Welcome to My World

PLAGIARISM - A NAUGHTY WORD?

From my research plagiarism is the stealing of another's idea(s) and perpetuating it as one's own. Take the case of Dan Brown, author of the DaVinci Code and his current lawsuit brought by Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh (co-author Henry Lincoln declined to participate) authors of Holy Blood, Holy Grail. These two authors allege Brown stole the idea they have as a hypothesis in their non-fiction book. In their book and on page 313 of my paprback copy, a hypothesis is put forth that Jesus and Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married and had children. I surmise that this is what the lawsuit is all about. I noticed in re-perusing their book that they use the word supposed a number of times.

A recent UK Guardian Unlimited news article re-printed an article The Observer printed in March 1971 titled Was Jesus Married? Anyone doing research would know that this hypothesis has been around hundreds of years. When I first became interested in Mary Magdalene, I learned much about the Church's attempted suppression of her. Truth has a way of rising above the muck and the mire eventually.

When I first read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, I thought it was based on historical research and fact. Historical fact cannot be labeled plagariasm. Perhaps something wonderful will come from this lawsuit and that is the truth that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were indeed married and not just a hypothesis. When I wrote Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, I listed Baigent and Leigh's book in my bibliography and I included in my novel their hypothesis. However, my information and ideas did not from from Baigent, Leigh or Dan Brown. I will come to that later.

To make this entire scenario even more interesting, another author, Lewis Perdue is also bringing a lawsuit against Brown stating Brown plagiarized his book Daughter of God. I recently read Perdue's book and it is a long, long stretch to label Brown's book as plagairizing his. Perdue's book on the surface sounds exciting and thrilling but his writing dilutes the thrill of it all. It is not on my recommended reading list.

Over the past 18 years I have been a student of RSE (Ramtha School of Enlightenment) an academy of the mind. Ramtha teaches us to expand and use the ninety percent of our brain that scientists say we do not use and wonder what it is for. As an aside, the three directors of the film What the Bleep were students and Ramtha commissioned them to make the movie. I was at the event when he did this and heard it.

Over the years I heard Ramtha speak fleetingly of Mary Magdalene and Jesus in respectful ways. I always take notes and when I really became interested in Mary Magdalene, I took seven points I had that Ramtha touched upon and began my research. He has said not to just take his word but to read and research for ourselves. That is why I did. Two of the points were that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married and they had two children, one a boy and the other a girl.

Sir Laurence Gardener, author of Bloodline of the Holy Grail, has spoken a number of times at RSE with the first soon after he published his first book. It would seem plausible that he would also glean information when he spoke to the school that aided him in writing his subsequent books.

Plagairism is an interesting word and with the eyes of the world on Brown and his lawsuit, it could be a boon for Brown and a bust for the ones bringing the lawsuits. If the judge rules against Brown, it will be a can of worms for authors of fiction. There is a saying, "there is nothing new under the sun Horatio." Nothing is hidden in the Mind of God and each of us have the capacity to tap into it. Perhaps there really no such thing as plagairism except if one deliberately copies word for word another's piece of work.

To make this even more interesting, Random House published both Brown's book and the book of Baigent and Leigh. Oh what a topsy-turvy world we live in!