Give a little back this Holiday Season

During this Holiday Season, many of us are looking for ways to give something back. Given the state of the economy and many of our personal situations, the thought of any sort of alms might not be something we think about this year. It is in these lean times that contributing to matters larger than ourselves is of prime importance. Sometimes it doesn't take much to make a rather large impact.

In thinking along these lines, I came across the BOINC project from the University of California, Berkley. BOINC uses a concept born from SETI @ Home project. SETI collects huge amounts of radio wave data from the star systems in search of signals from intelligent extraterrestrial life. All of this data has to be evaluated to see if these signals are created naturally or artificially. With the amounts of data SETI was collecting, the amount of computing power required to analyze this data would take hundreds of years using the resources SETI had on hand.

In 1995, a clever lad by the name of David Gedye proposed getting the public involved by using the public's PC's as a virtual super-computer. Users would be able to download an analysis program that would run in the background of their PC. Crunching numbers while you went about your normal on-line business, the turnaround time for SETI's data sets would be greatly reduced.

Flash forward a few years and the folks at Berkley that helped get the SETI project off the ground created the BOINC resource. Utilizing the same principle as the SETI @ Home project, BOINC supports large calculation experiments on projects ranging from particle physics to predicting malaria transmission vectors. Each project requires more computing power than the institution running the experiment could ever finance.

I decided to give a little of my CPU's time to the Rosetta Project from the University of Washington. Rosetta's goal is to examine how different proteins fold in on each other. This doesn't sound like exciting stuff until you realize that by understanding how proteins fold, you can create new and improved proteins that can help fight diseases. AIDS, cancer, malaria, and Alzheimer's disease are at the top of Rosetta's sights to understand and combat.

So give a helping hand this Holiday season to the research project of your choice. The BOINC site lists all the projects that users can currently plug into and assist. What else is your PC doing while you're not at home? Your calculations might be the one that saves a life one day...

 

 

Grail Seekers Hits the Podcast Waves Once Again

Just a gentle reminder that I will be taking the podcast waves tomorrow night on the Errie Radio show at 6:00pm CST. The show deals with all sorts of normal and paranormal topics. I've been slated to talk about the Grail Seekers blog and web site. In my experience with interviews of this type are concerned, one never quite knows where the conversation will lead to.

I've never been on this show, so I'm not quite clear on how their podcasing format works. I'm assuming that you will be able to listen in to the show live. In past shows I've listened into they've had callers, so that would tend to make me think that there is a live feed to the show.

So listen and call in if you can. I'm sure it will be an experience...

City of Secrets and Beyond, An Interview with Patrice Chaplin

Residing in a London neighborhood is a remarkable woman who carries with her the burden of a city’s secrets. To pass her on the street one could make the mistake many make of dismissing those approaching their twilight years. Scores of people walk side by side with her and never know there is an author, actress, and chronicler of a Grail story a shoulder width’s away.

The woman I am referring to is Patrice Chaplin, author of City of Secrets. Patrice graciously made herself available for a phone interview with me from her London home this Sunday. Many of you living in the States might not be familiar with Patrice and her story. The potential impact of her work on the mysteries of Rennes-le-Chateau seems to have been glossed over as of yet. However, she is a living historian who has wondered into and out of the lives of those that might have held the very essence of Berenger Sauniere’s secrets.

I hate to give away too much for those of you who will pick up the book. Let’s just say that the Tour Magdala in Rennes-le-Chateau is a near exact replica of a tower in Girona. That is just the beginning of Patrice’s investigations into the connections of all things Rennes-le-Chateau…

Patrice’s story beings as a simple tale of teenage wanderlust. While traveling in 1955 with a friend, Patrice found herself in the Catalonian burg of Girona. As in many stories of teenagers looking for adventure, Patrice found herself involved with a dashing Catalonian named Jose. It is through her connection with Jose, she was introduced to a cast of esoteric and politically underground characters

Patrice and Jose shortly after they met in Girona

Patrice was thrust into the world of Franco Fascism mixed with the ever present undercurrent of the esoteric. Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí and Umberto Eco intermingle in the micro chasm of her association with Jose and his seemingly ordinary friends. Interspersed in their talk of the banal are hints of rituals, guardians, hidden societies, elusive “materials” and how they somehow connect to a Frenchwoman who lived in town.

Over the next fifty years, Patrice stepped into and out of the story of Girona. Each visit to the town or with its denizens brought her a little closer to piecing together their clipped conversations and sub-rosa activity. At the center of this wheel was always Jose. Patrice’s sometimes synchronistic meetings with Jose eventually brought into focus her understanding of how the activities of the “society” in Girona and their guardianship of a ritual that brings the Grail into our realm.

Notably, the “society” in Girona contained a cadre of women sometimes its avowed guardians. In many descriptions and crypto-historical accounts of secret societies, the role of females seems to be relegated to that of support or overlooked entirely. Patrice seemed to think that the veneration of the Magdalene and practical matters made women’s roles in so prevalent. Since many of Girona’s leading families were involved in the society, the men took on “traditionally” high profile social stations. This left their wives free to conduct the business of the society with less notice.

Patrice views her work as more of a journalist than an active participant in esoteric Girona. The people she had met over the years opened up to her because she was not viewed as an outsider. That trust seems to run both ways. Patrice commented that because of her long standing association with those involved, she has confidence in their story. “I’m a writer, I stand behind my work and what was told to me.”, she said.

So what’s next for Patrice? Currently she’s doing research into Salvador Dali’s connection to Girona, Mount Canigou and the Grail ritual. “The ritual changes people”, Patrice said. “Dali opened up a portal on the peak of Mount Canigou and went into another dimension.”

Best of luck with your new project Patrice, the Grail Seekers team will be waiting for it to come out.

Science and the Mystic

For anyone that has delved into any sort of crypto-history, the world is a wonderfully mysterious place. It seems natural that those interested in delving into underground streams, will eventually come across a litany of Fortean type phenomena. Psychics, ghosts, clairvoyants, mediums, past lives, synchronicity, and all other things mystical seem to float on the edge of many topics outside the “generally accepted”.

Trying to discern the validity of these events that fall outside of our everyday reality is something we all have pondered. What is even more curious to me is that there is a wedge between those that believe these phenomena are real and any talk of science. When one brings up a scientific reason for an unexplained event, the mystic tends to feel marginalized because there is a possible scientific explanation. Much in the same way a creationist gets a sour look on their face when one tries to link the Big Bang with God speaking the universe into existence with “Let there be light”.

I tend to be one that looks for a bridge between the mystical and scientific. Just as the scientist cannot explain the entire “why” for every normally occurring events, the mystic has faith in the unexplained. So why is there an invisible wedge between the two? Both groups are faced with the evidences of the unknown, but there seldom seems to be an attempt to come to a common solution.

Think about the reaction most have when learning that the Vatican operates an observatory. The tendency in most is to question why the world’s largest religious organization would have any interest in astronomy. The answer is as old as the true purposes of the alchemists. The true reason behind turning lead into gold was the search for the base material that God used to create the universe. Thus, the underlying search was for the divine itself. While the Vatican Observatory was created to create an accurate calendar for Easter, the underlying purpose is simply to seek evidences of God in the natural world.

The disconnect runs in the opposite direction as well. At a gathering a couple of years ago, I had a conversation with a friend that does tarot readings. The conversation wrangled its way around to past lives. She fully believed that in some regression sessions she had taken part of, that she could get in touch with those who had made up her past lives. She believed that this was possible because she had been reincarnated from those souls the regression sessions had shown her.

My question was how could she be so sure that these were reincarnated souls and not some form of genetic ancestral memory? One would have thought I had slapped her. I had introduced a possibility of giving a concrete explanation into her mystical experience. Her answer was firmly, “No the window I have is into those who have been reincarnated in me.”

The topic of genetic memory is simply a theory; and one not ascribed by many geneticists. The prevalent argument against memories being passed along ancestral lines is that DNA changes little over a person’s life span. The problem is that science has few clues into how memories are captured and stored within an organism. A recent study has shown that certain memories can be “erased” by blocking a certain protein in mice. If memories are electro-chemical reactions, why couldn’t they be replicated? Furthermore, there has been little work done in with “junk DNA”. These are DNA strands that have no protein-coding functions. This week a study was published that this “junk DNA” could be more important to the evolutionary process than anyone had ever considered. Could a genetic memory lie here?

The question is not if genetic memory is real or if reincarnation is spiritually valid. The finer point is that is there any less wonder attached to a phenomena if there is an explanation? Conversely, is there any reason not to try to explain the mysterious simply because it does not fit into a belief system? If the answer is yes, then we stymie our ability to grow both science and understanding of the mystical.

Dan Green Visits Royston Cave

Royston Cave, outside Hertfordshire UK, has long been thought to have been linked to the Templars. Researcher Dan Green has put together a video of his explorations into the cave and its unique carvings. You can catch up on Dan's theories of what the carvings mean in his article posted at Far Shores.

Templar Dig in Bulgaria Continues

Last December, Grail Seekers reported on an archeological survey being funded by the modern day Templar Organization Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani (OSMTH) in Bulgaria. The dig was codenamed “Nisovo Project” and has been headed up by the “Indiana Jones” of Bulgarian archeology Nikolai Ovcharov. Ovcharov, a member of the OSMTH himself, has made a number of fascinating discoveries this summer that has given us a hint as to the “Nisovo Project’s” goals. More to the point, a report reprinted on the Visit Bulgaria web site yesterday makes me think they might be close to their mark.

The avowed purpose of the Nisovo Project was to search for evidence of Templar activity in the Russe region of Bulgaria. Specifically, reports last year mentioned proposed digs in the cities of Russe, Nisovo, and one time capitol Veliko Tarnovo. There is little doubt, in my mind, that the Templars would have held interest in this region due to its strategic location. The city of Nisovo lays near an over land route Crusaders from Teutonic held regions would likely have taken into Constantinople.

View Larger Map

A series of finds at the 13th Century monastery of St. Ivan Rilski in Veliko Tarnovo hints at a possible unnamed goal for Project Nisovo. During the excavations of the monastery, Ovcharov’s team found a number of graves and random gold coins on site. The telling find was that of Tsar Ivan Shishman`s treasure. Shishman was the last Tsar of Bulgaria before the country was taken over by the Ottoman Empire.

Before the fine in June, Shishman’s treasure was simply a legend. In a 2007 Radio Bulgaria interview on the fortress of Urvich, Ovcharov mentions this legend and another related to the last Tsar’s reign. According to the interview, “Legends also tell about the existence of Tsar Ivan Shishman’s treasure and library hidden in the region. They, too, titillate the archeologists’ imagination. The scholars are hoping that the archeological exploration of the fortress [fortress of Urvich] could be launched by the autumn of 2007.”

While Shishman’s treasure was found over 150 miles east of Urvich, its existence was confirmed and a legend dispelled. Could this mean that after finding one piece of Shisman’s legacy, Project Nisovo aims to find the library as well? Within a Tsar’s library there is no telling what could be found. At very least, titles or land grants to organizations and citizens might be found. These records, if they exist, could possibly span back to the beginning of the Second Bulgaria Empire in 1186. What better way to track Templars in Bulgaria than finding out where their holding were.

The report in the Visit Bulgaria web site yesterday makes me think that they are looking for just that. Ovcharov’s team found, in Nisovo, a “medieval burial of a mother and a child. The bodies were laid to resemble those of the Virgin Mary and Infant as usually depicted on icons.” While this in of itself is highly unusual, it’s what the article goes on to say about the unknown origins of Nisovo that caught my eye.

“One of the hypothesis for the origin of the village [Nisovo] is that it was inhibited by the descendants of the Bulgarian aristocracy that fled Veliko Tarnovo, the capital of the Second Bulgarian kingdom at the invasion of the Ottoman Turks in the 14th century. The expedition to Nisovo was carried out thanks to the exclusive financial support of the Priory of Knights Templars in Bulgaria.”

Now where better to find a lost library than the hiding place of the aristocracy after the Ottoman invasion? Anyone up for a trip to Bulgaria to find out?

Bloodline Movie Review

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.

Proverbs 25:2 KJV

Albeit a little on the tardy side, which seems to be my lot these days, I’ve decided to come full circle with the Blooline issue. I finally got an advance copy of the film a few weeks back from a fellow Grail Seeker. The ripped copy came a full week before the release copy I preordered came in the mail. I guess anything in the shadowy Grail world is possible.

Since then I’ve watched the film at least three times. I searched the footage for minutia that would assist me in coming to a conclusion on the film’s veracity, but to quell questions within myself. Since going to New York for the initial press conference held at the Jewish Museum in May, I’ve had doubts about continuing on with my work here. The range of reasons stem from a spectrum of thoughts ranging from “If this is real, what is there really left to search for” to “If this is an elaborate hoax, why should I waste my time picking through the chaff of charlatans?”

Given this mindset, in watching Bloodlines, it was as if our Mulder and Scully from X-Files were having a running dialogue in my head. Given the theme of the recent X-Files movie, this didn’t seem too far a stretch. Their internal dialogue seemed a fitting, if not goofy, way to structure my review.

Scully: Are we done watching that self aggrandizing hoax yet? It’s the third time he’s made us sit through it. This Kannard fellow is nice enough, but a grown man displaying Dogs Playing Poker in his home is a greater mystery than that film.

Mulder: Come on Scully, he calls it his War Room; it’s obviously his version of the Fortress of Solitude. The whole thing isn’t a hoax; you saw the body this Hammott fellow found in the cave. Besides you could tell Nicholas Haywood believed what he was saying was true. There were none of the classic tells, no breaking eye contact when ask a question, no nervous ticks, no poker face tells. You’ve interviewed enough suspects to have seen that.

Scully: People with mental disorders believe they are Napoleon and are quite convincing at it, but that doesn’t make it true. There was no supporting documentation. No officials from the French government buying into the find, no time or date stamps showing a time line of events, blurred out faces and garbled non descript voices, boxes and bottles found throughout an area treasure hunters have combed for years, and associations with people who might well have faked or stolen documents. P.T. Barnum did a better job with the Fiji Mermaid.

Mulder: Scully, when was the last time the History Channel presented the documentation you were looking for? There is reputable scientific DNA, carbon dating tests, and archeological testing that has been done on various items they found and posted on their web sites. The History Channel doesn’t do that. One thing you have to remember about the folks involved in some of the interviews is they don’t want to be known. Maybe this Hammott guy is smarter than the average treasure hunter. Yes, I know his finds have been attacked as fakes based on the use of French grammar and the like. But maybe Sauniere’s housekeeper did all of this after he died and never divulged it to anyone. She supposedly was told his secret on his deathbed, maybe she was not that educated and parroted his writings for someone else to find.

Scully: Nothing of the sort, you just want to believe that all of this is true Mulder. For every argument I have you’ll have a “plausible” counter. So I’m wasting my breath.

Mulder: You’re right Scully; I do want to believe that it’s true. That will always be the difference between you and me.

That is the point of difference for everyone that watches the film. One falls into three camps: Those that believe, those that don’t believe, and those that think there’s something to this but not everything that has been presented is on the mark. View Bloodlines with an open mind and let your faith guide your decisions.

Holy Grail Quest in Iceland Ends

The Grail quest of Italian cryptographer Giancarlo Gianazza and architect Thórarinn Thórarinsson is officially over. The pair made headlines earlier this year by publicly presenting their theory that the Holy Grail was hidden in the Kjölur Mountain pass in Iceland. They ascertained the location of the Grail by unraveling “clues” obfuscated in Dante’s Divine Comedy, Da Vinci’s Last Supper, and various painting by Botticelli. All the evidence they amassed pointed to the Grail’s resting place being a secret underground chamber in the mountain pass.

Iceland Review reported this week that the team did in fact do some excavations the Kjölur Mountain pass this summer. Alas, the team came up with nothing more than water where the secret chamber should have been. The article goes on to report that Gianazza is still hopeful that the Grail lays in Iceland, somewhere…

Possibly the most disappointing part of the story is that while doing some research in Iceland prior to the excavations, a possible allusion in local records to a Templar presence in Iceland was uncovered. Gianazza went on record as saying, “He [Thórarinn Thórarinsson] has told me that in the official historic records of Iceland it is stated that in 1217, during the meeting of the Althing – the Parliament established in 930 – the leader and poet Snorri Sturlusson appears next to what the text defines “80 knights from the south, all dressed and armed in the same fashion” and is elected as commander for that year.” No evidence of these Knights being Templars has since surfaced in this summer’s excavations as well.

I have to applaud the group for following through with taking their research to real world tests and seeking the Grail. Few have the convictions of their armchair Robert Langdon dreams. Furthermore, the fortitude it took to announce to the world that they were wrong says something about Gianazza’s efforts as well. Maybe next time guys.

Modern Templar Group Files Lawsuit Against the Vatican

Yesterday, the Telegraph reported that a modern day Templar group in Spain has filed a unique lawsuit against the Vatican. The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ claims to be ultimately seeking an apology from the Vatican for the arrests and dissolution of the Order in the 1300’s. However, it’s the way in which the lawsuit has been filed that could bring about some interesting results.

The lawsuit claims that the Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ is a direct descendant of the medieval order. As such, they are claiming damages to the tune of 100 billion Euros for the seizure of Templar monies and properties in the 1300’s.

The tactic is an original approach to getting the Vatican to apologize for past sins. One cannot file a lawsuit seeking a simple, “Gee guys, we’re sorry for what we did.” A lawsuit generally has to have some type of monetary damages attached to the claim. The lawsuit is tantamount to extorting an apology from the Pope. I can hear the lawyers now, “We’ll drop our suit if the Holy See admits their actions were wrong.”

Whatever you think of the tactic, it does raise an interesting question. In order to succeed in any lawsuit, one must prove some type of standing. This means that not only do you have to prove that damages were caused, but you have to prove that the damages directly affected you. If this lawsuit were ever to go to trial, The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ would have to prove that they were harmed by the actions of the Vatican 700 years ago. Simply put, they would have to prove to a judge that they are legitimate Templars.

Lawsuits against the Vatican seeking historical damages do have some precedent Alperin v. Vatican Bank was filed in a Federal Court in San Francisco in November 1999. The plaintiffs believe Croatian Nazis concealed concentration camp victim’s assets in Vatican run financial institutions. This is not to mention lawsuits filed against the Vatican for sexual abuse by priests and even for “acts of God” such as Hurricane Katrina.

If Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ has their ducks in a row, this could turn out to be a legal mess for the Vatican. A well funded legal team could be an annoying bee in the Papacy’s bonnet. I can imagine motions and subpoenas for access to the Secret Archives and requests for depositions from the Pope would be a start for a lawsuit of this nature.

I’m not sure if any of this could work, but it will be interesting to sit back and watch…

The Muse Takes One on the Chin

As many of you have noted, the Grail Seekers blog and web site have been left untended for a little over two months now. I appreciate some of the emails I’ve gotten, and can confirm that I have not dropped off the face of the Earth. Let me qualify that statement. While I have not dropped out of sight, my muse has.

I have found through writing that muses are fickle little minxes that come and go as they please. My own personal muse has taken a few shots to the chin since I returned from the Bloodline press conference in New York in May. Since then, long hours at work and a general summertime “the world is going to hell in a hand basket” malaise have topped the list of creativity drains.

Case in point. I was getting ready for work the day after the US Open had concluded. Usually I have some news program droning in the background while I gird myself for another day of battles at work. My ears perked up at a story about a Revolutionary War era British warship that had been found at the bottom of one of the Great Lakes. The piece was all of 45 seconds long, but I was impressed that it had made the first few headlines of the day.

The hopeful feeling I had about the public being interested in a historical mystery was soon doused by Robin Roberts. The piece on the sunken ship was barely over when she make the comment, “Enough of this boring stuff, let’s talk about Tiger [Woods] this weekend.” Roberts then went into a lengthy discussion about Woods performance at the previous weekend’s Open even discussing the manner in which Tiger pumped his arms after making a particularly difficult shot. The discussion about a man smacking a ball into a cup went on for a couple of minutes among the GMA anchors.

Not that I have anything against Tiger Woods, golf, or the state of arm motions at sporting events. It was simply indicative of a public that is more concerned with the fate of celebrities than the fate of those who came before us and what events have unfolded to bring us here. So it goes.

While this singular event has not kept me from writing anything as of late, it is simple a part of those things that have battered the Grail Seeking muse. Slowly, but surely things are getting back into line. After all, the Grail won’t find itself and there are those of you out there that are still willing to search. In light of that, how can I not stand to keep looking myself. Besides, there is news of Templars in Bulgaria, evidence that Mark Twain might have met with Charles Warren, and a pesky thought I have after seeing some Poussin paintings at the Met in May that I need to look into.

Once a Grail Seeker, always a Grail Seeker I guess…

Why Do You Seek the Grail?

"You see, he was going for the Holy Grail. The boys all took a flier at the Holy Grail now and then. It was a several years' cruise. They always put in the long absence snooping around, in the most conscientious way, though none of them had any idea where the Holy Grail really was, and I don't think any of them actually expected to find it, or would have known what to do with it if he had run across it."
Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

My long time friend, Charlie Millson has always been supportive of the work here at Grail Seekers. He’s one of those friends that much of the topics I cover in the blog interests him, but has not plumbed the depths of the underground stream very much. Charlie was a history teacher for a number of years, so he is naturally attracted to the crypto-history Grail studies brings up.

As such, Charlie asks questions and brings a point of view that is much different than those I have regular correspondence with. I received an email this week with the following in it, “Taking the Shakespearean meaning of ‘wherefore’ as ‘why’, I didn’t see any link or commentary on why people seek the grail. Why do you? A standing editorial, perhaps, might be a good starting point.”

You’re exactly right Chuckles. Often I get caught up in the hunt and forget the “why” portion of the equation. I think that it is much easier to take action than it is to take stock of one’s motivations. My trip to New York for the Bloodline press conference is a prime example. Taking the steps to make that trip happen was difficult, but a much simpler task than asking myself what possessed me to do so.

Percival had the same issue that I am now realizing I have. For him, the action of the quest was the simple part. Answering the question of, “Whom does the Grail serve?” was his stumbling block. I decided to look within myself to answer Charlie’s original question, “Why do you?”

The answer I came up with wasn’t earth shattering or particularly insightful, although it turned out to be instructive to me. I seek the Grail because it is the ultimate end point. I realized that I have turned the Grail into an Ayn Rand knot of selfishness. No matter what your vision of the Grail is, by finding it all of one’s questions would have to be answered. It’s not the world changing power that the Grail might hold I wish to hold. The usefulness of such things is better left up to others I think. But my desire to simply have the questions answered on the myriad of topics that hit on the Grail, is why I seek.

Now this doesn’t help in making me the sort of pure of heart character that is worthy enough to answer, “Whom does the Grail serve?” As my wife Laura can tell you, I’m much too cranky and temperamental to fit any type of Joseph Campbell heroic mold. However, I do have an answer to the original question. That’s a start.

This also got me thinking about some of the correspondence I’ve gotten in the two years I’ve been writing the blog. From time to time I receive e-mails from readers that allude to why they are searching for the Grail. After writing the Nanteos Cup article, I got an e-mail from a woman that wanted to know if I had contact information for the Mirylees family. She had a sick family member and wanted to be able to use the Nanteos Cup for its legendary healing purpose. On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve received e-mails from folks that believe they are the end point of the Bloodline, those who know where the Ark of the Covenant is at, and have seen evidence of the Grail floating in the sky.

So why do you seek the Grail? If you're willing to share your thoughts with the rest of the group, e-mail me your answers. It might help others out there to see some of the "whys"out there to answer their own questions.

Grail Seekers Media Watch up to 13 May 08

Grail Seekers this since last time:

Needless to say the last couple of weeks have been action packed. My trip to New York wasn’t just taken up with the Bloodline Press conference; I got a chance to view the Poussin exhibit at the Met. I’ll be sharing some thoughts on Poussin and his art work later this week. I was also denied seeing the Antioch Chalice, again, while in the Big Apple. The powers at the Metropolitan Art Museum decided to move the piece again back to the Cloisters. Being on a short time table, I didn’t have the chance to visit the Cloisters again. So the Met is officially off my Christmas card list. Enough grouching, it’s time for a whole heap of news…

On Audio:

The Occult of Personality interviews Dr. Paul Clark is a renowned writer and lecturer, as well as the Steward of the Fraternity of the Hidden Light.

Oopa Loopa Café will interview Lloyd Pie on the 16^th.

Peter Gandy and Timothy Freke will be on the Laura Lee show on the 16^th and 17^th speaking on the secret teachings of Gnostics.

While not a Grail topic, physicist Michio Kaku was interviewed by Dreamlands on the 10^th. He’s fascinating to listen to and makes complex physics theories accessible to common folks like us. Ok, so I’m a geek…

In the News:

World Net Daily has an article entitled 'Ark of the Covenant altar' found in Sheba's palace. Its a little light on the evidence on the altar, but what is interesting is they figured out the palace was aligned with the star Sirus.

Add Prestwick, UK to the growing list of places the Holy Grail is thought to reside. I wouldn’t get too excited, the article only mentions “mysterious researchers” as making the claim.

An exhibit at Glastonbury Abby follows the life of Frederick Bligh Bond, who became the first official archeologist of the site in 1908.

Rosslyn Chapel has been linked to many things, but now there’s a Maya Temple lurking in the carvings.

The Archimedes Codex and has been somewhat unraveled.

Danny Penman reports on hypnotic regression that uncovered he died in Jerusalem in 1276. I’m not sure about reincarnation, but I do think there is something to genetic memory.

Viking sword fragments have been found on the Isle of Mann.

An intricate mosaic floor is being restored in Westminster Abby.

New Marian apparitions are “approved” by the Catholic Church

A new book claims Michelangelo painted hidden message in his art work.

On Film:

Well everyone and their brother have weighed in on the Bloodline documentary. From the good, the bad, to the ugly. I’ll reserve comment since I haven’t seen it yet…

Get out the wooden stakes and garlic, the Templars will be fighting vampires soon. I can imagine DeMolay is not amused from the great beyond.

Blog On:

Illuminati Under the Microscope blog links the Golden Ratio, to Poussin, to Thomas Jefferson.

Philip Coppens gives a history of St Edmund’s Church using Andy Marshall’s photography to tell the tale.

Was Elvis a secret Rosicrucian? Thank you very much…

Societe Perillos hits the high spots on Otto Rahn.

Bloodline Press Conference

I wasn’t quite prepared for what I walked into at Monday morning’s Bloodline press conference. Set up around the Jewish Museum’s Scheuer Auditorium were TV cameras and reporters from AP and Reuters milling about drinking coffee. I was definitly the little fish in the big media pond.

Running around the auditorium was producer Rene Barnett making last minute arrangements and jolly-glad-handing the media heavy hitters. Requests from reporters were flying past Rene, and from a distance sounded like adults talking in a Peanuts cartoon. I had to just sit back and observe the spectacle of the pre-event simply as an exercise in people watching.

Standing on the stage, next to the box found at the Cave of the Magdalene, in Rennes-le-Chateau, was an imposing figure of a man dressed in black with a Templar crest sewn onto his suit coat. I came to find out this man was a modern day Templar named Victor. He and his cousin Gloria Amendola had been tasked by the film’s crew to be the security detail for the relics that were about to be presented to the world.

Chest found in the Cave of the Magdalene

In making my way to introduce myself to Rene, I caught tid-bits from the media moguls gad-flying about the room. Their timbre was less than excited about what might be presented. One local reporter was grousing about having to be there. “Yea, I’ve got this to do then I go to the Met for the Superhero as art exhibit. But that kind of ties in, Jesus was the original superhero wasn’t he?”

Finally I got over to Rene and introduced myself. The rather gracious, if not harried native Oklahoman, thanked me for coming and offered to spend some time with me after the event was over. Almost before I could accept, she was drawn over to the stage for requests to take pictures of the relics.

Reverently, Victor took the chest from the panel’s table and laid it open for everyone to see. This slightly larger than a shoe box sized chest was opened and contained: 29 coins ranging in date from 100 BC to the Crusades (30 were found in the chest originally, but only 29 were on display), a small cup, an alabastra phial, a rolled parchment and long necked jar. Could I really be looking at the Holy Grail was all I could muster in my thoughts in observing the contents of the chest.

Shortly thereafter, the press conference began. Below is the video of Bruce Burgess’ presentation. I would urge you to go to the Bloodlines web site and check out the other video clips from the news conference. I’ve looked at them all and they give a good representation of what was presented.

I was impressed with the tone of Burgess’ message. The subtext to everything was that this is a beginning point. Burgess made clear that the finds need to have further examination. He is quite sure that the relics that were presented at the conference were from the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene because of the Bérenger Saunière documents found by Ben Hammott. As to the Templar Tomb, Burgess believes that someone of importance is buried there. Is it Mary Magdalene? Burgess believes it could be, but is waiting for further excavations to make a claim of the identity of the corpse.

I asked the question in the conference what was to become of the relics and the stance of the French Government on the finds. Burgess’s answer was that everything has been done with the full knowledge of the French authorities and he would like to see all the relics on display for full public access.

After the conference was over, I ended up having lunch with producer Rene Barnett. In between phone interviews Barnett and I talked about everything from the process of “birthing” the film to the Priory of Sion. It was clear from our conversation that she and Burgess had sunk every last dime they had in getting this story out. “There were times Bruce was flying to Europe and we didn’t have the money for a hotel room for him.” she said. “Somehow we would mange to scrape together the money to put in the account for him on each trip”.

On the film’s detractors, Barnett was not too worried. In recent articles, the veracity of the film’s claims and the authenticity of the finds have come into question. Not batting an eyelash, Barnett said they had e-mails, pictures, and video to document each part of their story. Her tone was one of a person that would not associate her name with an elaborate hoax. “The film is dedicated to my daughter that passed away as filming began. Do you think I would dedicate this film to her if this were a hoax”, she said.

I then asked her about the Priory of Sion and the allusions in the trailers to their lives being in danger during the filming. “Oh, Ben’s brake lines were cut on his rental car at one point and film was stolen out of his camera. Not the camera itself, just the film.” Barnett said. I then ask if she thought they were in danger in New York. With a wistful grin, Barnett said, “If we were a little smarter we probably should be.”

I parted with Rene heading to another interview and I was left with the feeling I had just talked to a true believer. With the rest of the day on my hands, I made my way to play country come to town in the Big Apple. During my sightseeing, I was contacted by Erika Jones from the production company inviting me to dinner with Barnett, Burgess and a majority of the panel from the press conference. Well, who was I to say no?

I made my way to Harlem and Patsy’s Pizzeria for the engagement. Present was Dr. Gabriel Barkay and wife from Bar Ilan University in Jerusalem, retired Scotland Yard Homicide Detective Colin Taylor; Reverend Lionel Fanthorpe and his wife. The talk throughout dinner was of the finds, their importance, and the press conference. There wasn’t anything conspiratorial about the meeting. Everyone’s conversation was more of old friends chatting about a day at the office.

Which brings me to my conclusions about everything I had seen that day. I have no doubt that everyone I came in contact with, that had anything to do with the film, are open and honest. Everyone had the air of acting on the good faith of the evidence that had been presented to them and what they had found and examined. Now the possibility exists that Burgess and Barnett have been duped by outside forces. Then again, that’s always a possibility when dealing with anything in the underground stream. Never once did my spider sense tingle that I was being led down the primrose path by Burgess or Barnett.

So I will take the same approach that Burgess did in the press conference. Bloodlines should be a beginning point and not the final solution to the Rennes-le-Chateau mysteries. The Templar tomb, when excavated might very well be that ending point. But for now, I will wait with the rest of the world to see what the next chapter in the Bloodline story holds.

Technical Difficulties

I apologize to all of you who were looking for my audio blogs about the Bloodlines Press Conference today. For some reason, I could not gte through to post anything past the first posting I did. I'll try it again later tonight. The good news is that I spent a good bit of this afternoon with the film's producer and had dinner with Bruce Burgess and the panel at the press conference tonight. Unfortunatly, even a Grail Seeker has his limits. My dogs are barking and getting to my hotel at 1am this morning is taking it's toll. I promise, the story will be worth the wait. Now for some long overdue rest.

BK

Before the Bloodlines Press Conference

Mobile post sent by BrianKannard using Utterz. Replies. mp3

Grail Seekers to Cover Bloodlines Press Conference

I just got finished making my final travel arraignments for a very quick visit to New York on Monday and Tuesday of next week. My avowed purpose for making this quick jaunt is to cover the Bloodlines Documentary press conference at the Jewish Museum on the 5^th.

Now why would I take the time, effort, and energy required to make such a trip? You see fellow Grail Seekers, the producers of the film are making the claim that they will be showing the Grail on Monday.

According to the press invite I received, “Among the relics are a simple pottery drinking cup and a small ointment vase that were said to have been used at the wedding of Jesus and Mary Magdalene over 2000 years ago. According to the priest who hid them away a century ago, they have been passed down from generation to generation as sacred relics - the true Holy Grail - which symbolized this secret wedding.”

I will not speculate on the validity of this claim at this time. In truth, it still up to the individual to recognize what they believe the Grail is, and I have no wish to influence your views. However, if everything is on the level, this is big…

I’m planning on dropping audio blogs about the press conference so everyone can get the first news about the event. For those of you who follow on the My Space feed, the audio blogs will only be available on my Blogger page and on the Grail Seekers web site feed page. I’m using the Utterz service for the audio blogs. As I post the audio blogs, they might not show up with a title or any text. Simply hit the play button on the post and the audio should magically spring forth.

Keep checking back on Monday for any other developments as they unfold. With 48 hours in New York, there’s no telling what adventures I’ll find myself getting into…

Has Tudor Parfitt's Ark of the Covenant Been Stolen?

On 17 Mar 08, a report came through on the Huliq web site that Tudor Parfitt’s Ark of the Covenant had been stolen. The story claims that an Ephraim Sadiki went to see the Ark at the Harare Museum, and was turned away on two separate occasions. The first he was simply told he could not see it, the second visit he was told the Ark had disappeared. Sadiki got the impression that the Ark had been stolen. The article’s author went to Harare and according to him, “was given the same treatment.”

Keep in mind that Huliq is a user based news reporting site. This means that just about anyone can submit a new story and the Huliq staff will review it for publication. Unlike “regular” media outlets, the onus of factual stories is on the author not the publisher. This format does create the possibility for inaccurate reporting, just like reading a blog has to be weighed for factual content.

One would think that given the buzz earlier this year about Parfitt’s Ark, some more follow up from the media and academia would have happened. The news wires have been largely silent about Parfitt’s Ark since the airing of the History Channel program that chronicled his theory. Any news relating to the Parfitt’s Ark has been relegated to TV listings for repeats of the History Channel Documentary.

There are four possibilities that exist regarding the piece in Huliq.

1. It’s a fabrication.

2. The Harare Museum staff simple did not want to be bothered with folks banging down their door to see the Ark and made up a ruse to keep the masses away. This seems unlikely; there would be a profit motive for Museum officials to display the Ark. “Hey kid, give me a dollar and I’ll let you see the Ark of the Covenant”, comes to mind.

3. The Ark has been sold to some unnamed collector or institution and the Museum doesn’t want to admit it. Parfitt even mentions in the documentary that the folks at the Harare Museum wanted to sell the piece to him. If the Huliq report is accurate and the Ark is not there, this seems the most likely scenario.

4. The Ark was actually stolen. Art and artifact theft is a big business across the world. All one has to do is to go to the Saztv web site to get a scope of this type of theft. That is unless the Israelis sent in commandos to steal the Ark. That seems as likely as ninja assassins storming Edinburgh Castle to steal the Stone of Destiny, but is a possibility…

So where is the Ark? Is it still resting in Harare or is it some collector’s den? I don’t know the answer to that question. I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground for the last month for any other related news, and there’s’ been nothing. The only thing I’m sure of at this point is that no one else is talking about it.

Grail Seekers Media Watch since 5 Apr 08

Grail Seekers this since last time:

With any luck, I should be returning to New York for the Bloodlines press conference at the Jewish Museum on 5 May 08. I’ve been in contact with Bruce Burgess and the folks at Cinema Libre Studios about getting a press pass to attend. So cross your fingers and throw some salt over your shoulder… If the trip does materialize, I’ll be doing audio blogs to keep everyone up to speed on the press conference.

On Audio:

Dreamlands was busy in the last week… Dr. Karen Ralls, author of the Templar Encyclopedia appeared on 19 Apr 08. Laurence Gardner appeared on 12 Apr 08 talking about his take on the bloodline of Jesus. Catch these interviews before they go into the archive vault.

Radio Rennessence has posted their interview with Henry Lincoln of Holy Blood, Holy Grail fame.

In the News:

A possible druid grave has been found in Colchester, UK.

Was Da Vinci of Arabic descent?

Could Gordon Brown open the way for Catholics to ascend the throne in England?

Viking artifacts have been found in Northern Scotland.

More news of illegal digs in Rennes-le-Chateau surface. You’ll need a translator or the ability to read French for this article.

The BBC follows the excavations inside the ring at Stonehenge. The article has embedded video of the dig.

On the Web:

The Alchemy Lab web site has a concise history of alchemy from Egypt to modern day.

Softpedia explores the monolithic Churches of Ethiopia. Check out the pictures in this article. It’s hard not to see the connections between the Templars, and Freemasonry of that matter, after seeing these images.

Sacred Texts posts Pike’s Morals and Dogma on line.

Blog On:

Bruce Burgess has been busy with around 20 entries into the Official Bloodlines blog in the last week.

Anthony North asks, Does the Devil have a Halo? I know the Devil plays Halo 3, and he’s running around with an energy sword which he commonly skewers me with…

The Truth Will Set You Free blog digs up the theory that Stanley Kubrick was killed by the Illuminati for making Eyes Wide Shut.

Has the Grail Been Destroyed in Japan?

According to the 16 Apr 08 edition of the Mainichi Daily News, the Holy Grail has been destroyed in Japan. The article claims that sometime in January, "The Amagusa Kurishitankan (Christian Building) was demolished as part of a restoration project funded by the special road maintenance taxes and the Christians' Holy Grail was obliterated”.

The thought that the Grail resided in Japan might come as a incongruous to some. It’s not as far fetched as you might think if you consider the traditions of the Kakure Kirishitan, (Hidden Christians) and the village of Shingo in Japan. Shingo’s claim to fame is that that Jesus came to the island after his brother James took his place on the cross. In 1935, Sajiro Sawaguchi, a native Shingoite even claimed to be a descendant of Jesus.

What isn’t so evident about the January destruction of the Amagusa Kurishitankan is a matter of semantics. The article refers to the relics being destroyed in the Amagusa Kurishitankan and the Amagusa Kurishitankan also being thought of as the Kakure Kirishitan’s Holy Grail.

This begs the question could the Kakure Kirishitan’s have held the Grail? The answer might be that a military standard used by 17th century Japanese Christian Amagusa Shiro during a Christian rebellion against the Shogun is preserved was Amagusa Kurisuchian, depicts the Grail. In 1935, a golden cross was found in a Christian’s grave who fought against the Shogun. On the cross was an inscription in an indecipherable sentence that many believe will lead to treasure Amagusa Shiro had hidden. Some believe the Grail was part of that treasure horde.

Were these the relics that were destroyed in the Amagusa Kurisuchian in January? If so, this Grail tradition might very well have died with the destruction of the museum.

Templar Tomb found in France, A Bloodline Movie Press Release

The fine folks at Cinema Libre Studio sent me this press release yesterday. I have a feeling the buzz about the Bloodlines movie will only increase after this. The following is the unedited press release.

TOMB DISCOVERED IN FRANCE CONSIDERED KNIGHTS TEMPLAR –WHEN EXCAVATED, FINDINGS MAY CHALLENGE THE TENETS OF CHRISTIANITY

EXPLORED IN NEW DOCUMENTARY ‘BLOODLINE’ PREMIERING MAY 9

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 17, 2008) – An underground tomb found in the Languedoc region of southwest France has been discovered, which may help substantiate the existence of a Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene bloodline, according to the new documentary BLOODLINE, premiering May 9 in New York and May 16 in Los Angeles. The rare find will be further examined at a Monday, May 5 news conference at the Jewish Museum in New York City. The chamber contains a mummified corpse on a rose-colored plinth under a shroud bearing the distinctive red cross of the Knights Templar, and is surrounded by wooden chests, revealing a cache of gold chalices and coins. The discovery has been reported to the French Government agency, Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Languedoc-Roussillon (DRAC-LR), and plans are underway for a full scale survey.

“After the Crusades, it was rumored that the Templars had discovered treasure underneath the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem that could debunk the Catholic Church’s doctrine,” said BLOODLINE director Bruce Burgess, of the unprecedented discovery of what appears to be an intact Knights Templar tomb. “This treasure was believed to be priceless relics - documents, the Holy Grail, even the embalmed remains of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene – which was then brought to southern France, and hidden.”

The subterranean chamber was discovered by an English adventurer, Ben Hammott, using a hidden code in the decor of the church at Rennes-le-Chateau left behind by the 19th century priest, Berenger Sauniére. The film team was able to gain access into the tomb by using a remote camera inserted through a small air shaft at the top of the chamber. (Clips visible at http://blip.tv/file/827329/)

Relics were not removed, although the team was able to extract a few hair strands from the corpse, which have undergone testing by the Paleo-DNA Laboratory at Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada. “Like most ancient or degraded samples, we knew our best chance for successful results would be to focus our efforts on mitochondrial DNA,” said analyst Renee Praymack Fratpietro. “We were able to determine a Middle Eastern maternal origin of the individual based on haplotyping information. After we found out where this hair sample came from, we realized the significance of this work."

BLOODLINE producer René Barnett concluded, “Given the DNA results, the region’s Templar history and the legend of priest Sauniere which indicated that he found a tomb in the area that could “shake the Vatican to its core,” we think this is a staggering find.”

The DRAC Commissioner in the region, Jean-Pierre Giraud said, “This is certainly a very intriguing discovery, but it's just too early to tell how important it is. We need to do a full survey of the site to determine the age of the corpse and the other items in the tomb. The archeology department of the DRAC-LR will be carrying out an examination of the site as soon as access has been made possible.”

The area surrounding Rennes-le-Chateau features prominently in the bloodline legend which follows the premise that Mary Magdalene escaped Jerusalem with child, sailed to France and settled in the region.

For the latest updates – including clips, press releases and updates on the dig - visit www.bloodlinethemovie.com.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the week ending 5 Apr 08

Grail Seekers this week:

Time and tide changes all things, or so my fortune cookie from last night’s dinner said…. Maybe my outlook on life, the universe and everything will change this week.

On Audio:

The Oopa Loopa Café will have a show on Oz’s visit to the Kensington Rune Stone on the 10^th.

The Laura Lee show will have Michael Heiser on ancient Semitic languages on the 10^th; and Michael Cremo on the 12^th.

In the News:

Well Jimmy Page’s Grail tapestry didn’t sell at auction this week. I wonder if it will show up on Ebay?

Well we now know the Achesons from Hertford aren’t part of the “Ancient & Noble Order of the Knights Templar”. I had a feeling they would denounce the group.

A North Fort Myers Masonic Lodge was broken into and $49,000 worth of “relics” were taken.

Two Israeli Rabbis think the Ark of the Covenant is still in Jerusalem.

The Times Online opens up the English HQ of the Hospitilars.

Was Sodom and Gomorrah hit by a comet?

The BBC reports excavations inside the Stonehenge ring will start soon.

On Film:

Movie Vine reviews Philip Gardiner's The Bond Code. Who knew Flemming was into alchemy?

On the Web:

Priory of Sion.com examines André Bonhomme’s role in the formation of the POS.

Red Ice Creations posted all of the Occult History of the Third Reich documentary.

Live Science takes us back to the Council of Nicea

Blog On:

The “to be continued” blog has a concise history of the Oak Island mysteries.

Numerologist Gary Van Tenuta has an open letter on Tracy Twyman’s blog on some intriguing gematria.

The Kemo’s Journal blog explains the Templar’s greatest secret…

Lambuth University Opens the Processus contra Templarios to the Public

When the Vatican Press released Processus contra Templarios (Prosecution Against the Templars) last October, there was a cloud of speculation as to what the book contained and who was going to obtain one of the 799 publicly available copies. Many of those who purchased the text did not want any publicity, and the Vatican did not release a list of those who obtained a copy.

Lambuth University in Jackson, TN has taken a different route. Last Friday, Lambuth unveiled the university's acquisition of Processus copy number 241 . Joining Stanford, Cornell, and the University of Manchester (UK); Lambuth is one of the few institutions that has made the acquisition public knowledge. They’ve even gone a step further and invited the public on campus to celebrate the addition to their library. I made my way to Jackson yesterday to see the documents for myself. I never thought I would ever get the chance to view a copy, especially just two hours from home.

Processus is housed in a simple wood and glass case in the front of the Luther L. Gobbel Library. The University acquired the text after trustee Steve Brooks donated the funds to purchase the set. When ask what motivated Brooks to acquire the text, library staff members simply said he thought it would be a good addition to the library.

The library’s staff seemed a little overwhelmed at the prospect of having such a rare text in their care. Chief of Circulation Elaine Walker admitted she didn’t know much about the Templars before the acquisition but admits, “The Knights Templar and I have spend a the last few months getting to know each other.”

Yesterday’s event at the Gobbel Library was like a meet and greet with the text. Walker did a short presentation about the history of the Templars and the import of the text. Then the Library's Director Pam Dennis opened up the Processus for everyone’s examination. The staff passed out white gloves for everyone to take a peek at the documents.

The main book contains commentary and trial transcripts in English and Italian. The set also came with an exact reproduction of the Chinon Parchment. Water spots, pin pricks, and all other imperfections were all there. The only thing that the Vatican press did not include with the set was a translation of the Chinon Parchment. The transcript of the original Latin available within the main text in a more easy to read format.

Lambuth’s goal is that the text be made available to researchers and all those interested in examining it. I applaud Lambuth for opening their resources to me and the rest of the world. There will be a day very soon I'll be back to spend with the Processus.