There is just no way that I can pick up another Dan Brown book and wend my way through it. Reading a Dan Brown book (I definitely can’t call his ‘Langdon’ stuff novels) is an exercise in exquisite torture – as the King of Contrivance and comic book-styled relationships — matches fascinating (though often ‘dodgey’) research — with an insipid story line.
As I may have mentioned in earlier essays – I had to put The Da Vinci Code down many times when I wanted to throttle Mr. Brown, and, though coming highly recommended by a two-term Viet Nam vet – Angels and Demons affected me similarly.
So even though my father implored me to read The Lost Symbol – I elected to read Simon Cox’s Decoding The Lost Symbol instead – and piece together the plot of TLS utilizing my own faculties – rather than subject myself to Brownie’s thoroughly horrific prose!
But as I suggested, in the two Dan Brown books I have read, he has always managed to expose me to information I had previously been oblivious to, and, in Simon Cox’s alphabetized glossary of terms I learned about: Manly P. Hall; Hermeticism; and, that it was Zoroastrianism that originated the belief in a single god, and, not – as I had earlier surmised, the Jews.
I am pleased that in TLS — Danny Boy is suggesting what I have been suggesting to my fundamentalist friends for quite some time now: that god is within each of us. I am also pleased that this idea has been around for quite some time. I am triply pleased that I came to the understanding through my own agonizing and research (probably in that order – and then blended to become agonizing research). I suggest to my Fundamentalist Fellows – that they’ll come round to Hermeticism in 10-years-or-so (Brother Paul I give 7 years). Come-to-think-of-it – my Father quit going to church before any-of-us and verbalized his Hermetic belief – much to my Lutheran Mother’s chagrin (so perhaps my very own Father got me headed in this direction).
Zoroastrianism is a bit more obtuse and difficult to get a handle on. Simon Cox suggests that the Z religion began in approximately 1300 B.C. But most internet sources suggest that Abraham lived sometime between 1500—2000 B.C. – which gives Big Daddy a-leg-up on the Z-types. And we also know that Big Daddy Abraham is considered the Grandpappy of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Did he come up with this single god thing on his own, or, did he borrow it from the Z-types and put his own stamp on it — as other sources push the Z religion back to circa 1700 B.C.? And though some may consider this time line obsession of mine as nit-picking and unimportant – I find it highly important — as the alleged first worshipper of one god (in the place where all the gods and prophets come from) was an Egyptian pharaoh – who was deemed a heretic by his own people…and this character, I gather, was the first sun worshipper.
I now have to get-a-hold-of Manly P. Hall’s The Secret Teachings of All Ages. I remember old supervisor and social scientist extraordinaire, Dr. Carlfred Broderick, suggesting that I was better suited to be Manly Hall disciple than I was a social scientist. So I hope to be enlightened by this book that sounds quite interesting, and, apparently dovetails with much of my thinking. I’ll be getting it soon…in-the-meantime, Daniel Brown will continue raking in money; Tom Hanks will prepare for a new Professor Langdon role; and, I – well I hope to find that lost chord – the one that has me searching for those consciences in resonance…the Holy Grail of music if you will…