The Legend of the Cathars HIGH ON A SACRED MOUNTAIN in Southern France, the whitened ruins of Montségur are a reminder of the last actively visible gnostic school in the West, the Cathari, which means pure in Greek. Branded heretics by the Church, their writings were destroyed along with their earthly bodies. Yet, in their time their influence was enormous, networking with centers in Italy, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Switzerland and German. There is evidence as well of a deep connection with Moslem Sufi communities in Spain and the Middle East and with Jewish Kabbalist scholars living in surrounding cities. The Grail legends, the Courts of Love, the troubadours, all blossomed under the benign guidance of the gnostic Cathari. The spirit of the land, then known as Oc, was that of tolerance and personal liberty. Man, according to the Cathar creed, has three natures: the body, which is the abode of the soul; the soul, which is the abode of the spirit; and the spirit, the divine spark. Through a life dedicated to ever increasing purity, the composite nature of man can undergo a double death and transfiguration, so that the formed spirit, born of the spark and nourished in the soul, will eventually separate, returning to the Light. They understood that they were in cycles of reincarnation to be reborn on Earth. The outer appearance and practices of the Parfaits were simple: They worshipped in forests and on mountain tops, utilizing the strong tellurgic currents of the region. Their initiations were held in a series of limestone caves, chiefly near the Pic de St. Barthalemy. Renouncing worldly riches, they wore plain dark blue gowns, ate vegetarian foods, and kept strict vows of chastity in keeping with their belief that it was sacrilegious to procreate. They held to the tenet that Christ was cosmic, (and so could not be crucified), that suicide was sacred, and that the role of woman was equal to that of man with the only stipulation being that a woman could not preach. Marriage, baptism, and communion were not recognized as valid rituals. What set the Cathari apart from other gnostic sects was the ritual of the The Consolamentum. This ceremony consisted of the Parfait laying his hands upon the head of the literally dying or upon the head of the believer who aspired to enter the community of the Parfaits. A transmission of immense vivifying energy was said to take place, inspiring to those who witnessed it. The ritual of the The Consolamentum may have strongly contributed to the rapid spread of Catharism. This energy transmission allowed the spirit to continue its ascent towards the Light in safety, to evolve, or if the recipient was on the threshold of death, to make the leap into the cosmos. To not fear death was a crowning achievement. This courage served the adepts well when they were ruthlessly hunted down. The sacred caves of the Sabarthez cluster around the small resort town of Ussat-Les-Bains and are known as doors to Catharism. To reach Bethlehem, the most important of the Cave Churches of Ornolac, one must climb the steep Path of Initiation. The Cave of Bethlehem may well have been the spritual center of the Cathar world. For it was here that the Pure candidate underwent an initiation ceremony that culminated in The Consolamentum. wendag/forum/showthread.php/257-The-Legend-of-the-Cathars
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 22:15:27 +0000
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