Abulafia

Abulafia, Abraham (Link to Wiki explanation)
_{Abraham Abulafia (1240-1291) is the most important figure in the prophetic Kabbalah, and among the most fascinating Kabbalists in our historical record.}

So what does this guy have to do with me. Well, I just finished reading the book “Foucault’s Pendulum”, by Umberto Eco (link to Wiki site) and one of the main characters of the book, was sort of “Abulafia”. The story is about three book editors who decided to research the Knights Templar. It takes place primarily in Italy but also in many places throughout Europe. They devise a scheme to create their research. Instead of going out and trying to find information about stuff that they know will not be easy, they decide to create a book deal whereby authors submit manuscripts for perusal for this feature they are putting together. The editors gladly accept anything and everything on any remote mythical topic as well as about the Templars themselves and through their own efforts start to piece together the mysteries of the world through all of these bits and pieces that they receive. After many years of reading all of the compelling information that has been submitted to them, they realize that they are now part of it all but no further closer to discovering the ultimate goal, that being the “Master of the world”. Because they know so much they postulate a direction of the ultimate goal only to be sucked into it all, further than they ever expected. Abulafia, in the story, is the name given to the computer that one of them uses to help decipher the wonders they discover. It also helps one of them, to help one who has gotten in over his head. At times the story is funny, other times so bizarre you wonder where it is all going. What caught my interest with it all is the amount of history that is detailed in the book. I never learned so much from reading so few pages, in general about secrete societies and underground organizations, as I have with this book. As I was reading it, I couldn’t help but wonder if any of it were actually true. I think I wanted it to be, but there was a nagging reality that this story is just that…a fictional story. It starts out about the Templars and ends with the culmination of every secrete society throughout history and what it is they are seeking. No it is not the Holy Grail, or as whom Dan Brown suggests it is, Mary Magdellan. It is something so powerful that anyone and everyone ignorant of it all, isn’t even worthy of being alive in its presence. I can’t understand why this hasn’t been made into a movie!

Sometimes it takes me a long time to finish reading a book. This one was no different, although I finished most of it this past weekend. I don’t know what happened. It seemed like I got to a certain point in the book and I couldn’t put it down any more until I was done. This book was recommended to me by my friend A-ron. I can’t wait to see what he has for me next. If you know the name Umberto Eco and are familiar with any of his other works then this will also be of interest to you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I would recommend it to anyone.