I thought the central conceit of a history made up of the teachings and beliefs of esoteric societies was interesting but for me the book was just poorly written and unengaging. It didn't seem to have any kind of structure and felt like a succession of anecdotes and suppositions that felt like circular logic. ( )

I read this book straight through 3 times - something I have never done with anything other than a text I was studying for school. Booth based his work on the highly symbolic histories of the theosophists and other occult, hermetic, and mystery groups and schools. These 'histories' are to be understood as allegorical explanations of the evolution of human consciousness. The author took these myths and skillfully wove them into one trenchant and potent myth that allows us to explore the evolution and nature of human consciousness within ourselves. Some friends have asked me if I 'believe' this version of history or if I think the author 'believes' it. My answer is a question, 'Do you 'believe' in Timaeus? Do you think that Plato 'believed' in Timaeus?' ( )

This was a fascinating read. It had a kind of charming rambling quality, and definitely covered a great deal of what I imagine is solid academic knowledge as well as a good deal anecdotal picked up over many years of working in and around this field of esoterica and secret societies. The author is a publisher of these kinds of books in London. I am fascinated by the ideas presented about how consciousness has evolved over the millennia. In his novel 'Buddha', Deepok Chopra's even seems to evoke some of the same ideas about how the ancients perceived the world and interacted with all of the formats for god and goddess that have existed since then. So, that makes me think there is a lot of accepted knowledge in this book.

It is clearly a Western perspective, and one that speaks to me of the triumphalism, or exceptionalism that we inherited from the Western religious traditions, and that has been used to serve us so well in materialism and exploitation of the planet and its people (and everybody else who lives here too), as well as silence any voices male and especially female who challenge the hegemony of these guys.

I am a bit uncomfortable believing anything in a book like this that implies through the views of adherents to secret societies like the Knights of the Templar, or Freemasons that the Western traditions changed consciousness in a pre-destined, pre-ordained and definitively positive kind of way in our quest to conquer the whole world and all its people and win them over to our way of thinking (literally thinking as in 'practices of consciousness'). If anything, it seems to me the Knights stayed out East for so long precisely because the knowledge and practices of consciousness they picked up in Baghdad and Persepolis were so utterly exciting for them.

I would be happier to read a book by someone who attempts to integrate Hindu, Buddhist, Persian, or Chinese point of view perhaps to balance this Western, Oxford and Eton educated type who wrote this book. I would also welcome anything about the Druids, Aztecs, Incas, and many others too who were all obliterated by our forebears. The Hopi and Navajo have some great texts I've read. Also, the whole perspective of the Sacred Feminine increasingly obviously missing from this so called superior Western consciousness and its overly Yang destroyed world of Wall Street and Washington DC und so weiter. I would love to find books by other scholars from those cultures to balance this one out as a reader myself, if no one has yet written that book.

Given what has happened to the planet under the tutelage of the West, and to the condition of human beings in Western cultures, I cannot believe for a minute that we have a rap on consciousness.

But, it is a good try and has loads of good stuff about our own Western culture from Greece that was buried by the powers that be, way back at the sacking of the libraries at Alexandria. My favorite is Pythagoras. It also paints an interesting hypothesis of the types and sources of inspiration for individuals throughout history who really have 'been the change' they wanted to see. One can wonder a little bit about this given the extreme pressures for conformity in society, and the poverty of mind, scarcity consciousness and ultimately the repetitive destruction that brings time and time again.

Can't help but wonder where we'd be today if we had always had all that stuff present with us and available to inform our consciousness all along the way instead of burned up in smoke by a bunch of control freaks from Constantinople! I do look forward to the day when we can leave our mind control traditions behind that continue to cause so much trouble on the planet . This book does tell a kind of tale about the journey to re-integrate to more holistic practices and habits of mind that reach back to our real roots pre-Rome, pre-Abraham, or pre-Aten which were ultimately taken away from us by Constantine because he found something better to serve his materialistic empire reviving aims we still live with to this very day! Well, maybe not for long if everything made for and by these guys and their spiritual descendants keep falling apart and failing us! More and more of us are breaking out of these mind prisons, and we are also the change we want to see! ( )

The Secret History of the World Jonathan Black

If I hadn't already met the truly, earnestly barmy I might have thought this book was intended as a joke. The blurb: "From mystic revelations to esoteric codes, here for the first time is a history of the world based upon the beliefs of the secret societies - a radical re-interpretation of human existence and a view of the world previously hidden from us." And 550 pages worth at that.

Hmm.

What baffles me most about all this esoteric stuff is the scorn or pity that believers pour upon scientific materialist types. How can you accuse scientists of arrogantly purporting they know everything there is to know about the universe and not being open to any alternative theories (which is rubbish, in any case) and then go ahead and write a thrilling exposé on how the world actually is, if only people weren't so stupid to see it. Isn't that arrogant? To assume this nonsense you've just made up is in some way a) superior to the lifelong toils of thousands of scientists and b) more credible?

Essentially Mr. Black's theory seems to be this: the entire universe is created from the thoughts of god and is a reflection of god himself. It was created in order to allow the human mind to fulfil its highest potential, and there is a very long winded, around the houses way in which this becomes the case. Now, if that's not arrogant, I don't know what is. The entire purpose of the universe is to accommodate the human mind? But, and this is the really ironic part, most humans are too blind/stupid to realise this is the case, but it's okay, good old Jonathan Black is here to set us straight. Cue many chapters about star signs, angels, cabala, the spirit world, fish gods, the Freemasons etc. etc.

Along the way he demonstrates astonishing ignorance of astronomy, physics, biology, chemistry, archaeology and literary criticism and a deep, bordering on pathologically obsessive, love of Rudolf Steiner. Plus his style was far too chatty for my tastes. Added to that his message is often contradictory. For example, he seems unsure whether "the ancients" (a generic term he uses for anyone who lived before the middle ages) are to be revered for their awareness of the spirit world or pitied for their lack of evolved consciousness. He thinks people in the past experienced the world in different way (partly because his own crock theories of 'evolution' have them as basically a different species). He thinks Dante invented Romantic love. He's madder than a bag of frogs.

I must also admit to great confusion as to whether he meant his celestial observations - about the angels of the moon and the age of Pisces et al. - as literal or metaphoric. In any case, his tendency to imagine that the clever, secret way to interpret myths was as literal events became very tedious after the first few chapters. Not to mention completely risible. When a grown man is telling you that a statue of Pallas carved by the goddess Athena is being sought by Freemasons in Eastern Europe in the modern day, can one react in any other way but a puzzled smirk?

Speaking of the Freemasons, they've pretty much got everyone. Shakespeare? Freemason. Francis Bacon? Freemason. Donald Duck? Freemason. You're probably a Freemason and you don't even know it. One can only imagine that if the author does genuinely believe what he writes about secret societies that he is titillated by the idea of being invited to know things which the great unwashed mass of John Smiths couldn't possibly be privy to. A sort of intellectual snobbery without having to bother to learn very much. One wonders why these 'enlightened' people who are able to enter the spirit 'dimension' don't simply bugger off there and leave the rest of us to it.

Even Black admits that his main source, Steiner, isn't an easy read. "There is no structure in the conventional way, and no narrative." Gloriana, that does sound exciting.

I can hardly think of a book which I've read that I disagree with more whole-heartedly. I think it's irresponsible (though probably financially very lucrative) to publish this sort of rubbish as non-fiction. Rubbish of the highest order.

This book has me very divided. On one hand it did make me think again about my spirituality and about the occult history that is lurking but more in terms of arguing with the author mentally. I now understand the people on wikipedia who go around randomly scattering "citation please" comments. This book made me want to do that.

Basically Mr Black or Mr Booth (he openly admits to the pseudonym on the cover) looks at the world and divides the progress of the world into semi-digestible chunks. He argues that our view of the world has become more rigid curtesy of science and that we are missing out on a lot of stuff that could give more meaning to life by sticking with this rigidity.

However, and it's a big however, this reads like that friend you have who has read way too much in a subject and you mention a historic figure and they're off. And you can't interrupt them because they've found a person to discuss this topic with and they will, at length. This almost comes across as the transcript of their side of the conversation.

Interesting? Yes, often in ways where it makes you want to look up other stories and tales about the people mentioned. Sparks off an urge to look deeper.

Flawed? Yes, almost completely ignores the female principle of things. The bibliography is written in very small font and nothing is cited, ever. He lurches from topic to topic without any real pathway.

But overall a springboard for someone who has stagnated in their research. Something to make you want to hunt up some of his bibliography and read further, stretch your mental muscles and learn more. ( )