66 replies to this topic

[Anew]

It has been a while, hasn't it?  Good to hear from you.
And it's good to see 'Alfred the faithful Butler' beside my posts, i had forgotten about him ... Perhaps there's always some little thing one didn't know one missed.


An embanked ditch might make a nice mushroom-cellar. And if these were important enough in their religion, (which to my mind is to say, given their nature, "if they were used" ), i imagine existing patches could have played a role in siting some temples. "Captain, there be whales here" ~ Mr. Scott .
It seems reasonable, if this were the case, that they would hold that the organism and the location were, (physically & spiritually), symbiotic.  Thanks for the insight.

[Anew]

 Stonehenge_StationRectangle_hs.jpg   485.14K   4 downloads


A proposed integration of the 'Heel' (Helios) Stone with the 'Station Stone Rectangle' set
Base image source: Stonehenge Complete, (Christopher Chippindale)


Shown in purple are the 5:12:13 triangles forming the ‘Station Stone Rectangle’, with two more reaching from its baseline, past the ‘Slaughter Stone’, to the ‘Heel (helios) Stone’.
Shown in light green are the the hypotenuse of related  3:12:12.369  ‘lunation’ triangles -- a value accurate to within three decimal places for the number of lunar phases in a solar year.

The proportions, at least as they match the plan, are not exact ; but i find them close enough for consideration . A pair of 5:12:13 triangles scaled to match the Station Stone Rectangle's baseline terminate close (or tangent) to the Helios Stone, (in the direction of the Sunrise on Summer Solstice) . Other bearings attributed to the Rectangle include the Winter Solstice, (Sunset, given complement to Summer's Sunrise), and, (please see Stonehenge, by Robin Heath) : the Samhain and Imbolc Sunrises ; Midsummer Moonrise and Major Standstill ; Midwinter Moonset and another Major Standstill ; and the Beltane and Lammas Sunsets

As to the green 'lunation' diagonals: The base of the Trilithon Horseshoe may reference these ; (another explanation is possible) . Beyond this there is a stone or two, (as there probably would be) ; they may have helped shape the northeast causeway ; and, (not shown), may have had a role in shaping the Station Stone Barrows

Regarding the ratios themselves, (5:12:13 , 3:12:12.369), their polyrhythmic potential, and other (unprovable) cultural imagining (involving trance states, a belief system), please see the threads on Polyrhythms, Canu'r Pwnc and Psychedelic Mushrooms

Quote

A look back at Lundy Island, (here is a Googlemap with the latitude of Stonehenge marked), shows an interesting roughly quarter-circular flooded cut or depression in the rock . It is comparable in size to Stonehenge's embankment

From the Duloe thread, (where i made many mistakes)

[Anew]

Anew, on 2 June 2009, 3:58, said:

As to the green 'lunation' diagonals: The base of the Trilithon Horseshoe may reference these ... Beyond this there is a stone or two, (as there probably would be) ;

That "stone or two" would include the 'half width' upright of the Sarsen Ring, which the lunation diagonal from the SSE station stone appears to fall tangent (or nearly so) to on its way to fall tangent (or nearly so) to the southern front corner of the largest of the Trilithons . As well, the lunation diagonal from the NNW station stone appears to thread between the positions of two (fallen or missing) sarsens in the ring, (tangent or nearly so to each), on its way to fall tangent (or nearly so) to the northern front corner of this same (largest trilithon) . Though any of these aspects could be coincidence, they seem (together) to speak of intent -- as these were elements of the site to which they (reasonably) would have paid particular attention ; and as one element, (the half-width upright), seems to be non-standard in such a way that (half of) the effect becomes possible . It is suggested that the 29+1/2 uprights of the main ring, (had it been planned that way), represented the approximately 29+1/2 days of the (visible) lunar month . Maybe so . If so, bringing this count to a stop tangent, (or nearly), to the lunation diagonal from a station stone seems to reinforce the symbolism, (and its perceived or intended magic)

[Anew]

 Stonehenge_ringandpi.jpg   487.4K   4 downloads


circles expanding by a ratio of pi/3, and the Sarsen Ring

This figure provides a larger view of the righthand side of the image in post #62, (two previous) ; and adds to it three concentric circles of proportional scales 1 , pi/3 and (pi/3)² . These seem to be reasonably good boundary and centerlines for the Sarsen Ring ; (whom's irregularities would have it that no circle can touch the faces, or mark the centers, of all stones at once) . (Putting that parenthetical aside) ; It seems they may have meant it this way . {And it may then share cultural similarity with the Swinside ring, which seems to be (roughly) centerlined on an ellipse whose major and minor diameters are in this ratio ; and whose stones, (excluding the 'gateposts'), appear to be within one (pi/3 ratio) expansion or contraction of that (rough collective) centerline}

The irrational value pi is one that has bewildered ancient civilizations around the globe ; so it is not surprising to find, (or to imagine), it expressed here . Taken linearly, a polyrhythm of the ratio pi to 3 will never close : once started, the two beats will always be (to some extent) apart . However, when measured upon the circumferences of concentric circles whose radii are also in the ratio pi to 3, (as they would be, in this imagining, at Stonehenge), they will never diverge . And that's what i imagine they were after . Their ring was proportioned with intent to bridge a gap (or forge alliance) between, or to engage the magic of, that (which is) otherwise irreconcilable

[Anew]

Anew, on 5 June 2009, 2:01, said:

This figure provides a larger view of the righthand side of the image in post #62, (two previous) ; and adds to it three concentric circles of proportional scales 1 , pi/3 and (pi/3)² . These seem to be reasonably good boundary and centerlines for the Sarsen Ring ; (whom's irregularities would have it that no circle can touch the faces, or mark the centers, of all stones at once) . (Putting that parenthetical aside) ; It seems they may have meant it this way . {And it may then share cultural similarity with the Swinside ring, which seems to be (roughly) centerlined on an ellipse whose major and minor diameters are in this ratio ; and whose stones, (excluding the 'gateposts'), appear to be within one (pi/3 ratio) expansion or contraction of that (rough collective) centerline}

The irrational value pi is one that has bewildered ancient civilizations around the globe ; so it is not surprising to find, (or to imagine), it expressed here . Taken linearly, a polyrhythm of the ratio pi to 3 will never close : once started, the two beats will always be (to some extent) apart . However, when measured upon the circumferences of concentric circles whose radii are also in the ratio pi to 3, (as they would be, in this imagining, at Stonehenge), they will never diverge . And that's what i imagine they were after . Their ring was proportioned with intent to bridge a gap (or forge alliance) between, or to engage the magic of, that (which is) otherwise irreconcilable

On the other hand... Swinside is a ways removed and has more apparent differences than similarities with Stonehenge, and :

 Stonehenge_ringandlunarratio.jpg   488.42K   6 downloads

Stonehenge Sarsen Ring and concentric circles based on the Lunar Sidereal to Synodic ratio

Perhaps a stronger explanation, as it fits the ring well and maintains the apparent lunar theme of the the Station Stone Lunation diagonals, (green), and the (believed) 29+1/2 uprights of the ring, (please see post #63, two previous) ... is the Lunar Sidereal to Synodic ratio, (or polyrhythm : the time it takes the moon to orbit the earth compared to the duration of a moon phase), about 1 to 1.08089 .

In the figure above : The smaller of the concentric blue circles, (made slightly larger than the smallest of the previous post (#64)), represents the Lunar Sidereal rhythm ; it does a fairly good job of tracing the inside faces of the Sarsen Ring . The larger of the two is scaled to 1.08089 times its size, and so represents the Lunar Synodic rhythm ; it does a fairly good job tracing the outside faces of the Sarsen Ring . As before, metering a polyrhythm upon concentric circles of a like ratio, (here 1 to 1.08089), causes the rhythms to lock-on, beat for beat -- something which may have been considered a desirable, harmonious magic in the construction

[Anew]

 Stonehenge_ringandlunarratio_b.jpg   499.06K   8 downloads


Applying the Lunar Synodic to Sidereal ratio to the second 'half-width sarsen' of the Ring

A dilemma that appears when basing conjecture (in part) upon the idea that the Ring had 29+1/2 uprights, (the last being half-width), to match the approximately 29.53 days of the Lunar Phase, (assuming the ring had been completed or planned this way) ; is that there appear to be two half-width sarsens, (as circumstance would have it, the fifth clockwise and counterclockwise from the remaining upright at the southwest) . The one to the counterclockwise -- which seems cut short to respect a (green) Lunation diagonal running from the SSE station stone, (covered in previous posts) -- may establish a lunar theme . {One in keeping with the Station Stone Rectangle's reported lines to Major Standstills; the observed close similarity between the size & breadth of the Sarsen Ring and the Lunar Synodic:Sidereal ratio; and the Great Trilithon's observed near corner-tangency to Lunation Diagonals from the Station Stones} . The other half-width sarsen may be explainable by scaling the SSE -> SE side of the Station Stone Rectangle, upward and downward, by this same (Lunar Synodic:Sidreal) ratio, (about 108.089% and 92.516% respectively), and drawing to these scaled sides, diagonals from the northwest Station Stone ; (as shown in pink in the figure) . These diagonals do a reasonably good, (though not flawless), job of meeting both the stone's clock&counter-wise faces

In all, these seem better than i think chance would provide, and would place the Sarsen Ring within a 'Moonly' context . One could imagine that if this Ring was completed, (which may not be certain), access to the sanctuary space would have been gained through those gaps by the half-width stones -- one to each side of the monument -- each enchanted by its reference to an important lunar ratio

[Anew]

Anew, on 6 June 2009 - 01:05, said:

Stonehen...rratio_b.jpg


The same figure as in the previous post

In all, these seem better than i think chance would provide, and would place the Sarsen Ring within a 'Moonly' context . One could imagine that if this Ring was completed, (which may not be certain), access to the sanctuary space would have been gained through those gaps by the half-width stones -- one to each side of the monument -- each enchanted by its reference to an important lunar ratio

There does seem to be a third 'entrance to the ring', visible past a rather rounded stone at the north of the plan . This entrance appears to reference a 'lunation diagonal' (shown in green) running from the henged north-northwest station stone . I think it on purpose, and indicative of the temple's (proposed) intent as a universal ring having multiple references to both sun and moon . One can imagine the high priest entering from the direction of the 'powerful' south-southeast station stone along its (green) lunation diagonal, ancillary priests and acolytes, (perhaps with sacrifice), entering from the direction of the northwest station stone along the lunar ratio path, (pink) ; and the secular powerful and otherwise honored using their 'third entrance' from the henged north-northwest station stone along its 'lunation diagonal', (mentioned above).