Opus Caementicum  

Halloween was Two Days Ago – I hope you got your Witch On!

All Saints was Yesterday – I hope you reflected on those you find inspiring and holy.

Today is All Souls, or the Day of the Dead – I hope you remember the ancestors and those you have lost.

Tomorrow is Election Day – I don’t comment on politics here, but if you live in the states and haven’t already, I hope you do your civic duty and vote.

There is a lot going on, but for some reason, I don’t want to talk about any of these things. Instead I want to talk about opus caementicium…

Opus Caementicum  

Ignem Magnum Imperium, otherwise known as the Great Fire of Rome happened in 64 AD during the rein of Nero. It started in the Circus Maximus and spread for six straight days. Just when they thought they had it under control, it re-ignited and burned for another three. By the time it was all over two-thirds of Rome had been destroyed.

As the rebuilding of Rome began, Nero passed new building codes that demanded the use of opus caementicium, what we know today as Roman Concrete. The Romans had developed a technique of mixing lime and volcanic rock into a mortar that reacted with seawater to form an exceptionally strong, yet easy to work with, material. The development of Roman Concrete and the new building codes enabled entirely new thinking about building.

The Concrete Revolution liberated builders from dictates of tradition and the confines of stone and wood. The widespread use of Arches, Domes, and Vaults that Roman architecture is known for, all grew from the ashes of this horrific fire. The most famous Roman Architectural Achievements: baths, temples, dams, amphitheatres, and aqueducts we all know today were the results.

We don’t know what Election Day will bring in the US. We don’t yet know how the pandemic is going to play out in the world. We don’t know the economic impact yet or how it will effect us in years to come. Even if things go as well as we hope in the future, in the present many of you are experiencing your own personal Ignem Magnum Imperium – a disaster that lays waste to what was previously secure: food, health, money, time, even just human contact.

I want everyone who reads this to think about their own Concrete Revolution. Use Sorcery and Strategy to free yourself and others from the fire – then think about what your opus caementicium looks like. What can be built back better in a way that not only makes your life more resilient, but actually liberates you from the confines of old materials you took for granted? What can you imagine now, that you could never have imagined before? What tools could make that happen? How do you go about getting them? How do you make them policy in your life?

Those are the questions I am thinking about this Holy Weekend on the eve of the election. I just wanted to share.