Before the Pyramids: Cracking Archaeology's Greatest Mystery (35 page)

Having made this realization what they did next is the most surprising aspect of our studies. They created an integrated measuring system based upon a year of 366 days. Just as surely as they recognized that the circle of the year was naturally split into 366 units, they then split the horizon into 366 units, which we would know as degrees of arc. They then split the units again, first into minutes of arc – they considered that there were 60 minutes of arc to 1 degree of arc.

But this was not enough for them so they split the units again. Each minute of arc was split into 6 smaller units, which we would know as seconds of arc. (Note the difference between this form of geometry and the one we use now. In 360° geometry there are 60 seconds of arc to 1 minute of arc but in the megalithic system there are only 6.)

Somehow they worked out that if they split the degree, minute and second of arc in this way, they would arrive at a stunning result because each Megalithic Second of arc of the polar Earth measured
exactly
366 Megalithic Yards on the ground.

The actual size of the Megalithic Yard could be judged by the careful use of a pendulum of exactly half this length (
see
Appendix 4). At first this was used in conjunction with the Sun but later a more sophisticated method was established using the planet Venus during certain parts of its orbit.

What is absolutely incredible about the Megalithic Yard as a unit of length is not just that it is geodetic (fits into the polar circumference of the Earth in a logical and obviously intended way), but it does the same job on the Moon and the Sun. One Megalithic Second of arc on the Moon measures exactly 100 Megalithic Yards. On the Sun the same Megalithic Second of arc is 40,000 Megalithic Yards.

Getting the sheer genius of this system across to our readers has been the hardest part of our quest because it really is incredible but it can seem complicated. Once the penny drops, the whole system is virtually miraculous, making our modern approach to measurement systems look primitive – logic is reversed. In this system a second of arc of the sky can be seen as the same thing as a second of time of the Earth turning on its axis. In other words 1 Megalithic Second of the Earth turning on its axis also represents a physical segment of the sky, albeit an extremely small one because it is 1/366th of 1/360th of the sky. The same second is also a finite measurement of part of the Earth’s circumference. Time and geometry and distance all merge into the same symmetrical whole, and astronomical calculations become much easier.

Meanwhile, with the system we use today we have degrees, minutes and seconds of arc of the sky and of the circumference of our planet. We also have minutes and seconds of time but these don’t match the turning sky at all. This fact must have cost thousands of human lives as the first mariners to engage in transatlantic voyages tried desperately to reconcile minutes and seconds of time with minutes and seconds of geometrical arc and came up with the wrong answer. We eventually discovered that, in addition to measuring time and linear distance, the megalithic system had also been based on the mass of the Earth. How could this possibly be? It’s absurd, and yet it is self-evidently true. The unit of mass in question is virtually the same as the unit presently known as the imperial pound. The mass of the Earth is 5.9742 × 10
²⁴
kg. In pounds this figure is 1.31708565 × 10
²⁵
lb. With just a very slight change in the definition of the pound this figure becomes 1.317600 × 10
²⁵
lb and then something amazing happens. Imagine we segment the earth like an orange. A segment 1 Msec of arc across would have a mass of exactly 1 × 10
²⁰
lb. That’s 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds!

This means that the imperial pound and the pound that was a part of the megalithic system are virtually identical. The Megalithic Pound had a value of 99.96% of the modern pound! The difference is 0.4 of a gram. That this level of accuracy has been maintained across such a vast period of time is little short of incredible.

In order to turn the Megalithic Yard into a system for measuring volume and mass we need to resort to the Megalithic Inch. Alexander Thom found this unit when he carefully studied carvings that had been scratched into a number of standing stones. He established that there had been 40 Megalithic Inches to 1 Megalithic Yard. A cube with sides of 1/10th of a Megalithic Yard (4 Megalithic Inches) holds the same as a modern pint of water. If the water is poured out and the same cube is filled with any cereal grain, such as wheat, barley or even un-hulled rice, the weight of the cereal grain will be 1 imperial pound.

So what do we have?

The megalithic system is a system of geometry and measurement that is based upon a 366-day year, together with the physical size and mass of the Earth. It measures time, distance, mass and volume using the same figures throughout, and aspects of it are as relevant to the Moon and Sun as they are here on Earth. Without wishing to detract from our stunning scientific accomplishments as a species, anyone would surely have to admit that the megalithic system is better in a number of ways than any method of measurement used today. This is because it is ‘integrated’ and because a common terminology is used throughout. The metric system in use today may be extremely accurate, and it too was originally based on the circumference of the Earth, but it certainly does not take Earth mass into account and neither is it used for the measurement of time. Unbelievable as it may seem, thanks to our friend and colleague Edmund Sixsmith, we now believe that the Megalithic system also dealt with the measurement of temperature. If we create a temperature scale in which the freezing point of water is 0° Megalithic and the boiling point of water is 366° Megalithic something quite magical happens. Absolute zero, the lowest temperature achievable (usually considered to be –273.15 °C) becomes an absolutely round and quite accurate – 1,000° Megalithic.

Since there is little chance that our megalithic ancestors were interested in measuring temperatures, let alone in possession of the technology to do so, the megalithic temperature system stands as proof that, as ingenious and useable as aspects of the Megalithic system were to our ancient ancestors, they did not create it. Rather they must have ‘inherited’ it from a previous technological culture that is now lost to us.

•

We were already very familiar with the significance of five-sided figures long before we began to look at Washington DC. We have described pentagons before as being ‘inside-out pentacles’ or five-pointed stars. Joining the corners of a pentagon together, as shown below, creates a pentacle.

The pentacle is the most common historical representation of the planet Venus. We have explained why this is probably the case in our previous books. Briefly, it is because five Venus cycles as seen from the Earth have almost exactly the same number of days as eight Earth years. This seemingly ‘magical’ coincidence therefore imbued both five-sided and eight-sided figures with a special significance in the minds of ancient star-watchers.

Five-sided figures are also extremely important to the United States. The five-pointed star can be seen repeated on the Great Seal of the United States, on the national flag and on United States currency. To Freemasons it also has a special significance. It is known as the ‘Blazing Star’ and from around 1735 it was detailed as being part of the furniture of the Free-masonic Lodge. It was to be found at the centre of the mosaic pavement in a Masonic temple, though it often appears above ground level, in the east, and invariably carries the letter ‘G’ at its centre.

As to what Freemasons consider the Blazing Star actually represents there is no apparent consensus. Many Freemasons, especially historical ones such as Robert Hewitt Brown, recognized the Blazing Star as being representative of the Sun – though this is a strange way to depict the Sun, which is almost invariably shown in other contexts as an orb. Other Freemasons suggest that the Blazing Star may be Egyptian and represent the star Sirius that we mentioned so frequently in earlier chapters. For our own part we remain content that the Blazing Star represents the planet Venus. Its presence in Freemasonry is one of the clues for the Mystery Religion origins of the Craft – even if the average Freemason these days has no idea regarding this fact. It is suggested the ‘G’, often to be found at the centre of the star, stands for the word ‘God’ but of course ‘Goddess’ is also spelled with a capital G.

Figure 29.
Pentacle drawn within the corners of a pentagon

Obviously a star-shaped building for the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense would not have been very useful and would have offered very little space for its intended purpose. So even if the five-pointed star had enjoyed some symbolic meaning in the minds of those who planned the new building, a pentagon was a much more useful and practical shape.

As we have seen, the Pentagon building connects to both the Ellipse centre and the Capitol in megalithic units of 366 MY, and since the Ellipse and the Capitol share a similar relationship with each other a triangle of megalithic proportions can be drawn that joins all three sites. The sum total of the distance involved between the three is close to 10,020 m, which in megalithic terms is 33 × 366 MY. For reasons other than the simple measurements involved surely nobody would try to suggest that the existence of this triangle, with all its symbolism for Washington DC and the United States, is merely a figment of our overactive imaginations?

The corners of this triangle define Washington DC’s geographic heart (the Ellipse), its democratic heart (the Capitol) and its military heart (the Pentagon). What is more, the existence of the triangle, with its 33 × 366 MY proportions, offers all the proof we need that the relationship between the three is deliberate and that Freemasons were involved.

In Freemasonic terms there is certainly significance to the number 33. As with all Freemasons, Scottish Rite Freemasons have to go through the normal three degrees that lead them to becoming a full member of the Craft. (A degree in this sense is a particular ceremony and its associated ritual that allows a Freemason to gradually climb the Masonic ladder.) Different groups of Freemasons do things in slightly different ways but the Scottish Rite, which can certainly claim to be descended from the oldest existent branch of Freemasonry, has degrees or levels well beyond the obligatory three degrees. In fact there are 32 degrees in Scottish Freemasonry that can be achieved through the Scottish Rite Freemason’s own efforts and advancement, and a further degree that can be offered to any 32nd-degree Freemason who, it is judged, has given exceptional service to the Craft. This therefore makes a total of 33 degrees, which is as high as anyone can climb in Scottish Rite Freemasonry.
¹

Franklin D Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, was the man who steered the United States skilfully through the hell of the Second World War. This same man helped to rescue the United States from the horrors of the Great Depression and set the nation back to work. It was Franklin Roosevelt who personally ordered the change of location of the Pentagon at the last minute, ensuring it would be built in a location that would create the megalithic triangle that is 33 × 366 MY in length. Roosevelt was a Scottish Rite Freemason who had attained 32 degrees and who, for his work in the Craft, was awarded 33rd-degree status!

During the research for this book we looked at the ceremonies and rituals associated with the 32nd and 33rd degree. In the case of the latter there is not much to report because as we have pointed out the degree is ‘offered’ rather than ‘earned’ (though it is suggested that there is a more secret 33rd-degree ritual that has never been published). However, the 32nd-degree Scottish Rite ceremony is so significant we could hardly believe our eyes.

The 32nd degree is known as the degree of ‘The Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret’. It is composed of three separate parts. These are the Opening Ceremony, the Ceremonial Section and the Allegory.

This particular ceremony is very elaborate, as befits someone who has climbed as high on the Freemasonic ladder as it is possible to go under one’s own effort. A great deal of play-acting takes place and the various characters all have fictional names.

It is suggested that the 32nd degree relates to the fight for Jerusalem at the time of the Crusades, though no specific location is mentioned in the ritual itself.

The ceremony takes place in what appears to be a fictitious military camp that, according to what we learn later, represents a nine-sided figure, inside which is a seven-sided figure. Inside the seven-sided figure is a five-sided figure or pentagon, and inside this is a triangle. Finally, inside the triangle is a circle, which represents infinity. Most of the 32nd-degree ceremony relates specifically to the pentagon.

Freemasons who already hold the 32nd degree play the part of specific characters in the ceremony. After a typically Freemasonic preamble in which various figures such as the Commander in Chief, the Captain of the Guard and the Master of Ceremonies take part, a character by the name of Constans enters. This is the individual that represents the would-be 32nd-degree Freemasons who are present.