Templars In America From the Crusades to the New World authors: Tim Wallace-Murphy, Marilyn Hopkins Weiser Books 2004 ISBN #1-57863-317-6 Templars In America is history made palatable - it is a well researched, well written historical account of two well known European families, both with deeply imbedded Templar roots, that joined forces in sailing to America to explore the possibility of creating a life ... a life beyond the reach of the Church and the Inquisition. All of this happened over a century before Columbus was to have discovered America, so we are left with the thought that our history books, for whatever reason, are not "quite" accurate! The story line traces the lives of the Henry St. Clair, Earl of Orkney and Lord of Roslin, and two of the scions of the high ranking Zeno family of Venice, Nicolo and Antonio. Of great interest is the early background of both of these families - one from the Viking world, one from the highly political Venetian world. What did they have in common? Interest and skill in seafaring, intelligence, schooling, and an understanding that trade, and the expansion of trade, was where the power was. And, of course, deep roots in the philosophy and spirituality of the Templar tradition. Every story has sub-plots, and this one is no different. Enter the Rex Deus, a group of European families that hold the belief through oral tradition that they are descended from the twenty-four high priests of the Temple of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. To keep the bloodlines pure, as much as possible they inter-married amongst themselves. These same families also claim to preserve the "true teachings" of Jesus for future generations, amongst other things. Templars In America is a book of fact, not a book of fiction. However, the storyline is a compelling one, filled with intrigue backed up with fact. One ends up feeling that they know the primary characters intimately, with the reader certain to walk away with a better understanding of what motivated the peoples of these times. One also begins to understand the footprints left in both Canada and the United States by these early Templar explorers. It can be shown that they had interaction with the Mi'qmaq of present day Canada, and that they had journeyed to the eastern coast of the United States. (There is an amazing story told here of the Newport Tower, an edifice in Newport, Rhode Island, that could possibly date back to Templar times. I found it quite interesting that the authors note that were the structure in Europe, an earlier dating would not be questioned. Here in the United States, historians do not want to accept the fact that this structure is more than likely pre-Culumbus by a century!) Another sub-plot of interest is the foundation and history of Freemasonry, the first three centuries of which are shrouded in mystery. Of note is that fact that operative guilds were transformed into the society of Freemasonry in order to preserve Templar tradition. It was also interesting to me to read about the influence of the Templar tradition on the founding fathers of the United States, and on the Constitution that they drafted. The book ends on a very uplifting note - the recreation of the early voyage of Henry St. Clair and the Zeno brothers from Europe to the America's by an Italian yachtswoman - Laura Zolo, and her partner, Cap'n Jack Lammiman. The trip was sponsored by the City of Venice, the Italian Navy and her island home of Elba, and included officials receptions by the St. Clair clan in Orkney and the Mi'qmaq tribe in Nova Scotia. The background of the authors is also substantial - they are co-authors of Rosslyn, are both involved in the European Templar Heritage Research Network (connecting researchers worldwide), and both lecture on an international basis. To those who have an interest in the Templar Tradition, especially as it pertains to the America's, this book presents some interesting theories, as well as documenting some fascinating archeological findings. The footnotes and bibliography are extensive, and there is a well done genealogy of Earl Henry St. Clair, as well as a map of the voyage from Europe to the Americas. I recommend this book as a wonderful addition to any Templar based library, or to any personal library. © November 2005 Bonnie Cehovet Personal Lifestyle Reading - I offer a Personal Lifestyle Reading using Tarot that looks at past, present and future influences in your life, at the energies that are currently available to help you along your path, and at those energies that are appearing as challanges. My goal is to offer you insight into your decision making process, as well as tools that you can use to both better understand your path and make conscious, choice centered decisions. Home Personal Empowerment links Personal Empowerment articles View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook Graphics by Art for the web