Geometrically Ordered Design: Cloud Nine
By: Dustin Pike
This is my eighth article pertaining to the design field and its relationship with mathematics. Design in essence cannot be accomplished without specific degrees of control, and almost always has a definitive point to make. How well the ‘point’ can be made is attributed to how well the design was carried out. This cannot be said about all art-forms. Art can be about anything or nothing at all, which makes art primary, and design secondary. In this respect design can be seen as separate from other art forms, because the designer has a precise goal. In order to understand any design language at its core, the viewer must understand visual acoustics on multiple levels. The level I have chosen to start with is numbers. I will show their relationships with each other through geometric and proportional means, and describe how numbers can be ‘seen’ and ‘produced’ through artistic expression. Design language cannot be truly understood without awareness of this knowledge. Not only is this the groundwork for every art form, but it is also the chosen architectural language of the natural world.
Our last 2 articles pertained to the aspects of Venus (#7) and Mercury (#8), and with this article we delve into their reflection, which is the Moon and the realm of the #9. One should immediately notice the physical nature of the Moon as at once Dark, yet reflective of the Sun’s (#6) light. Even more obvious is its precise 28 day rotation schedule in partnership with our Earth. Seen in a purely physical manner these subtle relationships might not have any significance. Luckily, we have previously armed ourselves with logic and intuition and proceed forward to view things from a more ‘meta-physical’ standpoint. At this point in our numerical journey, logic and intuition are about to be ascended by something even more fundamental: Being.
Unlike the Sun (#6), whose identity is everlasting, the Moon is constantly in a state of flux. She waxes, she wanes, and between these she lends her full influence. The independence of our individual soul and foundation of our personality, which is also in a constant flux, presides. Our puzzle from the #7 and #8 articles, with its multitude of pieces, can now be re-assembled according to our liking instead of a pre-existing model. This symbolism has been rightly
worshipped throughout human history as the ‘Triple-Goddess’ (See Triple-Goddess Symbolism). In short this feminine triune symbolism of ‘Being’ is as follows:
I. The virgin maiden of the waxing Moon represents the enchantment, inception, and creative quality of the youthful female. Anyone who has opened themselves to the pages of art history can easily identify this aspect as the ‘Virgin Mary’ of the Christians, and going further back, the ‘Virgin Artemis’ of the Greeks. She is endowed with the latent seed of the crop.
II. The ever ripe and pregnant mother of the full Moon is representative of fertility, conception, and the power of stability through reproduction. In this light she can be seen as ‘Demeter’ of the Greeks. A mother unto the worlds, and fully formed body of the crops in time for harvest.
III. The elder crone of the waning Moon is possibly the least understood of the grouping. She represents the wisdom, repose, and acceptance of death later in life. In this way she may more correctly indicate the influence of time and experience. She can be seen in the Greek paradigm as ‘Hecate’, or ‘Kali’ in the Hindu theosophy. With sickle in hand, the crops are torn from their roots and made ready to ingest.
Aside from purely ideological symbolism, the number 9 exudes quite peculiar mathematical and geometrical qualities. For instance, any number when divided by 9 will reflect itself in an infinite sequence:
1 / 9 = 0.111111… 2 / 9 = 0.222222… 3 / 9 = 0.333333… etc…
An even more interesting thing happens when we apply what is known as ‘Digital Rooting’. For those unfamiliar with this age old process, it is a single digit value obtained by an iterative process of summing multiple digits. Each iteration using the result from the previous one to compute a digit sum. The process continues until a single-digit number is reached. For example, let us figure the digital root of 5,245:
5 + 2 + 4 + 5 = 16 1+6=7
The digital root of 5,245 = 7.
The interesting thing about the number 9 in particular is that any number when added to 9 will reflect itself like a mirror when broken down in this way:
9 + 1 = 10 1+0=1
9 + 8 = 17 1+7=8
We are perhaps all familiar with the 1-9 digit multiplication table, but this table appears altogether different in light of the digital root system (See Digital Root Multiplication). It is wise to notice the numerical patterns given, and also the reverse patterning of such couples as 1 & 8, 2 & 7, etc…Notice also that the patterns through these number pairings all seem to add up to 9, while any number when multiplied by 9 is swallowed up and becomes 9. From this a type of boundary seems to be set up, and there is nothing left to explore.
Three-dimensionally speaking our 8 cornered cube from our #6 now reveals its ‘hidden’ central point of origin, totaling 9. Also as 3! = 9 this implies what is known as a triple-trinity, or the Ennead which is represented as a nine-sided polygon. This figure has long been known to represent the pinnacle of creation, beyond which there is nothing. Somewhat recently a man by the name of Marko Rodin claims to have re-discovered an ancient mathematical formula (found through the Enneagram) for creating artificial ‘torroidal vortex’ or ‘dark’ energy. I dare not go into the specifics of this here, but feel free to research this for yourself.
We are given the immortal law of free-will and independence through the gate of the Moon, and this is the essential root of our ‘selves’. Through our reasoning and emotional qualities we can sensibly experience our independence, yet we now find that however ‘real’ this may seem to be, it is but an illusion of the highest order. One should at this stage imagine a wheel rotating at such great speed that it gives the illusion of being completely still. Stability is granted through this constant change and revolution, so likewise a ‘permanent’ physical body would be like a prison. Explained simply, the infinite (#1–#9) is inexpressible without a shell or body. Yet together they comprise of themselves the ‘idea’ of formation. Like the snake, the outer shell we refer to as our bodies must constantly be shed and renewed. The shell thus introduces us to the number 10.
Our next article serves to be our last, but when seen in another light it is yet again the first, as 10 = 1 + 0 = 1 (the beginnings of creation upon a higher realm). Zero is more naturally the original digit, but I have intentionally saved the best (first) for last.
— DUSTIN PIKE DESIGN:
www.nuclearswan.com 859.512.5729 [email protected]