Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (the Da Vinci Man with four arms and four legs in a square and circle) is the most popular secular symbol in the world. My ten years of research suggests that the Vitruvian Man is a universal symbol for greater love, relationships, success, health and the new age 21st century paradigm of indivisible wholeness, the paradigm for world peace. A New Renaissance!
The Da Vinci Man is a universal translator between scientific models (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square) and religious symbols (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the circle). It is, therefore, a bridge between science and religion. There are amazing similarities between the sacred geometry of the Da Vinci Man, Yin-Yang, Star of David, Tree of Life, Christian Cross, Angels and Kabbalah.
Leonardo said it best: "The outstretched arms and legs of a man form a square and a circle: the square symbolizes the solid physical world and the circle the spiritual and eternal. Man bridges the gap between these two worlds." -Leonardo Da Vinci, "The Magical Proportions of Man"
Buckminster Fuller reminds me of a reincarnation of Leonardo Da Vinci. They were both consummate artists and scientists in the way they approached their work. They were also both dedicated to understanding the sacred geometry of creation.
Buckminster Fuller depicts photons (light) as tetrahedron structures. Fuller's tetrahedrons of light emanating from the atom remind us of angels surrounding the Throne of God.
The Geodesic Dome Buckminster Fuller is famous for the creation of the geodesic dome. It included principles of synergy (harmonious interrelationship, like the Yin and Yang synergy of the Da Vinci Man) and tensegrity (harmonious interactions of geometric forms, such that their interactive tensions balance each other and make the structure of the geodesic dome more stable). As a result, the geodesic dome is able to withstand more pressure per square inch than almost any other structure.
The Circle, Triangle and Square Buckminster Fuller takes the circle, triangle and square into three dimensions. The Da Vinci Man is based upon the circle, triangle and square. The "circle" is the closest compactification of spheres. The "triangle" is the four triangular sides of the tetrahedron. The "square" is the diamond form created by the upper and lower triangles of the four-sided octahedron.
The geodesic dome is based upon Buckminster Fuller's understanding of the geometry of creation. The tetrahedron is the most solid structure in creation. The tetrahedron and octahedron combine in the geodesic dome to create an octet truss. This structure is often seen within tall metal cell phone and radio signal towers. Every square structure that contains the octet truss within it is much more strong and stable.
The shape of the octet truss is based upon the closest compactification of spheres. This intuitively indicates its reliability as a fundamental all-space-filling structure in sacred geometry. One form that creates an octet truss is the rhombic dodecahedron. If you surround an octahedron with four one-half-sided tetrahedrons (two tetrahedrons split in half) you create the rhombic dodecahedron.
The essence of Fuller's theory of structures is the vector equilibrium. At the very core of this structure is the rhombic dodecahedron. This form is created by the closest packing of spheres. As you look at one side of the rhombic dodecahedron it looks like a diamond. When you turn the geometric shape slowly, it then resembles a square. It is really awesome to behold!
The interaction between diamond and square reminds us of the two cojoined forms of the Da Vinci Person. One form is able to fill up the square, the other the diamond. The passive square gives rise to the active diamond, just like the two Da Vinci forms represent a passive "being" united with an active "becoming," like Yin and Yang.
The Pythagorean Pentad If you place the Da Vinci Person inside the center of the vector equilibrium, his four arms, four legs and head point to the closest packing of spheres surrounding the form. This three-dimensional form reminds one of the two-dimensional pentad of Pythagoras. Think of bowling pins or billiard balls aligned in a triangular formation and you have the Pythagorean pentad.
The four-level pentad (also referred to as the tetrakys, meaning "four") was used by ancients to model the four forces of natur--earth, water, fire and air. This same model is very similar to the one that describes the quark structure in the nucleus of the atom.
This same tetrakys was considered to be the mystery of the ages, and whosoever solved it was considered enlightened. The Da Vinci Man fits right inside of this structure, like a Cosmic Person, with four arms, four legs and head pointing to all nine points surrounding the triangle. The circle surrounding the Da Vinci Man is the tenth point, a transcendent superspace that contains all creation within it (from inflation theory).
The Pythagorean Pentad and Wave Functions According to Fuller, every wave function goes through a geometric transformation from peak to trough (mountain to valley) that consists of tetrahedron, octahedron and icosahedron (with a transcendent gap in the middle at the top of the peak).
This oscillation occurs in water waves, sound waves and electromagnetic waves at thousands or millions of times per second. The Da Vinci Person fits nicely inside the center of the Pythagorean tetrakys, which resembles the three-dimensional vector equilibrium that makes up the heart of each wave.
The Tree of Life Interestingly enough, the surface of the structure of vector equilibrium is equivalent to the Tree of Life (Kabbalah) and Tree of Jesse (Christianity). The Tree of Life consists of three pillars along which are aligned three spheres. The left pillar and right pillar function like Yin and Yang. The intermediary pillar balances the two. This is like a holy trinity found in most religions.
The Cosmic Adam-Eve fills up the ten spheres and three pillars. The Da Vinci Man, with four arms, four legs, two cojoined legs and head, also fills up the ten spheres along the three pillars, like a Cosmic Adam-Eve.
Interestingly enough, the surface of the vector equilibrium also resembles the Tree of Life. The flow of energy from the higher spheres to the lower spheres resembles a lightning flash. Amazingly, the flow on the surface of the vector equilibrium is an exact correspondence to the flow on the Tree of Life.
Leonardo said it best: "The outstretched arms and legs of a man form a square and a circle: the square symbolizes the solid physical world and the circle the spiritual and eternal. Man bridges the gap between these two worlds." -Leonardo Da Vinci, "The Magical Proportions of Man"
Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (the Da Vinci Man with four arms and four legs in a square and circle) is the most popular secular symbol in the world. My ten years of research suggests that the Vitruvian Man is a universal symbol for greater love, relationships, success, health and the new age 21st century paradigm of indivisible wholeness, the paradigm for world peace. A New Renaissance!
The Da Vinci Man is a universal translator between scientific models (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square) and religious symbols (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the circle). Therefore, the Vitruvian Man (Da Vinci Man) is a bridge between science and religion. There are amazing similarities between the sacred geometry of the Da Vinci Man, Yin-Yang, Star of David, Tree of Life, Christian Cross, Angels and Kabbalah.
Unifying and Non-Changing Holism versus Change and Separation of Atomism The two cojoined Da Vinci forms in the square and circle represent a philosophy of indivisible wholeness. The current, although vanishing, paradigm of science is still anchored in the belief of classical physics, which separates man from his environment. This would have the effect of separating the two cojoined forms of the Da Vinci Man.
The New Physics of Indivisible Wholeness, launched by David Bohm and his student John Bell, is more open to investigating the integration between science (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square) and spirit (represented by the Da Vinci Man in the square).
Leonardo, the greatest scientist of his age (considered to be the first modern scientist) was also the greatest artist of his age. He is the model for a holistic approach that combines science with art into one wholeness. The reductionist or atomist point of view, still prevalent in science, arose in the 17th century (along with the rise of science versus spirit).
The Renaissance was a period of integration and holism. Holism was popularized by the Greek philosopher Parmenides (5th century BC), who believed that the essential reality of life was non-changing, unified and whole. He taught that the world of change and phenomenon was essentially illusory. This theory, adopted by Plato (4th century BC), is similar to a religious experience.
The philosophy of Parmenides laid the foundation for modern unified field theory and the quantum vacuum. When the electrons of an atom are in their least excited state (e.g., at absolute zero temperatures), they are closest to the nucleus of the atom and a ground or vacuum state is created.
Proponents of vacuum state theory believe that all things emerge from virtual fluctuations within the non-changing vacuum, which lies at the core of all atomic and subatomic phenomenon. It has been theorized that the vacuum state is over a billion times more powerful than the atomic state (matter). This supports the belief that an all-powerful nonmaterial reality lies at the heart of material reality.
The theory of Parmenides is altered and validated by the Greek philosopher Heraclitus (5th century BC), who believed that everything was in constant motion and change, as well as profoundly unified. Instead of the four elements of earth, water, wind and fire, Heraclitus proposed that all was part of the element fire, constant in its flickering and changeability.
Heraclitus would be pleased that modern physics demonstrates that electrons are in constant motion around the nucleus of the atom, which also consists of protons and neutrons in constant motion around each other. Heraclitus would also add that a profound unity underlies this change. This is similar to the philosophy of the Yin-Yang T'ai Chi.
Leonardo embraced the philosophy of Heraclitus--the philosophy of constant change. Leonardo was influenced in this by his own work on hydraulics (the movement of water). He applied his knowledge of the movement of water to the movement of birds in flight (movement in air).
Leonardo also embraced the philosophy of Heraclitus, which spoke of the underlying unity of creation, in his search for the squaring of the circle represented by the Da Vinci Man. This was the search for the unified field of Leonardo's time. The Oracle of Delphi first proposed it at the time of Parmenides and Heraclitus. Leonardo devoted twenty years of research to this endeavor, filling up hundreds of pages with illustrations in his Codex manuscripts. Some believe it was Leonardo's greatest passion.
On the other hand, the Greek philosopher Democritus (4th century BC) believed that all matter could be reduced to essential particles or atoms. This laid the foundation for modern quantum theory, the study of atoms and subatomic particles. It was also a foundation for the Copenhagen theory of quantum physics, which proposes that we accept that the particle and wave nature of electrons and protons exist, yet it is not necessary to examine if they are part of the same phenomenon.
According to the philosophy of Parmenides, this would be like saying that elephants (which represent holism) don't exist. It is like saying that the elephant is sometimes a snake (its tail) and sometimes a tree (its legs), but never part of the same whole.
The unfortunate consequence of atomism is that it requires us to artificially separate from our environment. This imposed duality leads to alienation from ourselves, others and nature. This creates fear and addictive behavior in order to overcome our fear.
Atomism without holism also leads to an "us versus them" mentality, a need to conquer and control our environment, even destroy it, in order to remove the imposed feeling of aloneness and separation.
Democritus and Heraclitus are often portrayed as the happy and tragic masks of comedy, like Yin and Yang. I propose that the holism of Paramenides is a circle around these two cojoined masks that represent atomism and constant change.
This reminds us of the circle surrounding the two cojoined forms of the Da Vinci Person. Atomism is like the contracted Da Vinci Man with arms outstretched. Change is like the expanded Da Vinci Man with arms uplifted. This is why the Da Vinci Person is a perfect model for the 21st century paradigm of indivisible wholeness, as proposed by David Bohm, the grandfather of Bell's Theorem, which indicates that all things are interconnected and indivisibly whole.
Allen Rubin has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Environment and Religion. Allen Rubin is author of "The Da Vinci Man Code: Leonardo's Real Secret Code" with 400 illustrations. View entire article series and sample chapter at