Sacred Geometry: Deciphering the Code | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen Skinner
Publisher: Sterling
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.04
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Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 41796
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 160
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 7.5 x 1
ISBN: 1402741294
Dewey Decimal Number: 516.001
EAN: 9781402741296
Publication Date: November 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Da Vinci Code has awakened the public to the powerful and very ancient idea that religious truths and mathematical principles are intimately intertwined. Sacred Geometry offers an accessible way of understanding how that connection is revealed in nature and the arts. Over the centuries, temple builders have relied on magic numbers to shape sacred spaces, astronomers have used geometry to calculate holy seasons, and philosophers have observed the harmony of the universe in the numerical properties of music. By showing how the discoveries of mathematics are manifested over and over again in biology and physics, and how they have inspired the greatest works of art, this illuminating study reveals the universal principles that link us to the infinite.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 A book that changed my view of the world around me!! July 10, 2007
Stephen Pletko (London, Ontario, Canada)
33 out of 34 found this review helpful
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QUESTION: What do the following have in common? A daisy, an eagle's beak, snowflakes, structure of DNA, Egyptian pyramids, crop circles, the stable elements of the periodic table, and Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper."
ANSWER: They are all based on geometry or numbers that are considered "sacred."
This is exactly what "world-renowned expert" Stephen Skinner shows the reader in this beautiful and informative book: how certain types of geometry (a Greek word that means `measurement of the Earth') and numbers are considered sacred.
Geometry was one of the first branches of mathematics to be extensively developed. Long before the Christian era, the Egyptians and later the Greeks had made exhaustive studies of the properties of geometrical figures. While the Egyptians were concerned mainly with practical applications (witness the pyramids), the Greeks were interested in the mental exercise involved in the study of Geometry. Many of these ancient Greek scholars believed that if they pursued the study of geometry far enough they would unlock some of the deepest mysteries of the universe.
Thus we have geometry and numbers that they and other civilizations considered sacred. Why sacred? Because they arrange systematically the hidden order of creation.
The book itself is divided into parts. These are entitled (1) The hidden order (2) The geometry of nature and (3) The geometry of the [human] made world. Each part begins with a brief overview (in italics) that summarizes a particular part.
Each part itself is divided into chapters. Here are the chapter titles for part (3): (i) Sacred geometry and the landscape (ii) Sacred geometry in architecture and (iii) Sacred geometry in art.
Each chapter is divided into sections. The sections for the chapter entitled "Pure arithmetic" are as follows: (I) Pythagoras and the worship of number (II) Music, vibration, and whole numbers (III) The value of fractions (IV) Measuring the Earth with two sticks (V) Original units of measurement (VI) The curious nature of prime numbers and (VII) The Golden Mean--the arithmetic of growth.
A highlight of this book are the many mainly color and truly beautiful pictures and illustrations. I counted almost 200. By the way, the picture on the book's cover (displayed above by Amazon) is a "nautilus shell," a "living spiral" actually found in nature.
Another highlight of this book are its numerous tables of significant numbers that reveal a pattern. My favorite is entitled "The [Egyptian] Pyramids and their Dimensions."
Yet, another highlight are the numerous isolated (from the main narrative) boxes that contain information the author feels is important for the reader to know. My favorite is entitled "Visual tricks" that describes "one of the unique tricks of geometry incorporated into the [ancient temple called the] Parthenon [of Athens, Greece]."
Want to know how to draw a special type of snowflake (called a Koch snowflake)? How about a special curve known as the logarithmic spiral? This book provides step-by-step constructions (in isolated boxes outside the main narrative) on how to draw (using a compass and ruler) these geometric figures and others.
Fans of Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code" should find the material in the last chapter entitled "Sacred geometry in art" very interesting.
There are a few non-serious typos in this book. Unfortunately, a typo occurs for a definition of irrational numbers. The author states:
"Irrational numbers are those that cannot be pinned down to a few digits. They are, in fact, repeating decimals that go on forever." Examples include the square root of 2, the square root of 3, and the square root of 5."
The second statement in the above quotation is actually incorrect. But this is a typo. How do I know this? By the third statement above. The square root of 2 is 1.4142136..., the square root of 3 is 1.7320508..., and the square root of 5 is 2.236068.... The typo is that they're non-repeating decimals (not repeating decimals).
I make it a policy not to condemn books that have a few typos unless they're in too many key spots.
Finally, the only problem I had with this book is that I don't really know anything about the author, Stephen Skinner. We're told on the book's back cover that he's a "world-renowned expert" and that's it! I would have liked to have known more about the author.
In conclusion, this remarkable book changed my view of the world around me!!
(first published 2006; introduction; 3 parts or 7 chapters; conclusion; main narrative 150 pages; bibliography; index; acknowledgements)
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Geometry is everywhere! June 8, 2008
Kathy W (Baltimore)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although this may not be relevant to most people, this is a very pretty book. Two things attracted me to it initially: The title and the cover, in that order. The title interested me because of a class my girlfriend took about sacred geometry, including the meanings of the shapes and the colors. The cover interested me becaue of the ammonite shell on the cover. I first noticed the ammonite in Alberta, Canada when a shop vendor explained the critter to me. They are older than dirt and the shells have varying degrees of opalescence that are just mind-boggling to me. Anyway, back to pretty: unlike most books, the inside of this book is loaded with pretty colors, diagrams, and colored pictures. There are 152 pages of information plus 8 more of bibliography and index.
Now for substance: the book bigins with some introductory information on geometry, why it is considered "sacred," how geometry was often used to situate churches/temples in history, and in the architecture of such places, the history of geometry, including the embodiment of numbers in music and measurement, and Pythagoras and his investigation of the sacred and mystical properties of numbers.
The book continues with generally 2 pages on each of many mathmatical and geometry related subject matter, such as: fractals, crystal structure, replicating geometric patters in plant and animal life, the structure of snowflakes, genetics and the DNA double helix structure, Alfred Watkins and the ley lines, Stonehenge, crop circles, the structure of the Temple of Solomon, geometry in art, geometry in several cathedrals, etc.
By the way, if you have ever wondered how much a cubit measures, it was originally used to indicate the measurement of the fingertip to the elbow, but was later standardized at 17.674 inches.
I find this a very interesting book. It's got a lot of little bits of information about a lot of different but related topics, related in math of course. And it's even pretty.
Beautiful review of the Mathematics of Nature and Magic December 1, 2006
M. R. N. Shackelford (Worthing, UK)
27 out of 33 found this review helpful
This glorious book has been written by Stephen Skinner - who introduced Chinese Geomancy (or Feng Shui if you prefer) to the West in the 1960's with his ground-breaking (literally!) book "The Living Earth Manual". Since then he has produced a number of highly respected books on a variety of Feng Shui, Geomancy and Magical topics.
This new book brings together his broad knowledge of many different religions, sacred philosophies and magic, and his expertise in mathematics and geography.
Dozens of different sections with glorious photography and elegant line drawings show you how nature is based on elegant equations and then leads you through the millenia of ancient mathematics, as the geniuses of the past 2 or 3000 years intricately link mathematics and architecture. Whether it is the Fibonacci series, or the Greeks PI, or the circles of Dante's Hell - everything is clearly explained - you are thrilled at how Nature takes advantage of some of the most beautiful pure mathematics and the scale of the intellects who designed and built these magical places.
Stephen Skinner's book is a wonderful place to start - and will, no doubt, be the spur for many trips and explorations.
If you enjoyed the "Da Vinci Code" - get this book and read about REAL codes, enigmas and mathematics that can be found hidden in some of the world's most amazing buildings.
This book is for those of us who revel in the glorious elegance and simplicity of mathematics as applied to ALL good design (whether Natural or Human) - and is not aimed at mathematicians specifically.
Sacred Geometry May 29, 2007
Michele Carpenter (Check, VA United States)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
Sacred Geometry: Deciphering the Code
From cover to cover, this book is packed with information about sacred geometry. The difference between geometry and sacred geometry is easily explained, "When it was pleasing to the gods, it became 'sacred'." (p. 6) This book also explains how sacred geometry can be used in landscaping, architecture, and in art. This book is not just for mathematicians. It is for anyone who is interested in creating sacred space or just a space that is pleasing to the mind, heart, and spirit.
aspects of sacred geometry May 11, 2008
Jan Lee Ande (Portland, OR USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is well-written, gorgeous, printed on fine paper with extraordinary illustrations. It introduces sacred geomentry in art, architecture, nature, and the history of science. A fine text for a layperson with acalculia! Obviously to learn more about a particular application of sacred geometry would require additional books that focus on the reader's area/s of interest.
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