JOHN MICHELL

Los dólmenes, alineamientos y círculos de piedra siempre han tenido un aura de misterio que ha pervivido en las leyendas. Se trata de un "algo" extraño que las gentes relacionaban con remotos pasados y culturas llenas de sabiduría olvidada. Esta obra describe cómo tuvieron lugar esos descubrimientos, cuáles fueron y quiénes los realizaron; además narra el lento proceso que ha permitido que la astroarqueología deje de ser una herejía, utilizada incluso por los nazis para justificar su fantasioso pasado ario, para acabar siendo una nueva rama de la arqueología.

An in-depth look at the role of number as a bridge between Heaven and Earth Reveals the numerical code by which the ancients maintained high standards of art and culture Sets out the alchemical formulas for the fusion of elements and the numerical origins of various sacred names and numbers Describes the rediscovery of knowledge associated with the Holy Grail, through which the influence of the Heavenly Order is made active on Earth The priests of ancient Egypt preserved a geometrical canon, a numerical code of harmonies and proportions, that they applied to music, art, statecraft, and all the institutions of their civilization. Plato, an initiate in the Egyptian mysteries, said it was the instrument by which the ancients maintained high, principled standards of civilization and culture over thousands of years. In The Dimensions of Paradise, John Michell describes the results of a lifetimes research, demonstrating how the same numerical code underlies sacred structures from ancient times to the Christian era. In the measurements of Stonehenge, the foundation plan of Glastonbury, Platos ideal city, and the Heavenly City of the New Jerusalem described in the vision of Saint John lie the science and cosmology on which the ancient world order was founded. The central revelation of this book is a structure of geometry and number representing the essential order of the heavens and functioning as a map of paradise.

Deepest thoughts and musings of a 1960s countercultural icon Includes 108 of Michells most insightful, erudite, witty, and occasionally scathing essays on diverse topics ranging from sacred practices of the Stone Age to the evils of the metric system to the madness of modernity Describes principles to live in tune with the divine order of the world and discover the paradise of the philosophers of ancient times. Includes an introductory overview by Joscelyn Godwin of Michells entire career A countercultural icon of the 1960s, John Michell (1933-2009) was perhaps best known for his books on sacred geometry, Earth mysteries, and unusual phenomena. He was also beloved and reviled for his radical, idealistic, yet classically traditional views on a wide range of heretical topics, from sacred practices of the Stone Age to the evils of the metric system to the madness of modernity and the unfolding apocalypse. Carefully selecting 108 of Michells most insightful, erudite, witty, and occasionally scathing essays from his column in the monthly magazine The Oldie, esoteric scholar Joscelyn Godwin presents a colorful collection of Michells writings and rants that cover nearly every aspect of society, history, and traditional wisdom. In these short essays, Michell takes on agribusiness, Darwinism, superstition, Stonehenge, the insanity of modern society, UFOs, Jesus, fairies, the Grail legend, among many other topics. No matter how small the topic under consideration, Michell always takes a larger view on it, illuminating it with light from above. Godwins artful selection and ordering of essays reveals Michells overarching grand view of the world at large. We glimpse the heart of Michell as idealistic Platonist and radical traditionalist, absorb his common sense lessons for living in tune with the divine order, and are reminded that the elusive paradise of the philosophers of ancient times is still within reach for those with the strength of vision to see it.

The symbolism and power behind sacred locations in ancient and modern times Explains the need and role for ritual centers in modern society Examines ancient territorial centers in ancient Egypt, Greece, Africa and Asia, and Iceland and the British Isles Reveals the code of number and geometry behind the idealistic social structure of the ritual center, formed to imitate the heavenly order Symbols of ritual centers are among the most persistent elements of myth and belief between cultures widely separated in time and space. Every tribe and state had its generation center, a sacred area within its heartland where its legendary founders gave birth to its people and established their laws. Within the inner sanctum of the sanctuary was an altar or pillar, the omphalos or navel stone, that marked the midpoint of the home territory and represented the world-pole on which everything revolved. It was the focus of a perpetual cycle of rituals and festivals that passed with the seasons around the country and held its people under the spell of a golden age. In this book John Michell reveals the precise methods by which the ancients located the appropriate centers and adopted them as sanctuaries. The same principles of ritual geography in the siting of Akhenatens capital in Egypt and Megalopolis in classical Greece apply also to the traditional centers of small territories and islands. The rediscovery of these sites--such as the spot at the center of Ireland where the Celtic High Kings were installed--sheds new light on the ritualized order of prehistoric societies and the sacred, scientific code on which they were founded. These revelations from the distant past are of great significance in present times, for in them are the secrets of harmony on every scale, from the personal to the universal. Restoring the sacred center to its former place of prominence offers the possibility of a renaissance of human culture, ideally centered upon the image of a perfectly ordered Cosmos.

The symbolism and use of the number twelve in organizing ancient societies Connects the zodiac, the twelve months of the year, and the political divisions of ancient nations Explores the sacred geography of ancient landscapes in Europe and Israel Throughout the world--in countries as far apart as China, Ireland, Iceland, and Madagascar--there survive records and traditions of whole nations being divided into twelve tribes and twelve regions, each corresponding to one of the twelve signs of the zodiac and to one of the twelve months of the year. Best known are the twelve tribes of Israel under King Solomon, but there have been many others. Wherever they occur, they are associated with an ideal social order and a golden age of humanity. Exploring examples of these twelve-tribe societies, John Michell and Christine Rhone explain the blueprint for this organizational structure and look at the musical, mythological, and astronomical enchantments that kept these societies in harmony with the cosmos. They also examine the astrological landscapes of classical Greece, the aligned St. Michael sanctuaries of Europe, and the true site and function of the Temple in Jerusalem. They show that the sacred geography of these sites was part of an ancient code of knowledge that produced harmony between nature and humanity and is as relevant to our present and future as it was to our past.