‘Two tours of France’

     
I don’t feel France is the place for me, but here are two opportunities for you to visit the Hexagon in June. Both Esoteric Quest and old friend Tim Wallace-Murphy will lead groups through the Languedoc region. From the publicity:

An Esoteric Quest for the South of France:

Troubadours, Cathars, Templars,

and the Grail in Medieval Languedoc

June 4-9, 2015

Join us for the eleventh in the Open Center’s series of international conferences on the Western Tradition as we journey to Carcassonne, Languedoc, in an exquisitely beautiful region of the South of France.

Long known as a focal point for numerous spiritual streams, this area was at the heart of the high medieval culture of both the Troubadours and the Gnostic Christian Cathars. “The Bons Hommes,” as the Cathars called themselves, created one of the most remarkable and enigmatic spiritual movements of the Middle Ages, the destruction of which was one of the great tragedies of European religious life. The Troubadours were the first to bring romantic love to the Western world in poetry and song of great elegance and charm that expressed a new merging of the erotic and the mystical.

Languedoc, with the neighboring domains of Catalonia and Provence, is filled with culture and spiritual history. It is a region that carries significance for the medieval Grail stories and is imbued with the mythology of Mary Magdalene. This Quest will explore the aura of mystery that still clings to the castles and villages of the region, and will drink deeply of its wisdom and legacy.

We invite you to join us and meet others who share an attunement to this brief, beautiful but unforgettable time when love, esoteric spirituality, and appreciation of the divine feminine and its immense gifts reigned supreme.

The Esoteric Quest starts with an optional pre-conference day visiting Montségur, the last stronghold of the Cathars, and Puivert, an important center of Troubadour culture in the 12th century.

We also will offer two post-conference journeys: one heading south into the wild beauty and hilltop villages of Catalonia, Spain; the other traveling east into the azure skies and brilliant sunlight of Provence.

Co-sponsors: The Lumen Foundation and the Divination Foundation.

Lure of the Languedoc:

Group tour with authors

Tim Wallace-Murphy and Jeanne D’Août

Land of Mystery, Myth, and Magic

June 7-14, 2015

The mystery, magic and intrigue of the Languedoc range far beyond the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau, which is a minor affair, or the more important story of Mary Magdalene. This land has been at the cultural, commercial and spiritual crossroads of the known world for more than 20,000 years and is redolent with spiritual energy.

The Phoenicians, the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Visigoths, the Jews, the Moors, the Knights Templar, the Knights Hospitaller, the Troubadours, and the Cathars all have played their part in molding the spiritual heritage that is so apparent here. On this tour we will explore Neolithic sites that resonate with tangible, telluric energy; see cave paintings which are among the earliest archaeological spiritual artifacts known to man; visit castles, churches, and towns associated with the Knights Templar; explore the rich local heritage (which, according to many historians, was so creative that it would have sparked the Renaissance in the 1300s had it not been for the Crusade against the Cathars); visit castles that are imbued with the history of the Troubadours; and, most important of all, just be in this wondrous landscape and absorb its peace and its sacred, transformative atmosphere.

The tour will be led by two authors who live here and know this landscape well. Tim Wallace-Murphy and Jeanne D’Août will share their insights to enhance your understanding and appreciation of this beautiful country where historic sites and sacred geometry are an integral part of a much larger holistic spiritual entity—the land itself.

Click here to see the detailed itinerary.