Decoding the Science in The Lost Symbol

By Lynne McTaggart

The most vehement criticism of Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol concerns the view of many reviewers that while the material about Freemasonry may be based on fact, the science is more akin to science fiction. Katherine Solomon, one of the main characters, is a scientist particularly interested in 'mind over matter' - the power of thought.

Brown makes it clear at the outside in a page entitled 'FACT', that "All rituals, science, artwork and monuments in this novel are real." Nevertheless, a few of the more traditional scientists or science writers are already taking a swing at Brown for his impossible inventions and so-called junk science.

Although I cannot speak for many of the other elements in the book - Freemasonry, ancient symbols, alchemy or hidden keys - virtually all of his comments about physics, consciousness research, mind-over-matter experiments and intention are based on fact. Here's a quick guide.

* Katherine's lab uses random event generators. These machines, first developed by former Boeing physicist Helmut Schmidt, work like the space-age electronic equivalent of the toss of a coin. Most famously, REGs formed the basis of 25 years of consciousness research by Robert Jahn and psychologist Brenda Dunne at Princeton's PEAR lab. They developed sophisticated studies examining whether human minds could affect highly sensitive equipment governed by a random process.

*Her lab also uses CCD cameras that have photographed a faith healer's energy pouring from his hands.Dr. Gary Schwartz of the University of Arizona has a CCD camera-the kind of sensitive camera equipment that can photograph faint light from outer space. He uses it to photograph biophoton emissions-a tiny current of light that has been discovered to emanate from all living things. He has photographed an increase in this light flowing from the dominant hands of healers while 'sending' healing.

* Katherine has a lab called the 'Cube', which is electromagnetically sealed so that human thought can't penetrate it. Within the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California, there is a lab with a one-ton solid steel, double-walled, electromagnetically shielded enclosure, which blocks out all electromagnetic energy. It's like the warmer equivalent of a meatpacking-plant refrigerator.

Katherine says her work was particularly inspired by:

* REG machines dotted all over the world, which recorded an effect on September 11, 2001, when the twin towers collapsed. Former Princeton PEAR researcher, psychologist Roger Nelson, runs the Global Consciousness Project, which has more than 50 REG machines running continuously all over the world. He compares changes in their random output during times of major catastrophic global events. He and his colleagues have studied hundreds of events and found that when people react with great joy or horror to breaking news, the machines seem to react as well. One of the biggest effects was seen during the events of 9/11.

* prayer groups that have healed people and also have affected REG machines. At least 150 studies of prayer and healing have shown positive results. Dr. Nelson's Global Consciousness Project has tracked measurable changes in REG machines after many global prayer events.

* the CIA, which ran remote viewing programs that bordered on ancient magic. These programs, run by CIA partnering with Stanford Research Institute's then directors, physicists Hal Puthoff and Russell Targ, conclusively demonstrated that even novices could see things beyond the reach of visual sense.

Katherine's mind-over-matter experiments have affected:

* the growth rate of plants. University of Arizona psychologist Gary Schwartz working with web-based intention experiments, ran six such successful experiments, and presented the results before the Society for Scientific Exploration in June 2008.

* the direction fish swim. Psychologist William Braud, then of the Mind Science Institute in Texas, ran such experiments in the 1970s.

* chemical reactions in one's own body. Hundreds of studies on biofeedback and the effects of intention on living systems carried out by scientists such as Braud or Marilyn Schlitz, president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, show that intention can affect just about every system of the body, including the autonomic nervous system, biochemistry and even brain waves. The evidence also shows that when people send intention to others, elements of their biological processes, such as heart activity, breathing rate, blood flow and brain waves, begin operating in synch.

* Katherine carries out thought experiments on water, showing that she can change the design of the crystals, depending on whether she uses a positive or negative thought. These refer to the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto, author of The Hidden Messages in Water, who proposes that sending thoughts into water changes their crystalline patterns. Dean Radin of IONS successfully replicated Emoto's work under controlled conditions.

Lynne McTaggart, one of the preeminent spokespersons on consciousness and the new physics, is the award-winning journalist and author of five books, including the worldwide bestsellers The Field (Harper) and The Intention Experiment (Free Press). To find out more about her Intention Experiments and to participate in her global experiments, just register on her website:http://www.theintentionexperiment.com.

The Lost Symbol - The Secrets of the Freemasons in Dan Brown's Latest Novel

By Jenny Shaddick

The phenomenally successful launch of Dan Brown's latest offering, 'The Lost Symbol' is bound to arouse people's curiosity and interest in the mysterious and ancient organization known as The Freemasons. Dan Brown's book, The Lost Symbol, follows the indominatable Robert Langdon in a race against time to rescue his dear friend and trusted mentor, Peter Solomon, from a mysterious kidnapping. The unfortunate Peter Solomon also happens to be 'The Supreme Worshipful Master' of the Masonic Lodge of Washington DC. The rather scary, tattooed kidnapper has managed to infiltrate the Washington Masonic Lodge up to the highest and most secretive rank (the 33rd Degree). Thus 'The Lost Symbol' both centers around and casts some light upon some of the mystery and rituals surrounding the Masons.

Now, I have always been quite interested in anything secretive and exclusive (let's face it although Dan Brown does discuss a female branch) the Masons are traditionally well known as an exclusive brotherhood. I do remember trying to persuade my most gifted brother many years ago to join a Masonic Lodge in Cambridge during his university days, to infiltrate the Masons just to let me know all the secret rituals and philosophies involved. Sadly, he refused. Until quite recently, the two most common notions that the word 'Mason' used to conjure up for the non-initiated masses, including myself, tended to be the 'secret handshake'- nobody knows quite what this entails but there are more theories than actual possible handshakes and the rolled up trouser leg, again nobody was quite sure which trouser leg but the mention of 'The Masons' at most dinner tables would have somebody leaping up to roll up a trouser leg and hop about.

Dan Brown, at the very beginning of his book has included a page entitled 'Fact' and states that,

"All rituals, science, artwork, and monuments in this novel (The Lost Symbol) are real".

Brown goes on to describe, in some detail, secret Masonic initiation rituals. An important part of most of these rituals appears to be an acting out of exactly what would happen to a Mason if the secrets of the brotherhood were to be revealed. One initiation ceremony involves a ceremonial dagger pressed to the initiate's bare chest whilst he wears a ceremonial velvet hood in front of an elaborate altar. Punishments outlined should the 'Mysteries of the Freemasons' be revealed at this level include,

"having one's throat cut across, one's tongue torn out by its roots, and one's body buried in the rough sands of the sea...."

Acceptance into the third degree of the Masons involves acting out the initiate's murder with simulated blows to the victim's head including one with a Mason's stone maul. The story behind this ritual goes back to the master Architect of old who chose to die rather than reveal the Masonic Secrets that he possessed. Entrance into the highest level of the Mason's, the elite thirty third degree involves the famed 'caput mortuum', red wind drank out of a human skull in front of a black marble altar. The Mason takes the wine and announces,

"May this wine I now drink become a deadly poison to me... should I ever knowingly or willingly violate my oath" (of secrecy to the Masons).

As we can see from the above excerpts from the novel, a central and important part of all of the initiation rituals within the Masons involve fiercely guarding the secrets within, on pain of death. Nowadays, The Masons claim to be neither a religion, a cult nor a secret society. However, it is quite obvious from reading the fascinating snippets from Dan Brown's latest little gem that there is a lot more to the Freemasons then a group of powerful men rolling up their trouser legs and doing an odd little handshake. One thing is for sure, and that is Masonic history, ritual, belief and practices will continue to hold a fascination for the uninitiated for many years to come.

If Dan Browns' latest Bestseller has aroused your curiosity about the Masons do not miss out on a more in-depth look into these new, never-before disclosed secrets behind the Freemasons. The Freemasons Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenny_Shaddick

Dan Brown "The Lost Symbol"

In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling-a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C.,The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale. As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object -artfully encoded with five symbols-is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation . . . one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon-a prominent Mason and philanthropist -is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations-all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth. As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for . . . his most thrilling novel yet. From the Hardcover edition.