"Symbols of death in a chamber deep below The Capitol Building" "George Washington transformed into a god" "Washington DC landmarks and the seats of US power aligned with the stars." "Secret government research into the powers of the mind." "Author Dan Brown has created a stir with these and other suggestions in his provocative fictional book set in Washington DC." "Now the secrets ..." "As we separate fact from fiction and go Hunting The Lost Symbol... Washington DC: a city of secrets and intrigue" "The perfect backdrop for Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"" "The book takes us through the underbelly of the scene rarely seen and delves into a mysterious secret society." " I've read that particular fantasy played out in great detail, ...and it's nothing but fantasy but it is prominent in the conspiracy community, and Dan Brown clearly has been reading in that particular libraries." "But is Brown telling us the truths?" "Or his Washington just another fictional character?" "We'll explore the pages of "The Lost Symbol"" "to separate out fact from fiction." "I" "INITIALIZING" "INITIALIZING GPS..." "US CAPITOL - cornerstone" "In the book, The US Capitol Building is at the center of an unfolding mystery." "It's where the book's protagonist, Professor Robert Langdon ... begins his quest and where we begin our examination" "In the book, Langdon tells his students that The Capitol's design has roots in America's oldest and largest secret society..." "The Freemasons" "FACT" "A prominent Mason did play bit of a role in the planning:" "The nation's first president, George Washington." "Washington really deserves more credit than I think he gets about the siting and the layout of Washington." "He approved the plans, he decided what plans they would use," "He decided that the building should be in stone rather than in brick." "Another fact mentioned in the book is that The Capitol Building's location... was chosen by a Frenchman, city designer mayor Pierre L'Enfant." "That's also TRUE." "I suppose the original plan is the hope that someday we would eclipse England in every respect, and that everything would begin there." "But frankly however Washington DC was mostly tobacco fields, and in fact British diplomats got tropical pay for serving here, so it was considered a hardship post I think initially." "And when L'Enfant stood out there trying to imagine what the city was going to look like... he called this hill 'a pedestal waiting for a monument'." "And while L'Enfant did not design The Capitol, he set aside the place for it, and Washington agreed that that was the place that The US Capitol should be." "In the book, Professor Langdon surprised his students... by telling them that President George Washington laid The Capitol Building's cornerstone in a traditional masonic ceremony." "Again, the book is CORRECT." "On the morning of September 18, 1793" "President Washington led a procession to the site." "There wearing an odd-looking apron he directed the events of the day." "Traditional masonic items were then presented... like corn, and vessels of oil and wine." "And with that, the cornerstone of the nation's Capitol Building was set." "What's not in the book is the fact that today... the cornerstone is missing!" "The plaque is all that remains." "Are the masonic origins of the building being hidden?" "Over the last decades or so, there are many folks who work in The Capitol... have taken metal detectors down into the basement trying... to try to find that metal plate ... that would indicate where the original cornerstone was." "But they never found the plate, and that leads to the best guess which was that... during the construction in 1960 ... when the whole east front of the Capitol was moved out... that they may have destroyed the original cornerstone not realizing that that's where it was." "So perhaps there's no cover-up?" "but what about the other secrets Brown mentions in "The Lost Symbol"?" "Is there an architect of the Capitol who alone has unrestricted access... to secret levels and hidden rooms?" "Yes!" "There are about 500 rooms in The Capitol Building and very few people have seen the majority of them." "The one person who has access to every room is the architect of the Capitol." "Because he's in charge of preserving and protecting that building." "In the book the architect of The Capitol... makes his way through a series of hidden underground passage ways." "Is that possible?" "Because the image of The Capitol has become so fixed in everybody's minds... to what the US Capitol should look like they couldn't do anything that would change the exterior of The Capitol Building." "So the only thing to do was to go underground." "It's 4 stories underground." "So 4 stories under the spot where George Washington laid the cornerstone... there is office space for the Senate, for the House and then there is a huge Visitor Center." "The book also describes a series of tunnels connecting The Capitol with surrounding buildings." "Do they really exist and for what purpose?" "There is a tunnel that links the Visitor Center to the Jefferson Building which is the main building of The Library of Congress across the street." "But are there other more secretive tunnels?" "The other tunnels that run under The Capitol are steam tunnels, water tunnels that the utilities run through and then walkways to get from building to building and then from the three side office buildings from one the house office buildings" "there's a separate subway system that links The Capitol to the office buildings." "In the book, Brown's Symbologist comes to The Capitol Building to give a speech but instead, makes a startling discovery... a severed human hand." "Langdon describes how this hand adorned with a series of symbolic tattoos resembles the legendary "Hand of the Mysteries"" "a type of invitation or key to understanding ancient wisdom." "Such an icon DOES exist." "Its origins are said to go back to the biblical days of King Solomon when a hand was extended to each newcomer as they entered his his Temple of Wisdom." "Legend also says that the hand held the power to raise the dead if you understood these cryptic tattoos." "But does the hand have anything to do with the masons?" "Or is it just a sick clever device used by the Book's villain?" "The "Hand of the Mystery" was bizarre... uhmm..." "I saw no relation between the "Hand of the Mysteries"" "and Masonic rituals that I have read and Masonic rituals as I understand it." "It was a... you know... a "poetic license"." "In the book, it's what the hand is pointing at that is truly perplexing." "the mural inside the Capitol dome." "Italian artist Constantino Brumidi painted the fresco in 1865" "It's known as "The Apotheosis of Washington"" "It features a god-like George Washington surrounded by classical figures" "The Goddess Freedom to his left and Liberty to his right." "Between the two goddesses are 13 maidens with 13 stars above them representing 13 colonies." "Among these goddesses are scientists of that time including Benjamin Franklin gaining wisdom from the gods." "A US President is transforming into a God." "Was that the original intention of the painting?" "Or does the Book offer its own interpretation?" "Dan Brown himself takes the painting as a symbol of the belief of human potential." "He just kind of imposes his own meaning on it to suit his literary purposes and that's why they call it FICTION." "But history is filled with examples of leaders becoming more than mere mortals in the public's eye." " Well, there was a longstanding tendency to make your heroes into gods" " so this wasn't anything new, there were other world heroes that became gods." " You know attempts have been made to make Alexander The Great a god" " or any of these other famous people." "So perhaps the painting merely drives on" "Washington's godlike reputation among Americans at the time." "But the same can't be said for the artist's subjects surrounding him." "He is accompanied by 13 virgins and, of course, that there is the tale behind that because the artist, Brumidi, actually went out and found ladies of the evening to pose for his virgins." "Dan Brown's Professor left that part out of his story." "But Brown's Professor Langdon does speak of another controversial work of art... that held court in the Rotunda." "A half-naked sculpture of George Washington as the Greek god Zeus." "It's TRUE." "It implies that Washington held this very, very special role in American society." "And everytime the other founders had their backs up against the wall... and one person had to be picked as the leader of all the leaders" "It was George Washington, and the people of America knew that." "And there's never been a President that was as beloved by more people in America than George Washington." "And once there's a reputed man once wrote an article that that if George Washington runs for president ... he'll get every vote." "And he didn't mean every electoral vote." "He meant every single vote from every single American!" "So perhaps George Washington was god-like then." "But why a Greek God?" "And why was he bare-chested?" "The Congress purchased the statue of Washington and they were a little embarrassed when they unveiled it and found that Washington was wearing very little other than simple lap robe" "The public hated it" "And one of the first comments somebody made as soon as it was unveiled was that it looked like he he was coming out of the bathtub reaching for a towel." "When Nathaniel Hawthorne looked on the statue, he said ..." ""Even Washington's own mother never saw him naked."" "The statue was removed from the Capitol in 1964 and now resides in The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History." "But another reminder of Washington's legacy remains in The Capitol... just as the book suggests." "There is a star inlaid in the floor down the crypt of the Capitol." "Now they intended to bury actually George Washington in the Capitol underneath that star, and it would have been very symbolic." "Washington's tomb which never was used by Washington but still down underneath that central star." "Although it's not addressed in the book, the answer to why Washington was never buried in the Capitol goes back to the night he died." "MOUNT VERNON, VIRGINIA" "In December 1799 at the age of 67..." "Washington laid dying from a bad throat infection." "Just before his death, weakened by his blood-letting treatment, he had Martha do him one last favor..." "He had written 2 wills." "And so that both two copies of the wills were brought up to him and he said: "Burn this one in front of me. "" "We'll never know what was different about the will that was burned." "The nation basically went into shock." "And they just could not believe that George Washington had died" "And it was really a state of mourning for the entire country" ""The Funeral of Grand Honors"" "He was buried at Mount Vernon, in a Masonic service." ""...and whose soul to god who gave it and that his body..."" "Martha herself was so shaken and upset... she didn't even attend the funeral." "Opinions differ to this day as to where Washington wanted to be buried" "The Capitol?" "Or Mount Vernon?" "Washington himself wanted to be buried in his vault but not Mount Vernon." "And those were his instructions and it was as clear and simple." "He was planning to get at the vault in The Capitol ... unfortunately, Martha died and the promise was withdrawn." "They just didn't get the thing built in time" "Martha Washington then died and the heirs of Washington decided that no they were going to reverse Martha's decision." "His final wishes are still a mystery." "His remains may not be entombed in The Capitol Building." "but his influence is still visible." "The brotherhood he belonged to still remains to this day." "Freemasons:" "A Secret Society or A Society With Secrets?" "In "The Lost Symbol," Dan Brown depicts the Masons as being the country's most powerful secret society." "We're everywhere!" "Few other organizations can claim 14 presidents as having than a member." "The book describes a private Masonic room inside the US Capitol Building..." "It's called A Chamber of Reflection." "Is this right?" "Does such a room exist?" "Or does the book add up the truth for dramatic effect?" "The Chamber of Reflection is REAL." "There are lodges that do that all around the world..." "A lot of American lodges don't do it some do." "Even those that do don't necessarily do it in quite the particularly lovely fashion that Dan Brown describes but that is the classic fashion." "Here members meditate in solitude amid Symbols of Time and Death" "A Skull: to remind men of mortality and equality" "Salt that represent the body, mercury the soul, and sulfur the spirit." "In some Masonic obediences" "The Chamber of Reflection that you're placed in there and you're actually asked to write your Will." "to make you contemplate your own mortality." "Disturbing?" "Perhaps to the uninitiated." "But the Masons see it much differently." " The point of it is not to creep out the candidate, "Oh, there's a skull?" "!"" " The point of it is the theme of mortality" " ...your time on Earth will end, your time on Earth is short..." " so while you're here focus on what's important in your life." " The way The Chamber of Reflection is depicted in Dan Brown's book is" " it's presented as though a Mason might have that in his office somewhere" " or maybe even in his home, and that isn't really true..." "And are these Chambers of Reflection hidden in the sub-basement of The Capitol Building as described in the book?" "There are a variety of levels from the attic down to the sub-basements..." "What you're seeing is actual archival footage of the sub-basement as depicted in the book" "It no longer exists." "They were demolished for the construction of the Capitol Visitors' Center opened in just 2008." "And did anyone use them for their own purposes, Masonic or otherwise?" "There are rooms in the sub-basement of The Capitol not that I know of being used by Masons." "So The Chamber of Reflection is real... but Brown's placement of one inside The US Capitol Building is FICTION." "In the book, a student describes the Masons as a religion but Professor Langdon disagrees." "He argues they never try to convert and in fact are prohibited from discussing religion." " Drop in on The Lodge." "You might find something of interest there for you" " because Masons don't recruit." " So we depend on the word getting out other ways..." " "Bring the candidate in from The Chamber of Reflection!"" "Also contrary to Brown's villain's claims..." "Money doesn't move you up the ranks of Masonry." " The way it really works is that somebody becomes a regular Mason," " the first 3 degrees, then they go through the other degrees of the Scottish Rite" " from the 4th Degree to the 32nd Degree..." " But you can't buy your way into the 33rd Degree" " especially in the express route that's mentioned in the book." " Shame on Dan Brown for saying that!" "In "The Lost Symbol," Dan Brown describes several Masonic rituals." "While some of his elements are based in fact the real ceremonies are kept secret." " I'm not gonna talk about the actual methods of recognition" " from one Mason to another..." " I'm not gonna giver certain details of the ritual, not because there's anything bad about them" " but just because we don't talk about the details of the rituals." " that's best on out of sight" " that's best on confidentially and privately." "This reenactment was staged with the help of another Master Mason... to better understand the method of their perceived madness." " The candidate is brought into the Lodge, without really knowing how the experience will be like..." " The candidate, at the beginning, doesn't even see the Lodge" " because the candidate is ritually blindfolded." " The candidate is led to walk around the Lodge in a certain pattern." " Freemasonry is built around ritual initiations." " Ritual initiations that themselves are built around the use of symbols." "The Rituals are not the Masonic origins." " The meaning of other Masonic ritual is clear" " but you have to understand that masonic ritual grew out of real Masons," " Masons who lay brick, Masons who were the architect of their age..." " That's the whole purpose of ritual..." " To keep us connected to the past and keep us connected to our beliefs." "Secrets and Symbols of Death." "Scary or just misunderstood?" "In the book, the Brown's villain drinks wine from a skull." "The Masons ever do that?" " Candidates drink from the skull?" " Let's say it happens, ok?" " My response: "So what?"" " The ceremony described in "The Lost Symbol"" " was actually done by a renegade Scottish organization back in the nineteenth century" " That is "The Cerneau Ritual"." " There happens to be a published expose of that ritual" " that's been around for a better part of two centuries now and that's what Dan Brown is leaning on." " That's not the ritual that's really used in the Scottish Rite today in the Southern Jurisdiction." " The only scary thing about ritual is when it's taken out of context." " "Oh that my throat would have been cut across..!"" " "...and if I ever break this oath, I'll cut open and lay open my heart"" " These were just..." "It was just drama." "In the book, a student refers to the wild rumors surrounding the Masons..." "That is most definitely TRUE." " "These people must have power, they must have influence..."" "" and the only reason we can't see their influence and what they're doing..."" " "...is because they're so good at keeping it secret!"." " They are accused of being reptilian aliens..." " They are accused of more things I think than any any other group..." " And I think part of the problem is that the ritual is kept secret..." " Part of the problem is that up until recently" " Freemasons did not respond to this kind of thing." " so make great targets." "In the book, a Mason talks of the importance in keeping their secrets ...even under the threat of death." "That's TRUE." " In the twenty--first century, keeping your word is something special." " Okay?" " We have entire reality shows where successes built" " on not keeping your word, on stabbing the other guy in the back..." " in not keeping your coalitions." " But that's not really how you advance a society!" " That's not how you build civilizations!" " So one of the points of Masonic secrecy..." " is having the person learn to keep his word..." " even on little things!" " with the idea that it'll build into keeping your word" " on the big things." "And as the novel depicts while the Masons keep a great many secrets they're hardly a secret society." " Freemason's a secret society?" " We're doing a really bad job!" " We post the times of our meetings on the doors of the buildings" " that have great big signs saying that "The Freemasons meet here."" " You know well a lot of us wear rings, pins," " other things that designate us as Freemasons..." " If we're a secret society, we're doing a lousy job!" "As we've learned, the book has taken its share of liberties with Masonic origins and rituals." "Its take on the city's celebrated landscape reveals an even darker vision." "Washington DC, planned according to the stars?" "Pagan images found in the city streets." "The truth behind the fiction will be revealed..." "Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"" "is rooted in real Washington DC landmarks and neighborhoods." "From The Botanical Garden across from The US Capitol where a prominent character was taken against his will." "BOTANICAL GARDEN" "INITIALIZING GPS" "LIBRARY OF CONGRESS" "To the crafted conveyor belt systems inside The Library of Congress." "And the historic mansions of DC's Kalorama Heights ... where the villain holds court..." "Perhaps Brown set his thrower here so he could take advantage of this city's unique, cryptic character." " The look of the monument to Washington" " is like Cleopatra's Needle, it's this" " very much an Egyptian looking image that appears in the middle of Washington DC." " The monument is an obelisk, which is an ancient symbol" " certainly goes back to Egyptian times." " In basic terms, it's a giant phallic symbol." " which also like I said relates to the sun, the masculine." "The book claims that the Washington Monument has an aluminum capstone engraved with "Laus Deo"" "Latin for "Praise God"." "That's TRUE, but noone can see it." " The very top was this special hunk of aluminum." " Aluminum was very valuable at the time when they finished the monument in 1886." " I think that in this day and age and any other day" " would probably be gold." "Brown also writes that many of the founding fathers has practiced the ancient art of astrology." "That's another FACT." " Benjamin Franklin was an astrologer." " In "Poor Richard's Almanack", if you got copies of it" " you could see his various predictions whether it's weather or about people..." " and that kind of thing." " Thomas Jefferson, in his library" " originally had books on astrology." "The story is RIGHT." "Our founding fathers saw astrology as a connection between the earthly and the celestial." "It is also correct when it states that the laying of cornerstones for each to Washington Monument, White House and The Capitol Building were all timed to occur under the same astological sign Virgo even though they were laid in different years." "In astrology, it's considered to be an auspicious time to begin new undertakings." " People ask why Virgo would have anything to do with with Washington DC" " It is a constellation." " Well, actually, it has to do with the sacred feminine mythology" " "war religion", if you will..." " It could be described as something pagan that goes way back to Isis of the Egyptians ..." " a Persian goddesses at femininity, sexuality, birth and..." "What the book does not mention is the sign of Virgo also played a role in the U.S. Constitution." "This is further evidence that our founding fathers used astrology for major decisions." "Virgo has a great deal of influence in regards to United States of America" "Our Constitution:" "September 17th, right?" "If you look very important dates, we see that the Virgin was present." "If the stars align in the sky with what is on earth ... have spiritual harmony and we can accomplish great things." "Under the guidance of Master Masons, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin ... the surveyor Frenchman Pierre L'Enfant designed the capital city of ..." "As the book says." "In the book, Brown depicts our founding fathers creating Washington as a realization of the Enlightenment:" "A New Atlantis!" "where reason, science and freedom will triumph over ignorance and darkness." "This is a FACT." "Though not mentioned in the book, George Washington, in particular believed this capital must be as grand as any in the world." " Washington felt strongly that it needed to be a monumental city." " It needed to be a city that people would respect" " like European capitals." " And even though the United States were the young country and struggling" " that he was looking down the road to the future." "Washington designed the city to reflect the glory of Athens and Rome here in this New World." " We're here on the banks of the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia" " where the cornerstone of the city of Washington DC was laid in" " in April 1791 by masons George Washington and others" " who came here to designate this as the bottom of what was then" " a quadrangle that was tipped on its side like this" " and this is the southernmost point." "The novel depicts the city's planner Pierre L'Enfant as having laid out the streets in a pattern to suggest Masonic symbols." "L'Enfant plan can be seen as a map in Freedom Plaza a pivotal location in the fiction story." "Here, in the book, the character Katherine Solomon claims the US dollar bill contains a hidden Star of Solomon a key Masonic symbol." "That's TRUE." "Just draw a a line connecting the letters M-A-S-O-N and combine that with the pyramid." "Ever since L'Enfant laid out the city people have been searching for symbols and meanings..." "New interpretations are ongoing and controversial." "This is all mentioned in Dan Brown's book." "When looking down at the layout, signs seem to appear such as a pentagram." "Some of the alleged symbols, including the 6-pointed Seal of Solomon were identified." "And the cross of The Knights Templar." "that many people, including some of the young students in "The Lost Symbol"" "see a darker agenda." " There's a great theory that the layout of the, that the Capitol, etc" " ...when looked at from above, let's say" " form certain "satanic symbols"" " like an inverted pentagram." " Some would say argue it gets to paganism." " Some would go so far as to accuse of this as even being satanists." " The whole idea that there are satanic symbols built into the streets of Washington DC" " at the behest of the Masons is utter nonsense." " Freemasonry doesn't practice magic in any sense." " Freemasonry was created by men who were trying to destroy this concept of magic." "The book also depicts conspiracy theorists who sees sinister imagery on the Great Seal of the United States." "On the backsideis a 13-step unfinished pyramid" "The front features 13 stars shaped like a hexagram." "For some, these are Masonic symbols with satanic meaning." " And those 13s again, I want to repeat this, are not satanic," " are not negative, but actually symbolizes the 13 states that founded this Nation." " The founding founders wanted to give us symbols that told us that this Nation is going to last." " But that Pyramid were strength and duration, something that lasted forever." "Another so-called suspicious symbol is The All-Seeing Eye located above the Pyramid..." "It's featured as a sinister icon in the villain's atempt to expose the secrets of the fraternity." "To the Masons, however, this represents the eye of God a reminder that He is always watching their thoughts and deeds." " There's nothing satanic." " There's nothing necessarily what you would call "European Pagan" about The All-Seeing Eye." " It's been a universal archetype symbol for the sun" " ...or the sun and the moon for centuries." " It was really a positive statement" " ...and that eye and the triangle basically said" " "We are founding this under the protection of God."" " Now that's one heck of a statement!" "Conspiracy theorists dispute these ideas about The Great Seal." "The truth is Masons are not behind The Eye or The Pyramid on The Great Seal." " Out of the 3 congressional committees and the 14 people that were involved" " in the design of The Great Seal" " Only one of them was a Freemason." " And that was Benjamin Franklin." " And they hated his ideas, they thought his ideas were stupid." "As Brown's Harvard symbologist correctly notes... these images are universal symbols found in many cultures and are not part of Masonry." " Nothing demonic symbols about their symbols, their temples..." " that they just want Freedom." " They want separation of Church and State." " They want freedom to worship in anyway you want." "The book has taken some liberties with Masonic symbols and rituals." "But it goes even further with its take on a controversial new science." "In Dan Brown's novel "The Lost Symbol"" "scientist Katherine Solomon has a state-of the-art lab here at the Smithsonian Museum Support Center in Silver Hill, Maryland." "The 500,000 square foot facility stores millions of specimens and artifacts." "But there is no Department of Noetics here." "That part of the book and Brown's scientist are both FICTION." "But an actual facility is located across the country in the hills of northern California." "Inside the Institute of Noetic Sciences researchers conduct studies into the possibilities of the human mind." "And the real world equivalent of Brown's character is" "Marilyn Schlitz." " Throughout history and in every culture..." " people have reported capacities to use their mind or their consciousness" " to influence the physical world." " What we've done is to create an experimental paradigm" " that allows us to study those kinds of claims" " in a laboratory setting under well-controlled scientific conditions." "Even though Dan Brown never visited the Institute his fictional character perform similar experiments." "In the "intention" experiment, for example, the goal is to determine ... if one person looking at another location can affect that person's physical health..." "The subject is hooked-up to an EEG machine in a special lead-lined isolation room... much like the isolated cube used in Dan Brown's fictional lab." "This room is soundproof and insulated from any radio waves so there's no way to "cheat"." "The image on the monitor randomly switches back and forth between live feeds of the subject and the viewer." "Everytime the subject's face appears, the viewer tries to send loving and healing thoughts." " That's basically the way the experiment works" " and what we're looking for then, is whether or not, when attention is focused at the distant person..." " does their physiology become aroused?" " Does it act in the same way as if they heard their name being whispered, for example?" " And when they're looked at, do they calm down?" " That's the essence of that experiment." "The subject has no clue as to when his image will appear on the monitor so there's no way he can try to trigger physical reaction." "Just like Brown's fictional scientist, researchers have found a significant link between the viewer's healing thoughts and the physical response in the subject." " It's pretty clear that we see these effects repeatably across different laboratories" " ...so something's going on." " Now the question is: "So what?"" " Does this actually have healing implications?" "The amazing thing is that this effect seems to be happening without any physical connection." " But it's not a signal that nothing went from here to there," " it's gotta be something else." " So the only thing way we can think of it at this point is..." " that our sense of the way that space is connected between the 2 people" " is not completely right!" "Although not addressed in the book this concept has ruled Western science since the 17th century when French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes made a pact with the Church to avoid persecution." "The Church said: "Okay, we're gonna let you do science!"" " "We're not gonna consider you heretics, but we're gonna make a deal with you.."" " "You study the physical aspects..."" " "and we'll keep the soul and the inner consciousness's piece just to ourselves..."" " And we are still living in the legacy of that political deal" " where in fact science believes that the only relevant valid area to do research on" " is the physical material aspects." "One experiment not mentioned in the book suggests that we may be able to see into the future." "The subject is hooked-up to an EEG machine while wearing a pair of special LED glasses and earbutts." "The LEDs flash and an audio tone plays in a random pattern triggering a physiological reaction." " And they will see a flash or hear a tone at random times." " They don't know when, I don't know when..." " the computer randomly figures out when it's going to happen..." "According to Dr. Radin, their tests have shown that the body reacts before the light flashes and audio tones." "It's as if the body has seen into the future by a few fractions of a second." " I use the term "pre-sentiment", meaning 'pre-feeling'" " as opposed to "pre-cognition": 'pre-knowing'." "In the book, Brown suggests that while this this may seem impossible many of today's scientific advancement would also be unimaginable to our founding founders." " Up until recently, meaning about a hundred years ago in science" " ...that was crazy." " I mean like the dictum was there's no action at a distance." " The only way that 2 things can interact in some ways is to have some kind of proximity to them." " Quantum Mechanics changed that as did Relativity." "In the world of "The Lost Symbol," the more we know ...the more we want to keep hidden." "At a critical point in "The Lost Symbol"" "a prominent character's life hangs in the balance..." "To save himself he asks a stranger... 'is there no help for the widow's son?" "'" "The phrase is really a Masonic distress signal." "The book is referencing an actual ceremonial play performed by only the highest degree Masons." "It's rooted in early Masonic lore and it's considered the most sacred Masonic ritual." "The play features Hiram Abiff the chief architect of King Solomon's Temple who was confronted by a group of thieves." "These men threaten to kill Hiram, unless he reveals his secret password." "Hiram refuses and, as he is being killed, asks..." ""Is there no help for the widow's son?"" "Today, Hiram's courage and fidelity in keeping his word not to reveal the secret, is a central tenet to every Mason." "Another group whose very existence depends upon codes and ciphers is the Central Intelligence Agency." "In "The Lost Symbol," a security director storms into The Capitol Building and takes command." "Is the book correct depicting the CIA having the authority to take over by claiming the issue was a national security matter?" "The FBI traditionally handles domestic law enforcement investigations." " Under directive security the CIA has no such law enforcement authority..." " there's no more law enforcement authority than you and I do" " to make a citizen's arrest!" "Peter Earnest spent 35 years with the CIA carrying out covert operations around the world." "CIA Operations Center" "What he does find true in Dan Brown's book is the character's use of coded messages..." " Codes and ciphers were very important for the CIA..." " All of our cable traffic to and from headquarters and the field" " was all encoded." "When we recruited agents and" " and ran them and we couldn't meet them personally" " we had to use what is called 'impersonal communication'..." " All of that was written out and then put into code to go to the agent." "Real-life agents and case officers also communicated using secured telephones." " These are phones in which the conversations would be encrypted." " Of course that would be an automated form of encryption." " It wouldn't be their setting out 'writing out codes'..." "The Lost Symbol" "Another mystery featured in Dan Brown's book is Kryptos." "The book claims that this artwork exist on CIA grounds and that it is yet to be fully deciphered by an army of code breakers..." "Does such a thing exist and who could've stumped the spymasters?" ""Kryptos" which is a Greek word meaning "hidden"" "is the brainchild of artist James Sanborn." "In a rare television interview, Sanborn discusses his very real creation." "It seemed to me the best way to design an artwork... for..." "like a spy agency... that would slowly unravel itself and maintain a level of interest." "In 1991, Sanborn unveiled Kryptos before skeptical audience of spymasters..." "What they saw was a large sculpture featuring an S-shaped copper scroll emerging from what appears to be a computer printer." "Covering the scroll, is a complex and crypted text comprising nearly 1800 figures divided into four sections." " I had studied archeology for years" " and was fascinated by things hidden underground." " and were laborious to uncover but were fascinating when they were found." " and so, that whole process was the way I wanted" " Kryptos: a sculpture to unfold!" "Kryptos contains a riddle within a riddle which will be solvable only after the four encrypted passages have been decrypted." "So far, only 3 have been answered correctly." "I assumed that the first segments would be cracked in a matter of days... at the most, weeks." "In fact, it took nine years!" " When I was at the Agency, I was talking to other contractors and they said," ""Do you know that they come through here with neutron-ground-penetrating radar" " ...after everything is done?" " And this heavy duty equipment to try to look into the ground all around these areas?"" "Whether the clue refers to something buried in the ground, nobody really knows... and Sanborn isn't saying anything." ""The Lost Symbol" depicts both an address an a puzzle referred to us as "Franklin Square"." "There is indeed a Franklin Square in Washington DC and a puzzle does exist, created by Benjamin Franklin also referred to as "A Magic Square"." "This ancestor to Sudoku puzzles the numbers in the diagonal horizontal and vertical rows add up to the same number." "But the codes and ciphers have functions other than tools for espionage." "Secret handshakes identify strangers as friends." "Combination locks protect valuables from thieves." "And as the book describes, codes and ciphers are also set to guard the secret knowledge of mystics..." "In fact, the rumored original working title of "The Lost Symbol"" "referenced an ancient cryptic known as the Key of Solomon." " The Key of Solomon Key is the name of a medieval manual." " And these are keys in the sense that they're handbooks" " to ritual magic." "Over the years, many people claim to have deciphered the codes and mastered Solomon's Black Magic secrets..." "In the book, Dan Brown's villain is inspired by Aleister Crowley" " the man who claimed to have deciphered the secrets to The Key of Solomon." "Such a man really did exist." " Aleister Crowley, one of the most famous figure in ritual magic in the 20th century" " is quite accurately depicted..." " The purpose for that is basically to gain power." " Is his desire and his objective to become a dark god" " over demons?" " That's what he wants to do with the power that he hopes to get" " through his ritual observance." "In the late 1800's, Crowley gained notoriety by using" "Solomon influence amulets and talismans, and sex-and-drug-fueled occult rituals." "Crowley also traveled the world lecturing and writing books detailing his mystical and astrological secrets." "Church officials considered Crowley a heretic and labeled him "The wickedest man in the world."" "Black magic rituals are only one of the dark passages within Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"." "Secret conspiracies play another critical role, including one threatening to tear apart the fabric of our Nation." "In Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol", the villain believes that once he attains the highest level of Masonry all of their secrets will be revealed to him..." "And one of them bit the belief that Masons become gods like George Washington's image in the ceiling of the Rotunda." " I was utterly stunned to see all the stuff about Apotheosis," " the idea of.. you know... people becoming gods." " I should tell you that it's not something that we teach in Freemasonry." " It is not against Masonic teachings" " it's that not something that we happen to say." "Dan Brown seems to have borrowed the idea from the Mormon religion." " It's a central aspect of Latter-day Saints' doctrine" " ...that individuals, if they make covenant with God" " of a certain nature, in a certain place by a certain authority..." " and then live up to them, at some point after death..." " can be elevated to the status of Godhood..." " and that's part of the human inheritance." " That's what God says when he says, oh you know, "I'll make you joint inheritors with Christ"." "This controversial doctrine has raised a few eyebrows but the belief dates back to the early Christians..." " In the early days of the Christian Church you would find statements by prominent leaders saying things like," " "God became man so that man could became God"." " You know there are so many ways to understand that." " So the old, the ancient doctrine of Apotheosis has "Come around again!"" " Now of course Dan Brown puts his own spin on this thing." "Another central theme in "The Lost Symbol" is the belief in a Masonic conspiracy." "Several of Professor Langdon's students speak of rumors that the Masons are secretly running the world." "They're suspicions but not surprising because conspiracy theories are as American as apple pie." " There are a lot of conspiracy theories because by nature" " ...humans beings are all so suspicious." " Some people are more prone to want to know" " and want to explain, and want to resolve..." " something that doesn't make sense to them." " Conspiracy is one of those ways to bridge the difference." "Some conspiracy theories have became so widespread that people don't know what to believe." " And at this point, anyone who believes that Oswald acted alone" " is considered the nutcase, not the conspiracists." " The conspiracists are considered to have the real story." "In "The Lost Symbol," Brown's conscpiracy theory focuses on the Masons." " Freemasons have been probably the favorite target" " ... of conspiracists." " I don't think there's a group that you could make that has endured more slings and arrows" " ...from if you google "Freemasons" and start plowing through the sites..." " They have been accused of being behind the Holocaust." " They have been accused of being a force for Jewish conspiracy" " and a force for money conspirators" " that the Freemasons and the Jews run the banks and therefore run the world." "The Masons became great targets in part by refusing to respond to their critics." " It is easy to impart to somebody an evil secret society" " if that person's not going to tell you what the truth is..." " they rose above it, but it just played into these people's hands..." " And I think it goes back to our need to know." " If something is kept secret from us" " and then we combine that with our inclination" " to see negative before positive..." " then we are going to develop a negative story about something that we don't understand." " And if you hear something negative about someone who's a Freemason..." " "Boom!" We're gone!" " They're after the racist and the Freemason is the devil incarnate." "In "The Lost Symbol," Professor Langdon recalls his years writing about the rich traditions of the Masons." "He also acknowledges that they've been accused of worshiping the devil and plotting a One World Government." "An Internet search would quickly reveal the book is right." " President Bush, President Clinton were both members of "The Skull and Bones"" " a secret society with Masonic roots." " Reagan was adopted as an honorary Mason, as were Truman." " It goes along pretty a strong line and so..." " Yes, it perpetuates!" "Conspiracy theorists point that The All-Seeing Eye found in the dollar bill as a symbol of this "New World Order."" "It was put there by a Mason:" "President Franklin Roosevelt." "The truth is The New World Order isn't new." "As the book depicts, the founding fathers created one." "The evidence is right there on the Great Seal below the All-Seeing Eye and The Pyramid are the words "Novus Ordo Seclorum."" " It means "The New Order of the Ages"" " and that's pretyy important because the New Order of the Ages is a Republic..." " a representative form of government, and not a monarchy" " which was the Old Order of the Ages." " They wanted A New World Order, A New Atlantis..." " where freedom prevails." "Brown also describes how this New World Order, however posed a threat to clergy leaders who fear the loss of power and influence." " Brown brought out in "Angels  Demons" the struggle between light and dark" " and he called light and darkness was reason, logic and scientific endeavor" " ... as being mankind's salvation" " not superstition and spirituality." "Since then, religious groups have fought back with claims that the Masons were really only seeking a new form of global domination." " Communism would be a perfect example in modern time." " Religion is abolished." " Spirituality is looked at nothing but a superstition." " Big Brother and the government can take care of us" " ...from cradle to grave." " The running gag in the fraternity is that we'll get right on" " ... that New World Order takeover plan" " just as soon as we can schedule The New World Order takeover plan and fishfry." " No, we're not taking over." "The belief in these and other conspiracies runs deep in our country because sometimes they turn out to be TRUE." "In Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol", CIA officers monitor cellphone conversations and e-mail messages." "How realistic is this?" "Are we being watched as the characters in "The Lost Symbol"?" " Almost all of us carry a cell phone," " well obviously when you speak on a cellphone..." " whatever you're saying goes out into the ether." " And if it's out there, somebody can grab it and catch it and try to understand it" " Even though you may be speaking another language" " ...you got some code words in there to conceal things..." "to hide things." " Somebody can analyze that." " And somebody can make sense out of what you're saying." " And this is true for any kind of communication." " Once that goes into the ether and it can be captured by somebody" " it can probably be understood." "Brown's CIA officers may have been using a secret global surveillance network called" ""Echelon"." "For the past 30 years, it has been used to eavesdrop on foreign countries, terrorist groups and drug cartels." "In the process, Echelon's computers have also captured virtually every electronic conversation around the world." " Echelon has reportedly intercepts particularly satellite communications" " Therefore, whether they're government, corporate, encrypted or not encrypted," " the allegation is that the Americans, NSA are eavesdropping" " on all kinds, all sorts of of conversations..." "Over the years the Echelon system has been accused of targeting more than just the bad guys." "During the Vietnam War, the Echelon system reportedly spied on anti-war protests." "In 1990's, several European governments claimed that Echelon was being used for economic espionage." "It's a claim refuted by the CIA." " I will tell you that for my years in intelligence..." " We were never directed nor would we accept to be directed to collect" " ...intelligence on a private company or a private firm" " ...in order to bring it back and give it to a private firm here." "Conspiracies arise from secrecy and suspicion and no one has been at the center of the conspiratorial controversy than the Masons." "In "The Lost Symbol," Dan Brown portrays the Masons as being some of the most powerful men in the country..." "Is that true?" "The fact is 14 past US presidents were known Freemasons... nearly 1/3 of the total." "In addition, at least 35 Supreme Court justices as well as as well as countless congressmen have sworn and uphold the Masonic codes." "Recent Masonic members of Congress have included Senators Trent Lott from Mississippi," "Congressman Eric Cantor from Virginia, and Congressman Joe Wilson from South Carolina" " It's amazing just how much history has been moved by Freemasonry" " and what great names that we all recognize" " have been involved as members of the fraternity." "In the book, Brown depicts Freemasonry which is also called "The Craft"" "is tracing its roots back to the stone masons who built the great cathedrals of Europe." "What the book doesn't address is that to build these architectural masterpieces" "Masons needed to understand the latest scientific methods of the day including physics, geometry and mathematics." "This intimate connection to both religious and secular power enabled the Masons as a group to develop a unique perspective." " Freemasonry is not interested in dogma" " because it's not a religious organization." " It doesn't have a Creed of Faith." " It's the means for people who do have dogmas and who do have creeds of faith to meet as human beings and brothers." "The group adopted as symbols, the tools and terminology of their trade." "Its universal signal includes a square and a compass." "Members are described as as apprentices or Master Masons." "Meetings are held in a "Lodge"" "a word derived from the temporary buildings stonemasons set up at their construction sites." "The book's professor is led to the George Washington Masonic Memorial." "Does such a place exist?" "Yes." "It's a 330 ft tall building in Alexandria, Virginia." "It was built in the 1920s to honor George Washington who was the Master Mason at the local lodge." "In the book, Professor Langdon likens the Masons to a modern corporation in that they both keep their methods and rituals secret." " The Masons are not a secret society." " They are a society with secrets." " If everybody knew the secret handshakes or the secret words" " then everybody would be taking advantage of the Fraternity" " and that has plagued the Fraternity for well over 200 years." "In "The Lost Symbol," Brown depicts Freemasonry as popular with many of our founding fathers." "Brown is CORRECT." "These men and their ancestors had come from Europe where society was torn apart by religious warfare." "They were determined not to make the same mistake in this new country." " For many of the founding fathers, Masonry was" " an important part of their lives." " I think an extension of Enlightenment ideas." " The age of reason." " Esentially, trying to move the society out of the old ways" " and put it on what they thought was a better path for the future." "Today we consider freedom of speech a cornerstone of our Constitution." "but in the 18th century, talking this way could've gotten you killed." "This forced the Masons to meet secretly in taverns and basements." " The Masons are talking about democracy or liberty or" " self-determination or free speech." " Well that could be perceived asa a threat to an aristocracy" " to a king, to an emperor, to a Church that has power." "The book depicts our forefathers wanting to establish a new country on the principles of scientific advancement, not religious dogma." "That is also TRUE." "But were most of them were Deists as the novel describes?" " The religious beliefs of the founding fathers was generally deistic." " They believed there was a God," " but they didn't necessarily support any one particular religion." "This is why, as the novel depicts they're intent eventually took shape as one of our basic principles American principles the separation of Church and State." "What is also mentioned in the book is that the Masons' quest to build a new enlightened society was no simple task." "Other groups, such as the Knights Templar and the Rosicrucians had similar ideas." "but they were crushed by the powerful Church groups." "The book also describes how for centuries in Europe powerfully connected Church leaders claimed to speak for God and demanded allegiance to their beliefs and tenets." "Advanced scientific thinkers such as Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci were forced to conceal much of their work or be labeled as "heretics"." "That's TRUE." " Anyone who discussed various theories and the sciences" " as to what was going on outside of our planet" " more than lost their lives." "Some of them were burned at the stake." "The novel is also right when it describes the Masons rejecting religious dogma." "All one had to do was to believe in a higher power not in any specific God." " Freemasonry's purposes is to encourage a man and his faith" " but not encourage that man to impose their faith on others." " What they're basically saying here and this is what the fundamentalists hate" " is that they're all different roads to the same thing." "That threat became a reality with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776." "But by declaring their independence, these men risked everything for a new concept called 'freedom'." "This time, the dream became a reality and, in 1787, many of the basic Masonic tenets became integral parts of the US Constitution." "Brown writes that half of the signers of the U.S. Constitution were Masons." "Masonic estimates however put that number closer to 1/3." ""The Lost Symbol" connects the Masons' role in the founding of the American dream." "But what we don't know is that this Masonic influence has had a profound effect beyond politics." "Baseball owner Branch Rickey signed the first african-american major league baseball player Jackie Robinson." "Literary icon Mark Twain introduced us to Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn." "And John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth." "Unfortunately, the Masons have also had their share of black sheep including the traitor Benedict Arnold, controversial FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and even the ruthless Communist dictator Joseph Stalin was rumored to be a Mason." "Their connection to the halls of power caused many to wonder if the Masons really do have sinister secrets." "The fact Masons sought a higher call and a belief system did nothing to stop their enemies." "The battle between light and dark was about to begin." "The villain in "The Lost Symbol" targets the Masons which include some of the most powerful men in the country." "It is really possible to take down such a powerful society?" "The secrecy associated with Masonry fuels suspicion and fear among outsiders since the founding of the country." " The Masons are thought to have some kind of influence over their members" " that transcends a member's obligation to his family or the state." " so the Freemasons are this shadowy, subversive group" " that's doing something bad." "It wasn't always that way." "In the wake of the American Revolution, the moments when the Masons skyrocketing." " The fact that Washington made it such an important part of his life" " and that he did things like lay the cornerstone of The Capitol Building as a Freemason" " really brought a lot of important attention to Freemasonry" " which made it a very popular candidate." "Their popularity, however, presented a threat to religious leaders weary of their Masonic deistic beliefs." "In the book, Dan Brown writes about how people developed a warped perception of the Masons." "That'ss true." "Over time a drumbeat of accusations stumped the fears of many non-Masons who wondered what really went on inside the Masonic temples." "The book's villain is driven by suspicions like these." " Everything that's secret creates suspicions" " especially in a Republic where everyone's equal" " and we've always as Americans believed in a certain degree of transparency." " and so there were a lot of suspicions about the Masons." "What the book didn't include is that these suspicions exploded in 1826 with the disappearance of a well-known disgruntled Mason named William Morgan." " It is one of those places where Dan Brown was using a historical incident" " as an inspiration for something in the current world." "When Morgan announced he was writing a book exposing Masonic secrets several Masons allegedly staged a kidnapping." " He disappeared, he was supposedly murdered... most likely..." " Nobody has ever heard of him again." "Eventually 3 masons were convicted but received minimum sentences." " There was a what amounted to close to a national panic of anti-Masonry." " Lodges were burned." "Masons were ridiculed." " Some were even beaten in the street." " And Masonic membership dropped, in some places close to zero." "In the 1830's, the Anti-Masonic Party was formed and nominated a former US Attorney General William Wirt," "Wirt ran against Freemason Andrew Jackson and lost." "He soon became a footnote in history." "More than a century and a half later, William Wirt made headlines once again." " Somebody broke into the William Wirt's crypt" " chopped off his head and took his skull." "The theft remained undetected for almost 30 years until an anonymous caller claimed to be in possession of the skull." " The anonymous caller hung up and we didn't hear about it again for a year." " The next phone call we got and we got to William Wirt was from" " city councilman Jim Graham here in Washington DC" " who informed us that the skull had been placed in his possession" " to assure its rightful disposition where it belonged." "It was never known why Wirt's skull was stolen." "Perhaps it was used in strange rituals." "Perhaps it was just a college prank." "William Wirt was a symbol of the anti-Masonic sentiment that would continue to plague the secret society." "But during this time, a new Masonic group rose to power" "The Scottish Rite, the same group featured in Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"." "According to some, they had a dark side fuelling deep suspicions." "suspicions at the heart of the novel." ""The Lost Symbol" opens its first scene here" "The Masonic House of The Temple, in Washington DC." "The novel describes this massive structure as a replica the temple of Greek king Mausolus, the original mausoleum." "The book also claims that it is a mausoleum holding the remains of 2 of its Masonic leaders." "In FACT, that's true!" "The story depicts the building as featuring two 17-ton sphinxes massive 33 ft columns and a huge bronze door." "The novel also claims a large skylight exists right above the temple's huge altar." "In reality, these descriptions are ACCURATE." "This is the home of the largest and most powerful Masonic group in the country," "The Southern Jurisdiction of The Scottish Rite." "In "The Lost Symbol," Professor Langdon comes face to face with with this statue of Albert Pike, a man many consider the most famous person you've never heard of." " Albert Pike is probably one of the least known, yet, influential man of letters" " and writings that this country has ever known." " Albert Pike was the Howard Stern, the "Shock Jock" of Freemasonry." " Albert Pike is probably one of the most misunderstood Freemasons in the world." " He's been vilified, many, many times vilified" " by individuals who are fundamentalists." "What the novel doesn't mention is that Albert Pike is one of the men buried inside the temple." "But why?" "Why would the Masons placed the body of someone so vilified into their temple?" " He certainly is a dark figure." " I tend to refer to him as a "Dark Francis Bacon"." " He was an enormous man, he stood over 6 ft tall." " He weighed more than 200 pounds." " He was a brilliant mathematician, linguist, jurist, orator, poet" " ...and he set out these rather exotic rituals for advanced Freemasonry." "Next to George Washington," "Albert Pike is considered one of the most influential Masons of all time." "After the anti--Masonic movement in 1820's and 1830's" "Albert Pike almost singlehandedly rejuvenated the Masons." "He revised and reorganized the Masonic rituals and laid out an overview of its core principles in his 1871 book: "Morals and Dogma"." "As the head of the Scottish Rite in Washington" "Pike's influence extended throughout the federal government." " He had an amazing network of people at his beckoned call, I would say." " He was very well connected to Capitol Hill." " He was loved and feared by many at the same time." "These Masonic connections proved useful to Pike in the wake of a serious scandal." "During the Civil War, Pike was accused of war crimes while serving as a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army." "But after the war, he was forgiven." " President Andrew Johnson granted him a full pardon in Washington DC" " during a Masonic ritual ceremony." " Pike turned around and made Andrew Johnson a high-ranking Mason in the Scottish Rite." " The accusation is often made that it was because he was subservient to the Grand Commander" " that he granted the pardon to Pike." "There were other rumors." "As Brown mentions in his book" "The Masons have been accused of many alleged conspiracies." "One involved Pike acting as a leader of an underground southern seccesionist group known as "The Knights of the Golden Circle."" " The idea of it was to oppose" " United States power and influence" " in North America by any means necessary" " by overthrowing the government in 1860, bu breaking up the country into civil war." "After the Civil War, other rumors linked to Pike to an even more controversial group: the KKK." " These individuals basically, in my opinion..." " were the greatest fabricators I've ever read" " and I get very disturbed thinking about them" " because they made claims like Pike was a member, a founding member" " created the KKK." "Biased!" "Attacks on Pike continued even after his death." "Author Dan Brown touches upon this when one of his characters describes the Masons as 'devil worshipers'." "What the tale doesn't address is that in 1894, a disgruntled former Mason writing under the pseudonym "Leo Taxil"" "depicted Pike and the Scottish Rite Freemasons as being in league with the devil." " He found a young lady that said that she was like the harlot, the medium that" " the Masonic lodges were using in their diabolical orgies" " and black magic and black masses behind their closed doors." " The Vatican bought into it" " and paid for it to be preached from the pulpit in all the churches." "Taxil went so far as to claim Albert Pike believed that" "Lucifer is God." "This was based on a quote from Pike's book, "Morals and Dogma"" "where Pike refers to Lucifer." "Anti-Mason groups immediately seized on this as a proof that Albert Pike was a Satanist." " They basically said, that when he mentioned Lucifer" " he was a devil worshiper, he was a satanic devil-worshiper" " ...the biggest of them all." " There were decrees written by the Pope at the time" " that specifically said that he was a dangerous man." "Masons, however, claimed that Pike was using the name "Lucifer"" "in its original Latin, meaning "the bearer of light"." " He was not referring to Satan, he was referring to a star" " The star of Venus !" " This is not devil worshipper or Satan worship." " What they mean by this was the light, the Enlightenment" " Enlightenment through logic, reason and science." "Leo Taxil eventually recanted saying he made up everything... but the damage had been done." " To this day televangelists like Pat Robinson love to pull Pike" " out of their little bag of tools" " to show that Freemasonry is part of a world conspiracy" " and they really worship the devil." "Just as Pike was accused of controlling the Masons, the U.S. government has been suspected of being involved in mind control." "INITIALIZING GPS:" "Northern California..." "In "The Lost Symbol," Brown's fictional scientist discusses how military researchers have long explored ways to harness the powers of the mind." "She mentions government programs involving ESP  Remote Viewing." "a kind of Telepathic Mind Travel." "This is based on an actual military experiment in which a volunteer is asked to describe a location inside the Soviet Union." "He is given only the geographical coordinates but he produced a drawing that have some amazing similarities to the actual place halfway around the world!" "It was all part of the secret military operation to use psychics to spy on the Soviets." "This kind of research is still going on and it plays a major role in "The Lost Symbol."" "One of the book's principle character is a scientist doing research into Noetics." "As the novel depicts, Noetic relates to experiences that many of us have everyday." "That nagging feeling you get that something is not right what we call 'intuition'." "That psychic connection that mothers seem to feel with their children." "The power of prayer, which seems to help a person heal." "These all fall under the realm of Noetic Science." "And the truth about Noetic Science is as strange as any fiction found in "The Lost Symbol."" "A serious scientific study of so-called Psychic Phenomena began in the 1930's when American parapsychologist JB Rhine began experimenting with ESP in a laboratory setting." "Rhine had his test subjects trying to predict which of 5 ESP cards would come up when pulled from a shuffle deck." "Each deck had 25 cards, so anything better than one in five to be evidence of some ESP ability." "Rhine reported some significant test results but traditional psychologists and scientists dismissed his work saying that his methods were flawed." "Rhine and other parapsychologists continued to work in relative obscurity until the Cold War." "In 1971, two British writers revealed that scientists in the Soviet Union had been investigating using ESP as a weapon." "As one of Brown's characters mentions those in power always seek more power." "One area they were particularly interested in was "remote viewing", the ability to see a distant or unseen target using ESP." "The Soviets were also looking into 'intention' the ability to affect a person, for good or bad simply by staring at a photograph of the person." "Once thet got wind of what the Soviets were doing the U.S. government rushed to set up their own program." " It began to accelerate a kind "Psychic Cold War"" " where in fact, you know, on one level" " people were talking about missiles, and missile silos" " and on the other, you had a team of psychics" " who were asked to use these potential capacities" " to gain reliable intelligence information." "The American project was codenamed "Stargate"" "and was funded by the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency." "The Noetic sicentist in the book draws connections between her own work and the CIA's Stargate." " Both the Soviets and the Americans were very interested" " in both the notion of mind over matter" " the idea that consciousness can somehow influence matter." "The program lasted for over 20 years." "At its peak, the Stargate project had as many as 14 labs researching remote viewing and got some results that seemed to indicate that remote viewing wasn't a myth." " And we know that there were cases where these remote viewers" " were able to make very accurate drawings of classified" " military sites on the other side of the Planet." "Despite these promising results, some politicians and military brass objected to taxpayer money funding this kind of research." "In 1995, the CIA terminated the $ 20 million project." "but the military continued to use psychics to gather intelligence." "During Desert Storm, remote viewers were brought on to help locate Scud missiles as well as stores of chemical and biological weapons." "Today, the government claims it is no longer involved with psychic research." "But the study of psychic phenomena continues at research facilities such as the Institute of Noetic Sciences." "The Institute was the brainchild of astronaut  freemason Edgar Mitchell." "who went to the moon with Apollo 14 in 1971." "While in space, Mitchell conducted some unofficial ESP experiments with some friends on earth." "On his return home, he had a life-changing experience." " Edgar had an epiphany coming back from the moon" " he looked at Planet Earth and recognizing that a lot of the conflict" " was a construction of our consciousness and our worldview." " He had a profound sense of unity" "like if the molecules in his body were connecting him to the solar system" " that we were all part of a entangled whole." "This experience inspired Mitchell to create the Institute of Noetic Sciences dedicated to the study of the human mind and its potential." "In "The Lost Symbol," the noetic scientist attempts to determine the weight of the soul in order to confirm its physical reality." "This is actually based on real-life experiments." "Early on, when scientists were trying to actually measure consciousness or the soul" " they actually set up an experiment" " where they tried to measure and weigh the body before and after death" " with the notion that somehow that they were weighing the soul." " Trying to weigh the soul is something that isn't considered to be a reliable outcome measure anymore..." " but what people have been trying to do is to develop a sort of a case" " for the notion that consciousness may be more than just physical." "Brown's fictional scientist believes her research shows that psychic phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition and mind over matter are real." "So do researchers here at the Institute of Noetic Sciences." " When you look at all of the data from each of these classes of experiments" " you find bery strong statistical evidence" " that not only is there a real effect, but it is repeatable" " and that's really the key in science:" "repeatable by independent laboratories." "Dan Brown's noetic scientist claims group thoughts as in prayer groups or healing circles can have profound effects." "In the real world, noetic sciences study the power of prayer and group consciousness to affect change." "Unlike the book's depiction, in the real world the results are inconclusive." " So I think at this point more research is absolutely needed" " because it is so widely practiced." " And simply dismiss it because it doesn't fit" " with our conventional scientific model" " is absolutely doing an injustice to a quality of experience" " that people have been living with for millennia." "So the science in Dan Brown's book might be light years ahead of the real noetic sciences." "Where else does the fact not in the vote to the fiction?" "As we've seen, Dan Brown set his thriller in a world of both fact and possibility." "Chambers of Reflection do exist, but not in the sub- basement of the Capitol Building." "The government did fund research into the power of the mind but not at the Smithsonian." "The severed hand was based on an actual legend." "And it is true that the US Capitol Building has a mural with" "George Washington transforming into a godlike figure." "We've also seen that aspects of Dan Brown's description of a hidden Washington are based hidden on actual people, locations and events." "The city does have references to ancient civilizations." "The Scottish Rite Temple does exist." "It does feature two 17-tons sphinxes out front and an unfinished pyramid on top." "The interior really has a huge temple with a skylight mimicking the All-Seeing Eye on the dollar bill and two bodies buried inside." "The novel's depiction of the secret symbols found in the city's layout has fascinated symbologists and conspiracy theorists around the world." "The cornerstone of The Washington Monument does contains a Bible and the Latin words "Laus Deo"" "meaning "Praise God" are written in its capstone." "The book's assertion that our founding fathers believed in astrology is TRUE." "The White House, the Capitol and Washington Monument are aligned according to the stars." "And their cornerstones were all laid out under the same astrological sign, Virgo." "And the National Cathedral contains ten stones from Mount Sinai a small rock from the moon and a gargoyle shaped like Darth Vader." "We also learn that the Masons are a real organization and that their secretive nature has generated controversy." "But it is also true that the book obscured many of their rituals and symbols." "One example is its use of the double-headed Phoenix on the cover." "The real Masonic symbol is a double-headed eagle." "Another Masonic secret alluded to but not portrayed in the book is the "Chain of Union."" "This ritual symbolizes the union of mind, spirit and body across the Universe the transformation from the "One" to the "all"." "This ceremony uses the power of group consciousness to create change." " When you have a number of people focused on a specific ritual" " ...a ritual that they've seen performed maybe hundreds of times before" " one would expect from the perspective of Noetic Sciences" " you are going to see some kind of change effected." " And that really is the great religious subtext of this book" " the idea that Apotheosis is possible." "Why does Dan Brown so captivate its readers with stories featuring codes and ciphers?" "Maybe it's because throughout history, world events have changed because of secret messages..." "Secrets that were kept and secrets that were not..." "A clue in the book involve a unique Puzzle created by Benjamin Franklin one of the most innovative of the founding fathers and a Freemason." " Benjamin Franklin was one of a kind." " This is the man who singlehandedly invented major social institutions" " like public libraries and the postal services in the colonies" " who wrote cogently about political philosophy" " was a publisher and published very important documents" " and who also was a scientist in an age where science was really just beginning to find its feet." " I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he should also engage recreational mathematics" " like with the Eight Order Franklin Square." " Creating magic squares is not easy." " And yet he made a little cottage industry out of it." " And that you'll find the Order Eight Franklin Square" " in one of his almanacs." " So we are talking about someone who is a multi-faceted genius" " and a statesman!" "While it's not mentioned in the book, George Washington was almost ruined by a secret plot." "During the war, American General Benedict Arnold almost singlehandedly lost the war by working with British agents." "His scheme was exposed only when American forces captured a British officer carrying a note encrypted with code in invisible ink." "In the book, Dan Brown writes of the legend of the Masonic pyramid and its role in protecting ancient mysteries." " Brown says in "The Lost Symbol" that the Masons are last custodians" " ...of the ancient mysteries." "And that's partially true." " The traditions of Freemasonry comes from lots and lots of different sources." "These sources include the influential writings of great thinkers such as Isaac Newton and Francis Bacon as well as the holy books, including the Bible, the Koran and Bhagavad Gita." " This is something where Dan Brown is historically quite accurate." " There were a number of mystery religions in Greece, in Rome, in Egypt." " Now what is of the mystery religions taught?" " Not to be a joker here, but it's a mystery." "In "The Lost Symbol," Brown writes of The Bible's immense power to transform for the better but also warns against the literal interpretation of its cryptic prose." "Our founding fathers insisted on the separation of Church and State." "It is also why the Masons go to such lengths to remove any religious dogma in their rituals and beliefs." "The novel relates that Thomas Jefferson went so far as to edit the Bible as to eliminate any interpretation." "And that is an accurate portrayal." " It took him 16 years." " What he did was he took a Bible and he cut out line after line" " of anything that Jesus said, and he said," " "That's what I wanted to focus on, what Jesus said, not all these interpreters!" "Where "The Lost Symbol" is wrong however is the Jefferson's Bible is given to every incoming members during the first half of the 19th century." "That happened in the 20th century." "An important theme in "The Lost Symbol" is the idea of transformation." "Brown's evil villain used tattoos as a declaration of power." "In the Chamber of Reflection an hourglass symbolized the transformative effects of time." "And a noetic scientist discussed the ability of the mind to transform cancer cells into healthy ones." " In Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"" " they talk about transformation in two ways..." " One is a kind of fanaticism" " that is very.. uhm..." " 'EXCLUSIVE'." " that ultimately lead to negative consequences." " You can think about Nazi Germany as being a transformational movement" " on the other hand we can look at the spiritual  wisdom traditions of the world" " and see that these kinds of transformations can lead" " to a flowering of our human potential." "As "The Lost Symbol" illuminates, our founding fathers understood that link to the past..." "Together they brought forth a Nation:" "A New Rome that built on these beliefs." " There is one thing that binds all Freemasons together:" "They are searching for light." " They are searching for wisdom, for truth." " They are attempting to make themselves better people in that search for light." "As we have seen, the novel uses some real facts in creating a great work of fiction." "But sometimes the real world is just as fascinating as an imaginary one." "Best watched using Open Subtitles MKV Player"