8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't visit DC without it!, June 5, 2009
This review is from: The Secrets of Masonic Washington: A Guidebook to Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies at the Origin of America's Capital (Paperback)
Peter and Susan Seals say, "If you're planning a trip to Washington, D.C., before you head out the door, make sure you have everything. In addition to the hotel and car reservations, be certain you have a copy of The Secrets of Masonic Washington: A Guidebook to Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies at the Origin of America's Capital."
Before I even began reading this profusely illustrated volume, I was overwhelmed by the high quality photographs which make up the largest portion of this book. If the book consisted only of these photographs and captions, it would have been worth the cost.
An absolute treasure, it reproduces a selection of color photos capturing the full breadth of notable edifices. It is truly comprehensive. The collection runs through the expected, and the unexpected with many dynamic images to illustrate just how "hidden in plain sight", much of the Masonic Symbolism is.
I adored the descriptions which accompanied the book, and longed to see even more of the images with a more detailed expert commentary, and this book more than fulfilled that expectation, offering a simply massive selection of images accompanied by an explanation of when, where, who and what the heck historically occurred.
Through stunning photographs and in depth analysis, James Wasserman does more than simply give us a guided tour of the esoteric and occult symbolism hidden in plain site of our Nation's Capital; all lovers of Freedom can't help but be inspired to exemplify and preserve the Liberty this Nation was founded upon, and to be worthy of the Ideals represented by these Monuments. Ironically, in many ways, Washington, D.C., is a lost city, hidden in plain site.
This book serves as an archaeological excavation of D.C., with the benefit that the digging has already been done for you. No need to sift through the ruins for fragments of knowledge to piece together a history of a Great Nation. This rich history and culture is there for all of us to witness firsthand, in its entirety. Clearly, it is, for it is Our Culture and Our History. It's sad that this can so easily be forgotten and taken for granted. A book like this serves as a clarion call to reintegrate the Ideal of Liberty within ourselves, our culture, and our society. This book chillingly posits that if we have not the courage to embody the principles that these monuments commemorate, then these testaments will be all that is left us; and our failure will relegate us to history. These monuments will stand the test of time, waiting for a future, more courageous and earnest people united in Freedom to celebrate them.
Fully illustrated, this guide to the Masonic origins and present-day Masonic sites of Washington, D.C. leads you through a walking tour of the Masonic sites and symbols of the city. Investigating the crucial hand Freemasonry had in the founding of the United States, the esoteric symbols and the spiritual and visionary ideas that lie hidden in the buildings, monuments, and physical layout of Washington, D.C. come alive.
Intriguingly, the zeitgeist seems to be preoccupied by hidden symbols, conspiracies, etc., as evidenced by Dan Brown books and the National Treasure movies. Perhaps this book will help those so inclined to realize that the search for an occult or "hidden" meaning is not just a plot device in fictional entertainment, but a means to understand the world around them.
If you visit Washington DC without this guidebook you will never know how much you have missed. Using this guidebook, not only do you see our monuments, memorials and houses of state, but you see the visions and dreams of the men who built them. A perfect guided walking tour courtesy of Mr. Wasserman.
Our Founding Fathers literally built their beliefs and principles of liberty, freedom and justice into each edifice and this book decodes the symbols before your eyes. The standard walking tour becomes an exhilarating experience as the fervor and spirit of our forefathers appears to the visitor at every turn. This book is a must if you are visiting DC, but even if you are not planning to visit the city in person, the color photos and maps make this book an enjoyable and enlightening experience. The book includes a useful Directory of Sites and suitable index.
The Masonic underpinnings of America's capital reveal the esoteric symbols and the spiritual and visionary ideas that lie within in the buildings, monuments, and layout of Washington, D.C. His walking tour of these Masonic sites includes both the expecting and surprising ---- from the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Building to the Federal Reserve complex, National Academy of Sciences, and the Library of Congress. Each location includes descriptions, interpretations, and explanations of the Masonic symbols and ritualistic meanings hidden within its structure, all illustrated with stunning color and historic black-and-white photographs.
Most importantly, Wasserman explains the purpose behind putting these symbols and Masonic designs into the capital and how all these monuments fit into the spiritual vision held by the founding fathers. He reveals the prominent role that Freemasonry played in the 18th-century Enlightenment movement and shows how in the New World of America, free of monarchy and aristocracy, the ideas of the Enlightenment were able to flourish. This illustrated guidebook to the Masonic secrets of Washington, D.C., provides valuable insights on the founding of America. It will be welcomed by students of esoteric art and symbolism, admirers of American history.
The title, however, is misleading. There are no "secrets" revealed.
A more accurate title might have been Highlights of Masonic
Washington. This book is designed as a walking tour of our nations
Capitol, and in this it is very successful. It allows a visitor to
Appreciate the symbolism incorporated into many of the memorials and
Buildings which house government offices (not all of which are
Masonic, per se, but which reflect Masonic values).
If you have ever walked around the Capitol, you can appreciate the
layout of this book, which deals with a logical, organized walking
tour. The Capitol is divided into several areas, and the major
monuments and buildings within each area are dealt with in a practical
manner.
If you are planning to visit the Capitol, you really could benefit
from having this book in your shoulder bag. It is well worth the cost
and, even if you never go to Washington, you can still enjoy the
wonderful images contained in it.
I do not know if I can recommend this book highly enough. Wasserman, a brilliant historian and scholar, who brings to life the very origin of Our Land of Liberty, and the City that structurally represents the very principles upon which our Country are based. Anyone with even a passing interest will be pleasantly surprised, and will see their initial interest grow. Get it!
----Peter and Susan Seals
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book, slightly misleading title, October 11, 2009
This review is from: The Secrets of Masonic Washington: A Guidebook to Signs, Symbols, and Ceremonies at the Origin of America's Capital (Paperback)
James Wasserman's 'The Secrets of Masonic Washington' appears at first to be an exciting premise--a full-color walking tour of Masonic symbolism in the city of Washington D.C. If you are looking for a specifically Masonic guidebook to the city, its title is slightly misleading. Nevertheless, its subtitle is perhaps a better description of what this book really is about: "A guidebook to signs, symbols and ceremonies at the origin of America's capital."
The result is a beautifully photographed volume that examines dozens of federal buildings and explains the symbolism of the colossal statuary and other decoration found on them. Like so many other authors who have ventured into the Federal Triangle with their eyes peeled for Masonic influences, convinced the Freemasons put their stamp all over the stone houses of power or the street map of the nation's capitol, Wasserman's book has a slight sense of schizophrenia. There is specific Masonic architecture in Washington and the surrounding neighborhoods like Alexandria. The buildings in the area Wasserman explores are indeed loaded with symbolism, much of it from the period of the Enlightenment, as interpreted by sculptors and painters over the last two hundred years. The Library of Congress alone could provide you with squinty eyes and a severe neck ache from searching its ceiling, columns and niches for imagery illustrative of the arts and sciences.
But is any of it specifically Masonic?
The philosophies of the Enlightenment are tied inextricably with the birth of Freemasonry, but Classical and Enlightenment art wasn't just conceived by Freemasons, and if you know Washington, you'll be a little frustrated at what Wasserman included and what he omitted. Actual Masonic buildings like the Scottish Rite's House of the Temple, the George Washington Masonic Memorial, the former Grand Lodge building (now the National Museum of Women in the Arts), and other overt examples are given little mention, or ignored completely.
That's not to say this isn't a good book. The chapters about Freemasonry and America that precede and follow the pictorial section are well researched, factual, beautifully written, and especially in his summation, passionate and very personal. I found his epilogue especially moving. Wasserman is not a Freemason--he is a longtime member of the Ordo Templari Orientis (O.T.O.), which based its original rituals on Masonic ceremonies, and later removed much of the overt Masonic influences. But his father and grandfather were Masons, and his interpretation of symbolism and philosophy--Masonic and otherwise--is insightful. He is well versed in esoteric symbolism (his 2005 book, 'The Mystery Traditions: Secret Symbols and Sacred Art,' is a beautiful survey of Western Mystery School imagery and philosophy).
If you are planning on a trip to Washington, 'The Secrets of Masonic Washington' is an interesting walking-tour book from the standpoint of adding deeper meaning to the "angels in the architecture" that glare down upon the befuddled taxpayers strolling along the National Mall. It's beautiful, insightful, and will make you look more closely at the work of architectural artistry than you may have done in the past.
How much of it that has anything to do with Freemasonry is open to interpretation.
(This review appeared in the September/October 2009 issue of The Scottish Rite Journal)
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