How the Gods Came to Life

 

Have you ever gone to a temple and felt the presence of a god?

 

Really felt their presence?

 

In ancient Greece, it was possible.

 

The ancient Greek world was famous for its philosophers and mathematicians. But something that is not discussed much is the fantastic energetics of their temples. The Greeks went to great lengths to invoke their gods’ attributes and energetic qualities in their temples.

 

How did they do this?

 

The Five Elements were something familiar to the Greek architects. One Greek philosopher, called Empedocles of Akragas, originated the cosmogonic theory of the four classical elements that make up all the structures in the world, Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. This concept is related to the Hindu vision of the Five Elements. The Hindus even built temples dedicated to each element. These elements were held by the god Shiva Nataraja, who danced and wove the world into being.

Empedocles also considered the Elements as gods. Zeus represented the Air Element, Hera the Earth, Hades was the Fire, and Persephone represented Water. The Fifth Element, Ether, was someone extraordinary, a primordial deity of Greek mythology. He was the son of Erebus (darkness) and Nyx (night). Aether (Ether) was the personification of the superior air that only the gods breathed, vastly different from the air that was breathed by mere mortals.

It is interesting to learn that the Elements have a special relationship
with human perception and the chakras.

For example, the Earth Element has a grounded feeling and is connected to the first chakra. Some people feel pulled down into the earth by their feet, or others feel more confident. The Water Element is connected to the second chakra, fertility, and creativity. It feels sexy. Fire feels expansive, warm, and active; it is the “fire in the belly” and is related to the third chakra. Air is uplifting, light, felt in the lungs, and works with the fifth chakra.

Then we have the Element of Ether, that rarified air of the gods, also known as soma/prana. Ether begins as a warm expansion of the heart, the fourth chakra. As it travels upwards, it begins to feel like a warm silk scarf opening the energy of the throat. Then, it moves through the upper chakras to connect to the exalted air energy of the gods. This expansion connects one to the world all around and is calm and full of life.

Let’s expand on this thought of feeling the Five Elements with the body.

Because then, you can begin to understand how the Greeks could design a place where their gods came to life. Builders and architects built their temples with the measurements of the Five Elements found in something called in the Master Builder Tradition, the solar mandala. This particular tool is associated with the sun’s annual rhythms and the pattern of the earth in a specific location. For example, the height of the sun’s angles is different in New York City compared to Miami, where the shape of its solar mandala is dissimilar.

The solar mandala is based on the summer and winter solstice sunrises and sunsets. When these angles are connected to the earth, a rectangular pattern emerges, called a solar rectangle. When you place weight on the four corners, the magic begins. A living structure is created by joining the sun to the earth, one of the big secrets of building a sacred place.

Like the Hindus, the Greeks worked with the solar mandala and the measurements of the Elements they found within it. The statues of their deity used the measurements of the Five Elements. For example, the Air Element was used in the dimensions of Zeus, the sky god. Ether, the sublime air of the gods, could be used to wow people with the opening of their hearts and a deeper spiritual connection.

To really impress people with a god’s presence, the Greek Master Builders would use weight, rhythm, and measurement to build their temples. There were many layers of geometry, and the Greeks used a combination of solar and sacred geometry to enhance their spiritual energies. For example, massive columns were used to set up a rhythm of measure using the Elements. The height, diameter, and the space between each column were all measurements used to invoke the presence of the god through its connection with specific elements. The sheer weight of each column pressing down on the ground provoked a reaction from the earth, spreading information about the column’s size and shape outwards.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens, Greece
Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens, Greece

Just think about that for a moment.

The temple’s width, length, height and size, and spacing of all of its columns, plus the size of the god’s statue, all had specific measurements relating to particular Elements. Suppose you choose one or two Elements. In that case, the entire complex will radiate this energy outwards, and worshippers could feel the presence of the gods through the chosen Elements.

The statue of Zeus at Cyrene is an interesting example of this. The artisans used the solar rectangle of Cyrene to enclose Zeus. The adds the sun’s life force energy to the statue. Next, they used the Element of Fire for the width, fire is connected to lightning, one of Zeus’s most powerful weapons and symbols. The measurement of the 7th chakra was used for the height of Zeus because he is the all-powerful sky god of the Greek pantheon.

But that is not all.

The enormous amount of energy coming from the temple and the statue of the god could change the energetics of the worshippers’ bodies. It raised their energy and frequency, ensuring a spiritual connection. This experience allowed people to enter into another way of sensing and perceiving the world, one that had a deeper spiritual connection—making these Greek temples a fabulous place to feel the god’s presence.

By Karen Crowley-Susani and Dominique Susani
To learn more about Solar Geometry and the Elements, be sure to check out our book, Secrets of Sacred Geometry; Solar Geometry for Health and LIfe. Click here

 

Solstices and Sacred Sites

The sun is a beautiful star and is connected with life here on earth.

It is the most important heavenly body in our lives because without the sun, there is no life. Our planet has a strong connection with the sun because it is an ancient part of the sun. Our solar system was created from the spiral movement of gases dancing together until the sun and the planets formed. Because of this relationship, our planet was formed from many of the same elements as the sun.

It is no surprise then that Earthlings revere the sun.

Ra, the Egyptian Sun God

Most civilizations recognized the power of the sun and worshipped it in one form or another. The sun bestows life and light on our planet. It illuminates the darkness and is connected with enlightenment and wisdom. Many gods and goddesses were associated with the sun. Some were sun-gods themselves, others were related to the sun. These gods and goddesses had many attributes of the sun, including being all-seeing, full of wisdom, and justice. There were many cultures where the kings ruled with the power of the sun and based their right to rule by claiming to descend from the sun.

The sun has rhythms throughout the year, and these rhythms are also related to life.

One of the main rhythms that we experience on earth is seasons. The seasons are connected with the position of the sun in relation to the earth. The “turning of the seasons” is related to the solstices and equinoxes. Solstices are a special time during the year when the sun reverses its travel through the sky. The word solstice means “sun stands still” and occurs twice a year, once in December and once in June. For ancient people, this was a significant event during the year, and they employed this still point and reversal in the construction of their sacred structures.

One traditional method was to perfectly position an opening in a sacred structure to the sunrise or sunset of the solstice.

This could be in the form of a long stone passageway like Newgrange, Ireland. As the sun rises on the winter solstice, it shines through a rectangle box above the entrance, down the long passageway to illuminate the carvings at the back of the structure. Other examples of a small opening to let the sunshine into a structure can be found in dolmens in Russia. They have round holes that the solstice sun shines through, this, for example, can be seen in the Wolf Rock Dolmens group in the Lazarevskoye region of Russia. There are many examples of these types of alignments in megalithic structures found all over Europe. You can also discover many dolmens with their entire entrances positioned to capture the light of a solstice sunrise or sunset. One such example is La Roche aux Fées in Brittany, France. It is a massive dolmen, with its entrance perfectly aligned to the light of the winter solstice sunrise.

La Roche aux Fées, Brittany, France
Goseck Circle, Anhalt-Saxony, Germany

One way ancient people connected to the rhythms of the sun was to build a stone or wooden circle.

Many of these were giant calendars marking the rhythm of the sun and sometimes the moon. Solstice sunrises and sunsets were highlighted and marked by unique stone alignments or openings in the wooden circles. The most famous example is Stonehenge, which is connected to the solstices and to the lunar patterns. An example of a wooden ring is the Goseck Circle in Germany. It was erected around 4900BC (2000 – 3000 years before Stonehenge) and is considered the “earliest” European solar observatory. It consists of several circles of wooden posts with entrances or gaps that let the light of the solstices shine through to the center of the circle.

Another way to connect to the patterns of the sun is to bring this solar energy and pattern to the earth through a solar rectangle.

This quadrilateral is made up of the angles of the solstice sunrises and sunsets. In my tradition of the European Master Builders, it is called a solsticial quadrilateral. The size of this unique rectangle changes with its location on earth. It can be a long rectangle shape when it is close to the equator, or a square shape in the more northern and southern latitudes, such as in Russia. The angles of the sunrises and sunsets are then connected to a grid or net of energy that rises up from the center of the earth. This net is called by several different names, including the natural net, the solar net, and the Peyre net. This combination of solar energy and the earth’s energy in the form of a rectangle creates magic!

The solsticial quadrilateral with the solar net

This fascinating quadrilateral has many attributes that our ancestors recognized and took advantage of.

First of all, it is a structure that can be felt in the body. When a sacred site is built using this rectangle as the basis for its measurements, there is harmony with all life that can be felt in the body. The solsticial quadrilateral relaxes the physical body, releases stress, balances the energy of the body, and, most important for a sacred site, connects the people inside more strongly to the earth and the cosmos.

There is also a vortex of energy that forms in the center of the solsticial quadrilateral. This vortex cleans the central channel and opens all the chakras, mostly the 5th chakra. Some people cry with joy when they feel the opening of the 5th chakra as they begin to feel their connection with nature and the cosmos. Because the 5th chakra is connected to spiritual life, the opening of it helps with the development of a person’s spiritual life.

The church of Santa Maria de Aguas Santas inside the SQ of the place

Examples of using the solsticial quadrilateral to build are many.

In fact, all civilizations used the solar quadrilateral and its resulting solar mandala to build their sacred structures. For example, most churches built in Europe before the 19th century used the solsticial quadrilateral of the place as the base for their church dimensions.

The worship and love of the sun are found all over the world and this reverence is found in sacred constructions everywhere.

As we have explored, our ancestors aligned their sacred structures to capture the light of the sun during a few special times during the year. Solstices hold the keys to the secret of how sacred sites were aligned and constructed, and the “sun magic” of the solsticial quadrilateral can even help develop our spirituality in the present as it did in the past.

Who is This Temple Really Dedicated To?

Dominique and I are passionate about exploring sacred sites.

We love to decode the solar sacred geometry used to build them and love to discover their healing energies. We are often surprised by what we find, and one such surprise was the Gallo-Roman Temple of Janus, located at Autun, France. 

Autun is located in the Loire valley, a famous wine region inhabited since Neolithic times.

A vast Neolithic enclosure was found near the temple and is still being studied. The Celtic tribe of the Eduéns had also settled in this area. Afterward, the Romans built their city called Augustodunum. Celtic people were wine lovers and cultivars. Some believe that the Romans conquered Gaul because of their wonderful wines!

The Temple of Janus dates back to the 2nd half of the 1st century and sits on a plateau northwest of Augustodunum. A mystery surrounds who the temple was actually dedicated to. In the 16th century, historian Pierre de Saint-Julien de Balleure thought it was dedicated to Janus. But, the name could actually be a corruption of the toponym Genetoye which means where the broom grows. 

The God Janus
Photo by Loudon Dodd, from the Vatican Museum

Who is this Roman God Janus?

He is the god of duality, doors, gates, and transitions. Because every door and passageway had two directions, Janus was depicted with two faces, keeping an eye out in the front and back. He is also the god of beginnings and endings, the gatekeeper, and he protected the start of all activities. His shrines in Rome were all located near the crossings of rivers. In his early days, he was associated with waterways and bridges. Interestingly in ancient cultures like the Hindus, the Tibetans, and the Chinese, water crossings were considered a doorway for spirits to interact with the human world, particularly demons.

The Romans were masters at syncretism, meaning they combined different local beliefs and traditions to ease the transition of Roman rule. Many times, the names of their temples were a combination of Roman and Gaul gods, like the goddess Sulis Minerva. Mercury was often associated with Lugh, the Celtic god of light. 

The Romans often build their temples over pre-existing Celtic ones or even Neolithic sites.

The temple of Janus was a fanum, a type of religious sanctuary commonly found in Roman Gaul. Originally this type of temple was Celtic and was built out of wood. The Celts called them nemetons, stemming from the word nemeto, meaning holy wood enclosure. 

Fanums had an inner sacred space called a cella. Its shape was typically square or circular. The cella housed the statue of the deity, and only priests had access to this inner sanctum. During certain ceremonies, the temple’s doors were opened so the god could gaze out to the masses. The cella was surrounded by a veranda, which served as an ambulatory where people could walk around it. Interestingly enough, I found a reference to the Celts circling around the cella, a traditional way to enhance the sacred energy inside.

The Temple of Janus

When building any sacred place, earth energies were employed to give power and energy to the holy center.

As you can see, this temple was placed over a powerful configuration of subterranean water veins. The most sacred place is the crossings of three water veins and a few faults. Notice also that all the temple openings have water veins flowing through them and are roughly the same size. The center is a healing crystalline vortex of energy.

 

In the analysis of the geometry used by the master builder, the first thing we notice is that the temple is square-shaped. More than that, it was conceived with three concentric squares using a common building technique called a triple enclosure. Triple enclosures were used in temples and churches to strengthen, refine, and protect the sacred energy at the center.

The illustration below is the solar mandala of Autun and the Temple of Janus. This unique mandala is intimately connected with the sun’s annual rhythms throughout the year. It is called a solar rectangle (solsticial quadrilateral) because each corner is connected to the solstices. It becomes a complex mandala relating to the five elements, the seven chakras, and musical notes. Another essential thing to understand about this solar rectangle is that it is unique to each latitude and changes in shape and size with latitude changes.

 

The solsticial quadrilateral was used as the beginning point to build sacred structures worldwide, and the Romans were part of this tradition.

In the Temple of Janus, the master builder employed different circles relating to the sun and a fractal of the solsticial quadrilateral to design the temple. The first solar circle is found at the intersection of the solar and lunar quadrilaterals. This circle forms the first sun square, as can be seen in the illustration. The outer wall of the cella is found by placing a square around the outside of the sun circle and the inner wall is found by placing a square inside of this sun circle. And the inner rectangle that the god would be placed upon is a solsticial quadrilateral connected to the golden mean. 

 

Everything in this temple relates to the sun, making it a very, very solar temple.

When you see this geometry, you begin to think that this temple is not dedicated to the God, Janus. The gods, Lugh, Mercury, or Apollo, were probably suited for this type of solar temple. 

Lastly, there is a feeling quality associated with the healing abilities of every sacred site. Standing in the sacred center, you can notice this temple opens and balances the heart chakra and the lungs. It is connected to the air and ether elements. This type of energy is closer to the power of the God, Mercury. He is a god of the Air Element, a healer, and being the messenger of the Gods, was able to travel from the underworld to the spiritual realms. For the Celts, this place was a good match for the God Lugh, their solar god. 

Names, Energies, and Sacred Places

Have you ever visited a cathedral and wondered why it was named for a particular saint?

During my early travels, I never did. I accepted the name, marveled at the architecture and other artwork, took photos, and then left for my next adventure. But over the years of studying the Art of the Master Builders, names of places have taken on a whole new dimension.

I work with solar geometry, which can also be called energetic geometry.

It was the first geometry used by our ancestors to build their amazing sacred places. This geometry is connected to the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars. It is also deeply connected to the earth and its patterns and energies. It is a geometry that is alive and life-enhancing. Because of this connection to heaven and earth, it is sacred. Even more than that, it creates a sacred space when used to build any type of structure. A place where you can connect much more quickly to the divine, to our own spirituality. It also can be used to emphasize different qualities of energies, like love.

Within the solar mandala of any particular place, the measurements of the Elements can be found.

Elements can be related to the chakra system and have a feeling quality. The ability to use measurement to create a place where a sensation can be felt with the body is simply incredible. For building a cathedral, the master builder can create a space that helps to open the heart chakra with the ether element, for example. But there is more to a sacred place than the geometry that was used to build it.

Much of our human life revolves around spirituality.

All cultures have their unique mythology and ways to deepen their spiritual connection. Most of the time, a structure is built over an extraordinary point. A place with exceptional healing qualities or a place where one could easily deepen their spiritual connection, a place kissed by the divine. A temple or cathedral built with precise measurements of solar geometry would enhance the natural energies of the healing point, making the healing energies more powerful. These enhanced energies could then radiate outwards, balancing the land and environment around, helping crops grow better, and improving the health of animals and humans who lived nearby.

In Neolithic times, these first unique places were where menhirs were erected.

Kerloas MenhirThese standing stones did many things. They balanced the land, creating harmony for crops to grow and where animals and people could live in a healthy environment. Interestingly enough, these points where the menhirs were placed had different qualities and healing energies. One menhir could be connected to the lungs and the heart. Another could have energies of fertility and birthing. Others worked on kidneys or the liver; others still opened the crown chakra and balanced the chakra system.

Over time, humans created elaborate rituals to ensure that they stay connected to the divine and be blessed with happy and healthy lives. Sacred sites were built to spiritually guide people and for miraculous healings. Pilgrimages for healing are a common theme all around the world. The Christians are famous for their pilgrimages of healing, and they continue today.

But what does this have to do with a name of a cathedral?

Given a little thought, one can conclude that the name of a cathedral conveys an underlying message. When you think of Mother Mary, what comes to mind? What are her special qualities? Love instantly comes to mind, the energy and feeling of love, grace, and healing.

What if these qualities were found at a place?

Love, healing, and grace? I believe they are. During research into the geometry and the energies of 100s of churches, cathedrals, and megaliths in Europe, cathedrals dedicated to Mary have one thing in common, the feeling of love. They were often built over an older temple or megalithic site, one that had the same qualities of love. In fact, it seems that our megalithic ancestors were concerned about a few things. Fertility, love, and spiritual connection are pervasive themes to find at their megalithic sacred places.

These same qualities are found in other temples, churches, and cathedrals. It is incredible to consistently find that Mary always shares her energy of love. She is in churches dedicated to her. When she is placed in a side chapel, this quality of love is usually present.

Other saints have specific energies as well.

For example, St. Michael and St. Peter Churches focus on the earthly and cosmic energies found at a particular healing point. St. Peter cathedrals usually have spiritual energy that comes down from the cosmos. He is the saint holding the keys to paradise, to heaven. His points are very cosmic. The healing power comes down to the earth instead of radiating up out of the land like most points or energy vortexes. In St. Michael churches, healing energy rises out of the land, opening the chakras of the feet, moving up the meridians, and cleaning our body’s energy system.

Names of places can be powerful reminders and indicators of the type of healing energy that is part of the story of a place. Next time you visit a cathedral, pay attention to its name and how you feel inside to see if you can get a glimpse into its healing abilities.

 

by Karen Crowley-Susani

If you would like to experience the healing energies of Cathedrals dedicated to Mary, the Black Madonna, St Peter, and St Michael, join us on the Path of Light Tour coming up in 2022. We also have the Magical Brittany Tour for all of you stone lovers. If the mysteries of the Black Madonna fascinate you, don’t miss this wonderful tour.  During our time together, we share with you how to recognize places with healing energies. You learn how to feel with your body and chakra system these high vibration and spiritual connection points.

Learn new skills, eat good food, and enjoy many laughs along the way.
Which tour calls to you?

Keep checking back for new tour updates.

Santa María de Carrión de los Condes

The Hidden Story of Building a Church

Santa María de Carrión de los Condes
Santa María de Carrión de los Condes

To build a church, even a simple Romanesque one is a big job.

The role that earth energies play in building and designing a church or cathedral is one of the most important and most unrecognized elements. There are no modern-day discussions about this essential job of the Master Builder. The question of where to place the altar is a crucial one because it sets up the entire vibration and power of a church. This point is what gives the energetic power, flavor, and ambiance to the entire structure. For a church or cathedral to function properly in its role of spirituality, healing, and connection to the divine, it must be built over powerful earth energies.

As you learn about the energies of churches, you will find that many are named according to the energy of the place. For example, Mary churches usually have a resonance with love and the heart chakra or they are related to fertility. St Michel is associated with a special golden vortex. St Peter is associated with cosmic energy that comes from the heavens instead of up from the earth.

The name and the energy of the place are important.

For example, In Brittany, there is a church called St Michel de Braspart. The church was originally built in 1670 on one of the seven sacred Hills (mounds) of Brittany. The mound called Menez Kronan, is named after the Celtic God of Life and was an ancient place of sun worship. The tiny little church was built on top of this high mound, a place like many other St. Michael churches was built upon. Here the church was trying to convert pagans and stories began to be told of the miracles performed by St Michael. Usually, St Michael churches, have fantastic energetic qualities.

But this church was not fortunate enough to be built over the correct energetical spot.

The St. Michael point of golden energy is actually located outside the church! The priest who designed and built it missed the mark and in doing so, built a disappointing church, lacking the high vibration and healing qualities that one associates with this type of church.

Fortunately, most of the Master Builders were trained well and knew their job.

Subterranean water veins were traditionally used to build churches and most of the time you will find a big water vein running the length of the church. Because the altar sets the tone for the entire church, this critical point needed a crossing of several good quality (high vibration) water veins. The better and more miraculous the water, the better for the energy of the cathedral. Many times, the Master Builder did not have to do much work to find a good place, because he would position the church and altar over a Roman Temple or a menhir, dolmen, or cromlech. It was a very common technique used by many cultures around the world. There is a good example of this in Santa Fe, NM. The altar of the Church of St Miguel was built over a kiva and you can see it through the clear plexiglass that now covers it.

In a simple idealized cruciform church, you would find a big water vein running the length of the church, a water vein crossing it at the transept, and then one or more water crossings at the apse as you can see in the drawing. Armed with this basic knowledge, you can see that there would be a couple powerful energetic points created by these water crossings inside the church.

As a reminder, energy vortexes are created at the crossing of subterranean water veins.

They are seen as tornado-shaped and have colors and qualities relating to our chakra system. For example, the altar crossing of earth energies would usually have a big and powerful vortex of energy and the inside ambiance of the church would be connected to the color and qualities of it. In a church dedicated to Mary, for example, the ambiance is usually green, opens the heart chakra, and at the altar a big green vortex is normally present.

In our example of St Jean de Pied Port, we can see that the earth energies are pretty standard for building a church. There is a water vein that runs the length of the church. At the altar, there is a crossing of water veins and faults. The violet vortex is located at the crossing and helps to imbue the church with high vibration energy. As you will see, the spiritual qualities of this crown-opening vortex were further enhanced by the use of the solar geometry employed in the design of the church by the Master Builder.

After the altar point was chosen, a connection to the sun was made.

Geometry connected to the sun is the time-honored way to build all sacred structures around the world, and churches were not the exception. As some of you are aware, churches are oriented with the apse in the east. But there are more connections to the sun besides this east/west orientation. Solstices are very important times of the year in which the sun reverses in its direction of travel. If you track the sun’s travels on the earth, you will notice a rectangular form taking shape. We call this form, the solsticial quadrilateral, or the solar rectangle. It was used as the basic form to build churches and cathedrals.

Churches can be just a simple solar rectangle or as complicated as a cathedral with their many different layers of different types of solsticial quadrilaterals. Jerusalem, Rome, Ephesus solsticial quadrilaterals were employed as a way to connect the church to these powerful places.  Dynamic rectangles connected to the golden mean could be used, as well as, solar rectangles connected to musical notes and chakras.

For our example of St Jean de Pied Port, our Master Builder combined several of these different types of solar rectangles in his design.

Let’s break it down. First, he used the solsticial quadrilateral oriented in the north-south directions. This type of solar rectangle is called the Lunar Quadrilateral or the Spiritual Quadrilateral. Side by side, two of these rectangles create the inner length and width of the nave. The side of the quadrilaterals relates to the 3rd and 7th chakras, mixing the emotion of the 3rd with the connection to the spirituality of the 7th. It helps to refine the energy and ambiance of the church. The interior also is connected to the 3 x 4 rectangle, a famous static rectangle used in building structures since the Neolithic times. It brings an element of calm and peace to the structure. The external measurement chosen by the Master Builder encloses the church with a golden rectangle adding the connection to life inherent in this figure.

At first glance, the apse seems to be an octagon figure, but the apse angles fit perfectly into a heptagon shape instead. The sides relate to the musical note associated with the 3rd eye. Another characteristic of the apse is that the circle of ether (of the 3rd enclosure) fits exactly inside this polygon of seven. The 3rd duplication of the mandala is connected to sacred space and the ether element to the opening of the heart chakra. The use of the 3rd enclosure here emphasizes the sacredness of the space.

The Master Builder also used the ratio of the latitude of Jerusalem to fit a solar rectangle in the front part of the apse, connecting the church to the Christ energy.  He also used the elements of fire and ether, actively bringing in qualities of love and tenderness. Overall, the Master Builder of St Jean Pied Port does a good job utilizing the earth energies of the place. The church was positioned well, taking advantage of the violet vortex for the altar area. He employed solar geometry to create an ambiance of spirituality and the most sacred place, the apse, hit the mark as a place to connect to the divine. One interesting side note is that in modern times, the position of the altar has been moved off of the violet vortex and the center of the solsticial quadrilateral of Jerusalem. Leading one to the conclusion that the knowledge of this point’s power and connection to the divine, has sadly been lost.

by Karen Crowley-Susani

Rocamadour, history, legends and mystery

Dive deep into the Templar secrets at Rocamadour

Rocamadour, history, legends and mystery

Wrapped in mystery, Rocamadour has been a place of legends and miracles for eons.

Our first knowledge began over 50,000 to 70,000 years ago in the Paleolithic times. Archeologists discovered a Neanderthal camp in the area, and nearby the Grotte de Merveilles or Grotto of Wonders was found. Inside cave paintings were found with hands and animals. The Celtic tribe of Cadourque lived here too. They were the last Celtic tribe standing up against Caesar’s Roman invasion and genocide.

The cliffs were places where hermits in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries would find a small cave to make their home.

It was the fashion of the times. Sometimes these hermits became saints in later legends and were endowed with miracle-making skills. One such hermit’s body was discovered sometime after the Christians built a small chapel in the cliffs dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the 11th century at Rocamadour.

Chapel of Saint Amadour
The church of Saint Amadour in the cliffs

One story told is that while digging a grave in 1166, an incorrupt (undecomposed) body was discovered. Finding such a body was miraculous. Even more astonishing was that this mysterious person was cradling a carved virgin, who became known as the Black Madonna of Rocamadour. The mysterious person was identified as none other than Saint Amadour, a hermit who had lived and died there years or perhaps centuries before. His name inspired Rocamadour because he was found in the rocks; Roc means rock, plus Amadour. A church in the cliffs was soon built in honor of Saint Amadour, and pilgrimages to Rocamadour began.

There is another name associated with this hermit as well.

In the 15th century, because it was important to connect saints and places of pilgrimage to Christ, Zaccheus of Jericho became associated with Rocamadour. During his life, Zaccheus knew and conversed with Jesus. His wife, Veronica, even gave Jesus a cloth to wipe his face during his journey to Calvary. According to the updated legends, Zaccheus supposedly ended up in France to escape persecution and died in AD 70 as a hermit in the rocks of Rocamadour.

The Black Madonna of Rocamadour
The Black Madonna of Rocamadour

Pilgrimages were big business for the church, and Rocamadour became famous for all the miracles and healings that the Black Madonna performed.

She cured illnesses and was the patron saint of sailors, saving many of them during shipwrecks at sea. The 6th-century bell in the Chapel of Our Lady miraculously rings to warn sailors of storms and foretells miracles. The Black Madonna has a book of miracles, and entries are still entered in it today! Rocamadour has the distinction of being one of the most significant pilgrimage destinations in Europe for the last 1000 years, second only to Mont St Michel, with 1 ½ million visitors per year.

Both the Templars and the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, also called the Hospitallers, are associated with Rocamadour. The sects were devoted to the Black Virgin. In one decisive battle against the Saracen troops of Muhummand an-Nasir in Spain, the Templars carried the Black Madonna of Rocamadour into the Navas de Tolosa battle in 1212 and, despite overwhelming odds in favor of the Arabs, were victorious because of her. Afterward, the Archbishop of Toledo began a Te Deum in thanksgiving to God and Our Lady of Rocamadour for the miraculous intervention needed for the battle’s success. This vital ceremony healed to seal the Black Madonna’s reputation ability to perform miracles.

There is not much else is said about the Templars and Rocamadour. Still, you can find their mark in the construction of the Basilica. There are numerous Templar type crosses carved on columns and one extraordinary one on the floor before the altar in the Basilica of St Sauveur.

Cross before the altar in the St Sauveur Basilica
Cross before the altar in the St Sauveur Basilica

In the surrounding countryside, many buildings and churches once belonged to St John’s knights, who had enlarged their holdings after the abolition of the Templars in the 14th century. Jean de Vallon was the Head Master of St John of Jerusalem Knights in the 15th century who were active at Rocamadour. His family was from Quercy, and he was buried in St John the Baptist chapel.

The Basilica of St Sauveur is a classic Templar structure.

The rectangular shape is called in the Master Builder tradition, a solsticial quadrilateral or solar rectangle. This particular shape is special and is used worldwide to construct sacred places. The rectangle points connect to the solstices. Each one marks either a solstice sunrise or sunset shown in the drawing.

 

Solsticial quadrilateral

This shape is important because it connects the structure to the sun’s rhythm and the cosmos.

The rectangle of the sun is also connected to the earth’s pattern. When builders use the solsticial quadrilateral, they connect heaven and earth, endowing the space with spiritual qualities. The natural energies of the place are refined, calibrated, and strengthened. Read more about a solsticial quadrilateral’s characteristics and read our blog called Real Sacred Geometry. The link is below.

When a master builder, such as the Templars, decides to build a sacred place, one of the first considerations is what type of earth energies can be employed in the space. Sacred structures are built for several reasons, and one of them is to heal. Earth energies are vital because they give healing energies to the church or temple. These earth energies are water veins and geological faults found below the earth’s surface.

Earth energy lines of Rocamadour
Earth energy lines of the Basilica and Chapel

The Basilica and the Chapel of Our Lady have excellent earth energies that the builders took advantage of during their construction. As you can see in the drawing, there is a big network of earth energies under the Basilica and Chapel. The blue lines are water veins, the red and yellow lines are different types of faults. At many intersections, there are vortexes of energy, depicted as concentric circles of different colors. These vortexes relate to our chakra system and can be felt with our bodies and seen by sensitive people. You can read more about these vortexes in this blog called Secret Energies of Sacred Places in the link below.

One other thing to keep in mind about Templar constructions is that they use the octagon.

During the Crusades, During the crusades, the Templars learned many things from the Muslims in Palestine, including advanced building techniques, mathematics, astronomy, and more. It is interesting to note they learned how to employ the octagon in construction and other designs. Some of their churches are even octagonal shaped, such as the Chapel of Ste Claire in Le Puy en Velay, France, and Eunate and Torres del Rio in Spain. Of course, the Templar cross is created using an octagon, but we will discover it is much more than a simple octagon later in this blog.

Solsticial quadrilaterals of Rocamadour
The solsticial quadrilateral of Rocamadour

The analysis of the Basilica and the Chapel plan shows that the builders used the solar rectangle of Rocamadour as the foundation of the design. They also employed another vital element, Ephesus’s solar rectangle, in Turkey. Builders frequently used this technique to connect churches to Ephesus, the Great Mother Goddess place.

Ephesus was connected to many of the great goddesses in ancient times.

Such as Cybele of the Phyrigians, Astarte of the Phoenicians, Ishtar of the Assyrians and Babylonians, etc. It is known to Master Builders as the Goddess latitude. The temple of Artemis, one of the 7 Wonders of the World, was built there. She reigned as the Queen of Heaven and as the Mother, Healer, and Savior. Reverence for her was so deep that in AD 431, Constantine declared the Virgin Mary to be the Mother of God, and she took over the role as the Queen of Heaven. It is generally accepted that Mary lived out her final days in Ephesus in a tiny stone cottage at the top of Mount Koressos, overlooking Ephesus.

solsticial quadrilateral of Ephesus as used in Rocamadour
Solsticial quadrilateral of Ephesus as used in
Rocamadour

In this drawing, you can see how Ephesus’s solar rectangle was employed in both structures by the blue rectangles.

You can also notice how the Master Builders, the Templars connected important earth energy points (the vortexes) into their structure. For example, the two columns in the Basilica are placed on vortexes of energy, strengthening their effects. The golden yellow fault is used for the cross by the altar. Also, it shows up at the center of the solsticial quadrilateral of the Basilica. The Black Madonna is placed above the golden yellow fault. A mosaic star on the floor of her chapel with its giant crystalline vortex is also connected.

What makes this golden-yellow fault so unique?

Because it joins all of the major energetic points of these two structures. As we touched on earlier, water was employed in all sacred places because of its healing qualities. It can also be miraculous. On the other hand, golden yellow faults were used because of their particular characteristic of bubbling up energy. They can work with the stomach, liver, and pancreas. When there is a configuration of a golden fault beneath a water vein, energetic steam is produced, opening the chakras of the feet and the body’s meridians, resulting in cleaning the body’s channels.

Vortexes of energy at Rocamadour
Vortexes of energy at Rocamadour

Because these earth energies are remarkable, the Master Builders took advantage of them.

The cross before the altar is fascinating. The geometry connected with the solar mandala of Rocamadour calibrates the vortex’s energy. Octagons are the best transmitters of information because they relate to the lymph and water circulation throughout the body. The solar geometry in the cross features water, air, and ether elements and the sun and moon’s energies. The inner-circle is called primordial water and has the unique ability to circulate the water in our body, clean the central channel, and open all the important centers of the body. Jean de Vallon, the headmaster of the Knights of St John, could have been the designer. The design is not a classic Templar design, nor is it a Malta Cross. The design falls somewhere between the two. The Knights probably used the cross for initiations because of its exceptional energetic qualities. It can open the body’s energetic systems and connect people to a higher spiritual vibration.

Templar cross at Rocamadour

The striking mosaic found in Our Lady’s Chapel also has some special energetic solar geometry characteristics.

Our analysis shows that this star octagon was designed using the earth circle as the base. In the Master Builder tradition, the earth circle is the boundary between organized space and chaos. The 8 points touch the solar mandala’s outer limit or the earth circle. The different measurements used to design this star opens the root chakra first and then all the other chakras and finally connecting you to heaven and earth. This star is powered by a water vein and the golden yellow fault. Crystalline vortexes are very healing, and this is a beautiful example of one. 

Octagon mosiac in the Chapel of Our Lady
Octagon mosiac in the Chapel of Our Lady

Finally, the Black Madonna herself is positioned between the two solar rectangles. She is connected with the energy of Rocamadour and the Divine Mother goddess energy of Ephesus. The violet vortex she has been placed over opens the crown chakra, and the crown she wears emphasizes this energy.

We hope next time you visit and ask the Black Madonna for a blessing, try standing on her star on the floor; what happens next may surprise you!

By Karen Crowley-Susani and Dominique Susani

Real Sacred Geometry Blog
Secret Energies of Sacred Places Blog

Sacred geometry is connected to the sun

Real Sacred Geometry

Real sacred geometry is connected to the sun and the earth.
Real sacred geometry enhances your connection to the divine.
Real sacred geometry is harmonious and enhances life.

Real sacred geometry is not what you were led to believe.
Real sacred geometry is not primarily concerned with numbers such as Phi, the Golden Mean, or the Fibonacci spiral.
Real sacred geometry is the intimate connection of the earth with the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Sacred geometry is connected to the sun

In this article, I will illustrate how the Golden Mean and the Fibonacci sequence are only pieces of the totality of sacred geometry. The streams of thought born in England, that the Golden Mean and Fibonacci sequences are the beginning and end of sacred geometry, are missing the most fundamental piece of the equation.

To begin our discussion, it is necessary to define the meaning of sacred. Most often the word ‘sacred’ is connected to a place where the human meets the divine. A word which nicely sums up the definition of sacred is ‘hierophany’, which means the appearance of the divine. Hierophany is a word made popular by Mircea Eliade in the 1950s in his seminal work The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. Hierophany originates from Greek words hieros – sacred, and phaino – show or appear.

Where do humans meet the divine?

Again, Mircea Eliade gives us a little insight. “Every religion identifies a place and a time when the transcendent breaks into the world. When it does, it makes holy or sacred the place and the time of the breakthrough.”

There were particular places for each culture where this transcendence appeared, and many times it became the center of their world. These places of breakthrough are where heaven and earth connect and can be called the axis mundi.

Each culture believes its homeland is the center of the world and their universe. This space is well known by the people and serves as a microcosm of order. At its center, the axis mundi is the most sacred place of all, and a meeting point of the four cardinal directions. Outside of its boundaries is chaos and the unknown.

The concept of the axis mundi is known by other names, including the world tree (tree of life), the world pillar, and the cosmic axis. The tree of life connects the heavens to earthly planes and through the roots to the underworld. Where the cosmos connects to the earth is a special place, which takes a variety of forms depending on the culture. There are high mountains, ancient trees, symbolic trees or sacred stones. 

A marvelous stone marked some of these very first sacred places.

Examples can be found at Delphi with their carved omphalos stone, the navel of their world. Also in Ireland, the Stone of Destiny stands on top of the Hill of Tara. It was the sacred dwelling place of the gods and entrance to the underworld. At the holy center of Hindu temples, there is a stone called a lingam, which represents Lord Shiva and all the energies of the earth and beyond.

Omphalos - the navel of the world at Delphi
The ompholos, the navel of the Greek world from Delphi

The Druids used actual trees for their axis mundi.  Ancient oak trees were their spiritual centers and an integral part of their spirituality. The Indians held sacred a 3500-year old mango tree, where Shiva and Parvati were married. Many Mesoamerican cultures also had their world trees, embodying the four cardinal directions and axis mundi which connected the heavens with the earth and underworld.

After identifying a sacred place, protecting it, and safeguarding it was next.

So how did they design and build a holy space? A type of shape and measurement was needed. Clues to this measurement may be found in the Greek word geometry. Geo – means earth, and metron translates into the word measure. The roots of geometry began in the measurement of the land.

As well as needing measurement, organizing a sacred place is essential. The axis mundi is the connection between earth and a precise object in the cosmos, such as a star, planet, or constellation.  The axis mundi is often associated with mandalas, and the simplest ones are comprised of a square and a circle which are a 2-dimensional representation of the axis mundi. The square represents the earth, and the circle represents the cosmos or heaven. There may also be four gates indicating the four cardinal points.

Garden of Eden

Because mandalas are a way of depicting the organization of sacred space, they become cosmic diagrams of the world, and some represent a heavenly paradise. For example, paradise for Christians is the Garden of Eden. It can be seen depicted in the 11th century Saint-Sever Beatus manuscript, which is enclosed by a rectangular wall, a type of shape and measurement.

Other cultures possess more elaborate mandalas. Perhaps the most well-known today comes from India and found in the Tibetan Kalachakra. Elaborately drawn with circles, squares, with the axis mundi in the sacred center, the mandalas present an orderly 2D representation of the cosmos. However, they actually portray a 3D view of their world. 

To understand how this mandala was first conceived, we need to go back in time.

Imagine yourself in Neolithic times. What would be the most important celestial body to you? It would have to be the sun because, without it, there would be no life. It was no coincidence that the sun was the main god in many cultures, controlling life and death.

Early people tracked the sun’s travels throughout the year. They knew it moved each day a little more north or south until it came to a halt twice a year and then reversed its direction. These two significant times of the year are the summer and winter solstices. Ancient people not only observed the path of the sun, but were also in tune with the cycles of the moon, the planets, and the stars.

Solsticial quadrilateral and the solstices

For these early people, marking the solstice sunrise and sunset points was an essential part in the creation of their sacred places, because they marked the appearance of their god, the sun. Evidence of this is found in the many dolmens and passage tombs aligned to the rising or setting sun of the solstices and equinoxes. A famous example of an alignment to the winter solstice sunrise is at Newgrange in Ireland. Neolithic people also built stone circles and wooden henges aligned to the sun’s patterns.

In Brittany, France, a different example of alignment to the solstices is found. The Crucuno Cromlech is a giant stone rectangle, whose four corners are aligned to a solstice sunrise or sunset. This rectangle is extraordinary in our search for real sacred geometry because it uses something special – measurements of the earth.

Crucuno, Brittany, France as a solsticial quadrilateral

What does this mean?

As we mentioned before, ancient people tracked the movement of the sun throughout the year. From a bird’s eye perspective, a rectangular shape emerges. This shape changes depending on its location on earth. For example, the further north or south of the equator is its position, the rectangle becomes more and more square-like. In Moscow, the figure created is a square, whereas, in Mexico City, it is a thin rectangle. 

These angles are the measurement of the yearly pattern of our sun. However, they are not precise, because the rectangle can be any length. Another measurement is needed, which is given to us by the earth. A grid-like form is found on the surface of the planet, which is connected to the sun god. This grid or net emanates from the central core of the earth and was re-discovered by the Frenchman Dr. Peyré in 1937. It is an electromagnetic net running in north-south and east-west directions, curiously enough, in the cardinal directions. Its size varies with latitude, and it goes by several names, such as the solar net, natural net, Peyré net, and to the Hopi’s it is called the Road of the Sun. The energy of the solar net dissipates when the sun goes down, which can be verified by dowsing, or sensed in the body or even seen by sensitive people. It was known as a golden net to our ancestors, and its measurements were used to build their sacred places.

Solsticial quadrilateral within the solar net

When the two measurements of the sun and the earth are combined, something magical occurs. A rectangular shape is created. This shape is not an ordinary rectangle; it has superpowers! It begins to organize the energies within it. Order emerges out of chaos, and this rectangle is the starting point for the mandala and the axis mundi. Another of its unique characteristics is that a vortex appears in the center, where there was nothing before. This vortex is fascinating because it is the place of hierophany, where we can meet the divine. It connects the earth with the sun, traveling all the way from the underworld to the cosmos, as does the axis mundi.

How does it work?

Firstly, when standing in the center of this solar rectangle, which we call a solsticial quadrilateral, a connection to the earth can be felt. It is a grounded feeling as if being pulled downwards into the earth. The energy then begins to rise through your central channel. Imagine a tube running through the center of your body from the ground to the top of your head. This energy moves up through the body, balancing and aligning the chakras as it rises. For many people, this is a very profound and spiritual experience, especially when it reaches the throat chakra. This chakra is the gateway to the connection to higher vibrations and the ability to access spiritual planes. When this chakra opens for the first time, people are so overwhelmed with joy they begin to cry. The energy continues to the crown and upwards to the cosmos and spirit.

This simple rectangle, the solsticial quadrilateral, is the first sacred space and was used all over the world to build temples, churches, and homes. It is the real sacred geometry. From the basic measurements found in the solsticial quadrilateral, a mandala can be created, with squares, circles, and the five elements. The cosmology of the universe is ordered and structured inside and the axis mundi is present in the center.

Solar mandala and the 5 elements

One crucial quality of this solsticial quadrilateral, besides its universal use around the world, is that it is alive and connected to life. The union between the solar energies and the earth creates its measurements, because of this, the measurements have an intimate connection to the land, the place, and the people.

This relationship to the place makes the measurements a changing dynamic. The Golden Mean is actually found in the solar mandala hidden in polygons such as the pentagon. It is also found in the relationship between the musical notes and the Elements.

The Golden Mean was not the only proportion used by ancient cultures. The 345 triangle which has the proportion of 1.333 was also well known by the ancients. The Hindus, Greeks, Egyptians, and Mayans all used it in building their temples. The 345 triangle was considered more important than the Golden Mean because rectangular angles were made possible. An interesting bit of history is found in the European master builder tradition concerning the prevalent use of the 345. Master builders used to wear a belt called the 12-knot rope. This rope was comprised of 13 knots of equal spacing. Its cubit measurement was found in the solar mandala.

The 345 rectangle

These relationships illustrate that the two main proportions, the 345 (1.333) and the Golden Mean (1.618), are generated by the mandala. However, it is crucial to understand that developing a geometry based solely on the Golden Mean without reference to the sacred solar mandala, is a huge mistake. Without a connection to the earth and life, it will not work well, and it is potentially dangerous. People become ungrounded, losing their connection to reality, developing difficulties in manifesting their ideas, their business, and their goals.

As an example, if we look at a tree, it is rooted into the earth, and the growth of its leaves and branches could be related to the Golden Mean, but its leaves are like solar panels, always connected to the sun. As you can see, the Golden Mean is the only part of the development of the tree. It is the same for buildings, it is first necessary to connect the structure to the earth and sun, then incorporate the measurement of the Golden Mean. To be effective, the Golden Mean needs to be anchored to the earth, just like all plants, trees, animals, and humans. Real sacred geometry is this anchor, connected to the sun, to the earth, and to life itself.

This knowledge of building with the solar mandala and the solsticial quadrilateral was known to all the ancient builders, such as the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Hindus, Muslims, Mayans, Incas and was used until the Age of Enlightenment. The influence of Napoleon who standardized measurements in France signaled the end of the use of solar measurement. Before this, measurements were different in each region and were related to the solar geometry of the place in relation to the latitude.

There are a few ways to learn more about how this real sacred geometry works. Our book Secrets of Sacred Geometry; Solar Geometry for Health and Life is one. We also have online classes and certification programs for those who want to investigate further. To have a look around our new website and see what interests you. To learn more about real sacred geometry read Karen’s blog called: The Energetics of the Fibonacci Spiral and the Golden Mean.

Tibetan mandala painting on monastery ceiling, Kagbeni, Nepal

Vibration and how Buildings Sing

It is interesting when you learn something new that takes you to unexpected far-off places, which is what happened when I first learned about earth tides. Did you know our earth is moving up and down, similar to ocean tides? I had never heard of such a concept. This idea opens the door to many other possibilities of reality and thought about the world we live in and how we interact with it. More importantly, how it interacts with us.

One thing to keep in mind is that everything vibrates through the air.

Our earth is not a static ball of water and rocks lost in outer space. It is surrounded by a gravitational field and is an attractor of celestial bodies. The sun, moon, and planets all pull on our world. We are under the sway of these external forces. Our planet also moves up and down each day, as the earth rotates around the sun and the moon rotates around the earth. This on-going rotation causes a gravitational pull on the earth’s crust, which results in the surface bulging outwards. Scientists can measure these earth tides. Its movement enables them to keep an eye on volcanoes and other interior earth movements. Earth tides provide scientists with such important information as the probability of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

What we are interested in, though, is that every 12 hours, our planet and everything on it moves ever so slowly up and down, 30 cm or 1 foot. The most substantial distortion or bulge happens during new or full moons because the sun and moon are aligned, and the effect is therefore stronger.

So, we are in constant movement. From the tallest mountain to the smallest plant, everything is in ever so slight motion. This is cool, but is there something else that makes this new idea so exciting? For me, as a master builder, the answer is, “Yes.”

But let’s first define vibration.

It is the frequency that is emitted or one that locations or objects emit. Frequency describes how fast the object moves. It is a measurable quantity and this is a fascinating concept for master builders.

Ancient cultures in Egypt, India, and Europe found that there was a correspondence between the elements and vibration. They also discovered there was a relationship between musical notes, emotions, and frequency. In fact, there is an entire Indian Sanskrit text called Natya Shastra, written around 200BCE, devoted to the performing arts. The last 6 chapters are dedicated to music and detail information about notes and their relationships with emotions and provide their frequencies.

Wow, how interesting is this? First of all, each musical note has a relationship with emotions. Musical notes can express the gamut of emotions from sadness and hate to love, confidence, and joy. Because we know frequency is a measurable quantity, we can find a measurement for each musical note and emotion.

How can we find these measurements?

Our ancestors found a way to materialize the measurements of the five elements and musical notes, by something we now call sacred geometry. They developed a geometrical concept that the Hindus call a “mandala.”  This mandala is a geometrical representation of sacred space.

Tibetan mandala painting on monastery ceiling, Kagbeni, Nepal
Tibetan mandala painting on monastery ceiling, Kagbeni, Nepal

It organizes our universe and depicts our relationship with the cosmos. The central point of the mandala is that the shape is connected to the rhythm of the sun. It is a rectangle connected to the annual maximum and minimum positions of the sun.

If you look closely at the center of the Tibetan mandala above, you can see four lines that intersect. These lines are connected to the rhythm of the sun in Kagbeni, Nepal. In the tradition of the master builders, this shape is called the solsticial quadrilateral.

This solar rectangle allows for the development of a symmetrical geometry that creates the shape of the mandala of the place. As the mandala evolved from a rectangle, other squares, circles, and polygons were identified, and the five elements were given geometrical expression.

This means the elements can be measured and used for building structures.

In southern India, they built five amazing temples, each one expressing and dedicated to one of the five essential elements. Nataraja is the ether element temple.  Ekambeswara Temple is the earth element, and Jambukareswara represents the water element. The Fire element temple is called Arunachaleswarar, and the air temple is Sri Kalahasti.

One the of most remarkable things about these temples is the measurements used to build the temple are in direct relationship to the element. One way the element is expressed in the temple is through the inside ambiance. Ambiances are the interior colors, or auras, of a place. For example, a clear light green color is consistent with the ether temple.

Another way elements are expressed is through feelings corresponding to the chakra system of the body. Ether is connected to the heart chakra and the color green. When you walk through the temple of ether, you can feel your heart open and expand. These feelings and ambiances are created by the measurement and the vibration of earth tides. Because of this movement, the entire framework, rooms, walls, ceilings, and the distances between columns are all vibrating and emitting a frequency that we can feel in the physical body.

Getting back to musical notes, because they have a frequency they can be translated into a measurement as well, which was used in building. Musical notes are related to emotions, and their measures can elicit a variety of emotions, some of them good and others awful. The knowledge that there can be good or bad measurements is nothing new. The Chinese have applied this knowledge with the use of their Feng Shui Ruler, still used today. The use of it was first recorded during the Sung dynasty (960 – 1128 AD). The auspicious and inauspicious measurements were first applied to furniture, windows, and doors in the imperial palace, and the measure relates to the Imperial foot. Unfortunately, the Feng Shui rulers were made with the measurement of Beijing, and they don’t work in other latitudes.

Today we can find measurements through the use of the solar mandala and its organization of sacred space for each different latitude. The elements have their correspondence to musical notes and emotions, as well. For example, the element of earth is the note of C and it is confident and strong.  Water is D, which is romantic and erotic, E is fire, both sweet and tender. F is ether, quietly both calm and peaceful. Finally, G is air, joyfully happy and soft.

Homes can be designed with musical notes and the elements.

There can be individual measurements for each room. For example, in a bedroom, it is best to use the elements of earth and ether. The emotions for this bedroom configuration are confidence, calm, tranquility, and peace. Ether is particularly interesting to use when building because it is connected to life force energy or prana. On the other hand, if you use fire, you can get some intense and destructive energy that not conducive to sleep!

The idea that structures are constantly vibrating is eye-opening for anyone sensitive to their environment. The ability to use solar measurements to create a specific ambiance and emotion in rooms and houses is a game-changer for anyone involved in creating new spaces. You can now understand why I was amazed to learn about earth tides. This seemingly small bit of information about vibration fundamentally changed how I look at temples, homes, and other spaces. We can create homes that sing with the beauty of life and bring the body, mind, and soul into harmony with the universe.

By Karen Crowley-Susani
First published in the December 2019 issue of Star Nations Magazine.

To learn more about the solar mandala, elements, musical notes, and measurements, be sure to check out our newest Secrets of Sacred Geometry Certification Trainings. This training is a 2-year apprenticeship that imparts ancient and modern wisdom so you can learn how to build homes and other energetic structures of high vibration. Click below to check it out.

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