If you are interested in any of the following books, please contact J Romano at JackRoman@aol.com
'Fortean Times' Magazine No. 111, April 2000
Article by Jack Romano on Frederick Bligh Bond, with illustrations.
Partly biographical, it's a comprehensive introduction to Bond and his
work.
The Inspiration of Glastonbury
This is a booklet that no Student of Bond's work can be without. It
consists of 12 lengthy excerpts, which first appeared in the Journal
of the American Society for Psychical Research 1933-'34, a Newssheet
that Bond himself edited. Bond always intended these readings to be
issued in book form, but it wasn't possible in his lifetime. They
describe a series of 'Johannes' sittings held by Bond with Mrs. R.G
'Jessie' Stevens of Connecticut, and it can be argued that they are
of greater import than even the early 'John Alleyne' sittings. The
text deals with the Reformation/Dissolution, the future for Glastonbury,
the life and murder of Johannes, and the end of the Abbey. New light
is thrown on Tudor politics; in particular the roles of Thomas Cromwell
and Anne Boleyn are critically examined. There are several emotive
passages of the 'English Romantic' type from Johannes, Abbot Beere,
(who provides a beautiful description of the Loretto Chapel) and Abbot
Whiting, plus insights into the afterlife and the ongoing work of 'The
Watchers'. There is also communication from John Alleyne, who had died
some years earlier. The booklet comes with a short essay by Bond
entitled 'Glastonbury' which first appeared in 'The Book of Bath'
tourist guide, and a reprint of his discourse 'The Geometric Cubit as
a basis of proportion in the plans of Mediaeval buildings'.
The Gate of Remembrance
Bond's classic was first issued in 1918 and originally dealt only
with the discovery of the Edgar chapel. It was reprinted shortly
after, now including details of how the Loretto chapel was found, plus
an extended foreword by Bligh Bond. This is a facsimile reprint of
the 1919 edition, which caused a great deal of controversy and forced
Bond to take legal action to defend himself against misplaced
accusations. Oddly, Bond believed that he never got directly in
touch with the dead. Instead, he felt that he and Alleyne had tapped
into a race memory - a reservoir of emotions and memories peculiar to
that period of English history that anyone could access, given the
right training and mental aptitude. He later modified this view
somewhat, but his work at Glastonbury blazed a psychic path through
the past, and no one has yet managed to completely dismiss it. Indeed,
new discoveries show that many of the monk's predictions and
descriptions were absolutely accurate.
The Hill of Vision
Issued less than a year after 'The Gate of Remembrance' this volume
served only to further enrage the church authorities. Bond and Alleyne
describe the sittings they undertook during the Great War and show how
the monk's vision was boundless. 'The Watchers' accurately predicted
many of the events of the war and gave reasons why a whole generation
was virtually wiped out. The Monks explain that in the afterlife they
have no limits and can see ahead, as well as back in time. Many
passages deal with time, and the time-space dimension. There are also
comments on the different races of Europe, the role and the eventual
fate of the Jews, and some strange statements on the nature of
electricity, plus claims that a mild force field builds up in the
West of England each day with the sunset. Considering Bond's
situation, it was a brave decision to print. Excellent companion
volume to 'The Gate of Remembrance' and very rare. This is a facsimile
reprint of the first edition.
Coming Soon: Biography of Bligh Bond with new material and hitherto unseen notes and comments by Bond and Alleyne.
Coming soon: In search of Johannes.
In a memorable sitting with Mrs. Stevens, Johannes Bryant gave Bond
a clear description of himself, and accompanied it with a sketch. He
drew a giant of a man - well over six feet tall - and added that he
had a ruddy complexion, red hair, freckles, a ready laugh and a liking
for ale. 'Cornish Johannes' was stronger by far than an average man,
and casually performed feats that two men together couldn't match. In
the Abbey he was charged with numerous tasks, among them chorister (his
remarkable voice had led his family to apprentice him there) stonemason,
farmer, ferryman, herb gatherer, doorman and night guard. He told
Bond of his many misadventures, including two early attempts to run
away, and of his original desire to 'raise the sword'. In the later
sittings he laughed at the idea of a 'group soul' and insisted that he
was very much an individual. Born in 1497, he was murdered at the
Abbey door in 1533. With such a detailed description, many scholars
have tried to trace him but to no avail, though he is said to bear a
strong resemblance to a certain John Neot who lived about that time.
We follow the story of Johannes and come up with some new and
fascinating information that helps us to positively identify the
'Child of Nature' who lived and died for Glastonbury Abbey.
An architectural Handbook to Glastonbury
Bond's first published work dealing with the Abbey and its architecture.
This is a simple, uncontroversial guide to the Abbey, its layout, and
its various architectural styles. First published in 1909 it remained
in print for many years but has recently become very hard to find. Was
once on the shelves of all Glastonbury bookshops for sale to tourists,
but (like all Bond's books) was subsequently banned from the site.
Contains a wealth of detail including references to earlier work by
Leland, Kerridge and others. Bond was grieved in later life that after
his dismissal, many of his discoveries were subsequently buried once more,
and no mention was ever made of them. Chief among these was the 'apse'
that finished off the Edgar Chapel, and a Norman wall built by
Abbot-Bishop Turstin, which enclosed and protected some earlier sacred
buildings. After his death, the existence of the apse was grudgingly
acknowledged, but many foundations and other discoveries remain
deliberately hidden.
The Company of Avalon
Companion book to 'The Gate of Remembrance' this deals with a long
sequence of readings through 1920 - 21 and beyond. The monks took
Bond back to the first, circular chapel built by Joseph of Arimathea
and his followers, describes the cells where each disciple lived, the
coming of the Saxons, the Normans, the great fire and much more. There
are also comments on Salisbury Abbey, reasons why Glastonbury had to
fall, the influence of the zodiac, and other snippets regarding the
structure of Glastonbury Abbey, most of which were later proved correct.
Many insights into the character of successive Abbots, plus an insistence
that Glastonbury will be physically rebuilt. This book is a must for
all students of Bond's work, and in its way is as startling - if not
more so - than 'The Gate of Remembrance' especially as it gives a full
sequential history of the Abbey and the major events that occurred
there.
'A Tudor Tale' Scripts from Anne Boleyn
From 1917 to his death, Canon Packenham-Walsh of Peterborough Cathedral
developed an obsession with Anne Boleyn, a figure he believed has been
much maligned. In 1921 he met with a medium, Mrs. Clegg and perhaps
unwisely let slip that he wished to communicate with Henry's second
queen. For anyone who demands strict conditions in mediumship, this
immediately negates what happened next, because Anne Boleyn came
through in various sittings and made numerous comments and statements.
However, some of these contained new information which, on
investigation was found to be true. From here things became more
complex. A second medium, Miss Eleanor Kelly began to receive messages
through automatic writing, which mentioned both Bond and Packenham-Walsh.
Bond knew Miss Kelly, and managed to introduce her to Packenham-Walsh.
From hereon until the end of 1924, the Canon via Miss Kelly and two
other mediums, became the recipient of many messages from Anne Boleyn
and Henry VIII, the king proving to be as irascible and volatile in
death as he had been in his lifetime. After the Canon's death, these
scripts were published in 1963 as 'A Tudor tale'. Some of this
information tallied with what 'The Watchers' had told Bond, and it
remains a fascinating link.
The Apostolic Gnosis - Bligh Bond and Rev. T. Simcox-Lea
The Bible was first written in Greek, and was meant to be transmitted
in Greek. A Bible in any other language is a translation. The early
Greek Alphabet was 'alphanumeric' in that each letter had an equivalent
number, and thus anyone taking a name or a short sentence, can add up
its total value; and the results are both consistent and surprising.
Many times patterns and sequences emerge, which prove that certain
names and phrases have a specific value, often based around multiples
of 37. Inevitably, the 'Beast' (who Bond conjectures was the Emperor
Nero) has the number 666, while Jesus Christ equates to 888. The fact
that Jesus changed Simon's name to 'Peter' is also significant, as it
gave him a new numeric identity. Many parables and comments uttered
by Jesus also add up to numbers that are considered by occultists to
be extremely powerful, and there is some evidence that the early
Christians used these as a code - with the Roman authorities desperate
to crack it. Bond was obsessed with Gematria (science of numbers)
and together with Simcox-Lea wrote this fascinating, but complicated
book in 1919. Its not easy to read, but it's a rewarding book, giving
an insight into why Bond insisted that Glastonbury, and all other
early ecclesiastical buildings were built to fixed measurements and
ratios.