“THE MYSTERY OF NOLAN’S CROSS: PLURA LATENT, QUAM PATENT: MORE IS HIDDEN THAN REVEALED”, PART 1
- Daniel Spino
- 4 hours ago
- 10 min read
Nolan’s Cross has been a mystery within a mystery since Fred Nolan discovered it in 1981. Fred surveyed every feature of his property with great precision and accuracy. Fred began noticing emerging patterns which involved geometry and trigonometry according to his sight lines. He investigated the locations that intersected at these lines, which uncovered the boulders of Nolan’s Cross. At the time, Fred didn’t realize their importance and moved them to check for clues. Five boulders were labeled Cones A, B, C, D, and E. There’s also a boulder shaped like a human head in the center of the cross that brought a total of six boulders to the construction. Fred found some items under Cone B, which included pieces of a wrought iron stove and cutlery. Their current whereabouts are unknown and how they got under the boulder is uncertain. Scientists have stated that in order to date the placement of the boulders, it is necessary to find organic material in the dirt that was touching the surface of the boulders. This has been unsuccessful. All the cones and the headstone have been explored beneath them except for Cone C, which cannot be moved because it is in a beach zone. None of the boulders were found to be seated in glacial till. These boulders are not located where they were originally placed by the last glacier. They are not in a natural position, and one could only conclude that they were placed by man.
Some detractors say that Nolan’s Cross is a figment of imagination. One allegation states that there are so many stones on Oak Island that you can make a configuration of your choice. There are, in fact, many stones of varying sizes on the island, but none as large as these specific boulders that have been arranged in such a way that Nolan’s Cross has been designed. The measurements are the key, because they produce a unique construction that could not have been formed naturally but only with intent. Another allegation is that Fred moved the boulders into place to make the cross. Fred certainly moved some of the boulders but being the precise surveyor that he was, he marked their original positions. Fred was quite consumed with finding treasure on the island. Creating this cross would be a waste of time for him. He wanted results and if this was just an attention grabber, it wouldn’t lead to treasure. Fred found quite a few objects in his excavations and always tried to make sense out of them. What did they mean? Will it solve the mystery? Will it lead to treasure? It’s unfortunate that Fred passed away in 2016 so he could help us with continuing his work. We can look at his statements in the book, “Oak Island Gold” by William Crooker where he presented to the world Nolan’s Cross. The book came out in 1992, over ten years after his initial discovery. The reason for this delay was an ongoing legal battle between himself and Triton with Dan Blankenship and David Tobias.
The boulders that make up the cross are 8 x 9 feet, conical and made of granite. The headstone at the junction of the arms of the cross is different. It was not a cone, but the shape of a human head and sandstone. Scientists and stonemasons have determined that it’s inconclusive whether the stone was carved or naturally occurring. It should be noted that sandstone is softer and more porous than granite making it easier to carve. What can be construed is that it was created or chosen because it looks like a human head and is placed at its location for that reason. In Crooker’s, “Oak Island Gold”, it mentions that the headstone had claw marks from Fred’s backhoe and glacial striations. Fred said that the stone was lying on its side when he discovered it. The side or face of the stone was slightly slanted with the top portion or head exposed. He dug it up, moved it to the side and explored underneath, not yet knowing its significance. After examining it further, there appeared to be a well weathered slot or groove on its face. Fred said that it was hand carved and in the shape of a dagger. He said it matched a dagger that the heirs of Sophia Seller’s gave him when he bought their property. Fred said it was a perfect fit with the carving and concluded that the headstone symbolized the “brain” and the dagger pointed to the “heart”. Fred thought it was the brain and heart of the equation, believing that there was a mathematical equation involved. Unfortunately, Fred never elaborated further on what exactly he meant by this idea, but the authors of this investigation have taken on the task of exploring it further. To start, we will look at some interpretations of Nolan’s Cross that focus on its attributes and symbolism in the hopes of finding clues to its true meaning.
Oak Island Researcher Petter Amundsen believes that Nolan’s Cross is a representation of two things, the first being the Constellation Cygnus and its asterism, “The Northern Cross”. Second, he believes it is a part of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life with the ten sephiroth laid out with large stones and boulders around Nolan’s Cross. Amundsen was able to go to Oak Island and find hidden stones that suggested the validity of this configuration. He believed that a place of interest was the “Mercy” point that is tied to the sephiroth Chesed. He believed this idea was alluded to in the final lines of the Shakespeare play, “The Tempest” in which “Piercing Mercy” was emphasized. This “Mercy” spot on the Tree of Life, superimposed on the island, would fall in the Swamp. This location has been investigated, but nothing was found to suggest a vault or treasure was ever there. Although unsuccessful, one cannot dismiss what Amundsen found in his research. They are still clues involving Oak Island that should be explored further. Why Oak Island? He believes it lies in both its terrestrial positioning and the corresponding celestial positioning that were highly important to the Rosicrucian Fraternity. According to Amundsen, the characteristics of the person who designed Nolan’s Cross was someone who had advanced mathematical, astronomical, navigational, mapping/surveying, cryptographic, multilingual, and esoteric knowledge. A Rosicrucian and/or Freemason who was well versed in the Kabbalah and the Bible.
Brian Pharoah, another Oak Island Researcher, has worked extensively on Nolan’s Cross. Pharoah believes that Nolan’s Cross is a mathematical phenomenon that was created by design and was based on astronomical observations. He believes that Nolan’s cross encodes hidden mathematics, sacred numbers, geometry and sacred knowledge. The measurements of Nolan’s Cross produce many amazing calculations that are repeatable and show intent. They are 144, 288, 360, 432, 720, and 864. The sacred geometry of Nolan’s Cross expresses numbers that describe measurement, music, time and the universe itself. These units of measurements illustrate proportions and ratios associated with the construction of Chartres Cathedral, Rosslyn Chapel, and Temple Mount. The authors would add the Great Pyramid of Giza as well with the number 43,200 being key. Pharoah states that because of the positioning of the boulders and measurements of the cross, they could not have possibly been put there naturally. They are also aligned according to the Spring and Autumnal equinoxes and the Summer and Winter Solstices. The constellation of Cygnus with its “Northern Cross” asterism takes a prominent role in its alignment. During the equinoxes and solstices, there is an interplay between the Sun, Moon, Nolan’s Cross, Cygnus and the Money Pit locations on Oak Island. He mentions that Nolan’s Cross functions as an astronomical calendar and the alignments and geometry are too perfect to be a fluke. Pharoah believes that the Knights Templar are suspects because of their architectural skills. He believes the creator had considerable knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, mapping/surveying, architecture, religion, music, concealing information and clues. Pharoah states that the concept of “AS ABOVE, SO BELOW” perfectly describes Nolan’s Cross.
Researcher Peter Dawkins has studied Nolan’s Cross and has determined that a tremendous amount of symbolism was involved with its construction. He believes that one of its interpretations is the constellation Cygnus with its Northern Cross asterism. Dawkins also believes that the creator of Nolan’s Cross had the Orphic Mysteries in mind with its headstone placement on the cross. He writes, “In the Orphic Mysteries, Orpheus was considered the embodiment of Dionysus…Orpheus was the mortal human soul, the son of man and Dionysus was the immortal self, the son of God…Dionysus was symbolized as the cross, Orpheus was symbolized as a swan or rose.” This could also symbolize the Rose Cross symbol of the Rosicrucian Fraternity. What appears clear is that the originators were using multiple forms of symbolism which would denote that they were very knowledgeable and learned individuals to a high degree. This would correlate closely with the Rosicrucian and Masonic Fraternity and extensive knowledge of Ancient Greece and Greek Mythology.
Peter Dawkins also believes that Nolan’s Cross is a representation of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Dawkins mentions that in the crucifixion, the head of Jesus is set at the heart of the cross which signifies the illumination of the soul with the light of the divine heart. Thinking back to Fred Nolan’s idea of the “brain and heart” reference stated earlier, this imagery caught our attention. Dawkins mentioned that the five cones of Nolan’s cross correspond with the Amundsen Tree of Life and are the key sephiroth. Peter stated that this represents the Holy Trinity, and the trinity of the Sun, Moon, and Blazing Star. This idea produces religious, astronomical, and Freemasonic imagery. He also mentions that one of the measurements of the Tree of Life construction is 294 feet. 294 is the Greek Gematria value for Rose. This further illustrates that the creator of Nolan’s Cross was knowledgeable in cryptography and multilingual. Peter believes that the Rosicrucian Fraternity was greatly influenced by the Pythagoreans. The Pythagoreans were the followers of the Greek Mathematician and Philosopher, Pythagoras, who formed a school in the 6th Century BC. They believed that numbers held mystical and symbolic significance, with each number representing certain qualities or principles. They made significant contributions to Geometry and number theory. The Pythagorean Brotherhood was a secretive society, with teachings passed down orally and shrouded in secrecy. These traits correlate with the designer of Nolan’s Cross.
The next researcher we wanted to discuss is Stephen Phillips. Phillips produced a report in 2021 on his findings of Nolan’s Cross that are extremely technical and show its numerous complexities that most people would not recognize or understand. Phillips shows that the Hebrew names of God representing the 10 Sephiroth also represent the geometry of Nolan’s Cross. He states that the designers of Nolan’s Cross completed a very complex mathematical project. Phillips found that divisions of segments of Nolan’s Cross formed a Y-Shaped structure and produced numbers that repeated themselves throughout the structure. This is similar to Brian Pharoah’s conclusions. Phillips believes that only someone that had that knowledge and background that the creator possessed would have been able to understand the significance of what was constructed using only six boulders. He even shows that the construction has a correlation between the symmetry group of a superstring theory and its representation in 8th dimensional space using the 4 polytopes. Very complex material to say the least. This led to a continuing series of complex mathematical and scientific knowledge embedded secretly within the number measurements of Nolan’s Cross.
Phillips also believes the measurements and proportions of the Tree of Life are important and purposeful aspects. A key number associated with measurements of Nolan’s Cross geometry is 21. 21 in Hebrew Gematria stands for “Ehyeh” or “I AM”, the divine name assigned to Kether of the Tree of Life sephiroth. Again, someone with advanced mathematical, cryptographic, multilingual, and religious knowledge/training would be key traits of the creator. Phillips believes that numbers used in Nolan’s Cross form a pattern that are mathematically related to a universal blueprint of the cosmos, both physical and hyperphysical ideas represented in some of the world’s religions. What’s unique is that this was represented in a very simple way in comparison to the more complex manner that religions of the world use. Phillips believes that the creator of Nolan’s Cross was British, like Fred Nolan did, because the proportions shown apply to the English Statue Mile developed in the 16th Century. This is expressed in a 3:7 ratio. The authors recognized that the number 37 is mentioned by Amundsen as an angle measurement of the Pythagorean Triangle, which he believes was used by the Rosicrucians to hide information. The angle values are expressed in Book 1, 47th principle of Euclid’s Elements of Geometry. This is a symbol used today by modern Freemasonry.
Phillips also believes that the Plato inspired the creator of Nolan’s Cross in a musical way. He found the Lambda Tetractys, a triangular array of ten dots, hidden in the numbers. This eventually produced the Pythagorean Musical Scale. It’s interesting to note that the numbers associated with geometric polygons and platonic solids are also represented in Nolan’s Cross. He believes that the creator of Nolan’s Cross was using Pythagorean principles. Ancient Pythagoreans believed one was not a number, but the Monad, the principal and source of all numbers. Key numbers that Phillips identified were 21 and 22 that are repeated throughout Nolan’s Cross. The creator of Nolan’s Cross measured distances that repeated the core length of 21. The genius of the design was choosing 72 feet to measure out 22 straight lines that created the shape of Nolan’s Cross. This mirrors both the 22 paths of the Tree of Life and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet that can be divided into classes of 10 and 12, which are important numbers in the construction, as well 24. 72 is a key number in Nolan’s Cross which in Hebrew gematria stands for Chesed, representing Love and Mercy. It is also an angle value in the pentagram, which is related to the Golden ratio. 72 is the number of years it takes for the equinox to shift one degree. Collins states that Nolan’s Cross contains much more than meets the eye.
All the preceding information that we’ve reviewed started to develop a profile of a suspect for creating Nolan’s Cross. The suspect would have been someone from 16th to 17th Century Britain, who was an expert in mathematics, particularly in Geometry and Trigonometry. Someone with advanced astronomical, navigational, mapping/surveying, cryptographic, multilingual, and esoteric knowledge. A possible Rosicrucian and/or Freemason who was well versed in the Kabbalah, the Bible and religions. Also, someone with knowledge of architecture, art, classical studies, Ancient Greece, music theory and a follower of the Pythagoreans. This would have been someone with a large interest in North America and perhaps colonization. This would be a visionary who was highly intelligent, very well-read and an academic. From our extensive research and past experience, a clear suspect emerged that seemed to fit all these categories perfectly. His name was John Dee. Who was John Dee and why is he the perfect suspect for the creation of Nolan’s Cross?
Please join us tomorrow for Part II.
Good day from the Compendium!
Written by Daniel Spino with contributions from Charlotte Wheatley.
References and sources
Oak Island Gold by William Crooker
https://www.oakislandarchives.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/nolan.pdf
Cracking the Shakespeare Code by Petter Amundsen
The Mystery of Oak Island, Part 3: Swan Secrets, Peter Dawkins
https://www.fbrt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Secrets_of_the_Rosy_Cross.pdf
The Curse of Oak Island – The History Channel