DAVINCI - VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS - LONDON - PAGE 3

Asherah Missing in the Translation

Queen of Heaven

- The study of Asherah begins with a deeper understanding of the historical context in which she was worshipped.
- Ancient Canaanite religion flourished in the regions comprising modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Jordan and Syria.
- This was a polytheistic belief system that revolved around a pantheon of gods and goddesses, with Asherah standing as one of the central deities.

Crops flourishing

Divine feminine

- Within the Canaanite pantheon, Asherah held various roles and attributes.
- She was regarded as the consort of the supreme god El and played a vital role in the divine assembly.
- Asherah’s role as the consort of both El and YHWH has been a subject of much discussion.
- This is that the divine is 'as above, so below' we have a heavenly father and an earthly one.
- She was recognized as an important companion to both deities, symbolizing the divine feminine within their pantheon.

Harmonic force

- Asherah represents the archetype of 'Divine Wisdom' or a force symbolizing harmony, protection and creation.
- She complemented and balanced the masculine aspect of the biblical YHWH.
- This view of the divine, as a union of feminine and masculine forces, provides a broader and more inclusive understanding of spirituaity.

Sophia is Wisdom

- In Gnostic tradition, Asherah is referred to as 'Sophia,' reinforcing the vision of spirituality where the divine is seen as a union of polarities rather than as exclusively masculine.
- The removal of Asherah from the 'official' tradition not only altered the view of the sacred, but also impacted human spirituality on a much deeper level.

I am the wife and the virgin. I am the mother and the daughter. I am the limbs of my mother. I am a barren woman who had many children. I have had many weddings and have taken no husband. I am a midwife and a woman who does not give birth. I am the solace of my own birth pains. (Song of Eve)

Secrets hidden

- Imagine a knowledge so powerful that it could transform your entire perception of reality.
- A secret preserved since the dawn of civilization that was safeguarded in ancient rituals and symbols which were passed down through the generations.
- They were purposely hidden to prevent indiscriminate access.
- This secret never disappeared because it was hidden to protect humanty from a power that has always been available in each of us.

I am bride and groom, and my husband produced me. I am the mother of my father, and the sister of my husband, and he is my offspring. I am the servant of him who fashioned me. I am the ruler of my offspring. He (produced me) with a premature birth, and he is my offspring born on time, and my strength is from him. I am the staff of the power in his youth, and he is the rod of my old age, and whatever he wishes happens to me. (Song of Eve, Thunder 13-19-14, 9)

Figure of Asherah

- When you look deeper you find the figure of Asherah, a presence nearly erased from tradition and history, who fortunately still survives in ancient text and sacred symbols.
- This is the ancient knowledge suppressed by the church.
- Asherah was revered as a goddess and the partner of YHWH (Yahweh aka Jehovah) in the Canaanite pantheon, and she represented the feminine aspect of the divine.

 

The Canaanite goddess Asherah was a widely worshiped figure in the ancient Near East. Often depicted as a nude female with exaggerated breasts and flowing garments, she was associated with the sea and played a role in the struggle against the god Baʾal. (oldworldgods.com)

 

Mysterious figure

- Traces of Asherah are still discernable in the scriptures, especially in the wisdom texts.
- For example, in Proverbs, there is a personification of Wisdom, a mysterious figure who speaks of protection, life and knowledge.

Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge? Repent at my rebuke! (Proverbs 1:20-23)

First the mother

Limited perspective

- The period of Jewish history after the end of the exile in Babylon in 538 BC is known as the post-exilic era.
- Prior to the Jews Babylonian captivity, their pre-exilic theology carried a spiritual complexity that was gradually suppressed until the very essense of the divine was reduced to a limited, one-sided perspective.
- This is because pre-exilic theology consisted of both complimentary and opposing forces, a dynamic between the male and feminine divinities.

The word "exilic" is an adjective that means relating to a period of exile, especially the Babylonian Captivity of the Jews. (merriam-webster.com)

Asherah in her sacred grove

- Artistic renderings of Asherah frequently portrayed her holding a sacred tree or serpent, symbolizing her connection to nature and the divine.
- Though Asherah was removed from official worship, her presence never entirely vanished.
- Sacred groves dedicated to her were discovered, highlighting her prominent role in Israelite religious practices.

Sacred Asherim poles

- Intricate details and craftsmanship of Asherah figurines recovered from archeological sites, demonstrate the significance of Asherah’s cult in the ancient societies.
- The sacred poles, known as 'asherim,' were sacred symbols associated with Asherah.
- These wooden poles or pillars were erected in her honor, and they represented her presence or connection to the earthly realm.
- Sometimes the poles were made of silver or of carved stone.

Another key archaeological element related to Asherah’s cult is the discovery of sacred groves and poles dedicated to her worship. These sacred groves were designated spaces where rituals and ceremonies honoring Asherah took place. They were often located near temples or within natural settings such as forests. (oldworldgods.com)

Sophia abandoned

Ancient temples

- Ancient civilizations had a much deeper understanding of the spiritual that seems foreign and even surreal to us.
- This was the ability to access a higher wisdom, a connection point with the universe that transcended logic and revealed the divine.
- We are beginning to learn what happened in the ancient temples and who the guardians of the ancient mysteries were.
- As well as the reason this knowledge needed to be hidden from ordinary understanding by the masses.
- Today, much of this connection to spiritual knowledge is greatly diminished, but there is still a trace of it that speaks to a time when the human and the divine were much closer.

Angel wings

- In the past 60 years, thanks to a number of stunning archaeological finds, scholars have discovered more about the historical Jesus than they had learned in the previous 1,000 years.
- Researchers have investigated the mystical roots of Christianity and have challenged traditional interpretations of the scriptures.
- This includes a broader view of the divine based on ancient spiritual practices.

Belief system

 - The Hebrew version of the Old Testament is very incomplete and that's a problem for all of us.
- We have to take into consideration all the Greek books, called the Apocrypha, which were excluded from the Hebrew Bible.
- In its broadest sense apocrypha has come to mean any writings of dubious authority, and this was the verdict that was given by the group running the reformed Christian church.
- The biggest problem is that so many today have been brainwashed into believing that studying the Apocrypha is somehow a heretic and unworthy effort.

Veil of darkness

- It was the Protestants, after their split from the teachings of the Catholic Church, who misguidedly decided that the Hebrew canon is what Christianity needed to follow.
- As a result, the Catholic Bible contains 72 books and the Protestant's version only has 66 books.
- This is due to the inclusion of additional books in the Old Testament considered 'deuterocanonical' by the Catholic Church, which are not included in the Protestant canon.

Big foot

- Unfortunately, if you only follow the books of the Hebrew Old Testament that the Protestants recognize, you are not reading the whole of the Old Testament as the early Christians knew it.
- Seven books are accepted as deuterocanonical by all the ancient churches: Tobit, Judith, Baruch, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom, First and Second Maccabees and also the Greek additions to Esther and Daniel.
-  In addition to these, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church include other books in their canons.

Law

- But this is a story that has traveled through many ages and it was not the beginning of the biblical travesty.
- The Book of Enoch was also known as the Apocalypse of Weeks because each period of the history is designated as a week.
- It is the history of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, the giving of the Law but without any mention of Moses and the Exodus, the building of the temple in the 5th week, and then, in the 6th week tragedy struck and there was blindness.

Solomon's temple

- The Masoretic text chronology from Abraham to Adam was corrupted by Jews in 160 AD at Zippori for anti-Christian theological reasons.
- However, the Greek Septuagint chronology is whole and original and correct.
- Jacob's birth was 2006 BC, Exodus 1446 BC, construction of Solomon's temple began in 967 BC.

Wisdom found a desert

- The Book of Enoch mentions nothing of the Deuteronomists’ story of the Exodus and their hero Moses, but it does emphasise Enoch, and says that Jerusalem was destroyed after the people in the temple had forsaken Wisdom.
- There is even a poem about the rejected Wisdom.

Veneration of the Lady

- The other great symbol of Wisdom was the Tree of Life and in the time of Jesus, the veneration of the Lady and her tree was well known.
- Her tree of fire appears in another story, where her demise is the preface to the story of Moses and the Exodus and the burning bush was Asherah's tree of fire.
- The story about Moses learning a new name for God at the burning bush, is recognized as the point at which the compilers of the Pentateuch joined together the two traditions.
- Abraham, Melchizedek and the patriarchs were joined to Moses and the Exodus, and the God of the Patriarchs was renamed.
- And Enoch and Asherah were totally eliminated.

Tinman is Asherah's replacement

- At the burning bush a voice said that the name to be used in future was YHWH or LORD.
- Later, ‘God said to Moses: I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as El Shaddai, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.'
- Ezekiel had described the voice of the 'Living One' as the voice of Shaddai.
- Shaddai most often is translated as Almighty, but the usual meaning of this Hebrew word is 'breasts,' suggesting that El Shaddai had a female aspect.

El Shaddai

- In the stories of the patriarchs, El Shaddai was associated with the gift of fertility: 'May El Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you.'
- ‘I am El Shaddai; be fruitful and multiply… kings shall spring from you.'
- The story of the burning bush representing the transition from the older religion to that of the Deuteronomists, explains the later Christian custom of representing Mary by the burning bush.

This fiery tree had been the ancient symbol of the Mother of the Lord; sometimes Mary is depicted literally within the burning bush, sometimes there is simply a fiery tree named ‘the Mother of God’, and sometimes the burning bush ikon depicts Mother and Son surrounded by the angels of the weathers, that is, the angels of Day One in the Holy of Holies. (orthodoxeurope.org)

Perception and power

- The temple was more than a physical place, it was a gateway to a dimension of perception and power.
- Despite all, this ancient wisdom still remains and continues to inspire new spirtual pursuits, waiting to be rediscovered by those willing to retrieve what was forgotten.
- There is much unspoken wisdom emerging from the past that is awaiting its return to current generations.
- What will the upset congregation do? Fire them.

 

Burning incense

- In Jeremiah we see a glimpse of the religion of 7th-century Judea, when the Jews would burn incense in honor of the Queen of Heaven.
- They would pour out libations to her and make loaves to represent her.
- Asherah played a central role in ancient temple practices and other traditions.

King Josiah’s reform

- Just before the temple was destroyed, there was a massive purge of the religion of Judah and Jerusalem, which is called King Josiah’s reform.
- The Deuteronomists’ own account of this purge makes it clear that an old copy of a law book had been found in the temple (the Old Testament).
- This prompted the young king to remove from his kingdom everything which did not comply with the regulations of that law book.

Destroyed by Josiah

- As a result, anything associated with the worship of Ba'al and Asherah and the host of heaven was removed from the temple and destroyed.
- The priests whom earlier kings had appointed to burn incense in other cities were deposed, but they would not come to serve in Jerusalem; they stayed in their own areas.

Asherah burned by Kidron

- The account emphasized the destruction of the Asherah, which was taken from the temple and burned by the Kidron.
- Also, the destruction of the houses of the qdsm, a word usually translated male prostitutes, but which more accurately describes 'holy ones or angels,' because Josiah removed everything connected with the host of heaven.
- In these houses, women had woven sacred linen garments for Asherah.
- Josiah also removed horses dedicated to the sun which had stood at the gate of the temple.

What the refugees described as abandoning the Queen of Heaven, and Enoch described as forsaking Wisdom must have been this purge by Josiah. What he had tried to destroy was the older religion of Jerusalem and Judah. (orthodoxeurope.org)

Neglected

- After disaster struck and Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, Jewish refugees fled south to Egypt.
- The prophet Jeremiah accompanied them, and informed them that the disaster had been due to their sins, and that even in Egypt, the punishment would continue.
- The refugees in Pathros confronted Jeremiah and would not accept what he said because they believed the disaster occurred because they neglected the Queen of Heaven.

Suppressed and cloaked

- The decline of Asherah’s following and the subsequent suppression of her worship coincided with the rise of monotheistic beliefs.
- Early Israelite kings like Hezekiah and others pushed to establish the temple in Jerusalem as the only place where sacrifices could be offered to their male god, YHWH.
- Consolidating worship in Jerusalem was key to consolidating political and religious power (pretty much two sides of the same coin in those days) in the rulers of Jerusalem.

The representation of Asherah in the Hebrew Bible adds another layer of complexity to the debates surrounding her role in Israelite religion. In the texts, Asherah’s worship is often criticized and condemned, with references to the destruction of her sacred groves and poles. Scholars interpret these passages as evidence of efforts to suppress and eradicate her worship as the Israelite religion embraced monotheism. (oldworldgods.com)

Monotheistic shark

- The Hebrew Bible chronicles efforts to eliminate sacred groves and poles dedicated to her worship, suggesting a deliberate attempt to erase her influence.
- This suppression played a significant role in the transition towards monotheistic Yahwism, where the worship of a single male deity became the dominant religious practice.
- While the Hebrew Bible portrays Asherah in a negative light, it is important to consider the potential biases and motivations behind these depictions.

The male-dominated religious establishment and the rise of monotheism may have led to the denigration and marginalization of the divine feminine, including Asherah. The Hebrew Bible serves as a reflection of these societal and religious shifts rather than an objective account of Asherah’s significance in ancient Israelite religion. (oldworldgods.com)

 

Mount Gerizim

- Many Canaanites and Israelites living outside Jerusalem kept drifting back to old practices.
- They were worshipping at places like Shiloh and Mount Gerizim, where they often acknowledged Asherah as the female consort of El which was the Israelite name for god in the earliest Biblical texts.
- This was a big deal as the priests and prophets in Jerusalem regarded Asherah as an abomination.

Israelite priest shutting Asherah down

- The priests often blamed the unauthorized practice of sacrificing to Asherah (as well as Ba'al or El) for all of Israel’s woes.
- There was a constant attempt to try to stifle interest in these other gods and there was apparently no room for a female goddess in the male dominated religion of the Israelites.

Male-dominated power

- Historically, societies influenced by patriarchal systems have aimed to maintain male-dominated power structures by suppressing the significance of goddess worship and the recognition of feminine spirituality.
- This repression has perpetuated a belief in the superiority of masculine qualities and diminished the importance of the feminine in all ways.

Skirt diminished

- The marginalization of the divine feminine, including the worship of goddesses like Asherah, has had profound consequences for women’s status and rights in society.
- By downplaying the significance of the feminine divine, women were relegated to subservient roles, and their voices and contributions were diminished.

As the worship of Asherah declined and monotheism took hold, the divine became increasingly associated with masculine attributes, reinforcing gender hierarchies and limiting women’s participation in religious and social spheres. The suppression of Asherah’s worship went hand in hand with the marginalization of women, perpetuating patriarchal structures and stifling opportunities for gender equality.(oldworldgods.com)

Nature and spirit

- With this loss of emphasis on femininity, humanity also lost a connection with nature and spirit that fostered harmony and integration.
- Many still believe that Asherah remains at the roots of spirituality, even to this day.
- And there are many unanswered questions because our society is so out of balance now.
- Many wonder if acknowledging this feminine force will help us restore balance in our spiritual quest.

Light arrives

- By restoring the divine feminine, this could be the key to rediscovering the sacred path that connects not only humanity with the divine, but also reinforces our relation with the whole.
- In ancient spiritual traditions, one symbol appears repeatedly, and that is light, but this light is more than a visible glow; it is an essense that transcends the material and manifests as a spiritual force.

Pure light

- This light was an essential force in Solomen's Temple especially within the Holy of Holies, the most sacred space, where it was believed was where God's presence dwelt.
- But in ancient Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies was not just a place of worship, but a bridge between the human and divine, where the presence of divinity revealed itself as pure, incomprehensible light.
- Only priests who had purified themselves to enter the Holy of Holies, could experience this light.

Purified

- This was a place where the materiality of the world seemed to dissolve and human perception transcended physical reality.
- For these priests, the light was not just a symbol of the divine, but a direct experience that expanded consciousness and their vision and ability to interact with the spiritual world.
- It was as if in complete darkness, this sacred light became a 'bridge' between two realities.

Perception transformed

- Some believe that this light was not just a metaphor, but a real spiritual experience for the ancient priests.
- By coming into contact with the divine light, their perception was transformed, an experience that transcended the physical world allowing the priest to perceive the divine in an expanded dimension.

Wake up mummy

- A reconnection that not only transcends one's world view, but also one's view of oneself.
- Both Solomon's Temple, and the Great Pyramid prove that the divine was not merely something to be worshipped, but something to be experienced and lived.

Expanding mind

- The light in the Holy of Holies represented God's presence, a spiritual energy that filled the space and expanded the minds of those who sought it.
- This quest for light continues to resonate in modern spiritual practices, symbolizing the desire to access something that goes beyond the visible and touches the spirit.

Awakening

- Could this light, at its core, be found not only in the Holy of Holies, but within each of us?
- An inner light that many still seek, which perhaps has never disappeared, but instead, awaits our awakening not through physical eyes, but through the soul.

Human body

- This possibility deepens when you question whether this 'divine light' that so many are missing, also relates to the human body.
- A belief that the light in the Holy of Holies and an enigmatic area of the human body; the pineal gland.
- This tiny organ is located at the center of the brain and has fascinated many cultures and spiritual traditions for centuries and is often refered to as the 'third eye.'
- The sacred experience that the priests experienced in the temple, may have been connected to the pineal gland which would serve as a portal to a perception beyond everyday reality.

Sleeping cycle

- The pineal gland is sensitive to light and regulates sleeping and waking cycles.
- Beyond that, there is an even deeper role to it; that as a gateway to expanded consciousness.
- When activated, this gland allows humans to access this same kind of divine light that the priests sought in the Holy of Holies.
- A doorway to a new dimension of perception, where body and spirit intertwine profoundly. 
- We can imagine the pineal gland as an eternal door where the invisible becomes tangible and the human touches the divine.

Human perception

- It is believed that by activating the pineal gland, or third eye, this enables a kind of 'illumination,' a vision beyond the physical, or spiritual connection that opens the doors of our perception.
- The inner light sought in spiritual practices may indeed lie within us, accessible through the pineal gland.
- Perhaps this is the same divine light that the ancient priests discovered in the Holy of Holies, now preserved in the inner sanctuary of every human being.

Meditation temple

- Today, practices like meditation, sensory deprivation, and fasting are associated with pineal activation.
- Methods such as these aim to disconnect a person from external distractions in order to awaken inner perception.
- Many spiritual traditions hold that following these methods awakens the pineal gland to a level akin to the Holy of Holies, an internal space (temple) where the spirit reveals itself.
- This is a light that transcends the rational mind and offers a sense of unity with the whole, or One.

Awaiting activation

- This experience is not unlike that of the ancient priests in the Holy of Holies; a light that transcends the rational mind and offers a sense of unity within the whole.
- Not only is this a transformative experience, but it shows us that Solomon's Temple and the Great Pyramid were not merely physical structures, but also representations of the inner temple, or structure, within us all.
- This means the path to the divine is not lost, but remains safeguarded within us, waiting for activation.

Spiritual journey

- This concept reframes what we conceive as a 'spiritual journey' because what if perceiving a light that is unseen by physical eyes but felt by the soul is true enlightenment?
- What does it truly mean to attain enlightenment, is it merely a sensation of peace, contentment and understanding, or is it something far deeper.
- A transformative experience that transcends logic and results in a profound awareness.

Expanded consciousness

- At the heart of ancient spirituality, Sages understood that profound knowledge of the universe is not achieved by the rational mind.
- They knew that it is through the heart and soul where enlightenment becomes a way to perceive the invisible and sense the intangible.
- This state is often called 'expanded consciousness,' an experience where the boundaries between oneself and the universe dissolve, offering a vast view of existence.

Ancient priests and mystics

- Expansion of consciousness was the true goal of the ancient priests and mystics.
- The temple, with its practices and symbolism, was a portal that allowed the mind to expand to a new reality, revealing the physical world as merely a fraction of something far greater.
- What is the meaning of expanding consciousness, perhaps it is to recognize the universe in its essence taking us beyond perceptual physical limitations.
- Realizing that each human being is part of a larger whole.

Open internal doors

- Many cultures over the centuries have practiced meditation and fasting to open internal doors that are usually inaccessible.
- In meditation, as the mind quiets, the individual begins to feel a deep connection with everything that exists as if their own soul aligns with the universe.
- Fasting frees the body from physical distractions and intensifies spiritual perception.
- These practices help activate the pineal gland and open the third eye, thus broadening perception beyond ordinary reality.

Dimension beyond words

- For those who attain enlightenment, describing it is difficult.
- It's like touching a dimension beyond words, where time ceases to exist, and space becomes a unified field of energy.
- Within this state, the mind dissolves within the boundaries of the whole, and vision expands beyond physical limitations.
- Questions become unneccessary, as understanding is complete and peace is absolute.

Journey to the true essense

- This expansion of consciousness is not an endpoint, but rather, a state to be experienced and a journey to the true essense of being.
- This light, this expanded awareness, might be what the ancients considered divine: a living force inside and outside us, which is accessible to those who open their hearts to feel it.

Union between the divine and the human

- For spiritualist's there is a profound, almost hidden meaning in Christ's role within the spiritual tradition.
- This is something that connects him to the mystery of Solomon's Temple and elevates him to the eternal symbol of the union between the divine and the human.

Uniting heaven and earth

- Research shows that the early Christians saw Christ not only as a redeemer but as an eternal priest, an heir to the spiritual practices of the ancient temple.
- Christ thus becomes a living continuation of the work of Solomon's Temple, which began as a labor of uniting heaven and earth, a revelation of sacred presence in the world.

Living energy

- An eternal priests refers to Jesus' role as mediator and the one who connects humanity with the divine.
- This is accomplished not merely through words, but through a living energy that integrates the spiritual and the physical.
- Jesus not only offered a new way of understanding faith but also embodied the symbolism of the temple, where the priestly role involved direct contact with the divine, a gateway to a new vision of existence.
- For his early followers, Jesus was seen as the 'Son of Man' and associated with the mystical and transendent power that the priests sought in the temple.

Symbol of salvation

- Jesus' role as the restorer of an ancient spiritual tradition of the temple, was a practice that was richer and more complex than the role we see him in today.
- He is the cosmic priest who transformed the concept of devotion to the divine into something profound that touched the essense of the human spirit.
- In this view, Christ is more than a symbol of salvation; he is the mediator who unites the divine and the human in a single experience.

Building a bridge for humanity

- By becoming the 'eternal high priest' he offers a bridge for humanity to reach a spiritual dimension that would otherwise remain inaccessible.
- Envision Christ as the one who, by his very essense, keeps alive the connection between world, creating a continuous flow of sacred energy.
- This energy moves from the physical temple to the inner temple of each being.
- His presence endures, waiting for those who seek the deepest truth and ready to enter the Holy of Holies he represents.

Inner temple

- In this context, temple practice is no longer a relic of the past, but a living reality in Jesus and his mission, inviting everyone to find their own inner temple.
- This concept of Christ reveals that the ancient temple was more than a place of worship, it was an image of the universe.
- Jesus is the link between the divine and the human, the eternal, and the transient.
- In the temple, the ancients did not seek only a distant God; they sought a God dwelling within them, a force that united them to the whole.

Sacred space

- Christ embodies the temple making the sacred space something everyone can experience as long as they are ready to see beyond appearances.
- This vision of Christ as an eternal priest is a way of retrieving Christianity's roots, where the sacred was not only revered but experienced.
- The ritual, practice and symbolism of the temple come alive in Christ, who opens a new door to the mystical experience.
- Those who understand this dimension of Christ see him as more than a savior; he is the manisfestation of the divine in comprehensible form, an eternal bridge for seekers.

Followers

- Reflecting on this vision, an essential question arises; if Christ represents the temple, the divine and the eternal, what does this mean for his followers?
- The answer lies in Christ's invitation for each of us to find our own Holy of Holies.
- Are we ready for this inner journey where the eternal priest is not distant but beside us, leading us to the divine dwelling within.

Mystical experiences

- Among ancient texts, there is a book that challenges common understanding and offers a distinct vision of heaven, judgment, and what lies beyond life; the Book of Enoch.
- We need to be ready for this inner journey, where the eternal priest is not distant but beside us, leading us to the divine dwelling within.
- In the Book of Enoch, we can see glimpses of the mystical experiences that the ancient priests of Solomon's Temple might have encountered which is a kind of spiritual preparation for the afterlife.

Enoch the protagonist

- Enoch, the protagonist of this apocryphal work, is not merely a sage or prophet; he symbolizes one who crosses human boundaries and reaches a profound spiritual understanding of the universe.
- In the narrative, Enoch is taken to heaven, where he witnesses angelic hierarchies and the final judgment.

Enoch walked with God

- Enoch represents humanity transcending ordinary reality and, in doing so, approaching the divine in a journey of spiritual ascent.
- The spirituality of the ancient temple revolved around this idea of ascension.
- Enoch's visions are a model for humanity to experience the sacred, transcending physical death and realize that life is not confined to the body.
- Thus, Enoch symbolizes the quest for transcendence, where the spirit rises to a greater reality, enveloped in light and knowledge.

Enoch vision

- The most fascinating aspect of Enoch's account is the idea that heaven is not a distant, unreachable place, but a spiritual state accessible to those prepared to surpass ordinary perception.
- The Book of Enoch, preserves a mystical tradition already known to the ancients, a vision in which direct contact with the divine was not only possible but desireable.

Enoch's ascension

- Enoch's ascension invites us to imagine a life extending beyond the physical, opening up an existence where the sacred and the human coexist.
- With this view, the concept of the afterlife takes on a new perspective.
- It is not merely a promise of comfort for the living, but an experience of expanded consciousness attainable for those seeking to see beyond the physical.

Celestial beings

- In Enoch's journey, he encounters celestial beings who guide and reveal the universe, offering knowledge that transcends the visible.
- This vision reflects the belief that, at life's end, humans may ascend to a spiritual dimension guided by higher forces.
- But what did Enoch truly encounter in these realms beyond life?
- He glimpsed what few dare to imagine; a divine order permeating all things, awaiting those who seek profound answers.
- This understanding is powerful and transformative, as it expands the view of life and death.
- The afterlife, is not an end but a transition to a continuous journey of self-discovery and union with the divine.

Enoch on a spiritual journey

- Enoch does not see heaven as rest but as a place of revelation, where the soul finds the full meaning of existence.
- His vision reflects a spiritual journey that, though challenging, promises a transformation that few are to undertake.
- The exploration in the Book of Enoch challenges readers to consider that perhaps there are layers of existence hidden from most but accessible to those following a spiritual path.

Boundary between heaven and earth

- This message suggests that the divine is not merely a distant entity but a nearby presence ready to guide those open to seeing beyond the material world.
- Enoch represents the common human who, is seeking to understand the whole, transcends limitations and becomes someone who dwells on the boundary between heaven and earth.

Reflecting

- Reflecting on this, an essential question emerges: could Enoch's vision, his revelations and his contact wit spiritual beings, point to a dimension that already exists within us?
- Enoch's path reveals the spiritual potential that all of us carry but rarely access.
- It is as if heaven were always within reach, not only after death but also in life, when we become aware of this sacred dimension.

Seeing the invisible

- The message of the Book of Enoch offers a new vision of existence, in which the soul knows no bounds and the divine reveals itself in the constant quest for truth.
- This is Enoch's great revelation: the possibility of seeing the invisible, hearing the inaudible, and understanding that, beyond the limits of body and time, there is eternal continuity.
- As we reflect on this revelation, one final question remains: if heaven can be accessed now, what must we do to open that door?

Holy Spirit nurturing

- Perhaps Enoch leaves us clues, but the full answer may lie within each of us, awaiting our readiness for the next step toward the sacred.
- The journey through ancient spirituality reveals a timeless truth; the divine is only complete in its duality.
- The Holy Spirit, as it is represented in Christianity, represents more than an impersonal force; it may be the very expression of the forgotten and distanced sacred feminine.

Harmonized

- The Holy Spirit embodies the feminine side of God, a nurturing, welcoming presence that balances the masculine.
- This view not only challenges traditional conceptions of the divine but suggests a more complete spirituality where opposing forces, feminine and masculine, are harmonized.
- From this perspective, the Holy Spirit is not just a distant energy but a 'Divine Mother,' the principle of embracing and nurturing, representing the compassionate side of the divine.

Wisdom

- The scriptures mention 'Wisdom,' which is associated with the archetypal figure strongly linked to the goddess Asherah and the sacred feminine in temple practices.
- With this understanding, the Holy Spirit ceases to be an abstract force and becomes a symbol of harmony, renewal, and divine care, sacred aspects that have been marginalized over time.

Holy Spirit yin yang

- The understanding of the Holy Spirit as the divine feminine is not just a theological issue but a key to restoring spiritual balance between the polarities of the divine.
- The absence of figures like Asherah, who were removed from tradition, left a gap in human spirituality, creating a concept of the sacred that emphasizes power and authority but has lost warmth and inclusiveness.

Nourishment and mothering

- This lack of the divine feminine may have influenced a restrictive view of spirituality, where power prevails over nourishment and mothering.
- The return to the sacred feminine, therefore, opens the way to a spirituality that embraces and unites.

Living force

- This reunion with the divine feminine is essential to creating a spirituality that does not divide but integrates.
- The divine, seen in this new light, becomes not only an object of worship but a living force within each of us, where the Holy Spirit represents this deep presence that guides us back to balance.
- In seeking this integration, we achieve a fuller view of the sacred and, ultimately, of ourselves.

Energies of the divine

- Spirituality becomes a return to the inner temple, where the energies of the divine masculine and feminine await recognition and reconciliation.
- Ideas like this invites us to revisit this lost essence, a return to the inner temple, where the divine masculine and feminine coexist in harmony, awaiting for each of us to acknowlege and integrate them.
- Could it be that by seeking peace between opposing forces, we are discovering the true nature of the sacred?

True nature of the sacred

- By opening this path to the Holy Spirit as feminine, we access a balance that redefines our understanding of the sacred and strengthens our connection with the whole.
- Every spiritual transformation begins with understanding one's role as co-creator of the world.
- True connection to this divine wisdom, this peace between opposing forces, is cultivated through self-knowledge and meditation practices that help us reach a higher state of consciousness.

Opening doors

- Rediscovering Asherah’s presence allows for a reevaluation of traditional religious narratives, challenging male-dominated interpretations and reclaiming the divine feminine’s rightful place.
- This opens doors for diverse interpretations and nurturing inclusive spiritual practices that honor the inherent worth and wisdom of both genders.

Sharks at work

- DNA means God, Lord and Master, the fire at the center of my being!

It's all so confusing let's summarize: - The original Hebrew beliefs included polytheism and Asherah as Goddess of Heaven and their pre-exilic theology existed to 538 BC. - When the Greek Septuagint, the oldest existing Bible, used by the ancients for centuries, was transcribed it contained the Apocrypha. - The Book of Enoch is the history of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, the giving of the Law but without any mention of Moses and the Exodus and this book was completely ignored. - The Masoretic Scribes created 'Hebrew' language and the Hebrew Bible, a version of the Old Testament is very incomplete because all the Greek books, called the Apocrypha, were excluded. - The scribes claimed the Hebrew language was ancient but they have no manuscripts and it at most it was a dead language and possibly never existed. At any rate, impossible to 'translate' like the scribes claimed thousands of years after the fact. - The Pharisees and scribes hated Jesus and wanted females powerless, and they didn't want Christianity to spread, so they created a lie (the Bible story of Moses) to retain power. - The Jews also changed their religion to monotheistic, with one male god and deleted the divine feminine and the rest of the pantheon. - The story about Moses learning a new name for God at the burning bush, is recognized as the point at which the compilers of the Pentateuch (Torah) joined together the two traditions and created an entirely different story and purpose for the Bible (that they're somehow the only chosen ones and we should bow down to them). - What we know as Jerusalem is not the original which was the Jerusalem Temple in Egypt where Jesus and John the Baptist preached, and the Holy City was Heliopolis in Egypt, not Palestine. - The Catholic Deuteronomist text was contrived strictly from the Hebrew Bible with the story of Moses and Asherah as a burning bush (to get rid of her). - The Protestants removed the Deuteronomist text but they still have Moses. - Note the rebalance of the divine feminine will NOT be accomplished by rolling out fake females (who are really bald men wearing wigs) and thinking they're going to continue to dupe us. - Jesus kicked over their tables in the temple and he will do so again.

 

	DaVinci
	Vitruvian Man