Deeper than the Da Vinci Code

by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

 Forget Dan Brown. Forget the fictional story woven out of speculations that have surfaced and resurfaced many times since Christ's life and death. But let us not forget hidden meanings, deeply hidden ones. Something more lies behind the stories of Mary Magdalene and her life with the incarnated Christ. But what is it? I would suggest something far deeper and more meaningful than what most are asking or repulsing: an understanding of the true union which has nothing to do with intercourse, progeny, or bloodlines.

Over and over again in all religions, divine union has been expressed. Because we are human, that divine union has usually been portrayed allegorically through the imagery of lovers. And whether or not there was physical intercourse between these allegorical lovers is immaterial. It is understood that the allegory is just that, bringing to the onlooker a mystery play meant to convey in simple terms that which is beyond the mind's capacity to grasp but might be somewhat understood by the opening heart.

Rumi was madly in love with Shams of Tabriz. Yet they were not lovers. Instead, Shams transmitted to Rumi the meditative keys to divine union with All. In Rumi’s heart and now opened mind, Shams merely became a physical manifestation of All-ness, as Love in expression. And Rumi in his eternal delight of the splendor that was opened up within and all around him, praised his guru, using words of a lover. Yes, he loved Shams of Tabriz. But at this point Rumi had drank the wine of divine love.

In the Gospels of Thomas, of Mary Magdalene, and of Phillip it is stated that the Teacher (Christ) kissed Mary on the lips. This is a most blatant veil. In all the traditions of transmission (Eastern and aboriginal) to be kissed on the mouth or lips is to have received transmission. It is the KA (Egyptian for our spirit essence) of the guru being breathed into us. This is the deeper teaching behind the Genesis story of God breathing the life breath into Adam. With that breath, not only was Adam given life, but he and all his descendents were given the transmission of the teachings of Life, of presence, and of our innate divine nature. As that interpretation or level of meaning of this well known story was lost, we lost the understanding that our very breath decrees our essential divine nature. The fact of the rhythm of our breathing is to remind us (again and again) that we are not the dust of these bones or the flesh that covers them, but instead we are One with God breathing.

Therefore, whether or not Mary was kissed by the Teacher is immaterial and sophomoric to wonder. Instead, we are to ask, ‘what was the teaching that He transmitted to her?’ And why has it not been passed down, but instead made impotent almost as soon as it was placed in her, squelched by her fellow apostles immediately? What is so important about the teaching the Teacher gave to Mary Magdalene?

Only she saw him the morning of the resurrection. She saw him in his full glory. Again, throughout religious stories, the divine consort of embodied divinity is the only one capable and prepared adequately to see the Divine revealed. Arjuna saw Krishna. Yeshe Tsogyal saw Padmasabhava. Naropa saw Tilopa. And as Rumi saw Shams of Tabriz, he saw ALL. Mary Magdalene was trained in the higher tantras by the Teacher so that she could bring some of the fruit of those teachings to the West. The higher tantras  never have to do with physical sexual union but instead with the divine necessity of open-ness/voidness/the Feminine and the specific emanation of Divine attribute and wisdom represented by the masculine. Feminine is ever universal. Masculine is ever specific and singular. Feminine is ever receptive. Masculine always penetrates. And so St. Francis was penetrated through his guru yoga  on the image of Christ, and embodied it as he received the stigmata. St. Teresa was penetrated by the fiery passion of Christ to be with all humanity in their pain and joy. Each had become the divine feminine consort of their God. Mary Magdalene had become this as well.

Mary Magdalene and the Teacher/Christ were probably the first true presentation of the teaching of the higher tantras within the Western worlds. The higher tantras all teach the same revelations:

• immortality or the secrets of life/death, which is then the true wisdom of impermanence and deep white magic
• emptiness/sunyata, so little can be said. Spontaneous arising (masculine) out of the womb of all possibilities (feminine) within the seemingness of time/space is only a beginner's level of this experiential teaching
• transmission, which is not just a teaching being received by a student or consort but instead points us in the direction of LIFE, that LIFE is ever in flow, in mutable transmission from one state to another, from one mind to another, from one life form to another. And all for one purpose: to expose the Sameness of ALL.
• the revelation of the Incarnation. The higher tantras bring us to the brink of our concepts of existence, and then shatter them. All concepts are only that: concepts. LIFE, BREATH, BLOOD, BREATHING, and HEART are beyond the scope of any mental concept or construct. The Teacher brought Mary Magdalene to the brink of her concepts such that only she could see His FACE - the one Original FACE spoken of in Zen. It is the face of all origins, of all species, of ALL LIFE. We are all the revelation of the Incarnation. Mary Magdalene, like all consorts, was brought to the threshold of this realization and on Easter morning she walked through its door.

The idea of a bloodline speaks to lineage, but understood in the largest context possible. Not only are we all of the same blood, as Shylock reminds us in the Merchant of Venice; but we are all born of the same parentage: divine in nature. Truly everyone is created equal; that is to say, created equally from the same source and equally divine because we are born of the same parentage. Therefore our birthright is beauty and harmony; our heritage is peace; our attributes are wisdom and compassion; and our lives are nothing less than the divine incarnation of Deity. Christ said, "Greater things than I shall you do." and He reminded us that "You are the light of the world." Each person, as well as each tree, dog, blade of grass, and grain of sand is 'flesh of my flesh'. We are all born of the only sperm and egg in existence! Deity.

So let us open our minds to these things. The Da Vinci Code has sparked much conversation, but in my opinion, mostly about confusions and errors, speculations and untruths. Let us open our minds to the transmission of the Teacher, so profound that no one of that time but Mary Magdalene could receive it. And so profound that she was silenced from transmitting it to us.

Let us, with her, enter the womb which is the burial tomb of the concept of our existence, and be revealed. Even be resurrected.

Donna Mitchell-Moniak is founder of Spirit Fire Meditative Retreat Center, a meditative and educational organization focused in deep realization and conscious living. CDs of lectures and teachings on a variety of esoteric subjects are available at this website: www.SpiritFire.com