MARY MAGDALENE AND

THE HOLY GRAIL

MARGARET STARBIRD

'LECTULAND
Joseph of Arimathea knew that his mission contained great danger. But not for a
second did he hesitate to fulfill the promise given to Jesus, days before dying on
the cross: Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had to flee from Jerusalem to Alexandria.
Under the protection of Joseph, Mary, the Magdal-eder, the daughter of Zion
with whom peace would be restored to the Jewish people and the royal lineage
of David, the exile predicted by the prophet Micah would begin. She was the
wife that Jesus had chosen. And in it would also grow, now, the fruit of its seed.
What if this were the truth about the destiny and descendants of Jesus after his
death? Despite the dogmas of the Church, this question has worried humanity
since time immemorial. Hundreds of stories, legends, studies, works of art, sects
and occult societies have questioned, from the foundations of Christianity, the
truth about the end of Jesus and the possibility of a lineage that emerged from
the Nazarene himself. Sister, wife, partner, prostitute or friend? The voices that
speak of the Holy Grail as the "royal blood" of Jesus, with which Mary
Magdalene fled flowering in her womb, have also always been abundant.
Perhaps these are just suggestive theories, but the truth is that no one has ever
found irrefutable evidence capable of contradicting them... so the mystery
remains open.

Page 2
 Margaret Starbird
MARY MAGDALENE AND THE HOLY GRAIL
ePub r1.0
kraken61 12.28.2020

Page 3
Original title: The Woman with the Alabaster jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail
Margaret Starbird, 1993
Translation: Claudio Hook

Digital editor: kraken61 ePub base r2.1

Page 4
 Table of Contents

The disturbing skull, by Iker Jiménez

Thanks

Foreword

Preface

Preamble: Miriam of the Garden

1. The lost bride

1.1 The faith of our fathers
1.2 The Sangraal
1.3 Who was Mary Magdalene?
1.4 The sacred prostitute
1.5 The cults of the sacrificed king

2. The boyfriend
2.1 The hieròs gamos
2.2 Jesus the husband
2.3 The woman with the alabaster jar
2.4 The Song of Songs
2.5 The Song and the worship of the husband
2.6 The shepherd/king and his wife
2.7 Judas and the zealots
2.8 In memory of her

3. The royal blood and the vine

3.1 The sacred marriage
3.2 Magdal-eder, the "tower of the flock"
3.3 The vine of the Lord
3.4 The flight to Egypt
3.5 Jesus and the zealot faction
3.6 Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews
3.7 The flowering rod and the Sangraal
3.8 The Merovingian connection

4. The awakening of the 12th century

4.1 The dark times

Page 5
 4.2 The cradle of awakening
4.3 The heretics of Provence
4.4 The faith of the Cathars
4.5 The troubadours
4.6 The growing cult of the Virgin Mother
4.7 The temple builders
4.8 The wife's temple
4.9 Freemasonry and the Templars
4.10 Hiram of Tire and the twin pillars
4.11 Mrs. Matronita
4.12 The collapsed «Fisher King»

5. Hidden relic of the Church

5.1 The leaf and the calyx
5.2 Ties to medieval alchemy
5.3 The hermetic tradition
5.4 Tarot cards
5.5 The trumpet
5.6 Tarot card suits

6. Heretical artists and their symbols

6.1 Botticelli's paintings
6.2 The paintings of Fra Angelico
6.3 Other suspicious artistic symbols
6.4 Saint Andrew's cross

7. The unicorn and the lady

7.1 The Unicorn Lady
7.2 Israel's husband
7.3 The Grail Heresy and the Hunted Unicorn

8. The bride in folklore and legend

8.1 The black bride
8.2 European fairy tales
8.3 The cauldron
8.4 Attempts to reestablish the feminine

9. The desert will bloom

9.1 The integrity paradigm
9.2 The signs of awakening
9.3 The preliminary project of the temple

9.4 The dove, the lamb and the fish

9.5 The birth of the age of Pisces

Page 6
 9.6 The Water Bearer
9.7 The little Mermaid
9.8 Restoration of the lost girlfriend

Epilogue: The Sacred Gathering

Sheets
Plate 01
Plate 02
Plate 03
Plate 04
Plate 05
Plate 06
Plate 07
Plate 08
Plate 09
Plate 10
Plate 11
Plate 12
Plate 13
Plate 14
Plate 15
Plate 16
Plate 17
Plate 18
Plate 19
Plate 20
Plate 21

Bibliography

About the Author

Grades
THE DISTURBING SKULL

The small church of Saint-Maximin-en-Provence guards it with care and only

carefully displays it once a year. Usually, curious people can see it covered with
a fine silver mask that harmonizes the whole thing, making it more pleasing to

Page 7
the eye. However, if we remove that shiny mask we will find a mystery: the
naked, smiling skull.
The skull, venerated for centuries in this quiet French region, is, in the
mouth of tradition and the inhabitants of the place, the primordial skeletal
remains that certifies a great heresy: the presence of Mary Magdalene in those
lands after her flight from the holy places
Temples, hermitages and capitals remember at every step the eventful arrival
of this woman with a turbulent past who was saved by her iron "friendship" with
Jesus of Nazareth. For many, it also came with something of utmost importance
in its core: sacred descent, the divine lineage about which so much has been
written and conjectured throughout the 20TH CENTURY.
Mary Magdalene, inseparable from the rabbi of Galilee, was for many the
closest and most special person in his life. The truth is that there is hardly any
reliable data about her, and in many official versions she is confused or
distinguished, without interruption, with Mary of Bethany, sister of the
resurrected Lazarus. With these mists, logically, the mystery grows.
Starting in the 1950s, certain studies begin to suggest a hypothesis that is a
real bombshell in the waterline of official theories: Mary Magdalene could have
been the wife of Jesus. The hypothesis, which is not supported by orthodox
history, was translated into several best sellers that toured the world and whose
controversy still remains latent. More recently, the famous The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown has rescued and amplified it with great artifice, placing the
controversial character at the center of the great whirlwind.
Was Mary the depositary of the divine seed? Did this become the true Grail?
Did this concept respond to a sacred dynasty and not to an ornamental cup of the
Last Supper? Does Sangraal actually mean "Royal Blood"? Is it true that the day
after the crucifixion, Jesus' disciples took Mary to Alexandria and from there she
began her escape to the French coast? And what happened to those descendants?
Why don't we know anything about them? Is it true that the first was a daughter
named Sara? And as time went by, did they claim their rights or were they
removed from the madding crowd by the threat that their very existence
constituted?
Plots worthy of an international conspiracy film were intermixed in
countless studies that, in essence, only wanted to shed light on one of the most
curious and fascinating human elements of the Holy Scriptures. From the
reopening of the debate, each researcher went a little further, executing
somersaults in different directions: for some, like the authors of The Sacred
Enigma , the wedding at Cana was actually the marriage between Jesus and the

Page 8
Magdalene. For others, the clear symbol of the close relationship that both
maintained is that Christ "kissed her on the mouth and not like the rest."
The snowball generated by the multiple enigmas of the Magdalene became
even more complicated during the eighties, with the appearance of more or less
fanatical political groups that demanded for themselves the restoration of that
royal dynasty of immaculate blood that had been related in France. with the
Merovingian kings. Faced with such gibberish, there were even those who
formally accused the Vatican of having started an anti-feminism movement by
prohibiting any investigation into the "illustrious redeemed sinner."
With all these elements on the table, the most sensible thing to do is to turn
to one of the best works about this woman who was kept in the shadows for
centuries and claimed by all kinds of people who saw in her the exponent of
some people's contempt for the feminine. sectors of the clergy. Mary Magdalene
and the Holy Grail is the exciting historical and human investigation of one of
the great specialists on the subject. Reliable material to which, as always, we
must apply our critical sense to draw our own conclusions.
Meanwhile, don't forget, in a damp and dark French hermitage a skull with
sunken eye sockets and a toothless smile awaits. Will it be her?
IKER JIMENEZ

Page 9
 For Ted and our children
and for the Emmanuel
community.

Page 10
 THANKS

I wish to express my gratitude to my family and friends, who have supported

and encouraged me—especially my husband, our five children, and my parents
—and who have endured with me the laborious production of this book. They
participated in the search from the beginning.
Many friends have been a continuing source of affection and inspiration,
especially Mary Beben, without whose help I could not have written this book.
For almost twenty years she has been my spiritual family: teacher, critic and
friend. She has been the one who has taught me to partially repress my personal
orientation to "logos" and to foster my own "lost feminine mentality." And I
would also like to thank you for your company in my search for the lost bride.
Sue Gehringer, Anne Requa, Sandi Schneider and Mary Findlay have also
shared the adventure. We could little guess in the first days where the creative
word of God could lead us. When we first encountered the Black Virgin in 1978,
we did not know the depths we would have to explore in our search for the
feminine aspect of God, which was forgotten. He was to lead us by the hand
through the dark night and desert, before we could understand that our orthodox
version of God was incomplete. I now thank you for the security that marked us
in the crossing of the abyss.
There are many people who have helped me by reading the draft of the
manuscript and commenting on it in a constructive spirit. I would like to express
special gratitude to my mother Margery Leonard, my friend Mary Beben, and
my editors Barbara Hand Clow, Brandt Morgan, and Barbara Doern Drew at
Bear & Company for their thoughtful criticism and generosity in giving me their
time and advice. I sincerely appreciate your suggestions. Sincere thanks in turn
to Bear's artistic director, Angela Werneke.
No one has had more loyal and wonderful travel companions than mine.

Page 11
 FOREWORD

In one of the most illuminating and dramatic encounters in human history Jesus
said to Pilate: «For this I was born and for this I have come into the world: to
bear witness to the truth. "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." And
this was Pilate's answer: "What is truth?"
Pilate knew that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, and yet he sentenced him
to crucifixion. The "truth" of Jesus' innocence looked squarely at Pilate; but he
ignored her. He focused, instead, on the powers he faced: the power of Caesar
and the power of the temple. Pilate sacrificed the life and truth of Jesus to
protect himself from the religious and political powers that threatened him.
It is a hard but extremely important lesson that we should learn from that
encounter: truth is not defined by political power or religious conviction. Jesus
was not guilty of any crime simply because the temple authorities and Pilate's
sentence declared that he was, in the same way that the Sun does not revolve
around the Earth simply because the Catholic Church has decreed it so for
centuries. Truth is determined neither by human desires nor decrees. Truth is the
harmonization of the human mind and heart with what really is.
It seems necessary to say these things, since too often power, public opinion
and tradition are taken as synonyms for truth. The teaching of the Catholic
Church about the Holy Family illustrates the point eloquently. According to that
teaching, Joseph never had marital relations with his wife; Mary only had one
son, Jesus, and remained a virgin until her death. Jesus, for his part, would never
have married.
Through twelve years of Catholic education in primary school and high
school, and during more than twenty-three years of Jesuit and priestly formation,
I was offered that painting of the Holy Family. Steeped in that tradition and
strengthened by the idea that “with God all things are possible,” I gladly
accepted that description as something that was in perfect harmony with the only
divine revelation. In that mental framework, any challenge to the virginity of
Mary, Joseph or Jesus seemed to me to be a serious blasphemy. Much like

Page 12
Margaret Starbird, who was horrified and moved to the core by the thesis that
Jesus had married, I regarded the Church's teachings on the chastity of the Holy
Family as sacrosanct "truth."
But after ten years of research into the historical origins of ecclesiastical
laws regarding priestly celibacy, I ended up discovering that a serious
predisposition, if not to call it an authentic neurosis, permeated the Church's
attitudes regarding marital intimacy. That predisposition, derived from
Gnosticism and Manichaeism, left a strong message that marital relations were
at best simply tolerated, and at worst were a sinful perpetuation of evil in the
world.
Marcion, one of the most persuasive Christian Gnostics, allowed baptism
and the Eucharist only to virgins, widows, and married couples determined to
abstain from sex. The Marcionites regarded nature as evil and, not wishing the
Earth to become even more filled with malice, they abstained from marriage.
Julius Cassian, another Gnostic, proclaimed that men become very like beasts
during the sexual trade and that Jesus had come to Earth to prevent men from
copulating. Saint Ambrose considered marriage “a mortifying burden” and
encouraged a certain type of contemplative marriage to become aware of the
slavery and servitude of conjugal love. Tatian thought that sexual intercourse
was an invention of the devil and believed that the Christian life was
"inconceivable outside the limits of virginity." Augustine said that nothing
separates "the mind of the man from the heights more than feminine caresses
and the union of bodies, without which one cannot have a wife." Justin Martyr
was so suspicious of marital relations that he could not imagine Mary conceiving
Jesus sexually, and argued that instead Mary had to conceive as a virgin. Origen,
who believed that Jesus had taken a vow of perfect chastity, castrated himself.
So deeply rooted were these suspicions about marital commerce that the
Church, beginning in the FOURTH CENTURY, enacted laws prohibiting married priests
from having relations with their wives or fathering children. If any married
priest refused to obey these anti-Christian and unethical laws, increasingly
severe sanctions were imposed, including fines, public flogging, imprisonment,
expulsion from the priesthood, invalidation of priests' marriages, and papal
directives ordering that women and men the sons of priests were taken as slaves
of the Church.
When I noticed this sexual neurosis in ecclesiastical teaching and legislation,
I was deeply impressed. Was it possible that such distorted attitudes about
marital intimacy had contributed significantly to shaping the Church's teachings
on the Holy Family? Could it be that the Church's disdain for sexual relations

Page 13
has influenced a presentation of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that does not
correspond to the truth? What would happen, in fact, if Jesus were not the only
son that Mary had? In that case, wouldn't Mary herself have felt hurt at being
seen as the virgin mother of only one son? Wouldn't that amount to a denial of
her other children and an affront to the truth of her intimate love for her
husband? Wouldn't all this represent a tremendous damage to the Christian
faith?
The Gospel of Matthew clearly states: "While Jesus was still speaking to the
people, behold, his mother and his brothers were standing outside and wanted to
speak with him." Mark 3:31 says: "Meanwhile his mother and his brothers
arrived and, standing outside, they sent for him." And in Luke 8:19 we read:
"His mother and brothers came to see him, but they could not reach him because
of the crowd." Likewise in Matthew 13, 55-56: «Is this not the carpenter's son?
And isn't his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon
and Judas? And don't all his sisters live among us? And in Mark 6:3 it is said:
«Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joseph,
Judas and Simon? And don't your sisters live here among us? In his first letter to
the Corinthians the apostle Paul says: "Do we not have the right to take with us a
sister in the faith, a woman, as the other apostles do, the brothers of the Lord and
Cephas?" (1 Cor 9, 5).
This multiple testimony of Scripture makes it very difficult to accept the
affirmation postulated by the Church, without any scriptural basis, that Joseph
and Mary had no children other than Jesus and that their marriage was always
chaste.
Mary is not the virginal mother of a single son simply because the Church
says she is. This is a truth that looks at her progeny and her wifely relationships
with Joseph. It is professing the truth that honors them. Indeed, if Mary had
several sons and daughters, as Scripture seems to attest, we certainly do not
honor her by affirming that she gave birth to only one son and that she died a
virgin.
Similarly, Jesus is celibate simply because the Church teaches it: there is
nothing in Scripture to show that Jesus was married, nor is there anything in the
Bible to say that Jesus was single, nor that he made a promise or a promise. vow
not to marry.
The Jewish scholar Ben-Chorin presents a "series of indirect evidence" in
support of his belief that Jesus was a married man. At the time Jesus walked the
Earth, Judaism viewed marriage as the fulfillment of a divine commandment:
"Be fruitful and multiply." Luke 2:51-52 points out that Jesus lived under the

Page 14
authority of his parents and that "he grew in wisdom, stature, and favor before
God and men." Ben-Chorin argues that it could be perfectly probable that Jesus'
parents had found him a suitable bride, as was customary; and that Jesus, like
any young man—and especially those who studied the Torah—had gotten
married. Furthermore, if Jesus had not married, it is most likely that the
Pharisees opposed to him would have blamed him for this omission. And Saint
Paul, on the contrary, in presenting the reasons in support of celibacy, would
undoubtedly have cited the personal example of Jesus, if Jesus had been celibate.
But Saint Paul did none of that. Consequently, Ben-Chorin concludes that Jesus
was married.
On the other hand, one wonders that, if Jesus married, why is there no
specific mention of the fact in Scripture nor is the name of his wife given?
Margaret Starbird's answer to these questions is that the physical threat to his
wife's life might have been reason enough to exclude her name from all
contemporary written recollections. And it is a very plausible explanation,
especially in light of the serious persecutions of Jesus' early followers. And he
goes so far as to say: «I cannot prove that Jesus was married nor that Mary
Magdalene was the mother of his son... But I can prove that these were dogmas
of a heresy that had many believers in the Middle Ages, and that remains of that
heresy They can be found in numerous works of art and literature; that it was
violently attacked by the hierarchy of the Church established in Rome and that,
despite incessant persecution, that heresy survived.
Questioning the dogmas of one's own faith can be extremely difficult,
especially when the issue has to do with the sexual identity of the Holy Family,
which is so emotionally charged. It is much more comfortable to accept official
teaching and tradition as the only truth. Although the Catholic Church has made
many wonderful contributions to the development of spirituality and civilization,
its attitude towards human sexuality has revealed serious deficiencies. If such
deficiencies have created a false image of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, it is the duty
of conscientious Christians to do everything in their power to discover the truth
about the Holy Family.
That search will undoubtedly require sacrifice and expose the seekers to
ridicule and insults. Courage and a deep respect for the truth are necessary
virtues for that pilgrimage, when the path is full of dangers, temptations and
disappointments.
This book is a bold exploration of an extremely sensitive topic. Try to
discover the meaning of the Holy Grail and return the lost bride of Jesus.
Whether or not Jesus was married is something that has yet to be proven, and the

Page 15
author herself admits that, however illustrative and important her findings are,
they do not prove her thesis. But until the Church can offer reliable proof that
Jesus was celibate, those who with their minds, souls and hearts seek the truth
about Jesus and his family, far from instilling fear or deserving to be despised,
what they deserve is a great praise.

REVEREND TERRANCE A. SWEENEY [*]

Sherman Oaks, California
January 1993

Page 16
 PREFACE

Institutional Christianity, which has nourished Western civilization for nearly

two thousand years, may have been built on a gigantic doctrinal flaw: a
theological “St. Andrew's fault.” The failure that the denial of the feminine
entails. For years I have had the vague feeling that there was something radically
wrong in my world, that for too long the feminine reality had been mocked or
devalued in our culture. But until 1985 I did not find documented testimony of a
devastating fracture in Christian history. On the recommendation of a close
friend, who knew of my deep interest in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures and the
origins of Christianity, in April 1985 I read a book titled The Sacred Enigma .
And, frankly, I was horrified.
My first impression upon reading that book was that its authors, Michael
Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, had to be wrong. His book seemed
to border on blasphemy. Its fundamental idea was the suggestion that Jesus
Christ was married to the "other Mary" who appears in the gospels. She is
known as "the Magdalene," who Western art has depicted carrying an alabaster
jar, the saint the Church calls a repentant prostitute. It's not that such a
suggestion surprised me, it's that it shocked me. How could the Church not
mention it, if it was really true? Such an important allegation could not have
gone unnoticed throughout two millennia of ecclesiastical history! And yet, the
testimonies gathered by the authors of The Sacred Enigma suggested that the
truth had been continually repressed by the secular Inquisition.
Being a faithful daughter of the Roman Catholic Church, I immediately
assumed that the authors of the heretical book were wrong. But its fundamental
thesis—that Jesus had been married—did not leave me at rest, obsessing me
incessantly: what if it was true? What if Mary Magdalene, Jesus' wife, had been
written out of history? What if the nascent Church had been developing without
his gentle presence?
The idea of the implications that such a terrible loss would have meant for
the Church and for humanity became unbearable to me. With tears I prayed for

Page 17
that heretical version of the gospel. And I knew I had to find the truth. Armed
with an academic background of comparative literature, medieval and linguistic
studies and biblical exegesis, I dried my tears and began the search for such
heresy, with the conviction that very soon I would be in a position to refute its
dogmas. The book had touched on many areas of my personal interests and
knowledge: religion, medieval civilization, art, literature and symbolism. I had
studied the Bible and had a religious education for years, so I knew the terrain.
At first I thought that the demolition of the heresy would be an easy
undertaking. I pointed directly to the paintings of artists implicated in the issue
by the authors of The Sacred Enigma , as being in cahoots with the Grail heresy.
I examined the symbols in his works, relating them to the drawings of the
Albigensians (heretics, who prospered in the south of France around the years
1020-1250), which years before I had found in an anodyne work by Harold
Bayley, entitled The Lost Language of Symbolism . And I was disconcerted to
discover that the works of those medieval artists contained obvious references in
support of the Grail heresy. Unable to refute the heresy based on his work, I
continued my search.
My research ended up delving deeply into European history, heraldry, the
rites of Freemasonry, medieval art, symbolism, psychology, mythology, religion,
and the Hebrew and Christian Holy Scriptures. Everywhere I looked I
encountered the feminine reality, which had been lost or denied in the Judeo-
Christian tradition, and with the various attempts to return the bride to her
former privileged status. The more I delved into all that material, the more
evident it became to me that there was real content in the theories presented in
The Sacred Enigma . And gradually I felt won over by the central dogmas of the
Grail heresy, the very theory I initially wanted to discredit.
In gathering the material for this book I have worked with the conviction
that "by the smoke you know where the fire is." When it is possible to gather so
much evidence from such diverse sources in support of a simple hypothesis,
there is good reason to take the hypothesis in question seriously. Thus, there
could easily be some truth in the rumors that have persisted for two thousand
years and that have only recently come to the surface with films such as Jesus
Christ Superstar and The Last Temptation of Christ , which depict the
relationships of Christ and Mary Magdalene as uniquely intimate and
meaningful.
Of course I cannot prove that the dogmas of the Holy Grail heresy are true:
that Jesus was married or that Mary Magdalene was the mother of his child. Nor
can I prove that Mary Magdalene was the woman in the alabaster jar who

Page 18
anointed Jesus in Bethany. But I can verify that these lines are dogmas of a
heresy widely believed in the Middle Ages; that remains of said heresy can be
found in numerous works of art and literature; that it was violently fought by the
hierarchy of the Church established in Rome and that, despite this incessant
persecution, said heresy has survived.
The heresy that kept alive the other version of the life of Jesus was fought
relentlessly, tested and condemned to disappearance. But the story of the sacred
Bridegroom/King of Israel proved too virulent, even for the Inquisition. It
sprouted and sprouted continuously, like a wild vine that puts down roots below
and covers large surfaces above. It appeared in places where the Inquisition and
the established power could not uproot it—in the popular tales, art and literature
of Europe—always hidden, often in a symbolic key, but always omnipresent.
And he kept alive the hopes of David's line, often referred to as the "vine."
There are several possibilities that open up regarding the heresy of Jesus'
marriage. Perhaps it is true and survived because its supporters not only believed
but also knew it to be true (perhaps through some verification such as the
famous "Templar treasure", in the form of documented documents or objects).
Or perhaps it was created as an attempt to reestablish in Christian dogma the
feminine principle that had been lost, with a clear imbalance in favor of the
masculine.
This reestablishment of the balance of opposites, the foundation of classical
philosophy, must have been understood as necessary for the well-being of
civilization. The cult of the feminine flourished in Provence in the 12TH CENTURY.
The concurrent attempts by Jewish Kabbalists to reestablish the "Lady" as the
lost consort of Yahweh in Jewish mythology attest to the fact that such a
restoration of the feminine was considered important and even vital.
A similar movement occurs today in the Western world, encouraged in
Jung's psychoanalytic studies, in the Asian conception of yin and yang and the
mother goddess. Also significant are the numerous recent apparitions of the
Virgin Mary—"Our Lady, Queen of Peace"—the only image of someone in
contact with the divine that Christianity allows, and her images have been seen
shedding tears in Christian churches. of all the world. These phenomena have
been reported by the media in recent years. The Church cannot pretend that a
message does not exist there. Even the stones proclaim it! The disdained and
forgotten feminine reality is beginning to be recognized and accepted in our
Contemporary Age.
The loss of the feminine has had disastrous consequences in our culture.
Both masculine and feminine values are severely weakened as the second

Page 19
Christian millennium draws to a close. Female capabilities have not been fully
accepted or appreciated. While the masculine, frustrated by the inability to
channel its energies in harmony with the proper development of the feminine,
continues to lead with an armed arm, recklessly brandishing weapons and often
sowing violence and destruction.
In the ancient world the balance of opposing energies was understood and
respected; but in our modern world manly attributes and attitudes have
prevailed. It is a short step from the worship of the power and glory of the
solar/masculine principle to the "worship of the son"; a cult that often produces a
mean and immature male, angry, frustrated, bored and often dangerous. In the
end, unable to integrate with its "other half", the masculine succumbs to
consumption. The final result of the devalued feminine principle is not exactly
environmental pollution, hedonism and criminal debauchery: the ultimate goal is
the holocaust.
The present book is an exploration of the Holy Grail heresy and an argument
for the restoration of the wife of Jesus, based on important circumstantial
evidence. And it is also a search for the meaning of the lost bride in the human
psyche, in the hope that her return to our complete mental paradigm can
contribute to healing the desolate land.
In this book I have collected the results of my personal search for the lost
bride in Christian history. I have tried to explain how it was lost and how
devastating that loss was to Western civilization. And at the same time I have
tried to glimpse what would have happened if the bride had been restored to the
paradigm.
The years I have invested in searching for these materials have taken their
toll. I have not taken history lightly. I have struggled with the material in this
book to give it form and substance. It has been a long and difficult work.
Sometimes I feared that it would upset me internally. Doctrines, which I had
believed as a matter of faith, I had to uproot and put aside, planting new beliefs
and allowing them to take root. I had to dismantle the entire Catholic and Roman
shebang, which I had trusted since my childhood, to discover the dangerous flaw
at its foundation and, once the fissure was repaired, carefully reconstruct the
belief system. That process took me seven years. At a certain point I stopped
being the apologist for a doctrine and embarked on a search for the truth. With
horror I realized that my conclusions were not orthodox; but that didn't mean
they weren't true.
An increasing number of people are noticing the gap that is opening up
between the discoveries of modern scriptural science and the version of

Page 20
Christianity taught from the pulpits of temples. I hope this book serves as a
bridge, that it bridges that gap.
When I was a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee,
in 1988 and 1989, I discovered that many illuminating books, written by Bible
scholars, lay unnoticed for decades on library shelves and read them, due in part
to the dryness of their style and language. For this reason I decided to write in a
familiar language. I have included notes where necessary; but basically I have
told the story in a way that can easily be received and assimilated. On one
occasion a friend told me that instead of grinding my supply of grain and
cooking it, I should try to collect it in bushels and put it in people's laps. In this
book I have tried both: grinding the grain and cooking it into nutritious bread.
I have also taken the liberty of comparing some biblical passages in different
versions and choosing the expressions that best expressed the ideas I wanted to
communicate. The Bible used by me for years, and from which almost all my
quotes are taken, is the Saint Joseph New Catholic Edition (1963), simply
because it is the Bible that is most familiar to me. In several cases the preferred
text has been the New International Version (NIV) of 1978 [*] . I have tried to be
consistent in the use of names and numbering of the books and psalms of the
Protestant canon of the Bible, as they are the most widely accepted.
It is my hope that this book will inspire others to begin their personal search
for Christianity's most precious treasure: a "pearl of great price," the Holy Grail.

Page 21
 PREAMBLE: MIRIAM OF THE GARDEN

In this story of The Lost Bride the Hebrew names of Yeshua, Miriam and Yosef
replace those of Jesus, Mary (the sister of Lazarus of Bethany) and Joseph of
Arimathea.

She shivered, adjusting the cloak to her slender body. It was still cold. The bright
sun had set behind the garden wall, behind the temple on Mount Zion. The
aromas of the garden calmed her and the tension in her body disappeared as she
curled up on the stone bench under the almond tree. The silver light of the
waning moon cast shadows on the path. She dragged her toes through the fine
dust, forming mounds of dirt.
Light footsteps on the path startled her. He strove to identify the figure
whose face was in shadow and whose forms were wrapped in a dark cloak. The
man watched her for a moment in silence. Vulnerable as a bird he thought. And
he spoke softly trying to dispel his fear:
—Shalom, Miriam. It's me, Yosef.
The slender figure before him visibly relaxed upon hearing his familiar
voice.
—Oh, Yosef.
Her voice sounded excited. He looked at her with compassion: she was pale
and trembling and drowning in grief. He held out his hand to her with an
involuntary gesture that bridged the fragrant darkness that separated them in the
moonlit garden.
"Yosef," she whispered, "I'm not sure I can take it." He tried to warn me, and
I thought I understood him.
She was trembling and bewildered in the darkness.
Yosef put his hands on her shoulders and held her firmly. Until that moment
he had not realized the depth of his own grief. Miriam's long, dark hair shone in
the moonlight and her eyes glistened with tears.

Page 22
 "Miriam," he murmured. He hesitated for a moment. Hadn't that woman
suffered enough already? But he had promised his friend that he would protect
her. And there was only one way to do it: they had to leave immediately, under
the cover of darkness. They couldn't know if the authorities would send for her.
Miriam, I have received a notice. We have to leave Jerusalem…this very night.
If you stay here you won't be safe. Pilate and Herod can order your search.
She turned, staring into the shadows. Slowly she turned back to him.
—Do you think it is necessary for me to flee? —he asked in a whisper that
he could barely hear.
He hesitated.
—Yes, Miriam. It's the only way out. I promised Yeshúa that I would protect
you with even my life. There is no other choice.
Miriam nodded her head.
—Yes, Yosef, I already know. He told me some words from the prophet
Micah. I understood that it was about the promise. I will do what you suggest.
But what will become of Martha and Lazarus?
Yosef shook his head.
—I haven't told you where we would go. I told them I wanted to hide you in
the city. No one should know where we are going until the danger passes. For
now they stay here. They'll say you're sick and maybe you shouldn't be sent
anywhere. We'll send for them later.
Yosef had planned everything: they would travel as father and daughter to
attract as little attention as possible. No one was supposed to imagine the
identity of the young woman who was traveling next to him. The authorities
would assume that they would escape by sea, which made the ports very
dangerous. And so he had decided to flee by land through the desert. He had
packed some essential things for the trip and trusted that friends would provide
for his needs at the destination point. They would flee to Egypt, and specifically
to the city of Alexandria.
The man smiled sadly at the woman's charming youth and beauty... Magdal-
eder, daughter of Zion, "the tower of the flock," had to go out into the
countryside and live in exile, just as the prophet had predicted. Micah. But
through her the dominion of Zion would one day be reestablished. And once
again he marveled at his friend, who had pointed out to him the verses of
Micah's prophecy referring to this exile and the return and definitive
reestablishment of the royal house of David. He, Yosef of Arimathea, had been
charged with Miriam's safety; and he didn't want to fail his friend.
"Now we have to go," he said quietly. I have the donkeys tied to the door. I

Page 23
have spoken with Lázaro and with Marta. We will send for them when the
danger is over. I promise you.
She knew it was the right thing to do. All day he had been thinking that it
would be necessary to escape from the hatred and jealousy of Herod Antipas, so
insecure on his throne that he could not tolerate any rival. And they also had to
flee from the Romans, fearful of an insurrection by the Jewish nation. The Jews'
hatred of the occupying Roman forces was intense; Their love and enthusiasm
for the Son of David, who had been so brutally executed, could ignite a
revolution at any moment. It was best for her to flee, lest rumors of the corpse's
disappearance provoke a suicidal confrontation between the people and the
power of the Roman legions. She understood it, despite her youth. Her husband
had explained everything to her, hugging her tenderly afterwards, while she
buried her tears in the welcoming warmth of his shoulder. He had tried hard to
cheer her up, and she had tried hard to be brave to please him. But she had
fainted and had read in Yeshúa's eyes the anguish he felt for her.
—I'm ready, Yosef. Let's go.
In silence he looked around the garden, breathing in the smell of linden trees
and lilies that floated in the air. I'm going to leave my home, he thought to
himself, probably forever. To my brother and my sister, the house where we
grew up, the garden where we played. The garden where I first met my Lord.
Our fenced garden. And he stopped remembering.
Yosef took Miriam by the hand and they walked slowly toward the door,
while the cold dust of the path clung to their open-sandaled feet. He helped his
friend's widow mount the waiting donkey and untied it. Walking slowly and with
his staff in his hand, he led the donkeys out of the house. From time to time he
glanced at Miriam. She seemed lost in her own inner world, as if she did not
notice the presence of her companion. Yosef marched at his side in silent
communion as they left the village and headed down a winding path away from
the home of his youth, from Bethany and the Mount of Olives, and into the
desert along a path that whitened under the moon.

She could smell and taste the sand blown up by the desert wind. His lips were
dry and his eyes were irritated; He kept them semi-closed to protect them from
the dazzling sun and the hammering of the sand. He wrapped his cloak around
him and protected himself from the hostile elements with a white wool cap.
Yosef walked silently beside her, lost in his own thoughts and glancing from
time to time to make sure she was not too tired or thirsty, always careful of her

Page 24
well-being, although knowing that they must continue on their way quickly.
She rode on the donkey's back, swinging elegantly back and forth, while her
thoughts were racing as they had been doing for days. His self-absorption
persisted without external distractions, since the landscape did not change. And
he remembered his first meeting with Yeshúa. She was alone and had sat on the
bench in the fenced garden of her house in Bethany: her brother Lazarus had
taken Yeshúa to the garden and was walking with him enjoying the cool shade
and without noticing her presence. I had already heard about that Yeshua, who
was hailed throughout Judea. And he knew how much his brother admired him.
Now, seeing him, she also felt attracted to him. He was taller than usual, his
limbs were long and delicate, and he had beautiful hands. His hair and beard
appeared well-groomed and his eyes were dark and intense. But the man's most
attractive feature was his serene calm, an air of authority and integrity, which
further enhanced his stature.
Lazarus then raised his eyes and discovered her silent in the shadow of the
almond tree. She led Yeshua to her and told him her name. But no introduction
had been necessary, because when Miriam looked at each other for the first time
she understood that he already knew her.
Yeshua had greeted her smiling with a "Shalom."
«Peace and well-being». She had responded with the classic greeting, and in
his eyes she had known she was beautiful. I could see it in his eyes. He knew
then that he would always love that Yeshúa, his brother's friend. Confused, she
had lowered her eyes with a blush, while her long dark hair fell forward,
covering her face.
"I'm going to look for Marta and prepare you some refreshments," she had
murmured.
And he had left the garden, almost stumbling in his haphazard haste.
A few months later they got married. Now she smiled remembering her
surprise, when her brother Lazarus came to her to give her the news that he had
accepted the stranger from Galilee as his brother-in-law. As heir to the lands
adjacent to Jerusalem she was to be the bride of Yeshua of Nazareth, born from
the lineage of King David.
The marriage had dynastic significance as it united the families of two loyal
friends: David, son of Jesse, and Jonathan, son of Saul. Their friendship had
given rise to stories that were passed down for centuries in all Jewish homes.
Miriam's marriage to Yeshúa was political, as Lazarus had explained to her; but
at the same time it was the fulfillment of a prophecy. Both Lazarus and his
Zealot friends were convinced that the Herodian tetrarchs, who had collaborated

Page 25
with the Romans, were usurpers of David's throne. And they were also
convinced that God would send them a Davidic Messiah, who would free the
nation from the tyranny of Rome and usher in the era of peace and prosperity
promised by the prophets.
The stranger from Galilee had the correct genealogy, and was he not also a
worker of miracles and wonders, healing the sick and casting out demons?
Without a doubt he was God's chosen one. Now he had to choose his bride from
the tribe of Benjamin, since it was written in the first book of the Torah
(Genesis) that the silver cup was hidden in Benjamin's sack. According to their
inspired doctors that meant that a woman from the tribe of Benjamin would be
the instrument of reconciliation and salvation for Israel.
None of that mattered to Miriam. The elders could not give an adequate
reason for the decision they had made. The elders could not hear the clamor of
the blood that resonated in her womanly veins, they could not hear that silent
song. «It doesn't matter, why he chooses me. What matters is that he chose me!
Reflecting on all these things, Miriam had sought refuge in the walled
garden and sought the shade of the almond tree. Later Yeshua had found her
there. Standing in front of her he had extended his hand to her. She had looked at
him hesitantly and, with a feeling of shame, had accepted it. And she was healed
of any wound she may have had until then.
They had celebrated their marriage in the house of Simon the Leper. Only a
few of the most intimate friends and their families attended, as it was considered
necessary to keep the marriage as secret as possible, so that Herod Antipas
would not learn that an heiress of Benjamin had married an heir of David.
Miriam had not been concerned that she was not recognized in public as
Yeshua's wife. The only thing that mattered to her was being the girlfriend of
that good-natured Galilean, whose black eyes caressed her, filling her with
happiness and being her whole life.
The wedding guests had been jubilant in the belief that the line of David
would be reestablished and Zion would be liberated. All nations would come to
Jerusalem to worship the Most High in his temple and the word of God,
transmitted by the Hebrew prophets, would be fulfilled. The stone water
amphorae of Judaism were to be filled that day with new wine, which was the
messianic hope of the future.
Miriam sat silently next to her husband, slender and beautiful, her dark eyes
shining. He had understood the political objectives of his brother and his zealot
friends; but they didn't seem relevant to him. For her, the important thing about
all that had been her slender and handsome husband, to whom she was now

Page 26
entrusted. The psalmist's promise resonated in his heart: "Your wife will be like
a fruitful vine in the corners of your house." Amen. Shalom.
That night he had taken it. He had called her his "beloved." And their joy
had been unfathomable. The perfume of the lemon trees came from the garden to
their bedroom with the evening breeze and they had fallen asleep.

Yosef spoke again, interrupting his thoughts.

—Miriam, Miriam, please, have some water.
Suddenly, he came back to the present, elegantly wiping the sand from his
eyelids. Yosef offered him a skin of water.
—Thank you, Yosef. You're very kind.
He smiled at her and felt great tenderness for his queen. Their safety was a
sacred duty for him. He had promised it to Yeshua. It was a service he gladly
performed for his friend. Through her, the Magdal-eder, royalty would be
reestablished. But for the moment he had to go to the countryside, to work in
exile, as the prophet Micah had prophesied. His compassion for her moved him.
He had been chosen for that function, but how much easier it would have been if
he had not been chosen!
"We will stay in the Nile delta until tomorrow afternoon," Yosef told him to
ease his spirit.
For days Yosef had respected her long silences, hoping that she was not
remembering the horrors of the last few days spent in Jerusalem. He had wanted
her to remain in Bethany with Martha after Yeshua was taken away by the
soldiers of the Sanhedrin; but Miriam had insisted on following in her husband's
footsteps on his way to Golgotha.
Many other women had stayed with her all day, offering their support while
she stood at the foot of the cross. Without a doubt, that cruel Roman execution
had opened a huge wound in his heart, which remained open. Like the blow of
the centurion's spear into Yeshua's side, which had caused his death, Yosef
thought bitterly. His friends had nourished the hope that he might be revived by
taking him down from the cross before daylight; but it had been too late. Could
Yahweh not intervene now? He had somehow prevented his plan from failing by
the action of a Roman centurion, armed with a long spear. Or were they plans of
men, which would not prevail? Whatever the case, Yeshua had died from his
wounds. Now the only hope in the kingdom of God on Earth seemed embodied
in that exhausted woman, who was riding on her donkey, drinking a few sips of
water from her skin and trying to protect her face from the scorching sun of the

Page 27
desert. "She is the hope of Israel, because she carries his son in her womb,"
Yosef thought.

Miriam adjusted her cloak, seeking shelter from the relentless heat of the desert
sun. He could taste the sand in his mouth and feel its stings on his face. His lips
were swollen and cracked.
As he contemplated her, a wave of tenderness invaded Yosef, and with what
intensity he prayed to God to bless that woman by granting her a robust son,
who was the fruit of her marriage to Yeshua. Someday the promises of the
prophets had to be fulfilled announcing that the Lord would return the throne to
the house of David. "A branch will come out of the trunk of Jesse, a stem will
sprout from his roots," Isaiah had predicted; He would be a just and
compassionate ruler, who would establish the peaceful kingdom of God on
Earth. They had such high hopes! But what a shock it had been to see Yeshua
led to the place of crucifixion, walking painfully under the grotesque load of the
heavy crossbar of the cross, falling and trying to get up to continue on his way
through the streets of Jerusalem. All his dreams had vanished when the Roman
soldiers had nailed the Son of David to the cross; Their horror had reached full
force when the centurion plunged his spear into Jesus' side and pierced his heart.
Now the hope of Israel's nationalists rode on the back of a donkey across the
desolate vastness of the Sinai, veiled in sadness and wrapped in a white cloak.
Yosef broke the silence:
—Miriam, you're probably uncomfortable after riding for so many hours. Do
you want us to stop and rest?
Miriam smiled sadly at him, thanking him for his request although without
really worrying about his physical discomfort. The pain no longer delved deeper
into his conscience. The isolated sufferings of his long day had curdled into a
deep, all-encompassing pain.
She slipped back into her dreams, cradled by the constant rocking of the
donkey's tiresome march through the dunes of the infinite desert. He had known
that it was a dynastic marriage. And he had not expected Yeshua to see him with
different eyes. Now she smiled remembering his tenderness and his kind concern
for her shyness. The woman could not face the bitter memories of the last few
days. Yeshua would not have wanted her to relive that agony and horror. Instead
his thoughts turned to the early days. They hadn't had many opportunities to be
together. "I can't be long, darling," he had told her. The people are hurt and
oppressed. They are crippled and blind. They think that God has abandoned

Page 28
them in their misery. And I have to return to the streets to bind their wounds and
heal their broken hearts. And she had let him go.

At first Yeshua seemed surprised by the healing power he had. He had told
Miriam once about his feeling that a power had come out of him, when someone
had touched his robe. And he had understood that it was not his power, but the
power of God that flowed through him. It was a power that was in his words, in
his bearing. His stimulating presence had captivated his friends and attracted the
crowds.
She had been deeply grateful when Yeshua returned to Bethany after weeks
and sometimes months of traveling to the far corners of Galilee and Judea. It had
been enough for her to sit at his feet, drinking in his words and his presence and
sometimes catching a look or a smile from him. She couldn't leave his side and
sat in silence bathing in his light. Once his sister Marta had become upset,
because all the tasks of organizing and preparing food for a large group of
disciples had fallen on her shoulders. Yeshua knew this and calmed Martha with
a kind word; but Miriam had felt guilty and had come to her sister's aid to carry
out household chores.
In recent months Yeshua had spoken to him repeatedly of his imminent
death. The people had begun to say that he was the long-awaited Messiah, the
Son of David. They had begun to gather in the streets, waving palm branches as
a sign of the messianic promises of Micah and Isaiah. And he knew that the
Roman authorities were not willing to tolerate any mutiny among the popular
masses, so the outbreak was inevitable. A confrontation with the tetrarch and the
Roman governor would lead to popular unrest and bloodshed. He had to return
to the Romans before the street riots broke out in which the innocent would have
to pay. Yeshua reminded Miriam of Isaiah's prophecy about the patient servant.
He had tried hard to prevent it. Then he had taken her in his arms to comfort her
and calm her grief.
Something surfaced in his memory. The psalm, of course! Now he
remembered why he had turned pale when he saw the Roman soldiers casting
lots for Yeshua's tunic, when he was dying hanging from the cross. All of this
was in the psalm. It had been predicted centuries before: "My God, my God,
why have you abandoned me?... They have pierced my hands and my feet...
They divide my garments among themselves and cast lots for my cloak."
Those words hammered his mind as he remembered the details of the
crucifixion on Golgotha. A moan escaped her chest, but when Yosef raised his

Page 29
eyes to her, something on the woman's face prevented her from saying a word.
He couldn't interfere. He seemed beyond any consolation, beyond the threshold
of anguish, where it was not possible to approach him.
Yosef knew what he was thinking. He always knew it. "Therefore he
explained those passages of Scripture to me, so that I could recognize that he had
been sent by God." She had never understood it until now. God is often mocked
and tortured in his prophets. God is wounded: "They strike the judge of Israel on
his cheek with a rod," says Micah. By suffering the crucifixion Yeshua has
shown them the extreme dimension of God's wound.
Her husband had often recited to her passages from the Song of Songs, the
hymn of sacred marriage. "Because love is stronger than death," he remembered
now. Of course! In the ancient cults of the country of Canaan, the groom god
suffered a sacrificial death and was buried.
Later, three days later, he was resurrected amid joyful acclamations from the
people, who had awaited his return. And the god brought fertility to the country,
renewing it through his death and rebirth.
One night, while Yeshua was reclining at the table with his friends, Miriam
had taken an alabaster jar of spikenard, which was part of her dowry, and poured
it on his head. Was not the Son of David the Anointed One, the true king of
Israel and God's chosen Messiah? Yeshua did not object to his action. But her
disciples did murmur about Miriam wasting the expensive ointment. Yeshua had
understood it. By anointing him she had proclaimed him king and bridegroom.
"He has anointed me for the grave," he said. Then she began to cry, knelt in front
of him and with her hair dried the tears shed on Yeshúa's feet.
Even now I could still feel the tenderness in his gaze. Tears began to flow
from her eyes and a great weight fell on her heart. And he thought: "I have to try
not to remember sad things." And he ended up dozing again, riding on the
donkey that Yosef was leading by the halter.

After approximately a month of travel they arrived at their destination one

afternoon, when the shadows were lengthening over the cosmopolitan city of
Alexandria. Yosef led the donkey through the crowded streets of the populous
city looking for the Jewish sector. Infinite comfort and gratitude gave him
renewed energy. They were finally safe. They would not be recognized in a
foreign city, far from the desires of the usurpers of the throne of Israel, far from
the high priests of the temple of Jerusalem and far from the Roman governor of
Judea. The legitimate queen and her son, heir to David's throne, would find

Page 30
refuge here. And one day, thanks to her, dominion would be returned to Zion, as
Micah had promised. But for now she was safe in exile. The "scepter" of Jesse's
branch would be preserved and the dynastic line would continue through his son.
In the end David's heir would return to Jerusalem and claim the throne that was
his birthright. And his kingdom would be restored, as God had promised through
the prophets. This is what Yosef of Arimathea believed. He found the street he
was looking for, arrived at his friend's house and knocked on the door.
Miriam woke up when she heard the knocking. In his ears they echoed like
the hammer blows on the thick iron nails with which Yeshúa's wrists were fixed
to the crossbar.
-No! No! —she exclaimed violently, shaken by the blows that woke her up
from her sleep.
He struggled to open his eyes and escape the nightmare of memories. The
light from outside filtered through the cracks around the door announcing the
morning. She was grateful and now fully awake.
His body was heavy with the child, and his arms and legs were still thin. A
few months had passed since the desert crossing. Yosef's friends had taken good
care of her, striving to make her life comfortable and to console her for the loss
of her family and her homeland.
Most of the time she sought solace in her thoughts. Alone was when he felt
most comfortable. The sights and smells of Alexandria did not seduce her. She
enjoyed sitting in the garden watching the birds and looking at the brightly
colored flowers. She often helped in the kitchen or at the loom, tasks she loved.
She was content, trying hard not to think about Jerusalem or the traumatic days
that preceded her departure. It was of no use and only burdened his heart with
sadness.
But now as then he was amazed at Yeshua's empty tomb. What could it
mean? She was still confused… and hurt. He had desired to anoint his body, as
tradition requested. At first light the day after Saturday he had gone to the tomb,
in Yosef's garden, where the tortured body of Yeshúa had been deposited. But it
wasn't there anymore. And, terrified, she had fled from the empty tomb.
In his confusion he had stumbled and fallen. When he recovered and looked
up he had seen the gardener walking around. Desperate, she had called him,
begging him to tell her where he had placed Yeshua's broken body. But suddenly
she realized that it was Yeshua himself who was approaching her! And with a
joyous cry she had thrown herself into his outstretched arms. He had lovingly
helped her to stand upright, while smiling at her, shaking his head. "Don't keep
me," he had told her. And tenderly, yet firmly, she had freed herself from his

Page 31
embrace and with a sign of farewell had disappeared in the sudden way in which
she had appeared to him. She had stood blankly and staring at the empty garden.
The child moved inside her. And lowering his eyes he smiled. Now it wasn't
much longer. His son would be strong and beautiful, he would be the fulfillment
of the prophecies: he would be a righteous ruler, the anointed Son of David. He
would be the most special son, the hope of Zion. He would wait patiently for
God's words to come to fruition. With difficulty he got out of bed and dressed
for the big day, firm in his faith.

Miriam's birth was long and difficult. Several times he was on the verge of
fainting, struggling to come to his senses. Time passed. Finally, and after long
hours everything had passed and the day turned into night and the day returned
again; and she began to be afraid and to be called out. The midwife bathed her
forehead with cold water and encouraged her by whispering the promises that
had been made to her. I was exhausted. That had to end, I was afraid; but it
continued wave after wave. Several times he observed that the restless women
exchanged glances. They too were losing confidence. They had done everything
in their power. And now she was alone and exhausted.
"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" They were the words of
Yeshua on the cross, which now echoed in his ears. He felt that he was freeing
himself from anguish and that he ended up escaping it. She then imagined that
she saw Yeshúa approaching her while smiling at her and taking her hand. Little
by little his strength flooded her, returning life to her body and giving her
renewed energy. "You have to recover for our son," were his words.
Yeshua's smile renewed his energy. A wave of grief shook her as she
crossed the threshold of consciousness. But I no longer felt afraid. Yeshua was
with her, he had never left her. Now she understood: he was as close to her as
the beat of her own heart: "Because love is stronger than death."
One last moment of abandonment to suffering, and everything would be
over. The midwife lifted the child, now freed from the mother's womb. He
slapped the baby on the back, and the child gave a sharp cry of surprise.
—Your son, Miriam; "Your baby lives," the midwife joyfully announced
after long hours of despair. A beautiful baby, a girl.
Surprise and disbelief hit Miriam like a slap. "It can't be," he thought. What
happened to the promises, the prophecies? There must have been a mistake. It
couldn't be a daughter. The Son of David, the scepter of Israel, could not be a
girl! Exhausted and confused, Miriam lost consciousness.

Page 32
He woke up hours later. The room was cool and ventilated, all traces of the
difficult lighting having disappeared. Someone had cut red roses from the garden
and placed them in a glass on the table next to Miriam's bed. A woman stood
silently beside him, holding a small wrapping. What was that? What did you
expect? Miriam couldn't remember where she was then. He looked at the
confused woman with a sad smile.
—Miriam, I brought you your daughter. You can see it here. She is perfect, a
beautiful baby. Don't turn your face away from your little daughter.
The woman seemed embarrassed. Her concern for the baby was sincere. A
girl, whose mother despises her, rarely survives.
Miriam stared at her for a moment, silent, remembering. The dark cloud of
sadness and disappointment was beginning to envelop her again. He turned his
head and began to look at the wall.
—Miriam, take a look at your girl, please. Do you see her? Is crying. He
needs you. Don't forget your daughter. Think for a moment: she is innocent. He
hasn't done anything to offend you. Can you reject your own daughter, your own
flesh?
Little by little these words penetrate Miriam's consciousness, making their
way through the layers of sadness. "My baby, my love's daughter," he thought.
Now he remembered: Yeshua had wanted him to return. And he had sent her
home because of her son.
She turned to the midwife and hesitantly slowly reached out to pick up her
baby. He looked at that rosy little face, at those little fingers. The girl stopped
screaming and tenderness flooded Miriam as she looked at her little daughter
resting in the crook of her elbow. Each of her nails was perfectly formed.
"Before I formed you in your mother's womb I knew you," the prophet had
proclaimed. God's unfathomable design must have been that the son of promise
would be a girl. Perhaps Yeshua's friends had misinterpreted the prophecies
about the "branch of the stump of Jesse." Perhaps God's plan for his daughter did
not include returning to David's throne in Jerusalem. Perhaps this was nothing
more than an ambitious illusion on the part of men, who hoped to be liberated
from the oppression of Rome. Somehow Miriam knew that her little daughter
had to embody God's plan.
"Sara," he whispered. I have to call her Sarah…, because Sarah believed,
even when it seemed like there was no hope that God's promise could be
fulfilled. I don't understand anything, but I do know that my daughter is God's
answer to our prayers.
And he smiled at the small bundle in his arms. A verse from the prophet

Page 33
Zechariah came to mind: “Not by power nor by might, but by my spirit, says the
LORD of hosts.” Comforted, she ended up falling asleep holding the girl in her
arms.
Yosef sat next to Miriam's bed watching the sleep of the mother and the girl.
The news had completely surprised him. It had never occurred to him for a
moment that Yeshua's descendant could be a girl. His belief in the literal
fulfillment of the prophecies regarding the restoration of Zion left no room for
doubt. But the baby was a girl! And she could not lead the armies of the Lord
into battle against the forces of Rome. They would have to resort to other plans.
Yosef reflected on the dilemma. The other plans did not include Miriam or
her daughter. But still, he had promised Yeshua that he would protect her.
Yeshua's friends would not accept Miriam now that it had been proven that her
descendant was a girl. They would never understand it. It wasn't worth telling
them anything or taking the risk of indicating their whereabouts. There in
Alexandria he was safe, living in total anonymity. Let them forget her and
preach the kingdom of the Messiah without her.
Yosef had heard of a country, on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea,
with pastures and trees in abundance, where snow covered the fields in winter
and where the grinding of teeth on the desert sands was nothing more than a
memory. Perhaps it would be possible to take the girl to Gaul, he thought to
himself. The “vine of Judah” could flourish there, safe from the pains of
oppression. Yosef looked at the mother and the sleeping girl. Yeah. Surely they
would embark on a trip and create a new home.
It was said that on the other side of the sea there was an evergreen country
and that flowers bloomed throughout the year. The God of Jacob, the Holy One,
would lead them to that place, when it was time to plant his vine in a new
garden. And for the first time in many days Yosef smiled. The vine of Yeshúa
and the vine of Miriam..., their descendants would flourish in the fertile overseas
country. And from there they would one day return to Zion to claim their
inheritance, as the psalmist had promised. Like their ancestors who returned
from the Babylonian captivity, they too would be rescued from exile: “Those
who sow in tears, gather in songs. When he goes, he who throws the seed goes
crying, and when he comes, he who brings his sheaves comes dancing. Amen.
Shalom.
The waves beat the ship, merciless waves hit its flanks, splashing brine
on the riders of the depths. In the darkness they embrace each other,
singing old litanies to the most high God in their native tongue.

Page 34
Yosef, vigilant guardian, begs the master to provide him with a candle.
With an anguished heart he protects the woman and the girl from the
blow of the waves and the wind. They do not show fear, trusting in their
God.
What courage and strength they inspire in that woman, whose faith has
led her to that moment of total darkness.

Little by little the storm subsides; The wind calms and the waves tame;
Now the ship rocks to the gentle rhythm of a cradle. They sleep serenely
in the lap of the depths, while Yosef vigilantly stands guard, custodian of
the Royal Blood, of the Holy Grail.

Now his cloak is dry.

Salt crystals form little stars when the summer sun dries the foam of the
waves, which hours before threatened to engulf them.
His eyes burn, they sting from the sleep he has not slept and from the
bitter salt.
What do you see?
A blurry shadow there on the horizon?
A vision, painfully induced?
Or is it land?

Wake up your friends

and points them to the north on the other side of the sea: «Look, our God
is with us. We have found the promised land! Máximo and Lázaro take
up the oars abandoned during the storm and begin rowing again.

White beaches shine under a blue sky.

Cypresses, citrons, wildflowers delight your longing eyes.
The men jump into the water and push their ship to land.

A small smile illuminates now

Yosef's face burned by the suns: remember Noah on Mount Ararat.
«We have survived the terrors of the night. At last my sacred cargo is

Page 35
safe,

the Royal Blood, the sacred vessel, the root of Jesse and the vine of
Judah, which will now be planted next to a fertile stream. Truly the
Shepherd of Israel has prepared green pastures for us.

Help the queen get down.

With sandals in her hand she wades through the low waters to the crystal
sands. Regal and upright, the breeze plays with her hair.

His girl is finally safe and finally free.

So are Martha and Lazarus. The terrors of tyranny and the whims of the
sea fled.
Peace and joy surround them.

She tenderly contemplates her daughter, born in harsh exile.

"From Egypt I called my daughter."
Sarah.
God's design was not a son, who would lead armies into battle, a scion of
the house of David and the tribe of Judah, a brave lion to crush the brutal
fist of Rome and demand the royal throne.
No. This time God has chosen a girl. What they sowed with tears they
reaped with joy and returned home

carrying their sheaves.

«And you, O Magdal-eder,
flock tower,
hill of the daughter of Zion, for you it will come
the sovereignty of yesteryear…
But now you will live in the countryside...
and from there you will be released. (Mic 4, 8-10) Shalom. Amen.

Page 36
 THE LOST BRIDE

A legend from the 14TH CENTURY, preserved in Old French, claims that Mary
Magdalene had brought the "Sangraal" (the royal blood) to the southern coast of
France [1] . In later legends it was said that this Sangraal was the "Holy Grail", a
chalice or cup. And in subsequent versions it is stated that said chalice was the
same cup in which Jesus drank the wine of the Last Supper on the night he was
captured.
The Grail was venerated as one of the holiest relics of Christianity. But
unfortunately, and according to legends, it was lost somewhere, and hidden and
lost it has continued to the present. The king is wounded and mutilated -
according to the myth - and his kingdom becomes a devastated terrain, because
the Grail has been lost. The story promises that when the sacred vessel, which
once contained the blood of Christ, is found, the king will be cured and all will
be well again. Is there any Christian who has not heard of the search for the
Grail, anyone who has not mourned its loss?
Some late European legends say that Joseph of Arimathea collected the
blood of the dying Jesus in a chalice and took it by ship to Western Europe
during the first persecution of Jesus' followers in Jerusalem in the year 42. One
chronicler preserves the account of Joseph of Arimathea carrying two cruets of
Jesus' blood and sweat to Glastonbury, on the southwest coast of England; There
he also brought a hawthorn staff, which sprouted and flowered when planted in
English soil: the flowering staff. Other sources say that Joseph of Arimathea
brought the sacred Sangraal to the French Mediterranean coast.

These legends gave rise to numerous works of poetry over the centuries,
some connecting the Grail with King Arthur and his Knights of the Round

Page 37
Table, who searched for the sacred chalice throughout Europe. The basic reason
for all these popular traditions was the sanctity of the chalice, and it had to be
searched for because it was lost or hidden and because, if it could be found,
everything would be better in the desolate land. And all the legends agree that
the Grail is a Christian relic and that it is holy, because Jesus himself touched
and used it. It is the most sacred and most elusive utensil in all of Western
civilization.
But, curiously, the Catholic and Roman Church has always shown little
interest in the Holy Grail and its legends. Arthur E. Waite and other scholars of
the subject suggest that the mystery of the Grail and its adherents provides an
alternative to the orthodox version of Christianity and that the priesthood of that
"other" Christianity derives its authority directly from Jesus himself, without the
sanction of the Church [ 2] . There is nothing strange, therefore, that the Church
has made an effort to suppress the Holy Grail and its legends!

THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS

Any version of Christianity that provided an alternative to the teachings of the

Orthodox Church had to deserve anathema: the official condemnation and
rejection of a heresy. The question of heresy does not depend so much on the
truth of a doctrine, as on whether or not it is in line with the official formulation
of the faith. Those who have been educated in orthodox Christianity have
learned the pressing need to accept the doctrines of faith and have always
assumed that such doctrines constitute the only true version. And yet, from the
very beginnings there were several parallel versions of Christianity; each with
their own beliefs and interpretations of the evangelical message. Over the
centuries the message of Jesus became institutionalized. And gradually doctrines
developed, which did not always reflect the faith of the early Judeo-Christian
community of Palestine in the FIRST CENTURY.
The official version of Christianity, which gradually evolved and was
articulated by the ecclesiastical councils of the THIRD and FOURTH centuries, was
based on the consensus of the Christian presbyters (elders) attending the council,
and often under pressure from the reigning Roman emperor or from other
political factions. These councils voted on the articulation of doctrines such as
the doctrine of the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, the virginity of Mary and the
nature of divinity itself. The councils determined which Scriptures of the biblical
canon were to be considered canonical or official by Christians and which
gospels and epistles of the early Church were to be included in the Bible. It was

Page 38
these patriarchs who decided which gospels reflected the authentic teachings and
biography of Jesus and which letters of Paul and the leaders of the early Church
were to be included among the official Christian Scriptures.
One of the criteria for selection and inclusion in the official canon of
Scripture was that a writing be the authentic work of one of Jesus' apostles. On
this basis the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of John and the Apocalypse (or
Book of Revelation) of John were proclaimed canonical, although recent
scholars suggest that, in all probability, none of the books of the New Testament
were in fact written by no apostle of Jesus. Indeed, many exegetes consider it
unlikely that the writers of the four gospels would have known the historical
Jesus of Nazareth in any way. There is evidence, furthermore, that certain parts
of the four gospels were deleted and perhaps even censored for centuries. In
light of these facts it is difficult to consider the existing biblical canon as the
only possible version of the revealed word of God.
The official version of Christianity, which the councils of the early Church
articulated, is the one that has been transmitted throughout the centuries; the so-
called "faith of our fathers." It is the orthodox version, although not necessarily
the only version of the Christian faith. Nor is it necessarily true.
This is the question we are going to examine: is there another story of Jesus
closer to the truth than the version propagated by the Church during the Middle
Ages, before the Protestant Reformation? Was there an alternative version of
Christian doctrine? Could there be an "alternative church"? If so, what were the
dogmas of that faith? And what is the relationship between the message of early
Christianity and the person of Jesus?

L A S ANGRAAL
Some medieval poets of the 12th century, contemporary with the first appearance
in European literature of the legend of the Grail, allude to a «Grail Family».
Presumably they were the custodians of the holy chalice, who later proved
themselves unworthy of such a privilege. Holy Grail scholars sometimes
establish a connection between the word sangraal and gradales ; This word
seems to mean "cup", "fountain" or "cup" in the Provençal language. But it has
also been suggested that by breaking down the term "sangraal" into two
elements, we will have sang raal , which in Old French is equivalent to "royal
blood" or regal [3] .
This second derivation of the French sangraal is extremely provocative, and
perhaps also instructive. Suddenly a new reading of the family legend opens up:

Page 39
instead of a cup or chalice, the story now tells that Mary Magdalene brought the
"royal blood" to the Mediterranean coast of France. Another legend believes that
it was Joseph of Arimathea who brought Jesus' blood to France in some type of
vessel. Perhaps it was really Mary Magdalene who, under the protection of the
aforementioned Joseph of Arimathea, brought the progeny of King David to the
French Mediterranean coast.
Who was this Mary, known to the first Christians as "the Magdalene"? And
how could she have brought royal blood to France? Was it possible to carry
royal blood in an "earth vessel"? (2 Cor 4, 7) But what if the vessel of earth was
a woman? Perhaps said Mary was in fact the wife of Jesus and brought one of
his daughters to Provence!
The two genealogies of Jesus, presented in the New Testament, insist that
the charismatic Teacher was a descendant of King David and that the messianic
promises for Israel are all specifically linked to the royal blood of the Judaic
princes who descended from "the root of Jesse”, father of King David. The wife
of Jesus, if she had given him offspring, would have literally been the bearer of
the Sangraal, of the royal line of Israel.
The search for the Holy Grail is a centuries-old mystery. Clues abound in
medieval art, literature and folklore, as well as in revealing events in history and
in Scripture, linking Mary Magdalene to the Sangraal of ancient legends. Many
of these clues will be discussed in the following chapters, in an attempt to
demonstrate that Jesus' bride was—perhaps accidentally—left out of history as a
result of political tumult in the Roman province of Israel after of the crucifixion
of Jesus.
I know of no method to prove beyond any doubt that the "other Mary" was
the wife of Jesus or that she gave birth to an offspring of his progeny. But it is
possible to prove that belief in such a version of Christian history spread
throughout Europe during the dark centuries of the Middle Ages and was later
condemned to hiding by the incessant torture of the Inquisition. In our quest we
must identify and examine the evidence of the alternative church, the "church of
the Holy Grail", founded on relics and symbols of European art and literature, as
well as the gospels of the New Testament.

WHO WAS MARY MAGDALENE ?

Our first step in establishing the identity of the "other Mary" must be taken
within the framework of the four gospels. There are strong reasons that suggest
the possibility of identifying Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany, sister of
Martha and Lazarus, mentioned in the Gospels of Luke and John. That peaceful

Page 40
Mary was sitting at Jesus' feet while her sister Martha was busy serving her
guests (Luke 10:38-42) and later anointed Jesus with spikenard (John 11:2;
12:3).
Biblical references to Mary Magdalene include the information that she was
one of the women who accompanied Jesus after he had healed her from the
possession of seven demons (Luke 8:2; Mark 16:9). They also report that she
had been one of the women present at the foot of Jesus' cross (Mark 15, 40;
Matthew 27, 56; John 19, 25) and one of those who approached Jesus' tomb at
the first light of day. Easter dawn (Mark 16, 1; Matthew 28, 1; Luke 24, 10; John
20, 1 et seq.). The Gospel of John says that she went alone to the tomb and that
she met Jesus, whom she initially confused with the gardener; Upon recognizing
him, he rushed towards him to hug him, calling him " rabboni ", an affectionate
form of the term rabbi (teacher). It is evident that this Mary, called Magdalene,
was a friend and close companion of Jesus.
The Western Church has a very strong, ancient tradition in support of the
suggestion that she was simply a valued friend of Jesus, named Mary. The
biblical Song of Songs, attributed to Solomon, was often interpreted in the
Judeo-Christian tradition as an allegory of God's love for his people, and was an
immensely popular book during the Middle Ages. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux
(1090-1153) in his sermons on that book of the Old Testament symbolically
equates the bride of the Song with the Church and with the soul of each believer.
And the prototype he chooses to illustrate as the "wife" of Christ is Mary, the
sister of Lazarus who remained sitting at the feet of Jesus assimilating his
teachings.

(Luke 10, 38-42) and that later she anointed his feet with a perfume of spikenard
and dried them with her hair (John 11, 2; 12, 3). But in that same sermon Saint
Bernard also says that it is possible that this Mary of Bethany is the same
woman as Mary Magdalene.
Nine hundred years before Saint Bernard, a Christian theologian from
Alexandria, named Origen (c. 185-254), explicitly equated Mary Magdalene
with the wife of the Song of Songs. Such an association spread widely and was
accepted in the Middle Ages.
The Gospel of John clearly identifies the woman, who anointed Jesus with
precious ointment, with the sister of Lazarus (John 11:2), and French tradition
explicitly designates Magdalene as "the sister of Lazarus." The Catholic and
Roman Church does not celebrate the festival of Mary of Bethany, although it
does do so in honor of her sister Martha, while that of Lazarus is still preserved
in the Anglican calendar. One would expect the Church to celebrate this

Page 41
“favorite sister” with a special festival, as it did with the other friends of Jesus.
And on the other hand, there is a day dedicated to Mary Magdalene: July 22,
exactly one week before the feast of Saint Martha: it would seem natural and
correct to celebrate the feast of the most important of the holy sisters first.
For centuries, on the official and liturgical feast of Mary Magdalene, the
Catholic Church read the biblical text of the Song of Songs, which by
association identified Mary Magdalene with the black wife described in the
Song. In the SIXTH century, Pope Gregory I proclaimed that Mary Magdalene and
Mary of Bethany were the same person: "We believe that the woman whom
Luke calls a "sinner" and the one whom John calls "Mary" is the same woman as
they were. “seven demons were driven out” according to Mark [4] ».

THE SACRED PROSTITUTE

While two of the gospels, those of Mark and Luke, claim that Mary Magdalene
was cured by Jesus of the possession of seven demons, in no text does it say that
she was a prostitute. However, this stigma has marked it throughout Christian
history. The original episode of Jesus' anointing in Bethany by the woman
carrying an alabaster jar may have been misinterpreted by the author of the
Gospel of Luke, who was writing some fifty years after the event. The anointing
performed by the woman at Bethany was similar to the ritual and familial
practice of a sacred priestess or temple "prostitute" in the goddess cults of the
Roman Empire. Even the name “prostitute” is inappropriate. This term, chosen
by some modern authors, was applied to the hierodulae or "sacred servants" of
the temple of the goddess, who played an important role in the daily life of the
classical world. As priestesses of the goddesses their importance dates back
through the centuries to the Neolithic period (7000-3500 BC). C.), until the
times when God was worshiped and invoked as a feminine reality in the
countries we now know as the Near-Middle East and Europe.
In the ancient world, sexuality was held as something sacred, as a special
gift from the goddess of love, and the priestesses who officiated in the temples
of the goddesses of love in the Near-Middle East were considered sacred people
by the citizens of the Greek and Roman empires. Known as "consecrated
women", they were held in high esteem as invokers of the love, ecstasy and
fertility of the goddess. During some periods of Hebrew history they were even
part of the ritual worship of the Jerusalem temple, although some prophets of
Yahweh lamented the influence of the Great Goddess, locally known as
"Ashera." Archaeological excavations carried out in Israel have brought to light
thousands of figurines of the Sumero-Canaanite goddess of love (Inanna,

Page 42
Astarte), holding her breasts in the bowls of her hands, and have led experts to
the conviction that The worship of that goddess in the Hebrew version was
common in ancient Israel. The priestesses of the goddess of love were a familiar
sight in any city of the Roman Empire, including Jerusalem.
In the evangelical context, the woman carrying ointment in an alabaster jar
could have been one such priestess. But curiously, Jesus does not seem to have
felt insulted in any way by the action of the woman who anointed him. He even
told his friends, gathered at a banquet in the house of Simon of Bethany, that the
woman had anointed him for burial (Mark 14:8; Matthew 26:12). It is not
possible that the meaning of such a statement has escaped the understanding of
the early Christian community, which preserved the episode in its oral tradition.
The burial anointing was the representation of a key part of the cultic ritual of
the dying and resurrecting Sun and the fertility gods throughout the region
bathed by the Mediterranean Sea.
The anointing by the woman with the alabaster jar was familiar to the
citizens of the Empire because of the cultic rituals of their goddess of love. But
in older times the sacred king's anointing was the only privilege of the royal
bride. For millennia that same action had been part of an actual marriage rite,
performed by a daughter of the royal house, and the marriage rite itself conferred
royalty on her consort.
In those ancient times, around the third millennium BC, most Near-Middle
Eastern societies had been matrilineal, with property and position passed to
descendants through mother and female kinship. In fact, among the royal houses
of much of that region, such practice continued well into classical times. Both
the Queen of Sheba and Cleopatra of Egypt ruled as dynastic heirs. In Palestine,
and almost a contemporary of Jesus, the Edomite king Herod the Great (who
reigned from 37 to 4 BC. C.) claimed the throne of Israel based on his marriage
to Marianne, a descendant of the Hasmonean house of the Maccabees, who were
the last legitimate rulers of Palestine.

THE CULTS OF THE SACRIFICED KING

In the first century, vestiges of ancient matrilineal practices and goddess worship
STILL persist in the Hellenized and Roman province of Palestine. A residue of

these ancient myths and customs was the cults of the regional gods of fertility. In
the gospels, Jesus' anointing of the woman is reminiscent of love poetry, which
links to the rites of "sacred marriage," which celebrated the union of a local god
and goddess. It is not impossible that the genuine meaning of the Bethany
anointing was the same: the sacred marriage of the sacrificed king. Its

Page 43
mythological content could have been captured by the Hellenized community of
Christians, who listened to the gospel preached in the cities of the Roman
Empire. In these cities the cults of the goddess of love did not completely
disappear until the end of the 5TH CENTURY! And in the Gospel of John the woman
—the bride—mentioned in connection with Jesus' anointing is Mary of Bethany.
Even so, it is always Mary called the Magdalene, who always appears in
Western art carrying the alabaster jar with the precious ointment, and it is on her
feast day that the Catholic Church traditionally reads texts from the Song of
Songs ( 3, 2-4) about the story of the bride who searches for the groom/beloved
from whom she has been separated. In medieval and Renaissance paintings we
invariably see the Magdalene, with her

loose hair, at the foot of the cross, with Mary the Mother of Jesus; and she is the
one who kisses the feet of Jesus in the paintings of the Descent (deposition of
Jesus' body from the cross).
These paintings remind us of the mythologies of several pagan solar and
fertility gods (Osiris, Dumuzi, Adonis), who were killed and resurrected. In each
case the grieving widow (Isis, Inanna and Aphrodite) poured out her sadness and
desolation on the corpse of her loved one, bitterly lamenting his death. Egyptian
mythology, for example, tells that Isis, the sister-wife of Osiris, prayed over his
mutilated body and posthumously conceived her son Horus. In each cult it is the
bride/wife who mourns the death of the sacrificed god. In the poetry recited for
the cultic worship of the goddess Isis there are certain features identical to those
of the Song of Songs and other close paraphrases [5] . In more recent times,
scholars have noticed certain similarities between the erotic imagery of the Song
of Songs and the love poetry of ancient Babylon, Sumeria and Canaan.
Testimonies have been discovered on cuneiform tablets, preserved in temples
and archives, already in this century.
The lost bride of Christian tradition lingers beneath the surface of those
older myths and stories. In the Western Church there is a very old tradition that
identifies Mary of Bethany with Mary Magdalene, and in medieval art that
woman is in turn identified with the sister-wife of ancient mythologies.
The concept of sister-wife in these myths is of enormous importance for our
literature. The bride, the Moon or Earth goddess of Antiquity, was the wife of
the Sun god; but it was also much more than that. She was the close friend and
companion of her god groom, his mirror image or "other half", a female alter
ego or "twin sister". For this reason, the symbol of the mirror has been
maintained in the iconography of the goddess. The archetypal boyfriend couldn't
be fully without her! The relationship between both beings or elements was

Page 44
much more than a sexual mission. It meant a deep spiritual intimacy and a
"kinship" that culminated in the word sister. The sacred marriage of the groom
with the sister-bride/wife was not limited to a physical passion: it was also the
marriage of the deepest spiritual and emotional ecstasy.
Christians of the early Church soon identified Mary Magdalene with the
dark sister-wife of the Song of Songs, relying on the Judeo-Christian canonical
Scriptures. In a book titled Venus in Sackcloth , Marjorie Malvern examines the
metamorphosis that has experienced by Mary Magdalene, going from prostitute
to companion/friend of Jesus over two millennia of Western art and literature [6] .
Malvern shows in this book the turn that occurred in the art of the 12th century,
which began to paint Mary Magdalene as the companion of Jesus in the manner
and with the mythological features of Venus/Aphrodite and other goddesses of
love, whose domains and areas of influence were fertility and marriage.
Malvern suggests that this shift was the result of contact with the love poetry
of the Arab world at the time of the Crusades. The author observes that this
intimacy was suppressed later, already in the 13th century, and that the mother of
Jesus was then elevated to a preeminent status, which she had not enjoyed even
in the gospels. It also reviews the enthusiasm of the Middle Ages for the
"passion representations" of the time and the special fascination that the scenes
that relived the anointing of Bethany and the Magdalene's encounter with the
resurrected Jesus in the garden exerted on the people.
I believe that it was the spread of the Holy Grail heresy that motivated this
surprising transformation of Mary Magdalene from a prostitute to a sister-bride
in the artistic representations of the 12TH CENTURY. The Mary depicted in many
medieval paintings was neither a “repentant sinner” nor a “reformed prostitute,”
nor was she simply a friend of Jesus. It was his beloved.
Many people may tend to reject the idea that Jesus was married to Mary
Magdalene, the sister of Lazarus. The reason for such a tendency is very simple:
they believe that, if Jesus had been married, the gospels would have told us.
However, a thorough examination of the Scriptures reveals many data in support
of such a marriage. Thus, perhaps we should begin our search by analyzing in
detail the Song of Songs, whose allegorical interpretation does not hide the
intensely erotic imagery of the love poem. We also want to examine the leitmotif
of the bride and groom in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian gospels. We
will continue the search for the Holy Grail. First, however, we will study the
ancient rite of sacred marriage that was celebrated in the countries of the Near-
Middle East and the song of the archetypal bride and groom.
THE BOYFRIEND

Page 45
«In the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, which are desolate,
without men, without inhabitants and without animals, there will be heard again
the shout of joy and the shout of gladness, the song of the husband and the song
of the wife …» (Jeremiah 33, 10b-11a). The theme of the wife and husband runs
through the books of the Hebrew prophets like the leitmotif of an opera. The
“voice of the wife and husband is heard in the country” becomes like a sign of
blessing and rejoicing for the entire community.
In the book of the biblical prophet Ezekiel (16, 3 et seq.) God found his
wife, when she was still a child, naked and abandoned. He became her mentor,
clothed, fed and protected her until she reached nubile age and he married her.
But she was unfaithful to him. This is a constant theme in the Hebrew
Scriptures: God is the faithful husband, while his chosen symbolic “wife,” the
covenant community, is unfaithful and disloyal.
The entire book of the prophet Hosea is about God's love for his unfaithful
people, reflected in the firm and forgiving love that Hosea feels for his wife, the
prostitute Comer. The prophet Hosea predicts that God will marry his people
again and their land will be healed: "...as a young man marries a virgin... and as
a husband rejoices with his wife, your God will rejoice with you" (Is 62, 5b) .
The husband and wife theme of sacred marriage appears often in the Old
Testament. A familiar but curious passage attributed to King David recalls
ancient times when God identified Himself and assumed the role of the wife:
"You prepare a banquet before me and anoint my head with oil." It is a trait that
portrays God with feminine characteristics. In the rites of the ancient Near East
the goddess was the wife who

Page 46
He anoints his chosen consort, granting him his favor and kingship. She is the
Great Goddess of the Neolithic cultures, which preceded the Indo-Aryan
invasions.
The approximate dates of the civilizations of ancient Europe and the Near-
Middle East, which worshiped the goddess, are between 7000 and 3500 BC. C.
But the goddess was not officially banned in the Mediterranean region until 500
AD. C., when its last temple was closed [1] . The cozy pillared halls of his
residence above the earth were then abandoned, becoming haunts of birds and
vermin, and his gracefully shaped statues were removed on carts, vandalized and
forgotten.

THE HIERÒS GÁMOS

We have already referred to the fact that in the eastern religions of Sumeria,
Babylon and Canaan, the anointing of the king's head with oil was a rite carried
out by the royal heiress or priestess, who represented the goddess. In Greece this
rite was called hieròs gámos or "sacred marriage." The anointing of the head had
an erotic meaning, since the head was a symbol of the phallus, which the woman
"anoints" with a view to penetration during the physical consummation of the
marriage. The chosen groom was anointed by the royal priestess, vicar and
representative of the goddess. Songs of love, praise and thanksgiving
accompanied the couple and continued after their marital union was
consummated, celebrating a splendid wedding banquet for the entire city amidst
the general rejoicing of the citizens. Sometimes the party lasted for several days.
The blessing of the royal union had to be reflected in the continued fertility of
crops and livestock and in the well-being of the citizen community.
Through his union with the priestess the king/consort received royal status.
He became "the anointed one", the "Messiah" of the Hebrews. The one who
anointed the sovereign's head and prepared a banquet before him—who filled his
cup with blessings and was his advocate against his enemies—was in the ancient
indigenous rites of the Near East the great goddess. The sacred union of their
royal priestess with the chosen king/consort was celebrated as a source of
regeneration, vitality and harmony for the entire community.
This old practice would later be reflected in the annual fertility rites
throughout the region, which were often practiced to celebrate the new year. In
some of these cults in the Mesopotamian region the consort chosen by the
priestess of the local temple was ritually sacrificed in order to ensure the
continued fertility of the country. The "plantation" of the sacrificed king was
understood as a way of ensuring that the crops flourished and the people enjoyed

Page 47
prosperity.
With the Indo-Aryan invasion (around 3500) the idea of a supreme male
divinity entered, whose anger and irritation had to be encouraged. For centuries,
cults based on a male god of unlimited power gradually displaced the worship of
the liberal goddess.
In Palestine, and as a consequence of the patriarchal articulation of the
invisible God as male dominator, the prophets assumed the role of anointing the
king, a function that had once been reserved for the royal priestesses of the great
goddess. In the 11th century BC. C. the people of Israel convinced their God
(against his better judgment, according to the Scripture account) to allow them
to have a king like their pagan neighbors. Scripture remembers that Yahweh was
reluctant to accede to their demand, since he wanted to be the sole ruler of Israel.
But he relented and ended up giving permission to the prophet Samuel to anoint
Saul (around 1020 BC). C.), and later to David (1000-960 BC. C.), as king of
Israel. It should be noted that David married Mikal, daughter of King Saul, in
accordance with the ancient tradition of claiming kingship through marriage to a
daughter of the royal house.
With the advent of the supreme male deity, which replaced the great goddess
in the civilizations of the Near East, the role of the king as a substitute for the
divinity was strengthened, in the way in which the royal priestess had previously
represented the great goddess.
A poem, written in Sumeria around 2100 BC. C., refers to the god Marduk
as "the groom of my well-being [2] ." The Hebrew poets and prophets adopted
this image of God's intimate relationships with his people (Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2;
Isaiah 54, 62; Jeremiah 2, 3). And in the Greek New Testament the four gospels
abound in references to the motif of the bridegroom or husband referring to
Jesus.
There is a wealth of evidence in the New Testament that Jesus understood
the relationship between God and the covenant community as an intimate
marriage, and that he personally consciously adopted the role of husband/king of
the people. The gospels make it clear that Jesus did not overthrow Roman rule.
The Gospel parables include repeated references to the theme of weddings and
Jesus is often presented as the bridegroom.
JESUS THE HUSBAND
The people of Palestine had long awaited the arrival of a Messiah, an anointed of
God, who would save them from the oppression of the tyranny of Rome and the
illegitimate and despotic rule of the capricious Herodian rulers. The hope of
many Jews was pinned on a Davidic messiah, who would arrive with power to

Page 48
annihilate Israel's enemies; His prophets had predicted it. The religious and
purist community of Qumran and the zealots with their political radicalism lived
in constant expectation that such prophecies would be fulfilled.
After the death of Jesus, the interpretation of the words of the prophets
turned away from a literal kingdom, which had constituted their hope, to focus
on a "heavenly" kingdom that was postponed to a future age. Images of Isaiah's
"Patient Servant"—the metaphor of the obedient sacrificial lamb, who would
return in glory to save the oppressed—became the dominant myth of the
Christian movement in the second half of the first century AND after.
But Jesus himself seems to have understood his own role as that of
representative of Yahweh, Israel's heavenly husband. Like an anointed king, a
“faithful son,” he sacrificed himself for the cause of the community.
The evangelist Mark carefully points out the setting of that revelation of
Jesus as husband/king of Israel. It refers to the arrival of Jesus to the
surroundings of Jerusalem before Easter. As they approached Jerusalem, Jesus
sent two of his disciples to go ahead to Bethany and get "a colt, on which no one
has yet sat" (Mark 11:2). They spread their cloaks over the colt and Jesus rode
on its back to Jerusalem. The people spread their cloaks as he passed and
accompanied him with palms and branches along the way, proclaiming "the
kingdom that is coming from our father David" (Mark 11, 10).
This event fulfilled the messianic prophecy, found in the Hebrew book of the
prophet Zechariah. Jesus did not take part in such an event merely accidentally;
His riding of the colt was a conscious and symbolic act, with which he
deliberately and irrevocably proclaimed his messianic function:

Jump for joy, daughter of Zion!

Shout for joy, daughter of Jerusalem!
Look at your king, who comes to you:
is just and victorious,

humble and riding on a donkey,

in a colt, the offspring of an ass (Zech 9, 9 NIV).

At the time when the Old Testament books of Genesis and Chronicles were
written, it was customary for the charismatic leader, who arrived in peace, to do
so mounted on a donkey, while "a warrior king" rode a spirited steed and arrived
carrying weapons [3] . King David arranged for his son Solomon to ride his own
mule for his anointing as king of Israel (1 Kings 1:33-38). Mark's Jesus
proclaims his mission as a peaceful king by riding a colt, a foal of a donkey, as
he enters Jerusalem. But at the same time he was proclaiming that he was

Page 49
David's heir, with an act of enormous political significance. He was proclaiming
the fulfillment of Zechariah's prophecy: “He will break the bows of war, he will
announce peace to the nations; His dominions will extend from sea to sea” (Zech
9, 10).

THE WOMAN WITH THE ALABASTER JAR

Bethany was a small village, located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of
Olives. In Zechariah 14 we find the apocalyptic prophecy that the Lord will
come to save Israel from their enemies and that he will go to the Mount of
Olives: «On that day his feet will rest on the Mount of Olives, which is opposite
Jerusalem, on the east. …» (Zech 14, 4). This prophecy elevated said mountain
to the scene of messianic expectation. During the week of Easter Jesus returned
every evening to Bethany, next to the Mount of Olives, after having spent the
day in Jerusalem. And it was on that mountain where he was anointed by the
woman with the alabaster jar.
The story of Jesus' anointing of the woman in Bethany is one of the most
important episodes remembered in the New Testament gospels. Its significance
must be very great, when the four canonical gospels report on such a rare
episode. The story of the anointing may well be the most intimate expression of
the eros relationship in the events evoked from the life of Jesus; and for that
reason alone it deserves careful analysis. However, he has rarely received the
recognition to which he is entitled. What is the meaning of the action of that
woman from Bethany? And is it not probable that the woman, who anointed
Jesus at the banquet in Bethany, was the same woman who found him in the
garden, near the tomb, at dawn on the day of the Resurrection?

One afternoon, according to Mark 14:3, "while Jesus was in Bethany... while
he was at table, a woman came with an alabaster jar." The gesture of the woman
of Bethany can be understood as a prophetic recognition of Jesus as the Messiah
and anointed one; a gesture interpreted as politically dangerous, since it
proclaimed the kingship of Jesus [4] .
In ancient Israel, kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil, to
receive their authority as "chosen" to represent Yahweh. The consecrated olive
oil was carefully prepared by priests in the temple and mixed with spices
according to a traditional recipe: cinnamon, myrrh, sugar cane, cassia [5] … Its
profane use was prohibited under penalty of excommunication. But the woman
of Bethany did not use the sacred oil of the temple priests. He entered “with an

Page 50
alabaster flask, full of real, very expensive spikenard perfume; He broke the
bottle and poured the perfume on his head” (Mark 14, 3-4).
Scholars generally believe that "authentic" or pure nard is possibly a
corruption of the Greek term equivalent to the modality of spica nardi . The
aromatic ointment was a very rare and expensive perfume, derived from a plant
that grows in India. In Hellenized Palestine, wealthy women sometimes carried a
small amount of such ointment in an alabaster phial or "alabastron", held by a
chain around the throat [6] . It was often part of the dowry. And it was customary
to break the bottle, anoint the body of the loved one with its contents and leave
the fragments of the broken bottle in the grave [7] .
In addition to the gospel accounts, which describe the anointing of Jesus
with the costly perfume, there is another passage in the Holy Scriptures in which
such an ointment is mentioned: "While the king is on his couch [Or: for the
king's banquet] "My nard exhales its fragrance" (Song of Songs 1, 12). It is the
wife who spreads the fragrant nard around the husband/king, in her banquet of
the Song of Songs, the old song of sacred marriage.

THE SONG OF SONGS

Modern research into the origin and meaning of the Song of Songs illuminates
the scope of Jesus' anointing in the gospel. It is believed that the song was
originally a liturgical litany, performed during the rites of sacred marriage (the
hieròs gámos ). And it is very similar to the love poetry of the ancient fertility
religions, practiced in Sumeria, Canaan and Egypt [8] .
The Song of Songs was very popular in Palestine during the time of Christ.
In Cave IV of the monastic community near Qumran, two fragments of the
Biblical Song (hidden since approximately 68 AD) have been found. C.). Which
certifies its popularity during the 1st century among the community that hid the
Dead Sea scrolls. There is a Greek translation of the Song, dating from 100 BC.
C. A sentence from the famous Jewish scholar and teacher Rabbi Aqiba (died
135 AD) is cited. C.): «The whole world does not deserve the day, in which the
Song of Songs was given to Israel, for if all the Scriptures are holy, the Song of
Songs is the holy of holies [9] » . The same rabbi objected to the widespread use
of the Song in streets and banquet halls; Such was his popularity in Palestine at
that time.
The Song of Songs was considered holy and was approved by Jewish
teachers, who interpreted it allegorically as a portrait of Yahweh's love for his
"wife", the people of Israel [10] . It is possible that the rabbis considered the Song

Page 51
a sacred book, believing that it had been composed by King Solomon. Whatever
the reason, it appears to have been "common domain" in 1st century Christian
Jerusalem.

THE SONG AND THE CULT OF THE HUSBAND

Some modern commentators believe that the Song of Songs was composed as
part of the Sumerian fertility rites in honor of Dumuzi and Inanna, whose myth
was popularized for millennia in the ancient Near East. The love poetry, written
on recently deciphered cuneiform tablets, describes Dumuzi as "shepherd" and
"faithful son [11] "; epithets that would later be applied to Jesus. Dumuzi's
beloved is presented as "sister" and "wife." The king was considered a "chosen
son" by virtue of the fact that the deity had "formed him in his mother's womb
[12]
."
He was anointed for that role, which included his ritual death and burial: the
king's duty was to be united with the Earth mother goddess (Inanna). After
marriage Dumuzi was ritually tortured, killed and buried, thus ensuring the
regeneration of crops and livestock. The king could not be allowed to grow old
or weaken, nor to lose his strength and vitality, since the life of the people was a
reflection of his royal vitality. If his power and strength waned, it would also sap
the energies of his people.
In some rites, the tortured king was buried to be "resurrected" after a short
period of time, which was usually three days. Liturgical poetry includes Inanna's
lament for the death of Dumuzi, the goddess's search for the missing god, and an
outpouring of joy at his return [13] . That portion of the prevalent myth of the
husband in pagan cults is recovered in the Gospel of John, when Mary
Magdalene finds the resurrected Jesus near the tomb on Easter morning. And it
becomes visible in the Pietàs and the paintings of the Descent from the Cross,
favorite themes of Christian art.
The cult of Dumuzi dead and resurrected spread to Palestine, along with the
epithets "shepherd" and "anointed one." Dumuzi was the ancient prototype of
the husband. As we have already noted, the oldest practice in the Middle East
was the matrilineal practice of a royal priestess, who conferred royalty on her
consort, since marriage with the representation of the goddess was an essential
element to achieve such status.
These vegetation rites, as well as the gods and goddesses of fertility, were
well known in ancient Israel. Thus in Ezekiel 8:14, for example, the prophet is
shown a group of Hebrew women singing their lamentations for Tammuz, the
Babylonian god of fertility who was identified with the Sumerian Dumuzi. The

Page 52
prophet Ezekiel understood the rite as an abomination. The prophets of Israel
had long lamented the fact that the people were unfaithful to Yahweh, their
masculine divinity. Continually—so was the impression—the disloyal
community returned to the pagan worship of Ashera (Astarte) and Baal, the local
replicas of the Babylonians Inanna and Dumuzi [14] . In the words of their
prophets, the people of Israel "committed adultery by following false gods."
During the period of Hellenistic influence (333-30 BC. C.) and in times of
the Roman Empire the rites of other sacrificed solar gods and goddesses of the
Earth or the Moon were modified and copied, confusing them with other nearby
practices. Certain features identical and parallel to those of the Song of Songs
are found in a liturgical poem of the cult of the Egyptian goddess Isis, the sister-
wife of Osiris, a mutilated solar god [15] . Ancient sculptures of Isis weeping over
the corpse of Osiris served as a model for medieval plastic representations of the
Pietà . There are several possible theories about the origin of the love poetry of
sacred marriage; but It is clear that the rites of the fertility god who dies and is
resurrected were common in the Palestine of Jesus' time.

THE SHEPHERD/KING AND HIS WIFE

It may not be possible to determine the exact source of the biblical book of the
Song of Songs, but its meaning is obvious: it is the wedding song of the
shepherd/king and his bride. The rites of the hieròs gámos were so well known
in the Hellenistic world that the significance of the anointing of Jesus' head
could not escape those who witnessed the scene. The author of the Gospel of
Mark is a master at attributing mythical importance to certain events. The calm
of the storm, the purification of the temple and other events, which his gospel
refers to, proclaim the identity of Jesus through his actions. And along these
lines his anointing by the woman of Bethany is no exception.
From the way he responded to that gesture, it is clear that Jesus understood
and accepted it, and that he also accepted his mythical role as the sacrificed
husband/king. Throughout the Greek Bible we find references to the messianic
"wedding banquet" and in the gospels there are references to Jesus as the
"husband." There are also numerous allusions to the husband and the bridal
chamber, which appear in the Gnostic gospels discovered in Nag Hammadi
(Egypt) in 1945, demonstrating the importance of this theme among some sects
of early Christianity [16] .
In Mark 2, 19-20, Jesus says, referring to the fact that his disciples do not
fast: «Are wedding guests going to fast while the bridegroom is with them...?
The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and

Page 53
then, on that day, they will fast. This passage echoes Mark 14, where the
disciples lament the cost of spilled perfume. There Jesus defended the woman
with these words: «You will always have the poor with you...; but you won't
always have me. And then he announces to them that the woman has anointed
his body for burial, confirming the proclamation she had made of the sacred
marriage, which includes the torture and death of the anointed husband/king.
These frequent allusions to Jesus as the husband of the fertility myth could
be the creation of the Hellenized authors of the gospels. But it is more than
likely that its origin dates back to Jesus himself, very much in the tradition of the
Hebrew prophets, who had proclaimed Yahweh as the heavenly husband of the
Israelite community, and the king of Israel as his "faithful son" or "servant," who
was the anointed Messiah.
The theme of the husband and the "faithful son" (terms that, it has been
noted, are also found in Sumerian and Canaanite mythologies) are also repeated
in the Apocalypse of John, which is the last book of the Greek New Testament
and which was probably written by a Jewish author at the end of the 1st Christian
century.

JUDAS AND THE ZEALOTS

Perhaps the most reliable proof that the anointing was immediately understood
by those who attended the Bethany banquet is the allusion to the act that Judas
was going to carry out. Some modern scholars portray Judas as a zealot, a right-
wing political extremist, who hoped for the destruction of the Roman Empire. It
is considered probable that Judas was a member of a group of militant Zionists,
called Sicarii , the "sons of the dagger." He must have been completely
disappointed to find that David's heir did not intend to overthrow Roman rule
over Judea. Jesus had chosen the role of husband and the kingdom of God he
proclaimed was like a communal wedding banquet, open to all. For this reason
Judas Iscariot went to the high priest to hand Jesus over to him (Mark 14, 10).
It is quite possible that the anointing convinced him that Jesus was not the
Messiah they expected. The Day of Yahweh had arrived. The Chosen One had
been anointed on the Mount of Olives, but not with the sacred oil of the Hebrew
ritual: he had been anointed with the perfumed ointment of a woman. And not
only had he accepted this anointing, but he had also defended the woman's
gesture as a prophetic proclamation of her death and burial, just in the manner of
the old pagan rite of hieròs gámos . If Judas was a fundamentalist zealot
"zealous of the Law," he must have been horrified to see Jesus willingly assume
the role of the sacrificial pagan solar god of fertility.

Page 54
 It is evident that the evangelical version of this story was written for
converts to Christianity, who would have perfectly understood the mythological
content of the theme of the sacrificed god. Such pagan rites were practiced in the
temples of the cities of the Roman Empire until the hierarchy of the recently
victorious Christian Church suppressed them at the end of the FOURTH CENTURY. But
the early story of the anointing at Bethany was included in all four gospels,
implying that the eyewitnesses who had first told it must have seen in it
something that they considered of utmost importance.

IN MEMORY OF HER
Throughout the Gospel of Mark, whenever someone wishes to proclaim Jesus
"Son of God" or "Messiah" he listens to his warning not to tell anyone his
identity. But suddenly, in Mark 14:9, he himself tells his disciples that the
episode of the woman with the alabaster jar will be recounted throughout the
world "in memory of her," to remember her. Someone—perhaps Jesus himself—
must have thought that the event was so significant that it had to be kept alive in
the community. Because?
Denis de Rougemont suggests that, when the discussion of an important fact
becomes too dangerous, it is configured in the form of a myth and told as a story
[17]
. This idea, set forth in his book Love and the West , could be applied to the
entire myth surrounding the woman with the alabaster jar. Was the story of
Jesus' anointing/marriage rite told as a myth because of the danger it posed to
the woman, who was his wife? Was it considered safer to tell the story, knowing
that the people listening understood the woman's intimate relationships with the
husband/king?
We are referring here to the oral version of the story, which presumably
circulated throughout the Roman Empire for approximately forty years before
the author of the Gospel of Mark committed it to writing. Indeed, the event was
so important that it survived in several different versions of oral tradition.
Despite this, while it would have been considered scandalous for a woman—
anyone—to touch a Jewish man in public, there is hardly any indication that
Jesus' friends would have been scandalized by the Bethany woman's gesture.
Their main concern seems to have been the enormous cost of the wasted
perfume, which they valued at more than three hundred denarii or an entire
year's wages (Mark 14:5). As if it had been his personal loss!
And who was the woman in the alabaster jar who anointed Jesus? For
centuries the Church has portrayed her as a “sinner” and “prostitute,” but never
as a wife. However, Origen (185-254), an eminent theologian from Alexandria,

Page 55
had recognized the Magdalene as the sister/wife of the Song of Songs, as the
early Christian communities that lived in the Roman Empire during the 1st
century had done before. . And the author of the Gospel of John calls that
woman "Mary, the sister of Lazarus."
There is a very strong Roman Catholic tradition that the apostle John was the
protector of Mary, mother of Jesus, and that after the crucifixion (presumably for
safety reasons) he had taken her with him to Ephesus. The Gospel of John was
written in Ephesus (around 90-95 AD). C.), if not by John himself, most likely
by his disciples. In this gospel there are references to certain important historical
materials, which are not included in the other three gospels. And surely John and
the mother of Jesus were the source of those materials. And although the name
of the woman who anointed Jesus was not mentioned in the first gospels, John
and Mary, mother of Jesus, certainly knew him. That woman was Mary of
Bethany, his lost bride.

Page 56
 THE ROYAL BLOOD AND THE VINE

The fourth gospel says very clearly that the woman who anointed Jesus in
Bethany was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. The name of Mary Magdalene is not
mentioned in connection with such a scene; But she was the one who, according
to the gospels, accompanied Jesus to Calvary and was at the foot of the cross;
and it was she who at dawn the day after Saturday went to the tomb of Jesus in
order to finish the anointing for the burial, which had begun several days before.
We have examined the tradition of the Western Church, for which Mary of
Bethany and Mary Magdalene were the same woman. But why was Mary of
Bethany called Magdalene? Why was she forced to flee Jerusalem? And what
happened to the sacred progeny he carried with him?

THE SACRED MARRIAGE

I have come to suspect that Jesus secretly entered into a dynastic marriage with
Mary of Bethany and that she was a daughter of the tribe of Benjamin, whose
ancestral heritage was the territory surrounding the Holy City of David, the city
of Jerusalem. A dynastic marriage between Jesus and a royal daughter of the
Benjaminites could have been understood as a source of salvation for the people
of Israel during their miserable time as an occupied nation.
The first anointed king of Israel was Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin, and his
daughter Mikal was the wife of King David. Throughout the tribal history of
Israel, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were the most sincere and loyal allies.
Their destinies were intertwined. A dynastic marriage between a Benjaminite
heiress of the lands surrounding the Holy City and the Messianic Son of David
would have emboldened the zealot fundamentalist faction of the Jewish nation.

Page 57
And it could have been understood as a sign of hope and blessing in Israel's
darkest hour.
In his novel King Jesus (1946), Robert Graves, the 20th century
mythographer, suggests that Jesus' lineage and marriage were hidden from
everyone, known only to a select group of royalist leaders [1] . To protect the
royal lineage, that marriage had to be kept hidden from the Romans and the
Herodian tetrarchs; and, after the crucifixion of Jesus, the protection of his wife
and family had to be a sacred commitment for the few who knew his identity.
Any reference to Jesus' marriage had to be deliberately obscured, controlled or
eliminated. But the woman pregnant with the anointed Son of David must have
been the bearer of Israel's hope, the bearer of the Sangraal, of the royal progeny.

M AGDAL-EDER, THE “TOWER OF THE Flock”

In chapter 4 of the Hebrew prophet Micah we read a beautiful prediction about
the restoration of Jerusalem, when all nations will forge their swords into hoes
and be reconciled to God. And this is what we find starting in verse 8:

As for you, tower of the flock,

hill of the daughter of Zion, to you will come and the sovereignty of old
will come, the royalty of Jerusalem.
And now, why are you crying out so loud?
Don't you have a king?
Has your advisor perished?
so that convulsions attack you
like those of a parturient?
Writhe and shake,
daughter of Zion, as a woman in labor, for now you will leave the city
and live in the country.

It is likely that the original references to Mary Magdalene in oral tradition, the
"pericopes" of the New Testament, were misinterpreted before they were
recorded in writing. I suspect that the nickname Magdalene was understood as
an allusion to the Magdal-eder, which is found in the prophet Micah and which
contains the promise of the reestablishment of Zion after the exile. Perhaps the
first nominal references, which related the epithet Magdala with the name of
Mary of Bethany, had nothing to do with an obscure village in Galilee, as has
sometimes been suggested. Rather, they must have been deliberate references to
the quoted text of the prophet Micah, to the "tower" or "hill" of the daughter of

Page 58
Zion, who was forced into political exile.
The toponym Magdal-eder literally meant "tower of the flock", in the sense
of a high place, from which the shepherd can comfortably monitor his flock of
sheep. In Hebrew the epithet Magdala has the literal meaning of the noun
"tower" or the adjectives "lofty, great, magnificent [2] ." This meaning takes on
particular relevance if the Mary thus designated was in fact the wife of the
Messiah. It could have been the Hebrew equivalent of the expression "Mary the
Great", while implying an allusion to the prophesied return of dominion and
power to "the daughter of Jerusalem" (Mic 4:8).
In an old French legend the exiled "Magdal-eder", the refugee Mary seeking
asylum on the southern coast of France, is Mary of Bethany, the Magdalene. The
early French legend states that Mary Magdalene traveled with Martha and
Lazarus of Bethany on a ship that docked on the French coast of Provence. Other
legends present Joseph of Arimathea as the custodian of the Sangraal, which I
have suggested understood as the royal progeny of Israel, rather than as a chalice
in the literal sense. The vessel that contained that royal blood, the archetypal
chalice of medieval myth, must have been the wife of the anointed king Jesus.
The image of Jesus, which emerges from our history, is that of a charismatic
leader, who embodies the functions of prophet, healer and King-Messiah; a
leader who was executed by the occupying Roman army and whose wife and
progeny were secretly removed from Israel by his loyal friends, moving them to
Western Europe awaiting the fulfillment of the times and the culmination of the
prophecy. The friends of Jesus, who so fervently believed that he was the
Messiah, God's Anointed One, would have felt it a sacred obligation to get their
family to safety. The glass, the chalice, that embodied the promises of the
millennium, the Sangraal of medieval legend, was Mary Magdalene, as I have
come to gather.
THE VINE OF THE LORD
There are many biblical passages in which the word vineyard, vine or vine is
used to designate the chosen people: "You led a vine from Egypt" (Psalm 80, 9);
"The vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah
are the company of his delights" (Isaiah 5:7). There are several texts that speak
of women as a vine or vine: "Your wife is like a fertile vine" (Psalm 128, 3);
«Your mother was like a vine, in your prosperity, planted by the waters... she put
forth strong shoots for sovereign scepters... But it was uprooted in fury, it was
felled to the ground... Now it is planted in the steppe, in dry and thirsty land...
There is no left in it a strong branch, a scepter that can reign" (Ezekiel 19, 10-
14). That royal vineyard, which has been transplanted, is understood by biblical

Page 59
commentators as the monarchical and Davidic line of Judah, as the line of
princes.
The Wife of the Song of Songs lovingly cares for the vineyards. In Isaiah 5
the rebellious vineyard bears grape clusters. And Psalm 80 is a prayer for the
restoration of the vineyard: "Take care of this vine, this branch that your right
hand planted, the branch that you strengthened." In the Gospel of Mark Jesus
tells the parable of the vinedressers, who took care of the vineyard (Israel) and
who beat the owner's servants when they went to inspect the condition of the
vineyard, and who ended up killing the owner's son. No one who knew Jesus of
Nazareth and who "had ears to hear" entertained the slightest doubt about the
identity of that "faithful son." He was the rightful heir of the vineyard of Judah.
The transplant of the Davidic "vine" should not have come as a surprise to
the fundamentalist and zealot friends of Jesus. They knew it was prophesied
(Ezekiel 17). It had already happened before, when the people of Israel were led
as slaves to Babylon. But it could happen again. In light of the danger that
loomed over the royal progeny of Judah's vineyard, it is likely that Jesus' friends
went to great lengths and perhaps even took desperate measures to protect Jesus'
family. That must have been his priority objective.

THE FLIGHT TO EGYPT

Under the conditions of occupation of Israel by the Roman power, the Holy
Family had to remain underground and had to be protected at all costs by the
royalist faction of Palestine. It seems obvious that after the crucifixion of Jesus,
Mary Magdalene did not remain any longer in Jerusalem. Neither in the book of
the Acts of the Apostles nor in Paul's letters is there any mention of Mary,
Martha or Lazarus. And in any case it is not likely that Mary was ever identified
as Jesus' widow. The danger would have been too great. It is more likely that
those special friends of Jesus were no longer part of the Jerusalem community at
the time the Pauline letters were written (between the years 51-63), although
their departure remains unexplained. Had they been part of the community after
the ascension of Jesus, their names could have appeared in the later works of the
New Testament that were declared and considered canonical.
On the contrary, references to Mary Magdalene, after the ascension, are only
found in the Gnostic gospels (of which some scrolls have been found in Coptic
in Nag Hammadi, in 1945, and in other Egyptian sites); They are texts that
confirm that Mary Magdalene was an intimate companion of Jesus [3] . Thus, the
Gospel of Philip says: "There were three who walked with the Lord at all times:
Mary his mother, his sister and Magdalene, the only one who is called his

Page 60
companion [4] ." In this Gnostic gospel, found in Nag Hammadi, Mary
Magdalene is described as a woman who aroused jealousy in the apostles,
because she was the intimate companion or "consort" of the Lord, who often
kissed her on the mouth [5] .
It is clear from the four canonical gospels that Mary Magdalene enjoyed
special precedence in the community of believers for having been the first
person to see and speak with Jesus on Easter Sunday, having rushed to his tomb
at first light to carry out the rites of shrouding his deceased body.
There are seven lists that appear in the four gospels with the names of the
women who accompanied Jesus. In six of them, Mary Magdalene appears first,
even before Mary, the mother of Jesus, and before the other women mentioned.
The authors of the gospels, beginning with Mark, most likely reflect
Magdalene's actual status in the Christian community: that of the first lady.
The Coptic manuscripts were hidden in Nag Hammadi around the year 400
CE, during a period in which the Orthodox Christian Church (which had been
declared the official church of the Roman Empire by Emperor Theodosius)
began destroying the documents of the sects that he considered heretical. Such
manuscripts were preserved in amphorae, similar to those containing the Dead
Sea Scrolls, near Qumran in the Desert of Judah.
Discovered in the 1940s and 1950s, they opened a whole new era in research
in the first centuries. The preeminence of Mary Magdalene in the four canonical
and official gospels is confirmed in many of these apocryphal documents. The
Coptic manuscripts, many of which are 2nd and 3rd century scrolls, predate the
surviving copies of the canonical gospels by several centuries! And,
miraculously, they survived the purge carried out by the early Church, just as the
scrolls of the Qumran community survived the destruction of the Roman legions
during the Jewish rebellion of 66-74, when the Jewish nation was virtually
destroyed. and the Christian community of Jerusalem was dispersed.

JESUS AND THE ZELOTE FACTION

We have referred in passing to the policy of the Jewish zealots in the time of
Jesus. It is now time to briefly analyze the charges that were brought against
Jesus and that induced Pilate, the Roman procurator of the province, to order his
crucifixion; an order that represented a very serious danger for his wife, María.
If Jesus had been charged solely with the blasphemy of having proclaimed
himself the Son of God, as the Bible suggests, his wife would have been in little
danger; But if he had been crucified for being seditious and for his political
affiliation—as I try to demonstrate—Mary was certainly forced to flee to save

Page 61
her life.
There is a great deal of evidence in support of the theory that Jesus
sympathized with right-wing activists in Israel [6] . Firstly, several of his apostles
are known as militant extremists, Judas Iscariot being the most cited in that
sense. The nickname Iscariot , given to him, has been generally understood as
indicative of his membership in the radical fraternity - already mentioned - of
political assassins, the sicarios or "sons of the dagger." (The epithet derives from
the Latin word sica , a short dagger that such people hid in their clothing;
sicarius would mean "someone who kills with sica , with a dagger [7] ").
Another follower of Jesus, Simon the Canaanite (Qu'anan), is mentioned in
Matthew 10:4. The footnote in my Bible says that Canaanite is the root word for
“zealot.” Remembering that the gospel accounts were transmitted by word of
mouth for several decades before they were recorded in writing on parchment, it
is possible that the marriage at Cana was in fact a "marriage of zealots." The
consonants of the two words are similar enough to be confused in oral tradition.
Perhaps that marriage at Cana was a wedding of national importance for the
Jews, namely: the wedding of Jesus to Mary Magdalene. The changing of water
into wine could then have been understood as a symbolic communication of
“new life,” a renewed messianic hope and joy, being poured into the stone
vessels of Judaism.
Stories about the life and teachings of Jesus circulated for more than thirty
years before, around the year 70, our oldest version, the Gospel of Mark, was
recorded in writing. Linguistic studies of popular etymologies confirm that
certain details of a story are modified without any intention as they are passed
from mouth to mouth. Sometimes certain idioms, colloquialisms and proper
names are misinterpreted or spelled incorrectly. If, for example, Simon the
Canaanite means "Simon the Zealot" (about which there seems to be no doubt),
"Canaan" could easily be a reference to the Zealot party.
In the opinion of many New Testament exegetes, the charge brought against
Jesus—the charge that posed such grave danger to his wife that she was forced
to flee Jerusalem—was not blasphemy, but sedition. The arguments in favor of
an interpretation of Jesus as a political figure, the Jewish Davidic Messiah who
represented a serious threat to the stability of the Roman province of Palestine,
have been carefully outlined by S. g. F. Brandon in a book titled Jesus and the
Zealots [8] .
The spontaneous popular movement, which emerged in response to Jesus
and his ministry, was a story open to the political authority of Rome. He was
accused of inciting the people to revolt, and the traditional Roman punishment
reserved for zealot insurrectionists was crucifixion. In fact, in the period between

Page 62
the year 6 AD. c. and the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70, hundreds of
Jewish patriots were crucified [9] .
Crowds followed Jesus during his ministry from one city to another, and
once or twice they remember in the gospels that they wanted to make him king.
But the action, which led to his immediate arrest by the Jerusalem authorities,
was the overturning of the money-changers' tables in the temple during the
Passover festival. Every year Jews from all the territories of the Roman Empire
came to Jerusalem to present their offerings at the temple. The action, which
Jesus was said to have carried out, scattering the coins of the empire across the
temple floor, was a radical attack on the ruling class of priests and the
Sadducees, the ruling minority who collaborated with the Roman authorities to
maintain peace and order in the province.
The desert community, which wrote many of the Dead Sea Scrolls, had long
described the temple cult and its priests as perverse and false, incapable of
teaching the Torah and the Prophets. They had proclaimed that the temple itself
was impure and that the worship of God there was tainted by associations with
pagans. The links between the early Christian movement, the community of
Qumran and the garrison of Massada, the last bulwark of the Zealots against the
Roman legions, are well documented.
The Qumran community, reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls, was radically
anti-Roman, anti-conventional, apocalyptic and messianic, and awaited the
imminent restoration of the Davidic line to the throne of Israel. In the War
manuscript, found in one of the vessels, this Davidic Messiah is called "the
Scepter." They denounced the ruling class of the Sadducees, who controlled the
impure temple cult and exploited the poor with their demand for sacrifices and
tithes. The Qumran sectarians regarded themselves as the pure "remnant" of
Israel. Its members practiced rites similar to the later baptism of the primitive
Christian community and marked the foreheads of their initiates with the sign
alluded to in Ezekiel 9:6 and which marked the truly enlightened: those who
lamented the abominations that were practiced in Jerusalem. (The later Christian
use of the
The aforementioned community of Qumran stayed away from those who
collaborated with the Romans. Many of their beliefs and doctrines, hidden in
vessels for approximately two thousand years, echo the radical dualism and
apocalyptic mentality of the New Testament writings. Copies of some of these
manuscripts have been found in the fortress of Masada, the Zealot stronghold
that fell into the hands of the Roman legions in the year 74, after the mass
suicide of its defenders. Only in recent decades, since such manuscripts were
discovered in 1947, have Bible scholars had access to this invaluable

Page 63
information about the roots of the Christian movement. The Qumran partisans
would undoubtedly have applauded Jesus' radical action in overthrowing the
temple money-changers' tables during the Passover festival.
JESUS OF N AZARETH , KING OF THE JEWS
Based on the canonical Scriptures of the Greek New Testament there is good
reason to believe that many Jews accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah of the
line of David. The oldest books attest to the fact that the Christian community
believed that Jesus was a Davidic Messiah. This is certified, for example, by text
1, 3 of the Letter to the Romans, written around the year 57 AD. C., which says
of Jesus "... who is a descendant of David, according to human nature...". The
Gospel of Mark (71-75 AD. C.) remembers the triumphal entry of Jesus into
Jerusalem, when the people cut palm branches (Jn 12, 13) waving them at the
passing of the king who was riding on a donkey. The palm tree is a symbol of
the Jewish nation, found on coins from the time of Jesus.
The fact that Jesus was believed to be the King of the Jews is also
proclaimed by the inscription that Pilate ordered the soldiers who crucified Jesus
to place on the cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews", abbreviated "INRI".
Galilee, the supposed homeland of Jesus, we now know was a Zealot stronghold
and focus of anti-Roman activity during the FIRST Christian century. That could
have been relevant to the definitive charge of sedition brought against Jesus.
There is abundant evidence that Jesus was not exactly a poor carpenter or
the son of a carpenter from an unknown village in Galilee. The evangelists
Matthew and Luke, who wrote approximately the same dates (between 80 and
85 AD. C.), although neither of them have knowledge of the other's work, they
include genealogies of Jesus at the beginning of their respective gospels.
Although such genealogies present variations with respect to each other, one
thing is clearly inferred: the claim that Jesus was the Davidic Messiah. The
testimony of the two gospels is that the Roman governor and the Jewish leaders
collaborated in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, because both the Jewish and
Roman authorities perceived in him a dangerous insurrectionist. These
authorities considered his death as a political necessity to avoid a subsequent
rebellion in Palestine. They considered him an arsonist, because the people
believed that he was their promised Messiah and King, the Anointed One of
God, the "just ruler" that the prophets had predicted. From the evangelists we
surmise that Jesus was also the people's bet, given that his miracles proved in
their eyes that he was Yahweh's chosen one.
People power is often feared by a repressive government, which feels the
stability of the status quo is threatened. According to the gospels, written with a

Page 64
view to converting the citizens of the Roman Empire to the Christian way of life,
it was the decision of the Jewish authorities that determined the crucifixion of
Jesus. But crucifixion was not a Jewish punishment. If the charge against Jesus
had been blasphemy, as the gospels suggest, Jesus would have been stoned to
death by the Jewish community (as would later be his disciple Stephen,
according to the book of Acts of the Apostles 7) and not crucified. Crucifixion
was the death penalty that the Romans reserved specifically for seditionists.
Everything seems to indicate that it was the public proclamation of Jesus as king
that led to his execution as an enemy of Rome.
The gospels remember that Jesus was not only a political figure, the King of
the Jews, but he was also a religious leader, who called the people to repent of
their sins and prepare for the kingdom of God. He repeatedly provoked religious
leaders about his teachings and his interpretation of Scripture. And he was a
healer. In a book titled Jesus the Magician , a number of Middle Eastern sources
are cited in an attempt to demonstrate that Jesus was an itinerant healer of that
time [11] . It seems, however, much more probable, referring to the biblical
accounts, that Jesus was a genuine charismatic healer, who understood the
psychic phenomenon of the people as the healing dynamic of faith itself. In fact
Jesus often says formally; "Your faith has saved you!"
According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus visited the synagogue of Nazareth
and, before the religious assembly, read from the book of the prophet Isaiah (61,
1-2):

The spirit of God is upon me, because the Lord anointed me to announce
the gospel to the poor; He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim a
year of favor from the Lord.

For almost two thousand years there has been a Christian consensus that
whoever applied these verses to himself was not simply a magician. It was rather
an earthly vessel filled with the Spirit of God. And it was his powerful charisma
that inevitably led to his crucifixion as a political arsonist and the desperate
flight of his immediate family from Jerusalem.

THE FLOWERING ROD AND THE SAINT ANGRAAL

What does the legend say about the refuge of the Sagrada Familia? The Scripture
of the New Testament, and specifically the Gospel of Matthew, says of course
that the "Holy Family" fled to Egypt to prevent the Child Jesus from being
murdered by King Herod, tormented by his claim to the throne of Israel. In a

Page 65
dream Joseph, “Mary's husband,” was told to take Jesus and his mother and flee
to Egypt (Matthew 2:13). There are many modern commentators on the Bible,
for whom this story is "mythology", which the author of the Gospel of Matthew
uses to fulfill the prophet's word: "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Hosea 11, 1b).
The “kernel of truth” in that account is the strong tradition of the danger that
loomed over the royal line of Judah.
An apocryphal gospel is the source of a tradition according to which Saint
Joseph's rod blossomed as a sign that he was the one chosen by God to be the
husband of Mary and the earthly father of the Child Jesus. But the "flowering
rod", with which Saint Joseph is represented in all the Catholic churches of the
world, also serves to remind us that Joseph was the custodian of the "branch",
understood as Jesus himself, in accordance with the prophecy of Isaiah: "A
branch will come forth from the stump of Jesse, and a shoot will sprout from his
roots" (Isaiah 11:1).
But the tradition derived from an old French legend, arising on the
Mediterranean coast, tells us of another Joseph, Joseph of Arimathea, who was
the custodian of the Sangraal and that the boy on the ship was the Egyptian,
which literally means "born in Egypt." ». It seems likely that, after the
crucifixion of Jesus, Mary Magdalene considered it necessary to flee to the
nearest refuge because of the son she was carrying. Jesus' influential friend
Joseph of Arimathea may well have been his protector.
If our theory is correct, the child was in fact born in Egypt. The country of
Egypt was the traditional place of asylum for those Jews whose safety was
threatened. From Judea it was easy to reach Alexandria, a city where there were
some very well-established Jewish communities in the time of Jesus [12] . In all
likelihood Egypt was the emergency refuge for Mary Magdalene and Joseph of
Arimathea. And later—years later—they left Alexandria and sought an even
safer asylum on the coast of France.
Archeology and linguistics scholars have discovered that certain place
names and some legends contain "fossils" from the remote past of that
geographic area. Over years of oral transmission the truth may have been
embellished with certain changes and the stories may have been abbreviated; but
some traces of truth persist in fossil form, buried in the names of towns and
places. In the city Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in France, a festival is held
every year from May 23 to 25 in a chapel in honor of Saint Sara the Egyptian,
also called Sara Kali, the "black" queen. . A more detailed analysis reveals that
this festival, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages, is celebrated in honor
of an "Egyptian" child, who accompanied Mary Magdalene, Martha and
Lazarus, who arrived with them in a small boat, which It docked at the place in

Page 66
the year 42 AD. c. The people seem to have assumed that such a child, being
"Egyptian", was dark-skinned and that - in a later interpolation - he must have
been raised by the family of Bethany, since it was not possible to find another
explanation for his presence.
In Hebrew the name Sarah means "queen" or "princess." In local legends,
this Sara is characterized as "young" and not as a girl. So in a tiny coastal town
in France we find an annual party in honor of a young dark-skinned girl named
Sara. The core of this legend is that the girl was called "princess" in Hebrew.
The legend would remember a daughter of Jesus, born after Mary Magdalene
fled to the city of Alexandria, and who would have been about twelve years old
when she traveled to Gaul. She, like the princess of David's line, was
symbolically black, "unrecognized in the streets" (Lamentations 4:8). Personally
the Magdalene was the Sangraal, in the sense that she was the "chalice" or
vessel, which had once carried in utero , in her womb, the blood, the royal
lineage. The symbolic blackness of the wife of the Song of Songs and of David's
princess of the Lamentations was extended to this hidden Mary and her
daughter. It seems that the festival in honor of Sara Kali's "black princess" is
celebrated in honor of that symbolically dark-skinned girl. (We will investigate
the shrines of the Black Madonna in Western Europe in more detail in a later
chapter.)
It is likely that those who in later centuries knew this legend and the identity
of Mary Magdalene as the wife of Jesus equated her with the black wife of the
Song of Songs. She was the sister-wife of the Beloved. His "blackness" would
have been a symbol of his hidden state; She was the unknown queen, postponed,
repudiated and vilified by the Church throughout the centuries, in an attempt to
deny legitimate descent and to maintain her own doctrines about the divinity and
celibacy of Jesus. Thus, its blackness would be a direct reference to the
dethroned Davidic princess of Jerusalem: «Cleaner than snow were her princes,
whiter than milk...; but now their countenance is darker than soot, they are no
longer recognized in the streets” (Lamentations 4, 7-8).
Kernels of truth remain hidden and buried in our symbols, in our proper
names of people and places, in our rituals and popular stories. Once this is
understood, it is plausible that the flight to Egypt was carried out by the "other
Joseph" - Joseph of Arimathea -, taking with him the "other Mary" - Mary
Magdalene - to protect the unborn daughter of Jesus from the Romans. and of
the sons of Herod the Great after the crucifixion of the Lord.
The discrepancies in the story and the evident generation gap can be easily
understood in light of the danger that loomed over the royal progeny—which
required the utmost secrecy about their ancestors—and in light of the time that

Page 67
had passed before the story was recorded in writing. This seems to be another
case of a myth forged because of how dangerous it was to tell the truth.

THE MEROVENGIAN CONNECTION

There is evidence to suggest that the royal lineage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene
ended up flowing through the veins of the Merovingian monarchs of France. The
Merovingian name itself may be a linguistic fossil. Scholarship surrounding the
Frankish royal family calls one of their ancestors “Merovean.” Now, the
Merovingian word is phonetically composed of two radical syllables, in which
we can easily recognize mer and vin : Mary and wine. Breaking down the
appellation in this way, it can well be understood as an allusion to "Mary's wine"
or perhaps to "the Mother's wine."
The royal emblem of the Merovingian king Clovis was the fleur-de-lys (the
iris). And the Latin name of this plant, which grows wild in the fields of the
Middle East, is gladiolus or "espadita" (diminutive of gladius , sword). The
trifoliate (clover) fleur-de-lis of the royal house of France is a masculine symbol.
In fact, it is a graphic image of the circumcision covenant, to which all of God's
promises to Israel and the dynastic house of David were inherent. Thomas Inman
discusses the masculine nature of the "flower of light" at length in his work
Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism , published in the 19TH CENTURY.
And it's almost funny that that same masculine symbol, the "little sword," is
today the international emblem of the Boy Scouts!

The claim that such a symbol represents the Christian Trinity is a

rationalization based on the three-in-one image. This trifoliate "lily" is a symbol
of ancient Israel: the capitals of the two phallic columns in the temple of
Solomon, Yachin and Boaz were carved "in the shape of a lily" (1 Kings 7, 22).
The famous St. Patrick's shamrock may be a legitimate symbol of the Trinity;
but I believe that the fleur-de-lis refers specifically to the Davidic progeny of
Israel and that in Europe the Merovingian kings used it as their emblem.
In 1653 the tomb of the Merovingian king Childeric I (who died around 481
AD) was discovered in Tournai. C.), and three hundred golden bees appeared in
it. We know that the bee was the family totem of the Merovingian kings. And we
also know that bees were a sacred symbol of the goddess of love as well as an
Egyptian symbol of monarchy. Bee colonies are matriarchal, recognizing their
monarch in the queen. I consider it plausible that the totem of the golden bee
was consciously chosen to reflect the descent of the monarchical line of the

Page 68
Merovingians as an extension of the house of David (and therefore of Jesus)
through the female branch, and that they honored the royal widow, Mary
Magdalene, and her daughter named Sarah according to legend.
The royal descendants of Israel may have survived the persecution and were
actually able to prevail with the Merovingians of Europe and with their families
related to them, who kept their secret genealogies for centuries. The first crusade
(1098) could thus have been understood as an attempt to reestablish an heir of
David's progeny to the throne of Jerusalem in the person of Godfrey of Bouillon
(also known as Godfrey of Lorraine), who, according to legend , belonged to the
Merovingian lineage [13] .
With the conquest of Jerusalem in 1099, the leaders of the crusade installed
a patriarch in the church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, and in their
liturgical formulas we find the strange fact that all the festivities of the Virgin
Mary were marked with black vestments [14 ] . Which suggested the reference of
such use to the Song of Songs, but represented a notable departure from the
universal custom of the Church that used white vestments for all Marian
liturgical festivals [15] . Perhaps the black ornaments are once again a symbolic
reference to the other Mary, the hidden one, the lost bride of the Song of Songs,
vilified and repudiated by the Orthodox Church: she was the exiled queen,
whose true identity was kept secret for centuries. . A secret that in the beginning
He had to protect it from the Roman authorities and Herod's heirs, and later he
had to protect it against the hierarchy of the Catholic and Roman Church. Such a
“black” Mary would be a poetic echo of the black wife of the Song of Songs, the
bride of the sacrificed Shepherd King, who was the Messianic Husband of Israel.
Such black wife associations may be the reason for the immense popularity
of the numerous chapels and hermitages dedicated to the Black Madonna
throughout Western Europe. The image of the sister-bride of the ancient world
was easily associated with the wife of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. The
classical replicas of the Earth, the Moon and the goddesses of love (Isis, Artemis
of Ephesus and others) were curiously black.
In short: the two royal refugees from Israel, mother and daughter, could
logically have been represented in early European art as a dark-skinned mother
and child, both hidden. The Black Virgins of the first sanctuaries in Europe
(built during the 5TH-12TH CENTURIES) could have been venerated as symbols of that
other Mary and her daughter, Sangraal, whom Joseph of Arimathea brought to
safety on the coast of France. The symbol of a male of the royal house of David
would be a flowering or budding rod; but the symbol of a woman would be the
chalice or cup, containing the royal blood of Jesus. And that is precisely what
the Holy Grail is said to have been!

Page 69
 THE AWAKENING OF THE 12TH CENTURY

This version of Christian history we are examining was not taught by the official
Christian Churches; However, it may be closer to the truth than the "orthodox"
version. In fact, there were numerous early versions of Christianity that did not
survive the test of time. For example, the church in Jerusalem, of which James,
brother of Jesus, was the first leader, maintained a very Jewish orientation and
did not equate Jesus with God. The Christian community of Jerusalem
maintained its loyalty to the temple and the Torah of Judaism. James and Peter,
the two prominent leaders of the Jerusalem community, were evidently upset
with the version of Christianity that Paul taught.
In the Pauline letters and in the book of the Acts of the Apostles we find data
that certify how these two apostles repudiated some of Paul's teachings. The
followers of the Pauline version of Christianity began to speak with contempt of
Jesus' family and the original group of apostles, who in their view had not fully
understood Jesus. It is a position suggested by the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus'
family and friends believed that he had lost his mind (Mark 3:21). The gospel
writers also claim that Jesus reproved the apostles for being obtuse. And it is
Peter who stands out especially for having misinterpreted the need for the Lord's
crucifixion and for having denied Jesus three times on the night of his arrest.
Various Christologies developed in the early Church, and bitter struggles
between various factions persisted for centuries. With the dispersion of the
Christian community in Jerusalem and with the Jewish revolt that followed in
the years 66-74, there was no longer any authorized version of Christianity there
that could claim to be the only genuine Christian faith. Some sects ended up
being expelled from the Church, while others adapted to the official doctrine.
The Ebionites, direct spiritual descendants of the early Jerusalemite community
of James and Peter, were later stigmatized as heretics, because their Christology

Page 70
"from below" (which starts from the humanity of Jesus Christ) did not attribute
divinity properly speaking to the Jesus of Historical Nazareth.
The protocols and doctrines of the deviationist sects and factions did not
survive the passing of the centuries. In many cases the only mention of a
heretical doctrine is found in the polemic of some father of the Church, who
wanted to expose the error of the teaching. The first four centuries of the Church
were characterized by numerous riots, persecutions and heterodox
interpretations. The council of Nicaea (325) proclaimed that Jesus was "the only
divine Son of the Father, light of light, true God of true God, of the same nature
as the Father." Such a confession became the orthodox belief of the Empire, with
no other variants allowed. The missionaries of that belief spread out to convert
the pagan tribes of the remote reaches of Europe, preaching the gospel as
representatives of their Lord Jesus and baptizing in the name of his Trinity of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As a result of Emperor Theodosius the Great's edict declaring Christianity
the official religion of the Roman Empire (380), versions of Christianity that did
not agree with the newly empowered hierarchy of bishops were relentlessly
persecuted and destroyed. discordant doctrines.

THE DARK TIMES

The general plundering and turbulence of the period, which extended in Europe
between the 4TH and 10TH CENTURIES, driven by the advance of the barbarian tribes -
Franks, Visigoths, Celts, Huns and finally Scandinavians - caused a relative
shortage of written documents of the epoch. There is, therefore, no evidence that
existing memories were deliberately eliminated during that period we now call
the Dark Ages.
Most of the barbarian tribes that flooded western Europe began by
converting to the Arian heresy, a form of Christianity, articulated in the 4th
century by a theologian from Alexandria, who was violently condemned at the
Council of Nicaea. The Arian heresy denied the doctrines of the Holy Trinity
and the divinity of Jesus, preaching instead the existence of an almighty God and
his son Jesus, a simple man. That version of Christianity spread throughout
Western Europe during the 5th and 6th centuries.
The history of the Dark Ages has been carefully reconstructed with the help
of documents found in monasteries and convents and through numerous finds by
archaeologists. With all these resources, the tragic story of the dark Merovingian
kings has come to light: Childeric III, the last legitimate Merovingian king, was
deposed in the year 751 by Pepin, the royal steward, whose descendants were

Page 71
known as Carolingians, taking the name of his grandson Charlemagne. The title
of Holy Roman Emperor was conferred on Charlemagne by the Pope on
Christmas Day in the year 800. During his reign Charlemagne promoted the arts
and letters, including the copying and conservation of manuscripts. Those who
lived in that time period certainly did not call it "dark."
The great European centers of civilization at that time were Celtic Ireland,
Moorish Spain, and the Mediterranean coast of what is now France. We are
especially interested in this last region because it has been the hotbed of legends
and the Sangraal heresy. This region has been successively known as Occitania,
Languedoc or Midi. Today it is generally called Provence.

THE CRADLE OF AWAKENING

Many students of European history agree that the first European awakening from
the Dark Ages did not occur in the 15TH CENTURY, as is generally assumed, but that
such awakening derives from certain events that occurred in the south of France
during the 12TH CENTURY. Volumes have been written about the influence of the
crusades, the crossing of ideas between East and West, the impression and
shaking of Islamic art and thought, the rise of the craftsmanship and the middle
class bourgeoisie. Provence, however, had been an area of relative
enlightenment and progress centuries before the Crusades, nurturing a lively
interest in the Islamic and Jewish religions, in the arts and literature, while
tolerating new ideas in science and The philosophy. This openness to diversity
promoted in the French Midi a mental refinement unparalleled in the northern
regions of the European continent.
Perhaps the most important and profound social change that occurred in 12th-
century Europe was a growing appreciation of the feminine. That radical turn
had its roots in Provence, with usages and practices notably different from the
rest of the medieval world. At that time the predominant attitude was
misogynistic. The hostility towards women was based on the position adopted
by the Church fathers, which was based in part on the story of Adam and Eve in
the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3). The writings of the holy fathers, and
particularly those of the 5th century, Augustine of Hippo (354-430) and Jerome
(342-420), judged women as morally and spiritually inferior to men. Some later
theologians even debated whether it could be said that women had a soul.
Women, sex and the human body, and with it all earthly pleasures, were
officially considered distractions and temptations that could separate men from
the spiritual path.

Page 72
 The beliefs regarding women, held by most of the Christian world in
medieval times, were radically dualistic. The material world, the flesh, the devil
and women together formed a source of evil that prevented spiritual union with
God. In order to free the soul from spiritual endeavors, it was necessary to say
no to these evils and overcome them. As far as possible the desires of the flesh
were to be despised and ignored.
Saint Augustine's views had an enormous influence on attitudes towards
women and sex and seem to reflect the influence of the Manichean heresy,
named after its founder Mani, who died in 277. Augustine had been a follower
of that heresy until his conversion to Christianity at the age of thirty and after a
youth of debauchery. Mani had taught that the God of the Old Testament was a
demigod, who created the world and all its evils, imprisoning the pure spirits in
the "prison" of human flesh. And logically, women were considered the main
agents of perpetuating the miseries of the physical world, and consequently
Mani's henchmen discouraged procreation. After his conversion to Christianity,
Augustine became the preeminent interpreter of the Scriptures and Catholic
doctrine, providing certain relics of his previous dualistic vision of the world and
his radical misogyny.
In medieval Europe women lacked legal rights and were wards of their
fathers or husbands. They were excluded from social and civic life, not owning
any property. They were simple furniture. The only significant exception in all
this was the attitude of the people of southern France towards women. There
women, like men, were owners by right of inheritance of numerous fiefs and
manors already before the 10th century. The reasons for such a state of affairs
could be the strong ties that the people maintained with Roman egalitarian
practices and with certain older tribal traditions.
I suspect, however, that there was a more obvious reason. Since the dawn of
Christianity, that area had a very dense history of brilliant women. Throughout
the 11th and 12th centuries, the women of Provence were held in very special
consideration. A classic example of a "liberated woman" within the medieval
world was Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), whose notoriety and power in her
roles as wife and mother of kings impressed Europe for decades.
The Crusades are often cited as the catalyst for cultural awakening in Europe
after the long, dull period of the Dark Ages. But Provence had maintained
enlightened relations with the Arab and Jewish cultural centers of Spain and
North Africa for several centuries before the Crusades, and that openness had
influenced its flourishing culture. In fact, much of the region of Provence had
been included throughout the 8TH century in the Jewish kingdom of Septimania
under Guillem de Gellone, a Jewish prince of Merovingian descent [1] .

Page 73
 And that same region had been the center of worship for Mary Magdalene
for centuries, as attested by the numerous chapels, fountains, wells and other
geographical landmarks in the region, which bear her name. She was the patron
saint of gardens and vineyards in the area, the mediator of fertility, beauty and
joy of life. Theirs were the old domains of the ancient goddesses of love. And it
was no coincidence that the cult of the rose (an anagram of Eros ) flourished and
prospered in the garden of Provence.
When Peter the Hermit, the monk who promoted the first crusade, preached
in the cities of Europe during the last decade of the ELEVENTH CENTURY, he argued
that the time had come for a "holy war" to rescue Jerusalem from the Saracens.
In figurative language it can be said that he was wearing an hourglass. A
millennium had passed since the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by the
Romans, who had burned it in the year 70 AD. c. devastating the city. Peter
proclaimed in the cities of Europe that there was The time has come to recover
the Holy City and rebuild the temple. The secret plan of Peter the Hermit and his
influential friends was to place a descendant of the Davidic line on the throne of
Jerusalem [2] ; In this way God "helped" to carry out the millennium of peace and
promises, prophesied and highlighted in the Holy Scriptures.
All the knights of Europe, capable of taking up arms, began the march
towards the Holy Land, some by land and others by sea. In the year 1099 his
dream could finally come true: the Saracens were defeated and Godfrey of
Lorraine, a nobleman supposedly of Merovingian descent [3] , received the title
of baron of Jerusalem. The group that had orchestrated this feat seemed satisfied
with the results of their political coup. With a scion of David finally
reestablished in Jerusalem, stories, poems and songs arose in abundance,
including the legends of the Grail. Throughout Christendom an emerging culture
exalted the folk hero Godfrey, the crusaders, and "Our Lady." The seeds of that
culture, originally brought to Western Europe by Mary Magdalene, had
germinated in the fertile soil of Provence.
One of the intriguing notes of the period of the early crusades is the story of
the rapid rise and eclipse of the powerful order of the Knights Templar. This
chivalric order of warrior-clerics was officially created in the first decades of the
12TH CENTURY, after the reconquest of Jerusalem, and enjoyed the favor of popes
and kings for almost two centuries before its annihilation under accusations of
heresy in the first decade of the century. XIV.
The authors of The Sacred Enigma have exhaustively analyzed the origins
and history of the Knights Templar. And their conclusion is that it was closely
linked to the heretical sects of Christianity, which believed that Jesus was simply
a man who had been married, that his royal blood still ran in the veins of the

Page 74
noble families of Provence, and that the messianic promises of the Hebrew
Scriptures would one day be fulfilled in a descendant of Jesus. Many of the
Knights Templar came from noble families in Provence, a region that had
always remained apart from the official doctrines of Rome.

THE HERETICS OF P ROVENCE

The "alternative gospel"—the Arian heresy and the later Cathar and Waldensian
heresies—flourished in this region throughout the first twelve centuries of
Christianity. Although the dogmas of these heresies differed, one thing is clear:
Provence He never wholeheartedly and enthusiastically accepted the orthodox
version of Roman Catholicism and its creed. This was due to several reasons.
The term Albigensian was coined in the year 1165, after an ecclesiastical
synod held in the city of Albi, which proclaimed an edict condemning the
heretics of the Midi, and in particular the sect called the Cathars (or pure ones).
On the basis of that edict of Albi, heretics throughout the region were often
designated as Albigensians indiscriminately and without regard to the dogmas of
their special heresy to which they had adhered. The people of that region had
shown themselves tolerant of Jewish and Moorish cultures, eager to share their
philosophical and esoteric traditions and to criticize the hierarchy of the Roman
Church, many of whose clerics—according to common opinion—were guilty of
corruption and abuse. during the 11TH and 12TH CENTURIES. There often seems to have
been a notable discrepancy between his preaching and his practice of the gospel.
The entire northern coast of the Mediterranean fermented with the intertwined
germs and stimuli of the time, freedom being the cry that united them all. The
families of Provence were not allies of the king of France, nor did they wish to
be favorites of Rome. Its characteristic feature was independence.

THE FAITH OF THE CATHARS

The citizens of the region, among whom the Cathar heresy took increasingly
stronger roots in the 12th century, were simple farmers and peasants. They
listened to the sermons of the itinerant preachers, the Cathars or "pure ones",
who came to work in their fields, shared their bread and preached to them,
encouraging them to live in accordance with the simplicity and spirit of humility
of Jesus. Known as credents or "believers," they were convinced that their
interpretation of Christianity was purer and older than orthodox Christianity, and
closer to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles than the orthodox version of the

Page 75
faith. They were often vegetarians and pacifists, practicing a type of charismatic
Christianity similar to that of the early Church, described in the canonical book
of the Acts of the Apostles. The few documents that have survived the
censorship of the Inquisition certify that the Cathar practice of Christianity was
nourished by ancient and pure roots, a reflection of the vigor of primitive
Christianity at its dawn [4] .

The charges of Manichaeism and radical dualism, which the Inquisition

leveled against that sect, were most likely exaggerated. In none of the preserved
Cathar documents is the name of Mani mentioned. It seems more likely that the
ancient roots of Catharism go back to the Christian practice of the 1st century and
that they arose from the same apocalyptic dualism from which the first Judeo-
Christian sects and the community of the Qumran desert had emerged.
The Cathars' interest in the spiritual life and their lack of enthusiasm for the
institution of marriage—because it ordered the spirit to a carnal existence—are a
faithful echo of the beliefs they encouraged in the apocalyptic Judeo-Christian
communities of the first century. Saint Paul and the early followers of the
Christian way of life believed that the end of this world was so imminent that
marriage had no real importance. A list of noble families survived, who had
openly adhered to the Cathar faith, and that list rejects the inquisitors' charges
that members of the heretical church were attempting to undermine the
institution of the family by condemning marriage according to the ceremonies of
the orthodox rite; but this could be because they did not consider such
ceremonies valid or necessary. For the same reasons they rejected the baptism of
the Roman Church.
The Cathars preached a simple lifestyle and a radical faith in the continuous
presence and assistance of God. It was not necessary to maintain links with
Manichaeism to believe that the devil was the "prince of this world." Jesus
himself was cited as someone who shared this opinion (John 12:31). It could
well be that the Cathars were not so much Manichaeans as adamant supporters
of the literal texts of the Gospels, of which each Cathar family owned a copy.
For those Albigensian heretics, faith was not a doctrine to believe, but rather a
way of life to live. They called themselves Christians.
Central to the teachings of “the church of love”—another designation of the
alternative church—was a deep veneration of Jesus, the light-bringer, and his
mother and friends. While the Church of Rome taught obedience to the rules and
the strict practice of its laws and prohibitions, the church of "Love" ("Rome",
spelling backwards) taught that each individual life must be transformed into
holiness by the action of the Holy Spirit in the mind and heart of man. Followers

Page 76
of the Alternative Church honored Jesus as their prophet, priest, king, and
Messiah, a fully human agent and the anointed Son of God, while understanding
their personal role as earthly vessels of the Holy Spirit himself. They were aware
of the mythological and mystical content of the teachings of Christ as a path to
holiness and transformation and at the same time knew their connections with
the entire current of revelation and religious consciousness of the classical
world. They did not consider the esoteric practices of immersion in a baptismal
font or attendance at Sunday mass as sufficient for eternal salvation. Their
religion was a practice of the presence of God and daily growth in the virtues of
charity, humility and service to others, modeled after the life and teachings of
Jesus himself.
In the Midi the antagonism to the Catholic Church was as broad as it was
deep. In it he encouraged the experience of the Provençal people, and of many
other places, that the hierarchy of the institutional Church did not live the
message of the gospel. Clergymen often exploited the poor and lived
comparatively luxurious lives in front of their starving parishioners. The
Albigensian sects were markedly anticlerical and anti-ecclesiastical. The Cathars
created their own church in opposition to what they believed to be the false
teaching of Rome. They rejected the ritual of the mass and the cross itself as an
instrument of torture, in no way worthy of veneration. They proclaimed that
their own church had preserved the Holy Spirit conferred on the first apostles on
the day of Pentecost and that it would have been transmitted through the laying
on of hands, the only rite they considered authentic. The fundamental prayer
often recited in that church was the "Our Father" found in the Gospel of
Matthew. The Cathar ritual, of which two texts have survived, shows that they
had ancient documents, directly inspired by the primitive Christian community
[5]
.
The faith of the Cathars did not need a cultic priesthood or physical temples
with images and relics. They practiced their faith in their homes and in the
fields. They rejected the need for temples, relics and sacraments. Among the
Cathars, men and women were considered equal; These were allowed to inherit
and acquire properties, as we have indicated. Women were also allowed to
preach, a practice that had occurred in the beginnings of the Christian
community, but had long since disappeared in Roman Catholicism. Among the
Cathars such a practice reflected the esteem in which the early Church had held
women, including Mary Magdalene.
Cathar preachers, both men and women, traveled in pairs through the fields
of the region, just as the first disciples of Jesus had done in Palestine, sharing the
food of the poor, tilling the fields side by side with them and preaching a simple

Page 77
and pure of the spiritually enlightened. Saint Dominic of Guzmán and somewhat
later Saint Francis of Assisi were so impressed with the Cathar methods of
conversion to the gospel that they modeled the lives of their mendicant friars
with vows of poverty and chastity on the same lines.
An extraordinary feature of the Cathars was their insistence on the need to
translate the Bible into their vernacular, the regional dialect of langue d'oc , and
on the need for people to learn to read the good news of Jesus in their own
language. . To this end, numerous paper mills emerged throughout the region,
giving impetus to the resurgence of art, thought and letters in Provence and later
throughout Europe. Cathar children learned to read and girls were often better
educated than their male peers. Provence was an enlightened region.
In 1209 papal Rome launched a crusade against the entire region of
Provence, which included the local nobility, many of whose members had
embraced the Cathar heresy. Allied with the king of France, the papal armies
plundered the Midi for a generation, culminating in their victory with the
massacre of Montségur, the Cathar seminary. In 1244 they defeated the besieged
enclave of heretics and more than two hundred, who refused to recant, were
burned on pyres. The backbone of what was known as "Catharism" was broken
by the Albigensian Crusade - as such a terrifying episode was called - withering
away in germ the flowering that had begun in the 12TH CENTURY.
The Inquisition, formally instituted in 1233, relentlessly interrogated and
condemned heretics, executing thousands of them. The inquisitorial documents
are not always clear regarding the heretical beliefs, which were so offensive in
the eyes of the theologians of the Roman Church. In fact, the documents of the
Albigensian heresy were largely destroyed. Naturally, it was not in the interest
of the Vatican and its strong armed wing, the Inquisition, to preserve writings
that could proclaim the genuine doctrines that they strove so desperately to
erase.
Examining the Albigensian Crusade from our vantage point, it seems clear
that there was an attempt to force an entire region to embrace the orthodoxy of
Rome and to destroy those families that resisted. Since it could be seen that the
dissenting thought and culture, as well as the underlying beliefs of Provence,
were in open opposition to the orthodox version of the faith, all kinds of attempts
were made to erase them from memory. The truth is that the entire region
opposed the hegemony of the Church of Rome for multiple reasons and in
multiple ways.
We have already discussed a fundamental aspect of this profound
disagreement with the established Church: the belief that Jesus was married and
had heirs from Provence. It was believed that Mary Magdalene had lived on that

Page 78
soil and that she had been buried there with her brother Lazarus, her sister
Martha and many of her close friends. Provençal legends and place names
confirmed these beliefs. And the secret genealogies of noble families did the
same [6] . After the Albigensian Crusade, the surviving daughters of the noble
families of the Midi were forced to marry families from the north, presumably
with a view to dissipating the exclusivist claims of some southern families to
their special Merovingian descendants. The fact was not new. Indeed, to
consolidate his claim to the Frankish throne, Charlemagne had married a
Merovingian princess.
The flowering of the feminine principle in Provence had a very specific
cause, which has been overlooked by historians who suggest that the Crusades
had brought new cultural trends from the Middle East: the followers of the secret
"church of the Grail" believed that the time to proclaim their heritage and make
their version of the Christian faith known. The king of Jerusalem was a
descendant of David. The Davidic "anointed" had been offered the throne of his
fathers in the person of Godfrey of Lorraine in the year 1099.
After the appointment of Godfrey's heirs to the title of kings of Jerusalem,
the poets felt freer in the face of the stories and legends of the Sangraal and the
romances about the Grail flourished in abundance. The poets residing in the
noble courts of Europe were finally free to weave their stories, pointing again
and again to the prestige and functions of the Grail family. Stories of Parsifal's
search for the Holy Grail were reported in all courts and the legends of King
Arthur, originally written in the 9TH century by the Welsh clergyman Nennius,
were linked to the Grail, developing in all directions, always with the quest for
the Grail as an underlying motive. The list of TWELFTH- century court poets who
wrote the early Grail epic includes Guiot de Provins, Robert de Boron, Chrétien
de Troyes, Walter Map, and Wolfram von Eschenbach.
It has sometimes been suggested that the earliest version of the Grail story
was known to the Moors of Spain and was later brought to France. But the
Sangraal originating from old French legends is a specifically Christian myth
and much older than the Moorish presence in Spain and even older than the
Islamic faith itself. It is a myth typical of Provence. In fact, and as we have
already seen, the oldest legends indicate that the Sangraal landed in the year 42
in Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. It may have later been associated with the
ancient Celtic legends of the wizard Cauldron of Bran—hence a native of
Europe—but the Celtic vase is not called the Sangraal. The word "Sangraal" is
reserved very specifically for the chalice or vessel that once contained the blood
of Christ.

Page 79
THE TROVATORS
An interesting aspect of the Albigensian crusade against the sectarians of
Provence is the fate of the troubadours. These singers and songwriters of the 12TH
and 13TH centuries extolled the virtues of their "Lady", a beautiful and kind
woman in all respects, whose servants wanted to be so in everything, whose
favor they wanted to earn and whose praises they could not resist singing. In
their songs they often called her Dompna , which in the langue d'oc is the word
equivalent to the Latin Domina (feminine of Dominus : lord). ( Dominus is the
most frequent title given to Jesus by the Latin liturgies of the Catholic Church).
The Dompna of the troubadours was the source of their enthusiasm and joy
of life, the reason for taking up the cross of the crusaders and returning the Holy
Land to Christianity. She was his mentor and patron. Often the lady was a secret
love, although they sang her praises in public! And the things they knew about
her they kept secret along with her name. She was simply the “madam.” And the
troubadour was his humble and obedient vassal, who swore secrecy and loyalty.
His only reward was to be ennobled with the association and company of his
mistress.
Examples of this feeling abound in the poems of the troubadours, as
demonstrated by these verses taken from a song by Arnaut Daniel, a 12TH CENTURY
POET:

Every day I am a better and purer man because I serve the most noble
lady in the world,

and I adore her, I tell you openly [7] .

Such is the frequency with which these feelings of exaltation of the Dompna are
expressed, that more than one scholar has suggested the possibility that they all
sing the praises of the same lady or perhaps a "feminine" ideal, rather than a
particular lady. (although evidently many of the troubadour poems were
dedicated to a specifically human mentor and lover).
Some modern specialists who have studied the literary genre of courtly love
songs, written by the troubadours of Provence, have sometimes suggested that
such poets were clandestine Cathars and that such a lady was their own
particular cult or heresy, the church of love. that provided them with a secret
solace and that inspired their poetry [8] . The work of Denis de Rougemont is
especially cited in the sense that the troubadours were Cathars. A troubadour,
Peire Vidal, is mentioned, who magnifies and thanks certain Provençal courts for
their gracious hospitality. Well, each of the courts that the poet mentions is

Page 80
known to have been a "mother house" of the so-called Cathar heresy [9] .
It is true that the troubadours were interrogated by special legates of the
Pope and later by members of the Inquisition, which was created for the specific
purpose of identifying the heretics of Provence. And, in accordance with that
purpose, the ministers ( minstrels ) and their poetry were judged heretical. In the
year 1209, the troubadour Gui D'Ussel received the order from a papal legate to
stop composing [10] . Many troubadours went into exile and others changed the
content of their songs. And in the end the lady was idealized and immortalized
as an "eternal feminine principle" and often as the Virgin "Holy Mary." But the
original Saint Mary of the court poets - her Dompna - was, I believe, the patron
saint of her region, in which chapels dedicated to the Magdalene are inevitable
and frequent, and in which her cult flourished from the end of the century VIII [11] .
She was his Domina , the female replica of the Dominus , of the Lord; not a
prostitute but the lady.

THE GROWING CULT OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER

The flowering of civilization in the 12TH century under the kind tutelage of "Our
Lady" promoted the studies of astronomy and mathematics, medicine and
mysticism, art and architecture. These disciplines, which included the ancient
practice of sacred geometry, were significantly enhanced by contact with the
highly developed Islamic civilization. For about one hundred and twenty years,
namely, from the return of the veterans of the first crusade to the Inquisition,
instituted to quell it, medieval civilization flourished profusely.
The Church of Rome, sensing that it was dangerous to let the rumor of Jesus'
marriage and his supposed offspring spread, moved quickly and firmly in the 13th
century to establish that the Mary whom the faith venerated was the mother of
Jesus. , and not his wife. All Christians honored the mother of Jesus, and found
comfort in her invocation. Among its many sanctuaries, Chartres Cathedral
stood out, which had been the site of an ancient cult in honor of the Black
Virgin, centered around a statue known as "Our Lady the Underground", located
in a grotto beneath the architectural structure. .
Pilgrims had flocked to the sanctuary of Our Lady, in Chartres, since pre-
Christian times. Today they continue to gather next to the medicinal waters of
the “Pozo de la Fuente”, in the crypt where the original statue of the Virgin was
enthroned. That image of the Virgin was destroyed in the 16TH CENTURY; However,
legend states that the sanctuary, consecrated to the mother goddess and so
frequently venerated as a well or fountain, was already considered holy by the

Page 81
Druids, long before the Christians incorporated it into their cult. Sanctioned by
the Church of Rome, the cult of Our Lady and the feminine (including mystical
phenomena, healings and changes) flourished in the medieval school of
Chartres, which became a famous center of enlightenment and home to a cult of
"Mary." Sofia", the goddess of wisdom.
The current cathedral, built between 1194 and 1220 on the sacred grotto that
guarded the statue, is a Gothic monument to the doctrine of perfect balance and
harmony. Louis Charpentier, a mystical scholar who has studied Chartres
Cathedral in depth, believes that the order of the Knights of the Temple, or
Knights Templar, was behind its layout and construction, as well as other
cathedrals built in France between 1130 and 1250 [12] . The order of the Knights
Templar created an extensive network of construction and agricultural
exploitation companies that stimulated the economy of French cities, bringing
new prosperity to the region. As the name of the order indicates, its special work
was the construction of monasteries, churches and cathedrals. I believe that that
vocation It was the culminating point in the attempt to reestablish the feminine
principle of medieval society.

THE TEMPLE BUILDERS

It has been suggested that the Knights Templar order had access to the esoteric
wisdom of the classical world, perhaps preserved in Islamic sources, which
members of the order found in the Near East. His knowledge of mathematics and
engineering gave rise to Gothic-style architecture, which spread almost
overnight throughout Europe during the period 1130-1250, as if obeying a
preconceived plan. The delicate balance between thrust and buttress, the
harmony in stone of these cathedrals, many of which were dedicated to Our
Lady, attest to a knowledge of geometry and an engineering technique far above
anything that had until then been practiced in Europe.
There seems to be a close connection between the Knights Templar and the
development of the art of masonry and the guilds that built the Gothic cathedrals
of Europe. The Knights Templar planned and financed the temples, and guilds of
builders were formed to carry out their projects. It is said that such masons
transferred the dogmas of their faith to the cathedrals, a faith that was expressed
through the language of mathematics and symbols. The main dogma of that faith
was the cosmic principle of harmony between masculine and feminine energies.
But many of the Templars' secrets can be discovered by examining the
measurements and details of their buildings. The guild of builders who built
Chartres and other French cathedrals of that period called themselves "the sons

Page 82
of Solomon [13] ", a clear reference to the son of King David who built the first
Hebrew temple in Jerusalem. Such a designation has, however, even deeper
associations. Solomon was also famous for his wisdom and to him was attributed
the biblical book of the Song of Songs, the amatory song of the hieròs gámos of
the ancient world. The Old Testament Book of Wisdom also proclaims that
Solomon sought wisdom as his wife. Thus, the name of the guild of masons that
built the cathedrals helps us connect with the wisdom tradition of ancient
Judaism. And her vocation was the construction of temples that would restore
the feminine principle of the medieval world.
The incessant campaign of the Inquisition against the Albigensian heresy
and the preeminent families of Provence—many of whose members were
Templars—soon put an end to the graft of the feminine and the branches of art
and science that sprouted from it. In his book The Mysteries of Chartres
Cathedral , Louis Charpentier observes that the spirit that inspired authentic
Gothic cathedrals inexplicably disappeared after 1250, although the "virtuous"
flamboyant style in which they continued to be built is a copy of it.
Perhaps we can explain this enigmatic flight of the spirit. The year 1250
corresponds to the growing power of the inquisitors, the desolation of Provence
and the destruction of the Cathar fortress of Montségur. No wonder that spirit
disappeared! The subsequent attempt to reestablish the feminine was severely
repressed, and mystics, artists and scientists of the heretical church were forced
to cultivate their knowledge underground. The long-flourishing disciplines of
medicine, alchemy, astrology, mysticism, and psychology were forced into a
clandestine existence and condemned as "occult sciences."
However, many monuments from the 12TH-13TH centuries still bear witness to
the enlightened mentality of their architects and builders. A uniquely fascinating
example of "occult" geometry is found in the church of San Miniato in Florence,
Italy, built in 1207, which Fred Gettings has studied in a recent book [14] . This
church features a mosaic zodiac and a coded inscription on its marble floor,
which Gettings believes show that the church was deliberately oriented towards
a rare stellium , consisting of the conjunction of the planets Mercury, Venus and
Saturn in the sign of Taurus. , which occurred at the end of May 1207. That such
precision of alignment was possible indicates that the architect of San Miniato
had at his disposal the secret wisdom of the ancients. Such alignment also
indicates that the practice of astrology was important in medieval Europe.
Astrology was one of the arts taught at the school of Chartres in the 12TH and
13TH CENTURIES. The study of astronomy enabled initiates to contemplate the
celestial laws and the grandiose project of the divine geometer, the Creator. The
“foundation charters” model for Western European cathedrals represented an

Page 83
attempt to align the structures and plans of the city of God on the earth of the
cosmos, reflected in the movements of the planets. Sacred geometry, designed to
reflect the order of the celestial bodies, is an ancient science and art that was
openly practiced in temple architecture for millennia, until the Inquisition forced
its hidden practice.
We have discussed how the Templar faith, which celebrated the cosmic
balance of opposites, was incorporated into cathedrals. The magnificent "rose
windows" of the stained glass windows are another example of the feminine
resurgence among the designers of medieval churches in honor of "Notre-
Dame." Medieval gypsies also believed that the Gothic cathedrals of Our Lady
built in northern France were deliberately sited so as to form a mirror image of
the constellation Virgo—"Our Lady"—drawn on the ground.
Although the Catholic Church had officially suppressed the veneration of
Jesus' wife, shrines dedicated to the Virgin Mary continued to flourish and
attract pilgrims from all over Europe. The cult of the feminine was thus able to
reach its apotheosis in the invocation of Mary as the Virgin, Queen of heaven.
But while the Virgin Mary adequately represents the maternal aspect of the
feminine, the doctrine of her perpetual virginity implicitly denies the wifely
aspect. And, as beautiful as that mother is, it is clear that someone very real and
precious was disappearing from Christian history. That someone was the
girlfriend/wife.

THE TEMPLE OF THE WIFE

In 1991 Henry Lincoln published a fascinating book, in which he describes the

practice of sacred geometry by the medieval Templars. In this book, entitled The
Holy Place , Lincoln relates that in the cradle of heresy - the region surrounding
Rennes-le-Château, in Provence - there are five mountains, which form a perfect
five-pointed star, and a sixth mountain located at the geometric center of the star
[15]
. According to the author, the inhabitants of the area perceived such
geographical formation as a natural temple to the goddess of love. The
configuration of this geographical temple prompted the landowners and nobles
of the region to build their citadels and chapels in accordance with the
alignments that form perfect five- and six-pointed stars on the ground. This can
be seen by tracing existing buildings and ruins on a map of the area, which is
what Lincoln did. The book provides highly suggestive evidence of the practice
of sacred geometry in the region's cult of its Domina or mistress, the Magdalene.
When the Pope of Rome and the French king Philip IV decided to dissolve
the secret order of the Knights Templar in 1307, the few who managed to escape

Page 84
went into hiding, some reappearing later in

Scotland. Four centuries later, much of the Templar doctrine was reincarnated in
the secret fraternity of the Freemasons. There are many archaeological
testimonies that link modern Freemasons with the Knights Templar. That
material, so relevant to our search for the lost bride of Jesus, is well worth
detailed analysis.

FREEMASONRY AND THE TEMPLARS

Modern Freemasonry is strongly attracted to the symbolism of the Temple of
Solomon, built on Mount Zion in the 10th century BC. C. The Solomonic temple
was built with the help of Hiram of Tyre, the craftsman who carved the twin
columns, the sacred vessels and other ornamentation, who is remembered in the
biblical book 1 Kings 7, 13ff. Hiram was a prototype of the medieval alchemists,
the "metalworkers." Whatever the connections may be between the Knights
Templar, the alchemists, the masonry guild, and the later development of
"speculative" Freemasonry, they certainly share many of the myths and secrets
related to the restoration of balance and the plan for rebuild the destroyed
temple.
The guild of builders, who built Chartres and other Gothic cathedrals, called
themselves the sons of Solomon, as we have seen. Another similar epithet,
"widow's sons", appears repeatedly in the rituals of modern Freemasonry,
providing one of the testimonies that connect modern Freemasonry with the
Grail heresy. Parsifal, the hero of the Grail poem written by Wolfram von
Eschenbach, is called "the son of the widowed lady." Added to the allusion made
in the Hebrew book of Lamentations to the desolate "widow of Jerusalem", this
epithet can be understood as a reference to the Jewish descendants of King
David. David's lineage is traced back to Ruth, the Moabite widow who
accompanied her mother-in-law to Judea and later married Naomi's relative
Boaz. King David was his great-grandson.
It is quite curious that, in some ancient references, the devotees of the
Mediterranean goddess Isis were also called "sons of the widow." The artistic
identification of Mary Magdalene with the goddess Isis, the "queen of heaven
and earth", who lamented over the mutilated body of Osiris, from whom she
conceived her son, is already noted.
The epithet "sons of the widow" seems to have been extended by those who
knew the Sangraal to include the descendants of Jesus' widow, who was

Page 85
personally a "scion" or cutting of the Davidic royal line. The myth of David's
preeminence and favored status continued to flourish among the Templar
families.

H IRAM OF TIRO AND THE TWIN COLUMNS

Hiram, the master architect of Solomon's temple, was another "widow's son" (1
Kings 7:13). That biblical Hiram stands out in the ritual of Freemasonry in the
foundation myth and in the initiation rite of the third degree he is called Hiram
Abiff. That Hiram of Tyre, the widow's son, sculpted the two bronze columns of
the Solomonic temple, called Yachin ("established") on the right and Boaz
("strength") on the left (1 Kings 7, 21) . In Hebrew, which is read from right to
left, the meaning of the columns is “established in strength.” Because of the
symbolism attributed to them, these two columns of Hiram are very important
for our discussion of Jesus' widow and the vine of David's lineage. They are
maintained recurrently and are among the marks of heresy, which we will
discuss in the next chapter (figure 1).

FIGURE 1. THE TWIN COLUMNS

In Masonic ritual the "foundation myth" of Hiram is a thinly disguised

reference to another "master architect" who was foully murdered, and his plans
for the temple were lost or stolen. Here it is necessary to note that the Greek
New Testament does not really call Jesus a "carpenter" but rather a teknon
(Mark 6:3). Téknon was a construction engineer, someone who designed and
built a house, a bridge, a boat or furniture [16] . References to the "master builder"
Hiram are references by association to Jesus, who had the "master plan" for the
City of God, a plan that was lost after his death when his message was corrupted.

Page 86
Perhaps the word teknon was misinterpreted and translated as "carpenter", later
applied to Jesus in a literal and not figurative way, as it was supposed to have
been. Perhaps it was supposed to be a symbolic reference to Jesus as the master
builder and architect of the New Covenant.

LADY M ATRONITE
The construction of cathedrals in honor of Our Lady by guilds of builders in
medieval Europe can be considered a parallel phenomenon to the attempts of
Jewish Kabbalists in THIRTEENTH -century Spain to reestablish the female
counterpart of Yahweh in their own myths. Alternately designated the Shekinah
and Matronite, she was the consort of Yahweh, in the mythologies of the
Kabbalists. It had been lost to Yahweh since the destruction of the Jerusalem
temple in AD 70. C [17] . According to that myth, since the bridal chamber of
their union in marriage no longer exists, Yahweh has to reign alone in the vault
of heaven, separated from his beloved consort. Matronita, now homeless,
emigrates into exile as her people, the Jews, embarked on the path of the
diaspora.
Everything seems to indicate that many theologians and philosophers of the
Middle Ages warned of the need to reestablish the postponed feminine principle
in the celestial paradigm in order to restore balance to society. They were simply
applying the esoteric principle "On earth as it is in heaven."

THE COLLAPSE “KING FISHER ”

The medieval Jewish myth of Yahweh and Matronita reproduces the theme of
the Grail legends: without his consort the king lacks any strength and power. It is
the loss of God's feminine complement that causes the wound that never heals,
and the deserted and desolate land was a reflection of God's wound.
In the legends it is never stated that the lost Grail is the Bride. But the
identity of the "Fisher King" of the Parsifal legend, written by Wolfram von
Eschenbach, is clear: the wounded king is called Anfortas, a corruption of in
fortis , meaning "in strength." It is the Latin name of the left column of the
temple in Jerusalem, called Boaz in Hebrew. The designation of said column,
which is also the name of the ancestor of King David, constitutes a clear and
patent reference to the promises made to the Davidic progeny, to the line of the
princes of Judah in the sense that their dominion would be restored forever "in
strength," since Judah was the strongest of the twelve sons of the patriarch

Page 87
Jacob-Israel. Thus, the name of Anfortas is associated with the left column of the
temple in Jerusalem, which was broken as a symbol of the interrupted Davidic
succession.
In the story the “Fisher King” Anfortas—that is, the “Fisherman King”
Jesus, of the lineage of David—can only be healed when the Grail is recovered.
This will only happen when the relevant questions are asked. The loss of the
feminine complement is the cause of the king's wound; but the story was
misunderstood by later interpreters of the legend, who assumed that the Grail
was an object, when it was about the lost and repudiated wife.

Page 88
 HIDDEN RELIC OF THE CHURCH

The hidden Church of the Grail managed to keep the other version of
Christianity alive for centuries. It was the adherents of that heresy who
understood the nature of the King's wound and who believed that only the
reestablishment of his wife in the celestial paradigm could heal the desolate land.
Perhaps the time has come to examine some of the places where the Grail heresy
and the occult Church, escaping the long arm of the inquisitor, strove for the
flourishing of the arts, crafts and literature of Western Europe.
Harold Bayley's book The Lost Language of Symbolism appeared in 1912. It
is a work in two volumes, which uses philology and mythology to explain
certain symbols and emblems, which are found in the brands of the first
stationers of Provence [1] . Those waters or marks, the designs printed on the
sheets of paper, are found on the pages of European Bibles. Bayley's
monumental work contains a wide range of comparative mythology, folklore,
biblical texts and classical references. It includes more than four hundred
drawings of waters and marks, found by him and his predecessor Charles-Moïse
Briquet in the pages of Bibles from the 13TH to 18TH CENTURIES. The oldest marks
date back to the year 1282 [2] .
The Albigensian heretics also made these symbolic marks on the paper they
used to print the popular literature of their time. Remnants of those heresies can
be found in such indelible marks. In other words: the paper merchants found an
ingenious way to hide their beliefs under symbols, in order to protect them from
the Inquisition. Through these resources they secretly preserved the emblems of
their faith for centuries.

I believe that Bayley was wrong to interpret the heresy that appears in such

Page 89
waters as purely mystical. In many cases the emblems are both political and
doctrinal and the heresy to which many of them allude is that of the Grail.
We have already seen that the southern part of France was a hotbed for the
Grail heresy and for the flowering of arts and letters in the 12th century. The
marks investigated by Bayley shed much light on the faith of the heretics, who
apparently believed that Jesus had been an earthly vessel of the spirit of God and
that his teachings would lead to personal enlightenment and transformation.
Many also believed that Jesus had been married and that his blood continued to
flow in the veins of some of the Provençal families. Some of the paper brands
were mystical and referred to the form of personal holiness and purification and
service to others, highlighted in the gospels. But even such teachings were
heretical in that they deviated from the liturgical rites and sacraments of the
Church of Rome. Other waters were heretical because they pointed to the belief
in a married Jesus, who was the royal heir of David.
One of the most prominent emblems of paper manufacturers seems to have
been the unicorn (figure 2). According to Bayley, more than eleven hundred
paper waters discovered by him represented that mythical one-horned animal.
The intentional use of that symbol of Christ, the archetypal husband, is so
important in medieval folklore that I hope to discuss it at length in the next
chapter. For reasons of enormous importance to our subject, it became one of the
favorite motifs in medieval Europe.

FIGURE 2. THE UNICORN

There are also numerous popular waters that draw a lion. It is an animal with

Page 90
many variants, but the "mystics" or heretics understood it as the lion of Judah.
The Hebrew Bible alludes to this image for the first time in Genesis 49, 8-10:
«Judah, your brothers will exalt you..., your father's sons will bow down before
you. You are a lion's cub, O Judah... The scepter will not depart from Judah..."
(NIV).
In another book of the Old Testament, 1 Chronicles 5:2, it is stated that the
princes of Israel will come from the tribe of Judah, because it was the strongest
of the twelve sons of Jacob. King David, who was the youngest of Jesse's sons,
descended from Judah through the line of Boaz and Ruth. For his part, Jesus was
hailed as "son of David" during his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the
people shouted "Hosanna!" and spread palm branches before him. In Revelation
5:5 it is openly proclaimed that the Lamb, who has been slain and sits at the right
hand of the immortal God, is "the lion of the tribe of Judah." That is the lion that
appears in the waters of the paper of Provence: Jesus himself.
In one such mark, copied by Bayley, the lion carries a grenade at the end of
its tail (figure 3a); in another, his beard looks like a bunch of grapes (figure 3b).
Bursting with red kernels, the pomegranate is a symbol of physical fertility in
ancient religions. In the Song of Songs the garden of the wife and husband is
described as an orchard of pomegranates. And the cluster of grapes is a clear
reference to the vine that in the Hebrew Holy Scriptures constitutes a metaphor
for Israel's heritage: "The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel and the
people of Judah are its favorite plantation" (Isaiah 5 , 7).

FIGURE 3. THE JUDA'S LION

Page 91
 In some cases the fleur-de-lis sprouts from the lion's head. That trifoliate iris
is the common symbol to identify the Merovingian king Clovis I (466-511) and
the legitimate monarchical line of France. Thus a lion painted with a fleur-de-lys
sprouting from its head or forming the plume of its tail is most likely a political
reference to the royal progeny that was intended to be that of Israel and France:
the line of the princes of Judah. .

Page 92
 FIGURE 4. THE GRAIL

Other waters show a vase, which Bayley calls "the Grail," often with a
bunch of grapes or several branches of fleurs-de-lys (figure 4). One such vessel
bears the initials MM for “Mary Magdalene” (figure 4a) or perhaps “María
Maior”, and another, those of MR for “María Regina” (figure 4b). Both epithets
could be applied to both the Magdalene and the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ,
to whom it is usually assumed that they referred. The reference of such epithets
points to the "vessel" or carrier, through which the royal line of Israel and Judah
was continued. In other figures the fleur-de-lis sprouts from an amphora (figures
4b, 4c). Some emblems also show bunches of grapes framing the letters IC (=
Iesus Christus, in Latin) and the Merovingian fleur-de-lis (figure 5).

Page 93
 FIGURE 5. JUDAH'S VINE

Another significant symbol found in the waters of the paper is the bear
(figure 6), an animal that folklore linked to the Merovingians. He is the "strong
one" who has slept for a long time and who is expected to wake up soon and
return from his long hibernation. The name and legend of King Arthur have
strong associations with that Merovingian bear. In fairy tales it appears in a story
called "White Snow and Red Rose." He is under a form of spell by an evil dwarf
and the enchantment must be broken somehow in order for him to return to his
true form, which is that of a beautiful prince.

FIGURE 6. THE MEROVINGIAN BEAR

Sometimes the water bear on the paper carries a "cross of light", a sign of

Page 94
true enlightenment or the letters LUX on its back (figures 6a, 6b). The glyph of
the six-pointed cross of light is common to many waters. The word LUX was of
special importance to the Albigensian heretics, whose fundamental dogma was
illumination or truth. When lux —the Latin word meaning “light”—is broken
down into the Greek letters , and , the entire word is recapitulated in the letter X,
which came to designate “truth” [3] . That symbol of the letter This symbol was
used to mark the initiates of the Qumran monastery, on the Dead Sea. Later
Christians adopted the practice of marking those receiving baptism with the
“sign of the cross.” I believe that this mark, the X, is a heretical symbol that
identified the Grail heresy and the occult church, and that was incorporated into
the esoteric tradition of European art.
Sometimes the bear appears in the waters of the paper with a trumpet or horn
(figures 6c and 6e), the horn being a symbol of heretical preaching (figure 7).
Like the mythical horn of the French epic hero in La Chanson de Roland , its
sound has the power to break rock. With respect to Christianity, the "rock" that
heretical preaching breaks into pieces is the "rock of Peter," the concrete and
rigid doctrines of the institutional Church. In some folk songs, the magical
power of “making the desert green ” is attributed to the horn.

FIGURE 7. THE HORN OF THE SPIRIT

In the European fairy tale "Jack the Killing Giant" we find the bear horn that
will break the enchantment and destroy the infamous ogre, who has the castle

Page 95
and all the people of the region in captivity. The story reveals that when the horn
is finally blown, it will free everyone and heal the country. It is impossible not to
remember the walls of Jericho, which collapsed at the sound of the Hebrew
trumpets. In the eyes of the heretics of Provence, the Inquisition of the Catholic
and Roman Church was the boastful ogre, from whose omnipresent spies they
carefully guarded the dogmas of their faith.
Another symbol, found among the marks of heretical stationers, is the Cross
of Lorraine (figure 8a). Godfrey of Lorraine was offered the crown of Jerusalem
after the first crusade and after the knights of Christian Europe had defeated
again and again the Saracens who owned the Holy City. As we discussed in the
last chapter, it was argued in Godfrey's favor that he was a scion of the
Merovingians, whose descendants called themselves the vine, which was said to
be generationally linked to Jesus. One of the objectives of the first crusade
seems to have been to install a son of that royal descent on the throne of
Jerusalem, so that the millennial promises found in Isaiah 11 would finally be
fulfilled. The politics of the time seem to reflect the belief that if David's
dynastic line was reestablished on the throne of Jerusalem, the predicted
millennium of God's reign would begin.

FIGURE 8. MILLENNIUM BIRD

After the defeat of the Saracens in 1099, Jerusalem was ruled for some time
by the House of Lorraine. Godfrey soon fell ill and died, and was succeeded by
his brother Baldwin I, who accepted the title of king of Jerusalem. The Holy
City was later reconquered by the Saracens and subsequent crusades attempted
to recapture it over a period of several centuries. But the millenarian hopes of the
heretics did not die. There were later attempts to place scions of the noble House
of Lorraine on other thrones in Europe. The related Habsburg-Lorraine royal
family became famous for their marriage alliances. The word of the Lord to the

Page 96
“scion” or heir of King David said: “Not with an army nor with strength, but
with my spirit!” (Zechariah 4, 6). Well, this sensible motto is linked to the
Austrian house of Habsburg-Lorraine: “Others make war; you, happy Austria,
make marriages. It seems that the idea of dynastic consolidation through
marriage ties is old in that family, so closely linked to the Sangraal.
Unlike the common cross, the Cross of Lorraine has two crossbars or
horizontal sticks: the upper and shorter one represents the scroll with the
inscription INRI, cipher and compendium of Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum .
According to the Gospels, it appeared by order of Pilate on the head of Jesus,
hanging on the cross (Mark 15, 26; John 19, 19), and constituted a testimony in
favor of the fundamental dogma of the hidden church, for which Jesus was the
rightful king of the line of David.

For centuries the Cross of Lorraine has been a rallying cry for the freedom of
France. One of Bayley's waters represents a globe, symbol of the Earth, crowned
by the double crossbar (figure 8a). And it is certainly interesting that the French
resistance used the same cross to unite patriots in their work of sabotage during
the Nazi occupation of France in World War II. It is also used on the cards of
members of modern Freemasonry, although in this case forming two X's in a
row. This emblem certifies a long connection between modern Freemasonry and
the dogmas of the Grail heresy, a connection endorsed again and again by the
authors of The Sacred Enigma . The tilted emblem appears to be a coded
statement: "True enlightenment remains with the House of Lorraine in the
dogmas of the Grail heresy."

THE LEAF AND THE CHALICE

Bayley believes that the AVM glyph forming A has the meaning of "Millennium
Ave" or "Thy kingdom come" (figure 8). The inner M can also be understood as
a figure for "Mary." The Orthodox see it as a sign of "Hail Mary" and believe
that it refers to the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. The implicit meaning of the
symbol is that the millennial promises can only be realized when A and V come
together in harmony. The A is the archetypal masculine symbol, the “leaf,”
while the V is its “equal opposite,” the archetypal feminine, the “chalice.” The
harmony thus reestablished in heaven will be reflected in relationships on earth.
At present we have the paradigm of an always celibate son and a virgin
mother as our ideal of holiness. One possible result of that combination is the
devaluation of marital relationships based on flesh and blood for centuries.

Page 97
Nevertheless, the relationships of wife and husband represent the divine model
of holiness, as manifested by countless prophets and mystics. We should note
that this symbol is duplicated in the compass and T-square emblem of modern
Freemasonry, which had its roots in the medieval hope of the peaceful
millennium.

FIGURE 9. THE LETTER M

The letter M stands out in many of the heretical waters. We have just
observed that the letter M was formed by adding a V to the leaf symbol with a
view to tracing the glyph or groove of Ave Millennium or Ave María. The letter
M often appears with a fleur-de-lis emerging from its center (figures 9c, 9d).
Other drawings that represent multiple Ms are towers and castles (figure 10).
References are possible to the Magdal or "bulwark" of the daughter of Zion
(Micah 4, 8-9). Bayley has found numerous complicated crowns, which form the
letter M (figure 11a). The same G that stands out in the center of the compass
and the emblem of the T-square of Freemasonry, where it is now considered a
reference to the word geometry (and not to Gesù). Another emblem features the
LUX cross and fleur-de-lis of royal descent (figure 11b), along with the initials
IC of Iesu Christi.

Page 98
 FIGURE 10. THE TOWER OF THE FLOCK

Many of the waters have multiple M's as symbols of Mary Magdalene and
the waves of the sea ( mare in Latin); Miriam, the “salt sea” or “lady of the sea”
in Hebrew [5] . The meaning of waves is the dissolution of forms. And, as we
well know, water can come as torrents of storm and flood, violent and
destructive, and in the form of calm currents. But even tiny streams can cause
erosion and eventual destruction.

Page 99
 FIGURE 11. THE CROWN

The heretical doctrine of the marriage of Jesus, like the waves formed by the
MM (initials of Mary Magdalene), was understood—as I believe—as linked to
the sign of Aquarius. And since that sign was interpreted as a symbol of the
dissolution of forms, I suspect that the heretics hoped that their doctrine of the
marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene would eventually erode the
existing monolith of the Orthodox Church. Thus the way could be paved for an
enlightened and healthy myth, in which the Earth was understood as God's
partner, as the sacred vessel containing divinity.
It is an idea that still makes sense today. The reestablishment of the wife, or

Page 100
the feminine principle, in the visual paradigm of Christianity would heal the
commonly prevailing schism between spirit and matter, while also healing the
wounded psyche of man and woman. The resurrected Jesus would no longer be
separated from his wife. The heretics seem to have believed that the restoration
of Jesus' wife would heal the desolate land and make the desert bloom, a motif
that appears repeatedly in the Grail legends.
The doctrines of the heretics, like those of the Orthodox Church, attested to a
myth, which provided a structure for their beliefs. Like the Christian myth, the
Grail heresy surely had its roots in the promises and prophecies of the Hebrew
Bible. The heresiarchs took the promises of Scripture in favor of the dynasty of
David in as literal a sense as they had been taken by the Jewish people, and most
particularly by the purists and the zealots at the time of Jesus' ministry in Israel.
Supporters of the Grail heresy probably believed that one day a ruler from the
royal house of David would be restored to the throne of Israel, who would rule
the entire world with peace and justice.
In this respect their beliefs were an echo of the beliefs of Judaism. The
difference was that for many heretics of the Middle Ages the "just ruler"
prophesied by Isaiah would be a descendant of both David and Jesus. It would
sprout from the "Mary vine" of the Merovingians. For them, the Catholic and
Roman Church was not the incarnation of the City of God on earth, nor the "new
Israel", heir of the promises of the Hebrew prophets, as it claimed to be. They
believed that many of the doctrines of that Church were false and they
stubbornly adhered to their own version of the myth of the promise. They may
even have believed that the “branch of the root of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1) would
eventually produce a second Messiah/King, who would rule the world.

LINKS WITH MEDIEVAL ALCHEMY

The symbols of the medieval Grail heresy also seem to link with the dogmas of
alchemy, found in the writings of the old spiritual masters. The search, by the
aforementioned alchemists, for a method to convert lead into gold through a
series of chemistry and metallurgy processes has been the subject of widespread
misunderstanding. In fact, the metal symbols used in those writings were a
"mask" or façade mentioned to mislead the uninitiated. The system seemed to
refer to metallurgy, and so many aspiring scientists and gold seekers took the
words and symbols of the alchemists literally and locked themselves in artisanal
laboratories, thus giving rise to modern chemistry.
The effective experiments and formulas of medieval initiates can also be
linked to the tinting of the magnificent stained glass, which was used for the

Page 101
stained glass windows of Gothic cathedrals. It is believed that this art appeared
in the Middle East during the 11th century, just in time for Western Crusaders to
find it there. References by some alchemists to the colors of heated metals (and
to the tints derived from combining and heating metals) could very well be
descriptions of the processes used in the art of glassmaking. Only the initiated
could know the formulas involved.
But the deepest and most hidden thought of the first masters of alchemy was
not precisely chemical, but of a theological, philosophical and psychological
nature. His writings reveal a concern for the mystical transformation of a
"natural" person into a spiritually enlightened being. That natural person was
designated "lead" and the spiritually transformed being was called "gold." As
gold is refined in fire, so the human spirit was purified in the crucible of life.
The guides for spiritual transformation were the Holy Scriptures and certain
esoteric initiations that provided illumination. The agent of that illumination was
the Holy Spirit. Such a system was considered heretical as it ignored the
established Church and taught mystical doctrines of the perfectibility of man
through love and enlightenment. Consequently, alchemists harassed by the
Inquisition carefully concealed their faith behind the enigmatic symbols of
metallurgy.
It is significant that Hiram of Tyre, the widow's son hired to build Solomon's
temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 7:13), was a metal craftsman; that is, an alchemist.
In the ancient world, knowledge of metals and their properties and bonds was a
secret privilege of the royal house. It was synonymous with wealth and power.
In fact, the refining of gold was the most esteemed of all state secrets. Similarly
formulas that provided stronger alloys for weapons and brighter, non-rusting
metals for ornamentation were closely guarded secret. That Hiram of Tyre,
prototype of the alchemist, and Tubal Cain, "the forerunner of those who forge
instruments of iron and bronze" (Genesis 5, 22), are ancient links in the chain
that connects medieval alchemists with modern freemasons and with those
descendants of the Davidic line who seek to claim the epithet "sons of the
widow."

THE HERMETIC TRADITION

Another indication of this association between medieval alchemists and modern
Freemasonry can also be found in the name of Hiram. Hiram has a linguistic
identification with the Greek Hermes (the Roman Mercury and the Egyptian
Thoth), who was the messenger of the gods and the guardian of the crossroads,
the "X". This "god of polarities" is often represented with wings on his feet and

Page 102
with the caduceus (the herald emblem of the gods) and occupies a prominent
place in the writings of alchemists. As the element mercury or "quicksilver" is
difficult to grasp and constantly changes shape, Hermes is known as the
"mocker" or "deceiver" ( joker ), as he governs the principle of synchronicity,
when the "coincidence of meaning" provides instant lighting. It resembles a
bridge that connects spirit and matter. That principle was understood by
alchemists as the vehicle of transformation and Hermes was honored as the
bringer of light.
We would need a second volume to expose the importance of Hermes in the
wisdom tradition. Hiram of Tyre, the metal craftsman and master architect of
Solomon's temple (whose columns, pomegranates, ornamental lilies, meshes,
and vessels are written about in 1 Kings), was adapted as the prototype of the
enlightened alchemist, whose guide is Hermes. The Rosicrucian founding myth
includes the story of "Hermes thrice great," Hermes Trismegistus, a legendary
alchemist from Alexandria, who is often depicted with triple spears, his darts
symbolizing enlightenment. Initiates who follow his teachings are generally
known as hermetics.
And we now return to other enigmatic remains of the Grail heresy, which
have been preserved in European culture. I have been able to find abundant
evidence of occult heresy in both the art and literature of Western Europe from
the times of the Dark Period to the time after the First Crusade (1099), in
increasing numbers. Hidden references to the Grail heresy, present in many
ancient works of art, mysterious in themselves and which have been the subject
of false interpretations, deserve careful analysis.

T AROT CARDS
One of the medieval objects, symbolically linked to the heresy of the lost bride,
is the deck of Tarot cards, the prototype of our modern decks of cards. The
origins of the Tarot are said to be obscure, with speculation about it ranging
from India to Egypt.
Although it is known that Tarot cards existed as early as 1392, the oldest
deck that exists today is attributed to a 15th century painter, who could very well
have been Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506). The four suits and twenty-two
"trumps" of the decks of that period clearly share some symbols with the Grail
heresy; and especially the deck of Charles VI or "Gringonneur" seems to have a
close connection with the occult tradition. Around 1450 a Franciscan friar
preached against playing cards as a diabolical invention, condemning with
particular emphasis the cards of twenty-two trumps, which he said were "the

Page 103
steps of a ladder that leads to hell [6] ."
When the authorities of the Catholic Church condemned the Tarot cards not
as immoral and decadent, but as heretical, they were clearly aware of their
content. I believe that the trompes (trumps) of Charles VI's Tarot deck constitute
a kind of occult catechism for the contemporary Grail heresy. These letters can
be dated to the mid- 15TH century based on the clothing of the painted figures.
The stylized nimbus around female figures, used to represent the virtues of
justice, fortitude and prudence, had been popularized a century earlier by the
Tuscan painter Giotto (1267-1337).
Various dates have been proposed for such cards, but the dates are less
important than the accuracy of the symbols they contain. The artist knew exactly
what he wanted to represent and consciously used his symbols to teach the
dogmas of the Grail heresy. Unfortunately, six of the trumps in Charles VI's
deck have been lost; or, more likely, were eliminated.
From southern France the Grail heresy spread throughout all the courts of
Europe. I am not suggesting that the adherents of any European heretical sect
knew the dogmas of the Grail heresy (although it is possible that many did) but
in Provence the heresies of the Grail and Catharism went hand in hand,
overlapping each other: many Members of aristocratic families, linked to the
Grail genealogical line, were also Cathars. And, as we have seen, the Inquisition
and the Albigensian Crusade, which devastated Provence, razing castles and
destroying entire cities, were tireless in their attempts to exterminate the heresy
and the families that perpetuated it.
When Montségur, the last Cathar stronghold, fell in 1244, the heresy went
underground. Forced by necessity, some old heretics became public practitioners
of the established faith. They had no other tactic to survive. The heresy of the
vine or the vineyard, the survival of the genealogical line of Israel, had been
uprooted, or so it seemed. But in 1307 certain elements of heresy still flourished
under the secret rites of the Knights Templar, many of whom had roots in the
noble houses of Provence. When the Roman Curia realized that their old enemy
was hiding behind the red cross of the Templars, they attempted to annihilate the
entire order by decree, prosecuting them for heresy and torturing them for
information about their treasure.
A century later, Tarot cards circulated through the courts of Europe, carried
from city to city by gypsies, gamblers, conjurers and acrobats (the jongleurs ).
And they ended up being used on gaming tables in all corners of the European
continent. Those who now traveled to entertain people occupied the place left by
the troubadours and their symbols continue to live on in modern decks of cards.
For centuries the meaning of Tarot cards has been discussed with numerous

Page 104
revisions and interpretations, which link them with alchemy, with the secret
societies of Freemasons and Rosicrucians and with the occult in general. The
significance of many of the cards has been declared obscure, but maintaining an
aura of danger. When they first appeared in Europe, the Church condemned
them as heretical; but no one has been able to pin down with certainty the heresy
that underlies its symbols. It is knowledge of the Grail heresy that suddenly
illuminates this long-standing enigma.
A Tarot deck is made up of the Minor Arcana, which comprises four suits,
called swords, cups, pentagons and scepters, and the Major Arcana (the great
secrets) or "trumps." Our modern decks of cards no longer have trumps, which
were most viciously condemned, although a "trumps" ruse has been preserved in
many modern card games.
The only relic of the twenty-two original trumps, which has been preserved
in our modern decks of cards, is the joker , the jester or lotus, which recalls "the
clowns of God", who were entrusted with the dissemination of the dogmas of the
Albigensian heresy. It is an important figure for our topic and is frequently
found in the paper waters (figure 12). The jester is “a fool for Christ” (1
Corinthians 4, 10): “We fools for Christ's sake... go hungry and thirsty and
naked, receive slaps and wander without a home... If they insult us, we bless; If
they persecute us, we endure..." The links with those heretics, who were subject
to persecution, are clear. And still today the jester wins; It seems to have a
hidden and irrevocable power. By association with the jester or joker, he has also
been related to Hermes/Mercury, the messenger of the gods, often called the
trickster for his great ability to substitute others.

FIGURE 12. THE JOKER OR JESTER

Page 105
 The invention of cards has been attributed to gypsies; but I believe that they
rather adapted them for divination, as others arranged them as playing cards.
And, due to the internal symbolism of the oldest decks we know, I am convinced
that their source was the Albigensian heresy of the Grail. It seems likely that the
gypsies and comedians of the league, who accompanied the troubadours, learned
about the letters from the itinerant Albigensian preachers, who also taught them
the dogmas of their faith.

"hidden." To this day it is the gypsies who fill the streets of Les Saintes-Maries-
de-la-Mer every May to honor Sarah the Egyptian (Egyptian) as their dark
queen.

THE TRUMP
The word trompe in Old French means "trumpet", the same symbol of heretical
preaching found among the waters of the paper and that bursts the rock of the
Church of Peter. It was these triumphs that in the original decks illustrated the
effective dogmas and history of the underground Grail church. None of the
authorities on the subject seem to know exactly why the trumps of the Tarot
deck were branded subversive. This is partly because later copyists obscured the
original meanings of the symbols. Only the painters of the first decks knew
precisely what they were illustrating. Subsequent reworkings of the cards by
artists, who were unaware of the original content, were often random guesses or
inexperienced speculations, which did not reflect the original painter's intention
of the symbols. Many such paintings were mutilated or falsified over time, much
as the Grail legends took multiple directions away from the original story, until
the underlying theme was completely lost in the stories.
Only the oldest decks still in existence, among which the so-called deck of
Charles VI, preserve enough of the original symbolism to be able to identify the
heresy hidden in the trumps. For this reason we want to focus on said deck with
a view to deciphering the symbols. Let's see, then, what the symbols found in the
trumps of Charles VI's deck can tell us about the Sangraal.
The first triumph is El Inocentón, or Any Man. In Grail terminology this is
Parsifal, the uninitiated seeker. And to get started in the secrets you have to ask
the right questions. This path of the seeker, who must raise questions, is repeated
in the initiation rituals of Freemasonry.
That card is followed by the Jester or Joker , which survives in modern
decks. The Jester knows the secrets; He is the master of the Hermetic tradition.
Those two cards and the next two no longer exist in the deck of Charles VI; but

Page 106
it is possible to determine their images by analogy with the cards of later decks.

The next card would be The Popess. We have already referred to the fact
that in the heretical church women had achieved a position and status equal to
that of men. Many were said to be descendants of Jesus, this being one of the
dogmas of their faith. They called themselves the vine, alluding to the royal tribe
of Judah, “the plant of delights” of Yahweh (Isaiah 5:7). They also considered
sacred the line from John 15:5, "I am the vine and you are the branches," and
from Sirach (or biblical book of Ecclesiasticus) 24:17: "I, like a vine, have
caused grace to germinate."
According to The Sacred Enigma , a minority group was carefully chosen
and tasked with passing on the secret from generation to generation. It was
rumored that this secret cabal, called the Priory of Sion, had been formed by
Godfrey of Lorraine to protect the interests of royal genealogy. Its chief or
"grand master" was elected by the peers in perpetuity [7] , and after his election
Juana or Juana was always called, depending on whether it was a man or a
woman [8] . The clandestine church of love was considered parallel and equal,
although frontally opposed!, to the Church of Rome.
Four women reached the position and position of grand master of the Priory
of Sion [9] , in a real parallel with the Pope of the Roman Church. That third
triumph represents the Pope Joan. The church of which she is a symbol is the
church of the vineyard, the descendants of the other Mary, their royal matriarch.
That other church honors the principle “sitting at the left hand of God,” which is
the feminine principle. And it goes openly "against what is established" and
"institutional." Therefore, it is not surprising that the letter was eliminated!
The next card, The Empress, has also been lost. Later copies show her
holding a shield with a phoenix on top; but there is no way to guess whether
such a symbol was in Charles VI's deck. Certainly she was the "equal-opposite"
of The Emperor, who appears below, holding his globe and his scepter. This is
followed by the letter called The Pope, sitting between two cardinals dressed in
red. In the deck of Charles VI the pope holds a key, reminiscent of the keys of
the kingdom, which according to the gospel were given to Peter. Presumably the
daddy with the missing card held the other key.
Now The Lovers appear: it is a card that presents two cupids, with red
ribbons that intersect forming the letter X on their chests. They point their
arrows at a procession of couples, magnificently dressed in the latest fashion of
the time; The peers of Europe dance in a procession through history. The card
represents the real genealogy of the heresy that moves in pairs on the stage of
Europe. The dancers clap and sing as they march, this being another subtle

Page 107
association with the "fruit of the vine." They are the families of the royal
genealogy, who carry the Sangraal, the royal blood, through the centuries. The
woman in the center of the card wears a long and sumptuous blue headdress
forming a kind of letter M. Could it be the M for Mary? Or maybe from
Merovingia? The symbol is not coincidental. The real name of the letter is La
Parra (or La Viña).
Reversing the usual sequence of the cards, The Charioteer and The Hermit,
better illustrates the chronological order of the trumps. I suggest that the
immediate letter is the one called The Hermit, a hooded man with a long beard.
The hermit depicted in Charles VI's deck is Peter the Hermit, whose zeal in
preaching the first crusade across Western Europe at the end of the 11TH century
culminated in the reconquest of the Holy City of Jerusalem and its Christian
shrines. It is significant that in the deck of Charles VI he holds an hourglass, in
clear allusion to the fact that the time had come to liberate Jerusalem from the
Saracens and to rebuild the holy temple. The date of the first crusade (1098-
1099) was in the final hours of the FIRST Christian millennium after the
destruction of the Jerusalem temple, and probably had enormous importance for
the heretics, whose battle cry was "Ave Millennium!" The large rock formation,
represented on the right side of The Hermit, also confirms this interpretation of
the card, since Pedro's name means "rock", as any Christian child knows.
The virtues, being abstract feminine names, were personified by women in
this Tarot deck. The next card features The Force, a woman holding a broken
column in her arms. This column is another key to discovering the meaning of
the Tarot cards. It represents the left column of Solomon's temple, with its
capital "in the shape of a lily." As already noted, this is the column that is
associated with the Lion of the tribe of Judah in the succession of the Davidic
monarchy. Boaz, the husband of the widow Ruth, was the great-grandfather of
King David.
The preeminence of the descendants of Judah is described in the Hebrew
Bible: "It was Judah who prevailed over his brothers, and from him comes the
prince" (1 Chronicles 5:2). Boaz belonged to the tribe of Judah and the direct
line of his descendants passed through Obed, Jesse, David and Solomon. And,
according to the Greek Scripture of the New Testament, that descent culminated
a thousand years later in Jesus. Boaz, the broken column of the temple,
constitutes an allusion to that line of legitimate Davidic kings, now interrupted
as the broken Solomonic column. The meaning is here confirmed in a more
graphic way with the Strength card from the Mantegna deck, where the woman
with the broken spine incorporates two embroidered lions on her clothing and a
third standing next to her: one would represent Judah, another to Boaz and the

Page 108
third to Jesus, the "thrice strong." Sculpted on the capital of the column is a
drawing of the Grail and a phrase, still in common use in Masonic ritual, and
which is part of the rite of the lost Word of the master builder: until the lost
Word is found in a future age , "the strength is in the lion of Judah and in him
will prevail." The Strength card represents the lineage of the Lion of Judah and
the promises made to David's heirs (Ps 89, 2; 2 Samuel 7, 16).
And now comes the card called The Auriga in modern decks; but in the deck
of Charles VI the man who is mounted does not drive the chariot. He is a knight,
clad in armor, holding a battle ax in his left hand and a sword in his right,
mounted on a chariot loaded with the spoils of victory. The chariot almost looks
like a hearse or a tabernacle. The knight's right foot rests on a decoration that
forms the letter I, while another immediate ornamentation curves forming the
letter C. Now, the initials IC are the initials of the Latin name of Iesus Christus.
This card proclaims that the spoils of war brought from Jerusalem are somehow
identified with Jesus. The card represents the return of the Templars, who were
rumored to have returned from Palestine with a great treasure after the first
crusade. The Royal Vault Masonic rite ceremony notes that the "residents" of
Jerusalem unearthed secret archives beneath Solomon's temple. And so, the
famous temple treasure could very well be connected with the information found
in the ruins of the Jerusalem temple.
The tenth card, which no longer appears in the deck of Charles VI's deck but
exists in others, is the Wheel of Fortune. And I believe that it refers specifically
to the abrupt change that the order of the Knights Templar underwent. Over two
centuries this order had amassed great wealth and achieved enormous political
power. In the year 1307, King Philip IV of France collaborated with Pope
Clement V in the suppression of the Knights Templar and their order, and on
Friday, October 13, an edict of imprisonment against them was simultaneously
promulgated in all the cities of France and Europe. the Templars. That disastrous
day the "wheel of fortune" took a radical turn against the powerful Knights
Templar, upon whom in other times it seemed that fate smiled favorably on
them.
Follow the virtue of Justice, portrayed as a woman. He holds the scales of
justice in one hand and the two-edged sword in the other. The Templars were
taken to court, accused of heresy. For seven years the Inquisition subjected the
imprisoned knights to brutal interrogations in an attempt to discover the hiding
place where their famous treasure was located.
The next card, commonly known as The Hanged Man, is said to be the most
enigmatic painting in the deck, and could also be called "The Tortured
Templar." The leg from which the Templar hangs is a graphic euphemism, used

Page 109
in literature and art since Antiquity, which designates the genitals. At the same
time it is a subtle reference to the sacred lineage and the mutilated King Anfortas
of the Grail. The money bags in the hands of the hanged man represent the
legendary treasure of the temple. Despite the unspeakable torture that the
inquisitors applied to them, the leaders of the Temple did not reveal the hiding
places of their treasure, perhaps because their genuine treasure was not gold and
riches. Their treasure was contained in earthly vessels: the royal offspring of
King Jesus and the other version of the Christian story, which they kept in their
hearts.
The triumph called Death follows. But, curiously, the bodies trampled by the
wild ass's hooves are those of a king and those of the Pope and the two cardinals
in red from a previous letter. This is another important key to the correct
interpretation of the Tarot as an Albigensian catechism: Jacques de Molay, the
last grand master of the Knights Templar, is said to have prophesied in March
1314, just before dying at the stake, that the King Philip IV of France and Pope
Clement V would join him that same year before the tribunal of God. And both
died before the year was over, fulfilling that prophecy. The card represents the
death of the established repressive authorities, the unholy alliance of the powers
that had collaborated in the destruction of the truth of the Grail and its
protectors.
The following triumph is supposed to represent the virtue of Temperance.
The female figure of virtue appears sitting and patiently pouring water from one
amphora to another. Here the esoteric meaning is that the dogmas, which were
considered exterminated, are carefully transferred for safety reasons to another
amphora. Water is the Christian symbol of spirit and truth, the dogmas of "the
only true faith." Those realities were not lost.
The Devil, which follows, is an obscene representation of the principle of
masculine power, which devastated Europe after the dissolution of the Temple
and the annihilation of the Albigensians. The figures beneath the horrible ogre
move the stones out of its path. It is the visual representation of the "bully" of
the Middle Ages, the Inquisition that had been formed to root out heresy, but
was used to torment all free thought. The monster holds a heavy chain with
which he enslaves the human race. Their large, ugly ears are intended to
represent the omnipresent inquisitorial spies, who intimidated and suffocated the
people. It is not the heretics of the "vineyard" who serve this evil monster: his
slaves are the orthodox.
The card called The Tower represents the destruction of a fortress, which in
some later decks is called The House of God. It is an unforgettable reference to
the Magdal-eder, the “bulwark” or “fortress” of the Daughter of Zion in exile. It

Page 110
seems to portray the destruction of the City of God, which was the hope and
millenarian dream of the heretics. In a world that denies and represses the truth
that city cannot stand.
The following trump is missing from Charles VI's deck, but in some later
decks it is called The Star. In some of such decks a girl appears, spilling water
from two glasses on the ground, a sign of the hope of future regeneration of the
spirit and truth, which the virtue of Temperance poured into a new amphora,
according to a letter. preceding. The Star could be an allusion to the astrological
sign of Aquarius, the bearer of water, the future age whose symbol prophesies
the dissolution of the patriarchal order through the "water" of the feminine (
mare means "the sea") and the spirit of truth. The water poured out in this card
will help the desert flourish for centuries to come.
In the next card, The Moon, we see the Earth's satellite in its crescent
hanging from the sky and two men drawing calculations on a parchment under
the lunar light. The Moon was always a prominent symbol of the occult and
divinity. These men appear to calculate celestial dimensions, a graphic
representation of the esoteric belief that reality on Earth reflects the order of the
cosmos. His measurements of heaven will be reflected in the dimensions of the
earthly temple. The architect of the true temple is part of the founding myth of
Freemasonry, whose rituals include Hiram Abiff and the lament "Is there no help
for the widow's children?" The motif of building the true temple, in accordance
with the cosmic principles of counterweight and balance of forces, still
permeates the beliefs of the Masonic fraternity.
The men of the letter use the signs and , the same forms of the compass and
T-square of later Freemasonry. Together, both signs form the ideogram, the
Millennium Ave, which we have found in the waters of the Albigensian paper.
The exaggerated crescent symbolizes the occult, and more specifically the
medieval sciences of alchemy and astrology. There are many indications that
these sciences were linked to the construction of the cathedrals of the Middle
Ages. One could even speculate that the two men represented in the card are
drawing up the astrological plan for a cathedral, trying to align it with the
favorable signs of the stars and the cosmos, as did the builders of San Miniato in
Florence. This practice was copied from the Arab designers and architects of the
Middle Ages.
The study of astrology appears to have been an attempt to harmonize the
works of men with the celestial order of the cosmos, as attested to by the regular
progression of the planets and constellations in the sky. This had been the
function of sacred geometry, practiced by the wisdom schools of antiquity, and it
also seems to have flourished among the architects and artists of the Middle

Page 111
Ages. In the following centuries, these arcane sciences were forced underground
by the incessant torture of the Roman Inquisition.
The Sun card features a young woman in daylight holding a spindle. Her
hair appears loose and she holds her thread as a symbol of continuity. She is the
wild rose, who pricks her finger on a poisoned spindle and falls asleep, until
finally a prince makes his way through a wild hedge and rescues her from her
bad dream. Together with the two previous letters of The Star and The Moon,
we see that the spilled water of spirit and truth has become two streams, which
carry away the dogmas of heresy. One of them, that of the occult sciences and
secret traditions in certain societies, runs under the mantle of darkness (The
Moon). The other current, that of the popular tale, drags the secret into the light
of day. This card alerts the seeker to follow that source to find clues to the truth.
All mothers told their children stories of the lost princess, undisturbed by the
censorship of orthodoxy. The established patriarchal power did not consider the
stories of women and children to be important enough to be dangerous.
Sometimes the safest hiding place is the one in full light.
And now comes The Judgment. Two angels blow trumpets (la trompe
again!) and at the bottom of the card men rise from their graves. The meaning
here is not of the Final Judgment presided over by the King of heaven, and
which is part of the dogma of the Church of Rome; The theme here is “Awake,
you who sleep!” The letter describes the day of enlightenment, when all people
will awaken to their personal responsibility and common destiny as the only Son
of God, whose name Immanuel means "God with us." In the doctrines of heresy
the promise has the value of a "reveille's knock" not a "knock on the door."
These trumpets, like the Tarot trumps themselves, are heralds of the New Day.
The last card, The World, represents the fulfillment of that promise. The
righteous ruler with a crown, terrestrial globe and scepter, has dominion over the
entire Earth, framed in the mystical circle of perfection. The reign of God has
become a reality.

THE STACKS OF THE T AROT CARD

The Tarot suits contain a symbolism of the Grail, which confirms the
interpretation of the twenty-two triumphs, which we have been exposing in these
lines. The spade suit was originally a sword, the masculine "blade." The tomb
slabs of the Knights Templar are almost invariably marked with a sword. In the
original symbolism of the cards, the suit of hearts was a cup or chalice. It also
symbolized the Grail and the alternative church, one of whose epithets was the
church of love. Numerous hearts appear in the Albigensian waters on the paper,

Page 112
also combining the chalice with motifs of this nature.
The suit of diamonds was originally called "pentagons", named after the
five-pointed star, the occult symbol of the male. According to Henry Lincoln's
book, The Holy Place , the pentagram symbol was especially significant to the
alternative Knights Templar church. The symbol was consecrated to Venus,
because the orbit of the planet, which bears the name of the goddess of love,
forms a perfect pentagon in relation to the Sun every eight years [10] . This
symbol is reflected on the ground with the five mountain peaks, which form a
pentagram in the central territory of the Albigensian heresy. Lincoln suggests
that such peaks were incorporated by the Knights Templar into a natural temple
in honor of their lady, the Magdalene.

Perhaps the most significant suit was that of clubs, which in the oldest
versions of the Tarot was a flowered wand or staff, a scepter. The symbol is a
visual image of "the budding rod from the root of Jesse," the messianic promise
found in Isaiah 11:1, and to which there is a reference in the scroll's use of the
"scepter." Guerra, found among the manuscripts of the Qumran caves, next to
the Dead Sea, to refer to the Davidic Messiah. The suit of clubs in our modern
decks of cards is a clear reference to the dynastic lineage of the kings of Israel
and the divine mandate given to them by rule. Now stylized in our modern
decks, the original emblems of the four suits were clear and intended symbols of
the Grail heresy.
It is important to remember throughout this exposition that a notable
contribution of the Albigensians was their insistence on translating the Holy
Scriptures into the vernacular. The sect was steeped in verses from the Hebrew
and Greek Bibles. What may seem like difficult verses to us were their daily
bread. That passion for direct access to the written word of God was one of his
most valuable contributions to Western civilization. By spreading the gospel the
heretics of Provence sowed the seeds of freedom, justice and equality. And,
ultimately, these seeds became more important than the cult of royal progeny,
culminating in an irrepressible advance towards democracy as early as the 18TH
CENTURY.

Later revisions of the figures and symbols of Tarot cards have obscured their
original meanings. I have made an effort to reconstruct them based on the
triumphs of one of the oldest decks of cards that are still preserved. In light of
the heresy and its connections with the Knights Templar, the symbols easily fit
into a chronological sequence. Through this "lightning letter" catechism the
basic beliefs and history of the heresy were spread from court to court
throughout the face of Europe. The origin and meaning of the Tarot have

Page 113
continued to be a painful puzzle for art historians, only because they failed to
recognize its ties to the lost bride and its close connection with the Albigensian
Grail heresy.
HERETICAL ARTISTS AND THEIR SYMBOLS

Tarot cards are only a mystery of European art, which can be illuminated by the
beliefs of the Grail heresy. There are many others, too many to remember here.
In this chapter I only want to make a brief comment on some painters, who for
centuries were considered orthodox, but whose paintings have a symbolic
content that irremediably links them with the occult tradition, if not in a specific
way with the heresy itself. .
Two of the important doctrines of the alternative church were the promise of
restoration of the Davidic monarchy and the millennial promise of a world in
harmony with God. This alternative church also taught personal enlightenment
and transformation through the action of the Holy Spirit. Heretics did not simply
assent to a creed; They also lived a life of personal encounter with God. Many
artists and esotericists allied themselves with the heretics in their opposition to
ecclesiastical hegemony over European thought. And in their alliance they
shared the same secrets. They understood that the denial and repression of the
feminine had distorted and perverted their society, depriving it of ecstasy and
freedom. The work of those intellectuals, mostly related to each other through a
network that transcended national borders, came together in an attempt to
reestablish Woman with a capital letter, the forgotten feminine, in the common
consciousness.
Art scholars have recognized for centuries that medieval masters used
symbols in their works. They also acknowledged that nothing appears in their
paintings that has not been carefully put there to convey a message. The only
controversy revolves around the question of what those artists actually intended.
Of course the Orthodox Church has its own interpretation of symbols; but the
Grail heresy and its dogmas can help us understand some paintings from a
different angle.

B OTTICELLI'S PAINTINGS
For many years art historians attempted to explain Sandro Filipepi's late
paintings. Popularly known as Botticelli, this Renaissance artist was born in

Page 114
1445 and died in 1510 in Florence, the city of the Medici family, famous for its
contribution to the renaissance of arts and sciences in the 15th century.
The works of the young Sandro, who entered the workshop of Fra Fillipo
Lippi in 1464, seem quite orthodox. On the other hand, his painting of the
Madonna with the Child Jesus and the two Saints John, the so-called Bardi
Madonna [see work] , which is believed to have been painted around 1485, seems
almost inexplicable to us, as are other paintings from the same period and later.
Some critics attribute this change to a "mystical" religious experience, which is
not documented; others consider Botticelli's late works simply "enigmatic." And
there is no shortage of those who postulate a strong influence of the zealous friar
Savonarola, who preached a terrifying judgment against Florence in a sermon of
1490 [1] .
But that date is too late to explain the mystery. Already around the year
1483, the symbolism used by Botticelli began to take on a different character
from that of his first works. It has recently been suggested that Botticelli was the
grand master of the secret Grail Kabbalah, called the Priory of Sion, from 1483
until his death in 1510 [2] . This could be the key to the mystery that surrounds
his late works, since the doctrines of the Grail heresy shed considerable light on
enigmatic paintings, which are believed to have been painted after that date.
We have already seen the meaning of the letter X, which for heretics had the
meaning of "true enlightenment." In other paintings there are indications that
this symbol was consciously used to indicate knowledge of the hermetic or
esoteric tradition. There are many red precisely the date on which he is said to
have become the grand master of the Priory of Sion.

The Virgin of the Book [see work] was painted in 1483. Placed almost in the
geometric center of the painting is a red X on the Madonna's bodice. The Child
Jesus holds in his hand three small golden spears, which can well be understood
as representing the nails that would fix him to the cross, but which are more
likely the esoteric symbol of the three darts of illumination, a motif popularized
among the alchemists and Rosicrucians of the Middle Ages. In another work, the
Virgin of the Pomegranate [see work] , the version that Botticelli painted after 1483,
the angel on the far left appears with red ribbons crossing his chest. In an earlier
treatment of the same subject, the Virgin with eight angels [see work] , painted, it is
believed, in 1477, all the angels appear from behind without any showing the
crossed red ribbons. It seems as if in the latest version of the theme Botticelli
had intentionally turned the angel on the far left (the female side!) towards the
viewer and painted the red X on his chest with full awareness of its esoteric
meaning.

Page 115
 Another strange theme, found in works attributed to Botticelli after the year
1483, is that of the pomegranate. In several of his works, such as the Virgin of
the Magnificent t [see work] , the Virgin of the pomegranate (or the Virgin with six
angels ) [see work] and in its variants the child Jesus appears holding a half-opened
pomegranate, a old symbol of physical and sexual fertility due to the profusion
of red grains. In these paintings those grains are perfectly visible. (The
pomegranate also has erotic connotations in the biblical Song of Songs, where
lovers meet in the pomegranate orchard).
Later interpreters, believing that Botticelli was a pious and fervent Roman
Catholic, insist that the pomegranate is a symbol of enduring life. But pictures
are more eloquent than words. From the position of the pomegranate on the lap
of the Christ Child in several such paintings, it seems more likely that Botticelli
believed in the physical fertility of Jesus.
The Bardi Madonna , believed to have been painted in 1485, features the
Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist on the left and Saint John the
Evangelist on the right. In the background there are cypress hedges, olive trees
and palm branches. Vases with red and white roses and vases with branches
laden with olives stand on pedestals. Intertwined with the branches are ribbons
written with allusions to Ecclesiasticus 24, 13-17: «I grew up like a cedar in
Lebanon and like a cypress on Mount Hermon; I rose like a palm tree in En-
Gedi, and like rose buds in Jericho; like a beautiful olive tree on the plain and
like a banana tree I rose... I spread my branches like a terebinth... I like a vine
made grace germinate » (italics mine).
The knowledge that Jesus' descendants called themselves the "vineyard"
helps interpret that painting in a new light. Here the Child gives the impression
that he is about to fall from his mother's lap. All the figures are distorted,
especially John the Baptist, who gives the impression of being distressed when
he points his finger at the Baby Jesus. The ribbon he holds says Ecce Agnus
Dei , "behold the Lamb of God!" For the heretics, Jesus was the Lamb of God,
brutally murdered by the Romans, led to the slaughterhouse, as Isaiah had
prophesied. In chapter 5 of Revelation the Lamb is worthy of praise and honor,
of glory and riches, and is seated at the right hand of God. But according to the
heretics the Lamb is not the same as the invisible God, who sits on the heavenly
throne. Worship God alone!
The importance of John the Baptist to heretics is easy to understand. First of
all, he was their cousin: his relationship with Jesus was a relationship of flesh
and blood, since Scripture says that his mother, Elizabeth, was a cousin of Mary,
the mother of Jesus. John the Evangelist was also honored by the hidden church.
The Cathars carried a copy of their gospel hidden under their clothes, attached to

Page 116
a rope around their waist, when they went to their secret meeting places. In his
favorite gospel, John the Baptist greets Jesus as "the Lamb of God" and baptizes
him in the Jordan River. There is a passage from the Gospel of John (3, 29),
which quotes John the Baptist explaining his relationships with Jesus: «He who
has the wife is the husband; But the bridegroom's friend, who is with him and
hears him, is filled with joy when he hears his voice. Well, this joy of mine has
been fulfilled. This passage is not a mere analogy; In such a text John the Baptist
calls his cousin Jesus the substitute Husband of Israel.
Modern Freemasons, whose secret brotherhood copies many elements of the
Knights Templar and whose rituals and symbols reflect elements of heresy, also
choose these two saints as their special patrons [3] . As already noted, each grand
master of the Priory of Sion takes the name of John, when he is elected to the
position [4] . These two saints, John the Baptist and John the Evangelist,
evidently have a special significance for followers of the esoteric tradition and
the alternative church. Let's now take a look at the painting titled Saint Mary
Magdalene at the Foot of the Cross [see work] , painted by Botticelli around 1500.
Here the desolate figure of Mary Magdalene embraces the trunk of the cross
from which Jesus hangs. On the right is the figure of an angel holding a fox that
hangs head down from the tail. Black storm clouds move away from one corner
of the painting, while from the nimbus in the upper left corner, where God the
Father blesses the scene, angels descend from heaven, each carrying a white
shield emblazoned with a red X. It seems as if Botticelli delights in finding new
ways to include red Xs in his paintings!
In this painting it seems as if the angels with red crosses are dispersing the
darkness, which hinders the relationship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
The fox is a Gnostic symbol of a pious fraud. Folk tales and paintings from the
Middle Ages frequently feature a fox dressed in monkish clothing, cunningly
going about his job of deceiving and exploiting people. For the people, the
clerics of the Roman Church were "foxes." In the favorite biblical writing of
heretics, the Song of Songs, there is a reference to the "little frogs" that destroy
the vines of the Bride's vineyard (Song 2:15).
In this painting that we analyze, the fox represents the fraud perpetrated by
the Orthodox Church, which insisted that Jesus had been celibate. Such a belief
was, in effect, what "destroyed the vineyard" by denying the legitimacy of the
monarchical line. The inclined red crosses, which appear on the shields of the
angels, recall the emblem of the Knights Templar and mark the protection of the
true "vineyard" by the Priory of Sion and its armed arm, the Knights Templar.
Based on this interpretation, the painting is a reflection of the beliefs of the Grail
heresy, of which it is claimed that Botticelli would have been the faithful

Page 117
guardian while he painted this masterpiece of Renaissance painting.
One of the most eloquent paintings Botticelli painted is the one titled
Derelicta [see work] , dated around 1495. Many critics have struggled to guess the
identity of a desolate woman on a step, in the threshold of a closed door, with
the shreds of her rose-colored cloak scattered around her. No one seems to have
recognized in the "Derelicta" the Wife of the Song of Songs, beaten by the
guardians of the wall who stripped her of her mantle. She is the vilified and hurt
feminine and to whom barriers are placed so that she does not fully participate in
the community. Its Latin name precisely means "abandoned."
In addition to Botticelli, there are numerous painters of the Middle Ages
whose works reveal knowledge of the Grail heresy. When we examine the
religious paintings of these artists, it is important to carefully distinguish
between those who use secret symbols in a conscious attempt to promote heresy
and those who are content with simply copying symbols whose meaning they do
not fully understand.
At the end of the Middle Ages in Europe there were numerous paintings of
the Virgin and Child that provide a wide and fertile field for our research. It is
evident that the feminine was a favorite theme of artists, both orthodox and
heretical. And many of these paintings illustrate an esoteric or heretical
conception of Christ through the use of hermetic symbols. Some artists, who
were believed and considered orthodox, left certain symbols in their paintings
that refute their supposed religious affiliation. And, again, the key is knowing
what the colors and symbols mean.

THE PAINTINGS OF F RA A NGÉLICO

Angelic Era paintings have always given the impression of being completely
orthodox. But a detailed examination of them can demonstrate that in many of
them there is a conscious use of esoteric symbols. Which should not surprise us,
if we remember that this Dominican friar was a citizen of Florence in the mid -
15TH CENTURY, just the time when heresy was strongest in the city.
In one of his paintings of the Virgin and Child, Mary holds two roses, one
red and the other white. Red and white were the colors of the sister-wife, red
representing passion and white representing purity. For alchemists, red and
white symbolized "the union of opposites." For Orthodox believers, purity and
passion were mutually exclusive and antithetical realities; but among the heretics
of the hidden church both were united in the sister-wife. Accordingly, in the
paintings of Fra Angelico, Botticelli and other hermeticists, vases, baskets,
garlands and crowns of red and white roses in alternating colors abound.

Page 118
 Expanding a little on this symbolism of colors, we must remember a work
by Piero della Francesca, from around 1466, which presents the solid figure of
the Magdalene with a green tunic, the color of fertility, over which she wears a
red cloak with the Turned edge revealing a prominent white lining. That white
lining highlights the purity of the protagonist, in clear contrast to the tradition
that called her a prostitute. We can't help but notice the white lining of the
scarlet collar. The color red or pink is very often associated in medieval
paintings with Mary Magdalene (who only occasionally appears dressed in
green).
The Inquisition was so upset with the paintings of the Madonna dressed in
red that its artistic censor ended up decreeing in 1649 that all paintings of the
Virgin Mary presented her in blue and white, recognizing and accepting the
sister and mother aspects of the Virgin Mary. eternal feminine, but rejecting the
nuptial or sexual aspect of flesh and blood. Paintings of the Virgin dressed in red
were severely banned, and the "woman in red" became synonymous with the
woman in the street.
The “tricolor” combination – red, white and blue – has a family tradition,
which goes back to the origins of history. The triple goddess, common to the
religions of Europe, Africa and the Near East before the Indo-Aryan invasions,
contained three aspects: girl (sister), bride (wife, fertile mother) and old woman
(old woman or witch). The colors corresponding to these aspects were white, red
and dark blue or black [5] . In this way the triple goddess combined the three
aspects in her global cult of the feminine. But in the Christian myth, which the
Orthodox Church shaped, its nuptial aspect of “flesh and blood” was
traditionally denied.
Perhaps the most significant painting by Fra Angelico, and which seems to
contain a latent reference to the Grail heresy, is the one that appears on the wall
of the first cell of the convent of San Marco in Florence. The famous mural is
titled Noli me tangere [see work] ("Do not touch me"), with a title taken from the
Gospel of John (20, 17). Jesus appears standing in the garden fenced by a hedge
and with a hoe on his shoulder, an emphatic symbol of his role as a husband, as a
"gardener" as the fourth gospel says. Kneeling at his feet and bowing towards
him is Mary Magdalene, dressed in a pink tunic. Under his left hand, and painted
with great discretion among the flowers and grass, three thin red Xs appear in a
row.
The X in red was the esoteric and occult symbol of the heretical church, the
symbol of truth against the established order: it marked the fundamental defect
of orthodox Christian doctrine, which was the denial of the wife of Jesus. The
three X's under Magdalene's left hand allude to secret doctrines. In the painting,

Page 119
his right hand points directly toward those Xs. Even so, they would be pretended
to be accidental. Many other works by Fra Angelico feature red and white
flowers strewn among grass; but in none, apart from Noli me tangere , have I
found the three X's in a row.
If those three thin Xs appeared anywhere else in the painting, they could be
coincidental; but, given that they are found under the left hand of Mary
Magdalene, I believe that this is a clear case of conscious symbolism, of a clear
association with the maternal side, or "sinister bar" of the royal genealogy.
Today the "sinister bar" has taken on the pejorative meaning of an illegitimate
branch; but its original meaning in the heraldry of the Middle Ages was the
lineage of the mother of the holder of the shield. His coat of arms was
represented on the part of the shield corresponding to the left hand, while the
symbols of the father's family appeared on the right.
The military significance of painting shields to identify commanders on the
battlefield was evident to the Crusaders, who encountered the practice among
the Saracens and adopted it for their own shields at the beginning of the 12TH
CENTURY. The feminine was identified with the left hand and the masculine with

the right. This terminology has been incorporated into the field of modern
psychology, where the left cerebral hemisphere that governs the right hand is
considered "masculine" and "rational", while the right hemisphere that
determines the orientation of the left side is described as "feminine." or
"artistic/intuitive." One is right-handed and the other is left-handed or left-
handed. The same dualistic associations of “head” and “heart” carry over into
the political arena, where the “right” is conservative and the “left” liberal.
It should not surprise us that the painters and writers of Florence were
steeped in the esoteric traditions of the secret cult and its heresy. Cosimo de'
Medici set up his extensive library of classical Greek, Latin and Arabic writings
there towards the middle of the 15TH CENTURY, despite the repressive influence of
the Inquisition. The city was fertile ground for sophisticated artists and poets,
who converged there as an enlightened center. Among those circles the study of
classical literature, alchemy and esotericism flourished, which spread to
intellectuals in all corners of Europe.

OR OTHER SUSPICIOUS ARTISTIC SYMBOLS

A Descent from the Cross [see work] , painted by an unknown medieval artist and
now exhibited in the Louvre, shows Mary Magdalene in the posture called
"Astarte": holding her breasts with her hands. bowl-shaped hands. It is a posture
that occurs especially in the statues of the Near-Middle East, which represent the

Page 120
goddess of fertility, consort of the sacrificed solar god. Without a doubt, the
picture is at least slightly surprising!
In another painting by an anonymous 16th century German master,
supposedly Orthodox, Mary Magdalene appears with a black glove on her left
hand. It is a clear reference to the maternal genealogy and to the widowed Zion,
whose children are black "and are not recognized in the streets" (Lamentations 4,
8). In this painting the palm of Mary's hand stands out. In the paper waters of
Provence, the use of the palm of the hand as an important symbol is common
(figure 13). Its meaning is "to maintain faith in the promise of the Davidic
Messiah."

FIGURE 13. THE PALM OF THE HAND

The "palm" tree is also an important symbol of Israel and the house of King
David. It alludes to the Gospel passages in which the people spread palm
branches before Jesus, hailing him as the Son of David, when he was riding on a
donkey on the way to Jerusalem. In Greek the word for the palm tree, the palm
tree, is phoenix . And precisely this term has medieval associations with Jesus.
The mythical bird "phoenix" ("palm") was said to have been born from its own
ashes and to be a symbol of the resurrection. Bayley found the waters of paper in
French Bibles and other European languages, so that those word games must
have been perceived by all who interpreted the sacred texts.
The works of the Italian painter Cario Crivelli (1430-1493) also appear to
contain a conscious use of esoteric symbolism. In many of the paintings of the
Virgin and Child a cracked wall appears with a fly [see work] . I believe that the
cracking of the wall represents the ruined edifice of orthodox doctrine, while the
fly suggests corruption. Above the Madonna's head appears a garland of fruits,
including a prominent green cucumber. This may be an allusion to the lament of
the Hebrew prophet Isaiah, who mourns the daughter of Zion, who "has

Page 121
remained like a hut in a vineyard, like a hut in a melon orchard (pepinar), like a
besieged city" (Isaiah 1, 8). Bayley's paper waters include pumpkins and
cucumbers, which illustrated such lamentation. This symbolism does not refer to
the Orthodox Church, but to the banished daughter of Zion, to the alternative and
clandestine church of the Grail, to "the city under siege." The painting in
question should have made the inquisitors shudder.
Another painting by Crivelli with the Virgin and Child, painted around 1473,
presents the mother with her son on a throne on whose sides there are carved
fish, as a reference to the astrological age of Pisces or the fish [see work] . Hermetic
authors and medieval alchemists saw Jesus as the Lord of the Pisces era of the
astrological zodiac, whose sign is precisely the fish [6] (figure 14).

F IGURE 14. THE MEROVINGIAN FISH

Many medieval and Renaissance paintings of the Birth of Jesus feature a

grotto, poor hut, or cave on a mountainside, surrounded by broken columns of
classical-era buildings and temples. Such paintings illustrate the idea that the
birth of Jesus coincided with the dissolution of the old age and the emergence of
the new time. In Matthew 2:2 the Magi report that they have seen the star of the
creature, when it rose in the East. The word magi means "wise men, priests or
astrologers," and the new constellation that arose in the time of Jesus was Pisces.
A magnificent example of the theme of the dying age being cornered by the new
is found in Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi, where the improvised shelter that
shelters the birth scene is surrounded by the shattered columns of the Hellenistic
empire.
Saint Mary Magdalene [see work] , a painting completed in 1528 by the Dutch
master Jan van Scorel, presents the Magdalene with a large urn or vase, similar
to the one that represents the Grail in the waters on paper. She appears sitting
next to the old split stump of a gigantic tree, and a living branch, loaded with
leaves, rises above her head. The left sleeve of her dress is adorned with rows of
pearls in an X shape. Bordering the collar of the tunic are some Hebrew letters

Page 122
embroidered, indicating its national origins. The pearl is frequently associated
with Mary Magdalene; and I believe that this is because "the pearl of great
price" is something, like the Grail itself, of maximum value, which must be
sought with eagerness.
Another painter, who associates the pearl with Mary Magdalene, is Georges
de la Tour (1593-1652). This artist was a native of Lunéville, in Lorraine. He
painted six different versions of the penitent Magdalene [see work] , in each of
which the woman wears a white blouse and a red skirt, combining the red and
white colors of the sister-wife, a double symbol of passion and purity. She is
sitting in a chair, while contemplating various objects: a skull, a candle, a mirror
and a large pearl. And the woman appears unequivocally pregnant.
I find it funny that the expression sub rosa implies something that is done in
secret. The idiom "under the sign of the rose" in fact means something specific
for initiates: for whom—as we have seen—the secret was the rose, the red rose
of the other Mary, the Mary who represents Eros, the nuptial aspect and
passionate about the feminine, which the established Church denied. Eros is an
anagram of rose, and since ancient times the rose had been consecrated to the
goddesses of love.
The Rosicrucians, whose secret societies proliferated throughout the 17TH
century but whose origins were probably much earlier, used the symbol of a pink
cross. The full meaning of said cross was probably only known to a small
number of initiates. It was not the orthodox cross of Peter and Jesus, which the
heretics considered a despicable instrument of torture. His cross was the red »,
condemned and repudiated.
The pejorative meaning of the letter . The constituted authority discredited
the X and made it anathema to the community. But a previous use of the letter X
certifies that it appeared in the documents instead of the signature. We can
almost imagine a tortured heretic who was forced to sign his confession, and
instead made an X. That was precisely the kind of clever "misinformation" that
prisoners of the faith would have found gloriously ironic.

THE CROSS OF ST ANNDRES

The prevalence of the X symbol in the Middle Ages and the meanings it
expressed should not be lightly overlooked. At a certain point the letter X was
associated with the expression "against what is established" and
institutionalized. In the 14TH century, a legend regarding this cross circulated in
Europe, perhaps due to the Legenda Aurea or Golden Legend, the 13TH century
story written by Jacobus de Voragine, which then became popular. It was said

Page 123
that the apostle Saint Andrew had suffered martyrdom on a cross with
equilateral and inclined arms. The legend seems to have been an attempt to
legitimize the esoteric X, which was being used in the paintings, the X that
carried the meaning of lux . The saint chosen for that honorable association with
the X was the apostle Andrew, whom Jesus first found and who then ran to tell
his brother Peter. The legend seems to constitute an attempt to give the X,
associated with Saint Andrew, precedence over that venerated in the Church of
Peter.
Having known Jesus before, Saint Andrew should have had a certain priority
over Peter. The name Peter means "stone", while Andrew derives from andrós ,
meaning "man", in a contrast that the heretics could not overlook. Saint Andrew
was declared the patron saint of Scotland, reputed to have been the refuge of the
Templars after the purge of their order in 1307 [7] . His red cross is still found on
the flag of Great Britain, superimposed on the cross of the Orthodox Church.
Another favorite saint, often associated with the X, is Saint George, called
the "Knight of the Red Cross." Saint George is invariably painted holding a
white shield on which a red cross stands. He was credited with the death of the
dragon and the rescue of the maiden. The "beast" is always a threat to the
"woman" (Revelation 12, 6) and the cross in red is associated with its rescue (as
it is still today a symbol of emergency help; our symbols sink their roots in our
consciousness and they continually reappear).
European crusaders were the first to encounter the fertility cult of Saint
George in the 11th century during their stay in the eastern cities of the Byzantine
Empire. In the popular tradition of the Knight of the Red Cross, Saint George is
called the "ever-green" and is the patron saint of sterile women. The
reestablishment of barren soil and "scorched earth" is also invariably associated
with the X in red.
The two saints of the X enjoyed great popularity throughout Europe. A third
saint, who often carries a shield with a red cross, is Saint Michael the Archangel,
another champion of the "woman" (Revelation 12:7), who ends up defeating the
"beast." Michael, "the living image of God," is frequently identified in Christian
iconography with the god Hermes. Many medieval painters seem to have
deliberately included Michael, Andrew or George in their paintings; perhaps
because they had a good excuse to include in their works the code of the letter X
in red, the "pink cross."
Of course not all artists used the symbol in a conscious way; but many do
seem to include it as a way of showing off their authentic loyalty under the very
nose of the Inquisition. In some ways they were like prisoners reciting the
opening line of Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my Shepherd") or the national anthem in

Page 124
Morse, to communicate hope to other men in captivity. Or in the manner of the
opening words of Pope John Paul II in his inaugural greeting in October 1978:
"When the moon shines on Czestochowa", the first line of a Polish poem of
intense patriotism, which secretly carried a moving message to the Polish
freedom fighters. Similarly, the red X in medieval art proclaimed a seamless
solidarity with the secret heretical tradition. It almost seems unnecessary to
highlight that both Grail heretics and anti-communist Solidarity activists in
Poland during the 1980s venerated the image of the Black Madonna. She had
been the favorite patron saint of freedom fighters for two millennia!
Certainly many designers of the paper waters in Europe were staunchly
orthodox, as were many of the religious painters. And many troubadours were
content to copy the motifs and phrases of previous singers. We must go back to
the earliest examples and examine them carefully, as we did with the Tarot
cards, to determine which artists consciously proclaimed the doctrines of heresy.
But the evidence suggests that many eminent artists and poets deliberately
brandished their work with the signs of their lady, the Magdalene. And the
Inquisition, not knowing what to look for, overlooked the But anyone with eyes
has to realize that a pomegranate bursting with bright red grains is no spiritual
symbol, especially when it rests in someone's lap!
The origin of the red It is as if the Orthodox Church associated the letter But
the archaic meaning of the sign, the male leaf.

Page 125
 THE UNICORN AND THE LADY

Our themes of sacred marriage and the lost bride in Western culture have led us
to explore certain enigmas of medieval art, which could be illuminated by the
beliefs of the Grail heresy. Among these works of art we must include the
fabulous tapestries with the unicorn, which are relics from the late Middle Ages.
It has been suggested that the series of tapestries known as La Dame à la
Licorne illustrates in particular an unspecified doctrine of the Cathars [1] . I am
convinced that it was the Albigensian heresy of the Grail that inspired the artist
to design that subtle masterpiece in honor of the bride/wife.
Scholars of the subject agree that the unicorn was a mythical animal, which
was referred to in classical times by the Greeks Ctesias of Gnidos and Aristotle
and the Roman historian Pliny, among others. No one seems to be quite sure
about the source of the myth; but certain cave paintings from the Bronze Age
(2000-1500 BC. C.), in which an antelope appears in profile, offer a great
resemblance to the mythical unicorn, because the second horn is not visible as it
is covered by the first. That is a possible source of the legendary creature with
equine profiles with a horn sprouting from its forehead.
The Physiologus , a bestiary written in Alexandria in the 3rd century AD. C.,
brought together myths of various species. These include the ferocious unicorn,
which the hunters could not capture but which could be skillfully taken to a
maiden and captured when it fell asleep in the virgin's lap. The Physiologus was
translated and widely disseminated over the course of a millennium, and its
legends circulated throughout Christendom.
The patriarchal Church of the beginning saw in the unicorn a figure of
Christ; a tradition that persisted in medieval times, when it was believed that the
unicorn had special healing powers. The powders obtained from the mythical
horn of the animal were part of any pharmaceutical store. The story was often

Page 126
repeated that the unicorn could purify poisonous waters by immersing its magic
horn in them. Some representations of the unicorn in medieval art show it
dipping its horn into a stream or fountain, while others present it with its head in
the lap of a girl, who is generally seated against a background of flowers or in a
garden. fenced. The unicorn is one of the most frequent symbols that appear in
the waters of the Albigensian papers. If for no other reason than that we should
examine some examples of this theme in art and legend.
While medieval apologists for orthodoxy strove to give the legend of the
unicorn a mystical meaning, the connotations of the garden and the imagery of
the animal with its horn in the lap of a girl indisputably linked it to the Song of
Songs. Orthodox interpreters insisted on establishing the closed garden-virginity
equation of Mary, the mother of Jesus; but this was evidently not the meaning of
the biblical reference to the "closed garden" in the Song: "You are a closed
garden, my sister, my wife" (Song 4:12) and "I have entered into my garden, my
sister, my wife" ( Song 5, 1). The entire Song of Songs exalts the pleasures of
the senses: the fragrances, flavors, sights and sounds of the "garden" or orchard,
where lovers come together. Its bed is grass: "Our bed is of flowers" (Song 1,
16).
Continuing Jewish tradition, the Church has insisted for centuries that the
biblical Song of the Archetypal Lovers is a mystical allegory; but we have
already noted that its erotic imagery is similar to that of the poetic ritual of the
sacred marriage of the Near East. I personally am convinced that the lady, who
appears in the garden of the unicorn tapestries, is the wife-sister of the Song of
Songs; which does not exclude a mystical interpretation of the tapestry or the
song; it simply precedes and sustains it.

THE LADY OF THE UNICORN

The tapestry The Lady and the Unicorn [see work] , which is exhibited in the Cluny
Museum in Paris, exalts the feminine and the pleasures of the senses. In the six
panels of the tapestry the lady appears again and again on a red background,
covered with delicate flora and fauna of all kinds, including numerous rabbits,
which due to their fame for fertility were consecrated to the goddess of love. The
woman is dressed in floral brocades adorned with jewels and with hairstyles
from the late 15th century. The lady holds a mirror, a symbol often associated
with Venus/Aphrodite and in which the unicorn is reflected. In each panel of the
tapestry the lady is flanked by the lion (of Judah) and the unicorn, two medieval
symbols of Christ.
In the first panel of the tapestry the unicorn has lifted the hem of the lady's

Page 127
skirt and placed his hooves comfortably in her lap. The lion and the unicorn each
hold a banner with the colors red, white and dark blue, the colors of the triple
goddess; They are red banners with three white crescents on a dark blue band.
Since the crescent moon is a symbol of the "girl," these banners proclaim that
the lady is the sister-wife, who awaits her husband in the garden.
The banners precisely present a surprising association with the Song of
Songs: "He has raised the banner of love over me" (Song 2, 4, NIV). In the
biblical book the wife is invited to the banquet of the senses, and the one who
raises the banner of love is her husband. Some scholars have suggested that the
tapestry may have been designed as a wedding gift to a particular bride, possibly
a daughter of the La Vista family of the Lyon region of southern France, whose
coat of arms featured three crescents, similar to those that appear on the banners
[2]
. I am inclined to think that the La Vista family was associated with that coat
of arms because they already owned the wonderful tapestry with its distinctive
banners. The same band with the three crescent moons appears on the coat of
arms of Lunéville, a town in Lorraine.
The symbolism of the tapestry provides a delicious bouquet for the five
senses, exalting one by one [3] . The first panel, in which the lady holds the
mirror, illustrates the meaning of "Sight." In the second, titled "Sound" [see work] ,
he is playing an organ. In the third, called “Gusto” [see work] , he takes a sweet
from a plate. In "Olfato" [see work] , the fourth panel of the series, the lady is
braiding a garland of carnations while the maid holds a container with flowering
periwinkles. The medievalist and horticulturist John Williamson made a detailed
study of the floral symbolism of the unicorn tapestries, exhibited in the cloisters
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. According to their research,
the carnation It was a medieval symbol of betrothal and the periwinkle a symbol
of marriage [4] . The different plants and flowers of the unicorn tapestries are
woven with such care and attention that they can be perfectly recognized.
In his book The Oak King, the Holly King, and the Unicorn , Williamson
observes that many of the trees or plants in the unicorn tapestries are used as
fertility aids (wallflowers, daisies, violets) or are aphrodisiacs (araceae,
periwinkles). and male orchids). His fascinating study is based on the herbalists
and natural histories of the Middle Ages, their legends and popular traditions.
Although Williamson's book deals explicitly with the seven panels of the
unicorn tapestries displayed in the Cloisters of the New York museum, similar
flora and fauna are found in the tapestries of the Cluny museum, and the
tapestries of both series are supposed to have been woven around the same dates,
the end of the 15TH CENTURY, and most likely in the Flemish city of Brussels. It is
believed that the cartoons were drawn by a French artist, whose name we do not

Page 128
know. In several panels of such tapestries the carnation (marriage), the violet
(pleasure), the rose (love) and the periwinkle (marriage) appear, along with a
series of trees, such as the oak (solar principle), the holly (principle lunar), the
orange tree (conjugal union of the sexes), the pomegranate tree (female fertility)
and the pine (male fertility) [5] .
Some interpreters see in these panels a portrait of medieval courtship or
perhaps the cult of courtly love. It is clear that the progression in these panels is
gaining in intimacy. In the fifth panel, "Touch" [see work] , the lady caresses the
unicorn's horn. Now she herself is holding the banner and the rabbit at her feet is
playing with a little red flower in the shape of an X. This could be fortuitous on
the artist's part, but I highly doubt that is the case. The lady in these panels is the
Dompna of the troubadours, the Beloved. And, of course, it is also the prototype
of the soul, whose mystical husband is Christ. The ecstasy of the mystical
marriage of the Christian soul is prefigured in the physical world. In this way the
tapestries can be understood as a mirror of transcendent reality and earthly
reality.
The sixth panel shows a dark blue tent, kept open by the lion and the unicorn
carrying the banners of the sister-wife [see work] . The lady has taken off her
necklace and hands it to her companion. The Song of Songs also mentions the
necklace: "You stole my heart, my sister, wife, you stole my heart with a single
look from your eyes, with a single string from your neck" (Song 4, 9). Above the
tent that represents the sanctuary, the words À mon seul appear desir . The tent is
the bridal chamber of the sacred marriage, where the wife awaits her husband,
"her only desire": "Let my beloved come to his orchard and eat his delicious
fruits" (Song 4, 16).

THE HUSBAND OF I SRAEL

The unicorn is mentioned in Psalm 92 of the Greek version of the Old
Testament, known as the Septuagint : “You have exalted my horn as well as that
of the unicorn; You have anointed me with pure oil. This text associates the
unicorn with the king's anointing and is an echo of the image of Psalm 23, where
the king addresses the feminine divinity: "You have anointed my head with oil,
my cup overflows." Perhaps based on this association of the horn of the
unicorn/buffalo in the original Hebrew with the anointing of the monarch, the
unicorn was from ancient times an emblem of the kings of Israel.
That pattern may also be the source of the mythical animal's widespread
association with Jesus Christ, Israel's anointed Messiah. All the prophecies and

Page 129
psalms of the Davidic Messiah in the Hebrew Bible were understood by the
exegetes of early Christianity as so many references to Jesus. The anointing of
the “horn” or “head” of the husband/king was part of the ancient ritual of hieròs
gámos . And of course the medieval Church would have ignored the sexual
connotations of the odd horn, accentuating instead the symbolism of strength
and purity. But it still seems strange that the unicorn of legend is drawn to place
its head on the lap of a virgin.
A poem for the hieròs gámos ritual, written in ancient Sumer and in honor of
the goddess of love Inanna, includes these verses:

The king marches with his head raised to the holy lap, he marches with
his head raised to the holy lap of Inanna, the king approaches with his
head raised, he approaches my queen with his head raised... [6]

The husband/king with “raised head” or “horn” inevitably seeks the bride's lap
for the consummation of the sacred wedding. This is what the mythical unicorn
does. The erotic meaning of all that imagery was not ignored. Although
tapestries were woven at the dawn of the Renaissance (around 1500), the story
of the unicorn with its head in the maiden's lap had its origins in the classical
world, where the image of the sacred king and his betrothal was familiar. with
the goddess of love.
The sacred king's most important attribute was virility and his most
important function was to protect his kingdom. Later this was transformed into
the ability to father children. Without heirs, a king was considered weak and the
future of his kingdom was insecure. This physical reality applied to the kings of
Europe with the same intensity with which it had been applied to kings in
ancient times. And there is no doubt that the medieval world understood the
erotic nature of tapestries, especially given the fact that the panels, which now
hang in the Cloisters of New York, once hung in the bedchambers of the Duke
of La Rouchefoucauld, its owner in the 16th century. His castle of Verteuil was
approximately 80 kilometers from Albi, which was the geographical heart of the
Albigensian heresy.
The place of legend and popular tales has great importance in cultural
history. The key question was not the origin of that story. More important were
undoubtedly the questions: "Why did you like this particular story so much?"
What string made the people of the time vibrate? What was it about her that
touched minds and hearts? The legend of the unicorn must have struck a special
chord with the Europeans of the Middle Ages, since they paid enormous
attention to it.

Page 130
THE G RIAL HERESY AND THE HUNTED UNICORN

The story of the relentless hunt and death of the unicorn may well have
represented the "heretical" version of Jesus' life, which included his human
masculinity. The image of a married Jesus was anathema to the established
Church in Rome. In his aforementioned analysis of the unicorn tapestries, John
Williamson observes that the unicorn was a symbol of male virility. I have
drawn the conclusion that, since the unicorn frequently appears in works of art
and is so popular, the apologists of traditional doctrine made desperate efforts to
give it orthodox and mystical interpretations, deliberately ignoring the physical
testimonies. His explanations border on the extravagant.
A traditional explanation of the unicorn with its head in the maiden's lap is
that which makes the Virgin Mary the maiden and Christ the unicorn, who was
incarnated in her womb. But that explanation leaves out the phallic significance
of the unicorn's head, its raised horn, and the maiden's lap. The Lady in the
Garden most certainly represents the goddess of the ancient world, sitting in her
garden and waiting to embrace her husband-king.
Like the mythical unicorn, which preferred to die rather than be tamed and
enslaved, the Albigensian Grail heresy was relentlessly harassed. The tapestries
hanging in the Cloisters present certain details of the legend. In the first panel
the hunters prepare for the hunt. In the second the unicorn kneels in front of a
stream gushing from a spring: he sinks his horn into the water, while numerous
animals wait to drink from the stream.
This scene presents associations of strong symbolism with the heresy, whose
itinerant preachers were known as Cathars or "pure ones." The "waters of truth"
that flowed from the Catholic Church were considered by heretics to be
contaminated by the teaching of false doctrines, and especially those concerning
the human nature of Jesus. The horn symbolically represents the manhood of
Jesus, the doctrine that was precisely at the heart of the heresy. And, logically, as
far as heretics were concerned, it was the horn of the unicorn that would purify
the contaminated doctrine of the Church.
Williamson's wonderful book highlights that many of the plants that grow
next to the stream are toxic, a poisonous reflection of the waters that gush from a
polluted spring. And it is significant - according to this specialist - the presence
in that panel of the tapestries of the evil "white champion" or "flower of death",
also known as the "devil's flower", which occupies a prominent place on the
right, among the central hunter's legs, signaling his evil intent.
In the third panel of the collection the hunters try to push the unicorn across
the current. And in the fourth the animal defends itself by fiercely kicking and

Page 131
goring one of the dogs. This is a unique symbolism of Christ, who is supposed to
have willingly and docilely submitted to his destiny on the cross. But it is a
faithful portrait of the Albigensian Cathars, who bravely defended their
homeland of Provence for a generation against the rapacious mercenaries of the
Vatican and the king of France, before succumbing at Montségur to far superior
forces.
The fifth panel consists of two fragments, of which unfortunately a good
chunk is missing. The unicorn has managed to enter the garden, which is
surrounded in its entire circuit by a hedge of red and white roses. The woman in
the fragment is the servant of the lady of the garden, whose delicate hand (the
only part of her that remains) caresses the unicorn's neck. The rest of the tapestry
with the portrait of the lady is the only thing missing from the seven panels that
make up the collection. And one wonders if the loss was intentional, as so often!
In all likelihood the lady was holding the mirror, universally associated with the
goddess of love. In my opinion it is not likely that that part of the tapestry was
accidentally destroyed, leaving the rest of it intact. The unicorn had probably
placed its hooves on the lady's lap, as in other tapestries in the series. Perhaps
some other symbol on the panel in question could have made the identity of the
goddess of love so obvious that it was deliberately destroyed by some well-
intentioned guardian of the orthodox faith, as most likely the Tarot trumps
representing The Popess and The Empress in the deck of Charles VI, precisely
because they represented heretical symbols.
In the sixth tapestry of the hunt the unicorn has been brutally slaughtered
and its corpse is dragged by a horse. The established power has hunted and
slaughtered the wonderful unicorn; The Christ of the heretics has died, and with
him their doctrines, families and millenarian hopes. According to John
Williamson's study, the flora and fauna of this panel reflect the death of the
unicorn, defeated and betrayed, and its departure to the realm of the nether
world.
We have already seen that the ecstatic language, used by the troubadours in
their songs and which the Inquisition pointed out as heretical in the 13TH CENTURY,
was later "washed" by the Church to apply it to the Virgin Mary and Christ,
reaching sublime heights in the writings. of the medieval mystics. I am not
satisfied with the traditional interpretation of the unicorn hunt, which culminates
with the death of the mythical beast in the sixth panel and with its resurrection in
the walled garden of the seventh. I believe that such interpretations were made
ex post facto in an attempt to give a Christian mystical significance to those truly
significant heretical works of art. And just as Christian churches were built on
the shrines of ancient pagan divinities and Christian names and legends were

Page 132
given to such ancient gods and goddesses, so the Church has always endeavored
to interpret the unicorn in an orthodox manner. But, regardless of these serious
attempts at rationalization, the unicorn was always, and continues to be, a
particularly exotic symbol of the husband/king's virility.
This theme of fertility and sexuality is highlighted by the iconography of the
trees in the tapestries. Acorns and pine cones are visual images of masculinity.
The orange tree represents the conjugal union of the sexes; its leaves,
Flowers and fruits are present on the tree at the same time, and its flowers are
traditionally carried by brides. Traditionally, the pomegranate, “bursting with
grains,” also symbolized fertility. The holly is feminine and bears white flowers
and red berries, the colors of purity and passion respectively, the colors of the
sister-wife. But its leaves are evergreen and spike-shaped, and represent the
masculine. This tree, so popular at Christmas, seems to represent the
embodiment of the masculine and feminine aspects of God. And it is interesting
to note that the holly tree is a botanical garden shrub, which needs cross-
fertilization from another to produce its bright red berries.
In my opinion the unicorn of the tapestries represents the virile Jesus of the
Grail heresy. In them his fame as a water purifier was captured. That was the
Cathars' claim from the beginning: that their doctrines were purer—that is,
closer to the faith of the apostles—than those of the Church of Rome. And, like
the unicorn, their version of the Christian faith was eliminated, betrayed, and
brutally persecuted. But since truth is eternal and cannot be destroyed, in the end
the unicorn rests under the pomegranate tree in the garden fenced with flowers.
The seventh panel, which was not part of the original series, adds a dramatic
slant to the story. There the wonderful unicorn is surrounded by the floral
symbols of betrothal, fertility and sexuality, current in the Middle Ages,
including some powerful and popular aphrodisiacs [7] ! The male orchid,
magnificently silhouetted on the unicorn's white body, is called in French
testicule de prêtre , "priest's testicle." The araceae is an image of intercourse,
while the periwinkle was reputed to awaken love between men and women.
Hysteria promotes conception and dandelion juice increases the flow of semen,
the violet represents pleasure and the wallflower symbolizes female fertility.
All of those symbolic plants in the seventh panel are carefully identified in
Williamson's work. The red juice, which stains the unicorn's white hair, comes
from the overripe fruit of the pomegranate tree on top, an old symbol of the
fertility of the womb. And prominently displayed in the center of the painting is
the common lily, which was the model for the fleur-de-lys or gladiolus ("little
sword") of the Merovingians.
In the final panel the unicorn rests in the walled garden, which is the symbol

Page 133
of the wife. According to the beliefs of the heresy, he is not dead but brimming
with life. The seventh panel is an insult to the powers of established authority,
who have not been able to kill the truth or the sacred king.
These have found a way to survive the most atrocious tortures and have been
renewed! The unicorn tapestries, acquired and prized by some families in the
southern regions of France, could easily be interpreted as illustrations of the
great unrecognized heresy of the Middle Ages: the heresy of the physical virility
of Jesus and of his function as the husband. sacrificed king of Israel, which
reproduced a Near Eastern and Celtic myth.
And there is another key to the unicorn tapestries, which irrevocably
connects them to heresy. We have already referred in detail to the predominant
symbols of the goddess of love: roses, the crescent, the rabbits and the mirror.
And we know that the lion and the unicorn were symbols of Jesus Christ and the
kings of Israel. In the tapestries at the Cluny museum the lady wears—in two of
the panels—the letter but in the hunting tapestries, in the final panel, the letter X
occupies a central and prominent position, and cannot constitute an unconscious
ornament.
In this series, the letters A and E are woven into the corners and center of
virtually all seven panels. These are lyrics that have sparked abundant
controversy. A brief look at Bayley's book Lost Language of Symbolism is
enough to dispel the theory that they are the initial letters of the nobleman who
commissioned the tapestries or the initials of his fiancée (although it is still a
possible theory). The letter A, as it appears on the tapestries, is a stylized glyph
of the Hebrew letters Aleph and Tau, equivalent to the Greek letters Alpha and
Omega. It means "the first and the last." And it is both an epithet of the invisible
God and a request for the millennium of peace (within which the letter M is
contained). It is a prevalent sign in the waters of medieval papers. The letter E
also has an explanation in Bayley's volume: it means "the living God." Perhaps
the tapestries were made for the glory of that living God, "the Alpha and the
Omega," and not in honor of any human patron.
But even more significant than those letters is the cord with which they are
attached to the pomegranate tree in the seventh panel of the tapestry The Hunt
for the Unicorn . The cord is wound around the trunk of the tree, so that it forms
the letter X in the very center of the trunk and the entire panel. And to emphasize
that this X is an intentional sign, it appears twice! Given that the heretics so
frequently used the letter of the sister-wife.

Page 134
 THE BRIDE IN FOLKLORE AND LEGEND

We cannot leave the topic of heresy without mentioning the related and
recurring motif of the lost princess in European folklore. But let's start with a
recap of our search.
We know that the Holy Grail was considered the chalice that had once
contained the blood of Jesus. And we also know that the Grail heresy meant that
some families in southern France could trace their origins to Jesus and Mary
Magdalene. Whether or not the thesis was true had an enormous impact on
Western civilization. Connected with such thesis, the love songs of the
troubadours of the 12TH and 13TH centuries were most likely a late echo of the cult
of the feminine, which was peculiar and indigenous to Occitania/Provence. The
Inquisition branded the troubadour songs as heretical and demanded their
change. Under the watchful eyes of the inquisitors, the cult of the feminine was
channeled into a devotion to the Virgin Mary, which was evident in the praises
sung in her honor and in the growing veneration of her images in the cathedrals
of Europe from of the 12TH CENTURY.
Throughout that century, which saw the return of the crusaders and the
enormous increase in the heresy to which we have referred, the Church of Rome
made a superhuman effort to identify "Our Lady", the Domina, with Mary the
Mother of jesus. In Lyon de Provence, the feast of the Immaculate Conception
was established in 1140, a Marian feast of recent proclamation. The festival
favored the "misunderstanding" that the Virgin Mary had been conceived
"immaculate" by her parents (Joachim and Anna, according to ecclesiastical
tradition), separating her from everything that could suggest a normal humanity
and current. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a contemporary of this proclamation,
declared that the new festival was one of those of which "ecclesiastical tradition
knew nothing nor reason approved [1] ." This misinterpreted doctrine of the

Page 135
Virgin Mary "conceived without sin" managed to reflect the prevailing medieval
view, encouraged by the Church, that sex was sinful, even within marriage. We
might stop and wonder what the picture of our world would be if, instead, we
had been taught that sex was a sacred, joyful, coherent expression of love
between couples, as it was in the garden of the Beloved.
It is interesting to note that at the end of the Albigensian Crusade, in which
the King of France and the Pope had collaborated to devastate the entire
southern region of what is now France, the surviving daughters of the nobles of
the region were deliberately given in marriage to scions of the French families of
the north, who had not been affected, or so it was assumed, by the heresy. I have
speculated that it was an attempt to make the "vineyard" genealogy disappear.
The minutes of the Inquisition avoided mentioning this aspect of their campaign
against the southern heretics, preferring to refer to the "doctrines" and practices
of the Cathar followers and later the Templars as the reason for their
persecution. But modern scholars mostly agree that the Albigensian heretics,
who adhered to different sects and creeds, practiced a living, charismatic version
of the Christian faith. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux said of the Cathars of his time
that there were no sermons more authentically Christian than theirs nor any
morals purer than his [2] . And yet, they were systematically liquidated by French
and papal mercenaries, instigated by the Inquisition established for this purpose.
The faith of the heretics has been obscured by the incredible violence with
which the Orthodox authorities persecuted them. But, as we are learning, the
henchmen of the Grail heresy left a legacy in art and poetry that cannot be
ignored. The people have a way of knowing with the heart. And the faith of the
heretics was intertwined with numerous versions of their tales, some of which
we can mention here.
The legends of the Grail were written in the form of poems during the 12TH
and 13TH centuries and were widely disseminated throughout the courts of
Europe. Those same courts received troubadours as guests and finally, in the 15TH
CENTURY, they were allowed to play with the enigmatic Tarot cards. One could

speak of a kind of clandestine radio station, which maintained the beliefs of the
Albigensian faith behind a facade, so that the Inquisition could not reach them.
Clear proof of this is the waters of the paper, on which Bibles and other
books as popular as Le roman de la rose and La chanson de Roland were
printed. Precisely these very popular works have a special meaning. The
passages from Le roman de la rose , written by Jean de Meung, are a treatise on
alchemy. And Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, was the most popular hero of all
the heroes of French literature. It was Roland's horn, "Oliphant", designed in the
waters of the Albigensian papers, the symbol of heretical preaching because its

Page 136
sound broke the rock. There are other features of heresy, which are found in the
hidden messages of European art, to which we have already referred. The
adherents of heresy were indeed ingenious!

THE BLACK BRIDE

One of the currents that carried heresy throughout the centuries was the
collection of stories we call folklore. One of the most popular was "Cinderella"
or "Cinderella." In it there are two facts relevant to our search: the girl was a
"lost feminine" reality, vilified and kept in "exile" and darkness, relegated to the
kitchen; and his face, as the name suggests in different languages, was covered
with soot. In fact it was an echo of the image of the Black Madonna, mentioned
above. The servant girl, with a "dark complexion" or "smutty face" recalls
Solomon's black wife, whom the sun had burned during her work in her brother's
vineyards (Song 1:6). And he also remembers Sara, the girl with brown skin,
who sailed on the ship with Mary Magdalene and her relatives. Cinderella's
German name, Aschenputtel , is another echo of the biblical book of
Lamentations, which mourns the fateful fate of Jerusalem and the "daughter of
Zion": "Those who were carried away wrapped in purple now embrace the heaps
of ashes [ or garbage]» (Lam 4, 4). Cinderella, the lost princess "with the sooty
face", will end up being able, with the help of little mice and birds (the elements
of nature come to her aid!) to fulfill her destiny as the wife of the bachelor
prince, and in her kingdom the entire The world will be happy from now on. In
European fairy tales, marriage invariably heals desolate lands.
Modern feminists have turned the traditional tale upside down. Disdaining
the suggestion that a woman has to be completed by a man, they invert the axis
of the story: it is the prince who passionately searches for his lost complement.
The motif of the "blackness" of the lost princess, which we have alluded to
in previous chapters—and her identity with the black sister-wife and daughter of
Zion—is too important not to dwell on it. It has been reflected in the shrines of
the Black Madonna in Europe, some of which house statues of great antiquity
[3]
. Our Lady of Rocamadour , an image found near Toulouse in the heart of the
Albigensian region, is believed to have been visited by Charlemagne in the 9th
century, and Our Lady of Oropa , in the Swiss Alps, is assumed to be from the
9th century. V. The latter is made of cedar and has her face and hands
deliberately painted jet black. Other famous images of the Virgin are those of
Our Lady of Valcourt ( 10th century). Our Lady of Myans , patron saint of Savoy
(carved in cedar before the 12TH CENTURY). Our Lady of Montserrat ( 12TH CENTURY),

Page 137
patron saint of Catalonia, Our Lady of Lasarte ( 13TH CENTURY) and Our Lady of the
Underground , which is located in the crypt of Chartres Cathedral. All these
images of the Black Virgin seem to predate the dominant power of the
Inquisition.
A second popular image of the Black Madonna is found in Chartres.
Recalling our discussion of Boaz, the broken left column of Solomon's temple in
Jerusalem, it seems more than a coincidence that this other Black Virgin of
Chartres, called Our Lady of the Column . The obvious reason for the invocation
is that it stands on a column or pillar; but someone must have chosen that special
position for her. Could this be another cryptic reference to the other Mary, the
widow of Jesus?
One of the most famous images of the Black Madonna is that of Our Lady
of Czestochowa , the patron saint of Poland, to whom Pope John Paul II has a
special devotion. He was credited with preserving the Polish nation from
destruction by the armies of Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years' War
(1618-1648). Perhaps a future generation will credit him with liberating Eastern
Europe from Soviet domination and communism! Legend says that this image of
Our Lady was brought to Poland from Byzantium in the 9TH CENTURY. Curiously,
the right cheek of this madonna has an ugly indentation. Not only is she black,
but she is also wounded.
Two pertinent passages of Holy Scripture help explain the wounded cheek
of the Black Madonna. One is taken from the fourth chapter of the prophet
Micah, just a few verses after the reference to the
Magdal-eder, the "tower of the flock of the daughter of Zion", by which one day
the dominion (of the house of David) will be reestablished (Mic 4, 8-10). There
it is said: "They hit the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod" (Mic 4, 14b).
This passage was frequently applied to Jesus, cruelly tortured by Roman
soldiers, who beat him, scourged him, and crowned him with thorns. The Patient
Servant of Isaiah 53 was understood by Christians as the prototype of Jesus, with
the Virgin of Czestochowa being his companion in suffering. The symbolic
"blackness" of the patient Servant of Isaiah 53 was explained and reasoned by
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in his commentary on the Song of Songs ( 12th
century) [4] .
A famous painting, The Road to Calvary [see work] , by the Italian painter
Simone Martini (1284-1344), also portrays Mary Magdalene with a similar
wound on her right cheek. In this painting Mary Magdalene and Jesus wear red
tunics, in a new parallelism. Likewise, the The theme of the abused woman is
represented here, and it does not seem that in a fortuitous way, by that other

Page 138
María. There is little chance that accidental use of the esoteric symbol of heretics
was made in this painting.
The second biblical reference, which brings to mind the wounded black
Virgin, is found in the Song of Songs. The wife speaks of her search for her
beloved, who is gone; «The guards, those who patrol the city, found me, they
beat me and wounded me; "Those who guard the walls removed my veil." They
are certainly the custodians of the established order, who do not want to allow
the feminine, the wife, to join her lover or grant her the status of companion with
equal rights.
The archetypal theme of separated lovers and their search for each other
probably occurs in all the popular languages and traditions of the globe. In the
12TH century, the curious legend was told of a dark-skinned wife from the Middle
East who was searching for her husband, a Christian crusader from whom she
had accidentally been separated, and who came from her eastern homeland to
the city of London in her search. The story was said to have to do with the
popular martyred English father, saint and hero, Thomas Becket, whose conflict
with King Henry II is well documented.
The 20TH CENTURY SHORT STORY WRITER, Thomas B. Costain wrote a novel based on
this legend. The black wife's name was Miriam and she had a child with her. For
years her search was hindered by greedy merchants, devious sailors, illness and
deprivation, until she was finally reunited with her husband. The woman was
originally from the Middle East, and the novel is titled The Black Rose . The
hero, Walter de Gurney, was a young nobleman, who brought back from his trip
to China (among many things!) the secret of papermaking, the common trade of
the Albigensian heretics. The romantic theme of the separated lovers culminates
in their reunion: with it the drought and desolation are remedied. And is it purely
coincidental that Thomas Costain also wrote an eloquent novel, called The
Silver Chalice , about the lost chalice or cup, from which Jesus drank at the Last
Supper? Perhaps Thomas Costain was also a Freemason, or perhaps a
magnificent intuitive! Over the centuries, the fascination that the princess and
the lost Grail have on us has not diminished.

EUROPEAN FAIRY TALES

"Cinderella" embodies the belief that when the bride is found and returned to the
shining prince, the kingdom is restored to well-being. It is a motif that recurs
again and again in our fairy tales. The essential theme is the search for the true
complement for the prince. Another variation is the one that appears in the story

Page 139
of the Wild Rose, also known as "Sleeping Beauty." In that story, Princess Wild
Rose pricks herself with a poisoned spindle and falls into a dream of hundreds
(some say thousands) of years. In the end the prince has to hack his way through
the thorn hedge, which has grown around the beloved and prevents her true
existence. Only single-minded determination on the part of the prince brings the
couple together. The image of the impetuous prince picking his way through
bushes and brambles in his quest to find his lost princess, his "other half," is
particularly significant for our modern world. The wounded male, who
recklessly swings his sword, is not only wounded and frustrated: he is also
dangerous. Being the fastest, he unites with his own lost, reviled and disowned
female half, with his better half!
In another story, also familiar, Princess "Snow White" is sentenced to death
by her evil stepmother. It is almost always an evil and jealous stepmother - or an
old and ugly witch - who keeps the prince separated from his partner, and who
insists on preventing the bride from finding herself again. That perverse mother
sees the beautiful princess in her magic mirror and seduces the girl with a
beautiful apple that is poisoned. Only the timely arrival of the prince saves Snow
White from the calamitous consequences of the lethal apple.
Another favorite story is "Rapunzel", which contains abundant associations
with the theme of Jesus' lost bride. This time the girl is imprisoned in a tower,
where she is kept by a perverse witch, who has snatched her from her father's
house. Rapunzel is famous for her dazzling hair and her beautiful voice, "the
wife's song" (Jeremiah 33, 11a), so frequently remembered in folklore. A
passing prince hears the young woman's singing and tries to persuade her to let
her golden tresses fall so he can climb them and visit her in her tower or prison.
Here the clues and clues that concern us are the lady's hair and the tower, since
they are in fact the symbols that stand out in the legends of Mary, called
Magdalene, who dried the feet of Jesus with her hair, and whose nickname
means "tower" in Hebrew.
Such symbols are also present in the strange stories surrounding Saint
Barbara, a classic example of the way the symbols and identities of saints are
mixed with features of folk tales. According to legends, which the Church has
now declared spurious, Saint Barbara was a virgin martyr, daughter of a pagan
nobleman from Syria, in the THIRD CENTURY. The girl wanted to become a Christian,
and her father, terrified by that prospect, locked her in a tower. The priest, who
came secretly to instruct her in the Christian faith, reportedly entered the prison
by climbing the girl's braids. As crazy as this story may seem, Saint Barbara did
not lose credit until the new calendar of the Roman Catholic Church was
published in 1969! For centuries she was represented in Christian iconography

Page 140
as a beautiful young woman with her fabulous hair and carrying a tower in her
arms.
But the case of Santa Bárbara presents another feature of interest, which I
consider relevant. Her name means "foreigner", as it has the same root as
"barbarian" ( barber means "bearded"), which in classical times designated
anyone who did not speak the Greek language. In some versions of the
Cinderella story, the lost little princess is called "Barbarella", because she comes
from a faraway country. She was an unknown and despised "foreigner" in her
exile. In one of those versions Cinderella says: «I am a princess from a very
distant country; you do not know me. Maybe we do!
Remembering that the word Magdala means "tower" (with the consequent
connotations of "bulwark" and "fortress"), I am inclined to think that the
foreigner with wonderful hair and a tower in her arms in medieval iconography
is actually the Magdalena. In the Song of Songs the sister-wife says of herself: "I
am a wall and my breasts are like towers" (Song 8:10), and refers to herself as
the "walled city" that is Zion. The black wife—and the tower and the glorious
hair, which are her symbols—preceded the stories that were woven about Saint
Barbara to provide an explanation. She is surely the sister-wife of the Song of
Songs and the Magdal-eder of the prophet Micah: Mary, the exiled daughter of
Zion.
This intuitive leap is endorsed by a curious practice, which we find in the
celebration of the feast of Saint Barbara in central Europe. On the day of their
festival, December 4, when the ground is covered with snow and the trees have
no leaves, the inhabitants of a mountain village in Silesia go out to collect dry
branches, which they take to their homes to put in water. And the branches
bloom in honor of the “lady of the tower”! This seems to me a popular
remembrance of the miraculous flowering of the rod of Jesse, the withered
branch of the kings of Judah, through the motherhood of the Magdal-eder. It is
not Rapunzel, the bride of fairy tales, nor is it Saint Barbara: it is Mary
Magdalene, the foreign princess arrived from the other side of the sea and with
her characteristic feature in all medieval paintings, her glorious hair, with which
a time he dried the tears with which he had bathed the feet of Christ.
And if we need additional confirmation of this confusion between Saint
Barbara and Magdalene, it is enough to remember that the Christian saint is the
patron saint of fortifications. The list of professionals who invoke Saint Barbara
as their special patron includes architects, stonemasons, military engineers and
artillerymen, who build and defend fortifications, the "walled cities" and the
castles of the Middle Ages. Let us remember the chivalric order of warrior-
builders, the Templars. Currently the colors of the Corps of Engineers of the

Page 141
United States Army are red and white, its insignia is a castle with two towers,
and the Artillery Ball continues to be celebrated on Saint Barbara's Day,
December 4, in all US bases around the planet.
I do not intend to remember here all the fairy tales of our childhood. My
purpose was simply to show how frequently the theme of the feminine reality
appears, wounded, lost or imprisoned, the other half of the beautiful prince. The
oldest known versions of the Cinderella story in Europe date back to
approximately the 9TH century. That was the time in which the Merovingian
kings were deposed and supplanted, their inheritance having been taken from
them by the Carolingian heirs of Pepin, allied with the Pope of Rome. Perhaps
the “stepmother,” who so often insisted on destroying the little princess, earned
her bad reputation hard.

THE CAULDRON
Old legends of the Celtic people (Ireland, Wales, Scotland and France) contain
references to a magical cup or cauldron. That container was a symbol of the
feminine. It provided abundant food and prosperity, similar to the "horn of
plenty", which is also associated with the horn or "trumpet" of the Word of God,
the magical horn whose "reveille blast" will make the desert green. Both the
Grail and the magical horn of medieval legend have the property of bringing
eternal well-being, peace and prosperity to the country and its people.
The Sangraal of early French legend was easily confused with Bran's
cauldron in the tradition of the Welsh bards. During the crusades the men of
Christian Europe sat around the campfires to listen to the stories of their bards
and ministers, who exchanged and intertwined their favorite motifs. Little by
little the feminine connotations of the chalice and the cauldron became darker;
but those folk tales preserved the image of the lost princess, even after the
association with the Grail was lost. Later poets copied the themes of the
Arthurian cycle and worked on them without knowing the beliefs of the heresy.
The core of the story had been lost, and upon retelling it was rearticulated, much
in the way that Tarot cards copied by later copyists lost many of the specific
symbols of the Grail, which had originally been identified with the heresy. . And
instead of being an Albigensian catechism, the cards became a repository of
generally occult wisdom and universal esoteric symbolism. And, as in the case
of the tales and legends of Europe, the specific references were gradually
forgotten under the watchful control of the Inquisition, which could not allow
them to be shouted.

Page 142
ATTEMPT TO RESTORE THE FEMININE

The 12th century attempt to restore Jesus' forgotten wife was thwarted by
orthodoxy. But the cult of women, exalted in the songs of the troubadours,
contained the seeds of an entire system of values, which struggled to take root in
Europe. This value system placed a new emphasis on the gospel teachings on
equality and brotherhood, while at the same time it placed a new emphasis on
the world, the flesh, and the feminine. The motifs of the Carmina Burana , the
songs of the wandering poets whose motto was Carpe diem (Seize the time!),
acquired new strength and vigor. Itinerant students and musicians carried the
message of Eros and love relationships from one place to another, sowing the
seeds that would eventually crack the walls of established power. The
subsequent Protestant Reformation movements still bore the impetus of this first
attempt to break the chains of tyranny.
One of the legacies of the early movement was the repudiation of celibacy
(and sometimes even masculinity) by Protestant churches as a prerequisite for
Christian ministry. Even today the growing feminine consciousness survives in
our conception of the political left, which has traditionally addressed the needs
of the anawim , the "poor" or "little ones" of the Hebrew Bible.
Everywhere, however—and as already noted—Orthodox Christianity
adapted the cult of women by channeling it into the cult of the Virgin Mary. The
mother and sister aspects of the feminine were honored and revered; but the
bridal aspect was sublimated. The Church could not accept the flesh and blood
wife of Jesus. The only bride of Christ that the ecclesiastical hierarchy could
accept was the Church itself, the entire community of the faithful, or its
microcosm, which was the individual soul. The passionate language of court
poetry and the marriage imagery of the garden were adopted by mystics of the
late Middle Ages. And relationships with Jesus, the eternal and mystical
husband of the Christian soul, became individualized as the Church restructured
the doctrine of the feminine. Only the mystical marriage of Jesus was allowed.
In many paintings of the Assumption and Coronation of Our Lady the Virgin
Mary, the mother of Jesus is exalted as his wife. In these paintings she often
appears seated to the left of God, while Jesus occupies the right. She is
recognized there as "the mother of all" and as a model of the holy mother
Church. In this sense, the Virgin Mary facilitated a strong female presence in the
Catholic Church; but always at the discretion and discretion of the male
hierarchy. With the exaltation of the mother of Jesus and queen of the
Heaven within the celestial paradigm, at least a beautiful image of the eternal

Page 143
feminine principle was preserved, even if the carnal wife of Jesus was
deliberately eliminated.
But despite all official elimination, the people never forgot the girl-woman
exiled from her home with her sooty face and persecuted, who awaits the
fulfillment of her destiny: her final marriage with the bachelor prince.

Page 144
 THE DESERT WILL BLOOM

Legend promises that the recovered Grail will have the power to heal the
desolate land. When the crippled Fisher King is returned to him, he will be
healed of his ailments, which are the source of the desolation that plagues his
kingdom. And the Grail—we suggest—is the lost feminine, the sister-bride of
Christianity, the wife of Jesus. What would have become of our world if the
bride had never been lost in Christianity? And how would she have presented
herself when she was returned?
The lack of balance in our fundamental institutions, a reflection of a Father
God at the top of a Trinity in its entirety as masculine, has had a devastating
influence on the Western world. With the accelerated pace of events, due to the
scientific advances of the last three centuries, and especially the last fifty years,
the fracture of Western society and the human psyche has become increasingly
evident. The pollution of our planet Earth and the flagrant abuses committed and
suffered by its creatures are closely related to that fundamental failure.
If the bride had not been lost, the feminine could have been established from
the beginning as a companion of the male deity with equal rights. Feminine
tastes and attributes would have been honored equally throughout the centuries,
and the resulting integration into the psyche of individuals would have expanded
to their families and communities. The denial of the feminine as partner and
friend has deprived us of ecstasy and has reproduced our male-female
relationships in a distorted shadow of the joy shared by the archetypal Garden
couple. The wounded male, often overindulged and deeply frustrated, seeks his
lost ecstasy in many wrong places—violence, power, materialism, and the
hedonistic pursuit of pleasure—without understanding that he can only find it in
a relationship with the feminine. .
One of the saddest realities of our culture is that the ascendancy of the

Page 145
wounded masculine has led to emotional exhaustion. Where the feminine is not
valued, a man does not have real intimacy with his partner, with his "other half."
He often cannot channel his energies into a romantic relationship, because he
does not consider his partner worthy. Deprived of his interlocutor with equal
rights because he considers the feminine as an inferior object, the frustrated
dominant male causes a fire: "Where the sun always shines, the desert is below."
The forests wither, the streams dry up and the earth cracks. With all of which
desolation ensues.

THE PARADIGM OF INTEGRITY

The Holy Grail, the lost Bride of Jesus, is the missing piece of an ancient
paradigm of integrity and perfection. Long forgotten in Western civilization,
there was a venerable mandala ("circle") in the world's oldest cultures. It was
based on the archetypal symbols of the male and the female, of the male "leaf"
and the female "chalice" or Grail. That holy mandala is the symbol of sacred
marriage. Significantly, this same symbol is found in the esoteric writings of
medieval master alchemists, in which it is equated with the "philosopher's stone"
of the spiritual transformation of man [1] . The forgotten model of the sacred
marriage of man and woman, of heaven and earth, is still a mandala of harmony,
integrity and partnership.
In the Neolithic period, according to recent studies, there was a golden age,
when the differences between men and women did not imply a violent struggle
for control. Relationships were instead based on partnerships in which each
other's abilities were accepted and appreciated. That prehistoric era, which was
previously believed to be mythical, can now be reconstructed thanks to the
utensils found in the sites of Neolithic civilizations, which worshiped a kind and
generous mother goddess. The findings of archeology certify the existence of
societies, in which the gifts of women were respected - to feed, care for and
educate children -, where the male "leaf" was used to cultivate the soil rather
than to intimidate. , where life was considered sacred, where arts and crafts
flourished and where creativity was a cause for joy.

Merlin Stone, Marija Gimbutas and Riane Eisler, to name just a few, have
collected fascinating research relating to those ancient maternally oriented
cultures and societies spread throughout the world. Recent discoveries reveal the
fact that in numerous Paleolithic and Neolithic sanctuaries, which date between
7000 and 3500 BC. C., the letter V was associated with the mother goddess [2] .

Page 146
The conclusion of Marija Gimbutas, a cultural anthropologist who found this
ideogram in the sanctuaries of ancient Europe (in an area that includes Turkey,
the Balkans and Ukraine), is that such a sign was used in an old European
writing and may have represented to the mother goddess, shown in the form of a
bird [3] .
The study of archaic symbolism leads me to question the conclusion that the
V represents a bird. The V is in fact the archaic symbol of the "vessel" or
"womb" of all life. It is the archetypal chalice. And it is the symbol of Earth
itself, the only life-possessing planet that we know of.
I would like to suggest here that the archetypal symbols of male and female
respectively represent an ancient dualism, which can be reconciled and used as
the archaic paradigm of total integrity. That visual image is logically the
hexagram, or six-pointed star. The sacred marriage of the Hindu god Shiva and
his partner Shakti is represented in the ancient tradition of India with that
geometric drawing [4] . From their otherwise sacred cosmic dance, which
symbolizes the interrelation of positive and negative energetic forces, a harmony
spills over all aspects of the village's life. This harmony is reflected in the well-
being of the community and the fertility of its crops and livestock. The
hexagram appears to have spread westward, passing from India to the Middle
East and Europe.
Although the word carries other connotations, I would like to use the term
Eros to represent the feminine principle of love and connection in the Jungian
sense, uniting it with its masculine partner, the principle of Logos/reason, which
is associated with power and light. . In Eastern philosophy these two principles
are called yin/yang. The past principle of Eros/relationship—represented by the
V of the great goddess—has been devalued for centuries since the distant
millennia when it was highly revered and deeply loved. At times esteem for the
feminine has risen to the surface, but was soon repressed outright. We have
examined the evidence of the brief flowering of the "red rose", the bride, in the
12th century and in the region of Provence before the Inquisition forced it to go
underground.
Our worship of an exclusively male image of God is distorted and
dangerous. According to the principle "On earth as it is in heaven", male
preferences and dominance induce society to establish institutions based on the
model of a "masculine", with power concentrated at the top and the masses.
exploited people who are imprisoned in the base. This is the model of
dictatorship and oppression. In a society in which the feminine is given equal
opportunities, children are educated and widows are consoled, arts, literature,
music and dance are encouraged, childhood is happy, work is productive. and

Page 147
people live in harmony.
It is interesting to note that, after millennia of wars and the double scourge
of epidemics and famine, which accompany them, the Mediterranean countries
of the Greek and Roman empires, during the centuries immediately preceding
the birth of Jesus, displayed an extensive cult to Isis, "queen of heaven and
earth." Marie-Louise von Franz, scholar and interpreter of the works of Carl
Jung, attributes the cult of that Egyptian goddess to the fact that the male form of
consciousness was saturated [5] . And, in effect, he ends up becoming consumed
by his own excessive concentration on mental success or Logos. And he ends up
needing a break from his frenetic activity oriented towards the goal and ultimate
goal. Seek rest and refuge in the feminine, the shadow and the night.
In her book Alchemy , Marie-Louise von Franz observes that at the end of a
civilization with patriarchal characteristics there is an "enantiodromia" (or "race
in the opposite direction"): the power of the "burned" masculine principle is
given to a "goddess." » and later reaffirms itself in the new era that subsequently
institutionalizes new ideas and a new cultural orientation. The worn-out images
of old ways are cast aside and new archetypes are found to carry the message.
This phenomenon is illustrated by the life of the early Christian Church,
when the patriarchs took the “good news” of Jesus, preached in the streets, and
institutionalized it with rules, rituals, and written treatises [6] . The feminine
principle of association had been the original practice of Christian communities
where unity in the Spirit had broken down the barriers of class and sex, allowing
women and slaves to participate fully in group life, even allowing them to
preach and prophesy. The freedom and equality that the Christian message had
brought to women, slaves and foreigners, barely a hundred years after its
beginning, were questioned by the men who occupied power and new ideas were
formulated. guidelines for ethical behavior and religious practice. The era of
association and fellowship had had a fleeting life and was supplanted by the
return to the dominant role of men and the correlative subordination of women
in the Church and in society in general.
The hierarchical model (△) of patriarchal institutions where all decisions
and power are in the hands of the autocratic ruler or an oligarchy at the top, was
losing its vitality to awaken the powerful feminine consciousness, which is
expressed in our modern world. Those institutions for which strict obedience is
the highest of all virtues begin to collapse under the "feminine" influence of the
free thought, creativity, intuition and association of the people. The resurrection
of the feminine has allowed the things that have traditionally concerned women
the most to gradually appear on the agenda, such as raising and educating
children and increasing the quality of life. Under the influence of this resurgent

Page 148
feminine principle, there is hope that the people of the Earth can still enlighten
themselves, caring for the unique gift of life, of which this planet Earth, which is
"aquiferous", is custodian. At the end the “voice of the wife” is heard (Jeremiah
33, 11a).
The sign that Winston Churchill first formed in the air as a symbol of the
Allies' determination to achieve victory in World War II was the letter V. With a
certain amount of unconsciousness, this symbol has since become the universal
sign of democratic movements throughout the world. Consciously or
unconsciously, the "chalice" of the V is an invocation to the goddess. It
represents the feminine principle of Eros/partnership. But she can't be alone. A
society based on the model would surely collapse. It continues to need, and will
always need, the complement of the Logos/reason, which manifests itself in law,
order, discipline and self-control, in order to produce the life-giving balance of
the .
The leaders of patriarchal societies, the "guardians of the walls" (Song 5, 7),
did not understand their own vulnerability by denying their feminine
complement, when they fought to protect their power and the status quo . An
interesting story is told about Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the great
builder and definer of Catholic doctrine and one of the main architects of the
walls of the current order of things [7] . Saint Thomas is the patron saint of
sudden death and it seems that shortly before dying, that scholarly priest felt
unable to continue writing the Summa. Theologica and declared that all his
writings were like straw! Shortly after, while traveling, he hit his head hard
against a tree branch and fell off the donkey. That afternoon, feeling weak and
ill, he stopped at a monastery in the Austrian Alps where he spent the night. The
monks convinced him to leave his bed and give them the benefit of his wisdom,
which he did not want to refuse; The topic he chose for his talk was the Song of
Songs, and while he was giving an interpretation of the verse "Come, my
Beloved, let us go out into the fields..." (Song 7:11), he suddenly expired.
It was the sacred marriage song from the biblical text, which the saint
considered the most precious theme for his final speech. What a shame that this
revealing episode has been forgotten, while the Summa Theologica still
continues to be taught in all the seminaries of the world, although its own author
repudiated it centuries ago! The "guardians of the walls", obsessed with
maintaining order and control, have maneuvered for centuries to prevent the
wife from becoming someone with the same rights as the man. The devaluation
of the feminine must end, not at the expense of the masculine but as its long-
desired complement, the lost sister-wife. Together they have to go out to the
fields, to sow and harvest.

Page 149
 There is an old promise there, found in the Psalms of the Hebrew Bible:
«Those who sow with tears will reap with songs; and he who carries the bag of
seed will go weeping, but he who brings the sheaves will return radiant with joy”
(Psalm 126, 5-6). This passage prophesies the return of the rest of Israel,
deported in Babylon. Once again it is time to leave "Babylon", symbol of the
empire that worships the sun and power, and to return to the Promised Land,
flowing with "milk and honey", in which the masculine and feminine principles
are venerated in association. harmonious and where the emblem is the blueprint
of integrity.
For centuries the male Logos has been enthroned at the right hand of God,
having been worshiped and glorified in Christian prayers and conscience, which
gave way to "right-wing" Western civilization. It is time to reclaim Eros, the
nuptial aspect of divinity. We have known the Logos of God, the Word made
flesh in Jesus. Now we must spend time with the "Lady of the Garden", who
basks in the sun of her kindness and tenderness, her concern and compassion for
the anawim . These little ones, "God's raisins," have withered and withered
under the implacable rays of the suffocating masculine principle.
THE SIGNS OF AWAKENING
We are told that the constellation of Aquarius the Water Bearer is gradually
becoming visible and will soon replace Pisces the Fishes as the astral sign of
time. The symbol of Aquarius is two wavy, parallel lines. And the meaning of
such a symbol is "the dissolution of forms," and does not represent water, as one
might expect. The forms that can dissolve under its influence are our patriarchal
institutions of government, church and even family and the dissolving waves are
the figurative waters of the Holy Spirit, of the Spirit of truth. That truth is on the
airwaves, the waves of the media and the free press, which have turned the globe
into a village. They are rapidly breaking down the artificial barriers of nation,
race and creed, and allowing individuals to see themselves as one flesh with all
creation. Space flights in recent decades have allowed us to see our entire planet
"from a distance" as it really is, without fences or walls. The truth is underway!
Followers of the Grail heresy believed that the restoration and promotion of
the feminine was the key to fulfilling the millenarian promises of universal
peace and justice. Perhaps they also hoped that the time of liberation would
come with the future appearance of Aquarius, when the waves of the Water
Bearer would dissolve the patriarchal structures of society and a new cultural
advance would occur.
The esotericists and artists of the Middle Ages were steeped in astrology.
Their studies of science, philosophy, medicine and astronomy led them to form

Page 150
secret societies and present their writings under symbols, so that they could
practice their occult arts with some security. A good example of this is found in
the texts of medieval and Renaissance alchemists, who used astrological
symbols to present their discoveries in the fields of philosophy and psychology.
As stated above, the primary objective of alchemy was not the search for a
metallurgical way to convert lead into gold. The first texts of the old masters of
alchemy refer to the transformation of a natural person into a spiritual person.
These texts refer us to the evangelical demands of service and sacrifice. The
crucible is life itself, and the goal is union with God. The transformed person is
someone who finds "the philosopher's stone," which is often equated with
wisdom or "the pearl of great price." In some texts of In alchemy, that wisdom is
illustrated with the symbol. (The vertex at the top right represents the presence
of God) [8] . Here again we encounter the sacred "union of opposites" and the
enlightened sanctity/integrity of the hexagram.
The symbols of the alchemists are the same ones found among the waters of
the Albigensian papers, the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons and the esoteric artists,
to whom we have referred in previous chapters. Many of these symbols have
been rediscovered in this century by students of medieval civilization and
astrologers; but many such scholars seem to have lost their umbilical cord: the
Grail heresy and its secret of the lost bride.
Jewish rabbinic tradition teaches that the Ark of the Covenant, which was
kept in the Holy of Holies of Solomon's Temple on Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
contained not only the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written
but also "a man and a woman intimately embraced in the shape of a hexagram [9]
». This tradition articulates the fundamental basis of Hebrew society: the tables
represent the precepts of the pact or alliance, and the hexagram symbolizes the
hieròs gámos , the intimate union of opposites. The meaning of the hexagram is
summarized in the Hebrew word shalom , which means "peace and well-being."
That remains the prayer of the Universe.
Recent research into the feminine aspect of God in the Hebrew tradition
reveals that the Holy of Holies was the bridal chamber, in which the union of
Yahweh, the Holy and invisible, with his complement the Shekinah was
consummated [10] . With the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem—the Jewish
myth continues—the intimate relationship of Yahweh and the Shekinah (or
Matronite, as she was often called) was interrupted, and Yahweh returned to
heaven to reign alone. Meanwhile his wife traveled the Earth in an exile similar
to that of the community of Israel in the diaspora [11] , and in a similar way to
Magdal-eder and Cinderella!
We find that sister-wife, who continues to search for her lost husband, in the

Page 151
Song of Songs: "I am black, but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the
tents of Kedar" (Song 1, 5). The wife goes on to explain that the cause of the tan
color of her skin has been her work in her brothers' vineyards during the full
force of the dog days. It has roasted in the sun, it is blackened by its service to
the solar principle. As we have already indicated, the Song of Songs was
understood as a wedding song. It was preserved among the sacred scriptures of
Israel, praised and exalted by later generations, and borrowed from Judaism by
Christianity. Until the 13th century the Bride was often associated with Mary
Magdalene. And the sacred Xx remained in rabbinic tradition as the preeminent
symbol of the hieròs gámos or sacred union, as a promise of harmony and well-
being.
In many of the myths about the wounded or mutilated king/god, including
the "Fisher King" Anfortas from the poem Parsifal , the injury is to the feet or
thigh, which in Western art and literature constitutes a universal metaphor. of the
genitals. The wound of the mutilated king is only healed when his feminine
complement is found. Such reunion is the source of blessing, joy and fertility,
which emanates from the bridal chamber and expands to protect the family and
the community. Separated spouses heal by being reunited, since their injury and
discomfort really arose from their separation!

THE PRELIMINARY PROJECT OF THE TEMPLE

"Who is left among you who saw this house in its splendor first?" asks the
Hebrew prophet Haggai. The year is 520 BC. C. and the temple of Solomon,
built on the hill of Zion, lies in ruins. The Jews have returned to Palestine after
their seventy years of exile in Babylon, the city that was identified with pagan
worship of the Sun. God's word to the prophet Haggai is that the temple will be
rebuilt and that divine blessing will begin to pour out again when the foundation
of the new temple is laid. Not after the temple has been finished, but when its
construction has begun! When we understand the blueprint of the true temple—
the sacred and life-giving balance of the masculine and feminine energies
inherent in the cosmos itself and the symbolism that portrays the complex
wisdom of Antiquity—that is when the blessing will begin to flow like a
beneficial river over the lands. dry and shriveled of the planet. As Isaiah's
prophecy assures, the desert will grow green, universal peace and well-being can
be restored, when our conscience accepts the blueprint. And the preliminary
project is the .
An interesting dogma of esoteric wisdom is that the symbol of cultural
advancement of any new age is already embryonic and present "on the scene"

Page 152
just as the previous age is ending. On the night that Jesus was apprehended in
the garden of Gethsemane and was taken to the Antonia Fortress for
interrogation, the gospels relate that the Roman soldiers of the garrison tortured
him, scourged him, and crowned him with thorns. Engraved on the slabs of said
Antonia Fortress, in the same courtyard on which Jesus is said to have been
scourged, there is the emblem of sacred marriage with a dove above it hovering
with outstretched wings [12] . It is believed that the emblem was engraved by the
Roman soldiers of the garrison, perhaps in connection with a popular game, such
as checkers or lame leg. Whatever the reason it was carved into the stone, it
seems more than a mere coincidence that this symbol witnessed the scene of
Jesus' humiliation. Such an emblem was the sign of the future age, the age of
association and integrity, still embryonic in the teachings of Jesus recorded in
the gospels.
It was known that alchemists used the same sign to designate their
philosopher's stone, the ultimate goal of their transformation work. They
probably were not aware that this sign appears on the floor of the room where it
is said that the husband/king of Israel was tortured. Most likely, their knowledge
of geometry and the sacred symbol led them to adopt the hexagram for its very
intrinsic content of integral wholeness and association. This symbol included the
opening words of the Hebrew Bible, found in Genesis: "In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth... and the spirit of God hovered over the face of
the waters." The presence of God, which in the shorthand of the alchemists is a
point, is represented by the dove that appears with the emblem on the floor of
the Antonia Fortress.
In alchemical texts, the star alone can mean "chaos", while adding the dot or
dove to it means "cosmos". The idea there is that the presence and guidance of
the Holy Spirit confers direction and meaning to the created Universe, with a
theological or finalist vision of the world deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian
tradition. The dove of the Holy Spirit hovering over the hieròs gámos , engraved
in the stone of the Antonia Fortress is a symbol of integrity and spiritual
transformation for all ages.
Perhaps telling is the fact that medieval followers of secret doctrines chose
not to honor and venerate the crucifix; They considered the cross to be rather an
instrument of torture, which did not deserve veneration. In its place they
venerated the X of illumination, the millennium promise, and the dove of the
Spirit.

Page 153
THE DOVE, THE LAMB AND THE FISH
The dove is one of the most familiar and beloved symbols of Christianity,
understood as a sign and representation of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit did
not become masculine until its Latin translation as spiritus sanctus . The Hebrew
word for spirit ( ruach ) is feminine. And in ancient cosmology the spirit was
always feminine, while the dove was the bird that represented that feminine
principle. We need to examine that dove, along with two other ancient symbols
of Jesus: the fish and the lamb. These symbols are recurring in Christian
iconography and have special relevance to our story of the lost bride.
During the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River the heavens opened
and the spectators must have been surprised to see a dove descend on Jesus.
Obviously that dove had a symbolic meaning. In the ancient world, doves were
consecrated to the goddesses: Aphrodite, Venus, Isis, Sofia... There has been
speculation about whether this sign was intended to indicate in the Gospel story
that Jesus was an incarnation or "son" of Sofia, the divine Wisdom; It was the
position generally defended by the Gnostic sects in the first centuries of
Christianity.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus to give them some sign, he told them that
the only sign he would give them would be the sign of the prophet Jonah
(Matthew 16:4). As a consequence of the great current interest in knowing which
words of those preserved in the gospels were actually spoken by Jesus and which
others were added later by disciples, interpreters and fervent apologists, perhaps
we should consider this "sign of Jonah" as from a second time. The quote could
have been interpreted after the Resurrection as a prophecy of the three days in
the grave, prefigured by the three days that, according to the Bible, the prophet
Jonah spent in the belly of the whale.
But there is another possible interpretation. In Hebrew Jonah means "dove"
[13]
. What if what Jesus really said was that he would give them the sign of
Jonah, something the community later remembered, but misunderstood those
words and embellished them? Perhaps what Jesus was trying to say is that he
had come under the sign of the dove. Surely his disciples already knew this,
since the Gospel of Mark states that the Spirit descended in the form of a dove
on Jesus at the moment of his baptism (Mark 1:10).

THE BIRTH OF THE AGE OF PISCES

It could thus be affirmed that the charismatic healer and teacher, whose
baptismal sign was a dove, had died like a lamb (Isaiah 53, 7) and was
resurrected like a fish. To understand this radical statement, we must take into

Page 154
account that the sign of the astrological zodiac of the ancient world, which was
being born in the time of Jesus, was the sign of Pisces, the Fish. The itinerant
and charismatic Jewish preacher ended up being assimilated by the Hellenistic
culture of the Mediterranean and became the Kyrios, the bearer or lord of the
new era [14] . The initial letters of the phrase "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior"
form the Greek word ICHTHYS (fish), and soon the persecuted followers of
Jesus drew the sign of a fish in the sand to identify each other as members of the
same religion.
Forty years later the literary tradition, which had been forged around Jesus,
was full of allusions to fishermen: fishers of men, whose nets burst; the loaves
and the fishes, the 153 fish of the net; Peter the fisherman. Despite recent
economic explanations, it is not a coincidence that Catholics traditionally eat
fish on Fridays; For centuries Christianity has been associated with fish. The
astrological age of Aries the Ram had been replaced by that of Jesus Christ, Son
of God, the Fish, and he was given the epithets of the ancient gods, including
"Lord," "Lucifer," or light-bringer. , "Shepherd", "Husband" and "Faithful Son".
The associations of the nomadic tribes of the patriarchal era with the
astrological sign of the Ram have been noted elsewhere. Certainly the numerous
references in the Hebrew Scriptures to the shepherding of their flocks and their
offerings of spotless lambs reflect a natural part of the nomadic culture of the
Hebrew Bible. In the fourth gospel John the Baptist proclaims Jesus as the Lamb
of God. The lamb was an animal that was commonly offered in the temple as a
sacrifice to Yahweh. John the Baptist greets his cousin with that name when he
meets him on the banks of the Jordan River (John 2, 29). In Isaiah 53 the patient
Servant of Yahweh is compared to the lamb that is led to the slaughter without
opening its mouth. And the image of the slain lamb is dramatically highlighted
by the author of the book of Revelation, who refers to Jesus as the Lamb.
After the death of Jesus, the Lamb of God, pious Jews continued to bring
their offerings of lambs and turtledoves to the temple for only four more
decades. That practice ended with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple on the
9th of Av, in the year 70. The Jews could no longer practice their religion, as
prescribed by their sacred writings. We could assume that the age of Aries had
officially ended and that the age of Pisces, which Jesus called "the age to come,"
had begun. And it could be said that Jesus was the bridge between the two.
I am tempted to believe that the initiates of the wisdom schools of the first
century in the Roman Empire gradually recognized that in Jesus of Nazareth the
ancient myths of the dying and resurrecting god had been incarnated. That belief
was the origin of the Christian doctrine of the incarnation, the birth of the
Sun/Son of God, the Logos made flesh. The articulation of that Platonic idea is

Page 155
Greek, not Hebrew. Numerous early Christian writings reflect that for them
Jesus was "the Sun of justice" and "the Light of the world."
Possibly these initiatory "enlightened ones" contributed to turning
Christianity into a doctrinal system and giving continuity to the underlying
values of a civilization. The chaotic changes and crossings of cultures caused
social disorder during the FIRST Christian century. It is evident that people were
looking for a focal point for their "new era." It has been said that the
institutionalization of Jesus, the charismatic Jewish Prophet/King, as the
introducer of the astrological age of Pisces, would be the work of the initiates of
the mystery schools of the FIRST CENTURY. They could have planned in advance the
symbolism of the future age of Pisces and its cultural thrust and would have
been attentive waiting for someone to be the bearer or "vessel" of such symbols.
In any case, they must have recognized in the historical person of Jesus of
Nazareth a powerful vehicle of the age that was opening. By calling Jesus
“Christós” (Messiah/Anointed One) and “Kyrios” (Lord) it was possible for
them to combine the popular cult and message of the Jewish miracle worker with
the nascent sign of the zodiac, the Fishes.
This mixture of Jewish and Greek influences may seem far-fetched at first
glance; But it is worth remembering that the region now known as Israel was
under Greek hegemony for almost three centuries, following the conquests of
Alexander the Great, and when the legions of Rome conquered the ancient
Greek provinces, it was also under Roman occupation. It would be absurd to
claim that Jewish thought and culture remained unchanged during those
centuries of miscegenation. A good example of this mix of cultural influences is
the famous Jewish synagogue of Beth Alpha, from the 6TH CENTURY, on whose floor
there is a mosaic with the astrological zodiac, a mosaic with the same symbols
that flourished in European art in the Middle Ages.
Who was the first to use the initials ICHTHYS to abbreviate the meaningful
Greek epithet "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior"?
Who began to use the visual image of the fish to represent Jesus and the
Christian movement, a symbol that appeared very early on the walls of the
catacombs on the outskirts of Rome? Tertullian (died around 230) and Clement
of Alexandria (died 215) used the fish as an appropriate symbol of Jesus, a
practice continued by Saint Augustine [15] . Some Church fathers refer to their
parishioners as pisciculi , "little fishes" [16] . The baptismal font was called the
pool , and the aforementioned theologian Tertullian says of the Christian
initiates: "We were born in water like the fish [17] ."
The fish/fisherman theme crops up everywhere in early Christianity; But in
the gospels Jesus never designates himself as a fish or a fisherman, while he

Page 156
does call himself shepherd, husband, and heir of the vineyard. It was his apostles
who were called "fishers of men."
At the end of the FIRST century the image of the fish and the identification of
Jesus as the Lord of the age of Pisces already permeated Christian doctrine and
thought. The meals that early Christians shared, meeting in private homes,
included fish. Many elements of Christian doctrine and liturgy, and especially
their Eucharistic and cultic meal of bread and wine as well as the baptismal rites
of initiation, can be considered as so many attempts to reconcile and adapt the
historical Jesus, "Son of God." », to the Hellenistic religious practices derived
from the mystery cults, and particularly those of Tammuz. Mithras and
Dyonysos. The title of Jesus as "Lord" (Kyrios), who eventually supplanted the
Roman emperor, lasted for centuries, but in the end ICHTHYS, the Fish, was
enthroned at the right hand of God as Lord of the new age.
Whatever the original purpose of Jesus, by the time the Gospel of John was
written the Hellenization of the charismatic and provincial Jew was already a
done deal. Jesus was no longer the "rabbi" that his friends in Jerusalem had
known, but rather the "Kyrios." The Gospel of Matthew, written in the years 80-
85, already provides the bases of this "lordship" by reporting that some
astrologers - the "wise men" or wise men - "had seen his star" (Matt 2, 2): they
arrived from East and paid homage to the newborn King of the Jews.
Modern astrologers suggest that the star alluded to in that biblical passage is
a reference to the rising constellation of Pisces. But here again we find a serious
flaw in the foundations of Christianity, which the early Church overlooked: the
symbol of Pisces is formed by two fish, which swim together and usually in
opposite directions. Also the Latin word pisces is plural. But in Christianity,
instead of two fish, we speak of one, the ICHTHYS, Jesus Christ, the "only
deified son " of God and enthroned at the right hand of the Father. The wife, the
other half of that son, was involuntarily lost in the chaotic period that followed
the crucifixion on Golgotha. Perhaps the patriarchal authorities did not realize
the damage involved in eliminating the wife. In any case, when they later
recognized the loss that occurred (probably not before the 6th-7th centuries), they
must have believed that it was already too late for the reintegration of Jesus' lost
wife, whose traces had been erased to protect her life.
The gospels remember that Jesus came to fulfill the prophecies of the Jewish
nation and to preach a new understanding of God's continued presence in his
community, the community of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized. The
radical content of that message was illustrated by the gesture of Jesus
overturning the money changers' tables in the temple and subverting the status
quo of the elitist cult of corrupt priests, "the shepherds of Israel who feed

Page 157
themselves, instead of feeding the sheep" (Ezekiel 34, 2; Jeremiah 23, 2). The
Jesus described in the gospels is a subversive hero, an embodiment of the spirit
of wisdom, kind and compassionate to the poor, and a champion of justice. Jesus
is the model of life for true Christians.
Jesus, the victorious and sovereign Lord of the Universe, seated at the right
side of God and the object of Christian worship on the day of the sun, is a male
solar divinity in the eastern tradition of Egypt (Ra), Greece (Apollo), Rome
( Jupiter and Sol Invictus) and Persia (Zoroaster and Mithras). But there is
another Jesus: the charismatic healer, who walked the streets of the cities of
Israel in sandals, the one who cared for the sick and preached a message of
reconciliation and brotherhood; a Jesus whose baptism was accompanied by the
sign of a dove, who was anointed in Bethany and crucified as an insurrectionist
by decree of the governor of Rome. That is the Jesus who always fled, who the
people wanted to make king and whose death on the cross illustrated in a radical
way the vulnerability of God, whose prophets are universally mocked and
martyred.
Side by side with the orthodox version of Christianity preached from the
chair of Peter is another story of Jesus; an occult tradition, which has been
labeled heretical and which for centuries has been forced underground. In the
shadow of the communities that came to believe in a Christology of exaltation of
Jesus, the heavenly and omnipotent King, the rider of the clouds (an ancient
epithet of Baal, the sun god of the Canaanites), were those who loved Jesus as
brother and friend and who taught a simple gospel of healthy relationships and
spiritual transformation. The low or humble Christology of the early community
of Ebionite Christians shows continuity with the first Christians of Jerusalem,
under the leadership of James, the brother of Jesus [18] . After the teachings of
Paul and the later Church Fathers transformed the Jewish Rabbi/Messiah into a
universal savior God, the Orthodox Church ended up condemning the Ebionites
as heretics (what irony!) [19] .
We have examined the beliefs of the alternative tradition, that of the
heretical occult church, which taught that Jesus was a charismatic and spiritual
teacher and the Messiah of Israel. Ultimately it has been my search for that other
Jesus that has led me to the mystery that surrounds the Christian myth of the
Holy Grail. And it has been my love and my veneration for that Jesus that has
pressured me to defend the restoration of his Bride.

THE GUARDIAN

In the light cast by the fact that the new era of Aquarius is now being born, it

Page 158
seems fortuitous that the Roman numerals of the year 2000 (and subsequent
years) are MM and that the initials of Mary Magdalene form the wavy line of the
sign of Aquarium. In the paintings of the Magdalene, her hair almost invariably
appears spilling over her back with the parallel waves of the aforementioned
sign. I also find it strange that in Chartres Cathedral the stained glass window
depicting Mary Magdalene was donated by the "Water Bearers", without there
being more information about it.
Who were those medieval "water carriers"? Were they members of a
medieval guild in the city? Why did they choose the image of Mary Magdalene
for their donation and not that of any other saint? Or is this another cryptic
allusion to the hope for the restoration of the feminine principle and the Bride in
the future age of Aquarius? According to the book of Revelation, it will be the
marriage of the Lamb that will bring the water so that the desert can grow green.
The stained glass window was installed in the preeminent sanctuary of the Black
Madonna, along with one of the first examples of the Jesse tree (c. 1150) which
sprouted in medieval art of that period to highlight the human genealogy of Jesus
in the succession of the kings of Judah.
In one of the wonderful stained glass windows of Chartres, the baby Jesus
appears in his mother's lap and surrounded by his ancestors - the kings of Judah
of the line of David -, highlighting once again the genealogy of David's
legitimate heirs. In this stained glass window the faces of the kings of Israel,
who "walked with God" and were faithful to him, are black, like that of the
Virgin who holds the baby Jesus in her lap. The faces of the kings who ignored
divine precepts are the faces of white men. Underlying this is another principle
of medieval artists: "Nothing ceases to have a meaning." Principle that is true
both in the details of each piece and in its fundamental understanding of reality.
The "blackness" of such figures seems to refer to the wisdom of those who
voluntarily serve God.

THE LITTLE MERMAID

A seven-year-old friend of mine named Sarah pointed out a curious anomaly in
the opening minutes of Walt Disney's The Little Mermaid . The painting that the
little fish-girl Ariel had saved from a shipwrecked galleon and kept among her
treasures, was the Penitent Magdalene by the 17TH CENTURY FRENCH PAINTER, Georges
de la Tour. The Disney film is an adaptation of the original version of the story
written by Hans Christian Andersen, but with a modified happy ending: the
marriage of the prince and his bride. The little mermaid's only wish is to go up to
the ocean and marry the prince. Perhaps it represents the second fish of the sign

Page 159
of Pisces, which had been forgotten and displaced, sinking into our
unconsciousness for two thousand years!
Both the evil sea witch and Ariel's kind father, King Poseidon, try to prevent
the mermaid from marrying the prince. The sea witch conspires to take away her
voice, thus making her unable to communicate with the prince. (Had not "the
wife's voice" been taken away when her story was declared heretical and her
marriage repudiated?) Once again the motif of the fairy tale is the female
ascension from the depths of darkness, to fulfill her destiny of true companion of
the masculine. And once again it is the prince who is most deeply troubled, the
one who has been shipwrecked and is close to dying, when Ariel saves him
during the storm. And it is also the prince who desperately searches for his
sister-bride, who has been cruelly deceived by the evil sea witch. His sad
condition is his separation from the beloved.
But I have a question: who chose the painting of the Penitent Magdalene to
hang in the treasure cave that appears in the Disney film? Was it a conscious
association on the artist's part between the mermaid and Mary of Magdala? Or
was it a mere coincidence, another synchronism in fact?
More serious is the question raised by the choice of the name Ariel for the
little mermaid, who has no name in Andersen's version. Ariel is another name
for Jerusalem, which the book of Isaiah uses as a synonym for the "humbled
city" (Isaiah 29:1-2). It is the symbolic equivalent of the "desolate widow of
Zion" of the Lamentations and the "Magdal-eder" of Micah 4, 8. Ariel represents
the abandoned remnant of God's people. Perhaps the choice of the name was
unconscious on the part of the narrator of the story, but it is very significant.
Ariel's true identity is that of the lost bride. The "fish girl" is seeking to enter our
consciousness as the companion/complement of the beautiful prince. The sign of
the passing of the age of Pisces is made up of two fish, not just one! Swimming
in the opposite direction, the astrological sign of the Fish is very similar to the
yin/yang of the East, an old symbol of the harmony of opposites or contraries.
In the waters of the Provence papers the mermaid holds in her hand the
mirror of Venus/Aphrodite, the goddess of love, her alter ego . I believe that this
mirror, which appears in several paintings by Georges de la Tour representing
the penitent Magdalene (and also in the first panel of the La Dame à la Licorne
tapestry series) reflects the idea that the material cosmos, embodied In the
feminine ( matter comes from the Latin mater , which means "mother"), it is the
mirror image of divinity and is understood as the "other part" or complement of
the spiritual. It is the physical world, which manifests the invisible creative
energy of the universe "in the flesh." In this sense, the material cosmos
(feminine in ancient cosmologies) "traps the spirit" in the mirror and keeps it

Page 160
there, making it visible, in the way that the ocean reflects the entirety of the sky,
or as the moon reflects the light of the sun. Perhaps this explains why the
goddess of love is associated with a mirror. Not certainly because it is conceited,
but because the mirror is the image of the invisible positive energy of the
cosmos.
In the Disney film the little mermaid is a diminutive of the Queen of the Sea,
the archetypal goddess. But it is not an image of the mother, but represents the
"other Mary", the sister-wife. The people have a strange way of telling their
stories in archetypal ways. Perhaps we should not be surprised how often these
forms recur!

THE RESTORATION OF THE LOST BRIDE

In reestablishing the feminine principle embodied in Mary Magdalene, it is
necessary to establish her true identity as a bride rather than a prostitute. The real
Mary Magdalene, although later branded a prostitute by the Church, was never
despised by Jesus in the gospels. She was the love of his life. As in fairy tales, it
is the beautiful prince who has been searching for her for two thousand years,
trying to return her to her rightful place, which is at his side. He represents the
shepherd/husband aspect of the deity, while she represents the wife: “Never
again will you be called “Forsaken,” nor will your lands be called “Desolation,”
but you will be called “Complacency” and your land will be called
“Bridegroom.” ”» (Isaiah 62, 4).
After almost two thousand years it is time to straighten out the testimony
and to review and complete the evangelical story of Jesus including his wife.
Our devastated environment, our exploited children, our maimed veterans, our
self-destructing families, and abandoned wives all cry out for the restoration of
the bride of Christ. Perhaps their anguish is perfectly encapsulated in the image
of the screaming Virgin. The media has talked about numerous icons of the
Virgin in recent years: they are icons that cry defying any rational explanation.
Surely they mourn the loss of their children, the anawim of God.
The Scriptures never said that Jesus had not married; They only omitted the
specific mention of his wife. But as we have seen, the physical danger that
loomed over his family may have been reason enough to erase Jesus' marriage
from memory. Suffice it to remember that his beloved was sitting at his feet
drinking each of his words (Luke 10:39) and that she anointed his feet with her
tears, drying them with her hair (John 12:3). The archetypal wife is already in
place and a new consciousness is imposing itself among us. Finally the wife's
voice is heard on earth.

Page 161
 When I began to unravel the Grail heresy in 1985, I had no idea where that
path would take me. In my synthesis of the testimonies of history, art, literature,
psychology and mythology, the arguments in favor of the existence of the lost
wife gradually crystallized. Everywhere I discovered traces of the lost feminine
and the imbalance of the opposite, which is manifested in the image of the
desolate land, the mutilated king and the Madonna with a broken heart.
In my search for the Grail I found myths and legends from many countries.
One of special charm was the ancient Egyptian version of the goddess Maat. She
is often depicted as a giant bird that holds the entire world in perfect balance,
while also having a feather with which she could tilt the saucers to one side or
the other. Not wishing the world to become unbalanced, Maat continues to hold
that singular pen for all eternity.
Unfortunately, over the last four millennia on our planet, the tables have
tilted in favor of the masculine, causing balance to disappear at all levels. For
millennia, prophets and true sages have exhorted the community to be
compassionate, merciful, and gentle, which are the qualities that are manifested
in God. In this new era, perhaps the water-bearing principle, the feminine
principle, has enough influence to put out the fires lit by two thousand years of
orientation towards the masculine Logos and thus begin to heal the desert.
Obviously it is a matter of a new consciousness. When the sister-wife is restored
to the heavenly paradigm of the beloved of the Logos, then the wound will be
healed. Well, as we have already seen, the source of vulnerability is the
alienation and separation of these two archetypes.
Medieval legends say that the Grail was lost because its guardians proved
unworthy. Gradually, both the Catholic Church and the hidden church of love
became engaged in a struggle for power, so oriented toward the "leaf" and so
impatient to be declared the supreme sovereign and the chosen vehicle for God's
message, that they even lost. the authentic message. The hierarchy of each of
these causes, with its insistence on its own version of the "election" myth,
believed that it was the only favorite, the only genuine instrument of God's will.
Each faction used the sword of ruthless power politics to achieve their goals and
to effectively destroy the very message they sought to convey. That message was
love. In the end, with the crash of swords, no one was able to hear the word of
God.
Now the feminine is emerging as the bearer of the message. Like Sleeping
Beauty, she has ended up waking up from her prince's kiss, and is now able to
articulate the message of Eros/partnership. The resulting genealogical line has no
relevance in principle unless it is applied to the problem of the complete
humanity of Jesus, but the resurrected female consciousness will continue to

Page 162
move towards equal relationships, despite the myth of the dominant male, which
has persisted. for millennia.
It is unclear what mainstream patriarchal Christianity will do when it
becomes clear that the legends of Jesus' lost bride are probably true. The Vatican
may continue to deny that
Jesus was married. But it is also possible that, faced with the evidence, the
parents decide that it is time to receive the bride with joyful thanksgiving.
Perhaps they will allow the church bells to ring, announcing to the world their
healthy return and their return home. They could perhaps decide to celebrate the
wedding supper of the Lamb. Then the voices of the wife and husband will be
heard again on the earth and the desert will blossom!

The desert and the wasteland will rejoice, the

steppe will exult and flourish.
ISAIAH 35, 1

Page 163
 EPILOGUE: THE SACRED GATHERING

Wrapped in the mist of time, the abandoned Rose waits alone in the
garden, her name veiled and obscured. Lost replica of the Logos, the
Word, Son of the Father, reason and justice, eternal Him.
You were forgotten,
She, the passionate alone, the eternal alone, lies prostrate on the ground.

«The wife is black, but funny

like the Quedar stores.
Don't notice that she is dark, because the sun has burned her.
He has worked in his brothers' vineyards, and has not kept his vineyard"
(Song 1:5-6).

The wife, burned from her work under a scorching sun, brown, withered
and dry.
Black Virgin, mother of the poor and the afflicted, of the raisins of God,
burned by the implacable rays of the victorious Logos, judge and sword.
Male image of a sovereign God sitting on the throne of heaven in
complete solitude.

Passionately she searched for him, but the sentinels fell on her, beat her
and wounded the guards of the walls. Their sad situation is now reflected
in the image of Czestochowa with a knife wound on his cheek; reviled
and abandoned, is the Derelicta.

Noli me tangere , "Don't touch me." For centuries that Noli me tangere

Page 164
resonates.

Ascended to heaven, worshiped and glorified, the untouchable and

beautiful prince, Lion of Judah and Lamb of God, sits at the right hand of
the Father and rules from his throne in complete solitude.

But now, at last, she seeks him out.

And he calls her, He, who knows the name of the Rose. Exhausted and
thirsty in her misfortune, she hears him calling her by name. Moved, she
raises her head and looks around: "Who is speaking?"

His heart beats agitatedly: "Could it be him, who has finally returned to
me?"

Desolate is now the garden in which he left her, dry, withered and
withered. The trees languish, the streams of living water are nothing
more than a weak trickle. Thick brambles surround the garden,
preventing them from entering.
With the sword of truth he has to make his way to reach the beloved.

He finally finds her

still hugging her alabaster jar.
Her tears of joy fall at her feet and for the second time she wipes them
with her hair. But now he takes her hand.
«Come, my beloved,
We will go to the vineyards in the morning to see if the vines are already
germinating” (Song 7:13). Hand in hand they now walk through the
deserted garden.

And where their feet rest, a violet sprouts and an anemone raises its head.
As it passes through the garden, the dry branches sprout.

Page 165
«They will no longer say to you: “Forsaken”, nor will they call your
lands “Desolation”, you will be called “My pleasure” and your land
“Bridegroom”» (Isaiah 62, 4).

He whispers her name, savoring her sweetness and rejoicing in the wife
of his desires.

Maria.

Page 166
 SHEETS

Page 167
[RETURN]

Page 168
Page 169
[RETURN]

Page 193
[RETURN]

Page 194
[RETURN]

Page 195
[RETURN]

Page 196
Page 197
Page 199
Page 201
[RETURN]

Page 203
Page 204
Page 206
[RETURN]

Page 208
Page 209
[RETURN]

Page 211
Page 212
[RETURN]

Page 214
Page 215
[RETURN]

Page 217
[RETURN]

Page 218
Page 219
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

ARADI, Zsolt, Shrines of Our Lady around the World , New York, Farrar, Straus &
Young, 1954.
BAIGENT, Michael and LEIGH, Richard, The Temple and the Lodge , New York,
Little, Brown & Co., 1989.
—, and LINCOLN, Henry, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail , London, Jonathan
Cape, Ltd., 1982. [ The sacred enigma , Barcelona, Círculo de Lectores,
2001].
BARCLAY, James, The Mind of Jesus , New York, Harper & Row, 1960.
BAYLEY, Harold, The Lost Language of Symbolism , Totowa, NJ, Rowman &
Littlefield, 1974.
BOGIN, Meg, The Women Troubadours , New York, Paddington Press, 1976.
BRANDON S. g. F., Jesus and the Zealots , New York, Charles Scribner's Sons,
1967.
BRIQUET, Charles Moïse, Les Filigranes , Allan Stevenson, ed., in The New
Briquet, Jubilee Edition , J. S. g. Simmons, ed., Amsterdam, The Paper
Publications Society, 1968, vols. III, IV.
BROWN, Raymond E., The Community of the Beloved Disciple , New York, Paulist
Press, 1979. [ The community of the beloved disciple , Salamanca, Follow
me, 1991].
—, ed., The Jerome Biblical Commentary , New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 1968. [
Saint Jerome Biblical Commentary , Madrid, Cristiandad, 1972].
CARTLIDGE, David R. and DUNGAN, David L., eds., Documents for Study of the
Gospels , Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1980.
CAVENDISH, Richard, The Tarot , London, M. Joseph, Ltd., 1975.
CHARPENTIER, Louis, The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral ,
Northhamptonshire, Thorsons Publishers Ltd., 1972.
CRUDEN, Alexander, Cruden's Unabridged Concordance , Grand Rapids, MI,
Baker Book House, 1973.

Page 221
DANIÉLOU, Jean, The Dead Sea Scrolls and Primitive Christianity , New York,
New American Library, Mentor Omega Book, 1962.
EISLER, Riane, The Chalice and the Blade , San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1988.
ERLANDE-BRANDENBURG, Alain, La Dame à la Licorne , Paris, Éditions de la Réunion
des Musées Nationaux, 1970.
FILLIETTE, Edith, Saint Mary Magdalene, Her Life and Times , Newton Lower
Falls, MA, Society of Saint Mary Magdalene, 1983.
FIORENZA, Elisabeth Schüssler, The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment ,
Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1984.
—, In Memory of Her , New York, Crossroads, 1988. [ In memory of her , DDB,
1989].
FRANZ, Marie-Louise von, Alchemy , Toronto, Inner City Books, 1980. [
Alquimia , Barcelona, Luciérnaga, 1991].
FUJITA, Niel S., The Crack in the Jar , New York, Paulist Press, 1986.
GETTINGS, Fred, The Secret Zodiac , London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1987.
GRAVES, Robert, King Jesus , New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1946. [ King
Jesus , Barcelona, Edhasa, 1989].
—, The White Goddess , New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1966. [ The White
Goddess , Madrid, Alianza, 1988].
HAMILTON, Edith, Mythology , New York, New American Library, Mentor Book,
1969.
Holy Bible. New International Version , New York, The American Bible
Society, 1978.
HULME, F. Edward, Symbolism in Christian Art , London, Swan, Sonnenschein &
Co., 1891.
INMAN, Thomas, Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism ,
Williamstown, MA, Corner House Publishers, 1978.
K RAMER , Samuel, The Sacred Marriage Rite , Bloomington, IN, Indiana
University Press, 1969.
LEVEY, Michael and MANDEL, Gabriele, Complete Paintings of Botticelli , New
York, Penguin Classics of World Art, Viking Penguin, Inc., 1985.
LINCOLN, Henry, The Holy Place , New York, Brown & Little, Arcade Books,
1991.
MALVERN, Marjorie M., Venus in Sackcloth , Edwardsville, IL, Southern Illinois
University Press, 1975.
MICHELL, John, The City of Revelation , London, Garnstone Press, 1971.
—, The Dimensions of Paradise , San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1990.

Page 222
OLDENBOURG, Zoé, Massacre at Montségur , New York, Pantheon Books, 1961.
PAGELS, Elaine, The Gnostic Gospels , New York, Vintage Books, 1981. [ The
Gnostic Gospels , Barcelona, Crítica, 1990, and Barcelona, Círculo de
Lectores, 2004].
PATAI, Raphael, The Hebrew Goddess , Hoboken, NJ, KTAV Publishing House,
1967.
PERRIN, Norman, The Resurrection According to Matthew, Mark and Luke ,
Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1960.
PILCH, John J., What Are They Saying about the Book of Revelation? , New York,
Paulist Press, 1978.
POPE, Marvin H., Song of Songs , Anchor Bible Series, Garden City, Doubleday &
Co., Inc., 1983.
QUALLS-CORBETT, Nancy, The Sacred Prostitute , Toronto, Inner City Books, 1988.
RINGGREN, Helmer, The Faith of Qumran , Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1963.
—, Religions of the Ancient Near East , Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1973.
ROBINSON, James M., ed., The Nag Hammadi Library , San Francisco, Harper &
Row, 1981.
ROUGEMONT, Denis de, Love in the Western World , New York, Pantheon Books,
1956. [ Love and the West , Barcelona, Círculo de Lectores, 2003].
Saint Joseph New Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible , New York, Catholic Book
Publishing Company, 1963.
SCHICK, Edwin A., Revelation, the Last Book of the Bible , Philadelphia, Fortress
Press, 1977.
S CHONFIELD , Hugh, The Pentecost Revolution , Dorset, Element Books, 1985. [
The party of Jesus , Madrid, Martínez Roca, 1988].
SILBERER, Herbert, Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts , New York,
Dover Publications, 1971.
SMITH, Jonathan, "Wisdom and Apocalyptic", in P. d. Hanson, ed., Visionaries
and their Apocalypses , Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1988.
SMITH, Morton, Jesus the Magician , San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1978. [ Jesus
the magician , Madrid, Martínez Roca, 1988].
—, The Secret Gospel , New York, Harper & Row, 1973.
SPARKS, H. F. D., ed., The Apocryphal Old Testament , New York, Oxford
University Press, 1984.
STONE, Merlin, When God Was a Woman , New York, The Dial Press, 1976.
TERRIEN, Samuel, The Golden Bible Atlas , New York, The Golden Press, 1957.

Page 223
VERMES, G., The Dead Sea Scrolls in English , New York, Penguin Books, 1987. [
The Dead Sea Scrolls , Barcelona, Muchnick, 1987].
WAITE, Arthur E., The Hidden Church of the Holy Grail , London, Rebman
Limited, 1909.
—, The New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry , New York, Weathervane Books,
1970.
WALKER, Barbara, The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects , San
Francisco, Harper & Row, 1988.
—, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets , San Francisco, Harper &
Row, 1983.
WILLIAMSON, John, The Oak King, the Holly King, and the Unicorn , New York,
Harper & Row, 1986.
YOUNG, Wayland, Eros Denied , New York, Grove Press, 1964.

Page 224
MARGARET STARBIRD, born in West Point, New York, after studying at an
American school in Nuremberg, Germany, returned to her native country to
enroll at the University of Maryland, where she graduated in German Language
and Comparative Literature. After obtaining a Fulbright scholarship, he returned
to Europe to expand his knowledge at the Christian Albrechts Universität in
Kiel. She began her professional career in the field of teaching, in the specialties
of Religious Education and Reading of the Scriptures, but the publication in
1993 of Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail marked the beginning of a new
stage for Margaret Starbird in which she would delve deeper into the sacred
sense of the feminine in the Christian tradition. Among his works it is worth
mentioning Mary Magdalene, wife of Jesus? , The Goddess in the Gospels , The
Tarot Trumps and the Holy Grail: Great Secrets of the Middle Ages and
Magdalene's Lost Legacy; Symbolic Numbers and Sacred Union in Christianity .
GRADES

Page 225
[*]
Reverend Terrance A. Sweeney is the author of A Church Divided and What
God Hath Joined , and holds a master's degree in communication techniques and
a doctorate in theology and arts. <<

Page 226
[*]
The Spanish version has also taken into account the respective nuances. (No.
of the T.) <<

Page 227
[1]
Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln, Holy Blood, Holy
Grail , New York, Little, Brown & Co., 1983, p. 286. Originally published as
The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail , London, Jonathan Cape, Ltd., 1982. [ The
sacred enigma , Madrid Martínez Roca, 1985]. <<

Page 228
[2]
Arthur E. Waite, The Hidden Church of the Holy Grail , London, Rebman,
Ltd., 1909. <<

Page 229
[3]
Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, op. cit ., p. 306. <<

Page 230
[4]
Edith Filliette, Saint Mary Magdalene, Her Life and Times , Newton Lower
Falls, MA, Society of Saint Mary Magdalene, 1983, p. 39. <<

Page 231
[5]
Harold Bayley, The Lost Language of Symbolism , Totowa, NJ, Rowman &
Littlefield, 1974, vol. 1, pp. 168-177. Originally published in Great Britain,
Williams and Norgate, 1912. <<

Page 232
[6]
Marjorie M. Malvern, Venus in Sackcloth , Edwardsville, IL, University of
Southern Illinois Press, 1974. <<

Page 233
[1]
Merlin Stone, When God Was a Woman , New York, The Dial Press, 1976,
p. XII. <<

Page 234
[2] isdom and Apocalyptic,” in Paul D. Hanson, ed. Vis i onar i es an d
Jonathan Smith, “W

Their Apocalypses , Philadelphia, Fortress Press , 1983 , p . 1 0 4.

<<

Page 235
[3]
James Barclay, The Mind of Jesus , New York, Harper & Row, 1960, p. 186.
<<

Page 236
[4]
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, In Memory of Her , New York, Crossroads,
1988, p. XIV, [ In memory of her , DDB, 1989]. <<

Page 237
[5]
F. Edward Hulme, Symbolism in Christian Art , London, Swan,
Sonnenschein & Co., 1891, p. 200. <<

Page 238
[6] Barclay, op. cit ., p. 198. <<

Page 239
[7]
Ibid . <<

Page 240
[8]
Marvin H. Pope, Song of Songs, Anchor Bible Series , Garden City, NY,
Doubleday & Co., 1983, p. 19. [For the Spanish version, the translations of
Bower-Cantera, Madrid, 1961, and La Bible, Barcelona, Herder, 1976 have been
used.] <<

Page 241
[9]
Ibid . <<

Page 242
[10]
Samuel Kramer, The Sacred Marriage Rite , Bloomington, IN, University
of Indiana Press, 1969, p. 88. <<

Page 243
[11]
Helmer Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East , Philadelphia,
Westminster Press, 1973, p. 11, 42. <<

Page 244
[12]
Ibid ., p. 101. <<

Page 245
[13]
Ibid . Chapter 1, pp, 1-48, contains a detailed description and some poetic
passages of such Sumerian rituals. <<

Page 246
[14]
See Raphael Patai, The Hebrew Goddess , Hoboken, NY, KTAV Publishing
House, 1967, for a complete exposition of the apostasy of the Jewish nation. <<

Page 247
[15] Bayley, op. cit ., p. 169. <<

Page 248
[16]
David R. Cartlidge and David L. Dungan, Documents for Study of the
Gospels , Philadelphia, Fortress Press, 1980, p. 61. A very brief discussion
around the conception and practice of the symbolic "sacred marriage" and the
"bridal chamber." <<

Page 249
[17]
Denis de Rougemont, Love in the Western World , New York, Pantheon
Books, 1956, p. twenty-one. [ Love and the West , Barcelona, Círculo de
Lectores, 2003]. <<

Page 250
[1]
Robert Graves, King Jesus , New York, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Minerva
Press, 1946, p. 293. [ King Jesus , Barcelona, Edhasa, 1989]. <<

Page 251
[2]
Alexander Cruden, Cruden's Unabridged concordance , Grand Rapids, MI,
Baker Book House, 1973, p. 582. <<

Page 252
[3]
James Robinson, ed., The Nag Hammadi Library , San Francisco, Harper &
Row, 1988. The volume contains the English translations of those two Gnostic
gospels. <<

Page 253
[4]
Ibid ., "The Gospel of Philip", pp. 135-136. <<

Page 254
[5]
Ibid ., p. 138. <<

Page 255
[6]
S. g. F. Brandon, Jesus and the Zealots , New York, Charles Scribner's Sons,
1967. <<

Page 256
[7]
Ibid ., p. 39. <<

Page 257
[8]
Ibid . <<

Page 258
[9]
Ibid ., p. 344. <<

Page 259
[10]
Jean Daniélou, The Dead Sea Scrolls and Primitive Christianity , New
York, New American Library, 1962, p. 106. <<

Page 260
[11]
Morton Smith, Jesus the Magician , New York, Harper & Row, 1978. [
Jesus the magician , Madrid, Martínez Roca, 1988]. <<

Page 261
[12]
Brandon, op. cit ., p. 294. <<

Page 262
[14]
Hulme, op. cit ., p. 29.
<<

Page 265
[15]
Ibid . <<

Page 266
[2]
Ibid ., p. 14. <<

Page 268
[3]
Ibid ., p. 268. <<

Page 269
[4]
Zoé Oldenbourg, The Massacre at Montségur , New York, Pantheon Books,
1961, p. 42. <<

Page 270
[5]
Ibid . <<

Page 271
[6]
The supposed Merovingian genealogies of the Priory of Sion appear in
Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, op. cit . <<

Page 272
[7]
Lyrics of the Troubadours and Trouvères , Garden City, NY, Anchor Books,
Doubleday & Co., 1973, p. 217. <<

Page 273
[8]
Wayland Young, Eros Denied , New York: Grove Press, 1964, p. 210. <<

Page 274
[9] Rougemont, op. cit ., p. 85. <<

Page 275
[10]
Meg Bogin, The Women Troubadours , New York: Paddington Press, 1976,
p. 58. <<

Page 276
[11] Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, op. cit ., p. 395. <<

Page 277
[12]
Louis Charpentier, The Mysteries of Chartres Cathedral ,
Northamptonshire, Thorsons Publishers Ltd., 1972. <<

Page 278
[13]
Ibid ., p. 147. <<

Page 279
[14]
Fred Gettings, The Secret Zodiac , London, Routledge & Kegan Paul,
1987. <<

Page 280
[15]
Henry Lincoln, The Holy Place , New York, Brown & Little, Arcade
Books, 1991, p. 69. <<

Page 281
[16] Barclay, op. cit ., p. 9. <<

Page 282
[17]
Patai, op. cit ., p. 178. <<

Page 283
[1]
All paper waters mentioned in this chapter are taken from Harold Bayley,
op. cit . <<

Page 284
[2]
Bayley, op. cit , vol. 1 p. 1. <<

Page 285
[3]
Ibid ., p. 26. <<

Page 286
[4]
Ibid ., p. 120. <<

Page 287
[6]
Richard Cavendish, The Tarot , New York, Crescent Books, 1975, p. 17.
<<

Page 289
[7]
Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, op. cit ., pp. 217, 219. <<

Page 290
[8]
Ibid ., p. 59. <<

Page 291
[9]
Ibid ., p. 31. <<

Page 292
[10]
Lincoln, op. cit ., p. 69. <<

Page 293
[1]
Michael Levey and Gabriele Mandel, Complete Paintings of Botticelli , New
York, Viking Penguin, Inc., 1985, p. 109. Originally published in Italy, Milan,
Rizzoli Editore, 1967. <<

Page 294
[2]
Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, op. cit ., p. 131. <<

Page 295
[3]
Arthur E. Waite, A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry , New York ,
Weathervane Books, 1970, vol. 2 P. 455. <<

Page 296
[4] Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, op. cit ., p. 159. <<

Page 297
[5]
Robert Graves, The White Goddess , New York, Farrar, Straus & Giroux,
1966, p. 472. [ The White Goddess , Madrid, Alianza, 1988]. <<

Page 298
[6]
See John Michell, The Dimensions of Paradise , San Francisco, Harper &
Row, 1990. Originally published in Great Britain, London, Thames and Hudson,
Ltd., 1988. <<

Page 299
[7]
Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, The Temple and the Lodge , New York,
Little, Brown & Co., 1989. The book explains the presence of the Knights
Templar in Scotland. <<

Page 300
[1]
Alain Erlande-Brandenburg, La Dame à la Licorne , Paris, Éditions de la
Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1979, p. 67. <<

Page 301
[2]
Ibid ., p. 66. <<

Page 302
[3]
Ibid ., pp. 13-59. Alain Erlande-Brandenburg, curator of the Cluny Museum,
interprets the first five panels of the tapestry collection as representing each of
the five bodily senses. <<

Page 303
[4]
John Williamson, The Oak King, the Holly King, and the Unicorn , New
York, Harper & Row, 1986, pp. 199-226. <<

Page 304
[5]
Ibid . <<

Page 305
[6]
Kramer, op. cit ., p. 63. <<

Page 306
[7]
Williamson. This author identifies each plant of the tapestry panel with its
medieval meaning. <<

Page 307
[1]
Rougemont, op. cit ., p. 111. <<

Page 308
[2]
Ibid ., p. 82. <<

Page 309
[3]
See Zsolt Aradi, Shrines of Our Lady around the World , New York, Farrar,
Straus & Young, 1954, for descriptions and details of the Black Madonna in
Europe. <<

Page 310
[4]
Bernard of Clairvaux, On the Song of Songs , Kalamazoo, MI, Cistercian
Publications, 1976, "Sermon 25", pp. 56-57. <<

Page 311
[1]
Herbert Silberer, Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts , New
York, Dover Publications, 1971, p. 399. <<

Page 312
[2]
Riane Eisler, The Chalice and the Blade , San Francisco, Harper & Row,
1988, p. 72. <<

Page 313
[3]
Ibid . <<

Page 314
[4]
Barbara Walker, Woman's Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects , San
Francisco, Harper & Row, 1988, p. 69. <<

Page 315
[5]
Marie-Louise von Franz, Alchemy , Toronto, Inner City Books, 1980, p. 62. [
Alquimia , Barcelona, Luciérnaga, 1991]. <<

Page 316
[6]
Ibid ., p. 65. <<

Page 317
[7]
Ibid ., pp. 180-181. Marie-Louise von Franz tells this story of Saint Thomas
Aquinas. <<

Page 318
[8]
Silberer, op. cit ., p. 97. <<

Page 319
[9]
Ibid ., p. 399. <<

Page 320
[10]
Patai, op. cit ., p. 78. <<

Page 321
[11]
Ibid . <<

Page 322
[12]
Samuel Terrien, The Golden Bible Atlas , New York, The Golden Press,
1957, p. 73. <<

Page 323
[13]
Cruden, op. cit ., p. 582. <<

Page 324
[14]
Michell. This author examines the secret wisdom of classical antiquity,
including the canon of the sacred number, and the influence of that ancient
wisdom tradition on the formation of Christianity as a religion of the Roman
Empire. <<

Page 325