Word: ancient
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Some of the more persistent rumors about Freemasons include the notion that they're successors to the medieval Knights of Templar, that they're trying to create a New World Order and that they use symbols to communicate ancient wisdom. What was the most surprising thing you found? That lodges are learning how to get by with fewer members and fewer resources. There was a certain cachet in ages past. But the overall membership has really been aging. There's a real attrition rate now. If it's going to survive at all, it has to turn that around...
...Wikipedia. In particular, the book suffers from an ill-advised fling with something called noetic science, which explores the idea that human consciousness can affect the physical world, thereby providing (as we are reminded twice in the space of half a page) the "link between modern science and ancient mysticism." (Unlike symbology, noetic science is, amazingly, a real thing...
...make this a resounding but - it would be irresponsible not to point out that the general feel, if not all the specifics, of Brown's cultural history is entirely correct. He loves showing us places where our carefully tended cultural boundaries - between Christian and pagan, sacred and secular, ancient and modern - are actually extraordinarily messy. Langdon points out, for example, that the U.S. Capitol "was designed as a tribute to one of Rome's most venerated mystical shrines," the Temple of Vesta, and that it prominently features a painting of George Washington in the guise of Zeus. ("That hardly fits...
...trying to harness his superpowers for the allied superpowers in the early days of the Iraq adventure. His student and dupe is Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a naive journalist trying to get a scoop for his Midwestern newspaper. Cassady tells him of the time he used an ancient Chinese maneuver, the Death Touch, on an adversary. And was the man killed instantly? "No, he died eight years later. That's the thing about the Death Touch - you never know when it'll take effect...
...crowns and collars of elaborately cut and set diamonds. Each colorful skull is crafted from a single stone, from purple sugilite and charoite to pink opal and blue chalcedony. The 10 queen rings and 10 king brooches have diamonds in a variety of cuts set in platinum with an ancient technique rediscovered by Dior Joaillerie's ateliers. While the skulls may serve as a reminder that time is fleeting, there's no doubt about it: these diamonds are forever...