The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code
By Dan Brown


I picked this book up because everyone else has read it but me. So I figured I'd write about something you could comment on.

The book uses the setting of a crime scene to quickly set the tone for a fast collection of “facts”. Be on guard, as the immediate set of facts has nothing to do with the outcome of the book, in my opinion. Without saying the word Catholic, Catholicism is indicted for non-consequential acts of conspiracy. The author wins the attention of a large group of people who have a problem with Catholics early on. The author also seems to have caught the passions of our doubting public at a time when fanatical religious fahtwas and 911 slammed our Western conscious, making the book a craze. Meanwhile the sublime proposition of “controversial interpretation” is lost in the shadows of angst to finally lay ones hands on proof. While the book criticizes Opus Dia for self-mortification practices, it seems popular for the readers I’ve talked with to punish themselves with a guilt complex vested in the book. The star player in the book is introduced as a famous professor with a knack for taking any symbol and making controversial interpretations. So we have a good-looking professor from Harvard, with a chocolate baritone voice to deliver a liberating message to the receptive American female ear. I had begun my reading with the intent to list each symbol Brown uses and examine them for error.

The controversy begins with a symbol interpretation of the Pentacle: A star, a pagan symbol of Venus and the feminine balance in humanity. The symbolism is orated in the book along side the Catholic strain of an Opus Dei practice of keeping men and women separate. In keeping with the spirit of the conspiracy theory I mused myself with my coincidental fascination with observing Venus bright on the western sky as my first start to see at night while reading the book. Star bright star light wish I may…

The symbol trail continues in an academic tone at first with PHI: Divine proportion. If you take any set of numbers from Fabonacci’s sequence, their quotients approach 1.618. Brown gets the reader excited all the marvels of mans accomplishments and underscores them with PHI. While there may or may not be truth in the coincidence of proportion, Brown offers no rationalization or evidence that the ancient engineering man or Renascence musician, purposefully applied PHI to their work. Nor beyond coincidence does Brown connect PHI with the Pentacle.

Mona Lisa: Da Vinci’s expression of the balance between man and women. Brown interpretation uses a few ancient Egyptian symbols Amon and Isis to (Mona Lisa) connect the balance. Brown applies his previously stated androgynous cryptology technique (with a few modifications to make it work) Take the A and move it to the back of Amon and then drop one if the Is’s and invent a L in the front and an A in the back. He also does a nice job teasing the reader with Da Vinci’s painting techniques to show a left to right imbalance giving a yin-yang or masculine – feminine perspective. When I look at the painting, nothing comes up. The secret Da Vinci held was also known in the Far East.

Browns attempt to use androgynous cryptology technique in modified form to produce results, which is a sin in the scientific community led me to read the rest of the book for mere entertainment of a mystery novel. And at this Brown does a fabulous job of presenting simultaneous storylines with unfinished business, conflicting agendas, blended with double-entendre riddles to keep you turning. All along the intrigue of police drama you are also strung along the feminine mystery line with your own drama that angst’s you to wonderment as to what exactly is the Holy Grail, why is it so sought after, where is it, and who is hiding it. If you remember the last scene in Indiana Jones, it is in the national archives…lost forever in the bowels of our government. Of course I am consumed with finding my car keys leaving absolutely no time for a Holy Grail.

Madona On The Rocks: Da Vinci’s expression of “so dark the con of man” The mission of the Priory as secret society to resurrect the balance of man and women that was apparently in existence before the Church. Brown trips over his story line in the demonizing of the Catholic Church when he mentions Judaism and Islam as co conspirators in the Crusade wars. Brown also drifts into the Hopi Indians that would trip ones memory of American Indians where women were not considered equal. But non the less if you were a “Women’s Right” advocate of any measure; you would now be easy prey to be seduced to thinking that Browns clues go beyond conspiracy theory and into facts to challenge the Catholic Church.

Through out the book Brown leaves other clues that use to be boring, except for those people consumed with the “truth” as though that might bring them power. There are data banks and libraries where thousands of theologians have been perusing the argument. There are volumes of books written in a multitude of languages. All of this is claimed to be wrapped up in arts and music, where today’s man seems content with the beat or something to hang on the wall to bring the color of the room and the sofa together. Brown inspires you to be curious to the extent that it could be mysterious or even ridiculous. For instance I have always made “pet projects” out of my rose bushes. This year not only did a mysterious rose bush crop up three feet away from the other two creating a trinity, but no rose came to bloom this summer. That is until I read this book. I am thinking of calling in the main character of the book to help me interpret this. I have a fung-shua compass and a magnetic compass and I still get nothing. I guess the prime meridian will have to stay in London awhile longer.

After enduring three hundred pages of Catholic bashing Brown redeems himself by disclosing the real culprit behind the crime scene leaving the church exonerated. Brown also leaves his own message that finds harmony with the Catholic Church. In his book he writes in the closing chapters: “It is the mystery of wonderment that serves our souls, not the Grail itself. The beauty of the Grail lies in the ethereal nature.” “The blind see what they want to see” And finally my most cherished goal he writes: “If you have learned nothing from me, please learn this….” “Forgiveness is Gods greatest gift.”

I was once debunked for speculating on the application of numbers without having a clue of what I was talking about. She was right; I didn’t. I was only speculating for friendly conversation. Of course that conversation never went anywhere with the scientific mind of my counterpart nor did the relationship. What I find amazing is that same scientific mind can attempt to apply this “mystery novel” presentation of coincidental and controversial interpretations of symbolism to attack the Catholic Church. She is blind to the idea that the arguments in the book and spawning from the book are two thousand years old and there is nothing new to alter the debate and declare victory. The book is entertaining in its presentation of facts and at the same time hypnotically deceptive; especially for those yearning to blind themselves with the compulsion of being right, being better, being on top. I am left with the phrase I once heard in a speech “that fanaticism is at the root of all conflict”. Had tolerance, another word for forgiveness, existed in that early relationship; fanatic insistence of being right would have given way to harmony.

I know, once again I came away from a book with a different reaction than the main stream. There has been religious conflict and social conflict since the invention of man. This book can cause harmony or discord. In my example above I can visualize first how easy it is for differences to erupt in interpersonal relationships and how hard it is for forgiveness comes to rescue the relationship. Imagining society being any better when it’s integral parts struggle leaves me at a loss. But I am left with this question: How often have you experienced difficulty in finding the keys to tolerance or forgiveness as your breakthrough to a better life? When I go to the museum, I’ll be looking for that answer.

Great Book, I recommend it with a light heart.