-Caveat Lector- from: prioryofsion digest 543 http://www.onelist.com The mailing list resource page can be found at the following address http://www.albino.com/circle/pos/ ---- Message: 4 Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 18:54:06 -0700 (PDT) From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Book Review: Rosslyn, Guardian of the Secrets of the Holy Grail by Tim Wallace-Murphy et al The opinions expressed in this review are my individual opinions and do not reflect the views of the Priory of Sion mailing list, which has no corporate views. 'Rosslyn, Guardian of the Secrets of the Holy Grail' by Tim Wallace-Murphy & Marilyn Hopkins, Element Books UK, US and Australia, 1999. UKP16.99/USD24.95 Rosslyn Chapel is a fascinating place, which, along with Glastonbury itself, is one of the mystical sites of the British Isles to which I have returned most often. It's associated in many people's minds with more than one ancient mystery, from the Jesus Bloodline and the Priory of Sion to the discovery of America and the origins of Freemasonry. The prospect of a definitive guide to the chapel and its mysteries, and to the possibility of ancient artefacts hidden within its stones, is positively mouthwatering to anyone who shares these interests. Unfortunately, this is not that book. I shall expand on this statement in a moment or two. To his great credit, Tim Wallace-Murphy makes his motivation and agenda absolutely clear, from the first sentence of his introduction to the book. He is the disciple and spiritual heir of the late Trevor Ravenscroft, who devoted much of his life to the investigation of Grail-related places and artefacts and their contemporary spiritual significance. 'The Cup of Destiny' and 'The Spear of Destiny' surely have their place on any Grail-seeker's bookshelf. Together with Tim Wallace-Murphy, Trevor Ravenscroft also investigated and published on the subject of the so called 'Apocalyptic Configuration in Stone', a sequence of ancient sacred sites which has significance for believers in apocalyptic prophecy; the sites in question including Compostela, and the cathedrals of Chartres, Amiens and Paris. This sequence of Christian(ised) holy places may be familiar to listmembers who recall the debate about the 'Milky Way' pilgrimage route, to which Wallace-Murphy also refers. This volume is not a guide to the mysteries of Rosslyn. Rather, it takes up the themes of Wallace-Murphy's known interests and previous publications, and it is aimed at those who already know and appreciate his work. With his partner, Marilyn Hopkins, whose talents in the field of dowsing are repeatedly called upon in the argument of the book, Wallace-Murphy has undertaken a pilgrimage along the 'Apocalyptic Configuration', and this publication is the result of that journey, rather than specifically a guide to the mysteries of Rosslyn. To place his pilgrimage in context, Wallace-Murphy gives a lengthy introduction, occupying the first nine chapters (out of fourteen) of the book, on the subject of the Western mystical tradition, and (in the author's opinion) its derailment by the Roman Catholic Church. While there is information in these chapters which might not be known to the reader, particularly that regarding the relationship of the various sites of the 'Apocalyptic Configuration' to each other, one feels one has come across much of this argument elsewhere; also, this reviewer was puzzled by certain elements of it. To give a couple of examples, one of the problems the Catholic church has had over the years, according to this volume, concerns the devaluation of women; yet the tradition to which Rosslyn Chapel is consigned, also in this volume, is that of Templarism and Freemasonry, which, at least at the time of their respective foundations, had no particular interest in the promotion of the status and rights of women; indeed, women were admitted to neither body. Also, Wallace-Murphy appears to believe in the morally dubious and repressive nature of the Roman Catholic Church in the first five or six centuries of the Common Era, while maintaining respect and reverence for the greater spirituality of the Eastern Orthodox tradition. This view appears to set aside the historical fact that the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches did not actually separate until the middle of the eleventh century CE., after the sack of Constantinople by western Crusaders, and the 'filioque' controversy, which was (at least in part) contrived by ecclesiastical spin-doctors anxious for a genuine theological reason for the schism. Such elements of the book puzzle me, as does the restriction of its bibliography almost entirely to secondary sources, such as I. Hill Elder's 'British Israel' publication of the 1920s (reprinted 1973) 'Celt, Druid and Culdee', along with HBHG, 'The Templar Revelation', and the like. Indeed, the reader is almost certain to find something to argue with here, if she or he does not agree that the Cathars were the 'church of Amor rather than Roma' (IMO a strange designation for an anti-fleshly dualist sect), or that the Templars were Johannites to a man, or that the Roman church was capable of hunting down and burning 'heretics' as early as the fourth century CE. I would mind none of this, however, much as I might personally disagree with certain elements of it, did the book live up to the promise of its title. Rosslyn Chapel is a place I have visited and revisited, finding something more of interest every time. Listmembers have intimated that they have had strange experiences there, or that treasures connected with the Priory might be hidden within its vaults. However, a cursory examination of the text soon reveals that the physical marvels of Rosslyn are of very minor importance to the writer. Aside from some allusions to the importance of the Apprentice Pillar in the context of the foundation myth of Masonry, there is little description of the fabric of the chapel, few photographs, and almost no detailed commentary on the many and varied carvings. There is more, in fact, in an official guidebook to the chapel which I purchased in the early 90s. Rosslyn, to Wallace-Murphy, is chiefly of importance as the culmination of the 'Apocalyptic Configuration' pilgrimage, and is only described in that context. I should add that Wallace-Murphy gives an intriguing and circumstantial account of his, and his partner's, pilgrimage along the ancient sacred way. He also includes many details of how his partner's psychic abilities were of use in detecting usages of the structures involved, which, according to the writer, have been concealed for many centuries. If you love to read of others' psychic questings, and of the results of dowsing and psychometry when applied to ancient buildings and sites, you will enjoy and appreciate this book. But it isn't a guide to the mysteries of Rosslyn, because it assumes that the reader is both aware of Rosslyn Chapel, and familiar with most of its ornamentation. As a result, reading the book, as I did, on the basis of its title and without any knowledge of Wallace-Murphy's prior connections, I was frankly disappointed. xxxxxxxxx. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! 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