A simple shape composed of two overlapping circles, the vesica piscis is the basis of all sacred geometry and is essential in the creation of all sacred symbols, most notably the flower of life.
Vesica Piscis Geometry
The vesica piscis is formed by overlapping two identical circles with their centers aligned tangentially with each other. Within the vesica piscis, you can find a multitude of other shapes with the strategic placement of a few lines. These shapes include equilateral triangles, squares, tetrads, amongst others. Also hidden within the vesica piscis are methods to find the square roots of 2,3,4, and 5, which can help in a whole slew of geometric problems. Below is a step by step guide on how to draw the vesica piscis along with the many other shapes contained within.
If you wish to follow along you will need the following...
- Paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Drawing Compass
You can find plenty of kits that cover all your needs at any big box store or Amazon...
1. Drawing the Vesica Piscis
We start by using our compass to draw one circle. The size does not matter so long as we leave enough room for another. Then, we draw a second circle, of the same size, by placing the guide spoke of our compass on the edge of the first circle. Once done, we have a shape that looks like the picture below.
2. Adding the base guidelines
Next, we need to add two guidelines. One vertical line that passes through the two intersection points of the circles, and one horizontal line that passes through the two circles' centers. Once done, it should look like the picture below.
By understanding the nature of circles, that their radius is always the same length along all points of the circumference, we can see that the two lines are perfectly perpendicular, forming four 90° angles. This greatly aids in the next steps.
3. Adding additional guide shapes
Now we need to add two more lines that are parallel to the first vertical line with the distance between the two being the exact width of the vesica piscis. We can use what we now understand about the vesica piscis to achieve this. All we need to do is add two smaller vesica piscis who's common center is the center of each of our original circles. To do this, we set our compass to a measurement smaller than the distance from circle center to vertical guideline and draw a circle with the center being the center of the larger circle. Now, we will draw two larger circles (I like to use a radius that will make the inner circle connect to the overall center), using the new intersection points we created. We do this on both sides, keeping the circle sizes constant. (A good practice is to make sure to keep both sides of your guidelines balanced. Do the same step twice, once on both sides, before you change your compass setting). If done correctly, it should look like the below picture.
Now, all we need to do is add in our vertical lines by using the intersections of the smaller vesica piscis as our guide. See below.
4. Drawing the Tetrad
The first angular shape we can find within the vesica piscis is the tetrad. A tetrad is a shape comprised of two equilateral triangles sharing one common side. We can draw one inside the vesica piscis by connecting top and bottom circle intersections with their centers. By doing so, our drawing should look like this...
At this stage, we could start calculating some distances, bit for now we will move onto the next shape. We will look at the measurements and ratios further on in this article.
4. Drawing the square
Using what we know, it is possible to draw a perfect square. However, to do so, we need to establish a new point of reference. We are going to draw a square who's side is equal to the width of the vesica piscis, but how do we find the height? Again, with the use of circles. If we set our compass measurement to the distance from circle center to middle intersection, that will give us a circle with a radius equal to half of the square's side, which is exactly what we need. See below.
As we can see, it isn't necessary to draw the full circle, we just need enough to find our reference points on the guidelines. Now, if we connect the four reference points we created, we will have a perfect square.
If you are enjoying this article and want to be updated on it's progress please consider joining our mailing list. Also, please click here to check out our other sacred geometry related articles.
No comments:
Post a Comment