I. – The Master of the Work, after having traveled the World in search of the laws of traditional Architecture using natural materials, sees in a dream a “closed Garden”; the entrance is opened to him thanks to the magic word ABRACADABRA, which leads him to discover the ratio h/g linking, in the same circle, the side of a regular pentagon to that of a regular hexagon. He defines the first rules of natural Architecture, whose proportions he has obtained imagining an “operative diagram” with twelve triangles and seven squares; he calculates the elements of the diagram with the aid of “h” and “g”. |
Pages 1-14 | |
II. – The sage AKLISHTAKAR explains to him Hindu doctrines, especially from the aspect of Tantrism, and gives him a diagram. The Master of the Work observes that his operative diagram is generated in the same mode as AKLISHTAKAR’s Tantric diagram. | Pages 14-27 | |
III. – The study of Chinese Taoism confirms for him the conditions of Hindu doctrines. The Master of the Work can thus attribute numeric correspondences to the different Worlds of Manifestation, and know the existence of the cosmogonic Ennead formed of a Unity ruling eight quantities placed in pairs. | Pages 27-24 | |
IV. – Chinese wisdom leads him to construct a figure that mediates between the squares and the circle; this figure is the key which yields the form of the Pyramid of CHEOPS. The base of this Pyramid, and its four faces folded upon this base, outline a part of the operative diagram which permits the Master of the Work to discover nine lengths forming eight ratios associated in pairs; these lengths and ratios constitute the constructive aspect of the philosopher’s Stone. | Pages 34-39 | |
V. – To designate these nine lengths and mark the plans with letters, the Master of the Work seeks the traditional name of the philosopher’s Stone; he acquires the conviction that this word is ARSENIC●M. | Pages 39-49 | |
VI. – He distributes the nine lengths sought throughout the operative diagram; he makes one of the letters of ARSENIC●M correspond to each of them; he gives a metaphysical attribution to each of the eight ratios; he calculates the numeric quantity for each one. He observes that the succession of values of these ratios forms a geometric progression of ratio h/g, i.e. a mutation of the quinary and senary. | Pages 49-57 | |
VII. – The study of this progression allows him to find the geometric outline of the interior corridors and chambers of the Great Pyramid, whose dimensions also reveal the proportions of the philosopher’s Stone. | Pages 57-65 | |
VIII. – The three exterior squares of the operative diagram allow him to imagine an “intermediary diagram on triangles,” with eleven elements, specially marked by the sign of the “Om” (AVM). The Master of the Work makes their elements correspond to the signs of the zodiac and to the planets. | Pages 65-73 | |
IX. – To this intermediary diagram formed by triangles, he opposes, by complement, another “intermediary diagram on pentalphas,” with eleven elements. | Pages 74-77 | |
X. – To link these two intermediary diagrams, he imagines the “mediating diagram,” also marked with the seal of the mutations of the quinary and senary, and confirms its primary constructive virtue. He calculates the deformations of the nine lengths of ARSENIC●M obtained in this diagram. | Pages 77-86 | |
XI. – The calculation allows him to justify the metaphysical attributions given to the eight constructive ratios of the philosopher’s Stone, and to determine the approximate values of these ratios, which bring light to the fundamental role of the mystic numbers 108 and 7 in Tantrism and the Kabala. | Pages 87-91 | |
XII. – To test the metaphysical value of the mediating diagram, the Master of the Work studies Egyptian theodicy. | Pages 91-94 | |
XIII. – This study leads him to occupy himself with the Hebraic Kabala, which was the vehicle of Egyptian Science. It leads him to discover the analogy that exists between the constitution of the sephirothic Tree and that of the intermediary diagrams. | Pages 94-105 | |
XIV. – The Kabalistic doctrines allow him to divide the mediating diagram according to the divisions in relation to the sephirothic Tree. | Pages 105-112 | |
XV. – Guided by the principle of polarity, the Master of the Work imagines the “complete diagram” where all the elements of the operative diagram are doubled. This complete diagram reveals to him the formal principles of natural Architecture. His geometric studies end with the establishment of a synthetic outline, where the five diagrams he has imagined are placed in a single figure in the form of a tau. | Pages 113-120 | |
XVI. – Following in this the wise Pythagorean discipline, the Master of the Work then demands of Arithmetic, Astronomy, Harmony, Geometry, and Stereometry a verification of his constructive theories. Through Arithmetic, he finds concordances with the cosmogonic squares of the Chinese. | Pages 121-127 | |
XVII. – Through Astronomy, he justifies, following a Khmer tradition concerning planetary arithmology, the assignments he has given to the various planets to designate the elements of his diagrams. | Pages 127-134 | |
XVIII. – The Chinese theory of the twelve musical pipes, completed by the study of the scales of PTOLEMY and PYTHAGORAS, show him the direct resemblance existing between the laws of Harmony and those of natural Architecture. | Pages 135-147 | |
XIX. – The study of Harmony leads him to that of the sacred alphabets, and allows him to discover that the ratio of the bases of the same exponential law that rules both musical intervals and architectural proportions is √g. | Pages 147-152 | |
XX. – In Geometry, the Master of the Work is led, by reason of the importance of the logarithmic law in his constructive theories, to study the regular division of the circle, and consequently the rhythmic numbers; he gives the meaning of many universal pantacles. | Pages 153-159 | |
XXI. – In Stereometry, he studies the regular partition of the sphere, from which proceed the regular polyhedrons; he describes four sorts of correspondences between these solids. He demonstrates that his diagrams are only the projection, on a plane, of some of these correspondences, and that they thus find their justification in the regular partition of the sphere. | Pages 159-179 | |
XXII. – Having now completed the examination of the traditional sciences, the Master of the Work seeks, in the social applications of metaphysics, new concordances with his constructive doctrines. First, he encounters, in myths and in symbols, the same numeric oppositions, resulting from the laws of the regular partition of the sphere, that he discovered in his diagrams. | Pages 179-194 | |
XXIII. – He then studies the cults of the Stone and the Waters, dedicated to the two exteriorizations of the Center of the World, and he gives numerous examples drawn from many traditions. | Pages 194-204 | |
XXIV. – He searches for relationships between the doctrines of the alchemists and his diagrams. He describes notably, with regard to these latter, the constitution of the alchemical Vessel, and follows the development of the four operations or “colors” of the Great Work. | Pages 204-213 | |
XXV. – The reading of the most famous writings of times past, of a traditional character commonly accepted, allows him to observe that the plan of these works and the numbers that are encountered there confirm his theories about architecture. He first examines, from this point of view, the “Genesis” of MOSES. | Pages 214-229 | |
XXVI. – The “Theogony” of HESIOD provides him with further proofs of this concordance. | Pages 229-233 | |
XXVII. – The various myths of PLATO, studied in relation to the “Timaeus,” are in agreement with the constructive doctrines of the Master of the Work. | Pages 233-254 | |
XXVIII. – The “Divine Comedy” of DANTE leads in the same way to the alchemical and initiatory science of its author. | Pages 254-261 | |
XXIX. – This secret science is also found in its entirety in RABELAIS’ novel, whose plan the Master of the Work compares with his mediating diagram. | Pages 261-281 | |
XXX. – Having thus completed the verification of the validity of his doctrines, the Master of the Work uses his diagrams to define the proportions of the houses of habitation erected according to the rules of natural Architecture; he provides plans for six types of houses. | Pages 281-288 | |
XXXI. – He extends his work to religious edifices, divided into five types, whose plans he gives. | Pages 289-293 | |
XXXII. – He uses the mediating diagram to describe and link together the two most perfect types of buildings: the philosophical dwelling of an Adept (Domus Talemariana) and the cathedral of a Pontiff (church of type H). He marks, according to his system, the imperial town of Peking with its various Cities. | Pages 293-304 | |
XXXIII. – Further widening the field of application of his theories, the Master of the Work examines, under their light, the plan of the Island of Atlantis and its royal city, according to the description given by PLATO. | Pages 305-309 | |
XXXIV. – He finally seeks ultimate concordances in the “Apocalypse” of Saint JOHN, whose visions he analyses. He explores the church of type H, dedicated to “Shekinah” (Cathedral of Amiens), and observes that the divisions of this edifice are in concordance with those of the apocalyptic book. | Pages 310-324 | |
XXXV. – In conclusion, the Master of the Work, after having summarized the terms of his Report, affirms his faith in the utility, for men, of knowing and loving the rules of natural Architecture, in order to obtain, through the realization of universal Harmony, the great Detachment necessary for their complete felicity. | Pages 325-330 |
I. – Construction of an approximate pentalpha with the rectangle √g. | Page 335 | |
II. – Table of the approximate numeric values of the eight ratios of ARSENIC●M. | Page 335 | |
III. – Ratio h/g obtained through the regular dodecahedron. | Page 335 | |
IV. – Chinese cosmogonic squares and table of PYTHAGORAS. | Page 336 | |
V. – The magic squares. | Page 337 | |
VI. Khmer arithmological series and Chinese cosmogonic squares. | Page 338 | |
VII. – On √π, 1/√2, and the ratio between the septenary and duodenary (Unpublished study by Francis Warrain). | Pages 339-341 | |
VIII. – Regular polyhedrons and polygons. | Pages 341-360 | |
IX. – Quadratures of the circle obtained in the diagrams. | Page 361 | |
X. – The figured numbers. | Pages 362-365 | |
XI. – The rhythm of the holy Letters. | Pages 365-370 | |
XII. – The divine architectural archetype and its paths. | Pages 371-376 |
We have gathered, at the end of the work, various notes relative especially to the illustration of the “Report” and which could not be placed near the images to which they correspond. Pages 377-378
Comprising 50 geometric, numeric, and titled designs, of the author, as well as 108 engravings and 7 titled geometric designs of the editor.
The Master of the work. | Page xvii | ||
I. | Untitled engraving. | Page 1 | |
Fig. 1: The arithmetical triangle of PASCAL and the FIBONACCI series. | Page 2 | ||
Fig. 2: The Egyptian triangle. | Page 2 | ||
The closed garden. | Page 3 | ||
Fig. 3: PASCAL’s arithmetical triangle limited by the chessboard. | Page 4 | ||
Fig. 4: Pentalpha. | Page 5 | ||
Fig. 5: Small squares. | Page 5 | ||
Fig. 6: The logarithmic spiral resting upon the corners of the turning squares. | Page 6 | ||
The humble contemplative before the Virgin, and the four animals. | Page 7 | ||
Fig. 7: The key to natural Architecture. | Page 8 | ||
Fig. 8: Construction prior to the operative diagram. | Page 9 | ||
Fig. 9: The operative diagram. | Page 13 | ||
The “Shriyantra”. | Page 14 | ||
II. | The Holy Trinity. | Page 14 | |
Armes papales. | Page 19 | ||
Fig. 10: The triple triad. | Page 20 | ||
Fig. 11: The diagram of AKLISHTAKAR (Plates) | |||
The great ARTEMIS of Ephesus. | Page 21 | ||
The Woman, heart of the “Apocalypse”. | Page 24 | ||
KOUAN-YIN with eighteen arms. | Page 25 | ||
FOU-HI and his wife NIU KOUA holding the square and compass. | Page 27 | ||
III. | The pair of opposites (oriental and occidental Alchemies). | Pages 28-29 | |
Fig. 12: The generation of the “Pa Koua”. | Page 30 | ||
SHIVA on the cow NANDI. | Page 31 | ||
Dice players. | Page 32 | ||
Fig. 13: Triangular numbers. | Page 32 | ||
Fig. 14: Square numbers. | Page 33 | ||
Fig. 15: Pentagonal numbers. | Page 33 | ||
Fig. 16: the “Shrivatsa”. | Page 34 | ||
IV. | Fig. 17: The constitutive triangles of the pyramid of CHEOPS. | Page 36 | |
Fig. 18: The essential dimensions of the Great Pyramid. | Page 37 | ||
Fig. 19: The constitutive triangles of a pyramid linked to the “materia” squares. | Page 38 | ||
Chinese “Ming t’ang”. | Page 38 | ||
Lotus flower. | Page 39 | ||
V. | The ten Sibyls. | Page 45 | |
VI. | The cow Nouit and the supporting gods. | Page 50 | |
Assyrian ennead. | Page 51 | ||
Untitled engraving. | Page 55 | ||
Fig. 20: Quadrilateral of HERMES. | Page 56 | ||
VII. | The twelve signs of the zodiac. | Page 58 | |
The seven planets. | Page 59 | ||
Fig. 21: Outline of the interior chambers and corridors of the Great Pyramid (Plates). | |||
The coffer of the Virgin. | Page 63 | ||
Fig. 22: Magic rectangle of the Great Pyramid. | Page 64 | ||
Pentagon and pentalpha. | Page 65 | ||
VIII. | Fig. 23: Construction prior to the intermediary diagram on triangles. | Page 66 | |
Fig. 24: The intermediary diagram on triangles. | Page 67 | ||
The head and tail of the Dragon. | Page 68 | ||
The Egg of the World. | Page 70 | ||
The Tibetan “Om”. | Page 71 | ||
Fig. 25: The intermediary diagram on triangles in correspondence with the “Om”. | Page 72 | ||
Pectoral of the archgallus. | Page 73 | ||
IX. | Fig. 26: The intermediary diagram on pentalphas. | Page 75 | |
The mediating Sovereign. | Page 76 | ||
Pentagonal lamp. | Page 77 | ||
X. | Fig. 27: The mediating diagram. | Page 78 | |
The zodiacal hermaphrodite. | Page 79 | ||
Fig. 28: Construction relating to the lower part of the mediating diagram. | Page 82 | ||
The alchemical Work. | Page 86 | ||
XI. | Untitled engraving. | Page 91 | |
XII. | The Ogdoad of Hermopolis. | Page 93 | |
XIII. | Aleph. | Page 95 | |
Fig. 29: The sephirothic Tree. | Page 97 | ||
CYBELE, the Mother of the gods. | Page 98 | ||
MICHAEL, the “Metatron”. | Page 99 | ||
The Candelabra of the Tabernacle. | Page 102 | ||
The Table of the twelve loaves of showbread. | Page 103 | ||
XIV. | NOUIT, SHU, and SEB. | Page 106 | |
Meditating Taoist. | Page 107 | ||
Untitled engraving. | Page 108 | ||
Hindu “Lingam”. | Page 110 | ||
“Aum mani padme houm”. | Page 112 | ||
XV. | Fig. 30: Construction prior to the complete diagram. | Page 113 | |
The Annunciation. | Page 115 | ||
Fig. 31: The complete diagram. | Page 116 | ||
Fig. 32: Geometric properties of the complete diagram. | Page 117 | ||
Fig. 33: The geometric Tau. | Page 118 | ||
Crucifixion between the Sun and Moon. | Page 119 | ||
XVI. | Fountain of science. | Page 121 | |
Fig. 34 a and b: The “Ho-t’ou” and the “Lo chou”. | Pages 122-123 | ||
Fig. 35 a and b: Chinese cosmogonic squares of 6 and 5. | Page 123 | ||
Fig. 36 a and b: The eight Trigrams (arrangements of FOU-HI and King WEN). | Page 124 | ||
Fig. 37 a and b: Cosmogonic square of 5 (separating directions of FOU-HI and King WEN). | Page 124 | ||
Chinese tower with eleven stories. | Page 125 | ||
Fig. 38 a and b: “Svastikas” on the cosmogonic square of 6 and 5. | Page 126 | ||
The goddess of the rainbow. | Page 127 | ||
XVII. | Fig. 39: The Khmer arithmological and planetary squares. | Page 128 | |
MITRA-PHANES emerging from the pyrogenic Egg of the World. | Page 131 | ||
Egyptian Gnostic cross. | Page 132 | ||
Alchemical putrefaction. | Page 133 | ||
XVIII. | Fig. 40: The rose of the twelve musical pipes. | Page 135 | |
Chinese bell with phoenix heads. | Page 141 | ||
AMPHION, son of JUPITER, building “hundred-gated” Thebes. | Page 147 | ||
XIX. | Fig. 41: Alphabetical wheels based of ARSENIC●M. | Page 149 | |
Ritual of the dedication of a church. | Page 150 | ||
The rose on the façade of the cathedral of Exeter. | Page 152 | ||
XX. | Plan of the upper story of the statues of the “screen” of Exeter. | Page 154 | |
The union of the macrocosm and the microcosm. | Page 156 | ||
Double-headed eagle. | Page 159 | ||
XXI. | Architecture and music. | Page 162 | |
Fig. 42 a and b: Constitutive quadrilaterals of the equilateral triangle and the square. | Page 164 | ||
Fig. 43 a, b, and c: Equilateral triangle and squares with their constitutive triangles. | Page 164 | ||
Fig. 44: Pentagon with constitutive triangles. | Page 168 | ||
Notre-Dame de Tournai. | Page 171 | ||
Fig. 45 a, b, c, d, and e: The planar projections of the “Yin” correspondences of the platonic solids superimposed on the complete diagram. | Page 174 | ||
The quintuple hexahedron. | Page 177 | ||
Cubic Stone. | Page 179 | ||
XXII. | Image of the Moon and image of the Sun. | Page 182 | |
HAYAGRIVA. | Page 184 | ||
AVALOKITESHVARA with eleven heads and eight arms. | Page 185 | ||
Fig. 47: Descent of the sephirothic Tree into the different Worlds of Manifestation. | Page 190 | ||
Ascent of “Kundalinî” through the seven “chakras” of the human being. | Page 191 | ||
The prophet ZECHARIAH. | Page 194 | ||
XXIII. | Black Virgin. | Page 197 | |
JACOB’s ladder. | Page 199 | ||
The story of ŒDIPUS. | Page 201 | ||
The two Dioscures at the service of the Goddess. | Page 202 | ||
The pinecone of the Vatican. | Page 203 | ||
XXIV. | Alchemical laboratory. | Page 205 | |
The upper, middle, and lower parts of the furnace. | Page 208 | ||
Alchemical credence. | Page 209 | ||
ULYSSES healing TELEPHUS. | Page 211 | ||
Pyrogenic vessel. | Page 213 | ||
XXV. | The Ark of the covenant. | Page 217 | |
The Tabernacle of MOSES and its courtyard. | Page 225 | ||
Nubian tau. | Page 229 | ||
XXVI. | The tomb of King MIDAS the alchemist. | Page 231 | |
CYBELE, her two assistants, and her two lions. | Page 233 | ||
XXVII. | The Great alchemical Work (humid path). | Page 239 | |
The Great alchemical Work (dry path). | Page 249 | ||
The labyrinth at Chartres cathedral. | Page 253 | ||
XXVIII. | Tree of Raymond LULL. | Pages 258-259 | |
XXIX. | The rocks of Bogaz-Kheui | Pages 264-265 | |
The magical lintel of the octagonal chapel of Montmorillon (interior face and exterior face). | Pages 268-269 | ||
The Pontiff. | Page 277 | ||
The Virgin in her cloak. | Page 279 | ||
XXX. | The Virgin in her glory. | Page 282 | |
Fig. 48 a and b: Plans of houses at the interior of the gardens. | Pages 284-285 | ||
Plan of the palace of Versailles, superimposed on the Monad of John DEE. | Page 287 | ||
Fig. 49: Mediating plan. | Page 288 | ||
XXXI. | Fig. 50: Split arch. | Page 289 | |
XXXII. | Feet of BUDDHA. | Pages 294-295 | |
CYBELE between the SUN and MOON. | Page 297 | ||
The two powers and their synthesis. | Page 301 | ||
Diagram of the itinerary to follow for acquiring the faculty of flying through the air. | Page 303 | ||
Untitled engraving. | Page 304 | ||
XXXIII. | Schematic plans of the island of Atlantis and its royal city (Plates). | ||
MITHRAS cutting the bull’s throat. | Page 307 | ||
Saint CHRISTOPHER. | Page 309 | ||
XXXIV. | “Ecclesia templariis”. | Page 311 | |
“Templum EZEKIEL”. | Page 313 | ||
The vision of the throne of GOD and the Lamb. | Page 317 | ||
Keystone of the absidial vault of the cathedral of Amiens. | Page 319 | ||
Saint JOHN at Pathmos. | Page 324 | ||
XXXV. | The central tympanum of the main door of the cathedral of Bourges. | Page 325 | |
Untitled engraving. | Page 329 | ||
The Holy Bottle (§ XXXVI). | Page 330 | ||
The Pilgrim. | Page 331 |
Tibetan engraving. | Page 333 | ||
Plan of the Lamaic cathedral at Lhasa. | Page 334 | ||
I. | Construction of an approximate pentalpha with the rectangle √g. | Page 335 | |
II. | Table of the approximate numeric values of the eight ratios of ARSENIC●M. | Page 335 | |
III. | Ratio h/g obtained through the regular dodecahedron. | Page 335 | |
IV. | Chinese cosmogonic squares and table of PYTHAGORAS. | Page 336 | |
V. | The magic squares and their planetary correspondences. | Pages 337-338 | |
VI. | Khmer arithmological series and Chinese cosmogonic squares: | ||
Fig. I. | Page 338 | ||
Fig. II a, b, c, and d. | Page 338 | ||
Fig III a, b, and c. | Page 339 | ||
VII. | Bell curve. | Page 340 | |
VIII. | Regular polyhedrons: surfaces and volumes. | Pages 341-342 | |
Fig. I a, b, c, and d. | Page 343 | ||
Fig. II, III, and IV. | Page 345 | ||
Table of the classification of the types of polyhedrons. | Pages 346-347 | ||
Nomenclature of the polyhedrons. | Pages 348-349 | ||
Table of the elements of the polyhedrons. | Pages 350-353 | ||
Construction of the faces of the polyhedrons. | Pages 354-355 | ||
Correspondence of the polyhedrons with the “Sephiroth”. | Page 356, Pages 360- 361 |
||
IX. | Quadrature of the circle obtained in the operative diagram. | Page 361 | |
X, XI, XII | Figured numbers. |
Page 364 |
Table of the numeric values corresponding to the letters of the Hebrew and Greek alphabets. | Page 41 | |
Table I. | Page 55 | |
Table II. | Page 87 | |
Table III. | Page 89 | |
Table IV. | Page 89 | |
Table V. | Page 90 | |
Table VI. | Page 105 | |
Table VII. | Page 114 | |
Table of Khmer planetary arithmology. | Page 129 | |
The 10 antediluvian kings of Babylon. | Page 134 | |
Starred Table of the twelve Chinese musical pipes. | Page 136 | |
Circular Table of the twelve Chinese musical pipes. | Page 137 | |
Generation of the diatonic scale of PTOLEMY. | Page 142 | |
Diatonic distances between the musical intervals of PTOLEMY. | Page 143 | |
Generation of the diatonic scale of PYTHAGORAS. | Page 145 | |
Ratios between the sides of various polyhedrons. | Page 157 | |
Table of the elements of the regular polyhedrons. | Page 160 | |
Properties of the parts of the whorl seen by ER the Pamphylian | Page 243, in note |
|
Proportions of the eighteen models of houses of habitation. | Page 286 |
are on Pages 2, 4, 48, 140 (in note), and 148.
are in notes on Pages 35, 36, 106, 125, 166, 212, and 289.
are on Pages 1 and 325.
–The magic word ABRACADABRA provides the key to natural Architecture.
THE
“GOLDEN RULE” |
Its three aspects |
– The operative diagram, verified by Tantric and Taoist doctrines, and applied to the geometric outline of the Pyramid of CHEOPS (§ i to vii). | |
– The intermediary diagrams and themediating diagram, in concordance with the Pythagorean and Kabalistic doctrines (§ viii to xiv). | |||
– The complete diagram, leading to the establishment of a geometric tau (§ xv). | |||
Its seven correspondences
|
in the
traditional sciences |
Arithmetic. – The Chinese cosmogonic squares (§ xvi). | |
Astronomy. – Khmer planetary arithmology (§ xvii). | |||
Harmony. – The Chinese theory of the twelve musical pipes, and the Greek scales; the universal alphabets (§ xviii and xix). | |||
Geometry. – The regular division of the circle: the rhythmic numbers and the traditional pantacles (§ xx). | |||
Stereometry. – The regular partition of the sphere: the regular polyhedrons and their reciprocal correspondences (§ xxi). | |||
in the social applications of
metaphysics |
The writings and representation of mythical, alchemical, and sacred character (§ xxii to xxix). | ||
Natural Architecture in the West, the East, and in mystical accounts. Atlantis and the Apocalypse (§ xxx to xxxiv). |
[1] Here we reproduce the plan of the Work found in the Author’s notes. We have simply added to it the indication of the sections given in the Table of Materials.