Introduction to Spira Solaris Archytas-Mirabilis Part IV

This is the fourth part of an investigation concerned with the stability of the Solar System and possible variations from the norm that may or may not have taken place in the historical past. The results have been presented here in condensed form in seven sections with much of the initial numerical and astronomical details necessarily provided in the first three sections and the appendices to the seventh. In the second section a theoretical planetary model of the Solar System is derived utilizing logarithmic data, mean orbital velocity, mean synodic motion and mean planetary periods in contrast to ad hoc schemes based on mean heliocentric distances alone. The inclusion of mean periods and mean synodic motion leads in turn to a quadratic equation that provides the underlying constant for a complete planetary framework. The constant in question is the ubiquitous value Phi (1.618033989..) known since antiquity. The framework itself is most suitably represented by an all-inclusive equiangular period spiral that incorporates phi, pi and e. Those who do not care for the resulting planetary model are invited to produce a superior approach and a better framework of their own; any and all variants of Bode's "Law" and similar ad hoc schemes are naturally excluded. In passing, rather than elevate the present approach one can only wonder why something of this nature was not pursued with vigour at a much earlier date, and further, why Bode's "Law" flourished at all.

Although a number of avenues are left unstated and unexplored in the present work, the last four sections deal primarily with the historical ramifications of the spiral form found in many diverse and ancient cultural settings. Readers are asked here to question (if not reevaluate) their preconceptions concerning a a relatively large number of fields, and many may well choose not to do so. Some specialists may also feel that the links provided here are tenuous while others may not be comfortable with the use of esoteric sources and materials. On the other hand, it is suggested that over-specialization and an unquestioning reliance on the status quo are contributing factors that have all too often acted to restricted our knowledge and understanding of the history of Humankind. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly apparent that an inter-disciplinary approach will become a necessity if the massive flow of information from the Internet - essentially an immediate, global network - is to be successfully integrated. Much of the latter part of the present discourse stems in fact from this source, which is one reason why it is being fed back here and now. Another is that the underlying message that surfaces here appears to have commenced at least 5,000 years ago and that it is both fitting and appropriate that it be made available via the same medium to any and all who care to access it.

The latter subject is pursued in detail in the seventh and final section. It is also intimately related to a topic that has concerned many researchers in the past, namely the reason why so much emphasis was apparently placed on the Sun and the Moon in ancient times, why this concern was reflected in so many ancient luni-solar monuments and why the spiral configuration is essentially a world-wide occurrence. It is hypothesized in the latter two Sections that many of the ancient astronomical monuments were an important component of a multi-faceted humanitarian response to pass on what the ancients had come to understand concerning the astronomical causes of periodic major upheavals that have afflicted life on Earth. This suggestion itself is not new. Where the hypothesis differs from others is in the detailed mathematical and astronomical material provided by texts from two separate cultural sources (Hindu and Babylonian) given in the appendices to the last section. Based on the technical data and available indicators, it is possible to suggest that part of the major disruptions in the past were most likely caused by symmetrical bi-polar inversions - symmetrical in the sense that they appear to be almost exact, and bi-polar in so much as two half-cycles (i.e., North-to-South and South-to-North reversals of the geographical poles) are required to arrive back at or near the original state. In general terms the polar inversion hypothesis is not new either; in fact it was implicit in Immanuel Velikovsky's controversial 1950 publication "Worlds in Collision". The latter's substantial compendium of global myths and historical material is of particular relevance in the present context, especially those references that describe both North to South and East to West reversals . Although not immediately obvious, the reader should be aware that the reversals of East and West reported in Velikovsky's material requires no physical reversal of the rotation of Earth whatsoever, in fact the apparent reversals of East and West are most logically understood to be the natural consequences of North to South (or South to North) polar reversals alone. Nevertheless, in passing it must be accorded that Immanuel Velikovsky's work remains unpopular and controversial; for this reason a selection from the latter's historical compendium is provided for those who may wish to judge this aspect for themselves before proceeding further.

Historically there appear to have been two major reasons why this matter may have proved to be so elusive and so difficult to track down. The first lies in the complexity of the phenomenon itself. The second arises from the distinct possibility that even now we are in the process of pulling out of the last event and are still essentially in the Dark Ages, which is why a substantial degree of chaos prevails at present. As for what may have taken place further back in time, it remains possible that what follows here is a beginning, an end, and also the retelling of a twice-told tale ....