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Is Ophelia Hamlet’s ‘Holy Grail’?

By: Paul Hunting, Author Shakespeare’s Revelation

The drowning of Ophelia: its mystical symbolism revealed

“Nymph, in thy orisons, be all my sins remembered.” – Hamlet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hidden in the symbolism and word-play of Shakespeare’s plays is the most important (forbidden) truth about who we really are and why we’re here on earth. In order to marvel at this subtext story, you may need to make the fundamental paradigm shift.

The key paradigm shift is to see the characters not as people in the real, historical, or fictional external world, but as characterizations of three pairs of archetypes of our primary internal states of consciousness. Having been a spiritual psychologist, theologian, and executive coach for over 30 years, I thought I was dreaming when I first realized that Shakespeare, to drive the plots of his plays, was using the exact same model of consciousness I have found invaluable to navigate my clients through the labyrinth of the ego into a more soul aware state.

The most confusing element of the subtext – and thus most intriguing – is the plethora of different symbols that refer to what Shakespeare ultimately calls ‘The Tempest’. The Tempest shows up like Alfred Hitchcock, in some guise, in all the plays. Often it’s so subtle it’s almost invisible (as in Measure for Measure).

At the anagogical level, the symbolic story Shakespeare always tells us is ‘How Adam and Eve lost the ‘Holy Grail’ and how Jesus Christ got it back’! ‘The Tempest’ turns out to be Shakespeare’s term for what has become mythologized as none other than ‘The Holy Grail’.

Hamlet is one of the most masterful disguises-and-thus-revelations of this never-before-realized analogy. As I said, if you suspend all disbelief and open your mind you may see this for yourself as I simply point out what the symbols say to me.

As you can see from the pictures, all these biblical and Shakespearean symbols seem to represent the one same thing, for convenience let’s just call it: ‘The Holy Grail’.

 

Ophelia’s role in Hamlet seems in part to represent the journey of Hamlet’s soul – independent of Hamlet as a mortal being.  The key symbol used for Ophelia’s mystical travels is a variation of the term ‘the waters’.

The waters are first seen in Genesis 1: 2 (And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.) In multiple forms of water (seas, rivers, brooks, streams, rain, etc) the waters is a ubiquitous symbolic reference throughout the Bible and Shakespeare. (For a fuller explanation please read my book, Shakespeare’s Revelation.)

Using a ‘brook’ to represent ‘the waters’ goes back to the biblical story of David and Goliath. Symbolizing the power of ‘the Name of God’ to vanquish ‘evil’, it’s interesting that the boy-king David, holding a staff (another symbol for the name of God), took five smooth stones (again, more symbolic names of God) from a brook before defeating Goliath.

No coincidence that Ophelia appeared to drown falling from a willow growing ‘aslant a brook’. (Bear with me!)

Combining these symbols with the images conjured by the poetry is all-important here. We have the image of a wronged-innocent being borne aloft and transported by a stream of water, adorned by (in particular) ‘coronet weeds’…and ‘long purples’.  While she is ‘chanting old lauds’ (praises).

 This, to me, evokes the images of the crown of thorns and the purple robe worn by Jesus at his trial and execution. Before you call the men in white coats, if you look, you’ll see elements of this motif also evident in many of the other plays, too. (Macbeth, for example, laments that: ‘upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and a barren scepter in my gripe’.)

In some of the ancient spiritual mystery schools, initiates chant ‘sacred tones’ to attune them to what’s sometimes called the Sound Current, the lifestream, that, it is said, draws the soul home to the Godhead – in the same way, it is the haunting music that draws Ferdinand to Miranda in The Tempest.

 After all, in Twelfth Night (Epiphany), music is ‘the food of love’ and the principal character, Viola, is named after a musical instrument, and disguised as a boy called Cesario (King).

Before she meets her watery death Ophelia is heard raving ‘madly’ chanting:

How should I, your true love know

From another one?

By his cockle hat and staff

And his sandal shoon.

A cockle hat is worn by a pilgrim (one on the journey to God) and sandals are often associated with Jesus

 

Then up he rose, and donned his clothes,

Again, alluding to the resurrection of Jesus.

And here’s the wonder of Shakespeare’s layer upon layer of symbolism: while Ophelia is ‘drowning’ in the glassy stream Hamlet is simultaneously traveling upon the waters to England.

It is on this watery voyage that Hamlet foils the plan of Claudius (Satan archetype?) to have the two ‘Jews’, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern murder him. And what is a ‘rosen Crantz’?

A crown of roses/crown of thorns! 

And there’s yet another layer of symbolism inherent here – if you can bear it:

One of the most persistent mythological motifs in the deepest drama is ‘symbolic resurrection’.  Shakespeare uses is his through, say, Desdemona, Juliet, and Cordelia who momentarily revive (or seem to) before their final death. Banquo ‘resurrects’ as a ghost. And here it is again with Hamlet. In surviving his attempted murder, he effectively ‘resurrects’ and when we see his new, upbeat mood in the final act this is corroborated.

 

Staying with this theme, things get even more delicious. When Hamlet arrives home in Denmark, just before he gets to Elsinore, he comes upon a cemetery outside the city walls. A grave is being prepared for none other than his beloved Ophelia. She is being buried outside the city walls because it is presumed she committed suicide. Why? (Gertrude’s description of her reported death says she fell from an overhanging bough.)

 

Why indeed? Surely, this is Shakespeare’s device for introducing his clincher symbol. Ophelia has to be buried outside the city walls. What does Hamlet find in the grave being dug for her?                                                         

             

                                                                                                       A  skull

The most iconic scene in all of Shakespeare is no less than an allusion to where Jesus was crucified and buried, outside the city walls at Golgotha, ‘The Place of a Skull’!

And when they came unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull…they crucified him.. Matthew 27:33

 

 

For a free eBook Contact: [email protected]

http://www.shakespearesrevelation.com

Paperback from Amazon: http://a.co/d/jgXcBWT

 

 

 

Authors Reading Book Review Einstein’s Compass

EINSTEIN’ S COMPASS by Grace Blair and Laren Bright is an exciting YA novel that weaves the life and discoveries of Albert Einstein with the eternal battle of good and evil.  Blair and Bright introduce an evil entity into their novel that is destined to become Einstein’s nemesis.  This dark power is named Raka and among his evil doings is the destruction of Atlantis.  He is very powerful and can take on the form of other beings, but his natural form is that of a fire-breathing dragon. He is replete with many powers and some ghastly antisocial behavior such as eating humans raw.  The cryptic statement “Give me what I want, and I’ll go away,” uttered by Stephen King’s evil entity Andre Linoge is equally apropos for this evil being because he wants something that Einstein has and Raka swears he isn’t going to rest until he gets it.

The novel starts with the story behind the evil force that becomes Einstein’s adversary. The source of the precious Shamir stone is revealed as an artifact created by God. When it is used by the righteous and the virtuous, its supernatural power can be harnessed for the good of mankind. The power of this stone is so potent that even Jesus, Moses and the angels are forced to have ad hoc meetings to prevent this stone from landing into the wrong hands of those who plan to wreak havoc on earth and all the other realms. Apparently, a dormant fragment of the Shamirstone was hidden in the compass device that Albert Einstein received as a child, and this fragment would only come alive if it came in contact with a being who was destined to have it and Einstein was a chosen one.

At age five the famous 20th-century scientist Albert Einstein fell ill.  Albert’s father presents his convalescing son with a compass to cheer him up. This simple device captivates the young scientist’s imagination because no matter where he went, the needle on the compass would only point in one direction. This experience apparently left a lasting impression on Einstein’s psyche and made him believe that something deeper is hidden behind the ordinary things around him. This incident from Einstein’s childhood has now become an anecdote used by teachers and parents to inspire young minds to explore the full potential of their mental faculties.

Grace Blair and Laren Bright, mashup tale of Einstein’s possession of the compass add intrigue, thrill, suspense, and biblical meanings to the anecdotal story.  The historical and religious references throughout the book are eye-opening and will probably send you on your own quest on Google to see what is real and what is fictional.

The authors of this book create a biblical twist behind Einstein’s genius and his landmark contributions to mankind. They also enhance his genius with the magical power of the stone which was first revealed to Einstein at age 12, when a three-dimensional number “33” floated above the compass. The number “33” is Einstein’s birth number, and the story suggests that double numeral birth numbers signify a “master path” and those with such a birth path “lift the loving energy of mankind”. Einstein mastered science and math way ahead of his peers and could envision potential scientific theories that were unthinkable to his peers. As per the book, the Shamir stone provided him with a steady guiding light and helped him reach these eureka moments.

The evil forces, Raka and his allies, however, are on a murderous path to kill the scientist and acquire the stone to attain ultimate power across all the realms. Luckily for young Einstein, the compass also serves as a warning device when certain evil is present. To this biographical narrative of Einstein’s life, the authors added an action-packed, thrilling battle of good versus evil and how a divine intervention, eventually led to Einstein understanding of “How time works.”   The ending provides a huge surprise that neatly brings to a close the plot’s twists and turns.   EINSTEIN’ S COMPASS is suspenseful, thought-provoking, and above all extremely entertaining.

https://www.authorsreading.com/book-reviews/grace-blair/einsteins-compass/
Reviewed by: sakshi

Einstein’s Compass Book Review Betty Jo Tucker Poem

EINSTEIN’S COMPASS: A YA Time Traveler Adventure by Grace Blair and Laren Bright

                                                                     Review Poem by Betty Jo Tucker

Thrilling to read this story told

with such suspense. It’s very bold.

Albert Einstein and time travel

put us under a wondrous spell.

Albert ponders light, time and space.

Was he born in another place?

A compass gift becomes the key

to unlocking this mystery.

The authors earn our cheers and praise

    for mystical themes that they raise

    and for their most exciting book.

                                                                          You really should give it a look.

                                                                           I hope it will be a movie.

                                                                                 It’s one that I would like to see.

                                                                          Great scenes jump off of every page.

                                                                        This film could be box-office rage!

                                                                 

Amazon Kindle http://a.co/d/3rsam2v
Betty Jo serves as editor/lead critic for ReelTalk Movie Reviews and writes film commentary for the Colorado Senior Beacon. She also hosts “Movie Addict Headquarters” on BlogTalkRadio, and is the award-winning author of the following books: 
CONFESSIONS OF A MOVIE ADDICT
CINEMA STANZAS: RHYMING ABOUT MOVIES
SUSAN SARANDON: A TRUE MAVERICK 
http://www.bettyjotucker.com/Bio.html

How to Purchase a Kindle Book as a Gift

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Note: Free books, books on pre-order, and subscriptions cannot be gifted at this time.
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  • Enter the personal email address of your gift recipient.
Tip: If you are unsure of the email address for your recipient, you can select Email the gift to yourself before placing your order. This allows you to forward the gift email or print and personally deliver it to your recipient. The gift recipient can enter the Gift Claim Code from the email, after logging in to their Amazon account.
  • Enter a delivery date and an optional gift message.
  • Click Place your order to finish your gift purchase using your Amazon 1-Click payment method.
You can redeliver a Kindle book gift you’ve purchased by going to  Your Digital Orders in Your Account. From the Order Summary page, click the Resend E-mail button. Title availability may vary by country and copyright restrictions. If this title isn’t available for your gift recipient, they can contact us and we will exchange your gift for an equivalent value Amazon.com Gift Card. For more information, see Exchange a Kindle Book Gift for an Amazon.com Gift Card.

Americans are more anxious than before

File 20180509 34018 5fzs8z.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1
39 percent of Americans report feeling more anxious than this time last year.
by Pathdoc/Shutterstock.com

Jacek Debiec, University of Michigan

Americans are becoming more anxious about their safety, health, finances, politics and relationships, a new online poll from the American Psychiatric Association finds. Compared to the results of a similar poll a year earlier, 39 percent of adults in the U.S. are more anxious today than they were a year ago.

As a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, I believe studies and polls like these help to identify individual and group vulnerabilities. They may provide clues for providing better clinical practice, implementing more effective public policies, and designing research projects that yield a better understanding of the causes of anxiety and better treatments.

Although anxiety is rising across all age groups and demographic categories, there are notable distinctions between certain groups.

For example, millennials are more anxious (especially about finances) than Gen-Xers or baby boomers – though boomers’ overall anxiety increased more than the other age groups. Women reported a greater increase in overall anxiety in all dimensions than men, and non-Caucasians’ overall anxiety rose faster in the preceding year than did Caucasians. Sometimes, anxiety occurs without clearly defined worries or awareness, suggesting the poll may have only captured part of a rise in adult Americans’ anxiety levels – and those adults’ anxiety may be affecting children and teenagers too.

While this poll was not designed to detect or diagnose anxiety disorders or pathological anxiety, it does indicate that people are perceiving greater potential danger to many elements of their well-being.

Anxiety is a lower-grade version of a fear response. Severe instances of fear – such as actual direct threats of pain, injury or death – can cause very real physical reactions, including a release of stress hormones into the bloodstream and changes in heart rate and blood pressure, as the body prepares to react rapidly.

Anxiety-triggered physiological responses are slower to develop, but can last longer. Rather than being caused by an immediate threat, it can happen as people adapt to changing situations, such as visiting new countries, starting a different job or experiencing major life transitions such as marriage, parenthood and aging. Often, anxiety dissipates as a person becomes more familiar with the new situation. Short-term and mild-to-moderate anxiety states are adaptive as they increase our alertness and prepare us for new challenges.

Although our genetic makeup controls much of our fear and anxiety responses, recent studies also implicate our social environment. Children are especially sensitive to their caretakers’ emotional states, which means that if more adults are more anxious, the same is true for kids.

But if it lasts, anxiety, like fear, can bring long-lasting physiological changes such as prolonged muscle tension, chronic high blood pressure and sleep disorders. Some groups may be particularly vulnerable to long-term anxiety, such as people with physical or cognitive limitations that make it hard to adapt to new situations.

For others, worrying can become so overwhelming that a person does not focus on other important areas of life issues such as work, school or relationships. An especially anxious person may become excessively sensitive to minor concerns, which may be manifested by overreacting or avoiding people or situations that are not dangerous.

The ConversationAlthough regular exercise, relaxation, healthy eating and time with friends and family are all known to reduce anxiety, these fixes may not be sufficient. To quote Martin Luther King Jr., given the social nature of anxiety, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” This suggests that addressing actual threats and communicating carefully about perceived ones can have a beneficial impact on anxious Americans.

Jacek Debiec, Assistant Professor / Department of Psychiatry; Assistant Research Professor / Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

What is the biggest misconception about being a successful author?

The biggest misconception about being a successful published author is that when you finish your precious manuscript an agent will magically appear, sign you to a large publishing house and the money will roll in. All you have to do is write something.

The truth is writing is hard work. I spent more than forty years in various business industries in marketing and business development creating public images. I won the Dallas Business Journal Award in 2000 Retail for a shopping center in Dallas, Texas The Centre at Preston Ridge.

Writing a book can’t be that hard or so I thought.

I began my author journey after 9/11. I had just won the Dallas Business Journal Award when I was laid off. It took me two years to write eighty-eight pages, “A Dream is a Wish the Heart Makes”. I wrote and tore up many times before I felt ready to publish.

Excited with my new baby no agent came forward, no big publishing house came knocking on my door. I was told you have to have an established audience of thousands before an agent or publishing house will even talk to you.

Instead, I self-published. In 2004, the concept of being an indie author was unthinkable. When an agent heard you were an indie author they said you were a heretic and should be banned from the publishing world. Self-publishing was a new concept on Amazon. The self-publishing company I spent my hard earned dollars with did not follow through on their promises. Over the time of my contract, I lost a great deal of money and would years later assist a list of indie authors like me to sue them. Under several different publishing names, the company still exists making promises they cannot deliver.

The writing was still calling me to express myself. I wrote a series of self-help books that are based on forty years of my life where I explained how to use spiritual practices to change a life from fear to fun. In 2014, I rewrote my Dream book now called, “Do You Have a Dream 5 Keys to Realize Your Dream” which is available as an audiobook in my voice, an eBook and a workbook all available in bookstores and online. I won the 2016 bronze Spiritual and Inspirational Global Ebook Award, 2017 Texas Non-Fiction in Spiritual and Inspirational Award, 2017 Best Books Finalist Award. Still, no publishing house or agent has come calling.

While writing my non-fiction books I began the journey of writing fiction. If I thought writing a self-help book was hard, making up stories to entertain was three times as hard. Storytelling has a lot of rules that I am continually learning.

In 2014 after a trip to Jerusalem, Israel I chose to write an alternate history of Albert Einstein, “Einstein’s Compass a YA Time Traveler Novel”. Again, using my many years of exploring mystical teachings I wondered what if Einstein met spiritual beings who assisted him with his miracle theory? After four years of research and empty white pages on my computer, my novel has a completed first draft. God willing the book will be out by the end of 2018.

Now that my novel is in the hands of an editor, I spend my days on social media marketing my books. It is a full-time job. I spend as much time on my books as I would have to work for a company. Now the company is me, Modern Mystic Media.

There are millions of books on Amazon. Finding the right audience in the sea of good books and famous authors so people will find me and my baby is a hard work. Yet I am determined to have my work read. I love writing and connecting people with ideas that entertain, that make them think and maybe learn something.

When I write a press release of my new books or awards and send it to local and national media, most ignore me because I am self-published. You have to be with a well-known publisher for newspapers and media to pay attention.

The hallowed halls into a publishing contract are so slim there are many so-called experts that want to sell you software, textbooks, THE shortcut to publishing success. I have taken many seminars over the years in writing and publishing to where I think I can spot a scheme. Still, I have to monitor the impulse to buy that one thing that promises to sell more books.

In the future, you will see a lot of me everywhere. And, no agent or publishing company is helping with a big check or has opened doors. I show up every day and do what it takes to make my work visible.

Check out my books go to www.ModernMysticMedia.com. And, you can find me on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo in bookstores and online.

Sign-up to read a pre-launch copy of “Einstein’s Compass a YA Time Traveler Novel”, go to www.GraceBlairAuthor.com if you signup and read it, please review the book. The only way indie authors like me sell books is if readers will write reviews then Amazon and its algorithms will push my ratings to rise to the top of the charts. Finding one reader and one fan at a time may someday accumulate into thousands.

If you want to write books do it because you love it. However, you may spend more money than you make. Know its hard work and no one is going to chase you down to make you famous. You will be alone in your journey. You have to put the seat of the pants and the seat of the chair, staring at a blank page and find the story inside your creativity that will make the reader turn the page to find out what happens next. Then be responsible for publishing and marketing.

“The #writer must let his fingers run out the story of his #characters, who, being only human and full of strange dreams and obsessions, are only too glad to run.”

Ray Bradbury, The Zen of #Writing