The 20-Degree Secret: A Hidden Compass for the Posey Treasure
Why 20 Degrees Might Matter More Than You Think
By Mike Kress
When it comes to treasure hunts — especially the ones built like poetry — the first numbers you see aren’t always the numbers that matter.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about a very specific line from Justin Posey’s poem:
“Her foot of three at twenty degree,
Return her face to find the place.”
Most searchers see “twenty degree” and think, “Ah, just a compass bearing.” But what if there’s more to it? What if the number itself is the real clue?
✨ The Deeper Meaning of 20 Degrees
In ancient navigation systems — and yes, within the hidden traditions of Freemasonry — 20 degrees was never just a number.
It was a threshold, a symbol of crossing from the known into the unknown. A bearing of twenty degrees signified more than a direction on a compass. It marked the point where a traveler had to stop following roads and start following patterns — the hidden flows of rivers, the silent arcs of stars overhead, the footprints time itself leaves on the land.
Twenty degrees represents the mastery of seeing what others miss:
The bend in a forgotten riverbank
The alignment of ancient stones
The path written not in maps, but in the bones of the Earth itself.
It is not merely a clue.
It is an initiation — the invitation to step beyond ordinary vision and walk by a different kind of compass entirely.
🌌 How 20 Degrees Could Shape the Final Search
If 20 degrees is the hidden compass Posey left behind, it tells us something important about how this hunt was built. It suggests that the final steps won’t be random.
They’ll follow the natural curves of the land — the slow, patient lines shaped by ancient forces long before we arrived. It hints that the right path won’t be the fastest or the easiest.
It will be the path that stays true to the original symbols:
The quiet flow of old riverbeds
The arcs of the granite hills
The steady bearing of the unseen stars overhead.
To find this treasure, it may not be enough to solve the poem.
You may have to walk it.
And if that’s true — then finding the correct starting point, and moving by a 20-degree bearing through symbolic ground, may not just be a strategy. It may be the only way.
🧭 A Hint for Fellow Searchers
For those still deep in the chase:
Look beyond the surface. Think about how water moves. Think about what the sky is telling you. Sometimes, the real path isn’t drawn at all. It’s whispered through the earth — if you know where, and how, to listen.
Stay sharp, explorers. There are invisible lines waiting to be found.
Great article… definitely something to ponder further. Plus sounds like something Justin would do.
Appreciate you reading, David. That question is exactly what separates curiosity from the trail. Let’s just say the hunt doesn’t begin on a map, it begins when you realize what’s been right in front of you all along. Start with 65° north. Watch where 20° takes you.
And remember: “Her foot of three at twenty degree…” isn’t just poetic—it’s geographic.