[meteorite-list] OT: five-pointed stars vs six-pointed stars

From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Sep 13 14:49:07 2005
Message-ID: <1ac.3f469163.30587909_at_aol.com>

Hola,

My inclination is just based on SIMPLICITY and PERFECTION with a little awe
from peasants admiring the intellectuals.

The five pointed star has a much more robust history than being explained
away so offhandedly (and incorrectly regarding its origin) as the five elements
of alchemy (or more graciously the Greeks' five elements). I would think
that Alexander of Macedonia under the great Greek tutors like Aristotle bridged
the awe of the ancients with his golden chestplate logo symbol (five pointed
star) to the modern world. He dreamed of folding Persia into his Greek
empire and no doubt Greek intellectuals attributed the 5-pointer to Mesopotamia -
that was Alexander's style when melding cultures. Pythagoras ( a couple
hundred years earlier) wrote about the characteristics of the 5-pointer, which
has two important characteristics:

1. It is the simplest astersketch that doesn't require the quill to be
removed from the parchament resulting in a perfectly symmetric sketch easily done
by a child - making a very powerful argument for perfection that anyone can
draw.
2. It's geometrical proportions reporduce the golden ratio that Pythagoras
_et. al._ and contemporaries, and then later DaVinci were so inspired with -
called golden for the perfection of nature. The proportion is the same one
as in the Golden Rectangle and apparent in ammonites, nautili, rabbit
reproduction, as well as arguably human physical beauty, and many other places you
can look. The Golden Proportion is found as follows in the five pointed star
by simply taking the ratio of the

A six-pointed star is drawn most easily by two superimposed equilateral
triangles and has other arguments of perfection. But it has no irrational
numbers, or pleasing ratios like the golden proportion and does require two
separate strokes. Pythagoras, a great influence on Aristotle and the rest of the
intellectual pantheon and his school also found that, just like the famous
golden rectangle with the same proportion, the three isoceles triangles of the
five pointed star via bisecting the base angles could be made into an
infiinitely repeating triangle of those proportions terroriferically excitingly - with
the golden proportion falling out. So the mathematicians had a lot to be
occupied about. The were revered, sometimes secretive and planted the seeds
for the mystics...who were originally just intellectuals following in their
footsteps as the ages darkened.

Of course, Christianity couldn't have a competitive symbol to the cross so
you were persecuted for using it and no doubt it turned into a witchhunt in
the Inquisition. But the devil and evil and other stupidity attributed to the
five-pinted star whether inscribed in a pentagon or upside down or in the
missionary position or whatever is more of a recent product of cults desperately
trying to appropiate an icon that expresses power knowledge and the
rebellous side. But really this devil nonesense couldn't be much more than 100-200
years old for the golden symbol of perfection. And the USA making the central
war waging facility called the "Pentagon" probably gave it an extra ominous
push...So chalk up the evilness to the church monopoly and teachings about
other icons.

As the six-pointed star was appropiated by King Solomon, and generally had a
more respected patent protection since it had less fun mathematics behind it
and turned on the Pythagoreans much less...and through the ages, the quest
for the most simple perfect icon (whether for Alexander or, good one,
Mercedes:) ) has been contentious, all kinds of symbolism from the head and four
limbs being a crucified man, toi the elements to the mountains of of the
Templars, to the five known wanderer planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn),
bla bla bla, we can find as many meanings as we want for different
compassionate or witchy companies through the ages if you like Freemason Egyptian
Mesopotamian stuff, persecutions for competion from the cross, etc. Even in
Chinese numismatics - thanks for the trivia, Dirk..., or in the US 18th century
Freemason intellectualism.

But as a symbol the power (=>godliness and the heavens where constellations
were rewards for heroic ascentions) of the five pointer is in the golden
ratio, its golden triangles, and the ability to draw it without lifting the pen,
and play with the geometry for the all its entertainment value --- and then
that the first World conquerer picked it because he hung with the intellectual
crowd as a kid and was obsessed with the lands where the five pointer was
first used - as previously pointed out - not to represent heavenly bodies, but
rather the fusion of math, biology (creation) and art...

Saludos, Doug

Dirk R. wrote:
Nick and List,
I have done some further digging. The five pointed
stars represent the five elements of alchemy, water,
wind, fire, wood, stone in different forms.
The center of the star representing the Earth.
Both forms contain symbols that are not apparent to
most of the the modern world. Thanks for you kind
reply.
As a side note: The ancient Chinese used the circle
to represent Heaven and the square, Earth (this is the
reason that ancient Chinese coins had a square hole
in their center).
Dirk...Tokyo

--- Nicholas Gessler <gessler_at_ucla.edu> wrote:

> Hello Dirk,
> Or four or seven points?
> Or pointy stars: 3 points for Mercedes, 5 points
> for Chrysler?
> Or no points, as our sky atlases depict?
> Are you deconstructing artists' renderings of the
> heavens and meteorite falls?
> Or any number of points depending on which camera
> filter we choose to use?
> Independent invention?
> Random variation?
> The wish to have a different sort of star from the
> other folks?
> 5-points is demonic only if the point is down.
> Star-struck,
> Nick
Received on Tue 13 Sep 2005 02:48:41 PM PDT