A question regarding Secret History of the World
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lord jim
The Force is Strong With This One
okay, it's taken me a while to get to this review...but i took today off cause i'm a little under the weather, so i have a little time to run through the basic themes of booth's book, "a secret history of the world: as laid down by the secret societies"
booth/black starts his book off with an alluring promise to condense all the esoteric knowledge from the secret societies into one compendium (a tall order). the book is peppered with the statement that everything is upside down and backwards, something that is plain enough. he apparently is an editor over in england and has edited many occult books...and eventually met a man who was clearly "another order of being". this man was apparently an adept of some sort and grade. he essentially took booth/black under his wing to prep him for initiation, which he ultimately didn't take, so he could right this book. and apparently he was also a bit scared about having to go through a near-death experience, something that most of these initiations entail.
i should say that this is a pretty difficult book to write a synopsis of, mostly because he hits upon so many themes, stories, legends, and philosophies. he weaves through them pretty quickly, making statements that range from tenable, to untenable, to a bit ridiculous. to be clear, i have no problem with ridiculous statements as long as there is some sort of evidence behind it.
the first chapter is a pretty straight-forward genesis history with the central idea that the physical world is a manifestation of the mind. the mind has essentially condensed further and further until we have physical matter. thoughts have given rise to all that surrounds us, including our human body. the evolution of the human body is something that he sticks with pretty much through the entire book. in the beginning, there was no time, no space, no objects, no subjects. no sun, no stars. the mind of god was the primary mental event which gave rise to all else. and actually that's what makes us like god. not because we made god, but (and remember: everything is upsidedown) god made us in his likeness. so, again, nothing too untenable. thought gives rise to a sort of proto-matter, then etheric gas, then gas, then liquid, and solids. the idea that thought gave rise to the physicality of the world is accompanied by the idea that our emotions also give rise to the physicality. it effects it in a direct way...the way we "feel" about things don't just change is subjectively, but objectively.
there is one thread in the book that stood out to me; booth would progressively build this analogy of the human consisting of mineral and plant consciousness (and animals as well, but that's for later). this was something that i found sort of interesting as a metaphor, but booth seemed to be insistent that it is literally true that we evolved from plant consciousness. there were many references to the energy centers, the chakras, and the energy meridians being the plant part of our being. and of course it's sort of true that these energy centers can be well represented by blooming flowers. we apparently spent vast amounts of time as a plant-like, unconscious being, that took in cosmic energy sort of like plants take in sunlight. this underlying energy structure still exists within us, however, our current animal/human body has sort of hardened around it. in the past certain humans still had these metaphysical, plantlike modes of perception. the third eye, i suppose, one one such "bud" that certain humans, who hadn't hardened as much as the rest of us, could use. like i said, i find this interesting, because i read enough rudolph steiner to give me the impression that some of these theories are plausible...but are perhaps not as cut and dry as booth would have us believe.
as i sit here listening to this audio book in an attempt to give a tidy summary, i realize again why the information in this book didn't really stick the first time through. it's not that it's hard to understand or badly written; i just can't seem to lock on to concrete ideas. there are all sorts of assumptions and sort of new agey fluff, that i don't necessarily disagree with...but there's nothing said that frequently that one could agree with either. it’s such a vast potpourri of occult tales, metaphysical theories, and pseudoscientific drivel with endless rabbit-holes and tangents that don't really go anywhere. there are time when the discussion breaks off entirely after promising to deliver something mind-blowing. I hate to not try to do it some justice by giving a good summary, but it twists and turns from subject to subject, non sequiturs abound, and there is just very little substance to draw from. let me just give the chapter titles and subtitles...this will go a long way in explaining the confusion:
chapter 3: the garden of eden, the genesis code, enter the dark lord, the flower people
chapter 4: lucifer, the light of the world, the apple of desire, a war in heaven, the secrets of the days of the week
chapter 13: reason (and how to rise above it), elijah and elisha, isiah, exoteric buddhism, pythagoras, lao tzu
i'm sure there are a lot of ways to connect these random topics, but there's never a strong thread throughout, so you end up swimming in a sea of information and assertion.
chapter five actually seems like it might get into some interesting discussion. it's entitled: "the gods who loved women, the nephilim, the genetic engineering of humankind, the fishgods, the origin history of the origins of the species". but again, after a lot of hype there's not a lot of substance) in this chapter, he intimates that we are about to enter into one of murkier topics, even in the secret societies the veil is drawn. stories and legends about fish people emerging from the ocean to teach the native people of the land are shared in extreme thumbnail sketches. mention is made that some depictions of zeus show him with a fish tail next to his brother poseidon. and then there's a doozy "some modern writers outside the esoteric tradition, have seen in this fish imagery evidence for an alien invasion in ancient times. it's even been suggested that the human race was genetically engineered by alien invaders, which is a good illustration of the way that esoteric traditions are misinterpreted by people trying to impose a materialistic interpretation on them. if our candidate for initiation had been initiated to a high enough level, he would have been taught the truth of the matter. something very like the following:"
and in like manner, many interesting topics for discussion are papered over...and ironically, he goes about giving a very materialistic explanation for these fishmen stories. after some discussion the book or enoch and genesis, he reveals that the watchers/the fishmen/the titans/the men of renowned are in fact the olympian gods. the olympian king of the gods, zeus, raped other female gods turning them into various animals. and look, the stars have been related to animal forms. all of this is the mythical reflection of the evolution of the human from the animal forms into there present forms. and of course, the fish is the first animal which eventually crept onto land initiating the sequence of evolution resulting in the human.
after looking around online for some good reviews of this book, i've found a good synopsis of some of booth's main points by laura miller on salon.com (http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/01/28/secret_societies):
1. You are the center of the universe. Even in the traditional Christian worldview, in which God's eye rests upon the lowly sparrow, a single soul can feel insignificant. In Booth's universe, "Nothing happens in the cosmos except to affect humanity in some way." The universe cannot attain its destiny until each human mind is reunited with the cosmic mind, and by extension, the littlest event in your own psyche has repercussions that extend throughout creation.
2. Everything has meaning. Instead of inhabiting a world of sometimes frightening randomness, every event and every molecule of matter is suffused with purpose, the purpose of elevating human consciousness to the level of the divine. Far from being alone in the universe, humanity is surrounded by intelligent spirits keenly interested in its affairs. Every work of art and architecture is packed with coded clues alluding to the secret practices that have enabled special individuals to communicate with and even master those spirits.
3. Human beings control everything. Even in cases when bad luck, laziness, disorganization and simple ineptitude might seem to explain why certain events occur (or fail to occur), the truth is that somebody, somewhere is covertly pulling the strings. The string-puller's intentions may be (in fact, quite possibly are) malevolent, but nothing happens by accident or because everybody is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just as everything has meaning, everything is intended, even if we don't know by whom.
4. The answers to all life's questions are known within a special club. If you're in it, you get to participate in exciting initiation ceremonies and exchange secret passwords and signs, as well as partake of the mysteries of the universe. If you're not in it, you get to participate in exciting investigations into the club's hidden influence on world affairs and exchange the results of your detective work with other fearless seekers after truth. Either way, you have the inside scoop.
5. Superpowers are attainable. According to Booth, some "adepts" in the esoteric disciplines have acquired the ability to perform such diverse feats as levitation, reading minds, visiting other people in their dreams, rearranging the molecular structure of metals, and killing a goat by staring at it for 15 minutes.
6. History never has to be boring. All major turning points in the past are orchestrated by divinely inspired geniuses who have been initiated into secret societies, communicate with spirits and are invested with superpowers. Artists and scientists achieve wonders not by virtue of unstinting hard work and devotion combined with genetic gifts, but are blessed with supernatural abilities that destine them for success. Wars and revolutions happen not as a result of tedious economic factors like excessive taxation and trade imbalances, but as part of titanic struggles between good and evil. For example, Julius Caesar invaded Britain not in search of tribute and tin in order to fund the Roman empire, but because he planned to pass himself off as the Sun god and needed to wipe out the Druids before their teachings exposed him as a sham.
7. You don't have to die. This is, of course, the killer app of religions everywhere. In Booth's vision of the esoteric philosophies, the main purpose of secret rituals and doctrine was to instruct initiates on what to expect beyond the grave in order to lessen the terror of the "after-death experience" and prepare them for reincarnation.
[Did you notice that I listed seven features? That's the sacred number of the planetary spirit beings! This can only signify that I, too, must be a secret initiate, trying to put the scientists off the scent!]
anyhow, sorry for the somewhat uninformative discussion, but i'm actually just eager to get back to your book, laura. let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything.
booth/black starts his book off with an alluring promise to condense all the esoteric knowledge from the secret societies into one compendium (a tall order). the book is peppered with the statement that everything is upside down and backwards, something that is plain enough. he apparently is an editor over in england and has edited many occult books...and eventually met a man who was clearly "another order of being". this man was apparently an adept of some sort and grade. he essentially took booth/black under his wing to prep him for initiation, which he ultimately didn't take, so he could right this book. and apparently he was also a bit scared about having to go through a near-death experience, something that most of these initiations entail.
i should say that this is a pretty difficult book to write a synopsis of, mostly because he hits upon so many themes, stories, legends, and philosophies. he weaves through them pretty quickly, making statements that range from tenable, to untenable, to a bit ridiculous. to be clear, i have no problem with ridiculous statements as long as there is some sort of evidence behind it.
the first chapter is a pretty straight-forward genesis history with the central idea that the physical world is a manifestation of the mind. the mind has essentially condensed further and further until we have physical matter. thoughts have given rise to all that surrounds us, including our human body. the evolution of the human body is something that he sticks with pretty much through the entire book. in the beginning, there was no time, no space, no objects, no subjects. no sun, no stars. the mind of god was the primary mental event which gave rise to all else. and actually that's what makes us like god. not because we made god, but (and remember: everything is upsidedown) god made us in his likeness. so, again, nothing too untenable. thought gives rise to a sort of proto-matter, then etheric gas, then gas, then liquid, and solids. the idea that thought gave rise to the physicality of the world is accompanied by the idea that our emotions also give rise to the physicality. it effects it in a direct way...the way we "feel" about things don't just change is subjectively, but objectively.
there is one thread in the book that stood out to me; booth would progressively build this analogy of the human consisting of mineral and plant consciousness (and animals as well, but that's for later). this was something that i found sort of interesting as a metaphor, but booth seemed to be insistent that it is literally true that we evolved from plant consciousness. there were many references to the energy centers, the chakras, and the energy meridians being the plant part of our being. and of course it's sort of true that these energy centers can be well represented by blooming flowers. we apparently spent vast amounts of time as a plant-like, unconscious being, that took in cosmic energy sort of like plants take in sunlight. this underlying energy structure still exists within us, however, our current animal/human body has sort of hardened around it. in the past certain humans still had these metaphysical, plantlike modes of perception. the third eye, i suppose, one one such "bud" that certain humans, who hadn't hardened as much as the rest of us, could use. like i said, i find this interesting, because i read enough rudolph steiner to give me the impression that some of these theories are plausible...but are perhaps not as cut and dry as booth would have us believe.
as i sit here listening to this audio book in an attempt to give a tidy summary, i realize again why the information in this book didn't really stick the first time through. it's not that it's hard to understand or badly written; i just can't seem to lock on to concrete ideas. there are all sorts of assumptions and sort of new agey fluff, that i don't necessarily disagree with...but there's nothing said that frequently that one could agree with either. it’s such a vast potpourri of occult tales, metaphysical theories, and pseudoscientific drivel with endless rabbit-holes and tangents that don't really go anywhere. there are time when the discussion breaks off entirely after promising to deliver something mind-blowing. I hate to not try to do it some justice by giving a good summary, but it twists and turns from subject to subject, non sequiturs abound, and there is just very little substance to draw from. let me just give the chapter titles and subtitles...this will go a long way in explaining the confusion:
chapter 3: the garden of eden, the genesis code, enter the dark lord, the flower people
chapter 4: lucifer, the light of the world, the apple of desire, a war in heaven, the secrets of the days of the week
chapter 13: reason (and how to rise above it), elijah and elisha, isiah, exoteric buddhism, pythagoras, lao tzu
i'm sure there are a lot of ways to connect these random topics, but there's never a strong thread throughout, so you end up swimming in a sea of information and assertion.
chapter five actually seems like it might get into some interesting discussion. it's entitled: "the gods who loved women, the nephilim, the genetic engineering of humankind, the fishgods, the origin history of the origins of the species". but again, after a lot of hype there's not a lot of substance) in this chapter, he intimates that we are about to enter into one of murkier topics, even in the secret societies the veil is drawn. stories and legends about fish people emerging from the ocean to teach the native people of the land are shared in extreme thumbnail sketches. mention is made that some depictions of zeus show him with a fish tail next to his brother poseidon. and then there's a doozy "some modern writers outside the esoteric tradition, have seen in this fish imagery evidence for an alien invasion in ancient times. it's even been suggested that the human race was genetically engineered by alien invaders, which is a good illustration of the way that esoteric traditions are misinterpreted by people trying to impose a materialistic interpretation on them. if our candidate for initiation had been initiated to a high enough level, he would have been taught the truth of the matter. something very like the following:"
and in like manner, many interesting topics for discussion are papered over...and ironically, he goes about giving a very materialistic explanation for these fishmen stories. after some discussion the book or enoch and genesis, he reveals that the watchers/the fishmen/the titans/the men of renowned are in fact the olympian gods. the olympian king of the gods, zeus, raped other female gods turning them into various animals. and look, the stars have been related to animal forms. all of this is the mythical reflection of the evolution of the human from the animal forms into there present forms. and of course, the fish is the first animal which eventually crept onto land initiating the sequence of evolution resulting in the human.
after looking around online for some good reviews of this book, i've found a good synopsis of some of booth's main points by laura miller on salon.com (http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/01/28/secret_societies):
1. You are the center of the universe. Even in the traditional Christian worldview, in which God's eye rests upon the lowly sparrow, a single soul can feel insignificant. In Booth's universe, "Nothing happens in the cosmos except to affect humanity in some way." The universe cannot attain its destiny until each human mind is reunited with the cosmic mind, and by extension, the littlest event in your own psyche has repercussions that extend throughout creation.
2. Everything has meaning. Instead of inhabiting a world of sometimes frightening randomness, every event and every molecule of matter is suffused with purpose, the purpose of elevating human consciousness to the level of the divine. Far from being alone in the universe, humanity is surrounded by intelligent spirits keenly interested in its affairs. Every work of art and architecture is packed with coded clues alluding to the secret practices that have enabled special individuals to communicate with and even master those spirits.
3. Human beings control everything. Even in cases when bad luck, laziness, disorganization and simple ineptitude might seem to explain why certain events occur (or fail to occur), the truth is that somebody, somewhere is covertly pulling the strings. The string-puller's intentions may be (in fact, quite possibly are) malevolent, but nothing happens by accident or because everybody is running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Just as everything has meaning, everything is intended, even if we don't know by whom.
4. The answers to all life's questions are known within a special club. If you're in it, you get to participate in exciting initiation ceremonies and exchange secret passwords and signs, as well as partake of the mysteries of the universe. If you're not in it, you get to participate in exciting investigations into the club's hidden influence on world affairs and exchange the results of your detective work with other fearless seekers after truth. Either way, you have the inside scoop.
5. Superpowers are attainable. According to Booth, some "adepts" in the esoteric disciplines have acquired the ability to perform such diverse feats as levitation, reading minds, visiting other people in their dreams, rearranging the molecular structure of metals, and killing a goat by staring at it for 15 minutes.
6. History never has to be boring. All major turning points in the past are orchestrated by divinely inspired geniuses who have been initiated into secret societies, communicate with spirits and are invested with superpowers. Artists and scientists achieve wonders not by virtue of unstinting hard work and devotion combined with genetic gifts, but are blessed with supernatural abilities that destine them for success. Wars and revolutions happen not as a result of tedious economic factors like excessive taxation and trade imbalances, but as part of titanic struggles between good and evil. For example, Julius Caesar invaded Britain not in search of tribute and tin in order to fund the Roman empire, but because he planned to pass himself off as the Sun god and needed to wipe out the Druids before their teachings exposed him as a sham.
7. You don't have to die. This is, of course, the killer app of religions everywhere. In Booth's vision of the esoteric philosophies, the main purpose of secret rituals and doctrine was to instruct initiates on what to expect beyond the grave in order to lessen the terror of the "after-death experience" and prepare them for reincarnation.
[Did you notice that I listed seven features? That's the sacred number of the planetary spirit beings! This can only signify that I, too, must be a secret initiate, trying to put the scientists off the scent!]
anyhow, sorry for the somewhat uninformative discussion, but i'm actually just eager to get back to your book, laura. let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything.
Oh boy. No, no elaboration needed. Sounds like the book is a load of horse-hockey. About as much as his pal, Graham Hancock's "Supernatural." Followed by another member of that club's nonsense, Colin Wilson's "Atlantis and the Kingdom of the Neanderthals."
Now, if you want to read a good one, try Stoyanov's "The Other God." And "The Diluvian Impact" and "Man and Impact in the Americas" and "The Cosmic Serpent."
Now, if you want to read a good one, try Stoyanov's "The Other God." And "The Diluvian Impact" and "Man and Impact in the Americas" and "The Cosmic Serpent."
Thanks for the review, lord jim. I don't think I'll add this one to my present/future reading list. ;)
LOL! I had the same reaction reading some passages! The great gift is that Laura makes one think even when, as readers, we would like the easy way. It really makes one ask questions, try to follow by adding more to it. Almost as if the reader was directly involved in the research. And then, at some parts, you get to Laura's conclusion or hypothesis, and you are like "Gee, I totally didn't think about that connection!". And there it goes again, more and more thinking. :D I never liked history until I read this book. Can you imagine if it was taught in the same way at school?
lord jim said:
LOL! I had the same reaction reading some passages! The great gift is that Laura makes one think even when, as readers, we would like the easy way. It really makes one ask questions, try to follow by adding more to it. Almost as if the reader was directly involved in the research. And then, at some parts, you get to Laura's conclusion or hypothesis, and you are like "Gee, I totally didn't think about that connection!". And there it goes again, more and more thinking. :D I never liked history until I read this book. Can you imagine if it was taught in the same way at school?
lord jim
The Force is Strong With This One
oh, i didn't know colin wilson was in with those guys (i had read something about hancock and booth working together). i sort of like colin wilson. i've read his "mysteries" and "the occult"....also "from atlantis to the sphinx". i suppose i put him in the category of an inquiring mind who had some ideas, which may or may not have much validity. i remember one of his books he had the thesis of "the x factor" or something to that effect...and ran with that the whole way through. but at least he was pretty honest about that being an hypothesis of sorts. anyhow, i don't know. i haven't read those books for years now.
i was actually just looking up his "from atlantis to the sphinx", and actually the one i read was "from the sphinx to christ: an occult history" by edouard schure (got 'em mixed up), which i thought was pretty good (perhaps not the end-all be-all or the be-all end-all, whatever). all my books are still packed from the move...so i can't flip back through the book. anyhow, i digress... :P
i was actually just looking up his "from atlantis to the sphinx", and actually the one i read was "from the sphinx to christ: an occult history" by edouard schure (got 'em mixed up), which i thought was pretty good (perhaps not the end-all be-all or the be-all end-all, whatever). all my books are still packed from the move...so i can't flip back through the book. anyhow, i digress... :P
lord jim
The Force is Strong With This One
ailen, that would be great if the secret history was taught in schools. imagine what type of talented historians and scientists we would have on the tracks of these ancient civilizations along with the reasons for their demise. it would probably be pretty good food for thought, especially in these crazy days.
vectis
Jedi
Nice synopis of Secret Socities, lord jim!
My take in one sentence: it says we started as plants, then turned into animals, then became lesser humans; and to become a higher human, we need to open up the third eye which is where we will find the key to heaven, and the 33 degree masons have the key.
Before I read Laura's SH, I was realizing Secret Histories was disinformation to debunk Lauras work. That was before I had even read about Laura and the C's take on disinformation. If it wasn't for Booth's book, I may not have found SH How to Get Out Alive; that's the one good thing I can say about it!
My take in one sentence: it says we started as plants, then turned into animals, then became lesser humans; and to become a higher human, we need to open up the third eye which is where we will find the key to heaven, and the 33 degree masons have the key.
Before I read Laura's SH, I was realizing Secret Histories was disinformation to debunk Lauras work. That was before I had even read about Laura and the C's take on disinformation. If it wasn't for Booth's book, I may not have found SH How to Get Out Alive; that's the one good thing I can say about it!
