"I will get me to the mountain of myrrh" - The Song of Solomon There have been a large number of books written on L'Affaire du Rennes, the complex swirl of mysteries which seem to have their focus in this remote village1. Most of the strands of the story as usually told concern themselves with history dating from the times of the Templars, the 12th and 13th century of the current era. Our interest is in activities of a much earlier date, and so much of the material is not of direct interest to the current study. However, amongst these many published works concerning Rennes-le-Chateau, there are several which propose the existence of complex geometrical patterns, marked into the landscape on a size and scale which appears to defy conventional explanation2. We shall examine these various schemes in detail later, in the section dealing with the geometry on display at Rennes-le-Château. For now, we can note that having looked at a specific map reference far evidence of landscape engineering and sacred geometry, we have indeed found a location which has a suggestion of just such activity. This tends to support our hypothesis: that the ancient initiates undertook to mark major points of the grid-map by permanently engineering the landscape to incorporate geometric elements. It would assist our case if we could identify unambiguous evidence of such activity; compelling samples of clear manipulation of the rocks and mountains of the area. We now reveal a feature of the landscape around Rennes-le-Chateau which has never before been publicly disclosed. Certainly, it has not appeared in any of the accounts of the geometry published to date that there are several examples in the close vicinity of meridians marked in mountains. By this I mean four or more highest points of mountain ridges or peaks in perfect north-south alignment. These may be checked on the 1: 25,000 map of the area using a ruler and will be found to be aligned with no practical deviation from a true meridian line. The most impressive of these passes through one of the major peaks of the area, known as Pech Cardou. It includes no less than eight prominent points or peaks aligned over a distance of approximately fifteen miles. Moreover, the configuration of the mountains and ridges is such that one may stand on the most northerly of the eight sites, the summit of Pech Cardou, and looking southwards, see each of the remaining seven points on the meridian, one above the other, in ascending order and with none obscured. The most distant peaks (i.e, the most southerly) actually form a V-shaped rifle-sight arrangement, due to the alignment of a mountain pass between two of the peaks in the chain. The second of these meridians marked in mountains passes through the summit of a modest hill, called Le Sarrat Rouge, located exactly due east of the village of Rennes-le-Chateau. From the top of this hill, the bearing due south passes through the aptly named local prominence La Pique, and passes on over the highest points of two long ridges running east-west across the landscape. The most southerly of these, les Cretes d'al Pouil, today features a trig point located on the very position whjere the meridian crosses the ridge. Quite possibly, other examples of these meridians remain to be found, but the quality of the two identified above, both in terms of the accuracy of the alignments, and the significance of the peaks involved, would appear to leave little doubt that they have been artificially sculpted. On the face of it, such engineering feats might seem as impossible to perform as they would appear useless for practical purpose. However, the alignments exist, and if they are not to be attributed to chance, then there must have been a method and a point to such a challenging undertaking. How then was it done? The physical labour involved must be considered the lesser part of the task, requiring "merely" the removal or addition of so much physical material, the shaving of peaks and dressing of ridgetops. The required manpower is assumed to be available, but will be to no avail if there is no method of accurately calibrating the required due south direction to an accuracy which will make the enterprise worthwhile. The meridians are plainly observable, and remain to this day. Hence, some calibration mechanism must have been devised or discovered, and put to use. We shall soon explore a precise mechanism which made such a feat possible. The name of the major meridian sighting peak, Cardou, has been observed3 to be related to the English word cardinal, both being derived from the latin cardo, meaning hinge or turning point. The use of this term in geomancy is illustrated in a sketch in a recent book by Nigel Pennick4, which shows a meresman standing on a central mound sighting south along the meridian line. Note that the meridian line is labelled cardo. This may be taken as another example of the consistent Mt Meru archetype, that of the central point around which the cosmos revolves. In the current example, Pech Cardou, both the name and the imprint of the meridian mutually corroborate each other as evidence of the meresman's activity in this location5.
Diagram frcm Nigel Pennick's "Secret Games of the Gods", showing the terms for the divisions of the landscape used by the ancient geomancers. Note that observer is positioned on the hill in the centre of the space, observing towards the south with a staff in his hand. The meridian line running north-south is labelled "Cardo". Godfrey Higgins, in Anacalypsis, traces the origin of this word to the latin "cor", meaning both heart and wisdom. In addition to being the line drawn from north to south, it is the term used of the intersection of the meridian line with the "decumanus" or east-west line which crossed it, as it was the heart or centre of each district. "From this point of intersection", says Higgins, "two roads always branch off, which is the reason why we have a cross or merestone in the centre of each village". And again, "...each having its sacred Mount or cardo or Acropolis or olympus or stone circle...". Both by name and position therefore Pech Cardou is identified as a crucial and central peak to ancient landscape engineering practise. Map Excerpts: The
Le Sarrat Rouge Alignment The Constellation of Crux as Calibration Standard "The two great stars which mark the summit and the foot of the Cross, having nearly the same right ascension, it follows that the constellation is almost perpendicular at the moment when it passes the meridian. The circumstance is known to the people of every nation situated beyond the Tropics or in the southern hemisphere. It had been observed at what hour of the night, in different seasons, the Cross is erect or inclined. It is a time piece, which advances very regularly nearly four minutes a day, and no other group of stars affords to the naked eye an observation of time so easily made. How often have we heard our guides exclaim in the savannahs of Venezuela and in the desert extending from Lima to Truxillo, " Midnight is past, the Cross begins to bend"." -Von Humboldt Voyage to the Equinoctial Regions There are various methods which can be used to determine true north-south without the benefits of modern devices like compasses snd Global Positioning Systems. The shortest shadow cast by an obelisk on the equinox will point in the required direction. One will quickly conclude however that the requirements of the task dictate that only the stars could provide any kind of adequate method, if one did exist. The ideal meridian marker would be a line or vector marked on the vault of the heavens. When this was determined to be perfectly upright, with the aid of a plumb-bob for example, then the direction of south could be accurately fixed. One could calibrate the result once per day for half of the year as the marked meridian rotated across the night sky. Of course, no such line is marked. However, suppose there was a distinctive constellation in which two prominent stars marked just such a meridian line. The two stars would then culminate, i.e. transit the meridian, at the same moment, presenting a vertical line against which the meresman with a plumb-bob may calibrate due south. Did such a constellation exist? It is a straightforward matter today to employ Star Chart software to visualise the heavens from any time and place on the earth. Looking south from anywhere in northern latitudes anytime in the two millennia preceding the birth of Christ, one will quickly locate the surprising candidate for a constellation to function as a meridian calibrator. It is Crux, or the Southern Cross. The fact that Crux is no longer visible from northern latitudes is due to the phenomena of precession of the equinoxes. This slow wobble of the earths axis, over a period of 25,920 years, causes the constellations to change their positions in the sky. For the last several thousand years, Crux has been drifting southwards in the skies, and it has now sunk below the horizon for northern viewers. It was still just visible from Jerusalem at the time of the death of Christ. After it disappeared, it's memory was preserved by tradition, Dante spoke of "the four stars never beheld but by the early race of men6". If we observe this precessional drift using the software to watch Crux crossing the meridian, year after year, century after century, a subtlety begins to reveal itself. As it sinks southwards, it also rotates in a counterclockwise direction, at the very slow rate of a degree or two per millennia. Around 3,000 BC, as viewed from Stonehenge for example, the constellation "tilts" slightly to the right on the meridian. 2,000 years later from Jerusalem, it can be observed to "tilt" slightly to the left on the meridian. We can infer that at some time between these two dates, Crux transits the meridian perfectly upright. That is to say, the two stars Alpha (a)and Gamma (y) Crucis culminate at the same moment. If we were alive at that time, and were aware of that fact, then we would be able to use our knowledge to derive an accurate south bearing. The observation required is to compare the relative position of the two stars to a vertical reference, (i.e. a plumb-bob). The shorter the span of time during which the meresman observes the stars as vertically aligned, the greater the accuracy to which the bearing may be determined. Hence, the preferred latitude at which to perform this measurement, is one at which Crux is observed low on the horizon at culmination. This would enable the most convenient comparison against a plumb-bob, and would also minimize the distance required to extrapolate to features on the horizon of the landscape. Star
Chart Animations,
created by the Redshift Astronomy program: 2,000 years in the precessional drift of Crux: This movie shows how Crux drifts southwards and twists in the nightsky due to the effects of precession. It consist of a series of frames taken at 40 year intervals, viewed from the location of Cairo, looking towards the south at the moment when Alpha Crucis transits the meridian.
A unique opportunity therefore existed for high accuracy meridian calibration at the time and latitude which fulfilled the above conditions; that is, the time when Crux transited the meridian perfectly upright, and the place from which this was visible just above the southern horizon. Using the software, we find that the year in question was 1,088 B.C., and the latitude was 43ºN. This is, of course, the latitude of Rennes-le-Chateau on the grid intersection point. Below is a still image, created using Redshift, of this unique moment: the upright transit of Crux at Rennes-le-Chateau, 1,088BC.
It has been demonstrated conclusively that the ancients were not only aware of the phenomenon of precession of the equinoxes, but kept detailed records of their accurate observations of its effects over long periods of time7. As can be easily visualised using astronomical software, the rotation of Crux would have been clearly evident during the early millennia of the Egyptian civilisation. As the time of it's upright transit approached, the initiates grasped the unique nature of the opportunity presented to them by this free, high accuracy meridian calibration mechanism, available nightly on the horizon at Rennes-le-Chateau, in the era centred on 1,088 B.C.8 It must have been deemed a highly fortuitous circumstance that the latitude from which Crux was visible on the horizon corresponded to a major grid line, i.e. the parallel of 43ºN. If what we have reconstructed to date has any basis in truth, then the Keepers of the Grid could not have failed to act upon this unique confluence of cosmic elements. I propose that they did act. Whether they were indeed Egyptians, or others who worked out of the same tradition, by 1,088 BC they had come to Rennes and were using Crux as a tool to further the Mt Meru project in this location. The presence of the meridians in the mountains confirms this, before we have even begun to examine the issue of the alleged presence of more sophisticated geometry in the landscape of the region. There is independent confirmation of the validity of this timeframe for such activity. It appears in the work of the French author Jean Richler, who has written extensively on the landscape zodiacs of ancient Greece. His research has led him to conclude that the period 1,000 BC to 600 B.C. was the approximate time of the major impulse in landscape zodiac engineering by the Cretans, Phoenicians and others9. This corresponds to the centuries immediately following the time when accurate foundations, or baseline meridians, were able to be laid with the Crux method, thus instigating and making possible the subsequent activity.
We can envisage the scene an the peak of Pech Cardou, on the evening of the Spring Equinox, 1,088 B.C. The meresman is prepared with his plumb-bob. Most likely this is in the form of the merkhet, the astronomical sighting device knowm to have been used by the ancient Egyptians. It consisted of a plumb-bob suspended from a calibrated A-frame support. The hieroglyph for the word merkhet includes the usual sign for the heart in the place of the plumb-bob. The implications of this identity will be taken up later in the present work. For now, we note again the presence of the mer form in the name of this instrument, and again in the word meridian itself Directing his attention to the south around 11 PM, he can see that beyond the mountains, low in the clear night sky, Crux is approaching the upright position. With approximately half an hour remaining before transit time, it can clearly be seen tilting to the left (ie the upper star, g Crucis, is further to the left, or east, than the lower star, a Crucis). The meresman watches patiently and waits. As the moment of transit approaches, the meresman constantly checks the angle of the Crux upright against his reference vertical. Only minutes before culmination, the slight tilt remains plainly discernible in comparison to the taut upright of the plumb-bob string. Slowly, the difference between the two shrinks, until the moment arrives when the meresmen is unable to detect any deviation from perfectly vertical in the orientation of Crux. He knows that as this is the moment of culmination of g and a Crucis, a line drawn through the stars during this time will be oriented due south. This line is provided by the plumb-bob for the duration of the observation, after which the meresman is again able to detect a slight tilt to the vertical axis of Crux, this time to the right. A bonfire lit on a mountain peak or ridge provides a ready means of fixing the paint on the horizon determined to be due south of the meresman during the transit of Crux. During the crucial seconds an observation may quickly be made as to whether the bonfire in question lies to the right or the 1eft of the string. If necessary, it can be repositioned during the daylight hours of the next day, and re-confirmed the following evening again. Each night, for six months of the year,
the opportunity for a single observation to calibrate the
meridian is presented by the transit of Crux. Even
allowing for the vagaries of weather, this is more than
sufficiently &event to allow the project to slowly
arrive at the goal of meridians marked in mountains.
Multiple peaks may be checked (on the same meridian) with
little extra effort. Even with up to seven bonfires
marking the high points, as on the Pech Cardou alignment,
only a few moments are required to note which ones fall
exactly on the upright string, and which require
adjustment. Curiously, during the six months of the year when Crux transited the meridian during daylight hours, and was therefore not visible, there was another constellation which fulfilled a similar function. Whilst this is the first time, to my knowledge, that the use of Crux as a meridian marker in such a precise manner has been suggested, the use of another prominent pair of stars is discussed by Stecchini, again after de Santillana and Dechend10. The stars are from a constellation we have met before: the Square of Pegasus. We have already seen that this constellation is in the location of Pisces, on the opposite side of the zodiac from Virgo. Crux transits with Virgo, as shown in the star-charts reproduced here, and is therefore separated from the Square of Pegasus by roughly I 2 hours. In other words, each night, for almost all of the year, either Crux of the Square of Pegasus was visible from northern latitudes in the millennia B.C. The Square of Pegasus comprises four stars making up a near-rectangle. (It is noted in passing that one of the stars is named Markab). De Santillana and Dechend describe how these stars were used by sailors to determine south. As the constellation transits the meridian, with the observer facing south as is the usual case in northern latitudes, the two stars on the left, or east, cross the meridian upright. We can ask the same question of this constellation as we did of Crux; namely, when did it transit the meridian perfectly upright? Due to the precessional effect, the Square of Pegasus also drifts in the sky very slowly, but as it is on the opposite side of the vault of the heavens, the directions of its motion are opposite to that of Crux. This can be easily visualised with software. The Square of Pegasus moves northwards over time, and "rotates" clockwise. Crux moves southwards and rotates anti-clockwise as we have seen. The two meridian-marker stars11 of the Square of Pegasus transit the meridian simultaneously in the year 1,088 BC. This is the very same year in which Crux culminates upright, as has been discussed. The transit of the Square of Pegasus, Rennes-le-Chateau, 1,088 BC: A Redshift animation This is an extraordinary result. These two dates, for the upright transits of Crux and Square of Pegasus, both now known to have been used for determining south, are completely independent of each other, based as they are on nothing more than the positions and distributions of the stars in the sky. There is no reason at all to expect that both dates would come out the same, and yet they do. This means that the period centred on 1,088 BC had the potential benefit of an accurate meridian calibration for ten months of the year! In 1,088 BC, from Rennes, the Square of Pegasus is visible from late-June to mid December. Crux is visible nightly from late November through late April. Apart from two months in the spring, the meresmen at Rennes had a calibrated meridian observation available each night, weather permitting. It should be noted that the Square of Pegasus did not transit just over the horizon, like Crux, but rather on the celestial equator. This would have made observations with a plumb-bob difficult, but it is not to be ruled out that they were able to view a transit overhead against some kind of reference line, particularly once the basic mountain meridians had been established. More important perhaps than the details of the manner in which the observations were made, is the emerging picture of an integrated and co-ordinated system involving the skies, the landscape, sacred geometry and a tradition of careful astronomical observation over a long period of time. The overall program is the laying out of the dimensions and form of Mt Meru on the earth's surface; it's task at Rennes was made possible by a unique cosmic configuration of the constellation known to the Hebrews by the name of Tau, meaning a cross12, which as we have seen is the basic configuration of the Meru geometry. The hypotheses here put forward, namely that initiate meresman in the Egyptian tradition used Crux to mark meridians in mountains at Rennes, demands that we seek for evidence that might show whether or not the Egyptians were aware of the constellation. The evidence may be found in the Zodiac of the Temple of Hathor at Denderah. We can clearly identify the figure of Virgo. She holds in her hand a Staff of Wheat, as she still does in contemporary depictions, and is positioned between Leo and Libra in the circle of the zodiac. Having identified Virgo, there is only one direction in which we may look for an indication of Crux without straining the interpretation, and that is immediately below the figure with the Staff of Wheat. We find in this place a human figure with a bulls head, who holds in his hand the hoe, or tilling instrument. The famous Zodiac of the Temple of Hathor at Denderah, which was installed on the roof of an upper room of the complex. The original resides today in the Louvre. Note the hoe-carrying figure positioned immediately below the woman representing virgo. A line drawn through the centre of the circle, between the knees of the Horus figures, passes along the "staff" of Virgo, and through the tip of the hoe, thus indicating the use of these stars in meridian calibration.
This is the same hoe which we have already encountered as the hieroglyph for the mer phonetic. There do not appear in any of the meanings we have encountered so far however a word which might suggest a cross. The clue we are looking for is contained in yet another pertinent observation of Professor Stecchini, in the essay which has already supplied us with so much of the raw material for our exploration. He notes that the Egyptians used this word mer to refer to the 36º right angled triangle. This observation is so important to our thesis that it is worth quoting in full: "The Egyptians expressed this idea by calling their land To-Mera, "the land of the mr". The word mr is used to refer to the pyramids, but more specifically it refers to the meridian triangle of a pyramid, whose hypotenuse is the apothem. The mr essentially is a right triangle with an angle of 36º and another angle which of necessity is 54º." "Since the Egyptians did not have trigonometric tables, they used this triangle to obtain the values of trigonometric functions. They conceived of this triangle as the basic building block of the cosmos. They used this triangle, or modifications of it by a few degrees in geometric constructions, in the planning of buildings, in surveying and in geography."13 Later we shall find that an mr triangle of particular dimension is the basic unit of the Rennes geometry. For now, we note that the hieroglyph of the hoe, held in the hands of the figure below Virgo in the Denderah zodiac, may also denote the 36º right-angled triangle. Is there any reason why the mr triangle should be associated with Crux? If we obtain a photograph of the constellation, and rule lines connecting the upper three stars, b Crucis, d Crucis and g Crucis, the triangle formed is an mr triangle, as shown in the diagram.
By joining the three upper stars of Crux, (Beta, Gamma and Delta Crucis), a 36º right-angled triangle results. As has already been noted, this triangle was known to the ancient Egyptians by the name "mr", and was represented by the hoe or tilling instrument. It seems reasonable to suggest that this constellation may have been represented therefore by the hoe, and indeed, in the correct location on the Zodiac of Denderah, we find a figure carrying this very symbol. If the geometers of To-Mera held this triangle in such esteem, it cannot have escaped their attention to see it so prominently displayed in this constellation, which must have been one of the most distinctive in the skies at that time, as it is today in southern latitudes. If we take now a straightedge, and lay it across the centre of the circle so that it passes between the knees and arms of the Horus figures who support the heavens, it will be seen that the line follows the Staff of Wheat held by Virgo, and touches the tip of the mr hoe indicating Crux. This indicates that one function of this constellation is as a meridian marker, or vertical reference line. In practice, for the geometers of To-Mera this took the form of the merkhet, the astronomical sighting device which was often depicted with the hieroglyph for heart in the place of the plumb-line14. It also indicates a link between Virgo, Crux and the measurement of meridians. If Crux was depicted in the zodiac of Denderah, the figure with the hoe, or the mer-man, is in the only place which it could conceivably occupy. It displays the hieroglyph for the name of the shape formed by its stars, and it is shown interacting with the meridian line in conjunction with Virgo. The conclusion seems unavoidable: the mer-man represents Crux, and we have found evidence that the ancient Egyptians were not only aware of this constellation, but also associated it with meridian calibration. There is another mer hoe in the Denderah zodiac. It is pictured beneath the feet of the wolf which has been recognised as representing the constellation of Ursa Minor15. The reason for the presence of the hoe is revealed by observing the skies over Europe with soltware in the now familiar manner. If we choose a moment when Crux is transiting the meridian to the south of the observer, and then turn around and direct our gaze to the north, we notice that Ursa Minor is also crossing the meridian at this time. It is positioned below the North Celestial Pole in the sky. It would appear that we have here a system of related and integrated elements, rather than isolated mechanisms. This can be confirmed by the orientation of the heavens twelve hours later, as observable with software. The same configuration is displayed six months later in the nightsky. We observe firstly that Ursa Minor is crossing the meridian to the north, this time high in the sky abave the North Celestial Pole. Looking towards the south, we see the Square of Pegasus crossing the meridian. Rising on the eastern horizon is Orion. This is the very orientation of Ursa Minor and Orion which is discussed at length in Robert Bauval and Adrian Gilbert's "The Orion Mystery16", although they do not mention the involvement of Crux and the Square of Pegasus in the scheme. Crux as Metaphor for the Place of Testing The latin word for cross, crux, which gives us the name of the constellation, is also the root of such English words as crucial, in the sense of central, or decisive. The crux of the matter is the point at which all considerations intersect. We can also find the same idea exhibited in the word crucible, as a place of trying or testing. Hence we see that the idea of the cross carries within it the implications of fixing, or determining, or testing. The emphasis is on the intensity or acuity of the trial; of the heat within the crucible, for example, or the torture of crucifixion; the underlying intention is to eradicate impurity, to ensure that only the essential remains. In the geometric metaphor, it is to exactly determine the co-ordinates at issue. These notions are all exhibited in the use of Crux to accurately fix the meridian at Rennes. One cannot help but marvel at the unanimity of symbolism on display. As a place of trial or testing, the cross, or crucifix, or crux, has the same derivation as the word crucible, in the sense of a vessel in which a substance is tried or tested. The same meaning readily applies to the use of the constellation Crux as meridian marker: it functions as a test or trial of direction or location, and serves to discard or eliminate that which is superfluous or unworthy, leaving only the purified, useful bearing. Under this reading, the labours of the alchemist and the meresman are variants on the Passion of Christ; crucial attempts to penetrate to the crux of the issue.
Just as the cult of the Black Madonna in France preceded the Christian era, so too did the symbolism inherent in the constellation of Crux. By the time of Christ's crucifixion, the story of the death of the solar hero, son of the Virgin, by testing on the cross, was one thousand years old at least. It had it's counterpart, in every detail, with the tasks performed by the meresman in the south of France in 1,088 B.C. The testing is the measuring; the cross is both Crux and the the cosmic cross of solstice and equinox lines. The Virgin is Isis, and her son Horus. Later we shall explore in more detail the careers and correspondences of the many solar heroes of the ancient world, of whom both Horus and Jesus Christ are prime examples. These relations are depicted on both sky and ground. As can be seen from the star-charts, when Crux culminates on the horizon, Virgo is at the meridian on the ecliptic". This situation is reflected on the grid-map at France. As Charpentier chows in The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral, the constellation of Virgo may be traced in the countryside around Paris, with the star positions marked by cathedrals dedicated to "Our Lady", Notre Dame. This configuration on the ground is connected via the Paris Meridian, or grid-meridian of To-Mera, to the Rennes complex, aligned with and made possible by the constellation Crux. As above, so below. NOTES FOR PART 2: 1 Baigent, Lincoln and Leigh "Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1984) is a good place to start for those unfamiliar with the strange story of Berenger Sauniere, the mysterious parchments and the Priory of Sion. 2 These are Henry Lincoln "The Holy Place" (1991), David Wood "Genisis" (1985) and "Geneset" (1994) (with lan Campbell), and Richard Andrews and Paul Schellenberger "The Tomb of God" (1996) 3 By David Wood, in Genisis (1985), following indications in a passage from Geoffrey Higgins Anacalypsis (1894). 4 Nigel Pennick "Secret Games of the Gods "(1991) Samuel Weiser Inc. 5 It should be pointed out that there is no reference in Pennick's book to Rennes-le-Chateau or Pech Cardou. 6 Quoted in E.W. Bullinger "Witness to the Stars" (1928) 7 See for example DeSantllana "Hamlet's Mill" 8 The rate at which Crux rotates due to precessional motion is exceedingly slow. For example, by 988 BC, one century afer the date when Alpha and Gamma Crucis culminated at the meridian simultaneously, the two stars were only ten seconds apart at their moment of transit. As a result, this Crux effect was useful for a period of many centuries, with the greatest potential around the first decades of the eleventh century BC. 9Quoted in John Michell's "Twelve Tribe Nations". 10 de Santillana and Dechend "Hamlet's Mill" 11 Alpheratz, also known as a Andromeda, and Algenib, or y Pegasi. 12 E.W. Bullinger "Witness to the Stars" 13 page 292; Stecchini in Tompkins op. cit. 14 Page 260; de Santillana and Dechend, quoted in Tompkins op. cit. 15 See for example, page 16 According to these authors, the northern shaft of the Kings Chamber points to the star Polaris in Ursa Minor in 2,500 BC. © 1997 by Simon M. Miles, all rights reserved |
