A Fool’s Quest

There is a faint whisper among traditional historians that North America, the New World, was regularly visited not only by the Vikings and Irish, but by pre-Christian mariners such as the Egyptians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Carthaginians and the Celts. Hints of these visits now appear to be revealing themselves through a variety of sources including classical mythology, Indian legend, and maritime folklore.

If true, one would expect a wealth of solid evidence to have been found suggesting, at the very least, temporary settlement, specifically along the eastern seaboard of North America. But hard physical evidence has yet to be found in any great detail. Could it be that those who came before Columbus and Champlain, men like the enlightened fourteenth century Prince Henry Sinclair, were agents of the secret Order of the Knights of the Temple of Solomon and other earlier secret societies? And could it be that these same Knights Templar, whose secrets and mysteries provided the basis of Freemasonry in Scotland, purposely covered their tracks throughout the New World?

This “New World secret" may have been part of a more ancient mystery that involved the Royal Merovingian Bloodline of France, the suggested “Grail Family” of Jesus Christ, and the Royal House of David and King Solomon. These unanswered questions have followed me for many years and as I searched for the answers, I began to unravel the thick tapestry of intrigue that hides the keys to these and many other secrets of the Knights Templar in Nova Scotia.

My story begins with my own bloodline and its peculiar interests. The Mann family is steeped in military and Masonic history. From my earliest times, I can remember my great uncles and father confusing me with little stories of intrigue and honor, both on the battlefield and amongst the shadows. They constantly enthralled me with unusual puzzles and games. It was as though I was being challenged, yet for what purpose I didn’t know. Unfortunately, every time it appeared that I was starting to understand the symbolism behind their stories, the philosophy of love and harmony that was being exuded to me, someone would die before I could ask the right questions. I soon learned that to discover the answers to these secrets I would have to follow my own course.

My great-uncle was a gentle and understanding man. He explained to me that everyone possesses the ability for good and evil. In this way, all individuals have to search for their own balance of human nature, a balance between good and evil. I never questioned why he always talked in a moral, philosophical manner. I was exposed so much to the spiritual level of thinking that I considered it to be second nature. What my great-uncle did to raise my spirit when I was bedridden for a month at the age of thirteen was to ask me if I wanted to know a secret, a secret that no one knew except him. What he described, and ultimately showed me, was his Masonic ring, a ring that to a thirteen-year-old appeared magical and secretive. Frederic George Mann was showing me a ring of the Supreme Grand Master of the Knights Templar of Canada. I discovered this fact during the sorting of my mother’s personal things following her death. I now know that it was my great-uncle’s instilling in me of the notion of good and evil and the balance of nature that started me on my quest--a quest that ended at a secret Templar refuge in Nova Scotia.

What intrigued me and set me on a mosaic of fascinating geometric patterns was a map within the book Holy Grail Across the Atlantic, by Michael Bradley. This book illustrated what was thought to be Prince Henry Sinclair’s travels and exploration throughout Nova Scotia. Somehow, I traveled back to the ring of my great-uncle. The ring had a secret compartment. The setting was the standard Masonic emblem of a set-square and compass; but when manipulated and opened on hinges, underneath, set on a pale blue jeweled background was the intertwining of two golden rings centered on a gold bar with a round purple stone (amethyst) setting in the middle.

Don’t ask me how I made the mental connection but what was truly startling was that I could apply this configuration to the mainland portion of a map of Nova Scotia with the center of the jewel falling precisely on its center at a place called Mt. Uniacke. In my mind I turned over the name Uniacke, “one axis.” Was it possible that this symbol related specifically to Nova Scotia?

I was hooked! I rushed to the local library and gathered as much reading material as I could. The primary trail was through the many references to the Freemasons. However, I was unaware of my great-uncle’s position within the Freemasons/Knights Templar at that time. I was like a blind man in a train station, not knowing which way to turn. Still, a nagging feeling made me suspect that someone was guiding my hand. It was as though my great-uncle had planted a seed and that I had to feed and nourish and tend to the plant and follow its growth.