Leeds Museum

Today, I went to Leeds City museum. The museum was again another insight into the vast subject matter I have chosen as my summer brief.  Below are some  photographs from the Museum.

Exeter Museum

I decided to pop into my local museum to see if they had any exhibits on ancient Egypt/civilisations. Fortunately they did. They didn't have anything on the sacred geometry of giza, or nothing on the pyramids and sphinxes but they had a Egyptian tomb exhibit. They had some really beautiful artefacts. 

The tomb was of Shep en-mut, she died around 3,000 years ago. Her family must have paid a lot for her burial. Her body was carefully mummified and placed in a painted coffin. This was probably buried in a tomb cut into a cliff face. There are clues in the paintings that suggest Shep en-mut was married. The remains of her body revealed that she was about 50 years old and suffered arthritis. Her coffin was given to the museum in 1897. It probably came from Thebes but we don't know who excavated it. 

A River Kingdom 

Egyptian civilisation grew up around the Nile. This great river flows though northern Africa into the mediterranean. Around 10,000 years ago the wet Egyptian climate began to get drier, and people moved to the fertile ground near the river. The nile usually flooded once a year, covering the fields with a dark silt, which was great for growing crops. 

Around 5,000-6,000 years ago, the lands along the Nile became a kingdom ruled by a single leader. The first Egyptian kings were probably Namar and Aha, who ruled the city Memphis.

Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula is 1,500 light-years away, the nearest star-forming region to Earth. Astronomers used 520 Hubble images, taken in five colours, to make this picture (first one below). They also added ground-based photos to fill out the nebula. The ACS mosaic covers approximately the apparent angular size of the full moon.

The first image below  offers a peek inside a cavern of roiling dust and gas where thousands of stars are forming. The image, taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, represents the sharpest view ever taken of this region, called the Orion Nebula. More than 3,000 stars of various sizes appear in this image. Some of them have never been seen in visible light. These stars reside in a dramatic dust-and-gas landscape of plateaus, mountains, and valleys that are reminiscent of the Grand Canyon.

I've collected some images of Orion's Nebula taken from the hubble telescope. 

While the Orion constellation is named after the hunter in Greek mythology, it is anything but stealthy. Orion, which is located on the celestial equator, is one of the most prominent and recognizable constellations in the sky and can be seen throughout the world

Locating Orion the Hunter
Orion is clearly visible in the night sky from November to February. Orion is in the southwest sky if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or the northwestern sky if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. It is best seen between latitudes 85 and -75 degrees. Its right ascension is 5 hours, and its declination is 5 degrees.

Alnilam, Mintaka and Alnitak (see my blog post) , which form Orion’s belt, are the most prominent stars in the Orion constellation. Betelgeuse, the second brightest star in Orion, establishes the right shoulder of the hunter. Bellatrix serves as Orion's left shoulder.

The Orion Nebula is a formation of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases rather than a star, is the middle "star" in Orion’s sword, which hangs off Orion's belt. 

Isis/Osiris

After watching a documentary on Egypt, I thought I would do a bit of research on the prominent God/Godesses of Egypt, husband and wife, Isis and Osiris. These are perhaps the most iconic gods in ancient Egypt. 

Isis

Isis is one of the earliest and most important goddess in ancient Egypt. She was regarded as the feminine counterpart to Osiris, a role she probably occupied before the dawn of dynastic Egypt. No other Egyptian deity has stood the test of time as well as Isis. Her cult was not extinguished with the other Egyptian gods, but was embraced by the Greeks and Romans, her worship has even lasted into the present day.

She was revered by the Egyptian people as the great mother-goddess and represents the maternal spirit in its most intimate form. She is often seen suckling a young Horus. In the Osiris legend she is seen as a dutiful wife, a grieving widow and as a protector of the dead.

As a winged goddess she may represent the wind. In the Osiris legend there are references to Isis wailing and moaning like the wind. She is also continually travelling up and down the land in search of her lost husband. Upon finding Osiris' body, she takes the shape of one of the swiftest birds, a kite. Flapping and darting above his dead body she wails in mourning. She restores life to Osiris by flapping her wings and filling his mouth and nose with air.

Isis was a great enchantress, the goddess of magic. Together with Thoth, she taught mankind the secrets of medicine. She was the embalmer and gaurdian of Osiris. She is often rendered on the foot of coffins with long wings spread to protect the deceased.

Osiris

Osiris was the god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld. Osiris was the brother/husband of Isis, and the brother of Nepthys and Seth. He was also the father of Horus. As well as being a god of the dead, Osiris was a god of resurrection and fertility. In fact, the ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris gave them the gift of barley, one of their most important crops. A large temple was built to honour Osiris at Abydos.

The Orion Mystery

The three pyramids of Giza are a perfect reproduction of the three stars on the orion's belt (shown below) Like the pyramids, the three stars of orion are not perfectly aligned, the smallest of them is slightly offset east. Their orientation to the Nile recreates orion's orientation to the milky way. The layout of the pyramids, and their relative sizes were a deliberate design plan and not the result of Kings/Pharaohs egos. 

The pyramids were much more than just tombs; they were nothing less than a replica of heaven on earth. With astronomical precision, the pyramids were created to serve as pharaohs gateway to the stars. 

Orion

Orion is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous and recognisable constellations in the night sky. It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology. Its brightest stars are Rigel (Beta Orionis) and Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis), a blue-white and a red supergiant. Many of the other brighter stars in the constellation are hot, blue supergiant stars. The three stars in the middle of the constellation form a unique asterism known as Orion's belt. The Orion Nebula is located south of Orion's belt.

BBC: Egypt's Lost Queen

Tonight there was a documentary on BBC Two on Egypt's lost queens, queens a long time before Cleopatra. By watching this documentary it has given me a really insight into what ancient Egypt was like.  Professor Joann Fletcher explores what it was like to be a woman of power in ancient Egypt. Through a wealth of spectacular buildings, personal artefacts and amazing tombs, Joann brings to life four of ancient Egypt's most powerful female rulers and discovers the remarkable influence wielded by women, whose power and freedom was unique in the ancient world.

Throughout Egypt's history, women held the title of pharaoh no fewer than 15 times, and many other women played key roles in running the state and shaping every aspect of life. Joann Fletcher puts these influential women back at the heart of our understanding, revealing the other half of ancient Egypt. Below are some screenshots I took from the documentary.

Eye of Horus

The eye of Horus is an ancient symbol of protection royal power and good health (all-seeing eye) It is also known as the 'eye of ra' a powerful destructive force linked with the fierce heat of the sun. It is believed to have hearing and protective power. Horus was an ancient sky god whose eyes were said to be the sun and moon. 

The Flower of Life

The flower of life holds a secret through which one can discover the most important and sacred pattern in the universe. This is the source of all that exists; it’s called the Fruit of Life. It contains 13 informational systems. Each one explains another aspect of reality. Thus these systems are able to give us access to everything ranging from the human body to the galaxies. In the first system, for example, it’s possible to create any molecular structure and any living cellular structure that exists in the universe. In short every living creature.

If you overlay a map (after getting the correct scale) with the complete flower of life, all sacred sites, standing stones etc, will sit at the centre of six points.

The Seed of Life

The “Seed of Life” is formed from seven circles being placed with sixfold symmetry, forming a pattern of circles and lenses, which acts as abasic component of the Flower of Life’s design

The Seed of Life is a symbol depicting the seven days of creation in which the Judeo-Christian God created life; Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 23:12, 31:16-17, Isaiah 56:6-8.

The first step in forming the Seed of Life (or Flower of Life) is to begin with a circle (as in a 2D model) or a sphere (as in a 3D model).According to some religious beliefs, the first step in building the Seed of Life was the creation of the octahedron by a divine “creator” (or “God”).

The Flower of Life

The Flower of Life is the modern name given to a geometrical figure composed of multiple evenly-spaced, overlapping circles. They are arranged to form a flower-like pattern with a sixfold symmetry. The most common form of the “Flower of Life” is hexagonal pattern (where the center of each circle is on the circumference of six surrounding circles of the same diameter), made up of 19 complete circles and 36 partial circular arcs, enclosed by a large circle.

Temple of Osiris

The Temple of Osiris at Abydos, Egypt contains the oldest known examples of the Flower of Life. They are at least over 6,000 years old and may date back to as long ago as 10,500 B.C. or earlier. It appears that it had not been carved into the granite and instead may have been burned into the granite or somehow drawn on it with incredible precision. It is thought to possibly represent the Eye of Ra (see my blog post), a symbol of the authority of the pharaoh. Other examples can be found in Phoenician, Assyrian, Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, and medieval art.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci studied the Flower of Life's form and its mathematical properties. He drew the Flower of Life itself, as well as various components such as the Seed of Life. He drew geometric figures representing shapes such as the platonic solids, a sphere, a torus, etc., and also used the golden ratio of phi in his artwork; all of which may be derived from the Flower of Life design.
It is considered by some to be a symbol of sacred geometry, said to contain ancient, religious value depicting the fundamental forms of space and time. In this sense, it is a visual expression of the connections life weaves through all sentient beings, and it is believed to contain a type of Akashic Record of basic information of all living things.

Metatron's Cube

Metatron's cube depicts the five platonic solids which may be derived form the flower of life. The five platonic solids are geometrical forms which are said to act as a template from which all life springs, according to spiritual belief. The Platonic solids are five structures that are crucial because they are the building blocks of organic life. These five structures are found in minerals, animated and organic life forms, sound, music, language, etc. Metatron's cube is also considered a holy glyph, used to ward off evil spirits. The Kabbalah's Tree of life is also thought to be derived from the flower of life.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is one of the most familiar of the Sacred Geometry Symbols. The structure of the Tree of Life is connected to the sacred teachings of the Jewish Kabbalah but can be seen in other traditions such as the ancient Egyptian. The Tree of Life is used as a sign of unity and love. The Tree of Life pendant forms the key to God's original creation. The pendant fits exactly to the Seed of Life and the Flower of Life.

Something I saw and liked.

Versica Piscis

In Sacred Geometry theres a pattern like this OO it's formed when two equal radius circles are placed on each others circumferences. The area  where the two circles intersect is called the Versica Piscis. This configuration is the most predominant and important of all relationships in sacred geometry. 

The name literally means 'bladder of a fish' in latin. The shape is also called mandorla (almond in Italian) below I've created the vectors for the Versica Piscis. 

Circling the Square

Platonic Solids

Platonic solids/ The five elements.

A platonic solid has equal edges, every face is the same perfect polygon and every point is the same distance from the centre. Known as the five platonic solids, they were recognised in the British isles 2,000 years before Plato. 

The first solid is a tetrahedron, with four vertices and four equilateral triangle, traditionally representing the elements of fire. The second solid is the octahedron, representing air. The cube is the third solid, eight vertices and six square faces, representing Earth. The fourth representing water. 

The last and fifth element is the dodecahedron representing the mysterious fifth element aether. Aether in shorthand means spirit, but has lots of connotations. Philosophers say its an in-between element used to explain natural phenomena, such as gravity and the movement of light. 

Plato

Plato was a philosopher, as well as a mathematician, in classical Greece. Plato considered geometry and number as the most reduced and essential and therefore the ideal, philosophical language. 

Sacred Geometry/The Practice of Geometry

Sacred geometry involves sacred universal patterns used in design of everything in our reality, most often seen in sacred architecture and sacred art. The basic belief is that geometry and mathematical ratios, harmonics and proportion are also found in music, light, cosmology. This value system is seen as widespread even in pre-history, a cultural universal of the human condition. 

It is considered foundational to building sacred structures such as temples, mosques, monuments and churches; sacred spaces such as altars, village greens, holy wells and the creation of religious art and using 'divine' proportions. Alternatively, sacred geometry based arts may be ephemeral (short-lived) such as visualisation, sand painting and medicine wheels. 

Sacred geometry may be understood as a worldview of pattern recognition, a complex system of religious symbols and structures involving space, time and form. According to this view the basic patterns of existence are perceived as sacred. By connecting with these, a believer contemplates the great mysteries, and the great design. By studying the nature of these patterns, forms and relationships and their connections, insight may be gained into the mysteries - the laws of the universe. 

Below some photos I took of sacred places whilst I was in Hong Kong early this month. 

The Practice of Geometry

'what is God? He is length, width, height and depth'

'Geometry' means 'measure of the earth'. The activity of measuring the earth became the basis for a science of natural law as it is embodied in the architectural forms of circle, square and triangle. Geometry is the study of spatial order through the measure and relationships of forms. Geometry deals with pure form, and philosophical.