Revelations of the Aquarian Age

by Barbara Hand Clow

  “When I reread the story of Joseph and Aseneth, something awakened in me. When others read it, they will wake up. With you I was in another world, somewhere in the stars, yet I was totally here. We must be fully sensual while in this world—certainly sex is the best way—and then the doorways to other worlds fly open. You open the gates of heaven when you penetrate me.”

  Armando watched the towers of Siena in the distance as he drove back to the castle with Guido. “What was it like in there? Was everything okay, sir?”

  “Yes, thank you, Guido, quite all right. They will guard it well and the people will enjoy it. It was hard to leave it, but the right thing to do. I trust the Medici; all will be well.” After arriving at the castle around 2 a.m. Armando was very surprised to see that Jennifer had waited up for him.

  “I must hear all about it. How does it look? How did you feel about leaving it there? I must know and then we can sleep.”

  Armando considered her earnest face, her lively curious dark eyes. She’d been reading and napping. Her blue silk robe slipped off her right leg as she crossed it over the left one. The robe, loose and partially open, exposed the swell of her small, perfect breasts. His breath caught in his throat when lizard-level lust seized him! He leveled his eyes, put down his brandy, and came over to massage her thigh aggressively. He buried his face in her breasts while grabbing her crotch as she arched back joyfully. “Let’s go to bed right away,” he said as they got up and walked into the bedroom. He had so much energy that he felt he could crush her. Laid back, she exposed herself fully to his gleaming eyes as his shoulders extended into magnificent wings. He undid his belt, took off his pants, and displayed a huge erection, a tremendous snake.

  She was shocked but determined to take it as she responded to the potent sacred blood coursing through his body. She smiled. “Darling, it is tonight, I can feel it.”

  He came to her, penetrating her while he supported himself with his hands on the bed. He felt like he was twice his size and could hurt her. She stroked his arms and back saying, “There is no hurry darling, slow down, feel the energy all around us, we are inside a beautiful cocoon of blue light. Armando, be slow, I think our child is near; do not shock me.”

  He breathed deeply wanting the force to flow through his body, seeing the luminescence again, the subtle light of the reliquaries. Did my painting bring this light? She moved under him, guiding him, as she said, “I see it Armando; I see the light, our child’s soul. Come to me, be with me, our child will come tonight.”

  He pulled his body up higher with his cock fully inside her body while he straightened his arms to see her better. She glowed like an angel painted by Giotto, the angel of the mother. He stared at her in wonder as if he was seeing her for the first time with her body firmly containing him. His orgasm wound up in his lower back like a snake released in his buttocks flexed against her thighs to heighten her ecstasy. As he moved her hips, her strong thighs gripped all his power. His cock burned with red-hot energy thrusting all the way up his spine and into his skull when he came. A high keening call came from her, like the cry of a peacock. Their mutual orgasm was so intense that they rolled quickly apart, spent. He murmured, “The painting is there, it is happy, I can sleep.”

  He fell into sleep immediately. She lay beside him feeling his precious sperm swimming around her illuminated egg. She felt a tiny prick; a strong and active sperm pierced the jelly surface encapsulating her egg. She lay on her back with eyes closed spreading out her arms and legs barely breathing, feeling the subtle presence quicken in her womb. As she felt it, light flooded the front part of her brain from the homunculus hovering above her head, a small little being; her child. She whispered, “Come, you are welcome. We have been waiting for you. Come, come now that we are ready for you.”

  They were up late the next morning and ate breakfast alone in the room behind the kitchen. He said, “I don’t know how to say this exactly. Everything is going to change for us. The painting is going to create things we can’t yet imagine; but I feel the shift now. It will help resolve some of the difficulties in the world, some of the stress here in Italy. As the people go in, you can go there to watch it happen. This will really be something, Jen, something very good.”

  “I know. I have a request, since we have a few days before the painting goes on display. I would like to have Simon and Sarah come up for the weekend with Teresa so that we can all talk. Matilda will be happy to watch Teresa. Yesterday, she told me she misses her already; she absolutely loved having her for a few days. It’s been so long since we’ve all been together, yet so many things are going on. I’d like to know what they are thinking about, and I bet they’d like to go see the painting. Would you like that, darling?”

  “Oh yes. Sarah calms me, and Simon’s wisdom guides me. It will be hard for me to handle the public response to the painting, but not if I see Simon, my brother protector. I will be having a continual visceral response when the public sees the painting, since already I feel slightly nauseated. The fear that it will not be received well is hitting me hard. Sweet one, I don’t want to make you feel jealous, but I think we should include Claudia. Would you mind if we also invite her?” He watched very closely and didn’t detect any change in her eyes, so he went on. “I feel like I need her support right now, and after all, she invented our group discussions, our salon.”

  “Armando, five would be a perfect number, a pentagram. But, should we invite Lorenzo?”

  “Hmmm . . . that is tricky. Of course we must, even though you are still seeing him. He might feel it would not be wise. Claudia will know what to do. Would you like me to call her to invite her, or would you like to?”

  “I’ll call Simon and Sarah, you call Claudia because you can probably work out inviting Lorenzo with her more easily.”

  “Good. I’m impressed. You really are beyond jealousy.”

  “Yes, and I’m happy.”

  “And, beautiful one,” he smiled, “you think you might be pregnant? No wine for ten months!”

  “I’ve already thought of it.”

  Simon and Sarah were thrilled to come up for the weekend. They’d been back in Rome for a month, and Simon had just finished a huge amount of research on the Jerusalem ossuaries. Sarah’s novel, Queen Bee and the Olive Branch, was at the printer and she was very anxious to see the finished book. Little Teresa talked constantly about Matilda’s big house, so she squealed when they told her about the visit. Claudia’s response was intriguing.

  “Armando, darling, I will ask him, but Jennifer is still his client. He’s really strict about such things, believes he’s avoided a lot of trouble over the years. Some clients think he is a god who can save them; they project crazy emotions on him. I will call you back after I talk to him, but as for me, I will come. I’ve missed our time together, and we are so lucky to have Simon back. We must take advantage of the chance to pick his brain about the Middle East.”

  Claudia called Armando back a few hours later. Just as she thought, Lorenzo was happy to have her go but would not come himself. He had some deep research he’d been putting off, so a weekend alone would be excellent. All five of them were excited about getting together.

  26

  Tuscan Gathering

  The aroma of olive and eucalyptus leaves drying on the ground was enticing on the chilly October night in Tuscany. The Pierleonis served Simon, Sarah, Teresa, and Claudia the last of the harvest—three different squashes, with homemade pasta and venison glazed with Matilda’s famous brown sauce. Matilda raised her wine glass to look at everyone with her sparkling blue eyes. “It is such a joy to have you all here together! Pietro and I have watched your friendships deepen over the years, and now here we are sharing life together, including having a little one in our midst. Sarah, I’m enjoying Teresa so much. We loved having her while you were away. My growing family warms my soul!”

  Simon stood up as all eyes turned to him. He was suntanned and thinner after being in Iraq, his face veiled and intense from see
ing things most people can’t imagine. “Matilda, Pietro, Jennifer, Armando, I’m delighted to be here!” Claudia was remembering him as a lover a few years ago—his youthfulness, attractiveness, and stunning genius, but then she recalled the recent afternoon with Lorenzo. Yes, I’ve found my other half. He completes me and makes me more than I ever was. But I will not forget Simon; I’m glad I had him when I did.

  The five friends gathered in the library with a great fire burning low under a huge pine log that sucked the dampness and chill off the thick stone floors. They were in a circle of easy chairs with a large table in the middle.

  “I’ll start this,” said Claudia eyeing Jennifer. “Armando, how do you feel about having your painting in the Chapel of Princes? I must admit I was shocked when I heard about it. How did that ever happen?”

  Armando was watching both Claudia and Jennifer. Alarm bells went off because Claudia came in a tight black jumpsuit with a low neckline. Her ample chest was mostly covered by many strings of red amber beads, but the enticing cleavage could not be missed. Her straight bangs waved back and forth, emphasizing her extremely large, insightful chocolate eyes. Meanwhile, Jennifer gazed at her with a warm and open expression. “My father arranged it. We have good relations with our Medici cousins, yet their willingness to display it in the chapel is unprecedented. As for me, I must be sure the Vatican never gets that painting; I have reasons to be cautious. The Vatican sent an anonymous agent to my last show who snapped up the three-level triptych—Gilded Sinners. This really bothers me because nobody will ever see it again! Anyone who studies it closely can see twisted forms of priests abusing little children in the lower level, hell. Now it’s probably in one of the Vatican bedrooms to turn on a cardinal.”

  Simon broke in. “Why would the Vatican want to get your latest painting? I haven’t seen it yet, so this may be a stupid question, but why?”

  Sarah and Claudia exchanged knowing looks as Armando answered. “The Vatican is afraid the flock will dump the Church when they realize Jesus was married. People who have seen the painting say they feel how much Jesus loved Mary Magdalene and his holiness came from being with her. This emotion flowed through me when I was learning how to love Jennifer.” He smiled warmly at his wife. “People will demand to know why the Church portrays Jesus as a celibate eunuch. By the way, my father reserved tickets for all of us for Monday.”

  “Yes, the Church definitely wants to avoid those kinds of conclusions,” Simon replied. “My article on new discoveries in the Jesus family tomb dovetails with this building revelation, a logical counterpart to your artistic approach, Armando. You all know a lot about the ossuaries, so tell me if I bore you and we can move on to something else.” He took note of their eager eyes.

  “It starts with the Jerusalem ossuaries—bone boxes used as a burial practice in Jerusalem until the Romans destroyed the Temple and ended it. It was a weird practice, for example the ossuaries in the tombs were all aligned to the Temple Mount.”

  “That’s what first got my attention,” Sarah broke in wondering about Claudia’s fixed stare on Simon.

  “In 1980,” Simon went on, “during apartment construction in the Talpiot region of Jerusalem, a tomb was uncovered. It contained ten ossuaries, one of which immediately went missing. They were inscribed with the names of various members of the Jesus family, and one had an inscription that probably refers to Mary Magdalene. As usual, doctrinaire archaeologists debunked the find, but highly credible alternative researchers went crazy over the find. In 2002, an antiquities dealer stunned the world when he announced he had an ossuary that was inscribed ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.’ There were front-page stories about it in the Times, Washington Post, Herald Tribune, and almost every other paper in the world.

  “I wrote a long story about both finds for the Times, and I never stopped following the story because I believe it is critically important to Christians, Jews, and Muslims alike. The damned Israeli Antiquities Authority confiscated the James ossuary and put the dealer on trial for forgery for eight long years! Meanwhile, this ossuary probably did contain the bones of the brother of Jesus; it probably is the one that went missing in 1980. Way back then I smelled a rat, and now the rat is rotting.”

  Claudia broke in. “How does this relate to the shift Armando’s painting might evoke?”

  “For starters, the Vatican wants to suppress the ossuary finds at all costs just like they will want to prevent people from viewing Armando’s painting. Think about it: What were the bones of Jesus doing in a tomb if he resurrected, the central belief of Christianity? And what were Mary Magdalene’s bones doing there with the Jesus family?”

  “Excuse me, Simon, since I’ve never heard about any of this,” Jennifer chimed in. “You are saying that a tomb was found containing ten ossuaries that were inscribed with Jesus’s family names plus Mary Magdalene, but one of the ten was stolen and may have turned up in 2002 inscribed as James, the brother of Jesus?”

  “Exactly right, the basic story that’s stirring up a hornet’s nest. Sarah, do you remember when I told you about the ossuaries that Father Bagatti found? You may remember how mad I was at the Church for silencing him?” She nodded and smiled remembering how he used to rant about it. “The facts are, a Franciscan archaeologist, Father Bagatti, found an ossuary on the Mount of Olives that was inscribed with St. Peter’s name correctly—Simon Bar Jonah. But, the Church has always claimed St. Peter is buried under the Vatican, the basis for the pope running the Church. The pope silenced Bagatti and stopped the news in its tracks!” Simon was practically shouting, which made Sarah giggle. “Bagatti also found the ossuaries of many early Christians including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, but the remains were socked away in a nearby semiprivate museum. Then immediately the Vatican announced they’d found more evidence for St. Peter under the Bernini altar, just another damned lie.”

  Armando sighed. “Oh, well. So what about the new evidence you mentioned?”

  “Sorry, it is rather technical. A researcher for the Israeli Geological Survey, Aryeh Shimron, analyzed soil samples from the Talpiot tomb, the nine ossuaries in the warehouse and the James ossuary. His analysis proves that the James ossuary is the missing tenth ossuary. Trust me, his findings are impeccable. This destroys the orthodox version of the Resurrection; it means Jesus was a normal human being.”

  Armando interrupted in a very quiet voice. “If this is true, then it validates my painting, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, it does! And there is a whole lot more I can say about my research, but hey, I don’t want to do all the talking.”

  Claudia joined in. “Might this have something to do with your phone call to me around three weeks ago?”

  Sarah looked at Claudia with wide eyes, and then turned to Simon. “Does this have something to do with you being up all night lately? You’ve been down in Claudia’s library reading almost every night. Are you finding things in her books?”

  “Right, Sarah, it must be my library,” Claudia broke in looking back at Simon. “If you recall, you called to ask me if I minded you reading my books, and of course I said it was fine. I have things in my library that go very deep into arcane ideas, and I’ve only taken some of my books to Lorenzo’s. I took all my books about Mary Magdalene, the Grail, and Templar lore over there, so what did you find in my library?” She was unaware she was rapping her fingers sharply on the table.

  Simon drew a deep breath and replied triumphantly, “You’ve missed some things, Claudia. You have a great section on alternative theories about the peopling of America—wonderful books about the Aurignacians, Magdalenians, Egyptians, Sumerians, Phoenicians, Vikings, Celts going across the sea to America—books that prove the Columbus 1492 story is horseshit. That’s the point, isn’t it?” he ranted. “All the damned lies. What are they covering up?” He paused because he knew Sarah was trying not to laugh at him, but went on anyway. “Why did the Church invent a celibate Jesus and viciously torture anybody who said he was married and had a family? Wh
y do Catholics have to believe in Mary’s perpetual virginity? Why do people in the U.S. insist Columbus discovered America when he so obviously did not? Europeans can’t believe that Americans still fall for that bullshit! Anyway, I started compulsively reading your books late at night after doing research on the ossuaries all day, and I hit a gold mine.”

  “Simon,” Claudia interrupted, “is this about William Mann, the guy who wrote the book about the Templar meridians?” Dante sauntered into the room grabbing her attention. He glowered at the group and then lay down in front of the fire swishing his tail.

  “Yeah, Claudia, and more. How about your book by Pohl on the journey of Henry Sinclair to Nova Scotia in the late 1300s? Henry Sinclair, the Templar. Did you read that one?”

  Claudia’s mind was spinning while the three others were on the edges of their seats listening to the two of them banter. Jennifer understood everything they were saying and was fascinated and very pleased with herself for catching on so quickly. Sarah was glued because she’d been trying to figure out what Simon was doing late at night. Claudia finally answered, “Yes, Simon, I’ve read both of those books and certainly the Templars were involved in early explorations of America, but so what?”

  “What you probably do not know being Italian is that Americans are taught in school that the early settlers of America were religious dissenters escaping the battles between the Protestants and Catholics. The real truth is, many of these people were escaping the Inquisition—here we go, back to the fucking Church again.”

  “Well, so what?” Claudia practically shouted, causing everyone to chuckle at the excitement and energy between Simon and Claudia.

  “Claudia, you didn’t read that book by William Mann carefully enough or you’ve forgotten things.” Claudia crossed her arms and glared at Simon like a furious imperial eagle. “The Templars went across the sea to America because they wanted to find a place for the dissenters to live because the Inquisition wanted to exterminate them. So, think about it, all of you, because the light has finally switched on in my head, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with the information because it is too arcane for the Times. The Templars were protecting the bloodline—the lineage of Jesus and Mary, the Holy Grail—in America, the story the Church never wants anyone to hear about.”