THE LABYRINTH CYPHER

While trying to develop a cipher based upon the Chartres labyrinth, I struck upon an interesting feature of its layout and construction. While the layout of most labyrinths is well understood and well-documented, the layout of the Chartres labyrinth appears less so. 

For example on this website, which contains impressive work attempting to uncover the secrets of the labyrinth, states that the Chartres labyrinth is 'pseudo-symmetrical'. I believe this statement reveals a profound lack of understanding of the basis of the Chartres labyrinth construction, because, as I shall show you, the labyrinth is perfectly symmetrical under certain transformations.

To prove this all we need to do us to distort the image using its Polar Coordinates, which gives us roughly this image.

 As we can see this schematic is indeed symmetrical via a horizontal axis. This means that it should be possible to completely invert the Chartres labyrinth without distorting any of its pathways or layout. And so it is;

This final test proves that the Chartres labyrinth is indeed perfectly symmetrical. It also shows us that the inside of the labyrinth is the same as the outside. Finally, if we superimpose both the original and inverted labyrinths we get a peculiar floral motif at the centre. Judging by the manner in which the two sections of the labyrinth complement each other in scale, I would say that this correlation was planned. But I don't know what significance, if any, the floral motif has in this instance.

There has been some argument that the Chartres Labyrinth is actually a Solar or Luna-based calendar, and there appears to be some validity to these claims, although just what this means is uncertain. For example, there are 112 lunations around the outer-edge of the labyrinth, which is 28 x 4. This corresponds to a period of 16 weeks or 4 lunar month (of 28 days each). If the Chartres labyrinth is meant to be a calendar, of some kind, it does not serve its function well, as it only contains information for 4 of the 12/13 lunar months.

However, I believe I may have stumbled upon this missing data while trying to devise a method for building a cipher based on the twisting paths of the labyrinth. As you can see the labyrinth is divided into four main sections, which may be used to represent the four seasons of the year. If we count all of the bends in the labyrinth we get 12 (months) and if we include the inside and outside of the labyrinth in our figuring and then count every second circuit in each segment we get a total of 52; the number of weeks in a year.

HYPERBOLIC CEILINGS

The picture, on the right, was created to show how, through the process of reincarnation, a soul can take another life in another body. But it also shows how as youths we are preoccupied with attaining manhood, and once this fleeting zenith has been transgressed, we spend what's left of our lives revisiting those earlier moments. In a word, our attention 'twists' back upon itself. According to Hindu philosophy, if at the point of death we are still preoccupied with the events of our material existence we shall take on another body. If, however, we have twisted back upon ourselves in another direction - towards Godhead - we shall be born into the realm of eternal life with Lord Krishna.

A common feature of Salvia Divinorum trips, as seen posted on You Tube, is that those under the influence twist their bodies to look behind them. This is because, in general, the drug has stripped them of their bodily covering, leaving them exposed, as raw perception. The phrase 'going around the twist' is applied to salvia, because taking it makes one feel as if they are losing their mind.

In Le Mystere des Cathedrales the eminent alchemist Fulcanneli discusses the meanings of the enigmatic relief sculptures that appear in the Notre Dame cathedral, Paris. One of these simply known as the man turning around, which according to the author;

well illustrates that alchemical maxim solve et coagula, which teaches how to achieve the elementary conversion by violatilizing the fixed and fixing the volatile (pl. XXVIII).

If you know how to dissolve the fixed, 

And to make the dissolved fly, 

Then to fix the flying in powder, 

You have something to console yourself with.

I believe this sculpture to be another example of man turning back upon himself in order to reflect upon himself and upon his past deeds.

In the Teachings of Buddha it is written;

Once upon a time a man looked into the reverse side of a mirror and, not seeing his face and head, he became insane. How unnecessary it is for a man to become insane merely because he carelessly looked into the reverse side of a mirror.

And so it is with meditation, because when the mind is quiet we can begin to focus on the consciousness of consciousness, that first principle which is the cause of all causes and which is emptiness itself. The goal of the alchemist and the Buddhist practitioners are the same, as this passage from the Teaching of Buddha reveals;

Pure gold is procured my melting ore and removing the impure substances. If people could melt the ore of their minds and remove all the impurities of worldly passion and egoism, they would al recover the same pure Buddha-nature.

It has puzzled me why Fulcanelli focused so intently upon the sculptural and relief works of those famous cathedrals, but neglected to say a word about the vaulted ceilings and flying buttresses, which make the gothic style of architecture so distinctive. While I have made it clear, in other posts, that these should be likened to the energy centres or chakra points of Eastern medicine, there is one other consideration that I feel is necessary to bring to your attention.

The typical vaulted ceiling of a gothic cathedral ought to be viewed as an early depiction of a hyperbolic manifold, hewn in stone and mortar. Instances of hyperbolic mathematics incorporated into the designs of more modern day cathedrals (like this one, left, in Australia) would appear to support this idea.

The next logical step in teasing out the hyper-dimensional aspects of the cathedrals, would be to generate a computer model of a Gothic cathedral in which all of the angles are hyperbolic in nature. This would allow the user to witness dramatic changes in perspective typical of hyperbolic geometry (see video below), whilst navigating the backdrop of these beautiful cathedrals.

Now imagine that kind of geometry (above) with this kind of imagery (below), and you should have a clearer picture of what the vault of heaven, and the mind of God and the Metrix, look like (on a bad day).

THE BARDO OF THE REAL

Journey to the Centre of the Earth

On August 25th 2010, at about 3am, I noticed a bright star, due north, about eight degrees above the horizon. I had never seen a star in this region of the sky before, and with good reason, because the corporation lights of Dublin City would have generally drowned them out. Another thing that made me realise that this was not a star, was that after I had watched it for a while, I noticed it was moving slowly. Although it tracked across the sky in an Easterly direction, its movement was much too slow to be that of a plane.

The next night, just after dusk, I was climbing a mountain. When I stopped to take a rest I noticed the same bright light in the same location; above the lights of Dublin City. It floated up into the cloud layer, and remained there suspended, until another light drifted up to join it. I counted maybe three bright lights that behaved in this manner, all seemingly emerging from the Royal Dublin Society in Ballsbridge, some 15 kilometres distant from me.

Hallowe’en was only a few days away, and from my vantage point I could see the green sparkle of fireworks over the houses and rooftops of my hometown. With the relatively strict prohibition on fireworks observed in my country, a recent addition to the Hallowe’en night sky spectacle had been that of the Chinese Lanterns, which invarably glowed with a dull orange coloured flame. I could tell that these objects were not those lanterns for at least three reasons;

1. The speed at which the first two objects ascended into the cloud layer and there subsequent, abrupt stop.
2. A third light which hovered, maybe no more than a kilometre, above the city, before being joined by a fourth, which weaved around the other in a display of intelligence, speed and agility.
3. Last of all, I observed a large craft composed of several lights, which I estimated to be at least the size of football field lift itself into the air and hover a hundred or more feet off the ground.

 I had assumed that the Internet would be abuzz with similar reports of this UFO siting, but the lack of any forced me to take a different angle on the phenomenon. I believe that the craft were possibly ascending from the RDS to a larger craft in the upper atmosphere. A quick look at the RDS website will reveal that they are connected to the Freemasonic Traditions, and  proud of it. In my opinion, the Secret Rites of Freemasonry connect to a world that is ordinarily invisible to us, and one that is filled with such wonders, as to perhaps prove unbelievable to the clouded judgement of the modern world.

The Mystery of the Cathedrals, by Fullcanelli, is considered to be one of the great works of alchemical study. Alchemy is a discipline veiled in symbols and riddles that the initiate must unravel to become adept in. One such riddle is the mystery of the silver star. It is said that once this riddle is understood, contemplation of the star which lead the three Wise Men to the birthplace of the Saviour, is given a new meaning.

'Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days

of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to

Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for

we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

'Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired

of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them

to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young

child: and when ye have found him bring me word again, that I

may come and worship him also.

'When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star,

which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood

over where the young child was.

'When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child

with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him; and

when they had opened their treasures, they presented him with

gifts : gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.'

Speaking of such strange happenings and faced with the

impossibility of attributing the cause of them to any celestial

phenomenon, A. Bonnetty, struck by the mystery which envelops

these narratives, asks :

'Who are these Magi and what is one to think of this star? That

is what rational critics and others are wondering at this moment.

It is difficult to reply to these questions, because ancient and modem

Rationalism and Ontologism, drawing all their knowledge from

their own resources, have made one forget all the means by which

the ancient peoples of the East preserved their primitive traditions.'

The star which led the Magi to the cave at Bethlehem, as

St. Chrysostom tells us, came to rest, before dispersing, on the

Saviour's head and surrounded him with luminous glory.

I will stress this point, although I am sure that few will thank me

for it: we are truly concerned with a nocturnal star, whose light

shines without great brightness at the pole of the hermeric sky.

(excerpts from La Mystere des Cathedrales, by Fulcanelli.)

The star-like objects that I saw on October 25th and 26th were located in a direction due North; the pole of the hermetic sky. Furthermore, the independent motion of these stars permits, and therefore lends credence, to the strange accounts of the Magi. The difference in reports is one of semantics, for while ‘the primitive traditions’ of the ancient peoples of the East percieved this light as a star, we in the West would unflinchingly refer to it as a UFO. This suggestion concurrs with Erich von Daniken’s and William Brambley’s research into the possibility that alien technological intervention was behind the reports of miracles and visions from aposalitic times. While Brambley suggested that these creatures were purely extra-terrestrial, von Daniken assumed that they might, just as well, be us from the future.

A third solution to this problem, comes from Tibetan Mysticism or Buddhism. The Buddhists believe that there are six worlds (or bardos) which combine to make up the world of Samsara. These are; the realm of the Gods, the Monsters, Mankind, the animals, hungry ghosts and Hell. It should be noted that the world of Mankind and the world of animals overlap, on a day to day basis. We look after animals and use them for food. This overlap suggests the possibility that the six worlds of Samsara can be reduced to just three; something that Indian religious belief systems would appear to agree with.

The range, and differing types, of senses that exist between the world of man and the animal world is enormous. The sensitivity of animals has even lead some to speculate that they can sense the presence of spirits, and of the departed. The findings of the paranormalists and spiritualists down through the ages would suggest that the realm of the spirits is, indeed, superimposed upon ours. If this is the case, then our world must be similarly superimposed upon the bardo of the Gods and the Monsters; also known as the Demi-Gods. Therefore, the six worlds are reduced to three, and finally to one.

If the Bardo of the Gods and demi-Gods is one with our world then why do we not experience them? Well we do. As I have already pointed out in previous posts, the Bardo of the demi-Gods/Monsters corresponds to the world of celebrity and public figures. These people are generally considered to be the most beautiful, talented and influential amongst us. Wherever they go, people recognize them and greet them as such. For this reason, their perception of the world, in general, is much more skewed than ours. Just as we look after animals––and even eat them––the Monsters try to keep us entertained and well-fed. Their attempts are not always in our best interests however e.g. global corporate capitalism, and some times it is necessary for the Gods to come down to our world and take matters into their own hands.

While we can be found to interact with the worlds of Monsters and animals on a daily basis, it is seldom the case where the Bardo of the Gods is concerned. This is because it is slightly farther removed from us. Although we walk past these people, who are considered Gods, in the street, we fail to recognise them for the shining beauty that they exude, and as such take no notice of their Godly status. These people are always impecably well-dressed and are usually Oriental; in my experience. They can be seen at night sort of bumbling around, whilst chuckling or smiling quietly to themselves. This is because they are continuously intoxicated with a love for the world. Their reality is not too far removed from that of the faeries, and, in fact, I would go as far as to say it is the same thing.

So, on the issue of the Bardos, what we are dealing with here is degrees of wordly perception. In the same way that animals have senses, which are atuned to the Bardo of the Hungry Ghosts, we can atune our senses to the Bardo of the Gods. When this happens, we can begin to percieve the UFOs that are departing from all the major cities of the world on a daily basis. The gods might be boarding craft to other star systems, or they might, as I believe, be transforming themselves into plasmic balls of energy to travel the etheric realms of space. This tallies well with the Theosophical description of faeries, who are said to be able to exist in an astral or ethereal state, which commensurably helps bind the physical properties of our reality together.

But, if all of these different realities exist, where do they exist and how is it possible to get to them? The answer to both of these questions is; In the mind. The gateway to all of these worlds can be found in the hyperbolic geometry of the human mind. From a mechanical/materialist viewpoint, we can equate the six different bardos to the six cellular layers of the neocortex, which all mammals possess. By passing through each of these different neocortical layers, our consciousness can travel all the way from the realm of the Gods, to the truly terrifying Bardo of Hell. This action is known as piercing the three worlds; in Indian methodology.

In the psychology of the human mind, there exists worlds within worlds, like layers of an onion. This incontrovertible reality is the basis for such myths as the Hollow Earth theory, the Underground world of the dead, and of the faerie, as well as the basis for the fabled Buddhist holy land of Shangri La.

The Inland Empire spoken of in David Lynch’s eponymous film, is similarly not a geographical area, but a state of mind. As an advocate of Trancendental Medititation, Lynch’s own practice may have taken him on a journey to the realms he has described, a place filled with wonder and with horror, a place where life and death flow into one another like the curves of a Klein Bottle.

What all this means, in real terms, is that the occupants of the UFOs are not necessarily extra-terrestrial, but are rather us, existing on a different dimensional density, where the ability to transform one’s own physical form into pure energy––and thereby travel the solar system––is attainable.* The fact that these ‘craft’ appear to be departing from the RDS – an organisation affiliated with the Freemasons – suggests to me, that the Gods are likely to be high-ranking initiates of these Orders. This is part of the secret the Mystery Schools have held onto for so long, and the reason why they are to be respected, and not feared so, overmuch.

* Perhaps it was this information that the Gypsies were referring to, when they annotated a copy of Jessup’s A Case for the UFO back in 1957. There is no denying that the Gypsies are a powerful race of people, with a deep understanding of the esoteric laws that govern reality. It is among the people of these traditions and dindling populace who still know cant, like the Shelta people of Ireland, where a true (nomadic and warrior-like) understanding of the world can be sought.