Sacred Geometry Media Resource Blog
I recently “re-discovered” the Fibonacci Quarterly which is the Official Publication of the Fibonacci Association; they have been publishing fascinating information about the Fibonacci Series, the Golden Ratio and related mathematical topics … since 1963 – over half a century! Check it out!
Update 21 July 2024: We’ve been in Arizona for exactly a year today, and I still have a handful of German books to find homes for, so I’m re-dating this post in case anyone would like to purchase a book for only my shipping costs!
(Originally published 25Jun2023):
We’re making good progress toward moving to Arizona (mid-July 2023) so I’m anticipating having more time to do in-depth posts after our move. Meanwhile, I’d still like to lighten our load and not move these books yet another time… I’m offering (until mid-July, while supplies last) – limited supply; limited offer) asking only for my shipping costs (US only) or free if you happen to be on the central Oregon coast and can pick them up here in Yachats before we move! in the Tucson, AZ metro area and can pick them up.
I have a handful of both of my German-translated books:
(If you live in Germany, you’ll probably want to order the Bewusst malen – Heilige Geometrie book, still in print, directly from the publisher, Silberschnur Verlag, since the shipping from the USA to Germany is likely more than buying it locally.)
If you speak German or know someone who does and has the least interest in geometry, I am offering special FREE books (very limited supply) of both of these books if you cover my postage costs. If you live near Yachats, Oregon, Green Valley, Arizona, you can pick them up here and skip the postage expense. For details on these limited-time, limited-supply books, contact me.
Note that you don’t have to be able to read or understand German to enjoy either of these books, as they are both lavishly illustrated – FAR more imagery than text. Also, each copy of the out-of-print MDHG book has a unique set of die-cut fold-up models of the 5 Platonic Solids (included behind the back cover) that make a neat mobile if you add your own thread.
Please contact me before mid-July 2023 if you are interested in this special offer!
Here are a few more interesting geometry-related links (videos) that have crossed my path recently; several short introductory videos that add some useful and interesting additions to commonly cited facts:
Long-time – as in decades-long – readers of GeometryCode.com and its predecessors (such as the bibliography in Sacred Geometry Design Sourcebook (SGDS)– Universal Dimensional Patterns published in 1997) will recall that I’ve often recommended – more than any other book – A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science (released September 29, 1995) by geometer colleague Michael S. Schneider as an ideal companion to SGDS. In that lavishly illustrated journey of imagery and text through number and geometry, he explores – in over 350 pages – as the subtitle suggests: mathematical archetypes on a voyage from 1 to 10. It’s a great book!
Schneider also authored 6 geometric activity books spanning 730 pages plus an animated DVD: Constructing The Universe: A Journey From 1 to 12 – brilliant, very easy to follow, and clearly explained, beginning at the bare basics and culminating in compelling cosmologies. Each of the first 12 counting numbers receives a first-class tour through realms mundane to mystical, deepening our appreciation of numbers and their geometric interconnections from many disciplines, traditions, and perspectives. In addition, he also authored the fascinating DVD Fibonacci Garden: Mathematics in the Plant World.
Michael’s most recent work, another great book – Proportion in Art and Architecture – is among the 60 delightful Wooden Books titles by a variety of authors, published by John Martineau who will also be very familiar to readers of this website. This book, like the Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe book, has wonderful explanations, illustrations, and analyses – and most of the analyses in it are original! The UK version is available now, but it’s inexpensive to ship to the US. The US version will be out in March 2023.
The image below is page 13 of this excellent new book in the chapter entitled: Frozen Music: the geometry of harmony:
The illustrations below are color versions of similar illustrations from the book on pages 30 and 31:
Here are the chapter titles to give one a sense of the depth and breadth that this little gem covers:
There’s even a cameo appearance of the Mona Lisa in the book which also had a cameo in the Glass Onion movie!
Check out Michael’s website: ConstructingTheUniverse.com
Aside: I interviewed Michael Schneider for local TV in Grass Valley when he first arrived in CA 25 years ago on FCAT (Foothills Community Access Television) which was great fun!
Spoiler Alert: This post will reveal the Platonic Solid that stole the show (at least for me) on the latest flick by director Rian Johnson. If this isn’t an issue, read on! May I have the envelope, please…
I don’t often watch murder mysteries unless there’s a generous amount of tongue-in-cheek involved, such as my favorite classic of this genre, “Murder by Death” which I recommend if you haven’t seen it. The “22 Twain” punny address of the mansion at the beginning of that film had me hooked at the get-go.
Based on Johnson’s prior whodunit, we thought we’d give his new one a go, and enjoyed it, also. So… for silly fun, we recently watched (streamed at home) “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” which featured – in addition to the expected absurd assemblage of characters with a preposterous plot, and a fun puzzle box invitation featuring a “whirling squares” (Fibonacci) spiral, other familiar geometries plus assorted over-the-top glass sculptures in a billionaire island mansion with an infinity pool – a few witty pop-culture-for-nerds cameos like a Boston Dynamics “dog robot” porter and momentary dialogue about Google alerts – which I find helpful every week for feeding me news about sacred geometry and other metaphysical topics.
Regular readers will recall that this isn’t the first time I’ve featured the lovely geometric artwork of artist Anthony James … The (virtual envelope) contents of that award-winning geometric art (from my perspective) is … cue the drum roll … James’ Mirrored Icosahedron with the illuminated interior edges presenting the viewer with an exotic labyrinthine landscape of triangular tunnels. That’s it! At the focal point heart of the bulbish-shaped centerpiece glass onion sphere-like feature of the larger mansion sits a mirrored icosahedron which sure looks a lot like James’ handiwork! (If anyone knows any different, please let me know.)
The screen snap of a frame from the trailer doesn’t do it justice… Here’s a frame close-up from a video giving the “star” more exposure:
Speaking of mirrored and/or virtual polyhedra, see also: Sara Frucht’s Kaliedoscapes!
Alternate ending: If you were hoping for a dodecahedron, you might want to read this post on my other niche blog; the original model that appeared in the Lawrence Livermore Lab bulletin my Dad brought home early in the development of laser fusion showed a translucent plexiglass dodecahedron with 12 plexiglass cones centered on each pentagonal face all converging at a hydrogen pellet target.
Happy New Year all!
While I try not to obsess about geometric forms, I do observe when certain motifs appear more frequently in various locales. When we visited San Miguel de Allende, Mexico earlier this year, I noticed an abundance of small stellated dodecahedra (and similar shapes) particularly evident in metal lamps, yet also in other art forms as well; each pentagonal pyramidal stellation arm encodes the golden ratio. …
Having just returned from a second visit to New Zealand, it seemed that one of the most ubiquitous geometric shapes we saw on this trip was the spiral, which appears in Maori jewelry, carving, tattoos, art, and culture, connecting the natural world with the art of the indigenous people of Aotearoa. Below I made a mirrored tiling pattern from an image of an unfurling silver fern frond which exhibits an excellent example of fractal geometry.
Wikipedia says “The koru is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving, and tattooing, where it symbolizes new life, growth, strength, and peace.”
Reflecting intuitively on our spiral “journey” through life like the homeward trajectory Dorothy embarks upon in the Wizard of Oz when she follows the yellow brick road, we find context in the cyclical, yet ever-evolving, ever-unfolding awareness with each revolution of the spiral. In three dimensions, we have the double helix of the DNA molecule in everything we typically call life in this world, embodying the golden ratio in each pentagonal molecule appendaged to the helix and also in the (Fibonacci proportion) 34/21 Angstrom ratio of each complete turn of the helix. Every year, each season has familiar patterns and signs, yet there is a much larger progression we discover when we “zoom out” a bit from our myopic, provincial perspectives. The Chambered Nautilus shell has a pleasing uniformity as one spins the shell around, since each accretion uses the same angular template as the preceding one, and builds upon the strength of sameness throughout.
Here are a few more spirals from our most recent NZ trip; enjoy!
