More Da Vinci Mirror Image Fun

Since I evidently don't know that I need to get some sleep, I thought I'd try a few other Da Vinci painting's overlay mirror images. Sadly to say I got nothing on the first few tries, including the Mona Lisa. However, I'm almost ashamed to say what this looks like to me in the famous Da Vinci red chalk self portrait. Original Image, click on the image to enlarge.

Mirror Image overlay

Is that an "All Seeing Eye" that forms in the center, or do I just need to go to bed?

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 28 July 07

Grail Seekers this week:

I haven’t read the new Harry Potter book yet, so don’t tell me the ending. Other than that, I might have some news later this week. Well not on Harry Potter, but on Grail Seekers stuff…

On Audio:

David Richarde, Bishop of the Templar Church, will be discussing the Ark of the Covenant and the Grail on Oopa Loopa Café; August 16^th.

On July 29th, Laura Lee interviews Joseph MacDermott - Old Celtic Ways & Shamanism

Dreamlands did a show with Jerry E. Smith about his book Secrets of the Holy Lance on the 21^st.

In the News:

Southern Knight reports that the Vatican has opened a portion of their Secret Archives on-line. Once again, why now while strange things are already afoot in Italy?

Archeologists were able to pinpoint the location of Scone Abbey in a recent survey.

Ethiopia seeks to reclaim the remains of Prince Alemayehu from the British Crown. That is if they can remember where he is buried.

If you’re in the Winston-Salem area this weekend, stop by Kernersville for a mock-up of the Tabernacle.

A lost city is found beneath Alexandria that could have been there as far back as 1000 BC

Does this symbol on a New York City building mean anything to you? For everyone else in the world it doesn’t, so maybe you’ll be the first.

Secret Crusade era Assassin’s fort is found in Syria.

On the Web:

Is a secret star map encoded in Masonic icons?

Want a copy of the Saunière Model? You better get it quick the Société Perillos is issuing 33 exact replicas it. Page is in French, so if you’ll need a translator.

William Henry talks about his recent visit to RLC and other places in France and Switzerland.

Blog On:

Dauntless’ Enter Dos Mundos blog has some pictures of the “Blue Apple” phenomena at RLC.

Seth Chalmer's Blog explores the Third Temple and the 9^th of Av.

The New Da Vinci Code

If those of you who haven't seen the news about "The New Da Vinci Code" can hit the article link. The basic theory is that a superimposed mirror image of Da Vinci's Last Supper placed on itself yields some interesting figures that pop out. The article claims that there is a man holding a baby and a Templar Knight in the mix. I've done some "Photoshopping" of the image of the fresco myself and here's what I've come up with. The first image is of the original in the background and the mirror image at a 50% transparency placed on top. The second image is the exact same using the inverse color filter. There does appear to be a image of something or someone in the center. I'll leave the rest up to you as always. The image comes from the Wiki article on The Last Supper and lists the image as having an expired copyright. Click on the image for a larger version.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 21 July 07

Grail Seekers this week:

I am continuing the shotgun approach to finishing some projects. The Templar and Grail Maps are going nicely as well as a few articles I’ve been working on. Also I’ve updated the Links page of the Google Group with a few more interesting sites if you’re looking for something new out there.

On Audio:

Abaxas’s Coffee, Cigarettes, and Gnostics show #57 features Richard Webber, author of the Solomon Key.

Jim Michael, President of the Ancient Kentucke (yes that’s Kentucke without a “y”) Historical Society, talks about the location of the Ark of the Covenant under Silbury Hill (map location can be found on the Grail Seekers Map) on the Oopa Loopa Café.

Laura Lee has some interviews of note this week:

24 July 07: George Erikson on his theories about America being Atlantis.

27 July 07: Gary Biltcliffe talks about Britain’s sacred sites.

In the News:

Israel asks the Turkish government for the Siloam Inscription back.

A golden mask is found in Bulgaria. I wonder how the excavations of Templar sites are doing.

Want to have coffee with a Mason?

Italy again… the Vatican closes its library for a 3 year renovation period. The article is unclear if this includes the Secret Archives as well. This wouldn’t be so scholars and archeologists can’t get information about Paul’s Tomb after they open it could it?

On the Web:

Philip Coppens examines the “cutting of the elm” at Gisors.

Blog On:

A nice picture of Rosslyn under restoration was posted by Smokin’ Beagle

Blog d’Elisson’s merges two of my favorite things, alchemy and Scotch.

David Icke thinks Renne-le-Chateau might be close to being underwater in 2012.

The Templar Code for Dummies Blog has in interesting York Rite video.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for 1 July to 14 July 07

Grail Seekers this week:

I really think I had ADHD in a former life. In the last month I’ve started 6 articles and keep pecking away at all of them. That’s not to mention the stuff I started 6 months ago and haven’t finished. Brother can you spare a cup of Ritalin?

Since I lost my initial train of thought, I have started two things that everyone might be interested in. On Google Maps, I’ve started work on a map of places relating to Grail Lore and one is a catalogue of Templar sites. It’s a work in progress, so there’s a lot of places I haven’t put in yet and a ton of descriptions yet to write. If you have a place you think should be on the list and its location, contact me. If you wish to do a write-up, all of the credit and glory is yours. Now for the news of the last two weeks.

On Audio:

William Henry will talk about his visit to RLC on Dreamlands on the 14 July 07.

In the News:

You couldn’t swing a rabbit’s foot without hitting one article about Friday the 13^th this week.

Questions are raised about the Archimedes Manuscript

Everything you always wanted to know about Druids, but were afraid to ask.

Archeologists start a survey of Scone. Thanks again to Bob Freeman.

The Pope gives the green light to explore Saint Paul’s tomb.

Yet more from Italy, as the cops crack down on Archeological Treasure hunters. Once again, I am seeing some patterns forming in Italy, but there are still some dots to connect.

A Battle Creek, MI couple completes the 500 mile Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage on foot.

The Turkish Siege of the Hospitaller stronghold at Malta makes the Daily Mail about 450 years too late.

The Temple Mount Bridge project is now a thing of the past.

An Old Testament figure is mentioned on a 2600 year old tablet.

On the Web:

The Daily Grail interviews Holy Land archeologist and historian Dr. Sean Kingsley

Philip Coppens wrestles with the mysteries of Chartres Cathedral.

Andrew Gough interviews André Douzet of Société Perillos.

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry deciphers Da Vinci’s codes.

The links between Sauniere and the Virgin Mary are expounded on by the Societe Perillos.

The Chinese Green and the Red Societies declare war on the Illuminati? While this sounds like John Carpenter’s unfinished plot for the sequel to Big Trouble in Little China, it does raise some interesting questions about what might be going on in the esoteric shadow world.

On Film:

The Danish film, The Lost Treasures of the Knights Templar III begins filming in Malta.

Blog On:

Chateau_du_Guerinet writes about why the Priory of Sion is a hoax.

Glenn on his My Space Blog looks at the history of the often overlooked Knights of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.

Le Journal De Rennes Le Chateau blog might be worth keeping up with if you know French or have a translation page. Or you can check out the pictures.

Ben Fairhall looks at some sacred peaks in The New Jerusalem.

Giucoz's (im)personal Web Space has some good pictures of Rosslyn Chapel and other sites in and around Edinburgh.

The Stone of Destiny

There is one common thread that holds most monarchies together. Bloodlines, royal jewels, ceremonies, and associated pomp all boil down to a feeling of tradition that monarchies bring to their subjects. Often one, or more, of these elements become as important as the monarch themselves.

The Stone of Scone, sometimes called the Stone of Destiny, can certainly be placed in this class. The Stone has been a part of the Scottish and English coronation ceremonies since at least 847. From looking at the Stone, one could not discern there was any importance to it at all. There is nothing physically remarkable about the stone, it is not jewel encrusted nor is it of any unusual material. As it appears today, it is a sandstone block measuring 26 inches long by 16 inches wide, and 10 1/2 inches deep.

However from the humble outward appearance, the Stone has a remarkable history. The first Scottish King Kenneth Mac Alpin was seated on the Stone of Scone during his coronation. The Stone helped crown all Scottish Kings, and John Balliol, until it was stolen by the English Army in 1296. There it rested in Westminster Abbey nearly tucked under Saint Edward’s chair. With the exception of Queen Mary II, all English sovereigns have used the Stone and Chair in their coronation ceremony. The Stone was finally returned to Scotland in 1996 and presently resides in Edinburgh Castle.

No one knows exactly why this particular stone should have been used in any coronation ceremony. History does not document the reasons behind the use of the Stone. One possible reason might be a connection to the veneration of stones seen throughout the UK. One has to go no further than Stonehenge or any of the other smaller stone circles that dot the country to draw this conclusion. However since no one has an exact answer to why these sites were important and to exactly whom, we’re back at square one.

That’s where tradition and lore come in. The prevalent tradition is that the Stone was used by the Biblical figure Jacob, as a pillow, on the night of his ladder dream. In Jewish tradition, Jacob’s pillow was used as the pedestal for the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon’s Temple. How the Stone got to Scotland isn’t very clear. Some have theorized that the Lost Tribe of Israel ended up in Scotland and brought it with them. Others think the Stone ended up in Ireland and was blessed by Saint Patrick. It was then used in Irish Kingdom of Dalriada from roughly 400 AD until 850 AD, when Kenneth I, the 36th King of Dalriada, moved his capital of his empire to Scone in Scotland.

To further muck up the crypto-history of the Stone are the assertions that the Stone that rests in Edinburgh Castle today is a fake. In 1296, Edward I of England led an army into Scotland to crush the rebellion. After sacking Edinburgh Castle and stealing the Scottish Crown Jewels, Edward made no attempt to hide that his next target was to procure the Stone of Scone. From the beginning of the campaign, Edward took three months to make the way to Scone. This was more than enough time to hide the original stone.

As lore would have it, the monks at Scone Palace did just that. When Edward’s army plundered the Palace at Scone they recovered a Stone, but was it the right one? One legend presented in a recent Scotsman article asserts that, “The stone is not the original as the original was marble. It was actually the septic tank cover at Aborath Abbey…Generations of English kings have since been crowned while sitting on the medieval equivalent of a lavy pan lid.” It wouldn’t be the first time the religious men of Scotland hid items of importance from the invading English. Bishop Wishart hid the coronation vestments in his treasury until Robert the Bruce was crowned King in 1306.

Supposedly, the monks of Scone hid the real Stone in the River Tay or buried it on Dunsinane Hill. Another tales says that Angus Og Macdonald was given the Stone and hid it either on Skye or in the Hibrides. A descendant of Macdonald’s, Iain Alasdair Macdonald, contacted Scottish historian Nigel Tranter claiming that he was in possession of the true Stone. Add in a few stories of farmers finding a washed out caves that were the hiding place of the true Stone, and you have no discernible proof any of the stories are accurate.

The other twist to the story of the Stone is that it might be a double fake. In 1950, a group of four Scottish college students broke into Westminster Abby to steal the Stone and bring it back to Scotland. The students belonged to a group called the Scottish Covenant Association, whose ultimate goal was to gain public support for Scottish independence from England. On Christmas Day, the three of the group entered the Abbey and removed the Stone. The liberators conducted a near perfect crime; aside from breaking the Stone in half and crushing two toes of one unlucky student.

The group eventually made their way out of England and returned it to Scotland. It remained hidden until April of the following year. The Stone was left on the altar in the Aborath Abbey, fully repaired. Police investigations found that stonemason Robert Gray had repaired the Stone taken from Westminster in the intervening months. Some think that Gray switched the Westminster Stone and helped return a forgery. In the 1930’s Gray had produced a number of replicas of the Stone to sell as a kitsch item.

Now enter the Knights Templar. One knows by now that there can’t be any tale of any historical medieval mystery that doesn’t include the Templars. In 1999 a curious offer was made to the Scottish Parliament. A group of modern day Knights Templar claimed they were in possession of the Stone and would return it if Parliament wished. A 33 pound stone, decorated with a single Latin Cross, had been in the care of Rev Dr John MacKay Nimmo for decades before the Stone’s return to Scotland. Nimmo was a Chevalier of the Knights Templar of Scotland and a Church of Scotland minister and died in 1999. According to his Nimmo’s wife, it was his wish the Stone be returned to the Scottish Parliament. The Templars made the request on her behalf. Where the Nimmo’s stone came from is not quite clear. Nimmo’s Stone was then given over to the Church in Dull, Perthshire for safe keeping.

So the possibility exists that the Stone in Edinburgh Castle is a forgery of the Westminster Stone, which was a forgery of the original Stone. Anecdotal evidence can sway the argument to any of these points of view. There are some early references to the stone being marble and having “strange carvings” across its body. This of course fits with none of the versions of the Stone story thus presented and would lead one to believe the true Stone is tucked away somewhere. And there’s the near dying declaration of Margaret Pearl Cook, one of the founders of the Scottish Nationalist Party, that she knew the Westminster Stone was a fake. Cook also asserted to a nephew that she knew the location of the true Stone, but supposedly never told the whereabouts of it before she passed away.

Interest in the Stone never quite seems to fade away. This month there is an archeological study being preformed at Scone Palace. It will be interesting to see if they find anything that will clear up any of the questions that are out there about the Stone’s history. And if you thought this article was too long, there will be a movie released sometime in the next year about the 1950 liberation of the Westminster Stone.

One thing is a certainty; the Stone of Scone has become a Holy Grail in its own right. Men and women have fought to possess it or to obscure it from those unworthy to lay claim to the Stone. In the end, what could follow the basic theme behind the Grail than that?

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 30 Jun 07

Grail Seekers this week:

Not much to report this week, I’m still trying to finish up past projects… Go figure, if I only didn't have to sleep I'd get much much more done.

On Audio:

It seems to be Egypt week on the Laura Lee show. A number of interviews this week will address topics from the tunnels under Giza to acoustical properties of the Great Pyramid.

In the News:

The Dead Sea Scrolls tour continues in San Diego with the usual debate that has followed since their discovery.

Reporter Bob Kroon, one of the two men who bought the Saunière estate in Rennes-le-Château in 1993, passed away on 24 June 07. An interesting day for a man connected to RLC to pass. Thanks to the Radio Rennessence feed for catching this one.

On the Web:

The Daily Grail gives some tidbits of Dr Sean Kingsley’s article in Minerva magazine about the pair of Cherubim Statues that once flanked the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon’s Temple.

Ben Hammott visits the Galibert Tomb around RLC. For those of you following Ben’s work you might be interested in how he was lead to the discovery in the second bottle.

In Print

Sauniere's Secret has been translated into English by none other than Henry Lincoln.

Outskirts Press announces Mab's Cross Trilogy, part one has been published.

Blog On:

Anthony North looks at how storytelling might have influenced Grail interpretations.

Southern Knight reviews The Secrets of Freemasonry

The BS Historian sees the Light at Rosslyn about the not so recently discovered light box.

I get an interesting send up and article reprint on Global Conscience site.

Tip Site of the Week:

Thanks to Far Shores for the link on their blog listings. If you’re not savvy to their site, it’s one of the better conglomeration sites for all topics odd and fantastical.