Crystal and Dragon: The Cosmic Dance of Symmetry and Chaos in Nature, Art and Consciousness

Excerpts & Samples

By David Wade

Publisher : Inner Traditions/Bear & Company

ABOUT David Wade

David Wade
The author of Pattern in Islamic Art and Geometric Patterns and Borders, David Wade has had a lifelong interest in design and science and has established a number of businesses related to architectural design. After traveling extensively in the Far East, he now lives in Wales.

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Description

 
We live in a universe of apparent dualities: light and darkness, reason and romance, order and chaos. Exploring the interplay of form and energy, David Wade takes the reader on a journey through the world of successive ages--from Plato's conception of the ideal form and the ancient Chinese philosophy of change to the modern scientific view of structure and indeterminacy as embodied in the laws of physics. 

The author shows us how perceptions about the nature of the universe are reflected in the art of of a given period. He details the form and fluidity of prehistoric art, the crystalline order of Islamic patterns, and the subtlety and vitality of Chinese landscapes and calligraphy.

"By reintroducing us to the Pythagorean world of number and pattern, David Wade anticipates the coming synthesis of traditional philosophy and modern science which will effectively amount to a new world order. . . we leave behind us the world of competitiveness and (reactionary behavior) and are led towards the higher reality where every element in Creation enjoys its rightful place and contributes to universal harmony."
From the Introduction by John Michell

"Engrossing for anyone wanting to make up-to-date connections between science, mathematics, art, philosophy, and religion. Everything is explained in a way that is fresh, detailed, comprehensible, and awe-inspiring . . . All in all, this book is the work of a renaissance man who has encompassed many spheres of knowledge. It is an inspirational feast for the eye and the mind and would make an instructive present for almost everyone from teenagers upward."
Social Inventions Journal