Full Description
An exploration of the traditional rites of auspicious building and crafting
• Explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of foundations not only for sacred buildings like temples but also for homes and barns
• Examines the principles and ceremonies of electional astrology and details how to compute natural time, as opposed to clock time
• Shares examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the Stone Age to the Renaissance and include secret societies
When we make things--whether a building, a sacred space, or a magical object--there is a precise moment when the artifact comes into being as a separate entity. That moment in time possesses its own unique quality, and because of this, there is a right time to do something and a wrong time. And, as Nigel Pennick reveals, we have the power to select favorable moments for our creations, just as our ancestors did.
Illustrating ancient principles of divination, chronomancy, and electional astrology, Pennick examines all the factors behind the ancestral art of geomancy: the auspicious creation and alignment of sacred buildings as places of power. Sharing examples from ancient Egypt, Iran, India, and Europe that range from the Stone Age to the modern day, including secret societies like the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons, he explains how many cities were constructed on specially selected sites and founded ritually at precise, predetermined moments.
Looking at the traditional rites of creating places of power, Pennick explains the ceremonial beginnings and Hermetic principles in the laying out of foundations as well as the use of sacrifice in the building of many notable structures. Examining the role of sacred geometry in geomancy, Pennick explains the Hermetic meaning assigned to each direction in traditional European cultures as well as the principles of natural measures and the science of understanding lucky and unlucky days.
Revealing how geomantic principles are rooted in the structure of the world and the cosmic patterns of space and time, the author shows how they transcend the ages and are just as meaningful today as they were to our ancestors.
Contents
Preface to the New Edition
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
Patterns of Existence
Consciousness, the Gods, and the Stars
CHAPTER 2
Ceremonial Beginnings
Finding and Marking the Place
CHAPTER 3
Foundation
Offerings, Sacrifices, and Relics
CHAPTER 4
Consecration, Evocatio, and Blessings
The Sacred and the Profane
CHAPTER 5
Symbolic Foundation
Laying and Consecrating the First Stone
CHAPTER 6
At the Center of the World
The Earth's Navel, the Cosmic Column, and the World Tree
CHAPTER 7
Space, Time, and Ceremony
The Eightfold Division of the World and the Eight Winds
CHAPTER 8
The Meaning of the Directions
Symbolism and Nature of the Winds
CHAPTER 9
Natural Measure
Dimensions Emergent from Nature and the Land
CHAPTER 10
Traditional Time-Telling
Sunlight and Shadow
CHAPTER 11
Orientation
Facing in the Best Direction
CHAPTER 12
The City of the Omphalos
Cosmic Centers and Symbolic Street Plans
CHAPTER 13
At the Right Time
Favorable Days in the Calendar
CHAPTER 14
Principles of Electional Astrology
Choosing the Correct Time for Rites and Ceremonies
APPENDIX 1
Zodiac Signs and Associates
APPENDIX 2
The Egyptian Calendar
APPENDIX 3
Ruling Signs of Cities
Glossary
Bibliography and Sources for Further Reading
Index
