WAY Abbey is part of a grand design
WE REVISIT DEREK PARKER’S RAMBLES THROUGH RENFREWSHIRE
The Great Pyramids at Giza were oriented towards the dazzling Orion star constellation.
Their positioning revealed the pilgrim paths of dead Pharaohs to celestial homes where they lived in blissful resurrection forever among the stars.
But you needn’t go to Egypt to explore the worldwide mystic links between holy places, Man’s divine destiny and beautiful constellations which illuminate our night skies.
Our own Paisley Abbey is part of a grand design.
The theory was introduced to Western Europe by medieval Knights Templar who learned, during their Holy Land Crusades, about ancient Egyptian religious rituals, which used sacred architecture, astronomy and geometry to explain Enlightened Man’s place in the universe.
It’s a cosmic-based pattern on the Old Testament story of Jacob’s Ladder.
It symbolises Man’s spiritual rebirth and his aspirations for God, his higher
Mine of information
Derek Parker knew many of Paisley’s secrets – the grimy and the good.
He wandered every corner in search of the clues that would unlock Renfrewshire’s rich history.
These tales were shared with readers in his hugely popular Parker’s Way column.
We’ve opened our vault to handpick our favourites for you. This article was first published on May 10, 2004. self and his divinely-ordained place as a brick or pillar in the Heavenly Temple of the New Jerusalem, which inspired religious edifices like Paisley Abbey.
The link between sacred architecture and astronomy is conspicuous this month with the advent of the Summer Triangle in the nocturnal springtime sky.
The triangle comprises the bright stars Altair, Deneb and Vega in the constellations of Aquila, Cygnus and Lyra.
The Summer Triangle symbolises the Holy Trinity.
Shaped like a set-square used by medieval masons who built Paisley Abbey and other sacred sanctuaries of Christendom, the starry Triangle is also an evocation of the Great Architect of the Universe, who brought the Grand Temple of the Universe into existence from the ashes, dust and gases of cosmic chaos.
Cygnus, also known as the Northern Cross, is replicated in the cruciform design of Paisley Abbey, with its nave, chancel and north and south transepts.
Also visible is the Great Bear constellation. Its circumpolar stars, which never set, symbolise the immortality of the human soul as they shine brightly in the blackness.
The Great Bear’s two brightest stars, Dubhe and Merak, point towards Polaris, the Pole Star, which is evocative of Jesus Christ, the Star of Jacob, who illuminated the hearts and minds of the Sons of Light.
On a spring night, the hand of the Grand Geometrician pointing pilgrim paths to the people of Paisley is visible inside and above our town’s noble abbey.