the Key of Life

I have already written about the extraordinary facts when it comes to our seasons, but that info got more or less lost in my writings about the Mayan calendar. See Squaring the Mayas Now it is time to show just how amazing the Earth's situation is. We all accept that we have seasons. Summer, autumn, winter and spring. Although we usually don’t give it much thought, we do need the seasons. The cycles of everything that lives are only possible because of the seasons. The seasons are the engine of the cycles. Without the seasons life as we know it would not be possible on Earth. The seasons hold the Key of Life. I have already written about the extraordinary facts when it comes to our seasons, but that info got more or less lost in my writings about the Mayan calendar. See Squaring the Mayas Now it is time to show just how amazing the Earth's situation is. We all accept that we have seasons. Summer, autumn, winter and spring. Although we usually don’t give it much thought, we do need the seasons. The cycles of everything that lives are only possible because of the seasons. The seasons are the engine of the cycles. Without the seasons life as we know it would not be possible on Earth. The seasons hold the Key of Life.

Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution. It is this tilt (23.439 degrees) of the Earth’s axis that is so incredible fascinating.

During May, June and July, the northern hemisphere is exposed to more direct sunlight because the hemisphere faces the sun. The same is true of the southern hemisphere in November, December and January. The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith. This event occurs once per year, at the time of the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun to its maximum extent. Its Southern Hemisphere counterpart, marking the most southerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead, is the Tropic of Capricorn.

actual tilting of the Earth's axis less tilting - tropics closer more tilting - tropics further apart

Lets have a closer look at these tropics. If the tilt of the Earth’s axis would have been less, the tropics would have been closer to each and if the tilt would have been more, the tropics would have been further apart.

We can construct two circles between the tropics. See diagrams above.

If we now fit a square around the two circles, we see something amazing happening. The perimeter of the constructed blue square is identical to the circumference of the red circle (= Earth)! It is Squaring the Circle! This is only happens with the actual tilting of the Earth’s axis. See diagram above on the left. If the tilt of the Earth’s axis would have been less, the tropics would have been closer to each, the two circles smaller and with that the square. See middle diagram above. On the other hand, if the tilt would have been more, the tropics would have been further apart, the circles bigger and so the square. See right diagram above. Only the actual tilting of the Earth’s axis makes squaring the circle possible. This is already truly amazing by itself, but there is more.

click on the diagram for an enlargement

Have a close look at the diagram above on the left. First notice how a black circle was added that exactly fits in the blue square. From there on a big green circle was constructed. Its centre is indicated by the blue arrow. The size of the circle is chosen such that it goes precisely through the intersection points of the red circle (= Earth) and the horizontal line (= equator). See red arrows. Now be ready for a stunning coincidence. The big green circle exactly touches the two circles we have constructed between the tropics! Wow! See green arrows. And there is even more. Look at the middle diagram above. Using the points where the big green circle intersects with the black circle and using the top intersection point (all indicated by the red arrows), we can construct a 100% perfect pentagon. And with that a perfect pentagram. See diagram above on the right.

A pentagram is all about the Golden Mean or Golden Ratio. The design of life itself is based on this very Golden Ratio and the closely related Fibonacci Sequence. Realise that the shown ‘squaring the circle’ only works because of the actual angle under which the Earth’s axes is tilted. Any other angle would not generate squaring the circle! The same goes for the inscribed pentagram. The tilting of the Earth’s axis defines squaring the circle and at the same time it also defines the Golden Ratio. The ratio of life itself. Isn’t this extraordinary? The big question is now: If the Earth’s axis would have been tilted under a different angle (no squaring the circle), would we then still see the same kind of life on Earth as we see now? Would we see any life? In other words: Is Squaring the Circle the Key to the mystery of Life on Earth? © Bert Janssen, 2011.

In my book 'the Organizing Principle', I elaborate on this subject and I make connections with other related subjects.