ANTICHRIST: There have been many strange idols throughout the ages but the idol of Baphomet seems to be among the most mysterious. All which seems to be known about this unknown figure it that it is sometimes called the goat idol of the Knights Templar and the deity of the sorcerers' Sabbat. Even the name Baphomet seems to be a composition of abbreviations: 'Temp. ohp. Ab.' which originates from Latin 'Templi omnium hominum pacis abhas,' meaning "the father of universal peace among men."

The many accounts concerning Baphomet describe the idol as a monstrous head, a demon in the form of a goat, a figure with a goat's head and a body combining the characteristics of a dog, bull, and ass. The body was thought to symbolize the burden of matter from which arose the repentance for sin. The human hands formed a sign of esotericism to impress mystery upon the initiates. First they represented the sanctity of labor; and by pointing two lunar crescents, the upper being white and the lower black, they also represented good and evil, mercy and justice. The lower part of the goat's body was veiled but expressed the mysteries the universial generation symbolized by the caduceus or the phallus. The goat's female breasts were the only symbols of maternity, toil, and redemption.

Most accounts of the idol Baphomet were from the confessions of the Knights Templar at their trials after the Inquisition. This is why the idol still remain a fascination and a puzzlement. Instead of definitely establishing the existence of the idol the variances in the Knights confessions did the opposite. Not only is there an uncertainty whether the idol existed but, also, whether there was just one or several idols. The uncertainty of the idol's existence arises because some of the heresy and devil-worship charges brought against the Templars were never proven, and Baphomet was thought to represent the devil. During the knights' confessions the idol seemed to change or was shown in different forms. It was described differently as having a frightful head with a long bird and sparking eyes; or a man's skull; or having three faces. Some said it was made of wood while others said it was metal.

Although some accounts give the idol a goat's body as previously mentioned and others are vague, others described the head in detail. It possessed horns and between the two horns was a torch which represented the intelligence of the triad. Still below the torch, on the forehead, is the sign of the microcosm, or the pentagram with one beam in ascendant symbolizing human intelligence. The situating of the pentagram below the torch was to signify that human intelligence is the image of the divine intellect.

Among the heresy charges brought against the Templars was that some had embrace Mahometanism even though they had sworn to fight against every pagan belief. The charge arose when a knight confessed that he was made to adore the idol by kissing its feet and uttering the word 'Xalla,' which was a word of the Saracens. This was seized upon for proving heresy against the Order, but it must be remembered that western Christians were constantly trying to attribute the idol to Mahomet as an expression of their desire to persecute the Knights.

The belief in Baphomet still exists among some occultists. They hold the idol of the Templars was really the god of the witches deriving from the nature god Pan. In the 19th. century the Austrian Orientalist Baron Joseph von Hammer-Purgstal discovered an inscription on a coffer in Burgandy which he claimed indicated the Baphomet came from the Greek words meaning "Baptism of Metis (Wisdom)." This seemed to exalt Metis or Baphomet as the true divinity.

In the 20th. century German occultists formed the secret order of the O.T.O. (Ordo Templi Orientis or Order of Templars in the East). They installed the English occultist Aleister Crowley to head their British section. Crowley took Baphomet as his magical name.

Andre Faria:BAPHOMET is coming!

So you must read "Templar Revelation" by Lynn Picknett & Clive Prince...

I'm a die hard science fiction fan. I always was intrigued by the 'what if' thought to it. I keep meaning to read the Da Vinci Code but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

The Discworld series. Even though the author is hit and miss at times. Well you would after doing so many of them.

I'm definitely NOT a best seller fan - of any sort - but I did find myself buying a couple of books recently that were recommended (somewhere) and am really thrilled with 'The Time Traveller's Wife'. I can't believe that Existentialism is once again rearing its head! Or perhaps that is a result of 9/11? After all, it was WW1 and WW2 that first fed it.

I also have the Da Vinci Code to read and some of Ian McEwan's books have been pretty enthralling.

Not here.. Any good?

any Clive Cussler readers out there?

morphy4ever: Best sellers help keep the book companies going, they allow them to be able to release other books that maybe of better quality but of less interest to Joe public.

harley: O.K., YOU´re the moderator. But for my opinion the board will be less interesting... Bestseller lists you can find every month or even week in a lot of newspapers and magazins. I thought this board somehow special. Nevermind: my fault.

I'm sorry morphy, but I think this is exactly the place for bestseller book lists. Its a discussion board for books! Whatever your personal feelings, they are still books (and popular books if they made a bestseller list!) and as such open for discussion here.

I´m sorry again for my statement regarding bestseller lists and music charts. I think there should not be room for bestseller lists on a "book"-board. I think they belong to "General Chat". Bestseller lists are just commercials, and their lobbiests are publishers, booksellers etc.

harley: I´m awfully sorry, but I can´t agree. Nevertheless, for MY opinion music charts are even worse than bestseller list (I´m a lover of classical music and studied Russian Literature and Eastern Europe Literature). Tastes of human beings are different...

I like to see bestseller lists, even if I don't read the books myself. Its like looking at music charts, you don't have to like the music or approve of it, but its interesting.

I would like to state that socalled "bestsellers" are nearly never "literature". And bestseller-lists on this board do not help to share "thoughts about ... unforgotten literature and narrators". Some of the bestseller-authors should be forgotten quickly in order to safe the taste for LITERATURE.

morphy4ever: Of course! For example, I've read The Da Vinci Code and, although I thought the basic plot was okay, I didn't think much of the writing.

bumble: Please don´t forget: These are ONLY "bestsellers", not guaranteed "GOOD" books.

Eriisa: I missed out on those books somehow. I must correct that in the near future. It's not surprising though - I didn't read Lord of the Rings until I was about 30.

That is one of my favorites from childhood too! I read the whole series.

For your kids and the kid in you.....

C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe will be release in theaters Dec. 9th. I read the book as a child and loved it! My son is now reading it and we will be ready to see the movie when it is released!

Tuesday: I am just getting back over here.. I had forgotten that I made the comment that I had.. I usually don't post her.. but, may have to start stopping in more often.. ;)

... in 'The Times' (UK) today:

Hardback Fiction:
1/ The Opal Deception - Eoin Coifer
2/ The Closers - Michael Connelly
3/ A Long Way Down - Nick Hornby
4/ 4th of July - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
5/ The Triumph of the Sun - Wilbur Smith

Paperback Fiction:
1/ The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
2/ Trace - Patricia Cornwell
3/ Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
4/ The Wedding Day - Catherine Aliott
5/ Past Mortem - Ben Elton

danoschek: Got a couple good short Sci-Fi stories that seem to 'play' by the rules -- The latest is a bit of a stretch from that -- But remember, you haven't heard any of this

gekrompen hoofd: the better you know the rules the better your brokerage ... ;)
like norman mailer's 'why are we in vietnam' which seems often to burst frame lingo
and contains many short eruptions that remind a lot of henry miller actually ... ~*~

I've recently become a 'break all the rules' kinda writer (with basic laws of english intact, of course)

Tuesday:
I think you should be very sober whenever you read Hemingway, because he isn´t a sort of dreamer. He writes simple sentences, he writes like a journalist, not as a poet. He shows the truth of life, not fairy tales. He is by no means a poet. But he knows very well, what he is talking about. For example: The Old man and the Sea. There isn´t not even one sentence false or fiction. It is the world of an old fisherman, whos fishing has not been lucky the last time, and now his catch is too big for him and costs his own life. By reading you can imagine every minute of his fight against the ocean, against bad luck, against weakness of his old age. And you will learn what is means, high-sea-fishing and fishing for a living.
And read some of his other big novels. Hemingway is the writer for the "lost generation", he is realistic and sees the world not through "pink glasses". He does not use euphemistic words, just shows the world and life and is it.
And if you think of writing yourself, you can learn by Hemingway to use short sentences, simple words, but full of meaning and truth. What he is able to tell in just one short sentence, others will need to write a whole book.

Two hundred years ago Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805), the famous poet
and dramatist, died on May 9th leaving behind a legacy of writing
that still influences German culture today ... ... ~*~

wayney: as it is written, I guessed. Means I do not know you sure may feel
free to investigate further on perhaps even on the traces I share - a quicksearch for
HarryWriter@mugglenet was not successful although a fastbot-match pointed there.
It might have been also somebody teasing around on one of the numerous Potter Forums

http://www.cosforums.com/archive/index.php/f-80.html
http://harrypotterrumors.net/submissions2.html
http://parentingteens.about.com/od/harrypotter/a/harryrumor_6i.htm ... ~*~

danoschek: do you mean you dont think it is the real story?
If you would like me to email you a copy for your perusal, I will. my email is on my profile
Just email me a request and I will send by return.
It is approx 1mb

wayney: I guess it's from free fanfiction
writers who keep a storyline going like, for instance, at
http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com/index.php ... ~*~

If anyone is a Harry Potter fan like me, I know the book isn't due out until Apirl but I thought I would check Kazaa anyway to see if it was there and wow, I got it. (I think it is it anyway but haven't read any of it)

Here is the epilogue
Weird how it is signed "HarryWriter.
Maybe someone wrote their own HP-6 ?

Epilogue

Wow, two books down! One more to go! I can’t believe I actually did it… wow. This Book Six is just ONE page shorter than Book Five was… ARG! Maybe I’ll fix that someday when I’m not swamped with other work, which will probably be… someday…. But, first, I must say that this book would not have been possible if I had not had the support from all of you fans out there, you know who you are. You kept me going. and finally made me produce this story. Thanks guys, thanks for you ideas, suggestions, everything. Thanks.
Now… please don’t hate me! I know I made Dumbledore the bad guy now, but please don’t hate me for it! Many fans were asking me if I would have an explanation for the “glitter of triumph” in his eye at the end of Book Four, and I didn’t buy any of those other theories that because Voldemort used certain blood in the potion, blah blah blah now he’s human, blah blah blah. Alas! Do not fear! Book Seven shall explain EVERYTHING, and bring all that has happened together. You’ll see what Dumbledore’s real deal is…
Also, I know that an incredible amount of people died in this book, both people that were close to Harry and the plot of the series and others who were always kind of just… there. This book was also (hopefully) a little scarier than the others, with the pyramid and stuff, and trust me, the Seventh One will just be even more terrifying….
Whoops, I’d better stop there before I give anything away! But, like last time, this book has changed an INCREDIBLE amount from start to finish. At the beginning, there was no card game, only one Item (the Ring), no missing Weasley sister, no Disguise Dance, and Dumbledore didn’t even turn evil at the end! Yeah… it was pretty bad the first time through. It took me forever to edit all that stuff in and make the story still flow. But, in the end, I think it turned out pretty okay.
Yet again, after reading this Book Six and the Fifth Book, you probably still have some unanswered questions. Why couldn’t they kill Harry? Why did Dumbledore want Harry’s parents dead? What IS Voldemort’s final backup plan? Fear not! All these and much… MUCH more shall be revealed in the Seventh and Final Book. But please, don’t forget, I am still in the planning phase for Book Seven, and I only have a basic plot and good ending written up for it that I think shall be almost exactly what J.K. Rowling is planning to have. Any extra things that you guys would like to see in it, or ideas you have that could make it better are very welcome. You can either e-mail me them, tell me in the forum, or tell me on AIM. See you online!

-HarryWriter

Red Inkworks offers many links to Historical Fiction ... ~*~

by Willa Cather awesome read..

About the struggles of immigrants in the late 1800 in Nebraska.. Showing the power of a woman.. so good...

hemingway is great

densed-blood literature very well fitting for long winters ...

Here some resources for you ... ... ~*~ .

For our younger readers (and those young at heart) - an author recommended by Nirvana.

Beverly Cleary

Andrea Dworkin, feminist activist and author who helped break the silence around
violence against women, died in her home on April 9 at the age of fifty-eight,
after an illness. Her impassioned words always informed, provoked and inspired ... ~*~

ANTICHRIST: Very weak, compared with "The Gothic Book", by Mick Mercer.

ANTICHRIST: nice review and since it's not the philosophy board where a one
and only true answer is a bore 'per se' it merely be claimed here as existing ...
fyi an article in the music context I put in one of my FSs lately about GangstaRap ... ~*~

There had been so many discussions and descriptions in the media regarding the term “gothic rock”, but none of them really pointed out THE one and only (true) answer. And let’s nail it on the wall - none of them ever will. Neither in this book.

The reason is just obvious: Although the face of this style at first sight seems just simple, in reality there are far too many ingredients and sides in order to strap down handcuffs without compromises. Thompson approaches this phenomenon in a really exciting and entertaining manner, adorning his book with a remarkable amount of stories, details, facts, private dives and more, besides he integrates comments from several artists like Robert Smith, Ian Astbury, Nick Cave, Peter Murphy, Peter Hook and others. The book is a trip through many years. Punk, post punk, batcave and the initial flirt with the word “gothic”, the departure mood in those times, the role of the media, scandals, provocations, drug abuse, anti-mainstream creativity, the do-it-yourself mentality, the influence of the vampire creature and the effect by albums like Iggy’s „The Idiot“, Nico’s „Marble Index“ or the first releases by Joy Division, Siouxsie, Bauhaus, Cure and other bands coming up that time - all this Thompson tells about with loads of background knowledge. Further more he touches upon the changes within the music scene, the evolution of the bands including their ups and downs during their career (f.e. The Cult, The Cure), crises and split ups (f.e. Sisters versus The Mission), the standstill period of the gothic rock music and finally the reunion (gig) thing going on years later with bands like The Mission, Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cult. At last you can find a chronologically overview of important events, sessions and releases happening during the years. This book (423 pages by the way) is nutritious readers' food and can be recommended to everyone involved and interested in the dark scene.

Starting with „A“ like A Perfect Circle and Atari Teenage Riot and going ‘til „Z“ like Zombie, Rob – in his reference book Chris Ingham (chief editor of UK’s Metal Hammer) confronts us with the most important representatives within the rock, metal and industrial sector.

Nirvana, Paradise Lost, Skinny Puppy, Deftones, Ramones, Type O Negative, Killing Joke, Slipknot, Ministry, Tool, The Cult, Misfits, Black Sabbath, Smashing Pumpkins – the author wanders through various styles und offers well investigated band infos and bios, always decorated with stylish photos. You really notice his long-standing experience as journalist as you’re not getting the usual standard gossip but exciting and interesting facts, as well as some criticism when necessary. Apart from loads of bands Ingham also shortly examines the diffent styles, from gothic rock ‘til new metal. All in all you’re offered a very good info pool on 256 pages, available for about 25 $ as paperback in European A4 size.

The Global Network of Dreams is a nice site for people interested
in literature. The site comes with an authors search that is designed
in an uncommon way and appealing from the graphics and its function ... ~*~

The link in bold above shows an example output for searchword 'Poe' ... .

A good read for any interested in Spiritual Healing - "The Magus of Strovolos"

this is a public board. ... ~*~ .

Does anyone have the seventies editons of "Tania and "Gina"?
I loved those editions...

Any fans of Daniel Keys Moran here?

Armegeddon Blues...
Emerald Eyes....
The Long Run....
The Last Dancer....
Terminal Freedom....

???