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

View Larger Map

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.

Skullduggery: 45 True Tales of Disturbing the Dead

As many of you who regularly check out Grail Seekers, I haven't been posting too much over the last couple of months.  That's because I've been working on a book that has finally made it's way into print.  Skullduggery: 45 True Tales of Disturbing the Dead is a slight departure from the subject matter I cover here on Grail Seekers, but there is some common ground.  The write-up for the book on Amazon is as follows:

One of humanity's greatest unspoken fears is having our mortal remains desecrated in the grave. These fears reach as far back as the ancient Egyptians and are as close at hand as today's headlines. Skullduggery examines 45 real life tales of those who would disturb the dead's eternal slumber. Discover the post-mortem histories of Elvis, Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Thomas Paine, Alexander the Great, Eva Peron, Graham Parsons, Che Guevara, Albert Einstein, The Skull and Bones Society, and others who were not allowed to rest in peace. The motivations for these ghoulish crimes range from greed and avarice to pure affection. Once you step into the world of Skullduggery, you will never pass by a cemetery at night without considering what forces are at work in the dark.

You can find out more about Skullduggery and check out samples at the book's web site.

Skull and Bones Video Leaked?

On paper, it sounds too good to be true.  A video from a Yale Freshman was released on You Tube with a caption of a "look inside the courtyard of Yale's oldest secret society".  According to the Yale Daily News, the You Tube user name Dauphinish, left Yale in 2007 due to a medical condition and has since transferred to Branford College.  Since being at Branford, Dauphinish has been receiving death threats and was involved in a hit and run accident.  All of this transpired after Dauphinish bragged to friends that he had broken into the headquarters of the Skull and Bones Society, known as The Tomb, and filmed a video.

At the end of this page is the video supposedly filmed at The Tomb by Dauphinish.  There's some creepy scenes of Dauphinish entering a dark passageway. There's a coffin at the end of the passageway and what looks like bones scattered on a dirt floor.  Spooky as the You Tube piece is, is it worth death threats and a hit and run?

I've always been of the opinion that all powerful secret societies don't mess around with dime store tactics such as death threats and hit and runs.  If you've hacked off the masters of the universe, you're going to pay the price.  If the Skull and Bones Society is capable of stealing the skulls of Pancho Villa and Geronimo, placing Presidents on the throne, and any other conspiracy linked to the group; they are capable of successfully knocking off a college Freshman. After viewing the video, judge for yourself what price might be exacted from the uber-secret society for wandering on to their turf.

In my new book Skullduggery: 45 True Tales of Disturbing the Dead, I've included a chapter that looks into some of the alleged skull thefts of the Skull and Bones.

Follow Up On Carrie Kirkpatrick and the Banning of Mystical Legends

Carrie Kirkpatrick just wanted to make a documentary series.  She had filmed a  five part series called Mystical Legends for an English speaking Spanish television station.  For the paltry sum of £10,000 Carrie had completed the series with local topics ranging from the Knights Templar to Girona/Patrice Chaplin/Rennes-le-Chateau connection to Spanish witchcraft.  As the series was getting ready to be aired, the Spanish TV station suddenly went out of business. Carrie was left holding Mystical Legends in the can.

It's bad enough not to make one's money back on a project, but to have an unseen project just won't do.  Carrie turned to her friends at Sky Channel 200, "Controversial TV".  She had formed a connection with the owners of Controversial TV  while doing work for their sister station Psychic and Soul.  Along with owning Controversial TV and Psychic and Soul a smattering of soft core porn stations are in the fold.  Carrie presented the managers of Controversial TV a unique offer.  She would allow the station to air Mystical Legends and pay for the music licensing herself.  All the station had to do was add it to their line-up, pop the DVD in and hit the transmit button.

According to Carrie, Controversial TV always operated on a shoestring budget.  The office staff consisted of a handful of people and finding programming was always a challenge.  The powers that be at Controversial TV jumped at the offer for free programming and agreed to show two of the Mystical Legends series a few times over the next year.  Carrie sent, and Controversial TV accepted, a letter of intent that gave the SKY TV station the right to air two of Mystical Legends.

Kirkpatrick wouldn't see a quid from the airing of the  series, but at least it was out there.  Controversial TV decided to start out with Girona, A City Of Secrets. The special explored the connection between Charlie Chaplin's daughter-in-law Patrice Chaplin and a secret society that operates in Girona.  (I was lucky enough to speak to Patrice last year about her book on the topic.  For more on my conversation with Patrice, click here)  The piece was aired twice and then the hammer dropped.

'Mystical Legends - Girona, A City Of Secrets' from Carrie Kirkpatrick on Vimeo.

On October 20, 2009, Carrie received the following e-mail from one of the staffers at Controversial TV.  While she would not disclose the name of the staffer, Carrie did say after the signature there were two kissy lips added.  The email below is an exact copy, bad syntax and all...

"Hi Carrie,

Hope you are well? Unfortunately after a few meetings with the people at the top we have been asked to pull your shows of the channel, and unfortunately are hands are tied Carrie. I know you have gone to alot of trouble to get these shows ready for us, and also promoting it to your friends and even going to the extent of paying for the music. But we have been told that Due to circumstances out of control we cannot show them anymore. I understand that you will not be happy with this decision, but i also hope you understand that we have to abide by the people above us and their decisions. I ‘m sorry to have to be the one to deliver the news, and i hope you understand the situation we are in.

Best wishes"
That was it.  A quick kiss off from a rank and file staffer carrying out the wishes of those mysterious figures from up above.  There was no mention of the documentary's quality not being what Controversial TV was looking for, or a problem with Carrie herself.  She still maintains a connection with their sister station Psychic and Soul, even though she has not been available to appear on it for some weeks due to other commitments  Carrie has not been sacked and they still use her high profile and reputation as a TV Psychic to advertise their Psychic channel.  Representatives from the SKY TV station have never answered my requests for an explanation for pulling the  show.

The big question then is why?  If you've watched Carrie's work above, there is nothing contained within the half hour special that would raise an eyelash.  Was the documentary not controversial enough for Controversial TV? Or does someone not want the information contained within the documentary to be aired on TV?  If that's the case who might that be?

My first thought was the e-mail sounded surprisingly like one sent to controversial radio show host Michael Savage in early October.  Savage has been ban from entering the United Kingdom, ostensibly for his views on radical Islamic activities across the globe.  Savage was invited to perform debate, via video link, at the Cambridge Union.  A week before the debate was to take place, Savage received an e-mail  from Cambridge including the following:

“We have reconsulted [sic] with our counsel, and been informed that there are numerous legal issues with Dr Savage speaking here and so because of all of the technical, financial and legal problems involved, we have come to the reluctant conclusion that the event cannot proceed.”

While one might not agree with Savage's views, the root of the matter is free speech and a government's control of discrimination of information.

To date, Carrie Kirkpatrick is still in the dark.  She's a filmmaker who has gotten the rug pulled beneath her by an unknown hand.  Nothing in the world of the underground stream is what it seems, and Carrie might very well be the invisible hand's latest victim. 

You can befriend Carrie on Facebook here or join the Group Bring Back Mystical Legends! or her group Divine Productions. Kirkpatrick is also holding a contest for the best conspiracy theory relating to why Mystical Legends was banned from Controversial TV.  The winner gets a bottle of Champagne  I will hold my thoughts on this for the moment, you can form your own opinions to try and win the bottle for yourself...

Mystical Legends - Girona A City Of Secrets Ban in the UK

I received a note from Xochi Adams of Quest Books about the following issue earlier today.  Please take a moment to read Carrie's e-mail and take a good hard look at censorship in the UK.  If you're a UK citizen, I suggest you contact your elected officials and the station that pulled the plug on this piece and voice your opinion.  If this piece caused enough controversy to be taken off TV, how long is it before you or I have our free speech rights infringed on?


'Mystical Legends - Girona, A City Of Secrets' . The film they tried to ban from Carrie Kirkpatrick on Vimeo.



I have published below the email that I received from Controversial TV on 20th October 2009.

Read the email, watch the documentary 'Mystical Legends - Girona A City Of Secrets' and solve this mystery.


Hi Carrie,

Hope you are well? Unfortunately after a few meetings with the people at the top we have been asked to pull your shows of the channel, and unfortunately are hands are tied Carrie. I know you have gone to alot of trouble to get these shows ready for us, and also promoting it to your friends and even going to the extent of paying for the music. But we have been told that Due to circumstances out of control we cannot show them anymore. I understand that you will not be happy with this decision, but i also hope you understand that we have to abide by the people above us and their decisions. I ‘m sorry to have to be the one to deliver the news, and i hope you understand the situation we are in.

Best wishes


As a result of receiving this email, I'm running a competition for the best conspiracy theory and there will be a bottle of champagne for the person who can solve this mystery.

Email your answers to info@divinetv.net.

We are screening this documentary at Secret Chiefs, The Devereux , Deverux Court, London WC2 near Temple tube on Wednesday 25th November at 8.00pm. The winner of the competition will be announced at 10.30pm.

I hope to see you there,

Carrie Kirkpatrick

Ethiopian Patriarch to Announce the Ark of the Covenant is in Axum

Thanks to Goggle "Translate" and "Alert", I came across an intriguing article in the Italian Adnkronos news site. Adnkronos snagged an exclusive interview with the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia. The Patriarch, Abuna Pauolos, has been in Rome for the last week at something like a G8 summit for religious leaders. During the interview with Adnkronos, the Patriarch announced that the time was right to show the world the truth about the Ark of the Covenant.

The truth being that the Ark does actually rest in Ethiopia.

The Ark has long been thought by some to be resting in Saint Mary of Zion Church in Axum. The legend goes that the son of Sheba and King Solomon came to Jerusalem and stole the Ark from under the noses of the Temple leaders. After some bouncing around Egypt, the Ark was taken to Ethiopia where it has been hidden ever since.

Until now, this has been something of a fairy tale in the legend of the Ark. Graham Hancock did some convincing research in his book, The Sign and the Seal on the theory. The Ethiopians themselves have never quite hidden the fact that the Ark rests in their country either. During the festival of Timkat, mock-ups of the Ark are paraded around Axum.

The Patriarch went on to say that on the 19th of June he would be meeting with Pope Benedict to apprise him of "the situation" in Ethiopia. Patriarch Pauolos is planning to hold a press conference this Friday in Rome where he will announce that Ark will be placed in a museum in Axum for the world to see. The possibilities of the announcement are no less than staggering. One of history's greatest enigmas might come to an end on Friday.

I'm still curious why Patriarch Pauolos would wish to apprise Pope Benedict of his announcement. The Vatican has made no moves at this point to publicly acknowledge meeting between the two Holy Men. There must be some reason Pauolos would inform the Catholic Church of the truth of the Ark. There also must be some reason as to why now? Why after centuries of hiding the Ark away, are there plans on putting the Ark in a museum.

Friday might just prove to be a very interesting day...