Sundial

In the rituals of the Classical world, passage into an initiatory cavern was understood to symbolize
a death or passage between states of existence. Entry into the initiatory state was through the “gate
of humanity,” and this passage corresponded to the Summer Solstice. Although there is no doorway
leading to the plaza at the Sundial Bridge, it is the bridge itself that provides a “passage;” and the
Spanish name of the river crossed by the walkway is not without significance here. Moreover, it
must be observed that in its curving to the right, the path to the plaza follows the clockwise
direction appropriate to the circumambulatory rituals of a solar character. Within the plaza, the
visitor comes upon a work of sculpture by the architect, and it may be observed that in a very
general fashion this sculpture recalls the omphalos of Antiquity that marked a ritual center. It may
even be maintained that in its four-fold yet spherical form, this sculpture evokes the Hermetic
“squaring of the circle” that is analogous to the realization of the City of the Sun.

Another geometry becomes apparent from the plaza, when the visitor’s gaze rises to look literally
through the gnomon from below. By so doing the visitor is aware of the gnomon’s triangular form
that has been constructed in accordance with the Pythagorean Theorem, a formula preserved by the
medieval writings of Muslim mathematicians and holding profound significance in the traditions of
builders. In fact the three axes formed by this triangle relate to the overall design of the bridge.
While the river may be seen as parallel to the axis at a right angle to the walkway, the hypotenuse of
this triangle in part determines the rotated position of the plaza. It is also of interest that in relation
to the archetypal form of the triangle, with sides of 32 plus 42 equaling 52, the walkway corresponds
to the side of 42, and there are exactly 16 rows of glass along its surface.

The view through the gnomon – a word the root of which means “to know” – suggests a
continuation of the initiatory symbolism. Beyond the “gate of humanity” was a “gate of the gods,”
identified in turn with the Winter Solstice, when the Sun turns northward again in its yearly course,
and the light of day increases in the North. In terms of astrological symbolism, this northern
orientation of the Sun introduces the polar significance belonging to that direction, for it is in the
northern sky that the unmoving Pole Star resides; and it is in the design of a sundial that for it to
function properly, its gnomon must point to that star. So while any sundial must point north, the
unique scale of the Sundial Bridge provides a remarkably massive pointer to the unmoving pole of
the cosmos; and when viewed from below, a better indication of a “gate of the gods” reached by
way of a “gate of humanity” is difficult to imagine. Yet because of the leaning gnomon, the form of
this monument does not well symbolize the terrestrial pole that is found, at least virtually, at ritual
centers, and that stands in correspondence to the celestial pole. So even though the towering sundial
appears to bow in deference to the celestial pole, it is in terms of architecture an innovative
departure from the purely vertical symbols of the terrestrial pole or axis mundi, whether pillar,
stupa, or minaret (the root meaning of which is “light”).

However, in the natural landscape of Northern California, there is such a symbol of the terrestrial
pole, and it is located very near Redding, and significantly in the direction to which the sundial
points. This symbol is Mount Shasta, the source of the Sacramento River and the manifest meeting
place of the earth and sky for the American Indians of the region. Legends have in turn been
formulated by Americans of European descent, especially in the 1930’s, and these formulations
recall the beliefs concerning hidden spiritual centers and beings in the traditions of Central Asia. In
the case of Mount Shasta, these beings are known by a rather unfortunate term – “Lemurians” –
since its derivation is Latin for “demons of the night.” Especially interesting in the present context
is the claim concerning Guy Ballard and his meeting on the mountain’s slopes with one of the most
shadowy figures in European Hermeticism, the Comte de St. Germain. However, this “initiation,”
as well as the initiatory implications of the Sundial Bridge, arises in the absence of religion, without
which the goal of initiation is obscure.

The initiatory Orders of Chivalry were above all responsible for the transmission of Hermetic
teachings into Western Europe. Even though Hermeticism, as well as chivalry itself, are not in
themselves religions, there should be no doubt that the concerns of both are to provide supports
for the accomplishment of religion. The building of a ritual center in a landscape providentially
designed for such a purpose should serve in the realization of the rites themselves, since it is
religion – in its sense of “connecting” - that unites what is above with the individual below, in
fulfillment of the uprightness of the human form. The religious goal has always been the same; for
example, the Parthenon in Athens was a temple dedicated to wisdom; this dedication did not
essentially change when for a thousand years it served as a church, or for over two hundred years
as a mosque. And while Muslim extremists now destroy Buddhist statues in Afghanistan, the
statuary of the Parthenon had been preserved by the wisdom of the Ottomans; it was rather the
absence of wisdom and chivalry – and the Venetians - that destroyed the Parthenon, killing at the
same time the innocent that sought refuge inside it. The recent terrorist bombings in Madrid were
likewise blameworthy, but Islam and the wisdom it offers may not be blamed.

With the Parthenon abandoned, the world turned its attention during the Olympics to the nearby
stadium designed by Santiago Calatrava, fascinated more by the spectacle than by any lost ideals of
chivalry. Curiously, both “Santiago” and “Calatrava” are designations of medieval Orders of
Chivalry in Spain, and the latter derives from Arabic. With the white tower of the Sundial Bridge,
Calatrava has ingeniously provided a tangible reminder of the cosmic order that religion has
always illuminated rather than destroyed. In this connection, it is promising that the architect’s
next project in California is planned to be the Catholic Cathedral in Oakland, to be designated
Christ the Light.

The Sundial Bridge

In the summer of 2004, world attention focused on the Olympics, as the Games returned to their
Greek homeland. A newly constructed stadium in Athens served as the stage for the opening
ceremonies of the Olympiad that, in flamboyant defiance of Roman Christendom’s abolishing of
the Games a millennium before, were dedicated to Apollo, the pre-Christian god of the Sun. The
stadium itself is testament to the worldwide success of its Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.
So it is surprising that in this same summer, another of his projects was realized not in some
European capital city, but in an obscure location in Northern California, for on July 4, the
Sundial Bridge in Redding had its opening ceremony. Since this distinctive landmark is indeed a
monumental sundial, it is worth considering the implications of its unusual form.

Sundials entered the Classical world from Egypt, but for a sundial to be achieved on such a
monumental scale is unprecedented. Still, it must be recalled that in the Ancient World, and
especially Egypt, monumental building was designed in relation to the celestial order. For
example, solar and astral alignments have been observed in the layout of Egyptian Temples.
Although such subtle concerns have long been abandoned by architects, a description of their
origin was introduced into Europe as part of the medieval legacy of Islam and its sciences in
Spain. In the Ghayat ul-Hakim, the “Goal of the Wise” attributed to al-Majriti (“of Madrid”),
building in accordance with the celestial order is traced to Hermes, who is credited specifically
with the design of a “City of the Sun” along the Nile. It is uniquely according to the perspective
of Islam that the celestial sphere of the Sun is considered to be the domain of Hermes; his
authority over sciences concerned with celestial and terrestrial correspondences relates to his
mythic role as divine messenger. Both the “heretical” Ghayat ul-Hakim and the ideal of
establishing a new Solar City became part of the legacy of Renaissance Hermeticists. In his
Civitas Solis, Campanella embraced both Hermes and the Prophet of Islam as sources of wisdom
that contribute to his ideal city.

Although the Sundial Bridge is the centerpiece of an urban development program known as
“Renaissance Redding,” the city of Redding along the Sacramento River is still far from the
Hermetic ideal. Yet the pedestrian bridge has been designed in accordance with cosmological
principles. Its walkway is supported by the cantilevered gnomon of the sundial by means of 14
cables. In the Ghayat ul-Hakim, the number 14 refers to fundamental categories of light and
darkness; and according to another correspondence, this number is explicitly associated with the
sphere of the Sun. Both walkway and gnomon are positioned exactly along a north-south axis.
Now this axis relates specifically to the solstices of the Sun’s yearly course when it reaches its
most southern and northern limits. Under the shadow of the gnomon are the Sundial Bridge’s
only markers relating to its function, and they are, appropriately, marking where the shadow
falls on 21 June, that is, the Summer Solstice. Passing by these markers, the visitor to the bridge
is guided to the right along a curving path that descends to a plaza previously hidden
underneath the bridge. With its myriad tiles imported from Spain, this plaza provides a respite
from the Redding heat on the bank of the Sacramento. Certainly this hidden plaza recalls the
atmosphere of a cavern, and in this regard some remarks concerning the rituals of Antiquity
would not be out of place.