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Slaptoji pasaulio istorija
Jonathanas Blackas (tikrasis vardas Mark Booth) – rašytojas, žurnalistas, leidėjas. Oksforde studijavo filosofiją ir teologiją, šiuo metu dirba Hodder&Stoughton. „Slaptoji pasaulio istorija“ – kontroversiškiausias autoriaus veikalas, rengtas daugiau nei du dešimtmečius. Knyga tapo New York Times bestseleriu, išversta į 16 kalbų.
Čia praskleidžiamas paslapties šydas, ilgus amžius dengęs slaptąjį mokymą. Slaptosios draugijos apipintos gandais; jų nariai deginti ant laužo ar kitaip naikinti ir persekioti. Tačiau iki šių dienų paslaptys taip ir liko neišpainiotos.
Ar tikrai slaptosios draugijos valdo pasaulį? Kodėl Niujorko centriniame parke XIX a. buvo pastatytas egiptiečių obeliskas? Kas suteikė Kolumbui jėgų leistis į kelionę? Ką žinojo Dante? Kodėl buvo balzamuotas Leninas? Kaip slaptasis mokymas paveikė JAV administracijos užsienio politiką Vidurio Europos atžvilgiu? Koks likimas laukia pasaulio?
Knygoje – okultizmas ir ezoterika, tamplieriai ir rozenkreiceriai, iliuminatai ir dievai, perdavę savo žinias išrinktiesiems, rašytojai ir dailininkai, kuriems buvo atskleistos paslaptys. Autorius kalba apie Kabalą ir ezoterinį budizmą, senovės graikų ir romėnų misterijas, gnosticizmą ir neoplatonikus, „Tūkstančio ir vienos nakties“ istorijas, Tomą Akvinietį ir Rogerį Baconą, Danteʼę, Renesanso misticizmą, Rabelais, Isaacą Newtoną bei okultines naujųjų laikų mokslo bei modernybės šaknis, laisvuosius mūrininkus, mistikus, okultinį bolševizmą, o užbaigia savo tyrimą Naujosios Jeruzalės laukimu.
Ši knyga privers jus pažvelgti į pasaulį kitaip. Suprasti tikrąsias esminių pasaulio įvykių priežastis.
Čia praskleidžiamas paslapties šydas, ilgus amžius dengęs slaptąjį mokymą. Slaptosios draugijos apipintos gandais; jų nariai deginti ant laužo ar kitaip naikinti ir persekioti. Tačiau iki šių dienų paslaptys taip ir liko neišpainiotos.
Ar tikrai slaptosios draugijos valdo pasaulį? Kodėl Niujorko centriniame parke XIX a. buvo pastatytas egiptiečių obeliskas? Kas suteikė Kolumbui jėgų leistis į kelionę? Ką žinojo Dante? Kodėl buvo balzamuotas Leninas? Kaip slaptasis mokymas paveikė JAV administracijos užsienio politiką Vidurio Europos atžvilgiu? Koks likimas laukia pasaulio?
Knygoje – okultizmas ir ezoterika, tamplieriai ir rozenkreiceriai, iliuminatai ir dievai, perdavę savo žinias išrinktiesiems, rašytojai ir dailininkai, kuriems buvo atskleistos paslaptys. Autorius kalba apie Kabalą ir ezoterinį budizmą, senovės graikų ir romėnų misterijas, gnosticizmą ir neoplatonikus, „Tūkstančio ir vienos nakties“ istorijas, Tomą Akvinietį ir Rogerį Baconą, Danteʼę, Renesanso misticizmą, Rabelais, Isaacą Newtoną bei okultines naujųjų laikų mokslo bei modernybės šaknis, laisvuosius mūrininkus, mistikus, okultinį bolševizmą, o užbaigia savo tyrimą Naujosios Jeruzalės laukimu.
Ši knyga privers jus pažvelgti į pasaulį kitaip. Suprasti tikrąsias esminių pasaulio įvykių priežastis.
549 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
1989 people are currently reading
12013 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Black
5 books182 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Jonathan Black—real name Mark Booth—was born in Cambridge, UK, and educated at Oriel College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy and Theology. He works in publishing and publishes many bestselling authors and cultural icons. He also publishes many prominent authors in the MBS and ‘alternative history’ fields, including Graham Hancock, Lorna Byrne, Mooji and Rupert Sheldrake.
As an author he has sold over half a million books in the English language and his work has been translated into twenty-one languages. The Secret History of the World was a New York Times bestseller.
Booth has given lectures and interviews at the Royal Academy, Maastricht University and the Marion Institute in Massachusetts. He has been widely interviewed on radio and TV, including BBC Radio 4’s Today and Coast to Coast in the US. He has written articles for the Independent on Sunday, English National Opera, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Mind Body Spirit.
Jonathan Black—real name Mark Booth—was born in Cambridge, UK, and educated at Oriel College, Oxford, where he read Philosophy and Theology. He works in publishing and publishes many bestselling authors and cultural icons. He also publishes many prominent authors in the MBS and ‘alternative history’ fields, including Graham Hancock, Lorna Byrne, Mooji and Rupert Sheldrake.
As an author he has sold over half a million books in the English language and his work has been translated into twenty-one languages. The Secret History of the World was a New York Times bestseller.
Booth has given lectures and interviews at the Royal Academy, Maastricht University and the Marion Institute in Massachusetts. He has been widely interviewed on radio and TV, including BBC Radio 4’s Today and Coast to Coast in the US. He has written articles for the Independent on Sunday, English National Opera, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Mind Body Spirit.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 733 reviews
November 20, 2011
First, let me go out on a limb and say this book has helped me become more awakened. Thus, 5 stars.
But this is a very narrow 5 stars-- I think the audience who would really appreciate this book is quite small.
First, if you are a science religionist, meaning, you are not interested in entertaining any world views contrary to your scientific beliefs, you will not like this book. It is about an alternate way of looking at the world, an alternate mode of consciouness than the reductionist materialist perspective.
Second, if you are a high or perhaps even medium ranking member of a secret society or as well read as the author in esoterica you will no doubt have sources of information superior/deeper than this.
Who is this book for, then?
It's for people who are capable of digesting a large amount of historical information. Look at the title of the book-- history of the world. There is going to be a fair degree of information there.
The author tells you right up front this history is different than the one you are used to. It is portrayed in an unusual (for our times) interpretive framework based on hidden/esoteric/spiritual teachings.
It's for people who are really curious about all this stuff, have some grounding in the field, but have not gone down one particular path enough to feel like they have the right answer, or have found the one true way.
If you compare this book to something like Drunvalo Melchizednek's Flower of Life you will see big differences. Drunvalo tells the story of the cosmology of Earth and it's straight from the hip "hey, I got it from Thoth personally."
As much as the church of science types complain about this book, it is a synthesis firmly grounded in a megaton of research of the world's esoteric writings and artwork. It's a thing that used to be valued as much as "science." The word for it is scholarship. It is worthy of respect in a way that an account grounded purely in personal experience is not.
But this is a very narrow 5 stars-- I think the audience who would really appreciate this book is quite small.
First, if you are a science religionist, meaning, you are not interested in entertaining any world views contrary to your scientific beliefs, you will not like this book. It is about an alternate way of looking at the world, an alternate mode of consciouness than the reductionist materialist perspective.
Second, if you are a high or perhaps even medium ranking member of a secret society or as well read as the author in esoterica you will no doubt have sources of information superior/deeper than this.
Who is this book for, then?
It's for people who are capable of digesting a large amount of historical information. Look at the title of the book-- history of the world. There is going to be a fair degree of information there.
The author tells you right up front this history is different than the one you are used to. It is portrayed in an unusual (for our times) interpretive framework based on hidden/esoteric/spiritual teachings.
It's for people who are really curious about all this stuff, have some grounding in the field, but have not gone down one particular path enough to feel like they have the right answer, or have found the one true way.
If you compare this book to something like Drunvalo Melchizednek's Flower of Life you will see big differences. Drunvalo tells the story of the cosmology of Earth and it's straight from the hip "hey, I got it from Thoth personally."
As much as the church of science types complain about this book, it is a synthesis firmly grounded in a megaton of research of the world's esoteric writings and artwork. It's a thing that used to be valued as much as "science." The word for it is scholarship. It is worthy of respect in a way that an account grounded purely in personal experience is not.
January 25, 2016
Based on the summary of this book I thought I was going to learn about the beliefs of secret societies. Perhaps some detail about why many of them seem to have similarities and what the reasons are for that. Not the case.
First the author spends over 50 pages preparing you for the rest of the book. Explaining how the book isn't for everyone and that only open-minded people will want to read it. It's a silly trick to try to pull - if you don't like my book it's because you can't handle my book. One of my favorite quotes along these lines is:
"Conventionally minded Christians may wish to stop reading now."
I got 100 pages in and just couldn't go any further. The book mentions nothing about specific societies, or even specific beliefs. Instead it tells an alternate history that is (I think) supposed to be a representation of what all of these secret societies believe. Just a big amalgam of all of them with no insight into which ones believe which parts or why. He also jumps around a lot and never really covers anything in detail. Just when you think he's going to say something, he either skips to something else or reiterates how modern scientists/thinkers/Christians would find these ideas too radical or challenging.
First the author spends over 50 pages preparing you for the rest of the book. Explaining how the book isn't for everyone and that only open-minded people will want to read it. It's a silly trick to try to pull - if you don't like my book it's because you can't handle my book. One of my favorite quotes along these lines is:
"Conventionally minded Christians may wish to stop reading now."
I got 100 pages in and just couldn't go any further. The book mentions nothing about specific societies, or even specific beliefs. Instead it tells an alternate history that is (I think) supposed to be a representation of what all of these secret societies believe. Just a big amalgam of all of them with no insight into which ones believe which parts or why. He also jumps around a lot and never really covers anything in detail. Just when you think he's going to say something, he either skips to something else or reiterates how modern scientists/thinkers/Christians would find these ideas too radical or challenging.
October 8, 2018
I can see how a lot of reviewers managed to misread this one. It contains a lot of things that are not to be read or understood literally. Besides, some of the ideas are a bit repelling and some terms are different from what a veteran reader of occult lit could be used to. And... of course, not everything has to be absolutely true.
The ideas about development of the human concousness... mindblowing! If they are at lest partially true, then the human history has been an even wilder ride than we could have guessed!
Of course, one cannot believe every little thing outright. Still, rejecting all ideas outright is also not the best way to approach to such readings.
Whatever the truth on all the topics is, this is a very enlightening read that can at least make people wonder if this world might be a tad more convoluted place than is readily imaginable.
The ideas about development of the human concousness... mindblowing! If they are at lest partially true, then the human history has been an even wilder ride than we could have guessed!
Of course, one cannot believe every little thing outright. Still, rejecting all ideas outright is also not the best way to approach to such readings.
Whatever the truth on all the topics is, this is a very enlightening read that can at least make people wonder if this world might be a tad more convoluted place than is readily imaginable.
December 4, 2013
I learned from this book just how gullible supposedly educated people can be. This is utter and useless dross.
December 8, 2013
Awful. Terrible. Utter tripe. I'm not particularly religious and I have an open mind when it comes to alternative views of history as filtered through the beliefs and spirituality of old, but...oh my God, this garbage had me shouting at the pages before I finally threw up my hands and threw the book in my Get Rid of It box. So much ranting I could do but, considering I run the risk of writing the longest, most vitriolic rant in my reviewing life, I'll simply leave my status updates here. Concise and to the point, I think, at least far more than The Secret History of the World ever managed to be.
"1) I do NOT appreciate being flat out told what I currently think and what I will think later. 2) Booth didn't exist in ancient times, therefore his matter of fact statements regarding what the ancients specifically thought are not only presumptive, they're utter bullshit. 3) Holy Christ, man, lay off the italics! As someone who's not an idiot, I can add my own emphasis, thanks very much."
""Conventionally minded Christians may wish to stop reading now." Are you freakin' kidding me? A sentence like that is born out of either a lack of knowledge regarding the audience for the book or sheer, unmitigated arrogance."
""As we have seen..." No, actually, we have not seen. One idea stated as fact in a single sentence but neither supported by cited sources nor given even a marginal explanation of what the hell is being talked about does not a fact or connection make. No solid foundations for these early ideas."
"Myths from different cultures and time periods being broken down for scrap that the author can pick and choose and mash together in ways that don't even support his theories. Why am I even still reading this?"
""As we will see..." (Cue silly me thinking the author will go on later to discuss this promised topic in depth.) "So as we have seen..." (Me throwing the book while screaming incoherently that he never even mentioned that part, let alone shown anything about it.)"
"I realize this book is an exercise in esoteric philosophy and attempting to present an alternate spiritual history, but this is turning out to be a mishmash of massive holes, inconsistency, erroneous timelines, and bastardized folklore."
""According to secret societies...", "Initiates of secret societies believe...", "Secret societies know..." - Really? What secret societies? How do YOU know this, Booth? If these are secrets, shouldn't they be, well, secret? 'Citing' secret societies is not actually citing sources at all, and saying that they're 'secret' (but not so secret you don't know) is no justification."
"A bright point: "Sometimes people will try to ban beliefs not because they believe them to be false but because they believe them to be true." This is true, being based in historical reality and such. Booth says this a couple times, and at least on this we agree."
"Poorly written, convoluted 'theory', regular insults thrown at both science and modern religious faith, arrogant overtones, a lot "look at THIS piece of the folk myths and not at THOSE pieces that don't fit my theory in any way" sleight off hand...no, forget it. I'm done."
I can't. I just can't.
"1) I do NOT appreciate being flat out told what I currently think and what I will think later. 2) Booth didn't exist in ancient times, therefore his matter of fact statements regarding what the ancients specifically thought are not only presumptive, they're utter bullshit. 3) Holy Christ, man, lay off the italics! As someone who's not an idiot, I can add my own emphasis, thanks very much."
""Conventionally minded Christians may wish to stop reading now." Are you freakin' kidding me? A sentence like that is born out of either a lack of knowledge regarding the audience for the book or sheer, unmitigated arrogance."
""As we have seen..." No, actually, we have not seen. One idea stated as fact in a single sentence but neither supported by cited sources nor given even a marginal explanation of what the hell is being talked about does not a fact or connection make. No solid foundations for these early ideas."
"Myths from different cultures and time periods being broken down for scrap that the author can pick and choose and mash together in ways that don't even support his theories. Why am I even still reading this?"
""As we will see..." (Cue silly me thinking the author will go on later to discuss this promised topic in depth.) "So as we have seen..." (Me throwing the book while screaming incoherently that he never even mentioned that part, let alone shown anything about it.)"
"I realize this book is an exercise in esoteric philosophy and attempting to present an alternate spiritual history, but this is turning out to be a mishmash of massive holes, inconsistency, erroneous timelines, and bastardized folklore."
""According to secret societies...", "Initiates of secret societies believe...", "Secret societies know..." - Really? What secret societies? How do YOU know this, Booth? If these are secrets, shouldn't they be, well, secret? 'Citing' secret societies is not actually citing sources at all, and saying that they're 'secret' (but not so secret you don't know) is no justification."
"A bright point: "Sometimes people will try to ban beliefs not because they believe them to be false but because they believe them to be true." This is true, being based in historical reality and such. Booth says this a couple times, and at least on this we agree."
"Poorly written, convoluted 'theory', regular insults thrown at both science and modern religious faith, arrogant overtones, a lot "look at THIS piece of the folk myths and not at THOSE pieces that don't fit my theory in any way" sleight off hand...no, forget it. I'm done."
I can't. I just can't.
June 25, 2013
This is a fascinating read, but it's definitely not for everyone. If you're scientifically minded and need "proof" for his suppositions, you won't make it out of chapter one. However, if you approach it with an open mind and look at this book as a collection of ideas (of the author's, but also from many mystics and spiritualists through the ages) then it's extremely thought-provoking.
Some of it's a bit strange (the vegetable part of man is hard to wrap your head around), but all in all I didn't read anything that outraged me. Instead, it answered some questions that have bugged me for years, such as how the Greeks were able to construct and believe in such a complicated pantheon of gods and demigods. I especially liked how he suggests we have been experiencing a de-evolution in terms of our spiritual knowledge and understanding since the time of the ancient Egyptians, and how a lot of that can be attributed to the Catholic church's insistence on eradicating heresy and witchcraft. As someone who has spent a great deal of time reading about the early church, I fully believe and accept that the church fathers and hierarchy knew a lot more about esoteric practices than they wanted people to know.
And really, although Booth/Black's (it's the same person) theories are a bit unusual at first glance, they aren't really. Think about it. Catholics believe in the intercessory power of saints; in transubstantiation; in an afterlife; in demons and the devil. If you take those beliefs out of Christian doctrine and examine them objectively, and ask where they came from, and why other cultures share many of the same traditions and stories, then you basically are on the same path this author followed all the way back to the beginning of time and then back to the present.
All in all, this is a fantastic book that may answer some questions but will definitely leave you asking even more.
Some of it's a bit strange (the vegetable part of man is hard to wrap your head around), but all in all I didn't read anything that outraged me. Instead, it answered some questions that have bugged me for years, such as how the Greeks were able to construct and believe in such a complicated pantheon of gods and demigods. I especially liked how he suggests we have been experiencing a de-evolution in terms of our spiritual knowledge and understanding since the time of the ancient Egyptians, and how a lot of that can be attributed to the Catholic church's insistence on eradicating heresy and witchcraft. As someone who has spent a great deal of time reading about the early church, I fully believe and accept that the church fathers and hierarchy knew a lot more about esoteric practices than they wanted people to know.
And really, although Booth/Black's (it's the same person) theories are a bit unusual at first glance, they aren't really. Think about it. Catholics believe in the intercessory power of saints; in transubstantiation; in an afterlife; in demons and the devil. If you take those beliefs out of Christian doctrine and examine them objectively, and ask where they came from, and why other cultures share many of the same traditions and stories, then you basically are on the same path this author followed all the way back to the beginning of time and then back to the present.
All in all, this is a fantastic book that may answer some questions but will definitely leave you asking even more.
August 22, 2011
It's a trip through a very strange history, a history you've probably never heard. Before you condemn the book, I urge you to take the author's advice in the beginning of the book: read this with a totally open mind and assume for the sake of debate that you've only heard one side of history. If you do that, the book will open your mind even more.
Booth isn't necessarily telling you that this book is really how history happened in a literal sense. He's just giving you another side - the side that some secret societies teach. And it will come off as weird, there's no getting around that. But if you're an intellectual, you'll at least be able to appreciate how this shaped ideas in any given period of time. If you're the right kind of person, it might change your perceptions of things and cause you to question a lot of preconceived notions. I read one person's review where he claimed that it altered his consciousness. It can certainly do that too.
If nothing else, it's an interesting look at how earlier cultures perceived the world as opposed to our modern paradigm. It helps you get inside the heads of earlier generations, and that alone - to me - is worth the time it takes to read this book. I liked it tremendously for that reason.
Booth isn't necessarily telling you that this book is really how history happened in a literal sense. He's just giving you another side - the side that some secret societies teach. And it will come off as weird, there's no getting around that. But if you're an intellectual, you'll at least be able to appreciate how this shaped ideas in any given period of time. If you're the right kind of person, it might change your perceptions of things and cause you to question a lot of preconceived notions. I read one person's review where he claimed that it altered his consciousness. It can certainly do that too.
If nothing else, it's an interesting look at how earlier cultures perceived the world as opposed to our modern paradigm. It helps you get inside the heads of earlier generations, and that alone - to me - is worth the time it takes to read this book. I liked it tremendously for that reason.
Want to read
October 15, 2020Seriously, what was that?! I wanted to read something different, so while browsing the library the icon on the cover caught my eye. I got the book knowing very well what kind of information it would hold.
When I got home and as I was flipping around, I saw that the author has a section about my religion "Islam", so I read some of the paragraphs and let me tell you this, not only is his information not accurate, without study or resources, but he is a bad author! I know that most of his kind don't respect our belief, I didn't expect any to be truthful, but if someone is interested in the understructure of religions, politics, and such, he would hold more respect and knowledge.
I started reading the book, to be honest in my review, and after reaching page 50 I had it with this man. He is unorganized, his thoughts are all over the place, he doesn't stick to the point, so much information is incorrect, and I know this for a fact, our house is filled with books and arguments about such topics. He raised good points but didn't fill anything, he kept promising to tell us about one thing or another on every page but rarely returns to his point.
If this is supposed to be nonfiction, realistic work the author should be ashamed of himself. I will speak for my section at the very least: do your research, and read our books and our holy Quran not your own foreigners' views of our belief or Wikipedia! You are a writer for God's sake!
I might finish the book but right now I'm not very positive.
When I got home and as I was flipping around, I saw that the author has a section about my religion "Islam", so I read some of the paragraphs and let me tell you this, not only is his information not accurate, without study or resources, but he is a bad author! I know that most of his kind don't respect our belief, I didn't expect any to be truthful, but if someone is interested in the understructure of religions, politics, and such, he would hold more respect and knowledge.
I started reading the book, to be honest in my review, and after reaching page 50 I had it with this man. He is unorganized, his thoughts are all over the place, he doesn't stick to the point, so much information is incorrect, and I know this for a fact, our house is filled with books and arguments about such topics. He raised good points but didn't fill anything, he kept promising to tell us about one thing or another on every page but rarely returns to his point.
If this is supposed to be nonfiction, realistic work the author should be ashamed of himself. I will speak for my section at the very least: do your research, and read our books and our holy Quran not your own foreigners' views of our belief or Wikipedia! You are a writer for God's sake!
I might finish the book but right now I'm not very positive.
April 1, 2013
mostly rubbish, with a lot of crap thrown in. A "romp" of logical fallacies, outlandish claims, cherry-picking of history, nothing new in fact. failure to differentiate the 'reporting' of facts (material or otherwise) from the drawing of inferences (of the unknown/unknowable from what can be known) from the making of judgements based on evaluation of the former (ie. clarification of values). So many claims qualify as banal, superficial, simplistic, even absurd - about Idealism versus Materialism, about what scientists and science (the baddies) are for or against versus that of 'the esoteric' (the goodies), etc. etc. Total ignorance it seems, of the complexities within 'esoteric' traditions (no, it's not a unified, apolitical, monolithic tradition) as well as the wealth of alternative histories from Marxist to post-colonial and feminist. Ludicrous biblical hermeneutics bought in to predict the future of humanity. All utterly boorish, ironic to have finished it on April fools day - what a coincidence.
April 15, 2013
The Secret History of the World is unique and therefore hard to review.
I think, in a hundred, maybe two-hundred years from now; people will point at this book and say:
"That was the time when humanity started to wake up and realized they could actually use the powerful knowledge they had been given throughout their esoteric past".
We don't always see it now, as we still live in the forest and then its hard to see the all the trees; but these are changing times in which humanity is making a shift from human drones to individuals discovering ways to manifest in a positive way.
This treasure chest is what "Jonathan Black" describes.
I'm tempted to say "everything is in it" , but who am I to say I know it all. From what I've read over the past 40 years however- and I've been an ardent explorer ever since my early teens,- I have not come across a book that has gathered so much esoteric knowledge ranging from western to tribal to eastern revelations.
Its also a book you can pick and just read a few pages to then have days of pondering material.
I simply love it and if a meteorite was heading for earth and I had 3 more days to choose what I wanted to do with my life; I'd probably brew a pot of tea and read this book.
Ingrid
I think, in a hundred, maybe two-hundred years from now; people will point at this book and say:
"That was the time when humanity started to wake up and realized they could actually use the powerful knowledge they had been given throughout their esoteric past".
We don't always see it now, as we still live in the forest and then its hard to see the all the trees; but these are changing times in which humanity is making a shift from human drones to individuals discovering ways to manifest in a positive way.
This treasure chest is what "Jonathan Black" describes.
I'm tempted to say "everything is in it" , but who am I to say I know it all. From what I've read over the past 40 years however- and I've been an ardent explorer ever since my early teens,- I have not come across a book that has gathered so much esoteric knowledge ranging from western to tribal to eastern revelations.
Its also a book you can pick and just read a few pages to then have days of pondering material.
I simply love it and if a meteorite was heading for earth and I had 3 more days to choose what I wanted to do with my life; I'd probably brew a pot of tea and read this book.
Ingrid
January 2, 2014
HAHAH WOW. This book is a joke.
I thought I was going to get some unbiased tellings of what some secret societies believe, perhaps some conspiracy theories, but NO. What I got to read was this pile of bigoted crap from an asshole who thinks himself to be better than everyone else because he's "enlightened." Now, I'm all up for someone introducing me to new beliefs, but instead of actually being interesting, Booth basically says some stuff that makes himself sound smart, claims that this is revolutionary, and then denounces all of science because they're not taking the same magic mushrooms that he is. No, really, he calls scientists "philosophical morons" at one point. Doesn't he know that scientists are just as interested in metaphysicality as he claims that they aren't? It's just a different approach. He claims that science has ruined our sense of belief, and then stomps on everything we believe without actually giving us any evidence as to why these secret society's beliefs are any better (except for saying "because they're just better"). Why try and alienate your reader base by basically calling them morons?
It all sounded so interesting, and it just ended up being a rant. Perhaps if Booth had stepped off his high horse and just decided to be informational, then I wouldn't have had a problem.
I thought I was going to get some unbiased tellings of what some secret societies believe, perhaps some conspiracy theories, but NO. What I got to read was this pile of bigoted crap from an asshole who thinks himself to be better than everyone else because he's "enlightened." Now, I'm all up for someone introducing me to new beliefs, but instead of actually being interesting, Booth basically says some stuff that makes himself sound smart, claims that this is revolutionary, and then denounces all of science because they're not taking the same magic mushrooms that he is. No, really, he calls scientists "philosophical morons" at one point. Doesn't he know that scientists are just as interested in metaphysicality as he claims that they aren't? It's just a different approach. He claims that science has ruined our sense of belief, and then stomps on everything we believe without actually giving us any evidence as to why these secret society's beliefs are any better (except for saying "because they're just better"). Why try and alienate your reader base by basically calling them morons?
It all sounded so interesting, and it just ended up being a rant. Perhaps if Booth had stepped off his high horse and just decided to be informational, then I wouldn't have had a problem.
February 22, 2017
Where to even begin with this book? The Secret History of the World: As Laid Down by the Secret Societies, by author Mark Booth, is every bit as ludicrous as the title sounds. That being said, there are moments of genuinely brilliant writing and profoundly interesting ideas. Booth sabotages himself with far too many obscure references and endless name-dropping. And when I say endless name-dropping, I cannot over-exaggerate the sheer quantity Booth rambles on with.
Criticisms aside, I enjoyed much of this book. Booth takes elements from most every major religion's theosophy and combines it with many known cultural mythologies into a type of unsubstantiated world history. He asserts that the universe's grand design is based on "mind-before-matter" laws of a spiritual dimension and that humanity has devolved into a materialistic, dumbed-down race. He then, loosely, outlines secret societies' (such as the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Hermeticists etc.) roles in preserving the true "mind-before-matter" nature of the universe so humanity may once again evolve to its former glory.
If you love religious studies, history, mythology, and a little absurdity, I'd highly recommend this book. But if you're just looking for conspiracy theories, this isn't for you.
Criticisms aside, I enjoyed much of this book. Booth takes elements from most every major religion's theosophy and combines it with many known cultural mythologies into a type of unsubstantiated world history. He asserts that the universe's grand design is based on "mind-before-matter" laws of a spiritual dimension and that humanity has devolved into a materialistic, dumbed-down race. He then, loosely, outlines secret societies' (such as the Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Hermeticists etc.) roles in preserving the true "mind-before-matter" nature of the universe so humanity may once again evolve to its former glory.
If you love religious studies, history, mythology, and a little absurdity, I'd highly recommend this book. But if you're just looking for conspiracy theories, this isn't for you.
November 18, 2019
Love this book.🐯👍
September 3, 2012
I quit this book after 80 pages because it annoyed me to no end. I would probably never have began it in the first place, but I was recommended it by a friend who said that it summed up his views about the world. So I tried to give it a go. I stopped because almost every section appeared as pure conjecture based on little evidence. For example (page 53):
"Therefore let us now try to imagine ourselves into the mind of someone about two and a half thousand years ago, walking through woodland to a sacred grove or a temple such as Newgrange in Ireland or Eleusis in Greece... (OK SO FAR) To such a person the wood and everything in it was alive (REALLY?). Everything was watching him (WHAT ARE THESE STATEMENTS BASED ON?). Unseen spirits whispered in the movements of the trees (OK I GET IT)."
The book is full of passages like that. The basic formula is: take some probably accurate specific knowledge that Black read somewhere else (people, places, so on), add a dose of HIS IMAGINATION, and extrapolate to a sweeping conclusion about what it 'must' have been like at the time. That plus a vague sense that this fuzzy way of thinking is somehow something the modern world has 'lost', to our detriment.
I don't have the stomach for such tripe.
"Therefore let us now try to imagine ourselves into the mind of someone about two and a half thousand years ago, walking through woodland to a sacred grove or a temple such as Newgrange in Ireland or Eleusis in Greece... (OK SO FAR) To such a person the wood and everything in it was alive (REALLY?). Everything was watching him (WHAT ARE THESE STATEMENTS BASED ON?). Unseen spirits whispered in the movements of the trees (OK I GET IT)."
The book is full of passages like that. The basic formula is: take some probably accurate specific knowledge that Black read somewhere else (people, places, so on), add a dose of HIS IMAGINATION, and extrapolate to a sweeping conclusion about what it 'must' have been like at the time. That plus a vague sense that this fuzzy way of thinking is somehow something the modern world has 'lost', to our detriment.
I don't have the stomach for such tripe.
April 8, 2008
This book looks amazing right? I mean how could you go wrong?
Actually it was almost unreadable. Mr. Booth contends that the universe (mineral, plant, animal, human) was created by the "cosmic mind" which imagined these things into existence. Apparently humans were all one vegetable before "the fall", and are now striving to reconnect with our vegetable selves and the greater conscience of the cosmic mind. This began with Adam and went through the Egyptians and has since been coded and transmitted through every secret society in western culture, to today. Don't worry, we will all be reunited with our vegetable consciousness in the year 5734 C.E. Till then just believe everything the Masons tell you.
Actually it was almost unreadable. Mr. Booth contends that the universe (mineral, plant, animal, human) was created by the "cosmic mind" which imagined these things into existence. Apparently humans were all one vegetable before "the fall", and are now striving to reconnect with our vegetable selves and the greater conscience of the cosmic mind. This began with Adam and went through the Egyptians and has since been coded and transmitted through every secret society in western culture, to today. Don't worry, we will all be reunited with our vegetable consciousness in the year 5734 C.E. Till then just believe everything the Masons tell you.
December 18, 2011
In this book Jonathan Black sets out to capture the common elements of spiritual intuition which have inspired mystics and visionaries since the human race first began to tell itself stories about its origins and purpose. He puts forward ancient ideas such as 'the cosmos created the human brain in order to be able to think about itself' which eerily echo the modern thoughts of physicist John Wheeler who says 'By looking back, by observing what happened in the earliest days of the universe, we give reality to those days'.
This idea of a self-creating universe, which is summoned into being from a state of chaotic uncertainty by the present and future actions of trained observers is a key part of current thinking in anthropic cosmology and yet Black discovered this vital article of modern scientific faith by studying what many people would discount as the ravings of odd-balls.
He starts his book by saying 'There is a history of the world that has been taught down the ages in certain secret societies. It may seem quite mad from today's point of view but an extraordinarily high proportion of the men and women who made history have been believers'. He's right! The truly creative makers of history are often inspired by strange ideas, and the thread of analytical thinking which Jonathan Black uncovers in his remarkable romp through the dark subterranean passages of the human mind traces how this might have happened.
Black is a highly skilled writer and has been the editorial mentor to many of todays best-selling writers about esoteric traditions. In his day-job he has edited Robert Temple, Robert Bavual, Graham Hancock, Richard Rudgely, David Rohl and myself(helping shape The Hiram Key), among many others. And for my part he has always encouraged me to write about those deep matters of the human condition which interest everyone, but to do so in way which anybody can relate to and enjoy. His knowledge of esoteric lore is encyclopedic yet his scholarship is so lightly worn and his narrative style so well crafted the book is a sheer delight to read. It brings together so many apparently unconnected threads to present a compellingly different viewpoint on the origins of modern thought. But the driving force at the heart of the story is our human insistence on studying ourselves and telling each others stories to explain why we are as we are.
He closes this inspirational book by commenting that the main lesson to emerge from his studies of the Secret Tradition is that 'Mind created the physical universe precisely with the aim of nurturing human consciousness and helping it to evolve.'
I am a scientist by training and profession and a writer about the esoteric roots of science by inclination, and I am also a fan of Niels Bohr who memorably said. 'If you aren't confused by quantum physics, then you haven't really understood it.' Enlightened by my quantum confusion and confused by my esoteric training I can't help but see many deep truths in this book. Jonathan Black, without trying to understand quantum physics has addressed some of its deepest paradoxes and given their explanation a human face.
If you only want to read one book about the ideas that have inspired generations of outstanding people from Plato via Isaac Newton to George Washington then this is the book. No only is it vast in scope, startling in concept it's also a really good read. And best of all at the end of really pleasant reading experience you will have learned something about yourself and the world you live in.
This idea of a self-creating universe, which is summoned into being from a state of chaotic uncertainty by the present and future actions of trained observers is a key part of current thinking in anthropic cosmology and yet Black discovered this vital article of modern scientific faith by studying what many people would discount as the ravings of odd-balls.
He starts his book by saying 'There is a history of the world that has been taught down the ages in certain secret societies. It may seem quite mad from today's point of view but an extraordinarily high proportion of the men and women who made history have been believers'. He's right! The truly creative makers of history are often inspired by strange ideas, and the thread of analytical thinking which Jonathan Black uncovers in his remarkable romp through the dark subterranean passages of the human mind traces how this might have happened.
Black is a highly skilled writer and has been the editorial mentor to many of todays best-selling writers about esoteric traditions. In his day-job he has edited Robert Temple, Robert Bavual, Graham Hancock, Richard Rudgely, David Rohl and myself(helping shape The Hiram Key), among many others. And for my part he has always encouraged me to write about those deep matters of the human condition which interest everyone, but to do so in way which anybody can relate to and enjoy. His knowledge of esoteric lore is encyclopedic yet his scholarship is so lightly worn and his narrative style so well crafted the book is a sheer delight to read. It brings together so many apparently unconnected threads to present a compellingly different viewpoint on the origins of modern thought. But the driving force at the heart of the story is our human insistence on studying ourselves and telling each others stories to explain why we are as we are.
He closes this inspirational book by commenting that the main lesson to emerge from his studies of the Secret Tradition is that 'Mind created the physical universe precisely with the aim of nurturing human consciousness and helping it to evolve.'
I am a scientist by training and profession and a writer about the esoteric roots of science by inclination, and I am also a fan of Niels Bohr who memorably said. 'If you aren't confused by quantum physics, then you haven't really understood it.' Enlightened by my quantum confusion and confused by my esoteric training I can't help but see many deep truths in this book. Jonathan Black, without trying to understand quantum physics has addressed some of its deepest paradoxes and given their explanation a human face.
If you only want to read one book about the ideas that have inspired generations of outstanding people from Plato via Isaac Newton to George Washington then this is the book. No only is it vast in scope, startling in concept it's also a really good read. And best of all at the end of really pleasant reading experience you will have learned something about yourself and the world you live in.
September 25, 2012
The only two things I can fault is, for one, the ending .... the ending! It doesn't even end! It just stops! Secondly, if one reads the back cover, it's a bit misleading. If you knew nothing about it, you'd think it was a conspiracy book. What the book is actually about is the evolution of the spirit world and the history of secret societies, noting very strongly the influence they have had on the world.
Now onto the book itself: I found it to be extremely interesting. I wouldn't readily agree with everything Jonathan Black says, as he seems to be a little biased, but the information he brings to the table is quite incredible. It has definitely increased both my knowledge and my insight. I'm reluctant to accept all the ancient lore of the spirit world, but when one looks at the collective evidence he presents for his theories, and the historical figures who represented them, an open-minded person has to at least consider his claims.
I definitely recommend the book. If it doesn't change the way you think it will certainly highlight the foundations which many cultures and empires were built upon ... and supposedly still hold them up to this day.
Now onto the book itself: I found it to be extremely interesting. I wouldn't readily agree with everything Jonathan Black says, as he seems to be a little biased, but the information he brings to the table is quite incredible. It has definitely increased both my knowledge and my insight. I'm reluctant to accept all the ancient lore of the spirit world, but when one looks at the collective evidence he presents for his theories, and the historical figures who represented them, an open-minded person has to at least consider his claims.
I definitely recommend the book. If it doesn't change the way you think it will certainly highlight the foundations which many cultures and empires were built upon ... and supposedly still hold them up to this day.
December 7, 2009
Equally fascinating and irritating, but I did keep reading it in spite of my scientific materialist rationalist beliefs. I accidently came across the book in an airport shortly after reading Dan Brown's latest and thought it would provide more info on the Masons and others. I didn't expect it would actively promote these various beliefs. The author skips along merrily from one belief set to another, making connections throughout the time and space continuum, mentioning all sorts of people, places and events, often in the same sentence or paragraph with little to no detail that might convince the wary reader. Even Dan Brown comes in for a mention or two, as does Umberto Eco, as though The DaVinci Code and Foucault's Pendulum are somehow equivalent works that don't take diametrically opposed approaches to their topics.
It is an incredibly ambitious effort to the point of absurdity. It would take several lifetimes devoted to intense study to read and absorb everything mentioned. So, Booth doesn't really try to persuade in any rational sense. Instead he bombards the reader with endless stimuli coming at one from every conceivable direction, in apparent effort to break through our hardened skulls(a point made more manifest in reading the work)and reach our atrophied pinal glands or third eyes. You can't follow the bouncing ball of his logic. You must accept that there is no ball and just experience this magical mystery tour.
It is an incredibly ambitious effort to the point of absurdity. It would take several lifetimes devoted to intense study to read and absorb everything mentioned. So, Booth doesn't really try to persuade in any rational sense. Instead he bombards the reader with endless stimuli coming at one from every conceivable direction, in apparent effort to break through our hardened skulls(a point made more manifest in reading the work)and reach our atrophied pinal glands or third eyes. You can't follow the bouncing ball of his logic. You must accept that there is no ball and just experience this magical mystery tour.
February 14, 2017
Will review later
September 16, 2017
This was one of my very rare DNFs, so it's probably unfair to give a book I didn't finish 1 star, and it's especially unfair to give it 1 star for not being the book I expected it to be, but tough shit, it gets 1 star because the author is a woo-peddling idiot.
So, in fairness, I thought, from the title and the description, that this book was going to be an "alternative" look at history from the perspective of historical secret societies. What do the Rosicrucians and the Knights Templar and the Masons say about what really happened during the Crusades and World War II, etc.? Since I have long been a fan of conspiracy thrillers and fictional secret societies, that sounded interesting.
Well, that is not what this book is about. It's actually about a metaphysical view of the universe which the author presents, based on his years of studying the "esoteric mysteries" of these various societies. He claims to have been in contact with very high-ranking members of some of them. And he proceeds to describe the knowledge and learning of these mysteries, but always in vague, woo-woo terms. Mind before matter, spirituality is important, blah blah.
Okay, whatever. I got bored quickly, but what made me return it unfinished (which I very rarely do, even for horrible books) is when the author first of all started going off on scientists, who are all narrow-minded materialists unwilling to look at anything from a different perspective (he outright tells you to "close the book" if you hold to a materialistic worldview). The final straw was when (in chapter two) he tells us that metals associated with the planets have been found to move and be affected by those planets "in ways too subtle for scientific instruments to detect" - and this affects our emotions. So, basically he's outright peddling astrological alchemy.
Now, I suppose his defenders might say he's just presenting this as the view of certain "secret societies" but by chapter three he hasn't really talked about these societies at all, he's just telling us that people have believed this all through history and so maybe we should take it seriously because it's secret esoteric knowledge passed down through the centuries...
Okay, that's enough, I'm done.
So, in fairness, I thought, from the title and the description, that this book was going to be an "alternative" look at history from the perspective of historical secret societies. What do the Rosicrucians and the Knights Templar and the Masons say about what really happened during the Crusades and World War II, etc.? Since I have long been a fan of conspiracy thrillers and fictional secret societies, that sounded interesting.
Well, that is not what this book is about. It's actually about a metaphysical view of the universe which the author presents, based on his years of studying the "esoteric mysteries" of these various societies. He claims to have been in contact with very high-ranking members of some of them. And he proceeds to describe the knowledge and learning of these mysteries, but always in vague, woo-woo terms. Mind before matter, spirituality is important, blah blah.
Okay, whatever. I got bored quickly, but what made me return it unfinished (which I very rarely do, even for horrible books) is when the author first of all started going off on scientists, who are all narrow-minded materialists unwilling to look at anything from a different perspective (he outright tells you to "close the book" if you hold to a materialistic worldview). The final straw was when (in chapter two) he tells us that metals associated with the planets have been found to move and be affected by those planets "in ways too subtle for scientific instruments to detect" - and this affects our emotions. So, basically he's outright peddling astrological alchemy.
Now, I suppose his defenders might say he's just presenting this as the view of certain "secret societies" but by chapter three he hasn't really talked about these societies at all, he's just telling us that people have believed this all through history and so maybe we should take it seriously because it's secret esoteric knowledge passed down through the centuries...
Okay, that's enough, I'm done.
June 11, 2018
This book is about the famous figures who shaped philosophy, secret society that sought to understand the hidden mysteries of our world, the meaning of occult symbols and connects everyone and every period and nearly everything together in one blow. I loved this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to broaden their understanding of the world in which we all live. I used this book as reference on a few hunts to downtown Los Angeles, to hypothesize about specific symbols used throughout the 1920s architecture. I have since marveled at the world unlike I’ve ever before. Fantastic book!
October 5, 2014
This book intrigued and repelled me for a very long time.
Intrigued because it had obvious appeal of unknown,attractive subject but the covers were so gaudy,tasteless and sensationalistic that I had impression this would turn into some silly rambling about cosmic plots against everybody and everything on earth. Than after months of world traveling,this book popped out in my local bookstore and I decided this was the sign: if it follows me from South Africa to my own corner of Croatia,it is obviously looking for me.And boy,it turned out to be so interesting and thought-provoking that I gulped it in two days,promising to my self it should be re-read again more carefully.
First,author asks us to forget about scientistic approach to life and return to ancient,superstitious way of looking at the world around us,with angels,fairies,demons and nature closer to us.This was interesting enough and surely it takes some time to turn one's head around it but it works fine. Instead of going for some silly New age rambling,Black than continues to explore centuries of history and how human race searched for universal answers about meaning of life,where do we go,why are we here and afterlife. Along the way he explores myths,religions and cults,often showing amazing knowledge of the subject,throwing tantalizing informations about everything from Mandrake men to Pyramids to Solomon's temple and legends about Green man - it truly makes one's head spinning and there is nothing sensationalistic about the book.
Perhaps its author's gentle way of writing (he fits somewhere between Richard Dawkins and Graham Hancock, and this is my highest compliment) enchanted me and subject was surely fascinating,but I must admit the pleasure was also partly because at the very start I decided not to take this book literally as a gospel truth but as interesting entertainment and surely there were moments where I know this is all a bit stretch but it kept me reading nevertheless. There were also many other moments (like chapter about Cagliostro and Count de St Germain) where I literally forget to breath,so absorbed I was in the story. And the theory about life on earth (minerals-plants- animals-humans) sounds very interesting to me.
I am aware that there are probably many who had different expectations from this book and wouldn't like authors theories,but from my purely subjective point of view it turned far better than I expected and I enjoyed it very much. In fact,it must be one of the best books I have read recently!
Intrigued because it had obvious appeal of unknown,attractive subject but the covers were so gaudy,tasteless and sensationalistic that I had impression this would turn into some silly rambling about cosmic plots against everybody and everything on earth. Than after months of world traveling,this book popped out in my local bookstore and I decided this was the sign: if it follows me from South Africa to my own corner of Croatia,it is obviously looking for me.And boy,it turned out to be so interesting and thought-provoking that I gulped it in two days,promising to my self it should be re-read again more carefully.
First,author asks us to forget about scientistic approach to life and return to ancient,superstitious way of looking at the world around us,with angels,fairies,demons and nature closer to us.This was interesting enough and surely it takes some time to turn one's head around it but it works fine. Instead of going for some silly New age rambling,Black than continues to explore centuries of history and how human race searched for universal answers about meaning of life,where do we go,why are we here and afterlife. Along the way he explores myths,religions and cults,often showing amazing knowledge of the subject,throwing tantalizing informations about everything from Mandrake men to Pyramids to Solomon's temple and legends about Green man - it truly makes one's head spinning and there is nothing sensationalistic about the book.
Perhaps its author's gentle way of writing (he fits somewhere between Richard Dawkins and Graham Hancock, and this is my highest compliment) enchanted me and subject was surely fascinating,but I must admit the pleasure was also partly because at the very start I decided not to take this book literally as a gospel truth but as interesting entertainment and surely there were moments where I know this is all a bit stretch but it kept me reading nevertheless. There were also many other moments (like chapter about Cagliostro and Count de St Germain) where I literally forget to breath,so absorbed I was in the story. And the theory about life on earth (minerals-plants- animals-humans) sounds very interesting to me.
I am aware that there are probably many who had different expectations from this book and wouldn't like authors theories,but from my purely subjective point of view it turned far better than I expected and I enjoyed it very much. In fact,it must be one of the best books I have read recently!
February 11, 2009
Gave up after about 100 pages. I felt I learned nothing, and could hope to penetrate no further into the nearly unreadable prose. I hope that this appeals to someone, but it's unquestionably not for me.
March 19, 2020
Este foi um livro que me levou quase 3 meses para o terminar (daí a minha ausência por aqui, sorry! ).
Devo dizer que é um ótimo livro para quem tem interesse em descobrir os segredos por de trás de toda a nossa história/ sociedade. A grande vantagem é a escrita, é simples sem grandes floreados de maneira a que seja fácil de interpretar aquilo que é explicado. O que este livro defende é a chamada teoria esotérica, ou seja, a mente - antes da matéria. Como será possível que exista a consciência ao aceitarmos a toda aquela teoria cientifica que tudo, (o universo/planeta) foi criado através de matéria?
O autor leva-nos a uma viagem sobre a existência desta teoria esotérica que começa desde dos primórdios do tempo egípcio, passando pelos tempos romanos, inicio do cristianismo, renascimento até ao séc XX, com documentos e ilustrações que ajudam o leitor a ir mais além. À medida que lemos vamos encaixando as peças e é verdade que este livro nos abre portas para outros entendimentos. Apesar disto tudo é um livro longo com muita informação e principalmente muita História com H grande! Acredito que ler uma vez não chega para se conseguir interiorizar tudo (a menos que se vá tirando apontamentos), por isto é um livro que quererei com toda a certeza reler.
É um livro que deveria ser lido por todos, mas não a concelho a quem deteste História pois vai achar com certeza um livro chato de ler x)
.
Ps: Só não dei 5 * porque como já disse é muito difícil reter toda a informação de uma só vez, mas só simplesmente por essa razão, o livro é muito bom mesmo!
Devo dizer que é um ótimo livro para quem tem interesse em descobrir os segredos por de trás de toda a nossa história/ sociedade. A grande vantagem é a escrita, é simples sem grandes floreados de maneira a que seja fácil de interpretar aquilo que é explicado. O que este livro defende é a chamada teoria esotérica, ou seja, a mente - antes da matéria. Como será possível que exista a consciência ao aceitarmos a toda aquela teoria cientifica que tudo, (o universo/planeta) foi criado através de matéria?
O autor leva-nos a uma viagem sobre a existência desta teoria esotérica que começa desde dos primórdios do tempo egípcio, passando pelos tempos romanos, inicio do cristianismo, renascimento até ao séc XX, com documentos e ilustrações que ajudam o leitor a ir mais além. À medida que lemos vamos encaixando as peças e é verdade que este livro nos abre portas para outros entendimentos. Apesar disto tudo é um livro longo com muita informação e principalmente muita História com H grande! Acredito que ler uma vez não chega para se conseguir interiorizar tudo (a menos que se vá tirando apontamentos), por isto é um livro que quererei com toda a certeza reler.
É um livro que deveria ser lido por todos, mas não a concelho a quem deteste História pois vai achar com certeza um livro chato de ler x)
.
Ps: Só não dei 5 * porque como já disse é muito difícil reter toda a informação de uma só vez, mas só simplesmente por essa razão, o livro é muito bom mesmo!
August 10, 2013
Much of what I read sounded crazy. But that being said, the book really made me think about my spirituality. I loved the idea that by imagining a better world, some of that gets manifested in reality. So in a sense, our thoughts do matter. His view of unconditional love of your fellow man, was inspirational. His secret societies/mystery schools try to make better people and a better world, which is much different from my idea of the Freemasons being a secret society where they helped each other get rich (I still think some of them do that). I also learned a lot about historical people, such as Hypatia (go google her, she was an amazing, intelligent woman, torn apart by Monks). One of my favorite quotes from the book, "...if we good-heartedly decide to believe in the essential goodness of the world, despite the brickbats of fortune, despite the slapstick tendency in things that seems to contradict such spiritual beliefs and make them look foolish and absurd, then the decision to believe will help transform the world."
November 24, 2020
A great quote by Haruki Murakami goes, “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” The Secret History of the World is a perfect example of the value of reading books outside the norm. The vast majority of people in this world are taught a set of religious beliefs, historic facts, etc. as children and then go on believing them for the rest of their lives. Jonathan Black presents a book that allows readers to look at the world in a different light. The best books are the ones that get you to see the world differently. In that regard, this book is excellent. Books like this give you alternate perspectives, and there is a lot of value in that, regardless of whether you agree with them or not.
November 9, 2021
This book should come crowned with a fedora. The author wants to remind you several times in a span of 20 pages how radical these ideas are and how challenging it will be for most people to accept them. He doesn’t cite his sources through the text because, pffft, that’s for those idiot materialist modern scientists (his disdain for modern science is not subtle)…also it’s easier to cherry pick shit that fits your belief system if you don’t directly cite your sources but just heap them in the back of the book.
I stopped reading once he starting acting as if people like Bach and Mozart had intelligence and gifts beyond conceivable human possibility. Seriously? fuck right off, thanks.
I stopped reading once he starting acting as if people like Bach and Mozart had intelligence and gifts beyond conceivable human possibility. Seriously? fuck right off, thanks.
November 16, 2018
Начинается как пособие по самопомощи, но потом оказывается, что это автор применяет на читателях приемы и практики тайных обществ. Далее все продолжается в том же духе, с длительными отступлениями о том, что читателю предстоит узнать в этой книге. Когда же читатель начнет все это узнавать, так и остается неясным, потому что автор всю дорогу несет бессвязную хуйню. Похоже, Хилари Мэнтел в своей реце была права: https://www.theguardian.com/books/200.... И уж точно прав вот этот читатель, так что подписываюсь под каждым словом: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 14, 2012
If you can put on a shelf your thoughts about how the world began with the big bang, and consider that perhaps "mind" was "here" first and humanity evolved through collective experience and consciousness rather than the world beginning with something solid........from mineral, to vegetable, to animal.
then, pg.212 " beware that this feels true in some unspecific poetic or, worse, spiritual way." .......you may "begin to walk down the road that leads straight to the lunatic asylum."
So, having said this, parts of this book make a great deal of sense. 3000 years ago, multiple greek gods assisted humans to understand daily life. Those cultural understandings are a part of our current history and architecture, and we won't see, for instance, the Third Eye, the Ru, the brow chakra, the vesica piscis (vision of Jesus, artistically) if we don't know what to look for. They are all the same. It's on our money, also, and relates to the pineal gland where emotion is expressed, and the gland which atrophies as we age from birth to early adolescence, but which can be activated by a surge of melatonin.
Too many references? Yup. But why does it show up everywhere?
I plan to find some more to read about Freemasonry and Rosicrucians and the Cabala. I think the whole point here is that the mind has evolved through collective cultural history --- not just american or indian or jewish (use any example here). Our minds are a product of genetic changes through historical context and the myths of our ancestors which are the same ("only the names have been changed to protect the innocent") in all cultures across the world.
Fascinating.
then, pg.212 " beware that this feels true in some unspecific poetic or, worse, spiritual way." .......you may "begin to walk down the road that leads straight to the lunatic asylum."
So, having said this, parts of this book make a great deal of sense. 3000 years ago, multiple greek gods assisted humans to understand daily life. Those cultural understandings are a part of our current history and architecture, and we won't see, for instance, the Third Eye, the Ru, the brow chakra, the vesica piscis (vision of Jesus, artistically) if we don't know what to look for. They are all the same. It's on our money, also, and relates to the pineal gland where emotion is expressed, and the gland which atrophies as we age from birth to early adolescence, but which can be activated by a surge of melatonin.
Too many references? Yup. But why does it show up everywhere?
I plan to find some more to read about Freemasonry and Rosicrucians and the Cabala. I think the whole point here is that the mind has evolved through collective cultural history --- not just american or indian or jewish (use any example here). Our minds are a product of genetic changes through historical context and the myths of our ancestors which are the same ("only the names have been changed to protect the innocent") in all cultures across the world.
Fascinating.
November 1, 2018
Lewis Carroll is famously cited as being high when he wrote his novels Alice in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass creating some of the most vivid and weird imagery ever conceived. Mark Booth in his book The Secret History of The World manages to do the same thing without being high. This book is one of the most insane and weird things I have ever read. It was a concoction of Biblical ideas, Cambellian ideas and philosophy, and just some insanity. This book makes unsupported claims by most and goes on to call into question other things that are accepted as fact. The book goes onto to claim gods as other things and the sun and earth as having been one. That Humans were at once plants, never truly animal. This book creates a timeline where the planets are living beings and the moon is a savior. Plants become us, the garden of eden was an era where the sun and Earth where one so that the sun could protect the earth. Life began then. This book takes on the ideas of conspiracy theory and moves them to an insane new level as he expects that people will believe him in his insanity and ideas. This book also takes into the idea that Science and true faith in the world's religions is wrong as they hide things from people to remain in power when each one is meant to give the truth to the people. This book is the most confusing book I have ever read, as I made a timeline and a list of everything and character and it still made no sense as it was just a mess. The book also had poor writing in it as it was very unclear when a new thought began or ended. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
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