Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls

City of Secrets and Rennes-le-Chateau

2011-11-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-02-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

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

2010-06-06T12:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-01-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-18T12:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-08-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

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

2009-04-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-04-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-04-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-03-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-22T11:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

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.

THE ROSE - MEANING AND SYMBOLOBY

2008-08-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Down through the ages the rose has been revered and treasured not only for its beauty, but also for its symbolism. I have been asked why I chose the red rose for the book cover of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. I chose it is because to me it represents what Mary Magdalene, her life and her legacy symbolize.

As the result of my research, the red rose was chosen because the color of a red rose indicates giving of one’s self for the purpose of greater evolvement. Red also indicates the material plane and we are now living on this plane.

Not only is the rose an ancient symbol, it is also an ancient plant. The rose originally came from Persia, however rose fossils that have been found in Colorado and Oregon that have been determined to be 32,000,000 years old. Yes, that is 32 million! It isn’t only in the United States where fossilized roses have been found. There is fossil evidence of roses, which grew in Mesopotamia many millions of years ago.

The rose is mentioned all throughout ancient history. There is evidence that the Romans imported masses of roses from Egypt. There are also stories of Cleopatra having the floor of the banquet hall carpeted with roses 2 feet deep for Mark Anthony.

In the Song of Solomon in the Bible, it is written, I am the rose of Sharon…along with in Isaiah, I rejoice and blossom as the rose… According to these words, the ancients knew something important to leave a message that I am the rose and I…blossom as the rose. These are early clues that the rose has always been a sacred symbol.

In researching the symbolism of the rose, I have found many interpretations. The rose carries the meaning of purity or heavenly, passion, transmutation, completion, of consummate achievement and perfection in addition to being an ancient symbol of joy. The Persian poet Sa’adi of Shiraz wrote of the rose garden as a garden of contemplation. Today most people think of the rose as a symbol for love. It is all of these meanings.

The rose has been used as a sign of silence in addition to secrecy. This is where the words sub rosa came into usage and is defined as under the rose. When secret societies and gatherings met in medieval times, a rose was hung from the ceiling at a meeting indicating a demand for discretion.

In Roman times the rose was sacred to Venus. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the symbolism changed with the rise of Christianity and the ancient meanings were changed when the Catholic Church began incorporating them into their beliefs. Instead of belonging to Venus, the rose became the flower of the Virgin Mary and she was deemed to be the Rosa mystica. The Roman Jupiter Capitolinus became St. Peter’s and the Temple of Juno Lucina became the Church of Ste. Maria Maggiore.

The Catholic rosary is said to have first started with rolled up dried roses made into beads and used for counting, which evolved into the name rosary. In researching the meaning of the rose, I came across one statement, which said that to the Arabs, the rose was a masculine flower. Further research indicates it may have meant the masculine to them, however my research indicates it is definitely a feminine symbol.

There is a legend that there has been and could possibly be in existence today the Sisterhood of the Rose. The sisterhood is said to be composed of twelve women who work for the betterment of mankind. In some circles it is considered a myth of Mary Magdalene creating twelve groups and each group composed of twelve women who were taught to be wisdom keepers of the sacred knowledge. Perhaps this sisterhood is the ongoing work of Mary Magdalene. History is fluid as I have written before.

The Knights Templar was instrumental in the building of magnificent Gothic cathedrals in France and other parts of Europe. In the Cathedral at Chartres there is a glorious Rose Window and perhaps the most famous. Actually there are other Rose Windows in the cathedral with the window over the main entrance considered the most beautiful. The Rose Windows began appearing in cathedrals around 1200 in France and spread to England, Italy, Spain and Germany.

The origin of the round Rose Window came from the Roman oculus, a Latin word for eye, embodying the concept of completeness and balance. Originally the Romans used the concept in building a round opening in the top of a dome and this eventually grew into a round stain glass window in churches.

The Rose Window operates on many levels. The symbolic meaning may be different for each person and touch her or him spiritually, meditatively and emotionally. There is another aspect of the Rose Windows in that geometry is utilized on three levels such as manifestation, hidden and symbolic. The rose, with a characteristic five-petal shape imitates the pentagram – a five-sided star also a sacred symbol.

Symbols were created to leave a path for those who open their minds to seeking a higher level of knowledge and the meaning of life.

AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN

2008-08-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN NOW AVAILABLE:

www.barnesandnoble.com

www.amazon.com

http://www.magdalenescrolls.com

Your comments are most appreciative and please leave a review

if you perchase from BarnesandNoble or Amazon.

Thank you,

Bettye Johnson

Awakening the Genie Within

2008-08-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

The book, she is here! The Journey - a partial memoir and self-help for those who read it. In my book I share my awakening to the grander mind of me and anyone can access their grander mind. That is what the Journey of Life is all about.

We are suppose to explore life and create new avenues of expression. I have seen so many people glued to the past. It's almost as if they are in a moving vehicle with their face stuck to the rear window. Life is for living. It is not about dying. Life is not about going to a nursing home.

I like the cartoon of the woman sliding with a bottle of wine in one hand and chocolate in the other. We - as a collective - have been programmed into believing that this is good for you and this is bad for your. If one understands the quantum field, then it becomes obvious that it is only done unto you as your believe.

As I write this, the book is not posted to BarnesandNoble.com or Amazon.com. It takes approximately 8 weeks for it to make its way on-line. In the meantime, you are welcome to purchase it from my website: www.magdalenescrolls.com.

Enjoy and leave your comments. Bettye

NEW BOOK ~ AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN

2008-07-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

What happens when a forty year old woman awakens to a genie lurking within her? Two time award-winning author Bettye Johnson answers this question in her soon-to-be released first work of non-fiction Awakening the Genie Within, A Journey of Discovery, a semi-memoir of Johnson's journey into a world of manifested words and thoughts. Johnson's book Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls is an Independent Publishers Book Award Winner 2006 and its sequel Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy an Independent Publishers Book Award Winner 2008.

Suzanne Fairbrother, Ph.D., author of the best-selling book The Goddess Within, says "Awakening the Genie Within is a delightful presentation of the accumulated wisdom of a life well lived. Bettye Johnson's book shows us how to live our lives more powerfully." Johnson's book covers a span of her next 39 years of developing the genie within and shares her experiences, the tools she used and the wisdom gained during a fascinating journey of discovery.

Two Wins. How Sweet It Is!

2008-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Indeed! It is sweet to receive my second Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY Award) for Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy and especially since there were 3,175 entries from 49 U.S. States, 9 Canadian provinces, and 16 foreign countries.

The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also named the IPPY Awards were created in 1996 as a broad-based, unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the independent publishing industry. The awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university, and self-published titles produced each year, and reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing. I am truly honored.

Since I published my first book in 2005, I have seen a change in the publishing industry and it has been beneficial to those of us who choose to self-publish. Internet and Amazon have been a boon to those of us who choose to self-publish. When I first made a decision to publish Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls,

I research my publishing options. What I learned was that one must find a literary agent and after some rejections, it seemed that to self-publish might be the way to go. I even attended some workshops and learned further that print-on-demand publishing that furnished the ISBN numbers was almost the kiss-of-death to self-publishing by bookstores and most wholesalers.

Fortunately, I had already purchased a block of 10 ISBNs, so that was no problem. I was gifted with some funds, and I had my book printed. I also learned some hard lessons such as the cost of freight and having a place to store the books. Whereas, print-on-demand allows the author to purchase as few or as many as one wants and that elminates the storage space. I also secured 3 wholesalers including Baker&Taylor. At that time, the biggie Ingram did not take self-publishers. It has been a grand journey of discovery. I am so delighted to be a two-time award winner and what is my next step? To promote, promote and also to get my next book, Awakening the Genie Within published. Yes, it will be self-published and is my first non-fiction book.

BORDERS OF THE MIND

2008-05-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day in the U.S. was one where many paid homage to the men and women who died while in service to their country. Perhaps across the world there were other countries who are also mourning their fallen military, and I have often wondered why we have war. I recently re-read William Bramley's book, The Gods of Eden. I had the privilege of hearing the author speak in the early 1990's.

Bramley at that time was a research lawyer and he shared that as a boy around eight he played war with his playmates. It was exciting and fun. One day he saw a photo of the prisoners of Dachau who had been released at the end of WWII. He was shocked by their skeleton look. This was the beginning to find out why there is war in the world and it led him to other discoveries.
During his talk, Bramley told the audience that he had found his knowledge in public libraries and it was there for everyone to read. This surprised me and this could have been a seed of the beginning of my love for research and history. What I found from my research reinforces Bramley's research. I recommend his book for those who are interested.

In this article, I am taking a different approach to the same subject: why war. It seems to me incongruous that with the information and technology, we have today that few people realize that what occupies our bodies comes from the same source—meaning each spirit that inhabits the body is from only one source and the source is neither male nor female. The source of all life can be found in quantum physics and has nothing to do with religion.

In the beginning, the physical body was created to house a spirit, which would have an opportunity to explore and evolve in the physical world; borders were placed in the brain with limited thinking. It is up to each spirit occupying a body to break though the borders of the mind. The first border to break through is that of religion. Religion sets apart those who believe in a particular form of religion from another. By studying history, one can see that most of the wars have been religious wars.

Others wars have been for power and expansion of territories. It is there in the history books. War is promoted by sports. In sports, there are the two teams who 'battle' to see who is the winner. Sports rev up the adrenalin in those viewing and there is cheering for whatever team one is for. This is reminiscent of the gladiators fighting in the Roman forums. When the Christians were thrown to the lions, the Romans became bloodthirsty and roared with approval.
Humanity has been fed to the lions of power. The approval of war has been passed down through generations and now it is genetically accepted by most of the world's population. This is a border of the mind that must be passed through in order to evolve the spirit within.

Borders of the mind that must be dissolved are prejudices, which pit one nationality against another—one skin color against another. Another border to be dissolved goes hand-in-hand with prejudice and that is discrimination. The U.S. is still subtly holding on to racial discrimination even though the black population legally is freed from segregation and discrimination. This also goes for those from Spanish-speaking countries such as Mexico. It is ludicrous that a border wall is being built between the U.S. and Mexico. Is this to keep us in, or to keep others out? This is a form of war fed by propaganda and fear.

War breeds fear. War also keeps women in submission because the history of war shows that one of the spoils of war is for the conquering army to rape women and in ancient times to carry them off to be slaves. Women and children are the victims of war and have no voice.
In breaking through the borders of the mind, one can see all of humanity as a brilliant quilt made up of the many facets of the Source. It is up to each individual to choose whether to participate in war or not. There are those who will not because the most challenging borders to break through are the borders of fear and doubt.

Fear and doubt are partners and keep people from breaking through the borders of the mind. They are lost in conformity, ridicule, being different, becoming an outcaste in the tribe and other attributes; therefore suppressing their desire for change.

One only has to view the wars going on across the world objectively and observe the motives for war. This means to break through the borders of propaganda and see each war for what it really is—power with its offshoots of religion, greed and control. One only has to go to VA hospitals and visit the wounded, or read about the walking wounded and the suicides that are escalating. We only have to ask ourselves, is war worth this? It is time for each of us to break through the borders of our mind and create a new future.

Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls Meets The Bloodline

2008-05-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, the author of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls did meet the producer, Rene Barnett and director Bruce Burgess of the newly released documentary Bloodline on Bettye's show Knowledge Is Power, www.blogtalkradio.com/bettye. Barnett and Burgess' film is as exciting as a thriller--only this one is true and you can view it instead of reading it.

Barnett and Burgess discuss the repercussions and the background of a major discovery of a hidden tomb found in the Languedoc region of southwest France. According to the Documentary Bloodline, this discovery may help substantiate the existence of a Mary Magdalene and Jesus bloodline. The Chamber contains a mummified corpse on a rose-colored plinth under a shroud bearing the distinctive red cross of the Knights Templar. This figure is surrounded by wooden chests revealing a cache of gold chalices and coins.

The discovery has been reported to the French Government agency, Direction Regionale des Affaires Culturells Languedoc-Roussillon, and plans are underway for a full scale survey. There are reportedly scrolls, documents and artifacts that will have a startling effect on current attitudes held by theologians and the Church.

According to Burgess, the subterranean chamber was discovered by an English advednturer, Ben Hammott and by using a hidden code in the decor of the church at Rennes-loe Chateau, left behind by the 19th century priest Berenger Sauniere. The film team was able to gain access into the tomb by using a remote camera inserted through a small air shaft at the top of the chamber.

The revelations of the tomb has the potential of changing the world view of Mary Magdalene, Jesus and the involvement of the Knights Templar. Their website is http://www.bloodlinethemovie.com/.

The archive of my talk with Burgess and Barnett is not as clear as it was broadcasted, but if one hangs in there, Burgess and Barnett come across loud and clear for the listener. Please go to
www.blogspotradio.com/bettye.

Water Into Wine

2008-04-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

I think most of us have heard the biblical story of Jesus turning water into wine, but few fully understand the true intent of this story. The meaning of turning water into wine precedes religions and Christianity. It is ancient knowledge that has been convoluted over the ages until it has been attributed only to Jesus. Let's first begin with water.

Scientists are at last finding that water hold memory. Dr. Masaru Emoto has demonstrated the attributes of water with his experiments with polluted water. He has proven that polluted water can be changed to clean water by sending messages of love to the water. He has done this not only with a polluted lake, but by placing words of love on beakers of polluted water and the water responded and became clean. What happened? The water changed its memory.

Most of us have heard of the Ganges River in India. The people bath in its waters, wash their clothes, swim in the river, dispose bodies in the river after death, and possibly urinate in the water. To the people of India, the river is holy and they know it is blessed--thus, they are able to use this water also for drinking and cooking. Most Westerners think it is abhorrent, but is it really? Over the years of accepting it as being holy and blessed, haven't they turned the water into something clean and wonderful?

Over the eons, the blessing of water became used in the form of baptism and it also was taught to bless the food one eats with an intent of giving thanks by religion. Therefore, blessing became associated with religion even though the meaning was ancient. I have learned that by being sincere, we can change our water and our food impurities to something wonderful for our bodies. The degree of success comes from the degree of our acceptance and intent. There are several well-known quotes that actually come from ancient Egyptian teachings and one is as a man/woman thinketh, so it is and the other is it is done to you as you believe. There is also another statement, practice makes perfect.

Therefore, by blessing our water, our food, and everything and every person in our life, we can change water into the wine of life. Perhaps the simple act of blessing is the Holy Grail. It is something to think about.

HOPE ~ AN OFTEN CONVOLUTED WORD

2008-04-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have often heard the phrase, I hope so spoken with a voice inflection that indicates that the person speaking would love to have a wish or something come true, but doesn't think it will really happen. In other words, it is a maybe, or perhaps. It appears that the word hope has become a word with an ambigious meaning.

I looked up the meaning of the word hope, which is to wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment. The archaic meaning is to have confidence, trust. Hope is a beautiful word that has gradually lost its luster. It's time we polished it up and now share messages of hope.

Recently I was sent an email giving a website for the Hope Revolution. A beautiful woman began placing messages of hope around New York City and now there is a website: http://www.hoperevo.com/.

When we change our attitudes such as prejudice, bigotry, judgment and harboring anger and resentment, we change our lives. When we watch the words we use and the thoughts we have and change them into something affirmative, we change our lives. When we change our lives, we affect the people around us. It is something like throwing a pebble into a pond and watching the ripples flow out. This is what we can do.

There is never a problem or a challenge that cannot be resolved. We can create what we want by using affirmative words and thinking affirmative thoughts. I use the word affirmative because it is a statement. Thinking positive will only attract its opposite of negative.

Pass the word and use the affirmative word hope and we can change our world.

Bettye Johnson

Why Presidents' Day?

2008-02-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

February 18 has been declared a national holiday in honor of our past Presidents' birthdays. I understand some people look upon this day only as having a day off from work.

In reflecting on this holiday, I realize that few people truly know what some of these great men accomplished or what they based their presidency on. The Founding Fathers of this great country and the creators of the U.S. Constitution were great men. President James Madison, considered to be the Father of the U.S. Constitution, along with Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Freedom and the following portion is part of the State of Virginia's Constitution. In Section 1, Jefferson argues that the concept of compulsory religion is wrong for the following reasons:

-The imposition of anything on a human mind, which God made to be free, is hypocritical and wrong.
-Whereas Almighty God hath created the mind free, God never coerced anyone to follow him, and the imposition of a religion by government officials is impious.
-The coercion of a person to make contributions—especially monetary—to a religion he doesn't support is tyrannical and crates favoritism among ministers..
-Civil rights do not depend on religious beliefs, and what a person thinks is no business of the government.

There is also a strong possibility that the Iroquois Confederacy influenced the writers of our Constitution. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin are known to have a strong connection with the Iroquois and used parts of the Iroquois Confederacy constitution as a role model for the U.S. Constitution. I find this most interesting because most of our population have looked up the Indians as being savages and pagan. It is time to change that image and to realize their contributions.

The Confederacy consisted of five Indian tribes and recent estimates date the confederacy and its constitution between 1090 and 1150 CE. The initiator of the Iroquois constitution is reportedly the Great Peacemaker Deganawida. Legend has it that his was a virgin birth. He stuttered, was ridiculed and he became an enlightened man through his handicap. He traveled through the various tribes to teach them the way of peace and along the way met Hiawatha, a ferocious warrior. Hiawatha listened to Deganawida and became his disciple as Deganawida's orator.
Deganawida became known as a prophet as he traveled among the tribes counseling peace while unifying them into the League of the Iroquois. He created an advanced political system—primarily democratic and it allowed women a major role.

In celebration of this Presidents ' Day, it should be noted that this country was not founded on religious beliefs, but the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. President John Adams wrote in the Treaty with Tripoli, "As the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." President Harry S. Truman is quoted as saying, "We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God."

Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, "Truth is certainly a branch of morality and a very important one to society." President John F. Kennedy said, "Let us resolve to be masters, not victims of our history, controlling our own destiny without giving way to blind suspicions and emotions."

We have a brilliant Constitution and a legacy of wisdom from our Founding Fathers, whom we should honor and insist on the restoration of the Constitution.

Interesting People

2008-01-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

Today the thought came to me regardng the difference between interesting people and fascinating people. I checked my trusty dictionary and learned that primarily mean the same though there are slight differences. The word interesting is defined as holding attention, while fascinating is defined as holding attention, plus possessing the power to charm or allure. Hmmm. Almost the same, but not quite the same.

An interesting person is one who is not a whiner, blamer or a victim. There is nothing of interest there. A truly interesting person is a doer--always seeking and this could mean a variety of things. An interesting person is one who when they talk has something worth listening to. My interest is held by what is being spoken to me.

I meet a lot of interesting people. There are many interesting people all over the world. All we have to do is shut up and listen. If their conversation is mundane, then I tune them out. There is nothing to exchange here. To me it means they are just treading life. Sometimes it seems to me as if there is no one home behind those eyes. An interesting person's eyes is alive and they enjoy new experiences and perhaps new adventures.

There are many interesting people who are the quiet ones and perhaps these are the ones who have the most interesting things to say. There are many people who quietly live interesting lives and if you want to find these people, it is well worth your effort to ask a few interesting questions of your own. Who knows, you might find them fascinating.

THE BULL AND THE BEAR

2008-01-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there lived a bear in a cave deep in the woods. Nearby
was a meadow in which a farmer kept his cattle -- and one large,
ferocious-looking bull. Each day the bear hid at the edge of the woods,
watching the bull. The bear was known as the strongest, most fierce
creature for miles around. No other beast in the forest dared to tangle
with him. As the bear watched the bull peacefully gazing, he wondered
which one of them would win a test of strength. He thought about this for
many days. Then one morning he decided to challenge the bull to a fight
to the finish.

The bull had just chomped down on a fresh clump of clover when he looked
up and saw the bear barreling across the meadow toward him. He stopped
chewing. The red flag of danger popped up in his head. The bear skidded
to a halt in front of him. The bull lowered his head menacingly, his
sharp horns aimed right for the bear's throat. For long moments they
stood in place -- eyeball to eyeball -- neither one of them moving.
Finally the bull grew tired of the stare-down and asked, "What do you
want, Bear?"

"I want to fight you," growled the bear.

"Why?" asked the bull.

"Because, I want to prove that I am a stronger and better fighter than
you are."

The bull laughed. "I thought you really wanted something. You can't
possibly win against me. I have sharp horns that can cause terrible
injuries."

"And my claws are sharp and quick," the bear shot back. "I have defeated
many an enemy -- anyone who would harm my cubs or take away my mate. I am
the king of the forest!"

"Then go back to the forest," the bull bluntly advised. "This is the
meadow."

The bear blinked in surprise. "I beg your pardon..."

"I mean, what's the point of me fighting with you?" the bull asked. "What
would that prove? We are not enemies. I have not harmed your cubs or
taken your mate."

"It would prove that I am the strongest."

"Okay," said the bull, smiling. "I'll buy that. You are strongest. Now
leave and let me graze in peace."

"Just one cotton-pickin' minute. What do you mean by that?" The bear
raised a club-like paw. "I will tear you to shreds. Defend yourself."

"What you do is up to you," the bull answered calmly. "But if you do,
what will all your friends -- the ones who are watching us right now --
think about you?"

"They will think that I am the strongest," yelled the frustrated bear.

"I don't think so. I do not choose to fight you just because you choose
to fight with me. I would only fight to defend one of the cows in my
care. If you attack one of them, then I'd be obliged to give you a good
lashing."

"I can't attack them," protested the bear. "They can't fight back. There
would be no victory to it."

"Exactly," answered the bull. "But what if you did? And what if I should
try to defend them? What if something should happen to me? Who would
protect them then? You? Would you trust me to protect your cubs if
something happened to you? What would happen to your family if you lose
the fight?"

"I never thought of that," said the bear.

"Go back into the woods, Bear," said the bull as he turned to walk away.
"Live in peace. And I will stay in the meadow and do the same."

The bear turned toward the woods. He had come spoiling for a fight -- to
prove which one was the strongest.

But he had learned an important lesson from a very wise bull. In peace,
there are no losers.
-- author unknown

A FOCUSED MIND

2008-01-20T19:48:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you have a focused mind--meaning that whatever you place your attention on, you can manifest. For too many, the brain has a short attention span and we wonder
why we become so scattered. I know because I have been training my mind for 25 years and yes, I have made progressed. However, there are some to where it becomes a passion. I will give you an example.

About six years ago I was introduced to the Henry Sugar story written by Roald Dahl. It was a most interesting story about a man who secured a small booklet telling of a man from India who by looking steadily into the flame of a candle learned to ride a bicycle in heavy traffic blindfolded. He could see through things.

Being a student in the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, this intrigued me but I wasn't committed at that time to pursue this avenue. There was a man--a carpenter and the single parent of a son who was feeling depressed because he felt he had
not progressed in the school. He read the Henry Sugar story and one day he was sitting and looking out his sliding glass door when he 'saw' a playing card and perhaps it was the 3 of clubs. He was pulled to pick up a deck of cards near by and he stared at the back of the deck. Then, as I recall him telling the story, he turned the card over and it was the 3 of clubs. This excited him and he began spending long hours staring at the backs of cards and gradually over a year, he began to be adept at it.

It was at this point, he shared with others what he could do. He was then asked to show the RSE students what he had learned to do. I was in the audience in the Great Hall, when Kenny Thompson began focusing on the backs of cards--after someone had shuffled the deck thoroughly, and he called most of them correctly. He went on to
become more adept and about a year ago he and another student were tested by scientists in California and they came through with flying colors.

What did it take? Focus and a passion to do it. He has now gone on to roulette and is quite good at it. Kenny now has a website and I urge you to go to it. http://www.spin-geek.com. Be sure to click on the sample e-book.

A simple man who developed a passion trained his mind. I know I am inspired and I hope you are too.

THE REFLECTION OF YOU

2008-01-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

For many years I have been urged to study nature and it will tell you its secrets. It was only yesterday that I FINALLY got the message. Some people are faster than others. The main thing is that I finally understood it in a broader sense. I already knew about the caterpiller turning into a butterfly and I understood about the ants storing up for the winter and how it can apply to we humans. It wasn't until I heard my teacher Ramtha describe nature using a potted hyacinth plant as the teaching example that it came to me.

The soil of the Earth is the mind of the Earth. This beautiful soil has many different colors. In some areas it is red and in others it is black, shades of brown, yellow, and almost white. When I thought of this, I realized the connection with the various races on this Earth. We have people with what is called red skin, others with yellow skin, black skin, brown skin and the lighter skin that is called white. The Earth is our reflection. Therefore, why should we harbor prejudice against people because of the color of their skin? Why should one religion hate and discriminate against another religion?

The Earth was made from the Mind of God and that same mind is in each one of us. I think the Bible has a verse that tells us we were made from the clay of the earth. We are each aspects of the One Mind and we each have our very own individual place in the scheme of things. A dandelion can never be a rose--nor can a rose be a lily. Each of us with our uniqueness adds to the fabric of life that makes up the Mind of God.

Therefore when we think we do not measure up or that we have no worth, we should look at nature and realize that everything has its own place in the sun. When we finally realize that we are all connected, we can begin to appreciate who we are and think of the soils of the Earth as reflections of us.

The Birth and Arrival of A Book

2008-01-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

Ah...the waiting is almost over. The birthing of a book is different with each one. Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy is my third published book and now as I wait for UPS to deliver my ordered copies from the printer, I am poised to begin my marketing strategies which I have developed after careful research and based on past experiences.

However, during this wait there are the dishes to washed, laundry that calls out to be washed and thank god I managed to get it washed and into the dryer before my handy fix-it son cut off the water in order to install a new filter for the washing machine. Of course, Mom has to be the hand-me this until he realizes that he is missing a part. So off to town he goes. (We live in the country.) I decided to let off some energy and write a piece for my blog. Am I antsy? Perhaps a wee bit. So I play it down some.

I sit a moment and contemplate the readers of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. My overall feedback has been on the positive side. Somehow, I sense that this second book will excite the readers as much as the the first one did. Again, in this sequel, I never knew where the story was going to take me. As idea after idea came, I wrote.

As most authors will say, the writing is the easiest part. Then comes the editing and proof-reading. I have found that this second part takes as long - if not longer, than it did to write the book. Am I satisfied with the results? Yes! I will say it is all worth it.

I have been asked why I havn't pushed my second book, A Christmas Awakening and I really don't have the answer. It is a novelette that I cherish and perhaps I
have a subliminal desire for everyone to discover this jewel on their own. It is based on a teaching I heard in 1994 and I made a few photocopies of it along with
my own drawings. JZ Knight liked it so much that she gave it as a Christmas gift to
over 1500 students that year. Perhaps for this coming Christmas season I will promote it.

Why have I self-published? I have the satisfaction of knowing that I own my book and I am the one who has all the responsibility. I can also take full credit for my work.It is my creation. I also realize that the publishing industry has changed drastically in the past five years and more and more writers are turning to self-publishing. If you are willing to risk the responsibilty--go for it. If you are one of the faint-at-heart people, then look for a literary agent and hope you have good rapport and that the agent will sell your book to a publisher.

I have learned that every published author--whether self-published or agent published must at some point market the book. It would be nice if we were all a DaVinci Code best-seller. For the time being, I will continue to write, publish and market and enjoy the ride. Life is for living one's dream. Enjoy yours.

THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT~A Memory

2007-12-17T07:30:00.000-08:00

I remember the Christmas of 1937 and at this time, it was a custom of my family to arise early in the morning--open our presents and to ooh and ah over the gifts left by Santa under our Christmas tree. My sister, brother and I were also looking forward to our to driving to Dallas from our home in Winters, Texas—a seven hour drive on a two-lane paved highway.

My parents were always concerned when we traveled that distance because I had a penchant for carsickness from riding in the back seat. Luckily, I did not throw-up on this trip because I was excited. We were on our way to see my father's parents, sisters and brother. We three children were the only grandchildren, nieces, and nephew on my father's side of the family. During these Great Depression years, even though the economy was bad, we knew we would each receive something special.

It was cold that Christmas Day when we arrived at 801 West Eighth Street in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. We three children scrambled out of the car and barely greeted our grandparents, aunts and uncles. Santa had left gifts for us under their tree and I knew the minute I saw it that it was mine.

Yes, the moment I spied the toy typewriter under the tree I had an affinity with it and at the time, I had no inkling of the importance a typewriter would be in my life journey. In fact, it seemed that every year from the third grade until I graduated from high school that I received boxed stationary and a five-year diary from my mother for Christmas. Did she know something I did not?

Although I played with and used my toy typewriter, I did not know the basics until I took a typing course in high school. Eventually my speed range became ninety words per minute. I used my typing skills in all of my jobs, including being a code clerk at the U.S. embassies in Paris and Tokyo.

In retrospect, I can understand the importance of the toy typewriter in my life. During my mothering years, I began belonging to clubs and often elected to be the corresponding secretary, which included creating and sending out newsletters. This carried on to my government job with the Social Security Administration in Orange County, California. I created the district newsletter.

In the 1980's I began writing for myself, but it was not until 2003 when I began writing my first draft of the now award-winning Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.

My typewriter has turned into a computer and researching and writing is a passion with me. The sequel to Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls titled Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy, is due for release in January 2008. When I contemplate the effect of a toy typewriter on my life and the memories I cherish, I am truly grateful to the one who chose the gift whose effects are a precious present for me.

MARK VICTOR HANSEN ~ An Encounter

2007-12-04T16:59:00.000-08:00

I first met Mark Victor Hansen in 1979 when he came to the Community Church by the Bay in Costa Mesa, CA. Dr. William R. "Cherry" Parker was the minister and everyone called him "Cherry"--a nickname given to him in his earlier years due to his red hair. During his tenure as a professor at the Redlands University in Redlands, CA and a practicing psychologist, he co-authored the best selling book Prayer Can Change Your Life. He later became an ordained minister in Divine Science.

Cherry had a large following in his church, which met in a theater on Sundays and usually packed to the overflowing. Cherry enjoyed giving many unknown people an opportunity to speak and Mark Victor Hansen was one of his speakers.

I remember Mark bounding on the stage filled with enthusiasm and energy. He told us his story. As I recall, he had been a self-made millionaire at age 25 in New York City from investments in the stock market. He said that he walked into his office one morning a millionaire and when he walked out, he was penniless. The market he invested in crashed. He was devastated at the time and made a pledge to himself that he would become a millionaire again.

I really don't remember too many details, but when he came to the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach area he was on his way to becoming a motivational speaker. He self-published his first books and sold them out of the trunk of his car.

One evening I was having dinner at Cherry's house in Costa Mesa and Mark was a guest. I remember him telling Cherry that he wanted to buy Cherry's house. Cherry liked his house and said it was not for sale. Mark focused on buying the house and a few months later Cherry sold it to him. Mark would not take no for an answer. He had developed a tremendous powerful ability to focus on what he wanted.

Mark joined the Huntington Beach Church of Religious Science and met his wife Patty and after a courtship, they married and have two girls—now young women. Perhaps it was four or five years after his first talk at Cherry's church that Mark gave back to Cherry. Dr.Parker was establishing the Parker Holistic Center and needed to raise money. I was the program director and I asked Mark if he would help out. Mark came and gave a presentation--for free. Mark was always a giver and he had a dream that has manifested today. He knew what he wanted and went after it. It has been a pleasure to keep up with Mark's career and to see it become what it is today.

Some will say he has done it with positive thinking. I would not call it positive thinking because for every positive there is a negative. I would say he has developed affirmative thinking to a fine art. I remember speaking recently with someone who has known Mark and she said something I thought most interesting. The gist of the remark was that Mark never actually wrote a book himself—instead he accumulated the stories of common people and turned them into the best-sellers Chicken Soup series.

It has been so long ago that I do not remember if the books Mark self-published and sold from the trunk of his car were not actually written by him. I think that he did write them in the very early days.

What would be the key to his success? Perhaps it would be that he had a dream and he had the power of focus. He never gave up. I also think he had a plan or he mapped out his intentions. Doubt and fear along with lethargy were foreign to him it would seem. Since Mark and I crossed paths twenty-eight years ago, I have developed my own dream.

I placed my dream of writing on hold for many years and there are no regrets because I have gained wisdom. I do understand the power of affirmative thinking and I understand the necessity of letting go of regrets, guilt, doubt and fears. It takes will to pursue one's dream.

I have my list of steps to take to bring to me what I want. I do not try to figure out how it will come to me. I also in my list write as if I already have it. As an example, I write, "I have always been an international acclaimed author." I am a self-published author of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, an Independent Book Publisher Award Winner 2006. I entered the contest and then I forgot about it. When the notification came, I was ecstatic! One part of my dream had manifested.

With the second edition of my book released, the Macro Edizoni Publishers of Italy approached me and my book is translated into Italian. Next, a German publisher approached me and my book now translated into German and on sale in Europe.

This year I entered the Writers Digest 15th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards contest. No—I was not named a winner, however the Commentary Sheet I received from the Judge was greater than I could have expected. My book received a high five in all categories and the Judge's review of the book and the commentary on my writing ability is available to read on my blog, www.magdalenescrolls.blogspot.com.

I am experiencing great things because I have let go of doubt, fear and I have confidence in my abilities to write. Mark Victor Hansen has been an inspiration and I honor him for all that he gives to other people and organizations. He is on the world stage because he pursued his dream. I have learned that the more I give, the more I get back. What is my next step? The sequel, Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy release date is January 2008 and then onward into the future.

AUTHOR'S BLOOPERS AND BONUSES ~ Part 4

2007-12-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

NO ROAD MAP – DESTINATION UNKNOWN

Have you ever completed a project and found that you were at ‘loose ends’ – or in other words, no road map and your destination unknown? It is a feeling of being freed up and not knowing what to do next. I have also realized that in my writing that I begin a story or a book with no road map and the destination is an unknown.

In writing classes, I was taught that one should have an outline before beginning a book. Really? I listened to my professors and at the time felt sure they knew what they were talking about. I soon realized that their advice was great if one is writing a book of non-fiction and especially a ‘how-to’ book. But fiction? All I can say is that it didn’t work out that way for me.

In 2004 I completed my first novel, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls and all I knew when I first sat down to write was that I wanted to write a book about Mary Magdalene. I researched Mary Magdalene for a number of years to learn about her. What I learned is that no one really knows who Mary Magdalene was or what she stood for. Too many writers have kept her in the tiny slot given in the New Testament where she was placed in a subservient role and kept there. In the Book of Matthew her name is mentioned three times; in Mark another three times; in Luke two times; and in John three times. I realized there was very little information to go on.

Myths carry within them seeds of truth and I found one that has been perpetuated by the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church. The storyline is that Emperor Tiberius Caesar gave a banquet and Mary Magdalene attended. Tiberius asked her about Jesus and as the story goes; her reply was Christ is risen. Tiberius handed her an egg from the banquet table and told her that if this was true, then she was to turn the egg red. Reportedly she did and thus began the tradition of a red egg at Easter time for the Eastern Orthodox Church. If she had the ability to turn an egg to the color of red, what else was she able to do?

My research has taken me on an odyssey of unraveling history and learning that history as we have been led to believe is indeed a tapestry of facts intermixed with misinformation, lies and deceit perpetuated upon the human mind. James Cameron, who wrote the Introduction to The Family Tomb of Jesus, stated that history is a consensus of hallucination. I agree with him.

The morning I sat at my computer to begin the novel, I asked myself: how to I begin? I realized I couldn’t write a non-fiction book based on my research, so the alternative was to create a book of fiction interwoven with facts. The white screen stared back at me blankly. With my fingers on the keyboard, I began with the first idea that came into my mind of secret scrolls found in an unknown cave in the French Pyrenees Mountains. From that seed an idea came of two American women while hiking stumbled into the cave. Thus, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls began to take form.

I had no road map of where the storyline would take me; nor did I really know the destination, or how the book would end. Each day as I wrote, I allowed the story to unfold with its many twists and turns. Sometimes I would startle myself as the characters took on their own personalities. There were also times when I would be surprised at a new twist or when a new character was introduced. The writing of the book became a wonderful adventure. There were also times when I would re-read what I had written and told myself, Damn! That’s good!

Even while writing, I continued to research and finally when the last sentence had been written, I knew the book was completed. In 2005 the 2nd Revised Edition came out followed by an Italian language edition and a German language edition. This was followed by winning the prestigious Independent Publishers Book Award in 2006. What does one do after that? Write a sequel.

I had a germ of an idea regarding Sarah and James, the two children of the Magdalene and Jesus. In the fall of 2006 I again sat down at my computer and asked myself how to begin. Again I had no road map but this time I felt I had a destination. At the end of May this year, I completed the manuscript of the sequel titled: Mary Magdalene: Her Legacy. My editors have told me that this one could be even more exciting than the first book. I would like to think so.

The book is now in the hands of my editor with the next stage creating the cover. Again, I have chosen to self-publish. Having researched the established publishing houses, I have noted a shift that is not favorable to authors or to literary agents. I also have decided that I don’t want my storyline changed and I want to retain control of my creation. When one signs a contract with a publishing house, the author has signed away her/his rights.

Will there be a third book? Perhaps. For the present moment, my focus is on promotion and marketing – an entire new adventure. I am open to any innovative ways to promote my books. If you have some valid suggestions, please share them with me.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE SCRIPT?

2007-11-29T14:27:00.000-08:00

Today I received an early Christmas card from an acquaintance of some years. When I read her photocopied one-page synopsis of her life this past year, I was saddened by how empty her life appeared to be. If the best of her life is receiving a Red Sox t-shirt because she donated blood--well, enough said. However, this caused me to think about life and ask what is our life script?

How many people do you know who meander through life complaining, harboring anger and resentments, jealousy, fear and doubt? Is it any wonder that they are sick? Most people hate their jobs, but stick it out in hopes they will be able retire. This isn't a life script that I would choose. It sounds boring and excludes the excitement of crafting one's life.

I have learned that we are each the creator--the craftsperson of our life. Our life will turn out just the way we thought. In other words, our beliefs, our words, our thoughts are the road map for our life. Being miserable and lamenting about our so-called victimizations create one's life script and the destination is illness, injuries and eventually death.

There is a way to change one's life script. It takes practice, practice, practice until we get our part correct. Changing one's habitual words and thoughts takes determination and doing it over and over until it happens. When an actress/actor is given a script, each must learn their part and they rehearse over and over. At any given moment, we can choose to change our life script if we are unsatisfied with it.
It is all about choice.

The url given below is beautifully stated and if one were to use it, then the new
life script will be a piece of cake. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IItTlj-5qy0&feature=related

WRITER'S DIGEST COMMENTARY

2007-11-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

Who could ask for a better commentary for a book submitted to a writing competition?
The following is a replica of the Commentary Sheet from the Writer's Digest 15th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards.

Author: Bettye Johnson
Title: Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls
Category: Genre Fiction
Judge: 99
On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning "poor" and 5 meaning "excellent," please evaluate the following:
Plot: 5
Grammar: 5
Character development: 5
Cover design: 5

Judge's commentary:
What did you like best about this book?

Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls is a tantalizing story depicting the discovery of ancient scrolls about Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Though it covers some of the same ground as the Da Vinci Code, the writing is infinitely better and far more believable. The heroines in the story are more realistic and the adventures described in a truer voice along with a possible time-line--something very much lacking in Dan Brown's tale. Whether the reader chooses to believe what is revealed in story form or not, the book is entertaining from beginning to end.

How can the author improve this book?

No suggestions--the author knows how to write and tell a compelling and convincing story. Hopefully the promotion for this book will be enough to make those who read the Da Vinci Code want to read the Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.

I thank and bless the judge.
Bettye Johnson

THE GEESE ARE BACK

2007-11-22T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's November and the geese began returning a few weeks ago. I knew this was the heralding of colder weather. This is the latest I can remember since I moved to Washington state 20-odd years ago. I remember the first time I heard their honking and I looked up to see a large flock of Canadian geese flying in a V-formation. Something touched my soul when I first heard the sound of the flying geese. Was it a memory of a lifetime I no longer remember? I only know I felt a thrill everytime they flew over. It didn't matter what I was in the midst of--I would stop and listen and watch them. I still feel the thrill whenever I hear them and stop to watch them.
I learned that when the lead goose became tired that it would drop back and allow another to takes its place.

Usually they began returning in September. Within the past 5 years, it seems their
arrival was later and not as many flocks as I recall. I wonder if the melting of glaciers in the Artic is a reason for fewer flocks each spring and fall. Some say that due to our milder winters that they have no need to return to their normal habitat in the far north. I wonder about this because I rarely see these geese on
ponds or small lakes in my area.

Regardless of the sparsity of their flocks, I knew this month that colder weather was on its way. Sure enough, I woke up this morning to 25 degree weather. I was warm and toasty in my small home with its wood stove. I have great insulation so it wasn't freezing inside and it didn't take long before the roaring fire was ablaze. I looked out as I watched the sun rise and noted the sparkling frost covering the land, trees and the driveway.

As the sun climbed higher in the blue sky and the temperature began rising to 28 and then up to 34 degrees, I noted the frost becoming vaporized and rising into the air to disappear. I wondered about the ascension of the frost and thought of humans. I understand that it is possible although most people do not think so. We humans really have no comprehension of our ability to accomplish many things. We become
mind-locked into beliefs, superstitution and accepting what we have been told and not attempting to experience other potentials. We think it is cool to read books such as the Harry Potter series, the Philip Pullman series such as The Golden Compass and even Charles Strosse's The Family Trade series.

Too often, the majority of humans believe that death is inevitable and that one must believe everything a doctor tells them. Isn't it time we begin to ponder the grand potentials that await us? Isn't it a possibility that we can open the lock of our mind? It is exciting to think about.

A Light In The World

2007-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

There are many in this world who are making a difference in other people's lives and I want to single out one woman who has changed the life of a Down's Syndrome young man. Her name is Marian Lancaster and she lives in the Pacific Northwest. Marian is a teacher and an improvisional dancer.

The young man's name is Dylan Kuehl. I attended a program at our local library where Marian and Dylan spoke and danced. Dylan's mother also shared a portion of his story. Dylan was born with Down's Syndrome and as a small boy he was severely abused. At age 9 his anger began surfacing and his behavior in the school he was attending was not the best. By the time he was 11, his mother, afraid for her life, was considering placing him in a residential institution. Fate stepped in and Dylan was assigned to Marian Lancaster. She recognized his anger and began teaching him improvisational dancing as well as art and this opened up a new world for Dylan. She
also taught him how to create a dream map and this young man is now manifestng his dreams and creating more.

Dylan is outgoing and loves to interact with people. He has become a motivational speaker, a dancer, artist, drummer and martial artist. Recently he has created his own dance company. His poem "Faces" received an International Society Poetry Award 2006 and his painting "Colored Hill" an Art Ability International Award 2006.

Thank you Marian for your wonderful work! You are indeed an inspiration. If you want to know more about her work, S.O.A.R. Special Opportunities in Arts and
Recreation you can email her at goldnbludancer@yahoo.com.
Or, write her at P.O. Box 21, Rainier, WA 98576.

Dylan has his own website http://www.dylankarts.com. He offers commissioned art, prints, calendars, postcards, bookmarks and greeting cards plus more.

AUTHOR'S BLOOPERS AND BONUSES ~Part 3

2007-11-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

The manuscript of Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy is about to be printed and getting it to this point has been a grand learning experience and much different than publishing Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. As I have written in a
previous segment of Author's Bloopers and Bonuses, I changed 'horses' in mid-stream--meaning I switched from Word 2000 to Word 2007. Actually, this was one of the best things I did.

Although I have had excellent editors and proof-reading, I had an experience that taught me a great deal. I 'thought' the manuscript was in great shape and ready to be sent to the printer when I noticed that some of the quotation marks were not all the same. In transferring the data from Word 2000 to Word 2007--even though I was using the same font, the quotation marks were different for each Word. I therefore began going through the 384 page manuscript and correcting the out-moded quotation marks. This led me to see that there were still items that escaped the eagle-eyes of my editors and proofreader and I was able to make the corrections. Yes, it was a long and tedious process, however it was well worth it.

In Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy, I have a quote as said by Jill and that is,
From adversity comes the jewel. I am experiencing this more and more. Another example is in connection with Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. A few months ago I submitted it to the Writer's Digest 15th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards. A few days ago I received a large envelope with a Certificate of Participation along with a letter informing me that I was not a winner. Then I looked at the Judge's Commentary Sheet and I found the jewel.

Books are judged in the areas of plot, grammar, character development and cover design with a scale of 1 to 5 and 5 being 'excellent,' or the highest mark given. My book received a 5 in ALL of the areas of judging.

The Judge's commentary in reply to the question of What did you like best about this book? is as follows: "Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls is a tantalizing story depicting the discovery of ancient scrolls about Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Though it covers some of the same ground as The DaVinci Code, the writing is infinitely better and far more believable. The heroines in the story are more realistic and the adventures described in a truer voice along with a possible time-line--something very much lacking in Dan Brown's tale. Whether the reader chooses to believe what is revealed in story form or not, the book is entertaining from beginning to end."

The Judge's commentary in reply to How can the author improve this book? is as follows: "No suggestions--the author knows how to write and tell a compelling and convincing story. Hopefully the promotion for this book will be enough to make those who read The DaVinci Code want to read the Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls." What more can be said? I have a jewel of a review and since my book has already been acclaimed as an Independent Publisher Book Award Winner in 2006, I
am well-pleased.

WHAT ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS?

2007-10-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Were the good old days really great? Were the good old days something one wants to go back to? Having been born in 1929, I have experienced a large slice of life. My first job was picking cotton on a farm outside of Winters, Texas. I think I was about 7 years old. I toted that bag all day and earned a whopping 35 cents. Yes, cents. I was so proud of myself. Today, the cotton pickers are a thing of the past here in the U.S., because someone invented a machine to harvest cotton and other field crops.

I grew up in West Texas out in the middle of nowhere. I never considered my life to be hard while growing up. Meaning, I never realized how poor we were until I was an adult. WW II brought changes. Women became the heroines on the home front while the men were sent off to the Pacific and the European wars.

In 1948 I secured a job full-time working in a small office. For six days a week earning $17.50. Yes, $17.50 for a 48 hour work week. In the space of eleven years I went from 35 cents a day to earning $1.60 a day. In this present age, this seems to be a small pittance for long hours.

In my family we never went hungry and the cost of living was much lower than it is today. I could go to a movie for ten cents and my mother made my clothes. The food costs were also very low in comparison with the prices of today. A loaf of bread was priced at ten cents a loaf and milk around twenty cents a quart. Milk could be delivered to the door.

Recently I was reminded of the low wages the people in Asia are receiving for their long hours of labor. Some receive only $1.00 a day and yes, there are children also working in the fields and factories. So-called third world countries have eyed the progress of the United States over the past hundred years and now the scales are tipping. Can I deprive them of their right to earn more? No, I do not choose to think of doing that.

China and India are the leaders of the growing outsourcing of product manufacturing and services. However, there are rumblings that these may also be in trouble. China is having a labor shortage and some reports indicate they may begin to outsource to other low wage countries. China's labor faction is demanding higher wages.
India is another country facing the same problem. And, as the line of dominos begin to topple, other third world countries will begin to rise up in the economic world.
I hear many people decry and bemoan the outsourcing and the loss of jobs. Yes, we have a high rate of homeless people and jobless people. It is a repeat of the aftermath of the Great Depression of 1929. For Americans to continue with their lifestyles there must be change. We can become too enamored with the myth that the U.S. is top dog. This is no longer the case.

The scales have tipped and now we need more innovative minds in this country to bring forth new products and new methods for producing and selling. There is an old saying, someone is always building a bigger mousetrap. Why does it have to be a mousetrap?

U.S. workers have a high standard of living and their fascination with sports, movies and television may become the method of their undoing. This can be changed by farsighted individuals who place their focus elsewhere and come up with new ideas--new inventions. It is something to think about because either we evolve, or we become sick and die. Somehow, I think evolution is the better choice.

Yes, times have changed and although I have no regrets pertaining to my childhood, I am very happy to have those days in my past. Life is an evolution and should be lived with no regrets.

AUTHOR'S BLOOPERS AND BONUSES

2007-10-02T15:26:00.000-07:00

An Ongoing Journey No. 2

Ten years ago, when I was writing a fantasy fiction novel, I purchased a block of ISBN numbers. I thought I would become a hotshot author. Half way through the manuscript, I was clicking off to do something else. I already had approximately 150 pages written. Then I did the unthinkable.

When the message came up asking if I wanted to save the changes, I clicked 'no'. Poof! No more manuscript! Somehow, I deleted the entire manuscript. No, I did not have it on a disk. No, I did not do any of things a wise author would have done. Yes, I was upset. Yes, I was discouraged. No, I did not attempt to reconstruct my great novel. I went into remission. Yes, there is life after deletion……to be continued.

AN AUTHOR'S BLOOPERS AND BONUSES

2007-10-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

An Ongoing Journey ~ No. 1

I have learned that when I think I have a grasp on things or think I know it all—I don't.
I have had one of those grand learning experiences and will share it here. I thought I had completed the manuscript for the sequel to Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. Wrongo in the Congo. In other words, I created a blooper—or so I thought.

For some reason, the page formatting for the new book wasn't clicking and the idea came to look into upgrading my Word 2000. I went on-line to Microsoft and noted I could download a Microsoft Word 2007 on a trial basis for 60 days. Yes, I downloaded it.

Again, the page formatting wasn't connecting and I spent a few weeks cursing Word and myself when I knew I shouldn't. Fortunately I didn't lose the manuscript! Have you ever had those moments when your brain isn't really functioning? I felt like that and finally an idea--duh!--came to me to go to Microsoft technical support because after reading their Help numerous times and watching their video, my eyes focused on one small sentence. Not all of the components of Microsoft Word 2007 interface with other Word versions. My Word 2000 page formatting was one of those components.

I found a phone number for technical support from Microsoft and I called it. After explaining my dilemma, I was transferred to a technician in India. Yes, India. The technician was very nice and asked me to download a temporary software called 'Peer to Peer.' Shortly I began to watch his cursor move on my screen and he created the correct page format. We are indeed becoming one world. A great display of there is no such thing as time, distance and space. It is only our own concept.

With the switching from one Word program to another, some of the manuscript became out of kilter—or slightly messed up. When I began making order from chaos, I noted a few bloopers and I have been correcting/changing those. Word 2007 is very good at letting me know when I am got using the correct grammar. Yes, I purchased the Word 2007 and we are getting to know each other. I think we are going to like each other eventually. Our marriage almost turned into a nasty fight.

What came with downloading the purchased Word 2007 was another challenge. I clicked on my Outlook Express and it had a new look. Zounds! Where did my folders disappear to? What happened to my e-list folders? What appeared to me was something from another reality and I almost went into shock when emails sent to me in 2004 and 2005 began surfacing. I closed down and sat stunned. I then decided to go back on-line and see what I could do and a box popped up asking if I wanted Outlook Express as my default user or Outlook. I realized there is a vast difference and Outlook is for the corporate world.

Happy am I to say that my dear Outlook Express popped up and all of my beloved files, folders and e-list folders were intact.

From this came the idea to begin a series of articles regarding my journey as a writer and post them on my blog: www.magdalenescrolls.blogspot.com….to be continued.

MENTAL CAGES OF THE MIND - Part I

2007-08-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

Recently I read Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s book Infidel, her biography of the unraveling of her upbringing as a Muslim female. The story of her life is one of abuse, enslavement to the Quran, clan and family. Her story is worth reading. From her book, I was introduced to the term mental cage. When people such as the females of the Muslim religion are programmed from birth to a life of living only as a slave to men’s whims, I can readily understand the term mental cage. The women of Islam are so indoctrinated by Islamic men that they can’t see beyond the bars of their mental cage and they perpetuate this onto their children.

In contemplating Ali’s biography, I can also see that there are degrees of mental cages. Almost everyone on this planet has some form of a mental cage. What is a mental cage? From teachings I have had, our brain is similar to a computer and the programs we run in our brain create our thoughts. Our thoughts create our mind and our experiences. One only has to mentally stand back and observe the lives of others around us and listen to the words that are spoken. Once we are aware of these mental cages, we can know what kind of program is being operated in the brain.

We can also observe our own words and thoughts to know what program we are running. The brain is filled with neurons, synapses and much more that make up the neuronet which is like a specific piece of learning software that runs a pattern. We build our own mental prisons by what we have been taught and accepted. The movie What the Bleep, gives a vivid picture of moving out of a mental cage. The movie has been extremely popular because it resonated deep within the recesses of the brain that it portrayed a truth.

There is a statement that when we change our mind, we change our life and I have found that to be true. There have been many books written about this with each one giving methods for changing the mind. However, there are embedded core beliefs that are a challenge to change and this keeps many in one form of a mental cage.

I have asked myself where these core beliefs begin because everything has a beginning. It is much like Ariadne’s Thread and following the threads in order to understand why people are so addicted to their beliefs and habits. This includes me also. Somewhere along the evolution of humanity, there became a belief that women were less than men and knowing this, my thread took me to religion.

I have done extensive research on the Bible that Christians use. There are many variations or translations of this ancient text with each one having a slightly different interpretation and some have added books that were omitted in others. What I have learned is that the Old Testament is not a holy book at all. I know that statement will be considered blasphemous by some who hold on to the bars of their mental cage. However, it is an ancient text of history that in was handed down by word of mouth until someone wrote it down. If you have ever played the telephone game, then you can understand how the original meaning became changed.

I have seen a proliferation of new churches popping up in communities and each an offshoot of the primary denominations of the Christian religion. I began wondering why and realized that people become dissatisfied with the established churches and some man thinks he has the answer and draws to him people who like what he has to say. Thus, they leave the established denomination and begin a new one. In my research, I have learned there are approximately 34,000 separate Christian groups in the world. One report states there are approximately 1,000 Christian faith groups that think they are the only true Christian denomination. In my small community there are 22 Christian groups. Over half do not have a denomination included in their name. In looking at this list, I have wondered why such a small community needed so many different churches. Multiply this across the U.S. and the number is staggering.

Having been an ordained minister, I can say that from my observations and experiences that many people want someone to tell them how to live and what to do. Thus, the minister, priest, pastor or preacher becomes empowered and the people become enslaved to that set of beliefs until something within them is triggered and they begin to question.

It isn’t only the Christian religions that enslave people’s minds. Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes in her book Infidel: I found myself thinking that the Quran is not a holy document. It is a historical record, written by humans. It is one version of events, as perceived by the men who wrote it 150 years after the Prophet Muhammad died. And it is very tribal and an Arab version of events. It spreads a culture that is brutal, bigoted, fixated on controlling women, and harsh in war. Ali has summed it up very succinctly. The history of Christianity is the same. Islam and Christianity are the two sides of the same coin.

I grew up in the era of segregation in Texas and the south. I grew up in the midst of bigotry and prejudice and I didn’t understand as a child why blacks were segregated. I didn’t understand why my church professed that God is love, yet women were also kept in an inferior place. Where was the love for the blacks? When I began working for the Foreign Service branch of the U.S. State Department, I had a sudden shift in my beliefs when my first post was to the embassy in Paris. I broke out of some of the bars of my mental cage. In retrospect it was one of the most freeing times of my life.

I have learned that if a religion suppresses the rights of women to be treated as equals, then it is a religion of man and not of God. Because of this programming, men equally have their own mental cages. Perhaps it is up to the individual to look within and find the mental cages that keeps one in a state of lack, anger, guilt, fear, victim, and other modalities of thinking. The only change can come from within.

What are the attitudes that keep us limited? If it is prejudice, then it is time to change the attitude. If it is one of lack, then it is time to change one’s perspective. There are many books and programs available to help one to move out of the cage. Usually change comes from adversity. I like Richard Bach’s statement: Every problem comes with a gift in its hands. Another way of saying it is that when the shit hits the fan, look for the gold. To move forward, we cannot stay in self-pity. I am finding that for myself I must look at all of my beliefs and begin to discard the ones that are not self-serving. End of Part I. To be continued.

MENTAL CAGES OF THE MIND-Part II

2007-08-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

In Part I, I wrote about the origins of our mental cages. Each of us has to search deep within our belief systems the bars that keep us within our individual cages. Bars are those blocks that keep us in the same belief neuronet which is similar to a specific piece of learning software and it runs a pattern. One of the first things is to listen to the words we speak and think. What is our vocabulary?

The most used words or phrases in the vocabulary of the cage are: I can’t, I need, it isn’t possible, I don’t believe it, it isn’t my fault, I didn’t do it, it’s against my religion, they are full of the devil, he/she deserve to be punished, he/she is sinful, it’s a sin to do this or that, and we can on and on. All of these words and phrases bring on the emotions of guilt, shame, blame, fear and lack. How often have parents told their children that there isn’t enough money. Or, we can’t do this or that because it is too expensive. It costs too much. It is beyond my budget. This is the programming of lack.

To move out of our cages, I have learned we much each take responsibility for what is happening in our lives. No longer can we blame our parents, our bosses, the government, the system and so on. Most people do not understand what being responsible means. One of the primary definitions of the word responsible is to be accountable for one’s actions, speech, and welfare. Society has forgotten as a whole, about being responsible and has given away their power to the government, the church, the medical profession and also to other segments of society. I remember the old Geraldine TV show where Flip Wilson playing the part of Geraldine said repeatedly, “The Devil made me do it.” It seems someone always wants to put the blame on someone else and this could be the reason for lawsuits. It is something to think about.

An attitude of defeat is a killer of dreams and keeps one in the cage of unworthiness. There is no such thing as failure. Failure is only an opportunity to do better and it is only an experience. All of my past failures have led me to where I am today. I would not be doing what I am doing today if I had not had failures to move me from one point to another point.

I can look back on the few injuries I have had and I can recognize the attitudes that brought the injuries to me. Attitudes and thoughts act as magnets and bring back to us the frequency that matches. When we really begin to listen to our words and our thoughts, we can recognize the patterns of the cage. We also can empower ourselves to move out of the cage by re-educating the brain’s natural pattern and create a new neuronet. This is why attention is important. Being attentive to the way we think is to use the learning tools of affirmations and declarations.
Keys to Change: Awareness – Becoming aware of one’s vocabulary and attitudes. Choices – Choose to change the wording and thoughts. Action – Be open to change and taking charge of choices.

It is up to each of us to be cognizant of our choice of words. From my experience it is a do it over and over until it becomes my common thought. When I have caught myself using a cage word, I stop and re-phrase it and I don’t beat myself up. I know I am changing and this is part of the journey. When thoughts of doubt come up, I tell myself that I do not accept doubt.
There is nothing wrong with any of us because it is only our programming that needs to be changed to allow the wonder of us to come out. Friends may drop by the wayside when we begin breaking out of our mental cages and families often do not understand. This is a price to pay for freedom from the mental cage. Is it worth it? It is if you are willing to step out into the unknown. Freedom of the mind is a heady elixir. The view of the world is expansive and unlimited.

When one begins breaking through the bars of the mental cage, it can be frightening. Perhaps in a way it similar to a child learning to walk and talk. Rarely does a child walk without a few falls and rarely does a child begin talking like an adult. The more we break through the bars, the more confidence we gain and our lives becomes more satisfying. Adversity only hones one’s skills. By approaching our breaking the bars of our mental cage with enthusiasm and a light heart, we move faster through the initial changes. At first it may appear that no progress is being made and one day a realization comes that a shift has happened. It may be the breaking though only one bar or it could be many. Freedom of the mind can only be opened from the inside. Enjoy the journey.

ABUSE IS A LEARNED BEHAVIOR

2007-08-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why some people are abusive and others are not? Have you ever wondered where the roots of abuse came from? Abuse is a learned behavior handed down generation to generation. Why? Think about your parents or perhaps the ones who raised you. Raise is an interesting word. Did they raise you or did they rear you? The English language has some interesting interpretations. I don’t think we would ever say “my parents taught me up.” But that is exactly what parents do.

Parents are a baby’s first role model. Second are their siblings or other members of the family group followed by peers or playmates. Fourth would be religion followed by school. However, religion and family are intertwined with some having more influence than the other. I will begin with the parents. How was the mother treated by the father? How was the father treated by the mother? Was there fighting. Was there drinking? What were their attitudes towards each other?

Next, did they have prejudices against other people or ethnic groups? What were the words they used when discussing other people? Did they use profanity? What and who did they condemn? What kind of a role model were the parents putting forth? Most of us do not know what goes on in other people’s homes. If the abuse is blatant, then we might become aware of it. There is an insidious form of abuse that is psychological and it can be in the form of verbal abuse.

Religion fosters abuse because they take away a person’s freedom of choice. In Richard Dawkins’ book The God Delusion, he writes of a Hell House created by Pastor Keenan Roberts in Arvada, Colorado. Reportedly plays are put on to show and let people experience what hell is like. The only thing is that there is no hell. It was created by man and perpetuated by religion. The only hell there is – is what is created in the mind. This is a form of abuse to the mind and to create fear. Fear is the emotion that drives people to be abusive not only to others, but to themselves as well. Fear keeps people enslaved.

The Catholic Church has a history of abuse from sexual abuse by priests and punishment by nuns such as the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland. A movie has been made about this situation where nuns virtually kidnapped women who became their slaves in the Magdalene laundries. There is also evidence that Jewish children were taken away from their parents to raise as Catholics in the 19th century. In addition there was the witch hunts conducted by not only Catholics but Protestants as well. The abuses throughout history are a matter of record with the majority of the abused being women and children. This is not to say that women haven’t also been abusers and there is no excuse for them to be.

One only has to read the Old Testament and learn that it is full of violence such as in Deuteronomy 13:6, 8-15 where one is told to …”but you shall kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death…” followed by…”You shall stone him to death with stones…” In the New Testament, Matthew 5:18-20 it tells that “… unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” In Thessalonians 1:6-9, “God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you…” and there are many more verses similar to the above quoted that indicate that the God of the Bible is neither just nor fair. Imagine the load of guilt placed on the believers.

Even the Koran tells the men that if they died for Allah that they will be rewarded with virgins in heaven. Virgins? There was a protest march by Muslims in London last year and the signs were filled with hatred towards the West. Is it no wonder we have wars, rape and atrocities against women and children? Is it no wonder we have a world filled with guilt-ridden people?

It is also an abuse to change a culture by forcing a foreign religion upon them. Here in the U.S. this has happened to the American Indians. Through religious influence, children were taken away from their parents and homes and sent off to boarding schools in order to bring them in alignment with the established white culture. In Africa, young boys were taken away from their tribes and forced into a Catholic boarding school. In Hawaii Protestant missionaries attempted to change the native Hawaiian spiritual beliefs into alignment with Christianity as practiced by the missionaries. This is also a form of abuse. This is all in addition to war, rape, and other atrocities committed primarily on women and children.

Self-condemnation and self-abuse are the same. Based on fear, some people turn to drugs, alcohol, and among young girls and boys there is an epidemic of ‘cutting.’ This is taking a sharp instrument and cutting oneself in order to bleed. The cutting is usually not deep and the purpose of cutting is to let out the pain held inside. This is self-mutilation. In some African countries girls undergo genital mutilation from ages 3 to 10. Abuse is rampant whether it is perpetuated by the individual on self or by others.

Isn’t it about time for each of us to fess up to our own contributions to abuse? Once we recognize that we are contributors, we then can make choices not to participate. Abuse is now a choice. Isn’t it about time that we each realized that we are one piece of the Quilt of God? We were each created at the same time and I am not talking about the body. I am writing about the spiritual essence that inhabits our brain/body and that supersedes any religious dogmas. It is time for us to forgive ourselves and begin to live according to the true nature of God that lives within us.
God is not something outside the individual. It is time to look around and observe the suppression of humanity and the dogmas to keep God outside of the individual.

It is time for each of us to deprogram our selves and to be aware of how we treat others. It is important to allow others to be different and not to put our beliefs on them. It is time to take action. We are a rainbow of God's Quilt and together we all make a gorgeous portrait. Each of us can make a difference by saying 'no more!' to abuse in any form.

A QUIET REVOLUTION - Part 3

2007-07-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Please read Parts 1 and 2 first by scrolling down.

It is a challenge to attempt to share what I learned at the Third Women’s Peace Conference held in Dallas, Texas from July 10-15. The bridging of cultures, religions and politics flowed beautifully through the conference. Unfortunately the media missed this.

A number of times I heard “Where attention goes, energy flows.” In various workshops women were urged to contact their newspapers and ask for more attention given to efforts for non-violent peace efforts. Peace should be a sustainability initiative. We should be made visible to each other. In 1948 the United Nations created and passed the Universal Rights. (http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html) It will have its 60th anniversary in 2008. Perhaps it is time to call forth the implementation of these universal rights!

Each of us can contribute and make a difference in our own way.

Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Senior Consultant for the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, South Africa is a beautiful example. She wrote “A Human Being Died That Night” and in 2007 was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award. She told us that we live in difficult times and we must work for peace, justice, compassion and community with others.

She spoke of non-violence and we “…must avoid falling into the pit of hatred.” Her organization is about truth and reconciliation in South Africa. Forgiveness is a healthy response to those horrors that occur…Truth will out…People become traumatized by abuse, horrors and are unable to often verbalize. She said the story of forgiveness begins with a trauma. Forgiveness is a possibility that we can dialogue with our enemies.

When loved ones are tortured, maimed and killed, they lose their sense of self. When people are tortured, it becomes their identity. Trauma is the unmaking of self. Vengeance makes them suffer and injures their emotions. She spoke of her work into assisting others to dialogue by testimony and witnessing about the past. It is a beginning of forgiveness.

When looking at perpetuators, one sees the pain of guilt and denial. She spoke of having each side look into the other’s eyes and it becomes power and this leads to compassion. Power lies in our center and it takes the risk to dialogue with others. Guilt locks people in denial and justification. Forgiveness evolves into remorse and then apology, thereby alleviating the guilt. She gave an example of a perpetuator standing before one of the victims who had his family killed. It took awhile before each could look the other in the eye. When they finally accomplished this, the perpetuator apologized and a healing began to take place because the apology was accepted. When there is the act of truth and reconciliation, then the deep pain in the soul is resolved.

Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams said she is now age 56. She is a dynamic woman. She has been active in getting most countries to sign the Ottawa agreement to ban land mines. The U.S., China and Russia have not signed the treaty. She has led a mission to Dafur and said they are using rape as a tool of war. It is the Genocide Olympics.

Jody Williams said she is a spiritual vagabond. She champions human security and peace. She is sick of the wimpization of peace. Peace is not a rainbow or a dove. That is serenity. It is not Kumbawa. Peace is people security and not state security. Human security means threats are minimized. It means the needs of the people are met. The basic needs of the majority should be met. She sees the important issues to be water, rape or killing. She is tired of hearing that state security is taking care of needs. State security is about preserving.

Re Dafur: It is about cleansing. Rape is about destroying families. Peace is not about the absence of war. This is about men who send other men’s children to die…Violence is a choice.

Isms are intellectualized. Violence, bigotry, prejudice is a choice. We have to learn to make other choices or we die. She was asked about 9/ll and replied that at that time to ask why was treason. Know your history. She gave her email address and said I don’t want to hear any whining. Don’t email to whine. She suggested researching http://www.hwr.org/ - the Human Rights Watch.org. She spoke of cluster bombs. Cluster bombs maim children and women. There is disinvestment in Sudan.

If every person gave one hour a month and agreed to do something, then we would hit critical mass and a major change would occur. It does no good to just talk. Take action.

This was stated in another way the following day when former Ambassador Swanee Hunt spoke. “Pacifists have to put their bodies where their mouths are. There are no women on negotiation teams and this is why warlords say women compromise.

Hunt was Ambassador to Austria during the Bosnia War. She told several stories because being so near the war zone, she was well informed. A Muslim family was captured and the father killed outright. His liver was cut out and his son was forced to eat it and then watch his mother being raped.

Hunt told another story. Even though the UN was bringing in flour, it had not reached some of the people. In Sarajevo, a Bosnian young woman had no food and she met a 70 year-old man. He took her to his home where she met his wife and they fed her even though they had very little food. They lived in the basement of a burned-out building. When she left, she was given a small packet of beets, cabbage and sauerkraut. She shared her story that the man and his wife had managed to have a small garden where they grew beets and cabbage. They gardened by flashlight after dark because of the snipers. The man and his wife were Muslim and she was Christian. They remained friends.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 was given to Aung San Suu Kvi of Burma. Her party won 80% of the seats in a democratic election in 1990, but the military government refused to recognize the results. She was not allowed to accept her award and was incarcerated. She is still under house arrest today despite the efforts of many to have her released.

I experienced a wonderful encounter with a delegation of nine women and one man from Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia. Larisa Cherepanova is the Director for the Center “Women Together.” She was the interpreter for the rest of the delegation and yet we all communicated. One of the women is a designer for clothes and her designs are beautiful and outrageous. Another teaches school. Larisa is a poet and a songwriter and singer with a beautiful voice. I have been invited to visit them in Novosibirsk – and doors can open for me to take them up on their offer.

I attended the circle gathering led by women of Gather the Women, of which I belong and it was a beautiful experience of coming together and sharing. This organization has a great on-line forum where we can communicate with each other. Women may also create a circle in their own community. http://www.gatherthewomen.org/.

A woman vendor was selling bracelets of silver beads. In the center of each bracelet was one black bead representing that it only takes one to make a difference. Each of us can be that one.

The conference ended Saturday night and I left with my mind filled with so much information along with stories that were happy and stories that were extremely sad. What I am taking with me is the message to expand awareness. Take an action. You don’t know where it will lead you.

Find a cause and commit even if it is only one hour a month.
Peace is security. Peace is using non-violent methods to settle conflicts.

The greatest thing we can do for our self is to give up prejudices, bigotry, and hatred. Only by doing this can we find our own inner peace.

It is awesome to contemplate a meeting of over one thousand minds from all over the world and each one of us points of light and each one making a different in her/his (yes there were men attending) way.

Why do I call this the Quiet Revolution? It is because there is change and women will not be put back into a toothpaste tube of being considered no better than a breeding animal for men’s pleasure. Women all over the world are gradually realizing that they have worth and want to end the discrimination against them. Women are now gaining education and now want an equal voice. Women do not want to dominate. They are asking for balance in an unbalanced world. Their voices are now being heard and will become louder in a non-violent way. This is the way of the Quiet Revolution.

I want to say that I would have never attended this conference if I had not been a student of Ramtha for twenty years. The Ramtha School of Enlightenment is an academy of the mind and by applying what I have learned, doors opened for me to do what I have done. Now, I know more doors are opening and where they are taking me – well who knows because I am making known an unknown.

Bettye Johnson, July 19, 2007

A QUIET REVOLUTION - Part 2

2007-07-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Please read Part I first by scrolling down.

The Peacemakers, Inc. hosted the Third International Women’s Peace Conference held in Dallas, Texas from July 10-15, 2007 and was first incorporated in 1987 with the first conference being held in 1988. Founder of the Peacemakers, Inc. was Vivian Castleberry, an editor and reporter for the now defunct Dallas Times Herald newspaper for 28 years. The current president of Peacemakers, Inc. is Carol Crabtree Donovan; a practicing attorney in Dallas and this is why the International Women’s Peace Conferences is held in Dallas, Texas. I found the women of Dallas open-minded, warm and dedicated to making a difference in spite of the fact that there was no media coverage and this was commented on. I find it hard to think this was an oversight. Discrimination?

The broad spectrum of topics covered in the workshops and presentations was more than addressing the atrocities of the world. Education was a focal point and the women in the third world countries want education, technology and communication skills. The conference was also about women reaching out and helping women. It was also about using non-violent methods to settle conflicts.

Before the opening session, we gathered in the great open area of the conference center where each of us was given large flags representing every country, island, and protectorate in the world. I was handed the flag of Georgia (Russia). We began moving in a circle towards a microphone and when we reached it, we gave the name of our flag’s country and everyone said three times: “May peace prevail in ____.” We then moved on and handed our flag to a woman who placed it in a holder. By the end, we had a tight circle of flags. It was very profound and moving.

I learned about the United Nations from Gillian Sorenson, former UN Secretary-General and now Senior Advisor at the UN Foundation, a national advocate on matters relating to the UN. I realized after listening to Sorenson, how ignorant I have been about the United Nations.

During her session, she said: “This is a critical time in the world. Goodwill is not enough. Prayer is not enough. It requires action.” War and conflict have reached new depths and spawned cultures of violence in Africa.

Bigotry and hate are all learned. In the past 13 years 3-1/2 million people that include children, women and men have died in Africa. Women need to find their voices. Women must be an agent for change. Women must raise awareness and funds. Women must hold governments accountable. We can counter-balance. We must find work for the men and women. We cannot wish. We must look for kindred spirits…

Optimism and confidence is contagious. Pessimism is contagious. We must begin in our own communities. We must speak up to the media and our governments. Do not be intimidated. Research and then name and shame the manufacturers of weapons and oil. In the U.S. there have been and are manufacturers of land mines. Find out who the war profiteers are. In other word, ‘knowledge is power.’

Organize, teach, speak, and dramatize. There are 20 million refugees. A mature nation earns its reputation. Sorenson spoke of the United Nations. (http://www.un.org/) There are non-governmental organizations involved. There are 193 countries that belong to the UN. Around the world there is a leadership deficit. We need vision. Sorenson then spoke of Nelson Mandela. She quoted him: “Education is the most powerful tool you can use to change the world.”

Sorenson spoke of the UN Association of the U.S. (www.unausa.org/) - a non-profit organization that promotes education because it creates confidence, freedom and opportunity. An example is a woman from a tribe in Africa. She now has a cell phone and when she has a goat she wants to sell, she calls other villages and finds out the price goats are selling for. Now she has information and knows what to ask for her goat when she takes it to market.

Peace begins at home. See what needs to be done in your own community. Educate yourself about what is happening in the world. Pick an issue and commit.

There are 13 global environmental treaties that have gone into force in the last three decades – but the U.S. is party to only part of them. Why? The Senate refuses to ratify them and this means the U.S. has no role in their implementation. The treaties that have yet to be ratified are:
· Bonn Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species since 1983.
· Convention on Biological Diversity in force since 1993.
· The Kyoto Protocol
· Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.
· Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Sorenson recommends voting. Go to your local offices of your U.S. senators and representatives. Call and find out when they will be home and take a delegation.

Sorenson spoke at a second session. She has been in senior positions pertaining to the United Nations for over 20 years. There are civil societies – non-governmental organizations that are called NGO’s. These organizations are designed, organized and led by citizens, i.e. citizens groups. Civil societies have influence and power. Example: The Rotary Club has worked with the UN for ten years to eradicate polio and it is beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Their next issue is Clean Water. What is happening is that NGO’s are doing what governments won’t do. The UN global meetings for women have connected women globally.

What are the assets of NGO’s? Their assets are the media, lobbying and know how to build support in Congress. They can push, prod and shame governments. The UN is not perfect, but it is the best we have and we can make it better.

We can give an issue a face, i.e. land mines. Go after the manufacturers. Under the Human Rights division of the UN there are 150 NGO’s. The UN cannot respond to 150 groups who have differences of opinions. Unfortunately between NGO’s there is competition, wasted energy. Do your homework. The most recent issue is the Child Soldier issue.

There has been bad press regarding Family Planning. There is propaganda that the UN is for abortion. This is not so. Once the UN funds one of 100 countries asking for help, it is up to that country to determine to be pro or anti-abortion. The UN is neutral.

The U.S. hasn’t given a dime in six years. Regarding the International Criminal Court – the U.S. is absent, but has asked the Court to prosecute the Sudan. Soft power versus Hard power. Hard power is might and guns. Soft power is persuasion and as an example, it is values and moral issues. And then there is Smart Power, which is leadership. NGO’s for the most part fall under this umbrella. It has the elements of compassion and intellect.

People have power if they become organized and focused. There must be accountability. There needs to be more women in political office. In the U.S. Senate only 16% are women and in the House of Representatives there are only 16% women.

The UN Family Population Fund – the U.S. had $30 million in 2002 earmarked and Pres. Bush has withheld this.

The speaker from the League of Women Voters told us that politics affect all aspects of our life. The most effective ways to contact your representatives are 1) Personal visit; 2) Faxing; 3) Telephone. Letters may take up to 3 months to reach national representatives due to the anthrax scare. On-line petitions have very little impact. E-mailing – your email may get lost in the shuffle of the thousands they receive.

Do your homework. Know the issue. Have talking points of who, what, etc. Be ready to listen. Know the financial implications of what you are asking for. Be courteous. Be brief. Shake hands. Write a think-you note. Do a follow-up and build up a relationship. Thank of creating a coalition of groups in your community. Talk to unelected people of authority also.

The above model is suitable to use on any level of local, county, state and national representatives. Most of the people in prison fall into 3 categories: 1) childhood abuse, 2) substance abuse, 3) illiteracy. Do they have a positive role model in their life?

I overheard two women talking and one asked, “Where are the people from the Sixties? The reply was, “They went to the corporate world for comfort and now they are afraid of being poor.” I did not interrupt, but I thought those answers were only part of it. They had their leaders, i.e. John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinated and the fear struck home as it was intended to do.

I heard mention of Open Source Technology – free technology and found this site: http://www.oftc.net/oftc/ I attended a workshop titled: Leveraging for Technology. This was put on by WorldPulse Media http://www.worldpulsemedia.com/. Within this organization is another tool for women called Pulse Wire. Utilizing the Internet enables women to be a great force in the media. We need voices for women and children of ethnic cleansing.

Women in Afghanistan are making baby bouncers out of rubber tires. We have to move from giving advice to listening to what women need and want to build their own websites. Jensine Larson, the founder and CEO of WorldPulse, is building her website to enable women to be powerful in their own right. She is using Craig’s List as a model. Women everywhere are clamoring to be heard – to connect. They are risking and daring to be bold.

Larson has been to Burma where she has seen first-hand the results of ethnic cleansing. The Burmese Army of 4000 members is known as the “School of Rape.” Betty Williams told the story of a little girl she interviewed at a relocation center. The girl was under the age of 12 and in her village had to watch her mother and father dig their own graves. The soldiers then raped her mother and then had the parents stand facing the open graves and shot them in the back of the head. The little girl and her brother had to cover the graves with dirt and the girl was then raped. The soldiers led them on a forced march through the jungles and she was given 1 small bowl of rice a day. When she stumbled and fell, she was raped, beaten and forced to march. This lasted for days. Williams said that the girl has since died.

An outstanding presenter was Sharon McCord of the Peace X Peace non-profit organization. She gave a list of Internet resources to enable women and men to become web savvy. You can find out more by going to http://www.peacexpeace.org/

I attended a workshop regarding genital mutilation. I personally heard the story from a 29-year-old woman from southern Kenya. Lucy came to the U.S. ten months ago and her mission is to make people aware of the horribleness of genital mutilation and perhaps something will be done. She said it is a cultural thing and not religious. It is prevalent in Africa. In her tribe they took 29 young girls when Lucy was age 3 and performed the ceremony of genital circumcision. She was tied town and a rope put in her mouth while the surgery was performed with an unclean instrument. She screamed from the pain and so did the others. Today only 4 of the original 29 are alive. At this age she was betrothed to a man who gave her father some goats.

Her tribe also had another custom. It wasn’t proper for a girl to have flat breasts so they took her down to the river and attached an animal to her nipples and they were stretched until her breasts became enlarged and over the years grew quite large. In another tribe it was the opposite. The girls had heavy iron weights put on their breasts so they wouldn’t grow. She is now in constant pain.

At age 9 she moved out of her parents house and lived with her grandmother until she was age 12 and married to the 54 year-old man who gave her father 50 cows for her. She was wife number five. After her so-called wedding night, his other wives cut her vagina and while she screamed from pain and bled, he entered her and laughed because he thought she was enjoying it. Between ages 12 to 15 she had two forced abortions and she finally found the courage to run away. She became an activist and became known in Tanzania where she encouraged women to declare their freedom. She was caught and taken to a forest where she was raped and a coke bottle shoved up into her vagina. Lucy is beautiful and laughs. When asked why she laughs so much, she said that if she didn’t that she would die.

And then there is Odette from Rwanda. I met her the first day of the conference. She has beautiful mahogany skin and arrived at the conference from Costa Rica where she received her Masters degree from the university there. She originally was from Uganda and came from an extremely poor family. Somehow her father managed to send her to the mission school for 3 years and she excelled. One day he told her she could not go back to school. When she asked why, he told her that she was a girl. He had to save the money for her brother to go to school. She screamed and cried so much that he took a cane to her and beat her.

When the head of the mission school met her in the village, he asked her why she hadn’t returned to school. She lied and told him she was a refugee and had no money. A Catholic priest overheard the conversation and he left money for her education. She managed to complete high school and continued to seek knowledge. I’m not sure at what age she met her husband, but he was in the government service of Tanzania and became ambassador to Japan. Odette shook her head in amazement while telling me her story. “Can you imagine? I became an ambassador’s wife!” She also was amazed that she had attended a dinner for the senior Bush when he was President.

Then there was Linda from Dallas – a schoolteacher. When she began teaching, she told them to give her all the problems. They did and she taught them love – self-love. Some of them went on to become engineers, lawyers, and other professions. She is making a difference.

Rita Johnson went to Costa Rica 15 years ago and in that time has worked with the Costa Rican government to establish a Peace Army. The President of Costa Rica is Óscar Arias Sánchez who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his negotiations in Central America. Costa Rica is the only country in the world that has no military army. Instead they have a Peace Army. Costa Rica is a model for non-violent negotiations and a model for peace.

Each of can make a difference in our own way. It only takes one to make a difference.

Bettye Johnson – Part 3 to come.

A QUIET REVOLUTION - Part 1

2007-07-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

There was a gathering of women from all over the world and a quiet revolution was occurring. The Third International Women’s Peace Conference put on by the Peacemakers, Inc. was held in Dallas, Texas from July 10-15, 2007. This was a monumental occasion with keynote speakers including three women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.

When I first learned of the Third International Women’s Peace Conference in Dallas, Texas, I felt a strong pull to attend and I did. It was a journey of discovery and learning. It was an auspicious period for me because this conference was sandwiched in between Al Gore’s 7/07/07 Live Earth and 7/17/07 Fire the Grid. It was also meaningful for me because Dallas is the city of my birth in the 7th month – July.

I had no expectations, however I soon learned that this was a gathering of female warriors – peaceful warriors. Some had been militant and won Nobel Peace Prizes. Others came from a background of repression; bigotry, hate, torture, rape and almost every vile thing a man can do to a woman. I have named this A Quiet Revolution because it was non-political and crossed all religious boundaries. The time is now for women to exert their power in a non-violent way. There was no ‘bashing’ of men. It was a meeting of great minds who want change. In fact, men are welcome to join the women to make this a world where women and children are safe and conflicts can be settled by non-violent methods.

At the airport while waiting for the shuttle to take me into Dallas, I met a beautiful woman from Kenya who had just flown in from Boston. I thought it was interesting that we were two points of light coming from the opposite sides of the U.S. and meeting in Dallas to form a ‘V.’ Over one thousand women from 43 different countries and 32 U.S. states convened to discuss peace and to discuss peaceful solutions to the torture, abuse, killing and maiming of millions of women and children as well as men. We were women from various ethnic, religious and political backgrounds. Missing from this landmark event was the media. Time and Newsweek along with CNN, NBC and CBS should have covered this event.

Joining me on Wednesday was Louise Oliverio and together we attended workshops together and separately with each of us learning. There was no mention of forming protest groups, carrying signs and banners. No. This was a meeting of planning strategic plans of action using non-violence avenues.

Keynote speakers and Presentation leaders included such notables as Betty Williams, co-winner of the 1976 Noble Peace Prize for her work in uniting Northern Ireland to become what it is today. Her thrust today is helping the children of the world.

Gillian Sorenson, former UN Under-Secretary General, UN Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations and currently Senior Adviser of the UN Foundation – a non-profit organization shared with us her knowledge of the United Nations. I learned that I really knew very little about the United Nations other than the Security Council. There is much, much more occurring in the area of human rights. She said that it is not a perfect organization but it can be improved.

The opening ceremony featured the Honorable Leticia Shahani, Ph.D., former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and later a Senator from the Philippines. In addition to her inspiring speech, the entertainment was spectacular and I was particularly taken with an acrobatic group of women who title is “The Fools” from New Mexico. They do acrobats on stilts and are awesome.

Betty Williams, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate gave an emotional speech to the entire gathering. Betty was a co-recipient of her Nobel Peace award for contributing to the ending of the strife in Northern Ireland. She is a powerful woman whose thrust now is to champion the rights of children. Betty has traveled all over the world and she has had to deal with politics, economics and culture. Referring to Ireland, she said that she and her friend, both Catholics contacted Protestant women. They were all tired of the killing and maiming of children, husbands, brothers, sons and began day by day with a ‘cups of tea’ campaign. They would go into homes and over cups of tea began to find out what the others needed and wanted. She also said that on 9/11 35,615 women and children all over the world died from torture, rape and atrocities and no one noticed.

Williams is now building the first City of Peace for children in Italy. She has formed the World Centers of Compassion for Children International and is asking for contributions. The land, which was earmarked for disposal of nuclear waste, has been given to her non-profit group. To learn more of this please go to www.wccci.org. Betty shared that after she received the Nobel Peace Prize that she was asked to come to the Vatican by the Pope. As she walked through the palace, she noted the many paintings and sculptors by Michelangelo. Just as she was leaving the Pope said something needed to be done about world hunger. Betty replied, “Why don’t you sell some of these Michelangelo’s”. It was a long time before she was asked back.

We were a colorful array of women from around the world dressed in native garments and each with smiles and hope. There were folded paper cranes done by children of China. In China the crane is a symbol for longevity. We also had representatives from the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. There were women from many countries who head important organizations and all want to end violence towards women and children and to educate them. The service organizations of Dallas were well represented and there is an active organization representing refugees and attempting to find them homes. I learned of a ‘concentration’ facility in Taylor, Texas where illegal immigrants are incarcerated with most of the fathers being separated from their wives and children. The children are threatened with removal from their mothers if they don’t behave.

I understand there is a great deal of resentment against illegal immigrants. I can understand this, but if one were to reason it, instead of protesting wouldn’t it be better to become active and attempt to resolve this issue through non-violent methods? Instead of targeting the illegals, perhaps it would be better to go to the source of why they are coming into this country. Corporate America brings them in to work in their sweatshops. Immigration periodically rounds them up and sends them home. They are then recruited by Corporate America and it is a non-ending ugly game. I suggest targeting the ones hiring them. I urge each of you to research and find out who is behind the influx of illegal immigrants. Instead of complaining – take action.

Among the many women I met, there was camaraderie of compassion and enthusiasm to make a difference that by-passed cultures, religions and politics. There were Muslim women from the U.S. and other countries wearing their scarves. They interacted with women of Christian faiths. I spoke to one woman from Israel and her organization works with Palestinian women wanting to end the war. It is – as I understand it – illegal, however these two groups get together and ‘break bread’ by cooking meals for each other. My understanding is that these women as a whole want to end bigotry, injustice and prejudice.

I heard another term used for women who have been abused as ‘wreckage women.’ Dr. Sharon Welch, Chair of Religious Studies, U. of Missouri asked, “Is the U.S. a fool of force and a fool of history?” She quoted from a N.Y. Times article October 5, 2006 where the US Army and Marines have prepared new countersurgency doctrine that draws on lessons learned of Iraq and “makes protection of civilians bedrock element of strategy; doctrine warns against overly aggressive raids and mistreatment of detainees and stresses rapid development of local security forces.” It is something to think about this almost turn-about-face. There are nine points in the new manual. She went on to say that conservatives have a lack of compassion. We need to look at our trickster awareness and ask are we “artisans of hope, artisans of molding, artisans of design?”

There was a spectacular workshop on Leveraging for Technology. This will have to be another email. However, I will say that women can become changemakers and the greatest force for women in the media. We need voices for women and children of ethnic backgrounds. In Burma, the army of 4,000 is known as the School of Rape. Women all over the world do not trust mainstream media. There are three crucial areas that need to be addressed: women trafficking, HIV/AIDS and water sustainability.

A woman from the Navajo tribe in Arizona asked for help because the newspapers are giving us a diet of murder, robbery, sports and war. The Navajo Indians are sick from the effects of mining of oil, coal, uranium and power plants on their land. Large corporations are stripping their land and the air is polluted and the ground water poisoned.

The second Nobel Peace Prize Laureate was Rigoberta Menchu Tum, an indigenous Guatemalan of the Quiche-Maya ethnic group. She was the recipient in 1992 for her contributions for the ending of the Civil War that lasted from 1960-1996. This beautiful woman who said she was Mayan, shared her way of becoming peaceful within herself. She had seen many members of her family killed and this adversity fired her to do something and make a difference. This is what Rigoberta Menchu Tum said:

“We can make a light. We can make a difference in the lives of people…” She spoke of the Mayan calendar, as being an important date – a time and the time is very large. “This date is a beginning again…It is cosmology – a dark time and it is when we can begin anew…It means humans are good. We can begin again….My theme is how to develop creativity. Creativity is born out of our experiences…Many of us have suffered to take on leadership roles…Everyone who has suffered must work their way out and can be well again.”

She went on to say, “I have had many successes and this is to say I have lived fully…those of us who have suffered must find our spiritual fortune within us…Our spiritual fortune gives us a different perspective…” She has done a lot of meditation with a candle and she looks into it and feels the light. She takes a bath with flower petals and feels the negative energies coming out of the body. “What happens is we women don’t want to do it for us…We want to have someone to love us and for us to love ourselves.”

“We can be a leader who will be lights to others…It is important for leadership to be balanced…We have to cry. We have to laugh and that is when you will be well…Times are dark now…Values are lost…There is no connection between young people and adults…What is my success today is that we are a small energy in eternity…We are a small part of the total wisdom…That’s when we live with humility…We live in two clocks. One is the money clock and the counter-clockwise is the spiritual clock. The two clocks need to get to a time when they can coincide…

“We need to recover our values and our beginnings of family, society and schools…When we start an initiative we gather others to us…Some will say you’re nuts and others will say you are taking a step forward…Don’t ever lose your self-esteem…The majority is waiting for someone to do it for them. Ask them ‘what are you doing for women, children, poverty?’ and if they say ‘I can’t. You do it.’ Then say ‘Yes you can do it. Try…’ Peace is harmony and there is a misunderstanding of peace. Peace is harmony. We need to rescue the sentiments of peace.

“We need to have goals…I love life…Contribute to resolution of conflicts…There are many ways to support social transformation. By sending energy you can heal others and ease their pain and give hope…The key is to be well within me (you). We can build technology, hospitals, and scholarships for poor girls. Don’t do it for power…It’s a process and we have to change our mentality…To take leadership, women must have values. If not, we have nothing…Never give up the struggle.

“Try to make your dreams come true…Don’t say some day. Say ‘today I can do it. In my life I do those things today.’ Do not stay in the suffering…Take baths with flower petals.” Rigoberta Menchu has written 30 children’s stories. She said, “Be happy. Make parties. Plant trees…Life is what you want to make out of it.” She is now running for President of Guatemala this year.

This was the ‘up’ part of the conference. I have not included the stories of some of the women and that will be covered in Part 2 along with opportunities for making a change. On Friday night I heard Jody Williams from Vermont, a Nobel Peace Laureate speak and I will share that in part 2.

I attended a small reception for Betty Williams. There were only 25 of us there and I wondered how I managed to get an invitation. I learned more about her foundation and I urge those reading this to go to her website. At the suggestion of some women I met and spoke with, I facilitated a discussion forum on Saturday with the topic being Mary Magdalene. On Wednesday evening the Dallas Tourist Bureau hosted a reception for those of us attending. I learned also that Dallas County officials are now all Democrats having ousted the entrenched Republicans.

More to come…Bettye Johnson, July 17, 2007

PROMISE YOURSELF

2007-06-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

The following was first written by Christian D. Larson in 1912 and was adopted in a slightly altered form by the Optimist International organization as the “Optimist Creed.”

Larson was an influential New Thought leader and teacher. He was a prolific writer and an influence over the Religious Science leader and founder, Ernest Holmes. In honor of a great mind, here is the original version of “Promise Yourself.”

PROMISE YOURSELF by Christian D. Larson

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud work, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

Some of the greatest prosperity teachers and writers came from the era of the late 1800’s and the first half of the 1900’s. They all knew the Secret of the ages, which is what you think, you get. Florence Scovel Shinn’s books are some of my favorites and can be purchased on Amazon.com.

I AM WOMAN - In honor Women's History Month

2007-03-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

I AM WOMAN

I am Woman

I have always been powerful,

I have always been genius.

I am Woman

I am now awakened

I have alwsays been genius

I am Woman

I shed anger, hatred and condemnation

I keep only Wisdom

I am Woman

I shed jealousy, envy and greed

I keep only Wisdom

I am Woman

I give up sickness and blame

I keep only Wisdom

I am Woman

I participate in life

I share my Wisdom

I am Woman

I am a nurturer

I nurture the flame of hope and freedom

I share my Wisdom

I am Woman

I have always been a giver expecting no return

I am Wisdom

I am Woman

I am always loving who I am

I am Wisdom

I am Woman

I am friend to woman and man alike

I am Wisdom

I am Woman

I attract to me what I think and I say

I am Wisdom

I am Woman

I have always been wonderful and brilliant

I am always beautiful and filled with love

I am Wisdom

I am Woman

- Bettye Johnson

SELECTIVE VISION AND AWARENESS

2007-02-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

A Tribute to Black History Month:

What do prejudice, bias and discrimination have to do with selective vision? What is it that many people do not see although something has always been there that has not become part of awareness? It’s an unexplored world of the mind.

Our brain is the ultimate in computers and it is we who program it with our thoughts, our words and our emotions, which often create blocks in our mind that, limit us. One of the most prevalent deterrents to moving away from prejudice, bias and discrimination is religion. Religion has done almost nothing to move their followers to a state of having an open mind. In fact, the religions encourage separateness, better than, competition, and war.

I was born in Texas during the time of segregation. I experienced the Afro-Americans having to sit in the back of the bus and if it became crowded with white people, then the blacks had to stand up. I never dined in a restaurant where Afro-Americans ate. We lived in separate sections of town, went to separate schools and churches. It was a world of acceptance for me because I had been taught that it was natural even though something inside of me wondered why we couldn’t attend the same church if God loved everyone.

My awakening has a number of threads, which became an unraveling. When I was 23, I began working for the Foreign Service branch of the U.S. State Department. I first had a 3-month training course in Washington D.C. and experienced my first interaction with Afro-Americans. It was a new experience to see them in a different environment and I do not remember having any particular adverse reaction. My first tour of duty was with the embassy in Paris where I saw blue-black Africans married to French women and when I visited London, I heard them speaking the King’s English. I was changing my mind by what I observed and experienced. Later when I transferred to the embassy in Tokyo, I worked with a lovely Afro-American man. I knew that these people had brilliant intelligence and the capacity to do great things.

However, there can be subtle prejudices that we may not be aware of for years until an opportunity comes. I married a career military man while in Tokyo and we were stationed in southern California. One Christmas season when my children were quite small, my husband and I decided to take a train to Texas. We changed trains in Los Angeles and the car we were assigned to was filled to the brim with Afro-Americans on their way south to spend the holidays with their relatives.

I caught myself holding my breath every time one would walk pass me and I wondered why because they were neatly dressed, clean and didn’t smell. Then I remembered an experience I had when I was living and working in Houston. Each morning I would catch the bus, which traveled, through the black (even though segregation was no more) part of the city. The aroma was overwhelming to me and I began holding my breath. It was that experience that had become entrenched in my brain and when I experienced being in a crowded train car, it was triggered. Once I came to that realization I was able to put that prejudice to rest. However, my great learning did not stop there.

A few years later my husband was transferred to Hawaii and we moved there. One of my friends was a Japanese woman who had met and married her American military husband while he was stationed there. One day Peggy and I had an interesting conversation about her experiences of growing up during WWII in Osaka and the occupation by American troops. She made one statement that surprised me. “We could smell the Americans before we could see them.” When I pressed her for an explanation, she replied that the odors of different foods, the leather, tents and clothing were alien to the odors the Japanese were use to.

The final segment to my emergence from prejudice and a greater understanding came when my husband and I were traveling from Massachusetts to Texas one late November. We were driving through Birmingham, Alabama and came to one part of the city that was predominantly Afro-American when the same odor hit me that I had experience years back in Houston, Texas. I had a grand ah-ha when the realization came that these people cooked on wood stoves and their diet was different from many people because it included their ethnic foods! It really had nothing to do with color or cleanliness. It was all due to their ethnic preference for certain foods and their mode of cooking.

It was a great unraveling to finally come to this awareness that taught me to look beyond the outer appearances. The world today is filled with prejudices and discrimination built upon what has been taught from birth and the full awareness was never allowed to blossom. One religion discriminates against another and belief systems become entrenched. Like a snake, it is time to shed the old skin of prejudice and bigotry for a new skin of awareness and acceptance.

WAKE UP! LOVE IS HERE!

2007-02-14T12:24:00.000-08:00

Wake up! Can't you see the webs surrounding the Earth?
Wake up! Don't you feel the connection to all?
Wake up! Can't you feel the frequency touching all minds?
Wake up! Love is Here!
Wake up! Hear its sweet music!
Wake up! Fall in love with You!
Wake up! Love all life!
Wake up! Feel your worth!
Wake up! Feel your greatness!
Wake up! Love is calling You!
Wake up! Feel, sense, taste, hear Love, It's real!
Wake up! Love is Here!
Celebrate you! Celebrate life!
Love is Here!
My Valentine to You - Bettye Johnson

The Secret De-Mystified

2007-02-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

What is The Secret? There is a plethora of prosperity thinking teachers giving lectures, seminars and workshops today. Where did they learn the secret to fabulous wealth? Who or what turned them on to prosperity? Each one has a different answer or a different approach.

I began contemplating this and I realized the secret to prosperity really isn't a secret. Down through the ages it has always been available to those who have the eyes to see and the ears to hear. Or, in other words an open mind that is ready to receive and utilize the information. There have been numerous books writton on prosperty and to have whatever you want. One of the well-known prosperity thinkers/writers is Catherine Ponder and Napoleon Hill whose books sold in the millions. Now, who do you think they got their information from?

Ask and you will have. I wanted to know and began looking for signposts along the way. I was led to re-read "The Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn," which includes her books, The Game of Life, Your Word is Your Wand, and The Secret Door to Success. Her affirmations are simple and basic - but effective.

Shinn was an amazing woman. She was born in 1871 and lived in New York City. She was an artist and an illustrator of popular children's literature before WWI. After Florence graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, she married Everett Shinn another artist. After 14 years of marriage Everett asked for a divorce leaving Florence devasted. In the first part of the last century divorce was an almost unheard of occurrence. Her biography states that according to Ira Glackens she got religion in her own way.

Very little is know of her life and how she got religion. This woman is only known and remembered through her books. She self-published her first book The Game of Life in 1925. This book became immensely popular leading her to a career of author, lecturer, teacher and created correspondence courses based on her books. She left clues in her books as to where she received her information. She uses the Bible extensively and there will be many who will shut their minds to the wealth of information given. Florence turned the Bible into a metaphysical book and it all makes sense. However there are other clues and she mentions Hermes Trismegistis, an ancient Egyptian teacher and The Kybalion written by Three Initiates, which gives the Laws of the Universe of which is the Law of Attraction. Doesn't that law sound familiar? Apparently Florence absored this and brought forth her wonderful books all based on esoteric teachings taught in the ancient mystery school of Egypt and Persia.

Floence became adept at using affirmative thing, which JZ Knight also adheres to. What is the difference between affirmative thinking and positive thinking? Positive thinking is a term coined by the late Norman Vincent Peale when he wrote his best seller in the 1950's, The Power of Positive Thinking. Peale reviewed Shinn's book The Game of Life and How to Play It and this comments are displayed on the back cover. Possibly Florence was one of Peale's teachers. It can also be said that Catherine Ponder took a leaf out of Shinn's books and ran with it into selling millions of copies of her books.

Returning to positive thinking, I recently heard JZ Knight when she appeared on the Larry King Live Show with four of the participants of The Secret. When Knight was asked by King what she thought of positive thinking, her reply was that she does not subscribe to positive thinking and prefers affirmtive thinking. Why? I also contemplated this and realized that women have been labeled negative and men positive for eons. We are living on the Plane of Opposites and the words negative and positive carry the taint of good and evil. Women have had the reputation of being the source of evil for ages. Therefore, in using the term positive thinking there is a subconscious interpretation for women that says since you aren't male it is unattainable. Affirmative thinking is open-ended, having no attachment to good or bad.

In utilizing the Law of Attraction, our thoughts magnetize to us what we are thinking and also the words we speak. Affirmative Thinking is being the energy, which is neither male nor female and brings to us our desires. Many women do not understand why positive thinking doesn't work for them. By understanding Affirmtive Thinking as given forth in Florence Shinn's books and utilizing the information, one has the key to unlocking the Secret.

According to Shinn, The reasoning mind and personal will causes a short circuit. There is a term used by many people, Let go and let God. In other words, don't try to figure out how it will come. Another affirmation of Shinn's is The Genius within me is released. I now fulfill my destiny.

Having been a student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment for 20 years, I was taught years ago the power of affirmations along with in-depth teachings on how the brain works, the biology of emotions and quantum physics. Think about the word genius. Drop the 'us' off and we have geni. Each of us are our own geni and we have the brain to create whatever we want. All we have to do is practice over and over and over and over until it becomes.

Are You Prepared?

2007-01-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

Changes. Are you prepared for earth changes? This morning I read an article on Yahoo news that states 13% of Americans are aware of global warming. That is great! However, I have wondered how prepared these people who are for any disaster that could hit near where they live or in this country. I live in the Pacific Northwest and this winter we had winds that were gusting at 60 miles per hour. I was fortunate that there were only downed trees across our road. Power was knocked out and we went 6 days without power. We were prepared and the temperatures were in the teens during the night.

Many people do not think of preparation for earth changes. Let's think about it. Our food supply is dependent on truckers bringing it to our local chain stores. What would happen in your area if trucks couldn't get through? Most grocery stores only have enough supplies to last 2 days.

What if the power lines went down. No television. No computers or electrical heating and electrical cooking plus think of your other electrical items such as hot water heater, refrigerator, lights, washing machine, dryer, hair dryer, etc.

What if the winds downed cell towers? No cell phones. We learned we were wise to have a line telephone we could plug into the wall. Over the years I have learned a lot
about being prepared. How many days of food do you have for you and your family?
Water? Toilet paper? feminine supplies? Do you have babies? It is something to think about. My next blog will be a list of the first 100 things to disappear when disaster hits.

If you are skeptical about what I am writing, so be it. If you are a wise person, then you would check out the world weather situation and you will begin to see a pattern. What if the Long Caldera in northern California exploded or/and the caldera in Yellowstone National Park blew? I suggest viewing the DVD movie "Volcanoes" that can be purchased from the Discovery Channel. Very sobering to think how that can affect every part of the globe. No one will go untouched. As the Girl Scouts say: Be Prepared.
Bettye Johnson

Where Is Your Passion?

2007-01-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

Here it is! January 2007. Where I live Nature is in her dreaming state. Some will call it dormancy - however that is only another name for the dream state. It is a time for us to follow Nature's example and dream of what we want to experience during this New Year. There is an old saying: to "ring out the old and ring in the new." This means we can do it at any time and at any moment. We are all different from Nature because we can change our minds at any moment. WHERE IS YOUR PASSION? Passion. What is your passion? I just completed reading a profound book titled Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox. As a little girl Cox developed a passion for swimming. One of her dreams was to swim the English Channel. She accomplished this while in her teens and went on to break many swimming records and to do what no other woman had done before. Her passion drove her to swim the 2.7 miles between the U.S. Little Diomede Island and the Russian big Diomede Island and her intent was to perhaps bring the governments of Russia and the U.S. to friendlier terms. For over ten years she wrote, called and tried everything to get permission from Russia to swim to the Big Diomede. The U.S. was cool to the idea and the Russians had given her no response. She trained to swim in frigid water - 30 degrees temperature. She had a passion to do this and with the encouragement of family, friends and admirers set off to Nome, Alaska to do this even though she did not have permission from Russia. At the last minute Russia came through and she swam the 2.7 miles and received a tumultuous reception from the Russians. To learn how she accomplished this feat against all odds and a lack of funding to bring together a closer and friendlier relationship between two major governments in the world is truly a story to inspire anyone. She made a difference. She was instrumental in speeding up glasnost between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Passion does not have to be as all consuming as the passion of Lynne Cox, but I think there is a passion within each of us to accomplish something in this life. Mine came in the form of writing and it did not emerge until I was in my seventies. It is never too late! Perhaps there is a passion to help others - to be a light unto the world. Our abilities come in many disguises and it is up to the individual to discover what it is. There is always a way. If you are unsure of what your passion is, I suggest reading Janet Attwood's book "The Passion Text." It is a simple process of writing down 15 things you like to do. The next step is to list the top 5 interests and to then list them in the order of priority. It is a simple process of elimination. Many people think that by going to workshops and get-rich seminars that they will find their passion. For some this may be true. Usually it comes in those still quiet moments. I have been a student of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment for almost twenty years and what I have learned and experienced inspired me to recognize my passion for writing. Each of us is on a journey of discovery and no two people will experience the same journey. Do what you love to do- meaning find your passion and the money will follow. JZ Knight appeared on the Larry King Live Show last year and was asked what she thought of positive thinking. Her reply was that she did not subscribe to positive thinking because she uses affirmative thinking. We live on a plane of opposites and one of the ancient laws is called the Law of Attraction. If we think about thinking positive, then we also attract the opposite - negative thinking. There is also another subconscious aspect to positive thinking. For eons women have been considered to be negative energy and men the positive energy. What message does this send to women? Affirmative thinking is being the center of the magnet and it has no positive or negative. It just is. One of the greatest writers of Affirmative Thinking is contained in the book The Wisdom of Florence Scovel Shinn. Shinn was born in 1871 and died in 1940. Her affirmations are each a jewel and one can purchase this collection of her four books from Amazon.com. Within her writings are clues as to where she received her wisdom and knowledge. She mentions The Kybalion by Three Initiates, which includes the Law of Attraction. In addition she mentions Hermes Trismegistis indicating she had studied ancient wisdom called the occult. For those who think they are burdened with debt, she has a wonderful affirmation, which is as valid today as it was during the first half of the last century. I deny debt. There is no debt in Divine Mind. I owe no person or corporation anything. All obligations are now wiped out under the grace of God in a miraculous way. I have learned over the past twenty years to re-wire my brain for affirmative thinking. I must give up the past of old unproductive thinking. Affirmations must be utilized and spoken out loud over and over until it becomes natural and productive. The killer of dreams and passion is fear, doubt or skepticism. Manifestations come to me in beautiful ways and below I share a few with you. The German language version of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls is doing well in Europe. It was released in December 2006. My publisher Helga Krachler tells me that my book is now in the archives of the Austrian National Libray and the German National Library. (It is also in the Australian library system.) Here is a note from my publisher of the German edition: I also would like to let you know that the people who have read the book and contacted me give a fabulous feedback. Beside that they like the story, have to force themselves to put the book down and thoroughly enjoy reading it, the questions most frequently asked are: Is this all true? Are the scrolls real? How does she know all this? Today a bookseller who had ordered about 25 books had called and said: "Magdalena seems to so real when she tells her story." By now you have readers of the German version in Germany, Austria and Switzerland who knows where else. I send you blessings for a fantastic year of 2007. May each of you find your passion and pursue it. Bettye Johnson

Life is like a tapestry. A chance meeting can lead to a beautiful new thread. We are weaving our individual tapestry with each choice we make. - Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls

The Awakening of Women...

2006-12-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

I have read the articles written by various women and I applaud their efforts in contributing to the awakening of women to their true potential and power. I have contemplated the status of women and on the surface it appears that we women have not progressed very much in the past hundred years – and yet, we really have when history is assessed. History is his-story and the greatness of women has long been suppressed.

I was recently told that during the Civil Rights movement it was said that there was no failure because with each step taken, we are and were a winner. I was born in Texas during the time of segregation and grew up in an atmosphere of bigotry, prejudice and discrimination. When I left Texas at the age of 23 and entered the Foreign Service of the U.S. State Department, I was immediately cast into a new world and my first assignment was the embassy in Paris. I felt like Alice who had fallen through the looking glass and I immediately shed my ideas about races of color and prejudice.

I left the Foreign Service a much wiser young woman and married a career military man. We moved often and when my husband retired, I had returned to the work force after brining up three sons virtually alone. In the 70’s I began working for the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment. It failed to pass by three votes. Only three more states were needed to ratify it. It has since been reintroduced and I urge you to go to these sites: www.4ERA.org.(the most active site) and http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/.

I was astounded in the seventies to read of Phyllis Schlafly who was an outspoken opponent of the ERA. From what I read she adhered to the outmoded belief that a woman’s place was in the home. Her hypocrisy was shocking because she was wealthy, a Republican, a writer and a paid speaker. She traveled all over the country receiving money for her talks and her articles. I sadly realized that it was the women who defeated the ERA. It wasn’t the men. There were some very powerful women working hard for women’s rights such as Betty Freidan and Gloria Steinem to mention two of the many.

Over the years I have observed and thought about why women aren’t taking back their power in greater numbers and my realization is that the primary obstruction is religion. Religion – and it doesn’t matter whether it be Christian, Islam, Buddhist, or Hindu – has not been kind to women. There was a surge forward in the sixties when women burned their bras and became flower children. This led to the surge for passing the ERA and then what happened? A new religion took over the lead from the established religions.

The name of the new religion is Corporate America or Corporate World. Now we not only have religious programming from childhood and engrained in so many that they continue on as an adult, but we also have the corporate world enticing women to be sexy, beautiful, thin and miserable. One has only to see the offerings of television and movies where almost anything is acceptable. The impact on brains is devastating in that the violence that is promoted creates a false excitement. I remember a few years ago when moviegoers were interviewed coming out of a theater in Seattle and most of the words I heard were “great action.” Action has become the new word for violence. Am I anti-religion? I am anti-hypocrisy and any religion that deprives women of their status as equals is hypocritical.

For a woman to become liberated, there must come a moment when she asks, “Is this all there is?” For many they have reached that point and are confused, angry and often resort to drugs, prescription drugs and alcohol, which only compound the problem.

Fortunately there are women who have awakened and are carrying the torch of freedom, each in her own way. We are the teachers of our children and for some of us the teacher of our grandchildren. We have a role to play and we can provide women with information from our own experiences. We can be role models and create forums and websites such as Gather the Women and Women of the Blue Rose. We can write and perhaps something we write or say will strike a cord in a woman and she will want to know more. We set an example by doing.

I was extremely moved by the Care2 ad having women walking across the desert sands chanting “I am powerful.” We are and we will each find our own niche where we can be a beneficial presence. We can raise our voices in unison for women all over the world to move away from the strangling cords of religion. Religion is not spiritual. Spirituality does not need a religion. Spirituality knows no prejudice, discrimination, or hatred. Women and all people must have their brainpower restored.

Adding to the mantra of “I am powerful,” I have added for myself: “I am genius. I am powerful. I am wonderful. I am liberated.”

A HYMN TO WOMEN

2006-10-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

The following is from the book “Jesus in India” by Nicholas Notovitch. His book was published in 1854 after his trip to India. While there, Notovitch gained access to manuscripts in a Lamasery at Himis. He had journeyed there because he had heard of Saint Issa, which was their name for Jesus. Jesus was revered in India and many of his teachings were written down.
The manuscripts at Himis were only a few that had been held in other lamaseries in India and possibly in Tibet. I find it sad that these have been hidden away in lamaseries for hundreds of years and only a few of the privileged knew of them. They have now been hiddened away again. The Christian world has been kept in ignorance that Jesus actually traveled to India and lived there for 18 years before he returned to Jerusalem. These are teachings that the world needs to be aware of. Here are his teachings about women:
“It is not good for a son to push away his mother, that he may occupy the place which belongs to her. Whoso doth not respect his mother—the most sacred being after his God—is unworthy of the name of son.
“Hearken to what I say to you: Respect woman; for in her we see the mother of the universe, and all the truth of divine creation is to come through her.
“She is the fount of everything good and beautiful, as she is also the germ of life and death. Upon her man depends in all his existence, for she is his moral and natural support in his labors.
“In pain and suffering she brings you forth; in the sweat of her brow she watches over your growth, and until her death you cause her greatest anxieties. Bless her and adore her, for she is your only friend and support on earth.
“Respect her; defend her. In so doing you will gain for yourself her love; you will find favor before God, and for her sake many sins will be remitted to you.
“Love your wives and respect them, for they will be mothers of tomorrow and later the grandmothers of a whole nation.
“Be submissive to the wife; her love ennobles man, softens his hardened heart, tames the wild beast in him and changes it to a lamb.
“Wife and mother are the priceless treasures which God has given to you. They are the most beautiful ornaments of the universe, and from them will be born all who will inhabit the world.
“Even as the Lord of Hosts separated the light from darkness, and the dry land from the waters, so does woman possess the divine gift of calling forth out of man’s evi8l nature all the good that is in him.
“Therefore I say unto you, after God, to woman must belong your best thoughts, for she is the divine temple where you will most easily obtain perfect happiness.
“Draw from this temple your moral force. There you will forget your sorrows and your failures, and recover the love necessary to aid your fellow men.
“Suffer her not to be humiliated, for by humiliating her you humiliate yourselves, and lose the sentiment of love, without which nothing can exist here on earth.
“Protect your wife, that she may protect you—you and all your household. All that you do for your mothers, your wives, for a widow, or for any other woman in distress, you will do for your God.”

WHO WERE THE MEROVINGIANS?

2006-10-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Bettye Johnson ©

I been asked a number of times the following question: “Wasn’t the bloodline of Mary Magdalene and Jesus carried down through the Merovingians?’

There are many variations to the story of the Merovingians and after researching this dynasty of their kings, I find it a challenge to accept most of the posted and published information about them. I came across an excellent book, The Birth of France: Warriors, Bishops and Long-Haired Kings by Katharine Scherman. For me, Scherman ‘s research is comprehensive and it brought to me a greater understanding of the Merovingians and that period of history.

First, who were the Merovingians? Second, from whence did they come? The origins of the Merovingian dynasty came from the Franks (a tribe of Celts) – or the Germans. In the first century A.D., Gaius Cornelius Tacitus wrote, The Germans I regard as aboriginal, and not mixed at all with other races. Who would leave Asia, or Africa, or Italy for Germany, with its wild country inclement skies, its sullen manners and aspect, unless indeed it were his home?

In 241 A.D. historian Flavius Volpiscius gave these tribes the name of “Franks”. There are some unsubstantiated reports that one of the tribes was the Sicambrians also known as the Salians from which the Merovingians emerged. There are so many mixed reports that it is difficult to separate myth from facts. To understand the rise of the Merovingians, I suggest keeping the perspective that the Catholic Church became their mentors or allies during their rise to power.

During this period of time called the Dark Ages, there were many small Frankish tribes in addition to the many Celtic tribes further south. The Romans had extended their rule of Gaul, which included Germany on the west bank of the Rhine River, western Switzerland, Belgium, parts of Holland, and present day northern France and Italy. Each tribe had a council of elders from which was elected a chieftain. Sometime in the early fifth century, a Frankish chieftain named Faramund married a woman whose name is supposedly Argotta. There are reports she was a princess, however that is stretching it a bit because these small tribes had no royalty per se. When I began researching the origins of the Merovingians, I began to see many variations and genealogies. I am not at all sure that the genealogy I am citing is correct. There were no written records and most of it comes from legend possibly perpetuated by Gregory of Tours, a Catholic bishop of the sixth century. It was Gregory of Tours who wrote most of the known history of the Merovingians.

Clodion was the son of Faramund (also spelled Pharamund) and Argotta. Clodion’s rule began around 428 A.D. and he is credited with creating the longhair dynasty. It was the hairstyle of the Frank men. When the Romans began to inhabit parts of Gaul, their hairstyle was short and more and more of the Frankish men began cutting their longhair and emulating the Romans. It wasn’t until the sixth century that Gregory of Tours noted in his writing that it had become symbolic of the Merovingian rulers and had now become exclusive only to the men of this dynasty. If one of the male heirs stepped out of line, his hair was cut and he was no longer eligible for succession. Of course, in some instances it was noted that the hair could be re-grown long. This practice became identified with the Merovingians and has come down in history to be known as the “Long-Haired Kings.”

After Clodion, the next king to be recorded was Merovech. As the legend goes, Clodion’s wife went to the sea to bathe and was attacked by a sea monster and gave birth to Merovech. Other myths say she was a mermaid. Some reports state there were two fathers who sired the son named Merovech. Scherman writes, It is impossible to pinpoint pre-fifth-century individuals of this family that was to become supreme. The Frankish settlements were still transitory and their political arrangements changeable.

Purportedly, Merovech had an older brother whose name has been lost in history. Roman history records that Merovech went to Rome after the death of Clodion and asked for support for his succession to the kingship. The brother had gone to Attila the Hun asking for his support. Merovech won out. After the death of Merovech, his son, Childeric I became the next ruler in the Merovingian dynasty.

Childeric I was known to have a sexual appetite that was considered unwholesome even by the standards of his time. This characteristic was handed down to his descendents. At this time he was considered a chieftain and not a king. A group of his subjects demanded his abdication due to his over excessive debauchery and he was given sanctuary by another branch of Frankish tribes. Gregory of Tours wrote of Childeric I, “His private life was one long debauch.” A Roman aristocrat from a Gallo-Roman family became the chieftain and when he died, Childeric returned and was restored to power in 464 A.D. It was a century later that Gregory of Tours gave him the title of King.

Clovis I was a son of Childeric and is credited with the beginning of the Merovingian aristocracy. He was a warrior who won his battles and is said to have created a unified Frankish confederation. Clovis came to power around 481 A.D. He married a Christian woman who after some years converted him to Christianity. This queen was named Clotild and having been educated as Catholic was devout as one. Before the marriage, Clovis had mistresses and one was the mother of his eldest son. The rule of succession could pass to a son whose mother was not the legal wife. All sons were considered equal and when Clovis died, his kingdom was divided among his four sons.

It is alleged that the bloodline of Mary Magdalene and Jesus has been handed down through the Merovingians. A mystique has grown up around the term “Long-Haired Kings” and the Merovingians were said to have magic powers. There are several instances cited of magic power and one was Guntram of Burgundy, a grandson of Clovis I.

In 588, the plague had spread to Europe and reached Marseilles. When Guntram heard of this when he went south for a three-day supplication ceremony of Rogations, (a ceremony of prayer). He urged those participating to eat and drink only wheaten bread and pure water. Those who took his advice found it worked and there is a report of one woman who took a thread from his cloak and put it in water. She fed this to her ill and dying child and the child became well.

If one were to describe the offspring of Clovis I and the subsequent Merovingian dynasty, the adjectives of violence, deceit, treachery, greed, vice, debauchery, despotic, jealousy, ruthless, fratricidal and prone to murder each other are only a few along with military prowess, courage and cunning. They managed to rule because they were willing to create laws that were considered wise for the people they ruled and they were fierce warriors. Other than Clovis I, most of the Merovingian kings only gave the Catholic religion lip service. As the descendents were killing off each other, the remaining male survivors were small boys and their mothers were their regents who ruled as wise as they could in the climate of others wanting to take over their realms. Many of the queens were lowborn having been servants or slaves. The Catholic Church frowned upon having their kings to be literate. The Church could exert more control over an illiterate king.

It had become a practice to punish disobedient young princes and princesses by forcing them to be committed to holy orders. The Church benefited from this along with the monies given to them into outrageous proportions of wealth, immorality from the licentious parish priest to the intrigues of the bishops. Thus, the dynasty of the Merovingians began to weaken until in the end. All of the mature Merovingian kings had been murdered or died from other causes. The last sustainable king was Dagobert who died in 639 A.D. The Mayors of the Palace who were the majordomos or the second in command became the powers behind the thrones. With the Merovingian kingdom having been divided up among the offspring, the two most powerful areas were Austrasia, which at that time was northern France with its center being Cologne and Mainz. The second most powerful area was Neustria, which is present-day northwest France, each with its own Mayor of the Palace. Mayors of the Palace quarreled among themselves and often perpetuated the tainted Merovingian legacy. The young Merovingian kings became puppets. The end of the great Merovingian dynasty was a tangled web that added nothing to their reputations. The regent queens relied upon the Mayors of the Palace.

After years of fighting, one Mayor of the Palace, Pepin the Younger emerged as the most powerful. He began as the Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia and gained control Burgundy and Neustria where he placed two of his sons as the Mayors of the Palace. Thus began the dynasty of Pepin emerging into Charlemagne and the Carolingians.

It does not appear from their history that there has been any connection to Mary Magdalene and Jesus or their lineages to the Merovingians. It has also been alluded to that the line of Mary Magdalene could have come through the Visigoths. The Visigoths appeared in Spain and France in the fifth century and there is no documentation that I have found that can be considered valid.

Therefore, can one accept that a claim to the lineage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus through the line of the Merovingians is valid? I am reminded of a family story when I was growing up. I was told that one of my Texas ancestors was the first governor of Texas after it joined the Union. Years later my brother was into genealogy of our family and he told me ruefully that no, our ancestor had not been the first governor of Texas because he had no children. So much for that claim! As with so many events in the fluidity of history, this could be another lie perpetuated upon the world. May the truth always be revealed and ignorance becomes knowledge.

THE KEY TO FREEDOM

2006-09-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

Bettye Johnson ©

Once upon a time in the past I would look here and I would look there for freedom. I thought something or someone was always placing blocks in my way and freedom appeared to be pushed away from me. Over the years I have learned much about myself and especially since I became a student of Ramtha, teacher of RSE, an academy of mind and Gnostic teachings.

For a number of years I worked to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified and it failed by only the failure of getting several more states to ratify it. I realized that it wasn’t only the men who did not want it passed – women did too. The women were afraid of change. They chose to remain in their status quo of the uncomfort zone.

There has been a plethora of bumper stickers on vehicles that say, “Freedom is not free.” The bumper stickers state a truth. Freedom has a cost to it and the freedom I am writing about is not about a war although on a deeper level it is part of the cost.

So many of us live in a mental house imprisoned by our emotions of the past as well as the programming we have received from our parents, peers, religion, government, entertainment media and corporate world. We have developed a program that plays over and over in our mind. The cost is giving up the old program.

Change is a fearsome word to most people. I/we have blamed our government for most of our woes. The changes that came were not what I/we wanted. However, it was fodder to complain and denounce. There have been some brave souls who did speak out. One group that comes to mind is those warriors of the sixties. Another is Martin Luther King. I honor them.

What I have learned is that I cannot participate in politics as I use to. It doesn’t mean I can’t work for issues. However, if all is a creation of god, then there must be a middle place where there is no good or bad. As I look at the issues of the world, I am now choosing to support those that I want to include in my reality. I am choosing to say to myself, I don’t accept that if it doesn’t fit into the reality of my choice.

I/we each have the power to influence the world. I/we each have the power to change our weather. I/we each have the power to change our health from illness to wellness. I/we each have the power to move from lack to abundance and wealth. One has only to look at a small child learning to ride a bicycle. The child would never learn if it gave up. I have learned that perseverance pays off instead of giving up and saying ‘it doesn’t work.

How do we create all of these changes? We change the programs in our brains. We become aware of our thoughts and our words. We seek knowledge. We seek truth. We no longer play over and over the mental tape of bigotry, prejudice and hatred.

There are some major issues at this time on our planet. We have 9/11, the war in Iraq, the polar shift, Planet X, oil, the environment and earth changes. For many this is very fearful. I am choosing not to give power to fear. Job is purportedly to have said, The thing I fear the most has come upon me. Therefore I am choosing not to give power to fear. By being aware of my thoughts and emotions, I change my mind all the time.

Letting go of the power of fear gives me the inner freedom that I have sought all my life. Freedom is an inside job and that is the key.

THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION

2006-06-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

by Bettye Johnson

From what I have researched and also from what I have been taught, the origins of religion began when God was placed outside the human, meaning the human was to worship a god or gods that was not within. I have been approached to write about the origin of the Bible and before I could address this, Seven Star Hand has posed some interesting and intriguing ideas regarding symbols on my Blog. I have also done research into symbols. Symbols and religion are interrelated. Before addressing the origins of religion I will give some background. Having been a student for over 18 years of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, an academy of the mind and also an ancient school of wisdom, I am familiar with symbols and Gnosticism. Having been taught the theories of quantum physics, I know now that each of us is an observer and as an observer we create by what we think and say. From Seven Star Hand, he is correct from his point of view.

The phrase point of view has a loaded meaning. From my interpretation it means that each of us have our own individual point of viewing or understanding and from our vantage point, we think we are correct. We are correct even if we are coming from a limited base of knowledge because it our point of view. Religion is a very limited foundation to base anything on as absolutely correct. Religion is based on falsehood – or a lie. The Catholic Church has taken this to its zenith in altering the New Testament. The New Testament has been changed, altered and manipulated to get people to remain enslaved to their point of view. As an example, the New York Times has reported that the Catholic Church wants to make changes in the Order of Mass supposedly to bring the language more in keeping it in adherence to the Latin text. An example given is the statement, Lord, I am not worthy to receive you to Lord I am not worthy to receive you and that you should enter under my roof. Both statements are an abomination and are blatantly against the teachings of Jesus.

The premise for Gnosticism is to know. The word gnosis is a Greek word meaning to know. It is to seek knowledge. As with most ideas and teachings, it becomes polluted and misunderstood. When religion took god out of the human, symbols were created to remind the human of who she or he is. Jesus is said to have asked, don’t you know you are gods? In Psalm 82:6, it is written I have said, ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. These two statements have been glossed over by theologians for centuries. Jesus also said that we could do greater things than he. Jesus was attempting to bring god back to awareness within the human. However, to do this, the power brokers of temples, mosques and churches would not be in control and the human would remain enslaved to a false doctrine.

Jesus taught by allegories and shared his knowledge only with his trusted disciples because his disciples were at various stages of understanding. Jesus’ brother Thomas Judas, the twin was in all probability taught and trained the same as Jesus. However it is apparent that he did not fully realize the deeper meanings. This also goes for another brother of Jesus, James the Just. James the Just was murdered during the Jewish revolt against the Romans.

The beauty of the book and movie The DaVinci Code is that it touched the inner core of millions of people with a feeling that there was a truth that had been suppressed by the Catholic Church and religion. Yes, there are those who only think it is fiction. Most fiction is based on facts. Myths are allegories of actual teachings and events. Myths are beautiful works of symbols. Fairy tales have been a way for those who knew the esoteric teachings to share the knowledge. What child hasn’t loved Cinderella? I have been taught that Cinderella is an allegory of the brain and how our thoughts work and how our dreams come true.

Getting back to religion and to understand its beginnings, one must explore the Sumerian tablets. Zechariah Sitchen has done an admirable job of translating them in his books The Earth Chronicles. Sitchen sums it up neatly in his Lost Book of Enki. Another writer who has a most informative book is Michael Tellinger’s Slave Species of god. The Sumerian tablets tell the story of the Annunaki who came to this planet from the planet Nibiru searching for gold. Their orbit is lengthy and goes away from the sun so far that it loses much of the energy of the sun. Their scientists discovered that by refining gold in a certain way that they could seed their atmosphere and have light. I am putting this in a very simplistic manner and suggest reading the authors’ books to become more knowledgeable.

One year of the Annunaki is equal to 3,600 Earth years. Over thousands of years, the Annunaki finally rebelled against working the gold mines in Africa and demanded help. The chief scientist and geneticist was Ninhursag who along with her half-brother Enki developed the human form as it is today and this includes the brain. These beings became the slave species and through evolution became the humans of today. In Genesis it is written of the Annunaki and it states, let us make man in our image. Thus the slave species created in a Garden of Eden, i.e. laboratory in Africa were brought up to think that the Annunaki were gods. An important question that I will address further on is who or what occupies these human bodies?

The Old Testament would lead the reader to think that this all happened around 5,000 years ago and yet the tablets say that the astronauts from Nibiru came approximately 450,000 years ago and the human form was created 200,000 years ago. Ninhursag and Enki had a half brother named Enlil and apparently he was in charge of the Earth due to royal seniority. In Tellinger’s book, he names Enlil as evolving into the god Jehovah - a very mean god. All one has to do is read about this god’s wrath and vengeance. A God of all would never do this to her/his people. Why? Because gods occupy the human form. The word gods is a word to describe that aspect of the originator of spirit, its essence that is sent out to explore the many aspects of the Originator. Ramtha states he has come here to wake up the forgotten gods and that our mission is to make known the unknown. If we really think about it, we could ask what is occupying the physical body? We know we have a brain and we know we can think. Therefore we must have a mind. What intelligence is making the body breathe and have automatic reflexes? There has to be an intelligence operating this body or this human vehicle. We are all here on a journey and this is the plane of opposites. For every good there is a bad.

The Old Testament is a quest map of ancient history and some of it is distorted, however there is always a kernel of truth and the perhaps truth is written on the Sumerian tablets. For the seeker, there are two books that shed light on this. Ramtha, A Master’s Reflection on the History of Humanity, Part I: Human Civilization, Origins and Evolution and the Part II: Rediscovering the Pearl of Ancient Wisdom.

Jesus chose to incarnate and his mission was to bring humanity a new way of living. His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1; 7:28) is the greatest sermon ever given and if those who profess to be Christians would apply this teaching to their lives, we would not have war, prejudice, hatred, or anger. Unfortunately most Christians and Moslems are still applying the message of Jehovah (Enlil) in their lives. They pay obeisance to Jesus and Mohammed but do not apply in their lives the original teachings. They perpetuate the erroneous teaching of Jehovah (Enlil).

The Catholic Church has perpetuated the Great Lie that God is outside of the human and one has to have an intermediary or intercession. What a travesty! The cross has been the club they use to keep the populance in ignorance. Jesus dying for your sins is a lie. He came to bring the human a sword of truth to free you and yet for nearly two thousand years – ever since the Council of Nicea created Christianity, humanity has born the yoke of sin and guilt and reinforced the slave mentality that the human was programmed with from the beginning.

There have been enlightened beings that have incarnated and have created symbols to remind the gods in the human form of their origins. The swastika is one of the most ancient symbols and yet Hitler adopted it, turned it to face the reverse and now it is a hated symbol. The ancient meaning of the swastika pertained to the four directions of space and solar creation. It was also a sign of sky gods and the sun and became a universal symbol for divine energy including prosperity. It was commonly used by many cultures, i.e. China, Greece, India and England as well as Scandinavia and the American Indian tribes. It is sad that it only took one man to turn it into a hated and feared symbol.

The advertising world has latched on to sacred symbols and this is another travesty. The Shell Oil Company uses the symbol of the shell, which is a sacred symbol that pilgrims carry with them while walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. Texaco uses the sacred five-pointed star as their symbol. Now more and more advertising is using sacred symbols. One is the pyramid as the food pyramid. Those who watch television a lot are constantly being subliminally bombarded with the purloining of sacred symbols to where their subconscious minds no longer feel the pull towards the spirit, but are dumbed down and addicted to corporate America.

One has only to go to Chartres Cathedral in Chartres, France to view the great symbols left by the architect(s) of that beautiful cathedral. In all probability the Knights Templar brought the knowledge of the symbols back from Jerusalem along with divine geometry. In this cathedral there is not one statue or picture of Jesus on the cross. There are two Black Madonnas and it is obvious this cathedral is dedicated to the divine greatness of Mary Magdalene. The Catholic Church did their best to eradicate her greatness. However, her greatness is reflected in the great cathedrals in Europe and the Rose Window is one example. The labyrinth on the floor in Chartre is a reminder to the god within that our journey is to realize who we are and our purpose for being in human form.

Now is the time to allow those who choose to stay in the clutches of religion to do so, and to take back one’s power and evolve into the recognition of who we really are. One of the most difficult challenges is to move away from hypocrisy, prejudice and believing that our way is the only way. There are as many different ways to god-realization as there are humans on this planet. We can change our genetics by changing our mind. Our brain is encoded with knowledge that we are a god and it is up to us to activate this code. We no longer have to believe that due to our genes that we have to be a certain way. This is a limitation.

Religion is a format for control and to keep the human in slave mentality. Perhaps it has always been that way since the human form was created. Because of the way slave mentality has reacted to those who want to go against religious ideology, we have had horrendous massacres and have burned people at the stake. It is documented that Christian Crusaders roasted live babies in front of their mothers and ate them. It is time we evolved beyond. There are many great beings that have moved beyond and these are the unsung heroes, the great minds, the great scientists and the greater writers. This is why the sacred knowledge had to go underground and become the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons who now are suspect due to pollution. Those who have left religion are to be blessed for they have the minds that can evolve them to freedom. Seeking knowledge is a great way to move into freedom. True freedom is the freedom of mind to think for oneself and not follow the herd mentality. When one can read the Bible with detachment, it seems that unnoticed items leap out and give us a new perspective.

If what I have written disagrees with your point of view, I urge you to research and find out if your point of view can be expanded. Welcome to the Journey.

MARY MAGDALENE - MALIGNED AND MISUNDERSTOOD

2006-06-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Mary Magdalene. Her name conjures up different images for people. The DaVinci Code has been instrumental in shedding new information regarding her life. However, it really isn’t new information. The information has been known for centuries in some sectors, and now the truth is finally coming out. My book Secrets of the Magdalene gives a portrait of the Magdalene that is in all probability the closest to what her life was like. In my research I have connected the dots that others have missed.

Unfortunately there are still those scholars and writers who want to keep hidden the greatness of Mary Magdalene. For the most part these writers are men and apparently are unwilling to accede that she was the wife of Jesus and bore children from their marriage.

I have an issue with these so-called authorities who want to pick at the dry bones of the first four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament. One scholar named Bart D. Ehrman wrote a book titled Truth and Fiction in The DaVinci Code and I have not read it. However I have read two of his other books. In his book Peter, Paul, Mary Magdalene he writes of what he tells people regarding the information in The DaVinci Code during his lectures and speaking engagements and I quote from his book, “There are in fact mistakes all over the place, some of them howlers and some of them simply rooted in a misunderstanding of, or more likely an ignorance of, what our ancient sources actually say about Jesus (and Mary Magdalene).” Ehrman goes on to say, “But when it comes to Mary Magdalene, there are always two or three people who want to insist that he must have gotten it right. These are never people who are historians, who know the ancient sources and read them in their ancient languages (Greek and Latin, for example). They are just regular folk who think it must have be right: Jesus and Mary must have been married with kids, just because it makes sense.”

The above statements from my perspective indicate that Ehrman is spouting recycled ignorance and picking at the dry bones. The winners, or those in power write history. History is slanted to the writers who want the people to know what often is not the truth. An example is the maligned Judas Iscariot. For hundreds of years he has been portrayed as the traitor or the betrayer and using “He is a Judas” when someone wants to name-call a traitor. Now that the Gospel of Judas has finally been revealed with information that Judas did what Jesus asked him to be and is a hero. Jesus was going through his final initiation and he had shared the deeper mysteries with Judas. By doing as Jesus requested, Judas was also going through an initiation. It is hard for theologians to accept something out of the norm and Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA is a prime example. During the National Geographic special on the finding of the Gospel of Judas, Schuller was interviewed and his inane statement when asked for his opinion was, “Why do we need another gospel when we have the Four Gospels?”

These ancient sources and historians are rarely reliable. The works of those ancient manuscripts written in Greek and Latin have been translated not by only one man, but by many and each has a different perspective. If the so-called authorities writing books based on what the New Testament says, then they do not have the vision to realize that the New Testament has been altered according to who was doing the translating. There are also records that popes and bishops changed them to put forth what they wanted the people to know. The New Testament in its current forms is one of the most unreliable documents there is.

If one really thinks about it, why do theologians and historians want to keep Mary Magdalene bound to the confines of the four gospels? Why do they deny her the right to be the wife of Jesus? It was Paul who never knew Jesus and was not an apostle who is attributed to having made Jesus as a Christ and the only Son of God. If one wants to use so-called historical records, Paul was a Roman spy who converted to Christianity and at that time it was not called Christianity. Perhaps this is the basis for denying the Magdalene her rightful place. If so, then it is indeed pure ignorance or planned misinformation.

Again, if one were to ask what other reasons were there to deny Mary Magdalene her heritage and place in history, then we are open to some intriguing possibilities. For the most part, written history is unreliable because men have written it and men have been programmed for centuries to think they are superior to women. This attitude is still prevalent today. One only has to go back to the Old Testament to find its roots. The Book of Lamentations is an example of the vile things that were done to women.

My intent as a woman is to re-write history and begin with: What if Mary Magdalene was an initiate from a mystery school the same as Jesus? What if she was his equal and they married and each had their own ministries? What if out of this marriage, they had children? This is all very plausible because there was no written information of that particular era until fifty to sixty years after the fact. To rely on the Roman historian Josephus is ludicrous even though Josephus was Jewish and claimed to be a descendent of the Hasmonean dynasty. He was born in 37 CE and was a leader in the Jewish Revolt in 67 CE. The Romans won the bloody battle and Josephus was captured. He willingly served the Romans and later lived in Rome where he wrote the history of that war. Now, how reliable do you think his history is?

When the Emperor Constantine chose to create a new religion, he chose presbyters to submit documents in 325 CE and this evolved into the Council of Nicea. From this came the beginnings of the New Testament. It took another 800 years give or take to hone the New Testament into what is accepted today. I ask, how reliable are

these books in the New Testament? Therefore, I am putting forth a hypothesis that Mary Magdalene has a spectacular history that has been covered up. In fact, it is one of the greatest cover-ups in history. Actually the role of women, their works and they power has been almost eradicated from history. It is time to bring it forth and restore women to their rightful place.

Because of the lack of written history about Mary Magdalene, there is another question that comes to mind and that is, what is it about Mary Magdalene that the Church and theologians do not want the public to know? In all myths there is always truth. There are many myths about the healing power of Mary Magdalene and her daughter Sarah. Author Margaret Starbird is one of the few writers who almost have the answers and another is Marilyn Hopkins who co-authored Rex Deus.

In my research for information, I have read almost every book on the Knights Templar. Again, the writers have missed the mark and I say this because they didn’t know what they were looking for. The Knights Templar were formed in 1118 CE while in Jerusalem on a Crusade. There were nine knights who formed the Templar and supposedly they were excavating the stables of what is purported to be part of the Temple of Solomon. It is assumed they found fabulous treasure and became exceedingly rich. It wasn’t until nine years later that the Templar admitted other knights into their order. What were they doing during these nine years?

According to some, they found perhaps the Ark of Covenant and brought it back to France and in addition found ancient scrolls and treatises of hidden wisdom of ancient initiates of the traditions of the Judaic and Egyptian mysteries. This included sacred geometry. This is very intriguing and

plausible. The Knights Templar were responsible for the architecture of the Gothic churches in France and other European countries. The Templar were behind the building of the great Chartres Cathedral and the flying buttresses are a sight to behold. The architects and sculptors are unknown.

Another church had been built upon the present site of the Chartres Cathedral and burned in 1194. Considering the time the church was re-built, it was a miraculous feat because the present cathedral was completed in 1223.

I am writing about the Knights Templar because they were the ones responsible for the proliferation of the Black Madonnas in Europe and especially in the French and Spanish Pyrenees Mountains areas. Having traveled in the Languedoc region, I was amazed that almost every small church had a Black Madonna and many were dedicated to Mary Magdalene. Apparently the Templar learned the truth about the Magdalene when they excavated the stables in Jerusalem. It is also interesting that there are two Black Madonnas in the Cathedral at Chartres and outside if one looks at the Royal portal, one will see a sculpted figure of the Queen of Sheba. I am putting forth the hypothesis that the Chartres Cathedral was created by knowledge of sacred geometry and the symbols throughout tell the story of what the original Knights Templar learned and passed on.

Since I am re-writing the history of Mary Magdalene, I am saying that she was a great initiate in the ancient wisdom and after the crucifixion of Jesus, left Palestine and by way of Egypt went to France.

What becomes even more interesting is that she established ekklesias (the forerunner of the word church) in France and they spread to Italy. Mary Magdalene was the first Pope of Rome and that is why it has been necessary to malign her and give out misinformation. Peter was not the first Pope.

This is the reason why most of the descendents have been hunted and some killed. This is why Pope Gregory in 591 CE proclaimed her to be a prostitute and further maligned her. False history has a way of repeating itself until the people accept it as fact.

In my research, I have examined the Old Testament and based on my findings, the people had very dark skin because most of them were Egyptian or Ethiopian. One has only to research and this is what the biblical scholars and theologians have missed. In all probability Mary Magdalene and Jesus had dark skin. In other words, they were black people. In the Old Testament there are 619 mentions of the word Egypt or Egyptian, 39 of Ethiopia and in addition when there is mention of leprosy and that the skin and/or hair turns white as snow. This means the skin is that of the black race when the pigment of the skin turns white and in white Caucasian people, the pigment turns dark.

The Queen of Sheba is mentioned in the Song of Solomon as being black. She and King Solomon had a son named Menelik and he became Menelik I. The late Emperor Halle Selassie of Ethiopia claimed to be a direct descendent of Menelik I and also of the lineage of Jesus. He carried a title of Lion of Judah and Judah means Israel.

In my research, it has been an interesting journey of connecting the dots that other researchers have missed. I stand by my storyline of Mary Magdalene in my book Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls, a fictionalized version of her true herstory.

A GIFT FROM ME

2006-06-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

There is a new item in the Bookstore! A music CD of Gifts From Me by Bill Dallavo is
now available for purchase. Bill is singing his own song and it is beautiful. Bettye used his
words at the end of her book, Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. Go to the Bookstore page
and listen to a sample. You won't be disappointed.