9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Important and Elegantly Written Study of the True Inner Teachings of Jesus, April 28, 2008
This review is from: Mysteries of the Bridechamber: The Initiation of Jesus and the Temple of Solomon (Paperback)
Ever have that rare experience of perusing a book in a bookstore and feeling that this was a work of great importance? Such was my feeling when I bought this book, and I was not disappointed by the time I had finished it. Victoria LePage's book is a thought provoking and scholarly work that manages to avoid being tedious and pedantic. She makes a compelling case for some unexpected conclusions.
Judiasm in the time of Solomon was not the patriarchial religion that it is in the present day, but rather included, as part of its inner mysteries, a ritual of celebration of the Divine Couple. As a result of the Revolt of the fundamentalist and male-dominating Macabees this branch of Judiasm was expelled from the temple and florished in exile in Eqypt as the "Hasidic Brotherhood". Like the Hasidim of today, this group claimed to be a mystical sect having Gnostic knowledge of their God, but ironically this had an almost opposite meaning to what the ultra-orthodox modern day Hasidim believe.
These early Hasids had various sects - one of which was the Nazareans. LePage argues that the Nazarean Jesus was misunderstood to refer to his birthplace which, she believes, was actually in the region more to the North called the Hauron. Actually, the Nazareans were a group that was similiar to the Essenes, and were a part of a larger spiritual group which had its roots in the Mystical Judiasm exiled in Egypt.
For me, one of the most interesting aspects of all this is a radical re-understanding of who was John the Baptist. Rather than being the the one who prepared the way for the One greater than he that we get in the Gospel versions, the Baptist was a major spiritual leader and teacher in his own right. In fact, his growing popularity was alarming to King Herod and that was why he was executed. The ancient records of that day have no indication of the legend in the Gospels of Salome's dancing and demanding his head. The rivalry that existed between the followers of Jesus and the followers of John the Baptist was won overwhelmingly by the Jesus followers who went to great lengths to eliminate all traces of the teachings of their rival.
This all leads us to the most important question of all which is what were the true original teachings of Jesus? As one who came out of a tradition that revered the Bridechamber ritual as the apotheosis of spirituality, Jesus considered women as co-equal and necessary partners to men in achieving the highest states of spirtual growth. This position lead to persecution of the original group, but after Jesus' death the leadership of the Church (at least in Jerusalem) was taken over by Jeus' brother James (not Peter) who moved the group toward more orthodox acceptance of the Mosiac law. This lead to a stoppage in the persecutions and, ultimately, may be the main factor in Jesus' followers being able to ultimately survive.
But this survival came at a cost of a loss of teaching the true teachings of Jesus. Beyond the feminist aspects which stressed the equality of woman (important though that was), what was truly revolutionary was not only that Jesus taught a methodology for the raising of the kundalini energy up to and beyond the heart chakra, but, most important, he also made that methodolgy available to all.
It was ultimately this raising of consciousness and opening of the heart that made Christianity the revolutionary force that it became. The entire worldview that Jesus taught expresses this. Loving your neighbor and serving humankind seem, even today, to be just some form of impractical idealism. How much more so in Jesus' day when humanity was still so undeveloped spiritually that people were thrown to the lions for sport or put to horrific deaths.
Overall, I found this book made a really good case for its main themes. And since the book is elegantly written, once I started it, I pretty much drank it in.
I do have a few criticisms of this book, however. I felt that the author spent a lot of time taking about the Bridechamber Mysteries, but not so much about what they, in fact, are. Though we are told that Jesus was able to raise the Kundalini energy to the heart chakra, we don't learn much about the methodology of how this happened.
Another small disappointment is that I would have liked the author to persue the concept of Sacred Marriage more. Is there some relationship between these mysteries and Swedenborg's notion of Eternal Marriage or, even better, the Mormon notion of Eternal Marriage?
One last point. I agree with LePage that perhaps the greatest significance of Jesus' work is that he was able to raise the kundalini energy past the heart for the first time on a large scale in history. While this sounds uplifting and important, there is something dry and acedemic about putting it this way. After finishing this book and thinking about it, I came upon something which drove home the real meaning and importance of this event. It was a New York Times obit from Mar 23, 2008. There was an article about a man who had flown on a bomber mission during WWII and was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese. Needless to say, he was treated very badly. Upon being freed, he became a Minister and speaking of the cruelty of his captors wrote of his experience 'I realized that these people did not know anything about my Savior and that if Christ is not in a heart, it is natural to be cruel'.
Such is the real significance of the teachings of Jesus. Beyond scholarly tracts and abstract discussions about kundalini energy, the true nature of Christian Compassion and love of life is what ultimately matters. Clearly, the Christian Churchs over the centuries have not lived up to the standard that Jesus has set for us. Perhaps that is beyond the possibility of imperfect humanity - but by showing us that such a worldview is possible, Jesus has started us on our first humble seps toward bringing the Kingdom of Heaven here into this world. LePage does an excellent job bringing out this theme.
In sum, because of a few small issues, I only gave this work four stars, but I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend others to read it for themselves.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mystery Teachings, March 11, 2009
This review is from: Mysteries of the Bridechamber: The Initiation of Jesus and the Temple of Solomon (Paperback)
Victoria Le Page is one of the most excellent writers of the modern wisdom teachings to come along in years. Extensive research and scholarship give her work a clarity and a depth unequaled in the vast array of works now available.
In the Mysteries of the Bridechamber, the author parts the veils and allows us to see the relationship of Mary Magdalene and Jesus as participants in a greater historical and initiatory context that only a few hitherto have been able- or allowed- to know. Finally the truth sets us free from two-thousand years of deception. Read this book, and her wonderful earlier work, Shambhala, and revel in the power of the secrets that are revealed-at last!
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