Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries

The American Spectator has a review of the new book by Stephen Klimczuk and Gerald Warner which, while exposing the nonsense of Dan Brown, explores authentic mysteries of history. To quote:

Dan Brown's latest fairy tale (def., a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters) audaciously claims, "That the true Ancient Mystery is in fact the realization that people are not God's subjects, but possess the capability to be gods themselves. Once they realize this fact, they will open the gateway to a magnificent future."

Compare and contrast that sentiment with the informed and humble analysis of the brilliant new tome, Secret Places, Hidden Sanctuaries. It forthrightly and in careful candor traces the origin of basic human instincts to hide away in obscurity, to seek privacy, to experience sanctuary with things divine, and to congregate in exclusive conclaves from which others are "excluded." There is no pretense, no fiction here. This book instead debunks myths like Brown's, and is based on historical fact, rather than inflated lies made up to sell extravagant novels or Hollywood blockbuster movie rights.

Never before have readers been taken, literally taken by the hand, on a guided tour (Führung, in German) of such behavior, past and present. Rarely, has such light been cast on such an astonishing variety of places and instances of worship, conspiracy, defense, and in the case of Nazi atrocity -- shocking mass murders.

The book is quite eclectic, with a wide range of subjects ranging from the (in)famous Knights Templar of crusading fame to California's modern Esalen Institute debaucheries. From the gothic nightmare of Himmler's Wewelsburg Nazi SS castle to numerous jeweled islands of mystery and various holies of holies. It details the (very) private banks as well as various university secret societies, with fondness for Yale's Skull and Bones, that gets, well most of it, right.

The book ends with one of my own favorite subjects: "clubbable" jolly good fellowships -- London's gentlemen's clubs...and other such sanctuaries of tradition. The best American and European private clubs are described and even rated in scrutinized detail. The authors have a flair for good fable retelling and venerable (local) custom.

Carrie Gressman of Zenit recently interviewed both authors. According to Mr. Klimczuk:

Having watched the explosion of interest worldwide in gnosticism, "alternative history," secret societies, the occult, Templar myths, conspiracy theories, government cover-ups, UFOs and the like, we felt there was an urgent need for someone to step forward and set the record straight across a wide spectrum of subjects that are actually fundamentally related on some level.

What started gradually some two decades ago with the New Age movement and such precursors to Dan Brown's books as "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" (with its bogus claims of "proof" that Christ married and left descendants) has since become a global multi-billion dollar industry and a substitute for religion for tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people.

We thought that the right kind of compendium could provide a robust and skeptical debunking of esoteric nonsense, while highlighting potentially authentic mysteries of genuine interest -- on the principle that truth is actually more interesting, satisfying, and even entertaining than falsehood.

According to one poll, some 6 million people in Britain believe that Dan Brown's books are true. This seems to be a particularly fertile time for quacks, frauds and false prophets.

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