
From
New Dawn Magazine
Special Issue No.2
"Revelations Beyond the Da Vinci Code"
With the publication of Holy Blood, Holy Grail in the mid-nineties and the Gnostic Gospels found
in Nag Hammadi, a new perspective on the role of Mary
Magdalene in the revelation and dissemination of the
esoteric teachings of Christ has emerged onto the public
stage. With the release of The DaVinci Code, she has been placed firmly in the public consciousness,
her story awakening both excitement and controversy.
It is my contention that Mary Magdalene was the carrier
of a tradition of respect and reverence for the Divine
Feminine, a secret initiatory tradition that leads back
through Jesus, Gnosticism, the esoteric teachings of Judaism,
and the Egyptian mysteries of Isis to the ultimate ground
or source of all religions. By seeking out the alternative
roads to understanding, by looking at the Gnostic texts,
legends, symbols, and iconography one discovers the distinct
possibility that Mary Magdalene was not only first witness
to and herald of the resurrection, but the chief disciple
and recipient of Christ's' gnosis, as well as teacher and
transmitter of these extraordinary Mysteries to the people
of France.
On the shores of the Mediterranean Sea outside Marseilles
at Les Saintes Marie de la Mere, in a small chapel dedicated
to Mary Magdalene and consecrated by Archbishop Roncalli,
(who later became Pope John XXIII). Given a place of prominence
within this chapel are paintings of her arrival from Palestine
in a small rudderless boat.
According to legend, soon after the crucifixion and resurrection,
Mary Magdalene and her family were expelled from the Holy
Land, set adrift on the Mediterranean Sea and made their
way to this region, particularly the area around Southern
France and Northern Spain. At this time in history, aside
from the already established Celts, many Greeks, Arabs,
Jews and others lived and traveled in this area. There
was even a Jewish city known as Glanum Levi whose ruins
can be found today in Provence. In the midst of this cosmopolitan
confluence of cultures, along with the exchange of goods
there must have been an exchange of philosophical and religious
ideas. It is very possible that during this period many
spiritual and symbolic links were discovered between these
diverse peoples and their traditional belief systems that
stretched back to the temples of Egypt. . Before her arrival
in Les Saintes Marie Sur Les Mere, France was riddled with
Isis cults. The name Paris etymologically can be linked
to the pre-Celtic ParIsis, the grove of Isis. Clearly this region was
fertile ground for Mary Magdalene's mission.
Following her arrival in France, she was said to
have traveled the land, preaching the authentic Gnostic
gospel of Jesus, which had been directly transmitted to
her during his time on earth and in mystic visions after
his return to the more subtle dimensions of light. French
religious literature from the Middle Ages is filled with
legends and stories of the life of Mary Magdalene from
this period until her death. Tales abound of her miraculous
healings, her performance of the ritual of baptism, her
aid in fertility and childbearing and even her ability
to raise the dead. There are even reports of a secret tradition
of the healing arts that exists today in France that traces
its roots back to Mary Magdalene.(1)
After this prophetic mission was accomplished, Mary is
reported to have withdrawn to a cave in Ste. Baum, where
she spent the remainder of her days in pray and seclusion.
She is believed to have been buried at Ste. Maximin where
her remains were watched over by Cassianite monks from
the fifth century until the Saracen invasion. Then in 1058,
in a papal bull, Pope Stephen acknowledged the existence
of her relics in the church of Vezeley, which became one
of the major places of pilgrimage during the Middle Ages.
But before we look at the evidence for her distinctive
role as Apostle of the Apostles and prophetic mission,
let us take a look at the hidden history of Gnosticism,
the powerful doctrine of Divine grace, healing and illumination
that she was said to have transmitted. .
.
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