FINAL ASSIGNMENT:

* Write an essay of one to two pages on your observations after viewing AGORA, relative to living in the transitional period betwen ages.

* What concepts of wisdom did you glean from the historical perspective of changing cultural/religious beliefs and attitudes depicted in the film?

* How can your spiritual work assist in this process of moving into the age of Aquarius?

Submit by email to registrar and POST MAJOR CONCLUSIONS ON THE FORUM to receive credit for fulfilling class requirements.




Agora is a 2009 film by Spanish-Chilean director Alejandro Amenabar about Clare de Lis' embodiment as Hypatia of Alexandria, a noted Greek scholar and mathematician.

The movie "felt" very authentic and brought a lot of mixed emotions as we watched the particular groups (Roman gods vs the new Christianity vs Judaism) struggle and condemn one another. Hypatia did appear to be very engrossed (and somewhat unbalanced in my opinion) in her astronomy pursuits, never seeming to arrive at conclusions that satisfied her - to the point where she was almost unaware of the upheavel occurring everywhere around her. Yet she was compassionate and caring of her students and slaves (who seemed to be her only friends). There were no other women in this movie. I was startled to observe that her personal slave was a male (who might have been a eunoch). More than one male was in love with her (according to the movie) but she was unwavering in her pursuits. To her credit, she was willing to die for her beliefs (whatever they were; it wasn't clear), although she didn't seem to realize the reality of where these "beliefs" (or lack of them) would lead her. Studying how she affected the people she was close to can be very interesting also. Excellent movie, acted well and very enlightening.

I have often wondered about the burning of the books in Alexandria and what triggered it. I was unaware that the Christians of the time were so fanatical, their response to Jesus's teachings of love and redemption were certainly not evident. The cruelty of how they treated each other was almost like things are today, the slaves wanted freedom but they had no idea what it meant they burned the books without any thought of what was in them and defaced and destroyed the artifacts of the time, much like those who destroyed some of the Buddhic statues today.

It appeared as though the men were jealous of Hypatia's intelligence, and it was the putting down of the feminine ray with Hypatia having to accept this new church authority and not being allowed to teach anymore, she could not accept their demands and therefore she was murdered mercifully by her former slave, and her body was then tortured. Mother was given another opportunity to teach the truth and set the record straight.

I personally found the movie very disturbing. The violence and hatred in this film,( and in any film) effects me deeply.
My realization that these events and too many like them have occured, and continue to occur on our planet is sobering. At the same time it gives us hope that the consciousness of mankind through the ages as evolved to become more enlightened and tolerent, especially with reguard to the Divine Feminine.
I also found it hard to believe that Hypatia was not more aware of the turmoil and danger all around her, or was that omitted from the story? My heart went out to Mother for the suffering her soul chose to endure. I believe what happens to one soul is deeply felt by all. Thank you God for your Mercy Light.

I see I need to post a longer essay and send it to the registrar. However, for a brief comment on the film, Agora, here are my thoughts:

a. the integrity of Hypatia (female heroine) was incredible -- through all the tension and aggression, she kept to her values.
b. Hypatia was continually trying to find the "answers" to life; however, in her case, they seemed limited to scientific explanations.
c. There was so much sadness when you saw spiritual groups fighting amongst each other.

We have evolved from continual warfare in the West. The Middle-East will one day catch up.

Hypatia was ahead of her time, and thus may have been destined to lose her head. Hypatia was a famous Egyptian woman mathematician and Greek philosopher and the main character in the 2009 film Agora, played by Rachel Weisz (Wikipedia.com).

In several other embodiments, the same soul lost her life and her head, as she stood for truth. This film showed how ignorance and hardened hearts combine to strike aggressively and try to eradicate the truth. The unscrupulous and power-hungry perpetrate anger and cause the crowds to act unconsciously.

The saddest moment in the film for me was when she was called the ruler’s whore. The other senators may have been unable to understand and therefore believe her lifestyle of study and contemplation.

As a mathematician, Hypatia studied conic sections (cones). An ellipse is an example of a conic section since it can be formed by a single diagonal slice through a cone. The circle is a special case of an ellipse where the two foci meet at a single point called the center. When Hypatia was looking for an explanation of the sun as the center of the universe, she realized our son was actually the focus of the universe and therefore could be described by two centers as long as the sum of the distances of the foci to each planet remained constant. Therefore the sun we see is one center and thus we must have a second center of the universe implying an unknown entity. I see this as an example of Alpha and Omega, Helios and Vesta, or the sun and the Great Central Sun. Whichever the case, Hypatia opened the way for a much higher spiritual matrix for considering the source of our solar system, and simultaneously a model of the Divine Feminine. I had not realized this connection until I saw the film and realized the point she was making. I was also very appreciative of her passion for mathematical studies and her constancy in her determination to reach her students and bring them higher.

Her method teaching, the Socratic method, is respectful of the inner man, and woman, of the heart. By asking questions, she was able to lead students to a higher way, while at the same time, acknowledge their own inner wisdom. She also used this method with herself as shown in several scenes as she was struggling to work out her mathematical problems. She was an example of the divine mother, caring for the well-being of her students and the same time having the wisdom to let them go their way when they so chose. As we saw at the end, the slave who loved her showed great mercy as she had earlier shown mercy and understanding to him.

A wonderful minister/herbalist healer from New York City came to my Quaker college campus in the South to speak only to the women in the college chapel. He preached to us in a booming voice and warned that when the woman and the mother fall away from God and are desecrated from the Divine Feminine that they are to uphold, either by their own choices or by the society at large, prostituted, silenced, raped, even murdered like Hypatia, then that entire civilization will go down from the destruction of the family, to the child, to the men, to the government and institutions because the woman holds the balance and standard for all of society. The home is the microcosm for the rest of society and when the home is broken, thus follows civilization. The woman is the mother in the home; she is the mother of the world. I will never forget his words and empowerment I felt listening to him.

Barbara Stevens Sullivan, wrote Psychotherapy Grounded in the Feminine Principle (1989). She wrote:
Our resistance to a feminine orientation is tremendous….In the face of the clearest, most consistent evidence, our culture insists upon denying the ubiquitous, inescapable fact of darkness and death and upon maintaining a fiction of the possibility of living happily ever after if we will only manage our lives properly. The consequence of this attitude is not an increasingly widespread incidence of happiness, it is rather a situation in which people feel guilty about their depression and despair, exacerbating their pain by struggling against the legitimate suffering that life involves and that, when submitted to, ultimately brings wisdom.

We have all experienced the pain of a karmic return in the form of unpleasantness to deep suffering. Suffering has the purpose of raising our consciousness. If we avoid it, or subdue it with drugs, etc. it will not go away, it will only eat at our psyche. We must learn the lessons of life. We must confront our shadow side and learn the wisdom that it will teach us. This is the feminine approach to healing.

I want to close in saying that the feminine is not of more worth or value than the masculine principle in life. Both are essential, and both need to be integrated into one’s being and consciousness. The masculine aspect has brought civilization many blessings, including some technology and a high standard of living. As Sullivan wrote, “But the loss of the Feminine is increasing injurious to the deeper layers of our lives. The Feminine is not superior to the Masculine, but because it carries what we lack, it may seem more desirable than what we have.”

Conscious effort to embrace, integrate and return to the Mother and the Divine Feminine is required of each one of us. The creative, right brain activity, heart centered love-wisdom balance with the blue plume of God-power is an undeniable storehouse of conscious living in harmony with the Divine. It is Christ-Consciousness. I will always remember the words of our Lord, Jesus when he said, “I AM the Champion of Woman”. It is unfortunate that Jesus was not there to defend Hypatia in her last hours.

My major concludions of watching the movie "Agora"
It's essence helped me to realize:
We do not have to repeat history over and over again. We are learning from it. We are using the keys we have been given through our connection with our higher self and through the Ascended Masters teachings and the examples of their lives and how they passed their initiations. We are transcending patriarchal religion and fundamentalism by becoming the Mother, by raising the energies of the Kundalin and by Being in Presence. By continually working with these keys we are evolving beyond needing religions and we are replacing human knowledge with Divine Gnosis and bringing in the Golden Age of Enlightenment wherein there is an ever increasing number of people with all knowing in all areas of life.

Conclusion from essay on the movie, Agora

In closing I have to say that I am especially happy for all Europeans, and their world-extended culture, who get the opportunity to watch this movie, for they are the ones who suffered so very much under their imposed religion, and drove many to the opposite pole, no religion. Now they will be able to see and understand how it all happened, and hopefully choose a middle way.
It is clear that the destruction of the Alexandrian Library, the desecration of the sanctity of Hypatia's school, and all that it stands for, and the organizing and reforming of the Christian movement by Constantine were an unimaginable setback for a coming golden age of enlightenment. That was over 1600 years ago, and much ingorance and malice has ensued in these past 1600 years. And now, as we enter the Age of Aquarius, we have arrived at our greatest opportunity to do our utmost to become enlightened and to enlighten others.
Ronald Dubrawsky

Hypatia taught both ancient wisdom and leading edge concepts. She inspired new perspectives in her students. She taught by example and lived to elevate her students to higher thoughts and motives. And she posed an ultimate challenge to tolerate and value women as equals. Her pursuit of truth was one pointed, perhaps then to a fault. She was courageous and uncompromising in her beliefs, perhaps beyond comprehension in her day. And she kept her personal integrity and poise in the face of persecution and violence even unto her own murder. Agura gives us a point of reference at the cusp of ages for appreciating the lapses and progress of our spiritual evolution. We see the tumultuous swing of the pendulum in her time from worshiping a pantheon of external gods to monotheism. Today we are awakening from the dualism of religious divisiveness to a great equilibrium of seeing God within as the all One. This film showed the dangers of fanaticism creeping into any movement; its mask as zeal, and its ultimate cost to the soul. And it’s message left me more awake to the value of identifying my own vulnerabilities and being relevant to my times. And I felt very sad for the ignorance and cruelty that devalued life in the name of religion. I found myself really wishing and hoping I had not lived during that time. Agura’s characters portrayed the weakness of human logic unwilling to act early for fear of defending the truth, and led us along a tragic trajectory as the tares grew up among the wheat. I was left with a deep appreciate for the gifts of light and initiation being poured out to our Hearts Center movement by the Brotherhood at this juncture between ages, with much thanks to great men and women like Hypatia who paved the way for higher mindfulness and for us tertons to return.

Today we are again transitioning from suppression to liberation, and again we seek spiritual truth, universal love/wisdom and the raising of the divine feminism. Today we desire to preserve the wisdom treasure that is the original blueprint for our planet and her people. We are so carefully being goal fitted to co create the shift we desire to see for all men to return to the One. I feel Hypatia’s lessons are now our legacy as we heed her warnings, follow the example of Clare de lis’ final sacrificial life, embody her teachings and make them relevant to fulfill her mission.

PS I saw the slave, Davus, at the end acting as Archangel Michael did with Joan of Arc. As Joan was dying at the stake, Archangel Michael appeared to her. He told her to breathe in the smoke. Because she was breathing the smoke, she fainted and did not feel the pain of burning to death. Similarly, in Hypatia’s story, the slave blocked Hypatia’s nose and mouth and caused her to faint. He thus saved her the pain of being stoned to death and maybe still being alive while her body was ripped to shreds as it was tied to the back of the cart and dragged through the streets. He actually did the best for her that he could.

In other parts the movie, I saw intolerance and misunderstanding. As the leaders were intolerant of Hypatia, the opposing parties were intolerant of them. Karma! And, as ages come to a close, and cycles speed up, the return of karma is also faster. For me, one of the take-home messages is: intolerance is dangerous. And, as we are now in the midst of a cosmic shift in consciousness, similar to the shifting of tectonic plates, we had best take care to express tolerance so we can avoid physical violence.

from Dorothy R.
I saw the film way at the beginning of the class.
I found the violence difficult to watch but the understanding of the story of how the library was destroyed was important to know.
The intolerance was so hard to watch. We must continue to learn from history.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship of Hipatia to her wonderful father
It was interesting how they used the sandbox for her to explain her ideas.
the scene of photography where they showed the people from way way above, seeming to scurry like ants. Interesting photography.

So you can get credit for this and get a certificate for 1107, please contact MURegistrar@heartscenter.org.

The following are my observations on the movie Agora.

The movie Agora depicted how a civilization shifting from one age to another and one belief system to another can be thrown into violence and how people can be emotionally and psychologically divided inside their beings as they attempt to understand the shift. I think it also showed how people who desire power and control will use a time of religious or political upheaval to manipulate the masses to cause destruction in order to solidify their power. The burning of the Library of Alexandria was a very tragic example of how an entire civilization can be plunged into darkness by destroying the knowledge that had been gleaned from the great teachers and adepts from many previous centuries. Those in positions of power sought to control the masses by keeping them in ignorance.

The earth is moving from one age to another again as we move from the Piscean age to the age of Aquarius. Those who stand up for the Aquarian principles of unity, oneness, peace, love and brotherhood are still being attacked—in some countries physically and violently and in other countries through more subtle methods such as the manipulation of the media, education, and the balance of nature. What I feel is so hopeful about the shift to the age of Aquarius is that through the current technology, including the internet, knowledge can no longer be withheld from the people. Now that the truths of loving cooperation between people, nature and the universe are being spread through the media and by example, it cannot be stopped.

The spiritual work of all those who desire to bring peace and harmony to the planet will be what brings in the golden-crystal age. Our prayers, meditations and communion with the Universal Brotherhood will provide the spiritual impetus for enlightened communities to grow and thrive throughout the globe. The shift of light is here, the wave is coming and there is no turning it back! Joyce

Hypatia was born in Alexandria in 350 AD and executed in 415 AD. She was the first woman instructor in mathematics as head of the Platonist School of Alexandria.

The Library of Alexandria, according to the history books, was founded during the 3rd Century B.C.

The destruction of the Library of Alexandria is unclear in the history books. Four different dates are given for the destruction:
1) 48 BC Julias Casear's fire in the Alexandrian War
2) Attack of Aurelian 270 AD
3) Decree of the Coptic Pope Theophitus 391 AD
4) Muslim conquest of 642 AD

The Decree of the Coptic Pope Theophitus 391 AD correlates with Hypatia's life span.

HPB taught that Atlantis existed until approximately 12,000 BC. Edgar Cayce's readings say 9000 - 1100 BC. As students of truth many of us believe that Egypt was a continuation of Atlantis and that the truth about those end times and ancient wisdeom was recorded. Possibly the information of the Atlanteans was recorded in the scrolls in the Library of Alexandria. Of course that information would have wanted to be destroyed by the ones who wanted to control the people.

I have heard teachings that the Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, Greek Poet (850 BC) was the hero's attempt to avoid the earth changes that were taking place during the destruction of Atlantis just as we are doing today. Where is it going to be safe to live? where will there be floods?, earthquakes? etc.

Even though there was a shift going on during the time of Hypatia the big shift was during the end times of Atlantis and now we are going through another great shift into the Age of Aquarius.

To this day people who speak the truth are hunted down, i.e. Tesla, whistle blowers etc. Hypatia was a speaker of the truth and had to be terminated. Even though I did not personally know Elizabeth I knew many people tried to stop her from speaking the truth but fortunately this did not happen.

This essay seems to be all over the place but in my mind I am seeing a much bigger picture than just this particular embodiment of Elizabeth. St. Germaine was in and out of the picture as well as Hesiod the Greek poet 750-650 BC and Samuel 931-877 BC.



I see changes happening all the time as we move into higher levels of consciousness. The truth is being exposed through the internet, videocameras, pictures, etc. I was watching a John Wayne westerner one day and was shocked to see him shot a beautiful sauharo cactus. Imagine someone doing that in a movie today? Chances of it happening are very slim. More and more people are exhibiting reverence for all life including plants and animals. Michael Vick did not escape the pitt bull dog fighting he was doing and he paid a high price for it. Many people are celebrating the killing of Kadafi but the people who are in a higher state of consiousness see his killing as the killing of themselves and it is very painful to watch. We prayed many times for him to see the unity of life but unfortunately his time has ended.

The Light of the Divine Feminine energy is becoming stronger each day. As I make my pilgramage to Lake Titicaca for the 11:11:11 I know that all of us who are Light Workers will be anchoring even more of this Divine Feminine Energy on this day just as Hypatia did over 1,600 years ago during that embodiment.

On November 21st (Monday) at 6pm Pacific Time I will be having Danion Brinkley on my radio show "Return to Shamballa" on
BBSRadio.com to talk about his new book.

On November 7 I will be having Esparanza Rey on the show to talk about her new book "Hope Reigns Beyond 2012." (6pm PT)

Thank you Cheryl and David for a wonderful class.
Vicki Goodwin
Shamballa Enterprises, LLC

In terms of wisdom learned from the movie and applying it to our times, Clare de Lis speaks about how today “increasing numbers of the current generation” are beginning to understand the teachings that lead to “the basis of Self-discovery of who they are” and to thereby ”be released from the grip of the purveyors of illusion and those whose desire is control and manipulation”. Hypatia was a victim of such purveyors. The vying for power and control among Christian sects and other groups at the time was in direct opposition to the true teachings of Jesus and his message of love, mercy, compassion, brotherhood and oneness in God.
Fortunately today in our society, we have the freedom to explore our own Self-discovery and knowledge of God in our own way with little chance of exposure to the violence that Hypatia experienced. This is not true everywhere, however. Today we witness examples of intolerance among people who insist on seeing greater differences among people, be they racial, ethnic, religious, cultural, etc., rather than seeing the common humanity in all of us and the inherent divine core of each human being. The motivation for many continues to be based on fear and other negative emotions and values. Many places on the Earth are experiencing shifts in political and social systems (particularly in the Middle East and Africa), where many people are seeking freedom of speech, assembly and religion as well as justice, equality and self-determination. Mother Earth and the elementals are also bringing forth occurrences in the nature world that are seeking balance for humanity’s lack of love and appreciation for nature, mankind, and God.
So, how can my spiritual work assist in the process of moving into the age of Aquarius? In my path to Self-discovery, I am attempting to move forward step by step, to know, to understand, to be and to manifest Self-in-God and the God-qualities that we seek for all of mankind and all of life in the early budding of this new age. We are all One. All of life is One. This truth is being felt now across the globe. For God’s truth and God’s way to manifest externally, we know it must first manifest within each Self. So in order to contribute, I must begin the work within myself first.

Agora and the Path of Initiation
by Lenore Harris

Much of life is initiation—for individuals and groups of peoples alike. The movie Agora demonstrates this in an intensely graphic way. Along with Hypatia, we see the initiations of her father, her students, the leaders of the religions in Alexandria and their followers. These initiations were fundamentally ones of whether or not to succumb to pride and the human ego. Everyone in Alexandria went through them during the extremely turbulent times portrayed in this movie.
Hypatia’s father had his first initiation when he was outraged at the Christians for having burned to death one who was speaking on behalf of the pagan religion--his religion. He lined up the household slaves and demanded to know if any of them were Christians and then proceeded to beat the one who made that admission. Hypatia told the slave later that he had felt badly about what he had done.

The whole cycle of violence began when the Christians began mocking the pagan gods in the agora. One leader of the pagans, in response, was inciting the pagans to avenge this. Hypatia begged him to stop since she knew what it would lead to. He then turned to her father and acknowledged that as director he would have the last word. He was at that moment facing possibly the greatest initiation of his life. The entire course of the history of Alexandria and hundreds of people lay upon his decision. And what did he choose? He proclaimed, “Let the gods be avenged for this insult.”
I considered Davis, Hypatia’s slave, to be a very compelling character in the story. He was intrigued by Amonius and his preaching about Christianity and finally did become a Christian after feeling compassion well up inside as he passed out his entire basket of bread to starving people in the temple. His admiration for Hypatia and his own great interest in her work, however, left him somewhere in between in this battle of the religions. His pride was a bit wounded when Hypatia made off-hand disparaging remarks about slaves. He passed the early initiations by brushing off the hurt.
But a major test came when the library was being stormed and after feverishly searching for Hypatia to help her in this dire situation, finds her and she berates him by demanding of him where he’s been and then blustering,” Slaves—they’re never there when you need them—they’re just idiots!” Overcome by his hurt pride, Davis storms out and overtly joins the Christians and the killing spree. His next failed initiation comes when he accosts Hypatia physically.
His decision to side with the Christians later bothers him though after being a part of so much violence. Deeply troubled, he wonders out loud, “Suppose we’re wrong.” In the end, his love for Hypatia trumps all as he frantically searches for her and when he finds her attempts to “save” her from the mob of Christians who are preparing to stone her to death. Without judging that particular act, you could make a case for him passing that initiation.
Orestes is another character we get to know well in the course of the movie. His love and loyalty for Hypatia puts him in the middle of a church scene in which he must prove his Christianity before the bishop and the congregation by denying Hypatia. Confronted with such a horrendous decision, he passes the initiation of standing for what he knew to be right and refused to accept their accusation of Hypatia as being a godless witch.
Another test comes when he, as the prefect, has the opportunity to step in and prevent yet another round of vengeful violence, this time on the Jews. Hypatia implores him, “If you do nothing this will continue to happen again and again.” Knowing that if he was seen as standing up for the Jews, half the town would be against him. He does nothing and allows the violence to ensue.
And the mobs, the pagans, the Christians and the Jews—are they undergoing initiations as a group? I think so. They are all easily swayed by the “orators” inciting them to move against the targeted group. And they all, summarily, fail the huge initiation to reject the calls for revenge. This is an initiation largely of rising above the human ego that cannot stand to be mocked, ridiculed and made out to be wrong.
I have found it to be valuable to look at the movie in this way. It has helped me to look at the path of initiation from a different perspective than I usually do. These initiations were so extreme and yet it’s been beneficial for me to meditate on how I would do in these circumstances. And in fact I may have been one of those people. What keeps coming to mind is Andrew Harvey’s premise that the only way humanity is going to survive the dire circumstances we find ourselves in at this point in history is for us to become the Divine Human. That Divine Human, when faced with such initiations, will reject the strong temptation to avenge blows to the false pride of the human ego.

Meru class 1107