Star Signs and the Labyrinth. By: Patrick Geryl and Gino Ratinckx In September 1996, I first read about the labyrinth in a French translation of The Book of the Dead. The author, Albert Slosman, had deciphered old manuscripts in which he had read that the Egyptians had built an enormous building. This is also where the biggest treasures of all old would be. Herodotus, father of historiography, had visited it and wrote an article about it in his book: 'I was there and it is beyond anything you can imagine. The pyramids [Gizeh] are too majestic for words but still do not compare to the labyrinth.' The Greek historiographer Herodotus was amazed when he saw the huge labyrinth in the fifth century before Christ. It was the administrative and astronomical centre of Egypt, had two floors, 3000 rooms and probably a diameter of more than a kilometre. For centuries, scientists and adventures have searched for the labyrinth without success. But with his knowledge of astronomy, Gino discovered a correlation between the Milky Way and the Nile. He immediately saw that the temple of Dendera had to correspond with the star Deneb in the constellation Cygnus. One of the turns in the Nile in the area of Dendera even corresponds exactly with the Milky Way. He further postulated that the labyrinth had to have a heavenly counterpart: no doubt these were the Hyades because they formed a labyrinth of stars. Going from the pyramids that symbolise Orion, the labyrinth then had to be located in Hawara. To our amazement the labyrinth had been discovered on the location we had indicated! The excavations had been done 160 years previously by a German called Lepsius. He claimed the labyrinth was like a collapsed ruin. This being too much of coincidence, we decided to leave for Egypt. We took a GPS (Ground Positioning System) to exactly determine the position of the temples and pyramids. Dendera, Egypt, Tuesday 25 March 1997 At the entrance to the temple at Dendera, we met Mohamed Aldawy Barbary, archaeologist and chief of security. Mohamed confirmed to us that Dendera had been associated with the star Deneb, as we had postulated. Simultaneously with our first steps in the temple an overwhelming feeling hit us. Everything radiated grandeur and power. The day before we had visited the Valley of the Kings, but it couldn't withstand the comparison with Dendera. Here, everything was more mysterious, more enigmatic, more complex, as if a hidden power was behind it, an unfathomable and deep source of knowledge. Gino and I were determined to try and unravel it. We looked with astonishment at the wonderful columns, the exquisite ceilings, and admired the copy of the zodiacal table - the original is in the Louvre in Paris. Up on the roof we took the all-important co-ordinates with out GPS. It was here that Gino first noticed a deviation in the concept. According to his measurements the zodiac was directed to the north, with a deviation of five degrees in eastern direction. Since it was a copy it could be a coincidence. So he decided to measure the south--north axis of the temple. To his astonishment it also showed a deviation of five degrees in the eastern direction. Esna, Egypt, Wednesday 26 March 1997 The first assessment we made was that the temple's level is below the Nile level. The archaeologist on duty explained that only at that depth was there solid ground to build on. Because of its low level it suffered from subsoil water intrusion and that was bad for the conservation of the hieroglyphs. Since the Egyptians were so keen to keep everything in as perfect a condition as possible, we concluded there must have been a special reason to build the temple right here - a reason much more important than the degree of difficulty of building it there. Soon enough, Gino found the sign of the star Altair (in Aquila) which again reinforced our theory. Furthermore, we saw columns similar to the Dendera ones; the temple was built in the same era, hence the similarities. Other elements of correspondence are the zodiacal signs and the pattern of the ceilings. After measuring it, the temple proved to be directed to the north with a deviation of five degrees to the east. Two such striking deviations could not be a coincidence! Gizeh, Egypt, Monday 31 March 1997 We were walking towards the pyramids; it was less than a kilometre from our hotel. I had read an elaborate description in the book Fingerprints of the Gods. The previous day I had already had a first taste of it through the window in our room: grand, mysterious, mystic and an infinite amount of other descriptions one could give to it as well. "I bet the pyramids also have a deviation of five degrees," I challenged Gino. "I won't gamble on this one, cause I already know the answer!" A few minutes later we stood in front of the largest building on Earth. You had to see it to believe it. It beats every description I ever read: 'overwhelmed by its grandeur', 'mysterious through its hidden secrets', 'mystic because of its esoteric character'. With the GPS, Gino measured the corners of the pyramid. When walking from one corner to the other he also assessed the direction of the pyramid. The result no longer was a surprise to us: a deviation of five degrees to the east. We noted the same deviation for the two other pyramids Determination of the Position The astronomical knowledge of the Egyptians was impressive, and it was something Gino could positively prove once we were back home. With the aid of the positions of the pyramids and temples he tried to calculate mathematically how they had done it. After an intense search he came to the conclusion they must have known the perimeter of the Earth perfectly and they must have been able to calculate the distance to the stars. This is how he handled the problem: how do I project the position of a star on Earth? Solution: 1. Freeze the heaven at a certain moment in time. 2. Calculate the distance between the stars and record them in specified units (for instance: royal ell, etc.) 3. Take the centre of the Earth and project the star on it. 4. Take into account a certain scale while making the projection, so everything can be re-measured accordingly 5. The projection is three-dimensional, which complicates the work considerably. And on top of that you have to take into account the angle between the stars. In order to do this you have to know stereometry and possess the necessary knowledge to project a point on a three-dimensional landscape. Only the finest mathematicians and astronomers can do this nowadays 6. Place the temple on the junction with the Earth. Our measurements prove they were able to accomplish this and demonstrate clearly that the Egyptians had incredible knowledge, and can match or even surpass today's science! RESEARCH ON LOCATION Hawara, Egypt, Wednesday 2 April 1997, 11 a.m. At high speed the taxi driver hurried his car through the desert. The sun was burning my eyes. At a distance I could see the Hawara pyramid appearing. Restlessly I was moving back and forth. Gino pointed at the building and nodded - that was it. We were rapidly nearing our journey's objective. We arrived; the landscape was desolate. Not one tourist could be seen. Three guides and a ticket salesman welcomed us with open arms. Not one of them spoke English. Luckily our driver could start the communication between us all. The entrance was sixteen Egyptian pounds, quite a lot for a pyramid made of clay; but we paid gladly. Two guides accompanied us. Gino and I put on our hats against the burning sun and we followed the gravelled path. One of our guides made wild gestures. He pointed to a bright white pillar, hardly visible above the sand. The figures of two crocodiles were chiselled on it. This clearly was a clue that this was the right site. Indeed, Herodotus mentioned that the labyrinth was located close to the Crocodile City. Our guides kneeled down right in front of the entrance. They made a drawing of a pyramid in the sand; they distinguished three layers on it. Then they pointed to the lower layer and to a stone made of red granite from Aswan. The use of this type of very hard stone indicated that the pyramid must have been important. You don't work this type of stone without good reason. On top of this layer, the same type of stone was used as was for the Giza pyramids. And the last layer was made of clay stones, as we already noticed. I climbed an earth wall, which was right next to the pyramid. Some twenty metres away, about eight metres deep, I saw the canal running as Herodotus described it. I was staring into the distance and saw nothing else but a green oasis in front of me. I could easily imagine there used to be a lake with beaches. While I was daydreaming I kept on looking around. Quite soon I was filled with the feeling that we were in the right place. During my research I had had a similar feeling several times, and every time it proved to be right afterwards. This time would not be different. My intuition was too strong for that. The labyrinth was right here! You can bet on it! While we went around the pyramid, Gino stopped to measure its position. He had calculated it theoretically beforehand and to our satisfaction it matched - only a few metres' difference between the measured values - again a confirmation of what I suspected. Hereafter, I give again the main evidences of why the labyrinth must be located in this place: 1. There is a canal in front of the pyramid, a branch of the Bahr Joessoef canal. According to Herodotus there used to be a canal connected to the lake, which was in front of the pyramid 2. Behind the canal is a dip: the oasis of the Fayum. This is where the lake must have been 3. The position of the pyramid matches exactly the star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus. Such a similarity points towards the importance of the position. 4. Several tops of columns that are sticking above the sand are telling us that there is more hidden under the surface. These probably stood on the roof of the labyrinth. 5. The temple was built in the early days of the age of Taurus. When looking thoroughly at the star sign Taurus, it is similar to the Pleiades and the Hyades. The region which matches the Pleiades is located too high; so that possibility is no longer open. This leaves us with the Hyades. And that's where the labyrinth is! 6. The Hyades contain twelve bright and also a large number of other stars. The number twelve matches the zodiac. Astronomers call the Hyades a labyrinth of stars. A further indication is that the Hyades cover five degrees of the sky, the same number as the deviation measured of temples and pyramids in relation to the north-south axis. 7. Red Aswan granite was used for the fundament of the pyramid. This points to the importance of the place as well as to the fact that it protected the clay stone construction from the water. 8. Two chiselled crocodiles are a clue for the Crocodilopolis, which was not far from here 9. Lepsius did not go deep enough to find the labyrinth. For this reasons it is absolutely necessary to start new excavations here. Only in this way can the enigma of the labyrinth be solved. End note: Patrick Geryl and Gino Ratinckx have permission from the Egyptian authorities to excavate the Labyrinth. Investors can reach Patrick Geryl at 32+(0)3+324 8476(phone 18:00 hrs Belgium time), or 32+(0)3+384 2016(fax), Gino Ratinckx can be reached by e-mail at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or tel: 32+(0)3+230-6811(phone) This article appeared in a magazine called "Quest",(UK) No9, late 1997 or early 1998. Since the issues are not dated and the issuance is sporadic its hard to judge ==== continued ====
