The purpose of metaphysical decorating is to get energy into our environments so that we are nourished by our surroundings. I know of two ways of doing this: through our relationship with objects and controlling the geometry behind all that we create. This lesson deals with the latter and is the beginnings of many about finding energy through geometric patterns.
When we see an object, we see two things: the object itself and, on a subliminal, level, its geometric scaffolding.
The Purpose of Vision
Our visual perception system serves so many parts of us. Upon encountering a rose bush, for example, our bodies are protected from bumping into hundreds of thorns. That same bush excites our minds because we love to categorize and learn. Another part of us, what I call the subliminal self, for want of a better name, experiences the geometric template behind matter. When it sees the mathematical underpinnings of nature, it pulls beauty into our being,. This makes us feel joyfully alive. We experience the blueprint of creation and thus a powerful jolt of energy. That is what we want in our decorating.
Understanding Subliminal Geometry by Examining the Arts
Artists throughout the ages have known about the need to please the subliminal self and have addressed it in their work. They knew that a magical painting is not only composed of the right subject but a good scaffolding.
Looking at the beautiful work of Jean Hey, Maitre de Moulins: Coronation of the Virgin, we can get an idea of how these artists worked. The subject is undeniably beautiful, as seen in the maternal relationship. The painting is especially poignant to those who take religious solace in its subject.
Something else, however, is going on in the painting, and that is its hidden geometry. Look at the painting again with its subliminal blueprint.
The canvas is divided into four golden rectangles by the vertical and horizontal lines. The painting also has two pentagons, with many connections to the golden ratio. A dominate part of the blueprint are two circles. These patterns are part of a group which is known as sacred geometry and when used, are incredibly energizing.
The Belief in the Power of Geometry
Sacred geometry is an often misunderstood concept. We sometimes hear that it is called sacred because it was used in the building of churches, mosques, and temples as well as religious art. Actually the opposite is true. Artisans used such patterns because they believed the geometry of nature is inherently sacred and extremely powerful.
In fact, the ancients believed that this geometry existed as a template before the universe was created. When matter was formed, it simply adhered to this framework.
Such thinking can be still found among indigenous people. It is not unusual for Native-Americans and other aboriginal peoples around the world to start their religious ceremonies with a prayer to the six directions, an homage to the sacred power of geometry.
The Simplest Geometric Form, the Circle
Incorporating the geometry of the Hey painting in our decorating could be daunting in its complexity. Had we been trained as children in the mathematics of nature, art, and beauty instead of just the mathematics of technology and war, we might find it easier to understand how to use geometry in our decorating. So, we should start simply.
Even though I will reference other geometric forms and the golden mean/ratio the template for most life forms, I will just concentrate on the circle now(and stretched circle, the oval.) It is the easiest but most powerful geometric shape to incorporate into our decorating.
Jonathan Quintin, an artist and teacher of sacred geometry agrees with this principle when he says, “Interestingly enough, the growth patterns found in nature—from molecular bonding patterns, from electrons spinning around protons, to spiral galaxies and everything in between, are based on a few mathematical principles,
and these principles can be described geometrically through the uniform divisions of the circle and the sphere.”
Making it Simple
I mentioned in The Preface that I was taught to paint with a geometric armature in my early art classes. It was invented by the Old Professor who ran the museum and we lovingly called it The Old Professor’s Theorem. I still find it quite effective as a scaffolding for a painting because
It also leads the eye to travel in a circular path.
The Theorem
To create the Professor’s Theorem, divide a square or rectangular canvas into quarters and thirds, horizontally and vertically. Four quadrants will emerge (numbered 1,2,3,4).
Placement of subject matter:
- One dominant object should be over the center of one quadrant.
- Two subdominant objects should be placed in another two quadrants.
- Most importantly, the artist should leave the fourth quadrant relatively empty.
On a square canvas, the eye sees a subliminal circle. On a rectangular canvas, the eye sees a subliminal oval. both paths are pleasing to the subliminal self.
An example of a painting done in this manner follows:
Seeing the Grid in So Many Places
You don’t have to grid this painting to see the theorem in operation. Its obvious. The vase is dominant. The rose buds on the top right and the bottom left are sub dominant. The top left is relatively empty.
One Way to Use the Theorem in Decorating
Consider taking a picture of your most cluttered wall such as one filled with a bookcase. Photograph the whole wall. Grid thephotograph according to the Old Professor’s Theorem.
See the quadrants after I divided a bookcase wall.
There is a problem where the quadrants end up. In this case, the two bottom quadrants made it impossible to place an object. So I had to make some intuitive adjustments. I decided the bottom right quadrant would be a spray of flowers which made me have to move the vase lower. The placement of the Buddha was another problem since I couldn’t place it in the air. So i moved it to the same level as the vase.
Your eye will be drawn to the dominant red cluster of flowers and move to connect to the two sub-dominant objects and eventually incorporate the empty space into a circle/oval.
Some Questions About Old Professor’s Theorem
Some may question why a circle (or oval) evolves subliminally with an empty quadrant. There is a scientific reason for that. The brain processes 10 million pieces of information per second and in an attempt to deal with this overload uses various techniques to lessen the work. In Lesson V, The Gestalt Laws of Perception, I will address these techniques. There is one law, however, that I want to bring up now since it answers the question at the beginning of the paragraph. It is Gestalt Law of Closure. Basically, the brain fills in an empty space to perceive an object and the scaffolding behind it.
The Law of Closure is extremely powerful and appealing to the subliminal self. It is so much so, that most corporate logos have empty spaces to entice the viewer. Often a good rule of thumb in energy decorating is to observe what big business does in its advertisements.
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In the forthcoming Chapter VIII, I will introduce other techniques to get your eye to travel in a circle. Usually our environments are square and rectangular rooms. These techniques will help you to override the angles and make your eye move in a circular manner and come to rest. Includes in these methods is my extrapolation of the Old Professors Theorem from a two dimensional idea to a three dimensional one in which each wall will have various levels of complexity.
In this way, some simple ideas can produce some profound effects.
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There are two parts to this website, The Lessons, which are more difficult in concept and the blogs, which are lighter in nature. Consider reading The Preface, which has more information on scaffolding. The following are blogs with the same theme as Lesson III that you might enjoy:
Please note that my website allows you to leave comments at the end of the blogs but not at the end of each lesson. If you have a comment or question about a lesson, you may email me at ruta@rutas-rules.com.