From Atlantis to the Sphinx: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of the Ancient World

Critics may claim that the apparent deterioration of Colin Wilson’s literary standards following his stunning success of The Outsider has made his subsequent works unworthy. They are wrong. From Atlantis to the Sphinx: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of the Ancient World is a highly absorbing book, guaranteed to keep readers engaged for hours on end. It starts off with an introduction to pyramids, gradually progressing to a discussion of human history in both its accepted and unofficial format, before rounding off his work superbly by embarking on a short dissertation on human consciousness, emerging the topic skillfully with his points in the earlier chapters.

Wilson argues his case for the existence of an ancient civilization strongly. The more I read his arguments, the more difficult it is not to find the high-brow attitude of the mainstream academia deplorable. These 'respectable' people may scoff at the idea of an ancient civilization that possessed great technology, but in turn, they have failed to provide compelling evidence to dismiss these claims. Indeed, it does not take a doctor of archeology to wonder just how impossible it would be for a primitive people to build magnificent edifices such as pyramids, a feat that would challenge even a modern architect with vast technological resources. Also, it will not escape the notice of even casual readers of history or mythology to realize that legends of catastrophic floods, prevalent across most cultures, cannot be dismissed as mere coincidence.

To further strengthen his case, Wilson discusses the history of humankind and evolution and attacks the views of conventional evolutionists and anthologists by stating cases in which evidence run contrary to that presented in the official canon. Mankind might have a far longer history than what we are being led to believe. It is fascinating how the writer goes about his task of demolishing established ‘facts’. He believes the pyramids of both the Mayan and Egyptian civilizations were originally erected as projects in astronomy and in both he finds similar properties, such as the correspondence of their measurements to the circumference of the Earth and the precession of the heavenly bodies. An astonishing claim, and one that is thought-provoking.

Wilson’s discussion on synchronicity leads me to wonder: does reality affect the mind, or does the mind affect reality? He quotes from an experience he had while he was researching for a book. Upon returning from his walk, he found the book containing the vital piece of information he needed. Although skeptics will dismiss this incident and a few other cases Wilson cites as mere coincidence or nonsense, I, who have had episodes of synchronicity, cannot help but wonder if ‘something is there’, something currently unknowable, that just eludes understanding, but which is no less real.

A book of this nature would not be completed without an inclusion of the ‘dual brains’ concept and the heightened consciousness aspect of it. With the onset of language and religion, Wilson asserts, the right brain has been largely supplanted by its left half, as it has become more evolutionary feasible. However, he feels that the right brain, with its intuition (moon knowledge), as opposed to the solar knowledge of the logic (left brain) may be accessible at will, complementing the incumbent’s mental facilities. This is definitely an area which scientists should invest their energies into. The possibilities are endless.

The controversial material presented in this book makes it very difficult at times, not to verge on the realms of pseudoscience and New Age nonsense. However, Wilson’s reasoned arguments, coupled with his unobfuscatory diction prevents it from tilting over the edge. From Atlantis to the Sphinx will provide you with hours of edutainment. If you can’t borrow it at the library, buy it.

Rating: 4/5


P.S. For the apocalyptic-minded, the next ‘Doomsday falls on the 22nd of December 2012. As history has shown, it may not necessarily mean the end of the world, but rather, it may be the heralding of a new epoch.