Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories, odd history, unexplained events, mysterious places, and similar things intrigue me. Even my fantasy adventure series, The Gemstone Chronicles, is based on the legendary magical and mystical properties of gemstones. In an earlier post, I talked about two of my favorites conspiracy theories – the Philadelphia Experiment and the Knights Templar. And I admit to a guilty pleasure of watching Ancient Aliens on the History Channel (I mean, who isn’t intrigued by Giorgio’s haircut?). Remember my posts on The Georgia Guidestones? That is a neat mysterious place not far from my home!

Today, however, I want to talk about a couple of mysterious places around the globe. I don’t mean places like Stonehenge, the Carnac stones, Mayan temples, or Machu Pichu. Nope, I want to go for the really mysterious places!

Gobekli Tepe:

I want to start our mysterious journey with a discussion of Gobekli Tepe in Turkey. What makes this a mysterious place? Well, according to our oft-cited friends at Wikipedia, Gobekli Tepe is thought to be 12,000 years old! Put into perspective, the site is twice as old as Stonehenge and 7,000 years older than the Pyramids at Giza.

History:

OK, so the place is old, but what makes it so mysterious? Well, consider that most scientists believe that humankind, at that point in history, were hunter-gatherers and lived in small nomadic bands that moved around in search of food. Yet, the amount of tools found at the site would indicate a workforce of, perhaps, hundreds. And, given the conventional wisdom that there weren’t any wheels or beasts of burden, how did the builders move blocks of limestone weighing up to 16 tons hundreds of feet? Interestingly enough, there isn’t much evidence of habitation (trash, cooking fires, bones of animals, etc.) at Gobekli Tepe, which leads to the question of what purpose the site served. Could it have been a religious site – at a time when religion wasn’t thought to exist? Here is a picture of the Gobekli Tepe site.

Carvings and depictions of animals, scorpions, and other creatures decorate some of the pillars at Gobekli Tepe. Again, consider this was during a time when cave drawings were being made, but not so much sculpture. And who built Gobekli Tepe? No clue on that one, but it does cast a mysterious shadow over what is now considered the oldest monument building in the world! Below is one of the pillars from the site. Note the animal carving.

Gobekli Tepe was abandoned about 10,000 years ago, but instead of simply leaving, the site was carefully filled in (which accounts for its amazing preservation). Archaeologists estimate that only about 5% of the site has been excavated, so there may be many more surprises as it’s uncovered!

Baalbek:

The next mysterious site we will visit is Baalbek in Lebanon. Baalbek is a site that has multiple layers of construction. The Roman City of Heliopolis sits on the top level and has some of the best Roman ruins remaining in Lebanon. The picture below is the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek.

The second level of construction is Phoenician. Baal was the Phoenician Sky-God and Baalbek appears to have been an important pilgrimage site for the worshipers of the deity. Alexander conquered the city 334 BCE, and then the Romans did it again almost 300 years later.

The trilithon:

All that is interesting, but what makes this a mysterious place? How about the Baalbek Trilithon? What is the trilithon? It’s three massive stones that are part of the foundation of the Temple of Jupiter. The stones, placed about 40 feet above ground, weigh about 1000 tons each. Below is a picture of the trilithon. They are the massive stones outlined in green. Compare them to the surrounding stones and you see just how large they are.

The next picture is a megalith from the nearby quarry that was, for whatever reason, not completed. With a person (not me) in the picture, it gives an idea of the enormous scale of the megaliths!

This is what makes this a mysterious place. Not one to believe in aliens, and not discounting the ingenuity of ancient people, it does make me wonder how on earth they moved stones like this. Even with today’s technology moving the stone would be difficult. I can only marvel that 2000 plus years ago people moved it!

What do you think?

What do you think of these mysterious places? How do you think the people of the day in Gobekli Tepe and Baalbek accomplished these engineering feats? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Connect with me:

I will do some additional posts about mysterious and interesting places, so connect with me on social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, or just send me an email at bill@williamlstuart.com. And, if you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to the blog!

Who doesn’t love a good conspiracy theory? Conspiracy theories have been around forever, but, now that we are so connected by the Internet, social media, and instant information, they have seemed to proliferate. Information makes it easy to connect dots and create conspiracies where none previously existed. For instance, I could say the story of The Gemstone Chronicles was based on the attempt at time and inter-dimensional travel allegedly conducted as part of the Philadelphia Experiment. It isn’t true (at least as the basis of my books part), and certainly not a conspiracy (so I say), but what about the experiment?

The Philadelphia Experiment:

For those who aren’t familiar with the legend of the Philadelphia Experiment, in 1943, the USS Eldridge (DE-173) was outfitted with very powerful electromagnetic generators as part of an experiment to create a ship invisible to radar. The experiment was a test of Einstein’s unified field theory and was carried out at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Versions of the story vary, but one of the most popular holds that the ship did disappear and was replaced by a greenish fog. When it reappeared, some sailors were imbedded in bulkheads, some disappeared, some experienced severe nausea, and still others suffered serious mental issues.

Another account says the ship disappeared and reappeared 200 miles away in Norfolk, VA. Allegedly observed by another ship in Norfolk, the Eldridge then reappeared in Philadelphia and traveled backward in time by 10 minutes. The US Navy, of course, denies the experiment ever occurred and the historical documents about USS Eldridge don’t indicate  any involvement in the experiment. The official explanation of any type of experimentation at the time was the Navy trying to find a way to make steel ships undetectable to magnetic mines (degaussing).

First, did the experiment occur? Secondly, did Einstein actually complete a Unified Field Theory as alleged and then destroy it because mankind wasn’t ready for it? Lastly, did USS Eldridge actually disappear and reappear after traveling back in time by 10 minutes? Who knows? But it makes for great conversation! And, in keeping with conspiracy theories, any information provided by the Navy is immediately suspect as part of the conspiracy!

The Knights Templar:

Another of my favorite conspiracy theories is the Knights Templar. Again, I must provide a little background. The Knights Templar were originally a small group of knights that went to the Holy Land after the First Crusade to provide protection to pilgrims. The Knights expanded their numbers rapidly (perhaps for discoveries made while in Jerusalem). They eventually became the military arm of the Catholic Church and established a vast network of castles and lands throughout Europe. They were also the first international bankers.

The Templars grew so powerful and wealthy that most of the European monarchies owed them money. On Friday 13, 1307, the Templars castles were raided and the knights jailed as heretics. The charges of heresy were signed by Pope Clement V (at the alleged urging of King Phillip IV of France, who reportedly owed a huge sum to the Templars). Here begins our conspiracy theory. Did the Pope (who lived in Avignon not Rome – another conspiracy) and King Phillip truly conspire against the Templars? What happened to the Templar riches? Who knows? But, the story is great conspiracy fuel!

Legend says that as the Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay burned at the stake, he allegedly cursed both the Pope and King Phillip IV, claiming they would be dead within the year. Pope Clement V died a month later and King Phillip later that year. Coincidence or did the banished Templars have anything to do with the deaths?

The Templar Treasure:

Another part of this tale is there were supposedly Templar treasure ships at the port in France and these ships were loaded with Templar riches (yep, the ones mentioned above). On the morning of the raids on Templar properties, the ships were no longer in port. They, and their supposed loads of treasure, disappeared. According to legend, the Holy Grail made up part of the missing treasure. The Grail, found by the original Templars in Jerusalem, fueled their rapid rise!

Where did the treasure go? To this day, no one knows. Or do they? Some say the treasure went to Scotland, where the remaining Templars became Freemasons. Interestingly, the head of the Scottish Masons are Sinclairs (the Anglicized version of St. Clair – coincidentally, the name of a powerful French Templar). One only has to visit Rosslyn Chapel to see the cryptic carvings and decorations to wonder about the conspiracy.

Oak Island and the New World:

Another legend is the treasure is in North America (ever heard of Oak Island?). Prince Henry the Navigator was thought to be a Templar Knight. Many believe he visited the New World long before Columbus. In fact, some believe Columbus knew exactly where he sailed when he reached the New World because Columbus used Prince Henry’s charts to sail. Interestingly enough, many of the depictions of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria have Templar Crosses on their sails as shown below!

Still another theory says that the Templars eventually blended into secular society. Armed with their extensive banking knowledge and untold riches, they formed Switzerland! Why Switzerland? Simple, according to the conspiracy theories. The Swiss flag is a white cross on a red background – the opposite of the Templars, but certainly a clue to the real identity of the Knights. Just like the Knights Templar, the Swiss are renowned engineers and bankers. Awfully convenient, isn’t it?

New conspiracies:

There you have my two favorite conspiracy theories. I have a new one I am following now – the Georgia Guidestones. The guidestones will figure prominently in my next novel, so stay tuned as it develops! I can’t say more, now, because they may be watching…

What are your favorite conspiracy theories? Have you researched the topic? If you do, ready yourself for some interesting reading! Once you do, leave me a comment and let me know which ones entertained you. Even better, which ones made you probe more deeply into seeming coincidences that may lead into a web of deceit, lies, cover ups, and shadowy characters!

Connect with me:

Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads, or email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. And welcome to the conspiracy!! The truth is out there…

I have a lot of interests. They include writing The Gemstone Chronicles fantasy adventure series, submarines, gemstones, gold prospecting, softball, quantum physics, and conspiracy theories, just to name just a few. As many of you recall, I did a post about the Georgia Guidestones.

My first exposure to the Guidestones was an episode of Brad Meltzer’s show Decoded. After seeing the show, Lana and I visited the Guidestones near Elberton, GA. We took some interesting pictures. I had to do my research to discover more about the story behind the stones. I chronicles all of that in the earlier post. Now, I have an update and a mystery involving the Georgia Guidestones!

A little background on the Guidestones:

Let me refresh you on the background on the Guidestones. They were commissioned in 1979 by a man who called himself R.C. Christian (a pseudonym). He represented a group who wanted to leave set of “guidestones for an age of reason.”  The monument was completed in 1980 and has been controversial ever since it opened. Why so controversial, you might ask?

Many conspiracy believers think that the monument lists the commandments for a New World Order. Others think that the first guideline advocates mass destruction of humanity since it dictates to maintain the Earth’s population at 500,000,000. Still others are concerned about the principle that states “Be not a cancer on the Earth – Leave room for Nature – Leave room for Nature.”

Here is a picture of the monument, followed by one of the English slab. These pictures were taken in 2013.

The update:

Now for the mystery! The story goes that the English language slab had a corner cut out during the fabrication of the monument. If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the notch in the upper right hand corner. Nothing mysterious about that, I guess, but there is a report that a cube of granite was placed in that notch by persons unknown. Engraved on the cube were the numbers “20” and “14.” On the other sides of the cube were other inscriptions, including “8”, “16”, “MM”, “JAM.” An Elberton official supposedly removed the cube and destroyed it. Here is a picture of the cube from youtube!

The mystery:

Of course, the insertion of the block with the inscription of 20 and 14, created a furor. Was R.C. Christian’s mysterious group back? By adding 2014, was the group informing the world that the commandments listed on the Guidestones were about to be implemented? Was this another group trying to capitalize on the notoriety of the Guidestones? Was the New World Order about to implement its agenda?

Although I don’t know any of the answers to the questions, the mystery deepens. I think the story of the Guidestones would make a great basis for a novel, so I might just have to work on that!

What do you think about the installation and removal of the cube? What about the Georgia Guidestones in general? Do you believe there is something sinister or Satanic about them? Are they just an innocent effort to remind people to care for the Earth? Leave me a message and let me know! Tell your friends about this post and have them stop by and leave a message! As always, shares and feedback are welcome!

Connect with me:

You can connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads. I look forward to meeting new friends and hearing from old friends! Say hi and let’s start a conversation.

Georgia Guidestones!

I am going to take a break from talking about The Gemstone Chronicles. Since I’m not writing reviews showcasing other Indie authors this week, I want to talk about something else very cool – the Georgia Guidestones!

I never knew about the Georgia Guidestones until I saw them on an episode of Brad Meltzer’s Decoded. This past Labor Day, Lana (my lovely and adorable bride of 25 years) and I were riding around in Northeast Georgia and we decided to visit. It was a very interesting thing to see!

First, a little background on the Georgia Guidestones. The story goes that a gentleman named R.C. Christian commissioned the monument. Mr. Christian represented a group that wished to remain permanently anonymously. Mr. Christian and his group, The Guidestone Group, chose Georgia for its granite and its mild climate. Mr. Christian’s great-grandmother was allegedly a Georgia native, so that might have helped. The monument was erected March 22, 1980 in a field off Georgia Hwy 77 in Elbert County. Below is the stone that provides some history and details about the monument (sorry about the picture quality – it was a very sunny day).

The Guidestones:

The Guidestones themselves are arranged in a paddle-wheel shape around a central granite pillar. There are 4 vertical slabs around the central pillar, all resting on base slab. The vertical slabs are topped by a capstone slab. The 4 vertical slabs have the following 10 guidelines or principles in 8 different languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, and Chinese):

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature
2. Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity
3. Unite humanity with a living new language
4. Rule passion – faith – tradition – and all things with tempered reason
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials
8. Balance personal rights with social duties
9. Prize truth – beauty – love – seeking harmony with the infinite
10. Be not a cancer on the Earth – leave room for nature – leave room for nature

See the pictures below.

The Slabs:

Topping off the vertical slabs is a capstone with 4 additional languages: Babylonian, Sanskrit, Classical Greek, and Egyptian Hieroglyphs. The central slab has a hole aligned with the North Star, and there is a slot that aligns with the equinoxes and solstices. Lastly, there is a small hole that allows a beam of sunlight to illuminate the date at noon each day.

Conspiracy theories:

With all of the languages, the guidelines (especially the one about keeping population below 500,000,000), and the astronomical alignments, there is little wonder that the guidestones have become linked with many conspiracy theories. Because of that, the stones themselves are subjected to vandalism on a regular basis. Too numerous to go into in this post, you can do an Internet search to discover more. One to ponder is whether this is the work of the New World Order…

The Georgia Guidestones are enigmatic, mysterious, and kind of bizarre. Set in a field about halfway between Elberton and Hartwell, they suddenly appear at the side of the highway. While we didn’t get any spooky feelings, or tap into any of the cosmic consciousness, it was a very cool place to visit! Thanks Brad Meltzer for letting us know about this wonderfully odd Georgia treasure!! If you’re ever nearby, visit! If you do, let me know your thoughts.

What mysterious places exist where you live? Have you investigated them? Leave me a comment and let me know! I can’t wait to hear your stories.

Connect with me:

You can also connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads, You can email me at bill@williamlstuart.com. If you don’t want to miss a post, feel free to subscribe to the blog. I enjoy meeting new friends, so say hi. Let’s start a conversation!