Midsummer's Eve

This article should be making it's way to Unexplained Mysteries today or tomorrow. But I thought I'd post it here for you all first..

For as long as man has memory, we have ascribed importance to certain days of the year. Be these days’ feasts, astronomical events, birthdays, or anniversaries; a certain day turns into a special event. One has to look no further than their day timer to find multiple examples of how we honor the passage of time in this way. Of all the days in a year, I can think of few that have as much esoteric importance, June 24^th.

Primarily, June 24^th is the traditional day of Midsummer’s Eve. The ancients identified this day with the summer solstice and ascribed a mystical importance. The summer solstice is the longest of day and the shortest night of the year. Ostensibly due to unusual solar nature of the day, magical powers are at their peak. The walls between this world and the next became thinner on Midsummer’s Eve. Evil spirits roamed the earth that day and the populace used magic to protect them against the hellish onslaught.

The rituals and traditions that developed around the warding off Midsummer’s Eve’s spirits are primarily European and vary from region to region. These origins of these traditions predate Christianity and are lost to the modern day world. However, many of differing traditions live on, in some form, even today. With the diversity of celebrations, there are two common denominators that flow through all these cultures; fire and plant life.

Certain plants and herbs took on magical powers of healing, divination, and protection. Many of the rituals that revolve around flora ascribe a certain effect for a particular plant. Mistletoe was used to protect against misfortune, wormwood placed under a pillow would foster a dream of your true love, Saint John’s Wort protected you from evil and helped you predict the future. The list of plants and effects goes on and on.

Fire was also used to drive the spooks back into the netherworld. Men would strip to the waist and jump through fires to show their courage, thus discouraging spirits from meddling with them. Bones were burned in bon fires and their ashes scattered to the four corners of a field to insure a good harvest. Lovers would leap through the same fires to increase fertility. Torches were carried around flocks to dispel illness.

Some of these traditions are still practiced throughout Europe, but with a slightly different bent. With the introduction of Christianity into Europe, Midsummer’s Eve turned into John the Baptist’s Fest Day. To insure the full overshadowing of any older traditions, John the Baptist’s Fest was elevated to the status of Solemnity. This meant that this was a Grade “A” fest that took place even when it fell on a Sunday.

Also of note, Saint John the Baptist’s Day is one of two Masonic feast days. The other feast day is John the Evangelist’s day on 27 December. Both are viewed as the patron Saints of Masonry. At least in Tennessee, all Masonic Lodges are required to have some service honoring both Johns on their appropriate day.

June 24^th is also the anniversary of the Scottish forces defeating the English Army at Bannockburn in 1314. If you’re unfamiliar with the socio-political situation of the English/Scottish conflict, there’s a good article on Wiki to get you up to speed.

The tale goes that Robert the Bruce’s brother, Edward Bruce, had given the forces at Sterling Castle an alternative to a long drawn out siege. The Bruce’s brother made a pact that if the English did not send reinforcements by midsummer night eve that the English commander would hand over the castle. Upon hearing the terms of the pact, English King Edward I, thinking this would be an easy end to the Scottish problem, issued orders for a massive army to march north towards Sterling.

Instead of backing down from the challenge his brother had made, the Bruce decided to turn it into his advantage. His peers would have described the Bruce as an unconventional tactician. The Bruce employed primarily guerilla tactics that made use of very advantage the land had to offer. Bannockburn was no different. The Bruce’s plan was conduct the battle in the marshy Bannockburn. This would slow the advance of both English cavalry and infantry; thus giving the Scots the chance to attack when and where they wished.

The plan worked throughout the first day of battle on 23 June. The English forces were fought to a draw. As midday pressed on the second day, the battle was beginning to favor the English. Then, suddenly on a hill behind the Scottish forces came a group of fresh reinforcements. What ever this force was, it spooked the English army so badly they routed from the field. The route was so severe that Edward II was almost captured as his army fled.

The historical debate still goes on as to who or what these reinforcements were. Historical accounts suffer due the lack of any surviving first hand account of the battle. Conventional history teaches that the mysterious reinforcements were women and children waiving Scottish banners and beating pots and pans while cresting the hill.

Having visited the battlefield, this seems unlikely to me. Given the heat and press of battle was on and the mysterious force could have been in disguise to further ruse. It would still be difficult not to have discerned who was cresting the hill. At present, there is a clear line of sight from the battlefield to the hill. I myself was able to identify a number of people standing at the top of the hill from where the English front lines would have been.

Masonic lore tells a slightly different tale of the reinforcements that won the day at Bannockburn. It is suggested that Robert the Bruce made a deal with renegade Knights Templar. The Bruce gave any fleeing Templar sanctuary in an excommunicated Scotland, in return for their services against the English aggressors. The sight of even 50 fully armored and mounted Templars would have been enough to turn the tide of battle.

The Bruce was so pleased with the ex-Templar’s service, that immediately after the battle he created the Royal Order of Scotland. The Order is said to live on through a Masonic organization of the same name. It is in this way that many try to link Freemasonry with the Templars. The Templars wishing to keep their rituals alive changed them into what we know as Masonic Degrees today.

Wow, that’s a lot going on for one 24 hour span of time. I cannot say that I have been spared by the magic that is Midsummer’s Eve. Every year, I throw a Bannockburn party on the 24^th. This year will make the 5^th year I’ve held the event. It’s become something of a tradition that my family and friends have come to look forward to. And this year I’ve added a little twist, I’ll be getting married at that party. It’s not necessarily due to the magic that Midsummer’s Eve has, or to any particular belief I hold. I simply wanted to be able to always remember my anniversary, and I guess there is a certain magic to keeping myself out of the dog house for the years to come.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 16 June 07

Grail Seekers this week:

So my goals for this week were side tracked by life and the fact I’ve got something big coming up next week. But I have managed to get some content out of the ordinary during the last few days. Also, I’ve started a Google Group for Grail Seekers. If you’d like to join, visit the group page link above. Hopefully, this will work into a way for everyone to communicate any finds or thoughts they have. Now if I can get through some things at work and if I don’t get cool feet next weekend, I’ll be groovy. Now for the news….

On TV:

Solomon’s Key author R. Douglas Weber announced this week via a My Space bulletin that he has been contacted by the History Channel to be part of a documentary they are working on based on some of the topics listed in his book.

In Film:

Check out the Treasure of the Templars site for info and updates on the fan based Indiana Jones film.

On Audio:

Rabbi Rami Shapiro explores the difference between faith and belief in this Skeptiko Podcast.

William Henry talks about the Lost Secrets of Jesus on Dreamlands.

Blog Talk Radio’s Oopa Loopa Café has an interview with Frank Joseph and his book Opening the Ark of the Covenant.

In the News:

Dave Cameron not only is richer than most 3^rd world countries, but he claims to be able to trace his heritage back to the Templars around the time of the 5^th Crusade. That’s funny since Templars were prohibited to marry…

Czechoslovakian Freemasons are interviewed in the Prague Post about Freemasonry sans Communism. Think 20 years ago what would have happened to these folks if this article had come out.

On the Web:

The Daily Grail posts a review of Rosslyn and the Grail. The review was originally in Issue 3 of their free online mag Sub Rosa.

Andrew Gough’s Arcadia site has an essay on the Source of the Wealth of Saunière

by Dr. Elias Van Kasteel

Blog On!:

The BS Historian blog has a musician’s approach to Mitchell’s Rosslyn Motet, and it’s not flattering.

Katknit posts a nice picture of an overlook on to Rennes-le-Chateau on Flickr

Is there a problem with the Bauval theory about the relationship between Orion’s Belt and the Pyraminds? Greg Little thinks there is another solution.

Live and In Person:

Ouroboros Press editor William J. Kiesel will give a talk on the enigmatic symbolism associated with the Animal Kingdom as employed in Alchemical texts during the Renaissance. The lecture is at 8pm on Sunday 8 July 2007 at The Stone in New York City.

Tip Site of the Week:

Have you ever remembered seeing something on a web site that has magically disappeared? Fear not, the Wayback Machine Internet Archive site might have the URL you’re looking for. Pretty neat stuff, and it’s free.

Ed McGrath on Teniers

Below is the final e-mail I received from Ed McGrath on his theories about paintings and the RLC mysteries. Unfortunately, I've heard from Ed that he doesn't have time to work on this project any more. I wish Ed all the luck in the world in what ever he goes on to do.

The following email is re-printed verbatim

Hi Brian,

Here is my proposed solution for the Teniers painting clue and the parchment. You can use them if you want to.

When it is established that the Poussin painting "Shepherds in Arcadia" contains the geographic coordinates of Rennes le Chateau, encoded in longitude and latitude, the next question is: What about Teniers? The Sauniere parchment says Poussin Teniers keep the key. If Poussin is showing the location to look then maybe Teniers is showing what to look for.

I believe the Sauniere misinterpreted the Teniers clue in the parchment and looked at “The Temptation of St. Anthony” painting. The clue clearly states no temptation that.

The full clue is:

BERGERE PAS DE TENTATION
QUE POUSSIN TENIERS GARDENT LA CLEF PAX 681
PAR LA CROIX ET CE CHEVAL DE DIEU
J'ACHEVE CE DAEMON DE GARDIEN A MIDI POMMES BLEUES

(shepherdess no temptation that Poussin Teniers hold the key Pax 681. By the cross and this horse of God I dispatch this guardian demon at midday blue apples).

Another Teniers painting may show the object that is sought in the search. See the Teniers painting: “Witches preparing for the Sabbat"

(St. Anthony was tempted by demons, the witches were calling them – no temptation that!)” “Poussin [and] Teniers keep the key”).

The parchment can be read a number of ways, my interpretation is that it is actually in two parts:

Part 1

Shepherdess no temptation that Poussin Teniers hold the key

(Shepherdess relates to Poussin and "no temptation that" refers to Teniers. You need both paintings to solve the clue)

Pax 681

(Peace, [closing of the first part clues]

[Psalm 68:1] (Signature, Psalm 68 is the "Psalm of David" and Jesus was of the house of David. Verse 1 reads:

"Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him."

This signature fits if the clues are pointing to the continued bloodline "Let God arise"

The Teniers Witches Preparing for the Sabbat painting shows a horse’s head skeleton (no lower jaw) with an “all seeing or God’s eye” and skull and crossbones.

The skull and crossbones have a vase of flowers placed on the head.

The skull and crossbones, with the flowers on top seem to signify a Templar grave. This may be the pointer to the Knights Stone at Rennes (this stone was placed face down on the altar – hiding a crypt beneath)

This Knights tomb is the object (Teniers) RLC is the location (Poussin)

The museum at his church has the skull and crossbones.

Part 2

By the cross and this horse of God (The man of the cross, on God’s horse appears to be a very good likeness of Cardinal Richelieu)

I dispatch this guardian demon at midday (Nicolas Flamel, a member of the Priory of Sion, had reason to believe Richelieu was a "guardian demon" – not a guardian angel)

blue apples: (Reference to Eve reaching for a blue apple at St. Sulpice Church).

St. Sulpice was considered by some to be the headquarters of the Priory of Sion.

Holy Grail Phenomena in Hawaii?

I was emailed on My Space this week by a man from Hawaii who thought he has caught a Grail related phenomena on video. I’ll reserve my comments and judgment on this one and leave that to you. Below are the content of the e-mails (verbatim) and the video in question.

From: that's me in the chair.
Date: Jun 10, 2007 6:57 PM


Holy Grail Captured on video Easter 2007

Please see 4 minute video
www.glimpse2020.com

Do you believe?
Pray and ask God.

Love and Light
Brandon Price

From: Grail Seekers
Date: Jun 10, 2007 10:14 PM


Thanks for the e-mail. I’m always glad to take any leads or information about the Grail or Grail related phenomena for further examination. I’ve got a couple of questions for you to help me understand where I should direct my focus.

Is the object in question the black spot in the clouds at the first of the video and then shown again around the 3 minute mark?

Or are we talking about the oblong shape that shows up around the 2 minute mark?

If it’s the oblong object, can you give me some idea of the context of the skyward black spot; or identify what this is.

With this little bit of additional information, I can focus on exactly which part of the video to examine. I’d be happy to present this to my readers for their interpretation of what they’re seeing.

Hope this was the type of help you were looking for...

Brian Kannard

From: that's me in the chair.
Date: Jun 12, 2007 6:49 PM

The black dot is the sun and could be considered lens effect. The beam of light coming from the sun could be considered lens effect as well but fascinating. The bright color around the black sun is clouds, I do have another video showing how the clouds gather to the sun. The oblong shape could be considered egg shape since it was captured on easter sunday. The camera was set to automatic to follow movement. Look inside the egg and what do you see. Some people see thousands of souls, some people see a big face, what do you see? Is the holy grail the item that connects all religions to the one god? I've got a chinese interpretation that i can email to you if you would like to read it. They beleive that this is the wan ling or egg of life. I'm pretty sure in india they beleive this would be the golden lingum. We may beleive this to be the holy grail. This is the beauty of our god that our holy grail could be their wan ling and someone elses golden lingum. Please feel free to give me a call and I can give you a detailed explanation.

p.s. On the video at 3min and 21sec look at the purple item on left side that falls out of sky. You can also hear it.

Heaven's Ball

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 9 June 07

Grail Seekers this week:

Later this week, I’ll be reprinting another theory by Ed McGrath relating to his theories on a Teniers painting. I’ll also be trying yet another contest going if I can get my inner muse working. The contest will dove-tail on an interview with George Smart I did a few months back. I’ll be giving away two copies of his book Chronology of the Knights Templar to make up for me dragging my feet on writing the article. And finally, I’ve secured an interview with Professor Solomon about his book The Book of Solomon. That is if I can get past inventory at work, family obligations, and fending off ninja assassins. Well, the ninja assassins isn’t quite true. That is unless my ex-wife hired them.

On Audio:

Fate Radio interviews Dr. Karen Ralls about the Templars. Hilly Rose should have done a little more homework before doing the interview…

In the News:

Five defendants have been acquitted in the Roberto Calvi murder trial in Rome. This also comes on the heels of Italian Police investigating Masonic Lodges in Italy. I fear that this will only bring out another wave of Anti-Masonic fervor in blog-land. If you have any questions about Masonry, just let me know. All I ask is that you don’t believe anything that has to do with goats, sacrifices, or strip bingo without dropping me an e-mail first.

In Film:

Sean Connery won’t be coming out of retirement for the next Indiana Jones movie, but John Hurt will be appearing. I guess Hurt had to do something since he can’t be in Hellboy 2.

The Susan Sarandon narrated DVD Secrets of the Codeis reviewed in the Trades.

On the Web:

Societe Perillos finished up their series on the Spanish connection with Rennes le Chateau.

Chat with William Henry on the Unknown Country site on 9 June 07.

Nexus magazine highlights author Tony Bushby on his book Forged Origins of the New Testament.

Could the Holy Grail be the Book of Thoth? Philip Coppens has some insight along those lines.

Far Shores posts an article by Philip Gardnier about Secret Societies.

Unexplained Mysteries reprints a reworked article about the Nanteos Cup by some guy who does a blog called Grail Seekers.

Blog and Pod On!:

The Live in Carcassonne blog has a video of Carcassonne, Rennes le Chateau, Montsegur, Alet. The visuals are nice, but turn down the sound unless you really, really, really dig Bon Jovi’s version of Knocking on Heaven’s Door.

Random Mumblings has a two minute video of Rosslyn Chapel. It just goes to remind me that if you plan of going to Rosslyn, prepare for there to be a crowd and loud mouthed tour guides. Ah for the days when you could walk in the Chapel and there might be two or three others floating around.

Marcus Wilder talks about his visit to a Templar tower in Monbuey along the Santiago de Compostela trail.

Ed McGrath talks about Poussin, Rennes-leChateau, and Shughborough Hall

Last month I reported that Ed McGrath had come up with a simple solution to the Shughburough Hall; Shepherds at Arcadia inscription. Since Ed posted his theory on Daily Grail
it would seem that he's been busy fleshing it out. Ed sent me a couple of e-mails the other day expounding on his theories. He's done some interesting work that I thought everyone might be interested in. The e-mails are reprinted in their entirety.

Hi Brian,

I like your blog. I solved the “mystery” of the Poussin painting but the anointed ones do not accept it, too simple they say, no geodic designs or sacred pentagrams. It is heresy to stomp on their “holy grail”. The mystery itself has become the grail to them, nobody should upset it. I am offering a solution, if you would like to publish it on your site. I will send a separate mail for OUOSVAVV.

Please let me know what you think of the discovery.

This is the solution to a 370 year old mystery painting done in France in 1638. The "best minds" in the world have tried to solve it and failed; Dan Brown tackled the subject in the Da Vinci Code but could not come up with the solution. This is NEWS for anyone interested in solving puzzles similar to those proposed by Dan Brown in his books. People like to "see" a problem, with a logical solution provided. Even if the solution sparks debate, they are still interested in it. I would like to see this published because it provides an alternative explanation.

Poussin Painting Decoded – A New Theory

My theory is that Poussin encoded the location of Rennes le Chateau in the painting, using longitude and latitude references. When the painting was done in 1639, the international Prime Meridian in Greenwich was not yet established. The French used the Paris Meridian as the zero longitude reference. Paris is at 002 degrees E longitude, based on the Greenwich meridian.

The shepherds in Poussin's painting seem to be pointing to 42.9N and 0E (O degrees, relative to the Paris Meridian). Rennes le Chateau is at 42 Degrees 56 Minutes North and 0 Degrees East (using the Paris Meridian). Here is what it looks like! Poussin Pointing the Way to Rennes le Chateau http://ca.geocities.com/lmcgrath2158@rogers.com/Poussintwo

Rennes le Chateau Mystery

The mystery at Rennes le Chateau has baffled people for years. A parchment was found by Abbee Sauniere in 1891 that gave a clue to an old Nicholas Poussin painting and it is believed that the painting refers to Rennes le Chateau. The painting "Et in Arcadia Ego" http://et-in-arcadia-ego.mezzo-mondo.com/poussin-et-in-arcadia-ego.html " shows a tomb and people consider that the background scenery fits the location of Rennes. Nobody can provide a clear answer how a painting, with a scene that could be anywhere in the world, definitely points to that location. There would be thousands of tombs and locations to search. There is doubt about the existence of the tomb at Rennes when Poussin did his painting (tomb was built in 1902, destroyed in 1986).

History of the Prime Meridian

The International Prime Meridian at Greenwich England was not established until 1884. France did not participate at this meeting and continued to use Paris for their Prime Meridian.

King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu re-established, the French Prime Meridian in 1634 by Royal Decree,. Richelieu commissioned Poussin in 1635 to paint “The Triumph of Pan” (they knew each other five years before Shepherdess painting) Longitude and Latitude measurements were known to them in the early 1600s.

I may not be "right" about the discovery of the pointing Shepherds, but at least it points to a simple solution of the Poussin painting.

QUOTE

To paraphrase Occam's Razor: All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one.

Please get a decent copy of the painting and measure the angles yourself rather than accept what I have shown. I used Visio 2003 and the footer image from Andrew Gough's Arcadia website http://www.andrewgough.co.uk/

Ed McGrath

Second E-mail

Hi Brian,

Here is something else for you to consider on your blog:

When I read Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, I read about the mystery sculpture, a Reverse bas relief of a Poussin painting, at Shugborough House in England http://www.shugborough.org.uk/holy-grail-78 it says that the code can not be broken, its inscription DOUOSVAVVM could not be deciphered.

I have read about a lot of decoding attempts. They all have one thing in common, they do not consider that this is an inscription on a monument.

Why does everyone try to decipher the inscription out of context? It is an inscription on a very detailed, and modified, mirror image of a famous painting. If the monument above the inscription is not significant, why carve it? Carving the inscription alone would save a lot of time and grief.

My solution keeps the inscription and monument in the same context and it can be validated by external information (i.e. Sauniere parchment clue to Shepherdess and Poussin painting) The

Background Information Antoine Bigou miscarved the date MDCCLXXXI (1781) as MDCOLXXXI. He changed C to O (not a Roman Numeral). His uncle preceded Sauniere as Abbee at Rennes-de-Chateau. http://www.rennes-discovery.com/dalleblanchefort.htm
Poussin painted Les Bergers d’Acadie (1635-50) – the title is French http://www.parnasse.com/etinarc.jpg
Sauniere discovered a parchment (1891) that read, in part, “Shepherdess…Poussin…key…”

A reverse bas relief carving of Les Bergers d’Acadie, by Stuart is located at Shugborough house near Staffordshire England (1755) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Shugborough_arcadia.jpg
There are eight letters on one line of the bas relief, two letters on next line
Sauniere decoded the messages and found the Grail even though he was not a Templar initiate – he did not possess the esoteric knowledge thought to be needed.

The Bas relief at Shugborough Hall England is a “REVERSE” image of the Poussin’s painting.
There are 10 letters on inscription, eight on one line.
Bigou replaced C with O in his carving (Bigou was also involved with Sauniere parchments)

Solution
Read the word on the first line of the inscription O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V REVERSED (i.e. upside down and mirrored) A.A.V.A.S.O.N.O

Now, REVERSE what Bigou did on the headstone: Replace the O with a C in the eight-letter word.

The modified line now looks like this: A.A.V.A.S.C.N.C

This is an anagram, in French and has two words: "Canvas and Ca (Picture and That – it will not translate as a phrase from French to English, it is two separate words: Picture! That! Admonishing the reader to look at the original painting) As I have noted elsewhere, the original painting has shepherds pointing to the Longitude and Latitude of Rennes le Chateau

The. D and M appear on a separate line and seem to be meaningless, outside the clue (Help??)

N.B: I have also solved the Teniers painting clue and all of Parchment #1

Ed McGrath

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 2 June 07

Grail Seekers this week:

Do you ever have the feeling that something you thought was a hare-brained idea isn’t such an odd thought after all? I’ve had that feeling a lot this last week on some research I’ve been doing. Not meaning to be enigmatic, but hopefully I’ll have something to share soon that connects some dots regarding a famous author and the Grail in some unexpected ways. Think good thoughts for me on this one…

On TV:

History Channel:

4 June 07; 8-9pm -- Cities of the Underworld – Istanbul

4 June 07; 10-11pm -- Cities of the Underworld - City of Caves: Budapest

7 June 07; 9-10pm -- Decoding the Past - The Other Nostradamus: Edgar Cayce

8 June 07; 8-10pm -- Bible Battles

11 June 07; 8-9pm -- Decoding the Past - Mayan Doomsday Prophecy

9-10pm -- Cities of the Underworld - London's Lost Cities

10-11pm -- Digging for the Truth - The Real Sin City: Sodom & Gomorrah.

On Audio:

Coast to Coast AM will feature founder of Historical Realists and author, Patrick Conway, will discuss how the fall of the gods and collapse of the ancient world on 6 June 07.

The Hilly Rose show interviews Frank Joseph, author of Opening the Ark of the Covenant about the Ark’s history.

In the News:

A junior-high school student channels a Knight Templar for a history competition. I’m not sure if this is a colorful metaphor or this kid really thinks he’s channeling a Templar.

Dowsers look for stone circles in the Lake District of the UK

Scientists use laser technology to look into the Book of Kells

In Print:

A new book on Rennes-le-Château called City of Secrets surfaces this week. The book was written by Patrice Chaplin (daughter-in-law of Charlie Chaplin) about her experiences with the RLC mysteries. The above Daily Grail link has a couple of commentaries and interviews with Mrs. Chaplin.

Dark Horse comics revives the series Rex Mundi from it’s former Image Comics series. Rex Mundi is another Papal/Holy Grail conspiracy story line.

On Video:

Three videos on the UK Telegraph site go into a little more depth on the Rosslyn Cubes.

Rosslyn Chapel: Making the Stonework Sing

Rosslyn Chapel: Does the Singing Stonework Theory Work?

Cracking the 500 Year old Music Code

Blog and Pod On!:

Outlaw News thinks there is a connection between the Rosslyn Cubes and the hexagon pattern that has been seen on Saturn.

The Merovingian Mythos and the Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau is discussed in podcast 14 by Tracy Twyman

Tip Site of the Week

Early Christian Writings has a listing and commentary on all the known Gnostic, early Church writings, and New Testament Apocrypha known to man. A good source if you’re trying to get an overview of what’s out there.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Endning 26 May 07

Grail Seekers this week:

This week marks the one year anniversary of the Grail Seekers blog. Thanks for everyone’s support in this last year and for the next year who knows? Maybe I’ll get off my duff and actually do a real web site.

Ok, since the Oreo Cookie exercise was a bust, the T-Shirt has been awarded to Grail Seeker’s logo designer Barry Edwards. Largely in part because he was the only one to post a response. If you like the logo, he’s a heck of a graphic designer and would love to do your freelance work…

Kudos:

I must admit I have been lax in giving out the proper kudos to those that have supported the Grail Seekers site. A special thanks goes out to the following sites/blogs for linking back to my humble efforts here.

Dr. Karen Ralls floated me a nice e-mail this week. Check out her site Ancient Quests, you’ll be glad you did.

Ben Hammot’s Site: Keep up to date with Ben’s discoveries at RLC through his site. His discoveries have been chronicled in the upcoming documentary Bloodlines and might change what we think about RLC.

The Burning Taper: News and commentary of Freemasonry and other areas of interest are the order of the day for the Taper.

Southern Knight: Looking for news on esoterica and other topics. A good site from a guy that lives farther south of the Mason-Dixon line than I do. And people ask me if we have running water in the Southern USA…

Last but not least, thanks to the Spectra site for making Grail Seekers a featured blog!

Thanks again!

In the News:

For all of you that have gotten interested in music being made from odd things via the Stuart Mitchell-Rosslyn Cube “discovery”; scientists have made music out of protein sequences. Speaking of, the News for Medievalists blog reprinted an article in the Sunday Mail that questions the veracity of the Mitchell’s Rosslyn Motet. Huh, wonder where we’ve heard that before?

While not a Grail interest directly, the Ancestry.com has put 90 million US military records on line. It could help with someone’s research, but it’s going to cost you.

On Film:

Looks like you fans of the Broken Sword game series will get your chance to see the game looks like on the big screen.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 19 May 07

On Audio:

The Hilly Rose show interviews Sesh Hari on Nikola Tesla and secret societies.

In the News:

The Herald thinks that Freemasonry’s lost secrets can be found in the Necropolis in Glasgow. This isn’t a new theory as the article’s author would lead you to believe. I remember at the 1999 Canonbury Masonic Research Institute conference, James Stephen Curl gave a lecture on Masonic graves sites and he included Glasgow. Also, the Google Earth Marker for the Necropolis can be found if you do a search for "Glasgow Necropolis".

NPR reviews the effects of the Da Vinci Code and a revitalization of Freemasonry.

The Scotsman talks to the Grand Librarian of Scottish Freemasonry Bob Cooper. I’ve met Bob and if there’s anyone out there that knows a thing or two about a thing or two, it’s him.

Ronald Hutton was interviewed by the Independent on his unique views on the ancient Druids.

On the Web:

The Biblical Archeological Society blasts The Tomb of Jesus documentary.

Taki’s Top Drawer site takes a look at the history and conspiracy theories involved with Opus Dei.

For those of you that have had questions about the Bloodlines documentary, Andrew Gough’s site has a piece by Ben Hammott himself on his tomb find.

Far Shores reprints an article by Dr. Karen Ralls on Rosslyn Chapel. She should know, she use to be an assistant curator.

Ed McGrath has a rather simple approach to solving the Shughburough Hall Shepherds at Arcadia inscription.

Rosslyn Chapel Ghost Stories

Since I posted the picture of the “ghost” at Rosslyn Chapel, I’ve been besieged with questions about Rosslyn being haunted. I thought I’d answer all the questions in one fail swoop recapping the ghost stories that have cropped up around the Chapel.

• In July of 2006, a group of actors rehearsing for a performance at the Chapel claimed to see a “fairy like” entity roaming around the grounds.

• Rosslyn employee Simon Beattie believes he has heard a child’s voice coming from inside the crypt when no children were present in the Chapel.

• Rumors of sightings of robed monks in and around the Chapel have persisted for years. Some have sited a gray robed monk surrounded by four knights in the crypt. Others say they have seen gray and black robed monks walking the grounds at night.

• Sir Walter Scott described a legend in Lay of the Last Minstrel that when a Prince of the Orkneys dies, the Chapel becomes awash with strange lights.

• Not far away from the Chapel lies Roslin Castle. One legend cites that a knight in black armor rides around the grounds. Other sightings on the Castle grounds include that of a large hound that bays on stormy nights. Both these legends seem to be linked to a battle that happened between English and Scottish forces in the town of Rosslyn in 1302.

Sounds like these are just the standard haunting stories that come with any old structure. One would think there would have been more sightings and haunting legends around the Chapel. If anyone has any other legends about the Chapel that they would like to share, let me know and I’ll update the list.

Another Point of View on the Rosslyn Motet

I received this letter from Brian Allen regarding the article I wrote on the Inconsistancies in Reports on the Rosslyn Motet. Mr. Allen has agreed to let me publish this letter here on my blog. His claims run counter to some of the news reports that are out about the Motet. I thought it is important to see his point of view based on his research as a counterpoint to the letter I received from Mitchell.

Dear Brian,

With reference to a feature item in the UK Sunday Mail of April 22nd 2007 (and other media outlets) on the alleged discovery of a musical secret hidden in Rosslyn Chapel. This featured the work of Messrs. Thomas and Stuart Mitchell and the creation of a piece of music called ‘The Rosslyn Motet’. I present these observations, not with any taint of ‘sour grapes’, but purely in the interests of both presenting the bigger picture and perhaps giving perhaps more accurate and valid version of events. I am also probably one of the very few people who have also recreated certain specific frequencies within the chapel prior to the Mitchells. Mr Mitchell senior claims that he discovered the concept that the cubes in the so-called ‘Lady Chapel’ at the east end within Rosslyn are in fact graphic representations of ‘Chladni patterns’. I also arrived at this conclusion early in 2004 after conducting a series of investigations in the chapel first begun in 1993. This was with absolutely no knowledge of, or connection with, Mr Stuart Mitchell or his father, Mr Thomas Mitchell.

Based on my findings I conducted a full-scale test of my theories in the chapel in November 2005 using a tone generator, a computer and speakers, this was with the full consent of the then director of the Rosslyn Trust, Mr Stuart Beattie. The test, which involved the creation of tones comprising ‘augmented fourths’ also called ‘The Devils Chord’, produced some remarkable sonic and physiological effects. Those present, apart from my wife and I, included a musician, a psychologist, an acoustic therapist and two psychic mediums. In fact Mentorn TV reported on my theories at some length in a recent Discovery Channel TV programme.

Crucially, my own research was based on much earlier work facilitated by the late hotelier and former MI6 agent, Mr Steven Prior, who in the early 1990’s commissioned a computer programmer and a musicologist to decode the patterns; sadly he did not live to see any results. Mr Prior was of the opinion that the cubes represented what he called ‘healing cadences’. Therefore, although I could be mistaken, as with my own research there must be some doubt that Mr Mitchell’s work is entirely original, the difference is that, in my book, ‘Rosslyn, Between two Worlds’, I freely admit that my conclusions are based on earlier research and also that I tested the results successfully in 2005. Although this is described at length in the book, I also wrote an article on this subject for the magazine, ‘Fortean Times’. It is perhaps interesting to note that the late Mr Prior also intended to recreate the music in the chapel using musical instruments contemporary with the era and also with the services of a vocal group called ‘The Medieval Babes’.

That the cubes are based on Chladni patterns is indeed a valid hypothesis because the builder of Rosslyn, Sir William Sinclair, probably had the knowledge and available materials to recreate them had he chosen to do so. However, although I have been able to produce evidence for similar patterns, literally dozens of them, none have been identical, but I saw enough to conclude that my ideas were valid allowing me to proceed with my own evaluation. On the other hand, Mr Stuart Mitchell allegedly claims that his Rosslyn Motet is scored directly from the patterns on the cubes.

For this to be true it would require that a number of musical notes related to the cube patterns would have to be precisely recreated using the Chladni method (or alternatively a system called Cymatics, although this is less likely) in order to create an entire musical score and I have yet to see any evidence of any kind that this is indeed the case. If that has not been done then Mr Stuart Mitchell would have had no valid musical starting point, and that being the case, what he has produced, pleasant though it is, is therefore guesswork based on several earlier medieval pieces he has created vibrating plate assembly allegedly used by Mr Thomas Mitchell to recreate the patterns on the Rosslyn cubes, from my own experience this shape of plate (square) would not have produced the necessary patterns using the materials available to Sir William Sinclair. Not having any information regarding the exact method used by Mr Thomas Mitchell, I must conclude that it was an oscillator or something similar.

Some time ago I did try to contact the Mitchells directly via their website in order to ‘compare notes’ so to speak, but my approaches were either not received or simply ignored. Ignoring my approaches would be the case if (A) they realised that I knew as much as they did (B) I had arrived at a similar conclusion using a slightly different method, but especially, (C) that in addition I had beaten them to it. As a recognised paranormal researcher, broadcaster and author with four books published so far and another one currently in pre-publication, please feel free to validate my observations via my website, www.p-e-g.co.uk or simply enter ‘Brian Allan paranormal’, or ‘Brian Allan UFO’, using a search engine. If anyone wishes to discuss or pursue the matter further please do not hesitate to contact me on the peg website.

Regards,
Brian J Allan

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 12 May 07

This week at Grail Seekers:

I know it’s only Friday and the week isn’t over yet, but I couldn’t sleep and had to do something productive. If anything earth shattering happens in the Grail World, I’ll let you know.

In the News:

American Indian DNA is found in the UK. No wonder there is corn depicted on the walls of Rosslyn…

The Rosslyn Enigma film is up for some awards.

Has King Herod’s Tomb been found?

On the Web:

Author Philip Gardiner posted info on a My Space Bulletin about an interview he recently gave on Journeys.

The Vox website has an interview with Brian Allen on podcast. This is the chap that did the Rosslyn Cipher article for Fortean Times. I’ve been in contact with Brian quite a bit over the couple of weeks, he’s an interesting fellow and worth checking out.

Battling Bloodlines:

Andrew Gough interviews Ben Hammott about the upcoming documentary Bloodlines. A video trailer can be found here. If you haven’t heard about Bloodlines or checked out the site, do it. If their claims are true, some things we think about the Rennes-le-Chateau mysteries will change.

In a seemingly unrelated documentary, Tim Wallace-Murphy and Philip Gardiner have put out this clip on You Tube for “The Real Bloodline”. The summary on You Tube says, “In this unique DVD Tim Wallace-Murphy talks about the real bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, the secret Brotherhoods, the Knights Templar, the Cathars, the Sufi's and reveals the spiritual truths held sacred by these groups for centuries.” It will be interesting to see what these two groups have come up with.

Live and In Person:

On Thursday 7 June, at 8pm, Professor Roland Rotherham will have a lecture on The Da Vinci Code: Righteous or Rubbish

Tip of the Week:

Get your Mom something nice for Mother’s Day on Sunday. If she’s anything like my mom and you forget, whoa be unto you…

Even More Places to Seek the Grail

Well it’s official, as of today I have become a columnist for the Unexplained Mysteries web site. They published my Hertfordshire Grail Mysteries Reexamined piece that I ran here in January. The folks at Unsolved Mysteries have been kind enough to give me an ongoing column. Don’t worry, I’ll still keep writing here as well.

If you haven’t check out the UM web site, it’s really pretty useful. They look at a number of unexplained phenomena ranging from UFOs to ghosts. The forums are pretty extensive and they have areas where users can post photos. Pretty neat.

So thanks for all the support I have gotten from everyone out there. Some days it just takes that one e-mail from one of you to keep it all going.

Thanks again,
BK

Graham Hancock: Raider of the Lost Ark

For all of you Graham Hancock fans out there, here's a documentary Graham did about his search for the Ark of the Covenant. You can also find out about his work in his book Sign and the Seal


Online Videos by Veoh.com

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 5 May 07

This week at Grail Seekers:

Well this week was inundated with news stories about the Rosslyn Cubes. It seems most of the world’s media picked up on the story. It even made the news in Iran.

I was also contacted about by Brian Allen, the author of the Fortean Times article the Rosslyn Cipher and the book Rosslyn: Between Two Worlds, about my article on the Cubes. Seems I’m not the only one that was thinking something might be eschewed about the situation… Now to the new and improved scant news of the week!

On the Web:

Andrew Gough’s blog presents an article by Adrian Lodge entitled “Geometry and Artistic Intent in Painting” using Shepherds at Arcadia. Personally, I never could follow articles of this type. It seems one could put points and draw lines anywhere they wished. Then again, I was never that good at Geometry.

Philip Coppens site has an article about St Bertrand de Comminges. He likens it to a French Rosslyn.

Did Someone Say there was a Conference?

The International Gnostic Templars did a press release about the Grail Conference in Glastonbury this summer. Funny thing is that in the release they said Christopher Knight would be representing the Freemasons. I like Knight’s work and all, but I would hesitate to say he represents all Masons. I didn’t give Knight that authority for me… Maybe they meant the Christopher Knight from the Brady Bunch.

An Arthur Machen Celebration is scheduled in the UK for July. Machen was one of the first modern fiction authors to use the Grail as a plot point back in the early 1900’s.

If you’re interested in a serious academic look at medieval subjects, including the Templars, the Western Michigan University Medieval Conference is for you. The bonus is that it’s not a Ren-Fair and it’s in Kalamazoo.

A Response from Stuart Mitchell Regarding the Rosslyn Chapel Cubes

For those of you that don’t check out the comments section of my blog, I got an interesting one last night. The author claims to be Stuart Mitchell. There is no way to tell because it was posted on a newly activated Blogger account under the name Stuart. The profile has no info at this time.

However, I don’t doubt the validity of the post. The comment states:

Stuart said...

hi there,

I was very interested by your observations and felt I should clear up a couple of your queries.

There are today exactly 213 surviving cubes/rectangles/stone blocks protruding from the arches in the Lady Chapel at Rosslyn. 2 have been lost to antiquity due to theft or accident. It is known that Oliver Cromwell once used Rosslyn Chapel as a stable for his horses and the theory abounds that they were broken off then. But whatever the case is, 2 are missing. We have mapped out the entire ceiling and pattern sequence in a topological diagram and finding the identity of the missing cubes was fiarly easy. For example, one of the missing cubes is in the middle a line of cubes that are repeated 9 times, interestingly belonging to the percussion line of a medieval drum that emits one particular note/cube throughout its part. That one was straight forward. The other was not quite so easy but is part of a recurring phrase that repeats 3 times in the work. By the time we arrived at this missing moment, we already had an understanding of the way the piece was developing and instinctively applied a note that worked with the melodic development of the Motet.

Regarding some of the media discrepancies and inaccurate comments that have occurred over the past few months in the press, the subject of Rosslyn's music and its relationship with Cymatics/Chladni patterns is complexed enough for most news articles to want to shape the story for their readers in an understandable way, however, at the sacrifice of the scientific and aesthetic knowledge one has to absorb in order to arrive at the musical conclusion. Everything is 'boiled down' to suit the reader. It is beyond our control and subject to the viewpoint of the publication(s).

I have heard of Matsushita’s project but do not know what results have developed for him in this area.

I hope this has shed some light for you on some of the inconsistencies you have experienced in the past months regarding our project.

Best regards
Stuart Mitchell

So it would seem that I have been another victim of the mass media mediocrity on a few of the points I brought up. So it goes…

BK

A Picture of a Ghost at Rosslyn Chapel?

Since everything this week seems to be revolving around Rosslyn, why should this be any different? The below photo published here on the Telegraph UK site. All I've done is mark the area in red on the original and blown it up on the right. I think it's probably a motion blur, but one never knows.

Inconsistencies in Reports about the Rosslyn Motet

Author’s Note:
One of the things that I look for in any series of information is inconsistencies. One can ferret out the trail of where truth lies by looking at the wake of conflicting details. It is with this mind set that I have explored the following topic. And as always, I have played Devil’s Advocate with myself. The few things that I’ve turned up might be explained away very simply. However, there is an equal chance they cannot. The bad thing is that I end at a place that brings more questions than answers to the table. The other really bad thing is that all of this makes me sound like an off the deep end conspiracy theorist.

There is never a short list of architectural enigmas when talking about Rosslyn Chapel. In the news this week, one of the most intriguing features of the Chapel has been brought literally in the limelight. The remaining rectangular cubes that adorn the ceiling of the Chapel have taken to the news in the UK. This time the solution to the solution seems to be a musical one.

In 2006, composer Stuart Mitchell claims to have cracked the code by assigning musical notation to the Cubes by way of Chladni Patterns. Mitchell worked with his father Thomas Mitchell to offer a solution to the Cube riddle. Below is a list of relevant articles to get you up to speed on recent developments.

Team cracks chapel's music 'code'; 30 Apr 07; BBC News

Da Vinci Chorus; 22 Apr 07; The Sunday Mail

Tune into the Da Vinci Coda; 27 Apr 06; The Scotsman

The Rosslyn Cipher; Aug 2006; Fortean Times

Composer Cracks Rosslyn Musical Code; 1 Oct 05; The Scotsman

Japanese bid to solve mystery of the Rosslyn cubes; 16 Jun 2002;The Scotsman

Stuart Mitchell and his father Thomas have a better solution to the Cube mystery than has ever been presented, I have noticed a few oddities about the story. The first is that we know that there is at least one cube missing in Rosslyn. The author of the Fortean Times article makes this claim quoting “Chapel Management”. When I visited the Chapel in 1999, I heard a tour guide place the number of missing or damaged cubes at four. Either: I am mistaken, I misheard the guide, my recollection is not accurate, or there were four missing cubes and now there is just one.

No matter what the number, the missing cube(s) could queer the whole decryption process. The missing piece, or pieces, could be the “key cubes” to the code. The piece of music would be incomplete without the missing cube(s). None of the articles about Mitchell even address how he overcame this obstacle. (Mitchell has a book on cracking the cube code that I have not gotten yet. This may be addressed there. Or I could have missed a reference that has explained this. If so, let me know.)

Related to the missing cube(s), is the number of cubes reported to be in the Chapel. All the news reports and articles I listed above set the total number of cubes in Rosslyn at 213. Thomas Mitchell’s web site says that he decoded 215 cubes. Out of all the references I have on Rosslyn, I cannot find an exact cube count. If anyone out there has a definitive answer to the number of cubes at Rosslyn, please let me know.

The other set of inconsistencies has to do with Matsushita Electric Works UK’s, a division of Panasonic, research into the Rosslyn Cubes. My misgivings about the Matsushita and the Mitchell situation can be found in my article Music and the Rosslyn Cubes.

Basically, the 27 Apr 06 Scotsman article Tune Into the Da Vinci Coda asserts that: “The breakthrough to interpreting the notation came when Mitchell's father discovered that the markings carved on the face of the cubes seem to match a phenomenon called Cymatics or Chladni patterns.” The Sunday Mail’s 22 Apr 07 article Da Vinci Chorus goes on to say, “Using skills learned as an RAF code-breaker during the Korean War and his lifetime knowledge of classical music, he finally realized they depicted the vibrations of musical notes. He said: "It was a Eureka moment to end all Eureka moments.”

Oddly enough, in the 16 June 2002, Scotsman article Japanese bid to solve mystery of the Rosslyn Cubes says one of the theories that Matsushita has is: “… that the notes were recorded using a brass plate covered with sand. When the brass plate was struck with a bow, it vibrated, creating a distinctive pattern of sand lines for that particular note.” This is exactly how Chladni patterns are created.

Mitchell’s father didn’t make any breakthroughs relating the Chladni patterns to do with the Cubes. The theory was in existence and in print four years before the Mitchells made the announcement they had cracked the code. To further muddy the waters, Stephen Prior was working on cracking the cube code via music as far back as 1994. So what gives? Stuart Mitchell made the comment on 30 Apr 07 to BBC, “We got clues from other books as well. Over the years this became more of an obsession than anything else and we decided we had to find out what was going on.” So how could the pair not have been aware of Matsushita’s work in 2002?

What has happened with Matsushita’s project? Their research began on the premise that music derived from the Cubes could be used to heal damaged tissue. This theory was based on Stephen Prior’s prior (sorry couldn’t resist) work. Stuart Mitchell himself thinks that playing the Motet in Rosslyn will literally unlock something in the Chapel. The big question at hand is did Matsushita’s project ever stop, or is it still on going? Furthermore is there a connection between the Mitchells and Matsushita? Alas, I have no answers for those questions.

The final oddity is one that puts me over the top with the Lone Gunmen. Stephen Prior was reported to be in the MI6. Thomas Mitchell was an RAF code breaker during the Korean War. While this truly is six degrees of separation that could link both men back to Kevin Bacon, the fact is both were part of the British Intelligence Community at one time. It’s odd how British Intelligence keeps popping up in my articles. Remember Vernon Gifkins or the decoding of the Shepherd’s Monument at Shugborough Hall being decoded by Bletchley Park? Ok, now I’m beginning to think that I should get a grip…

In closing, let me be the first to say all of this might be easily explained. I realize that I do not have all of the facts at hand; nor have I spoken with anyone involved in the project. I would welcome any rebuff from either Mitchell on some of the inconsistencies that are in print about them. Given what’s in the press, there’s just something that doesn’t feel right. Once again, I’m left with more questions than answers.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 28 Apr 07

This week on Grail Seekers:

I’d like to thank everyone that has voted for Grail Seekers on the Blogger’s Choice Awards website. Thanks for you continued support. Also don’t forget to check out the Oreo Experiment blog, and you might win a Grail Seekers t-shirt for your participation.

Finally, I am still working on a few articles that the muse hasn’t drug out of me. One is on the decoding of Rosslyn Cubes. I posted an article last year on this here, and still think something is funny about the situation. Other than that, not too much in the way of news out there this week.

In the News:

The Pope’s new book Jesus of Nazareth is flying off the shelves. It’s being billed as a response to the Da Vinci Code by reviewers everywhere. In other Catholic news this week, the Vatican deletes Limbo from their dogma.

A Knights Templar site is being excavated in London

While the subject of the history of corn doesn’t sound like it would have anything to do with the Grail, don’t forget Rosslyn has cravings of corn 50 years before Columbus came back to Europe with any.

On the Web:

Graham Hancock’s site has an article from Petros Koutoupis on the origins of the Nephilim

The Rosslyn Light Box and The Lost Tomb of Jesus

File this under: “Things that have nothing to do with each other, but someone will try to make something out of it…”

The picture on the right is that of the “light box” that was recently discovered at Rosslyn Chapel. For the full scoop on this discovery, read this Scotsman article.

On the right is the “Lost Tomb of Jesus” per the James Cameron documentary.

Now, my prediction is that someone will make a comparison between the two objects. These comparisons will advance the theory that the builders of Rosslyn were hiding the true secret of the tomb in the Chapel's architecture. I’m sure there will be protractors flying to measure angles and distances relative to the Golden Ratio between the light box and the circular piece in the front of the tomb. Someone will make the case that the real secret of the tomb can by found by tracing the exact angle that the light box casts on 21 March or 21 September as it relates to a spot in front of the tomb. Either that or some other voodoo trigonometry will crop up in someone’s book in the next year. At least that’s my prediction.

Just remember when you're scratching your head trying to make the mental math work, you heard it here first.

Hilter's Search for the Holy Grail

If you haven't see Kevin Sim's 1999 documentary on the Nazi search for the Grail, it's worth a look. The documentary also has a number of personal interviews with friends of Otto Rahn.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 21 Apr 07

This week on Grail Seekers:

For the second week, I’d like to thank everyone that has voted for Grail Seekers on the Blogger’s Choice Awards website. Thanks for you continued support. Also don’t forget to check out the Oreo Experiment blog, and you might win a Grail Seekers t-shirt for your participation.

On TV:

History Channel: Monday, April 23, 2007;

7-8pm (CST): Lost Worlds - Knights Templar

9-10pm (CST) Cities of the Underworld: Scotland's Sin City: Edinburgh

On Audio:

On the Laura Lee Show 22 and 23 Apr 07; Peter Gandy & Timothy Freke - Secret Gnostic Teachings Parts 1 and 2.

In the News:

Scholars are starting to back peddle from their part in the Tomb of Jesus documentary.

De viribus quantitatis has finally been translated in English. For those not familiar, it was a text on the basic magic tricks and numeric puzzles that was supposedly written by a friend of Da Vinci.

Archeologists in Bulgaria are searching for Knights Templar sites. Also, the relics of a Bulgarian King are going to be reburied after 800 years. I wonder if these two articles are somehow linked. It’s interested that one never hears anything about Bulgaria, and now two articles come up…

Biblical Archaeology Review has a 60^th anniversary issue of the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

On the Web:

Andrew Gough delves into Louis de Coma and his stations of the cross. Also on Andrew’s blog is an article by Corjan de Raaf exploring three maps relating to Rennes-le-Château.

The Smithsonian Magazine gives a tour of the Scottish Rite House of the Temple.

CNN.com does a fluff travel piece on King Arthur and Tintagel

Andy North gives a very brief overview of Mary Magdalene in his blog.

Tips of the Week:

Don’t buy into anyone claiming that having shots of Jagermeister 30 minutes before last call is a good idea…

Ghost of the Brotherhood

Author Philip Gardiner posted this video as a bulletin on My Space today. According to his blog he went along with some psychics to a haunted house in York and captured his experience on film. Using the P.T. Barnum tactic of showing us just enough to get us interested, I have no more information on this film. Possibly a haunted Templar site? I'm sure Philip will give us the full scoop when the time comes.

Grail Seekers Media Watch for the Week Ending 14 Apr 07

This week on Grail Seekers:

I’d like to thank everyone that has voted for Grail Seekers on the Blogger’s Choice Awards website. Thanks for you continued support. Also don’t forget to check out the Oreo Experiment blog, you might win a Grail Seekers t-shirt for your participation.

On Audio:

Laura Lee interviews Peter Gandy & Timothy Freke on Secret Gnositic Knowledge on 21 Apr 07.

In the News:

A bevy of Friday the 13^th articles always pop up every Friday the 13^th (is that redundant?) Check here, here, and here for the day’s history and why people still freak out about it.

The Mirror gives an overview of the major relics related to Jesus.

Here’s a beginning point for anyone interested in the bloodline carvings in Royston Cave

Is this old Templar Hospital turned home haunted?

The West Chester University gave a presentation by photo journal Frank Kilcar on his travels and different theories on the Holy Grail.

On the Web:

Are the Rothchilds part of the Grail bloodline?

Esolibris has a primer on Kabbalah and it’s relation to quantum physics.

Beltane is coming up, get your torches ready.

On Film:

Crews film part of Nation Treasure 2 in front of the capitol.

Tips of the Week:

The Hidden Romance of the New Testament

James Robertson gives in on his views on Joseph. Robertson is a professor of New Testament Language at the United Free Church of Aberdeen, so the text has a number of Early Church and Biblical references. An enlightening read.

The Oreo Exercise

If you’re reading this blog with regularity, I could probably deduce a number of things about you. One thing I was wager is that most of you are aware of the massive amounts of symbolism that bombard us every day. You are also aware that symbols can have multiple meanings and change with time. Finally, I would guess that the Grail Seekers out there look at the world through these symbols in a different way than the general populace. Many of the theories that are presented to us about the Grail hinge on the interpretation of both visual and literary symbols. One has to go no further than the pictures of Rosslyn Chapel to see how heavily symbols influence a whole body of theories about the Grail. With that said, I thought I would do a little experiment in symbolism for this week’s blog.

Before reading any further, keep in mind that there is no validity to my answer to this experiment. I have no special knowledge that has lead me to these conclusions, and it’s basically a mental exercise. But I think that the results we might get from this will be reveling as to how differently we “read” symbols. (Further disclaimer, yes I realize this is goofy and that I doubt there will be much of a response. But I had fun doing it.)

Now for the experiment. Take close a look at an Oreo Cookie. (I would suggest looking a Golden Oreo, it’s easier to look at than the “Classic” Oreo. Forget that it’s a cookie, and pay attention to what is on the face of the Oreo. There’s a pretty intricate design that is baked into the top of each cookie. The question is how does one interpret that in a symbolic light?

If you care to, email or insert a comment of your solution before you read what I’ve come up with. I’ll publish some of the e-mails so we can see how differently everyone has looks at the same object. I’ll pick one of the solutions at random and send that lucky person a Grail Seeker’s T-Shirt from my Café Press shop. The deadline for this is midnight one month from this article’s posting. Also on May 13^th, I’ll publish my solution to the problem.