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Ancient Sealed Metal Plates with Perhaps Secret Temple Texts discovered in Middle East?

March 22, 2011 by Bryce Haymond 11 Comments
One of the books found made from metal plates
One of the books found made from metal plates
One of the books found made from metal plates
One of the books found made from metal plates

High contrast adjustment, showing similarities among these two plates
High contrast adjustment, showing similarities among these two plates
High contrast adjustment, showing similarities among these two plates
High contrast adjustment, showing similarities among these two plates

UPDATE: See the latest updates about this discovery at Jordanian Lead Plates: Authentic or Forgery?
—
David Larsen at HeavenlyAscents.com has pointed out an interesting recent discovery (see his posts here and here).  A collection of dozens of books made from metal plates have been found in Jordan that initial tests show date from the first century AD. [Read more…]

Posted in: Artifacts, Scholarship Tagged: book, book of mormon, books, christian, collection, david larsen, dead sea, documents, hebrew, joseph smith, kings, margaret barker, photo, photos, scholar, scholars, seal, sealed, secret, symbols, tabernacle

Prayer Circles and the Power of Group Thinking in Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’

September 21, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 9 Comments
Book Cover

Book Cover

(This is a continuation of my thoughts about The Lost Symbol from my previous post.)

One of the themes taken up again and again in Dan Brown’s latest novel The Lost Symbol is the idea of power in group thinking and concentration.  Katherine’s character in particular is engaged in the scientific study of producing physical changes through the power of group thought and concentrated collective intention.  In connection with this, the practice of prayer circles is brought up:

The shocking discovery, it seemed, paralleled the ancient spiritual belief in a “cosmic consciousness”—a vast coalescing of human intention that was actually capable of interacting with physical matter. Recently, studies in mass meditation and prayer had produced similar results in Random Event Generators, fueling the claim that human consciousness, as Noetic author Lynne McTaggart described it, was a substance outside the confines of the body . . . a highly ordered energy capable of changing the physical world. ((Page 56))

In another place, Brown continues:

Galloway knew, of course, that one needn’t go to a lab to witness proof of this bold new idea, this proposal of man’s untapped potential. This very cathedral held healing prayer circles for the sick, and repeatedly had witnessed truly miraculous results, medically documented physical transformations. The question was not whether God had imbued man with great powers . . . but rather how we liberate those powers. ((Page 313-314))

And again:

Katherine smiled down at him. “We have scientifically proven that the power of human thought grows exponentially with the number of minds that share that thought.”

Langdon remained silent, wondering where she was going with this idea.

“What I’m saying is this . . . two heads are better than one . . . and yet two heads are not twice better, they are many, many times better. Multiple minds working in unison magnify a thought’s effect . . . exponentially. This is the inherent power of prayer groups, healing circles, singing in unison, and worshipping en masse.” ((Page 504))

Prayer circles have been defined as where participants join hands in a circle of prayer, often as part of a vigil ((Wikipedia – Prayer Circle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_circle)).   Such circles have existed for a very long time (see my paper “The Genesis of the Round Dance“).  They are witnessed today in even the simplest act of joining hands around the dinner table while saying grace.  Hugh Nibley wrote extensively about their use in early Christianity in his paper “The Early Christian Prayer Circle.”  In that paper he said:  [Read more…]

Posted in: Practices, Texts Tagged: book, circle, collection, community, Dan Brown, faith, fasting, hugh nibley, interaction, physical, prayer, prayer circle, prayer roll, science

Mormon Impressions of Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’

September 18, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 22 Comments

Book Cover

I just finished Dan Brown’s latest thriller, The Lost Symbol, which was published a few days ago on September 15th.  There has been a lot of anticipation surrounding this book, since 6 years have passed since the publication of his bestseller The Da Vinci Code, with 80 million copies sold worldwide to date.  Many wondered if Brown would repeat his success with this book, and while the jury is still out on the answer to that question, I must say that I’m personally fascinated by the material that Brown discusses in this novel.

As was predicted, the story centers around the subject of Freemasonry (or simply Masonry), which most people have heard of but know little about.  This is perhaps the reason Brown chose to explore this subject, one that was ripe for novelty in historical fiction.  However, as before, Brown branches out into a myriad of related subjects and connections, weaving a web of mystery and puzzles which must be solved once again by his favorite character, Robert Langdon.

But this is not going to be a review of the book.  There will be ample time for that, with more qualified critics analyzing the merits and faults of Brown’s work.  In addition, I don’t want to spoil anything while the pages are still wet.  I do quote some brief excerpts from the book below, but they are mostly circumstantial details, and won’t give much away about the plot, if anything.

What I do want to point out are some interesting general impressions I had while I read, particularly as they relate to me, my studies, and the LDS (Mormon) faith.  Call them synchronicities or coincidences, or just interesting tidbits, either way they have called my attention.  [Read more…]

Posted in: Texts Tagged: ancients, baptism for the dead, baptism of the dead, bible, book, critics, Dan Brown, discussion, esoteric, historical, initiation, intelligences, masonry, mysteries, ordinances, pop culture, religion, symbolism, theosis

Freedom’s Gate: U.S. Capitol as a Temple

September 3, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 7 Comments
Book Cover

Book Cover

Some of you may remember I wrote about The Apotheosis of Washington painting in the U.S. Capitol.  A friend just informed me that someone has published an ebook that investigates the U.S. Capitol as a type of temple, including this painting, and many other interesting details.  It is called Freedom’s Gate: The Lost Symbols in the U.S. Capitol, by William Henry and Dr. Mark Gray.

Here are some of his main points: ((http://williamhenry.net/freedomsgate.html))

  • The Dome of the U.S. Capitol is a mirror image of the Vatican Dome and was thought of as a recreation of Solomon’s Temple by its builders.
  • The art of the interior corridors of the Capitol mirrors Vatican art.
  • Higher Wisdom flows through the Capitol’s spiritual imagery and artwork.
  • The bell-shaped Capitol Dome is a stupa that creates a vortex or field of energy that extends into the world.
  • The Freemasons who built the Capitol viewed it as a ‘beehive’ buzzing with energy.
  • Literally, we can alter this energy field by visiting the Capitol Dome and praying or meditating inside. This will raise the frequency of the Dome and the Capitol, helping to clear out negative or harmful energies.
  • This is the great secret of the Founding Fathers. They left us a bell to ring in times of distress. Let Freedom’s Ring!

Reading up about the author, William Henry, shows he believes in some interesting New-Age metaphysics, with stargates and wormholes among other things.  I’m not so sure about all of that, but this book might still include some interesting insights about the U.S. Capitol being a type of temple to the Founding Fathers.  Thanks Jennifer!

Has anyone read this book?  What are your thoughts about it?  Please share your impressions in the comments.

Posted in: Artifacts, General Authorities, Temples Today, Tidbits Tagged: art, book, freemasons, gate, government, imagery, interior, solomon, symbolism, vatican

Nibley’s latest – “An Approach to the Book of Abraham”

June 12, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 9 Comments
Book Cover

Book Cover

In case you missed it, the inexhaustible Hugh Nibley is still hard at work churning out volume after volume of incredibly insightful reading material on a host of subjects relevant to the Church.  As I heard one person remark, “Hugh Nibley wouldn’t let a little thing like death slow him down!”

Indeed, the presses are playing catch up.  The Maxwell Institute is now able to bring together more of Nibley’s early writings on the Book of Abraham and the Joseph Smith Papyri.  Most, if not all, of these essays have been published before, but now are brought together in a single volume.

This book, published in May 2009, is entitled “An Approach to the Book of Abraham,” and is volume 18 in his Collected Works series.  Here is a brief description:

The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley contains Nibley’s early work on the Book of Abraham and the Joseph Smith Papyri. The volume contains diverse essays, including his three-year series of lengthy articles from the Improvement Era, “A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price.” According to Nibley, “Until now, no one has done much more than play around with the bedizening treasury of the Pearl of Great Price. They would not, we could not make of the Book of Abraham an object of serious study. The time has come to change all that.”

Produced at a breathtaking pace and originally published in a wide variety of places, Nibley’s work remains basic reading for anyone interested in the Book of Abraham.

This new volume is available from Amazon, Deseret Book, and a number of other book stores.

Posted in: Church History, Scholarship Tagged: abraham, book, death, hugh nibley, papyri, read, study
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