Symbolism in Movies / Open Lines

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Hosted byRichard Syrett

Best-selling author Robert W. Sullivan IV joined guest host Richard Syrett (Twitter) to discuss his fascination with secret societies and the esoteric symbolism which permeates cinematic works. He compared the Darren Aronofsky's 2010 film Black Swan and Todd Phillips' 2019 Joker, noting both protagonists experience what he called an alchemical transition of self. Sullivan pointed out how the comedy club in Joker named Pogo's and the clown makeup Arthur Fleck adorns are inspired by serial killer John Wayne Gacy. In addition, "[Robert] De Niro's appearance in Joker is designed to resurrect in your subconscious mind two previous Martin Scorsese movies (King of Comedy and Taxi Driver)," he said.

Sullivan drew parallels between 2019 folk horror film Midsommar and the 1973 British horror film The Wicker Man, as both movies deal with cults and pagan and anti-Christian themes. Major plot points in Midsommar are telegraphed by director Ari Aster's clever use of foreshadowing, he added. Sullivan spoke about a different kind of foreshadowing sometimes referred to as predictive programming or what he labeled Jungian synchronicity. As an example, he noted the movies Fight Club and The Matrix as well as television show The Simpsons contain imagery that seems to foreshadow the 9-11 tragedy and the fall of the World Trade Center Towers.

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Open Lines followed in the second half of the program. Tom, a past Commander of the Knights Templar in Utica, New York, provided a brief history of the Morgan Affair and the ant-Mason fallout from it. Publisher William Morgan sought to print a book exposing Freemasonry's secrets so a group of Mason's burned down his shop, Tom explained, noting Morgan was never heard from again. He also pointed out there is no prohibition against one Mason testifying against another Mason in a court of law.

George from Mineral Springs, North Carolina, told Richard about the time he was aboard a ship in the Devil's Triangle, also known as the Bermuda Triangle, and witnessed a mysterious light on the horizon. "It got brighter and brighter," he recalled, adding it did not show up on the vessel's radar. Turns out it was a brightly lit ocean liner which eluded radar detection because it was more than 20 miles away and the Earth is curved, George revealed.

Juanita in California reported on a Double-Decker UFO she saw in 1989 with her eldest son. "It just looked like a giant star coming up from the West," she said. Juanita remembered seeing a series of colorful lights, something spinning underneath, and porthole windows. It traveled slowly back over the ocean as it departed the area, she noted. Juanita also shared a UFO encounter her younger son had a few years ago in which he described seeing a craft that looked like half of a rainbow. According to Juanita, a beam of light from the craft shined into her son's eyes and he immediately felt tired.

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