The Lost Symbol
A Review by Corinne McLaughlin
I enjoyed Dan Brown’s previous books, but I
was especially interested in reading The Lost Symbol when I heard
it was about Washington, D.C., secret wisdom, and the Freemasons. My
husband and I had researched the metaphysical and Masonic backgrounds of
the Founding Fathers, as well as the esoteric symbolism on the dollar bill
for our 1994 book Spiritual Politics (which included a Foreword by
the Dalai Lama). It was intriguing to think this important information
would be in a book whose initial printing was five million copies and
which would likely sell millions more worldwide.
I don’t usually like thrillers and often
skip over the violence in them, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from
Dan Brown’s newest book. But to my relief, the thriller/action/political
conspiracy sections of the book are interwoven with well-researched
insights about quantum physics, esoteric symbolism in Washington’s
architecture, and deep philosophical teachings from Christianity,
Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Rosicrucianism, Hermeticism, etc. And
it’s still a very exciting page turner, with lots of surprising plot
twists.
I won’t give away plot details in the book,
but I was impressed that Brown didn’t just exploit paranoid conspiracy
theories about Freemasonry—nor did he write bland, mainstream explanations
of Masonry (which is often seen merely as a career stepping stone for many
businessmen). Instead, he had his characters discuss the deeper,
spiritual dimensions of Masonry, the Ageless Wisdom which connects the
inner teachings of the world’s religions and emphasizes the presence of
God within each person.
I was quite intrigued that the author
mentioned The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) on the opening page, as
a real, not fictional institute, as I’ve lectured at their conferences
many times. A key part of their work is scientific research on the effect
of mind over matter and what’s called “quantum entanglement”—how we’re all
interconnected. In fact, IONS director Marilyn Schlitz, who didn’t even
know her institute was mentioned in the book until the day it came out,
just wrote a blog about the uncanny connections between her and a key
character in the book.
Lynne McTaggart’s fascinating Intention
Experiment is also described in the book, which I’ve participated in,
along with thousands of people around the world. Participants set an
intention mentally (using meditation, prayer, or focused thought) to bring
a reduction in violence in a specific, targeted location, and scientific
research has shown statistically significant results about the effect of
mind on matter.
An early indicator about the book was
Brown’s opening quote from Manly P. Hall’s book, The Secret Teachings
of All Ages: “To live in the world without becoming aware of the
meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without
touching the books.” I had met Manly Hall many years ago at his
Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, and studied many of his
books on the Ageless Wisdom. The Lost Symbol is full of ideas
similar to Hall’s research. And interestingly, Manly Hall was a 33 degree
Mason, like characters in the book, and some of his final experiences
before his mysterious death had echoes of plot lines in Brown’s book.
I was guided to buy The Lost Symbol
through a series of coincidences similar to what unfolds in the book, as I
was trying to get to the other side of a shopping mall and just happened
to take a shortcut through a bookstore the day after the book came out.
The next evening, I suddenly felt an unusual urge to turn on the TV and
the History Channel came on first (though I rarely watch it). It just
happened to be showing Secrets of the Dollar Bill and Mysteries
of the Freemasons, key themes found in the book, so I knew I had to
read and review Brown’s book right away.
While reading The Lost Symbol last
week, I relived much of my own amazing experiences discovering the
esoteric side of Washington, D.C. where I lived for over 13 years and
directed The Center for Visionary Leadership. I discovered there are far
more intriguing secrets than are even covered in this 509 page book. For
more insights, check out our article on the Deeper, Secret Roots of
America’s Founding, and/or order our book
Spiritual Politics. And see Dan Brown’s recent interview
on CNN (now on YouTube), to get an intuitive hit about who he really is.
If you want
proof that the Ageless Wisdom found in The Lost Symbol is not just
fiction—it’s real and alive today--check out some excellent non-fiction
books on spirituality and social change to inspire you with applied,
practical examples: Andrew Harvey’s The Hope: A Guide to Sacred
Activism, Duane Elgin’s The Living Universe, and Jim Wallis’
The Great Awakening.
Corinne McLaughlin is co-founder of The Center for
Visionary Leadership and co-author of Spiritual Politics: Changing the
World from the Inside Out. (www.visionarylead.org)
THE CENTER FOR VISIONARY LEADERSHIP
Email: cvldc@visionarylead.org
Website:
www.visionarylead.org