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The Great Pyramid and the Axis of the Earth - Part 1 (cont.)
By Scott Creighton and Gary Osborn

STEP 5d: The Great Pyramid has now been defined by its Star Shafts.

Figure 10 - The Great Pyramid with Star Shafts

(Click on the link below for a full presentation of the Shafts First Solution).

It can be demonstrated, therefore, that the star shafts of the Great Pyramid can be used in a simple and systematic manner to define the actual dimensions of the Great Pyramid itself.

Legon writes:

"…The stellar-alignment hypothesis would have been immeasurably stronger if the angles of the shafts could only be expressed in terms of some arbitrary mathematical ratios, for which no obvious geometrical design could be determined; but when the southern shaft was simply aligned along the diagonal of a square, as Bauval acknowledges, how much significance can be attached to any star that happened to pass over the shaft-exit when at culmination? …"

The significance of the star shafts is the simple fact that they may well have been the underlying design imperative of the Great Pyramid. Their significance is perhaps not so much in targeting specific "cultic" stars at their culmination, but in the angles the shafts present, as well as the mean difference of 6.5 degrees in the angles of the northern and southern star shafts, which by the way is also confirmed by the 6.5-degree offset positioning of the King's Chamber shafts from those of the Queen's Chamber, and that in these angles and their 6.5-degree differences there lies a possible "message".

Legon goes on:

"…According to the air-shaft theory, however, the architect was free to determine the angles of slope which best suited his development of the geometrical design, within the broad framework dictated by the need for a short route to be taken to the outside of the pyramid…"

It is, however, equally possible (as we have seen) to turn Legon's conceptual design on its head and suggest that, via the Shafts First Solution, the shortest route for the shafts to reach the exterior of the pyramid would be to design a pyramid whose slopes would be at right angles (or as close as possible) to the shafts. In this way the integrity of the desired angles of the 'star shafts' is maintained (for the King's soul) whilst simultaneously ensuring that the most efficient path of the star shafts through the pyramid course layers is obtained.

Legon writes:

"…It turns out that the geometry of the air-shafts is a function of the meridian cross-section of the pyramid itself, and can be developed simultaneously with the geometrical placing of the King's Chamber which I have previously described. At the same time, the positions of the shaft outlets can be shown to have been worked out in whole numbers of cubits, in perfect harmony with the proportions of the pyramid…"

The "meridian cross-section" identified here by Legon would simply be the natural outcome of the Shafts First Solution as demonstrated.

The Primacy and Significance of the Star Shafts

As stated earlier in this article, the Shafts First Solution advances the primacy of the pyramid shafts and suggests that their significance lies in the information they "carry". But what possible information could the 2 sets of shafts carry?

The answer is simple - angles. Or - more specifically - the inclination angles of 2 stars. But why only 2 stars when there are 4 shafts? In the stellar hypothesis advanced by Robert Bauval, it is believed that the shafts target 4 stars (2 north and 2 south) c. 2,500BCE. It may, however, be the case that the 2 northern and 2 southern shafts were designed to target the same 2 stars - one star in the northern sky and one star in southern sky. But why 2 shafts (north and south) to target the same single star (north and south)? And how is it possible to target the same 2 stars (one north, one south) at the same moment in time (and from the same location) when the lower star shafts have different angles of inclination to the upper star shafts?

The answer to this apparent enigma may lie in one of our most ancient world 'myths'. It is a myth that is prevalent in just about every civilisation and culture of the ancient world. It is a myth spoken of in numerous ancient texts, including the books of the Old and New Testaments. This 'myth' tells us in unequivocal terms that in remote antiquity the 'sky fell' and that the stars moved out of their place.

Of course, it is unlikely that the actual sky literally fell. If, however, the Earth's polar axis made a sudden and dramatic shift, this would give the apparent illusion that the stars in the sky had "moved out of their place"; the sky would appear to have "fallen". Stars that once were viewed at a particular elevation above Giza would have "moved" as a result of such a tilt of the Earth's polar axis.

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