Nicholas Poussin's The Shepherds at Arcadia Featured in the Film Monuments Men

If there are such things as “constants” in the enduring Priory of Sion, Rennes-le-Chateau and post 1307 Knights Templar mysteries, Nicholas Poussin’s painting The Shepherds of Arcadia (also known in French as Les Bergers d’Arcadie or by the Latin inscription featured in the painting, Et in Arcadia Ego) would be at the head of the list. The Shepherds of Arcadia, due to works like Holy Blood, Holy Grail and TheDa Vinci Code, has become a something of a mascot for the hunt for the Holy Grail, unearthing the lost treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau, and any number of other conspiracy theories. Even if Poussin had no greater machinations than to create a painting, the fact that Shepherds has come to represent the quest the unobtainable is appropriate. The subject shepherds and their female counterpart have seemingly just discovered the inscription, “Et in Arcadia Ego”, and are questioning the meaning of tomb’s epigram. I can think of few better personal visual representations of delving into the unknown than Shepherds. I was able to view The Shepherds of Arcadia a few years back at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, which only went to further that symbolism in my own mind. 

Nicholas Poussin's The Shepherds at Arcadia

Of course, once the thought of a visual ends up having a meaning for you, it’s rather easy to pick that image out in seemingly random places. One of the unexpected places I spotted The Shepherds of Arcadia was in the widely panned the George Clooney film Monuments Men (2014). The film is loosely based on Allied efforts during the Second World War to secure art looted by the Nazis. For what history Monuments Men gets wrong, the film does, at least, let the public know that there were men and women who risked their lives to preserve the shared cultural heritage art represents.

In keeping with my own personal feelings about The Shepherds of Arcadia, I thought it was rather appropriate that around the four minute mark in Monuments Men, Poussin’s painting makes an appearance. In the scene, a German officer is making it quite clear to an art curator, played by Cate Blanchett, just who is in charge of Paris’ works of art. While the image of a Nazi standing in front of Shepherds is cringe-worthy, it was nice to see that someone in the set department of Monuments Men included the painting along with other, more recognizable, works of European art. One can make their own conclusions as to why The Shepherds of Arcadia was included in such a prominent fashion in this film, but I would rather recognize the painting’s insertion as a nod to the caliber of artist Poussin was rather than being part of a hidden agenda.

Poussin's The Shepherds of Arcadia as featured in Monuments Men

I had actually just about forgotten The Shepherds of Arcadia turned up in Monuments Men until I saw a recent episode of NBC’s The Blacklist. While The Shepherds of Arcadia is not in the show, one of Poussin’s other paintings, Landscape with the Ashes of Phocion is featured at the tail end of “Mr. Gregory Devry, No. 95” (The Blacklist season 3 episode 11). It would seem that the themes of mystery and intrigue get heaped on Poussin’s works in a variety of corners...

A rather hasty screen grab of Poussin's Landscape with the Ashes of Phocion as seen in The Blacklist

River Near Rennes-le-Chateau Runs Red the Day Pope Francis Is Elected?

File this in the ultra-strange bin. Posted on You Tube today was a scene of the La Sals river in Rennes-le-Bains flowing red. Rennes-le-Bains is a scant three miles, as the crow files, from Rennes-le-Chateau and the village is often linked to its mystery riddled counterpart. From the information I'm getting at the moment, the video was shot today. At the moment I'm trying to firm up exactly when the video was shot and will update this post if and when I find out.

If the video was shot today, the timing just adds another layer of mystery to the region. The same day Jorge Bergoglio is elected Pope maybe mean someone is sending a message. If that message is a prank, synchronicity via natural phenomena, or a secret society playing games is up to your discretion. 

UPDATE 15 Mar 2013: We have an explanation. The poster of this video has confirmed that this was done as some sort of hydrodynamics test. Other parts of the river were running "green" the same day. Good to know the world is still running on greased grooves. 

Mercedes-Benz Makes an Offical Apology for Super Bowl "Soul" Ad

I must confess I didn't think we'd see this, but a few hours ago Mercedes-Benz released an official apology to Freemasons for their "Soul" ad aired during this year's Super Bowl. Reported by
The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of Washington's Facebook page was this:


Apology from Mercedes-Benz
mbusa 2 hours ago

We apologize to anyone offended by the use of the ring worn in our commercial, 'Soul,' that ran during the Super Bowl.

It was not our intention to make any association with the Freemasons or any organization. In fact, neither we nor our advertising agency were aware that the ring could be associated with the Freemasons. To avoid any confusion going forward, we will modify the commercial prior to any future television airings.

It would seem that tilting at windmills does work... 

Why Mercedes-Benz Dosen't Get a Pass on Super Bowl Ad

Sunday while having my morning coffee, I saw the first news of Mercedes-Benz's Super Bowl ad featuring Willem Dafoe. An Irish Brother Mason had posted a link on Facebook to the Freemasonry: Reality, Myth, and Legend blog's article "Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl Ad Links Freemasonry to Satan". Needless to say I was shocked to learn that Willem Dafoe, cast as a sell-your-soul-for-a-Mercedes Devil, is wearing a Masonic style ring. If you're not aware of the story, I would urge you to read the article in Freemasonry: Reality, Myth, and Legend to get some of the back story on the ad. The video embedded to the right is the extended version of the ad, entitled "Soul". At the 13 second mark one can clearly see Dafoe sporting a square and compasses style ring. From what I understand the version of the commercial that aired during last night's game had the ring blurred out. I did see the commercial live, but did not notice the alteration. While I have no doubt in the veracity of reports that the ad was edited, I had a momentary warm fuzzy that Mercedes had realized the error of their ways. After some contemplation, those feelings evaporated.

First and foremost, the extended version of this commercial is still live on You Tube. This version has not been edited and at the time of this posting still bears witness to Mercedes-Benz gaffe. As I am writing this piece 4.8 million people have viewed this ad in it's entirety. Had Mercedes-Benz truly wanted to show remorse for their actions, the You Tube video would have been pulled or at very least edited. Also as of Monday morning, there is no statement about the ad on Mercedes-Benz USA's press release page.What's the big deal? Why is it important for Mercedes Benz to do anything else other than alter the ad shown during the Super Bowl? Surely they've done enough...haven't they? Not by a long shot.

During the Second World War Mercedes-Benz parent company, then known as Daimler-Benz and presently just Daimler, were heavily involved with the Nazi party. The connection was well documented in a 1990 book by Bernard P. Bellon, Mercedes in Peace and War. The New York Times review of the book gives a good overview of Daimler's past sins which included using slave labor in their production efforts. According to Bellon, "On a massive scale, Daimler-Benz threw tens of thousands of men and women, including foreign workers and concentration camp inmates, into the battle to produce engines for the German air force". I would venture an educated guess that given the mass internment of Freemasons in concentration camps, Daimler-Benz likely profited from the forced labor of our Brothers. Even if there was not a single Mason who was forced to turn a bolt for Daimler-Benz, the company certainly profited from and supported a system that oppressed Freemasons. (There are no accurate records to the number of Masons interred in Nazi concentration camps, but the Chris Hodapp's Freemasonry for Dummies estimates that 80,000 to 200,000 died in those camps. If Mercedes can set the record straight on Masons being pressed into their service, I would welcome the edification.) Sorry Mercedes-Benz, that warm fuzzy feeling just went south for me.

Monday morning I decided to call up both Mercedes-Benz and the New York ad agency who created "Soul" Merkley and Partners. Mercedes-Benz actually called me back with a curious story. According to the Mercedes-Benz representative, they had been assured by Merkley and Partners that the ring in "Soul" wasn't a Masonic ring and there was nothing for me to worry about. Judge for yourself. Here's a screen shot of the ring used in "Soul" with a square and compasses inset. In discussing this with one Brother, he pointed out that Dafoe's ring doesn't have a true square and therefore it isn't a Masonic ring. I will concede that the bottom portion of Dafoe's ring is not at a 90 degree angle. However using the old trademark test I was taught in a Business Law class a zillion years ago, if you're mimicking the "look and feel" of a trademark you're in violation of trademark law. The same principle applies to this situation. Since the square and compasses is the most easily recognizable of Masonic symbolism, the ring certainly does have the "look and feel" of  a square and compasses.  An imperfect square does not give Merkley and Partners a pass either.  No matter what the ring may or may not be, it as been identified with Masonry by both members and non-members. The damage has been done.

Merkley and Partners has yet to return my call. I was involved in a discussion with fellow Masons about the commercial on the Merkley and Partners' Facebook Fan Page  Monday night. Magically Tuesday morning the two threads about "Soul", in which Masons were posting their displeasure about the ad, have been deleted. Both Mercedes-Benz and Merkley and Partners obviously want this issue to simply go away. Don't let it. Contact both groups and let them know where you stand on this matter.

NBC's Audry Washington Sandy Hook Tweet Conspiracy Evidence is Smoke and Mirrors

Audry Washington's tweet as seen without logging into Twitter.

While not a usual post for the Grail Seekers blog, this screen shot of a tweet by NBC's Audry Washington is making the social media rounds. One can view the original tweet at this link: https://twitter.com/AudreyNBC/status/279626037783060482. If you're not logged into your Twitter account, you should see an image much like the one to the left with a time stamp of 8:36 AM on the morning of 14 Dec 2012. How can that be? The tragic shootings at Sandy Hook began an hour later at approximately 9:30 AM EST. This must mean that the whole event is a scam put on by the government to grab our guns! Or at least that's what is being bandied about...

As much as I do love seemingly damning evidence in a purported conspiracy, this piece of "evidence" is smoke and mirrors. Now try logging into your Twitter account and then viewing the link. Unless you're in the Pacific Time Zone, the time stamp on the tweet will change. What magic is this? The elves at Twitter show the time of tweets relative to the time zone you set in your preferences. I happen to live in the Central Time Zone and the second screen grab is what I saw after logging into my Twitter account. The time as changed to 10:36 AM. Since Central Time is one hour behind Eastern Time, this was tweeted at 11:36 AM. For those keeping score, that's a little less than two hours after the shootings began.

Audry Washington's tweet after logging into Twitter.

I'm no proponent of the Sandy Hook conspiracy and feel a mentally ill young man undertook an course of action that is nearly inconceivable to the vast majority of Americans. I can't even begin to imagine what the parents of those children are going through and I can only believe that twaddle like this increases their pain. Possibly in posting a little truth to dispel a Sandy Hook myth will give a tiny fraction of the infinitely needed solace to those touched by this tragedy.

The other reason for this posting is for those of us out there who do question officially stamped news stories and the approved version of history fed to us by the powers that be. When someone in our community posts something like Audry Washington's Sandy Hook tweet, it is generally accepted as Gospel truth and blindly shared on Twitter or Facebook. The myth spreads like the Spanish Flu until the question of truth or validity is no longer asked. We are quick to discount anything an authority figure or government official says out of hand, but embrace a community member's slick You Tube video or Facebook post without an ounce of inspection. Can someone remind me of the definition of "sheeple" again?

Those with alternative views on history and current events have to be held to a higher standard. If we are to convince anyone our point of view is valid, beyond stating that point of view is speculation, we must examine each piece of evidence from within the community as we examine discrepancies in officially sanctioned stories. Only then will the mainstream forget about tin foil hats and begin to form legitimate questions of their own.

A Lost Da Vinci Found in Scotland?

This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Stephen McGinty of The Scotsman. Mr. McGinty let me in on a bit of a mystery that is brewing in Perthshire. Fiona McLaren claims to be in possession of a lost da Vinci painting that depicts Mary Magdalene with two children. To up the ante, there is a Papal Bull attached to the back of the painting. Mr. McGinty's article, "Neglected portrait could be new Da Vinci Code painting" can be found by clicking the title's link. 

At the time I spoke with McGinty, I had not seen or heard of the find. McGinty was speaking to me for my initial impressions of the story. After seeing the image and the full story behind the find, I'm cautiously optimistic and hold to my comments in the article. If the painting isn't a forgery, and depicts McLaren's interpretation of the painting's subjects, it's big news to those who follow a bloodline interpretation of the Grail. Unfortunately, I have a feeling I know what will happen to this find. 

Assuming McLaren has a painting from the 15th Century, the art experts will come out of the woodwork with their opinions about the piece. No matter what the conclusion the experts come to regrading the providence of the painting, the subject matter will be branded as anything but that of Mary Magdalen. (Truth be told, when I first saw the image I thought the child on the left is wearing a hair-shirt. If that's the case, it would seem that the painting is of John the Baptist, Jesus, and either the virgin Mary or John's mother Elizabeth.) I would seriously doubt that anyone in the art community would go out on a limb to say Mary Magdalen with children was the subject of a painting commissioned by Francis I. If an art expert did go on the record that the female is Mary Magdalen, that expert would be branded "a Da Vinci Code nutter".

The controversy that is sure to surround the painting  will ensure the piece and Mrs. McLaren's theories will be pronounced dead on arrival. Dr. Kemp's statements in the article are only the beginning to those who will be in lockstep waiting to pass judgement before any evidence is seen. If you notice, Kemp's first thoughts  were of "secret codes"  embedded in the painting and thus dismissed any possibilities the painting holds out of hand. I don't really blame Kemp for jumping to conclusion that "all you people are stuffing ten pounds of conspiracy in a nine pound sack of logic". As a rule, our community does a poor job of representing itself to the mainstream. 

We've evidently done a good enough job of finding conspiracies under every bushel that an Oxford Art Professor showed no interest in a previously unknown da Vinci. Our tin foil hats would seem to have outshone a potentially masterful work of art. I'm by no means advocating that anyone out there stop questioning the accepted account of anything. There are hidden histories, secret societies, codes, and real/intellectual treasures out there. Those things are just not always out there.

I confess that I have my own moments of Pi-esque mania and there's nothing wrong with that. (At least I hope there's nothing wrong with that...) We all have a responsibility to do our due diligence before sounding off to the world. Half thought through theories, logical fallacies, poor scholarship, and outright fantasies harm every single one of us. I do hate to be a wet blanket, but I include myself in this terse rant. I can safely say I've never taken fictional license with a posting here, but in the other cases I'm sure I've fallen victim to my own enthusiasm. 

The point of the matter is that the better job we do in presenting our cases, the easier people like Mrs. McLaren will have in the future. She obviously has something that is worthy of scrutiny. I simply hope it is examined in such a way that the complete truth will be seen. If Mrs. McLaren doesn't get a fair shake, we have only ourselves to blame.

Tales of the Grail on Night Vision Radio

I just got a call from Rene Barnett of Night Vision Radio to be her guest this evening. We'll be discussing Grail lore and stories of different Grail Cups. There are dozens of different cups throughout the world that lay the claim to being the Holy Grail.  No matter if the Grail is actually the cup used at the Last Supper or some other object or idea, the stories behind the cups are fascinating on their own. So tune in tonight at 10PM CST to get in the discussion!

The Disclose TV Hoax and Critical Thinking

Disclose TV's Home Page on 14 April 2012

Yesterday I became fascinated with the reports of Disclose TV's apparent demise. Facebook posts and tweeters were blowing up the streams with cries of the conspiracy themed website being taken down as part of a joint operation between the "United States Department of Internet Security Terrorism Task Force" and "European Allied Command Operations".  Among those crying foul were those claiming to be former government employees and "insiders" who had pipelines into the very heart of Washington DC. To read some of the posts, one would have thought the shut down of any alternative news source was just hours away.

As it turns out, the blackout of Disclose TV's web site was basically a publicity stunt. Why were thousands of people duped with a PT Barnum stunt? The answer is simple to describe, but difficult to stomach. No matter how suspicious and careful a human is, emotions will almost always trump intellect. Disclose TV's "seizure" was an assault on free speech and a dig at an organization whose goal is to pierce the veil of government coverups.The incident should be a wake up call to everyone in the conspiracy, paranormal, or esoteric community. As much as anyone in these communities would wish he/she was above tactics aimed at "sheeple", realize that you are not.

The previous statement is not designed to be an indictment of anyone in particular, but a lesson that needs to be learned if alternative thought folks are to be taken seriously by the mainstream. Co-author of Holy Blood, Holy Grail Henry Lincoln summed up my thoughts in a 28 March 2012 interview quite succinctly, "Don't believe anything that I or anyone else says." Lincoln then urged everyone to do their own homework and come to their own conclusions. We cannot rely on anyone to do our thinking for us.

Had one done just a few minutes of Googling yesterday, the Disclose TV "seizure" would have been an apparent scam. None of the government agencies listed on the seizure notice exist and the USC cited on the notice is a highway bill. I was lucky enough to do some background research on the seizure notice, but I have been duped in the past... To help combat the ever present BS in our universe, I try to go back to some steps in critical thinking. There are tons of critical thinking guides on the web, but this one comes from the Leadership Vibe site and applies quite well to those in "alternative thought".

• What is the current problem? Make sure to identify what the current problem really is, not the emotional connection to the problem?

• What are the symptoms of the problem? Identifying the symptoms will help you stay on course with the true problem and identify people or processes that are fueling the problem.

• What assumptions are being made? Know fact versus assumptions, two very different realities.

• Is the evidence reliable? To what degree? Make sure what evidence you are supplied with can be corroborated.

• Is there critical information missing? Crucial for framing the entire picture.

• Other explanations for problem? Step outside of the problem and try to identify other possibilities of cause.

Let Disclose TV be a cautionary tale for all of us and let the inscription on the Smoking Man's Zippo be ever close to the front of our minds... Trust No One.

Two Poussin Paintings Discovered in France?

I received this comment on one of my older blog posts this week by someone calling themselves "Gasc": "2unkwown Poussin's paintings discovered :the key of Poussin's secret and Rennes le chateau mystery. How 2 family's paintings have given me the key of this mystery ? all is explained on http://www.lesecretdepoussin.com/ there are 6 years, 2 paintings are given me at my mother's death and it's the beginning of my discoverings:2 coded paintings we discover Poussin's paintings ,which came from my priest ancestor . Priest near from Rennes le chateau ."

The comment was either from someone who doesn't speak English very well or uses a horrible translation program. I decided to check out the link and it directed me to a site in French called "Le Secret de Poussin".  Since my French is about as good as my Latin, I ran the site through Google translate.  From what I can gather from the site, the author is a relative of Henri Gasc a "pastor of Our Lady of Marceille near Rennes-le-Chateau. Mrs.Gasc is claiming that she inherited these two previously unknown Poussin paintings that are sure to blow the lid off the RLC mysteries. Below are the two paintings for your inspection...

"Previously Unknown Poussin" #1

"Previously Unknown Poussin" #2

There's a whole litany of explanations, whys, and wherefores on the site that I haven't had a chance to check out at the present time.  One of the more interesting items on the site is what appears to be a broadcast of a French TV show dated 26 Dec 2011 that deals with the discovery.  Since my French isn't up to snuff, I've only been able to pick out the odd phrase of the "broadcast".  If anyone would like to translate the broadcast, drop me an email.

Given the revelations of Ben Hammott this past month, I'm a little gun shy about anything new coming from Rennes-le-Chateau. If these are really previously undiscovered Poussin paintings, at very least they're a great find for the art community. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that these paintings are linked to the mysteries at Rennes-le-Chateau. That is if they are the genuine article at all.... As I find out more on this one, I'll let everyone know.

Ben Hammott Discusses the Bloodline Tomb Hoax

Picture of Ben Hammott's "Tomb"

Last night Ben Hammott appeared on Rene Barnett’s Night Vision Radio show to make his first public statements about his hoax of the “Bloodline tomb”. (You can download or listen live to the show here. Scroll down to the 21 Mar 2012 show listing.) Ben’s confession on air was basically a rehashing of the email he had sent out earlier this week with a number of other revelations. I’ll cover the highlights in bullet points below. If you’re interested in this developing story, listen to the interview and make your own determinations about Ben’s statements. Here are some of the highlights of Hammott’s statements:

• He was the only party who knew of the hoax. Everyone involved with the Bloodline documentary had no knowledge on the hoax.
• The “tomb” photos that were originally shown of Ben’s website were of a small scale model. A life sized tomb was constructed somewhere in the UK. Ben admitted that when he visited the tomb site in Rennes-le-Chateau with Bruce Burgess, he gave Bruce a bogus recording of the tomb set.
• The skeleton used on the tomb set was a real skeleton purchased on eBay and doctored with a latex compound to simulate mummified flesh. Other items that were used to “point Ben to the tomb” were vintage items that dated to the late 1800’s to get around carbon dating.
• Bruce Burgess and an unnamed American investor had visited France after the release of Bloodline to find the tomb. Burgess had told the French authorities that the illegal digging for the tomb was actually Hammott in an attempt to cut Hammott out of the glory of discovering the tomb.
• Ben had fed information, via an unnamed third party, that led Andrew Gough to question the veracity of Hammott in general. Last week Gough broke the story of Hammott faking pictures of the Loch Ness Monster and indications that Ben had faked an Ark of the Covenant at the present time.
• Ben further claimed that he had not been pressured or bought off to cover up the location of the tomb. There has been the suggestion that the tomb actually exists and the hoax confession was a ruse to cover up the existence of the tomb.
• Ben also claimed that he was in Rennes-le-Chateau during last night’s interview. At another point in the interview Ben also stated that he would go back to Rennes-le-Chateau in the future.
• The primary motivation for the hoax was to spotlight the Rennes-le-Chateau mysteries. Ben hoped to find something “real” relating to Saunière's inexplicable wealth and will continue to look in the future.
• Hammott, whose real name is Bill Wilkerson, will continue using the pseudonym. (He has been referred to as Hammott in this article simply for simplicity's sake.)

In the popular vernacular, the whole situation is a hot mess. No matter how you come down on Ben Hammott’s situation, the affair is a black eye for the community. It’s time to lick our wounds and move to other business.

Ben Hammott Confesses to Bloodline Tomb Being a Hoax

I don’t believe I have never come out and said it in public, but I have to admit that I took a leap of faith. I had the more than a glimmer of hope that Ben Hammott, of Bloodline documentary fame, had found a tomb in the wilds of France that would forever change the Rennes-le-Chateau mysteries. When I first heard about the story, I dug into the evidence that was presented and even went to New York to the Bloodline pre-release press conference. There I met the documentary’s principal movers Rene Barnett and Bruce Burgess, as well as the experts they had called in to authenticate the items found by Hammott. (The article about that trip was posted here) Hammott was not present at the press conference but since that time I had the chance to interview him on the Unraveling the Secrets podcast.

Following all that, I had faith. I had faith that there might have been some dramatic license taken with Hammott’s story, but the story’s essence was true. A little more than 24 hours ago, I found out that faith was ill founded.  This message appeared on Rene Barnett’s Facebook page:

“JUST THIS MOMENT RECEIVED IN MY EMAIL--- THE CONFESSION OF BEN HAMMOTT. I AM STUNNED AND SICKENED. I WILL ISSUE A FURTHER STATEMENT LATER."

Hello Rene,

This has been a long time coming and something that is long overdue. And to tell the truth, for once, I am glad it has all finally come out. I have thought many times about coming clean and telling you and others the truth, but lacked the guts to do so.

Everything I said I discovered is a hoax, planted by me and only me and no one else involved knew the truth, not even my brother.

I have no idea why I did it, or carried on what was at first a stupid prank that escalated out of control. My intention was never to deceive, but then of course it was by doing what I did. Perhaps I did it for the money, though very little was ever forthcoming and realised (sic) early on that it probably never would.

Did I do it for fame and attention? Perhaps. I did enjoy it at times but it wasn’t the driving force behind it.

Maybe I just carried on to see what I could get away with. I really don’t know. I know saying sorry to you and the many friends and acquaintances I have made and deceived over the years, can in no way make up for what I have done. There is probably nothing I can say or do now to right the wrong. But I am very, very sorry and know that many of them I will lose, which is perhaps the worst thing about this sorry and despicable act of mine.

I have had nothing since bad luck since I become involved with the Rennes-le-Chateau affair, bad karma, almost certainly. Today I have no money, no family life, no home and now probably very few friends. It is perhaps a well disserved (sic) outcome.

I apologize to you, someone who has supported and defended me over the years, I cannot say sorry enough for what I have done. I have lied to you and let you down in such a big way I cannot even hope for your forgiveness and so will not ask for it.

Ben [Hammott]

I was on the phone with Rene within 30 minutes of the posting.  Rene also indicated that she had authenticated that the email did come from Ben and was not some prank. Rene was devastated about Ben’s confession. Something she had placed her faith in had been taken away from her.

For those of you who think that Ben might be “taking one for the team”, I would ask that you consider that everyone has been duped at one time or another. If it be by a professional grifter, a duplicitous co-worker sacking work, or a cheating spouse, we’ve all placed our faith in someone who was not worthy of that gift.

Ben had lied directly to me on the Unraveling the Secrets show and to an entire world interested in the Rennes-le-Chateau mysteries. Furthermore, stunts of this magnitude go to discredit and dishearten those of us who try to find the truth in matters of the underground stream.  Do I feel badly that I had bought into Ben’s story? Yes. I acted on faith and isn’t any quest for the Grail built on the proposition of faith?  Sling stones and arrows if you will.

Today I found out that Ben will be appearing on Rene’s podcast, Night Vision Radio this Wednesday night at 10PM PST.  From what I understand, Rene will give Ben a chance voice his mea culpa to the world. Questions will be taken via Night Vision’s chat room. I personally will be glued to my monitor to see what Mr. Hammott has to say for himself and suggest that if you’re interested in this topic you do the same.

BK

Interview with Priory of Sion Ambassador Nicholas Haywood on Night Vision Radio

Nicholas Haywood

Last night Priory of Sion Ambassador Nicholas Haywood was interviewed on Rene Barnett's Night Vision Radio.  Even as cryptic as Haywood is, there are a a few revelations that can be gleaned from the chat.  First off, there seems to be a rift between different factions within the Priory.  Haywood seems to be quite put out with the fact the Priory isn't releasing information to the public in a timely fashion. Secondly, Haywood  admits that political power broker/industrialist Armand Hammer was a member of the Priory.  For those interested in the Priory, it is defiantly worth a listen... The interview with Nicholas Haywood can be listened to by clicking this link.

Does Poussin's Ideal Landscape Painting Hold A Templar "Easter Egg"?

A number of years ago I was lucky enough to catch the Louvre exhibit at Atlanta's High Museum of Art.   The High had imported an number of pieces from the Louvre and the centerpiece, for myself, was Poussin's Shepherds of Arcadia painting. (For more about that visit click here) The exhibit also included a number of other paintings by Poussin that I was familiar with, but were not seemingly connected with any of the esoterica that  Shepherds of Arcadia had been linked. One of the "secondary" works of Poussin caught my attention that day and for the last few years my observations has been in the "I really should write about..." file.

Poussin's Ideal Landscape (click image to enlarge)

Known as Ideal Landscape, this Poussin circa 1650 painting has virtually escaped the scrutiny of those interested in connecting Poussin to the Rennes-le-Chateau mysteries. On the surface, Ideal Landscape appears to be little more than just that. (If the image that appears here is too small to pick out fine details of this painting, a larger image may be found at this link.) The focal points of the central village and the lonely mountain almost draw one's eye away from the understated activity going on in the painting. At the bottom center, Poussin has included what appears to be two shepherd-like travelers asking directions from a supine figure. Up and to the right of that, are figures watering horses that reinforce the notion that the central village is some sort of way-point. Smaller still are the figures walking towards the buildings on the rise above the stream/river. Once again, there are hints of motion in the minutia of Poussin's work.

There's one of these nearly imperceptible figures that caught my attention when viewing the original.  Slightly above the heads of the two shepherd-like travelers asking for directions is a horse with two riders. The two riders on a single horse is of course reminiscent of the seal of the Knights Templar. The symbol was used to exemplify the vow of poverty that each Templar Knight took. The symbol also evokes the notion of sacrifice for one's brother and therefore for the order. 

Two Riders on a Single Horse Highlighted (click image to enlarge)

Seal of the Knights Templar

The larger question is why did Poussin include two riders on the same horse in this painting?  Is Ideal Landscape yet another Easter egg in the Gordian knot that Rennes-le-Chateau mysteries have become?  If Poussin did indeed mean for the riders to be a reference to the Templars, what purpose does that serve?  Could the sub-textual traveling theme in this painting give clues to a real geographic location that should be searched for?  I personally have little doubt that Poussin was either making a visual reference to the Templars, but what is the deeper message here? As in all things, I will leave that to your own thoughts.

Greeks Claim to Have Found Both the Ark of the Covenant and Alexander's Tomb

In a very short posting today on the Focus Information Agency website, a claim has been made that both the Ark of the Covenant and the tomb of Alexander the Great have been found on the Greek island of Thasos. (I usually don't post entire articles, but since this one is so short...)

"It is believed that the tomb of Alexander the Great and the Ark of the Covenant have been found on the Greek Island of Thasos, announced Russian Grekomania.ru, which is information partner of the Greek Minister of Culture and Tourism. Head of the research group Pitia Nikolaos Kumardzis announced that the findings emerged during amateur excavations. According to him, some unexpected results were reported during the excavations on Thasos Island. Greek researchers are convinced that the findings really are the tomb of Alexander the Great and the Ark of the Covenant."

Given Greece's financial troubles of late, if they really did have the location of the Ark and the tomb of Alexander, now would be the time to trot them out. We'll see if anything else makes the headlines on this story in the next few days.

 Google Map Location of the Island of Thasos

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Viewing Symbols in Context

Earlier this week, I saw a post from a noted esoteric author on Facebook.  The post was a picture of an Egyptian revival tomb in New York and the author posed the question of if the tomb was a replica of the Scottish Rite Temple in Washington, DC.  I didn't see the similarities of the two structures myself, but it make me think of a trap everyone who studies esoterica faces at times.  How do we accurately interpret symbols in unlikely places?  It's easy to fall into the mindset that there is only one specific answer to the interpretation of that symbol.

Take a look at the photo below and ask yourself what does this particular sign mean and why is the person making it?

After you have your answer in mind, analyze why you responded the way you did.  Now take a look at this picture and ask yourself the same question.  What does this symbol now mean to you? 

The picture was taken from the Wiki article on "hook 'em horns" and the football scene was blacked out in the first one.  For those not familiar with college football, University of Texas fans will throw up the "hook 'em horns" sign to show their support for the team.  The sign mirrors the longhorn cattle logo of the University of Texas. 

The difference in the interpretation of the two pictures is simply the context in which the sign is made.  Since there are a number of interpretations of raising the pinky and index finger, it's impossible to definitively tell what the sign means without its proper context.  If the sign was made in the context of the below picture, we would assume the person was simply trashing to heavy metal music and not supporting a football team.

The point of this exercise can be extended to any form of symbolism we decide to examine.  If the object of our study is a building, one cannot assume that the symbols we see ingrained in the building have a specific meaning.   One cannot also assume that a symbol has any meaning at all.  The architect might simply have thought the design was visually pleasing and never meant it to have an esoteric significance.

The first question one must ask is not what the symbol means, but who placed the symbol there.  What do we know about the person who placed the symbol there?  What is their background?  What motivation, if any, did they have to place this particular symbol there?  Only then can one start to unravel the true meaning of any symbol.  The due diligence of contextual interpretation can be applied to paintings, buildings, or anywhere else in the world we find a symbol.

In the world of esoteric studies, there are enough blind alleys one can spent their time on without automatically jumping to erroneous conclusions.  There is plenty of hidden meanings out there without one attaching unnecessary symbolic baggage to your analysis.   I hope this saves someone out there some time and mental shoe-leather...

The Darker Side of Christmas

Lurking in the shadows of the neighbor's twinkling Christmas lawn lights is the darker side of the Yule tide.  One rarely associates the holiday season with the ghouls and specters that cavort during Halloween, but in many traditions around the world Christmas does have a dark side.  Aside from the specters in Dickens's A Christmas Carol, the threat of a lump of coal from Santa, and Chevy Chase's Holiday Vacation; American traditions have been insulated from the horror show of Christmas traditions around the world.  Here are just some of stories of Christmas evil that will make you glad that shipping Aunt Tillie's sweater is high on your list of holiday stressors. 

A Tender Norwegian Christmas

Santa riding a goat...

Besides eating lye treated cod during the Holiday season, the Norwegians have a number of frightful Christmas traditions.  The foremost being that of the Julebukk, or the Christmas goat.  Traditions centering around, Julebukk are thought to have come from Thor being depicted as being transported on a sleigh pulled by two goats.  In pre-Christian Norway, during winter celebrations someone dressed as Julebukk and carrying a goat head would burst on to the scene.  Julebukk would then symbolically die and be reborn later that evening.  Another variation in some areas was disguising one's self as a goat and going to their neighbor's homes.  The game was to figure out who was behind the scary goat head.

The tradition was Christianized by turning Julebukk in to a demonic figure.  The demonizing of Julebukk must have given the children one too many nightmares and the use of Julebukk was forbidden by the Church during the Middle Ages.  The ban on Julebukk might have fostered the thought that on Christmas Eve witches and other evil spirits come out of the woodwork and looking for brooms to ride.  To thwart the spirit world, brooms are hidden on Christmas Eve and guns or fireworks are shot off to spook the incorporeal from invading one's home.  Some forms of the Julebukk tradition exist today as more of a door to door caroling event.  Julebukk also makes an appearance on modern Norwegian Christmas trees in the form of straw goats.

Krampus is Comin' to Town

Krampus

The goat motif extends from Scandinavia to Germany, Austria and some Slavic countries.  There Santa has something of an evil twin brother by the name of Krampus.  Often depicted as a demonic horned goatish creature, Krampus accompanies Santa on his Christmas gift runs.  If a child has been on the super naughty list Krampus will beat them with chains or a switch.  For the semi-naughty, Krampus will just scare the child into being on the nice list for next year.  This particular tradition was born out of the legend that the devil would accompany Santa.  Being the embodiment of all that is good, Santa is able to shackle the devil as his slave on Christmas Eve. 

Much like Julebukk, the Krampus tradition has morphed into something much different in modern times.  Winter celebrations dedicated to the Krampus legends have now turned into a costumed bacchanalia.  On Krampusnacht (Night of Krampus usually on 5 or 6 December) boozing Krampi wander the streets looking for naughty women to spank and other such mischief to get into.  

Whipping Up Some Christmas Cheer

Le Père Fouettard

The French have yet another evil companion to Saint Nick, Le Père Fouettard (the whipping father).  Like our previous examples, Le Père Fouettard has been bound to ride shotgun in Santa's sleigh for his misdeeds.  Said to have been an innkeeper, Le Père Fouettard and his wife planned skullduggery for three wealthy young men who spent the night in their inn.  The pair drugged the lads, stole their money, and then slit their throats.  To cover up their crimes, the boys are cut into pieces and placed into a barrel of stew meat.  Luckily for our three lads, Saint Nicholas was led to the inn by a vision.  There Saint Nick confronts Le Père Fouettard and raises the young men from the dead. 

To punish Le Père Fouettard for his crimes, Santa forced the murdering innkeeper to accompany him on the Christmas gift giving spree.  Predictably, our whipping father punishes the wicked as Santa rewards the good children.  I'm sure in the back of poor French children's minds, Le Père Fouettard's justice will get out of hand and turn them into stew meat.

The mixing of Halloween and Christmas traditions seemed far-fetched to Americans when Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas was released.  Turns out Burton was just following much older traditions than Americans were accustomed to.  This Christmas Eve if you hear something rustling around your tree, make sure you're on Santa's good list.  If you're not, who knows what spirit of Christmas evil you've conjured up!

Historians Discover Letters and Numbers in Mona Lisa's Eyes

This news story is bound to keep those da Vinci theorists up for the next few nights.  Yahoo News reported early this morning that historians have actually found tiny numbers and symbols painted in the eyes of the Mona Lisa.  The article states that the new found aspect of the Mona Lisa cannot be seen by the naked eye, but can be clearly seen with a magnifying glass.

Here are the details from that article:

"In the right eye appear to be the letters LV which could well stand for his name Leonardo Da Vinci while in the left eye there are also symbols but they are not as defined.  It is very difficult to make them out clearly but they appear to be the letters CE or it could be the letter B - you have to remember the picture is almost 500 years old so it is not as sharp and clear as when first painted.  While in the arch of the bridge in the background the number 72 can be seen or it could be an L and the number 2."

The discovery was made after members of Italy's National Committee for Cultural Heritage magnified high resolution photos of the Mona Lisa.  Why this group had undertook magnifying areas of the painting is not made clear in the article.  This might also put to rest the theories that the real Mona Lisa wasn't returned to the Louvre after the painting's theft in 1911.

I'll be doing some digging to try and find some high resolution images of the Mona Lisa on line today.  It is possible that we might be able to see what's in the Mona Lisa's eyes using the same method as the original researchers.  I can guarantee that the image that is posted with this article is no where near the resolution needed for such an analysis.

What else did da Vinci hide in the Mona Lisa and other paintings?  I'm sure there will be a lot of folks getting out their magnifying glasses in the next few days.

Glastonbury Thorn Tree Vandalized

Reports are coming in from England that the Holy Thorn Tree was vandalized sometime during the night of 8-9 Dec 2010.  The once vibrant tree was reduced to a man sized stump.  Avon and Summerset police have launched an investigation into the crime, but have no leads or motives as of yet. 

The Holy Thorn or Glastonbury Thorn Tree has long attracted thousands of pilgrims each Christmas season.  Legend holds that the original common Hawthorn tree was planted by Joseph of Arimathea.  Joseph is said to have fled Palestine with the Holy Grail after the death of Jesus.  Joseph relocated to southern England where he may have had interests in tin mining.  On a hill outside of Glastonbury, a travel weary Joseph stuck his walking stick into the ground while taking a rest.  The staff immediately took root and blossomed into a thorn tree that stood for over a thousand years.

The longevity of the original Glastonbury Thorn was not its only miraculous property.  The tree bloomed twice a year.  Hawthorn trees usually bloom in the spring, but the Glastonbury Thorn would bloom in the wintertime around Christmas.  As early as the 1500's, there were reports of the tree blooming on the pre-Gregorian calendar celebration of Christmas on January 5th

The story of the Glastonbury Thorn then takes a turn reminiscent of last night's events.  The original Glastonbury Thorn tree was chopped down.  Legend and history account two ways this might have happened.  One is that a Puritan cut the tree down because the tree incited thoughts of magic and superstition.  For the Puritan's trouble, as the tree fell a splinter pieced his eyes and blinded him.  Another version of the felling of the original thorn tree was that one of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers cut the tree down in 1653.

A number of cuttings from the original tree were replanted by Glastonbury residents.  Along with a public site for the replanted tree, a number of secret locations were chosen by residents for replanting.  The second Glastonbury Thorn did flourish and reports from 1752 indicate it still bloomed at Christmas time.  That year, after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, the tree bloomed on December 24th.  Over the years there have been a number of accounts of the tree blooming during the Christmas season, if not on Christmas Eve or Day itself.  That particular tree died of natural causes in 1991 and was replanted using cuttings the year after.  The tree that was vandalized last night could be said to have been the grandson/daughter of Joseph's tree.

Over the years, the Glastonbury Thorn has attracted thousands of pilgrims.  One of which was author John Steinbeck.  In a letter to Thomas Mallory scholar Eugene Vinaver, Steinbeck mentions that he sent a cutting of the thorn tree to Vinaver.  In 1901 another cutting of the Glastonbury Thorn was sent to the Bishop of Washington to be planted at the National Cathedral.   That tree is also said to bloom at Christmas time as well.

Another long standing tradition surrounding the Glastonbury Thorn is that a small branch of the thorn tree is sent to England's reigning monarch.  It was after such a ceremony last night that the Holy Thorn tree was vandalized.  Whatever the statement the vandals wished to make by their actions were tied to the timing of the attack.

ABC Houston Covers the Bosnian Pyramid

Noah's Ark Found in Turkey?

Here's some video on the report that Noah's Ark has been found in Turkey.  It's been said before, so I'll wait for some more proof to come forward.