The Quest Institute

Home of Cognitive Hypnotherapy

Our next Diploma Course starts July 2025 Find out more!
Speak to the Quest Institute
0333 6000 350
  • Home
  • Hypnotherapy Courses
  • Products & Downloads
  • About
    • The Team
    • Our Story
    • Cognitive Hypnotherapy
    • Trevor Silvester
    • Quest Reviews
  • Find a Therapist
  • Quest Community
    • Members Home
    • My Account
    • Questie Clubhouse
    • Diploma Resources
    • MasterPrac Resources
    • My Online Courses
    • Questival
    • Logout
  • Contact Us
Home > News & Articles > Articles > The Lost Symbol

The Lost Symbol

16th November, 2009 by Trevor Silvester

Dan Brown writes books that are perfect for holidays. After the success of the DaVinci Code he had a tough job on his hands but I think he’s done well. While the usual criticisms apply – his dialogue and characters are pretty wooden – his assemblage of research is superb and interesting, and some of it was right up our street.

I actually think that he may have done a clever thing – written a book about a book with layers, which contains its own layers.

Obviously I’m not going to touch on the plot, I just wanted to share some of the ideas I took from it. He makes the point about how religion places the emphasis for our creation on an external force, and he makes you think about how differently we approach life when we think of ourselves as the creator of our life, not the created. After all, if we are the creator, nothing external can ‘make us’ anything – like feel stupid, ugly or unloved. All of a sudden we are in control of who we are and the world we live in.

He suggests that this was the true quest within alchemy; it wasn’t about changing lead to gold – that was a metaphor; it was about transforming yourself.

He quotes from the writings of the followers of Hermes Trismegistus “Know ye not that ye are gods?”, Buddha “You are god yourself” and Jesus “The works I do, you can do…and greater.” to make the point that the idea of us all having a divine spark within us is in the sense that we design our own reality; we each create a personal universe.

This message really sits at the heart of what I teach; that success in life comes from having an internal, not an external, locus of control:
You act on the world, not wait for it to act on you.
You make things happen, not hope things will happen.
You make yourself the writer of your story, not a character in someone elses.
It was a lesson it took me a long time to learn, but it was the lesson that has led to everything that’s good in my life.

Even his use of a phrase that appears on the Great Seal of the United States, ‘Annuit Coeptis’ made me do a double take. It means “God favours our undertaking.”

How many countries, religions and special interest groups have claimed that one? I think it’s because we assume ‘undertaking’ to be a noun. Notice how different it becomes if you make it a verb. God favours us when we undertake (and we are our own God). How pleased do I feel that the mantra that changed my life is ‘Take Action’?

Of course, I’ve gone deep, and the Lost Symbol might just be a page turner. But I guess in my universe it is what I create it to be. Buy it and decide for yourself.

Filed Under: Articles

Comments

  1. Gravatar for Sue RobertsSue Roberts says

    20th November, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    When I read this book, I was struck by how ‘Quest-like’ some of Dan Brown’s ideas were. Has he been on the course, I wondered??

    I found some of the characters and plot a bit simplistic, however the message throughout really gave me something to ponder about the meaning of life,a nd how best to live it.

    So even if it is a bit wooden in places, I’m glad I read it. Life doesn’t happen by sitting at home waiting for it…

Books by Trevor Silvester

Cognitive Hypnotherapy: What's that about and how can I use it? - Two simple questions for change
This book defines an exciting new approach to the field of therapy and counselling. Cognitive Hypnotherapy is a model that can be used to create a unique treatment plan for each client, using techniques drawn from any school of thought, integrated into a single model that uses the clients own mind to solve their own problems.


Wordweaving: The Science of Suggestion - A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Hypnotic Language
In this new approach to the use of hypnotic suggestion, we aim to free you from the constraints of scripts and enable you to use your creative skill to weave subtle spells that empower your clients by changing their model of reality.


The Question is the Answer: Focusing on Solutions with Cognitive Hypnotherapy (Wordweaving 2)
This book builds on the model introduced in Wordweaving, and shows you how to ask the questions that will provide you with the information you need to create hypnotic language patterns specifically for each client.


Lovebirds: How to Live with the One You Love
One of the biggest mistakes we make is to treat other people as if they are just like us. I've been helping couples improve their lives together for over 20 years, and one thing is clear to me: most couples don't flounder through lack of love, but through a lack of understanding. Lovebirds will teach you how to live with the one you love.

Categories

  • Articles
  • Featured Articles
  • Featured Media
  • Media
  • News
  • Podcasts
  • Recommended Books

Blog Archives

Tags

bandler language patterns plausible inference polya
National Council for HypnotherapyQCHPA  

Click To See More Of Our Accreditations.

  • Hypnotherapy Courses
  • Find a Therapist
  • Members
  • Contact Us

Company Details

©2006-2018 TQI Ltd, Registered in England and Wales
Company number: 568 2238
Lakeside Offices,
The Old Cattle Market,
Coronation Park,
Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0SR
Tel +44 (0)333 6000 350

Copyright Notice | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Trevor’s Blog

Looking to start a fulfilling career in hypnotherapy? Look no further than The Quest Institute, where we are now enrolling for … Continue Reading ยป

View more Blog articles »

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more