Heaven's Fractal Net

Book excerpt: Heaven's Fractal Net explores the uniquely useful geometrical forms found in nature and in cultures of the world. The visual shapes of fractals attract eyes with their fascinating beauty. They appear in images and designs with reiterated patterns whose parts are self-similar to the whole pattern--just as a fern frond is structured with smaller and smaller self-similar branches. The fractal-like imagery in religious architecture has been used to symbolize infinity, consciousness, vertigo, and wonder. In nature fractals serve as dynamic configurations for circulation, including the branching shapes of trees and lungs, rivers and nerves. A wealth of fractal examples is found in arts, symbols, and decorations. Heaven's Fractal Net is a book which explores self-similarities in worldwide cultures, providing a rich background for examining many geometrical shapes used by humanity, exploring processes of creativity in wisdom traditions, and delving into archetypal images in depth psychology. Fractals offer an organizing principle for many different kinds of hierarchies and composites, and in recent years "fractal" has become a familiar household word for a new yet ancient geometry.