This book contains the first published results of Schwaller's 12 years of research at the temple of Luxor and its implications for interpreting the symbolic and mathematical processes of the Egyptians through their sacred architecture.
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R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz (1887--1961) was one of the most important philosophers, mathematicians, and Egyptologists of this century. His elucidation of the temple at Luxor and his presentation of the Egyptian understanding of a special quality of innate consciousness form a bridge that links the sacred science of the Ancients to its rediscovery in our own time.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By N. Lievense
Format:Paperback
In this book, the result of an intense survey of the Temple of Luxor, de Lubicz outlines his view that the Temple was deliberately designed as a symbol of the Microcosmic Man writ in stone. Each part of the Temple correlates with a section of the human body, to such a degree that de Lubicz contends the ancient Egyptians knew far more about the workings of the body and especially the brain than they are generally given credit for. This hypothesis is the gist of the book, however de Lubicz also delves unashamedly into related ideas concerning the radical variations in the way the Egyptians viewed the world, as opposed to people in this day and age. He argues strongly that the Egyptians viewed reality somewhat in the Platonic sense; that the Idea is the true, unchanging reality, and the material world is but a myriad of symbols (or shadows) alluding to that reality.
The author certainly knows his own mind, however occasionally I found some of his thinking rather hard to get to grips with, though I am new to his work. This is a book to be studied slowly and carefully, to ponder over and digest. Despite the odd occasion when the author seemed to be speaking over my head, paradoxically there were also quite a few times when I was quite amazed at the clarity and wisdom of his words. For example, he sums up the principle of correspondence (As above, so below) quite beautifully:
"It is said that “Man is of Nature; Man is in Nature, and Nature and Man are One.” Now, Man cannot create - that is to say, make something out of Nothing - any more than Nature can. Man is identified with Nature, and any “creation of the mind” (implying human thought), which is but an assemblage of existing parts, is the result of a state of Consciousness that makes the connections between the qualities and possibilities of the Universe on the one hand, and their organic summation in the individual on the other. Man is the individualization of all the functions, affinities, and powers of the Universe, and Consciousness is the Measure of individualization, rendering actual that which is virtual in the cosmic harmony."
Some would say that the author is merely projecting his alchemical outlook onto the subject matter, however the same allegation (of projection) could be levelled at conventional Egyptologists, in the sense that they are projecting a materialistic outlook onto the endeavours of a highly spiritual and religious people. De Lubicz seems, to my mind, to have strived to get into the mind of the ancient Egyptian, into "pharaonic thought," as he calls it. My opinion is that he does provide some rather striking evidence for his theory, and along the way I got a glimpse into a highly intelligent and disciplined mind, which has left me wanting more.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Koriel Tannhauser
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
What can I say here? The man was a genius. The book is a masterpiece. If you are reading these reviews on Amazon, chances are that you are probably well aware what Schwaller de Lubicz accomplished during his lifetime, and who he was - and there is no point of repeating that information here. As with any other book written by him, almost every sentence and paragraph is important, as he is not wasting any unnecessary words on the reader (this is not a long book, 8 chapters, 132 pages, several photos and charts - but in case like this, it doesn't have to be).
In this book he is examining esoteric symbolism in Temple of Luxor, its significance in ancient Egypt, and he is also attesting that what is true for the Temple of Luxor is also true for other monuments from all the Egyptian dynasties. I think that the following perfectly describes, in his own words, what his reasoning/thinking process was: "Through symbolism and through it alone can we read the thought of the Ancients. It is only through the symbolical that we will be able to coordinate the known elements of this great civilization and that the writing may take on its true meaning". It is something that even now (or maybe especially now), most of orthodox Egyptologists are simply ignoring or not paying enough attention to (as Lubicz is saying in this case: "the philosophical connection of the accumulated data is lacking").
The architecture of The Temple of Luxor is a way in which ancient Egyptians tried to communicate/convey wonders of the human body, brain (with importance given to the crown of the skull) and its connection to Human Microcosm (an image of a Microcosmic Man). The entire temple, in a way, becomes a book explaining the secret functions of vital centres of the human body. At this point it is also obvious that Egyptologists are simply wrong when saying that the Egyptians didn't know the human body's anatomy and physiology (as Lubicz is saying in the defense of the ancient Knowledge: "People cling obstinately to the "classical" prejudice and, in order to defend this thesis, prefer to link the ancient Egyptians with the anthropoids!"). As a side note, at one point he is also briefly discussing connection of Gothic cathedrals with the Temple of Luxor - which is also a fascinating reading material.
As I said before, almost every sentence here is important and is a masterpiece in itself:
"The Universe is only consciousness and presents only an evolution of consciousness, from beginning to end, which is the return to its Cause. The aim of every "initiatory" religion is to teach the way that leads to this the ultimate merging".
"Within the Temple of Egypt, psycho-spiritual growth was wedded to precise intellectual and physiological disciplines which acted to accelerate the influence and transformative effects of spirit"
"It is a library containing the totality of knowledge pertaining to universal creative powers, embodied in the building itself"
Bear in mind, this is the book that probably has to be read more than once, to truly appreciate the wisdom and philosophy of the author. It has to be read slowly, with understanding as this is not a book that you can read on the bus/train on your way to work (if you do that: you are probably not going to appreciate the full meaning and essence of author's work, and you are completely missing the point of this book). Read it, if you dare. You won't be disappointed.
In this book he is examining esoteric symbolism in Temple of Luxor, its significance in ancient Egypt, and he is also attesting that what is true for the Temple of Luxor is also true for other monuments from all the Egyptian dynasties. I think that the following perfectly describes, in his own words, what his reasoning/thinking process was: "Through symbolism and through it alone can we read the thought of the Ancients. It is only through the symbolical that we will be able to coordinate the known elements of this great civilization and that the writing may take on its true meaning". It is something that even now (or maybe especially now), most of orthodox Egyptologists are simply ignoring or not paying enough attention to (as Lubicz is saying in this case: "the philosophical connection of the accumulated data is lacking").
The architecture of The Temple of Luxor is a way in which ancient Egyptians tried to communicate/convey wonders of the human body, brain (with importance given to the crown of the skull) and its connection to Human Microcosm (an image of a Microcosmic Man). The entire temple, in a way, becomes a book explaining the secret functions of vital centres of the human body. At this point it is also obvious that Egyptologists are simply wrong when saying that the Egyptians didn't know the human body's anatomy and physiology (as Lubicz is saying in the defense of the ancient Knowledge: "People cling obstinately to the "classical" prejudice and, in order to defend this thesis, prefer to link the ancient Egyptians with the anthropoids!"). As a side note, at one point he is also briefly discussing connection of Gothic cathedrals with the Temple of Luxor - which is also a fascinating reading material.
As I said before, almost every sentence here is important and is a masterpiece in itself:
"The Universe is only consciousness and presents only an evolution of consciousness, from beginning to end, which is the return to its Cause. The aim of every "initiatory" religion is to teach the way that leads to this the ultimate merging".
"Within the Temple of Egypt, psycho-spiritual growth was wedded to precise intellectual and physiological disciplines which acted to accelerate the influence and transformative effects of spirit"
"It is a library containing the totality of knowledge pertaining to universal creative powers, embodied in the building itself"
Bear in mind, this is the book that probably has to be read more than once, to truly appreciate the wisdom and philosophy of the author. It has to be read slowly, with understanding as this is not a book that you can read on the bus/train on your way to work (if you do that: you are probably not going to appreciate the full meaning and essence of author's work, and you are completely missing the point of this book). Read it, if you dare. You won't be disappointed.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unheralded genius
9 Feb 2008
By Mark Gibbs
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Magnificent. This short book is work of genius. It is not surprising that academics ignored it when it was first published in 1949 - and continue to do so. Of course, most thinking people are dubious of Egyptologists - they still can't explain how the pyramids were built - but de Lubicz proves that a profound ideology underpinned Pharaoh's Egypt. Its focus was less on pagan deities and fanciful notions of the afterworld, and more on a comprehensive knowledge of the human being, physical and spiritual. This understanding was inherited by medieval hermeticists and alchemists. This is a positive and uplifting book, and though the language is somewhat dated, don't let that put you off.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book!
26 Aug 2012
By mr.t
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book and other books that i purchase with amazon is a Eye Awakening to ones being. Reading this book, i have felt as if I've step into the past to receive this wealth of scholared information.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Esoteric Theories About The Ancient Egyptians
31 Jan 2013
By Jeff Marzano
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is I guess an attempt to explain some of the secret knowledge that the ancient Egyptians possessed. I have no doubt that they did indeed possess such knowledge.
I thought the translator's forward at the beginning of the book was excellent and it captures the essence of the book including the potential problems for us today of being able to think in the same way as the ancient Egyptians.
One point of the book seems to be that once we take these concepts and reduce them to something we can describe using our form of language we have already lost much of the true and original meaning. Translator Robert Lawlor uses the example of how the Egyptians viewed numbers differently than we do now. He says the Egyptians considered numbers to be 'concrete definitions of energetic formative principles of nature'.
In some ways this entire book is like one of those Egyptian symbols which mean much more than the words alone literally explain. There are many mysterious ideas, both literally described and indirectly implied, contained in this short book.
Schwaller felt that the Temple Of Luxor was designed based on universal principles and proportions that occur in the human body. The temple corresponds to a human being at several different ages from childhood up to adulthood. He talks about the Golden Number which people think occurs in living organisms in nature.
Shwaller felt that the Egyptian temples were alive somehow. This reminds me of Christopher Dunn's groundbreaking book The Giza Power Plant which indicates that the Great Pyramid was at one time a working machine.
I don't doubt that the things Scwhaller believed were true in many cases and this knowledge could have profound implications for our world today in the area of medical science.
There's an interesting past life memory in Brian Weiss' book Same Soul Many Bodies. This guy remembered being a priest in very ancient Egypt. He said they used 'energy rods' which generated light and sound to stimulate the human body's ability to regenerate itself. They could for example cause the body to regenerate an arm or leg that had been lost in warfare. These arcane healing arts were practiced in the utmost secrecy in the temples.
This is interesting because regeneration is the new frontier in medicine today. Doctors today are using stem cells and pig tissue to do what the Egyptian priests apparently did using light and sound which are vibrations.
Schwaller believed in the mystical meanings of certain numbers. He uses the terms 'Science Of Numbers' and 'Mathematical Philosophy' in the book.
I definitely feel this book is worth reading for people who are trying to figure out the mysteries of ancient Egypt. However I did not understand everything Schwaller said. Gaining that understanding would probably require repeated exposure to these mystical concepts, perhaps as those concepts are explained by other authors.
Still the book got me curious and I'll probably order another one of Schwaller's books. Even though I didn't understand all the details I feel this book got me thinking in potentially new and different ways.
Ancient Science
Fulcanelli: Master Alchemist: Le Mystere des Cathedrales, Esoteric Intrepretation of the Hermetic Symbols of The Great Work
The Giza Power Plant : Technologies of Ancient Egypt
The Philosopher's Stone: Alchemy and the Secret Research for Exotic Matter
Initiation Rites
Melchizedek And The Mystery Of Fire
Initiation
Initiation in the Great Pyramid (Astara's library of mystical classics)
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce on Vibrations: Spirit in Motion
Edgar Cayce's Atlantis
Edgar Cayce's Egypt: Psychic Revelations on the Most Fascinating Civilization Ever Known
Edgar Cayce on the Revelation: A Study Guide for Spiritualizing Body and Mind
I thought the translator's forward at the beginning of the book was excellent and it captures the essence of the book including the potential problems for us today of being able to think in the same way as the ancient Egyptians.
One point of the book seems to be that once we take these concepts and reduce them to something we can describe using our form of language we have already lost much of the true and original meaning. Translator Robert Lawlor uses the example of how the Egyptians viewed numbers differently than we do now. He says the Egyptians considered numbers to be 'concrete definitions of energetic formative principles of nature'.
In some ways this entire book is like one of those Egyptian symbols which mean much more than the words alone literally explain. There are many mysterious ideas, both literally described and indirectly implied, contained in this short book.
Schwaller felt that the Temple Of Luxor was designed based on universal principles and proportions that occur in the human body. The temple corresponds to a human being at several different ages from childhood up to adulthood. He talks about the Golden Number which people think occurs in living organisms in nature.
Shwaller felt that the Egyptian temples were alive somehow. This reminds me of Christopher Dunn's groundbreaking book The Giza Power Plant which indicates that the Great Pyramid was at one time a working machine.
I don't doubt that the things Scwhaller believed were true in many cases and this knowledge could have profound implications for our world today in the area of medical science.
There's an interesting past life memory in Brian Weiss' book Same Soul Many Bodies. This guy remembered being a priest in very ancient Egypt. He said they used 'energy rods' which generated light and sound to stimulate the human body's ability to regenerate itself. They could for example cause the body to regenerate an arm or leg that had been lost in warfare. These arcane healing arts were practiced in the utmost secrecy in the temples.
This is interesting because regeneration is the new frontier in medicine today. Doctors today are using stem cells and pig tissue to do what the Egyptian priests apparently did using light and sound which are vibrations.
Schwaller believed in the mystical meanings of certain numbers. He uses the terms 'Science Of Numbers' and 'Mathematical Philosophy' in the book.
I definitely feel this book is worth reading for people who are trying to figure out the mysteries of ancient Egypt. However I did not understand everything Schwaller said. Gaining that understanding would probably require repeated exposure to these mystical concepts, perhaps as those concepts are explained by other authors.
Still the book got me curious and I'll probably order another one of Schwaller's books. Even though I didn't understand all the details I feel this book got me thinking in potentially new and different ways.
Ancient Science
Fulcanelli: Master Alchemist: Le Mystere des Cathedrales, Esoteric Intrepretation of the Hermetic Symbols of The Great Work
The Giza Power Plant : Technologies of Ancient Egypt
The Philosopher's Stone: Alchemy and the Secret Research for Exotic Matter
Initiation Rites
Melchizedek And The Mystery Of Fire
Initiation
Initiation in the Great Pyramid (Astara's library of mystical classics)
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce on Vibrations: Spirit in Motion
Edgar Cayce's Atlantis
Edgar Cayce's Egypt: Psychic Revelations on the Most Fascinating Civilization Ever Known
Edgar Cayce on the Revelation: A Study Guide for Spiritualizing Body and Mind
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