‘And so, as the moon had shown Joseph that morning in his garden he was destined to become the first guardian of this sacred knowledge, which he took westward to the island of Glastonbury, to that land of Druid priests. They would come to call this knowledge, The Mystery of the Holy Grail.’
75
DO NOT TOUCH ME!
In the early hours before day rise, the mother of the Lord and the other women went to the rock-hewn tomb in Joseph’s garden to see to the proper anointing of their master’s body. Magdalena was late in following and she had not yet reached the garden when she was met by the mother and the others returning again from the tomb. They told her that on arriving they had found the tomb open and empty. In and around the tomb they had seen a vision of angels who said their lord had already risen and to look for him among the living.
Magdalena, full of concern, returned with the others to the cenacle to tell the men and found only Lazarus-John with Simon-Peter in the upper room.
Upon seeing them Simon-Peter came directly to the mother to beg her forgiveness. He recounted how on the night of Passover he had denied his Lord three times for fear of his life. Because of this, full of shame, he had gone to Olivet where he found a cave. In it he had slept fitfully until awakened by an overwhelming effulgence. It was the brilliant form of his master illuminating the gloom of his cave. His master told him to go and tell the others what he had seen.
The Mother of the Lord recounted what the women had seen: angels, rolled away stones and an empty grave. Full of wonder the men resolved to see it and took themselves out of the city with Magdalena following in their train.
By the time the three of them arrived at the tomb a red-gold promise of sunrise lay on the margins of the horizon. Lazarus-John was carrying the lamp and he was first through the low door of the sepulchre. He told them what he saw: a great gash in the earth, a deep cleft had opened up and now the linen cloths were lying on one side of it and the head napkin on the other.
Simon-Peter, having by now entered the sepulchre himself, confirmed that the grave was empty. There followed some discussion between them and not knowing what they should do they left to find the other disciples.
Magdalena remained behind.
Alone at the entrance to the sepulchre a deep sense of loss beckoned tears from her eyes. Her master was gone, his body was not found and she did not know how he could return again without it. Not having seen the angels like the others she wanted to know it for herself but she had lost her spirit sight! She watched the sun rise over the hills and when it cast its benevolent rays on the mouth of the tomb she braced herself and dared to look inside.
She gasped.
Lit up by the birthing light were two angels, one at the head of the great stone bier and the other at the foot of it. She had regained her sight!
Woman, why do you weep?
She harnessed her mind to answer. ‘Because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have taken him!’
Fearful she turned to go but there was a man standing before her, haloed by sun. She did not know him but he seemed full of the power of bourgeoning and sprouting life, as if he were a gardener, a planter or a cultivator. To see him made her hope that he might know where her master’s body would be.
He took the words from out of the mouths of the angels,
‘Woman, why do you weep?’
‘Sir, if you have borne his body from here, tell me where you have laid it and I will take him away.’
The man now called her by her old name, ‘Mary!’
The memory of her master’s words rose through her feeling to her thinking:
Unite with the bridegroom in the bridal chamber of your heart, and from this union will arise in you a knowledge of Who I Am!
Her eyes saw Him now! The youthful body of Jesus, in all its flawless fullness!
‘Master!’ She moved to go to him, but he forestalled her.
‘Touch me not, dear Magdalena, for it will pollute me, the mystery is not yet consumed. Christ must yet unite fully with me. Go, tell the others to wait, tell them not to be sorrowful for I will soon come to them!’
Joyful and obedient, she ran all the way back to the cenacle.
76
LEAVE-TAKING
That evening when his followers were gathered in the cenacle Christ Jesus returned to bestow peace upon them. He brought them the comfort of the Holy Spirit and they witnessed the nascent forces, the creative power, of his resurrected body of light.
Forty days passed in His presence and He taught them sacred things. When they listened to his teachings they imagined themselves in those far off places they had frequented with Him. Sometimes they saw themselves in a boat floating on the glittering Sea of Galilee with the sun shimmering in their eyes and their ears resounding with his words: