Saint Anthony and the Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateȃu: Part 2
Who is Saint Anthony? | St. Anthony (stanthonylc.org)
Continuing now with Tracy Twyman’s comments:
“The message of the second parchment also took on an enhanced meaning now that I knew what I did.
The words "Shepherdess - No Temptation; that Poussin and Teniers hold the key" are perhaps the most straightforward aspect of the message. "Shepherdess" and "Poussin", as we know, refer to Poussin's painting, The Shepherds of Arcadia.
The "key" that Poussin has embedded into this painting is the imagery of the tomb and Arcadia, coupled with the landscape that clearly matches that of Arques, near Rennes-le-Chateau, and of course, the hidden pentagram. So, the painting is telling us that the sacred "Arka", the tomb of a long-lost god [MJF: Isis - the Mother Goddess - the Grail], is located near Arques, and within a pentagram - the mountains of Rennes-le-Chateau - and is the location of Paradise, or Arcadia.
The David Teniers’ painting mentioned by the parchments is assumed by Henry Lincoln to be Saint Anthony and Saint Paul (see image below), the only Teniers painting featuring Saint Anthony which does not show him enduring his famous temptation by demons - thus the words "no temptation." In this painting, the two saints are sitting in front of an altar upon which stands a crucifix and a skull.
The stories of the meeting of Anthony and Paul of Thebes, the raven who brought them bread, Anthony being sent to fetch the cloak given him by "Athanasius the bishop" to bury Paul's body in, and Paul's death before he returned, are among the familiar legends of the Life of Anthony. However, belief in the existence of Paul seems to have existed quite independently of the Life of Anthony.
This indicates the nature of the tomb depicted in the Poussin painting (see below).
The image of a skull and a crucifix obviously implies Golgotha, and the fact that the life-size skull dwarfs the miniature crucifix implies the giant skull of Adam after which Golgotha, the location of the Cave of Treasures, was originally named.
The painting shows one saint pointing up towards a descending dove that is carrying the holy host, a representation of the Grail stone.
MJF: There does not appear to be a saint pointing up towards a descending dove in the above work and the bird is probably a raven not a dove. The raven features a few times in the Bible. First, in the story of Noah, where the raven served as Noah’s first attempt to discover dry land, but it would eventually be the dove that became Noah’s way of determining when to leave the Ark. Secondly, in 1 Kings 17:4 it states: - And it shall be, [that] thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. Third, in Leviticus 11:11-15 it states: - They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. So, Tenier’s painting may be reflecting here the quote from Kings.
However, in occultic terms, the Raven is a symbol of conspiring with the Universe, and all of the magic that it holds. The raven has a penchant for collecting shiny objects, as if they were his tools of divination. The raven is also adept at solving puzzles, as he is known for his intelligence and ability to learn quickly and apply his knowledge to difficult challenges. Hence, could this be an alternative meaning to Tenier’s depiction of a raven bringing bread to the two saints. Is the bird bringing knowledge to solve the puzzle?
Staying with Twyman’s interpretation though, the imagery of a dove (which in Christian iconography usually represents the Holy Ghost but in pagan mythology is often linked to goddesses such as Athena) bringing the Eucharist was also used by Grail story writers such as Wolfram von Eschenbach.
Nicolas Poussin’s first painting of Et In Arcadia Ego
MJF: Note the skull on top of the tomb supposedly representing death even in the arcadian paradise’. However, this is Poussin’s first version of the Shepherds of Arcadia – Et in Arcadia Ego - and is not the version Saunière purchased a copy of. However, I think it is right for Twyman to link the image of the skulls depicted in these two artistic works.
Q: Okay. Now. This woman with this book "The Horse of God," talks about the shadow of the horse in the Shepherds of Arcadia painting that is evident if you turn it upside down. I know that I dreamed that the painting was a map. In terms of this map, what would be the zero meridian that one would use to place the map? [MJF: The Horse of God is Neptune or Poseidon - he was often depicted as a horse but normally was shown in human form holding a trident – the “Trent”?]
A: There need not be a zero meridian.
Q: Is there any one thing... I doused the picture, and it seemed that the head of the kneeling man with the beard was the important figure. Where, on a map, would one place this head in order to have the other figures in correct alignment?
A: Best to split the image, head-to-head. Vertically.
Q: Split the image and put the same guy head-to-head to his own head?
A: Close.
In her article Le Serpent Rouge Interpreted (see: Le Serpent Rouge Interpreted (bibliotecapleyades.net), Tracy Twyman points out that the authors of the poem are purported to have been Louis Saint-Maxent, Pierre Feugere, and Gaston de Koker, who were all killed shortly after the poem was published. Strange and frightening as this may seem, these men may not have in fact been the authors, for the poem does not appear to be the work of a committee, but rather a single quixotic mystic. Her theory is that the true author of the poem was Jean Cocteau. She states that “One only needs to read Cocteau’s known work, or view his film Orpheus, to recognize the style of writing and the symbolism employed”. Also, it was published just a few years after his death, and it was during Cocteau’s Grand Mastership [of the Priory of Sion] that the publication of “Priory documents” such as this one began.
… that the Brothers of the BEAUTY of the black woods, escaping the usurpers pursuing them, disseminated while they were fleeing the white Fort.
If the “beauty” is Isis, or Venus, then her “brothers” are the Cainites (descendants of Cain), who literally were her brothers. Also note that there is a woman whose grave, located on the grounds of the church at Rennes-le-Chateau, is very important to the whole mystery, and whose name, “Marie de Blanchefort”, means literally, “Marie of the White Fort.” Clearly her gravestone, and her name, are clues pointing to the grave of Venus, the real “Marie of the White Fort.” [MJF: The Grail]
Both possibilities seem likely.
A: Subliminal.
Q: It is subliminal? The other thing I noticed about the word 'Isis' is that it can be slightly altered to make 'I Zeus.' And, Perseus can be 'per Zeus' and Persia can be made to say 'per ziu.' One of the oldest etymological roots for the word 'God' is 'ziu' from which we get 'deu.' These all represent the English translation of 'for God,' with Perceval being 'per ziu val' or 'strong for God.' Could you comment on these relationships?
A: Interconnected by trilingual learning curve.
Q: Any further comments?
A: No.
[…..]
Q: In reading the transcripts, I came across a reference to a 'pact' made by a group of STS individuals, and it was called 'Rosteem,' and that this was the origin of the Rosicrucians. In the book 'The Orion Mystery,' it talks about the fact that Giza was formerly known as RosTau, which is 'Rose Cross.' Essentially, I would like to understand the symbology of the Rose affixed to the Cross. It seems to me that the imagery of Jesus nailed to the Cross is actually the Rose affixed to the Cross. How does Jesus relate to the Rose?
A: No, it is from the Rose arose the Cross.
MJF: Could Tracy Twyman be correct here, where she points out that the cross was, like the octopus, an ancient sun symbol dating back to Atlantis, and was also used to denote the pole or centre-point of the Earth.
The Atlantis Cross
Q: Oh.... I see...
A: Said the blind man.
Q: Elaborate, please. Are you saying that what I am seeing is not correct?
A: No, mirth!
Q: It is from the Rose that the Cross arose... and, therefore, the cross symbolizes...
A: Ask.
Q: What does the cross symbolize?
A: The symbology is not the issue. It is the effect.
Q: What is the effect of the cross?
A: All that has followed it.
[…]
Q: In the same vein, I have noticed that there are two classes of arachnids. There are scorpions and there are spiders. The zodiac was changed by taking the pincers away from the Scorpion and creating out of them the sign of Libra. This image was one of a woman holding a balance scales, usually blindfolded. This was done within recorded history but was probably formalized through the occult traditions of Kaballa. Now, in trying to figure out who has on what colour hat, if there is such a thing, I have come to a tentative conclusion that the spider, or spinner of webs, is the Rosicrucian encampment, and that the Scorpion represents the seeker of wisdom... because, in fact, the word for Scorpio comes from the same root as that which means to pierce or unveil. Therefore, the Scorpion is also Perseus, per Ziu, or 'for God.' And the Rosicrucians are the 'other,' so to speak. Can you elaborate on this for me? Or comment?
A: What a tangled web we spin, when we must not let you in.
Q: So, the Rose is the Spider?
A: Different objective.
Q: So, the Rose, with its thorns... can you help me with this Rose image... is the Rose the Scorpion?
A: No. Different objective... Rose is a stand-alone symbol.
Q: So, the Rose can be used by either side, is that it?
A: Maybe.”
So was it the Rosicrucians of Jean Cocteau that the C’s had in mind when they said: “What a tangled web we spin, when we must not let you in”.
Continuing with Twyman's article again:
"I destroy this demon guardian at midday" may tie into the notion of the cataclysm that destroyed the Golden Age, sometimes represented as the slaying of a dragon.
Midday, as we have seen, has had ritualistic significance in the religious life of man for thousands of years, because it was when the Sun was at its highest point.
The term "blue apples" has been explained by previous authors as an idiom used locally in Southern France to refer to grapes, and therefore, its use in the parchments is a reference to the symbol of the vine, representing the bloodline of Christ. But there is perhaps another level of meaning as well. The Fall from the Garden of Eden was supposedly caused by Eve eating a forbidden fruit, usually depicted as an apple, from the Tree of Life.
Therefore, the apple symbolizes the sin that caused the Fall, and as we have said, we believe that the story of the Fall represents the same historical event as the Deluge. [Not according to the C’s.]
Although I would not discount Twyman’s theory about the “blue apples” being linked to the fall from grace represented by Eve (the female energy) eating the forbidden fruit (usually depicted as an apple), I am intrigued by her reference to blue apples being an idiomatic expression for grapes in the South of France. I was not aware of this. However, it does make for an interesting link to something the C’s said in the session dated 16 August 1997:
Q: I noticed in Genesis Chapter 33, verse 11, it says that Jacob, who wrestled with the angel the previous night and was on his way to see his brother Esau, who he had tricked into giving up his blessing years before, “gave Esau the blessing”. What was this? The birthright from his father or the blessing Jacob received from the angel?
A: Trampled leaves of wrath.
Q: This is what Jacob gave to Esau?
A: Yes, and what is the "core" meaning there?
Q: I don't know. What is the core meaning?
A: Leaves are of the Tree of Apples, from whence we get the proverbial "grapes of wrath," the Blue Apples incarnate!
Q: Why are these leaves 'trampled?'
A: Removes chlorophyll.
Q: What is the significance of the chlorophyll?
A: When the chlorophyll dies, the autumnal equinox is at hand.
Q: Did this signify something about the autumnal equinox?
A: Discover what the significance is, my Dear!
Q: (L) We have the brother issue to deal with. We have Abraham and his nephew, Lot. Then we have Moses and Aaron, Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael. Were all of these sets of brothers just different aspects or views on the same stories, a set of singular individuals, whether brothers or not?
A: Pretty much though with added elements from other stories blended in.
Q: (L) Was it a brother/brother relationship as in actual brothers?
A: No. The "brother" relationship was created to legitimize a "false" line of transmission.
Q: (L) So there wasn't a brother, or Aaronic relationship present, assuming any part of that story was true. Is that it?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) One aspect of the variation on the story was that Jacob gave his brother, Esau, the 'blessing' and some 'gift.' Does this reflect an accurate part of the story that Moses, in his form as Jacob, passed something on to someone else’s - something that was important?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Was it Moses/Abraham who was doing this?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Who did he pass it on to?
A: It was finally understood by "Moses" that the danger of the object was greater than the ability of descendants to resist corruption. He handed it over to those who had created it.
Q: (Galahad) Was it STS or STO forces that created it?
A: STS.
Q: (Galahad) So, the Ark was an object created by STS. Did this amount to some sort of realization on Moses' part? Did he start to wake up?
A: Yes. The story of the "contending with the angel" was the significant turning point as well as the moment of return.
However, the blessing Jacob gave to Esau was a completely different matter, since the C’s now link this blessing to a female individual they call Kore, who can be linked back to their earlier “core meaning” clue:
Q: (L) What was the blessing he gave to quote Esau, if giving the object to the "angel" was the event of returning the ark? What was the story there?
A: Two separate events.
Q: (L) So, he returned the ark to the so-called angel. And then, he gave something to someone else. Previously, when I asked about this, you said that what he gave to Esau was "trampled leaves of wrath, the blue apples incarnate," and remarked that I should inquire into the "core meaning."
A: And who was "Kore?"
Q: (L) Was this Abraham's daughter?
A: It was the last living member of the Perseid family.
Q: (L) Was it a male or female?
A: Female.
Q: (L) And how did Abraham come to be in possession of this female?
A: Search the text and you will see.
Well, I have linked Kore to Akhenaten’s daughter, Princess Meritaten or the Biblical Hagar, the Egyptian maid servant to Abraham’s wife Sarah. However, I have also linked her to the goddess Brigid of the Tuatha de Danaan and in so doing established a link between here and other triple goddess deities and to Demeter, Persephone etc, goddesses linked to rituals surrounding the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes (where in the case of the latter, nature starts to die in the shape of leaves losing their chlorophyll.
The C’s go on in that session to say:
Q: After wrestling with the 'angel,' Jacob was renamed 'Israel,' which means 'he will rule as a god.' This tends to make me think that this angel whom Jacob seems to have conjured, did something. What was this being that Jacob wrestled with?
A: Elohim provides the conventional response.
Q: And you have told us about the Elohim. Okay. I will look it up. What did it mean when it said that the 'angel touched him in the hollow of the thigh,' which did something to him. What was meant by the 'hollow of the thigh?'
A: Branch.
Q: You mean genetic? His gonads?
A: No.
Q: What do you mean?
A: Ponder. If you ponder this, lightbulbs will illuminate.
As regards that last statement, I just wonder whether the C’s may have had this in mind:
Continuing with Twyman’s article:
The Flood was God's retribution for the sins of Cain and his descendants, who were unlawfully breeding with the "daughters of men" (or in some versions, the "daughters of Seth.") Also, according to some scholars, Seth and Abel were in fact the same person, which does indeed seem to be the case when the relevant chapters of Genesis are examined. L.A. Waddell believes that the symbol of Eve's apple is tied into this.
That is, they were unlawfully mixing their sacred, royal blood with that of commoners. So, this, then, is the sin that the apple which Eve ate actually represents. And since royal blood is referred to often as "blue blood", it seems to me that the words "blue apples" are referring specifically to the sinful breeding practices that are thought to have led to the Fall/Deluge.
Other details about the parchments stick out as well. For instance, the words "Rex Mundi", meaning "King of the World", are embedded into Parchment One, indicating the Devil, or Cain. Then there are the words "Redis Bles" and "Solis Sacerdotibus" written beside the main message of Parchment One.
The way Henry Lincoln and other authors choose to interpret this, "Redis" means "Rennes", and "Bles" means "corn", which is what wheat was called in Europe and England prior to the discovery of maize, now also called "corn", in the New World. "Bles" ("corn") is also a local idiom for "money" or "treasure", like "bread" is in English.
"Solis" means "solely", and "sacerdotibus" means "initiated."
Lincoln thus reads the message as saying,
"The treasure of Rennes is only for the initiated."
But as we have established, "Redis" also means "return", and wheat ("corn") was also a symbol of Cain, who was thought to be the inventor of the plough, and the first to introduce the crop's cultivation.
In fact, Cain's name actually means "grain." Furthermore, wheat, and the bread that is made from it have been important icons in religious rituals throughout history, ranging from the Greek and Babylonian mysteries to ancient Judaism and modern Christianity.
Catholics celebrate communion by eating a wafer that represents Christ's body, and the ancient Jews had a special "shewbread" that was only administered to the Levitic caste of priests during certain rituals. "Solis" also means "Sun", and "sacerdotibus" specifically means "priesthood."
Thus, "Redis Bles Solis Sacerdotibus" could be translated in any of the following ways:
"Return the corn to the priesthood of the Sun"
"The corn of Rennes is for the priesthood of the Sun"
"The corn of Rennes is only for the priesthood" or
"Return the wheat solely to the priesthood"
We do appear to be on the right track with this interpretation, for the very text into which the code of Parchment One has been inserted is a conglomeration of quotes from three of the Gospels describing a scene in which Jesus and his disciples are walking through a cornfield, eating corn! As The Gospel of Saint Matthew describes it:
"At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
But he said to them, “Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless”?
But I say to you, that this place is one greater than the temple."
So, this is the "corn" that is "only for the priesthood."
But what lies beneath the symbolism of this story, and what statement is being made by connecting it with the phrase "Redis Bles Solis Sacerdotibus"? Is the parchment's creator saying,
"Return the sacraments of the church (the true church in the tradition of Atlantis) to its rightful priests"?
And what of the last line in the passage from Matthew:
"This place is one greater than the temple"?
If its use in the parchment is a reference to Rennes-le-Chateau, this could mean that Rennes-le-Chateau is a much holier place than the remains of the temple in Jerusalem.
MJF: In Christian teaching Christ is also said to be Alpha (the beginning) and Omega (the end). Bread is obviously used in the Holy Communion wafer and salt is used in the Baptism ceremony.
There is yet another hidden message embedded in Parchment Two as well:
"Areth Adgenes."
MJF: If anybody can come up with a suitable phrase formed from the above anagram, in French or Latin, I would be interested to hear from them.
Henry Lincoln has chosen to recombine these words into "Ad Genesareth", meaning "Towards Genesareth", the latter being a town on the coast of the Sea of Galilee (an inland lake where many New Testament stories took place).
Indeed, the Sea of Galilee is sometimes called "Lake Genesareth."
But since the words were split up in the parchment in a particular way, it seems to us that were meant to look at the meaning of the individual syllables. "Genes" could be short for "Genesis", while "Areth" could be taken to mean "Ararat." The word "genesis" means "beginning" or "generation." "Ararat" means "high holy place", and of course indicates the mount upon which Noah was saved from the Flood.
So, we could recombine the phrase to say "Ad Genes Areth", which would basically mean,
"Towards the high holy place where civilisation was begun, and ultimately saved from annihilation."
The code of Parchment Two is made using a passage from The Gospel of Saint John, Chapter 12, verses 1-7. Shortly after Christ raises Lazarus from the dead, he is having dinner with Mary of Bethany (thought by some to be the same as the Magdalen), Martha, Lazarus, and his disciples.
Mary takes "a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly", and anoints Christ's feet with it, "wiping his feet with her hair."
Judas Iscariot, disgusted at the waste of something so valuable, remarks,
"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?"
The passage continues:
"This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone; against the day of my burial hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye not have always."
The scene this passage describes is also illustrated in a stained-glass window on the ceiling behind the altar of Sauniere's church. What could its significance be in this context?
Was this tomb in Rennes-le-Chateau? [MJF: I think the simple answer is no.]
For both articles in full see: Rennes le Château - The Parchments
The 17th January Date
“I had now the prima materia, the first principles, yet not their first preparation, which is a thing most difficult, above all things in the world… Finally, I found that which I desired, which I also knew by the strong scent and odour thereof. Having this, I easily accomplished the Mastery… The fist time that I made projection [transmutation] was upon Mercury, whereof I turned half a pound, or thereabouts, into pure silver, better than that of the Mine, as I mayself assayed, and made others assay many times. This was upon a Monday, the 17th of January about noon, in my home, Perrenelle [his wife] only being present, in the year of the restoring of mankind 1382.”
See: The Grail Quest and The Destiny of Man: Part IX: Alchemy and St. Germain
And the C’s also commented on the date in the Session dated 20 June 1998:
Q: What happened on January 17th?
A: Consult Maya.
Q: But January 17th recurs repeatedly in the alchemical texts...
A: And you may see the connection. Why do you suppose alchemists knew of the secrets brought "to the table" by the Maya/Egyptians?
Q: They constructed a mathematical table of some sort and this fits into that table, is that it? Is that why it reveals a secret?
A: It is a start.
Could the C’s response “It is a start” be linking us back to Flamel’s comment that “This [his first successful alchemical transmutation] was upon a Monday, the 17th of January about noon … in the year of the restoring of mankind 1382”?
Before resuming with Tracy Twyman’s article, I think it is worth saying a few words about Saint Anthony, the Desert Father in order to make more sense of the paintings.
Who is Saint Anthony? | St. Anthony (stanthonylc.org)
Saint Anthony the Great was born into a wealthy family in upper Egypt about 254 AD. Also known as Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, and Anthony the Anchorite, he was a leader among the Desert Fathers, who were Christian monks in the Egyptian desert in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The Orthodox Church celebrates his feast on January 17.
The moniker “Father of Monasticism” is misleading, as Christian monasticism was already being practiced in the deserts of Egypt. Ascetics commonly retired to isolated locations on the outskirts of cities. Anthony is notable for being one of the first ascetics to attempt living in the desert proper, completely cut off from civilization. His anchoritic (isolated) lifestyle was remarkably harsher than his predecessors. By the 2nd century there were also famous Christian ascetics, such as Saint Thecla. Saint Anthony decided to follow this tradition and headed out into the alkaline desert region called the Nitra in Latin (Wadi El Natrun today), about 95 km west of Alexandria, some of the most rugged terrain of the Western Desert.
Also note that pagan ascetic hermits and loosely organised cenobitic communities that the Hellenized Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria described as the Therapeutae in the first century, were long established in the harsh environments by the Lake Mareotis close to Alexandria, and in other less-accessible regions. Philo understood: for “this class of persons may be met with in many places, for both Greece and barbarian countries want to enjoy whatever is perfectly good.” (Philo, De vita contemplativa, written c. 10)
According to Athanasius, the devil fought St Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of women, which he overcame by the power of prayer, providing a theme for Christian art.
The moniker “Father of Monasticism” is misleading, as Christian monasticism was already being practiced in the deserts of Egypt. Ascetics commonly retired to isolated locations on the outskirts of cities. Anthony is notable for being one of the first ascetics to attempt living in the desert proper, completely cut off from civilization. His anchoritic (isolated) lifestyle was remarkably harsher than his predecessors. By the 2nd century there were also famous Christian ascetics, such as Saint Thecla. Saint Anthony decided to follow this tradition and headed out into the alkaline desert region called the Nitra in Latin (Wadi El Natrun today), about 95 km west of Alexandria, some of the most rugged terrain of the Western Desert.
Also note that pagan ascetic hermits and loosely organised cenobitic communities that the Hellenized Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria described as the Therapeutae in the first century, were long established in the harsh environments by the Lake Mareotis close to Alexandria, and in other less-accessible regions. Philo understood: for “this class of persons may be met with in many places, for both Greece and barbarian countries want to enjoy whatever is perfectly good.” (Philo, De vita contemplativa, written c. 10)
According to Athanasius, the devil fought St Anthony by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of women, which he overcame by the power of prayer, providing a theme for Christian art.
Continuing now with Tracy Twyman’s comments:
“The message of the second parchment also took on an enhanced meaning now that I knew what I did.
The words "Shepherdess - No Temptation; that Poussin and Teniers hold the key" are perhaps the most straightforward aspect of the message. "Shepherdess" and "Poussin", as we know, refer to Poussin's painting, The Shepherds of Arcadia.
The "key" that Poussin has embedded into this painting is the imagery of the tomb and Arcadia, coupled with the landscape that clearly matches that of Arques, near Rennes-le-Chateau, and of course, the hidden pentagram. So, the painting is telling us that the sacred "Arka", the tomb of a long-lost god [MJF: Isis - the Mother Goddess - the Grail], is located near Arques, and within a pentagram - the mountains of Rennes-le-Chateau - and is the location of Paradise, or Arcadia.
The David Teniers’ painting mentioned by the parchments is assumed by Henry Lincoln to be Saint Anthony and Saint Paul (see image below), the only Teniers painting featuring Saint Anthony which does not show him enduring his famous temptation by demons - thus the words "no temptation." In this painting, the two saints are sitting in front of an altar upon which stands a crucifix and a skull.
The stories of the meeting of Anthony and Paul of Thebes, the raven who brought them bread, Anthony being sent to fetch the cloak given him by "Athanasius the bishop" to bury Paul's body in, and Paul's death before he returned, are among the familiar legends of the Life of Anthony. However, belief in the existence of Paul seems to have existed quite independently of the Life of Anthony.
This indicates the nature of the tomb depicted in the Poussin painting (see below).
The image of a skull and a crucifix obviously implies Golgotha, and the fact that the life-size skull dwarfs the miniature crucifix implies the giant skull of Adam after which Golgotha, the location of the Cave of Treasures, was originally named.
The painting shows one saint pointing up towards a descending dove that is carrying the holy host, a representation of the Grail stone.
MJF: There does not appear to be a saint pointing up towards a descending dove in the above work and the bird is probably a raven not a dove. The raven features a few times in the Bible. First, in the story of Noah, where the raven served as Noah’s first attempt to discover dry land, but it would eventually be the dove that became Noah’s way of determining when to leave the Ark. Secondly, in 1 Kings 17:4 it states: - And it shall be, [that] thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. Third, in Leviticus 11:11-15 it states: - They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. So, Tenier’s painting may be reflecting here the quote from Kings.
However, in occultic terms, the Raven is a symbol of conspiring with the Universe, and all of the magic that it holds. The raven has a penchant for collecting shiny objects, as if they were his tools of divination. The raven is also adept at solving puzzles, as he is known for his intelligence and ability to learn quickly and apply his knowledge to difficult challenges. Hence, could this be an alternative meaning to Tenier’s depiction of a raven bringing bread to the two saints. Is the bird bringing knowledge to solve the puzzle?
Staying with Twyman’s interpretation though, the imagery of a dove (which in Christian iconography usually represents the Holy Ghost but in pagan mythology is often linked to goddesses such as Athena) bringing the Eucharist was also used by Grail story writers such as Wolfram von Eschenbach.
Nicolas Poussin’s first painting of Et In Arcadia Ego
Parchment 2
What does "Pax 681" mean? I have heard an explanation of it from someone who claims inside knowledge, but since I have no confirmation of this, I will leave it unreported for now.
"By the Cross and this Horse of God" is a little less decipherable. The cross was, like the octopus, an ancient sun symbol dating back to Atlantis, and was also used to denote the pole, or centre-point of the Earth. The horse was a symbol of Poseidon, or Dagon, who was thought to be an incarnation of the Sun, and the Sun was often seen by ancient man as a chariot drawn by celestial horses.
MJF: This point reminds me of the discussion Laura had with the C’s on this issue in the Session dated 31 October 1998: "By the Cross and this Horse of God" is a little less decipherable. The cross was, like the octopus, an ancient sun symbol dating back to Atlantis, and was also used to denote the pole, or centre-point of the Earth. The horse was a symbol of Poseidon, or Dagon, who was thought to be an incarnation of the Sun, and the Sun was often seen by ancient man as a chariot drawn by celestial horses.
Q: Okay. Now. This woman with this book "The Horse of God," talks about the shadow of the horse in the Shepherds of Arcadia painting that is evident if you turn it upside down. I know that I dreamed that the painting was a map. In terms of this map, what would be the zero meridian that one would use to place the map? [MJF: The Horse of God is Neptune or Poseidon - he was often depicted as a horse but normally was shown in human form holding a trident – the “Trent”?]
A: There need not be a zero meridian.
Q: Is there any one thing... I doused the picture, and it seemed that the head of the kneeling man with the beard was the important figure. Where, on a map, would one place this head in order to have the other figures in correct alignment?
A: Best to split the image, head-to-head. Vertically.
Q: Split the image and put the same guy head-to-head to his own head?
A: Close.
Could the artist, however, have been pointing to a celestial horse’s head, such as the Horsehead Nebula in the constellation of Orion perhaps, which in my view fits better with the notion of the painting being a star map?
The Horsehead Nebula is located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex.
Le Serpent Rouge also makes mention of "divine horsemen of the abyss." Are we talking about the "abyss" of the celestial sea? Or the abyss of the Cave of Treasures?
MJF: For those not aware, Le Serpent Rouge is the name of one of the "Prieuré Documents", being a poem that consists of thirteen stanzas, each dedicated to one of the thirteen houses of the Priory of Sion‘s zodiac system - Le Serpent Rouge may therefore be presenting us with a strange allegory for the Labours of Hercules: one in which there are thirteen trials, and thirteen zodiac houses, instead of the normal twelve.
In her article Le Serpent Rouge Interpreted (see: Le Serpent Rouge Interpreted (bibliotecapleyades.net), Tracy Twyman points out that the authors of the poem are purported to have been Louis Saint-Maxent, Pierre Feugere, and Gaston de Koker, who were all killed shortly after the poem was published. Strange and frightening as this may seem, these men may not have in fact been the authors, for the poem does not appear to be the work of a committee, but rather a single quixotic mystic. Her theory is that the true author of the poem was Jean Cocteau. She states that “One only needs to read Cocteau’s known work, or view his film Orpheus, to recognize the style of writing and the symbolism employed”. Also, it was published just a few years after his death, and it was during Cocteau’s Grand Mastership [of the Priory of Sion] that the publication of “Priory documents” such as this one began.
Assuming that Cocteau was probably the author, and working with the conclusions about Rennes-le-Chateau that Twyman expounded in other Dagobert’s Revenge articles (and in her book The Merovingian Mythos), she claims to be able to understand certain key phrases used within this strange poem. It is her belief that this poem was written from the point of view of someone following the occult clues that have been left by past initiates to discover the sacred tombs beneath Rennes-le-Chateau, and the “Ark” that contains the “Grail stone.” The narrator likens his journey to the symbolic journeys of mythological heroes from numerous ancient legends. Several veiled references are made to Noah/Enoch and his Ark; to the Grail stone and the mysteries it contains; and to the discovery of the tomb of Venus or Isis [in other words the Grail itself].
Her article on the Le Serpent Rouge (Red Serpent) deserves a post all on its own. However, the fact that she connects Jean Cocteau to the poem in very intriguing, given what we have learned of his Rosicrucian connections in earlier posts. I am particularly interested in her statement where she tells us:
“Given what we know, we can now look at one of the mysteries surrounding Jean Cocteau, the presumed author of the poem Le Serpent Rouge, with fresh insight. In the mural he created at the Notre Dame de France in London, he signed his name with the mysterious initials “D.D.D.” - a code which has never been explained. But if you consider that “D” is the fourth letter of the alphabet, and then cube the number 4 (4 x 4 x 4, or 4 to the third power), you get 64 - a perfect cube.Her article on the Le Serpent Rouge (Red Serpent) deserves a post all on its own. However, the fact that she connects Jean Cocteau to the poem in very intriguing, given what we have learned of his Rosicrucian connections in earlier posts. I am particularly interested in her statement where she tells us:
… that the Brothers of the BEAUTY of the black woods, escaping the usurpers pursuing them, disseminated while they were fleeing the white Fort.
If the “beauty” is Isis, or Venus, then her “brothers” are the Cainites (descendants of Cain), who literally were her brothers. Also note that there is a woman whose grave, located on the grounds of the church at Rennes-le-Chateau, is very important to the whole mystery, and whose name, “Marie de Blanchefort”, means literally, “Marie of the White Fort.” Clearly her gravestone, and her name, are clues pointing to the grave of Venus, the real “Marie of the White Fort.” [MJF: The Grail]
Both possibilities seem likely.
We looked at the name “Black Marie” and the meaning of “Blanchefort” earlier in this article, so I won’t dwell on this point further.
We have, of course, looked at Cocteau’s mural in the church of Notre Dame de France in London in an earlier post and noted its overt Rosicrucian symbolism. Apparently, Twyman points out that Cocteau also decorated the ceiling of the church with a spiderweb motif, leading me to recall the Octopus motif on Marie Blanchefort’s second (fake) gravestone. This point about the spiderweb also reminds me of the C’s statement in the Session dated 4 October 1997:
Q: I have a few questions on the subject of Cassiopaea. On several occasions you have described Cassiopaea or the Cassiopaeans, the unified thought form light beings that transmit through Cassiopaea, as being the 'front line of the universe's system of natural balance.' On another occasion when Roxanne was here, she was asking questions about Isis and you said that Isis was a 'vanguard.' Now, it seems to me that something that is at the front line is also a vanguard - that the definitions are interchangeable, or similar. In reading through all the various myths and legends, it occurs to me that the similarity between the imagery of Queen Cassiopaea and Isis is quite striking. What is the relationship between Queen Cassiopaea, archetypally speaking, and Isis? We have, of course, looked at Cocteau’s mural in the church of Notre Dame de France in London in an earlier post and noted its overt Rosicrucian symbolism. Apparently, Twyman points out that Cocteau also decorated the ceiling of the church with a spiderweb motif, leading me to recall the Octopus motif on Marie Blanchefort’s second (fake) gravestone. This point about the spiderweb also reminds me of the C’s statement in the Session dated 4 October 1997:
A: Subliminal.
Q: It is subliminal? The other thing I noticed about the word 'Isis' is that it can be slightly altered to make 'I Zeus.' And, Perseus can be 'per Zeus' and Persia can be made to say 'per ziu.' One of the oldest etymological roots for the word 'God' is 'ziu' from which we get 'deu.' These all represent the English translation of 'for God,' with Perceval being 'per ziu val' or 'strong for God.' Could you comment on these relationships?
A: Interconnected by trilingual learning curve.
Q: Any further comments?
A: No.
[…..]
Q: In reading the transcripts, I came across a reference to a 'pact' made by a group of STS individuals, and it was called 'Rosteem,' and that this was the origin of the Rosicrucians. In the book 'The Orion Mystery,' it talks about the fact that Giza was formerly known as RosTau, which is 'Rose Cross.' Essentially, I would like to understand the symbology of the Rose affixed to the Cross. It seems to me that the imagery of Jesus nailed to the Cross is actually the Rose affixed to the Cross. How does Jesus relate to the Rose?
A: No, it is from the Rose arose the Cross.
MJF: Could Tracy Twyman be correct here, where she points out that the cross was, like the octopus, an ancient sun symbol dating back to Atlantis, and was also used to denote the pole or centre-point of the Earth.
The Atlantis Cross
A: Said the blind man.
Q: Elaborate, please. Are you saying that what I am seeing is not correct?
A: No, mirth!
Q: It is from the Rose that the Cross arose... and, therefore, the cross symbolizes...
A: Ask.
Q: What does the cross symbolize?
A: The symbology is not the issue. It is the effect.
Q: What is the effect of the cross?
A: All that has followed it.
[…]
Q: In the same vein, I have noticed that there are two classes of arachnids. There are scorpions and there are spiders. The zodiac was changed by taking the pincers away from the Scorpion and creating out of them the sign of Libra. This image was one of a woman holding a balance scales, usually blindfolded. This was done within recorded history but was probably formalized through the occult traditions of Kaballa. Now, in trying to figure out who has on what colour hat, if there is such a thing, I have come to a tentative conclusion that the spider, or spinner of webs, is the Rosicrucian encampment, and that the Scorpion represents the seeker of wisdom... because, in fact, the word for Scorpio comes from the same root as that which means to pierce or unveil. Therefore, the Scorpion is also Perseus, per Ziu, or 'for God.' And the Rosicrucians are the 'other,' so to speak. Can you elaborate on this for me? Or comment?
A: What a tangled web we spin, when we must not let you in.
Q: So, the Rose is the Spider?
A: Different objective.
Q: So, the Rose, with its thorns... can you help me with this Rose image... is the Rose the Scorpion?
A: No. Different objective... Rose is a stand-alone symbol.
Q: So, the Rose can be used by either side, is that it?
A: Maybe.”
So was it the Rosicrucians of Jean Cocteau that the C’s had in mind when they said: “What a tangled web we spin, when we must not let you in”.
Continuing with Twyman's article again:
"I destroy this demon guardian at midday" may tie into the notion of the cataclysm that destroyed the Golden Age, sometimes represented as the slaying of a dragon.
Midday, as we have seen, has had ritualistic significance in the religious life of man for thousands of years, because it was when the Sun was at its highest point.
The term "blue apples" has been explained by previous authors as an idiom used locally in Southern France to refer to grapes, and therefore, its use in the parchments is a reference to the symbol of the vine, representing the bloodline of Christ. But there is perhaps another level of meaning as well. The Fall from the Garden of Eden was supposedly caused by Eve eating a forbidden fruit, usually depicted as an apple, from the Tree of Life.
Therefore, the apple symbolizes the sin that caused the Fall, and as we have said, we believe that the story of the Fall represents the same historical event as the Deluge. [Not according to the C’s.]
Although I would not discount Twyman’s theory about the “blue apples” being linked to the fall from grace represented by Eve (the female energy) eating the forbidden fruit (usually depicted as an apple), I am intrigued by her reference to blue apples being an idiomatic expression for grapes in the South of France. I was not aware of this. However, it does make for an interesting link to something the C’s said in the session dated 16 August 1997:
Q: I noticed in Genesis Chapter 33, verse 11, it says that Jacob, who wrestled with the angel the previous night and was on his way to see his brother Esau, who he had tricked into giving up his blessing years before, “gave Esau the blessing”. What was this? The birthright from his father or the blessing Jacob received from the angel?
A: Trampled leaves of wrath.
Q: This is what Jacob gave to Esau?
A: Yes, and what is the "core" meaning there?
Q: I don't know. What is the core meaning?
A: Leaves are of the Tree of Apples, from whence we get the proverbial "grapes of wrath," the Blue Apples incarnate!
Q: Why are these leaves 'trampled?'
A: Removes chlorophyll.
Q: What is the significance of the chlorophyll?
A: When the chlorophyll dies, the autumnal equinox is at hand.
Q: Did this signify something about the autumnal equinox?
A: Discover what the significance is, my Dear!
What are The Grapes of Wrath though? The phrase ''grapes of wrath'' is taken as a biblical allusion, or reference, to the Book of Revelation, passage 14:19-20, which reads: ''So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God.''.
The wrath of God is his anger and punishment over the evil that is in the world; this line is a metaphor, or comparison, using grapes and the wine press where the angel is helping God transform the grapes (evil on Earth) into God's wrath, punishment, and justice (wine). Here, wine symbolizes the blood that will come from his wrath.
However, I don’t think this is what the C’s necessarily had in mind here since they tell us that the trampled leaves of wrath are the gift Jacob (Abraham/Moses) gave to Esau in the Bible, which they then link to the “core” meaning. Since they then say that the leaves are from the Tree of Apples, this can be taken as a pun perhaps on the “apple core” (possibly a reference to special DNA or to the Holy Grail itself - which I have linked to the Mother Goddess). In a later session, the C’s linked Jacob’s gift to the Ark of the Covenant, which we later learn was a highly powerful energy cell.
Session dated 2 February 2003:The wrath of God is his anger and punishment over the evil that is in the world; this line is a metaphor, or comparison, using grapes and the wine press where the angel is helping God transform the grapes (evil on Earth) into God's wrath, punishment, and justice (wine). Here, wine symbolizes the blood that will come from his wrath.
However, I don’t think this is what the C’s necessarily had in mind here since they tell us that the trampled leaves of wrath are the gift Jacob (Abraham/Moses) gave to Esau in the Bible, which they then link to the “core” meaning. Since they then say that the leaves are from the Tree of Apples, this can be taken as a pun perhaps on the “apple core” (possibly a reference to special DNA or to the Holy Grail itself - which I have linked to the Mother Goddess). In a later session, the C’s linked Jacob’s gift to the Ark of the Covenant, which we later learn was a highly powerful energy cell.
Q: (L) We have the brother issue to deal with. We have Abraham and his nephew, Lot. Then we have Moses and Aaron, Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael. Were all of these sets of brothers just different aspects or views on the same stories, a set of singular individuals, whether brothers or not?
A: Pretty much though with added elements from other stories blended in.
Q: (L) Was it a brother/brother relationship as in actual brothers?
A: No. The "brother" relationship was created to legitimize a "false" line of transmission.
Q: (L) So there wasn't a brother, or Aaronic relationship present, assuming any part of that story was true. Is that it?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) One aspect of the variation on the story was that Jacob gave his brother, Esau, the 'blessing' and some 'gift.' Does this reflect an accurate part of the story that Moses, in his form as Jacob, passed something on to someone else’s - something that was important?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Was it Moses/Abraham who was doing this?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) Who did he pass it on to?
A: It was finally understood by "Moses" that the danger of the object was greater than the ability of descendants to resist corruption. He handed it over to those who had created it.
Q: (Galahad) Was it STS or STO forces that created it?
A: STS.
Q: (Galahad) So, the Ark was an object created by STS. Did this amount to some sort of realization on Moses' part? Did he start to wake up?
A: Yes. The story of the "contending with the angel" was the significant turning point as well as the moment of return.
However, the blessing Jacob gave to Esau was a completely different matter, since the C’s now link this blessing to a female individual they call Kore, who can be linked back to their earlier “core meaning” clue:
Q: (L) What was the blessing he gave to quote Esau, if giving the object to the "angel" was the event of returning the ark? What was the story there?
A: Two separate events.
Q: (L) So, he returned the ark to the so-called angel. And then, he gave something to someone else. Previously, when I asked about this, you said that what he gave to Esau was "trampled leaves of wrath, the blue apples incarnate," and remarked that I should inquire into the "core meaning."
A: And who was "Kore?"
Q: (L) Was this Abraham's daughter?
A: It was the last living member of the Perseid family.
Q: (L) Was it a male or female?
A: Female.
Q: (L) And how did Abraham come to be in possession of this female?
A: Search the text and you will see.
Well, I have linked Kore to Akhenaten’s daughter, Princess Meritaten or the Biblical Hagar, the Egyptian maid servant to Abraham’s wife Sarah. However, I have also linked her to the goddess Brigid of the Tuatha de Danaan and in so doing established a link between here and other triple goddess deities and to Demeter, Persephone etc, goddesses linked to rituals surrounding the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes (where in the case of the latter, nature starts to die in the shape of leaves losing their chlorophyll.
The C’s go on in that session to say:
Q: After wrestling with the 'angel,' Jacob was renamed 'Israel,' which means 'he will rule as a god.' This tends to make me think that this angel whom Jacob seems to have conjured, did something. What was this being that Jacob wrestled with?
A: Elohim provides the conventional response.
Q: And you have told us about the Elohim. Okay. I will look it up. What did it mean when it said that the 'angel touched him in the hollow of the thigh,' which did something to him. What was meant by the 'hollow of the thigh?'
A: Branch.
Q: You mean genetic? His gonads?
A: No.
Q: What do you mean?
A: Ponder. If you ponder this, lightbulbs will illuminate.
As regards that last statement, I just wonder whether the C’s may have had this in mind:
Continuing with Twyman’s article:
The Flood was God's retribution for the sins of Cain and his descendants, who were unlawfully breeding with the "daughters of men" (or in some versions, the "daughters of Seth.") Also, according to some scholars, Seth and Abel were in fact the same person, which does indeed seem to be the case when the relevant chapters of Genesis are examined. L.A. Waddell believes that the symbol of Eve's apple is tied into this.
That is, they were unlawfully mixing their sacred, royal blood with that of commoners. So, this, then, is the sin that the apple which Eve ate actually represents. And since royal blood is referred to often as "blue blood", it seems to me that the words "blue apples" are referring specifically to the sinful breeding practices that are thought to have led to the Fall/Deluge.
Other details about the parchments stick out as well. For instance, the words "Rex Mundi", meaning "King of the World", are embedded into Parchment One, indicating the Devil, or Cain. Then there are the words "Redis Bles" and "Solis Sacerdotibus" written beside the main message of Parchment One.
The way Henry Lincoln and other authors choose to interpret this, "Redis" means "Rennes", and "Bles" means "corn", which is what wheat was called in Europe and England prior to the discovery of maize, now also called "corn", in the New World. "Bles" ("corn") is also a local idiom for "money" or "treasure", like "bread" is in English.
"Solis" means "solely", and "sacerdotibus" means "initiated."
Lincoln thus reads the message as saying,
"The treasure of Rennes is only for the initiated."
But as we have established, "Redis" also means "return", and wheat ("corn") was also a symbol of Cain, who was thought to be the inventor of the plough, and the first to introduce the crop's cultivation.
In fact, Cain's name actually means "grain." Furthermore, wheat, and the bread that is made from it have been important icons in religious rituals throughout history, ranging from the Greek and Babylonian mysteries to ancient Judaism and modern Christianity.
Catholics celebrate communion by eating a wafer that represents Christ's body, and the ancient Jews had a special "shewbread" that was only administered to the Levitic caste of priests during certain rituals. "Solis" also means "Sun", and "sacerdotibus" specifically means "priesthood."
Thus, "Redis Bles Solis Sacerdotibus" could be translated in any of the following ways:
"Return the corn to the priesthood of the Sun"
"The corn of Rennes is for the priesthood of the Sun"
"The corn of Rennes is only for the priesthood" or
"Return the wheat solely to the priesthood"
We do appear to be on the right track with this interpretation, for the very text into which the code of Parchment One has been inserted is a conglomeration of quotes from three of the Gospels describing a scene in which Jesus and his disciples are walking through a cornfield, eating corn! As The Gospel of Saint Matthew describes it:
"At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
But he said to them, “Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless”?
But I say to you, that this place is one greater than the temple."
So, this is the "corn" that is "only for the priesthood."
But what lies beneath the symbolism of this story, and what statement is being made by connecting it with the phrase "Redis Bles Solis Sacerdotibus"? Is the parchment's creator saying,
"Return the sacraments of the church (the true church in the tradition of Atlantis) to its rightful priests"?
And what of the last line in the passage from Matthew:
"This place is one greater than the temple"?
If its use in the parchment is a reference to Rennes-le-Chateau, this could mean that Rennes-le-Chateau is a much holier place than the remains of the temple in Jerusalem.
MJF: If so, it might explain what the C’s were trying to indicate by:“The "brother" relationship was created to legitimize a "false" line of transmission”; meaning the Abrahamic line rather than the Kore/Perseid line. This would ring even truer if a link can be established between Kore/Hagar and Rennes-le-Chateau. Perhaps this link can be found in the refugees from the Tribe of Benjamin who reputedly settled in the region after their defeat at the Battle of Gibeah - Mary Magdalene herself was supposedly from the Tribe of Benjamin too. Is it possible that Kore/Hagar joined them for a time with the Grail before moving on to Britain/Ireland?
There may even be a message buried in the reference to King David sharing in the shewbread of the priests - a comment on the fact that Christ was seen as both priest and king, a product of the royal line of Judah and the priestly line of Levi.
This may all help explain another curious message which is buried in the text of the second parchment: "Panis ?O Sal" - the Latin words for "bread" and "salt" separated by the Alpha and Omega symbols.
MJF: on the subject of the letters “P” and “S”, the C’s had told Laura to “Look into ancient tongues”. Well, I guess Latin qualifies as an ancient tongue, although they may have meant even older tongues such as Sumerian, Aramaic, Egyptian etc.
Now "sal" could represent "sulfur", which characterizes one of the earliest stages of the alchemical process, while bread could represent the end result of the alchemical process [MJF: the “MFKZT” or white conical bread cakes consumed by Egyptian royalty that were in reality made from white powdered mono-atomic gold – which may have established the later ritual of the Jewish shewbread, eaten by the Levite priests, as mentioned by Twyman.], the Philosopher's Stone, just as the shewbread does in religious rituals.
But why would "Panis" ("bread") be written next to the Alpha symbol, and "Sal" ("salt") be written next to the Omega symbol, if salt is the beginning of the process and bread is the end? Perhaps, as we have theorized earlier in this book, the Alpha and Omega symbols are used by the Priory of Sion to symbolize the world before and after the Flood, or before and after the Fall from the Garden of Eden.
The bread, then, could be seen as a symbol of the Earth's fruitful generation, while the salt represents the infertility of the land experienced after the cataclysm, when the land had been inundated with saline ocean water. Perhaps, then, this is another level of meaning to the abbreviation "P.S." - "Panis Sal."There may even be a message buried in the reference to King David sharing in the shewbread of the priests - a comment on the fact that Christ was seen as both priest and king, a product of the royal line of Judah and the priestly line of Levi.
This may all help explain another curious message which is buried in the text of the second parchment: "Panis ?O Sal" - the Latin words for "bread" and "salt" separated by the Alpha and Omega symbols.
MJF: on the subject of the letters “P” and “S”, the C’s had told Laura to “Look into ancient tongues”. Well, I guess Latin qualifies as an ancient tongue, although they may have meant even older tongues such as Sumerian, Aramaic, Egyptian etc.
Now "sal" could represent "sulfur", which characterizes one of the earliest stages of the alchemical process, while bread could represent the end result of the alchemical process [MJF: the “MFKZT” or white conical bread cakes consumed by Egyptian royalty that were in reality made from white powdered mono-atomic gold – which may have established the later ritual of the Jewish shewbread, eaten by the Levite priests, as mentioned by Twyman.], the Philosopher's Stone, just as the shewbread does in religious rituals.
But why would "Panis" ("bread") be written next to the Alpha symbol, and "Sal" ("salt") be written next to the Omega symbol, if salt is the beginning of the process and bread is the end? Perhaps, as we have theorized earlier in this book, the Alpha and Omega symbols are used by the Priory of Sion to symbolize the world before and after the Flood, or before and after the Fall from the Garden of Eden.
MJF: In Christian teaching Christ is also said to be Alpha (the beginning) and Omega (the end). Bread is obviously used in the Holy Communion wafer and salt is used in the Baptism ceremony.
There is yet another hidden message embedded in Parchment Two as well:
"Areth Adgenes."
MJF: If anybody can come up with a suitable phrase formed from the above anagram, in French or Latin, I would be interested to hear from them.
Henry Lincoln has chosen to recombine these words into "Ad Genesareth", meaning "Towards Genesareth", the latter being a town on the coast of the Sea of Galilee (an inland lake where many New Testament stories took place).
Indeed, the Sea of Galilee is sometimes called "Lake Genesareth."
But since the words were split up in the parchment in a particular way, it seems to us that were meant to look at the meaning of the individual syllables. "Genes" could be short for "Genesis", while "Areth" could be taken to mean "Ararat." The word "genesis" means "beginning" or "generation." "Ararat" means "high holy place", and of course indicates the mount upon which Noah was saved from the Flood.
So, we could recombine the phrase to say "Ad Genes Areth", which would basically mean,
"Towards the high holy place where civilisation was begun, and ultimately saved from annihilation."
The code of Parchment Two is made using a passage from The Gospel of Saint John, Chapter 12, verses 1-7. Shortly after Christ raises Lazarus from the dead, he is having dinner with Mary of Bethany (thought by some to be the same as the Magdalen), Martha, Lazarus, and his disciples.
Mary takes "a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly", and anoints Christ's feet with it, "wiping his feet with her hair."
Judas Iscariot, disgusted at the waste of something so valuable, remarks,
"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?"
The passage continues:
"This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. Then said Jesus, Let her alone; against the day of my burial hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye not have always."
The scene this passage describes is also illustrated in a stained-glass window on the ceiling behind the altar of Sauniere's church. What could its significance be in this context?
I don’t think we have looked at this particular stained-glass window before but there can be no doubt that Saunière had an attachment to Mary Magdalen (think of the Tour Magdalana), so it certainly would fit with his choice of church iconography.
The anointing of Christ's feet by Mary has been described by some authors as the ritual anointing of a king by his bride and queen, which we find perfectly reasonable. But Jesus specifically says that, "against the day of my burial hath she kept this", indicating that it was meant to anoint his dead body before it was placed in the tomb.
Was this tomb in Rennes-le-Chateau? [MJF: I think the simple answer is no.]
For both articles in full see: Rennes le Château - The Parchments
The 17th January Date
Although I would not agree with all the comments made by the two writers, I must say that their articles are very thought provoking. They have certainly provided some intriguing interpretations of the Parchments, some of which I buy into. However, for me, that image of the amazing light show in the church at Rennes-le-Chȃteau is the most important take-away, The fact that it is only observed in mid-January (around the important date of 17th January) is highly significant.
It was, for example, a significant date for Nicolas Flamel (one of the alchemists connected with the Enclave of Alchemists in the Pyrenees) as Laura noted:
It was, for example, a significant date for Nicolas Flamel (one of the alchemists connected with the Enclave of Alchemists in the Pyrenees) as Laura noted:
“I had now the prima materia, the first principles, yet not their first preparation, which is a thing most difficult, above all things in the world… Finally, I found that which I desired, which I also knew by the strong scent and odour thereof. Having this, I easily accomplished the Mastery… The fist time that I made projection [transmutation] was upon Mercury, whereof I turned half a pound, or thereabouts, into pure silver, better than that of the Mine, as I mayself assayed, and made others assay many times. This was upon a Monday, the 17th of January about noon, in my home, Perrenelle [his wife] only being present, in the year of the restoring of mankind 1382.”
See: The Grail Quest and The Destiny of Man: Part IX: Alchemy and St. Germain
And the C’s also commented on the date in the Session dated 20 June 1998:
Q: What happened on January 17th?
A: Consult Maya.
Q: But January 17th recurs repeatedly in the alchemical texts...
A: And you may see the connection. Why do you suppose alchemists knew of the secrets brought "to the table" by the Maya/Egyptians?
Q: They constructed a mathematical table of some sort and this fits into that table, is that it? Is that why it reveals a secret?
A: It is a start.
Could the C’s response “It is a start” be linking us back to Flamel’s comment that “This [his first successful alchemical transmutation] was upon a Monday, the 17th of January about noon … in the year of the restoring of mankind 1382”?
The restoring of mankind would seem to be a reference to lifting mankind back up to its previous heights prior to the Deluge rather than to Anno Domini (the year of the Lord). The alchemists were in many ways the proto-scientists of the Middle Ages and Renaissance who would help to re-establish science to the levels it once enjoyed perhaps in ancient Egypt and Sumeria (think here of Paracelsus, Roger Bacon, Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Isaac Newton and the Royal Society). Hence, could the 17th January date be linked with the Deluge? Did the Mayan survivors of the Deluge record this date as the doomsday of Atlantis?
Apparently, there is another church window that puts on an amazing display of light at the time of the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes. That window is to be found in a Knight Templar church located in Spain. It perhaps was known to Abbe Saunière because he frequently visited Spain, especially Girona, a town which had its own connections to the Templars. This church was in fact a medieval hermitage (think of Saint Anthony the Hermit here) and may have had links to the Holy Grail. More on this in my next post.
Apparently, there is another church window that puts on an amazing display of light at the time of the Autumn and Spring Equinoxes. That window is to be found in a Knight Templar church located in Spain. It perhaps was known to Abbe Saunière because he frequently visited Spain, especially Girona, a town which had its own connections to the Templars. This church was in fact a medieval hermitage (think of Saint Anthony the Hermit here) and may have had links to the Holy Grail. More on this in my next post.
