One of the greats enigmas in the annals are of humanity is the Mystery of Consciousness.  Shamans, mystics and philosophers have attempted to unlock its transcendental power since the dawn of civilization.  Psychologists and scientists have struggled for generations in understanding its secrets.   We dare our gaze to the sun of Consciousness from various traditions, primarily Eastern but also the Western schools of Esoteric Christianity, Kabbalah, Scientism and, of course, Gnosticism.  We also explore an innovative method of deciphering Consciousness based on the mythology of a supreme deity named Shiva. And why Consciousness is perhaps the best chance to bridge the growing chasm between religion and secularism before humanity's psyche becomes hopelessly fragmented.  Consciousness could replace God as the true Divine hope for the 21st Century.    

Astral Guest-- Richard Smoley, author of 'The Dice Game of Shiva',  'Forbidden Faith:  The Secret History of Gnosticism',  'Conscious  Love' &  'Inner Christianity'.....

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--How the interplay of consciousness (Self) and experience (Other) is the true building block of all existence (and how all of existence is sentient from both a religious and scientific way)....

--Understanding the Mystery of Consciousness through various Eastern Esoteric Schools like the Hindu Samkhya (the oldest philosophical system in the World).

--Understanding the Mystery of Consciousness through various Western Esoteric Schools like the Heretical Gnostics.

--How various Mythologies such as the dice game of Shiva, the fall of Sophia, the death of Osiris and the crucifixion of Jesus help us unlock the Mystery of Consciousness.

--The various Gnostic Scriptures--specifically the Secret Book of John--and traditions that explain the Mystery of Consciousness.

--How the concepts of nondualism and dualism (and their various traditions) play into Consciousness.  And why they should be discarded.

--How do the notions of an afterlife, karma, faith and Divine Justice fall in the notion of ultimate and fallen Consciousness.

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And much more!!!

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience.

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I am also including ‘Aeon Byte #43—The Gnostic Legacy on the Renaissance and Enlightenment Period’, also with Richard Smoley (since he’s so damn cool!).  I will leave this program up all week.  Let me know if leaving rebroadcast shows all week is something you might dig (scream at me like the guy from the movie ‘The Warriors’…a film actually based on a famous Greek battle…can you guess it?)....

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Next week Andrew Phillip Smith joins us to discuss his new ‘A Dictionary on Gnosticism’.  It’s the first ever published lexicon on Gnostic people, places and things (ideas, philosophies, theologies).  More than a dictionary, it’s a mini-encyclopedia and almanac for Gnosticism, and everything it influenced was influenced by it).  He also gives us a preview of the second issue of ‘The Gnostic’.....

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  Each program has a preview you can listen to it before jumping into the abyss of heresy.  CD copies can be purchased through our homepage.  Bulk digital audio at your greasy fingertips can also be purchased at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1906876.  After three and a half years, we will be raising prices soon.  So get them while they’re infernal.

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Donations always welcome in our Cathar-profit venture. 

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Please sign up for our Mailing List at our homepage so I can eventually take over the worl…bring you enlightenment.....

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And check out my new articles for The Examiner at http://www.examiner.com/x-28537-Chicago-Gnosticism--Heretical-Spirituality-Examiner.  Please subscribe and leave little love or hate notes.....

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Abraxas....

Acharya S has been one of the greatest champions of Truthseeking and Freethinking in our modern days; as well as a groundbreaking scholar in the fields of comparative mythology, astrotheology and ancient religion.  She has been a friend to the Gnostic cause and the Esoterica in general.  And Acharya has certainly been the bane of Orthodoxy and all agents of intolerance.  The release of her 'Purple Bible' encapsulates her life mission of finding the truth behind the Literalist walls of theology and social control.  She grants us an intimate and personal account of her core themes including often touching views on God, the essence of Divinity, the true purpose of religion and the redemption of humanity; and relates her struggles against fundamentalism and its minions that have tried to destroy her for decades.  Unrated, uncut and almost unplugged, we take a journey into the sacred heart of a heretic.    

Astral Guest-- Acharya S., author of 'The Gospel According to Acharya S' (or the Purple Bible), 'Christ in Egypt', 'Who was Jesus?',  'The Christ Conspiracy' and 'Suns of God'.....

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Topics Discussed:....

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--Breaking down the chapters and themes of the ‘Purple Bible’ that both elevate individualism and berates the collective thinking of oppressive ideologies and theologies.....

--Why religion is actually a positive force.....

--What scholarly u-turns she has taken recently and new wrinkles on her ongoing research.....

--The reasons why only one document in the world should actually be considered holy and sacred.....

--How Acharya actually turned the tables and interviewed the host of the show!....

--A brief autobiography of her life, her life work, and her life battles against agents who have tried to destroy her in more ways than one.....

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And much more!!!....

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience.

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All of Acharya’s interviews can be found at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/index.php?cat=5.  She discusses a wide range of sexy topics like Mystery Religions, The Power of Mythology, Apollonius of Tyana & Paul of Tarsus, the Egyptian roots of Christianity, the Fable of the Historical Christ and large doses of vitamin Astrotheology.  And Gnosticism, of course!  Paraphrasing Meister Eckhart-- sometimes the only way to know God is to blaspheme against God.  

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Next week we deal with a subject that we all take for granted but few truly understand.  It might be the new replacement for God in the 21^st Century.  The brilliant Richard Smoley joins us for the Mystery of Consciousness.

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  Each program has a preview so you can listen to it before you give away your soon to be owned Chinese currency.  CD copies can be purchased through our homepage.  Bulk digital audio at your greasy fingertips can also be purchased at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1906876.  After three and a half years, we will be raising prices soon.  So get them while they’re infernal.

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Donations always welcome in our shoe-string, non-profit venture. 

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Please sign up for our Mailing List at our homepage so you can…well…get more of the same.....

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Now I shall shut up since you don't want to talk to me no more, an empty headed animal food trough wiper. My mother was a hamster and my father smelt of elderberries.

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Abraxas....

The last few generations have seen a revival of the magical Pagan traditions and the rise of the old gods.  Yet recently these arcane faiths have devolved and become stagnant under the weight of literalism, greed and political correctness.  Occult Stores and Witch Covens have become New Age dilutions.  Magick is no longer practiced correctly, the gods are not revered as originally intended, and esoteric teachings have been watered down to the point they are but poor replications of the mainstream Abrahamic faiths.  From Thelema to Hermeticism, from Secret Societies to Goddess Worship, the Demiurge has poisoned the occult arts to the point of irrelevance.  We take a serious inspection of what went wrong and how the Neo-Pagan religions can return to their original roots before they are swallowed by capitalism and weak-willed, dishonest leadership.    

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Astral Guest-- Keith Nicholson , author of 'Above, Below, Within: Planetary Magick and the Greek Gods'.....

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Topics Discussed:....

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--Keith’s poignant and often tragic journey from a Baptist Seminarian to a practicing witch.....

--Why most magical traditions today have been diluted almost to impotency by politically correct Hierophants, New Age philosophy, and the lingering influence of Christianity.....

--Why there is no such thing as black or white magic, left or right hand path, and generally good or evil in the truest form of Magick and all other neo-Pagan worldviews.....

--Exposing the growing fundamentalism of witches, Wiccans, and occult store owners who have become nothing more than snake oil salesmen and banal cult leaders.....

--Reasons why the concepts of karma and an afterlife should be discarded in all Neo-Pagan dogmas (and other esoteric ones as well) if an individual is to truly attain a higher state of consciousness.....

--Why the marginalizing of sexual rites has severely injured the magical-practicing traditions (and why sexual rites are essential to appease the gods and other agents).....

--The case why the Greek Gods are the most important pantheon to venerate if one is to be a successful witch or magician, even though the gods probably don’t exist as we know them.....

--Understanding that Magick, at its core, is a science for material gain first and foremost (and why there is nothing wrong with that).....

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And much more!!!  If you are a Pagan or practice any form of magic, make sure you’re wearing your thickest skin for this.  Chances are you’ve been sleeping with the enemy the whole time.....

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience. 

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  CD copies can be purchased through our homepage.  Bulk digital audio at your greasy fingertips can also be purchased at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1906876

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Donations always welcome in our shoe-string, non-profit venture.  Still waiting on stimulus money from the government, but I’m confident that I’ll win the Nobel Peace Prize next year for my intentions.  And I do know the Virtual Alexandria will host the 2020 Olympics!

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Next week it’s the Gospel According to Acharya S., unrated, uncut and deliciously heretical.  And also a personal, inspiring and often touching fireside chat with one of the great champions of Freethinking and Truthseeking, as well as a groundbreaking scholar in the fields of comparative mythology, astrotheology and the Esoterica in general.

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I think that’s about it…hey, who took the remote control?

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Abraxas 

There is a growing, modern Gnostic movement that equates Sophia with Gaia.  This reality comes directly from the Nag Hammadi Library itself!  It posits that Gnosticism is the direct descendant of both ancient Shamanism and Mystery Schools that both revered Demeter, Ashera, Ishtar, and other Magna Goddesses.  We survey Lashean Gnosticism and its core theology, including its complete divorce from Christianity and the shocking truth that the Demiurge and the Archons might be as real as you and I.    

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Astral Guest—John Lamb Lash, author of ‘Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief’.....

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Topics Discussed:....

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--Revisiting Hypatia of Alexandria, an avatar of Sophia whose tragic death symbolized the beginning of the Dark Ages.....

--Evidence in Nag Hammadi that points to Sophia being none other than Mother Earth, the Pleroma a cosmic cloud, and the sun a redeemed Archon.....

--Coptic mistranslations in the Nag Hammadi that give new insights into what Gnosticism truly is and is not.....

--How Gnosticism, in its purest textual form, points to a pagan religion that does not require any type of savior.....

--What is the Gaia Theory and how does it tie into Gnosticism.....

--How the Archons are actual beings, sentient and alien creatures that reside among us.....

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And much more!....

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience. 

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  Digital or CD copies in bulk can also be purchased through our homepage.

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Next week we deal with the corruption of Wicca, Thelema, Hermeticism and all the other neo-Pagan, modern magical traditions.  The Demiurge has struck again and turned the Esoteric into the Orthodox!....

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Abraxas....

One of the most important proponents for Gnosticism in the last decade has been best-selling author Timothy Freke.  His work with Peter Gandi in the 'Jesus Mysteries' Trilogy also revived an interest in Greek Esoteric thought, Mystery Religions and Neo-Platonic philosophy.  Timothy comes on the program to discuss his new and personal autobiographical book.  He intimately discusses his life and life events that shaped his often controversial ideology, his mystical experiences, and his evolution as a Freethinker.  He also presents his vision for his organization, The Alliance of Lucid Living, and shares instructional exercises learned throughout his spiritual journeys on how to gain Gnosis.    

Astral Guest-- Timothy Freke, author the new 'How Long is Now?', 'Lucid' Living', and co-author of the 'Jesus Mysteries' Trilogy and 'The Gospel of the Second Coming'.....

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Topics Discussed:....

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--The life and times of Timothy, from his mystical awakening as a boy to his newest revelations on the mystery of life.....

--How his pantheistic views are in perfect harmony with the dualism of Christian Gnosticism.....

--Why world-denying is perhaps not the best course in finding enlightenment (and what are better alternatives).....

--Understanding Tim’s ‘Alliance for Lucid Living’ (or The All) and some of its concepts like ‘Deep Awake’, ‘Lucid Living’ and ‘Standup Philosophy’.....

--How the concept of ‘ego-denying’ or ‘ego-death’ is actually detrimental to communing with the divine.....

--Why Tim’s ideas have made him a heretic even with modern Gnostics.....

--Tim’s own practices and warnings on spiritual exercises he has undergone such as specific types of meditations, entheogen use, contemplation rituals and several others.....

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And much more!!!....

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience. 

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  Digital or CD copies in bulk can also be purchased through our homepage.

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Other programs available for download with Timothy Freke are Aeon Byte #7 (Introduction to Gnosticism) and Aeon Byte #71 (The Gospel of the Second Coming).

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Abraxas....

In our first program, we explored the evolution and impact of Pagan Gnosticism from a broad historical perspective, ranging from Egyptian times to the Renaissance and beyond.  We focus now on the Classic Hermeticists of the Greco/Roman World and the early Christian Era.  We investigate their origins, theology, cosmology and cosmogony; and what might have happened to this 'kinder, gentler' brand of Gnosticism that saw Creation and all of its players as benign tools for the restoration of the soul.  We also compare and contrast Pagan Gnosticism with its Christian counterpart, as well as its relationship and influence of the other religions of that time.  And reveal startling evidence of who truly kept the secrets of these Gnostic Magicians alive throughout history.    

Astral Guest-- Jesse Folks, contributing writer for 'The Gnostic Magazine', co-founder of The Palm Tree Garden, and teacher at Catholic University in Washington DC.....

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--The varied themes and theologies of the Hermetic worldview.....

--Little known-evidence that from the early days it was Christianity who championed Hermeticism as a genuine spiritual pursuit (and protected their legacy throughout most of Western history).  And the reasons Christians and not Pagans were so passionate about the Hermeticists.....

--An overview of the Hermetic texts, from the Corpus Hermeticum to their works in the Nag Hammadi Library.....

--Understanding the Hermetic Savior Godmen and their historical thinkers.....

--Dispelling and understanding how libertine or dependent on magic were the Classic Hermeticists.....

--The similarities and differences between the Pagan Gnostics and the Christian Gnostics.....

--The various possibilities of what ended the Classic Hermetical era.....

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And much more!!!  As a bonus, we also discuss a bona fide modern Gnostic Gospel in the form of a cartoon show from Japan—Neon Geneses Evangelion.....

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Next week it’s the life and Gnosis of Timothy Freke.  He guest stars as himself!....

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience. 

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  Digital or CD copies in bulk can also be purchased through our homepage.

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Abraxas....

Gnosticism has a pagan brother called Hermeticism, referred to as 'the kinder, gentler Gnosticism' because it sees the cosmos as a more harmonious and benign system where the soul can find liberation without all the nastiness.  Hermeticism thrived in ancient times but influenced The Renaissance, The Enlightenment Period and most of today’s Occult Studies.  We begin exploring this essential prism of The Gnostics, from its theology to its magical leanings.  We also give a lesson on how to Astral Travel from the comfort of your own home!....

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Astral Guest-- Aaron Leitch author of ‘Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires: The Classical Texts of Magick.

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Topics Discussed:....

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--The origins, theology, cosmology and evolution of the Hermetical movement.....

--The influence of Hermeticism on Medieval Times, the Renaissance, The Enlightenment Period and even the founding of the USA.....

--The connection between Hermeticism, Mystery Religions and Solomonic Magick throughout history.....

--Who exactly is Hermes Trismegistus, the founder of Hermeticism?....

--What exactly is the Hermetical Kabbalah?....

--Great figures in occult history that were influenced by Hermeticism.....

--The methodology and misconceptions of Astral Travel.....

--A quick lesson on how one can Astral Travel from anywhere they want.....

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And much more!....

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Next week we present the follow up to this week’s program—Hermeticism, Part 2 (well…duh!)....

Abraxas....

We delve into a proto-Gnostic, Savior Figure & Mystic Master.  Not only might have he given you fits in your high school geometry class, this mysterious character coined the word ‘philosophy’, was initiated in the Orphic & Egyptian Mysteries, understood the universe as a harmony of music, math and magic, and founded perhaps the first egalitarian, ascetic cadre of freethinkers in the West.  He influenced most of the greatest philosophers of Greece, including Plato.  Whether in history or in legend, this man is one of the main grandfathers of most esoteric schools of thought in Western Culture.  You know him simply as Pythagoras.     ....

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Astral Guest: Charles H. Kahn, author of ‘Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans: A Brief History’ and Professor of Philosophy at the University of.

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Topics Discussed:

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--The origins and history of Pythagoras, who arguable established the first ever ‘cult’ in Western Society.

--His influence on Greek Philosophy, Gnosticism, Christianity and Judaism, and later Renaissance Philosophy.

--The various doctrines of the Pythagoreans, never seen before in the classic Greek world, including reincarnation, vegetarianism, egalitarianism, and more that were later adopted by the Gnostics, Mystic Jews and Mediterranean Mystery Schools.

--The influence of Pythagoras on modern science, including history-changing thinkers who were influenced by him.

--The reality that, like all proto-Messiahs and Messengers of Light, Pythagoras was despised and rebuked during his turn at the wheel.

--Did the Cult of Orpheus influence Pythagoras or did he influence this mysterious brotherhood?

--Separating the legendary figure from the historical man.

--The shocking truth behind the Pythagorean Theorem and his other mathematical discoveries.

--The parallels between Pythagoras and the ‘historical’ Jesus.

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And much more!!!

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Pythagoras represents the balanced thinker, the history-altering genius, an individual who understood that the sacred and the secular were one and the same, that science and magic didn’t have to be at odds, that the natural was supernatural and the supernatural was natural.

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience. 

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  Digital or CD copies in bulk can also be purchased through our homepage.

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Abraxas....

Despite her rising popularity and redemption in Western Society, there are still many misconceptions and unknown facts about the Bride of the Logos.  And there is also a great divide between the Magdalene of the Canonicals and the Apostolic Leader you find in the Gnostic Scriptures (and the various legends throughout history).  A good time to get to know her all over again, like a romance that just won’t end.  Astral Guest—Jane Schaberg, author of ‘Mary Magdalene Understood’ and ‘The Resurrection of Mary Magdalene’.....

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Topics Discussed:....

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--Detailed comparing and contrasting the characteristics of the Canonical Mary Magdalene to the Gnostic Mary Magdalene.....

--How the views of Mary Magdalene have changed throughout history in legend, art and film.....

--Why is the Apostle Paul silent about Mary and other female disciples?....

--Although the notion of Mary being married to Jesus has been quite dispelled recently, how very erotic undertones can be found in their relationship.....

--Was there an egalitarian movement in early Christianity with woman often in leadership roles?....

--Did Mary Magdalene really exist and was she the Beloved Disciple?....

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And much more!  There is just something about Mary!....

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Just go to http://www.thegodabovegod.com/.  The program is broadcast all weekend long.  Listen to it at your convenience. 

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All past shows of Aeon Byte are available at http://www.thegodabovegod.com/shop/.  Digital or CD copies in bulk can also be purchased through our homepage.

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Abraxas....