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The Dogon's Seventh Ancestor
and Mary Magdalene
by Shannon Dorey

Mary Magdalene on the Front Altar at Rennes le Château
©Robert Hill 2011

My research reveals that when the patriarchal fathers reversed the symbols of the pagan religion, the Mistress of Speech, who was the saviour in the Dogon religion, was turned into the prostitute Mary Magdalene. Like the Mistress of Speech, who was also known as the Seventh Ancestor, Mary Magdalene was identified with the number seven. In The Gospel According to Mark, Jesus expelled seven demons from her.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 3.

The Mistress of Speech was symbolized by the colour red whereas the male Jackal, the evil in the Dogon religion, was symbolized by the colour white. Mary Magdalene is often shown dressed in red in early works.

The skull appears in association with Mary Magdalene. This is especially prevalent in church's that appear in the south of France in what is known as Cathar country.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 3. In the Church at Rennes le Château, in the heart of Cathar country, Mary Magdalene appears on the front altar dressed in red with a skull beside her (shown above). She is also depicted wearing a red dress with a skull by her feet on one of the Church statues.(shown below)


Mary Magdalene with Skull at
Rennes le Château ©Robert Hill 2011

The skull is an important symbol that is associated with the Mistress of Speech in the Dogon religion. According to Dogon mythology, the Seventh Ancestor, who was the Master (Mistress) of Speech, was sacrificed and her head was buried in the smithy. When the Smith worked in the smithy, his seat was placed over the buried head of the Master (Mistress) of Speech and he was perceived as sitting on her/his head while he worked.Shannon Dorey, The Master (Mistress) of Speech p. 110 Her head or skull symbolized the genetic inheritance of humanity. Her head symbolized a granary and the seed. Ogotemmêli continues in an effort to explain to Griaule the significance of the Master (Mistress) of Speech: ‘The seventh Nummo,’ went on Ogotemmêli as though talking to himself, ‘sacrificed himself [herself].’ He [She] alone could do it, he [she] the Master (Mistress) of Speech, which is to say the master of the world. Without him [her] no reorganization was possible. He [She] might say— he [she] did not say it, but he [she] might have said— ‘What I did, the work that I accomplished and the Word that I spoke, is: ku ma inné déga da bébadou,” which means, ‘My head has fallen for man’s [humanity’s] salvation.’

The Cathars were so-called heretics who were almost exterminated during the Albigensian Crusade of 1209, when the Church of Rome called for crusaders to attack Languedoc in the south of France. This was one of the most highly educated and developed areas of Europe at the time. As Ward writes, “The extermination was so extensive it constituted one of the first genocides in modern European history. In one town, for example, fifteen thousand men, women, and children were slaughtered wholesale—many of them in the sanctuary of the church. When an officer inquired of the Pope’s representative how he might distinguish heretics from true believers, the reply was, ‘Kill them all. God will recognize his own.’”

The skull also appears in Masonic lore where it is a symbol of death and resurrection. My research shows that the Masonic Society was formed as a way for individuals of the pagan religion to practice their religion under the nose of the Inquisition. The first part of Magdalene, is Mag which in Indo-European roots means to make, knead, fashion fit. It is from Old English macian, to make, and from Old French mason, mason. This is significant considering the many Masonic associations found in the Dogon religion.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 219

The changes that occurred in the brain of the Mistress of Speech after her resurrection were symbolized by a skull. The four main moons of Jupiter were called star of the skull. A depiction of the skull of the resurrected Mistress of Speech was called Dana, and was drawn on the Dogon altar at the time of its foundation.

Jupiter and the Mistress of Speech were associated with the hunt, which in the Dogon religion had to do with regeneration and the Jackal’s circumcision. The blood from the Jackal’s circumcision created the four moons of Jupiter, which symbolized the Nummo removing some of their DNA from humanity and the eventual creation of the Mistress of Speech. Jupiter and its four moons were female symbols. The number 4 was the female number and the four moons of Jupiter were identified as the children of Dana, the name of the Mistress of Speech’s skull.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 233 and Day of the Fish p. 325

As with other pagan figures in later male-dominated societies, female and male symbols became reversed, and this is likely what happened with the planets Jupiter and Venus. In the medieval Christian religion, the planet Jupiter was identified with Christ. In Germanic mythology, Jupiter was associated with the hammer carrying god, Thor, relating him to the Jackal in the guise of the Smith in the Dogon religion. The First Man created by the fire stealer Prometheus in Greek Mythology was also identified with the planet Jupiter, which associates him with the Jackal, who was the first man in the Dogon religion. The Jackal stole the Nummos’ fire, which symbolized DNA in the Dogon religion, in the same way that Prometheus stole fire from the gods. The Roman god Jupiter was conflated with the Greek Zeus, whose castration was described in my second book, The Nummo, which I believe is based on the story of the Jackal’s circumcision. Uranus’ castration is likewise associated with the Jackal’s circumcision and like all these other myths, symbolizes humans being turned into singles sexed mortal beings. “According to Hesiod’s Theogony [8th-7th century BCE], she [Aphrodite] was born when Cronus cut off Uranus’ genitals and threw them into the sea, and from the sea foam (aphros) arose Aphrodite.”

In the Dogon religion, the planet Venus was a symbol of the Jackal. This is also found in Biblical mythology where Lucifer, who was called the fallen angel, was not only identified with Satan, who was expelled from heaven as found in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:13-17, but with the planet Venus when it appeared as the morning star. In Roman mythology, Venus was the female goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Hermes and Aphrodite were considered twins and had the same birthday, which was the fourth day of the lunar month. Hermes, the Greek god of thieves, who has been discussed throughout my books, was a Jackal figure.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 233 and Day of the Fish pp. 152-155

When the Dogon family house known as the ginna was created, it showed the presence of the Word or DNA, in its different aspects within the body of the resurrected Mistress of Speech. Figures related to the joints of the Mistress of Speech's body were drawn at the corners of the house, and a seventh figure, which represented the crown of the Mistress of Speech's head and the fontanel, dana banna, or "mark of the skull," was drawn at the back of the kitchen, which was the tallest point of the house probably because it had a chimney for cooking.Shannon Dorey, Day of the Fish p. 291-295

In a depiction of the family house of the Dyon, the Mistress of Speech's head was situated to the north in the kitchen obolo, which meant "the gift." The house as a whole represented the resurrected Mistress of Speech alive lying flat on her stomach on the ground. The main room dembere, meant literally deu na bere, "belly of the grandmother." The two side rooms (kana) were her left and right arms and the corresponding clavicles. The hall dolu which meant "passage," represented her legs and perhaps also her vagina since the eighth articulation which occurred outside the house was like a birth. This eighth articulation represented Lébé, who was born from the Mistress of Speech’s DNA. Lébé was born in the third and final experiment and was considered the mother of humanity. According to the Dogon, “The Seven Words of the ginna’s foundation were like seven articulations inside the belly and resembled that which kept the Word in motion. The Eighth Word was like the birth.Shannon Dorey, Day of the Fish p. 179


Clay model from Porodin ©Robert Hill 2011

Marija Gimbutas refers to a miniature clay model from Porodin, western Macedonia near Bitolj dated to 6000 BCE, which depicts the body of the goddess as part of the structure. The chimney of the structure shows the goddess with a long neck surrounded by a necklace, like similar sculptures of the Mistress of Speech. Similar models also appear in Yugoslavia dated 5500 BCE. According to Gimbutas, archaeologists considered these clay models to be "replicas of dwellings," whereas Gimbutas believed them to be replicas of temples or shrines. According to the Dogon, the life of the Words or DNA was placed in the Mistress of Speech's crown and dana banna, or "mark of the skull," which may be why her head is shown so prominently on some of these miniature clay models. In the Dogon religion, the dana banna, or "mark of the skull" was compared to a "natural mark" of the body which evolves like the changing colour of ripening fruit. It suggests that the evolutionary changes that were to occur in humans were to take place in the skull.Shannon Dorey, Day of the Fish p. 293-295

Gimbutas referred to another model from Transylvania, from the Early Vinca culture in imitation of bird's plumage with a round hole for an opening and dating to 5200-5000 BCE. One from Vadastra, southwestern Romania, also from the Vinca culture, 5200-5000 BCE, was inlaid with a white paste and ornamented with meanders that Gimbutas believed connected it with the "Goddess's sphere as the watery realm." "The roof of this model supported a sculpture of the Goddess's head, complete with collars around her neck, while the back included a round hole likely a doorway designed for the Goddess's epiphany in bird form." This bird figure may be associated with the African blue and white donu bird which symbolized the Mistress of Speech. The donu bird was born from the Mistress of Speech's blood as it was drying up after the sacrifice.

The structure of the Dogon family house, is a design which is also found in Celtic Book of Kells. On Folio 291 Verso, which is supposed to be a Portrait of St. John, feet protrude from the bottom of the structure, shoulders appear at the top, along with a partial head, and hands appear on either side. I found this drawing particularly interesting because in Christianity, the Gospel of John opens with "the Word," which is such an important symbol in the Dogon religion.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”(John 1:1-14)

If we relate this passage to the Dogon religion, the “word” is a metaphor for DNA. In this passage, the Word (or the DNA) became flesh. The Word was with God and the Word was God. In the Dogon religion, it was the Nummos’ DNA, or “word,” that was combined with the animals to create humans. It was the DNA of the Mistress of Speech that was supposed to provide hope for humanity and correct the mistakes made from the first failed experiment.Shannon Dorey, The Master of Speech p.30 The Mistress of Speech had the perfect Word or DNA.Shannon Dorey, Day of the Fish p. 291-295

In the Dogon culture, the fifth day was the day of the Mistress of Speech's resurrection and was called dambay, or "forbidden day." No one was allowed to cultivate the ritual field on that day. The fifth day of the Dogon week, dugu or ibe dugu, was called "market week" and was determined by the interval between the sacrifice and the resurrection. According to the Dogon, days were not previously recorded. One counted the time from the day of the sacrifice to the day of the resurrection, which was one week. At the time of Griaule and Dieterlen's research, the Dogon week was still only five days long. I believe that many Catholic rituals find their source in the Dogon religion. Some Catholics still eat fish on Fridays as an alternative to meat. According to Deacon Greg Sampson, the penitential practice of giving up meat on Fridays began in the first century. Sampson reported that the ancient penitential practices centered on Friday because that was the day of Christ's crucifixion.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 152-153

The Mistress of Speech was an hermaphrodite, who was part human and part Nummo, and because of this she was identified as a twin. I mentioned earlier that Hermes and Aphrodite were twins in Greek mythology. According to Greek myth, it was their child that was known as Hermaphroditus. According to Ovid, Hermaphroditus was born a remarkably handsome boy and was transformed into an androgynous being by a union with the water nymph Salmacis. Hermaphroditus' name is the basis for the word hermaphrodite.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermaphroditus In early church history, Christ was secretly said to have been a twin. Lincoln points out that behind the altar of Mary Magdalene in the church at Rennes le Château, there are statues of two baby Jesuses. The one on the right is held by Mary, the one on the left by Joseph. (See first image above) According to Lincoln, the twin of Jesus was Thomas.Henry Lincoln's Guide to. DVD. 2000. Illuminated Word. 2005. The Disinformation Company Ltd.

From head to waist the Mistress of Speech was human, and below the waist she was serpent and fish-like. I included this painting by Georges de La Tour (1593-1652) of The Penitent Magdalene in my third book, Day of the Fish. In this painting Mary Magdalene has a red skirt and a skull on her lap. Her red skirt is painted in such a way that it depicts her with a fish tail.


Mary Magdalene, Georges de La Tour 1625-1650

Georges de La Tour spent most of his working life in the Duchy of Lorraine, which was absorbed into France during his lifetime between 1641 and 1648. Mary Magdalene looks into a mirror in this painting, and mermaids holding mirrors was an important image found in both Celtic and Albigensian symbolism. According to Bayley, the image of the mermaid holding the mirror represents the Mirror of Perfection, which is a familiar attribute of truth.

Mermaids holding mirrors also appear in the misericords found carved on the underside of the hinged seats of choir-stalls in medieval churches and cathedrals. Misericords in Exeter Cathedral, believed to be carved between 1230 and 1270, include images of mermaids and dual fish. "The tales of Reynard the Fox were a popular source for misericord carvings. The adventures and downfall of the trickster fox are shown in narrative scenes on several misericords; Bristol Cathedral has a series of them, and they also appear individually elsewhere." Reynard the Fox is associated with the Dogon Jackal and his downfall. In the Dogon religion the Jackal was also known as the Pale Fox.Shannon Dorey, Day of the Fish p. 246 More about the Misericords can be found in The Nummo.


Mermaid with Mirror Misericord
Carlisle Cathedral©Robert Hill 2005

Because they were self-fertilizing and could perform genetic engineering, the fish-tailed Nummo were associated with Virgin goddesses, and Mary Magdalene was identified with the Virgin in early Christianity. The town of her birth was called Magdala Nunayya, "Magdala of the Fishes," and identified with the Greek name Tariche‘.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 121-126

The sister-bride, the name associated with Mary Magdalene, was identified with the colours red and white. The Mistress of Speech was symbolized by a red giant star that the Dogon associated with our second sun. The Jackal was symbolized by the colour white and the white Dwarf Star Sirius B. In the first experiment, the Mistress of Speech was the Jackal's sister but in the second experiment she was his wife. To medieval alchemists, red and white were considered a union of opposites.

Margaret Starbird points out that the Christian theologian Origen (CE 185-254) equated Mary Magdalene with the bride in the Song of Songs and that these associations were widely accepted and cherished in the Middle Ages. On Mary's feast day, July 22, the Catholic Church traditionally read from the Canticles (Song of Songs 3:2-4), the story of the Bride searching for the Bridegroom/Beloved, from whom she has become separated. I believe these myths have to do with our lost immortality and androgyny. The Mistress of Speech gave birth to Lébé, who was immortal and born as an hermaphrodite. Five generations after Lébé's birth humans lost their androgyny and immortality. It was hoped that over time humans would evolve back into androgynous and immortal beings.Shannon Dorey, The Nummo p. 220 The Rosicrucian manifestos promised a transformation of the world and of human knowledge in relation to esoteric, heremetic principles. One of the tracts was the Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz written in 1616 by German theologian Johann Valentin Andrea, an alleged Grand Master of the secret organization known as the Prieur‚ de Sion.Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln pp.144-145. I believe that the Chemical Wedding symbolizes a return to immortality and androgyny. It may even suggest genetic engineering as a means to accomplish it.

The Mistress of Speech is also likely the inspiration for the document titled Le Serpent Rouge that was found in October, 1997, at Rennes le Château. Researchers Marcus Williamson and Corella Hughes first became aware of the existence of Le Serpent Rouge in an appendix to Genesis by David Wood.Le Serpent Rouge http://www.connectotel.com/rennes/serpnote/serpf.htm Marcus Williamson and Corella Hughes

If you would like to contact the Shannon Dorey, email sd@themasterofspeech.com.

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