The Sacred Geometry of Washington, D.C.: The Integrity And Power of the Original Design - Softcover

Mann, Nicholas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0954723074 ISBN 13: 9780954723071

Publisher: Green Magic, 2006

Synopsis

The Sacred Geometry of Washington, D.C. shows how a system of number and geometric proportion, employed in the temples and cities of many of the great civilizations of the past, is present in the original design of the United States capital. In 1791, as the immense new Federal City took shape upon the landscape, it had to define and balance the powers of the People, the States, the Judiciary, the Legislature and the President. The architect had to give symbolic form to a new democratic republic. But, over the centuries, imbalances crept into this plan. Nicholas Mann describes this story in fascinating detail and asks: if the symbolism of the capital city is intended to be a true expression of America's heart, its innermost values, what can be done to restore the balance and integrity of its original, visionary principles?

About this title

About the Author

Nicholas R. Mann read history and anthropology in London; then turned his attention to the study of classical philosophies, mythology and sacred geometry. His books include Sedona: Sacred Earth, Reclaiming the Gods, The Isle of Avalon and Energy Secrets of Glastonbury Tor. He lives in Glastonbury, England.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SACRED GEOMETRY OF WASHINGTON, D.C. The Integrity and Power of the Original Design Introduction This book shows how a system of number and geometric proportion, employed in the temples and cities of many of the great civilizations of the past, is present in the original design of the United States capital, the City of Washington in the District of Columbia. As a result of observation and experience, our distant ancestors realized that every form of life, from the earth, the sun and moon, to the trees, the human body and the seashell, demonstrated certain geometric proportions. Once recognized, these proportions were gradually developed into ideas and principles that became highly charged with spiritual and symbolic meaning. These principles were employed in the design of the pyramids of Mesoamerica, the temples of India and Indonesia, the mosques of the Middle East, the Forbidden City of China and the megalithic monuments of prehistory. They provided measures so that ancient calendars could anticipate eclipses and trace the movement of the stars and planets over immense periods of time. With these principles, earth and sky could be divided into regions and degrees with precise numbers. This geometrical system became highly conceptualized in the architectural achievements of ancient Egypt and Greece. The complexity of the cosmos was reflected in the Egyptian temple. This was the House of the Netr: the "divine principles" that included law and geometry. The Pythagoreans, who learnt from the Egyptians, believed the wisdom enshrined within the principles formed the foundation for all right order in the world. They taught that this knowledge should govern and define the activities of the people, the nation and, ideally, the world, through cities and temples modelled upon the measures of the cosmos. Plato, St. John, and other visionaries, described the ratios, measures and dimensions of the principles as the means by which the ideal city --the Atlantean city of Magnesia, the New Jerusalem, the City of God, the archetypal "Heavenly City" had been or would be established on the earth. As above, so below. In these cities every action was or should be an expression of divine law and power. Over time, sacred geometry found expression in the cathedrals, palaces and basilicas of medieval Europe and in the philosophy, art and architecture of the Renaissance.

Edition details

• Publisher: Green Magic
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0954723074
• ISBN 13: 9780954723071
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 200