"Do you mock me? Where is the keystone?"
~ Silas (The Da Vinci Code, Columbia, 2006)
~ Silas (The Da Vinci Code, Columbia, 2006)
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Synchromystic trailblazer Loren Coleman recently posted about the supposed plot, by certain radicals operating in St. Louis, to bomb the Gateway Arch.
As Coleman notes, this structure, known to St. Louisans as the "Arch," was represented on the latest cover of the cultural magazine, The New Yorker. The image, which depicts the Arch in a sort of Taijitu-esque (Yin-Yang) juxtaposition of white and black, strikingly visually summarizes the media's preoccupation with racial tensions in the St. Louis County municipality of Ferguson.
Importantly, The New Yorker's Arch is missing its uppermost portion - including the crucial segment known in architecture as the "keystone."
The reference source, Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, has the following to say about the word "Keystone": "The stone placed in the center of an arch which preserves the others in their places, and secures firmness and stability to the arch. As it was formerly the custom of Operative Masons to place a peculiar mark on each stone of a building to designate the workman by whom it had been adjusted, so the Keystone was most likely to receive the most prominent mark, that of the Superintendent of the structure. Such is related to have occurred to that Keystone which plays so important a part in the legend of the Royal Arch Degree." (Albert Mackey, vol. 1, Chicago: Masonic History, 1956, p. 517.)
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(Symbol for the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter; source)
Under the heading "Vault, Secret," one reads: "As a symbol, the Secret Vault does not present itself in the first Degrees of Freemasonry. It is found only in the advanced Degrees, Such as the Royal Arch of all the Rites, where it plays an important part. Doctor Oliver, in his Historical Landmarks (volume ii, page 434), gives, while referring to the building of the second Temple, the following general detail of the Masonic legend of this vault:
"'The foundations of the Temple were opened, and cleared from the accumulation of rubbish, that a level might be procured for the commencement of the building. While engaged in excavations for this purpose, three fortunate Sojourners are said to have discovered our ancient Stone of Foundation, which had been deposited in the secret crypt by Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty, to prevent the communication of ineffable secrets to profane or unworthy persons.
"'The discovery having been communicated to the Prince, Prophet, and Priest of the Jews, the stone was adopted as the chief corner-stone of the re-edified building, and thus became in a new and more expressive sense, the type of a more excellent Dispensation. An avenue was also accidentally discovered, supported by seven pairs of pillars, perfect and entire, which, from their situation, had escaped the fury of the flames that had consumed the Temple, and the desolation of war that had destroyed the city.
"'The Secret Vault, which had been built by Solomon as a secure depository for certain secrets that would inevitably have been lost without some such expedient for their preservation, communicated by a subterranean avenue with the king's palace; but at the destruction of Jerusalem the entrance having been closed by the rubbish of falling buildings, it had been discovered by the appearance of a keystone amongst the foundations of the Sanctum Sanctorum. A careful inspection was then made, and the invaluable secrets were placed in safe custody.'" (Mackey, vol. 2, op. cit., p. 1075.)
Of course, this out to get one's Fortean wheels turning as another recent news item has been about a controversial oil pipeline. What's the name, again? Oh, yes, that's right: The Keystone.
Lexi-Links abound, it seems. An award-winning, Canadian-made, Internet-driven video series called "Guidestones" began in 2012. During that first season, episode 24 (see November 24 riots) was titled "The Keystone."
The series's symbol is reminiscent of the trident theme that Coleman has, of late, posted on numerous times (1, 2, 3, etc.).
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Perhaps most peculiarly, Guidestones was directed by one Jay Ferguson.
The director's surname, obviously, draws the mind at once back to the beleaguered Missouri city/suburb of Ferguson. On August 9, 2014, for those who need the refresher, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson. (Note: Former Ferguson, MO police officer Darren Wilson should not be confused with the Darren Wilson of the Keystone Corporation.)
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Does this perhaps make Wilson a Keystone Kop?
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See also HERE.
