Enough Damage

Sorry, i don't really think I've got the hang of this blog thing. I know it's supposed to be short, frequent posts, rather than a few long ones.  I'll try to do better when I return to my office in the NY.

I've QUITE enjoyed being published - I mean this in the English-English sense, not the American. I enjoyed the last big radio thing  I did, the Steve Wright Show on Radio 2, because he was great, very friendly and I knew it wasn't live. They cut out all the ums and errs and made me sound on the ball for once. A neighbour told me Steve W said the next day they'd had an unprecedented number of queries and gave out the book's details again, which is good - but I'm glad to be going back to being a 'back room boy'.

Comments

[Arthur]

Not sure how the English-English joy of being published differs from the American, but from my U.S. perspective, anticipating your "Secret History" availability at Amazon, I see it will be released under the name 'Mark Booth'. Is this an 'Americanization' of your English name? or is this an imposter? I look forward to ordering it, but would like clarification as to authenticity. Thanks!

[Rebekah]

Just started reading your book. A question. You say that modern anatomists only "discovered" the pineal gland in 1866. Yet Rene Descartes, in the 17th century, when asked to account for the interaction between mind and body, proposed that the pineal gland was the meeting point of mind and body. How could Descartes know of the existence of a gland which had not yet been discovered?

[jonathan black]

Rebekah, you're absolutely right! my main source for material on the pineal gland was a weird and wonderful book on biology, physiology and consciousness by John Bleibtreu, which desereves to be an undergound classic. I'll dig it up and see what he says, but I guess 'discover' here should be something like 'come to an understanding of' or 'formulate a scientifc theory regarding the function of'. After all, people must've been cutting up brains along time before that!

[jonathan black]

Arthur, Mark Booth is my real name.One of the reasons I used Jonathan Black was that in my experience foreign language speakers often find 'Booth' hard to pronounce, and as far as i know all the foreign langauge editions are using Black. My American publisher wanted to use Booth - and that's fine too.

[Brian McCarthy]

Dear Mr. Booth,
Having read your book and found it quite absorbing my wife and her sister wish to read it. However, although they speak English they would prefer to read it in their native tongue, Italian. I can't find an Italian version and being a translator (working exclusively from Italian to English-I am Irish), I was wondering if you might be interested in my services, if there is not already an Italian version of course.
One other thing, I know that Aquila was built by the Templars as the second Jerusalem and its destruction (trust me) is a sign of a profound change in the near furure. My source won't tell me about the third Jerusalem. You refer to a "new Jerusalem" in the sub-heading of the last chapter of your book but then make no mention of it in the text itself. Have I missed something?
Thank you,
Brian McCarthy

[Anthony]

Its possible Mark was thinking of The New Jerusalem in terms of the new heaven and the new earth ~ which comes to pass in the last chapter as the inner enlightenment of humanity.

Not to put words in your mouth or anything Mark!

[Giles]

Mark, what a super book 'The Secret History of the World' is!! It has had a large impact on myself as it pieces together a lot of my ideas in a coherent manner. I think who the historical figure of Jesus Christ was becomes clearer (in these times 'Christ Myth') and this has introduced me to Rudolf Steiner's work which is no less than awesome.

Giles

[Mccaleb]

Have you considered responding - somewhere, anywhere - the review of your book on Salon? There are many things to refute in that review, if you are can. I know that I, for one, as a reader of your book, would like to know about the multiple factual innacuracies that the reviewer cites (a few of which I noticed myself).

[generic propicia]

i like this part of the post:"They cut out all the ums and errs and made me sound on the ball for once. A neighbour told me Steve W said the next day they'd had an unprecedented number of queries and gave out the book's details again, which is good - but I'm glad to be going back to being a 'back room boy'." is very good

[Colleen]

Mark, I've recently read your book and it changed my life. I've been slowly coming to a spiritual awakening brought on by a serious life change. I found myself reading the Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn, a treatise on metaphysics and gained some profound insight. Then, I came across your book in Barnes & Noble (I live in that store!) and I read it very slowly and carefully and it all made sense to me. No one has ever accused me of being gullible or weak-minded, yet I found your book very compelling! More than anything, it has made more sense of the world than anything I've ever read and has in the very least, shifted my perspective. I would love to chat as the thought and knowledge behind all this astounds me and I wish to know more.

[Anthony Peake]

Mark,

Over the weekend I was working in the garden and the word "Quercus" was "said" over and over again in my head. As a writer on the subject of "Daemonic Inspiration" I tend to heed these things. I looked across the road at my neighbours two oak trees and decided that it was simply a subliminal recognition and a bit of subconscious word-play.
Later in the day my wife and I were in a bookshop deciding on our holiday-read selection.Friends of mine of an esoteric-bent have long suggested that I read your book "Secret History" and quite by chance I spotted it on the shelves. I picked it up and was stunned to notice that it was published by "Quercus". Having lived with odd, but significant synchronicities in relation to my own writing (indeed I have created a neologism "Synchrondipity" to describe these fortuitous coincidences)I tend to "listen to my Daemon". I picked the book up and went straight to the index to find the links between your interests in my own. I spotted one straight away - Russian philosopher Petyr Ouspensky. I flicked to the pages in question (266-267)and was stunned to discover a reference to, of all things, "Socrates Daemon" and an example of how this Daemon manifested itself in the mind of an individual after hearing a lecture by Ouspensky (as an aside, only last Thursday I recorded an interview for an American radio station where I discussed, in some detail, Ouspensky and his concept of "Eternal Reccurance").
Of course I bought the book and started reading it today. The overlap between my interests and yours are startling. I am very keen to open up a channel of direct communication if it is of interest to you. If you check out my book "The Daemon - A Guide To Your Extraordinary Secret Self", I think you will understand what I mean ... already esoteric groups such as The Servants of the Light (SOL)and the Theosophists are fascinated by the implications of my "Daemon-Eidolon Dyad" hypothesis.

[Warrior of Light]

Mark,
Perhaps you would care to read the following link and review your chapter on the Illuminati?
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/The-Secret-History(1492844).htm

[rosecross]

I have read the link and although disagreeing, it read although the author had some interesting arguments, until he said Jesus Christ was a false prophet. What a load of crap!

[Warrior of Light]

Did you check out any of the other articles as well?
I'm guessing you're a Christian so try these for starters.
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/Christ-the-Deceiver(1303408).htm
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/The-Mithras-Deception(1753794).htm
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/The-Jesus-Myth(1765162).htm
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/The-Jesus-Plot(1777928).htm

[rosecross]

I am not a Christian.

[Warrior of Light]

I apologise for my incorrect assumption. What did you think of the other articles mentioned though?

And if you're not a Christian why did you seemingly take offence at Jesus being called a false prophet?

[rosecross]

Define a prophet?

[Warrior of Light]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophet_(disambiguation)

[rosecross]

Is there anyone that the author does consider a prophet?

[Warrior of Light]

I would suggest you go to the main homepage if you haven't done so already, read the introduction and go from there.
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/
There are plenty of articles on a wide range of subjects which hopefully will answer your questions. The site is still being added to on a weekly basis as I write.
You can always do a search for 'prophet' from the homepage to select articles that mention this in particular.
All the best!

[rosecross]

I may take another look. From what I previously read im pretty sure there will be nothing of interest there for me. Thank you though.
Have you read any Rudolf Steiner?
I suggest the author of the website does, maybe he could review his article that claims jesus is a false prophet.

[Warrior of Light]

I've never read any Rudolf Steiner but having just done some research it looks like it would be worth it. Interestingly he seems to have been influenced to some degree by Goethe.
The Armageddon Conspiracy website is administered by three adepts of the Illuminati, "with one of its main aims being to defuse the absurd misinformation and disinformation that appears in enormous amounts on the internet regarding the Illuminati".
This is why I originally posted given the inaccuracies regarding them contained in "The Secret History".
This site lists Goethe as one of the ten most influential Grand Masters of the Illuminati and there are a couple of articles that mention Steiner:-
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/Selling-Your-Soul(1630166).htm
http://www.armageddonconspiracy.co.uk/The-Satan-Plan(1837991).htm

[rosecross]

I had a quick look but I shall need to read later in more detail. Steiner was one of the greatest men to be born in the 19th century.
To be honest I know very little about the Freemasons or the Illuminarti. I know the basics and the general history of the two groups according to most, including Mark. I am also aware of many great minds and thinkers that have been members over the many years. But which one is the truely the 'good' or 'bad' acting behind the scenes in history is of little importants to me at the present time.
I am on my own journey and though I understand the importance of the group to correct the misinformation given out about the group, if true, I cannot find the answer listening to either Mark Booth or the author of the site.
I will see the truth soon enough.

[Buy Generic Viagra]

I am not very satisfied by the way the article has come to a conclusion. It is kind of abrupt. But anyways I know you are a good writer and so I am surely going to wait to read your other articles. This particular article is surely better but not great like your other articles.

[Bob Metcalf]

Mark, I caught you interview on "Coast to Coast" the other night and found you, and your conversation, extremely interesting, so much so that I went out and got your book and am now reading it. I do have a couple of problems with it. I am going to have to read it with the use of a dictionary. ( I did not go to Oxford. ) I really am looking foreword to studying your book but wish that you had written it in Eastern Kentuckian, my native language.