Thursday, February 24, 2005

The DaVinci Code

I would like to comment on Maude Newton's post http://maudnewton.com/blog/?p=5563 regarding Dan Brown's book The DaVinci Code. Maude says:

Reading to impress "Joe Public"?
[Culture]


The ever-engaging Zoe Williams reacts to the news that the "soaraway favourite" summer reading selection for British MPs is The Da Vinci Code.


Mention of this book is often suffixed by how many copies it has sold, as if sheer weight of numbers obviates all consideration of how rubbish it is. And its a bit late to launch into a critique of a work that makes people feel physically sick when they finish it, like a pound of strawberry bonbons, but the question remains why arent they embarrassed? Why arent they at least pretending a greater intellectual evolution than this? What are they trying to hide? That they really prefer Enid Blyton?


Posted by Maud at Tue, AM


This oh so droll and ever so common snubbing of the book misses the point entirely.
There is a reason the DaVinci Code has become a phenomenon.

This book shares a special essence that lives within The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The tale of Tristan and Isolde, Robin Hood, Cinderella, Snow White, Rappunzel, and The legend of the Holy Grail.

These tales are all part of the undying tradition of Grail/Ring lore.

We all know the story of Adam and Eve; of how God told Adam not to eat the fruit from the tree, and how Eve listened to the Satan-serpent and disobeyed Yahweh God. We all know that all women eternally carry the weight of original sin and suffer the pain of childbirth as punishment for her apple eating crime.

What we are not supposed to know, is the earlier version of this tale. The version that has been preserved through Grail Lore and Fairy tales.

It goes like this:

In the beginning, Great Mother Earth created life. People lived off the land and looked to nature for wisdom. Women were honored for their magical ability to give birth. A connection was noticed between a woman’s period and pregnancy. Her period followed the cycles of the moon, and births followed the cycle of the seasons.

Men did not know that they played a part in this magical creation. They felt very earthly in comparison to the life bringing females.

The survival instinct was strong. Humans understood their primary purpose to survive and reproduce. This was nature’s way.

As civilization developed, people began to engage in rituals to honor life. This was the birth of religion. Women were life bringers, therefore the logical connection was made that The Great Mother gave birth to us all.

Women buried the blood soaked moss of menses under fruit trees. The trees would bear fruit each year, and the women had babies. The connection was made that the blood of a woman’s period was related to life.

Men were the protectors of the clans. When a man proved his worth to the clan he would be honored in a ceremony where he would drink the wine from the fruit of the sacred tree of life. This sacrament would be given to him by the senior female. Her blessing is what made him the sovereign leader of the clan. He was thus endowed with the magic of life and therefore fit to rule.

This was the birth of Kingship.

At some point, people realized that the men DID in fact play a role in the creation of life. People learned that when sex occurred at the right time between periods, a pregnancy would occur.

Religion then changes from Goddess worship to the concept of "The Divine Couple".

Adam and Eve is the story of The Divine Couple.

They were jointly called "The Adama” Adam, meaning "of the earth" and Eve meaning "bringer of life"

The Adama are The life bringers of the earth.
(The idea that Adam was "made from clay" is a VERY POOR translation folks.)

Thus we have the advent of marriage ceremonies and sacred sex.

The serpent was the symbol of healing knowledge. (It still is. Ever notice the two snakes on the American Medical Association logo?) The snake slithered through the plants, up into the trees and under the ground. Of all the animals, the snake held the most intimate knowledge of plants and roots. Plants and roots were the first form of medicine. Women were the gatherers and nurturers, therefore the women were the healers.

So we have the symbol of the woman as the Grail Giver: the life bringing Goddess who holds the healing knowledge given by the serpent.

There are many many stories from every culture of the hero who embarks on a quest to save his people. When he proves his worth, he comes to the tree of life and is rewarded with the fruit of knowledge from the Goddess, and thus becomes king. The tree is always guarded by the serpent.

The serpent is sometimes shown as a dragon. Thus we have the Pendragon Kings, and women with wings (fairies and angels, etc.)

This was a time in history when a man gained his sovernty through the blessing of the woman, and together they ruled as king and queen, or as leaders of their clan. He was the protector who gained wisdom and insight from the woman. She GAVE him the power to rule, and offered her obedience as a GIFT to honor him, as he HONORED HER!!!!!!!

THE DIVINE COUPLE.

It was later in history when temple worship rituals lost their true purpose and the sexual serpent rituals of the Goddess worshipers turned into sinful orgies.

This is when the idea of Sex as sin began. This is when the Hebrews changed the story of The Adama to the modern version of Adam as the one who gave birth to the woman, thus taking all power away from the Goddess.

They claimed that Woman did not create life: Man Gave Birth to Woman!
Man was first and woman was born from his rib!
Man was the life bringer! (what a hoot!)
Eve was not the Goddess, she was a lowly plaything for Adam, and was wrong to listen to the snake. Her council and healing knowledge were evil and should be ignored.

(side note: God told Adam that if he ate the fruit he would die. The serpent told Eve that if she ate the fruit, she would gain knowledge...Who told the truth?)

Anyway, the Catholic church was hell bent to destroy all other belief systems. The Pope ordered the libraries of Alexandria to be burned to the ground, and hunted down and killed everyone who did not conform to their patriarchal doctrine.

The libraries of Alexandria were the vaults of all the great writings of the ancient world. They held the history of humanity of all cultures. It was the greatest metropolitan center of learning on earth. And it is now lost.

Forever.

This began a period of history known as The Dark Ages. (See the connection?)

The Christian monks were then set to work, to rewrite history, eliminating all record of women or Goddess worship, or The Divine Couple, or Grail Lore.

It now only exists among the crones and witches, and in fairy tales and stories.

When you read a tale of a young maiden, suffering, being poisoned, or locked away by the wicked step mother, while she waits for her hero to save her so that they can take their place as king and queen, you are hearing the history of the "mother church" who sought to destroy The Divine Couple and usurp their sovergn rule.

The wicked step mother is the symbol of the Patriarchal Catholic, Hebrew, Muslim Churches.

The Catholics do not allow women any voice or vote. They cannot become priests, or bishops or Pope. They have not vote in Conclave.

The Hebrew males recite a daily prayer that says "Thank god I was not born a woman." and confine women to subservient gender roles.

The Muslims cover their women in Burka's and imprison them under their husbands rule.

All of these forms of discrimination against women were born from the suppression of The Grail Traditions. They are designed to put men in control without the need for a women to give him sovergnty.

THAT is why the DaVinci Code is causing such a stir. This book deals with the lost history of humanity, and seeks to put women back in their rightful place...BESIDE her man, not UNDER him.

Grail stories never die because we are instinctively attracted to the secret truth they hold.

Those who find this knowledge have found the Holy Grail.

When we end patriarchal discrimination in religion,

Women will no longer be treated as second-class citizens or property.
Leaders will rule with the protective power of the male balanced with the nurturing healing knowledge of the female.
Sex will be viewed as a healthy part of marriage.
Children will be valued.
Fear based doctrine will be shunned
We will no longer need a savior, for we will know that we are divine and not living is a state of perpetual sin.

The Grail offers a much healthier model of spirituality.

It is why we are so attracted to Diana and Charles, JFK and Jackie, Brad and Jen...

Even Jesus and Magdalene were examples of The Divine Couple, but of course, that knowledge was venomously suppressed.

Its the secret that we all already know, but have been brainwashed to reject.

Brown asserts that Magdalene was the true inheritor of Jesus’ ministry, and that Peter, "The Rock", was a power hungry male chauvinist who stole her heritage and belittled all women in a patriarchal campaign that is the greatest lie of all time.

In conclusion, Dan Browns book is not on the best seller lists because he is a great writer, he is on the list because he alludes to the lost history of humanity, and the true nature of spirituality. He book attacks the wicked step mother and seeks to put men and women back on equal footing.

That folks, it the secret of the Holy Grail.

It's not hard to find if you strip away the armor of indoctrination, like Percival did.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Post 911 Fears

We live in a different world now.

I have heard that a million times in the past few years. Everything has changed since 911. We must agree to give up some of our civil liberties in exchance for tighter security, and safety.

Yea, Right.

What about Pearl Harbor????
Was that not a suprise attack by a ruthless enemy, on our own soil, that sent the nation into a state of panic?

We dealt with that by restricting civil liberties.
Ask any Japanese American about how well that worked.

A fellow named McCarthy had an idea to check people out to protect the good people from the bad commies.
Ask anybody who was on "The Black List" how well that worked.

The truth is, that people have been attacking people since the begining of time, when the first cave man, (a guy named Thug), hit his neighbor Ugg over the head with a club to steal his wife, his cave, and his meat.

War, hate, suspicion, terror, and fear have always been the ugly part of humanity.

The question is not
"What can we do to protect ourselves from "The Others", so that we can bask in the illusion of safety?

The question should be
"How can we elevate humanity to a worldwide state of peace, tolerance, and brotherhood?"

It's a tough question.

But a good first step would be to Promote the Free Expression of Ideas.
If we promote Freedom of Ideas, we create respect for thoughts and customs different from our own.
When this happens, we no longer fear or hate "The Others".

So stop shakin in yer shoes folks. You are not safe. You never were safe, and you will never be safe.
Giving up your Civil Liberties will not change that.
It did nothing for the people of Afganistan when the Taliban took over, and it will do nothing for you.

Be Brave.
Be Loving.
Live Free.




We're not afraid! Posted by Hello

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Results of my Personality Test





Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence



You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well.
An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly.
You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view.
A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary.

You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.


Wednesday, February 02, 2005

The Crone

After reading a similar piece by Erma Bombeck, I was inspired to write this:


The Crone

At age three: She is The Center of the Universe

By 10: She ventures forth with awe and wonder.

At 16: She judges herself through the shallow eyes of society.

By 21: She is determined to change the world.

At 25: She just wants to settle down and gain some stability.

By 40: She sees that many things that seemed important in the past are meaningless now.
She tries to reorganize her world.

At 60: She cherishes her memories, but mourns for her lost youth.

By 70: She looks in to the eyes of her grandchild, and they share a great secret…

That they are The Center of The Universe!

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Notable Quote

"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend to the death your right to say it."
- Voltaire