Tudors & Sacred Geometry

January 9, 2005

Rev. Paul Beckel

First Universalist Unitarian Church ~ www.uuwausau.org

What we call a beginning is often the end

and to make an end is to make a beginning.

The end is where we start from.

We shall not cease from exploration

and the end of all our exploring

will be to arrive where we started

and know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot

(WELCOME)

Excuse me, excuse me... I don’t know who’s the worship associate today, but I just want to say before we get started that I’m kind of upset that no one asked my opinion about this topic. I mean, as some of you know, I was a high school math teacher before becoming your Director of Religious Education...and I still am a tutor, yes, a geometry tutor, on the side... so if today’s service is going to be about geometry tutors, I guess I just want to know why I wasn’t consulted.

...And anyway, I thought this was supposed to be a church service. What does tutoring geometry have to do with holy churchy? And where are the blackboards? Where are the calculators? Where are the textbooks? ....

Samantha, please, I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding. This service is not about tutors. But I saw it in the newsletter. It said tutors and geometry. Well, yes, TUdors. You know, like Henry the 8^th, and Tudor architecture, like this church building... Tutors? Yes, Tudors. T-U-D--- O so you’re going to tutor us in spelling too huh? Tutors... TUDors...Tutors...TUDors...

So, Samantha, you’re a Tudor? Yes, that’s right. You’re one of these? One of what? This is a book called “The Terrible Tudors.” No, I’m not a terrible tutor, I’m a great tutor.... I’m sure you are a great tuTOR, but I’m talking about the English Royal Family from 1485 to 1603.

Oh, you mean the TUdors? Right, and sacred geometry. Oh. You mean the notion that our lives are intimately connected with the shapes and proportions repeated throughout nature and the cosmos. mmmmhm

Oh.

Never mind.

CHILDREN’S FOCUS

Do any of you know who or what the Tudors are? Well “Tudor” is a kind of architectural style...it’s the style in which this beautiful space was built. I’ve always wondered if it means any thing in particular that this is a “Tudor style” building. There are a lot of different styles of sacred places... some found in nature and some created by humans... though even those created by humans often copy the shapes and feelings that are found in nature.

My curiosity led me to another kind of Tudors—the people and the time in history for which this architectural style was named. The Tudors were the royal family who ruled England from 1485 to 1603. So for about 120 years, from 500 years ago to 400 years ago.

[Image – “what an odd looking fellow...”]

During that time there were a lot of changes going on in the world. It might not seem terribly important, but one way that we see changes is in the way people dress. So if you look at this picture you’ll see how an English person might have dressed at the beginning of the reign of the Tudors... and then how an English person might have dressed toward the end of Tudor times.

***

During this time there were basically 3 ways to become king. Either you negotiated the position through marriage and by accumulating armies so you could influence the pope and other powerful people... or you defeated the previous king in a war ...or you had the title of king passed on to you from your father or other relatives.

The first Tudor to become king of England was Henry the 7^th. He became king by defeating the previous king in a war. When he died the kingdom was passed to his son, Henry the 8^th. But Henry the 8^th was worried about how he would pass the throne to the next generation. Because he didn’t have a son with his first wife. So he decided to divorce his wife...hoping that another wife would be able to have a son for him. But at that time, the Roman Catholic Church dominated all of Europe. And the Pope, who was the head of the church, told Henry that he couldn’t get divorced. So Henry did something that at that time was unusual and even risky. He said no to the Pope. And he created his own church (called the church of England, which still exists today ...called Anglican in England or Episcopal in the United States ...including one just a couple of blocks from here.)

It’s hard to know what to make of this, because often Unitarian Universalists will call someone a hero or a saint when they question religious authorities who try to tell them what to do. But Henry wasn’t saying no to the Pope because he had different a different understanding of religion. Henry still worshipped and practiced just like the Roman Catholics (and if other people didn’t he cut off their heads).

Anyway Henry eventually had six wives. With his third wife he had a male child, Edward, who became king when Henry died, even though Edward was only 6 years old. (Even today in England it’s the first son who becomes king, even if there’s an older sister.)

Edward died at age 16. He had an older half-sister, Mary who should have become queen. But he didn’t want that to happen because she was Catholic. So he appointed Lady Jane Grey, who lasted 9 days before Mary’s army knocked her off the throne.

Then Mary Tudor made the official religion Catholic again. She was known as bloody Mary because she tried to kill off the Protestants. When Mary died, her half-sister, Elizabeth 1^st became Queen. Elizabeth didn’t have any children so that was the end of the Tudors. [Image – abandoned, decayed Tudor sanctuary]

What was life like during this time? This picture may help you get an idea. [Image – neighborhood of stucco and beam homes, tightly packed, with people throwing chamber pots from upper floors] Since there was no indoor plumbing, people would just go in a pot and then dump it out into the street. I imagine it was pretty disgusting.

And diseases got passed around a lot. But there were lots of cures for diseases. Like swallowing lice mixed with ale. Or shave your head and rub it with grease from a fox. Or wear the skin of a donkey. Or boil a red-haired dog in oil, add worms, pig’s marrow and herbs, then smear the mixture wherever it may be needed.

People of all ages drank ale (beer) because the water was too dangerous. And what did they eat? Well a recipe has been found from that time for pie baked “with live birds to delight your guests” (I guess this must be where the song “4 and 20 blackbirds...” came from.) And whether you were rich or poor, you would almost never take a bath, which was considered unhealthy.

So those are some of the things I’ve learned about the Tudors and their times. And even if it doesn’t have anything to do with this building, it reminds me that people have always struggled with similar things: how to stay healthy, how to govern, how to create a religion that speaks to their understanding of the world they live in.

Throughout history people have found or created very different kinds of places to call sacred/special/holy—places where they could find special connections with one another and with all that is.

Before you go to your classrooms, I’d like you to see a few others...

[Images: from Sacred Places, by Jane Yolen, illustrated by David Shannon... Delphi, Copan, Wailing Wall, Easter Island, Stonehenge, Ganga, Uluru, Cathedrals, Bo Tree, Mecca, Four Corners, Itsukushima....]

Music: In Dreams (Theme from Lord of the Rings) Fran Walsh & Howard Shore

MESSAGE

If you’re unsure whether we here in northern Wisconsin have anything in common with the Tudors, let me show you one more picture. [Image – shack-like 3 story Tudor] Can anyone guess what it is? Queen Elizabeth’s hunting cabin (really).

There are a few more things about Tudor times that are just too interesting to pass up: During Tudor times there were at least 5 different standards for distance in that region: there was the London mile, the English mile, the Welsh mile, Irish mile, and Scottish mile. And they weren’t even remotely close to one another. Sometimes independent local standards and customs are wonderful. Sometimes they’re not.

Throughout Tudor times there were great and bloody battles over, in part, whether there would be local control over the church, or whether the church would be governed from far away in Rome. The Catholics, of course, fought to have the Pope as head of the church, and also to have services in Latin, and to have fancy churches. The protestants fought for local control, services in English, and plain churches (of course “plain” is relative). Both sides (whoever was in power) tried to stop the other side from worshipping as they saw fit, or forced others to worship their way... under penalty of torture and death.

But bad religion was not the only no-no. At one point it was a crime to rent part of your house to someone without a job. Punishments were barbaric by today’s standards. And methods used to determine guilt or innocence were medieval. For example, when there were several suspects for a crime, one way of determining the guilty party was to write each person’s name on a piece of paper, wrap each paper in a clay ball, and drop the balls in a bucket of water. If the ball with your name in it fell apart first and your name came up, you were guilty.

Or the more definitive method, used for those accused of witchcraft (a woman was always accused of witchcraft when a neighbor had an accident) was to tie you in a bag and throw you in water. If you sank it was generally agreed that you were innocent.

But life wasn’t all bad for women. Girls could marry (by arrangement) at age 12. And if not married, they had the opportunity to spin yarn for the rest of their lives (and thus became known as “spinsters”).

And let’s not diminish the cultural advantages of Tudor times. This was the time of Shakespeare. Of course only men could be in plays. So some had to pretend they were women. But some enterprising women who wanted to be on stage pretended to be men—so they could play men pretending to be women. (Today, in historical re-enactments, women pretend to be these women pretending to be men pretending to be women.)

Few people could read, so there was no point in putting up posters for a play. Instead they announced that a show was about to begin by shooting a cannon from the roof of the theater. Once, the cannon set fire to the roof of Shakespeare’s theater, and it burned to the ground. Fortunately we don’t have to worry about fire safety in today’s Tudor structures. Do we?

I said earlier that the Tudor line died out after Elizabeth I, who didn’t have children. This is true. But another major factor in the collapse of the Tudor realm is that, 15 years earlier, the English navy had defeated the Spanish Armada, but at a staggering cost.

***

It’s easy to judge and even make fun of bygone days. But really, the Tudor times are not a bad metaphor to relate to our struggles and aspirations in 2005. The Tudor times represent the end of the middle ages, the heart of the European renaissance, the dawning of a new sense of spirituality, when ordinary people began to recognize their own authority in religious matters.

With the invention of the printing press, a new age of learning, and the distribution of intellectual power began. Instead of religion being mediated through a religious hierarchy, an appreciation for the direct religious experience of the individual was emerging, and a wave of spiritual unrest and innovation swept Europe in the form of the Protestant Reformation.

This was the time of a rebirth of Greek humanist philosophy, and democratic institutions. Elizabethan literature and culture began to acknowledge the worth and dignity of the individual.

So, does this have anything to do with what is known today as Tudor style architecture? Maybe.

What is Tudor style anyway? Tudor style structures generally have

· Decorative half timbering

· Steeply pitched roofs

· Prominent gables

· Tall narrow windows with small window panes

· Massive chimneys

Chimneys and enclosed fireplaces were prominent because they were new. They had become necessary because of the adoption of coal as fuel. (Coal produced a lot more smoke than wood. Until then smoke was often simply allowed to escape through a hole in the roof.)

Another distinctive feature of Tudor structures is overhanging upper levels. These were originally built because taxes were based on street level space.

But that’s history. What are the implications of Tudor style today? [image – large entryway to Tudor home]

The book, Tudor Houses begins this way: “If you’re searching for a home that looks solid and substantial, that sends clear emotional messages about traditional values and conveys a sense of permanence, place, and price, look no further.”

Oh.

“...Solid, substantial, and self-assured, the Tudor house has been one that generations of upwardly mobile Americans have consistently aspired to.” In the United States, Tudor style was originally reserved for huge mansions occupied by industrial moguls, or mammoth clubhouses at exclusive country clubs. “...By the 1920s Tudor was so closely associated with economic achievement and conservative good taste that it was commonly known as ‘stockbroker Tudor.’”

Oh. So what do Tudors convey to those who are not upwardly mobile?

This book of course has to be taken with a grain of salt. It’s unabashed purpose is to sell Tudor style. But it still offers a glimpse into how this building may be viewed by a variety of people... and how we might foster its best features.

We all bring our own baggage with us when we make aesthetic judgments about architectural styles. Inevitably we make associations, and often false associations. Architectural images and even architectural terms can serve as a Rorschach test. During my lower-middle class childhood, I was resentful of wealth and intimidated by buildings that conveyed a sense that I didn’t belong.

Having said that, I must say that this building rocks! My favorite room is the dining room and especially its balcony which has no apparent purpose (but when you go up there you can get another perspective on things). I associate this odd space with one of my favorite “bedrooms” growing up. It wasn’t really a room, but an open space at the top of a staircase. It was just an overlooked nook that had no real architectural purpose. I lived there for a year when I was 7 and, really, I thought it was great. Maybe that’s part of why I still like to look at things from odd angles.

So here’s another angle: Tudor style is also associated with the internationalism of the renaissance—influenced by the growing trade in ideas and styles across western Europe. It combines “...traces of gothic windows, classic Roman doorways, German and English exposed timber framing, and touches of Swiss chalet exterior ornamentation.”

Further “...America has done to Tudor architecture what it has always done to customs, fashions, and styles originating elsewhere. Rather than blindly following precedents established in England and Europe, American architects and builders adapted the style to American needs... they married history to the here and now. Their goal—now as well as then—was to approximate, not to duplicate.”

One of Tudor’s most distinctive features is its liberal use of varied exterior materials – wood, stucco, brick, and stone, in different combinations.

“...In fact, Tudor’s eclectic character probably accounts most for its undiminished popularity. Unlike other styles associated almost exclusively with specific regions of the country... the Tudor is at home from coast to coast.... It has adapted so thoroughly that it nearly always looks appropriate to its site.”

The materials used...make it seem indigenous to most areas...its organic materials tied intimately to its natural surroundings of trees, rocks, earth. No matter what the combination, natural materials are imaginatively and effectively intermingled and seamlessly melded into a well-integrated and visually pleasing whole that sets them apart from homes made of any single material.

Tudors are also full of features that blur the boundaries between indoors and the outdoors, such as bay windows, courtyard, balconies, and covered porches.

Indoor décor ranges from country to contemporary, and often includes exposed beam ceilings, prominent fireplaces, cathedral ceilings, and window seats.

The Tudor entry hall is both functional and ceremonial. It makes a good first impression, and signals hospitality. Its ample proportions convey welcome, and a sense that there’s enough room for all. It’s also functional, with a coat closet... and by serving as a hub for rest of the home, it eliminates the need for multiple interior hallways.

The Tudor great room can be arranged with multiple furniture groupings to provide distinct yet compatible zones... to cater to a crowd or small groups, pairs, even individual sanctuary in the midst of activity.

***

Reviewing the architectural literature, I’m reminded powerfully of the evolutionary nature of style. Even the term “Tudor Revival” implies a coming and going. Tudor style was all the rage when this church was built. Then it passed again until the 1970s and ’80s when it became very popular again. With each rebirth, it has evolved. Half-timbering, for example, means that those big exposed timbers are no longer structural necessities, but aesthetic niceties.

In 1915, when Alexander Eschweiler designed this building, I don’t know if he had any specific reason for choosing the Tudor style. He did say that he wanted the building to be solid and substantial ...that he wanted local, earthy materials, and that he wanted an integration of the home, the community, and worship space (thus the three wings, each with different but related functions).

But Eschweiler did not design exclusively in Tudor style. Here are a few images: [Milwaukee home (brick)... gas station (pagoda with red tile roof) ...a mansion that became a museum...and its recent addition.

***

[Image: mandala]

“The circle has been regarded throughout cultural history as an icon of the ineffable oneness; the indivisible fulfillment of the Universe. The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, Pi, cannot be expressed in terms of the ratio of two whole numbers. [Thus pi, 3.141592 etc etc etc.] In the language of sacred symbolism, the circle exists in a dimension that transcends the linear rationality that it contains. Just as our holistic perspectives, feelings and intuitions encompass the finite elements of the ideas that are within them, yet have a greater wisdom than can be expressed by those ideas alone.” [sacred geometry info from www.intent.com/sg/]

[Image – Chartres Cathedral and its labyrinth]

Chartres was a Gothic structure, built a bit before the Tudors, but definitely part of the context of the era. I’ll have to find another day to delve deeper into the history and the spiritual dimensions of the labyrinth. For now I just want to mention that we’re beginning to create our own labyrinth for use here. If you are interested in helping with this project please see me or Barb Seegert or Marguerite Donnelly.

[Image – spiral cross section of chambered nautilus]

Shapes matter. They move us functionally, they move us spiritually, they connect us to one another and connect us with something undecipherable, incalculable. Geometry shapes us. So when we discover or build or preserve sacred spaces, it is not surprising that we seek a resonance between what we hold close, and what allows us to expand into the ineffable infinite.

What’s the point? The point is the center of the circle. The point is the focus of our unity and wholeness. The point at the center of the circle is a reminder that even as the great circle of our lives grow larger... or smaller ...we all remain equidistant from the source.

[Image - Da Vinci, human form drawn within a circle...]

As we continue through this magical, beautiful cycle, it matters what kind of shape we are in.

Sources:

The majority of the commentary regarding contemporary Tudor homes is from Tudor Houses, by Michael Walsh. The historical information on the Tudor family and Tudor times is from The Terrible Tudors, by Terry Deary & Neil Tonge. Also, The Royal Palaces of Tudor England, by Simon Thurley, provided info for analysis of both past and present connotations of “Tudor.”