What is Vesica piscis?

The Vesica Piscis is formed by the intersection of two circles or spheres whose centers exactly touch. I chose the Vesica Piscis to represent my business because this symbolic intersection represents the “common ground”, “shared vision” or “mutual understanding” between equal individuals. My intention is to work with you in a true partnership.

The shape of the human eye itself is a Vesica Piscis. The spiritual significance of “seeing eye to eye” to the “mirror of the soul” was highly regarded by numerous Renaissance artists who used this form extensively in art and architecture. My aim is to connect with you at this level of deep understanding.

The ratio of the axes of the form is the square root of 3, which alludes to the deepest nature of the triune which cannot be adequately expressed by rational language alone. The Triune has many many implications …such as Body, Mind, Spirit or Maiden, Mother, Crone, Father, Son and Holy Ghost or the Threefold Law in Wicca which states that we get back threefold whatever we put out.

 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesica_piscis

The vesica piscis is a shape that is the intersection of two circles with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the perimeter of the other. The name literally means the “bladder of a fish” in Latin. The shape is also called mandorla (“almond” in Italian).

The term is also used more generally for any symmetric lens.

Mystical and religious significance

The most famous example in nature of the vesica piscis during a total solar eclipse, when Moon’s apparent size is the same as that of the Sun. As the Moon moves to cover the Sun, at a certain moment it forms a vesica piscis. In many ancient cultures, the Sun was a male god and the Moon a goddess, and the vesica piscis symbolized an opening or gateway between these two polarities through which creation can take place.[2] The ancient Egyptians practiced sacred geometry based on “As above, so below”. Architects and artists copied the solar eclipse/vesica piscis and its mathematics in their sacred buildings and artwork to reflect their religious beliefs. This ancient tradition was passed on through the centuries by the Freemasons.

The mathematical ratio of the width across the center of the vesica piscis to its height is the square root of 3, or 1.7320508… (since if straight lines are drawn connecting the centers of the two circles with each other and with the two points where the circles intersect, two equilateral triangles join along an edge). The ratios 265:153 = 1.7320261… and 1351:780 = 1.7320513… are two of a series of approximations to this value, each with the property that no better approximation can be obtained with smaller whole numbers. Archimedes of Syracuse, in his On the Measurement of the Circle, uses these ratios as upper and lower bounds:

\tfrac{1351}{780} > \sqrt{3} > \tfrac{265}{153}\,.

The vesica piscis has been the subject of mystical speculation at several periods of history, and is viewed as important in some forms of Kabbalah. More recently, numerous New Age authors have interpreted it as a yonic symbol and claimed that this, a reference to the female genitals, is a traditional interpretation.

Uses of the shape

In Christian art, some aureolas are in the shape of a vertically oriented vesica piscis, and the seals of ecclesiastical organizations can be enclosed within a vertically oriented vesica piscis (instead of the more usual circular enclosure).

The cover of the Chalice Well in Glastonbury (Somerset, United Kingdom) depicts a stylized version of the vesica piscis design (see picture).

The vesica piscis has been used as a symbol within Freemasonry, most notably in the shapes of the collars worn by officiants of the Masonic rituals.[10] It was also considered the proper shape for the enclosure of the seals of Masonic lodges.

The Vesica Piscis is also used as proportioning system in architecture, in particular Gothic architecture. The system was illustrated in Cesar Cesariano’s Vitruvius (1521), which he called “the rule of the German architects”.

Gallery

Christ in Majesty within a mandorla-shaped aureolain a medieval illuminated manuscript Christ in majesty within a mandorla-shaped aureola, surrounded by emblems of the evangelists (13th century) Christ within a mandorla-shaped aureola, surrounded by emblems of the evangelists (fresco)
Church of Scotland logo Coat of arms of Guam Madonna in mandorla attended by angels.
 
 Official seal of Johns Hopkins University