The reason Precession occurs is that the Earth not only rotates on its axis … otherwise known as the Axis Munde or World Pillar … it also wobbles. This wobble effect is a phenomenon caused by forces exerted by the Sun on the bulges of the Earth at the Equator.
         The wobble effect is best explained in terms of a spinning top. As the top begins to lose momentum it begins to wobble. It is this same kind of circular movement, or wobble, of the Earth, which moving at a constant speed over long periods of Time alters the direction of the Polar Axis. One revolution is completed every 25,920 years. The central point of revolution is called the "pole of the ecliptic".

         The apparent cycle of the Pole Stars over a period of 25,920 years is not the only effect of Precession as viewed from Planet Earth. Another effect with which most of us will be familiar is the apparent movement of the Signs of the Zodiac across the sky on an annual basis. It is reasonable to suspect that most of you reading this will be familiar with the Sign of the Zodiac under which you were born, and many of you will read your stars in newspapers and magazines everyday. You might be an Aries or a Libra. Or perhaps like me you are a Scorpio.
         The apparent movement of the Signs of the Zodiac across the sky does not only take place on an annual basis however. The cycle also occurs over a period of 25,920 years, often referred to as Plato's Great Year.
         The following diagram can be interpreted on both of these levels, but the main emphasis is on the Great Year … the Four Seasons, the Twelve Ages and the Precession of the Equinoxes. The twelve markers indicating the timing of the Sun entering a New Age and / or Season of the Zodiac are like "flags" denoting the boundaries. In fact they could be considered as "flagships" heralding in each of the New Ages and / or Seasons.
         The ensigns of the twelve Zodiacal Constellations, representing the Twelve Ages in the Precession of the Equinoxes, appear to arch their way across the sky as if in royal procession. The beginning of a new Zodiacal Season is marked by the standards of the Lion, the Bull, the Man and the Eagle … sometimes equated with the Four Cardinal Directions. The Fifth Cardinal Direction is the central point of revolution, the pole of the ecliptic.

         The blue dot within the circle is Planet Earth around which the Constellations of the Zodiac appear to revolve. The "Cross" which is formed by the four quarters of the circle takes 25,920 years to complete one revolution. The completion of one revolution is referred to as a Great Year.
         Within this Great Year are four Seasons, which are defined by the Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Equinoxes. For this reason the Great Year is also referred to as the Precession of the Equinoxes. Within each Season are three Ages. For example, within the Zodiacal Season of Taurus there are the three Ages of Taurus (the Bull), Aries (the Ram) and Pisces (the Fish). Within the Zodiacal Season of Aquarius there are the three Ages of Aquarius (Man), Capricorn (the Sea Goat) and Sagittarius (the Archer). Each Zodiacal Season comprises a 90-degree right-angle … like a set-square. Each Zodiacal Season is a one fourth part of a circle. Each Zodiacal Season is standing on the square.
         The tools used by the remote ancient Egyptians to help them better understand the Concept of Precession were the Square and Compasses … and lest the value of these tools be overlooked or forgotten, they were engineered into the constellations of the Northern Winter sky by the Great Architect. (German astronomer, Jakob Bartsch, also lays claim to the honour.) The Constellation of Monoceros, the Unicorn, forms the Square and Compasses. The Square is at 90 degrees and the Compasses at 55 degrees.
         The symbolism of the Lion and the Unicorn, which are readily evident on the cover of a British passport as part of the Arms of Dominion, can now be appreciated in terms of astronomy and the Precession of the Equinoxes. The Arms of Dominion encode the Lost Secrets of the remote Ancient Egyptians.
         The reader will also observe that Canis Minor is a Plumb Rule! In Ancient Egypt the Plumb Rule was called a Merkhet. The Merkhet was used in conjunction with a Plumb Line to measure the positions of stars and their corresponding positions on the ground in Egypt.

         Referring back to the Royal Arch of the Ages of the Zodiac diagram: as the Sun heralds in the Dawn on December 21st 2012 we shall be entering a new Zodiacal Season: Aquarius … a phenomenon which last occurred almost 25,920 years ago! When the Sun is risen we will be celebrating the Resurrection of the Age of Aquarius. (This subject is covered in greater detail in a later paper.)
         From this same diagram it becomes clear that the "Cross" and / or the "Cross within a circle" and / or the "Cross and a circle" are the symbols of the Precession of the Equinoxes.
         When the Great architect mapped the heavens before 14000 BCE he included the "Cross", the Symbol of the Precession of the Equinoxes, as part of the "Hall of Records" in the night sky. Knowledge carved in stone is temporal. The progenitors of the Ancient Egyptians carved their knowledge in the stars so that it would never be desecrated, worn away or lost. Their knowledge would be eternal. The progenitors of the Ancient Egyptians were the Masons of the Heavens.
         The Constellation of Grus, (the Crane) which is in the shape of a cross, lies directly to the west of the Constellation of Phoenix. Perhaps not surprisingly, the pictogram for astronomers in Ancient Egypt was the crane.

Sky view from the Giza Plateau around 11:57pm on
July 3rd 14000BCE. The Cross is a symbol of the
Precession of the Equinoxes. The Constellation of Grus,
(the Crane) which is in the shape of a cross,
lies directly to the west of the Constellation of Phoenix.
(The computer software I used to access this skychart is:
Haney, M.A. Skyglobe 3.5
A Shareware Product of KlassM Software, 1992)

         The symbol of the "Cross" and / or the "Cross within a circle" and / or the "Cross and a circle", indicating the secret knowledge of the Precession of the Equinoxes, has been handed down to us in a multitude of forms. These include for example: the Ankh, the Shen, Stone Henge, the Sun Wheel, Stone Circles, Standing Stones, the Celtic Cross, the Christian Cross, the Knights Templar Cross, the Market Cross, the Union Jack, the Hot Cross Bun, and even the Direction Indicator on a Map. Readers will no doubt add hundreds more to this list!

         Today we live in an Age of Science in which Precession is regarded as just another phenomenon. No great deal is attached to it. However when the remote Ancient Egyptians first recognized the effects of Precession more than sixteen thousand years ago it would have caused a crisis situation. The visible effect of Precession for the remote Ancient Egyptians was that their Celestial Sphinx was gradually slipping southwards.

At the Giza Plateau around 11:57pm on July 3rd 13750 BCE
the Celestial Sphinx could no longer be visible in its entirety from Giza.
(The computer software I used to access this skychart is:
Haney, M.A. Skyglobe 3.5
A Shareware Product of KlassM Software, 1992)

         Their Celestial Sphinx, Hu, was falling out of the sky! Over the centuries, it was gradually shifting its position southwards in the night sky to a point where it would begin to disappear below the horizon at Giza forever. It would seem to them that their Dreamtime, their explanation of Creation built around the Celestial Sphinx, was coming to an end … that their world was coming to an end. By 13750 BCE (using the Gregorian Calendar) their worst fears would be realized; the Celestial Sphinx would no longer be visible in its entirety from Giza.

At the Giza Plateau around 11:57pm on July 3rd 13000 BCE
the Celestial Sphinx was disappearing further below the horizon at Giza.
(The computer software I used to access this skychart is:
Haney, M.A. Skyglobe 3.5
A Shareware Product of KlassM Software, 1992)

          In celebration of their Dreamtime, the remote Ancient Egyptians exactly reproduced their Celestial Sphinx, Hu, at Giza in readiness for the July 3rd and 4th 14000 BCE Festival. Prophetically the Fall of Hu heralded the decline of the remote Ancient Egyptians and their entry into the Dark Ages. During this time only the intellectual elite would have been allowed to be initiated into, and share, a secret of such magnitude … The Secret of Precession.
         Until now the purpose of the Sphinx at Giza has been shrouded in mystery. It guarded its secret well, lying in proud majesty in the desert sands commemorating the end of an era. The Lost Secret having now been rediscovered and made known, it is like Darkness visible.



Footnote … subtle references to Freemasonry are intentional.

Copyright Audrey Fletcher 1999
All rights reserved
Adelaide, South Australia