The Secret of the Temple: Earth Energies, Sacred Geometry, and the Lost Keys of Freemasonry

by John Michael Greer

Over thousands of years, the priests and sages of the ancient world discovered that the design and location of certain structures had beneficial effects on the crops that sustained life. A body of traditional lore evolved, using architecture and ceremonies that made use of these wholly natural but mysterious effects. In The Secret of the Temple, John Michael Greer painstakingly rebuilds a body of lost knowledge that has been used to accumulate and direct energy throughout history, and can be used again today.

The Temple of Solomon was only one of many ancient structures that drew on the temple tradition. The insights of this tradition have been passed down through those in society tasked with protecting ancient wisdom, secret societies like the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. But over time, as cultures and technologies changed, the meaning of these cryptic symbols and rituals became obscured...until now. This book explores the esoteric body of knowledge that shaped the world of our forebears, gave rise to the world's most awe-inspiring temples and cathedrals, and continues to fuel speculation about powerful forces at work in our world.

Genres: History, Occult, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2016

About the author

John Michael Greer is an author of over thirty books and the blogger behind The Archdruid Report. He served as Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America. His work addresses a range of subjects, including climate change, peak oil, the future of industrial society, and the occult. He also writes science fiction and fantasy. He lives in Rhode Island with his wife.

Reviews

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. If you enjoy speculative history, this book is smart and interesting and should make you think even if it's not correct in its thesis. The only other review claims this is all old stuff, which leads me to believe the reviewer didn't read past the first chapter or so. I don't think this topic has been written about in this way before, and certainly synthesizes a lot of information that isn't normally brought into the mason/knights templar/grail books. He has a whole new take on the Axial Age that is mentioned in passing when it needs it's own book.

Third reading and I upped the stars by one. His take on odd corners of history, and not so odd corners like the Axial Age, is worth the price of admission here. This reading was for research to use some aspects of this theory in fiction, and instead of picking through the bits I needed, I ended up reading the whole thing. That speaks pretty clearly about how interesting I found the book.

[Lucien Pastures · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancient civilizations found out how to use temple technology to increase the yield of the surrounding fields. The Templars learned of this during their travels in the middle East and passed it on to the medieval stone masons, who would later become the Freemasons. The Templars found their last foothold in Scotland.

[James Cannatelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a rabbit hole!

I read this book with an open mind and it did not disappoint. After finishing this I am going to dive deeper into Temple technology and it’s secrets. I recommend this book for people who are into the ancient thought process. So Mote it Be.

[noone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe the author's approach is too materialistic for an occultist. Occultism 101 states that all physical manifestations should be interpreted as allegories for higher spiritual concepts. Therefore, even if there is some truth to the author's thesis, it is merely the end result of a principle not explained in the book. Nonetheless, the subject of the book is very intriguing to me, and I wish the author would rewrite it with more metaphysical considerations.

[Patricia Romero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably a good read if you are a Freemason. All of the information is already out there and has been written many times.

While I appreciate Netgalley for giving me this book, it was a very tedious read.