So I was just watching Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown...and he was in Spain. He and his guest were in Granada at The Alhambra. Toni's guest remarks about the architecture as he is a videographer. Toni says:" You cannot depict "God", but you can depict geometric shapes." Anyone have any thoughts? Just want this one to be a fun idea spawning thread. No harsh judgements, dont read too deeply. Just consider if architecture can convey "God" or simply some form of geometry...I'm eager to hear any meditations on this.

Or more specifically as I've gone back and reviewed the footage:"You canmot depict the WORD of God". In relation to Muslim architecture. Once again, just for fun, simply food for thought. Surely a forum for psychonauts can generate some interesting feedback on this
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Very interesting Schnoz. I feel a sacred geometry binge growing in my mind. Very nice reply and a spot-on example at that. The second paragraph especially brought to mind being wrapped in a warm blanket just by the rich imagery alone. Its truly fascinating to me how a thought about architecture can weave itself into remembering smells of specific ethnic foods, tactile sensations such as recalling exact textures or the knit of a tapestry. All of these things thus becoming a part of an all encompassing sense that I find is evocative of the divine in our material world. Beautiful.

Yay! Another Architecture thread I can contribute!! Sorry for a long post, I just have LOTS to say about this subject

Absolutely, architecture can be used to alter consciousness, "depict god", and to induce emotive states by using spatial drama. But there is more than just patterns to depicting spiritual spaces. It often deals with some underlying cultural values (basically what snozz posted)

To me fractals are a new area in architectural expression that is finding a way to create more organic geometries, that also have relation to the nature around us. This to me is a way of showing interconectedness. Not only that but the fractals have inherit structural strength that over powers any regular post and beam construction.

To offer another cultural perspective here is part of an essay I wrote on Zen Gardens and Architecture in response to a few readings I did for a class on Japanese Architecture

Japanese art has been influenced by Zen philosophy by ways of minimalism. The one corner style is a method in which painters who follow Zen try to convey the image with the least amount of brush strokes as possible. Wabi is to be not dependent on things, to be poor, one corner style embodies this by not being dependent on excessive detail, but trying to convey the entire emotion and scene in as little as possible. Also the celebration of the imperfection.

Wabi literally translates as poverty. The worship of poverty, the freedom from wealth, power, and social position was something that was translated in to several elements of Japanese art and architecture. One corner style being the embodiment of this in art, the simplicity and clearness of structure is where architecture see’s zen. Another element is our love for nature. Zen tries to capture this in as many ways as possible. In Japanese architecture it is the blurred line between inside and outside, the function of the tea garden as a spatial experience and the honesty of materials. Sabi is rustic unpretentiousness, in Buddhist terms this is the state of just “being.” When this is translated to architecture it is the simplicity of historical association, the imperfection in the materials.

The garden is designed as a mental experience, the tea ceremony has a spiritual experience culminating in a psychedelic experience, or an experience that manifests the soul (which is the literal translation of psyche-delos). The garden and the ceremony especially in post Muromachi Japan when soan allowed the guests to not just observe objects but the whole experience. The garden which seems like something natural is actually not, everything is carefully chosen to be an experience of human consciousness bonsai which is a human manipulation of nature, the selection of stones, resulting in the intention of making the guests focus on the sublime elements of the ceremony.

The first type of Zen garden is one that uses Chinesee Sung landscape painting, with elements that inspire the “three distances” (foreground, middle ground, and background) The elements that make up the garden are rocks a pond a bridge and an artificial mountain on the far side of the pond and the background is of the Arashiyama foothiils. A type of scenographic landscape.

The second type is a simple interoverted meditative gravel garden with rock groups in a rectangle. The gravel serves as a meditative focal point, conjuring the thoughts of sabi because of its irregular geometry of raked gravel.

The last type is the path that leads to a tearoom called roji and developed with Rikyu. The last type is specifically aimed at altering consciousness. The path is carefully thought out in terms of materiality, rhythm of pace, and enclosure. The stone path is irregular and has slight deviances is it, and also constricted to only allow one person at a time. This element of the roji transitions the mind from normal experience and remove distractions that exist in normal consciousness. “The roji is simply a path leading beyond this fleeting world” this quote talks about the transient quality of spatial experience, one of the elements of the psychedelic consciousness. Another element of psychedelic consciousness embodied through roji is the interconnectedness of suchness. The moss’s relationship to the tree, the relationship of the path to the tree, and the space in-between.

Now whats particularly interesting is the contrast between what makes spirituality in architecture in the east/west. Whether is mind bending raw god like spaces, or the blurred line between human dwelling and natural dwelling. I think the expression needs to be a melting of both.

Watch out for when I post my pre-thesis research on here it is on the subject of Psychedelic Architecture & Urbanism; a concept I am developing.

Here's a few lines from my abstract.

" Spiritual architecture has been altering consciousness for many thousand years with varying philosophies on how to do this. The East focused on using natural elements such as the spacing of stones to alter consciousness before entering a tea ceremony, the West they showed the austere power of god through massive beautiful structures, producing feelings of ineffability and awe. Both of these techniques successfully elevate ones consciousness, however the West and a lesser extent the East both have exclusivity to them, creating spiritual segregation. In an era of increasing violence between religious groups, Psychedelia offers an end to segregation and encourages the exchange of ideas rather than the wiping out of them. "

Keep in mind I am redfining psychedelia to mean more than just our friendly teachers but a cosmic consciousness instead.

I can't say much about architecture but geometry and god ate almost synonimous in my book. Ive had several experiences where I was confronted with geometry and got the vibe of "all knowing and divine" like everything came from this fractal and it contained an interconnected network of information that is constantly feeding our dense physical plane. I almost think that these fractals are much more than hallucinations, and they might even be more valuable than the beings that play with me.

Another very thought provoking series of examples! Thanks for the natural high I got from those responses folks! Yes, wabi indeed. Suddenly I've been teleported from the grand golden hued mosques and holy places of Europe and the middle east and now I'm sipping grassy green matcha tea in a garden outside of Kyoto! Its awesome that you mentioned one corner style in your reply to the OP as I was just speaking with a friend recently about the beauty of blank space or "white" space on paper or canvas. Especially and specifically in the Sumi tradition. So much depth and room for thought in minimalism as I'm sure many would agree.
Also I liked the way you reminded me of the inherent link between the natural beauty of the tea garden and its imperfect perfection. I read once of a japanese mayor of a certain prefect who was going to be visited by a notable zen monk. When he heard that the monk was coming he had his assistant tidy up his garden path and remove all stray leaves by hand. Swept the path and trimmed all of the hedges. When the monk arrived he walked in into the garden and looked around admiring it. He then swiftly walked over to a hedge and shook it making it lose some leaves which fell onto the sterile looking path. "Now its perfect" he then said.
As for fractals in relation to divine or sacred architecture, I agree with h you. I beleive they can be transformative especially if generated from a mystical or spiritual experience which for me includes being passionately inspired to produce such art. Keep 'em coming everybody!

Very much so Tyler. I got a thought while reading your post which was: What if fractals seen during a psychedelic experience are some kind of schematic diagram depicting some underlying interconnection between us and the divine? Or between us and the rest of reality? Like a map for linking us to the cosmos or something along those lines... I as well as many involved with The Nexus have all noticed beautiful geometry in the depths of a DMT flash. My last experience consisted of intertwining, rhythmically pulsing ribbon-like images with complex jeweled patterns ever changing in front of me. I also got the sense that it was some kind of metaphor for the play of the material world against my own basic and infinite divine essence, or some such notion along those lines. These fractals or complex geometric patterns could very well be some different form of entity as well. One with its own unique function and operating procedures and consciousness. Food for thought IMO.

This is a little off topic but I guess it kinda relates..... every time I break through there is this like.. language on the walls of hyperspace that I can fluently read and understand while im there... but as soon as I'm back the language loses its meaning and I forget what it looked like. Its almost like a visual projection of what synesthesia looks like. My girlfriend is a genetic synesthetic and she's helped me understand a lot of sensations like this that I've experienced on DMT and psilocybin both.

That many of you have zoned in on architecture is interesting. In hyperspace, I've seen the godhead on numerous occasions from a variety of vantage points. From certain perspectives, it seems to be compartmentalized into different rooms. The geometry is all very important and critical, as all of the rooms exist in the same space at the same time...but they're not exactly superimposed either. It's a matter of dimensional vantage points. It's like the godhead is staying still, but as your perspective is moved around the planes, the geometry is observed to seemingly shift to create a different "room". I recall seeing 3 main rooms. One is almost like a sacred computer control room. The other is an divine and pure Egyptian hall, and the other has Hindu elements I believe. I have little doubt that there are special properties of these cultural geometries involved regarding proportions, symmetry and more that allow for such amazing transformations. A thorough understanding of holography would further illuminate this topic I'm sure.

Very interesting Global. The different aspects of godhead in different rooms/spaces concept. The idea of holography is one that is great to think about in relation to the psychedelic experience and architecture as well because I've experienced the feeling of being in more than one place at a specific moment in time. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the subject.