Twelve Tribe Nations: Sacred Number and the Golden Age

Description

Throughout the world - in countries as far apart as China, Ireland, Iceland and Madgascar - there survive records and traditions of whole nations being divided into twelve tribes and twelve regions, each corresponding to one of the twelve signs of the zodiac and to one of the twelve months of the year. Best known are the twelve tribes of Israel under King Solomon, but there have been many others. Wherever they occur, they are associated with an ideal social order and a golden age of humanity. Exploring examples of these twelve-tribe societies, John Michell and Christine Rhone explain the blueprint for this organisational structure and look at the musical, mythological and astronomical enchantments that kept these societies in harmony with the cosmos. They, also, examine the astrological landscapes of classical Greece, the aligned St. Michael sanctuaries of Europe and the true site and function of the Temple in Jerusalem. They show that the sacred geography of these sites was part of an ancient code of knowledge that produced harmony between nature and humanity and is as relevant to our present and future as it was to our past. * Connects the zodiac, the twelve months of the year and the political divisions of ancient nations * Explores the sacred geography of ancient landscapes in Europe and Israel Originally published by Thames & Hudson, 1991

John Michell, educated at Eton and Cambridge, is a pioneer researcher and specialist in the field of ancient, traditional science. He is the author of more than 25 books that have profoundly influenced modern thinking, including The Dimensions of Paradise. Both he and Christine Rhone live in Notting Hill.

"John Michell and Christine Rhone's book combines vision and tradition to produce a comprehensive guide to what they term 'the science of enchanting the landscape,' as practiced across the ancient world. Their book is indispensable to anyone seeking an understanding of the way in which the threads of astrology, cosmology, number, and music were combined, in many countries and at many different periods, to provide a design for the fabric of society." * Pete Stewart, author of The Spiritual Science of the Stars * "In this fascinating book, John Michell and Christine Rhone have assembled overwhelming evidence for the existence of a vast, ancient, mystical science of number and astrological geometry that once encompassed the entire earth." * Herbert Bangs, author of The Return of Sacred Architecture * "This is a key text on how sacred number once shaped human societies before the onset of modernity. Twelve-Tribe Nations reveals numerical and geometrical recipes underlying the ancient practice of the 'enchantment' of landscapes and cultures, which stands in contrast to the exploitation of modern landscapes and citizens." * Richard Heath, author of Sacred Number and the Origins of Civilization and Matrix of Creation * ". . . an enjoyable romp through the collective memory of tribe, myth, sacred landscapes and the deep memories of a past golden age." * EarthRites.org, May 2011 *