"The Matrix: Reloaded,

Esoterica Wrapped in CG and Choreography Overkill" (Pt. 1) By Dan Tres OMi (of UZN) When the first Matrix movie was premiered on the cable networks, I had the opportunity to watch it for the fifth time while at a race conference at American University in Washington DC in 2000. We were waiting in the student conference center lobby watching the Matrix on a big screen TV. I shared a sofa with a total stranger. Of course after watching a movie several times, one sees things that were never noticed before. Unfortunately for the individual who shared the sofa with me this was not the case. Throughout the climax he kept yelling how Neo and Trinity sported Desert Eagles. He pointed out how lethal that particular handgun was. I found it shocking that this individual, who like myself watched this movie several times, missed much of what the Matrix was about. Later I learned that this is actually the norm. When discussing the symbolisms found in movie cinema, many of my peers comment how "it's just a movie, it's not that serious" or "you trippin'" or "just watch the movie, man." Yet there are symbols used by organizations in our every day lives that most of choose to ignore. Some are good and some are bad. Once we understand what these symbols are and their origins, we can make the connections necessary to navigate through life in a much more ordered fashion. In a fashion which will allow us to stay out of the "matrix." Many will argue that Neo, the protagonist of the trilogy, is supposed to be Jesus the Christ. I will point out that this theory is partially correct. To just make that statement will make the movie lose its overall significance since most people avoid this topic altogether. It brings the idea of some apocalyptic event such as that found in the book of Revelation which most people misinterpret anyway. In this essay I will focus on the Matrix: Reloaded film but will support my findings with scenes and symbols found in other movies. I will start with the characters and then the scenes. Before we go any further, I must stress that the symbols, names, characters, and scenes found in many movies we flock to watch are not put together by accident. These concepts are written for specific reasons. The best way to find out why is to figure out who writes and who they are affiliated with. Yet this topic is another article altogether. Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, is the focus of the Matrix trilogy. In the Reloaded movie we find that Neo, who Morpheus considers as the "one," has no idea what he is supposed to be doing. Let us look at the name used for the protagonist. Neo comes from the obvious Greek neo which has a modern transliteration of "new." Neo is supposed to represent something "new." We learn through how people treat Neo that he is much different then the average human in or outside the Matrix. Many of the inhabitants of Zion treat him as some sort of a messianic figure. Some even ask if he could heal some of their relatives. In the beginning of Reloaded, one of the agents refer to Neo as an "anomaly." This is where we deviate from the concept of Neo being the Messiah. Another example would be how towards the end of the Reloaded movie, Neo fails to save Zion. During his

dialogue with the Architect, we learn that he was not the first one to infiltrate the core of the Matrix. We learn that he is the 6th one to do it. We learn that Neo is not a "messiah" per se, but a new being or a new level of consciousness. When the Nebuchadnezzar arrives at Zion and Neo is approached by "the Kid (Clayton Watson)," Neo tells him "you saved yourself." Here is a good reference to the idea that anyone can reach the so called Christ consciousness. Just as the ancient Egyptians believed that one had the potential to become Heru through the concept of Ma'at, so too can anyone become Christ like. We must also note that at this point of the movie, Neo has no clue as to what he must do even after he meets with the Oracle. Morpheus, played by Laurence Fishburne, seems to be everyones favorite character. Morpheus is the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar, a ship that patrols what is left of the earth and searches for humans who need to be awakened. We learn through the Matrix:Reloaded and the Animatrix series that there are many other ships that do the same. His crew was the one that found Neo and brought him out of slumber. Morpheus was a greek god. Hypnos, the god of sleep and Morpheus' father, was the son of Thanatos or the god of death and Nyx or the goddess of night. Hypnos had numerous sons which were called "dreams." Hypnos, when needed by the gods, would induce sleep while Morpheus had the power to make human forms appear in the dreams. Movie watchers recall Morpheus offering Neo the blue and red pills and asking him to make a choice to leave the Matrix or go back to "sleep" and allow everything to be as it was. In a sense, Fishburne's character relives the role of his namesake by awakening Neo from his sleep by coming to him in his "dreams."Morpheus' ship, the Nebuchadnezzar, is a reference to the Babylonian king in the Old Testament who besieged the kingdom of Judah. Daniel the prophet was taken to his court with all of the Kingdom of Judah's intellectual elite. Nebuchadnezzar had two dreams which no one but Daniel could interpret. The ship traveled through the network to awaken people from the "dream" of the Matrix. So like Morpheus, we encounter the concept of dreams. This is very important since the humans attached to the matrix are actually asleep. The matrix creates this world in their subconscious. So the lives they supposedly lead are actually dreams. The Aborigines of Australia have a belief system that centers on dreams. They believe that we live in a dream and when we actually sleep and have dreams that we are actually living. This point is significant because it explains what the freed humans can do while in the matrix but couldn't do before when there were "asleep." When the humans in the movie are connected to the matrix, they have abilities that seem almost superhuman. They can jump buildings, smash windows with no harm to themselves, and have tremendous speed and stamina. It is similar to the movie "Last Action Hero" with Arnold Schwarzneggar and the book "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll. Yet when they were originally asleep, they could not do this. When the humans from Zion enter the matrix and fight against those who are still caught in the matrix, we the heroes prevail over incredible odds. It is not until the agents arrive, that the heroes have problems. Those who are freed, have a new level of consciousness when re-

entering the matrix. Even without the martial arts and weapons training downloads, the heroes have a sizeable advantage while re-entering the matrix. Having knowledge of their new selves, the heroes are able to perform remarkable feats. Another character that returns from the first movie in the trilogy is Trinity played by Carrie-Anne Moss. The term Trinity refers to the concept used by Christianity in reference to God. Trinity is the father, the son and the holy spirit. The character in the Matrix trilogy is a throwback to when the Catholic Church originally used Mary the mother of Jesus instead of the Holy Spirit. Of course, the original trinity was used in ancient Egypt with Horus, Isis, and Heru. It is also a throwback to the time when man worshipped women as gods. Trinity also can represent the feminine energy to balance the universe. In one scene, Trinity tells Neo "they need you (when referring to the `flock' that awaited Neo at his room in Zion)" and Neo replies, "I need you." Many will take this in a physical sense, but I will elaborate on this topic later on. Another character that needs discussion is that of the Oracle who is played by the late Gloria Foster. Even though in both movies she may have played in a short amount of time, her character is very important. According to the Dictionary of Word Origins by Joseph T. Shipley, oracle comes from the latin oraculum which means a little mouth that produces the still, small voice of destiny. An oracle was a person through which a deity spoke through. It can be a considered a medium in modern terms. In ancient Greece, an oracle was a shrine where people went to gain knowledge and insight. In many eastern religions, people approached oracles for advice. The concept is used again in the Matrix trilogy as Morpheus and the others consult the Oracle for advice. In the first Matrix, the Oracle is smoking a cigarette. Many people wonder about this. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for Elegba, a Yoruba deity that was a messenger for the head of that pantheon, Oludamare. Elegba or Esu (pronounced ey-shoo) has a good and a bad side. He is the trickster but does this to teach lessons. He is also pictured as smoking a cigar. Hence the cigarette smoking that the Oracle did in the first movie. When Europeans first came to Africa, they assumed that Elegba was similar to the devil, however this assumption was wrong. In the Reloaded movie, we learn that the Oracle is not a human but a Matrix program that later became what the characters refer to as an "exile." Basically, there are programs in the matrix that once they become obsolete, are subject to deletion. Some escape and become independent of the matrix and continue to function in the matrix. In one way, the Oracle was created to be evil and later freed itself from the matrix and became good. In Reloaded on the other hand, she advises Neo to question her position in the war. She explains that she has no allegiance and asks Neo how he knows what she says is valid. The Merovingian points this out as well. In Reloaded, we are introduced to the character named Seraph. Seraph is played by Sing Ngai. We learn that his job is to protect the Oracle. He engages Neo in

a short battle which ends in a stalemate. Seraph is short for Seraphim. The Seraphim were a class of angels who stood before God as ministering servants in the heavenly courts. The Egyptians used the term seref for griffins who protected graves. Seraph in Matrix attacks Neo to ensure that he was the "One." When Neo first approaches Seraph, he uses his "inner vision" or third eye to look at how the matrix courses through Seraph. We see that compared to everything around Seraph, the matrix moves extremely fast and it gives off a yellowish color like the tips of a fire. The term seraphim comes from the Hebrew saraph which means to "consume with fire." It also derives from the Babylonian sharrapu which is another name for Nergal, the fire god. Agent Smith returns from the original movie. He is played by Hugo Weaving. In Reloaded, Agent Smith tells Neo that he has been "freed." He explains the Neo that since he is freed, he has lost his "purpose." We must remember that Agent Smith is actually a computer program created to seek out anomalies and humans who re-enter the matrix. Despite the fact that he has lost his purpose, he continues to pursue Neo and his co-horts. What he tells Neo is echoed by the Merovingian. The Merovingian is a broker of information and holds the Keymaker (Randall Duke Kim). Ironically, the Merovingian is played by Frenchman Lambert Wilson. The Merovingian was a dynasty of Frankish monarchs who claimed to be descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. They claim that Jesus escaped crucifixion and that Mary Magdalene fled to Marseilles, France. Her descendants were said to have married a Frank. It is common knowledge that France was named after the Franks. Originally the Catholic Church supported the Merovingian family. In the 7th century, the Catholic Church betrayed them by murdering the last heir, Dagobert, with the help of Pepin the Fat. We will discuss the scene with the Merovingian later. This information is detailed in "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" by Michael Baigent, Richard Leight, and Henry Lincoln. Another name used in the Matrix film is that of the city of Zion. It is the last human refuge on the planet. We learn that the ships that go out to seek humans who are escaping the matrix, return to Zion for fuel and rest. In the Old Testament, in the book of Psalms it reads (48:2) "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." Here we see Zion described as something wonderful. We get the same feeling from the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar as they arrive on Zion. In the book of Psalms, there are many references to Zion being perfect and wonderful. We learn that Zion is the Hebrew word for "fort." Zion is used to describe the city of Enoch and the city of David in Jerusalem. It is in the City of David in Jerusalem where the ark of the Covenant, also called the Most Holy of the Holies, is kept. Christians later refer to Zion as heaven or as a place of salvation. In the first two matrix movies, we find that Zion is a place of refuge or a place of salvation. It is in Zion that our heroes can be human again. In the Reloaded movie, there is a scene that takes place in Zion where despite the fact that 250,000 sentinels are coming to slaughter the humans, there is a great celebration. At the end of the movie, Zion is destroyed as predicted by

the Architect. This demonstrates clearly that the term is not used entirely in a messianic sense. Now that we have an understanding of the names of the characters and places, we can move onto the scenes in the movie. Consider these names as keys created just like that of the Key Maker. These terms are links to the symbolism used in each scene. Once the scenes are interpreted the connections can be made. In the next part, we will discuss the significance of the scenes in Reloaded