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This is a method to find the Key to Kryptos, the sculpture by James Sanborn and which is located at CIA Headquarters. I won't cover the history or details about the sculpture so if you're not familiar with it, you can do some quick research.
Throughout this article, I will refer to the Kryptos sculpture as 'the scroll'. You should also be familiar with the terms 'K1',
'K2', 'K3', and 'K4'.
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Signing UpStep 1K2 Hidden Message
There is more than one message in each of K1, K2, and K3. I'll refer to the original decoded message as layer one. The other hidden message I'll refer to as the layer two message.
K2 is actually the best example to start with. You have to start with the original, decoded message and put it back into its original, columnar form, or matrix as I prefer to call it. You have to know how many columns wide it is and also at what column it starts. K2 is 8 columns wide and the layer one message starts at column 3. So in the matrix, you should be able to read the layer one message from left to right, top to bottom. The layer two message is read from top to bottom, left to right.
You'll have to infer a few of Sanborn's rules as you work on the layer two message. One is his use of 'X' as a wildcard. You should be familiar with this term if you've ever worked with computers. Anyway, a wildcard can stand for any character. The other rule is the rule of substitution. Any misspelled word is a clue. Whenever you find one, you can substitute the character that will make the spelling correct for the incorrect one. Example: IQLUSION -> tells you you can substitute an 'L' for a 'Q'
So what do the phrases mean? K2 layer one refers to "the earths magnetic field" -> WEST, NORTH, SOUTH, EAST
OCEANS -> whirlpool, constantly in motion. SEA -> reflective pool. TREES -> The petrified tree trunk represents the trees that once stood there. MEADOW -> Part of Sandborn's work included planting grasses and setting rocks to create a meadow.
SEE THE PENNY? -> The question mark is required as part of this phrase. I'll explain later. And of course I'll explain how to find the key.
K2 is actually the best example to start with. You have to start with the original, decoded message and put it back into its original, columnar form, or matrix as I prefer to call it. You have to know how many columns wide it is and also at what column it starts. K2 is 8 columns wide and the layer one message starts at column 3. So in the matrix, you should be able to read the layer one message from left to right, top to bottom. The layer two message is read from top to bottom, left to right.
You'll have to infer a few of Sanborn's rules as you work on the layer two message. One is his use of 'X' as a wildcard. You should be familiar with this term if you've ever worked with computers. Anyway, a wildcard can stand for any character. The other rule is the rule of substitution. Any misspelled word is a clue. Whenever you find one, you can substitute the character that will make the spelling correct for the incorrect one. Example: IQLUSION -> tells you you can substitute an 'L' for a 'Q'
So what do the phrases mean? K2 layer one refers to "the earths magnetic field" -> WEST, NORTH, SOUTH, EAST
OCEANS -> whirlpool, constantly in motion. SEA -> reflective pool. TREES -> The petrified tree trunk represents the trees that once stood there. MEADOW -> Part of Sandborn's work included planting grasses and setting rocks to create a meadow.
SEE THE PENNY? -> The question mark is required as part of this phrase. I'll explain later. And of course I'll explain how to find the key.
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The message read as follows:
YOLOAD DO NOT QUIT YOUR DAY JOB...