As we all know, one thing that Bessler's codes has thrown up is the frequent appearance of 5, 55 and 555. I have suggested that it either points to chapter 55 of Johann Bessler's Apologia Poetica - and/or it is a hint that five mechanisms are needed in each direction for the bi-directional wheel. But nothing is certain and I would not wish to become so dogmatic that I miss an alternative meaning.
I would be the first to admit that the evidence that there were five mechanisms is non-existent, and if I'm wrong, then one must assume that the large number of coded number 5s only points to Chapter 55 in Apologia. If it is connected with the presence of a coded message hidden in chapter 55 of Apologia Poetica, the evidence for which is undeniable, why did he choose the number 55? Was it chance? I think the presence of hidden pentagrams, hinting at the same number in all the drawings in other books rules out chance. He left so many other pointers to that Chapter, within the Apologia, not forgetting the strange list of 141 bible references, that the pentagrams seem to be superfluous.
In support of the idea that the chapter number 55 was not the only reason for the presence of the pentagrams, remember that none of the drawings containing the pentagrams appear in Apologia Poetica but rather, in the later publication Das Triumphirende, which came out four years later in a much more professional publication. if they were pointing to the chapter 55 in Apologia Poetica one would think there would have been included, some kind of link to that former publication, or did he think people would remember the earlier one and make the connection themselves? Very doubtful, and probably most people would not have even heard of the Apologia, since Bessler had only just started on his journey when it was published.
So the choice to use chapter 55 was deliberate, not chance; the pentagrams while pointing to the chapter 55 are not necessarily exclusively for that purpose, and the need for five mechanisms is not proven. We are left with the mystery of why 55 and what does it mean?
I did a little surfing on the matter. A random query into google led me to the Washington Monument and its extraordinary measurements. Now there are a considerable amount of spurious facts attached to this structure and it is hard to distil the truth from them but this is what I believe is correct.
Several heights have been specified, in the past, but the consensus seems to be 555 and half feet and one eighth of an inch. Let us suppose that the intended height of the Washington monument was meant to be 555.5 feet above ground - that is equal to exactly 6666 inches. A nice round figure and far more likely to be the right number than some figure plus an 1/8 th of an inch as is suggested. Mind you, there are reports that the aluminium capstone on top of the pillar has been struck so many times by lightning that it has lost just under half an inch in height which, if we include the important eighth of an inch, would give a height of 555.55 feet! And that would give us 6666.6 inches!
At ground level the sides are 55.5 feet (666 inches) long. Ok so there appears to be an obsession with the number 5 (or its inch equivalent, 6) - but why? I'm well aware of the 5's ubiquitous associations with alchemy, hermeticism, the Kabbala and freemasonry, and in particular the frequent association of the Washington Monument with the Freemasons....but not why that particular number! Yes there are numerous references to the number in freemasonry etc, but no one has come up with any good reason as far as I can tell why the number 5 is so important to them. The pentagram is the most obvious geometric figure associated with the number five and that seems to have been in Bessler's mind too. It has links with the planet Venus because the path is (very) roughly pentagonal...so what? The skull, book and jar in Bessler's portrait also have links to Venus in symbolic art....and to Mary Magdalen...and she too has links to Venus! We're going around in circles here (sorry!) and perhaps that was intentional. But why five? What was it that Bessler was hinting at? If we really knew why the freemasons were so captivated by the number 5, 55 or 555 etc, maybe we could get a glimpse of what Bessler was trying to tell us.
These different features of Bessler's books - the skull, jar and book, the hidden pentagrams, the various encoded 5s - all seem to point towards some kind of arcane belief system, but what it is, I don't know.
I have searched and searched for years and there is nothing of practical use for our purposes to be found in the inclusion of the the number 5, so the 5s are hinting at something else. But what?
If anyone has any ideas about why Bessler included the number 5s I'd be pleased to know. I understand, technoguy, your conviction that the design incorporates a pentagram within it - and you may be right, but I don't rule out anything else.
JC
5 or 55 might be connected to a way to decipher his code, if he used a code somewhere, and the coded words then contained his methods. Other than that, it could have been his favorite number, or he had a slight obsession.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't have any connection to what or how his wheels worked.
Well, obviously, Bessler selected the number 5 for a reason and it was not just because of its mystical significance. No, he usesd it because it directly relates to the inner mechanics of his wheels!
ReplyDeleteFor example, each of the rising weights on a wheel's ascending side is lifted by four other sinking weights. Thus, the Connectedness Principle involves groups of FIVE weights that work together sequentially to help maintain the eccentricity of the CoM of all of the weights of a wheel. The pentagram is a way of describing the interconnecting cord pattern used by this group of five weights.
5 is also the number of fingers on one hand and, of course, 55 represents the number of fingers on TWO hands. Note that in BOTH of the DT portraits we see TWO of Bessler's hands! Again this is no accident.
If one spends some time studying Bessler's hands in those portraits, some VERY interesting things emerge, indeed. For example, in the second portrait, try drawing a line from the tip of the index finger of his right hand (which holds his glasses) through the tip of the index finger of his left hand (which holds the dividers) and then extending that line toward the lower right corner of the portrait. The line will eventually arrive at that small group of objects in the corner.
BUT, while you are being distracted by that, you will be completely unaware that the line passes directly through the CENTER of the hidden pentagram in the portrait! Why?
The use of the tips of Bessler's INDEX fingers in the second portrait are meant to POINT toward something of importance which is then done by the extended line that points toward the center of the pentagram. Obviously, the pentagram is VERY important. This is due to it representing a particular pattern of cords within the wheel.
These are only a few of the MANY clues hidden in Bessler's portraits. In fact, IMO, Bessler provides sufficient clues in both of the DT portraits to actually duplicate his wheels! BUT, they will only make sense to one IF he is ACTIVELY trying to duplicate Bessler's design. Why put all of this information into only two portraits?
Bessler wanted to make sure that the specifics of his wheels' mechanics would be credited to him in the event that a rival inventor stumbled upon the same design (which is the ONLY one that will actually work!) and the best way to do that was to have them placed right next to Besslers face! That would leave little doubt as to who actually had priority to the discovery.
How truly ingenious!
John what makes you think the pentagram has anything to do with the number five? Contrary to popular opinion there are actually 10 points to a pentagram.
ReplyDeleteFive, or at least the square root of five, appears in the formula for phi, the golden ratio, which has many interesting properties.
ReplyDeletePhi = Φ = (√5 + 1)/2 = 1.61803...
Pentagram - 'penta', ancient Greek = for 'five'.
ReplyDeleteJC
So what? There are still TEN points. Do you doubt this Sir?
ReplyDeleteIt's standard practice to only count the points on the outside of polygons.
ReplyDelete5 also refers to the number of Holy Wounds; Bessler's devotion may have had something to do with his frequent use of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Wounds
No indeed, I understand your point and you're right if you count certain shapes. You asked why, I thought the pentagram had anything to do with the number five? So I answered why.
ReplyDeleteJC
@ Anon
ReplyDeleteGranted that when five lines form a pentagram there will be 10 intersection points between the lines. But, apparently, only the outermost points from the center are counted in naming the figure.
This, however, brings up another important issue. If the lines in a pentagram, as I am convinced, represent actual physical cords running between weighted levers in a drum, then all of those innermost insection points correspond to locations where two cords would be rubbing against each other as the drum rotated and the various weighted levers swung first away from and then back toward their rim stops. How then did Bessler prevent all of that potential rubbing of cords from fraying them and thus eventually causing them to break and interfere with the Connectedness Principle to the point where the CoM of the weights could no longer be maintained on a drum's descending side?
I'll leave this little problem for the "active" mobilists out there to ponder...
@techlic,
ReplyDeleteCat guts, grease, and only running it for 54 days.
@ Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThat is one solution, but not the one I would use and, most likely, not the one Bessler used either.
Somewhere he mentioned that he built his wheels in "layers". I believe that, because of the width of the levers (wide enough to accomadate a four or five inch long cylindrical lead weight), it was possible to have the interconnecting cords between them placed into DIFFERENT planes inside a drum in such a way that no two cords would come into rubbing contact with each other.
This type of design is certainly more complicated than having all of the cords in the same plane, but avoids the need for cord lubrication and would still allow a wheel to run for a very long time before cord failure occurred. It also guarantees that more of the wheel's outputted energy / mass will be available to operate external devices rather than being wasted heating the drum's internal air supply.
With your lies techie and your arrogent ego masturbation I think you show absolutely no respect to the subject. I think you a demon incarnate.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous
ReplyDeleteSo that's why those horns are popping out of my forehead, I"m growing a tail, and my toes have dropped off and are being replaced with cloven hooves. And, I thought it was just a reaction to all of the artificial sweetners I use! LOL!