Nexus - 0305 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page 35 of 73

Page 35 of 73
Nexus - 0305 - New Times Magazine-pages

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The sacred landscape geometry of Rennes-le- Chateau suggests the prior existence of an advanced culture with links to ancient Egypt. Part 2 nitially our interest in the Rennes-le-Chateau mystery was stimulated by the sugges- tion that pentagonal geometry was probably associated with the area. Having been trained as a trigonometrical cartographer, David Wood, armed with a theodolite and the necessary mapping, set out to verify the possibility of landscape geometry being present in the area. During World War II it became necessary to produce maps of inaccessible areas from aerial photography using the slotted template method (a detailed description of which is given in an appendix of our book, Genese?). An adaptation of this method assisted us in our search for angular relationships between churches, chateaux, mountain peaks and other markers which displayed the pentagonal signature of 36 degrees. Obviously, circu- lar discs with radials of 36 degrees could be centrally pinned to any of these likely loca- tions on the map which were of sufficient antiquity to warrant investigation. Due to the historical significance of the Languedoc region of France, there were archaeological stud- ies of the major constructions and ruins to allow the choice of these to be selective—selec- tive, that is, in terms of their antiquity. However, as our enquiry progressed, we found that the markers were often considerably older than was apparent at first. In some cases they had been built on the foundations of much older buildings, and the churches had been constructed over Druid sites of worship in an attempt to purify or erase them. Visually this had served its purpose but, unknowingly, this action had perpetuated the topographi- cal position. As tedious as this geometric process was to execute, it culminated in a display of inter- related 36-degree-angled lines. Knowing that the star-points of a pentagram fall on the circumference of a circle, the next step was to locate the centre of any circle which could accommodate a selection of markers on its circumference. This could be achieved by either the bisector of the 36-degree angles, or by constructing the perpendicular bisectors of the pentagonal chord lines. Eventually it became apparent that the emerging shape could never be a simple regular pentagram. The process of truncating the pentagonal network to its points of intersection revealed a truly remarkable figure. Only those who have laboured with a problem such as this will fully appreciate the physical sensation as one's scalp crawls with the realisation that one is witnessing something geometrically unique. Suddenly the reward for countless hours of tedious plotting became clear as the landscape gave up its long-concealed secret. The circumference of the circle was locked into position by seven of the identified markers, and cradled within it were the pentagonal 36-degree star-points—not five as there should have been, but only four. Any momentary disappointment that this short- coming might have caused was rapidly dispersed by the realisation that, by extending the sides of the pentagonal triangle which had failed to intersect, an intersection did occur out- side the northern boundary of the circle. To realise then that the angle created by that intersection was, within plotting accuracy, 36 degrees, was nothing short of remarkable! In fact, at that stage it appeared to be impossible! How could a pentagram which exhibits 36 degrees on its star-points—and is normally contained within a circle—have one limb extended beyond the circle and still have all five star-points at 36 degrees? It transpired that by dividing the circumference of a circle into 15 equal arcs and constructing the extended pentagram, the star-points can be proved to be 36 degrees (see Figure 1, bottom). Until they constructed this extended pentagram themselves, several mathematicians had by David Wood and tan Campbell © 1984-1995 Genisis Trading Co. Ltd Wellwood, North Farm Road High Brooms, Tunbridge Wells Kent TN2 3DR, England, UK Phone +44 (0)1892 544044 Fax +44 (0)1892 511301 34 «© NEXUS ENTER THE PENTAGRAM AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1996