Schwaller d e Lubicz' s vas t work, Le Temple de l'Homme (The
Temple Of Man), wa s publishe d i n 1957 . Thoug h a t firs t
glance it seems to present a picture of Egypt wholly at variance
with tha t pu t forwar d b y academi c Egyptologists , detaile d
examination show s tha t i n certai n instances , hi s wor k i s fore shadowed
i n th e finding s o f hi s predecessors . Often , soun d
work ha s bee n allowe d t o languis h whil e les s soun d theorie s
gained preeminence
. I n othe r instances , th e past tw o decades
of Egyptolog y hav e corroborate d Schwalle r d e Lubicz' s the ories
i n significan t detail s i n man y field s — thoug h withou t
acknowledging hi m a s th e source . (Thi s ma y o r ma y no t be
deliberate. There is no compelling reason why scholars should
not com e t o simila r conclusion s independently. )
But abov e an d beyon d thes e similarities , Le Temple de
l'Homme i s unique , fo r i t provide s a complete , coheren t doc trine
fusin g art , science , philosoph y and religion int o a single
body of wisdom tha t can account for th e civilisation o f ancient
Egypt i n it s entirety . Th e glaring paradox of primitive, mud dleheaded
necrophile s producin g unparallele d artisti c an d
architectural masterpiece s fo r fou r millenni a vanishe s com pletely
i n th e ligh t of this interpretation . The Symbolist interpretation
als o account s quit e naturall y fo r th e amazin g
integrity o f Egyptia n art , architectur e an d religio n through out
it s lon g histor y — a n integrit y that , prio r t o Schwaller de
Lubicz, scholar s coul d onl y ascrib e t o 'conservatism' . More over,
as work goes on in th e various fields of modern science, in
anthropology, archaeology , linguistics , an d man y other disciplines,
ne w fact s kee p comin g t o light , ne w theorie s kee p
being advanced tha t directly o r indirectly relat e t o the Symbolist
pictur e o f Egypt .
Though th e unwar y reade r woul d neve r kno w i t fro m a
casual readin g of popular scientific journals or from the popular
press (even the self appointed 'responsible' press) a real revolution
i n huma n though t is already under way (compensating
with intensit y fo r wha t i t perhap s lack s i n numbers) .
The fac t ha s no t ye t foun d it s wa y int o mos t schoo l text books
or even into th e heads and hearts of most working scientists
an d scholars , bu t scienc e an d scholarshi p hav e effectively
disproved th e mechanisti c and evolutionary hypothese s moti vating
s o muc h o f it s effort .
It i s a n intriguin g an d possibly uniqu e situatio n i n human
history. Schwalle r d e Lubicz' s work , i n th e righ t hands , may
play a n importan t rol e i n th e shapin g o f a ne w society . Fo r
although Le Temple de l'Homme apparentl y concern s a n
ancient an d alie n civilisation , tha t civilisatio n ha d profound
and exac t knowledg e o f th e principle s responsibl e fo r th e
created universe . I t i s thi s knowledg e tha t moder n scienc e
lacks. Fo r al l it s succes s i n studyin g an d measurin g th e
mechanisms o f phenomena, th e principles responsibl e for this
creation ar e almos t a s unknow n a s the y wer e a t th e onse t of
modern science . Whethe r o r no t scientist s an d scholar s will
manage t o exercise th e necessar y facult y of humility, and turn
to a n ancien t an d vanishe d civilisatio n fo r instruction ,
remains t o b e seen .
Meanwhile, Schwalle r de Lubicz's picture of Egypt makes it
clear tha t i t was thi s tota l understandin g of principle, function
and proces s tha t was responsibl e fo r th e form an d structur e of
Egyptian societ y an d fo r al l it s sacre d works .
R. A. Schwalle r was born in Alsace in 1891 . Trained in mathematics
and chemistry, he was attracted at an early age to philosophical,
mystica l an d religiou s subjects . H e wa s formall y
adopted b y th e Lithuania n princ e an d poet , O . V . d e Lubicz
Milosz, fo r work done on hi s behal f during World War I , and
appended th e honorar y 'd e Lubicz ' t o hi s ow n name . I n the
1920s and 1930 s he devoted himself to a range of mathematical,
mystical, alchemica l an d scientifi c studies ; t o experiment s
with plants , metal s an d staine d glass ; an d t o attempt s t o pu t
his idea s into practice with a number of likeminded
individuals.
Bu t until chance — or more accurately, destiny — brought him to Egypt in 1937 , h e had no conscious intention of solving
the parado x i t posed .
Confronted b y th e Templ e o f Luxor , h e ha d on e o f those
flashes o f dee p insigh t tha t s o ofte n accompan y discovery ; he
was certai n tha t h e sa w i n thi s immense , asymmetri c rui n a
deliberate exercis e i n proportion . H e sa w i n Luxo r th e Par thenon
o f Egypt .
This conviction ra n directl y counter to accepted Egyptological theory . Egyptia n mathematic s wa s considere d a primitive,
purely practica l affair , concerne d wit h dividin g lan d an d
apportioning ou t loave s o f brea d an d measure s o f corn . Th e
Egyptians wer e no t suppose d t o hav e understoo d th e law s o f
harmony and proportion o r known of the existence of irrationals.*
All o f thes e wer e supposedly Gree k inventions. (Scholars
disputed, an d stil l dispute , no t s o muc h th e exten t o f Greek
knowledge i n thes e areas , bu t th e exten t t o whic h thi s know ledge
wa s applied. )The discover y o f th e irrationa l an d of th e law s o f harmony
and proportio n wer e attribute d t o Pythagoras , th e discon certingly
semilegendar
y mysti c an d mathematicia n (ca .
580500
BC ) t o whom wa s also attributed th e development of
Pythagorean number mysticism: th e theor y tha t numbers have
innate meaning. Althoug h thi s latte r theor y has bee n a subjec t
of some merriment among modern scholars, i t is undergoing a
strong revival , an d understoo d i n contex t i t i s a means , per haps
th e bes t means , o f understandin g th e worl d w e experi ence.