View source for The Stone Cradle by Patrice Chaplin

{{infobox1
|title=The Stone Cradle   
|sort=Stone Cradle     
|author=Patrice Chaplin
|reviewer= Andy Heath
|genre=Autobiography
|summary='The Stone Cradle' is an extraordinary autobiography from the author Patrice Chaplin. It is the third in the series set in the enigmatic Catalonian city of Girona and it follows her esoteric journey involving an ancient secret society and the mysteries and secrets that they hold and protect.
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=246
|publisher=Clairview Books
|date=February 2017
|isbn=978-1905570836
|cover=Chaplin_Stone
|aznuk=190557083X
|aznus=190557083X
}}

''The Stone Cradle'' is a remarkable book from the author Patrice Chaplin. It is a biography, the third in a series set in the Catalonian city of Girona. It is also an enduring love story and a journey into mystery and spirituality. The city has drawn artists, writers and philosophers for centuries. Rich in Kabbalistic thought through Azriel, the most famous student of Isaac the Blind, it has always been a home for mysticism and secrets. The magnetism and resonance of the city has had a hold on Patrice Chaplin since she first visited it in the fifties. The series of books detail her journey and her encounters with the esoteric society that have protected its mysteries since ancient times. 'The Stone Cradle' also gives a new life and direction to the mysteries of Rennes le Chateau, the small French village, made famous by the Da Vinci Code and the Holy Blood and The Holy Grail. Linking the two places through sacred geometry to the mountain of Canigou.

The enduring love for the city shines through the narrative but running parallel is an all-encompassing love for the custodian of the secret society, Jose Tarres. It is a tragic love that has never quite found its place in space and time. Like Isis and Osiris, they are never destined to have anything other than passing moments, cherished but brief before their lives drive them apart again. It is a love that will stand the test of time but the regrets make for heart-breaking prose. The scenes where they are together are full of a longing, passion and desire but also a great sadness and loss as the commitments of their lives contrive to keep them apart. 
 
''The Stone Cradle'' is a memorable journey and a quest. Myth, legend and history wrapped in an enigma. Throughout the book there are tantalising references and clues to unlocking the mystery that surrounds Girona and maybe the mystery to life itself. The society that approached Patrice Chaplin have blessed her with a secret but burdened her with a curse. We live in an age of dogmatic religion, materialistic science, nationalistic politics, greed, avarice and cynicism. Our spirituality, the very core of our being, has been suppressed for so long it is impossible to conceive of humanity getting it back. We need to return to our esoteric roots and unlock the secret of ''The Stone Cradle''. The burden is what would happen if it then fell into the hands of those with only malevolent self-interests.

I have always found myself drawn to history, myth and esoteric philosophy. It has been a search to find an answer to the fundamental question. Why are we here? Patrice Chaplin has offered a tantalising glimpse into the answer. There are clues and references in her work that could lead to unlocking our own personal enigmas and lead us to find in ourselves what it means to be human. ''The Stone Cradle'' has rekindled my desire to find an answer and set me on my own quest and for that it is to be treasured. It is a truly life-affirming book and its value inestimable. I now just need to get copies of ''City of Secrets'' and ''The Portal'' to firmly set my course. 

If you enjoy ''The Stone Cradle'', you may also enjoy:
 
[[Angels in My Hair by Lorna Byrne]]<br>
[[The Secret Symbol: The Original Masonic Documents Behind Dan Brown's Latest Bestseller by Peter Blackstock]]<br>
[[Shakespeare's Secret Booke: Deciphering Magical and Rosicrucian Codes by David Ovason ]]<br>
[[The Hidden Geometry of Life by Karen French]]

{{amazontext|amazon=190557083X}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=190557083X}}

{{commenthead}}
[[Category:Spirituality and Religion]]