"The Temple and The Lodge" by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh

The Temple and The Lodge

by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh

Arcade Publishing, 1989

Notes by Travis Simpkins

     While their runaway hit bestseller Holy Blood, Holy Grail had only passing references to Freemasonry, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh placed the Craft front and center in their follow-up tome, The Temple and The Lodge. The book sought to provide a clear link between the Knights Templar, the period after their suppression in the early 14th Century, and the public emergence of Freemasonry three hundred years later. It was a roundabout journey for the authors. It began with investigating Templar graves on a small island in Loch Awe in the Highlands of Argyll in Scotland and led to the town of Kilmartin, where upwards of 80 flat stones with Masonic symbols and plain stones incised with swords were dated to the years after the suppression. Much of their subsequent research stayed open-minded and paid close attention to myths and legends... recognizing that myths have often become an important, inseparable part of history.

     Baigent and Leigh note that Templar philosophy and ritual "survived in part through the so-called 'higher degrees' offered by such institutions as Irish Grand Lodge. Most important, however, they survived within the Strict Observance promulgated by Hund- of which the highest degree was that of Knight Templar."

     Some of their observations are far-fetched while others are spot-on, roughly in equal parts. There is an overemphasis on "Jacobite Freemasonry" and the dream of restoring the Stuarts to the British Throne and there are other lengthy stretches with dry prose and meandering subjects. The book is most effective and most entertaining when it tries to focus on the matter at hand… establishing a link between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. In the end, the matter will always be a source of contention and debate. If approached with good intentions and an open mind, the book makes for an enjoyable 267 page sojourn.

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Kilmartin Church Graveyard

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Kilmartin Church Graveyard

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Kilmartin Church Graveyard

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Templar gravestones

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Templar Tower, Garway

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. The Green Man

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Rosslyn Castle

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Rosslyn Chapel

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Apprentice Pillar. Rosslyn Chapel

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. The Apprentice. Rosslyn Chapel

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Freemasonry. Rosslyn Chapel

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Jesus as Divine Architect

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. God the Geometer

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Church of the Temple, Edinburgh

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Masonic sword

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Masonic Knights Templar apron

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Masonic Knight Templar

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh. Jacques De Molay

The Temple and the Lodge. Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh

"Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail" by Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail

by Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy

Grave Distractions Publications, 2016

Notes by Travis Simpkins

     Set in a compact 237-page volume, Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail by Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy offers a thorough look into the mystery surrounding the underground survival of Rex Deus, the descendants of the 24 High Priestly families of the Biblical Temple in Jerusalem. Their secret teachings, which reveal the true philosophy of Jesus the Nazorean, have been passed down through successive generations for 2,000 years despite often-horrific persecution. Their strategy and planning facilitated the founding of the Knights Templar and their atmosphere of tolerance led to the spread of ideas which found root in the beginnings of modern Freemasonry. Topics such as the Holy Grail and the Black Madonna offer pause for reflection and veneration within the text.

     The book begins by revisiting the research of Henry Lincoln, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh in their blockbuster book, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. Pointing out what was correct and where their investigation went wrong, Wallace-Murphy offers further insights into the backstory of Berenger Sauniere, the Priory of Sion and the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau. 

     The remainder of the book contains often-groundbreaking research and wonderful ideas which should be read and interpreted firsthand. This tome, along with all his other works, attests to Tim Wallace-Murphy's diligence, understanding and masterful interpretation of the Western Esoteric Tradition's core principles.

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Rennes-le Chateau

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Berenger Sauniere

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Berenger Sauniere

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: The Da Vinci Code

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Holy Blood, Holy Grail

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Pierre Plantard

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Crucifixion

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Rennes-le-Chateau

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Mary Magdalene

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: John the Baptist

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Dead Sea Scrolls

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Jesus Teaching

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: The Essenes

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: John the Baptist

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: The Knights Templar

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: The Knights Templar

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Temple Mount, Jerusalem

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Chartres Cathedral

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Parzival

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Christ and Mary Magdalene

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: The Black Madonna

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Rosslyn Chapel

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Rosslyn Chapel

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Freemasonry

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: Freemasonry

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy: The Holy Saints John. Freemasonry

Rex Deus: The Families of the Grail. Cyndi and Tim Wallace-Murphy