The great cycle of the agesNovember 5, 2005 49 out of 54 found this review helpful
This intriguing book builds a case for a cyclical theory of history, where the great year of the precession of the equinox is considered the key to understanding the cosmos. The author frequently refers to, and builds upon, the work of Santillana & von Dechend, Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, Richard Thompson, Zecharia Sitchin, Charles Hapgood and many other modern and ancient writers.
Lost Star provides evidence for an alternative theory of history based on ancient science that claims that our solar system revolves around a companion star in a 24 000 year cycle. As it does, the earth moves through the electromagnetic field of another star that causes subtle changes in consciousness over large periods of time. This vast celestial motion affects all life. At some stages, the influence is positive and leads to golden ages while at others it is negative, leading to civilizational collapse.
The chapter Cycle Of The Ages defines the precession phenomenon and investigates its definitions in Greek, Egyptian, Biblical and Indian lore. The next chapter provides the background on the standard explanation, the perspectives of the ancients, the meaning of the Zodiac and hints of a companion star in ancient sources, whilst the following one investigates lunisolar theory versus the binary hypothesis.
Chapter 5 is devoted to speculation on what the sun's companion star might be, considering various objects like black holes, brown dwarfs and dead stars. It also considers the possibility that Sirius, Indra and Nibiru might be one and the same, while introducing the effect of distant influences like those emanating from the Pleiades. The next chapter more comprehensively explores cosmic influences on consciousness with reference to cutting edge research in the field.
In the chapter Wisdom of the Stones, the author discusses pyramids, dolmens, standing stones, stone circles, megalithic structures and ley lines as possible energy receivers and transmitters devised by the ancients. The last 2 chapters look at further evidence and the implications of a cyclical interpretation of history.
The main text is interspersed with supplementary text blocks highlighting specific subjects with photographs and illustrations. This thought provoking book concludes with an appendix, footnotes arranged by chapter and a thorough index. Lost Star is a great synthesis of the work of the authors mentioned in the introductory paragraph plus it contains much that is new and original. I highly recommend it to those interested in mankind's unknown past, alternative history and the study of consciousness.
Spirit in the StarsOctober 18, 2005 19 out of 23 found this review helpful
Lost Star is an Intellectually Challenging and Thought Provoking book. Walter Cruttenden opens the Mind of the reader to a myriad of possibilities. This is a highly entertaining and thoroughly readable book. Ancient Knowledge , Present Science and Future Insight are woven together as a Cosmic Blueprint for Future Generations. I found reading Lost Star a Rewarding Experience of Growth and Ascension. This book does not attack ones Spiritual Beliefs , on the contrary when you Challenge the Mind you Stimulate the Spirit and Engage the Soul. Life is an Education and this book is Enlightening and Inspirational. This book is a Tremendous Achievement , a work Wisdom and Exploration. Lost Star has made me Open to Greater Possibilities and Higher Blessings. This book is a pot of Golden Wisdom which will Expand your Vision and make your Spirit Rise. It is a piece of Literature not just for the Scientific Community but for people of Spirit , Historians and anybody who Celebrates Life and its Infinite Mysteries. Walter is a Magnificent Writer and this is a book of Immense Significance. I recommend it to one and all. Embrace the Past , Celebrate the Present and Rejoice in the Future. Thank you Walter for a Relevant and Powerful book that gives one a Sense of Heightened Consciousness and Enriches the Landscape of the Mind.
Looking With New EyesOctober 15, 2005 20 out of 21 found this review helpful
This book is about new ways of looking at ancient ideas. It gripped my attention from the introduction to the last page.
The author takes you through the current view of history, makes you wonder about what we have been taught, and then gradually explains precession and some key myths. This sets the stage for a new theory that makes sense of both precession mythology and history better than any textbook I've ever read. The main idea is based on astronomy and new energy sciences, esoteric subjects to be sure, but it has so many good anecdotal stories it is fun - and they make it easy to understand.
The book builds on each chapter so you just can't jump in anywhere. It also has a separate appendix at the end (just different news reports to support the thesis), which I would skip. But the main body flowed very nicely and I actually read it straight through cause I wanted to see where it ended. In this age of maximum negativity on cable news, you will like this ending.
May the force be with you!
Good information but not organized wellOctober 14, 2005 18 out of 28 found this review helpful
This book has a lot of good information especially to those new to this subject, but the organization of the book is all over the place.
The author mixes too much new age with science with mythology sometimes in the wrong places which makes the book very hard to take. I would have liked this book more if the author stuck less with the new age and went more with the link between science and mythology.
If one is a beginner in this subject, I'd rather recommend Fingerprints of the Gods by Ghrahm Hancock. Hancock's book is much more consice and does a great job in linking science and mythology with emerging new theories.
Lost Star is a little too much New age for me.
Portents of a "2nd Copernican Revolution"October 13, 2005 15 out of 15 found this review helpful
This well presented thesis bodes nothing short of a "2nd Copernican Revolution" in altering humanity's view of itself and the macrocosm. As Copernicus shook the medieval mindset with his pronouncement that the earth revolves around the sun, we are now to consider that our local sun and its solar system revolves around its binary companion! Most importantly, as the author asserts, this celestial motion is considered responsible for the cycles or "cosmic seasons" that drives the waxing and waning of human civilization.
The reader is introduced to Copernicus' 3rd motion of the earth - "Precession of the Equinoxes" in a most profound and fascinating manner. "Precession" is not a new knowledge, just as the heliocentric model was ancient in origin, what is new is the author's binary star theory to account for this phenomenon in the light of modern astronomy. The reader's mind is expanded beyond its pedestrian world to re-discover the grand cycles of the cosmos that was known to the ancient cultures.
"Lost Star" holds ones interest like a detective story as each new piece of evidence whets the reader's appetite for the next shard. The author engages the reader in solving no less than a cosmic mystery story. The prize is nothing less the reconciliation of an ancient sacred science with today's understanding of a materialistic-based science.
The author cites a variety of excellent sources, a notable one, "Hamlet's Mill" which was a seminal work by Giorgio de Santillana, professor of the history and philosophy of science at M.I.T. and Hertha von Dechend, professor of the history of science at the University of Frankfurt, which explored the encoding of precise astronomical knowledge into the worldwide myths and folklore. Typically, although this was written in the 1970's, mainstream academia has given little attention to this fact, as few people want to upset the status quo.
Mr. Cruttenden's breadth of intellectual curiosity culls from the ancient traditions of India to the most cutting edge think tanks of astrophysics. His cross-disciplinary approach adds considerable fortitude to his thesis as he explores the phenomenon of "Precession" in the light of ancient mythology, archeology, and astrophysics.
The enigmas of archeology with its many "out-of-place" artifacts fall squarely into place should we tentatively accept the thesis of this book - the rise & fall of civilizations is a product of a grand cosmic cycle that was intimately known in the far distant past. How could the ancients have known so much without the aid of our current technology? As the author suggests, perhaps there have been cultures so advanced as to use the rarified technologies of the mind and spirit in a time more conducive to the full development of those subtle qualities. Which brings to my mind, was this what Plato was referring to when discussing the possibility of attaining absolute knowledge via a "Science of First Causes?" Contrast this a-priori (before-fact) or "consciousness-based" science with our current "trial and error," a-posteriori (after-the-fact) science and I am reminded of Arthur C. Clarke's quote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Prior to the rise of our western view of linear history the ancients' perspective of human history was a cyclical one. Plato expounds this view in his famous dialogues in an attempt to recapture a long lost Golden Age. The are many anomalies in the currently held view of linear history. These "exceptions" to the established paradigm continue to mount almost daily with new archeological discoveries worldwide, which the author aptly notes. My own personal experience is that a cursory study of western art history reveals the flawed assumptions of a linear historical model. Art students are immediately introduced to the mature art of the first dynastic periods of ancient Egypt only to see it's gradual decay over the next 3 millennia, not to mention the fact the we cannot duplicate the engineering feats of the great pyramids that have blocks fitted to ultrasonic precision.
I urge anyone sincerely interested in the whence, whither and why of humanity's origins to read this book.
