The New Jerusalem

On page 43 of 'City of Revelation' Michell writes, 'Following the pattern of the New Jerusalem, a circle is inscribed in a square. Within the circle is placed a hexagon.' He generates this image which he says is the floor plan of St Mary's and the Stonehenge. Note that the diagonals of the hexagon generate the equilateral triangles. The word circle occurs only once in the Bible, and its not here. Hexagon does not appear in the book either.

Michell is describing the triangulum design template, not the quadratum one used in the Bible. The square and rectangle pertain to the floor, to the earth, while the triangle pertains to the roof elvation, and is not appropriate for floors. The lower rectilinear part of the building represented the earth while the triangular roof structure represented the heavens. Just as the number six pertains to the skies rather than to the earth (floor plan). Note how the hexagon reaches the top of the circle but not the sides of it. The proportions are completely different in the triangulum and the quadratum.

On pages 59-60 he speaks of systems (pl) of geometry that made up the scheme of the temple's groundplan and elevations, and he fails to differentiate between the two. On page 71 we read 'Of the various systems of proportion, each has it particular symbolic relevance to the cosmic theme'. I repeat, there is a geometric scheme for the floorplan and one for the elevation. I recommend that Michell simply got this one wrong. One does not get a circle in a square from Rev 21, we get a cube and a square. There is also no hexagon, that derives from the vesica differently than the square does and the angles are different.

I bet he never worked in the building industry or studied Masonic Geometry or Symbolism or talked to an architect. By now, it should be clear that Michel didn't discover the secret to the new Jerusalem or the keys to the ancient canon of building. In fact, he couldn't even begin to describe the describe the process accurately. But that didn't keep people from cutting and pasting his ideas all over for years, because they had no grasp of the process either.

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The Milan Cathedral Plan

This figure shows 12 around 1 in the same configuration of stars that we see above the eagle on the US Great Seal. It could be interpreted as three gates north, east, south and west, but it's not really square, and the notion of four rows of stones doesn't work well.

This 1522 woodcut depicting the elevation plan of the Milan Cathedral features the same hexagon, triangle and square in a circle. You can see the same grid of triangles as on the mosque drawing. Note that the top half of the triangle and the bottom half of the square form the square and compass, reprsentative of the quadratum and triangulum forms.

The Quadratum Milan Floor Plan

The equal-armed master's square pertains to foundations and the floor of the Master's Lodge, while the oblong squares pertain to the elevation and the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft floors, one left and one right. Bromwell notes that the EA degree pertains to the June Solstice sunrise that is on our left looking east. The FC degree pertains to the December Solstice sunrise that would be on our right facing east.

You will read that the White House cornerstone was laid in the northeast, the direction of the June Solstice, affilliated with the EA degree, and that the cornerstone of the Capitol was laid in the southeast, the direction of the December Solstice, affiliated with the FC degree. The House of the Temple clearly corresponds to the Master's Degree.

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