Customer Reviews

Talisman

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've been reading works on contemporary gnosticism for the past 5 years. I believe that one cannot possibly understand Western Civilization without understanding Egyptian, Greek and French gnosticism/esoterica.

I couldn't wait until this book was published in the US, so I purchased it from amazon.uk.

In my opinion, this is the best work to date that traces the thread of ancient gnostic "heresy" from Egypt to the contemporary West. Some books are better at individual case studies (e.g., the Cathars), but none have done as well as providing a coherent thread for an underground movement. The book is at its best in illuminating spiritual and esoteric aspects of the French Revolution that many others overlook.

The work has some redundancies and some weak arguments (e.g., I'm not convinced that Penn laid out Philadelphia [me: "Love of Delphi?"] to model ancient Babylon), but I rate it with 5 stars because overall I haven't seen anything better.

Hopefully this work has been published soon enough to assist Dan Brown in the writing of his next novel (yes, Dan Brown fans, read this book first!). For instance, I think it is a much better work than Ovason's work on Washington, DC symbology.

I am convinced that there are hundreds of books yet to be written on this subject. Bauval and Hancock has taken us another giant step forward. There should be little faultfinding if they have not achieved hermetic perfection with this work. They are pioneers in this field. After all, Lewis and Clark did not lay any railroad tracks.

There is a tremendous amount of historical detail in "Talisman", with good use of original sources. This is undoubtedly valuable to people with an intense interest in Freemasonry and similar secret organizations. I am one who enjoys a lot of facts and details, but in "Talisman", I found myself getting bored with a fair amount of it. There is also a good deal of repetition, along the lines of "The reader will recall in Chapter 7..." The pace is slow and didn't always hold my interest.

It's definitely worth a read, but you may find yourself starting to skip passages and pages, as I did. I've read most of Hancock's other works and enjoyed them all. I looked forward to reading "Talisman", but this book is slower going than his others (such as "Underworld", I could barely put it down). Perhaps it is the topic, I admit to being more interested in underwater archaeology than secret organizations, but don't feel guilty if you start to turn the pages a little too quickly. You're not alone.

Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval have produced a number of books, separately and together, on various subjects of esoteric interest, primarily dealing with the possibility of a hitherto unknown civilization having existed before the last Ice Age. These books are usually diverting and often thought provoking, as is Talisman, even when the reader fails to be convinced of the overall thesis of the authors.

Talisman supposedly describes the centuries old history of a secret faith which has surfaced time and again in human history. The sections which deal with the early Christian gnostics and the Cathars are very well done and provide some intriguing information about the parallels between those groups of which I had not previously known. I also found the segments dealing with the Templars and their links to the Freemasons intriguing, as will other readers who have enjoyed such books as Holy Blood, Holy Grail, The Messianic Legacy, and others of that ilk.

Where I found my interest and credulity flagging were the sections dealing with the numerous references to Ancient Egyptian religion to be found among the French Revolutionaries and in the supposed Masonic symbolism to be found in cities like Washington and Paris. Egyptian references during the French Revolution make sense when you remember that the Catholic Church was considered an arm of the French monarchy, and that therefore anti-monarchists would also be anti-Church and seek to replace it with symbols of other faiths. Also it is well known that Freemasons were actively involved in the Enlightenment Period and that many early US leaders were (and continue to be in the present era) Masons. However, I tend to be skeptical of maps detailing straight lines linking different sites. (It has always been my observation that if you draw lines long enough and in enough directions you can link up just about anything you want to.)

I was also somewhat puzzled by the references to 9/11 that are tagged on at the end of the book. While Al Qaeda members certainly appear to be gullible enough to swallow the idea of a huge Jewish/Masonic conspiracy against them, I don't believe that Osama bin Laden chose to destroy the World Trade Center because the towers had Masonic significance!

All in all I can say that this is an entertaining book which will provide a lot of interesting information about Gnosticism, Catharism, and other assorted heresies and the Catholic Church's responses to them, but unfortunately mixed in with this material is a lot of poorly sorted out and ultimately irrelevant data.

This is yet another brilliant journey of discovery in the company of Hancock and Bauval. After a lot of historical background the authors bring to light the Egyptian roots in the design (or wished for design) of cities such as Paris and London. The esoteric idea behind this is that the cities will become transmitters of (Divine)energy in the world and provoke wisdom in humanity in the same fundamental way that the ancient Egyptians once did through their temples or pyramids. The first example of the attempt to draw on the ancient Egyptian influence was Alexander the Great and his founding of Alexandria. A later example is Christopher Wren in London. The main historical themes which the authors focus are the Dualism of Gnostics, Cathars on the one hand and the Hermeticism of the Renaissance on the other, with idealists such as Tomasso Campanella and Athanasius Kircher being two important players. The Masons (or Freemasons) base their rituals on the rebuilding of Solomon's ancient temple (esoterically, rebuilding the temple represents cultivating oneself spiritually) and this is shown to be incorporated in the way planners and architects have thought in terms of city design.

Wonderful work. Very meticulously researched. Anyone who is interested in the subject of secret societies and egpytian or antediluvian knowledge should START HERE FIRST. Hancock writes in an intelligent yet accessible style. That said, you will find yourself rereading sentences as he imparts a tremendous amount of information to the reader.

One note of caution:

Read the negative reviews in this listing. Notice how deeply analytical they are. Consider how profoundly antagonistic they've been and how rigorous their assault on his theories. Now ask yourself, who BUT the most knowledgable, the most invested in the arcane details would spend countless hours constructing a rebuttal to his work such as this? Who has the time or energy or agenda? Other than of course interested parties who try to discredit, slander or misrepresent Hancock's theses. Ultimately, it is curious how fiercely antagonistic the attacks have been. But would you expect anything less from a group of people that Hancock is digging into? I find their vociferous blabberings a wonderful clue that Hancock and Bauval are on the right track. He's made some people hopping mad. And that means that the readers will be in for a wonderful ride here. Take up the challenge and read what these tremendously independent thinkers have given us.

This is destined to be a classic.

For the serious, or just curious, student of "alternative" theories of our Western Cultures history.

Know going in, that the ideas and thories expressed in this book, were published in this book, because they would not be allowed to be taught in accepted, scholastic circle, liberal or conservative.

Whether one ascribes to the Accidental, or Conspiratorial Theories of history, Bauval and Hancock's "Talisman" will give serious pause for thought.

The books major contribution, is the linking, once and for all, with one of our Western Cultures foundation stones of the Talismanic religion practiced by the Ancient Egyptians.

The accepted norm, that Western Culture has only Greco-Roman underpinnings, (put forth by Berlin schools of thought in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when Berlin, not New York was the World City), have been modified somewhat, correctly, in seeing the vast contributions of those people that the Greeks called the "Keltoi","wanderers",(known to history as the Celts).

From the Militians of Spain, the Gauls of France, (referred to in the New Testament as the Galatians), the Daanan tribe of Ireland, the Welsh, Scythians (Scots), to the Danes and Vikings these people, bloodied but unbowed by Rome, form a foundation stone as well as the Greeks and Romans, obvious now, though hidden for centuries.

What the reader interested in history will find out in "Talisman" is, that the last foundation stone stands revealed, as Egypt.

Whether or not Egypt's culture can be found to be based on an earlier one is not for this review, or Hancock and Bauval's book.

Egypt, seen in Biblical history, and Biblical typology as representing raw, idolotrous, worldly culture, at odds with the "God of the Bible" and His designs for human destiny, in "Talisman" is seen for what it may really be. The real force behind the millenia old "culture war" that Jews and Christians have been supposedly fighting.

Lastly, this book, if true, as it purports to be, lays to rest the reactionary and revisionist view held by the Christian Coalition, that our countries origin is Evangelical. Talisman correctly tells us that it is Masonic, at best, and Gnostic at worst.

Talisman : Sacred Cities Secret Faith

Though the iconic Statue of Liberty is recognized by many, my decision to read this book rested more with several intriguing questions posed on the back cover. The historical significance of the statue had never previously occurred to me. The question that really hooked me was the one regarding Franklin Roosevelt's commissioning of the glowing pyramid on the one-dollar bill. I have never held a dollar bill, but have wondered about the curious symbolism on British currency.
It is no understatement to say the breadth, depth, and volume of information presented, was at times overwhelming. With a reference section occupying nearly sixty pages, the authors appear to have taken pains to present this work in the light of other works.
Encapsulating this substantial reading and learning experience into a succinct and meaningful review is proving a challenge. One of the many difficulties faced by the authors is illustrated by a passage appearing on page 287 -
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The Sacred Cities, Emergence of the invisibles - Before Freemasonry came out - "The origins of Freemasonry are veiled behind such a mass of legends and pseudo-history that the subject has become a nightmare for even the most dedicated of researchers. The problem lies in the fact that today Freemasons define themselves as a `society with secrets' whereas once, and no one actually knows for how long, they were a secret society that went to great lengths to be `invisible'. We've noted before that successful secret societies are by definition, hard to trace in the historical record. "
~~
Talisman explains how historic texts, events, and architecture, reveal compelling evidence of a belief system with ancient origins; that is identifiably manifest in contemporary life.
There is a tendency throughout the book to present a line of reasoning based on an intricate web of historical events. It is my view that the authors conducted considerable research to support and develop their ideas. Whether or not, the conclusions drawn and presented from the research is accurate; is a matter of opinion. Though consistent effort is made to avoid voicing outright opinion; this is inevitable, because opinion does comes through; if not in direct statements; then in the general line of reasoning chosen. As a reader, I admired the author's consistent attempts to justify leading conclusions. I also appreciated the efforts of authors who appear to be deeply knowledgeable; to both educate and inform the readers in a wide range of topics that warrant considerable research and learning individually.
It is no surprise the undertaking took twelve years to complete. Started in 1992 and completed in 2004; the finished article provides a rich source of learning and intrigue for the uninitiated. If you are asking "Uninitiated into what ? ", I would thank you for your question, and refer you to the respective co-author websites for an answer or answers.
For my part as reviewer; may I draw your attention to key phrases at the start and end of the work.
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At the start - Robert Bauval - "This unusually long period reflects not only the complex nature of the subject matter but also the strong and enduring working relationship and friendship that I have with my co-author Graham Hancock, a master of the trade par excellence. "

At the end - "On 11 September 2001Al Qaeda struck its major direct blow against the `Crusaders'. It may not be the last ..."
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OK - a number of unsettling facts have come to light since 9/11. Some of these facts are both 100% concrete, and impossible to dispute. Some of them may weaken the case against Al Qaeda. While the full truth, behind the events of 9/11 remain shrouded, and questions remain unanswered; justifiable conclusions may be equally elusive.
Winston Churchill famously said "History is written by the victors". A discussion of "the philosophy of history" can be found in Wikipedia. Interestingly enough; a section detailing "History as propaganda"; paraphrases the quote, and also contains the phrase "par excellence".
If there is any truth in Winston Churchill's quote, could there also be truth in another idea? One that claims "Manuscripts are written or dictated by authors with their own unique perspectives and agendas".
Some readers may feel the validity of this book's final statement is questionable. It appears to directly reveal the sympathies and therefore bias of the author(s). Whether this statement enhances or detracts from the validity of the manuscript as a whole; is debateable.

The reading experience was intermittently engaging and tawdry. That said; in light of the complex nature of the subject matter presented, the work is surprisingly accessible and readable. Overall I found the effort rewarding and informative. I have read work by other authors who are critical of Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock. I guess it is up to researchers of this genre to come to their own conclusions based on wider reading. Whatever the politics of the authors, I am deeply grateful for this introduction to a subject matter that is both complex; and significant in contemporary life today. Thank you for this work! Recommended reading!

Great book but new edition with updated material has been published as "The Master Game" The Master Game: Unmasking The Secret Rulers Of The World

Sometimes you wonder , how on earth could the world be left to be managed by the free hand or whatever economic theories you believe in . Although i would not like to give away the whole idea behind the book ,i found it full of interesting historical stories on how a secret sosciety evolved through the ages till today, and how a great bunch of politicians , scientists , artists and others adhered to it's concepts. The world is ruled by theese people . It is a fascinating book although the link at the end with the third building of the temple in Jerusalem , make you think that it was added by somebody else for whatever unknown secret reason . I recomend this book because it gave me a new perspective on who was really governing the earth .

Talisman constitutes Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval's attempt to construct what Rene Schwaller de Lubicz referred to as la Symbolique, a purported system of knowledge transmission, de Lubicz considered to be primarily visual, and secretly encoded in the shapes of various mystical buildings.

It is only via this `la Symbolique' method, as a source of knowledge, often also including numerology, that we can in fact understand such claims in Talisman that the so-called 32 Paths or `degrees' of enlightenment were associated with the `rebuilding' of `Solomon's Temple' as well as with the idea of the Masonic `Blazing Star' or pentagon. We have seen how this `star' was also linked to the Egyptian five-pointed symbol of Sirius, especially in the Tarot card called the `Star' and represented by a woman wearing a star on her head. Often the Sephiroth or Tree of Life, with it's distinct 22 `paths' and 10 `emanations' is also shown next to the woman with the star. `The Star' is card numbered 17 and is preceded by cards 16, known as `The Tower', and then card 15 known as `The Devil'. `The Tower' card, which is thus in the middle of this series, depicts a gruesome scene showing a very tall building whose top part has been struck by lightning and has caught fire, and with people falling off the building. Often next to this burning tower is shown the Sephiroth. Card 15, `The Devil', shows the so-called `goat of Mendes' (i.e. Satan) on whose forehead is placed a five-pointed star `Blazing Star' or pentagon, and so on...

In the 2003 book "Benjamin Franklin" rather than having 'started the French Revolution' as Hanckock/Bauval suggest in Talisman, Walter Isaacson stated that "The Nine Sisters Lodge" was modelled similar to Benjamin Franklin's "Philosophical Society Apolloniene".

The "King of France, Louis the Sixteenth, himself a Freemason, arranged for Franklin to be Grand Master of the "Nine Sisters Lodge." (Walter Isaacson "Benjamin Franklin" 2003, p. 356).

As suggested `evidence' Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval,use interpretations of the "occult Tarot" first presented by Eliphas Levi in La Clef des grands mysteres. (1861) It only became known in English due to Aleister Crowley at the time 'Granmaster' of a newTemplar group called "Ordo Templi Orientis" founded by Theodor Reuss.

Playing cards during the time of Court de Gebelin, the latter wrongly interpreted them to come from Egypt whereas they came from 15th Century Italy. See: Decker, Depaulis & Dummett: A Wicked Pack of Cards: the Origins of Tarot Occultism, London, 1996. Hancock/ Bauval (completed end March, 2004 according to the postcript in the book) fail to mention however the total change from the Swords, Batons, Cups and Coins, and four co-suit being composed of ten numeral cards from Ace to 10 and four court cards - Jack, Knight, Queen and King that Court de Gebelin was referring to, and had nothing to do with the 'Cabalah'(Kabbalah).

In fact it was a fortune-teller named Etteilla in the 19th century that first came on the idea for a greatly altered type of Tarot pack now, it was Eliphas Levi father of the French Occult revival, repudiating Etteilla's theories, who not only associated the pack, quite erroneously, with the Christian Cabala(spelt many ways including Kaballah), he also added magicians, alchemists, and Templars. By this means, a pack of playing cards was integrated into a whole system of modern occult theory.

So, Talisman by Hancock and Bauval is a typical example of a "constructed tradition" ('invented history') the above simple can't be true.

Or to give another example it is not only because the Innunadation did not coincide with the helical rising of Sirius, the Nile flood comes with variables, also "Hermes Trismegistus" -as "the revered patron Freemasonry" is not true. Masonry according to its own 1723 statutes had noting to do with "Hermes Trismegistus" or/and Egypt.

Most historians today agree that the myth of an Egyptian star cult, or/and "initiations" in the grand Pyramid,started with the "Egyptian" initiation novel by a Catholic Priest named Jean Terrasson. His novel was published anonymously in 1731, after which it was widely reprinted and translated. As a young man of sixteen, the hero of the novel is initiated into the Isis mysteries inside the Great Pyramid of Giza; midway, he passes through all four elements (Hancock/Bauval instead claim four shafts), which are elaborately staged inside the pyramid. This trial by the elements renders Sethos worthy of participating in the "mysteries" of the great goddess Isis.

In contrast the first Masonic Grand Lodge (founded 1717) in 1723 clearly stated that Freemasonry started with King Athelstan in ninth-century York, period, and Knights Templar, Egyptian priests, the Druids and so on, where later inventions which seem to be ongoing.

It is well known also that initially there were only two degrees in Freemasonry, and it is only in the later added 3e degree, that Hiram Abif is mentioned, leading later to presumptions about the "temple of Salomon" whereas the Freemasonry of 1723 only spoke about the tower of Babel indicating an initial interest by Masons for some sort of philology(http://www.epwijnants-lectures.com).

Devoid of any documentary evidence, the medieval-builder theory particularly started to take hold. At the time Freemasons revealed themselves in London in 1717 however, there was no documentary record of Masonic symbols: The square and compasses do not appear in Masonic writings until a generation later. The use of masons' tools to teach moral lessons appears to be also a later addition, if one requires written evidence for proof of existence. If that's true, then the day came when the theory that had produced the symbols was said to be proven by the symbols it had created.

Some asserted that the fraternity had been born in the ancient British Druid religion. Others claimed origins in the steinmetzen (stonemasons) of Germany, the Roman Collegia, and the Compagnage. Some even held out for the Culdees, an ancient order of monks which existed in Ireland and Scotland in the eighth century. The order did not find favor with the Church and died out during the tenth century, before the era of Gothic architecture. (John Robinson "A Pilgrim's Path, p.115)

But if numerology as a prime method of research in Talisman is somewhat questionable, Talisman incorporates as fact a number of other unhistorical myths as long they are convenient. For example Marconis de Negre (member of a small fringe Masonic group called Rite of Mizraim in Paris) to justify starting his own group called "Rite of Memphis", claimed to be initiate of a Masonic Lodge called "Isis" as founded by the famous Napoleonic General Kleberon the orders and instructions" of "unknown superiors".

Others of course said that this was just a ruse of Marconis to be able to sell diplomas for not just six degrees as constituting Cagliostro's rite, but via "Kleber" now were suddenly ninety-six (96) degrees that needed to be paid for.

The most typical trait of Talisman is its combination of eclecticism and pattern recognition. Creating an emic historiography or mythic history, the transformation of fiction into alleged fact. This includes the reworking of existing traditions, like in this case Cathars, Knights Templar, and Freemasonry. The emic sense, i.e. as perceived by writers of the occult, however is a constructed tradition. It often diverges greatly from ethic historiography, sometimes to the point of incorporating elements from fictional literary devices.

Hancock/Bauval's Talisman implies a world based on intentionality, from which accident and coincidence have been removed. Anything that happens occurs because it has been willed. Thus indicating Albert Pike was aspirator for the US Pentagon, Al Qaeda is suggested to see the USA as a "Masonic power" who's occupying force is Israel.

To fit their agenda however , Hancock/Bauval in Talisman pick and choose only very isolated symbols and often, as in case of the Pentagon, Albert Pike's Rite, quote them entirely out of context.

On the one hand, doctrinal and ritual elements are taken from the most diverse sources. On the other, considerable effort is spent on showing that these seemingly disparate elements in fact point to the same underlying reality.

Two pages before the end of the book, they than ask the reader to "recall" the intense (untrue as it is) "Judaic" characteristics of the "Scottish Rite" proceeding in one and the same sentence with: " -the oppression of the Palestinian people and the political and military support that the superpower extends to the State of Israel. Could there have been more to Roosevelt's-and Truman's -involvement in the affair of the US Pentagon and the date of 11 September than at first meets the eye?" (Talisman, p. 478)

Note that the writers here jump from asking the reader to recall the "intense Judaic" Scottish Rite, next adding "the Superpower". Thus it is hard for the reader to miss the suggestion that "the Superpower" and "intense Judaic" are bonded together by Talisman.