Jennifer Emick's symbol dictionary now online

Our friend Jennifer Emick is no longer affiliated with About.com. Her exquisite collection of symbols is now hosted at SymbolDictionary.net.

Subtitled "Religious Symbols: A Visual Glossary," you'll find page after page of religious and spiritual symbols and icons, along with their histories.

Here you'll find Asian, Celtic, Eastern, Egyptian, Norse and Wiccan symbols, along with astrological and alchemical symbols and designs, plus a whole lot more. Parts of Jennifer's collection was seen in the Ron Howard film The Da Vinci Code, in an early scene showing Prof. Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, addressing students. The symbols flashed by on a screen behind him.

Surf on over to Jennifer's new site, and spend a while browsing through this astounding display of the world's symbolic history.

Symbols | Symbolic Dictionary | Jennifer Emick | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com

Rosslyn Chapel to get much-needed facelift

Scotland's Rosslyn Chapel, made more famous than it already was by The Da Vinci Code, today received grants totaling £7.2 million toward the restoration of the 15th-century icon.

The impressive building, which dates back to 1446, has seen its yearly tourist pilgrimage increase from 30,000 people a year in 2000 to over 120,000 last year.

Some of the intricate carvings, with symbols of the Knights Templar, Christianity, Freemasonry and mythology, are deteriorating.

For the last ten years, a tin roof has been keeping the rain off the chapel, allowing the original roof and walls to dry out. The renovation will include removing the tin roof. Repairs will also include conserving and protecting the stonework, fixing the stained and leaded glass and restoring the Victorian baptistry.

Scotland | Rosslyn Chapel | Da Vinci Code | Freemasonry | Dan Brown | Burning Taper | BurningTaper.com