City of Secrets and Rennes-le-Chateau

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.

Truth or Fiction?

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.

In Praise of the Magdalene Books

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

The Gordian Knot and Sacrifices

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.

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

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

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.

SECRETS REVEALED - THE HOLY GRAIL

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

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

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.

NEW BOOK ~ AWAKENING THE GENIE WITHIN

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!

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.

WRITER'S DIGEST COMMENTARY

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