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Sacred Geometry in the Realm of the Planets
Inner Traditions 2002, 2004 ISBN #089281194-3
I was drawn into this book from the very beginning, largely because of Heath's wonderful sense of humor and sense of self. One gets a feel for this in his acknowledgments, one of which is to his late father, Professor Fred Heath, who he feels "would have had great fun with this material". In his foreword, Heath's brother (and collaborator) Robin Heath talks about the one fundamental experience that we all share - the core experience of sharing the same planet. We hang out there in space (I love the mental picture that brings up - rather puts all of life in a different perspective!), our lives guided by cycles of numbers - days, weeks, months, years, the cycle of seasons, etc. And we generally agree that the pull of the moon has an effect on our lives, most in evidence in the earth's tidal patterns. Robin Heath also refers to the understanding that we have come to in the modern era (since Kepler and Newton) that the forces that maintain earth's relationship in motion to the other planets are mathematical relationships. He points out that this is the reason that we are able to navigate spacecrafts around other planets in our solar system, and accurately measure things such as force, speed and distance that regulate the celestial rhythm that earth is part of. This brings us to a place that many of us have come to, from a different perspective. Many of us feel that with advanced technology there has come a human disconnection with the true roots of our lives - our connection with the planet we live on and our connection with the Divine. Robin Heath sees modern science as being too dependent on the "proof" of things, and ignoring the basic tenet that if simple numerical formulas can describe the (lawful) behavior of planets (their orbits etc), then wisdom tells us that we should inquire further into the nature of the divine lawmaker. Robin Heath makes a very good case for this when he posits that ancient civilizations held sacred beliefs that supported their quest to understand this divine lawmaker. He points out t hat in each of the early civilizations we can discover what are today termed the traditional arts: astronomy, astrology, scared geometry, number sciences and musical harmony. In other words, what ancient people believed in was evident in every area of their life. What the Matrix of Creation does, according to Robin Heath, is integrate the sciences of geodesy, geomantics, and metrology with the core content of myths and legends. This is a very well spoken assessment of his brothers work, and in reading this book I certainly found it to be true. I am rather new to the study of Sacred Geometry - I would not have been able to understand this book if there had been no references to material other than the (dry) talk of numbers - exciting as they may be to some! Throughout this book are many sketches, graphics and photographs - largely the work of Robin Heath. When you are working with material that is as cutting edge as this material is, and one chapter builds upon the previous chapter, you are lost completely in the book at that one point where you cannot being the material together in your own mind. The sketches, graphics and photographs are the gateways that allow us to "see" what is being discussed, and are one of the great gifts of this book. One of my favorite sketches is on the very first page of the book - a rendition of a model by Johannes Kepler illustrating the geometry of the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. It is an example that Richard Heath gives as part of his working theory that the solar system evolved in an orderly, numerical way, and not as an accident of nature. Heath posits that in the ancient world, numbers had god-like powers of creation through their numerical relationships. This was a core belief, developed through astronomical observations, and through keeping track of the "events" in the sky. This science was carried through in the mythology, calendars, sacred geometry, musical theory and architecture of the ancient peoples. Heath takes us on a wonderful journey of discovery in making his points. The journey begins with a discussion of the sky, the planets, and earth cycles. Included are some wonderful representations of solar imagery in ancient and prehistoric art, along with a representation of the "Circles of Time" at Stonehenge. Here we begin to see what numbers really are, with an explanation of how the number seven acts to harmonize heaven and earth, calendars act to harmonize the seasons. At the end of this chapter is an illustration that, while it makes us smile, also holds great truth. It is a thirteenth century illustration of mans struggle to discover what lies behind the cosmos. From here we start to look at the patterns of the planets, and how they interact with each other. These are called "synods", or the period between two successive meetings of planets in the sky. (Thank heavens for an excellent glossary at the end of the book!) This is also where Heath begins to bring mythology into the picture, as well as discussion of the Golden Mean (1:1.618034) - the proportion with the most aesthetic appeal to the human eye. In this chapter is another illustration that I found to be fascinating - that of the tracery of Venus's relationship with the earth - which is a pentagram. The illustration is of the view as seen from the Sun (the axis of the universe), and to me strongly resembles the unfolding of a lotus flower. I also found of great interest references to the Harmony of the Spheres, and how musical tones obey numerical laws. "As Above, So Below" can be shown through the musical scales. For anyone interested in Sacred Geometry, in ancient cultures, or in simply connecting with the world around them in a better fashion, I highly recommend this book. As in all things - take what you will, and leave the rest behind. At the least - this book will make you think! Matrix of Creation can be purchased here.
Bonnie Cehovet
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