
carIl1ng , . , . 0
philosophic:.. a:. cvolut.lona?' accclcr.Hors for 11ll1ll<l.llIty. .
(Will, thl' reccnt, wldcllmg acceptance of behaVior and learnmg as
cvolutionan' forces we are observing a major shift in contemporaty evo-
lutionar' thcon, a\\'<I)' from tile morc mechanistic interpretation of Dar-
winism IO\\<Ird a more Lamarckian \~ew. This ol dcr,~ew maintained t1mt
changes ill the environment will cause changes in beha\;or. which in
tum could induce structural, phpiical changes that were called M ac_
quired charactcri sti cs,~ and which Lamarck supposed could be
transmilled genetically and so become "inherited" characteristics. In
tile 160 )c.....s sincc the appearmlCe of Lamarck's tlleory, all attempts to
demonstrate the illhelilance of acquired char..\cteristics have failed.
NevertllCless. Lamarck's premonition of behavior and learning as cvolu-
tion3ly forccs was remarkable.)
In tho~e cases in which learned behavior in allimal specics is con
vened into instinctual beh l \~or. it seems that gene combinations better
suited to ,lllow for an cxpression of the animal's learncd habits may tend
lO be selected and tosur...ivc, in preference LO those \llhich do not. In this
manner, learning and beha\~01<11 change may set up a new selectivc
pressure and. in doing so, may playa decisive or modifying role in cvo-
lution. In othcr words, even though it appears that changed behavior
and related morphological changes broughtabollt by emrironmcntal in-
teraction cannot imprint thcmsel\'cs directJ)' on Lhe genetic code, thc
organism nevertheless absorbs from this intcJ<lction non-gcnetic infor-
matioll ill the foml of increased kllO\vlcdgc. This knowledge becomes
~mbedded in humankind, llol in our genes or autonomic inslinCl, bLll
III the Sll'UClurc of our perccption, cognition, language, behavior and
~radi l i on:.; and in these modalities it is tr.\llsmitled to futurc gcnerations
III the fon n of s)'mbols.
TIli... capolcit) fOI" explicit linguistic reasoning through aural and \isual
symbols sh<l!'ply demarGltcs human evolution from lhc rest of the animal
!lober' Lmulor I 53
world. Remcmber that a man is not better <It lcaming to nlTl in a maze
LImn a !"at, unless he is assisted b)' maps---eiLller ,~sual l yorverb..11I y imaged
in his meIllOl)', or drawn OUl as an accurate, proportional symbol. B."lby
rillS immcdiately removed from lheir parenlS at bil'lh gene'dtion after
gene!"ation show no loss ofthcir !"at-like wap', whereas the emire stnlcture
of human bcha"ior and sociery as we know it would cmmble if the trans-
mission of spnbols and techniques were similad)' intcnuptcd. Language
and symbolic pmcesses ha\'c lI'3.nsfonned learning and behavior into a bi-
ological instrumelll which. ill humanity, challenges natural selection as
the prime evolutional)' mover and brings us to the threshold ofa ncw po-
tential in evolution-a survival mcchanism based on the transmission of
acquired knQ\\lledge, skills and experience, nottbrougb genetic inherit-
ance, but through a structural s)'Stcm of essential symbols, and in which
may well lie lhe key to the original function of Art, as well as of Science,
There arc those who create and transmit symbols, and L11ere arc those
who destroy L11em. Ancient Egypt is an example of a culture built solely
on a S)'Stern of ps)'cho-spirituai s)'1nboliz.uion. l-IerodOlus ' .... dS told by an
Egyptian priest that Egypt had continued and endured undisturbed
whilc "the sun had t,,;ce risen where it now SClS, and twice set where il
now risesM_a remark that can be intelpreted 10 mean the passage of one
and onehalf prec<..-ssional c)'des, or approximately 36.000 )'ears! How-
ever, we know that e"en during the three or four thousand years of
Eb'ypt's hisLOrical period there had been periods of grcatunrest and dis-
mption, We must therefore illlerprel the pl'iest's remark to refer, not to
physical Egypt, but to the tIll broken tntnsmission of symbols which re-
mained consistent from the first kings of lhe First Dynasty down to the
closing of the Temples four thousand years later. So powerful indeed was
this transmission L1lat man)' of these same s)"lnOOls remain with tiS today.
Amongcontemportuy \\'cstern thinkers, it ,.... .u Alfred Russel \VaUace,
co-author of the Dan\;nian theory of evolution, who realized the impli-
cations of the flindamelllal change that had taken place with the advent
of human Illclll...'ll evolution-a fact that has been largel)' ignored in our
social philosophies, but which sccms, as I say, to ha\'c been a most basic
consideration in anciclll Tcmplc-eentered society. Wallace pointcd out
thal the mOlllent peoplc clothe themseh'es and pass large portions of
their life within constructed habitats, usc fuel for thermo-rcgulalion
and apply agl-icuhure and weaponry to regulatc their food flow-the
moment they partake, in othcr words, of SU'IlClllres of cidliJ.ation-at
that momcnt thc)' escape the slow but inexorable laws of natural se-
lection. Wallace speculatcd Ihatto the degree that the bod)' is protectcd
from the changes brought about by selection due to environmental
-
54 A N C I ~~N T TMPI.t: AKCIIITCTUR
.. to this sallle degree the mind becomes the recipicnt of. and
. nll
cnCi
'"
", '0 those ,'CIV influcnces from which the bod)' escapcd. At
1St react, I
nH . human evolution becomes dominated b)' the lInprece-
hat IJOIIiI. ..
I d o\\,th in particular areas of the bralll and by parucular l)'J>Cs of
den
tC
gr l': -I "I "If" d" th tl "
I
, ti,'il': and the 10SSI C'1( ence use III lCateS at lC surpns-
menta .K . . ...
" "til of brain size withm a small fracllon of e,'ohl!lonal)' lime IS
IIlggra\\
llckd b\ thc growth and devclopment of vel'lx, I communication. In
:~r words. ,Ilose i ndi vi dt,l al ~ and poptl l ati o~l s with ~U ~I " speech fadl-
" " ,I with hrgcr assoclauonal cenlers of reasolllng In the cerebral
lUes, all '
l l l
l ~t h'I\'e had a selective advantage, thus allowing the path of
cortex. I '
human cvollltion 10 flow virtually unimpeded tow;lrd the produClion of
the external structures of dvilizalion.
The E/-"'Yptialls acknowledged the unprecedented role of the s)'mbol
in hulllan evolution by holding to the "Creative Word" as the explana-
tion of their \\orld. The world to them was a s)'mbolic stage on which
God pla\'cd OUI his role as regulator and Sllstainer of all created things,
the multitudinous atu;butes of the world that are in fact his Creative
Word at work. The Shdmka Ttxl says:
TIle Comp;IIl\' of the Gods lis] ... thc teeth and lips in thc great mouth
which gave all things their names ... and Lhus happens every word of
God frorn whal his heart thouglH ,mel his tonguc commanded.
Thc primaly aet of symbolization for Humankind too is "spOken," Be-
cause of hi ~ controlled voice, he necd not reach outside himself for lhe
matelialto make his first consciolls s)'1nbols. And in the uni,'erse as well,
the primal} aclS in the fonnalion of gala.xies seem to be sonic booms
which, in combination "ith gradt}', organize douds of intergalactic dust
into nodes and eddies lhat begin to fonn vast clusters of stars. Thus NO\'-
alis said,-Sound is to tIle study of astronomy ",hal God is to the stud)' of
metaph):.ic..
M
HansJenn)"s expcliments have sho\\'11 lhal sound frequencies do have
the gravity-like propensity lO call into alrdngelllcnt rdndom, suspended
panicles of :.ubstance, and lhus to crcate formal periodic organizations.
All of which is LO sa)' thal sOllnd lllay be conceivcd of as an inslrumcnt
through which tcmporal paucrns become formal spatial pallcrns.
On the biologicalle\'el of organization, 10 quote CregOl)' Bateson:
The shapes of plants and animals ilrc tranSfomls ofnu.. .ossages. AnaLOIllY
mll'Sl cOlllain an analogue of gr.unillar bccau~ all allaLOmy is a lr.ms-
fo
nn
of cOlllexlllally shaped message malerial.
UfIb,rl 1.ml/lo" I 55
That is, biolo!:,')' gives us the model of genctic, symbolic messages
which call form and variation into existcnce,jusl as, in a parallel way,
melltal symbols precede and call into exislence corresponding resonant
forms and SlruClures. From anOlher level of causality, all f0n11S of life
and mind on earth, including the genetjc message, mUSl somehow be
colHaincd pOlemially in the messaged, pauerned lIelds of light and en.
ergy which impact. with the eanh. To the Egyptian. lhe symbolic process
was, like time and perception, cyclical. For the symbolic mind, not only
do inlelleclua[ biological messages "inform" themselves by means of the
grammar oflhe earth's geQ-celestial geomeu), and rhylhm, but also nat.
ural forms themselves can be considered symbolic messages revealing
lhe potentials for lhe evolulion of conscious mind and life. There is
nOlhing new under the sun: all lhe potentials for lighl are manifest in
one fom1 or anolher for lhose who view lhem symbolically. Conceptual
forms are released from lheir entr11pmelll ill malleI' by being trans-
formed within the symbolic mind ilHo metaphysical analogies. Symbols,
then, arc the irllermedim'i(:s belween tillie's messages and lhc appear.
ance and disappearance of fonn.
Consider the illlriguing case of lhe salamander-whose image, inci.
dentally. in the ceIHer of a flame or radiant field is an ancient
alchemical symbol. The salamander sheds and regrows ils tail in a
rhylhm wilh the earth's orbit around the sun (or when il happens LO
lose its tail by accident). When it docs so, it makes usc ofa peculiar pro-
cess thal humans no longer seem to have lhe capacily to perform: lhat
is, a mass of prim'II)' cells gradually organizes itself into a complete,
l11ulli-tissued limb, wilh all lhe appropriale differentiation. We know
thai there are eleclromagnelic forces at work in lhis, as in all, cellular
regrowul. Indeed, in general, Ihere is a flow ofbioelecu'ic energy in the
healing ofa wound through lhe flow from the positively charged wound
tissue toward the negalively charged surrounding area. In such a heal-
ing process, humans presclllly only regrow a crude, nOIl-differentialcd
cellular strucltlrc called scar-tissue. The salamander, however, like
olber reptilcs sets up a biocleclric lIc1d where its lail used LO be, which
allows for refined, organized, dilTcn:rlliatcd tissue to reappear.
The Egyptian, ulcn, would see the salamander as a symbol or a general
potential lor sc1fformation. To such a symbolic melllality, the physical
body is only a tail in a concenu;c organiwtion of interwoven resonant
lIelds-wbich lbe Egyplian symbolized in the royal burial praclice in
which the mummy is surrounded b)' eight enveloping collins of wood,
stone or gold. The salamander in ils prqjeclion of its own tail, provides
lhe symbolic mind \Vit.Jl a model for the shedding of our physical form.
56 ANCIENT TEMf'LE j\RClrfTECTURE
,1, the direcl re-projeclion of anOlher. Such, ill fact, il has
.the" \\'1
loge . osed was one orlhe developmental goals of the initiatic kings:
been plOP'. .
I I
1, fheir consCiousness complelely In the resonant message-con-
est;l ) IS
lO . from \\.hich il would be possible to evoke the precise fonn or
figl.1
r11uon
.' .
I
f lhc succeedIng Incarnation.
leve
O
IE dl .a1 bl
For those reasons, lle gypuans carve t leu' essenu sym 0 s 111
Bul lilc 1110st important mode of transmilting this immutable
~;\:i edge \"as architecture, in which the simultaneity ofdimensional vol-
.rmitted lhe greatest impact and accuracy for the representalion
lime pt:: ...,
ft.JlOse metaphysical concepts which conslltule humamty s hope of COI1-
~nuati On and evollllioll<IlY flowering. It becomes apparent, indeed, from
the study ofTcmple Architecture, thallhe Sages who crealed lhe struc-
tures were well aware thal with lhe altainment of symbolic lan6'llagc-
~l he gift of the word"-especially the language of architecture, the re-
sponsibility lor human evolution had shif'ted to a large degree to
humanity itself. The Temple for lhem was a center of the learning and
disseminaLioli of a psycho-physical and spirilual science whose purpose
was lO reveal and develop symbolic, intellectual and physical lechniques
which Illighl c/fect perceptual, behavioral and physiological changes in
the human organism-a science having lhe purpose of gradually leading
towards hurnanilY's highest conceivdble evolulionary potential, towards
the appearance, lhal is, of a Divine or Supra-Human, an organismic being
who had maslCrcd lhc cOlllingcncies and dualilies of mortal existence.
This image of the perfectibility of Humanity was maintained in Egyp-
tian cullllre b}1 the presence of the King, while the initiatic Temple at lhc
nucleus of the sociely is an indicalor that tIle population was collectively
and aclivel)' engaged in a seU:.creativc phase of cvolUliomu)' unfolding.
Here we ruayciLe as symbol the Great Neleras Ka-JIIltlj(Bull of his Mother)
in which lhe phallus is figured on the body al the level of the naval.
TIle inscription reads, "I-Ie who gives birt.Jl to himself."--which is Ule bi-
ological pl;nciple of panhenogenesis raised lO metaphysical expression.
Robert l~lI w{or 1 57
Yl...stcrd"y belongs to Osiris; tomorrow belongs to Re.
Fmm lhe viewpoint of the Templc, then, all aspects of civilization-
buildings. arts, agricullure, metallurgy, etc.-are 1.0 be considered as sa-
cred techniques, intcnded not simply 1.0 provide physical protection and
comfort, but as specific instruments in the uni\'ersal process of humani-
t}"S spiritual self-manifestation, I mean by "spirillml~ what we are in
essential origin and evolutionary pOlential. Temple wisdom considered
civilization as only a lempot<u1' capsule, lodged in the aeons of cmlu
tionary time, within which humanity, momentarily alleviated from the
pressures and restraints of the vast cyclic fluctuations (represented by
Osiris in the EID'ptian myth), might in the light of aware self-conscious-
ness (symbolized by Re) participate in the enactment of the birth of its
own next fonn. Eg}1>l summarized its commitmelll to a philosophy of
evolution through consciousness til us:
Onc of the major causes of the illlemiption in this envisioning of
conscious evolution has been the confusing problem of mind-body du-
alism, which has haunted Western philosophers at least since Aristotle,
and which seems to arise out of SC\'eral ~s} tnbolizing" misconceptions.
The first is that \\'e no longer possess the linguistic tcrms with which we
can. without separating them, define both reality and our experience
of it. We have no linguistic models such as those exemplified in ancient
mythology, through which we can experience mind and body, con-
sciousness and mauer, subject and object, as integral, interpenetrating
or simuhancous parallels, Secondly, we no longer possess a multi-lev-
elled language stmcture with which we can describe a spatial ex-
perience apprehended non-visual I}'. For example, we do nOl know how
to experience or communicate about a space generated solely by audi-
tion, or any olher sensorial modalily apart from sight. This means tlml
we cannot accurately conceive the sublle, non-visual resonance which
occurs between our thought's about things and the things themselves;
and lhus we create an imaginary space in which our webs of mental im-
ages exist, so we think, separately from lhe real I,>,orld of malcrial
objects.
B cr~j ami n Whorf has shown, however, Ihal this separation of lhe
thought world from lhe object world-the world of mind from the
world of body--<lid not exist for the Hopi. Nor. as \\It: shall see, did it ex
ist for Eb'1'plian thought. "Vhorf argues that many ancienl peol ~l es
conceived of though I as an aClive, all-pen"LSive cncrb')' in the phySical
world, much as \\'C think of light or electromagnetism,
. '''In'llllrallOsuppose th:u thoughI, like any oiller force, leaves
ItISl'll1 I
C\-crrwhert. ilS tfaCCS or cf T ec~. \~c think of ~ur ~hoL l ght as dcaling
. I "ntll im:l"CS alonc, which IS nOI thc thmg Itselr. but a mental
Wll I lll'-' to
surrob,rrltc.
And around this accumulalion of linguistic surrogates we COnSlnlCl
an imaginill1' space.
The Hopi thought world has 110 imabrinary space. TIle corollary to this
is lhal it lIla\ not locate lhought dealing Wilh real space anywhere but
in real ~pace iLSClf. nor can it insulate real space from the eITeclS of
lhouglu .
But of course there is another side to this. Our complex fabric ofsur
rogate images. located in an imagined, separate, mental field, is the
dark edge of the sword of symbolism which appeared to humanity as a
gift so lhat it might clea\'e through the la}'ers of C\'oluuonary time. Hu-
mans haH.' the cal>acil)'. through s}mbolism, to creale totally imaginary
mental woridS-Sllch as egoism on one level, mechanism on another, or
Nazism on still anOlher-worlds ha\;nga verr limited relationship to the
fullness of an integldted sense of reality. Humanity alone seems capable
of creating vasl. spnbolic forms inconsistent with the deeper rh)'lhmic
wholes ofuni\ersal expression. In spite of this, it is neither necessary nor
possible 10 destroy this MU)'ll, because the perceptual mode is intrinsic
and ne("essal)' to Creation, and \\'ith the advelll of language and archi-
t~cture we have come to rely 011 the ambiguolls power of lhe Image as a
hghlto guide liS. But we must endeavor to make tJlis veil coincide accu-
rately with lhe vision of lhe illlegrall)' real. Indeed, a precise, integral
and manifold system of symbolization in resonance with both objective
fields and metaphysical realities is the instrumelll by which thought and
Conscious \'ibrmion call be focussed so as to act formatively on matter
and physiology.
The, Greeks ga\c the name of ~Gymnosophi sm~ to the mind-body
educatl\'c practices thai they observcd in Ebryptian Temples. These pro-
posed a sYSlC r I' . .
, '. III 0 P lyslo-reSpm.ltory mastery and pUrification as the
tngger that would allow an asccntlhrough varioLls levels of philosophic
perception, comprehension and vision. Indeed, Greek historians mar-
velled <II II . . , ,
and . Ie llnpcccably hyglcl1lc standards and the moral, lIltellectual
reltgious character of the EllVptians-il was as if a whole sev'-
Inent of I 01 0
pun .tl
C
culture were involved ill ;In e1aborale collective S)'Slem of
Se fiCatlon and developmcnt. This in facl was lhe case, and, in this
nse th ... '. .
, C lrlltl;ltlC process was nothing other than the application of
R ob~"1 Lawlor I 59
ANr.1 ENT Tf.MI'LE ARCI1ITf.CTURE 58
an e\'olulionary theory. In Egypt, every capable male was periodically
recruited to spend several months wiLhin the Temple. Naturally. only a
fcw of these recruits would find Templc lifc appropriatc and remain to
become priests; most \\'ould rCLUnl to ordinal)' society ".jth the enrich-
menl brought about by this exposure to spiritual Iifc. In this way,
spiriLUal directivcs could penctrate many reaches of socicty and innu-
encc the enurc structure of living.
All of civilization was thus an alchemical act. auempting LO U<lnSlllllte
time. by elevating the body. whose devclopmelll is still phased to the
greatcr rhyLhms of macro-evolulion and placing its developmelll in a
pllls.'l.tion corresponding to the e\'ollltion of consciousness and mind.
Social and i ndi \~dual activity thus became a l i \~ng rilllal, evoking and
s)'mbolizing the drama of personal and collcctivc sclf-evolution.
The enlire social philosophy of Egypt is summarized in a wall-rclief
in the tomb of Ptahhotcp at Mcir. Three figures are shown--one stand-
ing. one seated and one kneeling. If one measurcs these figures, it may
be seen that the height of the seated figurc gives the exact geometric
mean term between the two cxtremes. Here, in other words, we have
the three posturcs of ule Human Being, cach with its separate dimen-
sions, joined in the conlinuous connectivity of a proportional re-
lationship. First, we have the standing, aclivc, doing, fabricaling, war-
ring, trading. building man, callcd rajasic in Sanskrit; next the seated,
thinking, symbol making and transmitling scienlist, poet. sage, teacher,
called sattvicin Sanskrit; and finally tile kneeling, mystic. visionary )'ogi,
the lll1l111Sic milll in Sanskril. There is no cxclusion of onc level of expe-
riencc in favor of another: nOll-eonccptual experience, f!xlasf!, does not
eliminate f!1I/au, the spiritual does not eliminate or devalue the intellec-
Illal or physical. From thc point of \~ew of Egyptian wisdom, no society
could long endure witholll a constant now of communication between
these three postures. Indeed, the Pharaoh contained in himself all
Lhrce of tllem.
Without such a spiritually self.....t\\'are. self-perfecling core. guided by
the pinnacle of an institution likc Lhe Temple. ch~l i zal i on loses sight of
its cvolulionary purpose and falls inevitably into imbalance and decay.
Humanity needs the Supl<l-Human, ule Royal Person, the Anulropo-
cosm towards which it milY draw itself. Without this image of the fultlre
Human form, Humanity will have no future form; witllOut an image of
the universe thcrc can be no uni\'cl"se. The image of the future Human
and the image of tile universe are one and. as \\'C shall see. comprisc tlle
geometry of Temple architecture.
60 A NCt~:NT TEII.1I'LE ARClllTECTURE
I. The Geomctry of Time and Transfonnation
Perh:IPs timC does nol pass, perhaps C\'ery instant of one's life cxists al-
the c\ ent and one's consciousness at tlle moment of the evenl being
\\'a)'So-",...... ble ,>oints located etcmally in space-lime. From ulis point of\;cw,
una te,.. . '.
,)
' tncc:.'s ofiln event do not disappear but ah\'a)'S h,we umc c(H)rdl-
memo
' wilh g-rcater \<llucs than those that mark the moment of its
nal.CS .
currence:: in one's consciousness. That is, memories of thoughts or
:ents OCCllr al a "later" timc than UIC time ule thoughts ol"c"ents happen.
The concept oftimc summal;zed here in Lhejargon of relalivity phys-
ics' space-lime diagrams also emerges out of an ancient geometric
diagram \\'hich was fundamental to Lhe architecture and mathematics of
5e\eral Tcmplc....building cultures. This geometric figure. called thc gll()-
man by the Creeks. has fascinatcd peoplc for thousands of)ears. There
is every indication that the Ancients hcld to a philosophical position re-
garding Time which is made evident through the contemplation of this
figurc.
. In the figure above. tile square of B is equal to the gnomon of A. The
.....Idth of this gnomon is tJ1C difference between the h)l)olenuse and the
base of the tl"ianglc. tllal is. belween thc reading in sinc and in tangent.
B e~ore. \\'c can begin 10 explain the attributcs of thc gnomon. how-
e\er Il Will be r h' ,
, necessary llI"St 10 S ow Its relauon to the figures of the
square, t!IC circle and the spiral, noting hoh' all of these relatc to our
theme of Cos . T' I '
.. ' IllIC line. h' llCh Temple Architecture sought to represent,
<lnd rClllclnbcl"' I," " ' , ,
. IIlg t 1M It IS on }' t Hough an Image 01 TlOle that the cx-
pcncnce or " b '
tUlle Ccomes comprehensIble to us.
The canh is 'ph " 'B I' , ,
ellca. ra lInamc texts say tillS repeatedly and It is
Ilnqlle.Slionahli" "d' '. '
re . Imp IC III CCflam Eb'Ypuan tcxts, measurements and
;"boes;:~H :1l 10ns. But. in lhe Temple, in India and China, Lhe earth is
Ized hi' "'e ~ , "h' , be I' I' h '
--luaIC. IS IS ~aI lSC a W 111' mg sp ere III space
Robl!rl Lawlor I 6\
The Temple of I.,,:.:or "1" buill in stag<.'S .....hich correspond 10 the growth by gnomonic
ellpansion uf :," initial cube the si'l.c of Ihc fim stage, Ihe secr,,1 sanClu,u;e,. (R.A,
Schw"ller de LlIhic/., f, ""'mllk I /~ l llomm~, P,U;S, (;;111Ictcrcs, 1957.)
"known as perpewal recurrences. They become permanent in a
becOJIl...
,dic sense by \vhich the passage of day is measured as time, Thus the
C) ,,<sodated with the number fOllr, and its eXIJansion into a cube
square",, ." '
associated with the number SIX, and thcu' multiples, are thc numbers
which measure time,
In order to understand why Temple Architccture from many cultures
is almost wholly preoccupied witll the four cardinal orientations which
mark the daily and seasonal cycles, and with the geometric plan of the
simple square which ideally represents them, Ict us reviewsome material
fTom the much-discusscd research into biological clocks. O\'er twemy
rears of research in this field continues to demonstrate that mcL... bolic
processes ill li\ing organisms are geared to asu'onomical periodicities,
such as thc rowtion of the earth upon its axis, the eanJl's re,'olution
around the SUll, and the moon's encircling of the earth, Indeed, it is
preselllly bclie,cd there is no phpiiological process which does not ex-
hibit cyclic variations, and tll.U all organisms on canh contain metabolic
clocks \\hich trigger essential intemal biological activities, at appor-
tioned intervals related to geo-celestial C)'cles.
111is all-pemlSi\'encss ofbioclocks gives us a sturdy empirical metaphor
upon which to expand a philosoph), of e\'olution based on the interrelat-
edness of our interiority with tlle phenomenal uni\'el'Se. Literally
thousands of interrelated rh)'thms in body chemistry are C)'clicaJly orches-
trated \\;,h gcophp>ical and celestial periodicities-such as tlle blood and
the urine, the le\'els of sugar, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, corticos-
terone and adrcnocortical outputs (which .l1Tect both our physical and
psychological well-being), fibrialytic acli\'ity in the plasm, dcep body tem-
perature, blood pressure, cellular division, and the honnonal patterns of
gro....t..h and maturation, as well as man)' neural panerns.
I ~ one expcrimcnt with a single<ellcd plant, algae, whose photosyn-
thetIC processes and secret.ions arc known to be controlled by intervals in
the d~l i l } cycle, it was found that cven after removing the cell's nucleus by
sevenng the basal rhp:oid, a number of cyclic rhythms continued undis-
turbed O\CI", s"r: ' d f' I I I " ,
. tgllllJCant peno 0 lime, tappears, tlen, tlat penodlClty
IS decp-se- l I '
.l C( cven tn structured cells, but also that the time-keeping
pOwer f]'"
a I e rcsides in the c)'loplasmic substance itself.
A.nOther expcl'imetlt olrers it wondcrful cxample of integrated time-
space IJcr ' b
]
ccpuon, ased upon t.he four spatial orientations. Birds were
P aced in .] , ,
t . coop... on tie norlhel'll Side of a Circular arena and were
a..... ~tned always to ny 10 the southern corner at a certain timc'to pick up
an~Od reward. They were then placed ill all enclosed room for a week,
by rneans of artificial light wcre phased 10 a different light cycle-
RoIm't Lawlor 1 63
ANCIENT TMI'L ARClliTECTURE
0
0
,
,
i

','
1
::1::
,
........
....'....
::::'::::
A

,

"

......'...

"1
.'
s
0,0
0,0
0,0
00
0'0
0'0
aio
In this way, through the fixation of its axis as a contact point with the
heavcns, so to speak, the earth comes into being, Its position is main-
taincd and regulated by this contact, and by lhe regular appearance and
disappearance of the sun, moon and stars; and so these points become
Lhe seal of a marriage between the hea\'cns and the eanh, The four car
dinal poinlS-thc four orientations-are beheld periodically and
62
evokes an absu1lcl, invisible line through i L ~ center, which we call the
axis. By means of this axis, the earth becomes aligned with a fixed posi-
tion in the univcrse, from which the four cardinal poims or orient<ltions
may be established: up-down or north-south and east-west. These cardi-
nal points are where heaven and eartll seem to meet or interscct. From
the observer's poimof view, the sun rises in tlle east and SCts in the \\'est;
tllC other cardinal points, north and somh or noon and midnight, com-
plete the fourfold orientation of Lhe square.
lights ,,'ere tumcd on at midnight and off at noon, so as to effect a six-
hOlIr phase-changc from nonna!. When the birds wcre rcwmed to the
arena, the)' imlllcdiately ncw to the east rather than to the south side to
look for their food reward-an elTOI-of exacuy ninety degrces. Butsince
the sun moves fiftccn degrees ofarc e\'cf)' hour, this ninet)'-degrec error
coincides exacLl)' with L11e six-hour phase-change in the birds' light-dark
cycle. This and other similar experiments have shown that a bird's direc-
tional sense is related to itS light-dark bioclock cycle (related to east-west
oricntation), and furthermore that its instinctive ability to navigate dur-
ing migration depends upon an innate awareness of what hemisphere it
is in, plus the ability to site and interprct the sun's position as a time-
space coordinate (which is related to northsouth orientation). How re-
fined this Ihing time-spacc relationship seems compared to the cnJdite
mathematical fonnulae of our present relativity theory! Such innate ca-
pacities for a timc-space cognition are found among peoplc of primitive
societies and are based upon ule simple division of the solar cycle by ule
four natural orientations.
Not unexpectedly then, just as our bodily organization originates
from Ule periodicity based upon the fourfold interrelatedness of earth
and sky. so also it seems does the life of the int.ellect.. Archeological re-
mains show us the great effort Ulat Neoliulic humans made t.o divine,
consecrate and retain, through stone sitings and interval markings on
bones, the essential temporal pa,uems_ These allowed them to emision
an order out of the inexplicable, vast surroundings in which they found
themselves. Initially, humans may have become inwitively a\.... are of the
sU'ucture of time by means of their internal biological clocks; but there-
after uley created a continual stream of measuring de\kes to record the
passage of C)'c1ic and geophysical events-from monoliths, pyramids
and obelisks, on up to ultra-refined atomic c1ocks--<>nly to return to the
beginning and discover once a!,rain that. through adaptive response to
extemal cycliC changes, they had already absod)Cd and. let us s.:"'y, incar-
nated, the velY geoph)'Sical rhythmicity the)' sought.
This same idea of life as a process of absorbing and miniaturiz.ing the
periodicity of cosmic mO\'emelll recurs in a different way in contempo-
rnry brnin research in which it has been shown that over eight percent
of the neural synapses of the cerebral COrlex in infants foml and develop
only in response to external stimuli recei\'ed frOIll the environment.
Without this pulse<arrying acthity many of the neurons would not
fonll. In other words, the neural structure of the brain is also a result of
the transformation of external perccplion and experience into physiO-
logical form and process,
64 I ANCIt:NT TEMPLE ARCIIITECTURE
T hi ~ dsion of ncurobiological processes as digestion of the laws of
- _ ,.... 11 1Il0\eJllcnt in L1le form of rhyLllmic time pattenlS touches
ulll' e ,...' ,
all tilC domInant evolutlonary tlleolY of anCient. Templc philosoph)'.
~~cordi l l g LO II.lis, I he ~ I etaphysical vocation of physical hum,ulily was,
I.hro
u
Kh C\'Ollil/o.nary lllne,.to C J l l ~d) and express the vibratol)'. rh)'th-
lUic life of CoSIlllC HlImal1lty, which was felt to crist abstractly, like an
inaudible Illusic, ill the proportionaJ combinations and inLel'\'als of uni-
versalmo\'t'Tllenl.
To arrive al it morc concrele image of how celestial radiation be-
comes a cellulal- part of the human being, I would like Lo cite briefly the
,\'ork of Dr. Stuart Hameroff, an American medical researcher. and Dr.
Fritz Popp. a Gcrman bioph)'Sicist, concerning L11C microtubules of L11C
human cd!. ~I i crotubl .l l es are tiny, hollow, cylindrical bodies, less than
270 angstrollls in diametcr, which movc in myst.erious, rhythmic wa)'s
wiU1in th" cell. dissolving and reappearing. )'el structurally active in the
contractile mechanism of the cell membrane. I-Iameroff has suggested
that L11C' small tubes should be considered as bin-resonators. because
he has calculated that they ma)' resonate at dose to the ul tra\~ol et light
frequene)' of ten lO the sixteenth henz, He poi illS out t.hat their ollter
la)'er of skin is translucent and light refractivc, admitting ultraviolet
light into the lube. and suggests that, once inside, this light could be res-
onanth' 'lI11plified b)' the microtubule and so be transmitted as an acti\'e
forcc in the bod), It has (.'ven been pl'Oposed Lhat the 1I1lr3violet light
communication may be a primary regulator in all cellular processes and
lIlay C"Cll act to guide the DNA molecules La the right place in the dou-
ble helix StnlcLLu'c.
It secms also that L11C instJ1.lctions which regulate cellular mitosis and
the bocl\"'s replacement of millions of old cells \\ith new cells each sec.
ond ~na\ 1>e,CillTied into the body by electromagnetic waves through the
a!Timty of blo-n:sonaLOrs j list such as these microwbule. Cellular abnor-
malities suel, - I - k d _. f - - -
.IS unc lec c growul 0 cells III cancer would III UlIS
m~el bc a result not onl)' of the resonant faClOI"S in t';e cell's organi-
~.aL J OI ~, h~l t .tlso of the disruption in ule earth's atmosphere, that is, in its
unctlonlllg an fil, - I - f I - - -
, <. I er am tranSlllluer 0 t le precise hfe-fa\'onng fre-
quencies of eele ,- t I- - -
I
Sla rae lauon. It seems that wllholllthe messages from
tlcsky I ~ .
. ' I e s essentml organization is impossible.
Blolugical I' -oc _. -
abso ' I esses ulUS appear not Simply as reneetions, but more as
s rp,llonS--Onc might cven sa)' "digestion"--of the rhythmic )'et air
tract hfe of lhe ' .. 'I bol- 1-' I -
rh . UIll\Crsc. I ct.... IC lie. >Clllg dependent upon cosmic
)'!.hill" Itl ord . '., I- -
ali er to mamtam liS uncuons and processcs, becomes actll.
y a transer' t- f I I -
Ip Ion a t 11:: tempora Illl.Cl"vals crcated by the celestial
RoiH>rt tow/or I 65
He who recreales me prOlecLS mc. I am food. He who refuses 10 rccre--
ate me I eat as food. I am these worlds and I eat these worlds. 1le who
knows this knows Upanishad.
movcmen!.'i of the solar systcm <Ind the eJTecLS these movcl1lcnLS have
upon the light, heat, e1cctricity, magnetism, gravity and atmosphere of
the earth.
The theme of evolution as metaphysical digestion was primary to a
universe considered as a vast organism, and fostered a mytho-scientific
symbolic stnlcture which integrated psrchological and spiritual view-
points to a greater degree than can the more mechanical D..ndnian
\~ew of adaptation. In the Upanishads we find the following SLatement
made by the conscious energy of the celestial macrocosm to Manifcsting
Life, which is meant to embody universal hannonic laws:
Using such an image of digestion to describe the dynamics of change
in evolution-that is, a gradual digestion by earthly cxistence of the pre--
existent, ever-moving pauems contained in the rhythms of the celestial
bodies-would in ancient thoughl be considered to be at a similar level
of causality as using our present concept of statistical randomness in the
appearance and dis.1.ppearance of genetic mmation to explain the can
tinuous modification and change in organismic evolution.
That life embodies and expresses on physical and I>s)'chologicalle\'els
the abstract, energetic impulsions of the heavens is of course a basic as-
sumption of Astrology, but we do not need to cvaluate the relevance of
this model of cosmic digestion from an astrological point of\iew. Mod-
ern science itself, as we shall sec, pro,~des a number of concepts which
lend support to the ~ew of an interdependent earth-sky illleraction. To
the Ancients, this knowledge was conceh'ed of as a digestion and assim
ilation taking place between two essential symbols. For them digcstion
was a biological metaphor which effectively clarified the proccss of the
transmutation of substance from ally OIlC level of conscious existencc to
another-from mineral to plant, from planI to animal, and from animal
to hllTll<\n-a domain of transmutation involving a qualitative change in
both substance and consciousness, which was the essential mystcry and
focus of ancient, science, including medieval alchemy.
Similarly, for modern science, all of matter in its essence and origin
is light, beginning in the themlOnuclear heat, deep in thc bUnling
hearts of massivc stars, where the vital elements of life, as well as the
heavy metals, arc cosmically manufactured. Upon the death of thesc
stars in supernova cxplosions, ninety percent of the stellar matcrial is
Ilobul tawlor I 67
I

~I rds and distributed thl"Ough intcrstcllar space, before be--
blastC( ou \\. . .
, I, ,I ,',llO suns moons and planets. You and I, and Indeed a!lltfe
. reC,c
e
'
109 .'1 \ 'ere made possible by thc c;trbon and mineral fonmltions
on e,\lt1, \ . .. .
d in the light and cner!,')' of stars which dlcd III explOSions tens of
forge . . I k' I 'I d' I '
.. ns of)cars ago. The cntlre anlTlla 'mge om, mc u mg 1umans, IS
bllho r II' r "'100 'I '
I
e
laboration. via the looe Clam, 0 an mllla lalllca trdnSlor
onyan, .
, ,of solar r:.ldi:nion. Plants, through photosynthesIs, transmute
maUOI
minerals and sunlight into h)'drocarbons, and when ~\ e burn wood ~r
'I . when internally \I'e burn food, we release the light locked up m
rn,rn . .
the fornl of heat in the chemical bonds of these orgalllC compounds.
The final slilge in this continuous transformation of light into heat,
substancc and life is the lJ"ansfonnation occurring in the eres and brains
of humall beinbTS. Here the raw photons ofph)'Sicallight are transmuted
into the light of the intelligence. This redemption of light from a me--
chanic.al, cnergetic st,llUS into a percehing, acting, feeling, willing, self
conscious. self-transfomling intelligence was considered by ancient evc>-
lutiona'l theol")! to be thc product towards which the greal universal
digestion ,eams.
There is one morc point of ~ew from which tllis theme of digestion
and transmlllation may profiL.1.bl)' be illuminated. The Ancients saw in
the human body a s)'nthetic image tlll"ough which lO gain access to the
processes and purposes of universal creation. For them the body de-
picled tJ,e intelTelationship of two distinguishable )'ct inseparAble
processl..'S--<:onsciousncss and Illiluer, mind and bod)" sky and eanh-
whose increased harmonization and integration was the key to humani-
ty's future evolution.
The diagram on the following page shows the simultaneous develop-
mel1\ of the two long, hollow tubular tf'aCts which form very early within
the ball-shaped cluster of cells in tl,C human zygote. The closed tube 011
the top will become the brain and spinal cord, an enclosure in which in-
din~ctl}" recch'ed infonllation is retained; while the tube at tlle bOllom,
Pt:ll at both ends, will become the digestive tract. Embryologicall)', it is
as if tht: Cntire body begins LO milterializc around these [wo hollow, tu-
buhl!" passages of transmutation.
The actiVity of the lowcr transmutation-the digestive tract-is a
separation of tht: pure from lhe impure, a heal gcnerating process fu-
cled by externally procured substantial nourishment. In ancient
c.o~l nol ob Y this was the image of tile Earth, called Geb in Egypt. The ac
lIvll)' of higher U"illlsmulation, the enclosed tract of Ihe brain and
spinal cord, uses the energies assimihlled b)' the lower as suppOrt for
the further transformation of light into the subtle expression of mind
ANCIENT Tf.MI'I-E AKCIIITECTUR 66
-
These lmnsformations are symbolizcd by tbe mCl..amorphoscs of the
scar.\b. After the egg-phase. the scarab exists as a worm or larva, \\'hich
docs lillie olher than <IbS01-b and digest food. It is the digestjve tracl.
Then comes the pupal phase, dudng which a cocoon is woven in \vhich
Rob"1 Lawlor I 69
' .. I Ire exists wilhoUl food or movcmClll. This recalls the cerebro-
lhe CI C.I I
, I ,-act. (Note here that the cocoon may also serve as an image for
spina I,
'ell world of cerebral, conceptual symbols which provides an ar-
the \\'0\
, enclosure surrounding the life and mind-just as do the
restlng' .
, 'I" 0"'011"11 sU'uclurcs bUIlt up through the use of such symbols. These
CIVl I;':.' '
bod '_mind enclosures seem to mark a definitivc stage in humanity's
n~i ntl i ng cvohnion. The dcnsc web of artificial electromagnetic radi
~:on, generated by industrial civilil.alion, that presently stllTounds tJ,e
earth Sl l ggC SL ~ the final cncnlswtion of the Iight-obscuring cocoon, the
same cocoon of civilil.ation which suddcnly enveloped nearly the entire
inhabited portion of the earth, spreading om from three cenl e~tJ l c
Middle East. the Indus Rivcr and China-in the last millennium before
Chrisl.) This pupal phase, howe\'cr, is finall)' followed by the release into
a ",~nged. sky-born creature, Khcpri. the scarab-deil)' of the rising sun,
symbol of transformation.
\~ i th this in mind, we will perhaps be able to understand beller hO\\I
anClCtll peoples. such as the Eb'Yptian and I-lindu Temple-sages, with a
deel) viI II' " I '
. a y IIllUlltVC. melap Iyslcal cosmology might mctaphorically in-
~esl daborate armys of related conccpl ..~ in simple, natural, geometric
Images-to which we Illust now return,
.' The square, as we have seen. is the essential and perfect fom, in an.
Clent thought. It both presupposes the circle and results from it: it is the
Cosmic ideation oCthe perfect equilibl'iulll achievable between pairs ofdi-
alllCtrically opposed forces. The etcrnally moving, ever-expansive energy
,\NClt:NT TEMI'LE i\.RCIIIT"CTURE
\\le find this parallelism continued in the metaphysical image of the
Dwnl, the "inverscd- or ~l l ndcr- world. On the ph}osical plane the f)U)(l(
is the region traversed b)' the solar globe when it has sunk beneath the
h'estem horizon. On the ps)"chic plane, tJle f>wal is the locus of transfor-
mation. The Creat Nder Rc, as the solar deity, descends, as the tcxts 5<'y,
into the Dwal in order to gain knowledge of his self-embodimenl. Hc
must, thcrefore, as he proceeds through the hours of the night, go
through all the phases of incarnation (rom nutrition through metabo-
lism and the tranSllluwtion ofsubstance into vital energy and finally into
the subtle forces of intelligence.
and psychc. Here, as with body heat, the heat of concentration pro-
duces a tangible field of creative energy; and this enerb'Y. plus ,he
refinement of substance derived from the lowcr digestion, feeds into
the secretions of the cranial glands which control the body's rh)'thmic
maturations, as well as the manufacture of tile reproductive fluids, All
these processes in ancient cosmology arc related to tJ,e image of tJle
Sky, called Nut in Egypl.
68
Time is <ll'lake \I'hen all things sleep.
Time stands strniglll when all things fall,
Time shuLS in and will not be shut.
'Is', 'was' and 'shall be' are only Time's children:
o reasoning, be witness and be stable.
To these two characteristics of Timt."-Passing Time, or the percep-
tion of a neeting directional movement from a dissolving past tJuough
an imperceptible present to an imaginal)' future, and Static Time, which
is an all-containing etemal fullness-the Gnomonic Plinciple adds a
further description. This is Time as Growth: an ctema! expansion of
growth upon growth, an evolution, one might say, belonging to lhe con-
scious energies which u-anscend the forms and energies through \\'hich
they manifest, a growth whose etemally enduring continuation is at
once mimicked and )'ct altested LO in the growth of the cells, fibers <Ind
tissues of living nature.
In this way, through the Gnomonic Principle, past time I'emains
present in form, and the fom1 dcvelops through the pulsating rhythmic.
expansion of gnomonic grO\''lh. To remove tJle most recentJy accreted
layer or coml>'"lrtmelll from a nautilus shell is acwally to move back-
wards in the lifetime of tJle object. Logarithmicall)' developed fonns
These ideas suggest and bl;ng into focus perhaps the most important
means at our disposal for <lh,ering temporal perception (and therefore
em~ronment), but one which has as )'et no detcnninablc relationship to
biochemical nuctuations. This is the process of creating and using S)'l11-
bois. TIl is process a1l0\\'5 human i ndi \~dual s and populations to com-
municate over vast spans of time and space, regardless of mortality and
destnlction-giving the human mind the opportunity to now backwards
and forward in time through the retention or projection of symbols con-
tained within its own memol)' and imagination. For humanity, symbols
have become an inseparable aspect of temporal perception, and we may
note that the morc synthetic the symbol the greater the expanse oftimc
tbat it will encompass.
For these reasons, the many considerations and techniques which af-
fect the perception of time were held to be of great imporlance in
ancient Temple ci\;lizations, all of which maintained a \'ision of Tran-
scendental Time as the essential universal Cause, containing, like a DNA
code, all the intervals and number p."luems-triggers of rhythmic re-
lease, signals-for the entire universal unfolding. A Hindu architectural
Slltra sums up this \'ision:
And let liS remember that it is the residual, inorganic minerals in the
body which tran.,mil the bio-eleclric energy that makes consciOlLS, incar-
nate life po;; ~i bl e.
To the Temple architecl-seer, observations of Nawrc were transpar-
ent metaphors revealing the metaphysical reality of his universe. In
obselVing Nature, he saw two processes of growth and fonn, each re-
lated to a dilTel"clll chal<l.ClCristic of Time. One was transient creation
and dissolution, relating to a particular sense ofTil'nc marked by cyclic
appearancc and disappearance-the lunar, Osirian pattern. The othel"
was growth bv ;lccllmulati\'e, gnomonic increase, relating to a sense of
th~ endless. all<olltaining fullness of Time, re\'ealing a continuous e\'o-
Juuon and having, at evcf)' gi\'cn moment, a (>.."l.St with its fundamental
I-csults still in c\'idencc, a present in which the reslllLS are still in the pro-
cess ~fbecollling, and a fUlure in which yet unevoh'cd po\\'crs and fonns
or~mg :t~e implied and must appear for tJlCre to be full and pClfect
~;al l l rC Statl on. This was associmcd with lhe solar pattern, that (otality of
mle cOI1l'lIne,I'".. d' 1 rL' 1 ' 1' ,
,,,l<Ilantsplcreo Ig1l,lnwllchtJlerelsanetcnlal
element Rc in'l > b' k ' ,
. " \\ lOse un 10 en gnOIllOllic expanSion the Temple aT'.
dutcct S<I\\' the 1 'I ' 1 '
. I l)tl111IC aws governmg the evolution of the universal
consclOllsncs' 'l' I' b I ' ,
1
.S S ,lIlC mg e nncl all ll1amfestaliOIl. Indeed in Eg"I)li'lll
tlC WOrd T .. , ,. ' )J'
War . l:lllplc means house of the uller-mcc," thaI is, the Divine
d, Re, which 1",I.',c 1 ,I' I' . . .
, . ,,,. ( HOllg 1 ItS splnt-space sctlLng "I) lhe bar-
nOmc pc" I'"
. II()C ICllles of eternal cosmic Time.
ThiS \isioll i" I' ' 'I 1' "
fi ICClse yS("lte( III Egypuan Icollognlphy: the geometric
gure ofa l;nUlr' .. 1 '
--I (' \\111 I(S gnomon demonstfalCS the passage from four
Uobnt L(lw[or I 77
I....' this clement ofl"ctention of past time. Indeed, it may be said
alwar
sc

1
.' . "
II
llnscs of TUlle eXist m evcr-present gnolllolllc layers, like the
thata I .
, h "". "tnlcture of galactic space tJlat makes cvcry glance into tllc
hg t-)e. .
night sJ,.\ a vicw into both the past of distant bodies and the fUlure
stan)' . \\~I \l . S which will strike and innuence thc earth. TIl is is perhaps
energ) '. . ."
n
comfortable Idea to accept, smce from thiS pomt of"lewall aspects
anll ., "
of the material \I'orld, mcluchng our own boches, are III the past tense,
existing in a gnomonic la)"er already bypassed by innowing energies.
Neverthdess, this is the concept which Temple builders derived from
lhe symbol of the gnomon. The Afharoa Veda says,
Name alld Form are in the Rcsidue. The world is in the Residue. Indra
and Agni ar(' in the Residue. The U ni \ e~e i .~ in the Residue. Heavcn
and Earth, all Existence is in the Residue. The water. the ocean, the
moon and the wind arc in the Residue.
ANCI"-NT T.:MPt.E /\RCltITECTURE 76
r.- .. -. --_ .. -
RobfTl LOll/for I 79
ivities of the living king, the son, to its gnomonic expansion, we
'lOd act . I I I I I" , I' 'd
' I" tbe entire socia orc er I'e ates t lC lvmg lIlC IVl ual to an an-
can see 10 \ . " . .
I COllllllunity Ihrough Ih,S pnnclple, Thus, the contlJ1Ulty of
~n I 'I' "I'
Egyptian culture c!Clllonstr:l1.C( it contllllli.l lIlnovauon In W 1ICh llolhing
of the essence was ever I ~sl ., .
Froill
thc
Ef,'yptian POIl1I of View, then, Tillie can and docs take many
fonnS. Working solllctimc.:s sCI>arately and sequentially, and sometimes
simultaneousl" to produce the vaded levels of conscious existence and
the various modes of perceptual awareness, these are all held, as we ha\'e
hinted, in the l11)th of Isis, Osids, Seth and Horus. With myth we do not
commit the error of materializing Time and Space, but rather wc are
presented \,;111 the imagcs tJlat give shape and meaning to them.
We have ..cen Time in the form ofa circle, Osirian Time, in which C\'-
en thing or even' event is an etemal recurrence of ulings and events
tJ l ~t han: ah\- a~ S been. This is a time sense that is appropriate for Ule
ph~ SicaJ de\'clopmentof organic life, in which large and repetitive cycles
are needed 10 inscribe and de\'clop the behavioral expression of con
sciousness into the cellular organization. This Osirian fonn of con-
sciousness is close to the carth and sky and open to their inOuences,
close to the mechanism of nature which develops incarnate fonn.
Besides this foml of Time. therc is also Time which appears to us as
linear, as a succession of material units stnmg Ollt on a thread that
points progressi\'cly from past to flllure. This is objectified Time and is
represented in the Egyptian myth by Seth, lhe brother and murderer of
~si ri s. Betwecn thcse-the line,lr, segmentcd, Sethian experience of
T l [~~ which now dominatcs Western mentality, and the endless cyclical,
Oslnan \\'hcels ofTimc associated with Orient.,lthinking-there inter-
ve~es the third image of Time, that of the Spiral and Ule Gnomon,
wluch ma)' bc related 10 Horus in the myth.
The struggle of SClh and Horus, as related in the myul, is on one
level I"
a CepICllon of these two forms of temporal perccption, Seth
chara~teJ i l e .. lhe Ii!" of an endless, universal play, the apparent enu-
meration 01 '-'111'0' I 'b'l" II' ...
u I ms anc POSSI I Illes. - IS power lJcs III hiS testicles thc
~rocreati \ c organ of cndlc.:ss multiplicities and valieties. He is'the
square 1'0 r .
I
Ot 0 two; and of senses he IS taste, Homs, on the othcr hand
c I<\l'acterize' II .' , '. '
. s le Instan lalleously all-secl ng conSCiousness, the call tinu-
ous, unbroken . .,' I I' ,
. exp.lllS!\,cncss t lat les bchilld the forms and makes
POSSible an 'Ii I' I'
h '. llle( Ul1lverse laVing the single goal of drawing out of the
C aos of all "b'I' . , .
U
' POSSI lIlies an lllcarnallQll of the image of the ultimate
nwersal Co . . , '
th I nsclOlisness whIch has prefigured il.'> birth in the mirrorof
e leavens.
ANCtENT TEMI'U: ARClllTECTURE
The living king, however, is not only the earthly embodiment of the
eternal solar pO\ver. he is also Horus, the son of Osids. who receives and
brings his father's essence-force into the world again, This relationship
of father 10 son. or of dead king 10 living king, as all image of the pulsa-
tion of the gnomonic essence of the past into uw present and future, \va5
greatly stressed in Ef,,)1>tian culture. Lf Ule power and influcnce of the
dcad king, the father, arc related to the original square, and the energies
78
EE
to five, that is, from Ihe elemenml world to the rcalm of life, and this
same geometry underlies the "Throne of Osi ri s~ on which the King sits,
This royalthronc was called "The Throne of the World," and it was the
proportions and angles exu-acted from this figure that the ancient
builders used to determine many of the shapes and orientations of the
Temple. The original unity within the four squares of the square of two
is projected oUlwards to form the gnomon, the fifth part, which is ap-
proximately equal in area to each of the other four squares, The King.
as representative of the solar power on eanh, is thus appropriately asS(?
ciated with the fixed element, the gnomon, intrinsic to all logarithmic
expansion. Yet this throne is also the throne of Osiris in his othen,'orldly
kingdom of potentiality. As such, the throne is the fixed suppon on
which the Osirian C)'cles offlux must rest.
three (the primal male number) is five. And in traditional llllOlerology
five is the number of the incarnate Human Being, in that the human be-
ing is a being of five senses. five extensions, five breaths, etc., while the
gnomon between the cube of two (which is eight) and lhe cube of lhree
(which is t\\'enty-seven) is nineteen. This number nineteen leads us to
the Egyptian canon of proportion which provides the ground plan for
the Temple of Luxor.
.,
,
[
=]=j A : ~ ~M ~ ~ ] I ~ ]A ~ i ~A I "~ " ---l ~
..
., f--+_.L-J
.. f----il----c
",1--+-
" I ---I --~
1---+--i<H
,1--+--"
H
,\NCI EN,. -rEM "LE A.RCIIITECTURE
. ofl11e hUllIan body is gcm:rall)' conceived in the fonn ofa ver-
A c<.nO
ll
. I horizonwl grid, established by the repetition of some fixed size
ucala
n
( .-" d r
I I
" \\'hich idclluiles the posllJOn an scale 0 members and pans
orm~l I L . . .
tI
I}OCII, For inswnce, JIl the art academies of recent lIIncs a human
ofle d" d'bl"1
'cst'lblishcd by etcrlllJllJllg a csu"a e size lor tle head of the
canon was
fi re \0 be drawn, al l ~ this head~i ze \\~l S then used to construct a grid
ugo
n
which all the m:yor proportions of the body could be found. The
d:eks used sevcn, scven-and-a-half or eight head-lengths to determine
!.he roper heighl for the entire figure, depending upon the i ndi \~dual s
bod~ type. This technique of a canon was employed in various forms in
many ancient cultures in the alrtoons for planningsculpLUl"es, wall-reliefs
and painlinbTS, and il continued to dominale aesthetic composition
Ihrough the Renaiss.'1nce. Slightl)'diITcrent sllbdi\;sions of the body, how-
ever, arc found in diITerenl cultures, in the paintings of the Japanese
artist HOKU'iai, lor insU!llce, the total height of the ideal human was di
\;ded into sixlcen units. Other human canons divide the height into
eighl units-a di\i!lion relal(:d to the musical octave--or twenl)'-two unilS,
related 10 the I-Iebreh' alphabel or the number of)'ears in the sunspol cy.
de, while the Creeks. \\'hosc sculptural emphasis was founded on the
aesthetic, or even athletic, beaut)'of cXlcmal, sensiblc man, used a canon
of eightcen units, \\'hich pro\;dcs a proportional standard fOI" achieving
this effect according to the Colden Mean.
, '
Robt!r( Lawlor I 85
The Universal Being is preselll in the Temple by means of proportion.
" of this canon of ninetcen corresponds, not to the full head-
One Illil
, "e canons orsevcn, scven-and-a-half, and eight, btll instcad
. e a5 In t ' . .
SIZ, lhe crown of the skull. In removlllg lhe skull-crown-whlch, as
only t~l l see, has mathematical, physiological and cosmo-s)'lnbolic irn-
v,esh,1 .. ,", '" I'
11lC remainlllg elg llcen Utllts constlttllc tle lelg 1t o t1e
ortan
CC
-
p being up to the diadem or headband that encircles the forehead
human . .
of the Killg. This causes the n~l \ el l O fall ~t exa:tlyel~ven UllIts, and el gl ~-
'el
'e'nths is a proportional relauonshtp which closely approXJ-
teen e . .
S
t"
e irntional Golden Section, PhI.
male ' -
The Golden Section, the first and archetypal form for all divisions of
a unity il1lO extreme and mean terms, resullS from a proportional di \~
sion and crC<lII':S ",hat is called "geometric proportion," which can then
generate "geometric progressions." A geometric proportion occurs
\\'hen a is 10 b as b is to c, or in numbers, when two is to four as four is lO
eight In Olher words, a relation is drawn between two extreme terms a
and c, throngh the mean which is b. The Golden Section results from
the unique case in which lhe geometric proponion is slaled with only
tWO lenus; i. c.. a is to be as b is to a plus I>--that is, the smaller is to u1e
mean as the mean is to the smaller plus the mean.
Nobel' tow/or I 87
Because of lhis perfect simplicity and tightness, the Golden Section
repreSellts the most reduced relationship through which a unity may be
expressed in proportional fOnl1. Thus it became known in ancicnt geo-
Illetric S)'1ll1 "
. )0 Ism as the source of all geometric proportions. In a
COSlllolog,v wi,' I ' I 'u'
>i IC 1 conSI{ ers 11e ntverse as a symphonic arrangclllelll of
llllcrpennrat . .
G I lng, resonilung, propol'uonal frequencIes or fields, the
0, deJ ~ Scction remains the field or proportionality closest to the Origi-
Ila UnIt\" s , ' ,
was' 0 Ilaln 1111ghl even be called Ihe "Son of God." In Greece it
o . ~al l cd lhe Logos the "one true proportion," and il was considered tIle
~n~k ,,' ' , ,
110W c{ gc as well as of beauLy, because II. IS proportIOnal
1
i.
z
c
c=Vf +i=
b
'<Ill
.i lJl::l',
\
""
ANCIENT TEMPLE ARClllTECTURE
In Egypt the canon of human proponion was based upon the division
or the Cosmic Human into nineteen units and served as a melaphysical
cryptogram of wordless transmission or universal gcometric rclation-
ships contained in an idealization of a pelfeCled human form, I..he
Pharaoh. The human body \vas llius conceived as a sonor cognitive lllap
cont<1ining the esselllial universal laws expressed in tenns of propor-
tional relationships-for Ihe geometrical, proponional relationships,
such as Phi (the Golden SeClion), Pi (the measure of the circle), and the
so-called sacred square roots oflwo, thrce and fivc, \vhich the E6')'ptians
revealed as aspects or the proponions orthe body. are the same geomet-
ric constan t.s that underl ie the di\ersi tics of form, speciation, shape and
process in all of phenomenal nature. We find a similar idea expressed
in the Hindu architectural sutras thus:
This universalization of the incarnate form had not only a philosoph-
ical and symbolic importance, but also a physiological one. We shall find
that these geometric, proportional intersections coincide WiU1 the or-
gans and lleuro-vital centers that were prominelll in the ancient,
physiological, yogic science by which mind+body processes were elevated
from a limited, individual consciousness to <I holistic and universal one.
For these reasons Lhe Egyptian canon, as R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz
poinlS OUI, Llsed thc number ninet.een, primarily because it lends itself
to a particular constnH.:tion of Phi, the Golden Number.
86
This reflcctive. projecting. moon-likc ,Ictivity of the rctina :.md ce.-
rebral cortex gives all our sense organs, especially the e)'cs and cars, a
dual function. They arc both rccepLOrs of external stimuli and also
projectors of our intcrnall)' held cognitive, reactive image of the ob-.
jective world. This mcans that objects arc themselves objecl.S only
insofar as they cxist within oursclvcs, functionally inscribed, either in.
nately or through Icarning, within the sensory or cognitive appanlllls
that we lise LO specify thcm. The world experienced through the
senses is a reflected projcction of our physiological and intellectual
nalUre, and so is onl)' relati,'ely real, as is our own image reflected in
a mirror and then retul"llcd back to us again. Indecd, in Egyptian, the
word for ~mi rror" and the word for "I i f c~ have the same phonetic
spelling, al/kh. and Egyptian craftsmen often made mirrors in the
shape of the ankh symbol, tbus making even such a mundane article
as this into a reminder of the drama of consciousness ill\'olved in a
self-perceptivc cmlution.
There are other characteristics which make the moon an effcctive
metaphor for the dual lobes of the cerebral cortex. We may note first
that in the cerebral cortex, although the full number of cells is at-
lained and fixed in early infancy, these cells arc destroyed and
replenished every month in cycle with the moon. A more important
symbolic function, through which the moon and the cerebral cortex
coincide, is contained in the following: metabolism, as \,>,e shall sec, is
controllcd b)' the endocrinal glands which secrete hormones--cxcit-
crs"---dircctly into thc bloodstream, which is, of coursc, traditionall)'
the bearcr of solar intelligence. and whose hormonal, procreative,
rcgulating intelligence the lunar neo-conex then comes to obscure,
cclipse or reflect. The master regulators of this hormonal system arc
the pincal and pituitary glands. and the activation of these is, in turn,
often regulated and coordinated b)' thc hypothalamus, sometimes
symbolized b)' the androgynous N ~/er, Hapi. the Nile God.
In one instance Hapi is shown seated in a cave or \'cntricle, cut ofT.
that is, eclipsed, by the outline of a serpelll. which in Egypt represents
the dualized consciousness of the cerebro-spinal systcm, hcre pic
LUred in the shape of the neo-col"lex. Hapi pours from two urns, which
perhaps represent the pineal and pituitary glands, the fluids which ini-
tiate the cyclic flow of the Nile's fcrtility,just as in tJ1C cave of the brain
the androgynous or anatomically undifTel'entiated arca of the hypo-
thalamus stimulates the (\\'0 glands which dctermine and bring forth
sexual differentialion, maturity and fertility in:.tIl organism.
90 ANCII::NT TEMI'LI:: AHCIII n:C T U R ~:
One of the eITects of the eclipsing by thc neo-<:onex of this solar, hor-
1110nal intelligcnn> which circulates directly through the blood and
heart is the progressh'c decline during C\'olution of the honnonal COll-
trol of behaviol". For cxample, looking b.."lck in C\'olution we find that
scxual behador in most animals is phased to thc light cycle of the solar
year, allowing. likc the Nile. onl)' a scasonal fertility. With. human se.xu-
ality, on tbc other hand, wc find fertility phased to the bnefer lunalloll
cycle, crcating a condition of continuous sexuality. The lunar nature of
this condition has a li\ing s)'mbol in the shape of the dual lobes of the
n("(xortex whose de\e1opment bl"Ought it about. for it is this brain
which has sex-uali/cd or dualiLed our perception of the world into self
ilnd otller, either/or, left and right, subject and object, right and wl"Ong.
Clinically speaking, Ihis nco-<:onex or lunar crown may, like a sat.ellitc,
he complclcl)' n:ITloved without the disruption of organic life proce::sscs-
the bio-rhylhmic autonomic controls in the mid-brain will continue to oJ>"
("ltlle. In E~lll. the whole ritual of the crowning of the King is related to
tI ~i s ph)'Siological, spnbolic insight, \\'hich is expressed in the mon of
ll111cteen. 111c King, upon coromuion. assumcs the crown or diadcm
marking thc remO''a1 of u1e upper portion of the head and wcars on his
f ():e~ead til(' 1>01011' or inncr eye symbolized b)' the bird and thc rept.ile, but
lhls IIlstincllliIL hormonal eye is. in the King's case, transfon11cd imo a
deep'" 1"
, InWltl\l.:. symholic alld innate:: knowledge by "inllC of now Xing In
hannony with the reasoning. conceptual cent.ers of thc frontallobcs and
the ~eQ-(:on( x. This harmonious knO\\'ledge, s)'1nboIiLed b)' the scrpent
C "~m,"g ovcr th~ top of the head to t.he forehead, COl:necLS the old brain
\\1th the .' \ ' , f 1 I'
11(,'\\. \1l(~n allgncd With thc profound stnlctUI"C 0 S)'111 >0 IC
NO/)I'''' t(lw/a!' I 91
Uo,","' Lnwlol' I 93
,
\'
\\
/
\
J
//
/;
[
'I"' .... n measures we find that for a sphere ,... hose circum
. ,tJll' W
UslOg I (Uator measures 21,600,000 armspans or fathoms (a
at IIC e I . . .
fere
nce
. ,',on of the e;uth's Circumference), the Circumference
P
roXlIlla
dosc ap '..c\'C'llty-t\\.o degrees thirty-four minutcs thirl)' seconds \vill
IUc;\Sure
d
.\1 "ber of Roval Cubits, the Royal Cubit being an essemial
Ue same 11111 ,
be 1 . -",'e as we shall sec. Thus, in an exact, proportional srm-
E tian I l l e.l ~ . , . ., 0
gyp I' - lhe multiple ps)'chologlcal and ph}'Slcal relauonshlps
bel we M\C' .,
I
> 'cv \\'hite. polar mcrustauon of the globe and the lunar, ce-
Ix'lween t It l . 0
, . "Ition which ,Jcrceptually freezes the dynamiC rh}'thms of
rebr'J.I I I lCI I I ~ . 0 0
d
'
or. into Ihe selJarately conceived objective world.
light an III
This ana[oh'Y between the earth's polar cap and the cerebral mind-
cap may be extcnded, for there are historical cOTTespondences between
the dcvelopment of our brains and the greater cycles of geology and as--
tronomy. A prime example invokes the descent of the ice cap during
the still unexplained cycle of the ice ages which, metaphol;call}', we Illay
'\aV perfonncd an eclipsclike function, in that the life, grOWUl and de-
\clopment created by solar energy on earth were temporarily effaced b}'
the swelling, frolen. while mass. Whate\'er the cause of these ice ages,
l h~ c1earl) had a significant effect upon human lifc on earth.
H. M. Ami reports in his book Cf/1l(u!a and Newfoulldland Ulat thc diet
of the northern "lees in prehistoric limes did not include flesh in all)'
[orlll. Indeed, according to this geologist, European peoples did not be-
COnle nesh cah l "~ Ulllil Lhey were forced to do so hy the destruction of
~:c great forests of lUll and wild fruit trees by the ice cap lila! crept down
A. cr ~e nonhern hemisphere during the glacial period. In North
h:
cnca
, hO\\c\'er, there remained large pockets of wild chestnul and
ua clnut trt.'cs, providing eeltain indigenous populations \\,;th a con-
nl sUppl)' of prolein, carbohydr'dlC and \'hamin foods without ;:1Il}'
ANCIENT TEMI'LE ARCtilTECTURE
reasoning, the instantaneous. innate flashes of intuitive temporal rcc
nilion become expanded into encompassing patterns of insight and, t.h
joined. the two brains are raised to the crown abo,'e the head.
Underneath the golden mask and headdress of TlIl-ankh-Amun
linen head\\'rap was found, embroidered in a serpent design of pear
gold and semi-precious stones, confirming tJtis imerpremlion of th
s)'lnbolic nature of tJlC crown. The familiar Egyptian design of the do
ble ur'aeus accurately locates the fissure between tJle n'1O hemispheres
the brain, as well as illdicaling the venuicles. The bulged areas on th
snake's body, where it touches the forehead and bends back into th
brain, lIlay indicate the inl.erconncctivity of thc orbs of the eyes wil.h th
brain. The crossing of the oplic nerves is also indicated, and the llI-ae
is raised up on the sides of the head so as to cover the are.as of lhe pa .
etallobes-those controlling ,erbal. analytic aClivil)' in the left lobe an
geometric, temporal and spatial pattern-recognition in the right,
All of this means that the King represents a prototypic transcenden
human, risen above the brain aclivity which creates the perceplion 0
self and world as being divided, separati\'e and personal. Therefore th
King can guide his people. not out of egocenu-ically shaped uncon-
scious dri"es and images, blll instead out of communion with the
inflowing celestial and geoph}'sical rhytJlmic energ}'-pallerns of earth
and sky, This royal or transcendent vision of the Human Being is the
heartofthc anthropomorphic doctrine in which humanity is seen as lhe
ultimate product of lhe earth, carrying within it all the essential mea-
sures of earth in the form of the harmonic units which situate earth and
humans as a proportional part of a universal wholeness.
To tJle !)haraonic s.age. the Human Being \V'.tS tJle reference for all
knowledge to such a degree that tJle eartJl itself was considered on the
basis of tJle human canon. The polar half-axis, being tJle reference line
in the sphere, was seen as the Human Being smnding on the plateau of
lhe equator. The division benveen the eighteentJl and nineteentJl units,
which sep.'l.rates the cranial cap, corresponded proportionatel)' 10 a di\,;-
sion on the sphere of tJle emth between seventy-three and sevent}'-four
degrees North latitude, This is the latitude where the fringes of the con-
tinentS collapse imo the ab)'s's of the North Sea, called the Maelstrom in
legends. above which the carTh's polar cap begins. In addition LO this pro-
portional coincidence between the skull cap in the hUlllan "lnon and the
ice cap of the earth, we find in Egypt a linguistic coincidence which cow
inns tJ1C relationship: the Egyptian word mJt means " cubi t~ (which is lhe
ffit.'a5Ure of the King's diadem), while tJlC word 111111 means Mnorth" and
Lhe word m/III refers 10 the diadem ilSelf tJmt encircles the King's head,
92
-
For from food alone it appears are these creatures born, and being
born, they live by food, and into food they depan and enter again.
Among populations, such as cerlain tribes ol'American Indians, who
were unaOccted by the ice-age destruction of their food sources, and
were therefore freed from lhe necessity ofhunung, agriculture and Ule
domestication of animals, we find linguistic concepts developed in
ways quite diOcrent from our own. B el ~j ami l 1 "'Vharf has pointed out,
for instance, that in Hopi and other Indian Languages there are no ad-
jectives denoting the possession of space. Space for lhese non-agrarian,
food-gathering peoples remained an abStraction lhal was approached
linguistically lhrough loeauonal tenns of a relational and orienta-
L.ional charaCler. There was no concept at all for land or space divided
into proplietal), or o~j ecti f i ed blocks, Even lhe intel'ior spaces of the
95 Hobert t(lw/or
, Irc had no terms lor possession. In these <Ulcienttongues bOUl
architect,' <CC' lS \\'e have said, were dealt with in purely relational
. an( sp,1 , <
ume ,th SIJcdal seLS of terms having to do with tendencies 01' in-
tenUS, or \\ I
, 'es ofmovemcnL
tcn
Slll
.., thcn that not ani)' is civilized, agricultural humanity lin-
It appeal .. , .
< < II and cullllrally separated from L.hose phases of human
O'lIlSUca )' , .
0- < ,'hith followed the cycllc pauerns of natural food sources, bm
C,,011l110
n
\
,
0
<,cti\';ll.ed and since become dependent upon, a brain func-
il has as' , . . .
. llile other than the hOnllOnally comlllulllcaled, InnaL.e mllld,
Hon q I < I I rr <1< B <
,
I
,,
<,c"ll\' tuned to the ce estla cyc es 0 eru Ity. ut more llnport.ant
I' l),l 11 ", . . .. .
C
' pe'<'la,Js is lIlat the ongm ofL.hese radICal shlfL ~ III the concep",
to no c, ' .
concerning lime and space-which affect all lhe details of daily lifL"-
has been traced 1.0 the passage of the stln ulrough the allernating dark
and lighl spiral al1llS of the galaxy. According L.O this view, the ice-age cy-
cle, like lhe SUIlSPOl cyde, is related to the sun's interaction with the
dense material, compressed by the collision of gas clouds moving be-
tween galactic SIal's. which characleristically marks the dark edges of the
spiral anns. A star passing through these gathers and draws inlo itself
vast quantities of this compressed cosmic duSl, causing an alterauon in
ils OllieI' layer and a subsequen t decrease in nuclear burning wi th in. But
when it moves out of the dark lane, heat convection suddenly increases
and heat production due to acti \~ty in the solar inlerior suddenly drops
by lcn percCllt.
(Our own Still, inciden lally, has just-less than lwen ty thousand years
ago-passed through the lane associated with lhe cOllstellation of
Orion. Twenty thousand years is not much in the solar life span and our
sun is still a(ljusting to this instabilily in its convective heat balance.
Many possible effects mar have been triggered by this, one of which is
tlta.l the SUll is 1IOW, after tweilly L.housand years, again beginning to
sprmkle. but not, yet shower, neutrinos, considered by occultists most to
resemble the type or energies involved in supra-rational and telepaulic
phenomena, Onto the eanh.)
TIlUS all is held in tIle spiralling arlllS of mela-galactic Time, recalling
the vasl systcm of rllgas maintained by lhe Hindus, those cycles within
cycles sll'llli 1 , " .
, I g tIe outpouring of ulllvcl'sal energy mto \~i 1ned pauerns
of rhythmic 'Il < d <
rr. ,I ernauon an InOllelH.:ing the conunual JllanifcSl.<ltion of
I e and rorm.
In lhe lighl or, I <d . .. . . c. I
b. uc 1 consl erallOlls IllS not Sllrpnslllg L.O J11l( our num-
Cr llmelee I < <
Nin 11 p aylllg an lllleresting role in astronomical harmonies,
or tJctec,n .s~lllared, lor instance, is 361, a number implying the function
Ie diVISIon r < I I < 3 < < <
o a clrc e OJ' eyc e IlltO 60 degrees, With an extra (lJgn to
,\N C I ~:N T TEMPLE ,\II.CI-lITECTURE 94
need fOI" hunting, agriculture or domesticated animals. European colo.
nizers, habituated to animal protein, desu'o)'ed much of this natural
food source by clearing land lor grazing and crops.
Food sources and habits are, as we know, a major fonmnive factor in
cultural and behavioral patterns afTecting species evolution. EthOlogist.!
and evolutionists agree that cven in pre-human times tbe emergence a
a carnivorous ape was the single most imponant phase in the emer..
gence of a human-like intelligence out of primate origins. The cunning,
resourcefulness and pre-ealculaung thought required for hunting and
trapping, in addition to the necessity for L.he supposed pre-human pri ~
mates to work together in packs with weapons and to develop a system
of communication among L.hemselves during the hUIll, are considered
to be the behavioral triggers which launched the processes leading to
L.he major characteristics of human intelligence. As Konrad Lorenz
points out, it was the ape*like physicality, coupled with the pack-hunung
instincts of dObTS, that provided the nalural combination leading to lhe
behavioral success of our ancestors as hUllters. The dog, \\'e may 1I00e,
was also the first domesticated animal enlisted for the purposes of the
hunl.
In Egypt, we find these details int.erpretcd symbolically. Thoth, the
Ibis-headed Ne/erwho represents the principle of intelligence in bOlh
its evolving and transcendent forms, is sometimes represented as a ba-
boon with a dog's head and is onen pictured in the company of dog~
faced baboons,
This power of food in shaping cvoluL.ion is precisely stated in the Tail-
"i)'a UIHlnishatl:
The number nineteen, finall)'. also pla)'s a unique role in the measure
of the pentagon, In Illany eSOIeric cosmologies tile Cosmic !-Iuman is in-
scribed within this figure, which is the s)'lllbol ofuniversaliltxl humanity,
of the circumscribing cube. That is, it is in the relationship of I; 1.90983.
Thus the human fonn embodies this lIni\'ersal invariant and it is the
number nineteen \\'hich e"okes it. Particularly interesting in this in-
stance also is the fact thai these mathematical relationships refer to the
upper and lower pans of the bod}'. which traditionall)' symbolize the re--
specti\'e locations of one's spiritual and material energies.
The pubic arch. furthermore. dh'ides the bod)' exactl)' in half, a dh'i-
sion consistent in all known human canons. This relationship (ofone to
two, that is, 0.5), in relation to the relationship between the upper body
and the whole body (that is, 0.5236), is the same as the relationship of a
chord of sixty degrees to an arc of sixty degrees.
Consider next the full human annspan, the fathom, a measure em-
ployed in Illany ancient systems and still used as a nautical measure. The
fathom is slightly larger than hlllmlO height, the relationship most often
cited being 1.047, namely that between the armspan and the total
height. This relalionship is equal to Pi/3, which allows us to establish
four identical relationships: fathom/cubit = armspan/height of human
= height of upper body/height of pubic arch = Pi/3 = 1.047.
To summarize: lhe heigh I of the upper body corresponds to half the
armspan and also the height of the lower limbs: the width of the shoul-
ders correspond to a quarter of the armspan; total human heighl is
equal to a chord of an arc of sixty degrees measured by the annspan.
Thus the Human Being ma)' be considered as the radius of the Universal
Circle of invariant cosmic relationships.
Ilobnt Lawlor I 101
The traTl:,ilory or ph)'sical human is ruled by the five exl.ernal senses,
d
', thuS figured b)' the exterior form of the pent.agon, while the iu-
an ~ .. .
I
slfllClllre, lhe fallllilar stellated pentagram, }'lelds the key
lerna . '.
niom of the Golden Section, and IS therefore related 10 the per-
prop" k' I TI" .
fectibilil\' of human Im. liS proportion, as h'e ha\'e nnplied,
symbolizes lhe ~drd\\ i ng near- or the ~near approach" to the Original
L'nit}'. . .
In Eh"lll Ihe e\'olutlon of the Human Bcmg, from a creature domj-
naled b\ the M.:nscs to one expressing a universal consciousness, was
~1nboliL l d b\ the Pharaoh. The Texts s.'y, ~The King is he who becomes
a star,
Now, the diagonal of the pentagon has the remarkable property of
being the geomctric lIlean between tlle diameters of the circulllscribing
circle and lhe height of the pentagon. These numerical relationships,
which approach those of the Pharaonic canon of eighlccn and ninc...-
teen, an: as follows: diameter/diagonal = 20/19.021 = diagonal/height
= 19,021/18.092:: 1.051.
I ha\"/.: mentioned in this lalk only a few of the correspondences be-
tween the 1IlIllIan Iking and the spatia-temporal gcomeu), of earth
and sk)' which arc cvoked by the division of the ground plan of the
Temple of Luxor into nineteen units as the height of Cosmic Mind.
This has been an cxercise in the ancient, analogical mind-diseipline
called ~"l er{,ol l l cu) - b)' Plato, who described it as the ~I i keni ng of un-
like things. ~ To elaborate upon John Michell's City ofllnNlalion: just as
there \\(, I "l ~ canons of archilecture and ph}'siology, so there were also
canon~t.hal is, systems of interrelated proportion-go\"erning lhe
fonnauon of language, lllusic, science and social order. All of these
,,'ere b..'\SCd 1I1>on the same cosmic Truths, expressed in number. ratio
and proponion. ,md were rc\'ealed in uni\'crsal world order.
. Celestial influences may manifesl fully on earth only through the me--
dlUm of the human mind and bod)', and il is through these instnllllCnts
lhat thl'S
t
' influences rna)' be controlled, b.... lanced, harmonized and di-
rected tmnrd . ." I' I" ..
. . 's,LU,Unll1g t lelr II UlllatC lllllversal goal. But til order lor
thiS m"trUlll' 1 b fr. ' .
n ell to e CIICCtl\'C, an awareness tS I'eqtlired of how thesc in-
uenceSCllt, 1 1 I' .
. cr IIUO I 1e )o( y-mmd and actmlle the field of hltman
e
x
pencllce'll,,11 -I' I I II . I
. ' )C },I\'IOI', 1COlt ( Je salC that the Human Beinghas the
P
O
lentlal 10 '1' .. I U' '.
. S IuCtUI e t le IlJverse through a conscIOus structllrtng or
Ilsownlllil!' Ib I .
c. ,. 1 {,me ()( )', If we conSider, as docs the Hindu tradition, thai
arull)' hun' '. I
c . Mnll)' tS on y a lllomelllary emanation of tl H ~ possibilitics
ontamed "I' Ie' .
silTl \\lIl1n t le .oSllllC Mmd 0" ""/f/I/(/,r-that is, that hllmanil)' is
pi)' the furthest thrust of embodied self-aw.,re perceptiveness al any
ANCIENT TUll'L ARCIlITECTURE 100
III. The Mythic Vision of a Sacred Science
The canon was devised to promole the illlcnsc melaphoric idemity of
the initiate with Ihe dynamics of geometric... l and numerical relation
ship!>, wherein the \\'orld of phenomena is rcvcakd as the product of
archetypal forces,
one stage in cvolution-thcn it lllay be said that in whatel'cr way Hu-
man ity SI rUClllres itsclf, so Ii kewise it structures the manifestation of the
Universe. This then is the bond between physiology and cosmolog}',
To quOtcJohn lvlichel1:
/{ob"'I't Lawlor 1 103
'1\ ofvic\\', "Man know thysell" was the pl'inciptc of ancient sci-
IhlS pall
,_ it is also cOllling 10 be in ulLra-lllodem science. To quote the
cnce, ,I ~ .
I
c,st RobeI'I DICke;
p IYSI '
The righl ordel' of ideas may 1I0t be Ml-lcre is Ihe universe, so whal must
,
I x ;"~ but illsu:ad, "Here is Man SO whatlllust thc univcrse bc?-
mal '
To knoW and achieve on cve'1' possible levcl this identity of self with
cosmos \\'<lS lhe prev'ailing dynamic of Temple education. For this rea-
techniqucs of introspection known as roga prO\~ded a remarkable
son,
illStnllllCll1 f01" examining nOt onI)' the i ndh~dual s ps)'cholob,), and
pll\'Siolog" 11I I ~ also tl.H characte~stics of the natural an(~ cosmic world.
Yel did anCient SCience, we nllght ask, dependent as It was upon the
human bocl\" for its principle metaphor, also have a precise, empirical
S\'5lem of research concerning aClllal phrsiology, in :lddition to these
more intuili\'e and analogical concepts? The Edwin Smith Surgical Pap>'"
nu. a document copied by a sCl"ibc around I iOO B. C., but atu;buted by
rradition 10 Ihe great vizier. sage, ph)'Sician and al'chitect Imhotep,
whom U l (~ Greeks calk"d Asklepios and who l i \"(~d around 2800 B. C., sug-
gests it did.
This pa.pyms indicates U1at llluch earlier than the magical medical
texts there existed a dear, objective. scientific medicine, de\'oid of ritual
magic, and based upon aucntive, trained and repeated observation of
patients. The papyrus further gives evidence of a detailed knowledge of
ph)'Sical and cerebral anatomy, and sho\\'S that the ancient Eg}'ptians
had an awareness and accurate measure of the pulse, and an under-
standing of the anerial and venous system of blood circulation. It
contains in addition accurate descriptions of depressed skull fractures
and comprcs!\ed fractures of the venebral column, and refers to lhe
brain meninges and cercbro-spinal nuid b)' specific names,
~cC Ordi l l g tu the pap)'rus, the PhanlOnic physician seems to have I"ec-
0glllzed the two forms of deafness. aphasia and h)'peracllsia, which
~c~ompan} lemporary bone fractures, alld to have been aware that an
lJuurytoo 'I ,. I
be ne Sl{ C 0 tIe head callSCS paralysis 011 the opposite side of the
I' dr.. Il also appears thaL he was so familiar with lhis crossing of brain
unCtIon will 1 1 /.
a II 1 JOe y per onnance thaI he underSlood that in some cases
) ow 011 Ulle ,,,1, /,1 . k II 'I .
o le s II COlI ( c:\llse a coullter-blow or recIprocal
conCUSSion on LI '. , ,
1I 1e opposne SIde, thereby causIng a IXlnllysls to occur on
lC sallle "I /.
J:: SI( e 0 thc body as the original blo\\I,
xpen,<; who I ' I' I
nOt l,we stU{ ICC I lIS remarkable papyrus have concluded
only th'u g. . I k
Ical anatolmea 'nowledge must ha\'c existed from the
ANCIFN'I n:MI'LE AKCIllTECTURl:'. 102
I miglll add that within this consciousness the initiate mal', within
himself or herself, panicipate in the creation of the universal product
for which Ihese forces were oriJ:,rinally intended, that is, the birth of a
di\'ine-embodicd human race. With such thoughts as these emerging
from the philosophic architecture of the Temple, we approach the re-
centering of Humanity within the awesome expanses of galaClic space,
ThroughoUlthese pages we h,\\'e presumed as pan of the anthropo-
morphic vision of the Unin:rse thaI much of Egyptian symbolism,
whether gcometric or mythological. possesses one level of interpreta-
lion that is sll'ictly anatomical or physiological. According to ancient
logic, all of what we perceive of the evolving universe surrounding and
wilhin ourselves can onI)' be encountered through the scnsory, intcrfa-
cial instrument that \\'e inhabit. Thel'cfore our brains and bodies
neccssaril)' shape all our pt:n:eptions and have themselves come into ex-
istcnce and been shaped by the interaction of the same seen and unscen
energies that have shaped evel)' pcrceiv<lble Ihing un earth. Qur bodies
and minds, their architccture, processes and encrgies. could not be
olhcr thall those orlhe uni\'el'Se that we obsen'c, image and experience,
nod)', roo'lind and Universe must be in a parallcl, formath'c identity. From
followed by the di\'ision of this product by their <lvcmgc or arithmetic
mean. For example: 2 multiplied by 6 "" 12 divided b)' 4 "" 3, which gi\'es
us the progression 2,3.6, This t}1>C of progression, which combines both
the additi\'e and muhiplicati\'e growth procedures of the other two pro-
gressions, is called -Harmonic," and its proportion has tlle characteristic
that the mean term alw<l)'S exceeds the smaller extreme, and is less than
the larger e:Hfcme. by the sallle fractional proportion. For example, in
our series 2,3.6... three exceeds t\\'o by one half of two (i,e.. one), and is
less tItan SLX by one half of six (i.e., three).
The most imponant and m}'sterious chamcteristic of this form ofhar-
monic. proportional progression is the fael thal the invcrsc of any
harmonic progression is an arithmetic progression. Thus 2,3,4,5...
is an ascending arithmetic progrcssion. while the invcrse serics (1/2,
1/3,1/4,1/5.,.) is a dcscending harmonic progression.
In mllsic il is the insertion of the hannonic and arithmetic means be-
tween lhe two extremes in double ratios-such as six and twelve-
representing lhe octavc double, which givcs tiS t.hc progression known as
the "mllsical" proportion: that is, 6, 8, 9, 12. In othcrwords, the arithmetic
and harmonic means bct\\'cen the double geomeu;c "ltiOS arc the nu-
merical ratios which correspond to the tonal inten'als of the m.yor fourul
and tile major futh, the basic consonances in nearly all musical scales.
These two pamllel }'et inversing progressions not only provide the
foundations of music, but more generally provide <l mathematical
model with which to investig-dte tile complementary or opposed S}'l1lme-.
tries of a dualized, }'et ham10nically integrated. whole. For this reason
the musical metaphor W'tIS the comerstone of ancienI philosophy. appl j ~
cable to botll physical and metaphysical domains.
TIlcre is a simple geometric method for gcnemting a serics of harp
monic progressions \\'hich, as wc shall see. corresponds to the ground
plan of the Temple of Luxor.
Constmct a line, OX, and raise a perpendicular, 7.:'t', (In the diagram,
OX is to XZ and >"'Y in the relationship of two to one, but tllcse lines
could bc in any mtio for the diagram to be eOecti\'c.) Beginning, then,
from the midpoint betwcen 0 and X, which is designated A. raise a per-
pendicular to A', and from A' draw a line crossing OX to y, This line A'Y
will CUI OX at B, which is exactly tWO-l.hirds of OX, and is therefore the
harmonic mcan bctween A and X. Continuing in this way, each succes-
sive proportion will be the harmonic mean bcl\\'CCIl lhe previOUS
proportion and the total length, and all tllese proportions will be musi-
cally significam: 1/2 being tile octa\'c. 2/3 being the fifth, 4/5 being the
m.yor tllird, 8/9 being the m,yor tone. 16/17 being the half-lone.

j
L

Roo,rl l ~awl Qr I 107

Anotllcr examplc is shown below. This figure is constructed in thc
S,Ulle way<ls lhc first. but in this case we begin Witll Aas olle-quarterofOX,
proceeding [hen wilh the geometric crossing as before to derive lhe fol
lowing ratios: 1/4,2/5, 4/i, 8/11, 16/19. These numerators are formed
according LO the geometric r<tle of two, the denominators being formed
by adding the numerator and denominator of 11le preceding mtio. Thus,
altJlOugh a different series of proportions is generated by the initial di ,~
sian, in Ihis case 1/4. all tile ratios arc still hal1110nic relationships.
ANCIENT TEMI'LE AK<.;'llTECTURE 106
-6- CI ~CtE
/ \,ElIPSE
.O'JPARABOLA
!(1
!
.....
j-'
, , .
"'-." , HYPfll80LA
.
/ . '.
..... . .
IWbm Lawlor I 109
.....
._ .
,
And if \\'e continue 10 mo\'e wiLh lhis image of a spiraling cone of
light, constructed as ours is from lIle geomcuic principle of the har-
monic crossing. \\'e may be reminded also of lhe eanh's gyrating spin
upon its axis. This fonns a double \'ortex, whose nodal poilll is the cen-
ler of the earth's body and which sucks in and draws towards itself the
plasmic dusl rddialion and tl1e elecU"omagnetic field oftlle solarS)'Slem.
This g)Taling rnO\'erncnt also mlces a slow..mO\ing circle around the
earth's north and soulh poles. causing both the shift in tlle pole star and
!..he cycle of lime tradilionally known as the precession of the equinoxes
through the lweke signs of the zodiac.
I With s.uch ideas and images of Lht: geometry of celestial law in mind,
am remlncle I f' . .
in' { 0 an elllgmatlc passage from the Apocryphal Acts o])olln,
. whIch jesus speaks 10 his disciples as they circle around him. Jesus is
In the cem I
i' er, tle twelve disciples around him. as in the Sufi dances that
rn1late the c' I r tl '
)c e 0 1e zoc!Jac.jeslis says:
t
ANCIENT Tt:MI'U: ARCIIITECTURE 108
From this purely geolllcuic gcslUre of a repelitive diagonal crossing
within a uiangular [mille we can see tJIat all the musically significant hal'''
monic ratios may be genenltcd WilhoUl recourse to mathematics or algebra.
Cominuing with this model, we may imagine our hannonic<llly seg
Illenled triangle as a volume, i.e., as the cross-section ofa spiml or cone.
In lhe same vein we might also noLC tJIalthe angular divisions of the
volume of the cone give the four most important curvatures which ap"
pear to be followed by the celestial bodies in their orbital p::llhs.
A similar con<.-..shaped image may come to mind in this context,
namely the basic space-lime diagram of relativity ph)'Sics, in which the
speed or light becomes the diagonal limit 011 a Cartesian space-time
graph-a diagram also referred to as the "Cone of Ught. ..
Then, later as the Cmcifixion proceeds,John tells how he could not
bear the sight of thc CVCIll and ned to the Mount of Olivcs, wecping,
where, at the v(1)' moment itself of the Cnlcifixion, asJohn tells it:
I ha\'e no templcs. I h,I\'e temples. I am a lamp La thee I\'ho sees me, /
am nearer to thee who IlnderSlands mc,/ ;lln a door to he who knockest
:1( mc. I am a Way to thee. a Wayfarer. As for me, if tholl wouldst know
what I \\~I S, in a 1I'0rd. I am the Verb who did dance all things; 'twas I
who leapt and danced....
My Lord st()O(l in the midst of the ca\'e [cone] and filled it with light
and said to me, ~J ohn, to the multitude below inJenlsalem. it ilppears
lhat I am bcingc:nu:ificd. pierced with spears. To thee now I speilk, and
give C'"df to what I say: 'twas I who put it into th)' hean 10 ascend to ulis
Mount. that thou might hear what the disciples should leam from a
Master and Man from God." And h;n"ing mus spoken, he showed me a
Crossing of Light set up. and around me Cross a vast multitude, not
ha\"ing one fonn; and in the Cross anomer multitude, wherein ......tll one
form and one likeness. And I beheld the Lord Himselfabove this Cross-
ing, and He had however no shape, bllt only as it were a \oice. Not,
howe\er. this voice to ....hich \,'e .....ere accustomed. but one of its own
kind and bcneficentalld U'l(1)'ofGod. sa)"ing unto me, John. one there
needs must be to hear these things from me; for I long for one who will
hear. This Cross of LiglH is called by me roryour sake sometimes Mind,
sometimesJcsus. sometimes Christ. sollletimes Door. sometimes Way,
sometimes Bread. sometimcs Seed. sometimcs Rcsurrection, some-
timc.:s Son. sometimes Father, somelimes Spirit, sometimes Life,
somelimes Truth. sometimes Faith, sometimes Crace. Now, these
things it is called as towards men: but as 10 what it is in u1.uh itself, in its
own meaning to itself and declared umo us, it is the defining [pattern-
ing] and limitation ofalilhings, both the firm necessity of things fixed
rrom things unSlable and UIC harmony ....'hich is of wisdom. And as it is
wisdom in harmony, there are those on the right and those on the
left-powcrs, aLllhOl'ilies, principillities, demons, energies and threats,
powers of wrath. slandering-and the lower root rrom which have
cOllle ronh the things in Genesis [the square roOt of (11'01. This then is
the Cross by II'hicb the Word has been madc the way of'crass-beaming'
all things. ,mel at the same time of separaling olT thc things lhat pro-
ceed from Ccnesi .~ and those below it rrom those abo\'e. and also of
compacting thcm "II into one.... Underst.and then in mc the slaying
ora Verb, the piercingofa Verb, the blood ofa Verb. the hangingofa
Ve,'b, thc passion ora Verb. the death aLl Verb. And thus I speak. sCI>-
al~lI ing oIT the man. First. thc understanding of the Verb, then the
The first staKe divides thc height I'A into 1/3 and 3/4, which defines
the musical fOlll"lh on the vibrating string PA. The point is marked on
the ro)'<I1 figure by the base of his necklace. On the skeleton it corre-
sponds to the IeI'd of the scventh dorsal \'ertebra: its relations with the
scventh rib--the last one directly attached to the sternum-is evident.
functionally. the dorsal sympathetic ganglions seven, eight and nine
Slan rrom the thrce roots orthe large splanchnic, the upper one being
the .most voluminous. This I'C'1' important ncrve goes towards the
senu-Iunar ~l ngl i ons of the solar plexus which direc\.'j the entire al>-
dominal IIlIO
. 1101lllC system. illS also at thc level of t.he sevcnth dorsal
that a crOSSJ' . I I' . . r
O.l{ 0 VClns IS ,oulld that is remarkable in that it receives
all the p'",', 'I' I I' ,
. C,I aile I'lscenll \'cms.
The di\'isitlll orthe total height by four implies also the division b)'
:~J which defines the lel'el of the pubic symphrsis. The harmonic di-
lan, havin<T 1'1 ~,. '". . I' I . . . . .
!)A . "" . "" I", P01llt 0 (CparllJre. 111 l\.'j lIJrn dl\~des the height
tnto 2/3 and 1/3 Ic on thc diagmmJ. which is thc ratio of the
I
"'llldill" of thc Lord and. ill the third place onI)', the man and
I l n{eJ ~ !'t
I
,I,
c suITcn:d.... ~
W 13
\
I
,,'hell I desccnded Ilallghed at thcm all when the)' told me what
t Jl{
the\ did conccrning Ilim. firmly possessed in myself of this only, that
the'l.ord cOlltrh'ed all things symbolically and according to dispensa-
tion for the conversion and sah~l ti on of man.
RQbtr/ Luwfor I I 1 J
TIlis quotation ma)' gh'e one a glimpse or how these hannonic subdi-
\"isions within a triangular or conc..--shaped frame may become a mattix
image for both scientific :tnd philosophical concepts. From this point of
\iC\\'. which is that or Eg}l)tian geometry, it is e\'idemthat the harmonic
cone is a spiralllnfoiding of a scquemial, musical proportion which de-
termines what we might call the \ibrational Ic\ds of being as they
emerge frolll an apex.
In the case of the skeleton (ph)'Sical human) U1CSC are shown in a de-
scending expansioll, ,,'hile in the case or the Pharaoh (spiritual human)
they are shO\"1l in an ascending one. This gcomcoic arrangement implies
a cosmological assumption: umt oran involution, c\'olution or descent or
energ}' into matter and a consequent ascent or return OrUle energy to its
source.
In order to undersL:'l.nd the precise application or these harmonic in-
tervals to the human bod)'. let LIS examine a bas-relief from the Temple
orLu.xor, as this has been analped b)' R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz (see fig-
ure on following page).
ANCIENT n:MI'LE AKCIIITECTURE 110
musical fifth on the vibnl.1ing string. This poim corresponds to lhe
base of thc posterior part of the thorax, at the junction of the twelfth
dorsal vcrtcbra with the first lumbar. It is at this lcvel that thc solar
plexus is situated with its semi-lunar ganglions receiving the blrge
splanchnic. Thus the two harmonic divisions complete onc anOlher, as
do thc musical relationships which, on the hUlllan body. arc idcmified
both on the skcleton and by the vital centers.
The harmonic division ha\1ng 1/4 for iLS ratio. generates t.he ratio of
1 to 7 (at. a}.
In connection with this fact, namely, that in the harmonic generation
of proportion 1/4 gcncI-::ltCS 1/7, it is important to note that at birth the
head to body size ratio is I to 4 and that. as the individual approaches
adulthood, the ratio changes so as 10 become I 10 7 or I to 7.5. De Lu-
bicz continues:
The slage following this harmonic division divides PA into 2/5 and
3/5 [at d). the firstl.:llios approaching the function of the l/Phi in the
Fibonacci Series. On the royalligurc this level actually dctermines the
uppcr level oflhe navel. On the skelel.On it corresponds to the upper
level of the iliac bone and to u1e disk sepm-::lting the third lumbar from
thc fourth. It is actually there that thc navel of man is placed. oscill:lting
slightly :lround this Iinc of reference. It is curious to noLC that the total
Rob"' Lawlor I 113
. 11 of 'Inil is here dividecl into 1.....0 segmenLS which arc in the ratio
helg
l
' .
f
~ 10 thrcc to one llnothel', while t.he fivc lumbar venebrae are in
o OIlL
the ratiO ofthrcc to twO, tlwt is. in t.he same relationship only reversed.
Recall again that the co-cfficient for the definition of ule navel corre-
sponds. accordi n~ to ,~nt.hl Opomel ri c llvcrages. to: Toral height!
Height of navel '" :>/3 '" I hi x 1.03....
The :>Iages t.hat folio"' dh1dc the tot.,1 height of PA successivcl)' into
'3/7 and 4/i, t.hen 3/ II and 8/ 11. The felllur-tibialline corresponds to
this !e\cl. thai is, the articulation of the knee.
The lasl di\~sion le:lding 1.0 t.he canonical numbers is 3/19 and 16/
19. Here t.hc Pharaonic canon imposes a rcvcrsal of the hannonic divi-
sion: A corresponds 10 the tOP of the head and Pto the soles of the feet.
This re\ c~11 corresponds to an csscntial and vital function: arc not. the
mOlOr center'S ofule entire body re\'ersed along the Roland Fissure in
such a \,~l \ that the mOLOr center of the fect is to be found precisely at
the venex? The Babinski reflex rC\'eals a ntpture in the motor circuit.
also confinning the relation between the head and the feel. TIle di\1-
siom are then read from bonom to top....
The doubling of 1/4, in other .....olds 1/2, is designated by the cross-
ing oft.he sword and the triangular loincloth.
2/5 coincides .....ith the b.ue of the shenditloincloth o\'erlapping the
prC \~ol l S ulle.
4/7 defines the lo\,'er line of the back of the bell, and corresponds on
the skeleton to the last lumlxlr \'crtebm at iLS point ofjullction with the
sacrum. auached to the "~ngs of the i1iac-i.l \'cry important vila1 zone.
8/111l.'\SSCS through the level of the royal figure's breasLS. which 011
the skeleton corresponds to the lcvel of the fifth rib....
Finall>, the line 16/19, one orthe most. imponant. in the Pharaonic
can~n corresponds to the scvclllh CCI"\1ca[. the vital point lO which the
a~cl enL ~ att:lched sllch illlporlancc that it is al this point.t.hlll the Ncter
"gives [if ~ . Id
. e to an 1Il( IVt ual when he offers lhc ankh to him from be-
hmd. Indeed. it is fmlll the lowcr cClVical ganglion and the first dorsal,
the stellaI' O":lIlglo " I, . fl .
. !>' I n, l:1tt. 1C t\\'o lOO~ 0 t 1e lower carc!lac nerve anse
which inner"a," II,, I,,, .,. I II I I .
'L .. ...11 .IIlC csta) IS 1 <t re :111011 With the ercs: thc
sympathctic nervc Ins ., ~o I . I I
I
. . '. , .. II r:lctlllg actIon on t Ie leart and causes a
(1lallOn of the i' [. .. . 'I .
T
liS I t.~ ,Ictlon IS t lUS Illversed lor the heart and the eyei.
he Whole 'O'C' .' II
, "I COlltalncc )etwcen the scventh cervical and the sternal
ork IS an eSscl ,.. I .... I d
Ii . 1 I<l :II tella an \'CnOU5 cross-ro;lds. <lccented on the
Igure br the 1. "1 r I . kl
e,c 0 liS ncc' ace up to the nape of lhe neck. This
necklace I
ba ,composcc of ll1:1l1)' rows of pearls, often tenninates at thc
ck of thc neck with two falcon heads which carry a crescent sur-
ANCIENT TMI'L ARCI-t1TCTURE 112
Let us no,,", move closer to thc physiological \ision of ancicnt Egypt.
From the poilll of\iew ofWestcrn anatom)', the ncural circuitry sen~ng
the internal organs and glands is linked to the higher br.tin centers of
conscious awarcness and conlfolthrough a chain ofnen"e bundlcs called
plexuses and likencd by modern research to a series of Jiule brains"
This autonomic nen"ous systcm has been somewhat arbitrarily di
vidcd into (wo parts: firstly, the sympathetic s)'stem, composed ora chain
of ganglia and nerves extcnding,justto do the subtle energy channels
of Ida and Pingll[fl referred to in Hindu physiolob,)" down cither side of
the spinal column, from the cervical regions through the thoracic and
lumbar regions, cach ganglion being connected to a spinal nen'c by a
communicating branch; and secondly. the parasympathetic system, as-
sociated only with some cranial ncnc on top, and some s.."lcral nen'es at
the bOHom, of the spine.
These two divisions actanwgonistically to one anotllcr, stimulation in
one sct of fibcrs causing inhibition in the other. For exampic, a sympa-
tllelic nervc dilat.es the pupil of the eye and accelermes and strengthens
lhe hean while, on the olher hand, the pams)'mpathetic fibers contract
the pupil and weaken tlle hean anion" In other words, we find in tJlC
autonomic sySlcm a representation of the uni\"ersal Law of Inversion,
that same ~i nverse" which, in mathematics, allows us to calculate the
laws govcrning the intensity of sound. gra\ity and light radiation-that
is, the fundameOlal forces which order celestial systems and allow for
the appearance of1iving systems on earth"
The autonomic system controls and rcgulates t.he internal environ-
ment of the body, making the necessary autonomic adjustments to any
changes occurring in the outcr physical environment (such as heat,
cold. air pressure and food-intake), as well as in the internal, psycholog-
ical ell\"ironmen15 set up b)' emotions such as fear, anger, desire, joy,
concentration, sexual arousal, slecpiness, ClC. The autonomic S)'Slem is
therefore the means by which we maintain \... hat is called homeostatic
equilibrium. homeostasis being a feedback network of thcrmo, photo,
chemical and electromagnetic receptors which work to maintain a
sLCady-statc iIHernal body climate, wilh heartbeat, oxygcn-intake, tem-
perature, blood pressure and electromagnetic balance rcmaining fairly
constant. The autonomic system. finally, is also thc body's mClhod of ad-
justing to eXlreme cmergellC)'-prepal;ng and strengthening muscular
capacity, accelerating and strcngthening heartbeat, raising blood pres-
sure, releasing glucose from the li\'er and epinephrine and adrenaline
from the adrenal cortex. In lhis \\71)' breatlling is made easier. digestive
activity is reduced, mcntaJ acthilY is stimulated and kidnt.l' acti \~ty is
116 ANCIENT TMPI_E A H C l l l T ~;C T U R
',led LO mcntion only a fe\... of the more important almost SUI)I""-
SliSpel, , ,
I
. aJ ",pects of our emergency control system.
p1)'5IC. . "
II is a diOicuh quesuon to assess anatomically WhetJ1er tJ1e unthinking
,o
lllic or \'isceral mind belongs to a more primiti\,c stage in e\'olu-
aUWI . . ~
lionan or/:,r:lllil.auon-a bit of the Old Adam, so to speak, somchow
retaining iLS autonomy c\'en after the higher brain centers werc super-
imposcd ill hUlllan e\'olution--or whc.lhc: il is i~l fact a latent and yet
only pani,llly dc\ ~l oped l ~atural orgalllzauon which lIlay bring into ex-
'tcnce ill hUl1lal1ltya radlcall)' new nel'\'Ous systcm-an addition to the
,.
cerebra-spinal system whose sensory-motor activities are more or less
consciollsh cOlltrolled by thought, will and conscious desire"
It is possible 10 suggest that both these possibilities arc the case: tJmt
the autonomic s)ostem is at once ancient, and )'et still holds polential for
a new neural ol-ganization, In cither e\'cnt, two factors appear to be cer-
taill. One is thaI as soon as humanity cllvclopcd itself in the anificial
el l \~rol l l ncnt and bchavior afforded by agriculture, civilization and
tcchnolob'Y, the Llliliz<ltion of the autonomic system of responscs and
regulation was grcatly reduced and with lhis naturally also the selective
pressures for the s)'stem to develop furtJler, The second certainty, which
is based on anciem literature as well as on modern brain research, is that
one aspeCI of\Ogic ph)'Sical diSCipline was aimed at consciously gaining
control o\'er. and de\'cloping, the psychological and ph)'Sical polelllials
relaled to the autonomic organization, From this point of \~ew, many of
the so-called miracles of yogic dc"clopmcnt (OIl least the ones that can
be clinically investigaled. such as thc reduction of mct.."lbolic oxidalion
through respiratory conlrol, the cessalion of heartbeat, complete con-
tl'ol Over tli(; deep and peripheral body pulses. both the willed cessation
and L h~ hyper-stimulation of Olemal activity, not to mention mastery
Over pam rC"lelio I Ie
" ns all{ Clrcu ;lto')' lunctlons such as bleeding, ctc.) can
be eX ~lalilcd br a conscious control o\'er lhe aUlonomic mind. and a
ConSCIous coo 'd" 'be .
o I mauon tween 11 and the cerebr<Hipinal s)'Stem. The
Simple faClthal ,"" I d .
" U1mauon ane efecauon. two aUlonomic functions are
rOutinely brou I . , . " '
th " g llunder \olulllary control III chlldrcn as well as in pelS
rough SOCial and ed"c ,. . I ' . l" "
,,'h"I' .11011.1 lellllorccmentglvcscvldenceofthe pos-
01 I Ity that there mOl}' I ,",
volu ' le many aut0l101lllC funcll0ns which Illay )'icld to
ntary ma.stclY
It ha... howI.-\,cl" il I
flcxes een arguce that thesc self-eorrectivc coml"ols and rc-
represcm the "\ " I ,'.. l....__ ..
from ., VIS< 0111 0 ule uudy, so that the less imerference
L11e SO'CIUe I I " I
iIoCarch ~"( llg leI" \olunt.."uy mental processes the beuer. but rt...
now mdlcates, I .
aPProach ,tlal eanllllg and \\~l J ed conu"Ol need not. if
cd cOrf (~cl l y I' .
,Ill 11 }Il autonomIC reflex beha\ior. but may instead
RQbt:rt LawlQr I I I 7
AllY CVCl1l can be said lO be reillforcing ifil dircctly or indircctly affects
bodily homeostasis. If the pl'Ovoked change is toward homeoslasis then
it is posilively reinforcing.
build. rcfinc, intensify .md harmonize il. These innate systems of re-
sponse may then really be only the broad, panially formed limits of bodily
mainlcnance which can be, so lO speak. fine-tlllled lhrough inslI'umenr:a1
learning, self-knowledge and deep physical as wcll as psychological self
awareness.
This lrain of thoughl suggests lhat the aulonomic syslem might play
a role in cvoluuon. This is indeed the case. Lel me uy lherefore for a
momCllllO describe thc imponalllncw role gi\'en the autonomic system
in the presently accepted lheOly of e\'olution-an apl>arCIll digression
h'hich will prepare us for a remarkable and significalll asPCCl of Egyp-
lian wisdom and teaching.
The mcrger of geneuc theory and the behavioraJ sciences willI the
dogmatic core of Darwinism has given rise to an expanded theory of evo-
lution called neo-Darwinism. Brien)! stated, the genetic dew maintains
lhatLllc characteristics and bcha\;or of organisms depend ullimately on
the sequences of amino adds in tlleir proteins--from which point of
view, cvoluuon consists largely in the progressh'e substitution of one
amino acid for another and changes in e\'Olmion occur as a result of the
gradual accumulation of minor genetic mUL..'ltions (i. C., stnicLUral pr~
tein alterations) accompanied by slow transitions in the ph)'Sical
characteristics of i ndi \~dual s in populations--whilc the B eha\~ori st wing
argues that the appearance of any characteristic caused b)' shifts in ge-
netic composition must ultimalely express ilSClf in the d)'namics of
bchadOl' in order to meeLthe Lests and pressures ofselection. adaptation
and sl l r\~ml , This Behaviorist wing believes funJler thaL patterns of in-
nale beh l \~or are genclically transmitted and therefore mustevol\"e; and
that the patterns that do so arc the most imponmu contingency for sur-
viml. Il is at this point that we again encounter the autonomic nervous
s)'Stcm which controls, as we have said,Llle homeostasis of the bod)'-mind.
For evollllion:lly lheorists now contend that not only innalc renex be-
havior, which is so imponalll lO animal SUlv1\'al, but also learned
behavior, arc bOlh reinforced in an organism through homcostatic rc-
sponses. The lheory is lhal an organism favors behavior patlerns which
tend to nlove its inl.ema[ state closer to homcoslasis and rcfrains from
lhose paucl'lIs which would tend lO move iL away from homeostasis. To
quotc Dr, Ralph Berger:
118 ANCIENT TEM I'I.E AItCIIITECTUItE
I
~y lilt: entire orgalllsm partidp:nes in the de\'c1opmcnt of
In t llS \\.. , .
1
'e,1 'md innalc beh,Wlor pallcrns, and the bram really derIVes
both e;lfl, , .' . . .
d
,
.,,,. C'llJacilies 111 cvolutlon from coordmaung external condl-
'IS a ap I '- ,
I, d movements of the body with illlcrnal states of being, thereby
uons an .
ining homeostaSIs.
sus;:'OIll the point of view of spirillial disciplines this theory has many
. lications. panicularly concerning the autonomic factor in c\'olu-
I1
n
p d . I . . . 1. I
. OnC Ob\~Ol l S i ea IS llal, even III nature, It IS not u tll11ate y
UO~ess in the pursuit ofappctitcs, but rather the illlernal equanimity
p~ homeostasis Lhat results from Lhcir fulfillment that is the reaJ con-
~ol 1i ng !e\er of cvolutionary learning. ~ut w~ need not imerpret
homeostasis as simply a regulator of ph)'SICaJ dnves alone; remember
Ihal all emolional elements, as well as dream and subconscious le\'els,
are \~;red into this s)'Stem. Ofall animals, humans particularly have this
capacity to build and perform complex behavior patterns in responsc
to simple stimuli. It appears, therefore, tllal mastery of the autonomic
controls, in oLhcr \\ord.s a conscious, flowing homeostasis on many lev-
els of life and mind. can free one to some extent from domination by
Llle syndrome of appetiLe and satialion. To gain consciousness in this
area, as is possible Ihrough spiritual discipline, would then gi\'e one a
working insight illlo lhc m,yor mechanics of evolutional)' change for
all ofanimal nalllre; and conversely the deslruction, intcrnlption or de-
cline of such innatc awarencss, due for example to chemical imbalance
due to dietal1' or emOlional disturbance, or circulatory and respiratory
imbalance due 10 poor poslllrc or general deficiency in physical cul-
ture. is a serious thrcaL to the possibility of future e\'olution in the
individual or race.
!his new theol1' of homeoslasis as a key to the rcinforcemeOl of evo-
luuo~aril) significanl belmvior rculrns us lO the vic\\! of philosophy and
~h) l l I OI O~ maintained b)' ancienl Eb'yptian cullure: namely. lO the Egyp-
tian ph)'Slo-philosophical nOlion of the "hean-mind," This coincision of
old and ncw concepts results from acknowledging thal it IllUSL be
through th II 1
. e ) ooc, and hence by means of the hean, Ll,<lt informalion
IS brought to II ' I .. . d ..
1e )laln ,111 nervolls system conccrnmg chemical and
olher factors I ,. I I .. .
f . eM Illg lO lOmcostatlc dcchne or mall1lenancc. The hean
1'0111 tlus I)oi ," . . , . ' . .
~ nt 0 view m.lY be cOllsldered as the nuuo]' source of rCII1-
orcemen l a I I ,.
S' nc l H::rc ore fundamclllalLO allicarning.
of l ~nce the timc of Descartes. thc brain lias becn considered lhe SOllrce
oughl and {<. 'I b I
.L' . cc mg, L11 a ways some l)col)le have refused to accept
.... us View D 1-1 ,.
. , ....awrence expressed lhis rclucLance as follows:
Rob~1 Lawlor I 119
And to quote Norbert Wiener, one of the originators of cybernetics:
Compare now these ultramodern theories with the view expressed by a
~ I el l l phi te physician o\'er 4,500 years ago.
Man is a creature that thinks with his blood: the heart dwelling in a sea
of blood that l10ws through the body always in t,,'o inverse ti(lcs is where
chieOy lies wh,ll mcn call thought.
Hobut Lml/lor I 121
'c \\'1lich peaks and declines OLlt of synchronization with tile
cur
vaull
.
. ddve motivators. All these boddy rhythms tllCIl have tllcir own
othe~ 10 the SI}ccHic lighl, hcat, humidity and other factors which un-
haslllg ..
P d lit of lhe (wclve and twenty-four hour dally solar C)'cle. These C)'chc
1'01 0 'I b d did . I
< furthcnnorc. II HIS cen Iscoverc ,p ay a eClslve 1'0 e 1Il our
pattem-"
'endships. love alTairs, marriages and family relationships, For exam-
f ~e when a man cntcrs imo an intimate relationship Witll a woman his
:i;rhyt1llniC pauem begins to phase with hers, so that married couples
uSllall)' ha\'e coinciding peaks and lows in Lheir metabolic rhytllIllS witllin
a short time. The samc is tnle of friends or oftllose who work c10selywitll
each other. ll1US it seems that the \'cry mechanics of interpersonal and
collecti\'e harmonies are dependent to some degree on l1lese rhytllInic
life pattems which themselves arc I.lnlcd LO the periodicities of the sky.
Egyptsymbolized this \;sion of life energies driven b)' a symphonic ce-
lestialtuning in its \\'c1I-known texLS conceming the tweh-e divisions or
hours of the da}' and night and of Lhe hoot, commonly called the Neth-
ePo\o'Orid or the world of LT<lnsfonllaUOnS, in which transfornmtions are
depicted occurring e\'cl)'\d\ere-in food, nesh, energy, mind and spirit.
The Dwot is thc inner region of transfOlmation beneath or \\~tl \i n ap-
pearances. under the skin or mcmbrane, so to speak. be it the cmst of
the earth or the membrane of a living cell, tile skull Or the face which
covers the great transfOnller or the brain.
The intraductol) tcxt of the Book of What is in tile Dtoot, which is di-
\~ded into tweh'e chapters. corresponding to the twel\'e hours of the
night. reads:
This is the \..n()\,ledge of lhe powers of the NetllCn\'orid. This is Ihe
knowledge of lheir effects, knowledgc of tllcir s:.lcred rh).thms [or rit-
ual). To Re [lhe $olal' Deilyl, carrier of the knowledge of the
m~"Sl eri ous power' [01' unconscious drive], knowledge of what is COI1-
ta~ned in the hour, ~L " well as intheil' Cods. , . [Concluding], . , 0 flesh.
W a belongesl. to the Sky. but who livcth on earth, 0 Flcsh. Clary to
thec. Come Rc '", II' f I I 0
. 1C onn 0 llC .,WlIlg nc. breathe Lhrough me hcre
~ ~hc NCL!len"orld of the I lours, , , , Trans\'crsc the field [or region),
d
rotCCIOI' 01 the bod)'. lie sh ines, the gre;ll Ligln-gil'er Re drives away
arkness.
Here we ell co bl . .
tra" . Ullter a endIng of phySiology WIth cosmology the
IlSlormauvc liv' t fi I I . '
Il"<lnsf . lUg Ie ( 01 the body expanded intoa vision of cosmic
ormatIon Rhl',l I I .
hered' ' lms sel ort 1 111 galactlcal space, passlllg tllrough
nary levels a" _ I .
. IC 1f<II1SIl1ULe( IIllO Lhe rhythms of incarnate life
ANCIENT Tt:MI'LE AKCtllTf;CTUKE
Messagcs which cause conditional or associati\'e learning arc carried b}'
the slow but pen'aSi\'c innucncc of the blood stream. The blood carries
in it substances which altcr ncrvous action directl), 01' indilectly.
120
The seeing of tile e}'cs and the breaming of the nose bring messages to
tile heart. The seeing of the e}'cs and the hearing of tile cars and tile
breathing of tile nose bring messages lO tile heart. II. is the hean which
causes all decisions La be made, but it is the tongue which reporu what
tile heart has thought. Thus is all action, whetller simple or complex.
carried OUI. The manipulation of the hands, the mo\'ement oflhe leg5
and the fUllctioning of e\'ery limb. All is in accord \',:ith the command
which the hc-drt has de\;scd and which has appeared on the tongue.
Thus is detennined the specific nature of e\'er}'thing.
These few ancient phrases summarize extraordinarily accurately the
concept of mind-body relationship and its role in e\'olution which our
contempor<1ry Behaviorist biologists are now stnlggling to fOnllulate.
There is another aspect of the function of tile autonomic nervous sys-
tem in e\'oilitionary selection which also recalls ancient wisdom. The
parameters of homeostasis nowing in the bloodstream-such as concen-
trations of glucose inciting or satiating hungcr, osmotic pressure
Signaling thirst renexes. carbon dioxide levels controlling respirmory
rhythms and othcr factors, androgen concentrations controlling sexual
appetitcs, hormones controlling sleep and wakefulncss, ctc.-all such
parameters and others are by nccessiry set up in a symphony of synco-
pated rhythmic periodicities, each being typically out of phase with l1le
others, but all being embedded in thc circadian cycle ofapproximatcly
twenty-follr hours, or extensions of it, such as the twen ty-eight-day men-
strual cycle. In other words, since it would be selectively unbencficial for
an organism to expedcnce its peaks of hunger, thirst, sexual arousal,
etc., al the same moment of the day, we find that each homeostatic pa-
nllneter. such as glucose conccntration for instance. has a high and low
Whcn uscd as a key to the vision of universal homeostasis, the s)'mbol
of the winged Coddess Maat becomes an cvcr-richer sourcc of analogi-
cal insiglll, Considcr. for example the !Cathcr, Ma.llS chief symbolic
atlribute.
It has long been rccognized that bird navigation is accomplishcd
both by the bird's photo-sensitivity and its sensitivity to magnetic fields,
but only recenl1y have the mechanics of this magnetic sensilivity bcen
re\'ealed. It appears to lie in the most characterislic altriblltc of the
Rob", L(wdor J 123
. its feathers. Bini feathers seem to funCl.ion as electromagnet.ic
bird, . changing the dielcctric pulsation received from the atmo-
-ansdlICCls. ". . " ,
o , 10 I,iczoclectric SIgnals, whIch can be carncd by t.he bird s
here In .
,p 'Iem Thus bird feathers appear to be not only selective re-
efVOUs S' ~ .
n "dfillers of the e1ectromagnctic information conlained ill the
ceptOrs an. "
nding elwironmelll, but also energy transducers and hnes of
surro
ll
1_ I' I I I 'd f h' , ,
mission. In olher \,orc..,. )11'( S uSC llC un( ersl cot elrwlllgs lor
tranS ctic sensing: which may remind us of ~..laat or other winged dei-
magn d II bod fl ,,' Ki'
. holdingtheirfe<:llhcre annsarOU!l< tle yo tlemltlatc ng.
tiCS, .
or protecting the four comers of thc.coffin or can~pl c chest, or, as Nut,
the sk.y. standing with extended Wlllgs, wel cOl ~l l l l g the deceas~d to
heaven. From this we may speculate that the King or deceased IS be-
lieved to rccche from lhc dcity the initiatic techniquc which heightens
sensilhitr LO magnelic fields and so leads towards a centering of the en
ergetic bod" ill uuh'crsal rhrthms.
The feather S\1nOOI of Maal supports the oscillating plumb-bob and,
because "ibrmion is nothing more than mpid oscillation, this idcogmm
reminds us thai e,'eI)" living body vibrates ph)'Sically and that all elemen-
tal or inanimatc malleI' vibr'ates moleculady or anatomically and that,
since every \ibrating bod)' emits a sound, all such \ibrating bodies are
thus musical in Ihc widcst sense of the word.
T ~e \\'ciKht at lhe plumb-linc's cnd, Egyptologist Lucy Lam)' points
OUt, IS oftcn shaped like a hean. and is given the namc ib, meaning
dancer. Now. the plull1lrlinc which oscil1ales in the rh),thm of the hu-
Ulan he'll" I" "I I f 0 69 '
" <lS.1 engt 1 0 . . meters, willie thc human heartbeat
Itself, which is normall)' scvcnty-two beats per minute is in effect the
plumb-bob "f " 'b 'I' ~ . "
H: VI rato!"), lllll\'crse- or as the ph)'SICISt LeWIS Bala-
tnuth has " d '"
fall' . pOInte out the ratc of scvellly-t\\lo OSCIllations pCI' mInute
,
. s exactly On the midpoinl ofa dIan which scales all obselved vi bra-
IOnal P " d" ..
til eno ICllles. from ultrasonic, subatomic vibrations up th,'ough
c vast, galactical, rhythmic frequencies. The human heanbcat, in
ANCIENT TEMI'LE AKCIIITt:CTURl:: 122
<lnd mind. The little world of cmbodicd life and thc vast worlds of
univcrsalliglH are transparentll1ctaphors, cach revealing thc nature of
lhe other. To the ancient physiologist, <It the core oflifc as al thc core
of the Llni\'crsc is an indesu'uctible seat of hOll1eosl...uic equilibdum.
Through this central throne of calm now the oscillating harmonic
rhythms, rising and falling around the eternal balance point, ddving
this pure spiril to take on and maintain the forms and thc cncrgies of
incarnation.
In Eg}'pt this I}rinciple of eternal balance and equilibrium at the
heart of creation is symbolized b)' the great feminine winged Ntlu,
Maat. whose representations and s)'Inbols are to be found both in the
secret sanctuary of the Temple and on the musical harp and as the
chamcteristic emblem of tile judge. Maat is associated with the word
tkh, signifying everything that oscillates or vacillates. Tkh is wriuen with
the sign of the plumb-bob. \\'hich is in turn often fashioned in the fOlm
of a lillie jug which signifies tile heart and is hung from a featller, the
s)'lnbol ofMaal. The plumb-bob determines the vertical and symbolizes
the principle of equilibrium that makes possible the mechanism of the
scales, which are in turn the symbols of disCl"ction. sclection,judgmem,
JUSt as in the balance of the body homeostasis is the innate selector of
all behavior. (Here we may again recall that it is the oscillating neural
acti\'i1)', in the form ofbioclocks tuned to celestial rhythms, which is the
fundamcntal organi7..ational factor in all life processes.)
-
conlrol. But lhe hypothalamus is also the seal of dreams and, as such, is
exu'emcl)' acti\'c during dreaming, many dislLlrbances in thc hypotha_
lamic region causing hallucinations, visions and mental illness. This
dream cenLCr of our nigln-time existence is also lhe arca in humans that
contains the bio<lock of twenty-four hout"S, which regulates all our me-
tabolism through i l Ssensi ti \~l y to the rising and setting of the sun. Finally,
the hrl>Othalamlls also controls brain oxidation, which in turn controls
certain aspeclS of cerebral activity and so is related to the goals of many
s)'Stcms of IlIcdi ..... tion.
It is not surprising in this light to und that the hypothalamus is also
the pleasure celller, ramirications from it spreading throughout the
brain. II has been vcriried. further, that pleasure responses are not juSt
connected to the satiation of physical drives, but rdther that the same
pleasure compensations underlie all intellectual processes. such as
thinking, learning, memo'l' and so forth, as well, which lends scientific
suppon to the ancient concept that it is anallda, or bliss, that mo\'es and
sustains universal conscious e\'olution.
Thus the ancienIS saw the maste'l' of the alilonomic brain and body
functions as the means by which humankind might \'o)'age to an entirely
differcnt manifest. ..tion of ilSelf on earth and perhaps in the niverse,
to a SUI>I"<IHumanity, conscious of and responsivc to thc subtlc celestial
messages that carry the vibratory code governing !.he unfolding of the
universal harmonies pressing upon this Microcosm from the Cosmic
Man of thc Sky, the Anthropocosm. the Pllrusha.
During the Temple Epoch, as I have tried to show, there had been a
collective vision of a manifestation of Humanity freed from tlle environ
mental pressmes of grinding natural law. It was conceived that through a
progressivc inner mastcry Humanity could raise it.selfabove tlle contin
gencies of cold, famine, breeding, deterioration and death. The Supra-
I-Iumall is the central collective dream that launched the dynamics of ci\"-
ili:mtion with its consL:'lIlt impulse toward change, perfection and master)'.
But the great. inner, collective image or thc Supra-Human \-r.tS lost. The
transil.OJy ego captured the dynamics or sclf-enlargemcnt, pervert.ing it
illlO scll:aggrandizemelll. The powers of self-perfection were perverted
into those ofsclf-embcllishment. Humanity's internal potentials were ex-
ternalized in lhe form of machines which tear at the earth to make it feed
and comfort our unregcnerated animal fears and desires. In our time, tbe
Supm~l - 111man, the Pharaoh, is no longer in thc Temple guiding the
course and dcvelopmcnl of socielY. He is relegated to comic books and
films in a confused image. nnher like a Chl-ist in blue leotards and mu~
cle. Ne\'ertheless, this modern superhuman is a residue of the only dream
130 ,\NCINI TI'.MI'L ,\RCl-llTECTURI'.
,
'lkt.: lhi~ earthl), life tolerable for lhe Consciousness in Human-
lalcallll, .
I" Iden spark thai bmds It to liS OJ\'me ongm.
il), the go
, H" GlI/mda IIIld Nnl1olllllflal1lL London, E. Slanrord Ltd., 1915.
\rlll " ..
, 'b" ,In 'IIi !"ht' I.ifr /}i t i ,,~. J'ondichclT)', Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press. 1965.
Aura 111 .
_ HI"'//! 10 /1" ,\I)Sur /-iff. "ondichcrl'}', Sri Aurobindo Ashram I'ress. 1971.
._rod i-II vim" ,\1(1}.,'IIU"t'. M;l\' 197'1.
."""~ ,
Bateson. G.. \1/1/11 ami .\'(liurt. i"cw York, Dutton, 1979.
Ikrger, R.. (Irlfllli. '11r, Cirrl//onl] of Ex/Jl'rif'rlu. San Fr:lIlcisco. Freeman ;1I1d Co..
1971.
Boulding....... Tht' Im(l}.,"'. Anll Arbor, 11le Uni\'Crliity or Michig'dn Press. 1956.
Bullock, T.H., IlItrodllltUJR 10NmxlUs Systnu. San Frdncisco. Frman and Co.. 1977.
Chaliongui. P.. .\llIgir mill MNlifnl Srinu:, //I ,hlCinil Egyfll. London, Hoddcr and
SuuglHon. 1963.
Champdor..\ .. Tht' HooII 0f h~I HatL NcwYork, Garrell Public-.ujoI15. 1966.
Dicke. R.. quoted ill ~lisner, C.W.. 111rone, K.S.. Wheeler, J-<\., Grtrvitation. S..Ul
Francisco. Frccllmn and Co.. 1973.
Gauquelin. ~t .. 71r,Cosmll OJu. London. I'Clcr Owen. 1969.
Holton. G.. Thtmalir OrigilU of Sdn/liftr 71r01lghl from KtfJltr to inskin. C;unbridge,
Mab.. I I .ll"\~ml Uni\CJ1iill-' Prt.'5S, 1975.
Ho\le, F, 011 Stollt h#"ll~. &11I Fr:lIlcisco, Frccnmn and Co.. 1977.
J allll~s. UR. (11'.) .. 'n" Acts of Jolm (adaptcd), in '11r, Apocryphtl/ .\,~j/ -restmn~"I .
Oxford. Clarendon J'rcss. 192'1.
Jonas. G., \ "j ~Urtl l l ..rl l mi l l ~. Ne\\ York. Viking 1'rt.'S.'i. 1973.
Kramrisch. S.. Tht' lilli/ill 'I"I/Ipll'. Delhi. Motilal B.-.lIIarsidass. 1976.
\lcClain, E.G.. TJIt' 1'yl/lflgtJrfflll 1'11110. SIOIl} Brook. Ncw York. Nicholas Ha}'s. LId.,
1978.
\fichell J C, "II I '
, ., ".1 I!J n.II'IIIIOII. London. Garllslol1c Press. 1972.
~eisscr U (' "
~ ' . <IJt,"'"II01II1I1fI HPlIfily. S:lI1 Fmllcisco. Frecman and Co.. 1976.
, ')nnan, D.. \. allct Hohrow. D.G., Oil Iht Hof" of Ar/ivf Melllol)' I'rrxtJus ill Ihu/Jlio"
mul (:O"",illo . '1" 0 "II \ ' '
". 11.1Il 1".,lrurllW oJ 11111/111 j lrmol)', San Frallclsco. Freeman and
CQ. 1~J 7!"J .
I'ark D TI.
I" ' ., Ir iII)'1/1 aflhl' P,IHllgf IIfTimf, ill Til" Sillily of Tillie. Berlin, Spl"inger, 1972.
IflnkolT. A. (II'), '!'III' nlkl/( of \ \'h(/I iJ ill Ihl' Nrll!l"l1l'0dd. ill nit' TOlllb of Utllll:If>S 1'1. New
York II I"
P . 0 Hlgcn 5<:rics. l'al1thcoll llooks. 1954.
la}fair, C I . t .
Ruck '"..UlI 11111.5.. IlJrCJd"J ofNl'lIll1'lI. New York. 51. Mal'lin's Press, t!J78.
R cr, R. B. G~QI I I I "")" U"/lIliT,il)' tIIld IIII' NJllrlh IJilllNIJioll. Ncw York. Do\'er. 1973.
Urldle Clal'k R "I
197 ' . . Mph 11/111 SymlJlJl;'1 Allfit'1I1 1'10/11. London. Thamcs and I-Judson,
8,
HabeTl Ltlwlor I 131
ROI ORT I O~ IS BOTH AN IDEA AND A REALITY. It is the
significant relationship between things, and therefore it is inherent in
natural law. as we live in a cosmos-a cosmos being a profound unit}l of
balance betwccn \'ariOliS forces, events and elements. Proportion in the
broadest sense is concerned with this balancc, harmony and relalcdness
between things: between body and mind, nature and humanity, illusion
and realit\.
It is not surprising then that all ancient civilizations were concerned
"'ith proportion-b)' whate\'er namc the)' may havc called it-for lhe
mark ofa civilization is its concern for universal principles of order and
the relationship of pcoplc to thcir universe.
The balance between parts making up the whole and the whole being
made up of parl ~ is as ancicnt a world view as any rccorded, It has been
expressed prcdominantl)' in mythologicaltcnm, whether ancient as cos-
mogonies and creation m),ths, or modern as models or likel)' hypotheses.
What is the whole bill parts? \Vhat are parIS parts of? I-Iow do we come lO
recognize the paraclox of two mutually exclusive aspects of a gi\'cl1 SCt of
~\ enl s? One answcr 111 LISt lie in lhc naturc of our cognitivc faculty itself,
~n t,he construction of Olll' in!ltl'lllnCIll of knowledgc clIlTcntJy called a
r<lln. Yet who or what are we Ihat arc using this instmment of knowl-
~dge: What is mind that is !lOWing through thc brain, sifting pattems,
ntaWIng ~Ollclllsions of signi1icancc, rccogn iZing? It mLIst be our wholc.
ess t1~at IS being awarc of the parts or our experience-and possibly tJ1C
mOSt Slml,l l 1- ..
c (e 1111tlon of sanity is wholcness of mind,
tc 'rhus the centrallhcmc i .~ scnse-making. This means finding Ihe pat-
rn Or Ille ' .
in tI ailing In the confusion of sense data thai comcs avalanching
1rough . II . , ..
<IOUI' Sense organs. NOI scnsc cxpcnencc 111 Itself, but
Sagan, C" Tile f)ragolls oJD/I'II. New York, Random l'louse, 1977.
Sdl\,~\t1er de Lubicz, R.A.. Le Trlll/ile tJe I'Hol/1II11!. Paris. Caractcres, 1957. (Ir. by R.
and D, Lawlor); Tile T~I I /}U ill Man. Brookline, Mass, AUlumn Prcss, 1977.
Smilh. j. M" 'J'),t foolrllion oJ Btllavior, in Sdl!lllifil Am.trical1. New York, September
1978.
Theon of Smyrna (II". b)' R. and D. Lawlor). TIU! ,uallU!/Ilalia UMJlllJor U'ldm/(lnding
[JUliO. San Diego. Wi1.ard's Bookshelf, 1979.
11JOmpsotl, D'ArC)', 011 Grow/h find Fonn. abridgl.'<i edition by j. T. Bonner.
C:unbridge, Cambridge Unh'crsil}' Press.1961.
Ward. R. R.. Uving Cl1u. New York. Menlor, 1971.
\\'esl.j.A., SnfKnI in (","Sky. New York. I-Iarperand Row. 1979.
Whorf, 1\.. Lflt/guagt, Thollght and Rmlity. Cambridge, M.I.T. Press, 1974.
Yadkin,j.. SIIJtt'I and DongmJlls, New York, Bantam Uooks, 1977.
132 ANCIENT TEMI'LE ARCIlITECTURE
3
The Platonic Tradition on
the Nature of Proportion
. ,., .. , ,., Keith Critchlow
Krith Cn'llhlow I 133
Since I havc cvoked Plato and the spiril of Socrates, it would seem
consistcll1 if not proportional to return to this Greek genesis where so
much interest was taken in proponioll as ralio. The common Greek
\\'ord for proportion is logos, but a study of the use of this word in Greek
philosophy shows that ~proporti on" had for lhe Greeks a far wider range
of meaning lllan it has for us. Heraclitus, for instance, used the word
logos to refer to the underlying organizational principle of the uni.
verse-the ultimate whole experience-through which "all things are
one" and according to which '"all things come to pass" (Frags. 30 and 1).
Thus u1e hannony or tension of opposites, so frequently associated
with I-Iernclitus' doctrine of change, is ordered through proportion or
logos into a smble state, '"kindling itself by regular measures and going
Olll by regular measurcs" (Fr.tg. 30).
Heraclitus conceives his logos principle as hidden, '"apan from all
else," and perceptible only to the intelligence:
Wisdom is one and unique-to know the intelligence bywhichall things
are steered lhrough all things. (Frag.32)
And yet iL is in some sense identical with the process ofulinking for, as he
sa)'S, "Thinking is common to all" (Frag. 113). Nevenhcless tllis logosprin-
ciple still pana.kes of materiality, for he also identifies it 'lith the Iife-giving
cosmic fire (p,-r) which, as -lhe thunderbolt," "pilots all things" (Frag. 64).
Plato expanded the specific use of logvsand used the tenn in relation
to the mark of true knowledge (episleJ1U'), which is tlle ability to give a
true account (logos) of what we know. (See Phaedo 76.) In the Ri!pllblic,
Plato moves the usc of logos up tlle scale of significance to
thc sUllunit of the intelligible world, reached in philosophic discussion
b)' one who aspires, through the discourse of reason unaided by the
scnses. to make his way in every case to the essential reality.
(Rt>jJlIbUc534)
This journey Plato calls dialectic and he describcs the "master of din-
teeth!' as one who can give a true aCCOLlIll (logos) of the true being or
essence of somcthing.
Fl'Orll thc Aristotclian poilll of view, on Ule other hand, the term togos
was used as a synonym of hQros, that is, the division of things inLO defini-
tions of genera and species. This is quite a significalll contrast to Ihe
cssence ofa thing! And although not comrary to the essence, it gave rise
to thc superficiality ormel-e1y naming something in contradistinction to
136 I Tilt: I'LATQNIC TRADITION
"
,g il_l)artiClllady in relation to the whole. Yet Aristotle was
dCrsl;lll( II ." . .
un ro
ducl
of the philosophical line of Plato and, by Inhentance, of
also a 1', tor'caIl
S
. for be uses the \\'ord logosas specifically mathematical
the Pyt lag
. or I-.nio. (Sec Melfl. 991.)
roporu
on
. _
p I Stoics, who held anolhcr view to bOlh I01to and Anslotle, used
T ~:r<\di tCan concept of an all-pelVaSi"e universal principle, which
(he s',dcred 10 be divine. Since it was a unity, this divine !)resence,
the)' con . . .
, h ,. e" identified \\'Itil Ilre,!l)'r, was the ground oftllc!r theaI''' of cos-
",hlc ul . .. I.
. 1ll
natlw
ami nallirallaw and, by logtcal progression, of Ule edllcal
nue S) r- d' " n S' f I '
. perati\'e "LO li\'e accor lllg to nature. 1C tOKS, Uri. ler, extendmg
~c uSC of logos, brought the inner logru-intelligibility and thought-
into an inleresting relation h~th the outer logos as speech. LaLer still,
Philo. somctimcs C.llted lhe Pythagorean Kabbalist or tllejudaic philos-
opher, ga\'e logos the definition of an archetypallighl and thereby gave
it a unique role in creation as the instnnnental cause.
Heraclilus had implied tl1at the universe itself\\'aS eternal, and that it
"'<lS the changes \\'hich took place in it that g<l\'e rise to the experience
ofume, beginnings and endings. From this point of view, the concept of
association (s)lIkrisi.I) and dissociation (dillkrisi.I) was considered 10 be
the naLure of genesis in Ule unh-erse.
This considel<ltion of tile co-functioning of duality, of association and
dissociation. accumulation and dispersion, breathing in and breathing
OUl, ga"e rise to Ihe qucstion of ultimate wholeness, and so to Ule ines-
capable conclusion lllal there was a transcendental whole, \\iUlin which
this pulsation \\'as a recurrent pattern. This was the notion of Unity and
the Parmenidttn insislence on an ultimate, partless One, a one that
m
ust
.
be
dislinct from parts as lllis immediately implies duality-tlmt par-
adOXical duality we staned with. Thus the One \\'as given distincuon
above or beyond -\Vholcness" in the scnsc ofwholcncss of parts:
Only one way i, lefl to be spokcn of, lhal it is: and on Lhis way arc full
~nany sigm Ihat whal is is uncreated and impcrishable, for it is enure,
~1~rnO ~dbl (: ;md Il'ilhoUl end. II \\~I S nOl in the I)ast nor shall it be since
It "
IS now, all at oncc. one. continuous.... Nor is it divisible more hcre
and less Ihe,'" b "" I' "I ' , ...... ut illS II 0 W lat IS. (hag. 8)
Elllpcdaclc, 'I'" k ' "
Id ,\\ 11 C CCPl1\g to the Parmcllldcan VIllLy, re!)laced the
eaofac -
~ter I" OStnlC ullity with a c)'c1ie process of transformation of four
in h:
a
. raOb." The O\'el"illl sphere of unity, "a roullded sphere ntioicing
Circular sol' I" " r' . "
Aa
nn
. . llU( e, sta)'sast In the close co\'enng of Harmony or
O1l1O--II(1I"1J," ' 1 . .
un/a )cmg a proporuonal blendmg 01 opposites.
Ktith Critchlolll I 137
From such C Ol i sti l U cnL ~. four in number, the body of l..hc universe ....'as
brought into being, coming into concord by mcans of proportion,
(Timfl,.11S 32c)
Kt:i111 Crilt;hlow I 139

8
o ' or IJI'0IJOrlion as il is smaller thaI the tllird-as in 2,
b~ thesa111e lallO
4. 8.
The underlring: narure is an objeci or sciemilic knowledge by all anal-
ogy. For as brollJ"l' is 10 lhe Statile, the wood ro the bed...so is the
underlying narme to substance. i.e.. l..hc Mrhis
M
or existent.
(Ph)'sics 19la)
I JOlins to make clear that a wholc is morc than a sum of its
Plato wilS ,I I' . . . .. .
. I "Ol l ~ when cOllsidenng the cnlClallssuc of l.he poslUonmg
~mo~ , .
parts, r I a.... e-a Ul..lC ho10n has pans which ha\'c a fixed spallal re-
')ot1("P"""--'
(thts
lS
h' I Inch other and lO the '\'hole. (See Ltuus X, 903fT.) This
I lions Ip 0 . .
a 1"when one clwisages a collection of, say, flat squaresJum-
becomes c ea, .
. _ "Io,n posil..ions to each other III space. and the sa.me
bled lfl ,.U
. ~I gcd in sixes as cubes. E\'en when ranged together there
collccuon a".. , .
d
~ el'CC bctwcenJ'umblcd and neauy packed cubes. Takmg thiS
is a Iller .
Platonic f/1wlogia a little further, the cubes could p~ck lIl.to a large cube
" a !,wportional increment. or set ofproporuonalillcrements, <lC
maK..lng .
cording to how man)' cubes \,'cre in l..he larger cube. P ro.portl o~ here
must be taken in its broadest sense, because from ule pomt of \'lew of
modem mal..hematical usage objections could be made 011 the grounds
that !.he cubic ,olumc.."S increase in additi"e, not proportional, incre-
ments. But l..his is a problem of modern mental conventions and not a
mauer of the truth or falsity of tllC example gi\'en.
Reasoning bv mwlogill was l..hcn l..he Creek way of reasoning by wholes
rather than b)' pans. l..he fruits of which metJlod are embodied in the
monument:; of illtelligcllI aCLi\'il)' we call the classics of ancient Greece.
Undcrl)'ing il. is the dOCLdne or the fundamelHal unknowabilit} of mai-
ler, and the conse<ltlcnt necessily of understanding it by analogy. As
Aristotle 5.'l.id:
. A significant sUlllmary of the rOOIS of this conclusion ma)' be found
I l l i l erddi l .u~ insisrence that "nature lo\'es LO hide." and that this hidden
reality is cl' I b I \ I \. . \.. l' I .
car Y cyone Ill' !"cac 1 0 ml'n who trust Illlp rClt y 111 Ilelf
ICnsc I)ercc . lid' ..
D' prIOri-an apt cOlllment 011 modern so-ca e Cmplr1Clslll.
a l og~nes or Appolonia carne to the same conclusion frOlll another per-
J>e.CllV
e
when he argucd that the intelligcllt and divine urdu! (the
1Jl311Hcnan '. '. ..
. ce prrllC1ple) IS contll1uollsly prcsenl. 111 all thll1gs that arc.
Ut til \'a '
I)'
l
ng degrees:
For the ancient Greeks, harmony was as much a medical and health
theory as it was a mathematical or musical one. Empedoclcs himself ar.
gued ft'om a characteristically Pythagorean basis that flesh, blood, bones,
as all things, are formed in fixed numerical proportions of the b.'1Sic ele-
ments (earth, water, air, fire) and that, therefore, all arc linked by the
divinc bonds ofhannony or love (here phi/ia, oftcn translated as "amity").
In the Platonic and. by inference, in the P),thagorean tradition, the
same principles go\'ern our perception of, and our experience in, the
universe. Humanity's relation to things is the key; and the motivation
towards both logos and proportion arises from the need to be in the
right relationship with tlle inner and the apparent outer essence of the
cosmos.
From these basic principles Plato unfolds, most panicularly in the Ti.
tnaeus, his cosmology, in which hanwmia is not only a soul, btll
geometric shape as well. Bodies thus become mauers of proportional as-
sociation of ~sol i d" relationships, which relationships can be
appreciatcd (by mwlogia) in the proportional relations between the reg-
ular (equitable) solid figures-the TeLrahedron (fire), the Octahedron
(air). the Icosahedron (wmer) and tllC Cube (earth).
138 I TilE I'L,\TONrc TRADITION
Plato argues for polarity as the nature of our experience and our uni
verse, and symbolizes this polarity by fire, which makes the ,...orld body
visible, and by eanh, which makes it rcsisu'lnt 10 touch. !lroportion is the
bond lhal holdli these two and their complementary clcments, watC
r
and air. both togcther and apan-a proportion bcst understOod as a
geometric proponion berween the above regular solids, This Plato calls
tI 1It1logia.
Geometric proponion or aI/alogia is essentially del1lonsm:ll.cd in nunl
be,' bya thrc(. ...l..e .. m SCI... in which the middle lcml is grcate.. than l..hc fin;l
-
And in the cCllLcr he set a soul and caused it to extcnd throughout the
"'hole. (Timfll'ltS 34b)
The role of pSJche or soul and that of proportion arc unfolded neXt,
in orocr to cxplain the rclationship of the complete cOlllpleteness-)'et-
partness of pans within the whole:
This precise definition of tile boundarit.-s of the created cosmos-a fi
. ation-is followed b)' an equally precise definition of what we
mte cre
call today the balance of nature or ecology:
Keith CrilcMow t 143
Onallthesca"o I III I ..
< lUllS I lC war ( lC )fought IIItO belllg was a blcssed
God. (n/llal'us 34b)
TiJnacus thcI I' I
I exp alllS t l;Lt the ~makcr~ made the soul
prior to the boch' I. ..
bod" I <Ill( morc vcncr;tblc III birth and cxccllence. lO be the
y s miStress alld governor. (Timaells 34c)
Because until l\ '0 I ... . .
'rd th \ t llngs <Ire III propOrtIon, that IS related through a
;th ey cannot bc knOIVll, the composilion of the sOlll is also prima-
recncss . . I .
, as It IS t lC 1I1011vator or "govcmor" of the body. Plato
And all around on the outside he made it perfectly smooth for SC\'cral
reasons fall of which result from there being no need of an)'Lhing
-OU15ide~l .... for nOI..hing came om or .....ent into it from anr',,'herc,
~i nce there \\-"s nothing: it was designed to feed upon its 0\\11 waste and
to act and be acteclupon clllircly b}' itself and ....ithin itself; because its
framer thoughl thaI it would bc beltcr self-sufficient. !'ather than de-
pendent upon an\'thing elsc. (Timams 33<:1)
I
form <l1>propri,lIc to this living being, the ~maker," Ti
Aud as to I lC
OlllCUS explains.
ed
'halJC round and spherical. cquidisl:uH every way from centcr
11Im lIS li
"lV-a ficrurc (he most pcrfect and unifoml 01'0111; for hcjudged
to extrCIIl1 0 .. ".
:r: "IV to be immeasurably bener than Its OPPOSltc. ( 7",wellS 33b)
unuo
rTIll
This eXtension is a permcation similar to that of light a,<; it pcnneates a
~nsl ucent sphere. Liglll makes the body cvident and the bod)' gives
tight.resistance so that illllay bc known. PeridlOrt.sis. implying a total pcr4
meallon, is the analogicalLCflll used for this qualitative relation betwecn
lOul and bod)" Creator and creatllres.
CDNTRACTWN
I
E"'RIH
WATEfl ~- - +- - - -
sel water and air between fire and e'"dnh. and made them so far as was
I>ossibie. pr'oportional to one another. so that as firc is to :lir, 50 is air to
watcr. and as air is to ....'atCr, so is water to earth. and thus he bound to-
gcther the frame ofa world \isible and mngiblc. ('/imams 32b)
cannOt be satisfactorily united without a third; for there must be some
bond betWCcn them dr.lwing them together. [Why else would Eros be
the first of the Grcek gods?] And ofallthc bonds the best is thal which
makes itsclfand thc tenns it connects a unity in the fullest sense; and it
is of the nature of a continued geometric proponion 100Ullogia] to ef
fcn this most perfcctly. (Timaeus 31c)
for tht.'SC rcasons. and from such constitucnts, four in number, the
body of the univcrse was brought into being, coming into concord by
mcans of proportion, and from this it acquired Lovc. (Timanu 32c)
This polarity of radiancc (fire) and solidity (eanh), however, as lYe
have seen,
Accordingly, tllC "maker~
This Love is Philia, another allalogia like Eros, alluding to the affection
of love or amity. nOt only as the universal bond, but also as tllC only pro-
portional means of differences living or subsisting togcther.
In this way the "fourness," a natural bifurcation principlc in the pro-
portionals 2,4,8, comcs into being in the Platonic cosmology, for
Timacus goes on to say, as quoted above:
1'12 I Tilt: .'LATONIC TRADlTtON
The world, then, is "" living being, \tJhole and complete of complete
parts... (Ti/IWI'II$ 32b)
L
1'16 I TIlE I'LATONIC TRADITION KiW, eri/eMall! I 147
Th' .
IS sllllple language aboul subtle mattcrs c\'identl)' alludes to re.
search and methods of reference which remain thc nl)'sleries of the
lrad' .
Ilion from which they arose.
b~c poitH centt~\1 both to Timacus' doctrine of creation and to lhc
au !Jen of our st",1 . I I' I . . . .
bo h
. YIS I le care lila pOSltlon of proporuon: proporllon
t III the II r I I' I'
ne f' ' n 0 C Lng: a the cosmos and in lhc unfolding of our awarc.
~\~no It: TI ~i~ is evident as Plato cOlllinl.les in the Timacus to relate the
m~or llltcn'"ll< '0 ,I, < . ,.' I' I I' .
in" '. ' " I..' 10 ,11Ions 0 t le lcavcns III a manner reqllll'
a IlltellllTe . d .
H . a Ill.1ll C OnC enL J ~l l ed lIlterprctalion.
Tim aVlng thus completed lhe proportional divisions of the \Vorld Soul,
aeus proceed' I . .
e World' S 10 exp am lhe l'c1allon of the Soul's proportions (0
s Body or ~al l l hal is bodily."
I other \,ords. he inserted a harmonic mean where the proportion was
f:ctiOnaJ. and the arithmetic mean where the proponion was numeri-
cal, For example. if we take the extremes six and twel"e. the firSI or
hanno
nic
mean \\'i1l be eight, as eight exceeds six b)' one t11ird of six
(that is. two) and is exceeded b)' Iweke b)' the same fraction. t11at is one
thifd of lwehe. \,'hich is four. In the second instance. the arithmetic
mean bel\\'een six and tweh'e is nine, which exceeds six by lhree. and is
exceeded b\ twelve b)' the same number. Timaeus continues:
And he wem on to fill lip alllhe intendls of 4/3 [i.e., fOllnhs] with the
interval 9/8 [I he toile). le;J\'ing 0\"1..'1' in each a fraction. This remaining
imemll of the fraction had itS tenns in the numerical proportion of256
to 243 (lhe 'l4;:milone). By which time lhe mixture from which he was
cutting on' these ponions \,;:15 all used up. (Timfleus 36b)
At this poilll Ihe musical analog)' comes in. withom, as Comfordju-
diciousl)' points out. pretcnding or claiming the phenomenon to be a
music theory in the sense some critics have assumed:
These links ghc ri"'C 10 lhe inten;,ls of 3/2 and 4/3 and 9/8 within the
original illlen;lls. (Timllnls 300)
. "oO"'cl more parIs from I,hc original mixture and placing Ihem
cU I l .l n~ ...
e"
lhe lel'lllS, i;O lhal II'lthlll each 1Il1elYdllhcre wcre two means,
be[\,'e
(he one [h:lrlllonicl cxcceding the onc extreme and being exceeded
I
0,1
1CI' bv the sa.me fnlction of the extrcmes, lhe other [arith-
by I 11::
. I exccedin'" the one CXlfClIlC by the 5ame number whereb)' il was
melle. " ...
exceeded b" the olher. ( I"MUIIS 36.a)
1
l'laving made a unity of thc three, ag-.ain hc divided this whole into as
many parts as ....'as fitting, each pan being a blend of Sameness, Differ-
encc and Existcnce. (T i ma~w 35b)
undcviatingly from onc point 10 anolher). Opinion [Da:mJ is lhe num
bel' of lhc planc. Scnsation [AeI'thel'is] the numbcr of lhc solid; lhc
numbcrs by him afC expressly idcnlificd with lhc forms thcmselvcs or
principlcs, and afC formed out of the elements; now things arc appre-
hcndcd cilhel' by Mind. or Science, or Opinion, or Sensation and
these same Numbers arc lhc Fonns of things. (~A tJ i mf l 404b)
B..-_---4__4--__
And hc began the di\;sioll in this wa)'. First he took. one ponion (oneJ
from the .....hole. and next a portion double of this [twoJ; the third half
as much again as the second and three times the first [threeJ; the
founh double of the second [four]; the fifth three times the third
(ninc]: the sixth eight times the first [eight]; and the sevcnth t.....enty
seven limes thc first (t.....enty-sevenJ. (Timams 35b.c)
Nex(, Plato dcscribes the famous Lambda, although this is a later
name, based on the Creek leuer (Lambda), for the portioning system
emplo}'cd by Timaells:
These tWO progressions of "even" (two) and ~odd" (threc), thro~l gh
"square" and "cube," he proceeds to "fill up" with both double and u'lple
illlcl-"als,
1-I0WC\'CI' we approach the soul's triadic structure, the procedure, ac
cording to PlatO. cOlllinucs to unfold in proportional di\;sions:
Whcn the whole fabric of the Soul had lx:en finished to its maker's
mind, he next began to fashion \\;thin the Soul all that is bodily, and
broughtthc two togcthcr. filling them centcr to celller.
(Timaetls.36d,e)
The important thing that Plato is at pains to cstablish through Ti.
macus is that the i l l \~si bl e molions of the Soul's circulations are
imparted to the bodil)' circulations of the cosmos:
Thc Soul, being everywhere inv,o\"en [rom the cenler 10 the outermost
hcaven and enveloping the heavcn all around on Ihe outside, rC\'Olving
within its own limil, made a divine bcginning of ceaselcss and illlclli+
gent life for all time. (Timfl('lls 36c)
At this point wc may notc thai Proclus in his eommellfllf)'Slatcs his be-
lief that the phrase Mfor all time" here means the Great Year as the
"single pcriod of the wholc":
This period has as its mcasurc thc cntirc cxtcnt and C\'ohltion oftimc,
than which therc can be no greatcr extent, save by its rccurring again
and aWlin, for it is in thatll'ay that timc is ulllimitcd.
(C()Inmenfary 11.289)
Since for things to sustain in space they need time, time as much as
space is a vchicle for proportion. Plato therefore goes on to assure lIS
Lhat time, as the moving image of eternit)', was co-extensive with the
coming into being of the Heavens:
At the samc time he ordered the Heavcn, he made, of ctcrnity that
abides in unily, an cverlasung likeness moving according to num-
ber-thiu to ..... hich we havc given the name Time. For Ihcre were no
dap. and nighlS, months and rears, before Hea\'cn came into
being... , These h,wc come into being as forms oflimc. which images
eternitr and re\'Olvcs according to number.... Time came into being
with thc l'leaven, in order that, as they wcre brought into being to-
gcther, so they may be dissolved togcther, if ever Iheir dissolution
should come to pass: and it is made aftcr the pallCI'l1 of thc e\'cr-<:n-
during nature. in order thaI itlllar be as likc thaI pallcrn as possible;
for the pallcrn is :1 thing Ihat has being for all clernilY, ..... hereas
I-leaven has been and is and shall be perpetually throughoul all timC.
(Ti" (l~uS 37d-38c)
148 I TilE I'E,ATONIC TKA])I'I'ION
H
"
C'I in other words. is co-extensive \\ith time-all time past
The
ea
,. .' ,
"lId future. If time should ccase as the mov1l1g expn.'SSion of
resent.
p li r thCIl so \"ould the He.wens or the created order itself.
eten f). . .. - - I db I I'
",'hen till' -lather, as generator, 1a roug It t ItS self-moved crea-
the \\orld. [hu.; inlo being, he rejoiced in that i[ was
lUre,
;1 shrine brought into being for thc everlasting gods. (Timaells 37c)
Here Camford has embodied thc tme spiril of the word aga/ma by trans-
lating il as -silline.- TIle shrine is the cosmic protot}'PC of the Temple,
and this aspect of the created cosmos is again clarified by Proclus:
Plato speaks of the cosmos as an agalma of the everlasting gods bccause
it is filled wilb the di\'inity of the intelligible gods, although it docs not
receive those gods imo itself any more than cult imagcs receive the
lJ'allscendt'llIal cssellccs of thc gods. Thc gods in the cosmos arc. as it
were, channels cOIl\"c\ing a radiance emanating from the intclligiblc
gods. (Comm~"fa1) I I I A )
Indeed, in his succinct formulation,
TI1C COSIllOS is Ehc holiest of shrines. (CollllIIl'II/my 1.124)
Next. Timaeus defincs thc Sun, Moon and the five "wanderers,~ or
planets, as being brouglH il1lo being to Mpreser\'e the numbers of time,"
~f a\i ~g made a body for each of them. the god settllem in thc circuits
In which Ihe rc\olution of Ihe DiITerelll was moving-in sc\'en circuits
~"C n bOdies. (Tilll(ll'/ls 3&)
And haVing tIn . I b I .
IS ,ICCOUlltC( Ol 1/01" the macrocosm and for the prcsen'+
~rsof thenl l l 1l bc f I
T -n; 0 tlllle-( le planets, and the Sun and the Mool1-
unaeus goes 0, I' I
Th' n 0 exp all1tle categories of the micrOCosm,
all. IS he. docs by unfolding the four fornlS of inlelligencc proportion-
} contaillcd in th. MI' . M
COrr-. c 1\'lIlg creature. These fonns of il1lelligence
",""paneling t F" " '
~prCSC . 0 -IJlstl'''''', DWI/ow, Doxa and Aesfhesis, he spnbolically
nlS .IS firstly Mtl I I
thing h . le leaven y race of gods" secondly -winged
.. sWoSCpathisinll .. 111" '.'
IOUrthly I Ie ,Ill ,tIll ( )', all that dwells 111 the watcr"; and
1
.0 ,a I thal goes a 1 ~ I d I
010.) Sto lOOt on t 1e Iy and. (Sec figure on page
ncs ale bod)' . I TI
at the " . spacc IS sou. lese beings of air water and carll1
relOrc of tl ' . I . . '
tunty lC ICd III of generation: thalls, birth, grO'\1.h, change.
and death.
Kr.ifh CrilrMow I t'19
Then. moving on to a description of the human soul, Timaeus says:
I -I a\~ng receivcd the immortal principle ofa mortal creature, they [the
gods]. imilating their o\\'n maker. borro\\'cd from the world portions of
lire ;md earth. water and air, on condition that these loans should be
rcpaid, (Til/laeus Hd)
Repaid. that is. on the phpiicalle\'el as ecological awareness, on the level
of belief or opinion as the submission of emotion to pure intellect, and
on the intellectual le\'el as the submission of human consciousness to di-
vine consciOUSIl(..'SS.
The rcsult..-mt bodies were then joined b)' a muh..iwdc of valencies
("ri\'ets" in Cornford, which I find too mechanistic) LOO small to be seen,
hut making of each bod)' a unity of all the portions.
And the)' confim,'d the circuits of the soul within the flowing and ebb-
ing tide of the bod)'. These circuits, being thus confined in a strong
ri\'er, neither controlled it nor \,'ere cOlllrolled. but caused and suf-
fered violent motions. (Timaetls43a)
Plato goes on to state clearly that this disproportion is cffectcd by the on
ntsh of sensations. that "perpellially streaming current ... stirring and
violently shaking the circuits of the souL"
It is, indeed. becausc of those affections that today, as in the beginning,
a soul comes to be without intelligence at first. when it is bound in a
mortal bod)', (Timaeus44d)
The remedy for these disntpti,'e and shaking mO\'ements is to be found
in harmony, which in this conlext we may take to be the expression of
Prol>ortion,
Harmony, \'o'hosc motions arc akin to the rc,'olutions of the soul within
us. has bcen given br lhe Muscs to him \\'hose commerce with lhelll is
guided by intelligence, 1I0t for the sake of irrational pleasure, but as an
ally againsl thc i !l \\~l l (1 discord thal has come into the SOlll. to bring it
into order and COnSO!lancc with itself. (Til!wCIIS 47d)
At this point in his monologue, Timacus returns to the "probable at
COulll"-"no less probable than another, btll morc so"-of the genera
tion of the four clements,
As our \\'ol'ld is a copy of the intelligible, ('temal pattern, and a copy
is nOt selfsubsislCIll by definition but needs a SUpPO!'t, a medium in
150 I Tilt: I'I.ATONIC TRADITION
" ,tlnl it reflection needs a mirror, Plato proceeds at length
.... saIl1C ",I) ,. " " ,
",e . I 'e'lder 10J'0l11 WIth h1ll111l acccptlllg a stable ground ofbe-
. lVlle I 1e r
to I'
ll
I, fOllr clements which are themselves of course constantly
. fora t1, , .
109 , Whate\'er the l11atcnal nature of the ground of bemg IS,
changmg
_.. resent we must conceive three things: that which becomes; lhat
for u,e P I I I h Ik h .
. h I ." hecomcs: and llC 1110< e III w ose I eness l at wluch be-
m w IC1
comes is !>om. (" i m(/~I U 5Od)
1?~,~--------l I REEU:CrCR
The -Recipient- he then compares \\'ith a mother, the "Moder' with a fa-
ther, and the "nature that arises between them"-"'that which
becomes"-with an offspring.
OFN1'HJ:Nq ~------1 I ornrn
The R ' .
Itself eC l pl en~ or the Receptacle, as he comes to call it, must not in
be called air. eanh, firc or waler. It is rather the materia prima or
grOund of subst ., 1 . , , ,
earth' <lIlce, I j,1l IS vlt'gm malleI' before the chfTerentiation into
,all', firc or wale]':
:~~ : i L ~. nalUt'e can be arrived :tt .. ,the most correct account of il
Lim e IhIS: Ihal pan of it \\'hidl has becn made liery appearS;1\ any
e as firc' the I' . I . I "
parts . . al t 1lal IS lquelled as waler: and as earth or air such
as receIve likenesses of these, (Timal!lIs 51 b)
K ~j /" Critchlow I 151
This Mmothcr
M
aspect to virgin maller survivcs in thc illlcresting ctymol_
ogy M ~1I 1" Mare, Mater, Mothcr, Maller.
After describing Fonn, here the unchanging, ungcllcratcd, inde-
structible, imisible thing "which thinking has for its objecl, ~ Timaeus
goes on 10jux14lpose that which also bears the name form but is its ~Di f
ferent
M
aspeCL This is the world of change, of sensible existents
perpetually in Illotion, Mcoming to be in a certain place and again van-
ishing out of it," that aspect of things which is to be apprehended by
belief and sense perception.
The third member of this particular triad, with form and Copy
(form), is Space itsclfwhich, like Time, is an evcrlasting quality, "not ad-
mining destnlction," and providing a situation for all things that come
into being. It is indeed proper that all things should come into being
"in" something else-"c1inging in some sort to existence on pain of be-
ing nothing at al l ~ --so thai Space for Plato's Timaeusoccupies a curious
illlcrmediate realm, which is best understood as being the ground of be-
ing to the geometrical fonm of atoms, for in this way its bridging nature
between sensible and intelligible can be appreciatcd.
In this connection we may note also that Space as the Receptacle
(Mother) of the proportionals is a proportional herself, that is between
the realms known by illlciligible gnosis (Noesis) and scnsc experiencc
(aesthesis) and opinion (doxa).
The triad that TimacliS finally outlines is Bcing, Space and Becom-
ing, "thn:e distinct things-cven before Heaven Cllllle into being."
152 I Tilt: I'LATONIC TRAI>JTION
, ,I,en described ill which all the foul' kinds or elements were
Astale IS
roportion or llleasure (space and time), motion acting like a
withouty T-sit:\'e causing like 10 aggregate (S)'nhrisis) towards like, the
nno\\'lng .
0 ,,-cend and the heavier to descend. At this point the "maker"
r hterLO .:'
Ig (0 give thcm distinct configurations, both b)' means of shape
begat:) and number (llIlthmos, time) \\'ith the ~greatest possible pelfec-
(~pa~ PlalO \\>;InlS us that the account wi11 be "unfamiliar." Yet for a
bon. ~ 1" I 1 '
ad
m it i~ curiousl)' lamt mr Slllce we la\'e >ccome used lO atollllsm
me. .
d the geomcmcal account III spacc and number of the elemelllS of
an hy"'GII world :L ~ expressed in the pel'iodic table.
ourp '",
It is at tillS point thaI Plalo. through Timaeus, asks us to elller into the
tJnaWgia of space and lhe orders of space as regular and expressed as geo-
metricals. This account of the pcnlleation (/Jtrichoresis) of tile sensorial
wrbulence of fire. air, watcr and carth by reason (NolIS) is to be under-
stood in the :Homistic sense as being microscopicall)' at the root of each
clement, thus recalling Heraclitus' plinciple tllat ~N ature lo\'cs to hide."
fire. water. earth and air possessed indeed some \'estiges of their own
nature, bUI were ahogclher in such a condition as we should expect for
anything when ddt), is absem from iL Such being lheir nature at lhe
time when the ordcling of the univcrse was taken in hand. the god then
began by gi\'ing Ihcm a distincl configuration by means of shapes and
numbers. ThaI the god framed them with the greatest possible perfec-
tion. which tilL")' had nOI before, mUSI be takcn, alxwc all. as a principle
""C constantly assert. (T i m(l ~us 53b)
. Plato consistentl)' proceeds in lliads, ha\'ing demonstrated the neces-
IUy o.r doing so as an essential property of Mind (NOIlS), Cosmic
I nt~l hgence and the minimal conditions of human consciousncss. Now,
havmg evoked order in space, he proceeds to dcmonstrate triads as ui-
angles to be the minimal expression of perceptibility in shape. Surlhce,
: t~c second dimension, is the minimal condition of viSibility (aes-
CltC, scnsorhl) I I ' I' , ,
ant tle lnang C IS the mll1lmal expression orthe plane
etprcssed geomctricall>,:
Fire, earth wale I . . ... b I'
m '. r, am .111 .ue oc lCS: and ;,11 body has depth. Depth,
oreover IllUst I 'I I I b
I' .' )C )Ollne c( y surfhcc; and cvery surface thai is recti-
lncar IS cOllll' dr' ...
ose 0 mangles. ( 1/1//(/('1/5 53d)
For this p
, d lUVose the cqual-sidcd triangle is ~best " as it is the most reg-
,~ ~. I '
as 10 ( cillonstrate the ultirmlle s)'mmeu-ical expression of
KIW, Critchlow I t53
This reinforces the hidden or inexpressible nature of PlatOnic pro-
portioning-which is nevenheless transmissible LO the knowledgeable
or work-willing st.udcnt, as stated in the S~el l i h EpiJlle. A syslem oft.ra
n
-
scendentals is hiddcn both in the simplcst of polygons (the square and
t.he equal-sided uoianglc) and in Timaeus' cxplanation, Again, it is the
numerical aspect b)' which PlalO draws the reader up, constituting t.he
Tetrahedron from twelll)'-four such particles. Of coursc, the T etrah~ "
dron at its most essential can be made up of cight such particles, but tillS
would not give the full lines of S)'tllIllCUY marked OUI on each surface
GIlSt as in the case of the Cube twenty-fOUl" werc choscn when minimally
t.welvc \I'ould have sufficed),
Plat.o t.hen procceds t.o placc wat.er, t.he twellly-faced Icosahedron, and
air, Ihe eight-raced Octahedron, bet.ween earth (solidity) and fire (light).
since it is nccessary that there be a proportional relationship between
K ~i l " Critchluw I 163
',nblt: them to rcl:ue t.o each other. III this inSl..'lllCe again
po
sitCS to (; , '
op , \' 't is \)Ossiblc lo assemble Plato's gcotlletl;c cosmolob'Y in two
uno
llS
). l \\"
, 1' \ II'e Ina)' perhaps ca csotellc and eXOlcllc, frOIll thc same tcxt.
<avs I'" HC 1
", -' roportional and concentric model of what Plato suggests, which
, T h.el ~t call1
h
{' macrocosmic model. is based on the idea or the whole
"e nug . d " I '\ .. h \ '
\
ne
nt COIll\>rcssll1g own ll1tO Its own sp lcrc, unu ule woe IS
of an eel .,,
\
lei\' filled-lilt' whole reprcscnt.ll1g the cosmos. TIllS gIVes us the
compe , .
Cube in the middle. as earth, sunoounded b)' the light (space) of the Tel-
~hedron ill ,uch a \1~I Y Ihat thc centers of the races of the Tetrahedron
are the conlacl-I)Oints offour of the nodes or comers oftJle Cube.
This placement cnables a proportional and logic;:tl superimposition
of the remain' o , \ " ' ,
, Illg geomelllc.l llgurcs so that they Sllln correct concen-
I ri ~t} between the Cube or earth and t.he Tet.rahedron of lire 01" light.
extlo the Cube COIlles t,hc Icosahedron as the surrounding waters
iU I " ,
th ~ 1 a way that the ccnters of cight of the twcnty races hold t.he nodes
C Cube exaet.ly in position,
Around the I '\ \,
, COS,I ICC Ion (watcr), and related by the Golden j\'!ean
porOOn is the CJl\,b\ ' r' I 0 ' ,
ual I ' .. ... 0]>(; 0 all" t'IC etahedron. made Lip of eIght
-SIC cd lnallgk:s "-\"'-\' \'k 1 \' I '\' \ \
I ' , "'" I C t. lose 0 t lC ctra ICC ron of fire and
cosahedron of \ "" . 0 - " \ '
\, el,.11 e mac c u\> of the hall' mangles or the one
,square-r f I '
'\ oot.-o -t )r"cc triadic panicles, but lhis lime in a sel offort)'-
,W1ereas the I '1 I
Y
I CO:S,I lCC ron uses one hundred and lwenty. Needless
,t\clcosahcd
o
\\1 '
th. 0 rOll COli C 1:\ve becn madc up of rort)' such particles
C ctahedlon ()r,' ,[.. 1'1 ' ,
IX cell. 1(; rcason ror the chOIce 111 both cases.
162 1 T I I ~. PLATONIC TKAl>ITION
I \
-* }- , I '
IhOllgh the Cube can be madc lip oftwclve such panicles, Plat.o chooses
t.wenty-four, \\'hich gi\"cs t.he symmet.ry lines of t.he figure.
Next, t.he TCll,thedron, wit.h thl-ee sloping faces on a t.riangular base,
is allocated fire or Iighl. This figure is tJle minimal expression of the
third dimension, which is t.he dimension necessal)' far samclhing to be
in our world. according to Plato, and therefore "f i rst,~ in the same sense
that light is ~first~ in the emergence of "our~ world, This radiant or light
source for Ollr world is, in fact. as orthodox today in so-called astrophys_
ics iL<i it is in BibliGtl exegesis.
The Tetrahedron is made up af four equal-sided triangles, )'et Plato
has asked liS to accept the half equal-sided triangle as lhe most beauliful
and significant triad in tJle make-up of elementary particles. The reason
can only be that tJ\is triangle gi\es us a.nother fundamental geomelric
transcendent.-.I proportion, and in so doing draws atlention to the in-
herent sqllare-root-of-three constnlction of both the equilateral triangle
and the Tetrnhedron itself.
however, is consiSLCIlt: to gh'e the full rowtional lines of symmetl)' On
each figure's triangular faces.
A significant proportional relationship emerges once again in the re-
lationship between the Cube and the Icosahedron, through the
transcendental square root of three, which was the significant dimen
sion in the elementary particle or triad of fire, In this instance, the edge
of the contained Cube is the square root of three long in proportion to
the vertical height of the face of the containing Icosa.hedron. tllllS dem-
onstrating in another way the part-whole nallire of these proportionals.
Finally, the Octahedron of air, which surrounds the Icosahedron of
water. is in lllnl contained by the all-ell\'eloping Tetrahedron of fire or
liglll, and therefore needs to relate geometrically to both.
16<1 I Till; 1'LATONIC TRAOITION
if the Octahedron of air is related to the contained Icosahedron
No'.... 1 . d I . 1 d 1 G
. 'such a wa}' t lal liS I:: ges arc ( lVIC e III t lC olden Mean I)ro--
fwa
terll
,
o . (PIli or the square root or five plus one o"er [wo) by the nodes
po
ru
on
"
, IS of the Icosahedron. It can also precisely relate to the contain-
or pam _, .
. T Ilfdron of fire or hglll b)' touchlllg exactly halfway along the
II1g e '
edges of the Tctrahedron,
That is, tlle nodes or points OftllC Octahedron of air lie exactl)' in the
centers of the edges of the Tetrahedron of fire or light, setting up a
-.uare-root-of-two proportion between the edge of the Octahedron and
balfthe edge of the Tctmhedron-thereby relating all the four e1emen-
III geometrical proponionals from Cube to Tetrahedron.
Water (IcoSo:'l.hcdmn) relates to earth (Cube) by the transcendental
..narc root of tlll'ee. Air (Octahedron) relates lO water (Icosahedron)
by the Golden ~I ean proportion, the transcendental Phi or the square
root of five 1)1. '
air ( us one O\er 1\\'0. Above tll1S, fire (Telrahedron) relales to
1- Octahedron) by the transcendental square root of two,
lere we h'\vl:: de 1 I .
'lib Ii ' 1ll0nSlI<Hec a\ t le IllOSt essenllal and equivoeallevel
e undament'IlI' . '( I
til th < loporuona s I, 1e square root of lWO the square root
ree, and Phi Of ,I'c .. I " '
'Plat squ.llc roOl 0 lve pIllS one over two) which
o shows hold 10 r ,I , .. d "rr,' . ,
t)ftt ge lCI ,Ill (llJ(.:rClltlalC the baSIS of our expenence
le World the co' ' , I 1
Iboliid srnlC slructurc, tllS 10Iy shrmc we inhabit. Thus it
Corne as no s . ,'. ..". 1
)lrcScnl' . llIpllSe to rlllC Just t lese exact proportionals
III thc ncr' I 1 ,..
4tt'u
C
tur ., cc anc trac ltlonal Temple, Mosque and Catlledral
es throughom I' I ".. ,
po ' .uman lIstory, or It IS precIsely through these
rtlonats tl1"lt tl S d I
'nes I 'lC acre ~ui l di ngs, as lhc cosmos, could become
, ,lle sallie p'o '0 .,. .. 1 ...
"La tJ I I 1011.1 S malnlOlllllllg the gre;:lter COSIllOS as
In le '.
IlllCI OCOsmoses of our bodies,
Kt!i/h Critchlow I 165
Embrace the Way [Tao] and Lhe Way
will welcome rou,
Embrace abandonment of the Way
and abandonmel1\ will welcome you.
Happily or sadly, one has only oneself to answer to or blame when it
comes to the choice.
Each essential human need has its sacred origin and is sacred for all
tradition-based societies, whatever part of the world they lllay reside in.
Architecture, agriculture, mid-wifery, healing and the rest of the essen-
tialliving crafts arc skills tr.msmilled throughout all cultures and times
in their vadous ways.
The Sacred in Architecture has common ground with health and cos-
molob'Y, since the inner essence of con'eeL and appropriate form in
Architecture is based on a resonance of harmon>, and health. Total
healthiness comes from wholeness, which is holiness. This resonance
enables a consonance to sound li'om microcosm through mesocosm to
macrocosm, and is the root and secret to finding unity and the unified
experience.
No beller example of this understanding can be found than the
Shinto shrine of Ise in Japan, where twO sites stand side by side. Every
twenty years the same form is rebuilt on the aqjacent sile, and the
decayed temple is wken apart to al\'ait its turn, in twenty rears time, to
hold the form again. The foml is eternal; the temples rise and fall.
The relative only has meaning and becomes measul-dble against an
absolute background. Therefore, it is always a measure of change. That
which does nOl change is not of the sensible order and is called a prin-
ciple. Principles and the domain of natural law Plato called the
intelligibles. In the present context then, we must say that the profane
is concerned only with appearances and not essence, and at worst sets
out, as profanation, to obscure the hidden essence of things. The
Sacred, on the other hand, as complementary to the profane, embraces
both relative (as expression) and absolute (as pure principle), and sets
out to reveal the absolute within the relative and transitory.
The profane is provisional in time and exhaustible. The Sacred is
providential, inexhaustible and eternal. Therefore, the profane mental-
ity is bound to be outside the sanctuary, outside the temple, outside
temPlIOS, for it is by definition concerned only with passing time, not with
the essence of time. What this means in terms of individual responsibil-
ity was put most directly by Lao Tsu:
Keilh Critchlow I 171
The nmlerial world is subject most dramatically and universally to the
I
g"wit}'-in human experience that which "pulls down" to eanh.
I"ws 0'. .. . .
Ie n:l\lll1 of life, howevcr, IS dOOlmatcd by {rolf)', a word mealllng
: 1 lift" tbat has significantly fallen out of lise in the English language
~p .,he Industrial Remlution. If the material world is essentially about
s\llC( .
~ ulling down" (entropy?), then the human world, partlcularly as
~ldcrsL Ood in the inspiring philosophy and ideals of a sacrad tradition.
~s es~enti al l ) about ~l i f ti ng up." As all life draws up to the light, so is the
hun
wn
psyche attracted to the elevating principles which act as constant
regenerators to the fonns and beings of our world.
ArchiteClure. as sacred expression, is concerned with thc power of
levity ill Lhe physical, ernotional, intellectual, inspirational and ontolog-
ical realms. always dedicated to raising experience to a more inclusive
and comprehensive unity and integrity. Therefore, it is not without rel-
evance that the vertical dimension is so often the dominant one in so
much of sacred architecture.
There arc archiLectural principles that transcend different cultural
expressions. These are based on elemental and primordial factors and
demonstrate how SLructure on the physical level is integral with struc-
ttlre on the metaphysical le\rel. They arc analogous to the universal
anatornical and physiological laws, transcending culture or race, that
rule our human bodies: the blood groups, for instance, are a most insis-
temsymbol of human unity on a physical level despite all the differences
ofskllll shape, skin color or hair texture. We must not lose sight, how-
ever, 01' the fact that the Anthropos is the collective archetype for the
whole human family-without which to be human has no meaning.
The ll1etaphysicallaws that are ofa llniversallanguage and are the fab-
ric of all sacred traditions in Architecture are Number. Geomeu)',
HannollY or Music, and Astronomy/Astrolob'Y (Cosmology). This quad-
rivium of sacred sciences is taken as evidence of the universal intellect in
and with which human intellect participates to a greater or lesser degree.
T I ~es~ sacred sciences have been the vehicle through which the esoteric
pnnclples of each society were transmitted.
In fact, it is difficult to know how and on what basis one may call a
s~ci ct) ~ci vi l i zcd" in an>, intrinsic sense (beyond the civic agglomera-
llons that pass as cities in contemporary industrial society) ifit does not
havethccol'c I I I .. . I .
, Slve metap 1yS\Ca ane regeneralive pnnClp es as an aClive
and vital ingredicIll.. Only from this integral viewpoint can traditional
<ll'chitcClu, b d d B I . .
C c un crstoo. y t 1e same yarc!stlck we can \'Iew the
lTlalaise anc! po\"eny 01" OLir own time with its ~lillle b~xcs" in Lhe inLer-
national style.
WHAT IS SACRED IN i\RCHITECTURE? 170
That our own times are predominamly profane or "outside" is evi-
denced in our current stockpiling of weapons, the destnlcti\'e power of
which is closely linked to the violations of the green world and the nat-
lIral order, as demonstrated by thc statistics on extinctions ofspecies. All
are indications of diabolic activity, increasing the clllropic potential,
accelerating the winding-down of form-feeding gravity and the grave.
(Diabolic here mcans litcrall)' k to Lhrow apart"; symbolic. k tO thro.....
togeLher. ")
Whereas, \\'hen the Sacred predominates. "The war horses are put
out to grass," as La.o Tsu says. Peace and disarmament are !.he objectives,
not Mdefense.
M
The relationships between peoples arc increased in har-
mony and understanding. This in turn raises up and gi"es birth to
expression in thc arts in the fornl of inspir.ltion and beauty. Great feats
of architecture rise up, symbols of edification built as much b)' the need
of tJ1e people to express their elevated feelings as by any economic or
political pressure.
The write' knows of no Scriptures that advocate war as a way to inte-
grality-and if one wants to know of the most elevating, inspired and
"energetic
k
re\'elations tJlat have been expressed thl"Ough tJ1C human
vehicle, it is to tJ1e Scriptures of the world that one has to turn. They
have generated the real energies. the coheremlife-giving energies tJ1at
ha\'e mo\'ed millions of people through thousands of years and have left
legacies of elcv..Hive energy in the form of the great sages, sagas, music,
paintings, objects and architecture, and nOt less the profoundly healthy
agricultural and medical systems based on Co-oper.ltion and husbandry.
lfwe choose to abandon tJlese eternal energies as eternal resources and
to destroy life on cartJ1 in the greed for finite resources, then we ha\'e
only our own ignorance to blame.
Howcvcr, the evidencc is sufficielllthatthere is an irreversiblc move-
ment afoot, especially alllong the young, who are determined that life
will sun~ve and that essentiaJs will bccome more impona.lll tJlan luxu-
ries. Our hosts to the conference at Green Gulch demonstr<lted this
beautifully. Anything less than one's Buddha nature is anything less.
Anything less than the wholc is anything less.
172 WI-IAT IS SACRED IN ARClllTECTURE?
5 Twelve Criteria for
Sacred Architecture
Keith Critchlow
T,E FOLLOWING ARE A SELEGTlON Of CRITERIA wh;ch ei-
ther may he presumed to have existed for the designer/builder of the
sacred architCClllral traditions of the past or may be brought to bear on
an)' saucd building as an aid in unra\'eling its mystery and design. Fur-
ther, tJ1e} rna)' be taken as guidelines b)' which to test a projected design
for a fUlure saued building, and therefore were the concern of the de-
sign team for tJle Lindisfarne Grail during the cvolution of form as it
developed in 1979 and 1980.
I.
As a Mesocosm
The wlw{I' worM is III, oulwfml Jorm oj l/11iversal reasol1.
We t;lkc it as a first principle thal wc not only livc in a COSIllOS but ale
ourselves a tOt I . n . f
n
. a Ie eCUon a thiS cosmos. After we acknowledge this re-
ectl\'e pd I . I I .
. I elp e, t 1e next step IS to see the necessity of fabricating or
expressing a I b
I < means w lerc y we can appreciate the unity ben....een our-
se Yes and lhe whole I lb II
il . ,,\Il{ tJere y potenua y become whole ourselves.
lis Introduces tl .. . I f I
.. 1C pllllClp e 0 t 1e Mesocoslll, the TClllenos or sacred
space lJ1ln who I '
as IC 1 \\C enter to contemplate thc unit)' between oursch'es
creatllJ cs a d tJ 0 .
n 1C ne we concel\"c as Creator. This sacrcd space,
In,
1.1 alll! 110( foil .
Irolll,_ E.ll WI "'''ll1g clllgraphs ;'1'1' lakcn fro", RUlli;' "1"'" M4.f1Un'., in Tmrhmg> fJj H"""
- lI11fidd (NC\\-York: E.I'. DUlIon & Co. Inc., 1975).
Kl!itlt CriultlQlu I I 73
2.
As an Al1lhropocosm
I" outw(lrdJo""" lllOU (jrt the microcosm,
Bul in reality Ille macrocosm.
Se;:millgl), the hOI/gil is till' calis/, ojtill'Jruit,
Bul really Ihe bough exists because ofthefnlit.
which reprcsenls thc paradigm of all time and all spacc, is the Temple.
NaUlr<1l1y it is called by the name appropriate to each genuine revela-
tion, be it Shrine, Temple, Synagogue, Cathedral, or Mosque, yet each
expression is intrinsically dedicated to the act of comcmplation of ulti-
male realit),. 111is defining of the Temenos or So."\cred precinct is in itself
subject to unh'crsallaws and is therefore also a rencction of !.he cosmos.
Thus we call it a Mcsocosm, the link between thc macro- and microcos-
mos. The Mesocosm is an instrument b)' which the part can appreciate
the whole and thus appreciatc the wholeness of ilsclf.
175 Kdth Critchlow
BUI within Ihl! ouhiltlYd SDUl! is an blntT sterrt onl!.
&nMII'/h(l1 sn:rd mMning is a third,
IWIl'Tl'allhe highnl lUit is durnbfoundm.
TIll! fourth mMning has b11 m:rl by II0lU
SmJ#! God, Ihl! IncomfJllrahll! and A l I SI l J /i c~I I I .
Thus IJlry go on, l!W1I 10 Sl!IJell mMni"!:3, Olll! by onl!.
In the sacred space we find not only the three ideals cogoveming
each part and th~ \... hole .of the d~si gn of.tJ1C building, but also each ex-
ress
cd
as a spatial quahty. and III certam cases becoming part of the
~uenti al experience of consecu~,re spaces in the building itself. The
Temple is lOll!' body as your body IS tJle Tcmple.
Thus. the concept of tJle Anthropocosm expresses the appreciation
of the c~enti al human condition as archclype and as the expression of
the principle OftJ1C ~ I csocosm in re,erse. Thatlhe Uni"erse is also a liv-
ing being \dth soul and spirit is a traditional doctrine expressed more
or less in all re\c1ations. but a misunderstanding of tJlis principle in re-
cent centuries has led to quite unwarranted criticism of the
anthropomorphizing of the Creator. Limitmion to thc purel)' literal in-
terpretation of the traditional doclrines is virtually guaranteed to
debase their meaning. William Blake stated, after Dante and Swcden-
borg before him, that all scriptures have at least a fourfold meaning.
The literal Ic\'el is not incorrect, but is inadequate and misleading if
laken as lhe solc meaning.
3.
As the Intervals between One and Two
F ~ndal l l el Hal l } , this is a musical analog)' that expresses the idea of the
r~l al J on bet\\'cen unit), and diversity. Music teaches us that tJ,ere arc ba-
SIC ~ti os or intervals defining the principle of the octave within sound.
A Single notc and ils recurrence eitJ1el' above or below in the sliding
SCale of Sound subject the human ear to an inherent sense of the right-
ness of " 1 .
Clg 1Ilnlcrvals_the octave.
These notes, 01' lhe imervals between the notes, rcprcsenta universal
law of eightllc . 1 I 1 1 . .
F SS--ol t 1C pro oune re allon belwccn seven and clght
ro?, this law of the octave arc developed lhe thincell notes of tJle cllr;
nlallC sCiI ' 1 I
c, or t le I"e allon bct\\'een twelve and thirteen.
I ~he proponional illlcrvais of sound, which we call tuning, arc ana-
oglcall}, rei I d 1 1 tl
a e to >Dt 1 1e sevenfold and the twelvefold progressions
TWELVE CIUTERIA FOR SACRED ARCIlITECTURE
The Allthropocosm is onc of the most helpful conccpls to aid our un-
derstanding as to the disposition of pans in a sacrcd space which is
integrated through proportion.
Ln brief, the head, hean. guls, and limbs division of our bodies is fun-
damental. The limbs are for motility, poise, and communicative work or
mm'ement in the world. The head, heart, and guls aspects are symbolic
as well as physiological, the symbolism being triadic and illlcrdepen-
dent. Thinking, feeling, and willing are one such s}'mbolic Lriad, based
on the body ca ~ti cs. Faces, values, and execution are another level of ex-
pression, while science, art, and technology arc another. AU are
cxpressions of the fundamental triad of the ideals toward which those
three aspects of our being arc directed and upon which their most es--
semial appetites are based. The mind is drawn quite naturally to the
ideal of Tmth; the heart or our values, is quite naturally drawn (Q the
ideal of Beauty; the guts or will is quite naturally drawn to the ideal of
thc Good. Each affinity in lUrn gives rise to one of the tdads of the con-
scious modes of approaching reality: skeptically as ill the scientific
mode, mystically as in the al"tistic mode, and dogmatically as in the
moral or active mode. These arc not restriCled to the empirical nor 10
the ideal, but relate to thc scale between the two and include both. Med-
itation is the craft of the soul, the craft being the cOlllcmplati"e
refinement of right action.
174
The hl/oll'/et/I? oj 111111/ oj!learl bears I I I ~m 111',
Til,. hllowln/gt oj 1111111 ojbody weigkf them (IOWII,
12.
As that Wholeness Embodying
the Highest Knowledge Available to be
Carried within the Form for Future Generations
Asacred edifice in the highest or fullest sense is a cl)'stallization of the
principles of the civilization that it expresses, This means tllat lhe frozen
melodies are available, so to speak, to the conscious awarcness of allY re-
ceptive experiencer. regardless of time. The expericncer becomes the
musician who is able to release or appreciate the meaning within the sa-
cred building. In this way it is as true to say that a magnificent cathedral
is built as much for the single indiddual's enlightenment as it is for the
K ~i f " CrilcMoTll I 183
. )criel1
CC
ofa collectivity. [t also follO\vs that the wholeness of the edi-
eXI " . d]] d b .
fice or its decay, mUll aUOll, or rCino e I n~ III lime las, a I re~t ea~l I ~g
]
.. fullness or lack thereof of the expenence of the lndweiling 'plnt.
011 t 10._ "
Yet it is also true that even a fractional pan can release ule significance
f 1I1e ,,'hole 10 the timel)' meeting of a receptive soul. Essential knowl-
odg
e
in the sense intended here signifies an understanding of what it
:neans 10 be rully human: that is, from a theological or \\holeness pcr-
speeti\e, a cosmological perspective. and an anthropological perspec-
tive. Each [e;lds to an integral state of being as well as an outwtu'd har-
monic expression, This essential knowledge simultaneously anS\\'ers the
three Ill.yor challenges: How did things arise? What is their nature? Ho\\'
will the\' resolve? The answers lie not in particular details but in laws that
go\'cm particulars, intangible laws umt become clad in more or less c1ar-
it)' \\;th the particulars of the age. Such answers specifically unite ule
outer \dth lhe inner, which is the k.e)' to the integral state of harmony.
Flnall", the definition ofa profane space is one that is seen as a falling
short of this ultimate kno\\'lcdge of expression: eiuler a willing or igno-
rant dell\;ng of lhe principle of wholeness and thus of the realization of
the stale ofintegr.tlity. Il is not necessarily in opposition to sacred space,
but rather a partial state and -false ceiling" to the wholeness of things.
From the perspective of wholeness all space is sacred: it is up to
each of us whether or not this is realized. This is the real meaning of
mpo"uo-ability,
TW~:L V E <.:RITERI,\ FOR SACRED ARCHITECTURE
thinking and aClion: ent!lm;melll, atonement, light action, and so on, It
is also based on the perennial wisdom of the sagcs who sct out rules for
conduci that release the spirit r.lther than imprison, thai reduce the num-
bers of laws of cause and effect r.llher than increase them. Canonic law is
tradilionally based on objective laws of harmony, cosmoIOb,,}', number,
and geometl)' which act as a framework for the multitudinous melo-
dies of indi\'iduality to disco\'er the common scales 011 which all melodies
arc b.'lSCd. All of the senses by which we must expelience the ph)'sical
\\'orld have canonic prcscliptions which aid the transmutation ofimprcs-
sions into perception, perception into knowledge. and knowledge into
wisdom.
It is also an axiolll of the oral tradition that each realization of the
uni\'el'S.:'1llaws requires a unique channel, since realization is based on
the co-necessity of the unique and the unwed, the part and the whole.
C'1nonic prescription links ule knower to the known, the participant in
kno\\'ledge to ule principle of knoh'ledge.
The ancient wisdom would posit that a knoh'ledge of canonic laws is
not necessary to an existence but that an access to the significance of ex-
istence would require an understanding of canonic law. The true
meaning of tradition lies in ulis knowledge-tradition here meaning
tlmt core of tnlth that is "pulled through~ Ule multifarious outpourings
ofhist0l)', that which makes the permanent knowable in the midst of the
changing.
182
singuladty is 1101 made up of any componenl parts. This or course in
materialistic thouglH became the theoretical physical atom. And in this
sense the ultimate unit is really an allcmpt to lind the limilofmaterial
divisibility. But in the Platonic or PytJlagorean mind, 1'01' which number
logistics, we recall, were based on harmonic motion, the unit was first
or all Ideal. Then, coming to the level or the particular, tJle unit finds
its expression not as a particle, but "llher <IS a w'avelet. Thus limit
becomes a perceptional limit of vibrational experience, not a material
one, and limit is reached through consciously heightened pel'ception
rather than ulrough the analysis ofmaller.
HOIvever, the atom as a discrete, ultimate unit, although surpassed by
Panicle Physics, has been a magnetic and enduring concept, and we
find reiterations of it in many basic symbolic procedures. The idea of the
atom, combined WiUl the idea or matching or counting, is the dominalll
organizational principle behind the standardization of phonetic lan-
guages. By this I mean that phonetic languages take what is seen to be
an inclusive set or the most rudimentary sounds (atoms), and then
match these sounds with a set of equally rudimentary symbols-one par-
ticular sound matched with one particular symbol. This is basically an
atomistic concept of counting where a one-to-one equational sense or
relationship is the basis of organization, JUSt as one musical tone is
matched with one notational symbol, or onc tick of the clock with one
second or Lime. This form of relationship can also be extended to
become "anatomical" thinking, in which any system is comprehended
by the association or identification of one component, a cell or organ,
ror example, with one physiological process or function. In reccnt times
the usefulness of anatomical thinking has fallen short in many instances,
but particularly as a means or describing the human brain. It has been
shown that higher brain functions, such as memOI1' and other forms of
intelligence, are not housed 01" located in any particular section or com-
ponent of the brain. The failure to understand the brain as anaLOmy has
given rise to an interesting new model ror the mind/brain complcx,
based on holographic encoding patterns.
The purpose here is not to discredit onc-to-one anatomical equati on~
alism, for certainly our science has applied it sllccessfully in describing
many levels of organization. BUl the problem is that atomism and ana-
tomical thought as tJle basis of our processes of symbolism have had
cxtended implications in our science which are just recently being
understood.
Atomism as it. presently exists in our number systcm means that we
obtain wholes by linearly adding together discrete units, such as 1+1 +1.
In s)'stem;l1izing number in this way we lorget that number continuity
rc:tll)' ani)' pro?resse~ through a IV.ave-like alte~nat.ion (odd-even), th~t
lhere arc no dl scontl .nuou~ I l l agl l l ~udes nor dtscrete par~, ~hat a unn
Cflil nevcr exist outside of a contiguous form/flow. ThiS IS why the
Gret::k 1I'0rd orithmos denotes the delinite and discrete, but also means
rhythm and unbroken interrelatedness. To conceive of any unit in Pla-
tonic thought is to cvoke its Ideal archetype, the monad, and is nc\'cr
'
nders1ood as a simple, empil"ical faCl. Whenever the spell of one-to-
,
one "analOiJ1ical" thinking is broken then wider intuitions open out,
as in the case of Einstein's use of the continuous cUlvature from
Reimann's geomel.J1', 01" the flow cusp patterns of Proressor Thom's
c;ltilstrophe theory.
In contrast to audio-phonetic "anatomical" language organization
we have hieroglyphic languages, where the meaning is associated with
a visually rendered suucture. In the existing modern rorms or Chinese
ideograms the sound aspect is relatively arbitral1" Hieroglyphic lan-
guages in general arc not organized on a one-to-one equational basis to
the extent that modern phonetic languages are. Each ideogram repre~
sents a clustered cominuum or concepts, modulated according to the
context or level of contemplation. Originally phonetic languages were
more like aural hieroglyphs, and not so dependent upon a one-to-one
equation bctween sound and symbol or word and idea. They made use
instead of clusterings of acoust.ical analogues. But in all cases these two
m<tior bnguage types place a distinct emphasis on either tJle \'isual or
the aural perception. In ancient Egypt both a hieroglyphiC (visual) and
a hieratic (aural) syslem were co-maintained, perhaps to avoid lhe
dichotomy of sight and hearing. This seems consistent with our conlem-
pOfil1y aWOlrencss that sight and sound, like time and space, arc only
superficially separate. An organism can sense and respond LO sound
and light through means olher than the eye and ear. These phenom-
ena. called non-visual light perception and non-aural sound
~ercepti on, indicate that the whole body may be an' instrument rorsee-
Ing and hearing. The recent science of ultrasonics has vel"ified what
meditating sages intuited long ago: where there is light there is at the
Salllc time sound, and reciprocally. The language of chanting, found in
s~ many ancient cultures, integrated hearing and vision: never a sound
Wlthoul a visualization, never a vision without a sound vibration. In
learning to listen we project what we have heard or the ulliversal vibra-
ton., .
-, continuum and It becomes what we see or ourselves (our
expe~i ence). Tile clarilicOltion of this process is vision and it requires a
multI-sensorial language as support.
192 PYTHAGOREAN NUMIl!::R Robert LawlQr 193
onlyabstr<tctions. But thcy had no existcnce apan from the forms which
they generated. Form \Vas understood as the realization of these
involvcd principles of relationship. These primary irrational ratios
cmbedded in the strUCllll'e of the Ideal Volumes, I: "2, I: ..J3 and I: "5,
are immutable and irreducible in the hiemrchy of fonnal proportions,
and are thcrefore considered to have the imprint of the Divine Unity Or
monad. I-Icncc thcy arc his primary creative powers (the Nt!lersor Gods).
Thesc ratios, in thc continuum of proportionalunfoldmclll, are neces-
sary and prior to all numbered (countable) relationships, sllch as 1:2,
1:3, 1:5 or thcir penmuations, beginning with 2:3, 3:4, 3:5, which in
p)thagorean thought comprise the world of audible music and visible
fOlm, the secondary Icvel of creativc exccutors.
-nlere is then a hanllony of Sound and Fonn perceptiblc to the
senses, as well as a hannony of both on the pure. noetic or hypersens"
rial level apprehended through ideal number and geomctry. Music is
the dream of a u-ansfonning bod)'.
TIle form-generating relationships were considered to be active po\\'
ers of creation,just as we have discovered, for example, that the square,
the inverse square, and the square and cubic roots are functions in the
laws oflight, sound and gravit}" or that the double square is the ordering
principle in the periodic Table of Elements, or that the square root of2
function is necessary in compression ratios in variOliS mechanical meth
ods of power generation, or that iL is only neCeSS,H}' to multiply the
speed of a spacecraft by tlle square root of 2 in order to lift it out of a
confined orbit and free it from tlle pull of gr.wity....
All of existence is a form-process: pre--fonning, in-forming, per-fonn-
ing, defonning, re--fonlling, trans-forming, re-prefOlming, a scvenfold
cyclic form/process which houses the cntirety of being. But to under
st,md more deeply the Pythagorean concept of foml we must cultivate
further their posLUl.-lle of an identity between foml and color. As is often
the casc, modern science is useful in opening up the essence of
Pythagorean reasoning. To the Pythagorean the visible order of visible
thinb'S is of the same organization as is found in any of Ihe invisible
realms of subslance or mind. The basic quality ofsubslilnce is order, and
everything Ihat participates or resonates in this quality of order is sub-
stance. Therefore to the Pythagoreans, thought and evell feeling is vcr)'
relined substance, that is to say, an orbT,mized and envisionable quality
of vibration. For this Aristotle condemned the old teachers as being
"sense-bound physiologists"! But our senses inform us only ofspectnuns
and oClaves, these scales of differences which are basic to all distin
guishment. In contClllporiu)' science we find the atom is modeled as a
-
200 1 ,~rllt\GOREt\N NUMBER
" - - - -----------------~
{'(ln
un
or octa.ve of seven shells or thresholds of cncrgy, similar to the
sp er("'" \"Miations in lhe seven-fold spectrulll of natural light. Light is
ell b;
fOUlld as geometrized electromagnetism (atomic substance: the lim-
ited) or as emissions radiating between Slates of substance as wavc
freqLlencies (the unlimited). Substance is the morphological possibili-
tieS of light. Ph)'sical color is the result of the interaction of elecu'"
magnetic wa\'e frequencies (radiation) with atoms and molecules orga-
nized into hientrchical wave structures, with each level having a
di:,>crcte energ)' quanllll1l. Physical chemistl)' is thus a morphological
stud\ of electromagnetic beha\'ior within tlte inner geometry of a par-
ticular molecular field. The individualities of these geometries express
themselves as color. These views make up part of the quantum mechan-
ied philosophy of matter and they help pro\~de an explanation for the
p"thagorean identification of fonn and color.
Light and other forms of radiation can only be absorbed if they carry
precisel}' the right amount of energy to promote an atom from one
rung to a higher rung. As the atom falls back 1.0 its fundamental state
the absorbed radiation must be remo\'ed, carrying awa)' the difference
between the twO leyels. ntis relcased energy appears as a photon or a
quantum of light ha\;ng a panicular w3.\'e-Iength detennined by the
energy difference in the rise and fall within the Structure of the atom.
This entire interaction of a substance-fonn with a radiating field is
color, and it brivcs infonllal.ion about the relationship of a substance-
geomeLJ)' to a radiating field of energ}'. Color. then, spcaks of an amn
it)' of foml and ficld. It should be noted that these inst.antaneous
fluctuations in energy Icvel arc concurrent with alternating changes in
the geometl)' of atomic structure, and thal this endless color/form
acti\;ty is not arbitr<lr}' but occurs according t.o a very precise rhythmiC
scale. Evel)' atom possesses a preset harmonic energy scale, "a musical
organi ~ l l .i on~: an in-formed vibratol)' gradation, which gives birth to
the lhousands of color variations disccmible 10 the human eye. (Cf. Sci-
e1IliJir ,lll/t>riran, Oct. 1980.) Color is not. as Aristotle thought, a separate
quality carried by or painlcd on an object. II is rat.her a message ofintcr-
rel ~ti onshi p/process. Color images the chcmistry of this flame of
~1l 1\"ersal life which we call subslance. Color is substance transforming
Itself. We have been assured by pract.itioners of advanced medilation
that these modds (or similar ones) of submicroscopic organization-
a~tal > ti cal l y revealed in our physics-are accessible in deep meditative
VIsualization.
The end of the lasl century saw the Pylhagorean concept of form/
color intUitively expressed in tlH: beauty of Impressionistic painting. Al
[{abut Lawlor I 20 I
ifll /)
.,.e .. " ,. . ".,""Il:lI1d l~mdfordTQ""
I, 11"1ll)' 1>, Th"r",lU, '11"Juuml,L' 0 ""'}' , norm". "",. "mel'
rer (I\.o!i'()ll; 1101l1;1110n Mifllin Co.. 19(6). Vol. tit, pp. 1,,5-56.
to advance. Evell during the steady expansion of science in the eigh.
teenth and nineteenth centuries, we may hear dissenting \'oices which
speak to us of the losses incurred through the assumption of a naiTOW,
mechanistic science. We think immediately of Blake or Keats, the
romantic poets of I ~ri tai n and Gennany. Even in the provinces of tran-
scendent<llist New England, echoes of the same sentiments arise.
L."ullenung the prevailing science as myopic and impoverished, Tho-
reau would make the following cnu)' for Christmas 1851 in his journal.
ArthurC. ZojOtU; I 215
Thc World must be romanticized. In this way one rediscovcrs the orib
rl
-
nat rne'uli, I' .. '. .
, I g, \.omanllclzll1g IS nOlhlllg other than a qualitati\'c
pOtentization. III lllis operation the lower self becomes identified with
a. bC~I ( r seH~j\lst as \\'c ourselves arc a series of such qualitative potell-
t'.:at'ons TI, ., '11 . I k
' 1.. 0pCl'atlon 's Stl enure y un nowll. B)' giving the
common_place a high meaning, the familiar a seCl'ct ;lSpcct, the finite
the apl >e ~ . r I . t I I I ..
, ,u "nce 0 t 1e ,n illite; t lUS (0 ,'omantICI1.e it. -The opera.
t.JOn is just the opposite for the high, the unknown, the mystical, lJle
hermetic. It is. I think, something of this that has brought this confer-
(']1ce together around the person of Pythagoras. We look back to his
corlllnUnilY in Croton and recognize clements which seem extremely
modern: mathematics and acoustical studies for example. Yet lhe ritual
and form of daily life appear rooted in a deep and ancient tradition,
The tension between scientific investigation and a religious life which
cre:ltes so much discord in our age seems to ha\'e produced harmony
for the Pythagoreans.
In his opening address Christopher Bamford suggested that after
f'\ thagoras something very precious did fall away from Western con-
sciousness. In mythopoeic tenns il might be called the loss ofOrphism.
Bv this I understand a final loss of our one-time native. unconscious par-
ticipation in the phenomenal world. called by O\\'en Barfield "original
parti ci pati on.~ In this ancient mode of consciousness the subject/object
split of Cartesian dualism is nonexistent. The sOlll-spiritual content of
the world is experienced in unity with the phenomena it presents out.
wardly. It was a slow fall from grace, one which the m}'Steries and the
communit)' of Pythagoreans doubtless knew and attempted to forestall.
yet it does seem. as Chlis suggested. that \v1th the fall of the community
at Croton and the subsequent development of Westem thought, h'C wit.
ness a pmfoundly symbolic change not only in world \iew but in the
mode of knowing practiced by the intellectual West. I cannot accept that
this lransformation was an unnecessary aberralon or tragic deviation in
human evolution. It mayJUSt as well ha\'e been the "discovery of mind"
which, while promoting an individualized humankind. may lead to a
ge~ui ne human freedom. Yet it does seem abundantly clear that inclivid.
uallon can and mUSl lead to anarchy unless a ne\\' hannony is
established between the sacred and the pmfane. 'We must not imagine
thc reconciliation as thc triumph of a divine k.nowledge over a worldly
on~ but rather as Novalis saw it, as a reciprocal raising and lowering in
which the divine takes on the countenance of the mundane and the
World becomcs the visage of God.
TilE TWO L1CIITS 214
I, slanding twelll}' miles ofT, see a crimson cloud in the horizon. You tell
me it is a mass of \'apor which absorbs all other "'}'S and renects the red,
but that is nothing to the purpose. for this red vision excites me, stirs
my blood. makc..'S my thoughts now. and I ha\'e ne\\, and indescribable
fancies, and }'ou ha\'e not touched lhe secret of that innuence. If there
is not sollleuling lll}'Stical in ),our explanation. something unexplain-
able to the understanding, some clements of m}'Stel)'. it is quite
insufficient. If there is nothing in it which speaks to m), imagination,
what boots it? What sort of science is that which enriches the under-
standing, but robs the imagination? . , If we knew all things thus
mechanicall)' merd}'. should \'t'e know an),thing reall}'?l
Thoreau gives voice to one of the great tensions that nOt only ani-
mated the romantic poet but which also has stimulated contrO\'ersy and
provoked persecution in nearly each centul)' since at least the time of
Plato. We are reminded of Plato's suggested sentence for atheistic ater
mists. five years in solital)' confinement and. if unreformed, execution.
The L."\bles have slowly turned so that now the sincerely held convictions
that the cosmos is spiritually based and that our human species shares
in the divine, these carl1' with them the sentence of intellectual isola-
tion, Between ollr time and Plato's we encounter struggles similarly
driven in the antngonistll between the Cambridge !llatonists and the ris-
ing materialism of Locke, Descanes and Hobbes, or again in the attempl
to reconcile Christian or Islamic doctrine with Greek philo-sophy dur~
ing the Middle Ages, Often it is the fight between the reactional)' and
avant-garde ofsocicly, Yet. occasionally a pel"iod or individual, while fully
dedicated to advllncing a new world vie\\', becomes poignant.ly aW(lre of
a spiritual. moral or illlcliectualloss. Then lhere arise great. and noble
attempts at rcconciliat.ion and symhesis rather than refonnation or
retlll'll to a "purer." ancient state closer to God, \\'hether biblical or
infinite-it becomes "l ogari thmi ti zed~ through this process. -It n:-
cci\'es a familiar countenance, rom<lnlic philosophy. Lingua roll/rllla.
Reciprocal exaltation and descenc\!
:.!. Friedrich VOII IlardclIlH:rg. NQIll.11$ &hrifl~", ed. r. Kluckhohn and R. Smllud (SlllUgltrt:
K"hlh:unnlcr Verl;lg), Vol. n. p. 545. (Tr:mslatcd by A; Z~onc.). ., .' " 7'1u
3. &e esped:llly Slet1ler's IL'<:ture cvde Grroum drr t.1I/11",*nl1lllJ,. English mmslauol .
llot/m/my, of NId,lral Srinu~ (Spring Valley New York: AnthroposophlC PreM. 1983).
Of Crafl.SlllCn and PrieslS
,lrlhllr G. ZajOTIC I 217
As a fl-amework a11O\" me to adopt a tcrminology which has arisen in
tlJ i~ conference. In characterizing the split or epislemological gap, as
C hri ~ Bamford clled it, which occurred aftcr Pyl.hagoras,Joscelyn God-
\\.jn illu'oduced the terms positive and nCg<ltive gnosis. I understand by
,Ill':tc tWO polar relationships or altitudes which an in\'estigator or seckel'
Illil\ have to thc external world. Positivc gnosis admonishes us to engage
the \\'orld if we would find tnle knowledge or -gnosis." By conlrasl., neg-
athe gnosis cOllsidel'"S tJ1C earth as a dark illusion, a prison from which
\\.t: must scek release. In this view. gnosis is ollly to be found by inner illu-
mination. To gain a c1carer understanding of these terms, we could
remain \\'ithin the esoteric tradition and contrast Ule two disciplines of
alchclll} (as positi\'e gnasis) and mysticism (as negative gnosis). How-
e\t:r. I will choose anOl.her approach. In many exoteric disciplines we
mOl\ see a renection of these same attitudes. The hisl.Ory of medicine is
a \\'onderful instance of the varying attitudes il.S prdctitioners have had
towards the world, emphasizing in I.um positive or negative gnosis.
In the writings that come down to us as UlC Hippocratic corpus from
about Ute time of Pythagoras, we find descripl.ions of a rich and varied
rclalionship between medicall.heory and mcdical praCl.ice. On I.he one
hand one finds therc descriptions of philosophcl'"S who propose sun-
dn I.heoretical schema for the undersl.anding of illness and disease.
These may L."lke the form of humoral pathology, ule explanation of ill-
ness in terms of an imbalance of the four elemenl.S, or atomism, but in
all cases the philosopher remains remarkably diSl.ant from "clinical"
experience. At the opposite pole h'e learn of the barber-surgeon or
nurse who withom benefit of theoretical knowledge auempl.S cures by
the most \'aried and often mdical means. Between these two residcs
the true physician as a Hippocratic ideal. He is admonished to go to
the bedside of his paLients and carcfully observe their surroundings,
the wealher, and especially to inquire aftcr the hisl.Ory of thc illness.
Prescription of a careful regime and diet along WiUl certain purgatives
or I.Olxatives arc then given and frequent. even daily monitol'ing of thc
pat.,
clll

S
symptoms is practiced. In addition, each physician struggles
to 11llcgratc his own experience through theOJ)'. As a consequence
c.ach will usually adopt a theoretical framework according to his indi-
Vldual disposition so that a certain happy contention exisls among
practitioners. Perhaps bccause of lhis, theory mrely rises to the status
of dogma. In our imagined Hippocratic physician we find the two
poles of theorctic.1I and practical knowledge sceking reconciliation.
TilE TWO LIGl-lTS 216
In one sense, wc must regain what we have lost, we must descend like
Orpheus in search OfU1C shade of Eurydice and bring her to lhc light of
a new day. Yetlo merely nlll time backwards, to create a new Croton, to
re-enact a sacred tmdiLioll, is to deny what twcllly cenluries of honcst
loil have givcn lO humankind. That is to say, it a\'Oids a critical responsi-
bility, namely. lO e\'olvc a u-adition in keeping with our Lime. Pythagoras
tra\e1ed to many celllel'"S of ancielll culturc and S<"lcrc.:d knowledge, yet
he created a riwal and practice uniquel)' his O\'m, suited for his people
and agc. Is iL nOl incumbem upon us to do likewise? Ccrlainly, h'e also
may travclto temples and study the traditions of sacred knowledge, but
must we not also likewise master me knowledge and methods of our own
age? Through the confluence of these wc may truly uneanJl, not an
eclectic muddle of importcd doctrines, but the sacred knowledge of our
epoch. Such is possible only when all has passed through thc alembic of
U1C seeker and reappeal'"S in I.he dress bol.h of our time and eternity.
In whal. follows J shall nOl guess what will become me cOnl.enl. of a
neh' sacred tradition. Ramer I would like to address the nal.Ure aod heal-
ing of the rifl. between me uaditional sacred and profane modes of
knowing. For I feel Ulat only when these twojoin in a common endeavor
in each individual knower, can a new tradition be founded. The world-
hiSl.oric struggles betwecn sacred u-adition and a rising sciemism move
likewise in the ps)'ches of each of us. We each know the ebb and flow
which brings us one moment to the tr<lIlqui! heights of spiriLUal reverie
or again to the brilliam clarity of well-reasoned discourse. Are tJlesc
lruly complemcntary modalities? Or is the split not rather a ref1ccl.ion
of our prcsent cogniti\'e stage which by conscious cffort lUay ~
changed? If there \.... .tS an ~ori gi nal parti ci paL i on~ in which nO nft
existcd, is therc not a "final participation" towards which we may labor?
In tJlis work we shall each find mcntors who articulate our hopes and
provide insights into the means and content of what I havc been calling
a new sacrcd tradition. For tJlose who know the conu:ibutions ?f R L ~dOl f
Steiner to this task. my debtlo him in what follows will be obVIOUS.
-
of colors--of thai, [ say. I am not a lillie proud and here I have a COn_
" r .. 16
SCIOUSTlCSS 0 a supcnol'lly 10 many.
It will prove helpful to know when and why Goethe began his formal
study of color. We may safely begin with hisjourney to IUlly in 1786. In
CQl1lraSl to the grey sky and countryside of Germany, llaly appeared
as a faiTytale land to Goethe: "We remember how harmoniously the
sky binds ilSeifwiLh the earlh there and its lively shimmer spreads Over
liS.. ; slowly wandering clouds color themselves in manifold ways and
the colors of the heavenly dome distribute themselves to the earth on
which we stand in the most pleasing manner.~17 It was in these Sur-
roundings that Goethe was oflen to be found in the company of
pairncrs. On such occasions il happened thal he was asked his opinion
as to how a particular scene should be rendered. Musing on such issucs
Goethe became unsettled. It seemed clear that there should be an
objective aesthetic basis for the use of color in painting, and yet it
appeared to depend rather only on the whim of painter or critic. Upon
his return to \Veimar he attempted to read an ortllodox treatise on
color and found the theory presented hopelessly difficult and useless.
"These difficulties would have discouraged me had I not reflected that
pure experience should lie at the root of all physical sciences...." Thus
we find Goethe borro\\~ng a case of optical equipment from his friend
court counsellor Hofrat Bullner of Jena. Goethe, however, negleCled
the equipment entirely until the impatient Buttner finally demanded
their return. With the messenger in the doonvay Goetlle resolved to at
least see tJle celebrated phenomenon of colors known to him from
childhood play. He took a prism from the case and looked through it at
a nearby white wall, fully expecting to see the white broken up into col-
on; according to a Newtonian scheme. Instead, all he saw was an
unchanged white wall. The importance of this moment for tllC rcst of
his research is probably hard to overestimate. Like a shot he was con-
vinced of Newtons error. Turning to a \vindow he noticed that color
did not appear in thc window panes tJlemselves but only where the dark
latticework crossed the bright windows. Here, where light and darkness
met, colors leapt into view: yellow, orange and red on the one side, blue
and violet on the othel". Buttner's messenger W,L'\ sent away empty-
handed, and Goethe's experimental research \\'as begun.
lu.J.l'. E ckcrm~nn, umvn~al i ml .l wi/II (MIIII', scleCted by H. Kohli. mms. Gisel .. C. O'Brie
n
(New York: U"gar. 19M). entry ror reb. 19, 1829. . .
17. J.W. Gocthe. IJrirr iigt wr O!lIilt( 17\)1) i" NUI,m<l;IiYIl.d"'jllirM SIorij/tll. Ersl"r Tcil (zunch.
Ancmis-Vcrbg. Ill'19), p. 767.
T11E TWO LIGHTS
These researches would span twenty years and culminate in the pllb-
. )[1 of" the three volume Zu,. Fa,.benleltre in 1810. Ideally we should
liQlI
'
... .
lore the contents of these works, parucularly the didactic volume In
C%P . dn" "'
}
" }, Goelhe's expenments an re ectlons concernlllg co 01' are care-
IV UC
f II presenled. We should consider not only the result he presents but
s~:o~dd follow him in his research, experiencing with him the myriad
alar phenomena he explores. Yet we do not have the space to do so
~l ere. Rather I would have us consider Goethc's color studies by way of
his melhodology. For it is here that we may gain a full apprcciation for
his modc o( inquil1' and its valuc as a discipline in positive gnosis. We
will find ourselves corHinually admonished to refrain from theoretical
flights and mathematical abstraction. Rather Goethe will invoke thc
phenomcna Lhemsel\'es as the theory, whcn they are rightly seen.
Firstly, let us inquire after how Gocthe "explains" the phenomena of
color as produced, say, by a prism. This general set of phenomena
Goethc classed under the rubric of physical colors. Usually, when we
seek the esplanalion we expect a reply in terms of a normally unseen
but actually prescnt mechanism. For example, the generation of color
by the prism might be explained by the oscillatory movement of elec-
trons under the action of an electromagnetic wave (light). The
fonnulation may be cast into a mathematical form and the phenomena
of refraction and dispersion quanti!.<"lt..i\,cly kexplained." Notice that in
such a case wc are engaged in an activity like that of Purcell, wherein the
glass prism we hold in our hand is mentally replaced by elecu'ons elec-
trically attraCled to a matrix of atoms all driven by an electromagnetic
wave (which we naively know as light). This mode of explanation has
been thc objeCl of a thoroughgoing critiquc by such philosophcr-scien-
tists as Pierre Duhem. It is a mode of explanation which came into
conscious dominance afler the Renaissance and remains with us to the
present h is essentially a search for what Aristotle lermed "efficient
cal l ses.~
Goethe almost systematically r~j eCL cd such an approach to nature.
~I c cxplicitlystatcd in an essaywriuen for Schiller lbat ;;we are not seek-
lI1g causes but the circumstances under which the phenomenon
OCCurs "Ill I} "
Co . n p ace of the hIdden mechanisms underlying naturc,
ethe sought the circulTlstances of appearance, lhe invariable ante-
cedents or }""C,"C" "5"' '"} "r" r "'
I - I II I es or t le malll eS!.<"lIlOn a a parucll ar
p 1Cn0ll1eno } '" " "
n. n tliS sense Goethe sough1 nOI mechanIcal causation,
,
18.j.W. ~l l ". Got/I' n " ,
IJ"aii I' .' 'n u/"'uml \I";/i,,/,'3. lr~tI ls. lkrtha ~l "el r.,r (11011011>1", University or
rl;SS. I!J;",2). p. 228.
Arlhur G. ZfljQm; I 235
a person dialcctically sick could find a bcnel1ccnl curc in thc study of
natl l rc.2~1
2:-1. Ec1c.ennanll. OmLOm;m;olls l<lilh C""'lh,. ent!)' for 0<;1, 18, t828.
~ .. \. I' - \ 1 ' 1 (l r~1l 5I a
24. Coethe. lI'ilhdm Mml,...'}Qtm''')m'mshlJ!. f rom M akan~ 5 f ,e 11":, f 1l10'1)1II "'"
lion by Fred Amrine).
Sight is the noblcst of senscs. , ,it stands infinitely higher [than the
other four], refines ilSClfbe)'Ond matter and approaches the cap'lcitics
ofthespiril.
24
This has been my basic assumption. I mail1lained that the capacity
of scicntists to pcrcei\'e in nature the presence of lasting shapes dif-
fers rrom ordinal")' perception only by the fact that it can integrate
shapes that ordinary perceplion cannot readily handle. Scil'lllific
knowin!i cOllsisls ill discentiug geslflilell /ha( indicaf/' a Ime coherence ill
n(l/lIre.-
8
ArOlllr G, 2a)om: I 239
Tl,ere is a gelltle empiricism thallllakes ilsclfin the Illost intimate way
identical with ils objects and thereby becomes actual theory. This
hci ghl cni ~~~ of the spiritual powers belongs, however, to a highly culti-
I,;ued agc.-
In place tJlen of hypothcses which are "lullabies thatlhe teacher uses to
lull his pupils to sleep,,,26 Goethe advocates a gentle, rational empiri-
cism tJnough which the phenomena I.hemselves, whcn intimately
known, become the theory,
I find it most interesting that certain th'entieth-eentury philoso-
phers, scientists and psychologists are now drnwing our attention to the
intuitive or imaginath'e components of science, I may mention Michacl
Polanyi, who sees all understanding as "tacit knowings," that is, as a
kind of intuitivc knowing unlike purely analytic or discursive thought.
It is b)' -indwelling-
27
thal mcit knowing arises and so "since all under-
standing is tacit knowing, all understanding is achie\'ed by indwel
ling.ihe kinship between Goethe's knowing-as-seeing and P ol an)~ s
tacit knO\\ing could be elaborated at some length, particularly by a
stud}' of Polanyi's "subsidial)' and focal awareness" and his many exam-
ples given in support of this \'iew, We cannot explore those connections
or distinctions here, but let me include JUSt a pass."lge which points to
the profound connection P ol an)~ sees between a perceptual act and the
percepLion of coherence (or I "'ould say the perception of an arche-
type) in a particular phenomenal realm. He statcs tllat scientific
disco\'el)' is the shifting of our awareness from the paniculars of obser-
"'Ilion to their coherence:
25. Ibid" ,1/,llGmNj 1~tJ .
26.lbid.. / Iph"""", HO
27. Michael I' I . K'
P 0 "np. tUnamg """ IJrillg, cd. M:l1jode Greene (Chicago: U"i"ersily ofChic-olgo
2~~ 19(9), II. If>O.
,Ibid.. p. 138,
A few pages latcr Polanyi \I'rites;
-_._----------------
TIlE TWO LlCHTS 238
The special place of tpislLme or of "inmiti\'e judgment" (anschal U !1l d~
Urteilskraft) in Goethe's methodology simuhaneousl)' brings a new cle-
ment into Westen) thought. If the logical U<lcts of Aristotle acted as the
texts on which Western consciousness was weaned, then Goethe's scien-
tific writinb"S stnlggle to inject a new or at least profoundl)' neglected
dimension into human inquiry, Contemporary science espouses two of
thc three modes of knowing described b)' neo-PlatonisLS; diono;a or
rationalism as exemplified by the rigorous mathematical formulation of
physics, and empiricism in which evidence is gathered in suppon of sci-
entific opinion or hypothesis. The third mode, tpisteme, was alw3.)'s the
province of mysticism and revclation-that is, of negati\'e gnosis. Yet
Goethe in his science Slrivcs to bring the most exalted of Plato's cogni-
ti\'e facuhies into the sense world. We mal' find antecedents of this view
in Paracclsus and certain alchemists. Bill Goethe refl-ained from antici-
pating or eSL.'lblishing superficial correspondences so common to his
more speculative contemporaries, and rather sought to move through
the phcnomcna themsclves, searching for the purest expression of an
archetype which could then illumine a broad realm of dispardtc phe-
nomena. The means \"hich the invesligalor employs is neither purely
rational nor purely cmpirical, but what Goethe lertlwd "rational clllp,ir-
idsm," We should not imagine this as merely a mixture or scquenu<ll
treatment of phenomena first cmpirically and then rationally as one has
in orthodox scicnce, Rather it is a mode of study through which the
invcstigator may gradually unite with the objects he invcstigates,
Thus we find Goethe advocating a rigorous, positivc relationship to
mlluml phenomena. Through such a relationship arises the possibility
of profound insight illlo naltlre's laws or im-arialll relationships. Such
relationships arc to be known not abstractly but through a kind of see-
ing. Is it any slllvrise I.hat sight for Goethe was the noblesl., almost
divine, sense possessed by human beings?
lillie drawings at the edges of the script; much delail about musicians is
learned from this source. Most of these early manuscripts were wriuen
in church sCI'iptoria, thus showing where the guitar was known and
llscd. An art historian, WinterniLZ, has traced pictures in a psalter Writ_
ten in Germany and shown the transition between the cithara-Iyre type
of instrument, which has anns and seven sU'ings, and the protoguitar,
which is this lyre with a fingerboard on it. This ninth<entury drawing is
thought b)' the style to have been copied from an earlier drawing which
takes the date b."lck to the eighth cenlUry. All this proves that the guitar
types that are \\'ell-knO\\Tl from later times were derived from a seven-
stringed lyre in use in ,",,'estern Europe at an early Lime.
TIle eighth<enturydate takes us back to the earl)'da)'S ofChrisLianity,
when much of NonJlwest Europe was re-ChrisLianized b)' CeILic mis-
sions. This allows a longer \1eW to be taken; from CeILic sources, both
from the Welsh Bardic tradiLion and instruments and from Celtic leg-
end, it is found that the mulh i.s the instrumelll of the Druids and Bards.
Thc Celtic Church was founded within the Druidic strcam in Ireland, so
it is logical that the Druid instrumcnt should continuc to be thc source
of music when Christianity arrived. (The Irish insist that the harp is their
Dnlidic instnlment, but the harp \\,'35 introduced into Ireland by the
Vikings aftcr thc Church was fonned.)
One can skip the Romans as being a possible source for the Westem
cithara. They werc notoriously bad musicians, and if they could not
learn to play an instrument in three easy lessons they altered the instru-
ment! Thc cithara tllat thc Romans had acquired from Creece as a
scvcn-stringed lyre was made into a four-stringed instrument in the
Roman world. Ifthcy had reduced their cithara to a four-su'inged insU1.I-
ment, it cannot be the source of the Western se\'en-stringed cithara,
called the mlJth in the CclLic world. The citharn \\'35 in Dl1.lid hands ill
spite ofthc Romans, not as a result of them.
I-laving traced the prOloguitar back to the Dl1.lids in pre-Roman timcs,
one would imagine that this is as 1;11' as could possibly be hoped, but there
is a surprisc. Diodorus Siculus (Book II, ch. 47) quotes earlier sources,
one of thcm being Hecatacus of MiletLls, who was a sixth-cellllllY B.e.
Greek geographer and traveller. He \1sited the land of Hyperbo
rea
,
which in this instance is Brilain, and described tl1C local Apolloni(lll
priests who played the cithara. The Creeks were fastidious about naming
objects. and as therc wcre otller names in Creek for thc different t}llcs of
lyres, one can prcsume tllat the instrument he encountered was ule same
as the Creek cithar:.l. The \\'holc of this quolation from HecataclIS is of
immensc interest, and othcr parts ofil are uscd later in the argumenL
250 AI'OLLO
This point is as fill' back ill time as Olle can go, Llsing convelllional
_e- in tnKing U1C protoguimr in Western Europe; note however Ulat
sOllie :., . . .
H
'
-,e'ls' visit 10 Britain was vcI1' soon after thc first Greek settlement 111
eea.
the West (1\I'Il-seilles). so one C ~11 ,~I so assume Ulat the Greeks had 1.1Ot had
_ '0 have introdllced thClr clthara to the Hyperboreans;-It must
ullll.'
thereforc ha\c becn a long-established "oathe" insmllnent.
Thuug
h
the protoguitar can be traced in name back to the sixth ccn-
tll
r
)" H.C" in Bdtain, there is insufficient e\~dence to give any clues as to
hoW this sc\en-stringcd insu'ument was tuned at this early date. How-
e\-er. as Hecataeus cquated the l-I)llerborean fornl \\1th the Creek
dlhara. il is legiLimatc to explore thc early Creek musical sources to try
to find alit marc about thc BriLish instrumelll.
Grr~k Music
There is much infonnation available about Creek music from SUrv1\l..
ing books, bllt most of thc rccords comc from tlle Lime later than
Hccataeus. who Ih'ed in what is tenned the archaic period. around 600
B.C. Aftcr this time therc were a grcat many changes during the classical
period. but the later alterations have nothing to do with thc Westcrn
connection, so we have to restrict the search to the archaic period.
In this earl)' period. c. 600 B.C., the cithara was used by the Bards and
the aristocnlC)'; the)' sang to it, they danced to it, and it \\'35 associated
\\;th Apollo. to whom legend ascribed its invcnLion. At this time cithara
music was guardcd with religious scmple, and it was punishable b)' death
to change the tuning or tltc number of stdngs; ~tnd it was, despite what
thc musicologi.'ots say, the most important musical instmmem. This is
justified not only by the conncction of the cithara with Apollo, but by
the lcgend that Apollo competed with Marsias who pla)'ed the aulas
(fiutC)-Apollo was c1aimcd the victor, whereupon he na)'cd Marsias.
~V hat is the historical position of tlte Creek cithara? The Creeks
?ehevcd that the (i thal ~\ had (ome into Creece as a thrce-5tringcd Iyrc
In ~hc ninth CeIHUI)' and lhat it had becn dcvelopcd in GI-eece itself.
T.lllS i~ one of the many fallacies thaI mllst be abandoned, because from
plCtonal (:\",1" I - d
' hCC t lC SC"Cll-strlngc lyre can be traced back to Minoan
Crete c 14r.OllC "rl --
C ,. :J ... lCl'e arc Indubitable i l l l l stl ~I L i ons of the cithanl in
~ etc, depicting an instrument slightly 1110re curyed than the later ones
~~ ,
A
ca~ed swans' heads on the ends of the arms. In dew of' the fact tllat
pallo IS ascribed . I - - I .l ..
. Wit 1 111\'enllng lle Clulanl and that In later umes hiS
1l1<lln symbol' ... , I - _
t; . S \\CIC t Ie clthara and lhe swan, 10 find the two together III
Tete mdiClt, f II \
es alit pollo awareness tlwl"c.
A,,,,,,, j\f(l((/ula)' I 251
After a long period of developmcnt in Crete, therc had been a new
phase starting, about 1800 B.C., with the rebuilding of the palaces. This
was the great Minoan pcriod. But disaster struck. Around 1450 much of
Crete was damagcd by the eruption of the island of Thera; then there
was ivlycenean dominance, followed by further imen..... clrring in the
Grcek world, resulting in the siege of Troy, c. 1200 B.C. Shortly after this
event, about 1150 ItC., tllerc was an ill-understood e\'ent which brought
about the complete collapse of the palace s)'stem. The Greek \\'orld took
a long time to recover; about 800 B.C. the Greeks staned colonies in Asia
Minor and a little later in Italy. Thcydid not make contact with the West-
ern CelIS until the founding of Marseilles in c. 600 B.C. This long period
of interCreek warring had an effect on the art world. As far as music is
concerned this type of political stress has a reliably Sl<'\ndard reaction:
there are no new de\'elopmeolS and the existing music becomes very
conscn'ative. The religious vigorwitll which cithara music was prescn'ed
into the end of the archaic period was the final stage or the preservation
of Minoan musical practices. i.e., the tuning and playing methods of the
cithara at this time were identical with Minoan practices.
Ha\'ing placed the citllara in its Greek historical context. we can no\\'
tum to the question of whether there is any relationship between the
Illusic of the Creek fonn and the Renaissance guitar. There is a SlTange
gap in tlle musicological world, in that the guitar has not been consid-
ered a respectable instrumelll aod was not accepmble as a qualification
for musicological studies until very recently. As a result, the Creek tcxts
relating to tlle citllara, which is a plucked instl"Umelll, hm'e only becn
cxamincd by wind-instnllllcot players and to a lesser extem by bo\\'ed
instJ'ument pla)'crs, none of whom knows how a plucked inSU"llillent
behavcs in practice. This leaves the Creek texts on the cilhara unintcr-
prcted, though all arc translated and ready to be examined. Though ~l Ot
a musicologist, 1 have played tlle guitar, and the practic<ll infonnauO
n
g<lined frolllthis type of familiarity has enabled me to work out how the
cithara was played. .
The playing mcthod of the cithara hinges on the uses of ha:mol ~l cS
in a certain way so dearly shmvn in hundreds of paintings of cl th.ans~
from Creek vases. The cithara was held on the left side of the player s
body, kept in position with a strap over the left shouldcr. The left hnn~
was held behind the strings. The Iirst sU'ing, which was furthest from tllC
player. was the top of the scale. The second string was played on.th
C
third harmonic, using the liule linger. The third, fourth and Iifth sU'mgs
were playcd open like the Ilrst and scventh, and the sixth string \\~s
played 011 the third harmonic, using the tllUmb. This is the sll.\Ild,ud
2&2 AI'OLLO
pla)'ing position that is so often piclUrcd. This len hand position pro-
dllced the scale. (I prefer to call the series of notes a scale as I bclicve
tlte Greek term "l l l odc~ implies more than the scale itself.)
Curt Sasch has worked out what the various Greek modes or scales
\I"cre. and we learn from other sources thal cilhara players preferred
lhe Lrdian mode. This is the ancient Lydian mode of 600 B.C., which is
nol the same as the L)'dian mode of early church music. Further, there
is a report froill the end of the archaic period in which we learn that
the archaic scale sounded strange since it had a gap in the middle, a fca-
ture that had been eliminaled by the extension of the scale to eight
notes.
KJlo\dng the scale, and that it had the middle note missing, it can
no\\' be aligned with cithara techniques to discover the tuning of the cit-
hara in the archaic period. The ancient L)'dian scale is the same as our
modern l 1l ~or scale, give or take fractionally for naturaltemperamenl.
Wrinen at the s...me pitch as the guitar, in descendiog order it is:-C, F',
E, O. I ~, A, G, wi,II ,I I ~ middk 1I 0 ~ C lIIissi"g. From the playing technique it
is known that the second and sixth ootes were derived as harmonics.
TIle F# is the third hamlonic of the note B and the A is Ule third har-
monie of the note D. So the Creek cithara LUning is:
String: 1M 2nd 3,d 41h 5tll 6th 7th
Plared: open 3H open opeo open 3H open
Tuning:
g B e' d'
b D g
Scale: g' f#' e' d' b a g
The luning thcrefore is made up of ooe E, t\\'o B's, t\\o G's, and twO
D's. This c.-1I1 immediately be recognized as the same tuning as that of
the basic scven-stringcd guitar at the timc of ule Renaissance. Frankly, J
was shatlcred when I disco\'ered this luning: J had nevel" dreaml that il
could have sun,jvcd so complctely O\'cr so long a period of time.
In confiml,nion of this tuning. there is the statement ascribed to
Pythagoras himself that has been taken out of context: he said that the
four fixed notes Oflhe scale were the interval ofa fourth and a fifth. He
n~adc this remark specifically in relation La the scale obtained on Ule
Cll.h~r<l. which was the Pylhagorc<lns' inslrument and on whieh their
~l U Sl cal lheory was worked OUL From the Illusicologist's point of view,
It has been asked why he only quotes four notes in the scale when it is
wellen I k .
. aug 1 nowlI that ,Ill eXlcnded scale had been III use for some
~me before Pythagoras' stalcmCll1. Look at the lUning of thc cilhara: it
IS made lip of only fOllr notes; the lOp g' is merely the octave of the
It" 'It' MaclIlday I 253
Era, After c. 1450 H.C., the Greeks wcre so preoccupied with catastro-
phes and wars that they wcre not in a position to introduce musical
insu'umelllS to the I-Iyperboreans; how then did the I-I)'perboreans
come to have the same instrument, as described by Hecatacus? The
answer is that there must have been a common cultural source th.u
nourished before 1450 B,C. which gave the same citham instrument to
both the Greeks and the 1-I}'J>erboreans in the West of Europe.
Before 1450 B.C. there arc many known ci\'ilizations in Egypt and the
E..'\St, but it is also known that in none of these places was the cithara
used, nor was the god Apollo known. Apollo is, however, thought to
have come from the North; and looking at tlle British datings, the
apI>carance of Apollo's lyre in Crete c. 1450 B.C. is also about the time
thai Stonehengc was abandoned, along witl\ some other megalithic
sites. This date is the end point of tlle long and brilliant megalitllic
period which had lastcd for nearly three millennia. Considering all the
factors-the presence of cithara music in the West before the Greeks
coune. the details of the Hecataeus quotation relating how he was told in
Hyperborea that Apollo had been born in tlleir land, the limiting date
of 1450 B.C. from tlle Greek end, tlIe abandonmelll of Stonehenge and
the presence of so much Pythagorean-t}'J>C geometry in the megalithic
rings (Thom)-it is beginning to look as if the cithara, the god Apollo
and the Pythagorean way of tllOught all came from the megalithic West
of Europe. The sheer size and spread of the megalithic culture both in
space and time make it a suilable cradle for the development of these
features. This is now a ve'1' promising picture, but there is not enough
evidence to prove anything at this point.
In order 10 try to find more evidence, I tlIen turned to archeological
practices. From archeological remains, specific cullures are identilicd
by the presence of a unique set of tools, which may occur at several
places, thus demonstrating the spread of thaI culture, The next step is
therefore to examine the whole culture surrounding the citllal'a in Lhe
Greek world and identify the Pytllagorean tools.
II. The Cithara and Pythagorean Ceolllcuy
Cil!ltll'lI Tlt1lhlg lI1ld Cpomclry
The basic notes of the citham tuning are E, B, G and D. which are tJ1C
same noLes Lhal make up the lOp 10111' strinb>"S of the guit<lf loday. G lO 0
256 I "'1'01.1.0
is the illlen'<1l of the fifth and B to E is the fourth, hence Pythagoras'
remark that the four fixed notes of the scale were made up of a fifth and
a fOLlrth.
This wning can also be put into l1'thagorcan terminology \.,.hich
describes musical intervals in tcnm of compal"ative string lengths:
e' to b is a fourth. \\'hich is equal to 3/4
b LO g is a fifth, which is equal to 4/5
In both these statements the note b has the value 4, so tlle relationship
of lhis group of three notes is the set 3:4:5.
The use of extended sets of prol>ortion in a musicaJ context is not
recorded in Greek literature, but from Euclid there is massivc C\~dence
of this practice in their mathematics. Not only did they use extended
sets. bUI the)' also used the inversions of those SCts. It is justified there-
fore to convert tllis musical set lO its inversion:
3:4:5 converts to 1/3:1/4:1/5
This inverted set represents musically tlle differentiaJs at the tllird,
fourth and fiflh harmonics of a resonating string. If the basic string is
taken as G, then the differentials are d, g, 1>----i.e.. the second ill\'ersion
G m'!ior chord. So the tuning of the cilhara is made up of the set of pro-
ponion<; 3:4:5 combined with the inversion of tlle same set.
The valuc of the notc D can be worked out in actual figures. To
remo\'e most of the fractions in 1/3: 1/4: 1/5. mulliply throughout by 20.
which is the valuc of G:
The Pythagoreans \,'cre known in their time as tllusicaltheorists, and
they. were Lhe ones who defined Lhis numerical mel hod of describing
mUSical intervals. The most famOllS piece of geometl'" ascribed LO
~ythagoras is Ihe theorcm abOUlthe triangle with sides in the propor-
tion 3:4:5, and there can be no douhltbat lhe Pythagoreans were aware
of L h~ Illusical sounds of lhis triangle. But. the theorem involves the
sqU'lnng of the sides, What is the music of thc resultant figures?
"
3- = 9. which is close enough LO 2 x 4.45, the note A
4
2
= 16, \\'hich is the note B
"
5- = 25. which is vel." close 10 Lhe note D-
Allrlt'Mllt:aulay I 257
When this SCI of proportions is multiplied throughout by 3 x 3 x 2, it
becomes 45:48:5'1 :60: 72:80:90, and this is a familiar set of musical pro-
portions known from late classical Greek literature.
The set of proportions of the scale comes up later on.
The chord D*:H:A =: 25: 16:9 is the dominant scvcnth, the interval 0' to
A being the trilone. (Note: Thc relationship of the u-itone is very close
to root 2.)
Having put the actual proportions on the notes of the tuning, it is
now possible to produce a complete set of proporlions for the scale that
is deri,'ed from this tuning. In descending order,
g' 0= 2.5, i.e., the note g 0= 5 divided by the OCla"e faClor 2
~ o= 2.666, i.e.. the note B0= 8 divided by 3 (third harmonic)
e' 0= 3
d'3,333
b0=4
a = 4.444, i.e.. the note D = 13.333 dividcd by 3
g0=5
A 'III/! Macallla] 1 259
c"lablished thcre before the Grceks came and that these Hypcrboreans
believed that Apollo had been born in their land. The musical facts that
I have aligned justify the belief that the citJmra was in Britain before
H50 B.C. From tlle megalitJlic sites, the next three tools are well esmb-
lishcd b, the work ofThom: the extended usc of astronomy; the use of
P\'thagoreaIH}1>e geomeu)' in the plans ofUle sites; !.he significance of
whole numbers for circumferences. i.e.. a philosophy of number.
\\'hal other tools did the p)thagoreans use? \Vhile I was musing on
the silllation so far, new perspectivcs began to emerge. In the evidence
fro111 megalit.hic Bl-itain, the astronomically oriented sites are designed
Oil pythagorean-t),pe geomelJ)', and the)' also include devices to achieve
circumferences with whole numbers. Thus in what appears to be a
proto-Pythagorean manifestation, geomeu), and a concern for \\'holc
numbers are integral.
~l l l l l bcr and geomcuy; ... then it stmck me that the p)'thagoreans
were unique in that thcy used the leuers of !.he alphabet bo!.h as muner
als (a feature common to all early alphabetic usage) and as geometric
s)'mbolism. Geometry in the well-known Pythagorean fonn is unique to
the Gl-eck 11 thagoreans, so the next thought was whetller Ule alphabet
in a prelilcral)' sacred form was at the root of the megalithic culture.
The usc of Ihe letters of the alphabet for geomet.ric symbolism is not
well recorded. bUI there are crumbs to be picked up here and there.
This idea makes t.he alphabel into a numero-geometric systenl which
was also Ilsed rot' the basic elements of speech (vowels and consonants).
If there had been an earlier sacred form, then it h'ould not have been
used lo write vulgar language: the p),thagorean altitude to geomctric
theorem!>, which thC)' held in some ,my sacred. gi\'es !.he clue to lhe pur
pose of the sacred form: it ''\'as uscd to create names for their figures.
So now this hrpothetical sacred alphabet can be described and can
be defined. The s"lcred alphabet is an ancient s),stem in which the
numeral!> :lIld geomelric elements were represented by geomeu-ic s)'m-
bois: 10 each of these signs a single sound (vowel or consonant) was
added. ill ordel' to create names appropriate to lheir significant geo--
metl;c figures.
This sacred l"onn can also be tCI-med the Ilumero-geomelric alphabet.
(Note: The alphabet is thaI uniquc s),stem of writing where each sym-
bol represents a single sound lvowel or consonant]. Latest research has
shown .that these letters were first llsed as gnldual inclusions in Ihe syl-
~ab.al1 111 C~lll Us. From C)'pnls this system passed into the Semitic wOI'k
111 liS complete form. At the poilll in time under consideration. aboul
the middle of the second millennium B.C.. thel'c wcre strong ~l i noan
.... 101.1.0 258
From the foregoing it is clear that music and geometl;c practices are
integrally related in Pythagorean practice. There is a furUler signifi-
cance, however, because the cithara was described as the invention of
Apollo. thc god of the Pythagorcans who used tllC cithara itself in their
discussions and played it.
From the musical evidence, it has been seen that the tuning of the cit-
hara must have been the same bo!.h in Minoan Crete and in ule earlier
source that is possibl}' H}1>crborean Brit.... in. As Apollo is implied in the
~ I i noan swan-headed cithara, and is also implied in the early megalithic
source in Br;lAlin from Hecat<leus' remarks. the question can be fonnu-
lated ifulC p)'ulagorean l)'J>C of philosophy was also complete in Minoan
Crete and the early megalithic I>criod. .
To try to answer this question the ''<lrious M tool s~ of l'ytllagoreallls.
m
are now going to be collected in an attempt 10 tnlce the culture by Its
unique complex of artifacts.
In one scnse, the cithara and its tuning were tools of the philosopl1Y,
as also was geometry. The l'ythagoreans were asuonomers and coined the
phrase ~l .he music of the sphercs.
M
thus connecting music WiUl asU'on-
omy; they worshipped Apollo and had a philosophy related to nU I l 1~rs.
Turning now to megalithic Bdmin. which ofthcsc tools can be Idcn-
tified therc? From Hecalacus' repon \\'C kno\\' that tlle cithara was
-
sup Four
TIle lelter pi. How is the value 17 to be included? 1l1ere now seems lit-
tle choice, and it is taken as a circle ,,;th circumference 17 and placed with
its centcr on en extended, touching but not cUlting the alpha circle at G.
G
G
What now is to be donc with tile lastlcttcr nu? The diamctcr ofa cir-
cle \\ith circumference 14 is 4.4545. On measurement, and from
accurate calculation. thc Icngth from C to P, the midpoint of KL, is this
valuc. In a sense this dimension defines the significant arca of the fig-
ure. It does. howcvcr, confuse the design, and I choose to omit it from
thc drawing.
SICI) Five
This is being treatcd like a Greek theorem. Aftcr thc givcn clements
have been delined, significant intersections are joined. Join the tWO
points where thc pi circle ClllS the omicmn circles abovc the line A B ~.
and eXlend this line to cut CA extended at Kand CE extcnded at L.Jolll
the twO poinlS whcre the pi circlc CtllS the omicmn circles below line
ABE and cxtend it 10 cutAC in M and CE in N.
262 ,\I'OLl.O
The APOLLO geometry is now completc.
The first surplisc about this exercise is that the numero-geometric val-
ues of the Icners of the name Apollo form a concise and well-defined
figure: there is no othcr obviolls wa)' in which these geomeu;c parts could
be put together. Now. ho\\c\,cl". a more precise examination must be
made.
The measurements of the figurc arc:
AB =BE =DC = CF =3 (by the cOllstnlction)
AD = Be = EF = 4 (by the consll'uetion)
AC = CE = 5 (by the construction)
KP = 3.3 (from mcasuremcnt)
MN/2 = 2.6 (from measuremcnt)
PC = 4.5 (from measuremcnt)
Compare this ,. I I . .
(Not.. \\lllIIC SCt 01 proporllOllS derivcd from thc cithal<l scale.
t e. It IS already apparcnt that lhe 1I1CaSllrement of the dimensions is
00 crudc and, I ..
.1 mal lCmaUCI<m has calculated the Icngths for me.)
A I I I l ~ A!tumllay I 263
26'1 I AI'OLI.O
Furthe,. P"ooJ
HvitlwCf' JI'OII1 Mf'galithic Britain
Pl'ofcssor Thom has worked for many years on thc dcsigns of th.
c
megalithic rings. Thel'c are many \m;ations of involved geomctry in thell'
AtIIlt MUallllu)' I 265
plans, but vel)' many are devised from the slarting point of one of the
pythagorean right-anglcd triangles at the center; most often this is Ule tri-
angle \\,ith sides in the proportion 3: 4 : 5. The precise Apollo geomeu),
has not come 10 light, but thc exact circle of the Apollo geometry has no
irrcgul:u;ties to be traced, so U1C exact circlcs may represent Apollo.
HO\\'evcr, the geometl)' U1at Thorn has worked OUt is so similar tl1at
onc of the designs hc quotcs can be read ofTfrom the sacred alphabet as
A TH aLLO. These similalities of type are tOO strong to be discardcd.
But there arc. surplisingly, wriuen records to support the claim that
Apollo was de\ised in H)'J>Crborean Britain. The same reference from
llecataells that is quoted by Diodorus, and has been tlsed above, states:
-MorcO\cr. !.he following legend is told concerning it fHyperborea]:
Leto [the motllcrof Apollo] was born on tl1is island, and for that reason
ApoJlo is honored among them above all other gods" (Loeb edition).
If Apollo was known in Minoan Crete (and therc is more e\;dence for
this o!.her than what I have shoh'n), then !.he birth of Apollo in Hyper-
borea I11ust antedate the appearance of Apollo in Crete, which is no
later than 1450 B.C. by cOIl\'entional sources. This again places Apollo
fimll}' in the megalithic period.
There is yet furthcr proof however. It has been clearly demonstrated
mat the megalithic sites were used to define calendrical dates from
astronomical evcnlS: i.e.. the builders were astronomers, Does Apollo
havc any astronomical significance?
Apollo was equated with the sun and his twin sister with ule moon.
This is a promising stan but is insufficient illfonnation to connect \\~!.h
the geometry. However there are two specific astronomical evenlS
recorded in Creek literature in association with Apollo. The first comes
from the same Diodorus quotation. J-Iccataeus arrivcd in time to rind
the Hyperborean pdCSlS celcbrating the return of Apollo at tl1e end of
the 18.5 rear moon cycle. The second cvent is well recorded but ill
~mderstood. Apollo was supposed to lcavc Delphi ill tile autumn, spcnd-
mg the willle,' '", ,-, ,',' f " ' ,
, ' ypcl )01 ea. rom w lence le retul"l1ed 1I1 the spnng.
Smce AI,oll' , 'b
,osIllalll attn lites are the swan and the lyre, I realized umt
thiS belief co"I,1 c, If'
. . re,er to tle movementso the constellatIon Cygnus. the
sl....m and l ~ . I' '
C' s nelg 1lonng gI'OUP, the lyre, which are only \~si bl e in the
reek world in s",,, " TI ' II'" .. .
h
' "mCI, lIS consLe atlon IS circumpolar III Bntam.
w Jch mean~ <I - ., . 'bl
' ., l.IL It IS VISI c Lhroughout the year.
The neXl SIC') w'," [0 .'k" ' , k" ,
, . '" ,s "n ,lStronomer to c lec t liS suggesLJQn and,
\'Jewmg the \ II
th r po 0 geonleu)' as a star guide with the point C as North and
e great circle 'lS th ' I', I' , ,
to. ,e 101"l1.0n, to (etcrmlllC whether il had any rclauon
astronol1lical C"C ".' , 2600
I '" III t 1e ),ear 8.C. (There arc oUler reasons not
2.692 = MN (calculated)
3 "AB, BE, DC, CF
3.343 = KP = PL (calc.)
4 "AD, BC, EF
4.459 = PC (c.... lculated)
5" AC, BD, CE, BF
Measurements of the Figure
g' 2.5 (i.e., 5/2)
1" 2,6666
e' 3
d' 3,333
b 4
a 4.~
g 5
The Scale Propoltions of the Scale
The music has pointed to !.he existence ofproto-P),thagorean philos-
ophies in Minoan Crete. So I went to Crete to search for !.he Apollo
geomctry. Most of the Minoan archeological finds are cxhibited in the
museum at Hcraklion, and there I found amongst !.he many beautiful
engr<\\'cd seal stones two which have tJle Apollo geometry on them. The
earliest is dated before 1iOO B.C. and is a small button t)'JlC wi!.h the three
circles, having three featherings in one circle, four fcatherings in tJ1e
second and five featherings in tlle third. The second stone is dated
before 1400 B.G. and is a tiny cl)'Stal bob, again with the three Apollo cir-
cles on it. Many of these seals have beautiful geometric devices, and
man)' othcrs depict swans, the attribute of Apollo.
These t\\'O Apollo seals from Minoan Crete prove the Creek section
of the knowledge of Apollo at an early date there and also the prese~cc
of the sacred alphabet in Cretc, coinciding with thc arrival of the first
Greek.speaking peoples there, The date of the earliest seal is lOIlIy sat-
isfactol)' since the alphabet as a means of writing vulgar speech did not
appear in Cyprus until after the middle of the second millennium, when
there \'o'as a strong Minoan and Greek presence,
Considering the Stnct limirations in !.he construction of !.he Apollo
figure, which are defined by the numerical position of the letters of !.he
alphabet, the rcsuhalll musical proportions in such accurate derail fonn
the proof of !.he sacred alphabet hypothesis.
by the middle of tile second millennium B.C., with the al ~pearJ .nce ofthe
alphabet. it is easier to u-.tce the spread of the Apollo wl sd~m that Went
with the alphabet. It is generally accepted that ~monOl hC l sm followed
the alphabet." But perhaps it is the orner way round; the spread of the
wisdom brought the alphabet with it.
Soon after the alphabet am\cd in the ScmiLie v.orld, Moses for the
IIrst time in the Bible, ordered that this shall be written down. Moses
howe'"er came from Egypt where at his Lime there were many Minoans:
~ l oses introduced monotheism.
Akhenalon too in Egypt caused something of a re"olution and pro-
cl<limed monotheism. and he also was at the Lime of the spread of the
alphabet. His work was erased in Egypt, and the alphabet was nOt
adopted there for a vcry long lime. .
Il would seem that monotheism was a fealllre of the Apollo wlsdom at
this stage and that it moved with the alphabet into the East and Lndia; the
progress of the wisdom can be traced by following the alphabet itself.
Judging from what is well recorded in much later limes, the.nume~c
associations of the letters assumed the most important pllllosophlC
aspect of the alphabet after it first emcrged into the open. In these
ancient times, mathematics was a sacred study for the most part. and the
arithmetic that was used for trade, etc. was of a completely different
nature. even using different sib....lS for the numerals. Mathematics. then,
was a subject set apan, I>ossibly used in a manner similar to the alche-
mists' use of chemiSlI)'. The laws of mathematics were scen as absolute
laws or the design of God. As the mathematics dc\'eloped. larger nu~er
als \\'cre required and thc original s)'Stem, wilh cach leuer represenung
the numeral of its poSition in the alphabet. had to be expanded, I sUS-
pecl lhat U1C first fonn had only ninelecn lellcrs. which \\'ere used f?r
lhe numcro:lls from one to ninelecn, When the system first appeared III
the Semitic world, it had alre;:ldy been extended to include hundreds.
and thousands, but in the Grcck world a conscrvalivc shorter Conn was
prescrvcd.
At about the time of I)'thagoras the Greek alphabet w;:\s revised by a
g
roul) of wise mcn; Simonidcs. a greatly rcvered poct, was one of those
"SO
involvcd. It is on rccord that hc included a scvcnth vowel. omcga, .
. I I . I " Thls
that there was a separate vowel for each stnng 0 t le Cit lara,
revised alphabet was cvcntually adopted officially by Athcns c, 415 B.C.
and is tllC classical Greck alphabct as known today,
This revised form had no\\' been extended so that it was comparablc
to the Semitic form and had sufficient leHefs to cove. tlle same num
er

. T texts
ical range, It is this ronn Ulat was used boul III Ule Old eslamenl
268 APOLLO
and in thc Gnostic wdtings; in the Greek world this system flourishcd in
the Christian Gnostic writings.
In India more of thc geomelry secms to have sllI....ived. as therc arc
some surprisingly c:u,ly scri~ts relating to cubic gcometry. the squarc
altaI". etc, It was also 1Il India that UIC so-called Arabic Ilume.... <lls were
de\ised.
In the period when Apollo was de,;.scd, Ule leucr A was Ule number
one and mC<lnt lot,dity; as alread" staled it was depicted as a circle wiul
diamel<.'rtcn units. III the lew TestamcnlJesus 8.'l)'S, KNot ajot or a titltc
shall go unnoticed, R Thejot is Ule translation of the Greek "'iota," which
is the tcnth leHcr and incidentally was not in the Hebrewalphabel. It is
clear that the iow is the littlest bit and was depicted then as an upright
strokc. as it is today,
The use of thcse tWO leners is interesling, In the words Macrocosm
and i\licrocosll1 we all know what is meant. The only dilTerence, how-
ever, is the illlcrchanging of the ~A " and thc ~I ." Note also thai Apollo's
music is clLhara :mcl his healing is cAthara, Lc. harmony in i1.S essence
and harmony \\;lhin totality. Now look again at the "Arabic" numerals.
The symbol for "Ol1c::lotality" has been demotcd to the zcro, and thc
~i ota::ten::the liulcsl bit" has becn givcn pride of place as number one.
I feel surc thai th<.' allcient foml with one::tolality is at Ule root of the
mo.notheism thaI scems to be associatcd Wilh the early alphabet, I also
bche\'e that the ahenllions that make up thc ~A rabi c" s)'Slem are closely
~e1a,te~1 t.o the rot that SCl in with Aristotle. elC, It has taken a long time
0\\01" Its \\'<1)' through, but I Ulink that thc egotism and self-eentered-
ness Ulat arc so prc\'alent today are related to the way we ulink of
numbers. In Ule old foml, if the individual is thc microcosm his relation
to totalih.' 's 'bl I '
, "I a concel\'<l ere auon of one to ten. but with Ule symbol for
totah[}, reduccd to nothing, how can one relate to the whole?
Returning now '0 ., , S .
\' le statement t):lt IInOl1ldes created a seventh
?WhCI s~ t~lat therc could bc a separate vo\\'cl for each sUing of thc
Cit ara, II IS int .. ,. ' I 1
I
' , 1.:1 csung t loU w lcn the sacred alphabet wa.s \ul....... dzcd
anc taken to tI C'__ 1:>"
[0 be Ie ~lllltlC world no vowels wcre discloscd; eXLJ<l signs had
uscd fol' thesc \V.. I b 1
P
. " ,IS t liS ecause t IC vowels wcre the most sacl'cd
all and \\'CI" . I I b
descri } . t:: conSl( erc( }' all to be too holy to defilc? Therc is a
J lion or Creck I,ric>.> ., 1 AI I'" ..
ha ., oJ r cxallC na slllgmg as Ii Ihey werc thc cit-
I'a, on the \'0\ ,c!. I I' r .
that th'. \ son y. Ower ul Sluff llldced, and the implication is
IS was an 'lIlci<.' [ ~. , . .
am 1 " < n p,.lctlce associated \\11th thc ongins of the dth-
. t IS also IC"I d I I
in bod. ~ Inc tlattlC Pythagorcans thought that a man healuly
)
'Oll y .md nund was like a well-tuned cithal'<l, How much closer can
get to the LS " r
SOCt;:lllon 0 pitch and the vowels wilh thc chakras? As
IInnt Mocaulay I 269
-Man being, of course, for Ulake, a living spirit; he is not referring to
the physical"garmem,- the material body. He continues:
We are led to Believe a Lie
""'hell we sec With Not Thro' the Eye
Which was Bar'll in a Night to Perish in a Night ..
Naturally man is only a natural organ subjeci to Sense.
Man cannot naturally Percei,'c but !.hrough his natural or bodily
organs.
C:m such an Ercjudge oflhe stars? & looking thro' its lUbeS
~I easllrc the sunny rays that point their spcars at Udanadan?
Can 'iuch an Ear, fil1'd with the vapour'S oflhe yawning pit
Judge or the pure melodious harp struck by a hand dh~ne?
The passage on the natural senses is as follows:
-and so willl the other senses, Such is the world lO those who look not
through but with c)'e and ear and the other bodily organs. The sense of
hearing call register, Blake notes, harmonics (discord and harmony)
but not mclod)'-"shutling out all melodies
ft
because harmonics are a
physical phenomcnon whereas melody belongs to the Imagination, and
exists only in tcrms of meaning and imaginativc experience. Yet when
he writes of ~the pure melodious harp struck by a hand divine" he might
well ha"e becn Ihinking of that Lyre of Apollo whose origins go back to
Pythagoras himsclf. TarIor comments that
This hamlOn\" of the spheres is admirably unfolded b), Simplicius in his
commelltan 011 thc second book ofAristotle's TrtatiM all I ~ HtalJnl.f, as
foIlOl\'S: 'The I"thagofealls So.'lid. thai an hannonic sound is produccd
rrom the motions of the celestial bodies; and they scientifically col.
lected Lhis frolll the analogy of thcir intervals; since not onl), the raLios
of the illlen-als of the sun and moon. and Venus and Mel'cul")', but also
of the other stars, were discovered by 1I1em.
Kath/rI RoiPltt I 277
Ah weak & wide a5troty! Ah shut in narrow doleful form,
Creepillg ill reptile Ocsh upon 1Ile bosom of the ground!
Tht: Eye of Man a little n.lITo\\, orb, dos'd up & dark,
Scarcel)' beholding the great lighl. convcrsing willl 1I1e Void;
The Ear a little shell, in small vohllions shutting Oul
All melodies & comprchending only Discord and HannoH)';
The Tonguc a little moisture fills, a little food il dOl'S,
A lillie sound it UIlCr'S & iLS cries are Jililltly heard,
... but if any on" ,,'k-- p)'" " "
I ", .. ~ lagoras, w10 IS reportee to lave heard this
lannony sh 1I , , ' ,
1 ' ULl ( lave us lcrrcslnal bod)' exempt from him. and his
umlllOtts and c"'e,', 'I', d ' ,
. .. s la \e He C, an lhe senses wluch It contains
PUllfied, .. such . ,", . . .. .
a one "I pcrccu'c llHUgS 1Il\'ISlblc (0 others.".
But!.henS J" .... "
Ill" I l l l l ~ I C l U ~ \\lltCS of Pythagoras alleged faculty of hearing that
bo~.I C , ~hal L hl ~ was IlOl heard in the mortal body. The sound of divine
les IS not audible 10 terrestrial ears;
BLAKE. YEATS ANt) 1'\'TIlAGOIlAS
Jesus eonsider'd Imagination to be Real Man & says I will notlea,'c you
O.,)hans and I ....ill manifest 1ll)'SClf lO you; he sal'S also, the Spiritual
Body or Angel as litlle Children alwars behold !.he Face oflllc Heavenly
Father.
"I question not my Corporcal or Vegetative Eyc any more than I would
Question a Window concerning a Sight. I look thro' il & not with if'-
so he concludes his notes all A Vision of Ihe Last judgment: which Judg-
ment is, for Blake, precisely and specifically tJle awakening from natural
LO Imaginative perception,
In considering the Fh'c Sen.ses he is at pains to argue 1I1at we do nOI
sec with them, but through them: it is the Tnle Man, !.he hnaginaLion,
\\'ho is the percei\'er, Plalo had himself written Lllal we see through the
ere, not with ie a phrase repeated in man)' contexts by Blake. In his
Auguries ofJnllOUllce he wrote that
It is clear that Blake suspected the Greeks, including I\thagoras him-
self, founder of WeStem mathemaLics, as being responsible for what he
calls the "-wrenching apan" of Nature from 1I1e living ImaginaLion. He
writes specifically about harmonics, and in this challenges the
Pythagorean clement in Grcek thought.
The allusion to harmonics comes in a passage three times repeated
in Blake's PropheLic Books; from which we may judge the importance
he attached to it. In this pa.ssage Blake is putting his case against Locke
and his school who held that all knowledge comes through the senses; a
view which survives in modern Behaviorism and the like. The corollary
to this belief that all knowledge comes through lhe senses is that the
only "knowledge
ft
is of lhe external, quamified world of ~natl l rc.f t
According to this view (Blake set it forth in his early Tractates against
Natural Religion)
276
in its final phasc.. ,. Mar it nOI have been precisd)'a talent for this alert
allcntion that had enabled Rome and not Grccce to express thosc final
/m'I/1(1ry phases?
(The primal)' phas<..'S represellling for YealS objective knowledge. tlle
antithetical subjecth'e knowledge.} The pass<lgc concludes:
Wllcn I tbink of Rome I scc always those heads with llldr world.-eonsid
cling eycs. and those bodics as cOlwcntional as the metaphors in a
Icadingarticle. and compare in m)' imagination vagllc Grccian eyes gaz-
ing at nothing. Bpantinc eycs ofdrillcd ivory staring upon a \ision, and
those cyelids of China and of India. those veilcd aI' half-vcilcd eyes
weary of world and vision alikc. (p.27!'r7)
TIlcrc arc Gandhara Buddhist sculplttrcs that seem to catch, as it \\'ere.
the open eycs of the Greek Apollo in the vel)' act of closing, of Hllning
inwards from the WeStern scrutiny of an cxtcmal, to the Eastern contem-
plation of all inner world, This change in representation accompanies an
intcl"ioriZ<ltion of knowlcdge itself: the plenitude of mind itself replaces
speculation of naturc, The Platonic and p),thagorean cosmology itself
becomcs, in the Indian mCL:'1ph)'Sical pel'Spective, interiorized, relativ
ized, a Ma)'a, which is in no sense a reality, being only an appearance:
"Knowledge increases unrcality:' In one of his unsllrpass.able condensa-
tions of metaph)'Sics into an image YealS describes all knowledge as
merely images reflected from a finally unknowable source:
"'!irror on mirror mirrored is all the ShOll',
8c)'oncl the measurable lies the immeasurnble, ~B uddha s empti-
ness, nirvana. YealS's own choice of the E.astern, nOl the Western
wisdom is implicit in the last two lincs of the stanza, The "'hour to bless"
is known to Buddha and declared with "gong and conch." To this
suprcme enliglllcnment Grimalkin (tl1C GU "grown thin \\~th eating
flies") must humbl)'cJ<l\\'1. Dr, F,A.C. Wilson suggeslS thai the cat image
refers to the Egyptian c<ll-goddess and above all to th:u suprcme c<lt-god-
dess the Sphinx, Since it was from Egypl that Pythagoras learned his
m:uhematical "1ll)'Stcl"ies" the implication would seem to be thal quanti-
lativc Western knowledge must make ilS final submission to the East.
wherc spiril, not matter. is lhc ground and firsl principle,
Would Blake h:wc been satisfied to crawl to Buddha's emptincSS?
I doubt il; for although he himself describes naturc as a "'veW of
appe.arnnces, a ma),a, he sees thi ~ \ (~i l as woven by the Imagination,
e\'er-ehanging according to the irnnginings of tllc weavel'S, He 100 saw
the relativity of natural appearances. bUI for him Imagination is by no
means nirYana, bill a plenilUde of imaginative forms, Nil"\'<lna would
have meant nothing 10 the poct who wrote:
Many slIppose that before the Crcation All was Solitudc & Ch<los. This
is the IllOSt perniciolls Idea dial can enter thc .\'lind, as itwkes m\~l Y all
~I lblimity from the Bible & Limits All Existl'llce to Crealion and Chaos,
To the Time & Space fixcd b\ thl' Corpon:al Vegclative E)'e. & leaves
lhe Man who cntcrtains such an Ide;1 Ihe habitation ofUnbclicving de-
mons, [tcrnil)' Exists. and All thin!,,,, ill Eternity. Independcnt of
Creation, , ,
This describes Plato's intellcclual \\'orld but not nil'dna; and Blakc's Pla-
tonic indebtcdness is clear in such passages as
T h~re ~X ~SI in that Elernal \~ {)rl d, Ihe Permanent Realities of Every
Thing \'olllcll we sce reneclCd In thIS Vcgelable Glass of Nature,
~T o .the E ) ~ ~f the Man of Imagination, Nature is Imagination iLselr is
~lcale~ LO Kablr, who made no separation belween real being :lnd man-
Ifeslatlon, than to "Buddha's emptiness."
1~T f - I E L\STSTA.\1Z\ Y .
th.. :.I C.llS comes b..'1ck to Blake's queslion-who strikcs
e IllUSIC frOIll the lyre of the universe?
When Pcarsc~ummol l ed Cuchulain to his side
What sl;tlkcd through the POSt Onicc? Wh:u in;elleci
What cal I . ,
CII allon, number. mcasuremcnt, replied?
A ~Prcsencen orill
e
SUllcrh ' 'I '
ing terror L'k .. I ' Hrn,lIl IS lere In\'oked Wilh an effecl of chill-
, let lC brute blood f I '"
War in the 10' r Led '. 0 I 1C all" IJlilt engendcl'S the Troi:lll
inS 0 a thIS unpul r "
measurement. I .. ~ se comes rom l>e)'ond number and
. tlCSe repl)' to the '
Initiale, In "Th S,,, sllpemaluJ<llllllpulsion bUl clo nOl
1_ e t.ltues the 1)'lss' I'
&...V\'e and W' I - tons to w 1I(:h the numbers "rcl>ly" arc
.1r-tlC yOUlllT lo\'c I I
art the lookin I.. . 1:1 rs anc L1e women who find in works of
1916 and lhc ~ ~ h"SS ,0,' drcams: and the w'IITior Cuchulain, spiril of
\\'h ns nSlllg, thc Irish A' TI
osc COnlrarv res. lese are the antinomies
I.... " pO\\'el'S SCI the wo'l I . .
~"l ) I D resofh ,.1 ( III mOIl on between the lWO con.
. I ~ IStory, as descnbed , '" '
o3OU, "Salo', . III I ISIOII, In "A Dialoguc orSdf'lll<1
< anclcnt bhdc" I .
, ,t lC sword of the sfII/lurai, and