Bat Creek Stone and America Unearthed

I've received a number of queries asking for my reaction to the America Unearthed episode featuring the Bat Creek Stone ("Lost Relics of the Bible").

Overall, I thought it was one of the series' best episodes. Scott for the most part stuck to science and did a good job introducing the Bat Creek Stone as an important artifact. However, I would have liked to have seen three points expanded upon (yes, I know it is only an hour episode but there is so much repetition in this series that there is plenty of time to dive deeper into the investigations):

1. It could have been made clearer that the stone would have needed to be in the ground for many decades (centuries?) in order for the residue to wash away from the grooves--that is why Scott thinks it is ancient. Water would have penetrated the mound and slowly "bathed" the stone and cleaned out the grooves. Again, this would have taken many years, which points to the artifact's authenticity. (My guess is that Scott made this point but it was lost in the editing process.)

2. I would have liked Scott to have talked about the artifacts and bones found in the burial mound beneath the carved stone. The Cherokee tribal leaders have asked the Smithsonian to return the bones and artifacts so the tribe could test them but, last I heard, the Smithsonian was claiming they had been lost. I am not big into conspiracies, but this type of thing makes people wonder if there is some kind of cover-up going on. I'm surprised Scott didn't pursue this angle.

3. I would have also liked to see a stronger rebuttal directed at the naysayers who, inevitably, accuse the Smithsonian field agent who found the stone (John Emmert) of perpetuating a fraud or hoax, apparently in order to impress his boss. Here is a quote from one skeptic:

"John W. Emmert, a Smithsonian agent who conducted the 1889 excavation, forged the stone by disguising Paleo-Hebrew text copied from the 1870 Masonic text in order to create 'Cherokee' writing so he could impress his boss, Cyrus Thomas, by discovering pre-Columbian Native
writing."

http://www.jasoncolavito.com/1/post/2014/02/review-of-america-unearthed-s02e10-lost-relics-of-the-bible.html
So, instead of simply copying from other Cherokee script (examples of which existed as early as the 1810s), Emmert found a Masonic text, took from it Paleo-Hebrew writing, disguised it by turning it upside down, and then tried to pass it off as Cherokee... I'm sorry, my head hurts. Why go through such a convoluted process? And why would Emmert attempt to impress his boss with an artifact that was, frankly, unimpressive? (Remember, Emmert never claimed the artifact was Hebrew; in fact, his field notes show the carving drawn upside down.) He reported finding a stone carved with Cherokee writing in a Cherokee burial mound. Yawn. Hardly the type of discovery that leads to a promotion.

More to the point, nobody (including the Smithsonian) questioned the authenticity of the find until almost a hundred years after its discovery--only after Hebrew experts flipped the stone 180 degrees and concluded the script was Hebrew rather than Cherokee did anyone begin to question Emmert and his motivations. And does anyone else see the irony of the Smithsonian questioning its own employees? Should we thus assume other Smithsonian employees have also altered historical artifacts?

Regarding the naysayers, I am continually amazed by how zealously some critics attack Scott and his research. I do not agree with all of Scott's conclusions, but I do feel many of them are valid or at least merit further investigation. But the critics (easy enough to find through a Google search) have almost a visceral reaction every time Scott reaches a conclusion that runs contrary to accepted dogma. I understand that some of this criticism is borne of jealousy (one vociferous critic has repeatedly and unsuccessfully auditioned to play a host role similar to that played by Scott in America Unearthed). But there is an emotional, quasi-irrational aspect to these criticisms as well, with name-calling, personal attacks and intentional distortion of Scott's words.

I had some personal experience with one of these naysayers a couple of years ago. As part of the early planning for the show that would become America Unearthed, Scott asked me to travel to Tennessee with a film crew to investigate the Bat Creek Stone and do some interviews (Scott had to be at a wedding and could not go himself). One of the people we interviewed was an archeology professor from the University of Tennessee. He opined that the Bat Creek Stone was a fake. When I asked if his opinion would change if the artifacts found in the burial mound were tested by a reputable lab and the results showed the bones in the mound dated back to the first century AD and DNA showed a Middle-Eastern origin, he answered 'no.' When I asked why, he said that since he knew there were no explorers here before Columbus, any testing that showed otherwise must be flawed. He suggested that, in my scenario, somebody would have had to have somehow rigged the test. Nothing like making the evidence fit your theory!

I fear many others are equally close-minded, ignoring compelling evidence as they cling to their "Columbus first" dogma like a small child unwilling to let go of his or her belief in the Tooth Fairy.

Summary of Artifacts/Sites in Brody Novels

I often receive inquiries from readers wanting to know if a certain artifact or site is discussed in one of my novels. For example, "Do you investigate the Newport Tower in any of your books?"  So I thought I would take the time to summarize which artifacts/sites/subjects are discussed in my 3 "Templars in America" novels (in no particular order):

CABAL OF THE WESTFORD KNIGHT

Westford Knight Carving (aka the Westford Sword)
Westford Boat Stone
Westford "Encampment Site" Foundation
Newport Tower
Narragansett Rune Stone
Spirit Pond Rune Stones
Kensington Rune Stone
Scott Wolter
Hooked X Rune
Dotted R Rune
Noman's Land Rune Stone (aka No Man's Land Rune Stone)
Tyngsboro Map Stone
Machias Bay Petroglyphs
Oak Island Money Pit
America's Stonehenge
America's Stonehenge's Sacrificial Stone
Bourne Stone
Lake Memphremagog Artifacts
Stone Holes (some call Anchor Holes or Mooring Holes)
Zeno Narrative and Zeno Map
Roslyn Chapel
Delta of Enoch
Tetragrammaton
Kilmore Church Stained Glass Window
Royston Cave Carving
Touro Synagogue
Touro Cemetery
Mary Magdalene
Merovingians
Freemasons
Knights Templar
Cistercians
Bernard de Clairvaux
Biblical Figure, Enoch
Judge Samuel Sewell
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

THIEF ON THE CROSS

Burrows Cave Artifacts
Michigan Tablets (aka Scotford-Soper Relics)
Bat Creek Stone
Ohio Decalogue Stone
Catskill Goddess Stone
Catskill "In Camera" Stone (aka Latitude Stone)
Prince Madoc Legend
Mandan Native Americans
Dry Stone Mural
Notre Dame Basilica (Montreal)
Notre Dame Basilica "Trigrammaton"
Delta of Enoch
Talpiot Tomb
Bon-Secours Chapel Cornerstone
Vinland
L'Anse Aux Meadows
Icelandic Sagas
Cave-in-Rock
King Juba II
Queen Cleopatra Selene
America's Stonehenge
America's Stonehenge's "Baal" Stone
John the Baptist
Johannism
Mary Magdalene
Essenes
Leonardo da Vinci's "Virgin of the Rocks"
Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"
Leonardo da Vinci's "St. John the Baptist"
Book of Mormon
Freemasons
Knights Templar
The Newport Tower

POWDERED GOLD

Tucson Lead Artifacts
Mustang Mountain Rune Stone
Los Lunas Decalogue Stone
Mary Magdalene
The Toltecs
The Aztecs
Notre Dame Basilica (Montreal)
Chichen Itza Bearded White God
Quetzalcoatl
Cistercian Monastery, Tarragona Spain (14th Cent. Painting)
Coptic Christian Fragment
Dead Sea Scrolls
Kilmore Church Stained Glass Window
Grand Canyon (artifacts and hieroglyphs)
Mfkzt
David Hudson
White Powdered Gold
Serabit al Khadim
Ark of the Covenant
Manna
Moses
Sigmund Freud
Baghdad Battery
America's Stonehenge
Stonehenge England
America's Stonehenge's "Baal" Stone
Walt Disney's "Little Mermaid"
Georges de la Tour's "Magdalene with the Smoking Flame"
"In Hoc Signo Vinces" Stone (Newport, RI)
The Newport Tower
Book of Mormon
Roslyn Chapel
Azazel
Bezaleel
Freemasons
Knights Templar

Rock Bottom

I spend a lot of time with fellow researchers in the woods, examining rock formations and carvings. Sometimes we get a bit overzealous and misinterpret natural formations as manmade. This image (courtesy of Karla Akins) made me laugh. Entitled "Rock Bottom," I wonder if it is naturally occurring or instead was carved by some early explorers looking for a way to disrespectfully "moon" their enemies ;-)

Brody New Novel

The third novel in my "Templars in America" series, Powdered Gold, is now out. This follows Cabal of the Westford Knight and Thief on the Cross. 

Again, the plot turns on artifacts that seem to indicate exploration of America before Columbus. The characters focus primarily on the Mustang Mountain Rune Stone (top) and the Tucson Lead Artifacts, pictured here.

 

 

The book also reveals some fascinating new alignments at both America's Stonehenge and the Newport Tower.

The book is available now at Amazon, with Kindle and Nook coming live over the next week:
http://www.amazon.com/Powdered-Gold-Templars-American-Covenant/dp/0985833076/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386711172&sr=1-1#reader_B00GWTYJ5K

Below is a synopsis of the story.

*************************************************************

Historian Cameron Thorne and his fiancée Amanda Spencer don’t for a second believe the Ark of the Covenant is hidden in a cave in the Arizona desert. But when a militant Survivalist leads them to a radioactive replica of the Ark, filled with a mysterious white powder, they begin to wonder if legends of Templar Knights visiting the American Southwest on a secret mission might be true. What is this strange white powder? And is it the key to understanding the true power of both Moses and the sacred Ark of the Covenant?

In the deserts of the American Southwest, they examine artifacts such as the Mustang Mountain Rune Stone, the Tucson Lead artifacts, the Los Lunas Decalogue Stone and the Grand Canyon cave drawings—do these objects, along with ancient Aztec/Toltec legends, somehow tie back to the Knights Templar or their French forbearers?

Working with a militant survivalist attempting to go “off grid” in the Arizona foothills, Cam and Amanda also investigate a strange, seemingly-magical substance called White Powdered Gold, or ORME, derived from the desert sands of Arizona. They are intrigued by the similarities between this substance and manna, the miraculous food that nourished the Israelites while they wandered in the desert. Is it possible that White Powdered Gold is the key to understanding the mysteries of, and power behind, the sacred Ark of the Covenant? More ominously, has a radicalized group within the Defense Department reached the same conclusion and vowed to silence anyone who might disclose this secret?

Narragansett Rune Stone Recovered

Approximately one year ago the Narragansett Rune Stone was stolen, the multi-ton boulder hoisted out of Narragansett Bay under the cloak of darkness. A few months ago the Rhode Island authorities secured the return of the artifact; it now sits in a warehouse at the URI campus in Narragansett. Recently we were given permission to film the artifact for the movie adaptation of "Cabal of the Westford Knight." Here are some images of the boulder and the carving, including the forklift marks suffered when the boulder was moved.

Narragansett Rune Stone Recovered

Happy to report that the Narragansett Rune Stone has been recovered by RI authorities working with the RI Attorney General. The artifact, a large boulder sitting in Narragansett Bay, had been removed/stolen last summer, purportedly by an abutting land owner who apparently didn't appreciate its possible connections to ancient exploration of the area. The good news is that, now that the boulder is on land, the artifact can be preserved and studied. Here's a short article:

http://eastgreenwich.patch.com/articles/narragansett-rune-stone-returned-to-be-tested#photo-14125930

Disney and The Goddess

Instead of posting about a new artifact, I wanted to share some research I've been doing regarding the ancient secret societies and their belief in the need for duality (a balance of male and female) in the godhead.

 

I believe that many Freemasons and other members of secret societies aren't aware that their organizations are carrying forward the ancient secrets regarding Goddess worship and the belief in the need for duality in the godhead. But Walt Disney was a high level Mason who knew all about this stuff and imbedded these themes in his stories. If you look at the Disney films like "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty," the storyline is always about a prince who can not effectively rule his kingdom until he finds his princess (who I believe  represents Mary Magdalene). Blocking this quest is the evil stepmother—the usurping “mother” who really is not a mother at all (representing the “Mother Church,” claiming to be the bride of God). The kingdom is dysfunctional until finally the evil stepmother is overthrown and the princess takes her rightful place aside the prince/king, thus creating balance and happiness in the land.

Flash forward a few decades to some of the more modern Disney films, and this theme continues and is expanded upon. In Zodiacal terms, the Age of Pisces (which began with Jesus and followed the age of Aries) is now ending and the Age of Aquarius is dawning:

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius

(The Fifth Dimension, from “Hair”)

So Disney in 1989 releases “The Little Mermaid.” Again, the prince Eric can’t effectively rule his kingdom until he finds his princess, Ariel. The twist, of course, is that Ariel lives under the sea (again, with no mother). Eric needs to turn to the water, or Aquarius, to find this goddess and usher in a time of happiness.  (For those who think this movie is anti-feminist, note that the worst thing that happens to Ariel in the movie is that she "gives up her voice" in a deal with the evil Ursula.)

If you think this is a stretch, take a look at the film at the point where Ariel is singing “Part of Your World.” During the song she is looking thru her treasure chest. In addition to jewels and heirlooms, she pulls out a portrait of Mary Magdalene. See image below. A random coincidence?

 

"Magdalene with the Smoking Flame" by Georges de la Tour