0.618 and all that!

Browse through a shelf of books that deal with science and theology and it’s highly likely that they will all be lengthy, indigestible tomes. What a pleasant surprise to read The Singing Silence. It’s pocket-sized, well-written and easy to read. Attractively presented with a glossy dust jacket and superior artwork, the main text takes up 39 pages (with 14 pages of endnotes that provide more information.)

Undoubtedly the wonders of God’s creation proclaim his handiwork. (Psalm 19: 1-3) Hamilton maintains that the patterns in nature are God’s silent hallmark. She particularly singles out the golden ratio—the mathematical proportion of 0.618 to 1—evident in sunflower spirals, the cross section of the nautilus shell, and the curve of a seahorse’s tail. Myriads of these examples were known to medieval man. But modern technology reveals even more amazing examples, e.g., the rings of the planet Saturn, the dimensions of the human chromosome and the foetus curled up in the womb. Hamilton suggests that this divine ratio reveals aspects of the very nature of God.

Along the way the reader can learn about the Pearl manuscript, Luca Pacioli’s treatise and the Endless Knot; and find out how Dan Brown, Carl Sagan, Noah’s Ark and Pythagorean mysticism impinge on the topic.

A thought provoking read is guaranteed.

OFF THE SHELF—Australian Church Library Association Newsletter

Captivating!

I’m not a scientific or mathematical person, but from the moment I first picked up this little book I was captivated by the ideas presented. It starts with the premise that that just as artists sign their work, God has put his signature mark on many aspects of creation. The booklet then goes on to provide proof of this statement and to give the reader examples and details of how to find God’s personal stamp on His creation. Anne Hamilton teaches mathematics, and is interested in medieval literature, old word lists and children’s fantasy. Her diverse interests show in the text. Starting from the humble bumble bee and the sunflower, she goes on to provide further examples of God’s trademark ratio. If you’ve ever wanted to know the answer to the question, ‘why is a banana bent,’ you need to get hold of this book. Or if you want to know the connection between maple leaves, limpets and peacock feathers, this book will provide the answer. One that really tickled my funny bone was the connection between a person’s teeth and a zebra. No, that is not a misprint. I did say a zebra. The patterns that emerge in this booklet about various aspects of creation will have you astounded, as I was. Anne Hamilton also debunks the premise that Dan Brown came up with in The Da Vinci Code of the golden ratio being a symbol of goddess worship. She offers the reader a different and plausible explanation.

The amount of research that has gone into writing this little book is staggering, as it covers such a wide range of people and disciplines as Luca Pacioli, Leonardo Da Vinci, Pythagoras, history, mathematics, art, science and free will, other cultures and their beliefs—like the temple of Apollo at Delphi, English Poetry and fiction eg the Pearl manuscript including the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the anonymous poet of the 14th century and the Bible.

Be warned, this is not a book the reader will devour at one sitting and then forget about. After I read it, I found myself wanting to talk about it and share what I’d read with others. I wanted to explore more of the references Anne Hamilton gives, as well as to keep going back over what I had read and thinking about the implications of what she has written. This book is one that inquiring minds and teachers will find has much to challenge them. For those who want to investigate further, Anne has given endnotes and a link to a website which provides further details of what she has expounded in The Singing Silence. As I read this book, I found myself often echoing Anne’s own words on page 39—‘Wow! Isn’t that stunning?’ or other similar comments. But it wasn’t only the amount of information and the connections that kept me reading, fascinated. Added to all the thought provoking information it provides, the book is beautifully written. The text sings. Try it yourself and see.

The Singing Silence is a joy to pick up and the photography adds to the beauty of this book. My only criticism is that I would have liked more pages as I wanted to keep reading. But I believe a sequel can be expected in due course. However as it is, the size of this book, only 64 pages, makes it perfect for slipping inside Christmas cards.

Dale Harcombe
Footprints Australia
also Aussie Reviews http://www.aussiereviews.com/article2438.html

Soul Food

This little pocket book is a stimulating read, it looks and feels like a treat. The cover is glossy and has gold text. The inside has intriguing coloured pictures on almost every page. What is it about? It’s an exploration of the mathematical code imprinted throughout all creation – what Anne calls ‘God’s thumbprint’. I don’t have a mathematical bone in my body, but I was relieved to discover you don’t need to have to have your eyes opened to the wonder of our magnificent God – the father of the smallest detail. Anne is a maths teacher with the ability to speak in a language we can all understand. Read it and find out why God chose Bethlehem as the destination for Jesus’ birth. It is all in the fine detail.

Asta Lander
Christian Woman Magazine—Australia
Joy Magazine—New Zealand

A World of Wonder

Look upon a world of wonder…the silence is broken. It’s been five centuries since an Italian friar commissioned that artist from Vinci to illustrate a work of mathematics. Back then, everyone knew that God had left a thumbprint, a single mathematical mark, throughout all of creation.

This little book is intriguing, thought-provoking and very uplifting. An excerpt: When we look up at the stars scattered across the night sky, we gaze back deep into time. Each pinprick of light from the most distant galaxies has travelled not only across the vast reaches of space but from the dawn of the universe itself. Yet as far as those waves of light are concerned, not a single minute has passed since they first set out on their journey. Not even a second. No time has passed at all. The theory of relativity tells us that time and eternity are so entwined that even as you read this, radio telescopes are picking up the voices of the morning stars as they sing their very first hymn of wonder.

Queensland Baptist Magazine

Song of Creation

A beautifully artistic book on the appearance of the golden ratio throughout nature and the voice of God that sings out to us from the silent design around us.

Gary Meisner
Golden Number
http://goldennumber.net/books.htm

Journey through the Cosmos

Starting from the premise that designers and craftspeople always leave a discrete personal mark on everything they create, Australian mathematics teacher and lover of medieval literature, Anne Hamilton, went looking for the signature of God in his creation.

Taking its title from Psalm 19:1-3, this small, fascinating and beautifully illustrated book takes readers on a journey through subjects as varied as history, philosophy, literature, architecture, mathematics, art, nature and anatomy, as Hamilton traces God’s signature in the mathematical ratio of 0.6187 to 1 (the Golden Ratio) throughout the universe. The book is packed with examples, e.g. the whorls of sea shells, the ratio of pine cone scales, the spiral of a whirlwind found in space, the dimensions of Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, or the size relationship between one tooth and the next, the gyre of a hawk, or eagle, the lost use of the pentagram as a Christian symbol and the connection between the magi of Daniel’s time and the birthplace of Jesus.

Hamilton has been meticulous in authenticating her information, and the book also includes a number of explanatory endnotes.

This unusual book won’t appeal to all readers but with its attractive presentation and the subtle way it points to Jesus, it may well also serve as an introduction to faith for others. If it doesn’t appeal to you please don’t dismiss it as irrelevant, as it is far too good to deserve that.

PS. If you have ever wondered why bananas are curved, this book has the answer.

Janette Busch
DAYSTAR Magazine, New Zealand