Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls

City of Secrets and Rennes-le-Chateau

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:23:00 +0000

City of Secrets and Rennes-le-Chateau

Having read numerous books and articles on Rennes-Le-Chateau and having visited it, I was pleasantly surprised when I read Patrice Chaplin's book "City of Secrets." In 1955 at age 15, Chaplin along with a girl friend decided to be 'bohemian,' and set out from England to the continent with little or no money. The two girls hitchhiked to Girona, Spain where a fascinating journey began for her. She met a man named Jose and their relationship began. It began as an on and an off again romance over the years with Chaplin marrying, having children and becoming first an actress and then an author. She always returned from time to time to Girona and Jose.

Her fascinating memoir tells of Jose, a Jew and through him, she learned the history of the Jews in Girona and the secret Cabbala society. Through Jose and the people she came to know, she was brought into the fringes of this secret group. From these people, she learned about the visits of Berenger Saunière the priest of the Church of Mary Magdalene in Rennes-le-Chateau. This was the first I had heard regarding the Spanish connection.

Girona has an interesting history of the Romans, Visigoths, Charlemagne, and the Jews who arrived in the 12th century where they established one of the most flourishing Cabbalistic (or Kabbala) schools in Europe. According to Jose, "The Jewish mystics in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries were born here….the secret teaching involving Jewish mysticism and theosophy." His dream was to build a Jewish site as a center of Cabbala.

In reconstructing what I learned from City of Secrets, the French Abbé Bigou, mentioned in many books and articles, came to Girona during the period of the French Revolution. Many priests had to go into exile and he was one. His background is that he was the priest for Rennes-le-Chateau in 1774 and became aligned with the village nobility – the Hautpouls. The Hautpoul Chateau was "filled with esoteric symbols, which were long-standing ties to esoteric traditions and also perpetuating secret ancient knowledge." Bigou became immersed with this. When Marie Hautpoul died, Bigou was entrusted with family secrets that included great wealth, and in all probability brought it with him to Girona.

Chaplin overheard someone asking Jose about Maria Tourdes and Saunière. She wanted to know more. Throughout her memoir, Chaplin gained more information each time she returned to Girona and this includes notes, letters, old postcards and photos that back up what she writes about in her book.

Chaplin writes, "In 1891, while removing the altar stone as it was claimed by his verger, Antoine Captier, Saunière discovered four scrolls in hollow Visigoth altar columns. These were the parchments hidden by Abbé Bigou. There were two coded messages: 'Shepherdess no temptation. That Poussin Teniers hold the key. Pax 681. By the cross and this horse of God, I complete this demon of the guardian at noon. Blue apples', and 'To Dagobert II, king, and to Sion belongs this treasure and he is there dead.' and this brought Saunière to Girona.

Chaplin writes of a French woman named Maria Tourdes who was deeply connected with the secret Cabbala group. She had a house very close to the Catholic Cathedral and on the property was a Torre Magdala just like the one in Rennes-le Chateau. When Sauniere became involved with the Cabbala, he decided to build the exact replica in Rennes-le-Chateau.

He made numerous trips there and had a possible love relationship with Maria Tourdes. Chaplin indicates that Saunière participated in the Cabbala rites and he had money. Maria Tourdes' home had many guests from France including Emma Calve.

Saunière came to Girona often and after becoming part of the Cabbala group, he made a decision to build his own Tour Magdala at Rennes-le-Chateau. Why? It connected a ley line with portals and it was believed that it was possible to move into other dimensions. However, in order to do this there was a special preparation. Chaplin writes, "What is the Grail?" and she goes on to write, "It was present in many traditions since the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It contained white powder of high-spun gold and platinum metals. Its power was used in the worship of Isis, the goddess from antiquity."

The Cabbalists of Girona learned about the Grail properties and she goes to write, "…it being made of the most remarkable physical matter in the universe. It was purported to give powers beyond human reach including physical longevity, immortality, invisibility. Who holds this, holds the world. It has power of projection and takes the bearer out of time. It produces levitation. Objects move out of the dimensions as we know them and reappear elsewhere. They've not disappeared. They've just traveled beyond our sight and come back. He mentioned transmutation, teleportation. It is a gift from paradise, known since the beginning of time."

True Cabbalists must undergo certain rituals before this is accomplished and Saunière wanted to learn this. As to where he got his money, it could have been from Visigoths treasure, the Knights Templar or other sources such as the Hapsburgs.

In the midst of all of this, Chaplin writes that Mount Canigou meant something to Jose and his group. Mount Canigou is on the French side of the Pyrenees. I researched this and discovered this piece of information from the web site of Dan Winter.

"The concept of GRAIL is the plasma symmetry necessary to generate implosive acceleration from compression (fractal / phase conjugate) applying both to blood ignited with bliss, and landscape geomagnetic- like the pine cone shape of Canigou- at the phase conjugate point between the two Magdalene (twin) towers. The concept of PORTAL is the magnetic acceleration you can experience in your aura - for lucid dreaming / shamanic navigating and death projection of plasma- IF the ambient magnetics are fractal / phase conjugate. The Quaballah school is functionally about understanding the sequence of plasma residues / magnetic domains (alphabet letters) whose charge symmetry can produce that implosive 'flame' (in the 'mind')" The pine cone mentioned by Winter is a symbol for the pineal gland in the brain.

When Maria Tourdes died in Paris her Girona house was taken over by the Girona municipality and they tore her house down along with the Torre Magdala. Patrice Chaplin has old photos of this along with letters and documents regarding the association of Saunière and Tourdes with his participation in the Grail rites.

A few years ago I was contacted by the filmmakers, Rene Barnett and Bruce Burgess of the documentary "Bloodline." They had read my book Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls and at the time, I was doing a Blog Talk Radio Show. I interviewed them and from this, Bruce Burgess and his associate Rene Barnett brought the film to Yelm, Washington in 2008 and where I watched the film.

Burgess had made a connection with Ben Hammott, an Englishman whose passion was to find the treasure of Rennes le Chateau. What he found was a hidden tomb with a body covered with a shroud that had the symbol of the Knights Templar on it. The treasure may be something different such as the tomb of a body covered with a white cloth with the emblem of the Templars on it. Hammott has a web page with recent updates. The French law for such finds could possibly give the rights to the government. A copy of the law is posted on his website. Will we ever learn who the body under the shroud is? Could it be Mary Magdalene?

I am digressing a bit from the City of Secrets, however I consider this pertinent as there is background for Languedoc and Rennes le Chateau. In 2001, I went to France and Spain. I traveled mostly in the Languedoc region and the area in the northeastern part of Spain. My companion and I rented a car and after visiting Rennes le Chateau, drove around the area. In almost all the churches there were Black Madonnas with the most beautiful one in the Chartres Cathedral. I also noted that many of the churches were dedicated to Mary Magdalene. Somewhere, Jesus was left out except to portray him on the cross.

When I researched information for my book on Mary Magdalene, I delved into the Black Madonnas. The Black Madonnas in all probability were created in honor of Isis who in Egyptian lore is the goddess of women and of magic. Mary Magdalene's history in the Bible is scant. In my research, I found it was possible that she was black, as were most of the people in Egypt and in Palestine. There is also the possibility that she and Jesus were students and graduates of the Schools of Mysteries that were dotted up and down the Nile River, perhaps as seven temples with each representing the seven seals or chakras in the human body.

It is written that Mary Magdalene came from Magdala in Palestine. There is no proof Mary Magdalene coming from Magdala in Palestine, however there is a village in Ethiopia that was known as Magdala. From Wikipedia:

"Amba Mariam is a village in central Ethiopia. It was known as Magdala or Meqdela (መቅደላ meḳdelā) during the reign of Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Wollo Zone of the Amhara Region,"

One of the most surprising diagrams in this book is one of the Cabbala "Tree of Life." Chaplin found this in Jose's room with markings and writings. On the right side of the diagram was:
"S – Seth with a triad and the apex pointed down. There are two lines
that go through the base.
I - Isis and to the side a triad.
O – Osiris with a triad about one-third down from the apex.
N – Nephytys' with an upside down triad.
On the right side 2+3 = YHVH – ALHYM ~ OSIRIS (y) connects w/ A/A Metatron."
S I O N

Who or what is Metatron? In researching this, I found the following:
"Metatron is the highest of the Archangels and he has two very important functions. Megaton's first function is that he sits at the base of the Tree Of Life and Archangel Sandalphon sits at the top. His second function is that he is the voice of God or Source. He is responsible for how we interpret Sources Life Energy or Seed of God. I believe all Life flows from God or Source through Archangel Sandalphon down through the Tree Of Life through Archangel Metatron and then to us as New Life or Expansion. This Seed of expansion may very well be This God Particle that people are talking about."

Now we know the symbols of Sion – the Priory of Sion. This indicates the Priory of Sion has a deep connection to the Cabbala. Who rules the world? Who rules the banks? The mystery deepens and we still have not discovered the source of the great wealth of the French priest Sauniere. This is something like Ariadne's Web.

EASTER REVELATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:58:00 +0000

EASTER REVELATIONS

The rituals of Easter have an ancient history. The name originated from so-named Pagans who honored the goddess Eostre, also named Eastre representing the fertility of the earth. The celebrations came after the vernal (spring) equinox. The ancient word for spring is "eastre." The feminie principle was celebrated at this time in many areas such as Hathor in Egypt, Astarte from ancient Greece, Ashtoreth in ancient Israel and as far away as Kali in India. It was the time of planting seeds into the earth to be nurtured until the seedlings broke through to thrive.

The Easter egg represents fertility and rebirth such as the time to plant. The rabbit signifies multiple births connected to fertility. The Pagans were close to the land and revered it in many ways. Getting back to the egg, it is not known exactly when the decorating of the eggs began, however in ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt and Persia eggs were known to be dyed different colors. Perhaps the colorful eggs represented the many hues of spring flowers and plants.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, there is a legend that after the death of Jesus that Mary Magdalene was invited to a banquet given by the Emperor Tibirus and as one legend states, she told the Emperor that Jesus had risen and was alive. He scoffed and picked up an egg from a bowl on the banquet table and handed it to her saying, "If you can turn this egg red, then I will believe you." She took the egg and when she opened her hand, the egg was red. This legend is on YouTube with minor alterations.

The Legend of Mary Magdalene and the Red Egg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=telkYJWElcg

After Christianity began spreading, there was fear that the Pagans would not accept their beliefs. Therefore, the fathers of Christianity incorporated the crucifixion and re-birth with the Pagan celebration. In fact, Christianity adopted almost all the Pagan celebrations including Christmas – or Yuletide. That is another story.

There is no actual date for the crucifixion of Jesus as being always on a Friday just as there is no known date of his crucifixion or the actual birth of Jesus. Therefore, I say let us celebrate Easter with colored eggs, chocolate rabbits as the rebirth of the land from winter into spring. Plant our gardens and enjoy the vegetables and the beautiful flowers. Spring may fade into summer, fall and winter; however, she will come again.

Truth or Fiction?

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:18:00 +0000

TRUTH OR FICTION

History is really a fluid movement in time and it can be either truth or fiction according to how the writer perceives it to be. In writing my book, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, I did extensive research and wrote the manuscript to the way I perceived that it could have been. There were times when I felt the book was writing itself.

I have been asked if these scrolls written by Mary Magdalene are true and will they be found. It is a possibility that I captured a period in time and that what I wrote is not only possible but perhaps a potential.

In my research, I found many diverse concepts regarding Mary Magdalene, Jesus and most of what is accepted is from Christian writers. Christianity did not come into being until the Emperor Constantine created a new religion when he called together a gathering of men at a series of meetings labeled the Council of Nicea in 323 A.D.
In addition, much of what is in the New Testament was written a hundred or more years after the event. It is unfortunate that people have been sold a bill of goods by the Church and no one really delves into the Egyptian side of events during this period of history.

Having been taught something about quantum physics, I also realize that the past, present and future are all happening simultaneously. How can that be? There are writers who have written fiction books and in their content, the characters move from the present to the past or perhaps to the future. This is usually labeled science fiction or something else.

The British BBC made a documentary on parallel universes with prestigious scientists. Segments of this documentary can be views on You Tube with the title being Parallel Universes.

Perhaps I tappedinto one. Are the scrolls real? It is a possibility. Will they ever be found? Again, it is a possibility. As a writer, I am also a messenger. If you have read Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, then you may want to re-read it with another point of view.

AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN REVIEW

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:34:00 +0000

AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN REVIEW

My Experience of Bettye's book, Awakening the Genie Within:

"This book is full of Gems of Wisdom, page after page. A resplendent legacy that will live on and on; a Gift for budding Masters of any age. Throughout the book, Bettye emanates her wisdom, charm and beauty. I wish she could have been my mother or grandmother to me in my life, the Wise God-In-Woman that would have made a great, great difference in my destiny-choices. Bettye, I want to recommend your book to many people because its wisdoms will always endure the test of time.

May I quote you to my niece and nephew, and everyone I know!...

"Freedom of the mind is a heady elixir." -- Bettye Johnson

Wohooooo! Please post this Dearie!

I love you very, very much

Carol Hathor

In Praise of the Magdalene Books

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 21:28:00 +0000

IN PRAISE OF THE MAGDALENE BOOKS

Last night, I finished reading Book Two of, "Mary Magdalene-Her Legacy." It is with sadness that I don't have a Book Three to start reading. (smiling)

Bettye, you have enriched my life with knowing that there is truth and knowledge in that all of us are unique "God Beings" capable of walking our paths in this lifetime with strength, courage and knowingness.

I was always aware that humankind was evolving into awareness that is most definitely needed during Mother Earth's cycle at this time, but after reading your eloquent words in the two Magdalene books, I am more certain than ever using our intuitiveness and blessings to all will take us to a more beautiful life of humankind upon Mother Earth. We are custodians of this lovely planet and must exhibit love, compassion, discernment and healing which are truly priceless.

I've read the Ramtha books but I must say, you're words in the Magdalene books truly moved me beyond words and into deeper feelings of Love for humankind. Thank you for your teachings.

Thank you so much for giving a deeper understanding of who we truly are as spiritual beings. You have given me the nudge, (smiling) to trust my intuition at all times because that is where truth resides.

You told me you have a "kernel" for Book Three. Well, I will help you by visualizing much success with Book Three and encourage that growing of the "kernel" to be a truly magnificent growth.

Your two books of the Magdalene will have permanent residence on my bedside table because I will read them over and over again. I honor you as a truly blessed God Being.
Jo Dean - Tasmania, Australia January 18, 2011

Praise For Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:24:00 +0000

PRAISE FOR SECRETS OF THE MAGDALENE SCROLLS

Hi Bettye, I just finished Secrets.... and I absolutely LOVED IT. A friend loaned me hers but half way through it I knew I had to have my own, so I returned it to her and ordered my own :-).

I am 70 years old and have been on a Spiritual Quest since I was 16. I have facilitated The
Course In Miracles for 12 years and been a student of it for 26 years...still learning. I am also a Licensed Teacher from Unity and had my own church for many years.
I remember when I was 6 years old and a neighbor took me to a Baptist Church and someone said that I was born in sin...I thought, "No I was NOT". So I do believe I have been a student of Truth for many, many "where evers :-)". I am looking forward to reading Mary Magdalene and I will let you know what I think after that...I am sure we knew her, arEn't you??? - Patty Morales May 28, 2010

The Gordian Knot and Sacrifices

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:12:00 +0000

THE GORDIAN KNOT AND SACRIFICES

On the surface, it appears that most of the population will have to make a number of sacrifices. When one first looks at the word 'sacrifice,' alarm bells go off in the brain. When it does, fear is invited in. However, fear does not have to make its entrance. There are other sacrifices that one can make other than what most people will think are the obvious.

I surmise the majority will agree that they want health, wealth, happiness and security. Those are reasonable. In order to have these along with peace of mind, there are some sacrifices, which need to be made. It will make the year 2010 a greater year. By looking at my list, I will share some simple sacrifices. Not all sacrifices have to be horrendous.

Why not sacrifice watching television and read a good book – or better yet have an interesting conversation with one's spouse or someone else? Scientists have said that reading improves the brain as well as improving one's IQ. It boosts brainpower and this is particularly necessary in children. Studies of adverse effects of television are that it creates inactivity in both children and adults. There is a tendency to snack and it does not increase attention. There often is no interpersonal talk and children as well as adults are exposed to violence. This often creates insensitivity to violence and non-caring for the plight of others.
Another sacrifice one can make is to stop being a racist and a bigot if that is the source of your anger and victimization. It has been said that what we see in others is an aspect of us. Why not see another as a human being and begin practicing random acts of kindness. No one was made more special than another person. Ask yourself, "Am I only re-enacting the attitudes of my parents, my grandparents?" It is something to think about.

In the past few years there has been a number of 'road rage' incidents and why not sacrifice your anger by getting to the root cause? Perhaps the anger is a result of unresolved guilt. Guilt is a killer, so let's sacrifice guilt. Too many people take on a load of guilt. So, you made a mistake. Mistakes are only learning lessons and the key is to learn from it and then one does not have to repeat it. Another thing about guilt is that there are people and this includes family and friends who love to put a guilt trip on someone. I suggest you let it roll off of your mind just as water rolls off a duck. It really is their problem and not yours.

If your guilt is because you perhaps stole something, then rectify it if you can and also take a vow not to repeat it. Blame goes along with guilt. Why blame someone else for something that we should take responsibility for? When we want to blame others for our problems, we have just invited victim to join the crowd. Now we have a threesome. The key to doing away with the threesome is responsibility. However, few people want to take responsibility for their actions.

Since this is the third month of 2010, you can do what I did at the beginning of the year. I happen to have a wood stove and had a nice fire going. I made a list of what I wanted to give up for 2010 and then I fed each item into the fire and sacrificed it. Yes, I sacrificed unwanted and outdated attitudes and beliefs in order to make room for happiness, love, health and prosperity.

Love is a multi-faceted word with many interpretations. However, love is looking at another, seeing through their personality, and just loving them for all their shortcomings, their traits and attitudes. Love never has to be sacrificed. Instead of reacting, why not send them a shot of love such as a smile?

I received a poem that I will share with you now. It transcends all religions. The title of this is "The Gordian Knot." The title comes from when Alexander the Great came to a place he could not pass due to a Gordian Knot. He sliced it with his sword. This is only a fable that indicates that when we come to challenges, we slice it with our own invisible sword such as changing our attitudes.
THE GORDIAN KNOT
Dear Creator, (or God)
Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life.
Remove the have nots, the can nots and the do nots that I have in my mind.
Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that may find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots, would nots and should nots that obstruct my life.
And most of all, I ask that you remove from my mind, my heart and my life
All of the 'am nots' that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought that
I am not good enough.
So be it. ~ Author Unknown

So what does one do during the period of cutting the 'nots'? Well, you are not bleeding and the first suggestion is to be aware when you use one of those 'nots.'
The healing balm is turning one's attention to what one truly wants. Make a list of what you want to come into your life and to experience. Read it, speak it often during the day, when you first wake up and the last thing before you retire at night. Imprint it in your brain. In addition to all the 'nots', cut the tie that
binds you to doubt and fear. It really is not positive thinking. This is what I call 'affirmative action.' Affirm over and over and over.

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:47:00 +0000

LEONARDO OR LEONARDA DA VINCI?

The latest news regarding the possibility of Leonardo da Vinci's remains are to be exhumed and the possibility of the famous painting Mona Lisa could be a self-portrait is not news to me. I find it most fascinating to read that some scholars are suggesting that da Vinci painted himself as a woman. They really have not quite verbalized that da Vinci could have been a woman. When I first published the first edition of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls in 2004, I wrote of this and give Schwartz and Dr. Quested as my authority as a footnote on page 176.

The morphing of Leonardo to Mona Lisa began in 1987 by a computer expert who at that time was a consultant for At&T's Bell Laboratories. Using a computer, Lillian Schwartz split the faces of the Mona Lisa and Leonardo's self-portrait down the middle. Schwartz adjusted the sizes and juxtaposed them so that one side of Mona Lisa's face matched Leonardo's. Schwartz has recorded the evolution of the split-face from a study in composition to a convincing argument that the Mona Lisa is Leonardo's self-portrait.

From the Hindu Newspaper, January 1, 2000, an article by Jayasree Sarnathan wrote: "computer imaging and x-ray analysis declare that Mona Lisa was not a woman at all! The American computer artist Lillian Schwartz and London Maudsley Hospital registrar, Dr. Digby Quested, believe that Mona Lisa was a mirror image of Leonardo da Vinci."
It is possible that Leonardo chose to live as a man because during those ages, she would have been put to death or not able to use her genius to create. There is also historical evidence that there was a female pope – Pope Joan.

Many will call Pope Joan a myth, however up until 1276 AD, she was acknowledged by the Catholic Church. She was born in 814 Ad in Ingelheim, Germany and supposedly travelled to Greece and wanted to be part of the Church hierarchy and disguised herself as a man. I have also described this in my book Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. Pope Joan was researched by writer Donna Woolfolk Cross and a movie has been made in Germany and there is also an American musical title Pope Joan. Cross wrote her book as a novel, however much of what she included is based on actual records that are now disputed by the Church. I also wrote about Mary Magdalene as a work of fiction; however, I did extensive research also. There has been so much history kept from the public and now it is time for it to be revealed. Here's to Leonarda da Vinci and Pope Joan!

REVIEW FROM US REVIEW OF BOOKS

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:39:00 +0000

I am especially delighted with this review.
The US Review of Books
Reviewed by Sue Johnson (no relation)

"Praise be to the Creator of All.
Praise be unto this Life
For she is the one foretold
To be the Messenger of Hope.
She is the Anointed One
To bring the Message of Remembrance
Of who we are.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice!" (This quote from Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls)

Dan Brown opened the door to religious artifacts with his book The Da Vinci Code. Bettye Johnson blows that door off its hinges in Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. After visiting France, the author became fascinated with Black Madonnas, which forms the basis for her wonderful new novel centering around two women hiking the French Pyrenees Mountains and discovering ancient scrolls in a hidden cave. Bringing an American Businessman and a disillusioned priest into their secret, the women hear an interpretation of the scrolls. It appears to be the life self-scribed story of Mary Magdalene.

As the two women and their companions continue to interpret the scrolls, they become fearful that the scrolls will fall into the wrong hands. The ladies begin a cross-country trek to insure that the scrolls are placed with the proper authorities, so that they may be received and enjoyed by all. What follows is a story of passion, betrayal, and mystery told in a page-turning style.

Although this is a work of fiction, truth is found in the research on display here--truth and the seekers of truth. The novel is packed full of historical references, but the fictional elements ease the delivery of the overly intellectual passages. There is also a bit of the outspoken to please the curious mind. In the end, this is an adventurous and thought-provoking story.

www.theusreview.com/USRrecent.html.
The US Review of Books
PO Box 11, Titusville, NJ 08560
www.theUSreview.com

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS ~ A Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:50:00 +0000

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS ~ A Memory

It was the eve before Christmas as I recall.
It was past Midnight and I was ready to fall.
The toys were all in place under the tree
I groaned aching to be in bed and free.
There was no Daddy to help me
Not even with trimming the tree.
He was off fighting a war that was not right
And I was alone this sacred night.
One last look before I climbed into bed
Then it hit me like a ton of lead.
The stockings were yet to be filled!
With aching limbs, myself I willed.

Down came three empty stockings hung near the toys
I reminded myself of past years of joys.
I remembered my Mother had done the same
For me, my sister, my brother and I felt a twinge of shame.
If she could do it, so can I.
With memories of Christmases gone by,
I began filling the stockings with a happy glint in my eye.
First came an apple, an orange to stimulate the taste buds,
Perhaps I could add each a box of Milk Duds.
Second a noisy toy or nuts to crack with sweetmeats for the taking.
Walnuts, of course to stimulate their hearing.
Ah, something to touch such as these soft pair of socks.
There have been times when I felt like giving them rocks.

Now something shiny and nice to look at
To stimulate their vision so they wouldn't be blind as a bat.
I opened the bag of Hershey's Kisses wrapped in foil
Each wrapped in shiny silver as a coil.
The fifth item and the last must be something to smell
A small bar of soap for each shaped as a bell.
As I cleared away all my clutter,
I thought I heard a voice mutter
Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.
`
The above is based on a tradition I inherited from my Mother regarding items that go inside a Christmas stocking and the importance of each item. During the period I am writing about, my sons' father was away in Vietnam.

The items that go into the Christmas stocking has an ancient meaning as each item represents one of the five senses and these are to stimulate the senses of taste, smell, touch, hearing, and sight.

THE GREATEST HOAX

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:53:00 +0000

THE GREATEST HOAX
…Deception and lies

The greatest hoax perpetuated on humanity has created wars, murders, subterfuge and an enslavement of a large majority of the masses. Being a retired minister of Divine Science, I have studied the Bible and have also done extensive research. What I have learned is astounding and shocking. There will be those who will describe me as a charlatan perhaps; however, the information is more real than what is in our 'so-called' biblical scholars who continue to base their information on recycled ignorance.

In May 2008 the staff of Rene Barnett and Bruce Burgess, producer and director of the documentary Bloodline, contacted me and asked me to interview them on the Blog Talk radio show I had at the time, and sent me a video of their documentary. This was a most interesting documentary and I highly recommend it. This interview is archived on my inactive radio show. The primary man in the documentary is Ben Hammott, who became enamored with the Church of Mary Magdalene at Rennes-le-Chateau and the priest Saunière from viewing a BBC documentary regarding this subject. He set about deciphering the clues that Saunière left in the church and discovered a tomb. Step-by-step the viewer is shown Hammott's journey of a great discovery.

Having researched Rennes le Chateau extensively when I was writing my books Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls and Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy, I was well aware of the vast number of treasure seekers and read numerous books on this as well as the Knights Templar and Mary Magdalene. I visited Rennes le Chateau and the Languedoc region in 2001 and returned home with a desire to know more. I knew there had to be more than what was known at the time. I pondered why a figure of a demon or devil called Asmodeus was at the entrance of the church and why there was a sign over the church entrance stating Terribilis est locus iste and generally translated as This place is terrible.

Even though there have been many interpretations of the paintings and decorations of this church, none of the researchers gave what I call a valid translation or found Saunière's treasure. Ben Hammott had a dedicated tenacity to search and find the secret. This led him to the discovery of bottles containing these clues, which he had to decipher. In his book, Lost Tomb of the Knights Templar: A Tomb; A Treasure; A Great Secret, Hammott deciphered the clues Saunière had left in the bottles. On page 316 of Hammott's book begins the deciphered statements of Saunière.

Saunière found a tomb with a mummified body covered by a tattered shroud with the Knights Templar symbol of a red cross. Saunière realized that this was the body of Jesus Christ from the crucifixion marks on the body. He realized that the Catholic Church knew the story and that Christianity was based on a lie. This is explosive information.

Hammott writes that Saunière decided to preserve his information and thus we have a renovated church created by Saunière with his clues for future seekers. Hammott's discovery of another message is apparently documents of the Knights Templar giving information that they discovered the body of Jesus under the Temple in Jerusalem and brought it back to France (Gaul) and reburied in this tomb.

Ben Hammott discovered a tomb, however the mummified corpse in it was not covered by a tattered shroud, but a seemingly intact shroud. This body has no crucifixion scars. Are there two tombs? Is one of Jesus and the second the body of Mary Magdalene? Ah mystery! In the tomb, Hammott found a possibly anointing jar and a cup that could be the wedding cup of Mary Magdalene and Jesus.

If this is so, then it does indicate the duplicity of the Vatican—the cover-up and lies over the centuries. I now perceive that the demon Asmodeus represents the Catholic Church and the phrase This place is terrible refers to religion.

Ben Hammott's book of 680 pages is never boring. Writing with humor and with photos, he has documented his journey of discovery and the DNA testing of the body in addition to the artifacts found in the tomb. From Andre Douzet's book Saunière's Model andd the Secret of Rennes-le-Chateau, he writes There is very little difference between Galilee, Galicia and 'Gaule', the area of France and England. Douzett writes that one could say that "Gallile" can be read as "en galles il est," in Gallie (Gaule) he is." This indicates that there are those who think Jesus came to France.

Can the general public accept this? Probably not. The Church has over the centuries coerced, plunder, murdered, burned at the stake, tortured, warred, and above all lied. Was there ever a Paul, formerly called Saul? What else is to be uncovered? When I was writing my first Magdalene book, I came across a very interesting quote that Pope Leo X (1475-1521) supposedly said: It has served us well, this myth of Christ. I have often wondered why there are no factual historical documents that include Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Too many researchers depend on the Bible as true documentation and nothing could be further from the truth.

During my research for my book, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, I was led to the Jewish Roman historian Josephus' Jewish Antiquities. Josephus is quoted widely by scholars writing about Jesus and his life. In the translation I read, there was no mention of Jesus or Mary Magdalene. I thought this was odd. A few months later, I again went to a translation of Josephus' Jewish Antiquities. In this version of Jewish Antiquities 18.3.3 there is a short paragraph regarding Jesus. It is possible that this paragraph was added later.

I also discovered the books written by Ralph Ellis who has done extensive research into the Bible and ancient history, especially that of ancient Egypt. In Ellis' book Jesus, Last of the Pharaohs, chapter VII, titled The Evangelist, pages 220-221, he writes about the evangelist named Paul formerly called Saul—the author of the Book of Acts, which is his autobiography. Ellis also researched Josephus' own autobiography and found amazing coincidences between Josephus and Paul/Saul. The events of their lives are primarily identical, so much so that it is obvious that Josephus and Paul/Saul is the same person. It was the writings of Paul/Saul that named Jesus as Christ. It could be that Josephus admired Jesus whom he would have heard of in Jerusalem and created the character of Paul.

Josephus was a turncoat as an undercover spy for the Romans. When the Romans conquered Jerusalem and destroyed its temple, Josephus, a Jew was taken to Rome and given Roman citizenship. While living in Rome, he began his writing. Even though Josephus' creation was a hoax, it is not the greatest one—or perhaps his was the beginning of the greatest hoax perpetuated by the Vatican in order to control the people and their minds. Today the Vatican is extremely wealthy and the papal palace filled with priceless objects. It is all about power. It is time the truth be revealed to those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. We are living in the era of revelations.

For further information, go to Ben Hammott's website:
http://www.benhammott.com/sauniere-bookplate.html

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:24:00 +0000

THE LOST SYMBOL – LOST OR OBSCURED?

Symbols are prevalent all over the world and in my research, I have concluded that the majority of people have no idea of what ancient symbolism is. There is much hoopdela about Dan Brown's soon to be released "The Lost Symbol." It sounds enticing and the cover of the book is available for anyone to view. Supposedly, Brown has said that the symbol is buried in the cover of the book. On July 7, 2009, this cover was released on MSNBC and according to Jen Brown who wrote for MSNBC, the symbol on the cover is: "The jacket also prominently features a wax seal, inside of which is a double-headed Phoenix, the No. 33, and the Latin phrase, "Ordo ae Chao," which translates to "Order from Chaos." These elements are tied to secret societies throughout history. The seal is set against a background of symbols -- among them characters from the zodiac and alchemy -- all suggesting ancient time and beliefs." What Brown does not mention is that the No. 33 is set within a triad. Of them all, the triad is the most important symbol.

Having studied with Ramtha for over 20 years, I have learned the meaning of the triad. It really is not a secret. One only has to go to his book "A Beginner's Guide to Creating Reality," and in the back of the book is a drawing of the ancient triad with its meanings. The triad is a symbol of the journey from our origin into mass. I recommend this book for anyone who is curious about the triad, the brain and much, much more. It could be said that it is a book about discovery of self, or the purpose of self.

The triad or triangle has been passed down over the eons. Christianity adopted it as the symbol for the Father/Son and Holy Ghost with the Son being Jesus, which is a mis-interpretation with the original intent obscured.

Getting back to the cover of Brown's book, I have not delved too much into the Masonic meaning of 33 however there are 33 degrees or levels of Masonry and the human spine has 33 segments. The rise of one's spiritual energy has to move through all 33 segments to reach the Crown seal also called chakra and thus move into Christhood.

The two-headed phoenix represents the two-sided aspect of the human, i.e. the personality versus the spiritual. The phoenix rising out of the ashes is a symbol of the death of the personality and a rebirth. It could also represent reincarnation.

The phoenix was used by the U.S. Founding Fathers instead of the eagle. William Bramley writes in his book Gods of Eden: "The phoenix was adopted by the Founding Fathers for use on the reverse of the first official seal of the United States after a design proposed by Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress. The first die of the U.S. seal depicts a long-necked tufted bird: the phoenix. The phoenix holds in its mouth a banner with the words "E. Pluribus Unum" ("Out of many, one"). Above the bird's head are thirteen stars breaking through a cloud. In one talon the phoenix holds a cluster of arrows; in the other, an olive branch. Some people mistook the bird for a wild turkey because of the long neck; however, the phoenix is also long of neck and all other features of the bird clearly indicate that it is a phoenix. The die was retired in 1841 and the phoenix was replaced by the bald eagle - America's national bird." And many people thought the phoenix was a turkey!

The U.S. dollar bill is filled with ancient symbolism representing the spiritual side of the human. Too many people, including religions attribute this to Satan, the Devil or Lucifer when these symbols refer to the God within for the purpose of awakening the God-self of the human.

I am delighted that Dan Brown has written the books he has and I am looking forward to his new book, The Lost Symbol.

A PRAISE POEM FOR BETTYE JOHNSON

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:42:00 +0000

A PRAISE POEM FOR BETTYE JOHNSON by Mary McCann

July is indeed a month of celebration. It is also the month of my birth some 80 years ago. Strange to think of the number 80. Inside I feel a youthful 40. My life is one of many twists and turns and with four books published, I am mulling over several ideas for my next.

On July 4th I celebrated my 80th year of wisdom with a family reunion and inviting friends to share the joy. Mary McCann wrote a praise poem and this I will share with you, the readers.

Bettye Johnson v.80.0
What wonders will you show us next Bettye Johnson?
Make known the unknown Bettye Johnson
Version 80!
You taught yourself how to publish books-what now Bettye Johnson?
Version 80!
You won the Independent Publisher Book Award - Twice!
What's next Bettye Johnson?
Version 80!
You've given us three fine sons who have given us children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Then you foster the writers in Yelm and produce more and more offspring.
Who's next Bettye Johnson?
Version 80!
You have uncovered timelines for Mary and Sarah and now the Black Madonna story grows grander and grander.
Will you tell us more Bettye Johnson?
Version 80!
Tell us about living in Paris and working for the State Department Bettye Johnson. Version 80!
Tell us about what it looks like from the other side of the pulpit Bettye Johnson.
Version 80!
You are the storyteller Bettye Johnson.
Version 80!
You are the community builder Bettye Johnson.
Version 80!
You are the teacher Bettye Johnson.
Version 80!
You are the helper Bettye Johnson.
Version 80!
You are the inspiration Bettye Johnson.
Version 80!
You are the Genie within Bettye Johnson.
Version 80!
Praise the teacher
Praise the writer
Praise the adventurer
Praise the pioneer
Bettye Johnson Version 80! Bettye Johnson Version 80! Bettye Johnson Version 80! Written by Mary McCann

HISTORY, A TAPESTRY OF HALLUCINATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:17:00 +0000

HISTORY: A TAPESTRY OF HALLUCINATIONS

I have always loved history and when I was growing up, I accepted as truth what I was taught and read. I grew up in the West Texas city of San Angelo. We had a restored Fort Concho where Union soldiers were stationed to keep peace with the Indians and for the cattle drives to Kansas. During this time, there was racial discrimination and the blacks were not allowed to associate with the whites except during employment. I am bringing this in, because I never knew until I returned in the late seventies to San Angelo that the soldiers stationed at old Fort Concho were the Horse Soldiers. These were black or Negro rough-riding U.S. Calvary soldiers. During the days of segregation, there had been a blackout of anything about them. These Horse Soldiers were brave, fearless and great fighters.

Some of you may remember having been taught in school that Columbus discovered America. There was even a holiday in celebration of this, when nothing could be further from the truth. Columbus may have visited this continent, but he did not discover it. The early Vikings and other were the first ones to explore the East coast. Some say Leif Erickson and now I have come across information saying the Hebrews/Israelites discovery of this continent happened thousands of years before Christ. Remarkable, and there are alleged archaeological findings that support this. Is this pie in the sky? But wait! I titled this segment History: A Tapestry of Hallucinations.

What do I mean by hallucination? According to the dictionary, one meaning is one’s perception of reality. This also can be viewed in a broader context: history as told or written by the winners. On the other hand, history became distorted and facts omitted. Or, history deliberately changed and altered.

During my research, I learned the Catholic Church has based much of its history on lies, deceit and omissions. I am not going into that information at this time because I want to reach further back in time.

I am going to address the New Testament (N.T.). For years, theologians and scholars have admitted that the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke do not give identical information. John supposedly was written later. I have asked myself, then, who is correct? The authors of these books are unknown. And yet, we have the Christian religions using these books plus other books in the N.T. as if they are factual truth. Once a lie is repeated a number of times and accepted, it becomes the truth for the populance.

Recently I read Elaine Pagels and Karen King’s book READING JUDAS. The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity. First, let’s touch on Judas. For centuries, he has been maligned because he supposedly betrayed Jesus and received monies from the Romans for doing this. Pagels and King have addressed this in their book and by also researching the first four gospels, have found many discrepancies that have rarely been addressed by scholars. The authors of these gospels purloined some information from the Old Testament. So who wrote the books of the New Testament?

Tony Bushby, in his book The Bible Fraud, tells of the so-called presbyters who collected wise and spiritual writings from India to Greece to Egypt to Rome and went from village to village and city to city, and were much like the soapbox orators. They would stand at the village center and recite these writings or perhaps read them. These were not necessarily learned men.

Therefore, it is entirely possible for writings from Egypt and India to become part of the N.T. books. However, what about Jesus? In his book The Myth-maker, Paul and the Invention of Christianity, Hyam Maccoby writes an excellent account regarding the books supposedly written by Paul. Maccoby puts forth an excellent presentation that it was Paul – yes, the Paul who really was the founder of Christianity – and eventually the Catholic Church who first said Jesus was the Christ and the only son of God.

Nowhere do any of these books subscribe to the possibility that Jesus was an Initiate of the highest order of ancient mystery schools. And what were these mysteries? Teachings and tests to discover the god within.

Paul is a very interesting character. Even in his book of Acts and other books, he is subscribed to have written there are conflicting statements. I can well understand this.

I am going to digress for a moment. Almost all the books written about Jesus and Mary Magdalene have in some way referred to the ancient writings of Josephus author of The Wars of the Jews, The Antiquities of the Jews and The Autobiography of Flavious Josephus. What does Josephus have in common with the Paul of the Book of Acts in the N.T. I came across a most interesting possibility in Ralph Ellis’ book Jesus, The Last Pharaoh. Ellis became interested in the similarities of Josephus and Paul. In his book, he lists the biographical aspects of their lives as given in the Book of Acts and in Josephus’ Autobiography. They are so similar, that it is difficult to separate the two. What IF, Josephus created the character of Paul? What IF Josephus wrote some of those books in the N.T.? It is a big mind-boggling, but it is not only a possibility, but a probability.

When I first researched information for Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, the writings of Josephus had no mention of Jesus or Mary Magdalene. Then in a later return to another translation of his works, I found several small paragraphs, which mention Jesus.

Josephus was a Jew and claims lineage via the Maccabees. He states he went to Rome to ask for the release of some priests in Roman custody. He returned to Jerusalem and alleged he worked with the Jews to repel the Romans in their great uprising. He alleged he hid in a cave while the destruction was happening, and was captured, taken to Rome and made a Roman citizen. From another source, he was seen riding in the carriage of Vespasian after Vespasian became the new emperor.

So now, in this tapestry of fluid history, we have the possibility that the renowned Paul of the N.T. was a creation of Josephus.

Is there more? Oh my yes. Ellis has another book of Solomon and I also read the books of Immanuel Velikovsky – written in the 1950’s. Velikovsky had no computer for research. He did his painstakingly by going to libraries and to Egypt. He also compared the information in the Rhind Papyrus, the Egyptian paintings in tombs, statues and came to some very interesting conclusions.

From my interpretation of what I read in the two books, and the first one being that there is a distinct possibility the great Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt could have been the Hyksos who had ruled lower Egypt – the delta area – for 150 years. The Hyksos were ousted out by the last ruler of the Egyptian 17th dynasty by the pharaoh whose name was Ahmose or Amosis.

It is a possibility the Hyksos became so angry of being ousted that they later changed names in their writings. It is postulated that the books of Kings and Numbers were actually referring to Egyptian pharaohs and the Hyksos' time in Egypt.

I also learned by reading these two particular authors – Velikovsky and Ellis that a pharaoh or a king had more than one name. There was the birth name, the pharaoh name, a name known outside the country and possibly by other names. Wouldn’t it make sense that the same person could be referred to by another name on a document and down through history it was taken to be separate people?

There is also another potential, and that is King Solomon and King David were Egyptian pharaohs. Now I come to the Queen of Sheba. Sheba was a title meaning ‘sacred one.’ Ellis has also done extensive research. Much of the two authors' documentation comes from archaeological findings.

One of the mind blowers is the information that in 1939 Pierre Montet discovered some intact tombs – magnificent within the enclosure at Tanis. The latter of the tombs contained the intact sarcophagi of the pharaohs Psusennes II and Sheshong. Ellis had already identified these two pharaohs as being King David and King Solomon. These mummies all reside in the Cairo Museum along with the possible mummies of Joab, Hiram Abif and the Queen of Sheba.

In my book Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, I have Mary Magdalene as being of the lineage of the Queen of Sheba. What I have learned AFTER I published the book is there is a great possibility the Queen of Sheba was none other than the Queen/Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt.

In I Kings 10:1-13, it is written: And Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David. (I Ki 3:1)

This has been mis-interpreted or possibly an additional visit to King Solomon by the Queen of Sheba was added. However, the Kebra Nagast says the pharaoh’s daughter was the Queen of Sheba.

The similarities and coincidences point out that history is not at all what most of us think it is. I have given the potentials and possibilities.

Think of the many translations of the O.T. and the N.T. over hundreds of years. Think of the possibility of the Tribe of Benjamin having another name. Some have alleged Mary Magdalene was a Hasmonean princes.. I rather doubt that. If one looks at the track record of the Hasmoneans, I see no greatness coming from that lineage.

Another myth is that the bloodline of Mary Magdalene and Jesus is through the Merovingian Dynasty. I have done research on the Merovingians and there is only a history of war, brother murdering brother, and possibly not even being able to read much less write. Bishop Gregory of Tours in the 5th century began tutoring the sons of the Merovingians to read.

Jesus and Mary Magdalene would have left some awesome genes and in all of these allegations, I have found nothing to suggest greatness. In the genealogy charts I have read, rarely is the mother's name given.. Were these so-called kings hatched from an egg? Histories in the first 5 centuries are shrouded in mystery because there were almost no written documents except those written by the early churchmen. Moreover, those are suspect.

For nearly 2000 years, humankind has been duped by history in the name of religion. We have the potential of Paul being none other than Josephus. Paul could have come from the imagination of Josephus. And, if we look at the books found in the Nag Hammadi find and the Book of Judas, we get an entirely different perspective of the Disciple Peter – he hated Mary Magdalene and was jealous that Jesus would kiss her on the lips. Could there be a possibility that Peter was homosexual? Could this be why the Church has suppressed women? The possibilities from this are something that will be addressed at another time.

Therefore, I leave you with things to ponder. I urge you to do your own research. I am not an authority. I am only one who has researched and uncovered many potentials and possibilities for another side of history.

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:53:00 +0000

ISRAELI JEWS BLESS THE SUN IN RARE 28-YEAR PRAYER

This Wednesday, April 7, 2009, the faithful Jews congregated before the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel to bless the sun. Why every 28 years? Jewish tradition has been that the sun returns to its position at the moment the universe was created 5,769 years ago. Having done research on the history of the Bible, I learned why the Jews have this belief and the history perpetuated has another truth. What if the history we have been taught in schools and by religions isn’t true? There will be some who will deny this and will hold on to their beliefs. It is frightening to move away from what we were taught and to take a look at new revelations.

Two authors that I have found to be of immense help in answering for me inconsistencies are Immanuel Velikovsky and Ralph Ellis. Velikovsky wrote A World of Chaos and Ramses II: Ages of Chaos. Velikovsky published these books in the 1950’s and during his research he found many inconsistencies, which didn’t add up. According to the Hebrew history, certain events happened that appeared to be similar to events in Egyptian history. The only problem was that there was a difference of six hundred years. This bothered him and he set out to find out why the variation. His results are fascinating. Regarding the 5,769 years, my understanding is that it arrived from the great Exodus. From the Hebrew point of view, the Jews had been enslaved and wanted to be free of the tyranny of Egypt. Under the guidance of Moses, they departed Egypt and after the Red Sea parted for them, they wandered for 40 years until they came to the Promised Land. Have you ever wondered where they spent those 40 years when it only takes about three hours to travel by SUV from the Nile Delta to Palestine? Have you wondered who the Canaanites were? You know - those people who God gave the Israelites permission to ravish, kill and take-over.
There are researchers who question the validity of the Exodus story as written in the Old Testament (O.T,) and Talmud. Published on October 29, 1999, Ze’ev Herzog wrote an article titled “Deconstructing the walls of Jericho” in Ha’aretz, the leading newspaper in Israel that after “70 years of intensive excavations in Israel, archaeologists learned that Israelites did not sojourn to Egypt or make an exodus. They did not wander in the desert.” If there is no evidence of Israelites being in Egypt, then what is the Exodus all about?

Perhaps the Israelites were not known under the name as given in the O.T. If one were to research Egyptian history as given in hieroglyphics, paintings and other ancient writings, then another picture begins to unfold. This is very much like cracking a hidden code. The Jewish scholars who promote that the world is only 5769 years old could be right from the point of view that the Jewish or Hebrews had no beginning prior that time. Since this is the year 2009 AD, this would place the beginning of the Jewish race to around 3760 BC. What was happening around 3760 BC? When I began researching, I learned that even Jewish history scholars cannot agree upon the timelines when important events took place such as the Exodus.

In The Gift of the Jews by Thomas Cahill, he writes that the Talmud came into being from oral history and there is no reliable record of written Hebrew before the 10th century BC. If you have ever played the ‘whisper’ or ‘telephone’ game, you have an idea of how garbled the original statements become.

Immanuel Velikovsky researched Egyptian history and the O.T. history extensively and even though there were parallels in both histories, the dates of the events did not agree. He finally realized that the Hebrews and the Egyptians counted time differently and when he learned how to reconcile the differences in times, he realized that their histories were practically the same. When in the O.T. it is written that Abraham journeyed south into Gerar, it could be he was traveling into Egypt because the names Gerar and Egypt were the same. What has been revealed is that the Hyksos were also the Israelites. Therefore, the Hyksos were in Lower Egypt at the time of the Great Exodus and during their sojourn changed their name and for them their world began when they departed Egypt. Thus, we have the belief that the world began 5769 years ago.

Why did the Hyksos depart Egypt? That will be posted soon. It is similar to unraveling a skein of yarn and the Jewish belief is a piece of yarn.

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:10:00 +0000

MARY MAGDALENE AND THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

When I began researching historical information about Mary Magdalene, little did I know that I was embarking on an odyssey of unraveling strands of history that most of the world does not know or understand. I agree with the statement James Cameron wrote in his Foreword to the book, The Jesus Family Tomb: “As a result of this twelve-year investigation, I have come to realize that history is a consensus hallucination. It is a myth upon which we all agree to agree.”

Mary Magdalene has been an enigma for over two thousand years. In the first four gospels her name is mentioned four times in the Book of Mark, three times in the books of Matthew and John and twice in the Book of Luke. I find it interesting that scores of books have been written about her and each one with the author’s interpretation and who and what she was from these references. In most authors’ interpretations, she has been assumed to be one of the ‘other’ women mentioned in the New Testament. Yet the real Mary Magdalene is unknown and even her background as given by most authors and scholars is based on unfounded suppositions.

Was Mary Magdalene a Hasmonean princess? Was she from the tribe of Benjamin? I have found nothing to indicate that this is true. “It is a myth upon which we all agree to agree.” In other words, if something is repeated over and over, the public accepts it as a truth when in actuality it has no foundation. From my perspective, the current information written about the Magdalene is based on recycled ignorance.

My own background is one of a woven tapestry of experiences. I became an ordained minister of Divine Science in 1981 and have since been a student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, an academy of the mind for over twenty years. One of the most important teachings I learned from Ramtha is not to accept his word, but to research and find out for myself.

When I first became interested in Mary Magdalene, I had few clues to go on. I had taken notes on the few tidbits Ramtha had mentioned about her. These were usually one-liners. The clues I had were that she was of royalty, she was Ethiopian, had black skin and red hair, one blue eye and one green eye and she was married to Jesus. They had two children; one a girl named Sarah and a boy named James. He also said she was an initiate; an initiate meaning that at that time she would have had to be in an ancient mystery school. One of the best explanations of a mystery school is from the Foreword in Grace Knoche’s book: The Mystery Schools. A Mystery school is a university of the soul, a school for the study of the mysteries of the inner nature of man and of surrounding nature. By understanding these mysteries, the student perceives his intimate relationship with divinity, and strives through self-discipline and devotion to become at one with his inner god. My quest was to verify this information.

I began reading every book I could find about Mary Magdalene and none of them had any real verification. I also have used the wonderful world of Internet. I learned that there are some Nubians today in Africa that has red hair and that it was not uncommon in the days of Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Several years ago I had a booth at the Los Angles Times Festival of Books and a number of Afro-Americans stopped to peruse and talk about my book, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. What I learned from them is that many Afro-Americans have always known Mary Magdalene was of black skin. I also learned that there are some who have the genetics of red hair in their family lineage that do not come from a Caucasian.

I also researched the ancient history of Ethiopia and learned that even today there is a city called Magdala in that country. I learned that the late Emperor Halle Selassie of Ethiopia claimed he was a descendent of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon through their son Menelik I. He also carried the title Lion of Judah and alleged he was a descendent of the same lineage of Jesus. The Ethiopian Kebra Negast also pays great homage to the Queen of Sheba, King Solomon and their son Menelik I. I was beginning to find threads or connections of possibilities that were beginning to coagulate whereas I could find none from the Hasmoneans or Tribe of Benjamin.

It is a reasonable assumption that if the memory of Mary Magdalene had been kept alive throughout the years that there had to be something great about her. It was Pope Gregory I who first labeled her a prostitute and the Catholic Church later recanted this. I realized more than ever that there had been a great omission in historical records and writings. I asked myself, why would memory of her life and deeds be suppressed? Could it be because the males who dominated early Christianity did not want her deeds and equality to Jesus to outshine their version of Christianity? It is a possibility. When I say equality, I am using this in the context of her royal status, her knowledge and perhaps her own ministry. Jesus was not the only initiate to become god-man realized and ascend. Another initiate of that era was Apollonius of Tyana who while in chains before a Roman court dropped his chains and disappeared only to reappear within moments in India. This is on record in old Roman documents.

The Eastern Orthodox Church has a myth that Mary Magdalene attended a banquet with the Emperor Tiberius presiding. He asked her about the resurrection of Jesus because he didn’t believe it to be so. She assured him that Jesus had ascended. Tiberius is said to have picked up a hard-boiled egg and handed it to her saying, “If you can turn this egg red, then I will believe you.” Mary Magdalene held the egg in her hand and gave him back a red egg. All myths are based on facts. Today it is said that the Eastern Orthodox Church reveres the red egg at the celebration of Easter.

In 2001 I went to France and learned even more about Mary Magdalene. I drove through the Languedoc region and in almost every small church, there was a black Madonna and many of the churches were dedicated to Mary Magdalene. When I went to the great cathedral in Chartres, I learned that one of the figures on the outside of the North Porch was the Queen of Sheba flanked on the jamb by King Solomon and Balaam. I asked myself why the Queen of Sheba and Solomon were honored in this way and of course this has led to more research. If one looks closely at the Queen, she is standing on the body of a small black person. I asked myself, could this mean that the Queen ruled over a nation of black-skinned people because she was one also?

The Chartres Cathedral was begun in 1194 and completed twenty-six later, which was a record for those days when they had no high-powered machinery. The architect for this cathedral is not known nor is the names of the artisans known. At the Amiens Cathedral in France there are also figures of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba on the South Portal. This cathedral was constructed beginning in 1218 and completed in 1269. The architect of this cathedral is known.

From my research there is a strong possibility that the Knights Templar were responsible for the creation of Chartres Cathedral using divine geometry and symbols in the forms of statues, carvings and the rose windows. I sensed the architect(s) was leaving a roadmap for those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.

What does this have to do with Mary Magdalene and the Queen of Sheba? When I began to research in earnest upon my return home, it has been similar to pulling Ariadne’s thread through a labyrinth of obscure references, misinformation, misinterpretations and lies. Here we have two powerful women from the Bible with very little information about their backgrounds. One might say that legends have grown up around them and now as we are moving into an age of enlightenment, the time has come for their greatness to be revealed.

One of the most popular verses from the Song of Solomon 1:5, I am black, but comely indicates the Queen of Sheba was of black-skin. There have been scholars who have attempted to learn more about this Queen of Sheba. There is no proof that there was a land of Sheba, so where was Sheba? From this question, my research became even more interesting. I will digress for a moment by saying that the languages of those ancient biblical days were dialects and it has been a challenge for research scholars to interpret the meanings. I went to a book by Kamal Salibi titled: The Bible Came From Arabia. According to his research using the Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Classical Arabic languages, he arrived at his conclusion of evidence that the twelve tribes of Israel had their origins in West Arabia and not Palestine. Heresy? In the eyes of some, yes.

According to Salibi’s comparison of languages, the original Jerusalem was in West Arabia along the Red Sea. This could possibly indicate that King Solomon lived in this area around the Red Sea and in some scholarly books I have read state that King Solomon had built a seaport on the Red Sea of what is now Saudi Arabia. . Therefore, there is a possibility that this is true because when a request was made from the Saudi government to have some archeological work done in the area in question near Mecca, what did the Saudi’s do? They bulldozed the entire area and now it could be eons before proof is unearthed. There is even a potential that Solomon’s Temple was actually located near Mecca. Could this be why the Prophet Mohammed’s sacred city is located at Mecca?

Two of my favorite scholar authors are Immanuel Velikovsky and Ralph Ellis. Velikovsky wrote his books in the 1950’s and had no Internet. His information came from libraries and visiting the sites he wrote about. Ralph Ellis is a present day researcher and he has also traveled the path of Velikovsky in that he went to Egypt and other places to verify his research. I admire their tenacity for research. Using Egyptian historical writings, hieroglyphics and pictures on unearthed tombs, these two men began asking questions and using their knowledge of Egyptian history began comparing it to the Hebrew history. The similarity of the Hebrew and Egyptian history is astounding.

Perhaps I have digressed, however Velikovsky found that kings, queens and pharaohs had a number of different names. There was the birth name, a royal name, and a name they were called in some other country and perhaps other names. This could be very confusing and there is a strong possibility the Queen of Sheba was also known as Bathsheba, Maakhah Tamar II, Maakare, and Mu-Tamhat II according to Ralph Ellis’ research. There is another potential that I will mention later. Apparently in those ancient days royalty and priests had titles and/or other names. It has been noted by a number of scholars that Mary was a title given to females who were given to the Temple for service. Therefore, Mary Magdalene could indicate she was considered of high rank along with Mary of Bethany and of course Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In tracing the name of Mary, Ellis followed a trail back to Egypt and according to his findings learned that these Marys were the holders of a long and illustrious Egyptian heritage. These influential women, who inadvertently and unintentionally founded the new sect of Christianity, not only held the original titles of the Egyptian royalty, they also had the very same name that had been originally used by Queen Hatshepsut-Maakare in the early years of the New Kingdom.

In going further, Sheba is a mystique name because its location has avoided most researchers and writers. Lower Egypt was also known as Seba, which covered Ethiopia, Avaris, and Memphis in addition to Lower Egypt. Sheba in all probability was not a country, but a title. Some of the interpretations have been the number ‘seven,’ or that she came from a ‘land of plenty,’ meaning Egypt/Ethiopia. The writings of the Jewish historian Josephus seem to indicate this was so. Therefore from the chronological evidence presented by Ellis, Velikovsky, Josephus, Manetho and others it would indicate that the Queen of Sheba would have been either a princess or a queen. References in the Old Testament indicate this was so.

The conclusions I reached were that Mary Magdalene was in all probability a descendent of the Queen of Sheba also known as the Queen or Pharaoh Hatshepsut of Egypt/Ethiopia. Does this mean that Jesus and his followers were of dusky skin? What is the connection of Mary of Magdalene and the Queen of Sheba with King Solomon and King David? What are the Old Testament books of the Kings and Chronicles really about? As I continue to pull the threads of history, I am finding out. However, that will have to be revealed in a future article.

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:01:00 +0000

ARE YOU READY FOR ABUNDANCE NOW?

The Abundance Breakthrough Project is free and simple. It is an exciting way to help create spectacular Abundance in your life.
This special program is being offered free of charge by Jo Dunning as part of creating a flow of Abundance which will travel around the world on April 15, 2009. If you would like to be included in this world wide wave of Abundance please go to http://www.jodunning.com/abundance-breakthrough-project.html or visit jodunning.com and click under free events.

Every person who signs up for the Abundance Breakthrough Project before April 15th will be included in this powerful Program. Just go to the website and add your name to the list. That is all you need to do. On April 15th, Jo Dunning will focus individually on each name and create a powerful wave of Abundance which will circle the entire globe and help bring Abundance to every person listed.
The goal is to have enough people sign up from from different parts of the world that the wave of joyful abundance will be big enough to embrace the entire globe.
So be sure to tell others about this wonderful free opportunity and pass this email on to as many people as possible. Please list it on your organization calendars, websites and other opportunities. The more people who participate, the bigger the wave will be and the more assistance each person can receive. After you email this information to others then go to digg.com and list this event to help more people around the world know know about it. We need your help to build the momentum so Abundance can flow throughout the world on April 15, 2009 and everyone can experience the continual joyful flow of prosperity in their life. If you would like to participate more actively in this event there are several simple things you can do on April 15th to help generate an even bigger wave of Abundance and create more flow of prosperity into your life. These are listed below and will help to support the wave as it sweeps around the planet.
1. On April 15, 2009, around noon in your local time zone, pause for a moment and imagine your life filled with spectacular, joyful Abundance.
2. Imagine what you would like to have in more abundance in your life, then give a little of that away to someone else.
3. Go to a favorite non profit website and make a small donation to their cause.
4. Make a contribution to your favorite spiritual organization.
5. Take a few cans of food to your local food bank.
6. Go through your extra clothes and other possessions and give them to a local shelter.
7. Smile at a stranger or reach out to assist someone, even in a very small way, like holding a door open for them.
8. Remember all the good things you have in your life right now and feel grateful.
9. Celebrate your Abundance as it arrives in both large and small amounts.
10. Know you are deeply loved and take the chance to believe all of this is truly possible.
11. Go to jodunning.com and click on the Golden Coin and read about The Five Laws of Abundance and how to use them in your life.

CAN YOU DANCE WITH ME

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:01:00 +0000

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet... We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I'll let you know,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord..

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask ' How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away..... Life is not a race Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

It's National Friendship Week.. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.

To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do.
'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance! - Anonymous

SECRETS REVEALED - THE HOLY GRAIL

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:35:00 +0000

SECRETS REVEALED – THE HOLY GRAIL

Just when I thought I knew quite a bit about the Grail Legends and Rennes-le-Chateau, new information has been revealed. Last year I had the opportunity to interview and later meet the director, Bruce Burgess and producer Rene Barnett of the movie Bloodline. (For more information on this fascinating movie, please go to www.bloodlinethemovie.com and click on the Blog.) Burgess and Barnett learned of a hidden tomb with a preserved body covered with a Knights of Templar cloth along with rich artifacts. As far as I know, this tomb has not been excavated and is located close to Rennes-le-Chateau, France.

When I was in France and Spain in 2001, I visited Rennes-le-Chateau in addition to other places of interest that piqued my interest in Mary Magdalene and the Black Madonnas. From this trip and my previous interest, I wrote the book Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls—an Independent Publisher Books Award Winner 2006. This was followed up with a sequel, Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy, also an award winner 2008.

Now comes the book City of Secrets, author Patrice Chaplin's "A true life journey to the Heart of the Grail Legend." Chaplin's account of her arrival in Gerona, Spain in 1955 at age 15 and meeting a mysterious man named Jose gives another view of the Rennes-le-Chateau mystery along with the secrets long held in Gerona. Gerona is midway between Barcelona and Figures/Cadaques (Gerona is sometimes spelled Girona). For the next forty years Chaplin's life was intertwined with Jose off and on with her learning about the mysterious Cabbalistic movement in early Gerona. The Iberians first arrived and later the Romans settled the area. In the first century, Jews from Palestine were fleeing the Romans and many came to France and Spain bringing with them esoteric knowledge and establishing mystery schools. The area is filled with unique energies. A small group of Jews arrived in Gerona and established a Cabbalistic center. They were later expelled from Gerona by the Church in 1492.

In Gerona is a Tower of Magdala from which Berenger Saunière constructed the Tower of Magdala in Rennes-le-Chateau. The Gerona tower was built in 1851 while Saunière's tower was built in 1901. He reportedly traveled often to Gerona to learn the 'secret.' According to Chaplin, powerful events occurred and there was "Spiritual travel through time and place, so that Girona is forever connected to the other realms." The two towers have a connecting ley line, which is powerful and it supposedly is this energy that enhances spiritual evolution.

The Tower in Gerona has been destroyed since the earlier years when Chaplin was there. However, on another note, there is a Tower on the Island of Majorca in Soller that is identical to the towers of Gerona and Rennes-le-Chateau. Could this be a connection? It is known that the Knights Templar were connected with Majorca and the King of Majorca gave the Templars a section of his summer castle at Collioures, France. Robert Wood, an English mapmaker mapped the area surrounding Rennes-le-Chateau and the results are most interesting because they show the divine geometry in the Languedoc Region connecting many churches in the forms of pentagrams.

Chaplin writes that Jose told her: "The mystics in the Middle Ages and before…This place has witnessed extraordinary events that are beyond human expectation. And less than a hundred years ago certain mystically inclined individuals came here and repeated these ceremonies—for their own grandiosity perhaps. And in their pursuit of 'direct knowing' of the divine, they let slip the earthly love, which was a gift beyond anything and that caused such tumult and such pain."

In 1976, Chaplin returned to Gerona for a short while and while there a vision of Mary Magdalene appeared near the Tower. One woman saw her and said she left in a rainbow of colors. When she told the people in Gerona about her vision, she was sent to a mental institution. When released, she again repeated her story calling her La Dona de la Copa or the Lady of the Cup. Since that event, the story was changed by the Church and a monument has been erected saying it was Jesus who appeared. For me, it indicates that Mary Magdalene was indeed a powerful woman and I know my books have portrayed her as she might have been and I only touched on it.

Chaplin addresses the Grail.It is not a cup, or the chalice Jesus drank from.The
Grail is as Jose described it "as being made of the most remarkable physical matter in the universe. It was purported to give powers beyond human reach including physical longevity, immortality, invisibility. Who holds this, holds the world. It has power of projection and takes the bearer out of time. It produces levitation. Objects move out of the dimensions as we know them and reappear elsewhere. They've not disappeared. They've just travelled beyond our sight and come back. He mentioned transmutation, teleportation. It is a gift from paradise, known since the beginning of time."

What Jose described to her is all about our brain. Our brain is the Holy Grail and has the capacity to accomplish all the things as described above. Jesus said, "In my Father's House are many mansions." His Father's House was his brain and it is the greatest computer every created. We each have it and we only have to seek knowledge and to let go of our limited humanity and discipline our brain. For most of us, we do not have the tenacity to discipline our personalities/our thoughts to be able to do this. It has been said that it takes a Master Teacher to teach one how to fulfill the Holy Grail for self. This is why I am a student of Ramtha the Enlightened One at the Ramtha School of Enlightenment. I am learning one step at a time.

THE UNITED NATIONS

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:08:00 +0000

BETTYE AT THE UNITED NATIONS ~ November 25, 2008

There are probably people who know more about the UN than I do. I had a marvelous peek at the workings of the UN when I attended the "Global Publish Health and the Eradication of Poverty' co-sponsored and organized by the Women's Federation for World Peace International on November 25, 2008. For me, it most most insightful and I have an enormous respect for all of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that from my perspective are the backbone of the United Nations. The news media focuses mostly on the Security Council, The United Nations is the branch of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers as outlined in the UN Charter include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization for military actions. There is much more to the United Nations.

justify>The NGOs are private organizations who operate and contribute to many vital areas of the world such as the UN World Food Progam, poverty, disease such as HIV/AIDS, UNICEF for the children, education and many more vital challenges in the world. I heard several speakers say that there is no food shortage in the world. True, doughts do create famine and there are organizations who mobilize to send food, however the food is withheld either due to wars or to politics.

December 10 is the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. After the Forum, I went on a tour of the portion of the UN that is available to visitors. I was quite taken with a wall with framed rights. These rights cannot be enacted into law by the UN, however they can serve as a reminder to all of us that we do have rights. For more on this, visit:

http://www.knowyourrights2008.org/index.php?nav=declaration&rub=declarationLanguages&list=def&language=eng

With HIV/AIDS being the most prevalent cause of deaths in the world with malaria being the second, each of us would be wise in learning more about these diseases. The rate of HIV/AIDS in Geneva, Switzerland per capita is larger than the per capita to many of the African countries. There are NGOs working to reduce this and to find a cure or a vaccine for these diseases.

From the forum paper handed to those of us attending it states: "Against a backdrop of global action and individual health security, this forum will consider family as one of the most strategic focal points for integrating individual and collections health needs....Family health is societal health at the cellular level. And for those in extreme poverty who have no socially structured safety nets, family is the locus of hope, comfort, health, happiness or despair.:

Before I received the invitation to attend this forum, I created the For Freedom Now project with the intent of sending out thoughts and words of love and gratitude to saturate the world with frequencies to combat much of what is happening now. I admit is is a gamble and a challenge, however I do feel that shifts can be made. I invite those of you reading this now to join me and to go to:

http://forfreedomnow.weebly.com/home.html

Each of us are wonderful beings and each of us can contribute to the uplifting of the world.

With love and gratitude,

Bettye Johnson

CALL ME AUNTIE MAME

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:03:00 +0000

Book reviewers are chancey when one submits a book for a review. It is similar to tossing the throw of the dice, or tossing a coin. Heads you win, tails you lose. I have been fortunate in receiving great reviews--for the most part. There were several reviews that were not author friendly and when I read them, I realized that my genre and style of writing was not frequency specific to them. And then, there comes a review that tickles the sense of fun and laughter.

I don't know how many of you saw the movie, Auntie Mame with Rosiland Russell or saw the Broadway musical based on a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis. Auntie Mame was wild, outrageous and wonderful character. The closest I have been to being described as a possibility of being a teensy-weensy unusual character is the delightful review of my latest book Awakening the Genie Within recently posted on Amazon.com. The reviewer, Monty Rainey of New Braunfels, Texas has written a review that I think I will frame. I love it.

FROM AMAZON.COM

A pleasure to read, October 10, 2008 By Monty Rainey (New Braunfels, TX) - See all my reviews
Bettye Johnson reminds me so much of that wacky, eccentric great aunt that seems to exist in almost every family. You know the one, everyone talks about her like she's a little off her rocker, but yet, deep down, everyone wants to spend a little "alone" time with her because she's just so darn fun to be around! And, if you'll open your mind up a little and listen to what she is saying, some of it makes perfect sense!

Well, dear old aunt Bettye wrote a book and called it AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN: A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY. Now I'm the first to admit I'm a die-hard conservative Christian minister, Dallas Theological Seminary and all that, but I'm also the first to tell you I don't question someone else's faith. If Bettye found enlightenment through the Ramtha and his School of Enlightenment, then so be it. I believe there are many avenues to take us to the answers we seek and those roads don't always look the same.

This was an enjoyable read. Some may scoff at some of the conclusions that were reached, but keep an open mind and remember that Ms. Johnson's path may have been a little different than yours. That's okay. It doesn't make her wrong, only different. The point is, she has traveled a long journey and has gained wisdom, which she has chosen to share with the rest of us. Absorb her gift of wisdom in the way it was meant and enjoy the ride.

Here's to Monty Rainey! I enjoyed the style of writing along with the wit and the humor. With this review in mind, I will pull out the rough draft of a memoir, An Innocent in Paris based on my adventures as a young woman fresh out of racial prejudice Texas in the early fifties and thrown into the diplomatic world working for the embassy in Paris.

The Secret Female Pope

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:58:00 +0000

THE SECRET FEMALE POPE

When I was researching for my book Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, I learned about Pope Joan and now a new revelation has come in a book by Eleanor Herman titled, Mistress of the Vatican: The true Story of Olimpia Maidalchinhi: The Secret Female Pope. This is a fascinating non-fiction story of a woman born in 1591 in Italy. At this period of history, females were abhorred by fathers because it usually meant they had to have a dowry. The fathers wanted sons who would marry wealthy girls/women and bring wealth into the family. During this time period there was a wide chasm between rich and poor.

According to Herman, a son was an insurance policy for the father while the daughter was a lodestone. Olimpia's father was a man striving to become part of the rich elite and his second wife was the daughter of a nobleman. Olimpia was a leader from birth and of course it vexed her father. Her skills were not at all what was expected from a female because as Herman wrote, "her mind worked like an abacus in financial matters" in the areas of adding, subtracting, multiplication and calculating percentages. She also had a fantastic memory.

It was the norm that unwanted females would be sent to convents where they lived for the rest of their lives and many times behind walls and family could only visit with them through grilled windows. History has disclosed tales of young men who would visit a female relative and pull out their penis and tantalize the nuns because they thought all women were hyper-sexual. This was the general concensus of the Italian men during this period.

The culture accepted that women were inferior to men and "Pope Innocent III (reigned 1198-1216) confidently declared that menstrual blood was so 'detestable and impure that, from contact therewith, fruits and grains are blighted, bushes dry up, grasses die, trees lose their fruits, and if dogs chance to eat of it, they go mad.' " To further demean the female, the culture quoted Greek philospher Aristole as saying that he believe "that a uterus was a kind of soil--dirt, actually--in which the man planted his seed. A woman merely provided a nine-month lease for a warm rented room." Apparently many of these so-call learned men were also blind-sided when it came to women.

According to Herman's extensive research, she writes, "All pregnancies, it was thought, started off as male, nature attempting to replicate its own perfection. But at some point in about half of pregnancies, something went terribly wrong, an irremediable birth defect, and the fetus became female. A female's reproductive organs proved her defectiveness; they were small and misshapen, most of them tucked away in an evil-smelling cavity inside the body, unlike the robust, full formed private parts of men, which enjoyed the fresh air and dangled proudly."

Herman goes on to write, "According to popular medieval literature, which was still widely read in sixteenth-century Italy, if a woman spread her legs very far, her female organs would fall out and she would become a man." But this isn't all. Thomas Aquinas, in the thirteenth century considered the most influential theologian in the history of the Catholic Church, declared women to be misbegotten men, inferior by nature and therefore incapable of leadership.

It becomes very apparent that it has been a slow up-hill climb for women of all cultures. We think we are emancipated here in the U.S., but are we fully free from prejudices and biases?

Olimpia decided at an early age that she was not going to be sent to a convent. She had received a very basic education from a nearby convent and she set her mind on marrying someone that had money. Of course, she did not tell her father and he was beside himself because he wanted his son to have all the money to improve the son's chances to marry a wealthy woman. In the town of Viterbo, Olimpia's father was climbing the ladder of success.

Olimpia went so far as to go to the Church an invoke a rule of the 1563 Council of Trent, which stated that a daughter did not have to enter a convent against her will. This was granted to her much to her father's anger and dismay. When Olimpia was seventeen, she married Paolo Nini the richest man in town. Paolo had an easy going nature and allowed Olimpia to administer his estates. It must have been a heady elixir for her to have reached this stage of her life.

While Olimpia was enjoying being the wife of a young wealthy man, her younger sisters chose to enter a convent rather than go against their father's wishes. Herman writes about the custom of a young girl marrying the church. "The girls stretched themselves out in front of the altar, their lips touching the cold stone floor. A black cloth was thrown over them, and lighted candles were placed at their heads and feet, the same ritual as in contemporary funeral customs, And indeed, to the world these young nuns were dead." Olympia's determination had saved her from this fate.

A short time after her wedding, Olimpia discovered she was pregnant and gave birth to a girl and soon after realized she was pregnant again. This time it was a boy. Three years after the marriage, at age twenty-three Paolo fell ill and died. This left Olimpia a very wealthy widow at age twenty. Nine months later the baby boy died. Due to the circumstances she found herself with choices. She could either enter a convent or re-marry. Olimpia chose to re-marry. She was fortunate in marrying an older man from a family of nobility. However he was not as wealthy as Olimpia. Thus began Olimpia's path to becoming the secret pope.

Olimpia married Pamphilio Pamphili a Roman nobleman nearing age fifty and poor. His brother Gianbattista Pamphili was a priest trained as a canon lawyer. Olimpia now moved to Rome and into the Pamphili home, which also housed Gianbattista. Olimpia not only ran the household, but she also took care of the estates and the dowry she brought to the marriage. Little is known about Pamphilio the husband, but there is quite a bit about her relationship with Gianbattista, the priest.

Olimpia became his confidant and advisor. There are historical records that indicate that they were lovers because it was evident they loved each other. Very little is said of Pamphilio, the husband. It is reported Olimpia had a bedroom between the two men with doors that could be open to each one.

Not only did Olimpia enhance the financial wealth of the Pamphili family, but she was a very adept lobbyist and over the years saw to it that Gianbattista was promoted and then he became a cardinal because of her endeavors. It is written that if anyone wanted something from Gianbattista that they had to go through her first. In 1644, Gianbattista became Pope Innocent X with Olimpia still his primary adviser. His reign as pope ended in 1655 when he died. Olimpia followed him in death two years later. From all indications she was indeed, the Secret Female Pope.

In 1652, Cavalier Giustiniani wrote the following about Olimpia:

Donna Olimpia Maidalchini is a woman of great spirit, but her sole title to influence is that of a rigid economist. When offices fell vacant at court, nothing was decided without her good pleasure; when church livings were to be distributed, the ministers of the dataria had orders to defer all appointments until, notice having been given to her of the nature of those benefices, she might then select such as best pleased her for her own disposal; if episcopal sees were to be conferred, it was to her that the candidates applied; and that which most effectually revolted every upright mind was to see that those were preferred who were most liberal in giving.

It must have been triumphant for her to reach the stature she did in the midst of an ignorant male mentality of the female gender. She was brilliant and she was shrewd. Olimpia ran the Vatican and its government. Pope Innocent X was only the front man and she was the power behind him.

I highly recommend Eleanor Herman's book Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope for a broader picture and understanding of Olimpia and the times she lived in. Herman's extensive historical research shows that the Vatican and high society were decadent and immoral with residues of that are seen even today. It has made a mockery of the teachings of Jesus and is indeed a religion founded on falsehoods and immoral attributes. It is a religion of the human male.

REVIEW FROM BOOKPLEASURES.COM

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:42:00 +0000

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 7:27 AM
Awakening the Genie Within .: BookPleasures.com
http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/idx/0/3856/article/_Awakening_the_Genie_=
Author: Bettye Johnson
Publisher: Living Free Press
ISBN: 978-0-9650454-4-5

In her preface, Bettye Johnson explains her concept of the fairy-tale Aladdin’s Lamp and the Genie inside it. She informs us of its hidden meaning in that all of us have a genie living in our brain. Aladdin rubbed his lamp to activate the genie but we don’t even need to do that in order to release our genius. The word genie means, spirit within and this is derived from the word genius that means having a guardian spirit or a person of natural intelligence or talent. Bettye then goes on to say she will share her own knowledge and experience along with the tools that have helped her. It is to be a journey of discovery.

I immediately thought, oh dear, another of those self- enlightenment books and wondered if this would be any different to the others. In my experience, and I’ve read quite a few, they all tend to use similar jargon and theories. It would be gratifying to discover someone who has a fresh outlook with original ideas. So I read on in hope. Then I read Bettye’s poem, The Awakening and I loved it and really identified with it- Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? I await a reply. These are some lines taken from the poem.

The author’s quest for a meaning in her life began with a “prickle” in her forties and her superficial relationship with her husband ended when he asked her for a divorce. She didn’t look back. She informs us how we play many roles in our lives and that we all have choices. She discusses perseverance and how she chooses not to give into fear. She changes her mind all the time, moment –by- moment, letting go of the power of fear gives us inner freedom and has to be achieved. I was enjoying this but then I read the chapter where Bettye tells of writing letters to God or whatever else you want to call it, I was turned off somewhat. As she herself says, “what is reality? What is illusion?”

I continued reading and discovered that we use less than ten percent of our brain. I was a bit disturbed to read about the experiment of a lie detector being attached to a plant which showed that when the leaf was burnt the detector showed human reactions!
Bettye quotes extensively from Ramtha which she has studied for years and follows its teachings, many of which she discusses in this book. I also gathered if we change our beliefs and open our minds we are activating our own genie within.

In this quantum world I learned that all things are possible, e.g. quelling a storm. I haven’t tried this yet but feel inspired to try. Read and be amazed.

There is a very interesting chapter on the true meaning of words. Did you know that nice means foolish, stupid, senseless? This is fascinating stuff.

I was startled when I read about the out of body experience where the hospital for damaged souls in the after-life is called Infrared. Come on now, Infrared, I really do wonder!
However, Bettye has compiled an impressive book of her experiences and thoughts that I’m sure will certainly enhance our own lives if we put them into action.

Thought provoking, not the usual hype and I did find some of her ideas fresh and original. Read it for yourself especially if you are looking to change your life.

The above review was contributed by: Jessica Roberts: Jessica is a book reviewer for a local newspaper and has reviewed for a national women's magazine too. She has had various articles published in magazines and has now completed her novel. Jessica currently lives in West Yorkshire (UK) and enjoys walking in the dales and woodlands as part of her hobby as well as, of course, reviewing books.

Awakening the Genie Within Amazon.com Review

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:21:00 +0000

AMAZON.COM REVIEW
Has some good tips, September 17, 2008 By drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Bettye Johnson has led an interesting life. Born in Dallas, Texas in 1929, she grew up during the Great Depression. Throughout her life she has held a wide variety of jobs including picking cotton as a child, working in Paris and Tokyo for the U.S. State Department, a Federal Women's Program Coordinator, a holistic health center program director, and a non-denominational minister. She was the wife of a career military man and is the mother of three sons. In 2001 she became an author. "Awakening the Genie Within" is the story of how she was able to accomplish so many life changes.

"Awakening the Genie Within" is part autobiography and part inspirational thinking. Johnson's life has indeed been fascinating and I hope she eventually writes a full-fledged autobiography (I'd love to hear more about her second husband). Johnson is a student of Ramtha and his School of Enlightenment, which guides the inspirational part of the book. Whether or not you are open to Ramtha, there are several useful ideas in the book. Johnson advises that people open up the unused parts of their brains and gives several examples as to how to do it. She has several useful tips such as the seven P's (stages) of questing; how to inventory yourself; how to break out of mental cages ("I can't", "it isn't possible", etc.); keys to change; the power of imagination; self-healing; rules for living joyfully; and much more. While those were all useful tips, the one thing I really took from the book is the need to get rid of "stinking thinking" - something I have to work really hard to do.

"Awakening the Genie Within" is an inspirational book from a remarkable woman.

THE HOLY GRAIL

noreply@blogger.com (Bettye Johnson) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:07:00 +0000

The Holy Grail—what is it? I invite you to come with me as I pull the threads of mystery, myth, false clues and finally what the Grail is, and what its purpose is. For centuries, people have written about the Holy Grail. Many assume it represents the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. Others allege Joseph of Arimathea used the Grail cup to catch Jesus' blood when he was placed in the tomb. Now if we were to reason this, the crucifixion occurred over two thousand years ago and at that time Jesus had not been declared a Christ, because it was Paul who gave him the title of Christ and the books of the New Testament were not written until some years after the crucifixion. Somehow, I find it a challenge to think that someone would save his cup, chalice, the lance that pierced his side, a portion of the cross or any other artifact. I do not think that anyone at that time would give importance to those. There are stories that Helene, the mother of Emperor Constantine I reportedly brought back the first relics from Jerusalem and this was the beginning of placing relics of Jesus, Mary, Mary Magdalene and other saints in churches to be venerated. Why? To keep the populace's attention focused on someone or some being outside of them to worship.

I question these, because the birth year of Constantine I is questionable. Some allege it was in 272 A.D. while others say 271 or 273 A.D. If his birth year is a big hazy event, then why accept that these stories of the Grail and other relics are factual? Having done extensive research, I am always open to new information. In either 323 or 325 A.D., Constantine convened the Council of Nicea and thus was born the Catholic Church although it may not have been given that name at the time.

To place events into a perspective, the first four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of the New Testament were written between 65-95 A.D. Actually it is alleged that the Book of John was written in 100 A.D. at Ephesus. It is alleged that Jesus was crucified in 30 A.D. and this date perhaps is not the actual date. The next 15 books after John are attributed to Paul with the first written in 50 A.D. and continuing through 67 A.D. The Book of Acts is purported to be the biography of Paul's life. The research of Ralph Ellis, Jesus Last of the Pharaohs, indicates that the life of Paul and Josephus, an often-quoted ancient Jewish-Roman historian are almost identical according to the autobiography of Josephus. There are 20 points that indicate the possibility that Paul and Josephus were the same person Could it be that Paul was a character Josephus created and never existed? It is something to consider.

During the Roman-Jewish War of 70 A.D., the Romans totally destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. It is doubtful that any artifacts pertaining to Jesus or Mary Magdalene survived. Perhaps some of the scrolls and writings survived and were taken to the Great Library of Alexandria. Even though a major portion of the Library had been burned by Caesar in 42 B.C., some of the documents were housed in the Serapeum. In 391 A.D., the Christian Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria destroyed almost all of the Serapeum and anything remaining was destroyed by the Muslims in 642 A.D. Therefore, must of ancient history was destroyed and numerous myths have been created.

What does this have to do with the Holy Grail? It is background information leading up to another belief that Mary Magdalene was the Holy Grail, having given birth to the children of Jesus and thus was born the bloodline. The Knights Templar enter the picture with it being created after the First Crusade around 1119 A.D. by Hugues de Payens of France with eight of his knight relatives.

Nine knights spent nine years in Jerusalem supposedly digging for Solomon's Temple and when they left, they became known as Knights Templar. They became wealthy and also responsible for the architecture of the beautiful Gothic cathedrals in France, including Chartres. Chartres is filled with symbology for those who have the eyes to see. They also were responsible for venerating Mary Magdalene. Some have written that it was due to her being the mother of Jesus' children and therefore the bloodline. What if there was another reason?

I am going to backtrack a bit to the Library at Alexandria. When the Serapeum was destroyed by the Patriarch of Alexandria, the great teachers of the mystery schools began dispersing to other places with one being Constantinople and another Baghdad. The mystery schools of great knowledge went underground. It was from these teachers that the Arabs learned mathematics and science, while in Europe the Church suppressed knowledge. What if, the nine knights traveled to either Constantinople or Baghdad and studied under the great teachers? Where else would the knowledge of geometry and the truth about Mary Magdalene come from? It is my assertion that these nine knights spawned their own secret order to carry forward the knowledge they had gained from the great mystery schoolteachers who perhaps were called Magi.

I do not subscribe to the theory that the Knights Templar were perpetuating and protecting the bloodline handed down through royal bloodlines. It does not make sense if one truly reads history. I have already written about the Merovingians and why I do not think they were a main conduit to carry the bloodline. Bishop Gregory of Tours gave the Frankish Merovingian chieftain Clodion the title of king. Before that they were a warring tribe with brother killing brother and the brothers having different mothers. An excellent book to read on the Merovingians is The Birth of France by Katherine Scherman.

There is also the theory that the Grail bloodline was taken to Scotland to the Sinclair's. Rosslyn Chapel is filled with esoteric clues. Several books have been written about Henry Sinclair sailing to Nova Scotia and on down to Massachusetts where there is evidence of the Knights Templar presence. William E. Mann's book The Knights Templar in the New World gives the possibility that the mysterious code left at Rennes le Chateau points to Acadia, Canada, which includes Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. There is evidence according to Mann that Sinclair left clues that have yet to be fully deciphered.

Mann uses in his book the tarot cards as a heading for each chapter with the first chapter being The Fool. By looking at the symbols on the cards, I have realized that these are cards for an initiate of the Great Work. The Fool is the initiate and each succeeding cards indicate various stages of the Journey into full self-realization. I will get back to this, however I want to address what I surmise is the great Secret that the Church did not want revealed and has covertly promoted the myth of the bloodline. Jesus left clues and one is his saying that we can do greater things than he did. He also said, Don't you know your scriptures that you are gods? (Psalms 82:6 and John 10:34.)

What if each of us is a part of the bloodline? What if Henry Sinclair sailed to Acadia to make known an unknown, and he with his other knights did that, and left clues that they had been there? What if Mary Magdalene was a greater teacher than Jesus and, the Knights Templar knew that? What if knowledge of her great works has been eradicated because she was a woman? What if this is all about the individual journeys that each of us must make at one point in time or in another lifetime to realize that we are gods connected to the Source? Religions are the prisons that bind us to beliefs that God is outside of us and that a mortal man can only interpret what the man or men want us to do with do's and don'ts.

What is the Journey? What is the Great Work? It is the discovery that God resides within every human being and each of us is a part of the tapestry of the Source. We have given our power away over eons with one reincarnation after another. Isn't it time we began looking inward and allowing our own Holy Spirit to come forth? How does one begin? There is a saying, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Ask for the teacher. This is what life is all about. Welcome to the Journey.