Copyright © 2012 by Richard Merrick. All rights reserved. No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without written permission of the publisher. For information contact Evolver Editions c/o North Atlantic Books.
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Images of Rosslyn chapel in Figures 3 and 4 courtesy of Centre for Digital Documentation: a collaboration between the Glasgow School of Art and Historic Scotland. Images in Figure 32 courtesy of Nenad Djurdjevic.
The Venus Blueprint: Uncovering the Ancient Science of Sacred Spaces is sponsored by the Society for the Study of Native Arts and Sciences, a nonprofit educational corporation whose goals are to develop an educational and cross-cultural perspective linking various scientific, social, and artistic fields; to nurture a holistic view of arts, sciences, humanities, and healing; and to publish and distribute literature on the relationship of mind, body, and nature.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Merrick, Richard, 1955–
The Venus blueprint : uncovering the ancient science of sacred spaces / by Richard Merrick.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (this page).
eISBN: 978-1-58394-539-1
1. Sacred space. I. Title.
BL580.M455 2012
203’.5—dc23
2012003593
v3.1
For my own Venusian goddesses—
Sherolyn, Adrienne, and Doris
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Beginning as a collaborative research project with famed Scottish composer Stuart Mitchell, this book chronicles our path of research and discovery concerning enigmatic Rosslyn chapel, near Edinburgh, Scotland. Digging through countless books, websites, and articles together, we sought to understand the chapel’s connection to the planet Venus—in particular, its rare conjunction with the Sun and Earth, known as “the Venus transit.”
Thanks to Stuart’s creative spirit, curiosity, and encouragement, I was driven to dig further, eventually discovering the untold history of religion as it had been encoded in Rosslyn’s symbolism and architectural design. I simply could not have written this book without him, and I am deeply grateful for his help and friendship throughout the process.
Thanks also to Stuart’s father, Tommy Mitchell, who so inspired me with his wonderful poems, writings, and philosophical chats over tea and biscuits. In addition to the joy of his friendship, Tommy was something of a guru for me along the way. His ideas helped place me in a frame of mind in which I could see things as they might have been understood in a world that existed long before the rise of Christianity and Western materialism.
During this project, I was recruited to write a number of essays for Caduceus magazine; TokenRock.com; and a book entitled The View Beyond, about Sir Francis Bacon. Each of these projects contributed in different ways to the direction of this study. For these opportunities, my thanks and gratitude go out to Simon Best, Scott Leuthold, Carrie-Anne D’Angelo, Dave Patrick, and Colum Hayward.
My thanks also go to Shannon Novak, a New Zealand artist whose work in music visualization pushed me toward a deeper understanding of tone and color. For additional helpful comments and suggestions, my thanks go to archeomusicologist Leon Crickmore, who sent me his excellent research on Babylonian harmonic theory; Chris Jordan, who offered his research concerning ancient solar collectors; Doug Pritchard, with the Centre for Digital Design Documentation, a collaboration between the Glasgow School of Art and Historic Scotland, for permission to use his wonderful laser-scanned and 3D images of Rosslyn; Nenad Djurdjevic, who graciously gave me special access to research on the Bosnian pyramids; Ian Robertson, for sharing his detailed knowledge of Rosslyn chapel; Mary Hubbard for her detailed notes on Bramante’s design of the Vatican; Scott Olsen, for sending me his beautiful study of the golden section; Dwight Marcus, for inspiring me with his multiaesthetic writing style; longtime friend Dan Reed, who has remained a steadfast supporter and advocate of my work in the Dallas community; and Daniel Pinchbeck for publishing this study through Evolver Editions.
Thanks finally to all the others who have graciously offered their own perspectives and research along the way. This information has proven to be extremely helpful in verifying my findings and opening up new avenues of inquiry, contributing in no small part to the conclusions of this work.
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PREFACE
Epigraph
CHAPTER 1: Journey to Rosslyn The Transit
A Musical Sign
The Lady Chapel
The Shekinah Pillar
The Star of Venus
Deciphering the Cubes
A Gnostic Temple
The Rosslyn Magic Ratio
Twin Beehives
CHAPTER 2: Womb of Resonance Chapel Tuning
Chapel Womb
Chapel Octave
Pollinating the Yellow Bell
The Reshel Lines
Reactivating the Grid
The Temple of Man
CHAPTER 3: The Birth of Venus Crescent and the Star
Tower of Gold
Mountain of Cadence
The Venus Blueprint
Vedic Cosmology
CHAPTER 4: Heart of the Star Unfolding the Rose Line
The Rosslyn Blueprint
The Saint Matthew Cover Story
The Qabala Connection
Pillars and Waves
Son of the Sun
CHAPTER 5: Vedic Temples of the Dragon The Vedic Hebrews
The Vedic Greeks
The Vedic Romans
Vedic Christianity
Slaying the Dragon
Mother of the Mountain
CHAPTER 6: Key to the Musical Mountain The Vatican Blueprint
Unlocking the Hebrew Temple
The Resonance Key
The Harmonic Lattice
Harmonic Numbers
The Harmonic Center
CHAPTER 7: Following the Lost Road The Lost Origin
The Lost Continent
The Lost Tribe
The Lost Name
The Lost Temple
The Lost Science
CHAPTER 8: Climbing the Invisible Tower The World of Illusion
Indigenously Indigo
The Purple Ratio
Navel of the World
Harmonic Pyramid
Resurrecting the Sun
CHAPTER 9: Unlocking the Garden Door The Wisdom Tree
Green Man of the Garden
The Grail Solution
The Invisible Realm
Dark Side of the Moon
CHAPTER 10: Freeing the Light-Bearer Celestial Congress
Rebirth through the Shekinah
A New Sun
The Harmonic Messiah
Music of the Spheres
CHAPTER 11: A Beautiful Vision The Lost Symbol Found
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ENDNOTES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
FIGURE 1. The orbital star pattern of Venus as viewed from Earth
FIGURE 2. Rosslyn dim
ensions balance outside to inside
FIGURE 3. Rosslyn tuned to resonate horizontally and damp vertically
FIGURE 4. Resonant proportions in Rosslyn chapel
FIGURE 5. Square the circle; unfold the pyramid; unlock the Shekinah
FIGURE 6. Geometric design of the original facade of Rosslyn chapel
FIGURE 7. The golden egg of the Earth and Moon
FIGURE 8. Mount Meru as a Fibonacci cadence
FIGURE 9. Sacred mountain symbols and planet personification
FIGURE 10. Venus orbit compared with pentagram fractal and egg geometry
FIGURE 11. The Venus Blueprint symbol behind Mount Meru
FIGURE 12. Vedic cosmology of Sun-Venus insemination
FIGURE 13. Venus orbital resonance pattern with Earth
FIGURE 14. The Cosmic or World Egg as a symbol of the Fibonacci series
FIGURE 15. The Venus Blueprint of Rosslyn chapel (Continued from Fig. 5)
FIGURE 16. Mason symbols found in Rosslyn chapel
FIGURE 17. The Great Pentacle of Solomon as Blueprint fractal
FIGURE 18. The Greek Parthenon Blueprint design
FIGURE 19. The Roman Pantheon Blueprint design
FIGURE 20. Sri Yantra Meru
FIGURE 21. The Blueprint floor plan of St. Peter’s Basilica
FIGURE 22. Blueprint floor plan of Solomon’s Temple of Jerusalem
FIGURE 23. Polar and linear interference patterns of resonance
FIGURE 24. Harmonic interference function
FIGURE 25. The human body in a harmonic lattice
FIGURE 26. The Enneagram
FIGURE 27. The Golden Enneagram as a harmonic model
FIGURE 28. Enneagram overlaid onto the Blueprint floor plan of Rosslyn
FIGURE 29. Rosslyn as the fiery womb of Venus
FIGURE 30. Indigo as Harmonic Center
FIGURE 31. Harmonic equivalence of purple to the golden mean
FIGURE 32. Bosnian stecaks as harmonic symbols
FIGURE 33. Components of the Egyptian Ankh
FIGURE 34. Loop of Venus on the Tau Cross prior to solar transit
FIGURE 35. Washington, DC, Venus Blueprint design
FIGURE 36. The Venus transit through Rosslyn chapel
FIGURE 37. Music of the Spheres model
PREFACE
You just never know where you will end up when you start down a new and unfamiliar path. All you have is a burning curiosity and your own intuition to help guide you. For me, it was an innocent curiosity about where and when the science of harmonics began and why it was so important to ancient cultures.
I could never have imagined how far this one question would carry me. I did not expect to become captivated by a fifteenth-century chapel in Scotland or immersed in the history of the Vatican. I could never have predicted that I would find the Rig-Veda to be the source for all the world’s religions or to be based on the physics of music. I had no idea that transatlantic voyages were common in ancient times or that pyramids were symbolic of an invisible, transcendental mountain. I certainly did not know that psychedelic plants were once used in virtually every culture around the world to induce religious visions—much less that temples were constructed as resonance chambers to enhance such visions.
But of all my revelations in this amazing quest, the most startling was how the orbital pattern of Venus was used to design many of the world’s greatest temples. Even more startling was how buildings designed according to this “temple template” exhibit extraordinary acoustical qualities that make them harmonious with such things as the Earth’s resonant frequencies, the speed of sound, and even the temperature of a beehive. It still astonishes me that something like this could have been developed so long ago and then entirely forgotten.
My years studying harmonic science and looking for its historical origin have brought about a profound spiritual awakening in me. Not that I “discovered religion” mind you, but rather a way to look beyond the veneer of faith and myth into a time long ago when the outer and inner worlds were seen as one.
In those days a divine musical intelligence was believed to exist in nature. It spoke to the people through geometry, number, and beautiful patterns in the sky. It inspired them through dreams and visions that played out in the theater of the mind. It whispered to them of some archetypal realm just beyond the senses—a resonant realm of pure music weaving a cosmos of crystallized light.
So it was through the study of harmonics that I came to see the material and spiritual as one. Through the physics and physiology of resonance, I learned to recognize the primordial intelligence that permeates all things. And through this I found a way to reconcile the objective and subjective worlds as one.
In sharing this latest chapter of my journey, my sincere hope is that this same unifying experience happens for those who read it. But it will not be easy. Whatever your beliefs may be about science, religion, and the world as it is, this book is guaranteed to challenge them.
If you are a scientific skeptic or an atheist, you may find a new perspective on spirituality in the ancient science uncovered here. If you count yourself among the faithful, you may find your most cherished beliefs challenged by a fresh reading of the historical record. In either case, you will certainly find a few things that will give you pause. When this happens I urge you to forge ahead. I think you will find it well worth the effort to discover the origins of your own beliefs.
RICHARD MERRICK
January 16, 2012
A concept that isn’t dangerous is hardly worth calling a concept at all.
—OSCAR WILDE
CHAPTER 1
Journey to Rosslyn
It was a very unusual day when we arrived in Edinburgh in May 2010. Pushing a heavy luggage cart up the ramp of Waverley railway station to street level, we were surprised to find the weather uncharacteristically sunny and warm. On a prior trip to Edinburgh in the late 1980s (also in May), my wife Sherolyn and I never once saw the sun—only a cold drizzle. Today we might as well have been back home in Dallas. As luck would have it, the large and continuous eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull had disrupted not only the air traffic for several weeks, but also the jet stream that normally brings the spring rains to the Scottish hills.
This time around, our eighteen-year-old daughter, Adrienne, was with us. She had never been to the British Isles before and had thoroughly enjoyed the prior week spent touring London. But after such a frenetic time in the city and a four-hour train trip, we were all exhausted and ready to relax in our room at the Balmoral Hotel before dinner. That evening we had an early reservation for ourselves plus five additional guests at a restaurant named the Witchery.
The Witchery is located in a historic sixteenth-century building just below the gates of Edinburgh Castle, atop Castle Rock, the tallest hill in the city. It includes a small hotel, named the Inner Sanctum; a new dining room, called the Secret Garden; and the original dining room, known as the Old Rectory. Arriving by taxi from the hotel, we were taken to this last location and seated at a large, rough-hewn table in the center of a small, baroque-looking room.
The ceiling was quite low, and the decor was heavy with red velvet and dark wood. Looking around, we marveled at how Renaissance and genuinely occult the Old Rectory appeared, complete with an oversized black sculpture of a devil’s head peering out a lead-crystal window. As we waited anxiously for the others to arrive, I discussed the seating arrangement with Sherolyn. This was to be our first meeting, and I wanted it to be a good one.
I had corresponded only electronically with my guests for the past three years, speaking with them just a few times through Skype audio conferencing. One of the men was John Stuart Reid, a well-known acoustical engineer and author who specializes in the emerging science of sound resonance known as cymatics. He was to be joined by his wife, Annaliese, and his ninety-year-old father, George. During the research phase of my first book, on music perception, I studied everything I could find about John, p
articularly the Egyptian sonic experiments he had performed in the King’s Chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Needless to say, I was very excited to finally meet him in person.
The other men were Stuart Mitchell and his father, Tommy—both well-respected and talented musicians. I had learned of these two men after reading a press release announcing their discovery of “frozen music” in the ceiling of fifteenth-century Rosslyn chapel. Many might recognize Rosslyn as the small chapel featured at the end of the book The Da Vinci Code.
Although author Dan Brown had written a fictional book suggesting the secret bloodline of Jesus Christ might lay buried in the crypt beneath the chapel, the Mitchells had found a very real piece of music carved as resonance patterns on stone cubes in the chapel’s arches. This is why John knew the Mitchells—they were all very interested in the symbolisms and science of music, particularly how they were used in Rosslyn.
Having analyzed many of the symbolisms and acoustical properties of the chapel myself, I was keen to discuss these mysteries in person with the very people who had apparently solved this 550-year-old architectural puzzle.
The Transit
After a short wait, the group made a dramatic entrance. Laughing as they removed their coats and scarves, it was as if they had just arrived at some medieval tavern at the end of a long day’s journey. Everyone greeted one another with hearty handshakes and hugs, taking seats around the gnarled old table like long-lost friends.
But someone was missing. It was Stuart’s dad, Tommy, who had a worsening heart condition and was unable to attend at the last minute. I lamented his absence and expressed concern, but Stuart assured me that I would definitely have a chance to meet him at some point during our visit. Some of his latest communications, sent just before we left for the UK, had really piqued my interest. I had some things to discuss with the man.
In spite of Tommy’s absence, the wine and conversation flowed freely that night, shifting into high gear without delay. Multiple threads were underway, each of us sharing stories about how we learned of one another and what we found of particular interest in the other’s work. Everyone seemed well aware that our conversations about medieval architects, ancient mystery schools, and secret societies were befitting of our surroundings there in the Old Rectory. No doubt this room had heard many such conversations.
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