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| Category: Consciousness Studies |
Date published: March 6, 2004 |
The Passion of Christ and the Resurrection of Mary Magdalen
by Arlene Colver
(Email: schirah@cheqnet.net)
The Passion of Christ and the Resurrection of Mary Magdalen
What's Going On?
By Arlene Colver
Everyone's talking about the new exploration into the life of Jesus called the Christ. Was he actually God? Did he, in fact, die for our sins? Was he married to Mary of Magdala and did they have children? Could his human suffering been prefaced by human joy? How does a human Jesus affect Christian beliefs?
When I first published Magdalen's Way I hadn't even heard of The DaVinci Code or Dan Brown. Granted, I'd been busy with my own novel for months, but truth be told mysteries are not my genre, not for reading or writing. I probably would not have even looked at Mr. Brown's book had I not been told of the Magdalen Mystery within its pages.
Since then, I've read the book along with several timely articles that seemed to have been spawned by this best seller, the interest in Magdalen and the mysteries that surround her and Jesus. Along with Newsweek and National Geographic, the Discovery Channel and ABC have done their part to infuse the controversy with artistic portrayals of Mary Magdalen and Jesus as they might have been two thousand years ago. The and's, if's and but's have been answered and speculated upon by experts in both religion and biblical history through the many forms of media available in this information age.
I have yet to see Mel Gibson's new release, The Passion of Christ. So for that reason I cannot rightfully judge the film or its content. Still, I am now being asked about the character of Pontius Pilate, the hidden agenda of the Jewish Sanhedrin, and of course about Magdalen's role in the Passion both on screen and off. I do have opinions on these matters based on the dreams that inspired Magdalen's Way. But for me the deeper question is, "What's going on?"
Why has the consciousness shifted to a revival of Christian and Jewish myths and mysteries? Why are we suddenly obsessed with the desire to know more about the personal lives of our mythical figures? How does all this affect us today and what difference does it really make?
I believe that we have lost Our Way, and we are looking to our old religious beliefs searching for signposts to lead us home. However, like the doubting St. Thomas, we will not be satisfied until we have delved our fingering minds into the pain, until we have thrust our emotions into the very heart of the truth. Today, we want proof and will not be led down any path until we are convinced of its destination and what that destination promises to provide. I believe that what is going on is not an insatiable appetite for historical fact but a newly realized desire for trust in the magic and mysticism that has been dormant in our hearts and heads for centuries.
We are truly on the search for the Holy Grail, that sacred vessel into which we can pour our spirituality and from which we can drink and share in the very life's blood of an eternal soul. By traveling down the roads that Jesus walked, by journeying with him as he carried his cross, by following the way of Magdalen, we hope to come upon the lost grail, the secret of spiritual success.
Some weeks ago I posited questions regarding the Magdalen and Jesus controversy to Internet groups that deal with spiritual and/or religious concerns. My first question was: what would you most like to know about Mary Magdalen?
Out of ten responses, five said they would like to know Magdalen's truth, her beliefs and spiritual path. The remainder offered me their opinions on who Magdalen was or was not. These focused on her spiritual contribution to early Christianity and the work of the apostles.
So, at least for the small group I polled, it would seem that we are more interested in spiritual solving than in historical fact. We are looking to Magdalen and Jesus to guide us home. When asked what was more important to them, Magdalen's spiritual impact or historical proof regarding her important role in the life of Jesus and the apostles, the overwhelming number simply stated, "spiritual". This final short response surely shows that our search for the Holy Grail is a desire to rekindle the faith that has been dimmed by dubious biblical "facts".
When I asked about the importance of a Mary Magdalen and Jesus bloodline the answers varied only a little. Most felt that they had a curiosity about this possibility and little more than that. A few said that the idea of a bloodline might create a "doctrine of aristocracy" within Christian society and jeopardize the notion of equality among its members. Of course, some gave me their opinion for or against such a theory and sited reasons for their beliefs. My conclusion is that most of us do not want a genetic trail that leads back to Magdalen and Jesus; we want a path that leads us to a better place in faith. We are not trying to put down the Christian church or prove that we are descended from royalty; we are simply trying to find a way to relate to our spiritual heroes and heroines, hoping they will show us that way through the simple act of living.
Resurrecting Magdalen has become a new Easter, for with her spiritual footsteps once again tracing the path of religion, we are being led to the feminine, right-brained, notions of intuition, magic and mysticism. Suffering the Passion of Christ has its purpose too, for through the Way of the Cross we are led to the masculine, left-brained, challenges of struggling through human life while walking a spiritual path. Together this Holy Couple are giving us a great grace, an ever-evolving Way that will indeed lead us to what we seek - A Chalice filled with Faith in God, Hope for the future, and Love for all. Together Jesus called the Christ and Mary of Magdala are now offering us a Rite of Remembrance as they offer us that sacred cup, The Holy Grail. I believe that it is their consciousness of our needs that has peaked an interest in the evolution of religion and what it has to offer humankind.
Arlene Colver is a mystic and spiritual mentor, a doctor of naturopathy, healer and teacher of the Master's Path at Lifelight University. She can be reached for comment or question at: email: Schirah@cheqnet.net Visit her website at http://lifelightuniversityorg/
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