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Re: VMs: Finding
Dear Jorge,
Thanks for an interesting post.
One quick question: if your idea is correct, would it tell us anything about the
possible dates when the VMS could have been composed? At present, the artistic
and handwriting evidence points to about 1470 or later; if there are any other
stylistic features in the illustrations which could help narrow down the date
range, that would be very useful.
Best wishes,
Gordon
Jorge Aveleira wrote:
> Hi there, VMS list group:
>
> I am novice to the VMS email list. Please allow me to discourse a little
> about my involvement with the Voynich manuscript. Some time ago, I was
> browsing John Baez Internet pages on Physics, and I clicked the link to its
> Voynich section, just out of curiosity. Usually, I am not even a bit
> enthusiastic about enigmas, but the history of the Voynich manuscript, its
> strange, or even bizarre, drawings of plants, astrological elements and
> feminine figures caught my attention in a more or less steady basis since
> then. I cannot avoid keeping an impression that the labored, even abnormal
> symmetry and repetition in the number of components in the VMS drawings
> holds some special meaning and can have something in common with themes from
> my own research work. A recent finding convinced me to the best of my
> knowledge that I am in possession of relevant new information about the
> contents of VMS, that may be of assistance to decipher it.
>
> A few days ago, browsing from Jorge Stolfi pages, I was fortunate to follow
> a link to Petr Kazil pages, which gave me access for the first time to folio
> 86, the biggest drawing of the VMS, also known as the "rosette page". I
> collated a printout set of the four jpg files that comprise folio 86 and
> Wow! Just take a look! Folio 86 contains nine circles or spheres; each one
> is illustrated in a distinct way and linked to the adjacent spheres by means
> of connections, paths or flows also of varied aspect. The drawing matches
> closely and unmistakably a well known ancient structure, the logical
> conclusion being that folio 86 contains an early, perhaps the earliest
> surviving pictorial rendition of the Tree of Life, the Sephirotic Tree from
> kabbalistic jewish tradition! The Sephirotic Tree is traditionally regarded
> as a model for the universe and the process of divine creation and
> transmutation, and the set of the sephirot is said to represent any possible
> manifestation of existence.
>
> Nine sephiroth are showing in folio 86, arranged as usual in three triads. I
> believe that the missing and lowermost sephira, Malkhut-kingdom may have
> been deliberately excluded here, or maybe that drawing was conceived
> before the graphical addition of Malkhut to the other nine sephirot, aimed
> to sum up a so interpreted perfect number of 10 elements. Additional
> connections or paths between the sephiroth were probably excluded here or
> added later, totalling 32, in order to convey a mystical sum of 3+7+12+10
> elements, matching the 22 letters of jewish alphabet and numbers 1 to 10.
> To plunge into elaborate calculations and permutations is a well known
> characteristic of ancient jewish mystical tradition. Extrinsic details,
> precepts and angelical orders probably were also added to various studies on
> the Sephirotic tree, by means of well intended but sometimes gratuitous
> interpretations, reinterpretations and new extended and beautified
> interpretations of old fundamental reinterpretations... ad nauseam...
>
> The graphical aspect of the spheres in folio 86 may be said to match the
> essential meaning of each sephira. The bigger sphere at the center is
> Tipheret-beauty, and in accordance with lore it appears here in connection
> with every other sphere. This particular rendition illustrates a
> flower-kernel-like shape for Tipheret, which is placed below Kether-the
> crown. Below Tipheret one finds Yesod-fundament, and to the sides of
> Tipheret one sees Gevurah-justice/severity and Hesed-mercy, that is it! To
> the lef and right of Yesod it is not difficult to identify Hod-glory and
> Netsah-victory. The arrangement visually matches as a whole! In this
> regards, one may also take a look at illustrations and texts on the
> Sephirotic tree at the pages with links provided below and elsewhere. It is
> prudent, however, to be aware of unconvincing, gratuitous, dubious,
> confusing, ornamented and rambling interpretations. Sticking to the old
> straightforward names of each sephira and their translation will aid to not
> get lost.
>
> Binah intelligence
> Kether crown
> Hokhmah wisdom
>
> Gevurah justice/severity
> Tipheret beauty
> Hesed mercy
>
> Hod glory
> Yesod foundation
> Netsah victory
>
> Malkut kingdom
>
> The upper triad is deemed as closer to the essential spirit of God, and is
> associated with the "higher heavenly realms"; the two other triads are
> associated with creation and the world. Daat-knowledge is not really a
> sephira, but a later supplementary concept which is not universal in
> studies on the Sephirotic tree. Some authors admit its usefulness as an
> easier approach to conceive and relate to the upper triad. [1]
>
> Is this accessment of folio 86 that I have described really new to the VMS
> list? I feel even surprised that presumably no researchers involved in the
> decypherment of the VMS have detected yet that unmistakable resemblance to
> something so pertinent. If so, that is probably partly due to the big size
> of that drawing, the download size of a file containing folio 86 and its
> scarce availability in Internet and perhaps also to a lack of VMS list
> members acquainted to that particular subject. I also trimmed and assembled
> the four files from Petr Kazil archive in a single jpg image file; it gives
> a not very sharp image, but it is smaller than the files in the archive (520
> Kb) and allows a good overview of the whole drawing. It would be my pleasure
> to send a copy of it upon direct request to my email address below to
> possibly interested members of the VMS email list. I consider that this
> presentation is already excessive, or long enough for the time being. If
> other members of the VMS list show an extended interest, I may later
> volunteer additional details of my interpretation about the meaning of the
> VMS manuscript under the light of this new development.
>
> Thank you for your attention,
>
> Jorge Aveleira
> jorvel AT terra DOT com DOT br
>
> ==================================
> The Sephirotic Tree
> [1] Names and arrangement of the sephirot,
> http://www.yashanet.com/studies/revstudy/rev5a.htm
>
> http://www.kheper.net/topics/Kabbalah/sefirot.htm
> http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/index.htm
> http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/kircher.gif
>
> John Baez
> http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/README.html
> http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/voynich.html
>
> Jorge Stolfi
> http://www.dcc.unicamp.br/~stolfi/voynich/
>
> Petr Kazil:
> http://www.euronet.nl/users/kazil/
> http://www.euronet.nl/users/kazil/voynich.html
> "Due to webspace constraints most pictures have been moved to an archive
> website on Geocities. And if too many people access this archive then
> Geocities shuts it down temporarily. So if you fail to access it please try
> again the next day."
> Folio 86 archived pictures:
> http://www.geocities.com/pkazil2001/voy_f86_ne.jpg
> http://www.geocities.com/pkazil2001/voy_f86_nw.jpg
> http://www.geocities.com/pkazil2001/voy_f86_se.jpg
> http://www.geocities.com/pkazil2001/voy_f86_sw.jpg
> Folio 86 pictures are available also at:
> http://www.sphynx.demon.co.uk/Voynich.htm
>
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