Author: Duncan Burden

Rennes-le-Château 0

RENNES-LE-CHÂTEAU, A MASONIC TEMPLE?

The famous Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland has been described as ‘Freemasonry in stone’, with such features as its iconic (and rare) three pillars at the head of the church. Even in the few Masonic manuscripts that exist from the very early eighteenth century, there are references to Freemasonry being ‘supported’ by three pillars representing wisdom, strength and beauty. Read more…

Philosopher’s Stone 2

WHAT COULD THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE BE?

I quickly realized how broad the general interpretation of the Philosopher’s Stone was. To some, including the authors of novels like Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or Sorcerer’s Stone in some countries), the term denotes a magical stone. Yet, in some alchemical texts it is a metaphor for turning lead into gold. For others, it is a device linked to everlasting youth. Read more…

The Sator Square 6

THE SATOR SQUARE

The Sator Square is a word square of five Latin words, each containing five letters, set out in a palindrome-like style, so that words can be read left to right, right to left, or even top to bottom and bottom to top. The earliest record of this was found in the ruined Roman city of Pompeii under the ashes from Mount Vesuvius. Read more…