THE SPIRAL STRAND - PREFACE

The Spiral Strand
PREFACE

In many ancient mythologies, an assertion of cosmic synchronicity is averred – akin to the butterfly effect, (the Zen interconnectedness of all things) this posits that no thing is happenstance – it is the result of a ripple effect whether physically discernible or not, oftentimes not. So many interlaced aspects of reality are interfacing across an infinite number of layers and our infinitesimally minute perception in this third dimensional plane is the poorest viewpoint into the myriad influences beyond our ken or understanding.
For example, something, somewhere, somehow clicked a series of cosmic links into place that became manifest in what we would come to call the year 1947. In one instance, a portal opened up in the skies over Roswell, New Mexico, something entered this dimension from beyond this realm, and in concert with this event, a number of earthenware jars about two feet tall containing numerous biblical scrolls, were stumbled upon within a cave in Qumran by Mohammed adh-Dhib, a young Bedouin shepherd. The former event stoked the fires of incredulity, science fiction speculation, a bizarre, unlikely(?) tale of an extraterrestrial craft crashing in the New Mexico desert, at first openly admitted by the military as being proof positive of alien humanoids and technology among us, then vehemently denied, the official version turning to the mundane explanation of a failed weather balloon.
The latter event, however, despite years of obfuscation and academic spin, was a much harder phenomenon to debunk – the scrolls were real, their portent enormous for the diehard conventional Christian, their authenticity, therefore called into question and their decipherment and public disclosure, stalled for many years.
That the events may be linked – we have neither the means nor the time to explore that possibility, suffice to say, the effects of both would be seminal and, are germane to this very tale.
Secreted within the ceramic pots, a pair of apparently innocuous parchments came to light, at first glance entirely unremarkable until one digests the contents of said parchments, which, originally from one of the famous caves of Qumran, had found their way to a humble dwelling in the Old City in Jerusalem, located over the temple precinct from early Christian times.
These parchments, written in Aramaic were addressed to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish High Court of the day. They were signed by a man calling himself bani meshiha, the Messiah of the Children of Israel, and the content of the letters outlined his defence of the charge laid against him by the Sanhedrin for daring to call himself “son of God.”
This revelation, in and of itself, belies no startling significance for, even if Jesus had been the author of these papers, it would seem apposite that someone accused of such a charge would logically commit a defence to writing – it stands to reason. What is, however, most significant indeed, is the dating of these parchments to AD45, which would suggest that the defendant was alive and well at this time when contrarily, in the gospels, he was reported to have been executed some ten years or so prior. Even more significant again – the claims made in the author’s defence of the charge which in Letter 1 is explained that what he meant was not that he was “God” but rather the spirit of God was within him – not that he was physically the son of God - that he was a spiritually adopted son of God as was everyone else who felt similarly filled with the “spirit” – they too were “sons of God.” In other words, the author, Jesus, by all accounts, is disavowing any claim to divinity or at best, claiming no greater divinity than anyone else carrying the spirit of God within them. Pretty damning stuff for a religion founded and maintained on the very premise of this man’s divinity, something, he claimed, in his legal defence, he did not actually exclusively or uniquely possess.
In short, the very foundations of Christianity would crumble were such an assertion true, the whole house of cards would come tumbling down.
Yet this is only part of the story.
Look back to the so-called 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt and the pharaoh, Akhenaten’s chief consort, his wife, Nefertiti – some theorise that Akhenaten is synonymous with Moses, unarguably an Egyptian of some noble calling, however, little is ever said of the women “behind” the men.
For millennia, the priest kings have held sway and written the book on our history, created humankind’s narrative, however, the consorts, the wives, the queens – the partners, may provide significant clues to mysteries that defy explanation to this day. The Sumerian goddess, Ninhursag, the heretical Egyptian consort, Nefertiti, the scandalised whore, Mary Magdalene – these are the principal players in humankind’s story – all have been overlooked. Then there is the paradox that is the mystery of Rennes Le Chateau and a simple parish priest’s sudden and inexplicable wealth – everyone has delved into the life and doings of the priest himself, Bérenger Saunière and once again, his devoted “housekeeper” and confidante, Marie Dénarnaud assumes a minor role in the drama. That, I believe, is a grave mistake for they are all connected. In ways that will become clear as our tale unfolds…