Khatruman
(Note: I hope I am placing this in the correct forum. It is a discussion on tarot, though it is also tangiential in that it speaks of the Magdalene/Grail thing that has been recently enlightened topic)
Having finished The Da Vinci Code a few weeks back, I have been curious about the Holy Grail/Mary Magdalene controversy and the Catholic Church cover up. I bought The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, by Margaret Starbird, which I haven't read other than the tarot chapter.
I am currently borrowing the classic book on the subject: Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I am not even half way through the book and I am finding many mentions of names and places associated with the tarot: the town of Marseilles, the Sforza family, Eliphas Levi, Paul Christian, Papus, The Golden Dawn. This does not include other organizations, such as the Knights Templar, which have come to be associated with the tarot through decks, etc. Yet, the only mention of the tarot in the book is in reference to Papus' book on the tarot (the word tarot is not even indexed). Starbird's book makes an interesting theory on the tarot being a way for the Magdalene information being passed on through the tarot, and goes card by card through the Trump cards of the Charles VI deck.
I found that the evidence presented in Holy Blood, Holy Grail is amazing, especially that of the Priory of Sion, which figures prominently in The Da Vinci Code. The idea that this organization has existed for hundreds of years, and included as Grand Masters the likes of Da Vinci, Sir Issac Newton, Victor Hugo, Botticelli, and Jean Cocteau is astounding. Also, the notion that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus, and was a priestess in a goddess religion makes so much sense to me. That she is reduced to a converted whore by the church also makes sense, in that much of orthodox Christianity, particularly Catholicism, is so skewed towards the masculine, and has been for so many centuries, that the West has become entirely too masculine, resulting in centuries of patriarchal societies waging wars, promoting tyrannies, and otherwise engaging in bellicose behavior.
I have been lately, even before reading The Da Vinci Code, losing faith in Christianity, seeing how militant it is in even the simplest ideas. Christians, despite Jesus' messages of acceptance of all, seem to often feel that everyone must accept Jesus as savior in order to be "saved." There is an intolerance towards other religions, Eastern and pagan alike, that pervades Christianity. It is often labeled "Satanism." I still consider myself a follower of Jesus, but more a follower of his teachings. I even have stopped wearing a cross and have instead worn the fish symbol to distance myself from the centuries of church crusading, inquisition, and elitism.
Ok, here is my query. In looking at reviews of Holy Blood, Holy Grail through Amazon, I have found several who have severly criticized its scholarship. The main criticism is against its findings of the "Prieure documents," from which the authors had initially found most of their information regarding the Priory of Sion and the list of Grand Masters. The critics say that, since the publication of the book, it has been discovered that a man named Pierre Plantard was constructing an elaborate hoax and had planted those documents, and that, before his death in 2000, he admitted to the hoax. They discount all the theories on Magdalene based on the falsity of these documents, though I am reading how the authors themselves used these as a launching point, but have found other corroborating material to back up the existence of the Priory of Sion, and that it was most influential in keeping alive the truth of Magdalene.
Now I don't know what to think, and I don't have enough true historical background, or the time to research it, to know whether the critics are right, or whether they are Christians bent on discounting anything that questions the "ultimate truth" they believe in regards to Jesus. If there are people here more knowledgeable about the issue, I would like your ideas. I trust the judgment of my fellow tarotist.
I am not as interested in whether there is proof that Mary Magdalene was Jesus' wife, and bore his daughter, as I am that she was a representative of a goddess cult, and exemplified the feminine nature in us. I very much like the idea that uncovering her greater role in the Gospel might turn our Western society to a more balanced society, one which doesn't turn to violence and conquest in order to solve problems; one which realizes the importance of community, family and the sacredness and importance of the female role in society.
What are your thoughts?
Having finished The Da Vinci Code a few weeks back, I have been curious about the Holy Grail/Mary Magdalene controversy and the Catholic Church cover up. I bought The Woman with the Alabaster Jar, by Margaret Starbird, which I haven't read other than the tarot chapter.
I am currently borrowing the classic book on the subject: Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I am not even half way through the book and I am finding many mentions of names and places associated with the tarot: the town of Marseilles, the Sforza family, Eliphas Levi, Paul Christian, Papus, The Golden Dawn. This does not include other organizations, such as the Knights Templar, which have come to be associated with the tarot through decks, etc. Yet, the only mention of the tarot in the book is in reference to Papus' book on the tarot (the word tarot is not even indexed). Starbird's book makes an interesting theory on the tarot being a way for the Magdalene information being passed on through the tarot, and goes card by card through the Trump cards of the Charles VI deck.
I found that the evidence presented in Holy Blood, Holy Grail is amazing, especially that of the Priory of Sion, which figures prominently in The Da Vinci Code. The idea that this organization has existed for hundreds of years, and included as Grand Masters the likes of Da Vinci, Sir Issac Newton, Victor Hugo, Botticelli, and Jean Cocteau is astounding. Also, the notion that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus, and was a priestess in a goddess religion makes so much sense to me. That she is reduced to a converted whore by the church also makes sense, in that much of orthodox Christianity, particularly Catholicism, is so skewed towards the masculine, and has been for so many centuries, that the West has become entirely too masculine, resulting in centuries of patriarchal societies waging wars, promoting tyrannies, and otherwise engaging in bellicose behavior.
I have been lately, even before reading The Da Vinci Code, losing faith in Christianity, seeing how militant it is in even the simplest ideas. Christians, despite Jesus' messages of acceptance of all, seem to often feel that everyone must accept Jesus as savior in order to be "saved." There is an intolerance towards other religions, Eastern and pagan alike, that pervades Christianity. It is often labeled "Satanism." I still consider myself a follower of Jesus, but more a follower of his teachings. I even have stopped wearing a cross and have instead worn the fish symbol to distance myself from the centuries of church crusading, inquisition, and elitism.
Ok, here is my query. In looking at reviews of Holy Blood, Holy Grail through Amazon, I have found several who have severly criticized its scholarship. The main criticism is against its findings of the "Prieure documents," from which the authors had initially found most of their information regarding the Priory of Sion and the list of Grand Masters. The critics say that, since the publication of the book, it has been discovered that a man named Pierre Plantard was constructing an elaborate hoax and had planted those documents, and that, before his death in 2000, he admitted to the hoax. They discount all the theories on Magdalene based on the falsity of these documents, though I am reading how the authors themselves used these as a launching point, but have found other corroborating material to back up the existence of the Priory of Sion, and that it was most influential in keeping alive the truth of Magdalene.
Now I don't know what to think, and I don't have enough true historical background, or the time to research it, to know whether the critics are right, or whether they are Christians bent on discounting anything that questions the "ultimate truth" they believe in regards to Jesus. If there are people here more knowledgeable about the issue, I would like your ideas. I trust the judgment of my fellow tarotist.
I am not as interested in whether there is proof that Mary Magdalene was Jesus' wife, and bore his daughter, as I am that she was a representative of a goddess cult, and exemplified the feminine nature in us. I very much like the idea that uncovering her greater role in the Gospel might turn our Western society to a more balanced society, one which doesn't turn to violence and conquest in order to solve problems; one which realizes the importance of community, family and the sacredness and importance of the female role in society.
What are your thoughts?