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Tuesday, December 06, 2005

WHAT THE BLANK DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BIBLE - Part 2

What the Blank Do We Know About the Bible? Part 2
By Bettye Johnson ©

In Part I we have the Annunaki departing the Earth leaving the planet sectioned off in twelve’s and with each sector having twelve tribes and with each tribe ruled by a king or a pharaoh. Exactly when the Annunaki (the gods) left is up for grabs. When one considers that calendars do change such as the Julian, Gregorian, Ethiopic and Mayan, it is difficult to pin the correct year down.

If one were to reason it, how faithful are the ancient writings as to what actually happened? According to Sitchen’s research of the Sumerian Tablets, the Annunaki first arrived around 450,000 B.C. It took them another 250,000 or so years to finally come up with a primitive worker (slave) to do their work for them according to him. From archeological finds in Africa, the first female skeleton found was in Ethiopia and has been named Lucy, a hominid who lived 3.2 million years ago. Perhaps Lucy and her species were the primitive beings found by the Annunaki when they arrived.

Since the archaeological find of Lucy, other skeletons have been found of advanced beings named homo- sapiens or homo- erectus dated 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. They have been found near Greece, Southern France and Germany as well as other places. Perhaps I am getting too far afield, however my point is that the change from the hominid to homo- sapiens indicates a change in the construction of the skull. The research is there to find if one is interested.

All of this is pertinent to the Old Testament (O.T.) because it is a collection of books written at different periods of history and much of it has been handed down by word of mouth and if you have ever played the whispers game, then you do have a working knowledge of how things do get distorted. Dates get changed, names get changed and it changes according to who is doing the translating.

Some scholars claim that Noah’s Ark and the Flood never happened as reported in the O.T. There is archeological proof that a flood did happen in Mesopotamia in 2900 B.C.E. but it was never as great as to flood the entire Earth. In one sense they are correct. I’ll accept that there was a flood, however if one looks at what is called the ‘myth’ of Noah’s Ark, there is another plausible explanation.

According to the Sumerian texts, one of the first kings was Ziusudra later to be known as Noah. He was a favorite of Enki because Enki was the co-creator with Ninhursag of the primitive worker and now some of them had been educated and were ready to rule over the evolved primitive workers. In the story of Adam and Eve, there were many Adams and Eves because the laboratories of Ninhursag produced artificial insemination to birth the original prototypes until they could procreate together. Who knows, Enki could have fathered the predecessors of Ziusudra/Noah.

In the O.T. the story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis has a serpent tempting Eve to eat an apple or to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The serpent represents Enki as the one who gave knowledge to the human-hybrids. If he tempted Eve, it would probably mean he was able to teach her and she in turn taught Adam. Enki taught them knowledge. Isn’t it interesting how stories get twisted when it comes to giving women credit for having a brain and being able to use it? Instead she has been given bad press.

Apparently the Annunaki knew a massive change in the Earth’s pole shift would result in instant flooding and Enlil was prepared to let the primitive workers perish. Enki, because he helped Ninhursag create them didn’t want this to happen and even though he took an oath with the Council of 12 not to inform the workers, he managed to get the information to one of his favorites, Ziusudra/Noah. There is a tablet with a drawing of Enki speaking through a screen to Ziusudra/Noah giving him information. The Annunaki were very advanced beings technologically. They had underwater vessels, which today we call submarines and apparently used them extensively in exploring this planet.

Ziusudra/Noah was told to build an underwater vessel and take on board the DNA/gene seeds of all the animals, etc which he did. When the vessel reached land, it was on top of Mt. Ararat as the story goes. With the DNA, in laboratories the animals, fowls, and other creatures could be re-created. It is reported in the Sumerian texts that the Annunaki also brought grape vines and other plants to establish on this planet. Therefore there could be some truth that Noah did get drunk on the wine he made.

However, in attempting to re-construct these events time wise, there is a very important event that hasn’t been taken into consideration because in many circles it is considered a myth and that is the sinking of the continent Atlantis. Could it be that the great flood was actually the demise of Atlantis? It is said that Lemuria perished centuries before Atlantis became submerged. Events not understood have a way of being relegated to myths. One such is the Pantheon of the Annunaki gods became known as the pantheon of the Greek gods and then the pantheon of the Roman gods and so on. As humankind evolved, names changed and dates possibly changed.

Getting back to the O.T., some researchers say that the Book of Psalms originated from the Egyptians. I mention this because in Psalms 82:6 it states: know ye that ye are gods? The same verse is re-stated by Jesus in John 10:35. Isaiah 41:23 also refers to this. Truth has a way of weaving itself through distortion and disinformation. If the Annunaki are gods, then by having their DNA and genes in the homo- erectus (us), then it means that we are also gods. An interesting thought to contemplate. What intelligence is operating our bodies?

Meanwhile back to Ziusudra/Noah, the O.T. states that Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. They must have brought their wives with them on the submarine because Shem had 5 sons and it is recorded that this family went on their way and settled Persia/Iran, Assyria and Syria and possibly onward Eastward.

Ham, whose name in Hebrew means burnt, black had 4 sons and this family migrated to Africa, which included Cush/Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya and Palestine. This is all most interesting and I will return to this later.

The third son was Japheth and he had 7 sons and according to the historian Flavius Josephus (circa 93 A.CD.), this branch of the family migrated to France, Spain, Wales, Germany and other parts of Europe. They spread out and they multiplied. However if Noah and his family brought others with them and it is very likely they did, then we can see how fast the population swelled. There are myths of a great flood in other parts of the world and one being the Eskimos. One would think it possible that there were other survivors in other parts of the world. Perhaps one day information and verification will arise that this is true. It is something to think about.

Apparently it was after the return of Noah that the gods/Annunaki also returned. It was easy for them to vacate the planet because they had spaceships and a home planet to go to. In the Sumerian texts it tells of a disagreement among the descendents of Enki and Enlil and yes they did fight among themselves. They had the technology of nuclear weapons and it was Ninurta who pushed the button resulting in a nuclear blast and thus the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Archaeologists have found evidence of five cities being destroyed within sight of the Dead Sea. The cities had become white ash. There is also a ziggurat on a platform that is nothing but white ash. Balls of calcified brimstone have also been found. Lot’s wife did not heed the warning to not look back and she became a pillar of salt. In other words, she became white ash. Perhaps this is why the Dead Sea cannot sustain life.

Ham’s name is translated as burnt and black, which is an indication of the color of his skin. Therefore it would be plausible that Noah and all his family were black. The Sumerian texts refer to the Primitive Workers as black hair. In the O.T., using Strong’s Bible Concordance, the words Ethiopia and Ethiopian are mentioned 39 times. Ethiopians have always been known to have black skin. In the Book of Numbers 12:1, it refers to Moses wife as Ethiopian. In all likelihood, Moses was Egyptian and during those days, their skin was very dark ranging from cinnamon color to black.

Another clue as to the skin color is the word leprous. “…behold his skin is white as snow,” (Exodus 4:6) and “Miriam became leprous, white as snow,” (Numbers 12:10). Light skin people turn dark where the skin is leprous and in dark skin people the skin turns white as snow. Therefore it stands to reason that in the O.T. the major characters were of dark skin or black skin and not white as many paintings portray them. If one looks at the statues of Egyptian pharaohs they are usually of a dark hue. This would include the Israelites. Over the past two thousand years there has been intermarriage and the skin hues have gotten lighter except in places of Ethiopia.

The O.T. is in actuality filled with clues. There also appears to be two gods with the most predominant one being Jehovah. Who is Jehovah? He certainly isn’t the God. In the O.T. there is a god that is mean and evil who causes plagues, death and destruction. There is also a god that is loving and in the Book of Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O man, what is good, And what the Lord requires of you: Only to do justice And to love goodness, And to walk humbly with your God. This is important because it is implying to walk humbly with your God, meaning that God is within each individual. Perhaps this was Enki giving instructions.

Many researchers of the O.T. and the Sumerian texts have concluded Jehovah was the Annunaki god Enlil and on the surface it would appear to be so. He had a dislike for his half-brother Enki and his sister Ninhursag because they brought forth the human form, as we know it today. He wanted to be the supreme ruler. He also had the technology for inventing a device to communicate with the humans on Earth and this device could be what is called the Ark of the Covenant. As Jehovah he usually arrived in a pillar of cloud, which indicates a spaceship. The Book of Ezekiel has many references to spaceships. Yes, the extraterrestrials apparently seeded this planet.

It would appear that when the Council of Twelve along with the Annunaki departed this planet that they felt the kings they had trained and put in place could govern well with one exception and that would be Jehovah/Enlil. However, there apparently came a time when he also departed and it would be when the O.T. was accumulated and put together. There is much speculation among researchers and no one has all the answers. It is really up to us individually to sort this out according to our understanding and beliefs.

The Sumerian texts tell of Enlil’s granddaughter Inanna being given dominion over the area known as India. Inanna is also known as Ishtar. Archaeologists in 1922 discovered the ancient city of Harappa and other cities in and near the Indus Valley. The people of that era had huge planned cities with straight streets; brick homes with private baths and each house had its own bathroom and private well. The sewers ran under the streets. These sites are dated approximately 5,000 years ago. Perhaps this was one of the 12 sectors because Inanna was a member of the Council.

China could also be another one of the 12 sectors. There have been skeletons found that are dated 3 million years ago. The first written documents began around 3600 years ago.

There is so much history yet to be revealed regarding South America, the North American continent as well as Asia. Our history is not just the O.T. There were great civilizations on the continents of Atlantis and Lemuria and most of it is under the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Archaeologists are determining that there is evidence of skeletons dating as far back as 50,000 years or beyond in North America. When we open our minds to new information, we get an entirely different perspective…to be continued. Part 3 – The New Testament.

"The journey is the gathering of pearls of wisdom gained from experiences and remembering who you really are." - A Christmas Awakening

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

WHAT THE BLANK DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BIBLE - Part I

By Bettye Johnson © 2005

What the blank do we know about the Bible? If you have been like me, not very much. I have been on an odyssey for many years learning what the Bible is all about and I used this research when I wrote “Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.” Since its publication I have continued to research and over the years have learned that the Bible is all about distorted history, false claims, codes and much more. The following are my perceptions and they make sense to me based on the information I have found.

The DaVinci Code has triggered an interest in wanting to know what these characters of history are all about and this includes, Mary Magdalene, Jesus, the Catholic Church, and religion along with Leonardo DaVinci. Who is right? Who is wrong? Well, it depends on what one wants to believe.

In doing research, I learned that most of the documents are filled with truths and half-truths as well as lies. I have kept in mind that in ancient times there were no computers and no spell check. Anyone who has written a book knows how valuable editors are and even then a glitch manages to get by. In ancient times not all the scribes were well educated. Research is very much like unraveling a puzzle or one could say it is following Ariadne’s Web.

During my odyssey I have learned that the Bible is in actuality a book about control – meaning the control of the human mind. It is said that elephants not living in the wild have been tamed by hobbling them to a stake. The elephants are strong enough to pull up the stake, but do not and allow themselves to be chained. Why? It is because of their programming/training. Humans are much like elephants. They allow themselves to be hobbled to belief systems given to them by someone outside of themselves. They have hobbled minds. The Bible is one such tool and the hobbling has been reinforced for eons by religion with its origins thousands of years ago.

In the Book of Genesis there is a verse about the creation of the human. It states: “Let us make man in our image…” (Genesis 1:26). This one verse should cause bells to ring in our brain. However most theologians and so-called experts ignore it, claim it is a mistranslation or scratch their heads while thinking what the blank is this all about?

In Genesis the words Anunnaki, Elohim and Nephilim are mentioned. The word Elohim is from the Hebrew and most theologians and religions allege it means the Jewish and Christian God. However, this is a misinterpretation because Elohim is derived from the word eloah, which is feminine. . It comes from eloah goddess plus im, which makes it a plural ending. To remove the ah and adding im, this becomes plural and through the ages the patriarchs of the Jewish religion and Christian religions have assumed it means a male God. From the website of Hebrew4Christians, it gives Eloah as the singular form of Elohim meaning God. In the Hebrew Tanakh (The Jewish Bible) the work Eloah is mentioned 70 times. This will be addressed as you read on.

The Anunnaki represents a group of Sumerian mythological and Akkadian deities. But were they myths? And why are they mentioned in the Old Testament? Great scholars have translated ancient Sumerian texts that tell the story of the Anunnaki coming to planet Earth from another planet that some call Nibiru. The head of these Anunnaki was Anu who was the chairman of a high council of 12 gods with the Earth being divided into 12 sectors with one sector to each of these 12 gods – or so the story goes. There is nothing set in concrete, therefore one must tread carefully through the mind-field of research. Zechariah Sitchen has done an admirable job with his books, The Earth Chronicles of which are his interpretations of the translations of the Sumerian texts. His research indicates Nibiru was the 12th planet in our planetary system. From this planet came a council of 12 with each member given a piece of the Earth. This is most interesting and intriguing and I will return to this later.

One might ask why did they come to this planet and what was their intent. According to Sitchen, scouts were sent out to find a planet containing gold. Nibiru has an extremely long orbit and the further away from the sun life diminishes. Therefore gold is needed to seed their atmosphere and bring light to the planet. All of this supposedly happened approximately 450,000 years ago with the advance party finding gold. The Anunnaki began to mine it and transport it back to Nibiru. Their first landing is reportedly in the Mesopotamia area that became the base of their operations.

After some thousands of years, the Anunnaki workers became tired of mining for gold and ask that other workers be secured to take their place. In those days, an Anunnaki year was equal to a few thousand of ours.

In Genesis 6:1-18 there is reference to the Nephilim and this word has been translated to mean giants or mighty men. The verses go on to tell of the Sons of God and the Daughters of men who mated and bore children. Now what the blank does this mean? Already living on Earth was a strain of entities similar to apes that were evolving at their own pace.

According to most of the Sumerian scholars, Anu had two sons named Enlil and Enki by different mothers and a daughter named Ninhursag. There are many variations of their relationships, however the overall thread I have found is that Ninhursag was a great scientist – a geneticist and Enki was also a scientist. As the story goes, Ninhursag, the geneticist began experimenting with the local entities to create slave labor. Perhaps this is where the centaurs came from or the Pegasus. None of this happened overnight. There were many experiments but none could reproduce. One could call this first being Adam, however it could not reproduce. The great Mother Goddess (Eloah) Ninhursag chose to fertilize the eggs of the female entities with the sperm of the Anunnaki. The female Anunnaki became surrogate mothers and carried these fetuses to birth. Thus came Adam and Eve plus a host of others with each female reproducing. The Eve was an evolution of the Adam.

There really couldn’t be only one Adam and Eve because who would Cain marry? Where did his ‘wife’ come from? Over a period of time, the new humans being born were refined; however there is another part of the story in the Bible and this is the tales that Eve ate an apple and insisted Adam eat of it also. Eve became the bad girl and much blame has been placed on her. What happened, according to my research and choosing that which makes the most sense – is that the serpent represents knowledge. In the Sumerian tablets, Enki is represented as a serpent and the god of wisdom. He gave them knowledge. Enki is said to have given his sperm to create the hybrid worker.

It is most likely Ninhursag, who in all probability is the Eloah, had a laboratory for genetic engineering in each of the 12 sectors given to the Council of 12 members. It is said that those humans who did not meet the standards she was after for slave labor were turned out of the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Edens being the laboratories for genetic engineering. Yes, they were kicked out rather than being exterminated. Now what did they do? They learned to become self sufficient and multiplied. Those who migrated to the hot regions developed a pigment in their skin that made their skin very dark. Others migrated to areas where it was cooler and their skin became lighter.

The greatness of Ninhursag is that she along with the team of scientists helping her developed a magnificent computer brain for the new humans. The only drawback is that it was a divided brain with the potential of becoming unified and filled with unlimited neuro networks. A brilliant woman! To add to this, the human was given a great DNA and now scientists are realizing that there is much more to the so-called junk DNA. From my perspective it means we have the genes of not only the gods AKA Anunnaki, but also the primitive female of 100,000 years ago. Sitchen has given a timeline in his book The Twelfth Planet: Year 445,000 the Nephilim arrived on Earth led by Enki; Earth undergoes interglacial period; 300,000 the Anunnaki mutiny and Ninhursag with Enki began creating an entity to be a worker. It wasn’t until approximately 100,000 that the worker was created to where they could propagate. A recent Pravda article dated 10/11/05 states that researchers claim that centaurs were for real which lends credence to the possibility these creatures were part of Ninhursag's experiments.

If one is interested enough, there are many sources with information to really find out what the Old Testament is all about. A familiar name such as Noah must have been a hybrid offspring of the Anunnaki or Nephilim and the daughters of the primitive beings. It is perfectly plausible that the famous Ark Noah built was a type of submarine and instead of actual two by two animals and birds, Noah took with him a genetic bank including DNA so these animals and birds could be recreated again once the deluge subsided. How could anyone take a pair of horses, cows, elephants, etc.?

Over many thousand years, each sector developed under the rule of one of the Council of 12 and flourished. Archaeology is discovering more and more artifacts each year. There are the great pyramids with the most famous ones being those located in Egypt. Pyramids have been located in Mexico, Yucatan, Bosnia, China and there are the mysterious mounds in the U.S. Could it be that Stonehenge and other formations along with the flattop pyramids were landing pads for the space ships of the Anunnaki? The Old Testament has within it many references to space ships with the Book of Ezekiel being the most noted.

Zechariah Sitchen published The 12th Planet in 1976 and this was the beginning of awareness being brought forth to the public. Since then, there have been many scholars and many translations that have enhanced this research. Sitchen’s works are well worth reading for those who seek to know more. Another interesting book published in the 70’s is Ruth Montgomery’s The World Before. Since then information has burgeoned. For a glossary of the Sumerian gods, I suggest you read The Lost Book of Enki by Sitchen.

Returning to the use of number 12, I have had a desire to understand the meaning of the number 12 for many years. We have the 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles, 12 Days of Christmas, 12 signs in the Zodiac, 12 months in a year, 12 members of a jury, and now the 12th planet along with the 12 sectors or 12 regions and a council of 12. I finally found an understanding in John Michell’s book New Light on the Ancient Mystery of Glastonbury. In his book, Michell writes of Plato’s own account of how the culture of early civilization began when the gods reigned on earth. When they departed, “they initiated certain people into the secrets of their law.”

Michell writes, “These civilizations were built upon an esoteric code of law. Essentially it was a code of number, representing the mathematics of creation, and from it were derived all the art forms and institutions of the nation, its music, the proportions of the temples and even its constitution.” This indicates a great foundation. Michell goes on to write that the gods who first ruled were 12 in number. Here are the 12 again.

We have 12 gods with each governing the 12 regions of the earth. We must remember that this happened over thousands of years. As Plato had written in his Laws, there came a time when the gods knew they had to depart and with the selected and trained people in the secrets of their laws, the Earth was placed in the care of kingships. In each region 12 tribes were created. From the 12 regions each with its 12 tribes we have a total of 144 tribes. Each tribe having a king and each region or sector corresponded to zodiacal signs and the months of the year. At last I had an answer that resonated within me.

As long as the standards set forth were upheld, the societies flourished and when the societies began ignoring the standards, decadence set in. It would appear we have gone downhill instead of evolving. However we have had our peaks and now with what is going on in the world we appear to be in a deep valley.

From the translations of the Sumerian tablets, not all of these gods were benevolent. There became a time when some were fighting among themselves for control over the Earth and there was jealousy and hate. One only has to read the Old Testament to realize how mean and vile the god Jehovah was. But who was Jehovah? He must have been a descendent of the original members of the Council of 12. There are records from the Sumerian tablets that among the Nephilim there was a great war, which today we would describe nuclear. This is also given in ancient Vedic texts. Could it be why we have the Dead Sea where there is no life in it? The Great Salt Lake in Utah also has so much salt that fish cannot survive in it.

According to Sitchen it was around 13,000 years ago when the Nephilim departed and the humans survived the great deluge. Thus the Old Testament creates a storyline of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Apparently these 12 tribes were created over many thousand of years and for anyone to claim a lineage from the names in the Old Testament is ludicrous. In fact, it is plain silly and indicates a lack of understanding in the research done.
…To be continued.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

TO FORGIVE OR NOT TO FORGIVE - THAT IS THE QUESTION

Recently I was sent an email filled with statements of hate and anger because Jane Fonda is going to be honored for some good works she has done. It has been over 40 years since Fonda did her infamous broadcasting to U.S. troops in Vietnam from the enemy’s side. Forty years is a long, long time to hold onto hatred and anger, however many people do. I did.

I remember my own anger at the time Fonda went to Hanoi and consorted with the Vietcong. At that time I was married to a career Marine and we had three sons. My husband spent two tours in Vietnam with the Marine Air Wing. Each time I would make the trek back to my hometown in West Texas with our sons so they could have an association with family. On our second trip there was a sponsored rally at the local football stadium to promote support for our troops and patriotism. From a city of nearly a 70,000 population, there was less than one hundred attending. I was shocked and hurt. In fact, from my viewpoint it was pitiful.

After my anger subsided, I began questioning why had patriotism gone by the wayside in our country. The country seemed split with young men moving to other countries to avoid the draft. We had anti-war demonstrations all over the country and some with violence on the part of the police. It was a time of hippies; make peace – not war and young men dying in Vietnam. We also had John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. All assassinated and for what? This was a period when I had all of my beliefs shaken to the core.

Vietnam. The word conjures up different images and memories for people. I had grown up with an image of WWII being an honorable war with the country united in patriotism. With Vietnam it was different. I remember my husband writing to me from Vietnam and saying that he and others had been issued weapons and were told they could not shoot first. They could only return fire if fired upon first. That was a shocker to me. It was like no other war fought before in history that I could ascertain.

My background knowledge of Vietnam began when I was working in the embassy in Paris. I worked in the code room encoding and decoding messages. During my tenure, the French who had colonized Indochina – now called Vietnam – were fighting a bloody battle to retain their supremacy. Others and I in the code room began working double-shifts resulting in 16-hour workdays. Sometimes the messages coming in from Indochina were garbled and we would get the International New York Herald Tribune and see if we could make any sense from the place names such as Dien Bien Phu so we could resolve the garble.

As I recall, the U.S. was being asked to come to the aid of the French, however John Foster Dulles, the Secretary of State refused. Finally the French pulled out and the country was now in the hands of the Vietcong who were painted as despicable communists. The word communist was used as an excuse to strike terror in the hearts of American citizens. I was in Paris at the time Senator Joe McCarthy conducted his famous witch-hunts. His witch-hunts led to the trials and sentencing to death of the Rosenbergs. I observed the European anti-American protests gatherings. I was working in the Embassy one evening when the Place de la Concord was filled with anti-American protestors. I remember going to the roof of the Embassy and watching. It was frightening. The Rosenbergs years later were found to be innocent of the charges after their execution.

What does this have to do with Fonda and Vietnam? It really has to do with forgiveness and my forgiveness. Before the U.S. presence in Vietnam escalated, I was now married to my Marine husband and we were stationed in Hawaii. The wives had a grapevine and we knew that every six months a squadron would leave on a secret mission to Vietnam. We were supposed to think at that time we only had military observers there. After JFK’s assassination Johnson openly escalated the presence of the military there and it was indeed a war.

Referring back to the beginning of my questioning of why there was a lack of patriotism in the U.S. for this war, I received it some years later. I have learned that our presence in Vietnam was not at all altruistic. I also learned why the French so desperately attempted to hold on to their control. Indochina, now called Vietnam, was a corridor for drug trafficking. It was the corridor to the Golden Triangle long known for their opium trade. The Golden Triangle encompasses the hills of northern Burma, northern, Laos and northern Thailand. The young people in the sixties knew it was an immoral war and why. It was also a time when the use of drugs almost became a national epidemic.

Jane Fonda is older and wiser now. She has publicly apologized for her actions in Vietnam and has since done many great works. She is also a Christian now. Shouldn’t she be forgiven? In the Bible there are at least three verses in the book of Luke where Jesus speaks on forgiveness and at least two verses on forgiveness in the book of Matthew. If Christ can forgive and if there is forgiveness in God, why can’t we humans forgive? To hold on to anger and hatred of someone’s past actions is like dragging dead mules across the field of the mind.

Today we are in the midst of another war and it is fought differently from past wars. Instead of it being a war for control of drugs, this one is for control of oil. Perhaps it also has something to do with drugs. Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq raise poppies for opium and its derivatives. I am now past anger. I find that by standing back and observing, my life is richer. I have experienced deep anger held in my mind and my body for fifty years. The anger when it was released was so volatile that my body rocked with it for three days. That is when I said enough is enough. Forgiveness is so sweet.

Today the word communist has been supplanted by the word terrorist to strike fear in the American people and to justify the U.S. presence in Iraq. Today there is a movement of awakening once again in this country and also in the world. We must each empower our own self and we do this by seeking knowledge. Once we have knowledge we have choices. We must become our own authority. An authority is one who is in power now. We have given our power away to the news media, the government, the pharmaceutical companies, religions and corporate America. Didn’t Goliath slay the Giant? I would say that this is an allegory. Could it be that the first stone Goliath sent to the Giant was a stone of forgiveness? It is something to think about.

I can say from experience that to hold on to anger, resentment and judgment for forty years or longer is only hurting the holder. So I say, let’s forgive Jane Fonda and others and move into a more exciting aspect of our life – our mind. Forgiveness does not mean inaction. Forgiveness opens the doors to wise choices and decisions to where we do take action. The memory may be there, but the pain and its residue to no more.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

What Is Glamour?

WHAT IS GLAMOUR?
By Bettye Johnson ©

Glamour. The word is intriguing and brings to mind images of something exotic, alluring and deliciously fashionable. In today's usage it pertains to someone who is alluring or beautiful. There is even a magazine with the name Glamor. Today's marketing directed to women and young girls is all about becoming glamorous and alluring to attract the opposite sex. Another word that would apply is bewitching. However, the origin of the word glamour or glamor has a deeper meaning.
In Scotland the word glamour is the Scots form of the word grammar. One might ask how could this be? In other words, what does glamour have to do with grammar? It is a little bit like unraveling a ball of yarn.
In medieval times, grammar was used as a synonym for Latin. Hence, it meant the study of Latin. This evolved into our present day grammar school and also referring to the proper usage of language. This evolution is interesting because it evolved from glamour to mean, all learning as recorded in Latin and the occult sciences as associated with this learning. Therefore, the meaning became associated with learning Latin. From that it has shifted into present day usage.
In medieval times Latin was learned by only a few because the Church rituals were spoken in Latin and this meant the lay people could not understand what was said. This enabled the Church to retain power over the people. Therefore it was assumed that if one could not read Latin, then one did not have access to the same power the priests supposedly had. Thus, the old Middle English word gramarye had two meanings: the rules of sentence formation and occult knowledge of magic or necromancy.”
Originally the Scottish meaning of glamour was a special type of spell that causes its victims to misperceive reality and it can also be said to be magic, a spell or a charm. Cassandra Eason in her book Faeries and Magical Beings writes that glamour is the power of enchantment. It is the power of illusion and also to shape shift. I've heard women say, I've got to put my face on, meaning to put on make-up. My dictionary also includes in the definitions, putting on a false face. Isn't that the same as creating an illusion? Shakespeare wrote, all the world is a stage and we are the players on it. We are each an illusionist in that we put one face on for the outer world and another for our inner world.
From my research, glamour is more than magic or illusion or grammar. In reading The Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East, I would say that the Masters use glamour. Bi-location, the art of becoming invisible and teleporting are forms of glamour. It is all very intriguing and it raises the question, do we really know the meanings of our words that we speak?

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Character: A Contemplation

Recently I attended an event held in the school gymnasium of a local school. On one wall was a large banner sign reading “We Build Character”. This caught my attention and I began pondering what building character really meant. Therefore, I embarked on an excursion to learn what building character was about. I have been told that we (collectively) do not know the meaning of our words and I have learned that this is very true.
Using a dictionary and the Internet, I began my search and found a wide range of diverse interpretations of character. From one source I found 10 meanings, while from another source there were 12. When I went to my own New World Dictionary of the American Language, Second College Edition, I noted there were 16 interpretations of the word character!
There was one definition from this dictionary that I deemed to be quite interesting and that is, a) a mystical symbol or magical emblem; b) a code or cipher. Although this was very enlightening, it didn’t really tell me how to build character. At this point, I will not go into all the remaining definitions and will leave that up to the reader. My contemplation and research was to determine for myself what to build character means.
Taking a strand of character, I began unraveling the aspects of building character. What stood out for me were two words: moral fiber and along with this the word moral. Off I go to determine the meaning of moral and the best I could come up with is that moral means different things to different people, ethnic groups, and segments of a population.
The recent election of a president in the United States indicated that many people polled as they were leaving the voting place, reportedly said that what determined their vote was the moral values of the person or party they voted for. Those are words – from my perspective – that are easy to throw out to an uneducated public who are people who do no research on their own, but depend on advertising and the news media to give them what they deem to be truthful information. Unfortunately this is prevalent in this country.
What do we build character on? To build anything, it must have a foundation. Just as there are many architectural foundations for building a house or a building, there are many foundations to build character on. Taking a strand of moral values, I have determined that basically it means determining right from wrong or as a segment of society interprets it, good and evil; with evil being anything that does not agree with one’s belief system. Religion, and it doesn’t matter if it is Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or whatever, has used the word moral for control purposes to instill in the child – the individual the beliefs that the particular religion adheres to.
One web site I viewed had an article entitled Moral Safety that gave the idea of creating a moral environment by searching for a higher meaning and purpose. It went on to say that a moral safe environment allows an ongoing ethical dialogue. Ah, a new word, ethical and going back to my dictionary, I learned that ethics pertains to a code or system of morals of a particular person, religion, organization, profession, etc. Who determines those? This can become very manipulative when we give our power away to a religion, group or a position of power.
There are, from my perspective, some precepts that fit most societies for moral values even though these apparently seem to be empty but nice sounding words. These words are honesty, kindness, integrity, justice, courage and from the Moral Safety article, ‘…an honoring of the past and hope for the future.’
Over 2000 years ago a great teacher came into this world and gave a very simple teaching on morals and ethics. His name was Jesus who is also known as Yeshua ben Joseph. In the Sermon on the Mount, he simply states, “Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you.” He also taught, “Judge not because if you do, you will be judged.” He also went on to say, ‘…don’t you read your scriptures? It says, know you are gods.’
Returning to building character, I am bemused at how it really comes down to power. Whoever is in power, determines what is moral and ethical.Going back to the sign I noted in the gymnasium, I wondered if the principal or teachers really knew what that sign meant. Who determines the qualities to instill in our children? Religion? Government? Parents? Guardians? One source I found writes that to build character in children is to teach them to respect. Really? The article goes on to say respect is to be shown to parties in the position of authority and responsibility. What if those parties are immoral in their personal and professional lives? Respect from my way of thinking comes when one has earned it by being an honorable person. There should be no respect given to those who sit in judgment or are prejudiced. There are many aspects as to who and what is to be respected.
We are all so diverse; that it is a challenge to determine what is right or wrong for any one person unless there is instilled in the child a code of values that could be simple. One code is to teach a child to be weird. Yes, weird using the Old English meaning, which is having the power to control destiny or fate. To control one’s own destiny or fate is empowerment.
Perhaps weird is a foundation to build character on. To teach a child to utilize their thinking processes for the achievement of their own individual purpose for being here is a building block. To teach a child to honor and love first their self and not to be like everyone else is another building block. To enable children to find out what their own personal talents are is a great achievement.
From London, Nangamso Mabindla writes of a Moral Regeneration Movement spearheaded by the head of the education department of this East London area. There was actually a march on City Hall with Mkhangeli Matometa saying that the …Moral Regeneration Movement could only achieve its goal by empowering the youth with the most powerful tool available – knowledge.
Shakespeare wrote, All the world is a stage and we are but the players on it. The world is our stage and each of us is the writer, producer, director and the cast of characters. As in a play, we build our character by the choices we make and the attitudes we hold. We can play the victim, the tyrant, the comic, the lover or whatever we choose. There is nothing in our life that is coincidence, fortuitous or even unexplainable.
Our character has many building blocks and fortunately none of them is set in concrete. Knowledge is the basic building block and from knowledge we can build and alter any character we choose to be. Knowledge gives us the power to determine the destiny of our life – we can all be weird.
Life is a banquet and we can choose life as a full banquet or a meager banquet. Choosing our character determines the life we live. We can use a simple formula: knowledge plus attitude plus choices becomes our building blocks. We can ask ourselves, ‘what building blocks am I choosing?’ and ‘what character am I choosing to live?’
Perhaps each of us as a character is a mystical symbol – a magical emblem. Perhaps by playing our character role, we are endeavoring to decipher the code of who we really are. May we all enhance our character with living our role in a light heart and in joy.
…and so it is.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Intellectual Design Versus Evolution Theory

In recent news, it is reported there is a movement to teach Intellectual Design in schools along with the theory of Evolution. This caught my interest and I began researching for more information. It would appear that Intellectual Design (ID) is another form of the creationist theory and alleges that life came from intelligence from a being or alien beings. Alien beings? I am simplifying this. The Christian movement is urging that ID be taught in schools along with the theory of Evolution, however all indications point to the slant being towards the Christian god as the responsible being.

After contemplating this, I have concluded they are both correct in one sense. If one were to reason this, it would have to be an intelligence that initiated the creation of life in the universe and once the idea came into being that there would be natural evolution of the species. However, I take issue with the Christian point of view that it was their god. In actuality there were and are many gods.

If one were to go to the Christian Bible, and read Genesis, 1st chapter, one would find most of it was about a God. It doesn’t say whose god. However in Genesis 1:26 there is an interesting verse, “And god said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea…..” Doesn’t that sound like more than one god?

By the way, I am using the King James Version. I also know this has puzzled theologians for years. However, if one were to research the Sumerian tablets, one would learned about the Nephilim, also called the Annunaki, which tells of gods who came to Earth and created man and woman. The book of Genesis has a basis founded on the Sumerian tablets. As with most things, the books of the Bible underwent many translations and changes. Zechariah Sitchin is a noted authority on the Sumerian tablets and his Earth Chronicles are worth perusing. Perhaps in the many translations the word God got switched from us and our to I.

One example of this is the word Lucifer. From what I can ascertain, Christian beliefs hold that Lucifer was a fallen angel and have given this angel the name of Lucifer. However, if one becomes a sleuth and researches, one would learn that the first mention of Lucifer is in the book of Isaiah 14:12. From a scholar at the library of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, the original Hebrew text has no mention of a fallen angel. What it mentions is a reference to a fallen Babylonian king, who in his lifetime persecuted the children of Israel either by name or reference.

So where did the Christians get the idea that Lucifer was a fallen angel and thus Satan? The same Hebrew scholar speculated that perhaps early Christian scribes who were writing in Latin, which was used by the Church, made a decision on their own that they wanted the story to be about a fallen angel and gave the angel the name “Lucifer.” Interesting speculation and I wonder what else was changed by the early scribes who were also the monks. There have been numerous translations and with the early scribes having no computer or typewriter, they had to do it by hand. It is a probability that not all the handwriting was always legible.

It is also written that the theologians authorized by King James I to translate the Bible into English did not use the original Hebrew texts. They used versions translated by St. Jerome in the fourth century. What I have concluded is to be careful in attributing anything in the Bible as being absolute.

Therefore, it concerns me the idea of Intelligent Design if it is promoted by the mainstream Christians and their one God theory – meaning the Christian God. I am inclined to agree with
the interpretation that creation came from an intelligent being or alien beings. It would stand to reason that the Sumerian tablets are correct, meaning that a group of alien beings named the Elohim, Annunaki or Nephilim came to this Earth in space ships. According to Sumerian translations, it was a female scientist who genetically engineered the Earth human with the Annunaki who already knew they were gods. Thus, came the human being as it is today. One might call it genetic engineering. I would say that is ID and it is also evolution because the species of the humans did evolve into what we are today.

The idea of Christianized ID means including a devil or Satan and that brings to mind, how could there be one God if there is a Satan or a devil? The Christian emphasis on Satan gives this entity equal power over the one God it would seem. Or, could it be that the Christians have two Gods?
It is convenient to have a scapegoat to blame anything that one doesn’t like on a devil or a Satan. It is very convenient to have a scapegoat to blame on one’s misdoings and it alleviates guilt. It means no one has to take responsibility.

I can’t say I have resolved anything about the issued of ID versus evolution, but if what I have written causes some people to wonder, perhaps it has been worth it all. Yes, both evolution and Intelligent Design should be taught, but taught from an open-minded view. Will the teachers have an open mind, or will they have their own biases? It really is something to think about and research before giving an endorsement to either Evolution or ID.

Monday, August 15, 2005

What is the real DaVinci Code?

There is so much hoop-da-la regarding Dan Brown's book The DaVinci Code that I find it amazing that a work of fiction could create books and television programs attempting to debunk his research.

In the lastest from the Discovery Channel is a program titled: The Real DaVinci Code, I viewed it yesterday and after viewing it, I am led to put my 'two cents worth' in.

First, if one were to reason it, the so-called 'experts' have a reputation at stake and naturally they are not going to change their positions. Noted historians are - from my persective and from my research - only promoting recycled ignorance. That doesn't make them dumb or unintelligent - it is only repeating an ignorance that has been perpetuated upon societies including the halls of 'higher' education for hundreds of years.

One can have a string of Ph.D's after one's name and it doesn't make one smarter than another who uses their reasoning power. I was told many years ago by a Ph.D holder that the letters mean: "Piled Higher and Deeper." Therefore to give a Ph.D holder the title of 'expert' only means that you have given your power away. I am in a position to say this because I do have a Ph.D and I am choosing not to use it because I don't think it is necessary.

I know this will step on toes and that is wonderfu! Perhaps it is time that each of us use the brains we have to expand our mind with knowledge and become our own expert.

If one studied the law of the Jews at the time of Jesus, it clearly is pointed out that in order to be called a rabbi that the man had to be married. This was not brought out in the above mentioned television program. There is no evidence of Peter ever going to Rome or that the title of bishop was used before 325 A.D. The only 'proof' or 'evidence' of Jesus comes from the New Testament which was created in 325 A.D. by Emperor Constantine who had sought the advice of a female oracle's writings of 500 years before. The oracle prophisized that the one head of the Roman Empire at this time would have to create a new religion in order to stay in power and Constantine did by converting to Christianity.

Everything else has come from the Catholic Church. In the New Testament, there is no mention of Mary Magdalen being a prostitute or a whore. This was done by a Pope Gregory about 500 years after the disappearance of Jesus. This lie was perpetuated by the Church until a few hundred years ago - give or take a hundred years or so. How many other lies are there to be brought to light and accepted by humanity? Or does humanity wants to stay dumb and ignorant?

We are already inundated with priests who have raped small boys and in Ireland there is the Order of the Magdalene nuns that kidnapped small girls and young women to make slaves out of them. And so I ask, why would anyone give credence to a church that has done nothing about these travesties for hundreds of years. Why would one give credence to a church who killed thousands of women during the Inquisition? They do have cause to worry.

I found the "investigator" of the Discovery program rather flippant and not at all shocked at the number of Cathars and women slaughtered by the Catholic Church. I found it a bit scarey to see the bobbing head of supposedly a Jesus on the dashboard of his auto and the view of the picture of Jesus on his car key ring. I was not impressed with his 'knowing' looks at times.

It's not that I am anti-religion. I am anti-hypocrisy.

This is the age to move from ignorance to enlightenment.

Friday, June 10, 2005

Mind Expansion

Since writing Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, I have been asked a number of times if there are real scrolls and where did I get a copy of them. Before I answer that, I want to give some background.

The greatest thing we can for our mind is to gain knowledge. There are times when we do not understand what we are hearing or what we are reading, however by persevering, it begins to permeate our mind and brings understanding. Some years ago I was introduced to Religious Science, also known as Science of the Mind. Even though the words were in English, I felt like I was hearing and reading a foreign language. Within me, I knew there was something important there and I persevered. Finally a light went on in my brain and when the understanding came, it seemed so simple. It became my accepted thought.

Along the way and as I gained more knowledge, I began to realize that the brain was the carrier of information coming from the mind. The more knowledge I gained, the greater understanding came to me. I had heard of the Akashic Records and at one point it seemed to be airy fairy. I had heard there were those who seemingly were able to go into these records and access information of the past, present and future. I thought this was interesting but the realization didn't fully come to me of the importance of this until I began studying quantum physics. In quantum physics the past, present and future exist simultaneously. Timelines are not necessarily linear.

Quantum physics? Those two words seem to be frightening to most people who think only a genius or a physicist could understand it. For one who failed algebra in high school, I approached this subject with trepidation. When I was taught the basic concepts, quantum physics became easy to understand and it is accessible to anyone who desires to know.

In studying the brain and mind, I have learned that all thoughts go into a great quantum cauldron, which is called the Mind of God - or the Akashic Records. Some may call it quantum Mind. Every thought that has ever been thought is in this Great Cauldron and can be accessed by anyone who wants to know if they really want to know. All thoughts of the past, present and future exist now in the Mind of God. When we gain knowledge and experience, along with giving up limitation after limitation, the greater the ability we will have to access the greater Mind of God. We are expanding the neuronets in our brain to allow for more information to be accessed. Our brain is like a radio. It receives and sends information. It is also a powerful computer.

Now getting back to the Magdalene Scrolls and the question: are they real? Perhaps. I knew I wanted to write a book and the idea came to me of scrolls. As I began writing, the book took on its own form and I have said many times that it is as if the book was writing itself. Often I had no idea where the twists and turns would take the story. Perhaps I was tapping into knowledge that already exists in the Mind of God.

In the quantum world, all things exist simultaneously and all things are possible. It is possible and a potential that there are actual scrolls waiting to be found and I was the one to herald their existence. Maybe there is a surprise around the corner. Stay in touch and perhaps we will learn more.

The sequel to Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls began writing itself in my head this past January. Oh what a grand adventure!

Saturday, May 07, 2005

The Maternal Link

© 2005 Bettye Johnson

Books and articles that place women beneath men have subjugated women for eons and are tiresome. In writing my book. Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls about Mary Magdalene, I found it a challenge to find any credible history of that era. The information available was written by men and for the most part, men who were monks. That should tell us something. Some claim to have evidence of the genealogy of the bloodline of Mary Magdalene and Jesus and that is even more interesting. Men put the so-called reputable charts together and only once in a great while was the mother named. Thus, it became that the lineage was handed down from king to king. That in itself is suspect and I wonder if these kings and men of royalty were hatched in an incubator.

Science today is indicating that this is not so. There is scientific evidence from archaeology combined with the study of the DNA and genes that it is a possibility women and men came from one woman nicknamed Eve. The primary piece of evidence is called mitochondria

An article by Rebecca Cann of the University of Hawaii, together with her two male coworkers, stunned the scientific world when it was published in the British journal Nature on January 1, 1987. The article, Mitochondrial DNA and Human Evolution, alleges that all people living on Earth now can date their ancestry back to 200,000 years ago to a particular woman living at that time. Since that article was published, there have been other scientific studies and subsequent research alleges it could have been a group of women. What does this mean for women?

It means that the hereditary maternal DNA is carried by the mitochondria, which is passed from mother to daughter. Any mitochondria in the male sperm dies and is not passed to the daughters or the sons. Therefore, if a man and woman have only sons, the woman’s mitochondria carrying the lineage dies out. When a son with no female sibling marries a woman and they have a daughter, then that woman’s mitochondria DNA is passed down. From my perspective, it would be quite onerous to trace the lineage unless one knew who the females were.

What is the mitochondrial? From the science reports I have researched, the general consensus is that it carries the power of the energy of a cell. It could also be called the power generator of the cell. The mitochondria also have other functions, but for the purpose of this article, I want to emphasize the importance it has in tracing a lineage because the mitochondria also has its own DNA.

I find it a tragedy that down through the ages and today in some cultures, it is the male child that is desired and in a few cultures the female baby is killed. Because of the attitudes of the men of history, almost all knowledge of powerful and wonderful women has been either suppressed or eradicated. In some instances such as Mary Magdalene, Lucretia Borgia, Marie Antoinette, they have been portrayed as either sinners or in unflattering terms. I chose to portray Mary Magdalene as a powerful woman in her own right and I used my research to write this story in novel form. She was the wife of Jesus and they had two children.

I find it interesting that I have three sons and therefore my mitochondria is not passed down. It stops with me, however my sister had three girls and they will carry on the line. My granddaughters now carry the maternal lineage through their mothers’ mitochondria. I primarily raised my sons alone, as their father was a career military man and away two-thirds of our married life. This arrangement gave me the opportunity to raise my sons as I wanted to and they have all grown into splendid men. They are loving, caring men and are not prejudice against women.

We, the women must take the responsibility of teaching our sons and daughters that each is an equal. It can begin in the womb. While carrying a child in the womb, the woman can speak to it and begin the teaching along with playing classical music. A fetus is aware in the womb. Now, that is another study in itself.

For further research, I recommend reading Zechariah Sitchen’s book The Lost Book of Enki. An excellent website is from a NOVA documentary, Tracing Ancestry Through MiDNA, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/neanderthals/mtdna.html ~

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Questions and Answers


Q: I have been asked numerous times how it came about that I wrote about Mary Magdalene along with the question of ‘did you channel this?’
A: First, I will address why I chose to write this book about Mary Magdalene. Having once been a minister, I became so aware of the exclusion of beautiful, intelligent and powerful women in the Bible. Somehow, I couldn’t see Mary Magdalene being a prostitute. I had already become a champion of women and worked to pass the Equal Rights Amendment and fortunately today it is alive, only needing three states to ratify it. It is a travesty that women in the United States need an amendment for equal rights! In fact, it is a travesty the way women are treated all over the world.

In my quest for knowledge, I studied the lives and roles of many women in the world. What I noted was that most famous women were usually portrayed in an unflattering way. Now, I am not anti-male. I have three beautiful sons and I learned a great deal about males from them; and if we women had been smart enough to train them, we probably would not have the mindsets in society that we do today. Ignorant men have written history.

In 2000, while on a trip to Spain and the Languedoc area of France, I became intrigued with the Black Madonnas I came across. It seemed as though almost every church I visited had one and usually she was placed off to one side. From this trip, I began in earnest to research the Black Madonnas and the possible relationship to Mary Magdalene. My research evolved into the book, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.
Having traveled through the French side of the Pyrenees, it seemed logical to begin the story there. I wrote it as fiction because the story would be more acceptable and it was more fun for me.

The idea of having two women find the unknown cave with the scrolls came to me as a natural occurrence. And as I began writing, the story began flowing, and I had no outline. This is why I have said to many people that "the book almost wrote itself." No, I did not channel it. I became so caught up in the story that my mind was freed up and the story unfolded. I never knew where the next twist or turn would take the characters.

Q: I have been asked why I portrayed her as being black.
A: To me all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. If one would reason it, the people of Palestine were not white. Jesus was not white and I do not believe Mary Magdalene was white either. From all my research, I came to the conclusion that she was black and my knowingness tells me I am correct.

Q: I have also been asked if I thought I had been Mary Magdalene.
A: The answer is an emphatic "NO."

Q: Am I a descendant of the lineage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus?
A: I wouldn’t want to presume that. My deceased brother did a genealogical search and I will say I do come from a long line of interesting people with roots in Scotland and England.

Q: Do I think my portrayal of Mary Magdalene is close to the truth?
A: It depends on what one calls truth. We each have our own perspective and we each might call it our truth. To answer the question, I know I have portrayed her evenly and it is my hope that this portrayal of her will be an inspiration to all women and men.

Q: Am I writing a sequel?
A: Yes. The sequel began writing itself in my head in January of this year. There is much more research to accomplish and perhaps it will be ready in 2006. The title is something I am not sharing at this time. In addition to researching, I am preparing "Secrets" for its revised second edition to be available in June 2005. My editor, Jo Stockstill, is a gem.

Q: Have I read The DaVinci Code?
A: I had never heard of Dan Brown until Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls was two-thirds completed. By then it was already breaking all records. I purchased a copy and found it exciting and refreshing. I have also read his other books and have a great respect for him as a researcher and a writer. From my perspective, my book compliments his.

I also want to thank you for the comments about the book cover. There is a grand deeper meaning to the red rose that I will leave up to you to research. My son, Kenneth D. Brown, took my idea and created this beautiful cover. He also created this website and now two great women have taken his idea and are creating even greater aspects of the site. I thank Jan and Kathleen Hazelton for their enthusiasm and expertise.
Please continue to send me questions and your comments. ~

Saturday, April 09, 2005

IN ANSWER TO: A Commentary


As with most authors, it is a truism that you can please some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time. There is a criticism of the book I authored, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls that I feel warrants addressing. The criticism is about the sexual scenes I wrote as being much too explicit. I did not slough this one off and contemplated on it.

To address this issue, I will first give you a bit of my background. I grew up in an era where some women never undressed in front of their husbands and when they performed the sexual act, they took off their underwear and pulled up their nightgown. And you can guess that it was a duty performed for the most part with aversion or resignation.
There is a history of women being used for men’s sexual pleasure with no regard in most cases of it being a pleasurable act for both partners. In Africa today, young girls are mutilated by having their clitoris cut off in order that they won’t feel the pleasure of the sexual act. Supposedly this is to keep them from becoming promiscuous.

In my era of growing up, I fell into the majority group where my mother never spoke of the sexual act, having babies and she did not prepare me for the onset of menses. I learned about the sexual act from schoolmates and didn’t know what a clitoris was until I was 40. Girls were never given the proper name for their body parts and even today most little girls are given the name ‘pee-pee’ in referring to their vagina.

Therefore, I grew up ignorant about my body or the realization that it was possible for a woman to enjoy the sexual act. After a rape, two marriages, and the birthing of three sons, I still was not all that enlightened because I had never had an orgasm. I was never promiscuous.

When I married my third husband, now deceased, I experienced what I wrote about in the book. He was truly my Mr. Magic. I was fifty-one years of age when we met and married. I have had a grand experience, which evolved beyond a need to have sex all the time.

My point is, women and girls need to know that it is possible to have a loving relationship and be fulfilled with the sexual act. One has only to observe the sexual scenes in movies, television and in books to realize that neither the female nor the male truly have a clue what it is all about. From my perspective, if both sexes truly were educated in the meaning and value of the sexual act, there would be no need for Viagra and less emphasis placed on the need to repeat the experience over and over with a different partner.

I have received comments from older women who thanked me because they realize that it is possible to have fulfillment in the mature years. If I can light a candle of hope, it is worth it all.

From my perspective, Mary Magdalene and Yeshua (Jesus) would have been enlightened enough to have a fantastic sexual relationship and that relationship, after the birth of a child, would have evolved into a deeper level of love without always having to express it through the sexual act.

In the sequel, which I am now researching and writing, perhaps Peter and Ellen as well as Jill and Sebastian will evolve this way also. ~

Monday, February 14, 2005

WHAT IS LOVE?

- Originally published as “Living in Love,” ©1986 Bettye Johnson

Love is to see with the eyes of a child. To be open and receptive to new ideas and concepts and to use the imagination.

Love is to dream a dream and allow it to become.

Love is to let go of doubt, fear and guilt because these are the killers of dreams.

Love is the awareness and acceptance of one’s self-worth.

Love is the letting go of all judgments and beliefs that keep us in bondage to limitation.

Love knows that personal experience brings wisdom.

Love is letting go of expectations of others and not living someone else’s expectations.

Love is allowing. It is allowing others to be right and it is allowing others to be wrong. By allowing other people to be just as they are and the past to be, brings to fruition true forgiveness.

Love is to look beyond outer appearances and know the true reality of situations as well as other people.

Love is to be giving. To be compassionate. To be understanding of others.

Love is to be in harmony with Nature and to understand the natural laws.

Love recognizes we cannot change the world or other people. It is the recognition that we can only change ourselves. By changing our beliefs and opening the door to know knowledge, we change our world.

Love seeks to be a beneficial presence.

Love is expanding and unlimiting our mind.

Love knows no boundaries.

Love is unlimited and when we live Love, we realize an inner harmony and peace, which passes all understanding.