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The Divine Proportion is known by many names.
Golden Mean, Sacred Cut and Phi are only a few; and it is
not by chance that the Divine Proportion was given its name.
It has been called divine because over thousands of years
it has been deemed to be so.
The Divine Proportion reveals a number of
simple patterns that are found throughout art, nature, and
science. It is seen in the seed patterns in fruits, the
family tree of bees, the pyramids of Egypt, Gothic cathedrals,
Renaissance paintings, the human body, shells... the list
is endless.
Mathematicians use the Greek symbol phi
to represent the Divine Proportion and equate it to a number
that is defined by the ratio (1 + √5)/2 or 1.6180339....
Numbers do little, however, in describing this unique ratio
that is found everywhere in nature and for 2500 years has
been an aesthetic guide in art and architecture.
Beginning with calculations found on clay
tablets in ancient Babylon, the story of Divine Proportion
can be traced alongside the history of numbers to the fractals
of the digital age. As its many forms unfold we uncover
the Golden Rectangle in the Parthenon, Golden Spirals in
the human inner ear, a Golden Angle in the petal patterns
of a rose, and the Fibonacci numbers in lilies, daisies,
pineapples, and in our own DNA.
With its natural balance and elegant beauty,
the Divine Proportion is a perpetual reminder that our home
for regeneration and continuity lies in realizing the meaningful
and harmonious relationship of all the parts to the whole.
Priya Hemenway attended McGill University
in Montreal, where she studied classical Greek and mathematics.
She then lived in India for many years, studying Eastern
thought and philosophy, meditation, and Oriental sacred
scriptures. Hemenway now lives in the Bay Area and is a
writer and a photographer. She recently coauthored The
Prayer Bead Box and has written The Tao Box, Hindu
Gods, and The Little Book of Saints.
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