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Art, Measure and Synchronicity

Introduction to the Canon of Measure

"Is it possible that a universal language, one which transcends the classical categories of composition, line and spatial arrangement underlies great works of ancient art?” Thus far evidence for such a claim has eluded archeologists and art historians. We believe theanswer to this question lies in the recovery of an archaic communication form we refer to as the

Canon of Measure

. This narrative entertains the origin of such a system and the works of art and architecture in which it is embedded.

Onehallmarkintheevolution ofanygreatcivilization isthesophistication ofitsmetrology or use of measure.Standards of measureorganizesociety andfacilitateevery aspect ofcultural intercourse fromcommerce and real estate totaxation andcoinage.Standards of measure are vested expressions of a culture’s values,integrity and identity.Societypassionately identifieswithitsownsystem of measure.Americansand the Britishfor example, resisted the worldwideadoption of the metric system.Even thoughitwassimpler,moreefficient andmoreconvenient,mention of the metric systemincitedopposition.The reactionwasvisceral; wewere loath tochange.Ourallegiance toanantiquated metrology leadsus toask if perhaps there is more to our resistance thanthe inconvenienceofhaving tochange habits.Istheresome primal recognition of infidelity in themetricsystem?If so, fromwhencedoessuchan intuitionarise? Is theresomearchetypal“body of measure”with which we

would

resonate--one which mightbeembraced for itsintrinsic integrity?

Where does measure come from?

Historically,the fate ofancientsystems ofmeasurehas been tiedtoconquest,assimilation and the spoils of war. One culture over takes another and the ways of the victor are instituted.Overtime,thetraditionsof the conqueredbecomehomogenizedwiththose ofthe invadersand the rites and ritualsof the hosts’ arelost to posterity.Although moderncivilmeasure no longercorresponds directly to the values thatmayhaveinspired ancientcivilizations’buildings and designs, bits and pieces of archaicsystems do persist to this day. Linkage toearlier forms is evident.Lessapparenthowever,is the

genesis

ofarchaic units of measure.Did they evolve from a singular

Bernard Pietsch and Suzanne Thompson

Art Measure and Synchronicity: Introduction to the Canon of Measure

Page2 of15

source? Is there some fundamental that organizes them? If so, what are the tools of transmission?There isanallusive qualityto theaspectof measurewe are pursuing--oneobscuredbyhistorybecauseitemploysalevel of communication not amenable todirectanalysis.Understandingmeasure in itsdeepest,most ancient andesoteric contextrequiresa different typeof inquiry.To fathom the landscape of the ancient mind fromwhich the language of measure emerged, we need insight into the

origin

of theearliest units of measure and theconsciousness of thecollective wisdomfromwhichit wassummoned.

Reconstruction: How Do You Read?

The art of reading subtle indicatorsin a remnant work of artispart and parcel of seeing beyond the part, to the context of the whole form.The process involves morethan just reassembling blocks of stone and fixing broken pieces of sculpture. Fromour point of view, the goal of restoration is to contact the

mind

of the artist andreclaim from the fragment itself, the

intent

of the work.Restorationrequires attentionto that which is physicallypresent and tothat whichinformsthat which remains. Wewant to know what unifying principle was driving the artist and how this piece of workis part of that communication.From the fragments of once magnificentstructures,levels of organizationbeyondourimaginationawait being made whole.The enabling mechanismofthis organizing principledescends from the distant pastthrough a system we call the

Canon ofMeasure

.The conveyance ofthe canonisbotharchetypal and synchronistic: it emerges universally—henceevidence of itsderivativesis found on all continents and time periods and in diverse art forms. Thecanonof which we speakwill not be found in moderntextbooks.Nonetheless, itarises fromtheconsciousness whichinforms and unifies the great monuments of theantiquarian world.Over the course of this and followingarticles we will address such questions as:1.What is the source ofthecanon ofmeasure?Howis it linked to observationsof the natural order, geometry, mathematics and physics?2.How arethe

emergent

principlesof the canondemonstrated in ancient artand literature? What characteristics identify a workas participant in a sacredtradition? How doesa work speak to us and what are the tools of transmission?3.What canbelearned from thecanon of measure andhow it wasimplemented?We begin with a mythic allusion to the gods and their descent into the material world.

Bernard Pietsch and Suzanne Thompson

Art Measure and Synchronicity: Introduction to the Canon of Measure

Page3 of15

Saturn:Iconand Sourceof Measure

If the universe is a harmonized whole, then we would expectany system based onNature to have at its sourcefundamental and ubiquitouselementswhich aredemonstrated on the largest and the smallest scales.Any systemwhichreconcilesand containsalldiversityobeys aunifying principle. Inall ofnature, astronomy andphysicsthat principle, expressedmathematicallyas 1/.618,underlies all dynamics,structure and process.It is knownvariouslyas the Golden Proportion,the GoldenMean,

phi

or the Golden Number.The universe isthemanifestation of this principle--Nature buildsinthe Golden Proportion.Every organism expresses thisdirective inits unique way,andnonestrays far fromits constraints.All natural expressionwhether organic or dynamic is derivative of this principle.Given the ubiquity of

phi

in the natural order, it is not surprisingthatrecognitionof the Golden Proportionisshared by manycultures.Homage to its sanctity surfaces inworks ofarchitecture, art and literatureall over the world andfrom earliest times.Even the mostprimitiveartcan be seen toexpress the kinship humansexperiencedwithNature anditsforces. Measure evolved out oftherecognition ofthisprimalrelationship (ratio) between humans and theuniverse. Whetherrecordingthephases of the moonbynotching a bone,paintingthechange ofseasons onacavewall,commemoratingwisdom storiesin thestars, orcarvingsymbols on stones,humans mark time.In legend, theancient GreeksidentifiedKronos or Saturn asthecustodian of measure andtime-keeper of the solar family.Of all the planets in the solar system,Saturnispersonified as the most rigorous, themost regular and the most stable.More than any other body in the solar system, Saturn’s path exhibits the leastdeviation; it is able to absorb the perturbations and disturbances of space.True tothe myth,Saturn is imperturbable.Astronomically,it could be said thatSaturn's orbital performance provides adependable gauge against which Earth's fluctuations in space can be observed, for only against areliable standard can deviation, development, growth, or decline bemeasured.Viewed from our position on Earth, when it appears that Saturn is “off schedule,” so to speak, we can be fairly certain that it is we who areoff. Saturn actsas a good mirror for planet Earth'scomparativelycapricious dancethrough space.As we mightexpect, Saturnalsodemonstrates thepervasiveness of the GoldenProportion in our solar system.The GoldenMeanisNature’sgeometric signature.Though only an abstraction, it is through comparison with this mean, that theindividuality of any natural event or living geometry can be recognized. The identityof a plant for example,can be recognizable by its individual adaptation to or departure from the Golden Mean--Nature's guarantee of individuality within the law.Numerically, the Golden Number is expressed as the minutes inthe planetSaturn'srotational day:

618

minutes

Geometrically we seetheGoldenRatio on a planetarylevelexemplifiedby the conjunction period of Saturn and Jupiter.Every twentyyears or so, Saturn conjuncts with Jupiter at the

phi

point,or

618

mark of its orbit.In other words, when Jupiter completes onerevolution around the Sun plus .618 of

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Art Measure and Synchronicity: Introduction to the Canon of Measure

Is it possible that a universal language, one which transcends the classical categories of composition, line and spatial arrangement underlies great works of ancient art? Thus ... (More)

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Category:	Research > Arts & Architecture
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Upload Date:	08/14/2011
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Tags:	Alchemy Kepler mile Pendulum herodotus Synchronicity Sacred Geometry golden number (more tags) Alchemy Kepler mile Pendulum herodotus Synchronicity Sacred Geometry golden number sacred architecture sacred year ancient art sacred art source of measure great trigon furlong second of arc (fewer)