An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar author: James Wasserman Destiny Books 2006 ISBN #1-59477-117-0 The Knights Templar have been of interest to me for a very long time now. It was of some consideration that this work was authored by someone that was a thirty year member of the Ordo Templi Orientis, an organization that draws on the traditions of the Freemason, Rosicrucian, and Illuminist movements of the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as that of the Knights Templars of the middle ages, early Christian Gnosticism and the Pagan Mystery Schools. An "insider", as it were, with an insider's heart, and an insider's view. Wasserman's body of work includes "The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven", "The Mystery Traditions", and "The Slaves Shall Serve: Meditations on Liberty". History is the blended story of individuals, issues, and the times in which they existed. Wasserman has done an excellent job of defining the times of the Knights Templar, the political climate, the position of the Church, as well as giving us the background of the men that were involved in the tradition. The Knights Templar were initially established to protect Christian pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. From this, they grew to be an organization of great wealth (fiscal wealth, and wealth in terms of land and buildings) and political power (answerable only to the Pope). Wasserman presents their history here through a discussion of the Mystery Tradition, legends associated with the Knights Templar, and over 170 stunning, full color illustrations. He presents images from manuscripts, paintings from the great masters of the 18th and 19th centuries, and contemporary photographs by Steven Brooks and Vere Chappell of former Templar strongholds in Europe and Jerusalem. There are also several fascinating "idealized portraits" of men from this period in history. The Knights Templar were the militia for the Church - they were the warrior army of the Pope. Wasserman also discusses connections between the Knights Templar and traditions such as the Cathars and the Assassins, and the role that the Knights Templar played in the Crusades. Each of the Crusades is discussed in depth, along with the story of the individuals involved. At the end of the book Wasserman has included maps of the territory inhabited by the Knights Templar, which is interesting in that it allows the reader to see at a glance how and why history came about as it did. There is a wealth of information here, including such interesting tidbits as the fact that land was often deeded to the Templars to protect because it was "excess land", and too costly for the Lords to protect on their own. There are things from the Templars history that are not discussed here, but on the whole this book sets an excellent foundation for research and understanding of this tradition. © October 2006 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 Graphics by Art for the web