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ONE GODS is a Shaman’s Eye View of the Bible.
The Bible is a Document of Wonder and Mystery
The Bible is filled with wondrous happenings. People speak directly to the Lord, or in other words, communicate with divinity. There are angels; an otherworldly serpent (discussed in Chapter 10), and a bush filled with fire that does not burn (discussed in Chapter 4). Jerusalem is a focal point for the world’s three major western patriarchal religions; yet the city retains the name of its original guiding deity who was not male. Jerusalem was named for a goddess – Venus in her aspect as the evening star (discussed in Chapter 5)
Magic lurks within the mists of Biblical folklore; a stone that springs water (discussed in Chapter 3), a ladder ascending to the heavens (discussed in Chapter 6), a serpent perched upon a staff with the power to heal (discussed in Chapter 11). Teachings are veiled within the Hebrew language, its oldest script forged from the fires of the heavens (discussed in Chapter 8) Ancient knowledge lies hidden deep within the text.
The Bible contains great journeys between Canaan and Egypt and back again. There are struggles, quests and heroes. There is sacred wind/breath/speech giving rise to human life (discussed in Chapters 1 and 2), the Tower of Babel that confused human speech and still trips us up today when we try to understand what the writers felt and how they thought; symbols of power that still hold the keys to great mysteries.
There is the mystery of a God who can be both immanent and personal while at the same time being transcendent (discussed in Chapter 7). There is Adam or Adamah, whose name means red earth, and Eve or Chava, meaning life. It could be said that it was Eve’s birthright to eat the fruit, for the Tree of Life bears her name, Chava, Life (discussed in Chapter 10).
In delving into these mysteries we don’t strip away the wonderment but rather grow ever more amazed at how the nature of life, creation and mystery fit together in such perfection. How did people know? How could it be that knowledge in the Bible parallels knowledge held by MesoAmerican Aztecs (discussed in Chapter 2 and throughout the book)? Native Hawaiians (Chapter 1 and throughout the book)? The Celts of Britain or tribes of Tibet for that matter (Chapter 2 and throughout the book)? How can Biblical symbols contain such power so many thousands of years after they were first written? How can they still capture our imaginations today?
Exploring these wonders is a journey I have wanted to take my entire lifetime. You are invited to join me in this adventure.
My name is Janet Rudolph. After a life long interest in comparative religion, I answered the call of shamanism almost 20 years ago. I have traveled throughout the world to experience and learn first hand how the mysteries of life have come to be expressed, blessed, honored and lived in differing lands and cultures. One Gods is the culmination of these experiences.
Included in the book are some of the Biblical stories that I have rewritten with a shamanic outlook.
Why this book matters:
The Bible is a foundational book of our civilization. Whether we be pagan, atheist, Hindi, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian or something else, we are affected by the writings because the most basic of our western values have been shaped by its words. The roots of our civilization have been built upon this foundation.
But what if the lessons are different than what we think? How would our lives be different? How would our culture be different?
It is only by changing the fundamental stories underpinning our culture that we can change the paradigms we live by. One Gods explores these fundamental stories and offers new paradigms based on the oldest of teachings.
One Gods is a deep dive of spiritual forensics, a journey through history using shamanic knowledge to explore cross-cultural teachings found in the Bible. Here are some examples of the connections:
- Moses and the Celtic Bard Taliesin
- Noah and the Hindu God Vishnu
- The Shekinah, Venus and the MesoAmerican Quezalcóatl
- Samson, Hercules and the Norse God Tyr
The ancient mystery schools of Greece, Egypt and other cultures also hold many of the keys.
One Gods also includes experiential exercises designed to deepen one’s own spiritual fullness based on the Biblical lessons presented.