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REVIEWS @ THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GRAIL: by Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill The Quest for a Legend Orion Books Ltd, UK, 2004 by Andrew Collins ISBN 0-75285-996-X (276pp hc) Virgin Books, UK, 2004 Availability: Orion Books Ltd, website ISBN 1-85227-139-6 (260pp hc) http://www.orionbooks.co.uk Availability: Virgin Books, website ince it was "rediscovered" in an Italian http:/Avww.virgin.com/books monastery by antiquarian book dealer his new book from Andrew Collins Wilfrid Voynich in 1912, the so-called (From the Ashes of Angels; Gods of Voynich Manuscript has evaded decoding Eden; Gateway to Atlantis; see 4/01, 5/04, by the cast of scholars and cryptologists who —_7/03) is an unusual work of historical non- have studied it. Consisting of around 226 fiction combined with psychic questing—a vellum pages, the manuscript contains technique used to discover hidden artefacts unusual illustrations together with script using dreams and visions. What set it off under seven sections, including botanical was a series of dreams in late 2001 by an (with drawings of 113 unidentified plants), associate, Richard Ward, in which the angel astronomical/astrological, biological (the Bartzabel and the English occultist Aleister emphasis being on small-scale female Crowley (who died in 1947) appeared to nudes) and pharmaceutical/herbal. him in a cave that he recognised as Hastings London-based authors, freelance writers Cave on the English Channel coast. Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill, both of The imagery and personages appearing in whom collaborated on a 2002 film docu- the visions were unusual enough for Collins, mentary for the BBC on the manuscript, his wife Sue and Richard Ward to embark have done exhaustive research for this book. on an adventure across the English country- They delve into the history of the manu- side, looking for clues suggested during the visions and unearthing some unusual occult @ i | artefacts. And with Crowley along as a guide, their quest was guaranteed to verge on the bizarre, his seven-pointed star seal VOVYN IC | | superimposed on the Kent countryside serv- hk A} nin ing as one signpost along the way. MANUSCRIPT The main object of their quest concerned the so-called Marian Chalice—a small alabaster cup of Near Eastern manufacture, dated to the first century and reputed to be the vessel used by Mary Magdalene to anoint Jesus before the Crucifixion and also identified with the Holy Grail (though not necessarily with the bloodline, as other authors suggest). The story of how Collins came to acquire this cup is extraordinary, script, which according to a letter attached and it involves discoveries about the early to it may have been the work of the 13th- years of the Christian and Gnostic traditions century scientist/monk Roger Bacon. It in England, the history of the Knights allegedly found its way via Elizabethan Templar, Arthurian myth, the coded works magician John Dee to the Bohemian king of the Renaissance painters and sacred Rudolph IT in the late 1500s. geometry linking key sites in the landscape. The authors also explore the characters This visionary work, backed up with who have been captivated by it and the tech- obscure historical detail, is a magical read. niques they used in attempting to decipher it. Many have speculated that the text was written with a cipher key, but as no one's yet managed to get a sensible translation the authors suggest the curious manuscript could have been a hoax. They outline sever- al theories as to who may have been respon- sible for it, ranging from John Dee and his cunning associate Edward Kelley to Wilfrid Voynich himself. This is an absorbing drama that takes the 4 reader from mediaeval times through to ' ; “a today—with the promise of scientific analy- G R A | L sis of the parchment and ink and at least some finality about the manuscript's date. a ANDROW COLLINS TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GRAIL: The Quest for a Legend by Andrew Collins Virgin Books, UK, 2004 ISBN 1-85227-139-6 (260pp hc) Availability: Virgin Books, website http://www. virgin.com/books his new book from Andrew Collins (From the Ashes of Angels; Gods of Eden; Gateway to Atlantis; see 4/01, 5/04, 7/03) is an unusual work of historical non- fiction combined with psychic questing—a technique used to discover hidden artefacts using dreams and visions. What set it off was a series of dreams in late 2001 by an associate, Richard Ward, in which the angel Bartzabel and the English occultist Aleister Crowley (who died in 1947) appeared to him in a cave that he recognised as Hastings Cave on the English Channel coast. The imagery and personages appearing in the visions were unusual enough for Collins, his wife Sue and Richard Ward to embark on an adventure across the English country- side, looking for clues suggested during the visions and unearthing some unusual occult artefacts. And with Crowley along as a guide, their quest was guaranteed to verge on the bizarre, his seven-pointed star seal superimposed on the Kent countryside serv- ing as one signpost along the way. The main object of their quest concerned the so-called Marian Chalice—a small alabaster cup of Near Eastern manufacture, dated to the first century and reputed to be the vessel used by Mary Magdalene to anoint Jesus before the Crucifixion and also identified with the Holy Grail (though not necessarily with the bloodline, as other authors suggest). The story of how Collins came to acquire this cup is extraordinary, and it involves discoveries about the early years of the Christian and Gnostic traditions in England, the history of the Knights Templar, Arthurian myth, the coded works of the Renaissance painters and sacred geometry linking key sites in the landscape. This visionary work, backed up with obscure historical detail, is a magical read. ANDROW COLLINS GRAIL 70 = NEXUS www.nexusmagazi ne.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2005