Just musing to myself about a few of the things that Dan Brown missed (or omitted, for unknown reasons) when writing The Lost Symbol. I thought of quite a few while reading the book, I should have written down a list. Here’s a couple that I mention in The Guide to Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol – I’ll update it with more if/as I remember them:

1. The phrase ‘Laus Deo’: Dan mentions how this phrase is written on the pyramidion of the Washington Monument, translating to ‘Praise God’. What he doesn’t elaborate on is that ‘Laus Deo’ is a phrase used in Scottish Rite Freemasonry. It forms part of the rituals and has also been inscribed on jewels of the Scottish Rite (see The Guide for an image).
2. Edgar Mitchell: Dan Brown explains the strange research and history of the Institute of Noetic Science (IONS), but for some reason omits one of the more fascinating aspects of IONS – it was created by Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell after he had a mystical experience while returning from the Moon. This seems perfect material for Dan Brown to elaborate on in TLS – why didn’t he use it (did his research miss this fact)? And, to double the Apollo interest factor in TLS: Edgar Mitchell founded IONS, and another Apollo astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, is a 33° Scottish Rite Mason – Aldrin even took a handmade Scottish Rite flag to the Moon on his famous mission with Neil Armstrong.

Feel free to add your own in the comments section.