Art, Measure and Synchronicity

Introduction to the Canon of Measure

From the work of Bernard I. Pietsch by Suzanne Thompson
"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 the answer 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.
One hallmark in the evolution of a great civilization is the sophistication and
competence of its metrology or use of measure. Standards of measure organize
society and facilitate every aspect of cultural intercourse from commerce and real
estate to taxation and coinage. Standards of measure are vested expressions of
a cultures values and identity.
During the time of the American
Revolution, a debate arose
regarding the new nations options
for establishing its own system of
weights, measures and money. One
aim of the founding fathers was to
disassociate with anything British.
Another was the aspiration to
incorporate on every level of
commerce the ideals energized by
the Age of Enlightenmentto
establish standards supported by
scientific principles. During this
same period the French were introducing a metric system based on earth
measures and designed to facilitate international trade. Although more efficient
than either English or American denominations of conveyance, the metric system
failed to gain the approval of the congress. The French system did not
adequately demonstrate the ideal of e pluribus unum; true commensurability it
was argued should join all categories of measure: weight, temperature, distance,
volume, time etc.
Today most of the world has adopted the metric system. Only the United States
and a few small nations maintain the provincial units of inches, feet, yards and
miles. We might wonder if our adherence to an antique metrology indicates
some perception of infidelity in the metric system. If so, from whence does such
an intuition arise? On the other hand, it could also be asked if there is an
archetypal body of measure, one with which we would resonate--one which
might, as the founding fathers sought, be embraced for its intrinsic integrity? The
answer to this question draws not from the present but from the distant past, and
is the subject of the following address.
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Where does measure come from?
Historically, the fate of ancient systems of measure has been tied to conquest,
assimilation and the spoils of war. One culture over takes another and the ways
of the victor are instituted. Over time, the traditions of the conquered become
homogenized with those of the invaders and the rites and rituals of the hosts are
lost to posterity.
Although modern civil measure no longer corresponds directly to the values that
may have inspired ancient civilizations buildings and designs, bits and pieces of
archaic systems do persist to this day. Linkage to earlier forms is evident. Less
apparent however, is the genesis of archaic units of measure. Did they evolve
from a singular source? Is there some fundamental that organizes them? If so,
what are the tools of transmission?
There is an allusive quality to the aspect of measure we are pursuing--one
obscured by history because it employs a level of communication not amenable
to direct analysis. Understanding measure in its deepest and most esoteric
context requires a different type of inquiry. To fathom the landscape of the
ancient mind from which the language of measure emerged, we need insight into
the origin of the earliest units of measure and the consciousness of the collective
wisdom from which it was summoned. Our sources lie dormant in ancient works
of art and architecture.
Reconstruction: How Do You Read?
The art of reading a remnant of a work of art is part and parcel of seeing beyond
the fragment, to the context of the whole form. The process involves more than
reassembling blocks of stone and fixing broken pieces of sculpture. From our
point of view, the goal of restoration is to contact the mind of the artist and
reclaim from the fragment itself, the intent of the work. Restoration requires
attention to that which is physically present and to that which informed its
remains. We want to know what unifying principle was driving the artist. What
was the larger communication of which the broken piece is but a part? From the
remains of once magnificent structures, levels of organization beyond our
imagination await being made whole again.
The enabling mechanism of this organizing principle descends from the distant
past through a system we call the Canon of Measure. The conveyance of the
canon is both archetypal and synchronistic: it emerges universallyhence
evidence of its derivatives is found on all continents and time periods and in
diverse art forms. The canon of which we speak will not be found in modern text
books. Nonetheless, it arises from the consciousness which informs and unifies
the great monuments of the antiquarian world.
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Over the course of this and following articles we will address such questions as:
1. What is the source of the canon of measure? How is it linked to
observations of the natural order, geometry, mathematics and physics?
2. How are the emergent principles of the canon demonstrated in ancient art
and literature? What characteristics identify a work as participant in a
sacred tradition? How does a work speak to us and what are the tools of
transmission?
3. What can be learned from the canon of measure and how it was
implemented?
We begin with a mythic allusion to the gods and their descent into the material
world.
Saturn: Icon and Source of Measure
If the universe is a harmonized whole, then we would expect any system based
on Nature to have at its source fundamental and ubiquitous elements which are
demonstrated on the largest and the smallest scales. Any system which
reconciles and contains all diversity obeys a unifying principle. In all of nature,
astronomy and physics that principle, expressed mathematically as 1/.618,
underlies all dynamics, structure and process. It is known variously as the
Golden Proportion, the Golden Mean, phi or the Golden Number. The universe
is the manifestation of this principle--Nature builds in the Golden Proportion.
Every organism expresses this directive in its unique way, and none strays far
from its constraints. All natural expression whether organic or dynamic is
derivative of this principle.
Given the ubiquity of phi in the natural order, it is not surprising that recognition of
the Golden Proportion is shared by many cultures. Homage to its sanctity
surfaces in works of architecture, art and literature all over the world and from
earliest times. Even the most primitive art can be seen to express the kinship
humans experienced with Nature and its forces. Measure evolved out of the
recognition of this primal relationship (ratio) between humans and the universe.
Whether recording the phases of the moon by notching a bone, painting the
change of seasons on a cave wall, commemorating wisdom stories in the stars,
or carving symbols on stones, humans mark time.
In legend, the ancient Greeks identified Kronos or Saturn as the custodian of
measure and time-keeper of the solar family. Of all the planets in the solar
system, Saturn is personified as the most rigorous, the most regular and the
most stable. More than any other body in the solar system, Saturns path exhibits
the least deviation; it is able to absorb the perturbations and disturbances of
space. True to the myth, Saturn is imperturbable.
Astronomically, it could be said that Saturn's orbital performance provides a
dependable gauge against which Earth's fluctuations in space can be observed,
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Fig. 1 In the 17
th
century Kepler recognized
the conjunction pattern of Saturn and
Jupiter in his diagram called the Trigon of
Great Conjunctions. Events occurring
during this conjunction were believed to be
of great astrological portent. More
importantly was the fact that Kepler was
able to predict by calculation the
astronomical conjunctions of the two
planets and the tiny amount of precession
exhibited between the points of their
conjunctions.
for only against a reliable standard can deviation, development, growth, or
decline be measured. 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 are
off. Saturn acts as a good mirror for planet Earth's comparatively capricious
dance through space.
As might be expected, Saturn also demonstrates the pervasiveness of the
Golden Proportion in our solar system. The Golden Mean is Natures geometric
signature. Though only an abstraction, it is through comparison with this mean,
that the individuality of any natural event or living geometry can be recognized.
The identity of 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 in the planet
Saturn's rotational day: 618 minutes.
Geometrically we see the Golden Ratio
on a planetary level exemplified by the
conjunction period of Saturn and Jupiter.
Every twenty years or so, Saturn
conjuncts with Jupiter at the phi point, or
.618 mark of its orbit. In other words,
when Jupiter completes one revolution
around the Sun plus .618 of its next 360
degree orbit, as seen from Earth, it
appears once again closely aligned or
conjunct with Saturn. After twenty more
years we will again see them close in the
sky but advanced about 222+ degrees--
the phi proportion of their circuit through
the heavens. See Fig. 1
A Canon of Measure
The essentials of our canon system
could be derived from the close
observation of any natural event or
structure. Although we are presenting the
canon in perfect units, perfect units are not observed in the natural world. Like
the Golden Number, the canon is an abstraction against which the physical world
can be measured. Number concepts like the mean solar day of 1440 minutes,
the calendar year of 365 days, or the lunar year of 354 days etc., are average
periods. In reality the duration of each period varies slightly from day to day and
year to year. But without the concept of an average, it would be difficult to
establish how much any one day or any one year deviates from the mean.
Exactly how the canon of measure was transmitted historically, we cannot say.
But the canon can always be recovered by going to the ancient works
themselves. Temples, tombs, and monuments are repositories of concepts
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expressed using the canon of measure, and when read properly; their content is
available to all ages. The works are the evidence.
Between the Lines
In addition to stone monuments, temples and tombs, sacred measure is also
buried in ancient literature. Just as in architecture the method of conveyance
through literature, though indirect, is not hidden. Herodotus the 4th Century
B.C.E. Greek historian writes in a style which is alternately illusive and
implausible, yet his work is strangely informative when understood. In Section
149, of The History, Book II Herodotus description of Lake Moeris is a coded
reference to Saturn's function as the foundation of measure. Herodotus tells us
that Lake Moeris, "a work even more astonishing than the Labyrinths," was sixty
shones or 3600 furlongs in circumference. After his description of the Lake,
Herodotus assigns numerical values to the furlong, the cubit, and the palm.
If we use the modern conventional unit of a furlong at 660 feet, the figure of 3600
furlongs is unengaging. When the canon furlong of 657.27 feet is invoked
however, Herodotus' intended communication becomes more transparent. The
numbers become instantly significant when Lake Moeris is seen as a veiled
reference to Saturn. The feet in 3600 Canon furlongs divided by ten is equal to
the number of miles in Saturn's circumference: 236,617.2 miles. This figure is the
numerical basis for developing a system of Earth measures relative to Saturn
and its performance. We'll be seeing this figure again shortly.
a
The History is filled with literary ruse doubling as coded information. Keys to the
code are frequently given in the wording of Herodotus numerous accounts.
These various and lengthy enumerations are veiled references to the canon. The
phrases "well worthy of notice" or "very worthy of mention" or "well deserves to
be described" alert the reader to pay close attention to what is about to follow.
Directions for manipulating numbers are often inferred in such phrases as
"subterranean passage," "ditch," or "tunnel" which can mean take the reciprocal
of the figure just given. The use of the word "generation" refers to the use of
multiplication. "Round about" or "all around" indicates use of the circle as
degrees or fractions thereof. A phrase concerning a certain number of "days
journey" can imply that the total number of hours or minutes during that period
may be a significant key figure. There is more in Herodotus than meets the literal
eye. We will revisit his commentaries on Egypt, the pyramids and what he was
told by the temple priests in other chapters.
Parting the Veil
Sacred or canon measures are hidden only in the sense of being obscured by
too narrow a perspective. Events which at first glance seem unrelated, when
observed from a more distant point of view, can be seen as connected. A pattern
emerges; a sense of scale realized. For this reason we sometimes think of canon
a
The Voyager missions in the 1980s reckoned Saturns circumference as 236,780 milesabout 162.8
miles more than our figure. The canon figure is a scant .9993120423 accurate.
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measures as cosmic values because they relate to a larger framework than that
visible from here on Earth.
One of the major keys that reveals to us the domain of the cosmic is represented
by a numerical ratio we call K for short. K represents the ratio with which we part
the veil. From the phenomenal world we enter the cosmic realm--a dimension
where time, distance, velocity, number, and geometry become co-in-ci-dent with
one another, where everything is in one thing, and where the law "as above, so
below" becomes observable. Here the application and utility of number in all its
forms transcends the limitations imposed by ordinary logic. Here, number
becomes time, distance, angle, ratio, and logarithm. Once invoked the magic
inherent in number and all its synchronicity is made available.
K is the number 1.01430555. With it, the first measures to be unveiled are those
of time. The ancients understood the intimate and inseparable relationship of
time with all dimensions. (By invoking K we will reveal the legendary "harmony of
the spheres." But first some groundwork must be laid. For a number of important
reasons we adopt 365.15 days as the length of the canonical solar year.
b
365.15 divided by K produces the Sacred Year of 360 days. The same length of
time is involved but the relationship of the year to the circle of 360 is clearly
established. From this ancient Sacred Year we derive the following units:
The derivation of the canon or sacred day of 24 hours 20 minutes and 36
seconds is more than a mathematical construction. It is also the day responded
to by plants and organisms. Circadian rhythms (meaning round about a day) tend
to be about 20+ minutes longer than the mean solar day of 24 hours; biological
rhythms in humans as well seem to follow this cycle. Notice also that the number
of minutes in the Canon Year, 525816 divided by 100 renders the number for the
feet in the Canon Mile: 5258.16 It is both itself and the other: time and length.
Synchronistically, 525816 has one foot on land and one in the domain of time. As
we shall see, the canon mile has its origin in time.
Earth Measures Derived from Saturn
How are linear units of Earth measure derived from Saturn? Each unit as a
standard will reflect some connection with Saturn, and because all the units are
commensurate with one another, equatorial Earth measures can be derived, from
just two primary units:
1. The number of feet to the ancient canon mile, 5258.16.
b
365.15 also corresponds to the number of inches in the perimeter of the base of Cheops
Pyramid: 36,515 inches. (Divide by 100 = 365.15
1.0143055 (K)
= 360
365.15
ONE CANON YEAR
360 Days
525816 Minutes
8763.6 Hours
ONE CANON DAY
24.34333 Hours
1460.6 Minutes
87,636 Seconds
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236617.2 = 5258.16 feet
45
2. The number of canon miles in the circumference of the Earth as 25,000.
c
Begin with the primary unit for measuring the Earth--the second of arc at the
Equator: 101.430555 feet. Looking again to Saturn, the length of this unit is
nested in Saturn's daily rotational period is 10 hours 14 minutes and 35 seconds.
Expressed decimally it is the number 10.1430555. Multiply this by 10 to arrive at
101.430555. Taken as feet, we now have the number of feet to the second of arc
on the Earth's equator. Notice K 1.01430555, within the number.
If we allow the testimony of Herodotus that there were "eight gods who existed
before the rest,"
d
and that these eight were the gods of Measure, each
represents one eighth of the circle or 45 degrees. Divide the foundation of
measure, Saturn's circumference, 236,617.2 by 45 and we arrive at the ancient
value for the number of feet in the canon mile.
Recall that this number, 5258.16 x 100 is also the same as the number of
minutes in the Canon Year: 525,816.
Using the framework of the 360 circle, Canon equatorial units can now be
developed:
c
The number of miles in the Earth's equator at 25,000 is taken from the Sacred Cubit of 25
inches. The modern day Clarke Spheroid is 24,901.55 miles @ 5280 feet/mile.
d
Herodotus makes several references to "the twelve gods and the eight before them" in his second book
The History, Book II.
1,296,000 seconds of arc
21,600 minutes of arc
101.430555 feet to the second of arc
5258.16 feet to the canon mile
CIRCUMFERENCE (360 degrees)
25,000 miles
40,000 kilometers
200,000 furlongs
131,454,000 feet
ONE DEGREE OF ARC
69.4444444 miles
111.111111 kilometers
555.555555 furlongs
365150 feet
ONE MINUTE OF ARC:
6085.833 feet
ONE SECOND OF ARC:
101.430555 feet
1217.1666 inches
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Canon units of measure are not invented arbitrarily. They are derived, from time.
A period of time can also be used to represent a unit of length, e.g. 5258.16 feet
to the mile has the same number as the minutes in the canon Year: 525816, a
synchronicity which begs the inference that the mile is inextricably linked to Time.
Another descendent from a Saturn unit of measure emerges by juxtaposing
distance with time: the canon meter. Divide the number for the circumference of
Saturn, 236,617.2 by the number of minutes in Earth's mean solar day, 1440,
divide by 100, and the result is exactly one-half the measure we identify as the
canon meter:
This canon metric value is actually commensurate with the duodecimal (English)
system. In the most alchemical fashion, the precipitate of the two systems
exceeds the limitations of either. Canon metrics expose a relationship between
the two traditions that is not otherwise apparent. Ideally, the two systems work
together and need not be a source of contention. Thomas Jefferson was
intuitively correct in resisting adoption of the French meter in the United States.
He recognized the importance of endorsing a truly commensurate figure which
would unify time, space, and matter. He discerned that the French system did not
fulfill this requirement.
The Furlong
The ancient measure of the canon furlong is correlated with Saturn as one
degree of its circumference in miles, expressed on Earth in feet as:
236617.2 = 164.3175
1440
164.3175 x 2 = 3.28635 feet in 1 canon meter
100
(3.28635 x 12 = 39.4362 inches in 1 canon meter)
236617.2 = 657.27 This number is now taken as the feet in one canon furlong.
360
ONE CANON MILE = 1600 canon meters
1
39.4362
= .0253574127
ONE CANON METER = 3.28635 feet
or 39.4362 inches
.0253574127 x 100 = 2.5374127cm/inch
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The canon furlong is exactly 200 meters or 1/8th of a canon mile. The furlong
times 20,000 is the number of feet in the circumference of the Earth:
657.27 x 20,000 = 131,454,000 feet on the Equator.
As shown, the figure 1.01430555 has a number of transformations and
applications. It is the multiplier which changes the number of seconds in the
circle into the number of canon feet on the Equator:
1,296.000 x 1.01430555 = 131,454,000 feet
As a divisor it transforms the sacred year into the lunar year:
As 101.430555 it is the number of feet to the second of arc on the Equator.
As 10.1430555 it is the number of hours in Saturn's day. This day is the period
of "phenomenal" observation. This would be reckoned as about 608.583333
minutes. The canon day for Saturn is 10.3 hours, or 618 minutes.
These various manifestations demonstrate the synchronistic aspects of the
canon system. One number can have significance on different levels; one
number can transcend categories. The equatorial second of arc 101.430555 feet
for example, is in a sense the first Earth measure. It also embodies what we
might term the last measure: the rate of the precession of the equinoxes.
The rate of precession is a finely tuned figure, computed after the motions,
perturbations, and impressions of all the planets and masses in the solar system
have been calculated. The rate of the precession always varies, but it averages
to approximately 50.9 seconds of arc per year, also recognizable as 1/2 ( K x
100).
101.430555 = 50.7152+- seconds of arc per year.
2
The canon value for annual precession is 50.90017909 seconds of arc.
The Human Connection
The rhythms and cycles of the cosmos abide in all of Nature--mineral, vegetable
and animal. If measures, though abstractions, are based on relevant frequencies
and events occurring in the universe, they are inherently related to one another.
Because humans evolved in a framework affected by vibratory rates--diurnal
rotations, lunar phases, revolutions around the Sun etc., it is reasonable to infer
that the spectrum of these various vibrational frequencies would be designed into
what humans have become both as form and process. Mankind is, as is all of
360___
1.01430555
= 354.9226347 days in lunar year.
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Nature, the repository of the cycles and patterns of its developing environment.
We are the result of our biological, geophysical, and astronomical heritage. The
genetic code contains not only the blueprint of any individual organism, but also
the cumulative record of its entire species.
It is from the internal measures of the harmonized Individual--the frequencies and
ratios of the heartbeat, the breath, the voice, the orgasmic impulse etc. that the
canon emerges. Physiological events occurring in Time are the ground of the
canonas Zen philosophers tell us, "Everything is in one thing." The foundation
of measure is the human body itself.
When canon measuring units are applied to observations and made the basis of
evaluation, the relationships between above and below arise as pattern.
Harmony is observable and deviation from the harmonized is experienced as dis-
harmony. The astronomical activity of Saturn is the source and model of our
understanding of harmony, but it is from within that we yield to our relationship
with the whole.
In order to quantify our relationship with the whole and with time, we look to a
translational instrument, one which just does, without bias. It is an instrument
which is available to anyone, everywhere and in any age; an instrument which
can represent all times together yet respond to the uniqueness of the moment.
Oracles of the Canon: Process as Measure
Time
The most elegant conduit between the dimension of time and the physical world
of linear measure is the pendulum. In ancient art, the use of the pendulum
allowed a period of time to be translated into the signification of a measure of
length. Once translated into a physical expression, that length could then be
incorporated into a sculpture, building or monument. The height of an object
could convey a period of time. For example, the heights of many famous
passageways, gates and obelisks in the ancient world, when assigned as the
height of a pendulum, refer to meaningful periods of time. Often the references
are calendrical: lunar cycles, planetary periods, or the duration of the last quarter
day of the year. Reference to location in latitude and longitude were also
frequently invoked.
Location
Location in latitude and longitude can also be identified by appealing to the
oracle of the pendulum. That the location of a monument could be determined
from the geometry of the monument itself is one of the finest indicators of the
ancient architects talent. The monument is where it is and verifies its location
from within the monument itself. Each monument in the studies which follow will
demonstrate this feature. The sculpture most associated with the aspect of self-
location is the obelisk, epitomized most dramatically by the Washington
Monument.
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Great Pyramid
Lion Gate at Mycene
The Washington Monument is longitude and latitude specific. It marks its location
on the Earth. Because it was modeled after an ancient Egyptian obelisk, the
Washington Monument has in its measures and proportions many geometric
correlations with the canon of measure, both apparent and concealed. Details of
our original research on this great monument can be found at:
www.scribd.com/bernardpietsch
Scroll down to The Washington Monument: Icon by Design
A short video presentation is also available at
www.vimeo.com/channels/WrittenInStone
Weight
Determining the accurate weight of precious metals, especially gold, was as
important to commerce in the ancient world as it is today. The origin of many
modern coins size and weight can be traced to ancient sources.
e
Our own
United States coinage follows in this tradition. The size of the US dollar for
example, was modeled on the Spanish milled dollar which was derived from an
ancient Mayan unit of gold. Its diameter, 1.577448 inches, is one Mayan Inch.
One billion Mayan Inches represent the number of inches in the canon
circumference of the Earth: the least and the largest, in one number.
The Art of Indication
It may be said that the highest level of the stone carvers
art is the language of informed empty space. The space
indicated by a work of art is not part of the work itself; it is
an extension of the work. The projection is empty; but the
space contained by its geometry, though not material, is
conceivable and therefore measurable.
There are many great examples of informed empty space in the
ancient world: the top or apex of the Great Pyramid, the great
stone doorways and gates of Mycenae, Greece, Chaco Canyon,
Arizona, and Machu Picchu, Peru to name a few. Each of these
works is characteristic of what could be termed sacred art. As
we understand it, the notion of the
sacred properly refers to a process more
than to an object. A work of sacred art
has the potential to engage a participant
in the process of transformation--
transformation of what is, to another level
of what is. Participation is required.
e
We have also discovered a profound common origin to our modern system of grains, grams and
ounces. All derive from the metrologically discerned relationship between water and gold. In our
article, Secrets of the Jade Cong we delve into the intimate relationship between water, gold, and
jade wherein chemistry, physics and geology merge with geometry in a single Chinese artifact
known to archaeology simply as a ritual device for the worship of heaven and earth.
T-Shaped doorway,
Chaco Canyon
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Only space can indicate the sacred. Only space can be incorruptible, timeless,
and perfect. Though not available to the senses, the geometry of the sacred can
be apprehended from a physical form--from the crumbling remains of an ancient
ruin, the perfect intention of a works design can be reconstructed and its
indicated meaning ascertained. In the articles New Perspectives On the Great
Pyramid which follow, we will look more closely at how this art is rendered in the
grandest and most articulate example of ancient architecture.
Intihuatana,
Machu Picchu