Posted by: Jim in Egypt on
Sep 22, 2008
Several years ago there was a live TV show from the Giza Plateau that revealed a new chamber beneath the Sphinx. I will discuss the contents of this chamber in a later blog but this one I will dedicate to the underground structure itself. What amazed me was the quality of the chamber and its construction. It was fashioned from solid rock, and was for stories deep. While it was fairly soft material the walls appeard to be completely square and in a finished or polished condition. This again begs the question as to the origin of the knowledge and tools that would be required to construct something so perfect. And to have done so 4 to 6 thousand years ago seems unlikely if we are to believe that mankind has made slow but consistent progress from that time until today. I have also been waiting for a follow up program or article on this find but to date none seem to be forthcoming.
Posted by: Jim in Pyramids, Mystery, Engineering, Egypt on
Sep 06, 2008
As reported by Petrie, in his classic book from the 1800's on the Pyramids, the equisite detail and painstaking pursuit of perfection make these constructions both inspiring and enigmatic. A quote from the book.
" Hence the mean thickness of the joints there is '020'; therefore the mean variation of the cuttting of the stone from a straight line and from a true square, is but '01 on lenght of 75 inches up the face, an amount of accuracy equal to most modern opticians' straight edges of such a lenth."
It is inspiring because it shows what can be achieved with care and attention to detail. It is enigmatic when one wonders why it was considered necessary to dress the stones to this degree of accurracy and how it was done on a such a large scale over a prolonged period of time. Working with businesses today, as a consultant, I can report that to have employees apply themselves consistently over a period as short as one day is an issue. So as we go deeper into the mystery of these monuments we find even more unanswsered questions.
Posted by: Jim in Pyramids, Egypt on
Jun 16, 2008
Pythagoras gained a lot of his insight and direction from the Egyptians. One of the most important Pythagorean symbols was the tetractys. It is a pyramid shaped symbol made up of the first four whole numbers. One was for unity. Two was the dyad, the first principle of dichotomy. Three was the symbol of beginnings, middle and end(the process of things in time and space) and fourth was the number of points that it took to construct a pyramid. Togehter these numbers add up to ten which is the perfect number and basis for all of his system and ours.
"I swear by the discover of the tetractys, which is the spring of all wisdom, the perennial fount and root of nature."
If this came from the Egyptians belief system then perhaps we have some more insight into the nature and symbolism of the pyramids.
Posted by: Jim in The Sphinx, Egypt on
May 19, 2008
Several years ago The Fox TV Network had a live show from the pyramids that exposed several new underground chambers underneath the Sphinx. As I recall in their explanation of the findings they focused on a large sarcophogus flanked by several statues of Annubis. They also pointed out several tunnels(now filled with debris) that radiated out under the Plateau. What struck me was the engineering necesary to hewn these chambers out of bedrock and to a depth of 2 to 4 stories. It also appeared that the walls were pretty well fininshed and square. I had to ask the question 'how'? Also what of the tunnels and 'why'? There has been no follow up reports to my knowledge but I think there is much more to find in the Plateau complex than we can ever imagine and most of it might be underground.
Posted by: Jim in Pyramids, Mystery, Engineering, Egypt on
May 17, 2008
A question that has always haunted me is why the builders used such large blocks in the construction? Logic would tell us that if at their size and weight(minimum 2.5 tons) it was difficult for them to handle they would have reduced their size to facilitate construction. The only conclusion that I can make is that they must not have had trouble working with such large masses or else the construction plan itself required the larger size. Why not make them the size of standard building blocks?
If anyone can shed light on this conundrum please let me know!
Posted by: Jim in Pyramids, Mystery, Engineering, Egypt on
Apr 17, 2008
Not too long ago a program on Nova spotlighted a successful attempt to reconstruct a modern day pyramid near the great pyramids on the Giza Plateau. Over a several week(3) period, using the same methods they thought were used in the construcion of the Giza Pyramids, they were successful in building a pyramid of 186 stones(same size as the smallest in the Great Pyramid)that was 20 feet high. I decided to compare the performance on this new pyramid with the Great Pyramid to see how long using the methods of the new pyramid builders it would take them to construct the great pyramid. Here is what I found out.
Assumptions
New Pyramid Construction(actual)
44 workmen
186 stones
3 weeks
Great Pyramid
2.4 million stones
Problem
Solve the equation for identifying the number of workmen
and time required to build the great pyramid at the same performance
rate as the new pyramid.
Performance Solution Equation - Time
186/3 = 2.4M/X
X = 38,710 weeks or 744 years
What this says is that at the same performance rate of 3 weeks to dress and lay 186 blocks how many years would it take to build a pyramid with 2.4 milllion. (Note: This does not take intoconsideration the additional complexifying aspects of scaled logistics and coordination or size.) It also suggests that that at
the same productivity ratio that it would have taken 567,742 workmen to achieve the same result on the larger pyramid over 744 years.
While these are straight line projections, and are simplfied, they do point to a potential missing element in the puzzle faced with the problem of discovering the design, processes, tools and manpower used in the construction of the Giza Pyramids.
Except for the simplified approach, if I have made any mistake in the
math let me know.
Posted by: Jim in Pyramids, Mystery, Engineering, Egypt on
Apr 17, 2008
How many blocks per hour would the builders of the Great Pyramid have had to lay if it was built in 20 years?
Assumptions
20 years
365 days a year
no days off
2.4M blocks
1. 8 hour work day = 41 per hour
2. 10 hour work day = 32.9 per hour
3. 12 hour work day = 27.4 per hour
If this is true then we need to know what strategies they utilized to be this productive! This is the BIG STORY because if they were this productive then we have lost all touch with the concept of personal and work group productivity. (Note: Remember the smallest block is estimated to weigh 2.5 tons.)
Please let me know if the math is wrong!
Posted by: Jim in Pyramids, Egypt on
Feb 06, 2008
On a recent trip to the Egypt, the Giza Plateau and many of the Temples, it became even more evident to me that the Egyptians created layered meanings into all that they made. Due to the complexity of their constructs it is easy to induce meaning and purpose into many of these objects. What follows is just one possible meaning and purpose that occurred to me while reflecting on the Giza sight ten years ago. This is a current revision based on more thought and reflection. (And even if it is totally wrong it is a niece piece of personal speculation)
Personal Speculation on the Meaning and Purpose of the Great Pyramid
The Egyptians were symbolic in nature so the Great Pyramid may symbolize one or more concepts or ideas.
- The upright pyramid form has been considered by some(multi cultural) as a symbol of mans striving for order and knowledge.
- Pi and Phi are locked into the design of the Pyramid as they are in the human body.
- No writing or other symbols exist in the great pyramid except for the name of Kufu(on one place above the Kings chamber) which recently has been exposed as a possible hoax through the diaries of an explorer of the 1800's.
- The architect/builder of the First Pyramids (Imhotep) had great knowledge of medicine and astronomy.
- In viewing the Great Pyramid from the point of view of a constructed symbolic object a thought occurred to me. The thought was that perhaps one of its meanings may have been as a symbolic representation of the human mind-brain complex.
- It is known and documented that one use of the pyramid was as an initiation tool or venue used by the priests where the pharaohs were said to have spent time and gained understanding of the mysteries. As a place of ritual it could have taken on the guise of that part of the person(brain/ mind) that was to be initiated. If this is true then one of the layered meanings may be that of the human condition represented by the brain/ mind complex.
- As so large and complex a structure it is not unreasonable to expect that the Egyptians would have used it to symbolize the greatest problems or issues of the time. It may have been meant to send us a message through time that reflected what they knew to be the case of the human condition. (Who we are and how we work.)
- The interior construction of the great pyramid is unique to this point. While it shares some common design thoughts and ideas with other pyramids its interior is its own and may carry a different message.
The Symbol
- Physically there are three parts to the Brain/ Mind complex as there are three main chambers accessible through the passageways of the pyramid.
- The first part of the human brain comes down through the eons to us from the animal kingdom(reptilian?). It is the area that represents the forces of instinctual action. I believe that it is represented by the chamber below the ground(embedded in the earth) which appears to be unfinished but may have been left that way to depict the lack of self consciousness of the animal kingdom. It is the one that connects us with the earth and our ancestry from nature.
- The second part of the human brain is that which deals with our intellectual/ logical nature and I believe that this is represented by the Kings Chamber. This is the chamber that represents the conscious mind. In the pyramid it is slightly off center and has two 8 inch ascending passageways that connect it to the outside of the structure. It must have been placed off center on purpose. Could it be that it is slightly off center because of the dominance of the left lobe of the brain(logic and linear thinking)? Could the 8 inch passageways symbolize the ears open to the physical world of space and time and could the five stress relieving chambers above the Kings chamber represent the five senses used by this part of our mind?
- The third part of the human mind is that of the sub conscious. Could it be represented by the Queens Chamber? The Queens changer is aligned with the center of the pyramid. It is the middle room between the sub terrain one and the Kings chamber. It to has small ascending passageways but they seem to stop within the pyramid. Is it possible that the designers intended these small passageways to be symbolic of the connection to our inner self. It has been speculated and proven to some degree that there are other rooms connected to the queen's chamber by these small passages. Could these contain a special form of knowledge that the initiate would have to glean to pass the initiation test? It has been written that an object of the initiation tests was to put the initiate into a state where they would experience out of body experiences. Was this an objective so they could visit these other chambers and come back with the knowledge and wisdom contained therein? If the pyramid as an initiation site for the leaders was to provide knowledge then it may have been secret knowledge only to be gained by a worthy initiate. Buddhist texts suggest that initiates into the mysteries would have access through sub conscious meditative processes(known today as remote viewing ) to travel to anywhere in the universe. It is suggested that with these mental techniques one can gain access to a body of knowledge that we have lost touch with in the distant past. This is due to the development and domination of the second part of our brain mind complex.
If the ancients knew that what we were just beginning to grasp again was the real knowledge of wisdom and power that is within and not without then it is possible that they would have wanted to secure that notion in something that could withstand the ravages of time. It is a story in rock and this may be one if its meanings. If they knew that it was within our more powerful sub conscious mind where all of the answers lie then they may have wanted that idea to outlive their mortal existence. It is a big idea and would have required a big symbol. The great historian Toynbee called the ritual experience that seems to have gone on in the pyramid as ‘ Withdrawal and Return'. He said that in any given age certain people(leaders) withdraw from society and contemplate the problems and issues of the time. Once they have ‘received the answers' they return to the phenomenal world with their new found gifts and the world is reborn. I believe that it is possible that one of the purposes of the Great Pyramid was as a ‘withdrawal and return machine'. Once in the pyramid(and I can personally attest to this) you are cut off from outside sensory data and placed in a state of isolation that would enhance any form of meditative state.
- The Egyptians believed that one was responsible for making progress while on the earth(preparation for the next state of life after death). They would have done all they could to support this belief even to the point of constructing means for man(and civilization) to progress to the next stage. One of their symbolic practices was the idea of the weighing of the heart. It was symbolically weighed on a scale against the weight of a feather to determine whether or not the dead victim had lead a worthy life that would allow them ascendance into the afterworld. Building the pyramid as an initiation machine may have been one way of helping the leaders lead such lives.
- Perhaps the geometry of the pyramid will give further evidence that this was, at least on one level, an initiation machine used to inform the leaders and allow the civilization to take advantage of knowledge not readily apparent in the conscious mind
- Perhaps if the Pyramid did allow assess to the sub conscious, and the sub conscious is tied into a common field of all knowledge(as has been speculated by many) then the great Library once sought as a physical manifestation may in fact not be physical at all. It may exist, as it always has, within the depths of our own psyche. (The Tree of Knowledge?)
- Note: the Egyptians were well versed in what we call today ‘depth psychology.
- In the Kabala(practice of mystical Judaism) the three basic worlds are those of the Nefesh(animal world/ world of action), Ruach(world of formation/ elementary consciousness/ emotions), and the Neshama(world of creation/ spiritual world/ inner world). This tradition seems to have in it the seeds of what this possible symbolic meaning of the great pyramid is all about.
Summary:
If we accept that the world has experienced many civilizations all of which have risen only to decline then we way assume that the builders of the Great Pyramid were also aware of this in their time.
If they knew that one of the main reasons for this was the way that man thinks(his nature) and that he has always been driven by self interest ego and greed(intellect coupled with instinct) then they may have wanted to pass this on to the future as a built in but dangerous path.
Perhaps the Great Pyramid was an attempt to change this situation forever and to send man off on a new path(higher level of consciousness) that might be more successful. A path created from the inner depths of our spirit and not the outer needs and desires of our ego.
Posted by: Jim in The Sphinx, Egypt on
Feb 03, 2008
To me the Sphinx, along with the Great Pyramid of Giza represents a single message. It is a message in stone that is concerned with the inner development of the human brain/ mind complex.
At the dawn of civilization our inner nature was changing with the emergence of a new and more dominant layer of mind. The emergence of this new layer represented an addition to the already present layer of instinctual mind. We still had our instincts but we were now self conscious.
Further we could plan, create and thus dominate the lower species that did not have this facility. We could now both create and destroy with more power than any species on the planet. We had thus become the most capable of development and the most dangerous. We had a new and dominant voice in our heads coupled with our old and instinctual (survival of the fittest) mind.
Personal Speculation on the Meaning and Purpose of the Sphinx
If the Sphinx had been fashioned with a Human Body and a Lion Head it would have carried a message of one of the weakest and most vulnerable animals on the planet. It would have had a body that lacked the physical strength that its mind required for success in the environment. Instead it seems to represent a new hybrid species that has the greatest mind and the most powerful body. It can both think and execute at new levels of performance.
- On a recent trip to Egypt our guide related to us the logic behind the great monuments of Abu Simbel. They were made, he told us, on a large scale to scare anyone encountering them on the border of Egypt and Nubia. The Sphinx I believe was also meant to scare anyone encountering it or groups of it as exist in Luxor along the Avenue of the Sphinx. The message seems to be, ‘beware as we are thinking men with the power of lions'.