� Live From Boise | Main | Who Owns Black? �

November 17, 2003

The Sacred Feminine

I'm more than halfway through the new book by Dan Brown 'The Da Vinci Code'. It's a fun piece of work. This is type of historical conspiracy theory is starting to be my favorite line of reading. I just finished 'Quicksilver' and I really loved 'Baudolino' and 'Foucault's Pendulum' both by Umberto Eco. Brown's is the lightest of these of course, but with the speed of Michael Crighton (I guess 'Timeline' fits in this sorta kinda), he has introduced us to the Gnostic Gospel.

What is the Gnostic Gospel? Well, Dan Brown describes it best and quite succinctly. Without ruining all of the surprises of the book, it is the greatest threat to Christianity since its inception: the idea that Jesus had sex and liked it, furthermore endorsed it. Some time ago I thought about this idea - it just rather sprung into my head when I was considering the reasons I don't take American feminism so seriously. The idea is simple, the world awaits its first great female prophet. When a woman becomes as great as Muhammed or Jesus, the entire world will change. The secret of 'The Da Vinci Code' brings all that import into a fast paced thriller and mystery. Those who have gone the length of Baudolino or Quicksilver will be disappointed, but I bought it to read on the plane and I'm very pleased with it.

Beyond all that, I am continually fascinated by the small amount of tolerance many Brights are showing towards Christianity. Books of this sort offer an abundance of the kind of intellectual goodies Brights would thrive on, it's a wonder they don't reconsider. Is Christianity spoiled by those folks who the Brights can't stand? No. Brights are simply impatient with what stands in front of them, but they make no effort to recover, nor to refine. They simply disabuse Christians because of those playground experiences they cannot get over.

The recovery of the 'sacred feminine', is ultimately a question Christians will be forced to deal with in light of the current events of sexual scandal in the Catholic and Episcopal Churches. Our inability to reconcile the yin and yang in Christianity is dangerous. I would go as far as to suggest that homosexuals are encouraged by the patriarchal nature of the Christian interpretation of the divine. Who needs women if God is a Man? What is the point of respecting women if they have no divine image - if sanctity has no concession from the male ego.

Any man who lives with a woman understands that there is a certain amount of submission we do to the ineffable. We don't know why women are as they are, we just grow to understand how to deal with it. Certainly Jesus must have known this thing as a man. If not, what was the point of his being made flesh? If Jesus said nothing, did nothing, didn't participate in a sexual relationship with a woman, what the hell does Christianity have to say to men at all? I'm not all that taken with Brown's prose. Everything he writes makes me think I could be a very good author myself. But his point is right on target and is a stunning indictment of the coverups of the Catholic Church and most of Christendom. Without sacred text about the power and divinity of women, we are way, way out of balance. That can't be right.

Posted by mbowen at November 17, 2003 03:32 PM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.visioncircle.org/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1068

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Sacred Feminine:

it's all happening from NegroPleaseDotCom's peripheral vision
i make up for lost time reading a wide variety of topics [Read More]

Tracked on November 24, 2003 11:53 AM

Comments

Casting the Film.

Well, I never thought of Harrison Ford for the professor, but there's no question about who should be Bazu Fache: Tcheky Karyo, the guy from Kiss of the Dragon.

Angelina Jolie is perfect for the leading babe. But the guy who kept coming up in my imagination as the Harvard Professor was George Plimpton. Harrison Ford is probably a better fit, considering that Plimpton is no longer available and he probably shows enough age to seem perplexed and harried. Maybe if we made him nearsighted. Anthony Hopkins is too obvious as Teabing. It's got to be somebody we are less inclined to believe capable of deception. Jolie is the action figure in this flick.

I think Oliver Platt would make a good appearance as the head of Opus Dei, and who better than Vincent D'Onofrio as the self-loathing albino killer?

Posted by: Cobb at November 24, 2003 06:27 PM

I find Dan Browns book really brilliant. I have never read any of his stuff before but if it is as good as "The DA Vinci Code im in for a good read. Also I am at present looking into some of his claims within the book .

Posted by: Liam Murphy at December 2, 2003 09:18 AM

I find Dan Browns book really brilliant. I have never read any of his stuff before but if it is as good as "The DA Vinci Code im in for a good read. Also I am at present looking into some of his claims within the book .

Posted by: Liam Murphy at December 2, 2003 09:18 AM

This book resonated with me. I had heard of this hypothesis before, and it makes sense. Any creator god has to include both the masculine and the feminine. The book, with the gnostic undertones, and its description of the treatment of women by the Church over the last 2000+ years should spark interest with readers about the historical background. I would recommend reading the Malleus Maleficarum (if you can stomach it), and a scholarly book 'The Myth of the Goddess' by Cashman and Baring. Also anything on gnosticism, Catharism and witchcraft - Malcolm Lambert is a world authority on this.

If this book awakes real, intelligent interest in this subject, the world should change for the better.

And apart from all that, it's a damn good read!

Posted by: Jane at December 31, 2003 10:39 PM

I read the first "Robert Langdon" book-Angels and Demons. Loved it-The Da Vinci Code is a pretty good read. It makes you think about what you believe and why and it makes you understand, possibly, why women have been put relegated to "second-class citizens" in many societies. I think its called "fear." The sacred feminine-interesting information, I'm doing some research too.

Posted by: Mary at August 10, 2004 06:44 PM

"The Da Vinci Code" was an absolute brilliant novel. Not only was the writing supurb, but the context was facinating and very necessary. I am only sorry that I have not read more on the sacred feminine. I have always known that the church and government had power beyond our knowing, but this novel explains the oppression of women the very sole beginning of why our world is such a violent and angry place.

Posted by: Missy at August 18, 2004 12:20 AM

"The Da Vinci Code" was an absolute brilliant novel. Not only was the writing supurb, but the context was facinating and very necessary. I am only sorry that I have not read more on the sacred feminine. I have always known that the church and government had power beyond our knowing, but this novel explains the oppression of women the very sole beginning of why our world is such a violent and angry place.

Posted by: Missy at August 18, 2004 12:21 AM

It is amazing to me that the deep seeded innate knowledge of feminine I carry with me is justified and not just my hormones. To feel equal yet separate simultaniously is the battle of life. To find the balance between the male and female sharing in the divinity doesn't just seem fair it FEELS right. The age of aquarius. We are pieces of a divine plan and at the right time we shall discover where we fit. We have a purpose and when our puzzle comes toghter we will then see the big picture and only then will we understand.

Posted by: Dina at August 20, 2004 08:10 AM

Oh yes! This book is literally a Godsend. Kudos to Dan Brown. I absolutely could not put it down. It really confirmed for me that what I was struggling with as a spiritual female was something that has been hidden for many years. I feel such a sense of relief. I have thought since my studies in Religious Studies that Matthew Fox was really onto something when he stated that "Great things can be built on rubble". The Roman Catholic Church as we know it will truly need to change if it really wants to profess to be Universal.

Posted by: Patti at August 29, 2004 06:41 AM

Oh, yes! Dan Brown's book was absolutely the best thing I've read in a long time. I can't get enough of him. I just started reading Angels and Demons. His story lines are fascinating. Why else did God make woman, except for procreation?
All along He had greater plans for us. I'm looking into the lost books of the Bible and see what they have to say about the sacred feminine. I really think that there is something here to seriously think about. I'd really like to know what happened all those many years ago that changed the position of women in society. For a good read, definitely check out "The Da Vinci Code." You won't be disappointed.

Posted by: Sue at September 16, 2004 02:30 PM

Yes, this was very uplifting, to uncover this piece of missing information about women and their being recast as "evil" to create a male patriarchy. And the crap about original sin, what a load to put on young woman, to tell them they are essentially bad and evil. No wonder we're had to deal with maschageny for so long. At this point after reading the companiion book "Secrets of the Code" I really believe Jesus was a myth with a mission and not deity.

Posted by: Donna Torrisi at October 26, 2004 03:43 PM

Dan Brown's book will open a lot of eyes. Not all Christianity desregards the sacred feminine. I believe the Mormon church holds with a Heavenly Mother and a Heavenly Father. Something worth looking into. At the end of the book Mr. Brown presents two entities, Jehovah(male) and Shakina(female)(sp?). Anybody know who Shakina(sp?)is? I would like to research this............help?

Posted by: ENiven at November 10, 2004 09:24 AM

I REALLY ENJOYED THE DA VINCHY CODE,I THINK THAT THE WORLD LOVES A CONSPIRACY THEORY AND THE MARY MAGDELINE THEORY IS ONE HECK OF A CONSPIRACY. IV BEEN DOING LOTS OF RESEARCH AND I AM STILL UNDECIDED. I DO THINK IT ALL FITS TOO WELL TO BE TRUE. I THINK THERE WILL BE AN EXPLOSION OF LITERARURE COME OUT TO EITHER AFFIRM OR DISMISS THE TRUTH BEHIND THE HOLY GRAIL. BUT HAVEN WE KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES IS MORE DEADLY THAN THE MALE???

Posted by: EMMA-KATE at November 15, 2004 06:05 AM

the book the da vinci code is awful.. badly written and drivel... however the questions it asks... and the answers we seek to find...are etearnal questions for any questing mind.... forget the book... look behind the gripping yarn

pete

Posted by: pete chapp at November 18, 2004 03:28 AM

I just finished the Da Vinci Code.. What an amazing novel.. It seems to have burrowed itself into my thoughts the last few days.. I have done alot of searching and would like to know where the foundation for the sacred feminine is. where did it originate from. Is it an idea or do we have a sorce?
looking for answers, Kiesha

Posted by: Kiesha at December 14, 2004 11:06 PM