The Dimensions of Paradise: Sacred Geometry, Ancient Science, and the Heavenly Order on Earth

by John Michell

An in-depth look at the role of number as a bridge between Heaven and Earth

• Reveals the numerical code by which the ancients maintained high standards of art and culture

• Sets out the alchemical formulas for the fusion of elements and the numerical origins of various sacred names and numbers

• Describes the rediscovery of knowledge associated with the Holy Grail, through which the influence of the Heavenly Order is made active on Earth

The priests of ancient Egypt preserved a geometrical canon, a numerical code of harmonies and proportions, that they applied to music, art, statecraft, and all the institutions of their civilization. Plato, an initiate in the Egyptian mysteries, said it was the instrument by which the ancients maintained high, principled standards of civilization and culture over thousands of years.

In The Dimensions of Paradise , John Michell describes the results of a lifetime’s research, demonstrating how the same numerical code underlies sacred structures from ancient times to the Christian era. In the measurements of Stonehenge, the foundation plan of Glastonbury, Plato’s ideal city, and the Heavenly City of the New Jerusalem described in the vision of Saint John lie the science and cosmology on which the ancient world order was founded. The central revelation of this book is a structure of geometry and number representing the essential order of the heavens and functioning as a map of paradise.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Mathematics, History, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Nature

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

John Frederick Carden Michell was an English writer whose key sources of inspiration were Plato and Charles Fort. His 1969 volume The View Over Atlantis has been described as probably the most influential book in the history of the hippy/underground movement and one that had far-reaching effects on the study of strange phenomena: it "put ley lines on the map, re-enchanted the British landscape and made Glastonbury the capital of the New Age."

In some 40-odd titles over five decades he examined, often in pioneering style, such topics as sacred geometry, earth mysteries, geomancy, gematria, archaeoastronomy, metrology, euphonics, simulacra and sacred sites, as well as Fortean phenomena. An abiding preoccupation was the Shakespeare authorship question. His Who Wrote Shakespeare? (1996) was reckoned by The Washington Post "the best overview yet of the authorship question."

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very special book but one of very limited appeal. I find myself marveling over my response to it, as it's the sort of thing I would have taken one look at and ashcanned during the vast majority of my life (so far).

What is going on here mostly is a mathematical decoding of the revelation of St. John from the bible, and Plato. Specific sacred geometrical shapes and specific measurements are constructed and analyzed based on the source material.

Plato had contempt for astronomers who studied the stars, rather than abstract figures, where he felt the true nature of the heavens lay revealed. I was going to say this is pretty much the opposite of the current paradigm, but then I remembered string theory...

Don't even think about reading this unless you have a couple of other sacred geometry books and some practical experience under your belt. I would suggest Lawlor's Sacred Geometry and A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science by Michael S. Schneider as good places to start.

[David Montaigne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read John Michell's "The New View Over Atlantis" about 25 years ago. I was too young to appreciate it at the time; to me it seemed like hippy nonsense trying to pass itself off as some kind of ancient science through the allure of Arthurian legend. Reading it again many years later, I was able to appreciate that a great deal of ancient wisdom is passed down through generations of ignorance precisely because it was successfully hidden and blended into myth and legend. Many numbers, and the relationships between them, are significant not because they are derived from the words and numbers our ancestors choose to use - but very much the other way around - our ancestors derived words and numerical relationships from observing and measuring the earth and the heavens.
In "The Dimensions of Paradise" Michell continues to expound on a lifelong theme - that ancient civilizations had an incredible level of science and technology. Specifically, they understood geometry and mathematics, used them to obtain accurate measurements of the earth, the moon, and the sun, along with the distances between them. The ancients did not merely know these measurements (better than we did until quite recently) and express them in their original units of measure; they created systems of measurement based on known lengths, defining units in proportion to the cosmos. So it is should not be surprising to see examples where our ancestors used these measures and relationships to build monuments around the world. It was not just a vain attempt to recreate heaven on Earth; it demonstrates harmonics that work on the scale of stars and planets and moons, right down to pleasing forms in pyramids, temples, and calendar-stones. The same numbers, proportions, and ideas are also expressed in mythical construction around the world, from Plato's Magnesia and Atlantis to the Bible's New Jerusalem and beyond.
Because of the numerous forms these measures took in ancient expression, we can more easily rediscover their knowledge after dark ages of forgotten wisdom. We are forced to recognize that many ancient units of measure, and even the English units still used today, are derived from the same system. "The Dimensions of Paradise" is an excellent introduction to sacred geometry, gematria, and ancient systems of measure. But it is not light reading and a good background in ancient history and mythology will help readers appreciate Michell's exposition of ancient wisdom. As an author myself, I will say that these two books were of great help to my own writing efforts, as the knowledge Michell reveals allowed me to synthesize many related ideas over a broad range of topics.
Anyone interested in these topics may also want to read books like Hapgood's "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings," Weidner and Bridges' "The Mysteries of the Great Cross of Hendaye," Montaigne's "End Times and 2019" and de Santillana and von Dechend's "Hamlet's Mill." Many unusual numbers that stand out in the Bible, and throughout world mythology, will also take on new meaning after reading Michell's work.

[Alexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be prepared for some serious math in this book!

[Gustavo Ordonez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Majestic! Period

[Collins Chipeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but i understand the criticism this book invites because of the breach it bridges philosophy and sacred science . Megalithic structures and how they where built is becoming clearer and more clearer as I delve in sacred geometry and why such ingenious feat of engineering is absolute impossible to construct.

[Pajaro Vago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacred geometry is the science basis for the construction of universes, in this way is an easy way in your understanding and functionality, I would love to receive a copy in PDF format which is the mode of payment, thanks

[Ellen Martens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains much that was in The View Over Atlantis.