The current hypothesis is that - in principle, archetypally - one Voynich word is equal to one solar month (a zodiac sign), and one line of Voynich words is equal to one solar year (the zodiac). Paragraphs, therefore, cover groups of years with the decade as the standard unit.
These calculations are based on the implication of f57v that one glyph is equal to 5˚ of the ecliptic.
The quest is to locate patterns in the Voynich text that match astrological and cosmological patterns.
This follows from my recent investigations, and especially from the proposal that the data in the Voynich text is 'detabulated' - a record of astrological data that might ordinarily be presented in tables.
If so, what is the matrix? What is the implied underlying table?
Moreover, all studies report that Voynichese is highly positional. That is, there are evidently systems that determine what positions - within a word, but also within a line, and a paragraph - certain glyphs appear. The whole language is highly restrained in this way. It is one of the most characteristic (and unnatural) features of Voynichese.
What matrix dictates positions?
Again: the current experiments begin with the signal on page f57v that one glyph is equal to 5 deg of the ecliptic.
If that is the case, six glyphs = one zodiac sign. 6 x 5 = 30. And twelve such units, or 72 glyphs = one year. 72 x 5 = 360.
The Voynich text roughly conforms to this. Words are about six glyphs in length and lines of text are about twelve words and paragraphs are about twelve lines. (With much variation between different parts of the text.)
The hypothesis, anyway, is that words = months and lines = years.
* * *
As it happens, the two paradigmatic words I have explored, QOKEEDY and CHOLDAIIN, conform.
Both words can be counted as having six glyphs:
Q+O+K+EE+DY
CH+O+L+D+A+IIN
In this present page I will just consider some of the implications of this.
To recap: my approach to Voynichese has been to identify the two keywords, two paradigms, verbum potentai, of the text. The templates.
(This is a much better strategy than trying to tackle the whole text all at once.)
The text, by my proposal, is a mixture of these two paradigms, with allowance made for variant glyphs; [ch], for example, has the variant [sh].
Now we are in the position to consider the structure of these templates in relation to an astrological model: one word equals one zodiac sign.
The template, the paradigm, of both our keywords is the zodiac sign - 30˚ of the ecliptic.
It should follow, then, that the inherent structures and symbolism of the zodiac sign - one solar month of thirty solar days - will be reflected in our keywords, and in the ways they mix and interact.
For example, the zodiac sign is traditionally (and naturally) divided into three decanates of 10˚ each. We might expect to find such a structure in our keywords.
* * *
Here are are keywords thus considered:
Here are the inherent and traditional structures of the zodiac sign:
The zodiac sign can be divided into:
6 Faces of 5˚, alternating positive and negative, dark and light.
3 Denates of 10˚, these reiterating the three modes, Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable.
2 Phases, waxing and waning.
Now, here are our paradigmatic words imposed upon that 30˚ structure:
Many times in these studies I have noted that QOKEEDY is tripartite in nature while CHOLDAIIN bifurcates.
Here we see that distinction very clearly.
QOKEEDY marks the decanates.
CHOLDAIIN marks the phases.
QOKEEDY naturally trisects into three syllables, bigrams. QO + KEE + DY.
CHOLDAIIN naturally bifurcates into CHOL + DAIIN, a waxing or expanding phase, and a waning or decling phase.
* * *
Bigrams are decanates (10˚). We see the awkwardness of the bigram [ld] if we look at the distribution of all the possible bigrams from these templates throughout the text:
QO = 5000+ occurrences
KEE = 2000+
DY = nearly 7000
CHO = 2500+
LD = 450+
AIIN = nearly 4000
Compared to the others the bigram (decanate) [ld] is rarely marked.
We can see why in our model. [ld] naturally separates rather than acting as a bigram. However, the bigrams [ol] and [da] are prolific:
OL = 5500+ occurrences
DA = 4000+ occurrences.
* * *
In short, there are two patterns:
Trisections: Decanates = 3 sets of 10˚
Bisections: Halves = 2 sets of 15˚
The tripartite divisions follow the usual astrological attributions: the powers of the sign are released in the first decanate (cardinal), fixed and stablized in the second decanate (fixed), and distributed and exhausted in the third decanate (mutable).
The bipartite division treats the zodiac sign in terms of two phases: waxing and waning. Its powers wax in the first 15˚, culminate, and then decline in the second 15˚.
The culmination is marked by two adjacent positive Faces (5˚), breaking the positive/negative alternation.
The full powers of the zodiac sign (what Ptolemy would call its 'Ambient') are combined in all these patterns (divisions) similtaneously.
* * *
The astrological model allows us to go further, because trisections concern the QUALITY or MODE (as it is called) and bisections concern the QUANTITY. (In Astrology 101 you learn that the MODES are qualities, not quantities.)
This, it emerges, is what underpins the distinction between the triunity of QOKEEDY and the duality of CHOLDAIIN. It is the sense in which QOKEEDY is celestial in nature, and CHOLDAIIN terrestrial.
In fact, it is a crucial discovery. QOKEEDY concerns qualities, and CHOLDAIIN quantities.
The distinction QUALITY and QUANTITY is already implicit in [kee] in QOKEEDY.
In general it follows:
Positive glyphs mark QUALITIES.
Negative glyphs mark QUANTITIES.
In linguistic terms, the positive glyphs are consonants and the negative glyphs are vowels. In short it follows:
Consonants mark QUALITIES.
Vowels mark QUANTITIES.
Again: in linguistic terms, the positive glyphs are consonants and the negative glyphs are vowels.
* * *
Reflecting on this (yes, we're allowed to have reflections on these pages): What does the text record?
The answer must be: The distribution of the resources of the Sun.
There are two aspects to these resources: QUALITIES and QUANTITIES.
The resources are gathered at the solstices (gallows glyphs) and distributed throughout the year.
In each zodiac sign (division of the cycle) the QUALITIES are distributed in a threefold pattern, while the QUANTITIES are distributed in a biphasal pattern.
In the end, this of course suggests that QOKEEDY is solar and CHOLDAIIN lunar. I have been aware of that possibility throughout these studies but have not explored it until now - now that we are working towards a cogent astrological model.
The cogency of these models over-all depends, finally, upon their explanatory power. How well does this explain the observable nature and behavior of the text?
R.B.
No comments:
Post a Comment