GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces
5. The Equinox of the Gods
Acrylic on papyrus
58cm x 47.5cm framed
The shape of the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu may be derived from ancient symbols representing rudimentary human forms with upraised arms.
In 1921, amataeur archaeologist Joseph Whitaker published a report on his discovery of a Phoenician/Cathaginian sacred enclosure or Tophet on the Western coast of Sicily. Crowley may have seen local reports of the discovery.
The burials in the Tophet were marked by stone stelae decorated with simple human figures shown with upraised arms. Macgregor Mathers noted similarities between examples of these Carthaginian figures in the Louvre and the central motif of the Secret Seal of Solomon.