Ovason, David

PERSONAL: Male. Education: Has attended graduate school.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd St., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10022.

CAREER: Teacher of astrology.

WRITINGS:

The Secrets of Nostradamus: The Medieval Code of the Master Revealed in the Age of Computer Science, Century (London, England), 1997, published as The Nostradamus Code, Arrow (London, England), 1998, published as The Secrets of Nostradamus: A Radical New Interpretation of the Master's Prophecies, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

(Editor) Mark Hedsel, The Zelator: A Modern Initiate Explores the Ancient Mysteries, Century (London, England), 1998.

The Book of the Eclipse: The Hidden Influences of Eclipses, Arrow (London, England), 1999.

The Secret Zodiacs of Washington, DC: Was the City of Stars Planned by Masons?, Century (London, England), 1999, published as The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington, DC, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Nostradamus: Prophecies for America, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

The Two Children: A Study of the Two Jesus Children in Literature and Art, Century (London, England), 2001.

The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: David Ovason is a scholar of the life and prophecies of sixteenth-century French mystic Michel Nostradamus, as well as an expert on arcane symbolism. His The Secrets of Nostradamus: The Medieval Code of the Master Revealed in the Age of Computer Science—published in America as The Secrets of Nostradamus: A Radical New Interpretation of the Master's Prophecies—interprets the language of Nostradamus, which is sometimes known as the Green Language. A number of experts on the famous prognosticator, including Ovason, claim that Nostradamus predicted most of the great events of history, including the 1666 London fire, the great plague, the royal lineage of England, the French Revolution, and a number of geological events, such as earthquakes. It is said that he foresaw the rise to power of German chancellor Adolf Hitler, the Spanish Civil War, and the sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Ovason asserts that the coded predictions are so complex that they can be understood only after the fact.

In The Secret Zodiacs of Washington, DC: Was the City of Stars Planned by Masons?, published in America as The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington, DC, Ovason explains that most of the architects who designed the significant structures in Washington were Freemasons who incorporated their symbolism into their designs. They included James Hoban, who designed the White House. Many of America's founding fathers were Masons, including Benjamin Franklin, as were several later presidents, such as James A. Garfield and James K. Polk. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that "when President George Washington laid the cornerstone of the Capitol building in 1793, he wore a Masonic apron adorned with occult Masonic symbols and an image of the zodiac." Ovason writes that the designs of French engineer Pierre-Charles L'Enfant and planners Andrew Ellicott and James McMillan, all of whom were reportedly Masons, included Masonic symbolism in the buildings of the Federal Reserve, Library of Congress, and other Washington landmarks. He also notes the importance of the astrological sign of Virgo to the Masons and claims that the triangle formed by the Capitol, White House, and Washington Monument represents the stars of the constellation.

Writing about The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital, a Kirkus Reviews contributor called the volume "essential for experts or, shall we say, believers. For casual readers, a curiosity." Margaret Flanagan admitted in Booklist that the volume "does include some fascinating information about both the builders and the buildings of the nation's capital." A reviewer for the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon Online provided a commentary from the Masonic perspective, saying that Ovason became a Freemason after publishing this volume, but added that the author "is an astrologer by trade and inclination, and his perspective is strongly influenced by his own beliefs. This leads him to conclusions about Freemasonry and Freemasons that are not contained within the rituals and teachings of Freemasonry. Unfortunately, a number of his unsubstantiated claims can be used by those who do wish to condemn Freemasonry."

In a work that bears some similarities to his study of Washington architecture, Ovason's The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill studies the details of the dollar bill, including what the author points to as Masonic symbols, such as the one-eyed pyramid and the frequency of the number thirteen. "So if you've ever wondered what The Great Seal represents or the true significance of what the eagle carries in its claws, then this is the book for you," commented Ivan Schneider in Bank Systems & Technology.

Ovason's Nostradamus: Prophecies for America was published following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In it he examines a quatrain he feels predicted the attack. Ovason was not the only one who looked to Nostradamus for answers. The number of online searches of the prophet's name increased dramatically following the tragedy. In this volume, Ovason notes the number of positive predictions that have come to pass and foresees a hopeful future for the United States.

In The Two Children: A Study of the Two Jesus Children in Literature and Art Ovason revisits the idea, reflected in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, that there were two children conceived by Jesus, an idea that has never been supported by the official church, but which as been documented by such sects as the Gnostics. It has also been preserved in the ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Coptic writings that have been discovered in modern times at sites in Egypt and near the Dead Sea.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Bank Systems & Technology, February, 2004, Ivan Schneider, review of The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill, p. 50.

Booklist, July, 2000, Margaret Flanagan, review of The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington, DC, p. 1990.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2000, review of The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital, pp. 863-864; December 1, 2000, review of The Secrets of Nostradamus: A Radical New Interpretation of the Master's Prophecies, p. 1664.

Library Journal, June 1, 2000, Eric Linderman, review of The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital, p. 122.

Money, May, 2004, David Futrelle, review of The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill, p. 39.

Publishers Weekly, December 6, 1999, review of The Zelator: A Modern Initiate Explores the Ancient Mysteries, p. 64; June 5, 2000, review of The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital, p. 84; December, 2000, review of The Secrets of Nostradamus, p. 75; September 24, 2001, Charlotte Abbott, review of The Secrets of Nostradamus, p. 13.

Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2000, Bill Kauffman, review of The Secret Architecture of Our Nation's Capital, p. A20.

ONLINE

Astrology.about.com, http://astrology.about.com/ (July 11, 2005), review of Nostradamus: Prophecies for America.

David Ovason Home Page, http://www.davidovason.com (July 11, 2005).

Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/ (July 11, 2005), review of The Secret Zodiacs of Washington, DC: Was the City of Stars Planned by Masons?

HarperCollins Web site, http://www.harpercollins.com/ (July 11, 2005), profile of Ovason.