"I have held up a light in the obscurity of Philosophy, which will be seen centuries after I am dead. It will be seen amidst the erection of Tombs, Theatres, Foundations, Temples, Orders and Fraternities for nobility and obedience — the establishment of good laws as an example to the World. For I am not raising a Capitol or Pyramid to the Pride of men, but laying a foundation in the human understanding for a holy Temple after he model of the World. For my memory I leave it to Men's charitable speeches, to foreign Nations and the next Ages, and to my own Country after some Time has elapsed." -- Francis Bacon, Advancement of Learning (1605), Bk II.

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Join me to explore the hidden tenets of arranged alignments of architecture and art. Structures as diverse as the Great Pyramid, Baalbek, The Tower of the Winds, Hagia Sopia, Basilica San Vitale, The Dome of the Rock, St. Peter's Square, Gisors, The Newport Tower, Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, and the Georgia Guidestones all may have a common origin.

Three reproductions of the Tower of the Winds in England help to display how this age old value is viewed through time. Along the way many legends and myths associated with the Holy Grail and other relics are examined.

Treasure myths such as the Oak Island Legend and The Beale Treasure Legend may have a common origin and hidden meaning. The tale of The Bruton Parish Church Vault (a.k.a. "Bacon's Vault) may also be a copy of an already existent mystery at Stirling Castle.

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Newark Earthworks, The Great Pyramid of Giza and The Golden Tablets of Joseph Smith.

Please see short video on this subject at the bottom of this article.


In the early nineteenth century the western portion of New York and much of Ohio was home to a variety of alternative spiritual and philosophical ideas.  In the spirit of religious freedom in the United States people were expressing themselves in a many new ways. A variety of prophets and seers were free to develop their philosophies and views without judgment or undue harassment.  Out of this environment sprang a truly unique American faith.

Joseph Smith the founder of the Mormon religion was from this region.  After receiving divine guidance from the angel Moroni Smith was compelled to go to the Hill Cumorah near Palmyra New York where he discovered the famous Golden tablets or plates buried in a stone box. The writings within the Golden Tablets later became the basis for the Book of Mormon.

No one including Joseph Smith has ever actually read or deciphered the Golden Tablets themselves. The book of Mormon was written down by Smith as dictated by the angel Moroni. Only three other people claim to have even seen the Golden Tablets. As we may see this does not mean the tablets did not exist, nor does it mean something other than the book of Mormon is written on them. It may imply that there is a much greater mystery at work that what is being told.

Joseph Smith

Sometime after discovering the Golden Tablets Joseph Smith wrote down the letters or hieroglyphs that the text on the tablets was composed of.  He took them to a professor Athon to have him try and figure out what type of script was used to write the tablets.  Professor Athon came to the conclusion that the alphabet used was a type of later period Egyptian script! These characters were possibly of a type used to translate Egyptian to Hebrew. Other scholars dispute the existence of this type of script.

This was shocking news considering where and how the tablets had been discovered. In later years this script would be identified as a Native American script used by the Miq Mac band of the Maritime region of Canada and northern New England. This raised another serious question: “Why would Miq Mac written language resemble that of an Egyptian script that had not been used since the days of Rome?” “Why would this alphabet be used on an artifact that seemed to come alive right out of the Book of Enoch? The alphabet studied by Athon has over twenty characters in common or very similar to the Miq Mac script.

All of this was muddled by the fact that Smith would not let anyone examine the Golden Tablets.  The fact that he copied down such an obscure script that happened to also may have been used by a Native American band lends credence to the view that he did not create this story out of thin air.  If Joseph Smith were trying to fake this discovery why would he pick Miq Mac as the language used on the Tablets? How could he produce tablets in a language he could not even understand?

The individual or group that created the Golden Tablets may have been familiar with the Miq Mac band of Nova Scotia. Who ever created this mystery may have also been familiar with the quest for the Holy Grail and how to construct a mystery that dictates how it may be found. As part of the search for a sacred object he on the Grail Quest learns many things.There may be a reason that Smith was at least familiar with the exisitence of the Mic Maq. In fact the Miq Mac may have played a major role in shaping Josheph Smith's view of Native Americans.

Much earlier in history there are legends of Henry Sinclair coming to the Maritime region of Canada.  Henry Sincalair is from the Swedish and Scottish line of Scottish Masons. This legend is supported by many aspects of what is known as “The Oak Island Money Pit.”  The Money Pit is the supposed resting place of a great treasure that many think Sinclair and his group hid there.  Sinclair is from the famous family that built Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.  This structure is said to have many hidden clues included in its construction as to the true history of the Knights Templar and Masonry in general.  In short this mans family may be the creators of the greatest Holy Grail Legend on earth.

Oak Island, Nova Scotia
 Many postulate that the Miq Mac alphabet was influenced by Henry Sinclair who may have also been viewed as their chief or leader. Sinclair may have taught them this obscure Egyptian script as an alphabet in order to leave a clue for others later while supplying them with a useful educational tool. Such a person would also likely be familiar with Hebrew script as well.

Prior to Sinclair’s adventures in North America several other European expeditions may have come to the continent and laid claim to vast portions of it.  It is possible that they left claim markers and other artifacts behind. It is remotely possible that these European groups had an impact on native customs such as religion and architecture.

The International Peace Garden on the border of the United States and Canada may have been placed at the spot where Scandinavian Knights Templar established an Axis Mundi long ago.  This Axis may have been octagonal and suggest up to sixteen pertinent directions. The establishment of an Axis Mundi is a tradition that goes back centuries.  Its purpose is to establish both a spiritual and practical point from which to measure. 

Among other functions it establishes a claim to a given region and provides directional information as to the extent of the claimed area. The Axis Mundi is also a point from which time can be measured similar to a sundial.  In Ancient times these practical functions came to be viewed as a form of divination or mystical power. To the uninitiated Axis Mundi came to be viewed as stargates or cogs in some giant occult machine. In many ways this is similar to the modern view of a church or mosque.

It is within the realm of possibility that explorers from Sinclair’s group or Sinclair himself may have been responsible for depositing the golden tablets where they were for someone later to find. The fact that they were found later by Smith who was divinely guided to the spot may infer other unknown parts to this tale.  If someone was going to hide such an important artifact then they would also have an elaborate method of keeping it a secret while still being able to describe or relate where the tablets were hidden.

In many ways the finding of the Golden Tablets by Smith resembles a quest for the Holy Grail.  If Sinclair or other similar group of people deposited these tablets on the Hill Cumorah for someone else to later find they may have also left a myth behind designed to eventually lead one to the hiding place.

Sinclair and many other Templars would have been no stranger to this concept. He may have been familiar with the presence of the Axis at the future site of the International Peace Garden and even some of the artifacts left as boundary markers.  The Scandinavian Templars may have left a facsimile of The Pillowstone of Jacob, false Egyptian styled artifacts and even a Runestone (Kensington and Verendrye runestones) of the type they were familiar with simply to mark territory. All of these artifacts would be left on azimuths suggested by the octagonal shape of the Axis itself. The artifacts were pointed to by the Axis. The points at which the markers were located could be navigated to by utilizing star sights or use of a magnetic compass (date of invention of the mag. compass is hotly debated within about a thousand year time frame). Two other deposits of "fake" Egyptian style artifacts have been found along azimuths suggested by the International Peace Garden's octagon.

Given the Masonic nature of the Templars they would have had value of the stories of the Bible and the Book of Enoch.  The tale of Jacob’s ladder seems to be of great importance to Masonry. Many beliefs may have centered on the use of the Axis Mundi as a representation of Jacob’s Ladder or gate to heaven. The book of Enoch includes the tale of Enoch finding golden tablets and later traveling to the stars with angels.

If the Templars left the tablets it makes sense that they would leave clues including directional information for any potential seeker or finder of what was hidden. It is within the realm of possibility that the Templar’s used the already existing Newark Earthworks as a directional clue for someone later to find the hidden tablets.The question remains: "If the Templars left the tablets then where did they get them?"

In the ancient world a temple would often be placed at the Axis Mundi that facilitated the recordation of time and provided directional information some what like a wind rose or compass rose.  Native Americans had a similar tradition in the construction of mounded pyramids and other earthworks though they might have viewed their function differently.

One of the most impressive earthworks in North America is known as the Newark Earthworks in Newark, Ohio. The earthworks there are composed of several different structures. The most prominent feature is a large delineation composed of earthen berms that resembles a circle connected to a large octagon by a small corridor or passageway. This design is so large that it is hard to discern except from above. This feature is at the northern end of the site and has a golf course situated within it today. The earthen berms that delineate the structure remain.

A Plan View of the Newark Earthworks

This amazing structure was found to be a lunar observatory by researchers from Earlham College in Indiana. It is oriented at 51.8 degrees east of true north. This angle is similar to the degree of slope of the sides of the Great Pyramid of Giza. This is not the only relation to the Great Pyramid that Newark possesses. The dimensions of the octagonal portion of the earthwork are similar to the plan of the Great Pyramid. The Great Pyramid would fit neatly into the octagon.

If an azimuth is drawn on the map from the center of the circular feature at this angle the line transects through the corridor connecting the shapes, bisects the octagon and continues across the globe directly to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt! Not only does it go right to the pyramid but also seems to match the diagonal orientation of the Great Pyramid!

These structures are 6,008 miles from each other but were oriented in such a manner that they point the way to each other over this great distance.  Is it possible that the builders of the Newark Earthworks valued the Great Pyramid of Giza to the degree that they would dimension their structure as the Great Pyramid and even orient the linear axis of that structure towards the pyramid so many thousands of miles away? This indicates an advanced knowledge of trigonometry, geometry and many other concepts.

The fact that the 51.8 degree true north heading also matches the slope angle of the pyramid suggests that this association would only be possible from one point on the continent.  Every hidden clue in the Newark Earthworks screams “Great Pyramid of Giza!!!”  Did whoever built Newark come to this spot just to build this structure? This concept is one of the more surprising and overlooked factors of global geomancy. Associations of this type are limited to only a few points on the face of the earth and may propagate a misunderstood cultural value of certain geographic locations. This factor may also promote a very real political and strategic value of these places that may be misunderstood by the public at large.

The Yellow line in the following pictures is the exact same line drawn by the orientation of the Newark Earthworks. 




This arrangement can also be used to create a line that extends right to the Hill Cumorah where Joseph Smith found the Golden Tablets. The Newark Earthworks may have been used as a directional clue as to how to find the tablets by those who left them. Using the azimuth that extends from Newark to Giza Cumorah Hill is only seven miles north of the line. Alternately the line from Newark can be drawn right to Cumorah Hill and it still perfectly transects the small corridor connecting the circle and octagon.

The Hill Cumorah’s northern face resembles a pyramid!  Given Joseph Smiths views on the Native American culture it is possible that he figured this out somehow and found the tablets when Moroni finally led him to the correct spot. It is also possible that the entire scenario was planned and he was manipulated into finding the tablets at this spot by following the azimuth suggested by the orientation of the Newark Earthworks.


It does make sense that if Templars were the people responsible for hiding the tablets that they would use a structure that orients with Giza as a directional clue.  They may have been fully aware that an azimuth created by the NW facet of the GPOG created a line that led to here.  Directions for finding any hidden items may have included going to Newark to measure the angle of the earhworks in order to follow that direction to a treasure. An additional clue may have been to search for a pyramidal shaped hill or structure which Cumorah Hill resembles from one side.

This entire construct resembles other “Templar Grail Legends” including the Rennes Le Chateau Mystery, The Mystery of Bacon’s Vault in Williamsburg, and the Beale Treasure Legend of Bedford, Virginia. These legends used a spiritual form of divination known as Geomancy to provide clues towards finding specific geographical locations that hold treasure, relics, or additional clues. The Axis Mundi is used as a datum or place from which to measure in many grail quest legends.

It is also possible that the entire portion of the earthworks discussed here were built by Sinclair or other Europeans.  They would have known an azimuth from the Great Pyramid transected here and also would have known how to orient the structure correctly.  Native Americans did most likely have the astronomical skills needed to arrange this but would they? It would be surprising to actually find that Native Americans would value Egypt and the Great Pyramid enough to create this structure and orient it this way.  Alternately the Knights Templar would have a value of the Great Pyramid and the skills needed to execute this plan.

The structure left at the Axis often contains directional information and other clues to help solve the mystery. Rosslyn Chapel is such a structure. Others include the Dome of the Rock, St. Peter’s Square, and the Great Pyramid. In fact the Great Pyramid may be a kind of spiritual datum as the Holy Cities of Mecca and Baalbek are located along azimuths suggested by the shape and orientation of that structure. In this regard it is interesting that the genesis of the Mormon faith occurred on an azimuth created by the northwest facet of the Great Pyramid of Giza! In this model the pyramid points the way to faith.

Supporting this theory is the subsequent discovery of artifacts at Newark that included Hebrew writing on them.  This is reminiscent of the so called Pillowstone of Jacob’s resting site in Canada that also had Hebrew script left with a directional clue as to the real location of the stone. Templars of this era would also have been familiar with Hebrew enough to use it as a coded language. Is it within the realm of possibility that the burial that contained this artifact was that of Sinclair or other member of his party?

Joseph Smith finds Golden Tablets from the book of Enoch in a place that aligns with the Newark Earthworks and the Great Pyramid of Giza. How did he do it?  Was it only the angel Moroni guiding him or are there other factors at work?

Some light may be shed on this subject by Thomas Jefferson. A book entitled “ The Book of the Holy Grail” written by Joseph of Arimathea in 54 A.D. and editied into English by Thomas Jefferson and later Minister to the U.S. for France Henry Mercier describes a faith stunningly similar to that described in the book of Mormon.  The portion of the book that is similar to the Book of Mormon is referred to as “the Merovingian Bible.” It describes an eternal war in heaven in which Lucifer was cast down to earth and does battle with the Archangel Michael who protects the earth’s inhabitants.  God had a wife and children.The book states that this was Jefferson's faith.

The more modern forward to the book was written in 1977 by then Grand Master of the Knights Templar Strict Observance American Rite J.R. Ploughman.  In the book Ploughman describes how both Thomas Jefferson and Joseph Smith were members of this order!  This is somewhat believable in that Jefferson did edit this book at one time. If true this is an amazing correlation. Here we may have Joseph Smith being a member of an order that has displayed the use of geomancy and grail lore as a kind of mystery school lesson to learn. It is possible that this order and others has created myths of this type by hiding objects meant to be found on a kind of vision quest by their initiates. It is possible that this concept was applied to the creation of many of the worlds most celebrated religions. This activity has may ritualistic and talismanic overtones.

The Golden Tablets were found September, 22, 1823. Thomas Jefferson passed on July, 4, 1826 (John Adams passed the same day). There is an overlap in both of these men’s lives. Joseph Smith was a known Mason who valued the use of a Jupiter talisman that was even found on him the day he died.  Joseph Smith was also known to be an avid treasure hunter and even provided his skills as a service to other treasure hunters.

Thomas Jefferson was a man who was said to be fond of personal meridians or lines on the globe. He may have built his country estate Poplar Forest as octagonal Axis Mundi. Several other structures he designed are aligned with Poplar Forest including his other home Monticello (see chapter 4). It is becoming obvious that Jefferson built his home in this fashion to model the function of the Powder Magazine (armory) in Williamsburg and possibly to copy the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Thickening the plot is the fact that Jefferson actually excavated a Native American mound on his property near Charlottesville, Virginia.  Was his interest in these types of structures based on some knowledge of Newark or a clue that suggested an earthworks complex as a clue?

Jefferson may have deciphered the mystery of the Powder Magazine while a student at William and Mary. Both the Powder Magazine and Poplar Forest are octagons that may be used to create an azimuth on the globe that extends to the middle of the Octagonal fountain at the International Peace Garden; the hidden axis of the earlier Templars! If Smith was a member of the same order then it stands that he may have been aware of the function of monuments that pointed the way to places important to the creators of that monument. It is possible that he deduced the location of the tablets relative to the Newark Earthworks.

In another scene right out of the Book of Enoch Smith was known to use what he termed “ephod stones” to help him divine where the treasure may be. Ephod stones are holy stones usually worn by Rabbi’s of the Jewish faith. These stones are said to lend one the powers of divination. Many Crowns of European royalty are also ringed with precious stones that represent the ephod. The use of the Ephod is also mentioned in the Bible and Book of Enoch. Many mystical powers are attributed to the use of the ephod.

Other researchers have pointed to connections between the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Newark Earthworks. Researcher Andrew Collins points out a value of the star system Cygnus at both Newark and Giza. Collins work centers on a circular formation south of the feature discussed here. Cygnus can be sighted through a corridor that extends to the east from this structure. The structure studied by Collins does not sight the Great Pyramid but does site a star system associated with it. This structure is oriented slightly south of the circle and octagon that points to Giza. It is amazing that Collins has found this association between two places so far away and created by such different cultures.

Researcher Carl Munck in his book the code found coordinates hidden in the dimensions of Newark that relate it to the Great Pyramid.

All of this information simply lends more evidence towards a group of European people coming to North America long before the time of Columbus. Why would “the powers that be” want to hide the truth from us? Why would they want us to believe that Columbus discovered America when he never even set foot on the continent? Would this same group of people including Thomas Jefferson want to create an American religion that reflected their values?

Much of this evidence is leading to the disturbing conclusion that early European contact may have marked a kind of manipulation of the Native Population that collapsed when the mound building cultures died away. Is it possible that some sort of death’s head cult “Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now” scene was being played out in America? Were the native “gods” simply manipulative Europeans with strange technology? Was the advent of human sacrifice by these cultures a result of interaction and manipulation by Europeans or an early culture from the Levant such as the Phoenicians?  Was this the reason we are told that Christopher Columbus discovered America? Was is a giant cover up? More on the way.

Authors Note:  I love Mormons and value them as the only true American religion. I am not Mormon.  I do not mean to offend anyone.  I think many religious constructs were created this way. If true it should not change your view of your faith. Your faith is true because it is yours. We are free to worship the way we chose in the United States of America. Watch Short Video Below