A civilization that does not kneel before God in reverence is also a civilization that has denounced the dignity of woman; she struggles as the most beautiful of unfinished symphonies, contending for spiritual understanding and human recognition.
It is a terrible thing for individuals, either male or female not to know their own image as made in the image of God. We pay lip service to being above the limitations of words when it comes to speaking of the sex of God; but are we? Do we not rather continue our prejudes by enslaving people with words? This is tyranny and ungodly blasphemy. It is a historical fact, that whenever the world has been in danger of collapse, there has been re-emphasis of devotion to the Woman. Calvary was the greatest crisis the world has ever known, and women did not fail. May not She also be the strength of heart we need so desperatly today? VeriIy,I tell you She is!
Christian are fond of telling unbelievers that, "there are no atheists in a fox hole." Will we also admit that the last word's on nealy every soldiers lips is love and devotion to wife or mother? In the sanctuary of her arms life takes its first breath, and in her arms is the sanctuary where life wants to flee in death. In the arms of our angel.
Equity goes beyond equality by claiming superiority in certian aspects of life. Equity is the perfection of equality and should be the basis of feminine claims. She is also the protector and defender of all life. Our lady of Equity. The choice before women today is whether to equate themselves with men in rigid exactness or to rally to equity, to mercy and love; giving light, life, and grace in a cruel and lawless world. This liberty is something that a sterile equality can never truely achieve.
Is the feminine element lacking in our perception of the Divine because we fear so great a beauty? A beauty which so exasperates, as to be overwhelming (Song of So)? Solomon is renowned for the splendour of his reign, his wisdom, the power of the magic of the Key of Solomon, and his appreciation for and understanding of nature. "And Solomon's wisdom excelled all the wisdom of all the children of the east country and all the children of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men ... Solomon's beautiful black bride the Shulamite, ( Song 1:5 ) reflects the Goddess of the mystic darkness at, the fertile garden-paradise of the Oriental kings. "Now when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came in to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king which he did not explain to her. (1 Kings 10:8) "And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what was given her by the bounty of King Solomon. So she turned and went back to her own land, with her servants" (I Kings 10: 1 3).
The song of songs, which is Solomon's. ( So 1:1-7 )
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
Observe the sweet titles with which the heavenly Solomon with intense affection addresses His bride (The Church, as the body of Christ -- which mirrors the possession of Wisdom/Shekhina by Yaweh. ) "My sister, one near to me by ties of nature, partaker of the same sympathies. My spouse, nearest and dearest, united to me by the tenderest bands of love; my sweet companion, part of my own self. My sister, by my Incarnation, which makes me bone of thy bone and flesh of thy flesh; my spouse, by heavenly betrothal, in which I have espoused thee unto myself in righteousness. My sister, whom I knew of old, and over whom I watched from her earliest infancy; my spouse, taken from among the daughters, embraced by arms of love, and affianced unto me for ever. " ~ Beautifully paraphrased by Charles Spurgeon See how true it is that our royal Kinsman is not ashamed of us, for He dwells with manifest delight upon this two-fold relationship. We have the word "my" twice in our version; as if Christ dwelt with rapture on His possession of His Church. Wisdom, the Female Presence of God states: "My delights were with the sons of men," (Proverbs 8:31) because those sons of men were His/Her own chosen ones. He, the Shepherd, sought the sheep, because they were His sheep; He has gone about "to seek and to save that which was lost," because that which was lost was His long before it was lost to itself or lost to Him. The church is the exclusive portion of Her Lord; none else may claim a partnership, or pretend to share Her love. Jesus, your church delights to have it so! Let every believing soul drink solace out of these wells. Soul! Christ is near to you in ties of relationship; Christ is dear to you in bonds of marriage union, and you are dear to Him; behold He grasps both of your hands with both His own, saying, "My sister, my spouse." Mark the two sacred holdfasts by which the Lord gets such a double hold of you that He neither can nor will ever let you go. Be not, O beloved, slow to return the hallowed flame of His love. What a beautiful Mystery uncovered--God and His Shekhina; Christ and His Church!
The Samaritans are unique among the many religious groups described in the Bible apart from traditional Judaism and Christianity: the others have long passed into oblivion, but the Samaritans still survive in our own day, as a community preserving its ancient rites on its holy site, Mount Gerizim, near the ancient site of Shechem and the modern city of Nablus. Samaria occupies the geographical center of the Holy Land. On the west, the mountains of Samaria descend to the Plain of Sharon, "I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys." (Song of Songs 2;1 )
Shechem, which has been called "the uncrowned queen of Palestine," lies in almost the exact center of the land. A broad valley here separates the twin limestone massifs of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal One day, while camped at Shechem, Abraham, the ancestor of the people of Israel, knew that he was in the presence of the Lord. During this transcendent experience he heard the divine promise, never to be forgotten, "To your descendants I will give this land" (Genesis 12:7).
Jewish pilgrims from Galilee on their way to Jerusalem for the annual festivals usually avoided the direct route through Samaria and detoured by way of the far side of the Jordan. Jesus, however, used the road through Samaria at least three times (Luke 9:52; 17:11; John 4:4). As has already been mentioned, on one occasion he conversed at length with a Samaritan woman and dealt with the chief problem dividing Jews from Samaritans. This conversation took place at Jacob's well at Sychar not far from the site of ancient Shechem. According to the Fourth Gospel, "many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony" (John 4:39).
Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well, and It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Sama'ria to draw water. Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat) 9 Then saith the woman of Samaria said unto him, How is It that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samalria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Sa-marl-tans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her. It thou knewest the gift of God, and who it Is that saith to thee, Give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou bast nothing to draw with, and the well Is deep: from whence then bast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thrist again But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall nev er thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water sp up Into everlasting life. 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast Is not thy husband, In that saidst thou truly. 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet 20 Our fathers worshipped In this mountain; and ye say, that In Jerusalem Is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither In this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now Is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father In spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship hhn in spirit and In truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Mes-silas cometh, which is called Christ: when he Is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the wonmw yet no man said, VVhat seekest thou? or. Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ? 30 'Men they went out of the city, and came unto him 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them. I have meat to eat that ye lmow not of. 33 'Iberefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat Is to do the will of him that sent me. and to finish his work. 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37 And herein Is that saying true. One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour- other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. 40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them and he abode there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his own word; 42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this Is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
In chapter three of the gospel of John, just prior to this report about Jesus and the woman at the well, John is speaking of himself as the friend of the Bridegroom (John 3:29)Jesus then has a conversation with a Samaritian woman and their conversation turns to her marital status.
Point blank; Jesus tells this woman what he has not confessed openly to anyone else! That he is the Messiah. This is similar to Mary later having the wisdom to anniont his head with oil before his crucifiction; a knowledge that none of the male apostles knew.
Further; this is the longest discourse by Jesus to another person in the Gospels. She immediately proceeds to enter in to the Lord's labour of harvesting souls; And many believed her (John 4:29-42), while the male apostles are still asking about bread. This is similar to Mary remaining in the garden seeking the Lord while the others did not and then being the first to say she found the risen saviour.
The woman speaks of "our father Jacob"; the Samaritians claimed that they were descended from Joseph, the son of Jacob, by way of Ephraim and Manasseh. The Jews of course have strenuously denied that Jacob was the father of the Samaritans. Samaritan women were the only other ethnic group of people a Jewish priest could choose a wife from. This is a suprising fact due to what it says about the relation of the Samaritains to the Jews.The well was a gathering place for women.;the symbol of marriage and woman in the Bible. Abraham, Issac, Jacob, recieved the first covenant as well as their wives at a well. Moses found his wife at a well. All these women were distant relatives to the men, very similar to the relationship between the Jews and The Samaritians. The well and water is Archetype of woman. Further, this is not only the longest discourse by Jesus in the Bible; it is also the giving of the second covenant.
The Jews had another way of using the word water. They often spoke of the thirst of the soul for God. The Rabbis identified this living water with Wisdom and the Holy Spirit, both female. All Jewish pictorial religious language was full of the idea of the thirst of the soul which could be quenched only with this living water which was the gift of God. The promise is that the chosen people would draw water with joy from the wells of salvation. (Isaiah 12:3) The summons was that every one who was thirsty should come tho the waters and freely drink. (Isaiah 55:1) It is the Lord who is the fountian of living water. (Jeremiah 17:13) When Jesus spoke about bringing the water which quenches thirst forever, he was doing no less than stating that he was the Anointed One of God who was to bring in the new age. To worship God in spirit and in truth is the heart of the Gospel; hence, the New Testament, and is the Second Covenant. We all feel the longing for eternity that God has put in every persons soul. There is a thirst which only the Holy Spirit can satisfy. This is God speaking to His Church. The five husbands mentioned make this story not only an incident but also an allegory. The original people of Samaria were exiled and transported to Media, people from five other places were brought in. These five different people brought in their own gods. ( 2 kings 17:29 ) The womans five husbands are like the five false gods to whom the samaritans, as it were, married themselves. The sixth husband stands for the true God, but, they worship him not truly, but in ignorance; and therefore they are not married to him at all. Being married to God in truth, is the seventh husband; and is Jesus!
The chief city of Samaria was noted for its towers. Magdalene means tower of the flock. If Jesus married a Samaritan princess priestess, many prophicies of the uniting of the north and south kingdoms of Judah and Israel ascribed to the coming Messiah would be fulfilled. Also in this manner, Jesus not only fulfills the Hebrew prophicies, but also fulfills the Archetype of the ancient myths of the mystical years king and queen. Jubilee is seven years and pagan religions had a annual marraige of priestesses to celebrate the mystical year.
Jesus, then, was not just a man, nor even a great prophet, but was the Messiah himself, the Son of God, ( Psalms 45 ) the long awaited divine savior whose passion and death had inaugurated the world's redemption and the birth of a new aeon. The Judaic biblical prophecies could now be properly understood: The Messiah was not a mundane king but a spiritual one, and God's Kingdom not a political victory for Israel but a divine redemption for humanity, bringing a new life suffused with God's Spirit. Thus the bitterly disappointing event of their leader's crucifixion was mysteriously transformed in the minds of his disciples into the basis for a seemingly unlimited faith in the ultimate salvation of mankind, and an extraordinarily dynamic impulse to propagate that faith. Jesus had challenged his fellow Jews to accept God's saving activity in history, an activity visible in his own person and ministry.
Father, Mother and Child (often a Savior-Son) is an ancient trinity, naturally reflected in the world around us. Just as Mary is strongly linked to Isis, so the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary and Jesus, is linked to the trinity of Osiris, Isis and Horus. In Christianizing the pagan world, this family trinity was familiar and, therefore, effective in encouraging conversion to a religion that seemed so similar to native worship In the process of the Hellenistic world's adoption of Christianity, many essential features of the pagan mystery religions now found successful expression in the Christian religion: the belief in a savior deity whose death and rebirth brought immortality to man, the themes of illumination and regeneration, the ritual initiation with a community of worshipers into the salvational knowledge of cosmic truths, while some of the mystery religions emphasized the evil imprisonment of matter, which only initiates could transcend, early Christianity heralded Christ as inaugurating the redemption of even the material world. Jesus Christ was not a mythical figure but an actual historical person who fulfilled the Judaic messianic prophecies and brought the new revelation to a universal audience, with potentially all of mankind as the new initiates rather than a select few. What was to the pagan mysteries an esoteric mythological process-the death-rebirth mystery-had in Christ become concrete historical reality, enacted for all humanity to witness and openly participate in, with a consequent transformation of the entire movement of history.
From this viewpoint, the pagan mysteries were not so much an impediment to the growth of Christianity as they were the soil from which it could more readily spring. But unlike the mystery religions, Christianity was proclaimed and recognized as the exclusively authentic source of salvation, superseding all previous mysteries and religions, alone bestowing the true knowledge of the universe and a true basis for ethics. Such a claim was decisive in the triumph of Christianity in the late classical world.
The gardener metaphorically is God's son, Adam. Just as Inanna's descent and the resurrection of Attis took three days, so did that of Jesus, following on from Jonah: Matt 12:40 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." "St Paul says that Christ'descended into the lower parts of the earth' (Eph. 4:9). St Peter writes that Christ'preached unto the spirits in prison (1 Pet. 3:19) and also that'the gospel was preached to them that are dead' (1 Pet. 4:6). The Apostles'Creed states explicitly that Christ'descended into hell"'
"There is still the question of why it was to her Christ appeared after his resurrection, and why, if a fundamental part of the Christian kerygma (preaching) is based on the witness of Mary Magdalene and other women, its importance and meaning has been played down in the Christian tradition"
Although other information about her is more fantastic, she is repeatedly portrayed as a visionary and leader of the early movement.( Mark 16:1-9; Matthew 28:1-10; Luke24:1-10; John 20:1, 11-18; Gospel of Peter ). In the Gospel of John, the risen Jesus gives her special teaching and commissions her as an apostle to the apostles to bring them the good news. She obeys and is thus the first to announce the resurrection and to play the role of an apostle, although the term is not specifically used of her. Later tradition, however, will herald her as "the apostle to the apostles." The strength of this literary tradition makes it possible to suggest that historically Mary was a prophetic visionary and leader within one sector of the early Christian movement after the death of Jesus. The newly discovered Egyptian writings elaborate this portrait of Mary as a favored disciple. Her role as "apostle to the apostles" is frequently explored, especially in considering her faith in contrast to that of the male disciples who refuse to believe her testimony. She is most often portrayed in texts that claim to record dialogues of Jesus with his disciples, both before and after the resurrection. In the Dialogue of the Savior, for example, Mary is named along with Judas (Thomas) and Matthew in the course of an extended dialogue with Jesus. During the discussion, Mary addresses several questions to the Savior as a representative of the disciples as a group. She thus appears as a prominent member of the disciple group and is the only woman named. Moreover, in response to a particularly insightful question, the Lord says of her, "´You make clear the abundance of the revealer!'" (140.17-19). At another point, after Mary has spoken, the narrator states, "She uttered this as a woman who had understood completely"(139.11-13). These affirmations make it clear that Mary is to be counted among the disciples who fully comprehended the Lord's teaching (142.11-13). In another text, the Sophia of Jesus Christ, Mary also plays a clear role among those whom Jesus teaches. She is one of the seven women and twelve men gathered to hear the Savior after the resurrection, but before his ascension. Of these only five are named and speak, including Mary. At the end of his discourse, he tells them, "I have given you authority over all things as children of light," and they go forth in joy to preach the gospel. Here again Mary is included among those special disciples to whom Jesus entrusted his most elevated teaching, and she takes a role in the preaching of the gospel. In the Gospel of Philip, Mary Magdalene is mentioned as one of three Marys " who always walked with the Lord" and as his companion (59.6-11). The work also says that Lord loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often (63.34-36). The importance of this portrayal is that yet again the work affirms the special relationship of Mary Magdalene to Jesus based on her spiritual perfection. In the Pistis Sophia, Mary again is preeminent among them.
It was Mary Magdalene who anointed Jesus as the Messiah, an action whose symbolism was lost on the men of the group but that moved our Lord to say, "Wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her." This sacred anointing was directed by God; and beware if you as a Christian preach that it was not! It places Mary on a greater or equal basis with the most noteworthy of Old Testament Prophets. What right does such a one have to be compared to the high priest. Only the high priest, the holiest man in Israel, can look behind the veil and then only to see the type, not the reality. But Mary is enabled to see the reality, the fullness, the Ark of the Covenant! Don't you see, the tomb is the reality that the Ark of the Covenant foreshadowed. It is in the tomb, that place of corruption, where our Lord Christ reigns over death. The Ark had represented the throne of God. So it is in the tomb where our Lord reigns over death and hell. This is the vision that is given to Mary. What a love, what an honor and a grace that is put upon her! That would be enough honor, wouldn't it? Just to see the reality of what all the priests of Israel had anticipated if in faithfulness they had entered behind that veil. For Mary to see that would be sufficient honor.
Mary the apostle, prophet, and teacher had become Mary the repentant whore. This fiction was invented at least in part to undermine her influence and with it the appeal to her apostolic authority to support women in roles of leadership
It is clear from the four canonical Gospels that Mary Magdalen enjoyed special precedence in the community of believers, since she was the first person to see and speak to Jesus on Easter Sunday, having hurried to his tomb at first light to perform embalming rites for his dead body. There are seven lists in the four Gospels that name the women who accompanied Jesus. In six of the seven, the name of Mary Magdalen is given first--ahead of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and ahead of the other women mentioned. The Gospel writers, beginning with Mark, are most likely reflecting the status of the Magdalen in the Christian community--that of First Lady.
Jesus' lineage and marriage were concealed from all but a select circle of royalist leaders. To protect the royal bloodline, this marriage would have been kept secret from the Romans and the Herodian tetrarchs, and after the crucifixion of Jesus, the protection of his wife and family would have been a sacred trust for those few who knew their identity. All reference to the marriage of Jesus would have been deliberately obscured, edited, or eradicated. Yet the pregnant wife of the anointed Son of David would have been the bearer of the hope of Israel--the bearer of the Sangraal, the royal bloodline. It is probable that the original references to Mary Magdalen in the oral tradition, the "pericopes" of the New Testament, were misunderstood before they were ever committed to writing. I suspect that the epithet "Magdaleri" was meant to be an allusion to the "Magdaleder" found in Micah, the promise of the restoration of Sion following her exile. Perhaps the earliest verbal references attaching the epithet "Magdala" to Mary of Bethany's name had nothing to do with an obscure town in Galilee, as is suggested, but were deliberate references to these lines in Micah, to the "watchtower" or "stronghold" of the Daughter of Sion who was forced into political exile. The place name Magdal-eder literally means "tower of the flock," in the sense of a high place used by a shepherd as a vantage point from which to watch over his sheep. In Hebrew, the epithet Magdala literally means "tower" or "elevated, great, magnificent.."2 This meaning has particular relevance if the Mary so named was in fact the wife of the Messiah. It would have been the Hebrew equivalent of calling her "Mary the Great," while at the same time referring to the prophesied return of dominion to "the daughter of Jerusalem" (Mic. 4:8).
Mari is associated with seven nether spirits of the ocean. The person who anoints Jesus' feet is a 'sinner' reminiscent of the'seven devils'of Magdalene associated the descent of Inanna: Also the Seven Bridal Orbits and the Seven deadly sins.
evens abound in the Bible and throughout Jewish life. The world was
created in seven days, and marriage is a seven days a week act of
creation. There are also seven wedding blessings. The seven wedding
blessings or 'sheva b'rachot' mention the beginning of time in Eden,
when life was wholeness, and the end of days when that wholeness will be
restored. Since Eden the world has been in exile from the experience of
unfragmented existence, an exile that extends from earth to heaven. The
Garden was lost, the Temple destroyed, even God was not whole. Shekhinah,
God's feminine self, wanders the earth, cut off, bereaved. God and
Shekinah are reunited on Sabbath, the day that offers a taste of
paradise, as bridegroom and bride. Both heaven and earth long for
redemption from this exile, a restoration to Edenic harmony to the whole
of creation. Since Judaism has no concept of individual redemption, the
wedding provides the whole community with a glimpse into the blessing of
the wholeness that was once and is to come again. The ancients counted seven planets, thus arranged; the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. There were seven heavens and seven spheres of these planets; these corrospond to the seven lamps of the golden candelabrum in the temple. To return to its source in the Infinite, the human soul, the ancients held, had to ascend as it had descended, through the seven spheres. From Egypt and Persia the new Platonists borrowed the idea, and the Gnostics recieved it from them, that man, in his terrestrial career, is successively under the influence of the Moon, of Mercury, of Venus, of the Sun, of Mars, of Jupiter, and of Saturn, until he finally reaches the Elysian Feilds; an idea again symbolized in the Seven Seals. And circling is thought of as the way the bride enters the groom's s'ferot; the mystical spheres of his soul that correspond to the seven lower attributes of God. In the ancient world these orbits correspond to the seven spheres in the heavens and likewise are reflected in the seven nether spheres of the sea. The two most famous divisions of the Heavens, by seven, which is that of the planets, and bv twelve, which is that of the signs, are found on the religious monuments of all the people of the ancient world. There is no more striking proof of the universal adoration paid the stars and constellations,than the arrangement of the Hebrew camp in the Desert, and the allegory in regard to the twelve Tribes of Israel, Joseph in a dream associated twelve stars to the patriarchs; and the twelve tribes bore the twelve signs of the Hebrew zodiac on their standards. Heavenly Hosts" includes not only the counsellors and emissaries of Jehovah, but also the celestial. luminaries; and the stars. Seven Heavens, in the East to be animated intelligences, presiding over human weal and woe, were identified with the more distinctly impersonated messengers or angels, who execute the Divine Justice and in each of which were certain Powers that opposed the souls return to Heaven, and often drove them back to earth, when not sufficiently purified. ( Luke 11:26 ) The last of these Powers, nearest the luminous abode of souls, was a serpent or dragon.
The Gnostic cosmology held that the Earth is the center of the universe, surrounded by air and seven concentric heavenly spheres (the moon and six of the planets). Beyond Saturn, the last of the concentric spheres, resides Leviathan -- a snake coiled in a single circle, devouring its own tail. Beyond the spheres which are inhabited by the demonic entities called archons and beyond Leviathan lies Paradise, with the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil at its center.
Mary is linked to ancient Triple Goddesses through much of the symbolism
associated with her. The Protoevangelium of James, which describes
Mary's girlhood, portrays Mary as spinning in the Temple. This links her
with the triple Fates, the three Goddesses known as the Moerae or "Marys"
who spun out the destinies of those on earth. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his
Coptic Discourse, linked the three Marys at the foot of the Cross
(Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Salome) with these same triple
Fates. A striking similarity occurs in Nordic mythology where the three
Fates stand at the foot of Odin's tree of sacrifice. Welsh mythology
links Mary with their triple White Goddess, Brigit. Even today, Mary is
called The White Mary
The concept of the Triple Goddess is found in many cultures and belief
systems. In fact, this triple-goddess has appeared in the history of
virtually every known culture around the globe.
As a Maiden (whole unto herself-symbolized by the moon), (The Seventh
Sphere)Saturn appears in our astrological chart for the first time.
Saturn returns to our natal chart when we are around thirty-two years
old to signal the commencement of the second season, Mother (creatix-full
moon). And like the waning of the moon, the third Saturn return occurs
around the age of fifty-five, ushering in the time of the Crone (knower
of mysteries). (SEE REV 12;1-9)
In all religions of antiquity the number twelve, which applies to the
twelve signs of the zodiac, are reproduced in all kinds and sorts of
forms. For instance, such are the twelve great gods; the twelve apostles
or Osiris; the twelve apostles of Jesus; the twelve sons of Jacob; the
twelve tribes; the twelve altars of James; the twelve labors of Mars;
the twelve brothers of Arvaux; the twelve gods Consents; the twelve
governors in the Manichean System; the adectyas of the East Indies; the
twelve asses of the Scandinavians; the city of the twelve gates in the
Apocalypse; the twelve wards of the city; the twelve sacred cushions, on
which the Creator sits in the cosmogony of the Japanese; the twelve
precious stones of the rational, or the ornament worn by the high priest
of the Jews, etc. The Jews of Syria and Judea were the direct precursors
of Gnosticism; and in their doctrines were ample oriental elements.
These Jews had had with the Orient, at two different periods, close
relations, familiarezing them with the doctrines of Asia, and especially
of Chaldea and Persia. The prophet Daniel was Chief of the college of
the Magi at Babylon.
"Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to
come, and from the seven spirits before his throne. (Rev 1:4 ) can also
be translated ' the sevenfold spirit'.
In Revelations 1:12-15; we see Jesus standing in the midst of seven
golden candlesticks holding seven stars in his hand. Scripture makes it
very clear that these seven candlesticks represent seven church's which
Jesus walks among, and the seven stars the angels of the seven church's
which Jesus holds in his hand. Scripture always refers to the Church in
the feminine gender. The number seven is associated with Christ's Bride!
The ancient Hebrews aligned their calendar reckonings with the phases of
the moon, attributing to each month and its phases with the powers and
teachings of animals, plants, and spirits. But the moon herself was
Mari.
Before the calendar measured time, we marked the year by observing the
planets in their stately parade across the night sky. We noted the tides
and the moon's phases and the length of days. We attuned ourselves to
the seasons. We did not grow angry when there was snow in winter or rain
in summer. We recognized that nature is more powerful than we are, and
we honored her strength. Now we live indoors, our lights shine at night;
we mark the days and weeks and seasons on our dayminders and calendars.
We have lost the sense of connection to the currents of time as they
flow through our world. In the process, we have lost our sense of
connection to that world. Honoring the lunar goddess was a daily part of
ancient tradition in Ireland and Scotland, where bowing to the full moon
and praising her beauty was a monthly ritual. Even when we do not see
her, the moon still pulls the tides; she pulls as well on our inner
tides, drawing forth .womanly blood as she moves through her own phases.
To honor the moon is to honor the primal connection between womanhood
and nature's feminine force.
She was worshipped by the Semites as Mari-Anath; in consort as an Elohim,
Mari-El. "Is the Moon named Miriam among you?" "The moon has many names
among our poets."
Her blue robe and pearly necklace were classic symbols of Maria "the
Seas", edged with pearly foam.. She appears prophetically as the "water
of life" in Revelation 22:1.
the Latin word for ocean ("mar") is nearly identical to "Mary". In
English we might miss the connection, but in the romance languages of
Spanish, French, or Italian, the connection is obvious. Coincidence?
The concept of the Triple Goddess associated with the Seventh Spheres
found in the Virgin Mother can be seen in our Lady of Sorrows
Mary is equivalent to the Virgin daughter of the Father, in other words,
the Higher Sophia. The other aspect is the Lower Sophia or redeemed
prostitute/sister as embodied by Mary Magdalen, the beloved disciple.
Mary has been worshiped as Our Lady of Sorrows since or before the 3rd
Century although the Catholic Church did not formalize this as one of
Mary's titles until the 14th Century. The Church has formally recognized
The Seven Sorrows of Mary as: 1. The prophecy of Simeon that her heart
would be pierced with swords (Luke 2:34-35); 2. The Flight into Egypt
when her infant son's life was threatened by Herod (Matthew 2:13-21); 3.
The Loss of Jesus for Three Days when he was a twelve-year-old boy (Luke
2:41-50); 4. Jesus' Ascent to Calvary bearing the cross (John 19:17); 5.
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:18-30); 6. Jesus Taken Down
from the Cross (John 19:39-40); 7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb (John
19:39-42). However, people (especially women) around the world
throughout the ages have been happy to share their sorrow with Mary and
to identify their sorrow with hers.
Seven in reference to Mary Magdalene means that rather then being just a
lost nobody once riddled with demons; She is at once both the
historically fallen and now redeemed Church (Bride), without spot or
blemish and in fact complete in perfection and full of grace, she is
Apostle to the Apostles and the true Bride! She is Queen!
IF IT SEEMS OUTRAGOUS TO CLAIM THAT JESUS OUR KING SHOULD MARRY A USED
WOMAN, REMEMBER THAT THE POINT IS NOT WHAT MAN DESIRES BUT WHAT GOD HAS
SUFFERED IN RELATION TO HIS BRIDE THE CHURCH. Then there is the
possibility that Mary was a harlot of sorts in that she was a Samaritan
who had been married to other men and was currently living with a man
outside of marriage when she meet Jesus. This could easily be associated
with seven devils to the Hebrews. If Jesus married such a woman it would
be enough to send Judas to the high priest and good reason not to
include it in the gospel stories. But it is exactly what God was saying
throughout the Old Testament about his relationship with City Zion. This
is illustrated in the book of Amos where God commands Hosea to take a
harlot for his wife.
Let's consider how God made the first woman for the first Adam. This
account will tell us something about how God will provide a bride for
the last Adam, for Jesus. So how does the Father make the bride? What is
the wisdom of God in creating the woman? He takes Adam, who has been
made perfect and whole and brings upon him a profound, a deep sleep, a
deathlike sleep. Although Adam is still innocent, he has committed no
crime, he's broken no law, he is innocent, nonetheless in his innocence
he is wounded by Father God. Father God pierces his side and takes from
his side that substance with which He creates the bride of Adam's
delight. He creates the woman in all of her loveliness and purity and
perfection. Then He heals Adam of his wounding, and awakens him to
behold his bride in all of her beauty and innocence and loveliness. That
is the wisdom of God in creating the woman for man. And in doing that in
Eden, Father God was showing His Son in glory, the Son destined to
become a man how He would provide a bride for Him. And how does He do
that? John tells us that Father God brought the New Adam to a cross. And
this New Adam too was innocent, yet He too must be wounded. And Jesus
too had to endure the sleep of death and a fearful wounding. And so He
willingly surrendered Himself. He knowingly bowed His head in death,
lowered His head in death, knowing that after Father God had brought
upon Him the sleep of death, His side too must be opened. And out of
that wounding will come the water and the blood. Father God will take
the blood for the bride's purchase. The water will be for her purity.
And God will fashion a community that will be the bride of Christ from
the wounding of His innocent Son. And so God will put His Son into a
garden again. And He will heal His Son of His wounding. And then He will
raise Jesus, the New Adam, to life again in a garden. The first Adam
made a garden into a grave but this Adam will make the grave into a
garden. And so all of heaven is saying on resurrection morning, "Who is
she that will be chosen by Father God to represent the new Eve? Who is
the one who for beauty and for purity can represent Eve as a type and an
anti-type? Who is it that Father God in His wisdom will select to
represent Eve in all of her purity, one made suitable for the New Adam
in all His glory? And when the Lord awakens from death, His side, having
been healed so that his bride like Eve can recognize Him by His scar,
when Jesus awakens from death and comes forth from the earth like Adam
of old, the woman that He sees, the one selected to represent the bride
of Christ, the new Eve, is Mary Magdalene. And Jesus calls her by that
glorious name that Adam had used of Eve when he first saw her. "She
shall be called woman," said Adam. And Jesus says, "Woman, why do you
weep?" And Mary recognizes Jesus when He calls her by name. And she
embraces him and wants to cleave unto him, but it is not yet the
appointed time. Our Lord Christ will respect all of the provisions of
the law. It is not His wedding day. And it is a spiritual marriage to
the entire body of the elect to which He has been given. He looks ahead
to that day yet future when all of us have been cleansed of our
defilements and, as one great body, one glorious bride, we with Mary
will be given by Father God to the hand of His beloved Son, to the nail
pierced hand, of our precious Lord. That is the second portrait of Mary,
according to the evangelist. Mary is a new Eve. The evangelist has
already shown us how Mary is like the high priest by the way the
evangelist frames his gospel. Mary is the one who is like the high
priest. He likewise frames her portrait again, and she is like the new
Eve, like Eve before the fall. Her virginity and her purity have been
restored to her, don't you see? In the natural that would be impossible.
But the God of the supernatural can accomplish the impossible. What an
amazing portrait, two amazing portraits actually, of Mary Magdalene and
her role in the history of redemption! But the evangelists' picture of
Mary is still not yet finished. There are other frames to show you how
they regarded Mary Magdalene. This morning I only have time to share one
of them, one final frame. One other picture of Mary Magdalene! And what
is that? God in His providence had ordained that the birth of our Lord
would pre-figure His resurrection. Did you ever notice that? The
nativity of our Lord is a picture of the resurrection of Christ.
Everything is arranged in the providence of God. No one could have
cunningly devised such a "fable." It was all in the good providence of
God! What is the account of the birth of our Lord? And how does this
story anticipate the resurrection of Jesus from death? The nativity of
Jesus is a story about a miracle. Here is a Child who is coming forth
from the womb of a virgin, a womb where "no man had lain." This Child
comes forth from the womb of a virgin. What child ever came forth, could
ever come forth from the womb of a virgin? It could never happen in the
natural world. A womb where no man had lain! And so they took that
Child, when He was born, and they wrapped Him in swaddling bands. They
wrap His body up entire in swaddling clothes. And they laid him in a
manger. Now to see what the manger represents you have to understand
that mangers in the ancient Orient were made of hollowed out limestone
block. They weren't the wooden mangers that we see in our manger scenes.
They were hollowed out limestone. So Mary and Joseph took this Baby and
wrapped Him up like a mummy and set Him in this hollowed out stone box.
What does that look like to the eyes of faith? And consider the story.
Who is it that's doing that? This is a story about a Mary and a Joseph.
Mary of Galilee and Joseph of Bethlehem care for this Baby is such a
manner, just before He must receive the bloody wound of circumcision.
Moreover, the nativity story is the account of those who come from the
East, the Magi, who bring gifts of frankincense and myrrh, the spices
and oils that represent death. Why death at a time of birth and
celebration? And it is a time when the angels come to earth and they
celebrate God's goodness in giving this Son. They teach us to sing for
joy for the news that the Son of God has been born into the world. What
is God intending in this story of the nativity of Christ? At the
resurrection, at our Lord's new birth, He comes forth from a tomb where
"no man had lain." It is a "virgin" tomb. Jesus had been wrapped in the
cloth bands of death, the linen wrappings of burial, having received the
bloody wound of the cross. This time it is the women who bring Him
spices. Our Lord had said to the disciples, "When you see this
happening, you will lament and weep like a woman when her labor comes
upon her. But then of a sudden your weeping will be turned to joy for
delight that a boy is born into the world." That's how our Lord
described the sorrow and joy that would attend His death and
resurrection. What is the picture at the garden tomb? Consider the
account of the tomb on resurrection morning. There are angels announcing
good news to men. Here is Christ coming forth from the virgin tomb,
laying aside His grave clothes. It is a story of Joseph of Arimathea,
most particularly, and of Mary Magdalene. And Mary is bringing spices.
And Mary comes in great sorrow. She comes with many tears and with
anguish of soul. But then the word of the angels comes to Mary, "Mary,
He has no need of spices, and you have no need of tears!" Mary's great
sorrow suddenly turns to great joy when she sees her Lord, when she sees
her precious Jesus given to her. What a redemption! The Magdalene is the
new Mary of Nazareth! Three pictures! These are but three of the
pictures drawn by our evangelists to show us various aspects of the role
of Mary in the history of redemption. Mary Magdalene is given the honor
of the high priest of Israel. That is her place and her privilege. All
the defilements of the devil are done. She is made into the image of one
who wore on his forehead not the shameless brow of the whore, who had
forgotten to blush for shame, but rather "holiness to the Lord!" That is
Mary Magdalene! She is given the privilege of representing the bride of
Christ for the new Adam. All of this is to speak again of a great purity
restored to one who had been greatly defiled. And lastly, she is given
the great privilege of being the Galilean Mary who witnesses the new
birth of our Lord from the tomb where no man had lain. Once again,
speaking of a spiritual virginity that was like Mary before her, and
that had, in God's good providence, been restored. That was but some of
what Mary Magdalene witnessed on that first Easter morning. These are
but three of a number of such frames the Gospel writers use to tell us
her story.
So then Mary is both the fallen and redeemed church; the apple of God's
eye.
Wisdom hath builded Her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars. PROV
9:1
In Catholicism there is a tradition that Mary is the Mediatrix, who
takes prayers before Yeshua and El. This continues an ancient tradition,
In the first century Church, the idea of Mary and the Saints as
mediators expressed a Christian concept of the solidarity of the Church
as community. Salvation was mediated by relation of Christ to God, and
by Christians' relationship to one another. The community created a
'cloud of witnesses,' not only among the living, but also with those of
past generations, who are in solidarity with one another and us in
communicating grace. In this manner the Church extends from the Saints
in Heaven down to the faithful here on earth. As the representative of
humanity in its original goodness, Mary becomes the anticipation of its
restoration and fulfillment at the end of history.
Theologically, Mary is the personification of the Church, the New
Israel, the hope of mankind. Her true essence as the Church cannot be
found in its earthly institution but must be sought in the spiritual
life. This takes place in the heart; for it is within the Heart that
Christ reveals Himself. Thus, it is within Her, the Holy Church, { that
is in truth and spirit } that heaven and earth meet and communion with
God begins.
The ancients counted seven planets, thus arranged; the Moon, Mercury,
Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. There were seven heavens and
seven spheres of these planets; these corrospond to the seven lamps of
the golden candelabrum in the temple. To return to its source in the
Infinite, the human soul, the ancients held, had to ascend as it had
descended, through the seven spheres. From Egypt and Persia the
new Platonists borrowed the idea, and the Gnostics recieved it from
them, that man, in his terrestrial career, is successively under the
influence of the Moon, of Mercury, of Venus, of the Sun, of Mars, of
Jupiter, and of Saturn, until he finally reaches the Elysian Feilds; an
idea again symbolized in the Seven Seals. And circling is thought of as
the way the bride enters the groom's s'ferot; the mystical spheres of
his soul that correspond to the seven lower attributes of God. In the
ancient world these orbits correspond to the seven spheres in the
heavens and likewise are reflected in the seven nether spheres of the
sea. The two most famous divisions of the Heavens, by seven, which is
that of the planets, and bv twelve, which is that of the signs, are
found on the religious monuments of all the people of the ancient world.
Because the ancients believed in the real existence of the great sphere
of the stars, its various parts-- such as its axis and poles-- played a
central role in the cosmology of the time. In particular, one important
attribute of the sphere of the stars was much better known in antiquity
than it is today: namely, its equator, known as the "celestial
equator."Just as the earth's equator is defined as a circle around the
earth equidistant from the north and south poles, so the celestial
equator was understood as a circle around the sphere of the stars
equidistant from the sphere's poles. The circle of the celestial equator
was seen as having a particularly special importance because of the two
points where it crosses the circle of the zodiac: for these two points
are the equinoxes, that is, the placeswhere the sun, in its movement
along the zodiac, appears to be on the first day of spring and the first
day of autumn. Thus the celestial equator was responsible for defining
the seasons, and hence had a very concrete significance in addition to
its abstract astronomical meaning.
There is no more striking proof of the universal adoration paid the
stars and constellations,than the arrangement of the Hebrew camp in the
Desert, and the allegory in regard to the twelve Tribes of Israel,
Joseph in a dream associated twelve stars to the patriarchs; and the
twelve tribes bore the twelve signs of the Hebrew zodiac on their
standards. Heavenly Hosts" includes not only the counsellors and
emissaries of Jehovah, but also the celestial. luminaries; and the
stars. Seven Heavens, in the East to be animated intelligences,
presiding over human weal and woe, were identified with the more
distinctly impersonated messengers or angels, who execute the Divine
Justice and in each of which were certain Powers that opposed the souls
return to Heaven, and often drove them back to earth, when not
sufficiently purified. ( Luke 11:26 ) The last of these Powers, nearest
the luminous abode of souls, was a serpent or dragon.
Myth is built on metaphor so what is the metaphor of the Jesus story?
What are the similes between this story and other stories and situations
that this group may have wanted to send down the stream of time? Taking
this thought experiment to its logical conclusion we must begin top
speculate on what is similar and metaphorical about the myth. First off
there is the metaphor of the son and the sun. Jesus in Hebrew means
Jesse or 'Fire'. Let us -- for a moment assume that instead of 'son'
they are referring to the 'sun'. Then let us consider the twelve
apostles. Do they represent more than just twelve men? For a moment let
us consider that this actually refers to the twelve signs of the Zodiac.
Now for a moment let us consider Jesus' mother Mary. Mary in Hebrew
means sea or seawater, she is also associated with a crescent moon. It
is well known that the moon controls the tides and therefore seawater.
Is it possible that Mary is a metaphor for the moon? So let us consider
what we have here. We have Jesus, or Fire, moves through the twelve men
or signs. Just as our sun moves through the twelve signs of the zodiac.
What is the missing astrological element? The moon of course. And along
comes Mary to fill this void. Does this mean that the story of Jesus,
Mary and his band of disciples is the story of some kind of astrological
situation? Is it possible that this is what is happening -- at least on
a metaphorical level? I think so. This is what I mean by re-thinking
these myths in a metaphorical way. This is in no way meant to denigrate
the Christian religion or anyone's belief in Jesus, Mary and the
disciples as real men. The point that is being made is that there are
metaphorical links to this story that are just as important as the human
links. The names, and the numbers of their names, of these people
involved in this story are important. Actually they are too important to
be ignored -- for it was within the names and the numbers inside the
structure of these myths that a true understanding of what they are
about can actually occur.
The Jews of Syria and Judea were the direct precursors of Gnosticism;
and in their doctrines were ample oriental elements. These Jews had had
with the Orient, at two different periods, close relations,
familiarezing them with the doctrines of Asia, and especially of Chaldea
and Persia. The prophet Daniel was Chief of the college of the
Magi at Babylon.
Thus, Astrology states.. As a Maiden (whole unto herself-symbolized by
the moon), (The Seventh Sphere)Saturn appears in our astrological chart
for the first time. Saturn returns to our natal chart when we are around
thirty-two years old to signal the commencement of the second season,
Mother (creatix-full moon). And like the waning of the moon, the third
Saturn return occurs around the age of fifty-five, ushering in the time
of the Crone (knower of mysteries). (SEE REV 12;1-9)
The Number Seven Refers To Completeness
There is another point that needs to be considered. The number seven in
Scripture often refers to completeness. For example, the creation of the
world occurred in six days with God resting upon the seventh.
Consequently, Israel was told to work for six days and to rest on the
seventh because this was the pattern set by creation.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a
sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work-you, your son or
your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien
resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore
the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it (Exodus 20:9-11).
Seven days completes the creation and work week. In the same manner the
reference to the seven Spirit refers to the completeness of the Person
and work of the Holy Spirit
Mary is linked to ancient Triple Goddesses through much of the symbolism
associated with her. The Protoevangelium of James, which describes
Mary's girlhood, portrays Mary as spinning in the Temple. This links her
with the triple Fates, the three Goddesses known as the Moerae or "Marys"
who spun out the destinies of those on earth. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his
Coptic Discourse, linked the three Marys at the foot of the Cross
(Mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Mary Salome) with these same triple
Fates. A striking similarity occurs in Nordic mythology where the three
Fates stand at the foot of Odin's tree of sacrifice. Welsh mythology
links Mary with their triple White Goddess, Brigit. Even today, Mary is
called The White Mary
The concept of the Triple Goddess is found in many cultures and belief
systems. In fact, this triple-goddess has appeared in the history of
virtually every known culture around the globe.
"Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to
come, and from the seven spirits before his throne. (Rev 1:4 ) can also
be translated ' the sevenfold spirit'.
In Revelations 1:12-15; we see Jesus standing in the midst of seven
golden candlesticks holding seven stars in his hand. Scripture makes it
very clear that these seven candlesticks represent seven church's which
Jesus walks among, and the seven stars the angels of the seven church's
which Jesus holds in his hand. Scripture always refers to the Church in
the feminine gender. The number seven is associated with Christ's Bride!
The ancient Hebrews aligned their calendar reckonings with the phases of
the moon, attributing to each month and its phases with the powers and
teachings of animals, plants, and spirits. But the moon herself was
Mari.
"In Proverbs 9, Wisdom sends out her handmaids to invite everyone to her
feast of wisdom. These seven virgins, inherited perhaps from Manichaean
cosmology, are the assessors of Wisdom. The Middle Ages transformed them
into the daughters of Sophia, the Sophianic examining board of the Seven
Liberal Arts. It was the English cleric Alcuin (735-804) who associated
Wisdom's house with seven pillars as analogous to the Seven Liberal
Arts. These consisted of the trivium: Rhetoric; Dialectic (logical
thought) and Grammar, and the quadrivium; Music; Arithmetic; Astronomy
and Geometry. These formed the basis for Western academic education up
until the sixteenth century. These handmaidens of Sophia are depicted on
the right hand doorway of the Portail Royal at Chartres. The central
image is of the Black Virgin, copied from the original pagan statue in
the crypt, for according to Albert the Great (1200-1280), Mary herself
was the possessor of the Seven Liberal Arts. As Black Virgin of Wisdom,
Mary is surrounded by seven female figures representing the Liberal Arts
who are accompanied by seven historical exponents of each art: This is
the Classical Klimax Heptapulos, the seven-fold ladder which underlay
the Mysteries of Mithras, and the many Gnostic sects, elements of which
passed into alchemical usage. The purification of the soul through the
seven planetary experiences was common to many cultures and traditions.
This spiritual journey became a mundane study; an ascent through the
seven academic studies necessary for complete wisdom."
The concept of the Triple Goddess associated with the Seventh Spheres
found in the Virgin Mother can be seen in our Lady of Sorrows
Mary has been worshiped as Our Lady of Sorrows since or before the 3rd
Century although the Catholic Church did not formalize this as one of
Mary's titles until the 14th Century. The Church has formally recognized
The Seven Sorrows of Mary as: 1. The prophecy of Simeon that her heart
would be pierced with swords (Luke 2:34-35); 2. The Flight into Egypt
when her infant son's life was threatened by Herod (Matthew 2:13-21); 3.
The Loss of Jesus for Three Days when he was a twelve-year-old boy (Luke
2:41-50); 4. Jesus' Ascent to Calvary bearing the cross (John 19:17); 5.
The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:18-30); 6. Jesus Taken Down
from the Cross (John 19:39-40); 7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb (John
19:39-42). However, people (especially women) around the world
throughout the ages have been happy to share their sorrow with Mary and
to identify their sorrow with hers.
A portion of The Gospel of Mary Magdalene describes a soul's journey
after death and the challenges it overcomes. These passages are much
like The Tibetan Book of the Dead which reveals the Peaceful and
Wrathful Dieties a soul encounters during its journey after it has
separated from the body at death. This is very similiar to this portion
of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, " When the soul had overcome the third
power, it went upwards and saw the fourth power, (which) took seven
forms. The first form is darkness, the second desire, the third
ignorance, the fourth is the excitement of death, the fifth is the
kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the foolish wisdom of flesh, the
seventh is the wrathful wisdom. These are the seven {powers} of
wrath."
Seven in reference to Mary Magdalene means that rather then being just a
lost nobody once riddled with demons; She is at once both the
historically fallen and now redeemed Church (Bride), without spot or
blemish and in fact complete in perfection and full of grace, she is
Apostle to the Apostles and the true Bride! She is Queen!
Wisdom hath builded Her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars. PROV
9:1 CHRIST CASTS OUT THE SEVEN DEMONS OF ISRAEL(THE PHARISEES) BY
WISDOM/WOMAN AND CASTS OUT THE SEVEN DEVILS FROM THE CHURCH/WOMAN (LUKE
8:2) If Jesus cast out the seven unclean spirits then the one unclean
spirit is cast out, hence this is a statement of Mary's attaining to a
pure state.(MATTHEW 12:22-45, LUKE11;26)
MARY TRANSCENDS THE SEVEN SPHERES TO PERFECTION THROUGH CHRIST/SOPHIA
(filled with wisdom and grace (MARY HAS CHOSEN THE BETTER PART; LUKE
10:42, PROVERBS 9:1)) THROUGH THE SEVEN BRIDAL ORBITS (Matthew: 26;13,
Mark: 14;9 John 12;3) OF THE S'FEROT OR MYSTICAL SHPERES OF THE
SOUL THAT CORRESPOND TO THE SEVEN ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. (JEREMIAH 31:22)
ALSO SEVEN IS USED IN REFERENCE TO BRIDES OR GROOMS
THE MYSTERY OF SEVEN; SEVEN FOR EVIL, SEVEN FOR GOOD
(REVELATIONS 15:1) AND I SAW ANOTHER SIGN IN HEAVEN, GREAT AND
MARVELLOUS, SEVEN ANGELS HAVING THE SEVEN LAST PLAUGES; FOR IN THEM IS
FILLED UP THE WRATH OF GOD.
NOTES: [1] This story is the sixteenth tablet of a series called the
"Evil Demon Series," of which we have an Assyrian with a parallel
Sumerian text. Presumably, therefore, it was a very ancient legend. [2]
The Imkhullu appears also in the Creation Epic. [3] Adad is god of
storm, Anu of heaven, Enlil of storm, Sin of the Moon, Shamash of the
Sun, and Ishtar of love and fruitfulness. The meaning of Massu is
unknown; but Ea was long the chief ruler. [4] The evil gods darken the
moon by an eclipse, Shamash helping them by withdrawing his light from
the moon, and Adad by sending cloudy weather. [5] A name for Ea.
Son of a prince, the gleaming Sin has been sadly darkened in heaven, His
darkening is seen in the heavens, The seven evil gods, death-dealing,
fearless are they, The seven evil gods, like a flood, rush on, the land
they fall upon, do they, Against the land, like a storm, they rise, do
they, Before the gleaming Sin, they set themselves angrily; The mighty
Shamash, Adad the warrior, they brought on their side."
DESCRIPTIONS OF "THE SEVEN"
I Destructive storms and evil winds are they, A storm of evil, presaging
the baneful storm, A storm of evil, forerunner of the baneful storm.
Mighty children, mightv sons are they, Messengers of Namtar are they,
Throne-bearers of Ereshkigal. [1] The flood driving through the land are
they. Seven gods of the wide heavens, Seven gods of the broad earth,
Seven robber-gods are they. Seven gods of universal sway, Seven evil
gods, Seven evil demons, Seven evil and violent demons, Seven in heaven,
seven on earth.
SATURN = KRONOS = TIME = DEVOUR = DRAGON = SATURN AS 7 TH SHPERE =
DRAGON GUARDIAN OF SEVENTH SPHERE (Ancient Mythologies)
(MATTHEW 12:22-45) "Then it goes out and brings seven other spirits even
worse".
(REVELATIONS 12:3:) There was a huge red dragon with seven heads..
Saturn, "The hidden one," so, whatever other aspect this name had, as
applied to the father of the gods, it is to Satan, the Hidden Lord of
hell, ultimately that all came at last to be traced back; for the
different myths about Saturn, when carefully examined, show that he was
at once the Devil,
Also.. there are.. The Seven deadly sins...
WHAT HAPPENED TO STEVEN, (ACTS: 6; TO 8; 1-5) LEADER OF THE SEVEN (FULL
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WISDOM (ACTS: 6;3); HAPPENED TO
THE ORIGINAL GODDESS BELIEVING CHURCH; AND PAUL STOOD BY AND CONSENTED ;
JUST AS ROME'S CHRISTIANS WOULD DO WITH THE GODDESS BELIEVING JEWISH
CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT THE DESTRUCTUON OF JERUSALEM, AND AT THE START OF
THE INQUSITION IN SOUTHERN FRANCE, AND CONTINUE TO DO.
The confrontation of Mary with Peter, a scenario also found in The
Gospel of Thomas, Pistis Sophia, and The Gospel of the Egyptians,
reflects some of the tensions in second-century Christianity. Peter and
Andrew represent orthodox positions that deny the validity of esoteric
revelation and reject the authority of women to teach. The Gospel of
Mary attacks both of these positions head-on through its portrayal of
Mary Magdalene. She is the Savior's beloved, possessed of knowledge and
teaching superior to that of the public apostolic tradition. Her
superiority is based on vision and private revelation and is
demonstrated in her capacity to strengthen the wavering disciples and
turn them toward the Good.
The Seven Spirits of God
The interpretation of the "seven Spirits" in the book of Revelation
is a reference to the Holy Spirit. John refers to the "seven Spirits" in
Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5 and 5:6. The Jews "talked of the seven angels
of the presence," 1 Enoch 90:21. John refers to seven angels of the
seven churches (1:20). The reference to the "seven Spirits" is a
reference to seven holy angels before the throne of God. Since seven is
often used as a number of completion, or perfection, in the Bible (and
in the book of Revelation in particular) it is thought that the "seven"
churches are representative of all churches, each of which has a share
in God's Holy Spirit in order to carry out its ministry to the world.
Isaiah 11:2. The Greek translation of this verse in the Septuagint
reads: "The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom
and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and piety; by this spirit He shall be filled with the fear of
God." In this view, the "seven Spirits" of Revelation refer to this
sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit, particularly evidenced in the
life of Jesus.
The Seven Archangels In postbiblical Judaism -- especially in
apocalyptic literature, which describes God's dramatic intervention in
history -- seven angels, sometimes called archangels, lead the heavenly
hosts that in the Talmud (an authoritative compendium of Jewish law,
lore, and commentary) are viewed as countless. These seven, noted in the
noncanonical First Book of Enoch (chapter 20), are: Uriel (leader of the
heavenly hosts and guardian of sheol, the underworld); Raphael (guardian
of human spirits); Raguel (avenger of God against the world of lights);
Michael (guardian of Israel); Sariel (avenger of the spirits, "who sin
in the spirit"); Gabriel (ruler of paradise, the seraphim, and the
cherubim); and Remiel, also called Jeremiel (guardian of the souls in
sheol). Of these, two (Michael and Gabriel) are mentioned in the Old
Testament and two others (Raphael and Uriel) in the Apocrypha, a
collection of noncanonical works...
REVELATIONS 8:1 WHEN THE LAMB BROKE OPEN THE SEVENTH SEAL THERE WAS
SILENCE IN HEAVEN FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR. THEN I SAW THE SEVEN ANGELS
WHO STAND BEFORE GOD, AND THEY WERE GIVEN SEVEN TRUMPETS.
THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY (PROVERBS: 9;1 WISDOM HAS BUILT HER HOUSE, SHE
HAS HEWN OUT HER SEVEN PILLARS;
REVELATIONS 1:20 "AS FOR THE MYSTERY OF THE SEVEN STARS WHICH YOU SAW IN
MY RIGHT HAND, AND THE SEVEN GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS: THE SEVEN STARS ARE THE
SEVEN ANGELS OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES, AND THE SEEN LAMPSTANDS ARE THE
SEVEN CHURCHES.
Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be
unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to
come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first
begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;
Revelation 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a
throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone:
and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an
emerald.
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the
seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment;
and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices:
and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are
the seven Spirits of God.
Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
SEVENTH HEAVEN AND THE SANCTUARY
THE SEVEN WONDERS
THE MUSICAL ALPHABET
SEVEN SEAS
THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES
LUKE 17:4 "AND IF HE SINS AGAINST YOU SEVEN TIMES A DAY AND RETURNS TO
YOU SEVEN TIMES, SAYING, 'I REPENT,' FORGIVE HIM."
evens abound in the Bible and throughout Jewish life. The world was
created in seven days, and marriage is a seven days a week act of
creation. There are also seven wedding blessings. The seven wedding
blessings or 'sheva b'rachot' mention the beginning of time in Eden,
when life was wholeness, and the end of days when that wholeness will be
restored. Since Eden the world has been in exile from the experience of
unfragmented existence, an exile that extends from earth to heaven. The
Garden was lost, the Temple destroyed, even God was not whole. Shekhinah,
God's feminine self, wanders the earth, cut off, bereaved. God and
Shekinah are reunited on Sabbath, the day that offers a taste of
paradise, as bridegroom and bride. Both heaven and earth long for
redemption from this exile, a restoration to Edenic harmony to the whole
of creation. Since Judaism has no concept of individual redemption, the
wedding provides the whole community with a glimpse into the blessing of
the wholeness that was once and is to come again.
DANCE OF THE SEVEN VEILS.
Anyone reading a non-Hebrew text of Psalm 29 will wonder why it was
chosen to celebrate a "Sabbath Queen." Yet if read in Hebrew it is
evident that the entire purpose of the psalm is to lead to and rejoice
in a final resting place/time -- "YHWH on the flood sits and sits YHVH
king forever." In Jewish mysticism the repetition of "sits and sits" (yashab
ve-yesheb) deepens and stretches out this sense of completion. In
addition YHVH is here named as "king" and therefore the king's "resting
forever" is interpreted as His partner and queen. In the Kabbalist book
called ZOHAR (The Book of Enlightenment), which was first distributed in
Spain in the late 13th century, there is a hymn called "The Secret of
Sabbath" which helps to further identify the Sabbath rest as goddess and
queen.
THE SECRET OF SABBATH
The Secret of Sabbath: She is Sabbath! United in the secret of One to
draw down upon Her the secret of One. The prayer for the entrance of
Sabbath: The holy Throne of Glory is united in the secret of One,
prepared for the High Holy King to rest upon Her. When Sabbath enters
She is alone, separated from the Other Side, all judgments removed from
Her. Basking in the oneness of holy light, She is crowned over and over
to face the Holy King. All powers of wrath and masters of judgment flee
from Her. Her face shines with a light from beyond; She is crowned below
by the holy people, and all of them are crowned with new souls. Then the
beginning of prayer to bless Her with joy and beaming faces: Barekbu ET
YHVH* ha-Mevorakh, "Bless ET YHVH, the-Blessed One," ET YHVH, blessing
Her first.
Revelation talks about the seven Spirits of God in four places. These
are found in Rev.1:4, 3:1, 4:5, and in 5:6. One of the places it speaks
of the Seven Spirits is in the 4th Chapter the 5th verse. tells us that
the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are the seven Spirits
of God. Then in the 5th chapter the 6th verse the seven horns and seven
eyes on Jesus, who is portrayed as a lamb, are the seven Spirits of God.
God is referred to as a Spirit many times in the Old Testament. The
power of God to replicate himself as Seven Spirits or Eyes that "go
forth into the Earth" as stated in Rev 5:6 (the last mention of the 7
Spirits) comes straight from the Book of Zechariah ...
"This is The Word of the LORD to Zerub'babel ... Not by might, nor by
Power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts ... These Seven are the
Eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth" (Zech 4:6,10).
Seven spirits = seven lamps = seven eyes. The only other biblical text
where seven lamps, seven eyes and the Spirit are connected is Zechariah
4! Revelation 11 provides evidence that John knows this passage and has
appropriated the symbolism of the two olive trees. This strengthens the
consideration that John might be alluding to Zechariah 4 when he
mentions the seven spirits. What is John's description of the Holy
Spirit as seven spirits trying to tell us? First of all, seven is the
number of fullness in Scripture. Thus, John may be referring to the
fullness of the Spirit at work. But he actually wants to say more than
that. He wants to lead his readers to consider Zechariah 4 as the proper
context for the understanding of their current situation. Zechariah 4 is
well-known to many readers because of the famous quote: "not by might,
nor by power but by my Spirit" (v. 6).
7 GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Isaiah 11:2: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit
of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isaiah 11:2 - Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding,
Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear of the Lord.
1st Cor 12:8 - Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miraculous Powers,
Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues.
Proverbs 8:12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of
witty inventions.
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the
evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have
strength.
15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit
of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and
he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after
the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the
rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the
wicked.
other biblical references also include : the spirit of grace, the spirit
of supplications, the spirit of judgment, the spirit of holiness, the
Spirit of adoption, the spirit of meekness, the spirit of faith, the
spirit of power, the spirit of love, the spirit of a sound mind, the
spirit of glory, the spirit of truth, the spirit of prophecy.
These are the seven facets or manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the
believer's life:
1. The Spirit of Justification: "...you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." We are all justified
because of God's grace and by our faith, and it is the Spirit of God who
draws us and empowers us to acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior (1
Corinthians 12:3). This is the first work of the Spirit when one is born
again.
2. The Spirit of Sanctification: 2 Thessalonians 2:13, "...God from the
beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit
and belief in the truth." Sanctification is the process of God's grace
by which the believer is separated from sin, purified by life lived in
the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16, 25 and Romans 8:1-14) The fruit of the
Spirit will begin to manifest as we yield to the process of
sanctification.
3. The Spirit of Life: Romans 8:2, "For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." This is
the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15) which makes us the sons of God
(Romans 8:16-19). We can now live in the resurrection power of Christ
where the operation of the gifts of the Spirit cause our lives to become
supernatural. The Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies. Healing
and strength will come into our bodies of flesh (Romans 8:11) as well as
giving us a glorified body in that day.
4. The Spirit of Truth: John 14:17 "The Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know
Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." The truth will set us
free. The truth will bring revelation knowledge as we are taught by the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit of truth will reveal Jesus to us (John 15:26).
Vision will be given to lead us into all truth and reveal the kingdom to
us. Deception will be removed, and the lies destroyed.
5. The Spirit of Wisdom: Ephesians 1:17, "That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him." Not only will the Spirit give us a
knowledge of Jesus, but it will give us insight into His mind and what
He is doing (1 Corinthians 2:6-16). The Holy Spirit is our teacher (John
14:26).
6. The Spirit of Deliverance: Matthew 12:28 "But if I cast out demons by
the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." It is
by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are delivered from sin and by
that same Spirit demons are cast out and the powers of darkness are
defeated.
7. The Spirit of Prayer: Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in
our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered." Ephesians 6:18 tells us that all prayer should be
done in the Spirit.
Seven Spirits of the Lord – Expressions of the Anointing Isaiah 11
1There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall
grow out of his roots. 2The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The
Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. A branch shall grow out
of his roots. Spirit of the Lord (1) Spirit of wisdom (2) and
understanding (3) Spirit of counsel (4) and might (5) Spirit of
knowledge (6) and fear of the Lord (7) 7 Spirits of God: Revelation 1 4
John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace
from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven
Spirits who are before His throne... Revelation 4 5And from the throne
proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were
burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. These
seven spirits of God describe the different kinds of expression of the
anointing. We as believers, who have the anointing upon us by the Spirit
of God, should be expressing that anointing in all of these ways. As
described in John 7:38, there are different rivers of the anointing that
flow out from us, represented by the spirits of God which flow out from
the throne of God. We need to let each of these expressions flow out of
our lives to others: Spirit of the LORD The breath of life of the LORD.
Represents the total authority and rule of God, and the very life of
God, the essence of who God is. We need to express God and pour out the
life of God by the anointing, with the authority he has given us Wisdom
An ability to discern by the Spirit of God. An understanding of the
right course of action. Skill in carrying that action out. We can
discern the ways of God and the actions He desires and perform them with
His skill. Understanding A thorough acquaintance with the ways of God.
Expertness in the practice of God’s works. We can be totally familiar
with the way God operates and be able to cooperate expertly in that
operation because we know it and are familiar with it. Counsel Having
consulted with God, knowing His plan of action, and having the ability
to give right advice to others concerning it. We can, by the anointing,
be so thoroughly understanding of God’s character and ways, that we can
correctly instruct and advise others on plans of action. We also can
receive God’s counsel on issues in our own lives. Might Strength,
boldness, intensity, energy. The power, authority, and resources of God.
Also, skill in battle. Believers by the anointing have as a tool of the
Spirit the might of God to accomplish God’s desires. The Holy Ghost is a
man of war, and believers can be skilful in spiritual battle, exercising
the might of the Spirit. Knowledge Knowledge, perception, skill. Knowing
God and His ways with familiarity gained through experience. We as
anointed believers can know the things and secrets of God. We can have
an intimate, familiar knowing of Him through His word and by His Spirit.
Fear of the LORD Awesome respect and reverence of the person of God. We
as believers by the anointing will develop a profound adoring awed
respect for God, and instill that in others through the expression of
the anointing Make him of quick understanding Isaiah 11: 3And shall make
him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not
judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of
his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove
with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth:
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay
the wicked. A. Quickens the mind by the anointing By the anointing our
minds are made sharp and discerning B. Not judge after eyes By the
anointing we will be able to rightly judge and discern with God’s
wisdom, even when the facts are difficult or deceptive. C. Not reproving
after hearing of the ears By the anointing we can lovingly correct, not
being judgmental or critical from what we’ve heard from others, but
knowing God’s heart for each person. D. With righteousness shall he
judge the poor By the anointing we will have a right attitude toward
those experiencing hardship. E. Reprove with equity By the anointing we
will be able to discern and act according to God’s law of justice, free
from bias or favoritism of the flesh – judging rightly with the mind of
God. D. Seeing and Hearing by the Spirit John 5 30I can of Myself do
nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do
not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. Jesus did
not go by what he heard and saw in the natural (Isaiah 11:3). He was
motivated and supplied by the anointing to know what God desired to do,
desire to do it, and carry out that work effectively in the power of
God. He heard and saw what God wanted to do, and did it. So should we.
We need to exercise the seeing of the Spirit, and the hearing of the
Spirit, in our lives. We can hear from God, know what He wants to do,
know how He wants us to do it, and be confident to carry it out. E.
Feeling the Anointing John 8 48 Then the Jews answered and said to Him,
"Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" These
Jews had no feeling for the anointing – they could not even tell the
difference between the Spirit of God and the devil. We can feel after
the anointing, and know and discern the presence and the direction of
God. As a result of the anointing: Isaiah 11 5Righteousness shall be the
belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist. As a result
of the anointing, we will live lives that are right before God. We will
be faithful to all His desires and ways. We will be Spirit-filled and
Spirit-taught! We can express the anointing of God in every one of these
areas!
The Seven Healings We hear in the Gospels about many healings, indeed,
of crowds of the sick and needy gathering to receive Jesus' healing
touch or glance.(2) Only with Mary Magdalene do we hear of seven demons
ejected from one person. Usually people have concluded, "She sinned more
deeply, so she had more demons to eject." We have a different point of
view. The number seven gives the clue. Since ancient times, spiritual
science has understood that human beings have seven energy centers
through the body. These "wheels of energy" are called "chakras" in
Sanskrit. One can trace this understanding from the earliest teachings
in India, into the cultures of Babylon and Assyria, then into the
culture of Egypt. From thence, it came through the traditions of the
Hebrews -- one can see many references to the seven-fold structure of
spiritual worlds in Hebrew scriptures and thought, which they picked up
from their captivities in Babylon and Egypt.(3) "Wisdom (Sophia) has
built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars" (Proverbs 9) refers
directly to the seven-fold foundations of our being. Today this
awareness is the focus of the spiritual science of various healers who
work with the seven chakras and seven levels.(4) You can see this notion
of the seven levels in the Hebrew menorah, where the six arms of the
candle-holders come up and around the central light of spirit. The fact
that Mary Magdalene was released of seven devils makes her unique in
Christian lore. Yet, how was this fact dealt with? With suspicion, fear,
and scorn. The stigmata of her past -- having had seven devils in her --
became more important than her cleansed state. And she seemed to gather
up the sins of other women named in the Bible, i.e., Luke's 'sinner' and
the woman accused of adultery. Around the year 600, Pope Gregory "the
Great" declared that Mary Magdalene was the same as the unnamed
prostitute in the Bible, therefore one ought to hold her as the penitent
whore. In his Homily 33, similar to the Executive Orders used by
Presidents to define policy, he stated: She whom Luke calls the sinful
woman, whom John calls Mary, we believe to be the Mary from whom seven
devils were ejected according to Mark. And what did these seven devils
signify, if not all the vices?... It is clear, brothers, that the woman
previously used the unguent to perfume her flesh in forbidden acts.(5)
In this he designated Mary Magdalene the whore, which he amended to
become the "penitent whore," the woman in tears seeking forgiveness for
her sins. This designation has shrouded her in a cloak of shame, and
kept her wisdom hidden from us. However, a strong case can be made about
the value her "repentance" has had through the centuries in inspiring
women (and men) to find hope when they were truly down and out. Note
that the Greek word interpreted as "sinner" in this Gospel was "harmartolos".
It can be translated to mean one who has transgressed or placed herself
outside the law-or quite simply, one who was not Jewish. And it was used
in that manner elsewhere in the scriptures. The word itself does not
imply a street walker or a prostitute. One of the first big realizations
to occur when researching this story is that there is no direct
reference anywhere in the Bible to Magdalene as a prostitute. Only in
1969 did the Catholic Church officially repeal Gregory's labeling as
"whore," admitting their error, though Mary Magdalene as the penitent
whore has remained in public teachings of all Christian sects. Like a
small error notice in the back pages of a newspaper, the Church's
correction goes unnoticed, while the initial and incorrect article
continues to influence the readers. But let us remember that she was
healed by Jesus Christ of the seven demons, the aspects that cloud our
vision and energy at each of our seven centers. Presumably, she no
longer had the seven deadly sins -- pride, lust, envy, anger,
covetousness, gluttony, and sloth. In their place she had the
corresponding virtues.(6) She had cleared the way for "the seven virgins
of light."(7) This purification makes her the most thoroughly sanctified
person mentioned in the New Testament. Imagine this for a moment:
completely cleansed of prejudice and old grudges, fogs of illusion,
hereditary obstacles to health, all desires.... If she had tears after
these healings it was because she could now truly see the spiritual
truth that worked in all things. She could see the barbarity of other
human beings, as well as the transcendent beauty of Jesus Christ's
healings and teachings. In modern terms, her "heart was open." Mary's
elevated state may explain why she took on such a strong role in the
early century texts of the Nag Hammadi library, the Dead Sea Scrolls,
and the Pistis Sophia. The latter text was found in Egypt, where the
secret teachings of Mary Magdalene took refuge from the political
decisions being made about the form of the Christian Church. According
to that doctrine, in the forty-days teaching after the resurrection,
Magdalene took the lead in the conversations with the risen Christ.
Indeed, at one point, she alone follows Christ's questions, while the
others have fallen into a stupor, overwhelmed by the power of the
spiritual teachings being given. There exists a remarkable similarity
between Ancient Egyptian theology and the text of the Pistis Sophia.
Perhaps there is more to the mystery of her identity than meets the eye.
The alabaster jar and the anointing of Jesus' head and feet "As he sat
at table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume,
made of pure nard. She broke it open and poured the perfume on his
head." (Mark 14:3) Our naïve reporter would look at this scene and might
wonder, "How is it that someone whose audience is sought by so many lets
this woman into his presence? What is she doing? Oh well, he teaches
about sinning, so let's go on to the next words of Jesus." Yet in this
act, Mary Magdalene shows much about her identity. The first key has to
do with the substance alabaster. These vessels were carved from a soft
form of calcium carbonate from old ocean deposits. Typically white and
partly translucent, these jars were costly, as it takes time to carve
the interior of a stone jar. They were used in the funerary rites of
Egypt for hundreds of years to carry unguents as well as the organs of
the high priests and royalty. The Gospel of Thomas supplements that of
Mark to help fill in some of the blanks. Jesus Christ makes it very
clear that, in this act of anointing, Mary Magdalene "helps prepare me
for my burial."(8) From this we begin to see a pattern emerge -- an
integration with the funerary practices that had become highly developed
in Egypt, especially in the mystery centers of Heliopolis and
Alexandria, which were quite active at the time of Jesus Christ. [Recall
he had spent his childhood in Egypt, and some say he studied in
Heliopolis.(9)] There was then a science of anointing with special
substances to assist the spirits of true kings to pass through the seven
veils of death to the Father-Ground. Indeed, these included seven (and
sometimes fourteen, or twice seven) ointments to assist in this
transition. In the case of Mary Magdalene, we see in the surviving
gospels only two of these, once at Simeon's house and also what she
carries to the tomb on the morning of Resurrection. How can it be that
Christians have ignored the fact that the word "Christ" means "anointed
one," and have pushed the female minister of this rite into a dark
corner? Interestingly, in Mark 14:9, Jesus remarks, "Verily I say unto
you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole
world, what she has done here will be told in remembrance of her." How
is it that all Christians do not hold and revere this memorial, so
clearly marked by their Teacher? Why do most people know her as the
reformed prostitute, rather than for her deep understanding of the
thresholds of the spirit world? And the following question must also
rise to the surface: By what authority did she have the right to anoint
him? Modern Christians will find it strange to consider that Mary
Magdalene may have acted within the tradition of the priestesses of
Isis, who for centuries had assisted in the passages from spirit into
life through birth and back into spirit through death. Might the gold,
frankincense, and myrrh brought to Jesus' birth have come from this
tradition? Might the spikenard have been one of these substances meant
to smooth the transition to death? The Isis tradition was alive and well
at this time in Palestine, as was that of the Hebrew forms of the divine
feminine, in the form of Asherah and Ishtar.(10) Look also at the
importance of healing oil in modern Christian practice, which picks up
on the older traditions which have funneled through it. Jesus Christ
taught how to make and use these oils, and this continues today in
various denominations of Christianity.(11) Oils are well known to
receive and carry the impress of special aromas, and, in the case of
healing oils, the impress of healing thoughts.
