Twelve Tribe Nations - The Sunrise Geometrical Layout Design

TWELVE TRIBE NATIONS - Enchanting the Sunrise Celebration

The Sunrise Celebration site was devised to have a twelve-fold geometrical layout (thirteen including the central hearth), based upon the principles of ancient cultures, sacred geometry and numerical harmony. Antiquarian author and Philosopher, John Michell (with co-author Christine Rhone) discovered many traditions throughout the ancient world that had social orders divided into twelve tribes, each corresponding to the twelve signs of the zodiac. From the times of the megaliths, right up to the nineteenth century, and from cultures as obscure as the rural inhabitants of Madagascar and Iceland, the twelve-tribe principle was always associated with a ?¢‚ǨÀúgolden age?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢. The purpose of this twelve-fold division was to represent the differing higher qualities of the practical and spiritual human potential and to maintain the ?¢‚ǨÀúenchantment?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ of the landscape and its people.

The ?¢‚ǨÀútwelve?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ mythos reaches far back in history and deeply into our psyches. Jesus had twelve disciples, King Arthur had twelve knights, Odysseus had twelve followers, King Conchobar (an ancient Irish high king) had twelve warriors and twelve Knights Templars protected the mysteries in Jerusalem. The mighty landscape Zodiac of Glastonbury has twelve signs, with a canine protector, the Girt Dog of Langport. Astrology relies on twelve signs of the zodiac to reflect on the cyclical qualities of existence.

All across the planet, in countries as far apart as China and Peru, are records of nations being divided into twelve tribes and twelve regions, each tribe and its land corresponding to one of the signs of the zodiac and one of the twelve months of the year. The twelve tribes each had its own code and customs, but were united by a common spirituality, purpose and code of law. In the centre of their societies, there was a sacred mountain, mound or acropolis rock, which represented the pole of the Universe. This centre-point was often chosen carefully by geomancers in accordance with the surrounding landscape, natural earth energies and had to be a balanced meeting place between heaven and earth. At the Sunrise Celebration, we have the Sacred Hearth, the spiritual centre of the gathering.

Two ancient sources had visions of divine rule and cities that organised themselves upon the principles of harmony. St. John and Plato approached the twelve-fold principle from very different perspectives. Plato, with his politicians mind devised the ?¢‚ǨÀúAmphictyony?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢, a system of law and governance moulded from ancient Greek principles. Whilst St. John the Divine, a visionary scholar, described his city as a twelve-faceted pattern in the heavens, descending to earth as the New Jerusalem, where the twelve tribes of Israel would reassemble in the light of Christian revelation.

This inspired John Michell to apply the fundamentals of sacred geometry to these ideas. He realised both systems created the same geometrical layout, which can be seen in the image below:
This design has become the blueprint for the layout of the 13 arenas at the Sunrise Celebration. The basic figure in the design is the ?¢‚ǨÀúsquared circle?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢, a symbol of the divine union between heaven and earth, spirit and matter, nature and civilization.

3-dimensional geometry of 12 equal spheres will also fit perfectly around a 13th, each touching the central sphere and four of its neighbours. An indication of perfect natural harmony. The similar principles of music were applied to maintain a harmonic ?¢‚ǨÀúcontrol?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ over the individual soul and society. It was said that in ancient Egypt their civilization was free of corruption for ten thousand years due to the continued application of musical harmony and geometry. In Britain we have ?¢‚ǨÀúThe Circle of Perpetual Choirs?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢, two massive landscape circles of sacred sites that the ancients were said to have constantly chanted or sang at, thereby ?¢‚ǨÀúenchanting the landscape?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢. The centre of the west county circle is the Malvern Hills, whilst the centre of the eastern circle is Ring Hill, near Audley End in Essex.

In the legend of the Jerusalem Temple, the light and energy which issued from the inner sanctum conveyed health, fertility and blessings. When the Temple was destroyed a spell was broken and the ?¢‚ǨÀúgolden age?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ came to a standstill. The ancient science of ?¢‚ǨÀúenchanting the landscape?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ is now completely overlooked, but the modern renaissance in earth mysteries and the liberal arts is placing these ?¢‚ǨÀúhigher?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ values as a priority at the dawn of the new era of higher consciousness.

The more deeply we look into these principles, the more beautifully apparent the ideas behind them become: to create and maintain a perfectly balanced human order in harmony with the heavenly order, where life is experienced on a high level of spiritual intensity, as traditionally follows from the discovery of the Holy Grail and spiritual awakening. With these higher ideals in mind the Sunrise Celebration, Avalon Rising and TAS all stands by these principles and welcomes you into this small part of the sacred landscape of Somerset to become inspired, educated, musically harmonised and to co-create the dawn of the ?¢‚ǨÀúgolden age?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ on earth.

For this year?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s Sunrise Celebration, the mandala has been orientated so as to create some interesting landscape alignments. The central fire has a major lunar alignment with the Woodhenge (which, interestingly, was built just before the Sunrise Celebration 2006, during the last major lunar standstill season). This link is not only with the Woodhenge but, via Shaun Kirwan?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s alignment, to St Michael?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s tower on Glastonbury Tor and the stone circle on the previous Big Green Gathering festival site. This is symbolic of the interconnectedness of our actions with the actions of others whether we realise it or not. By each playing our individual part in being the change we wish to see in our world, we connect to the body of conscious people currently manifesting unstoppable positive change.

In addition this years 12 arenas have been spun around a little from previous years, so that the gaps between the four sets of three arenas take in the rise and set alignments of the summer and winter solstices and the northern and southern major lunistices. This is possible because the angular size and position of each of the gaps, which are governed by a 28 point star, coincide with the pattern made by these major alignments at the latitudes where Sunrise Celebration takes place (see diagram). The symbolism here is about synchronising ourselves with and tuning our societies to our natural environment.

Finally, when it comes to physically building the site, it will be done so that each morning the sun, which is approaching it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s solstice alignment, will rise and shine into the central hearth through the entrance from the main camping field, or down ?¢‚ǨÀúSunrise Avenue?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ as it has been dubbed. Site art plans have been devised with this alignment in mind and the central arena will be it?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s focus. So if you can get up early enough (4:49ish), or if you are still up, why not make your way to the central arena to watch the sunrise at Sunrise. Whether you make it or not, the sun will rise. And remember, it is the same sun that rises on every single person around our planet. Whatever your geography, culture, race, gender or state of consciousness, we all share one sun.

By Hugh Newman and Michael Hanby

Also see www.avalonrising.co.uk and www.theantiquariansociety.com
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