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Pilgrimage
of Magdalene
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2008 Pilgrimage of Magdalene and the Holy GrailMystical BritainFull Moon - Summer Solstice in England and Scotland |
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Jesus & Pregnant Magdalene Kilmore Church window c. 1905 Photo©Barry Dunford |
The Lamb of God walks by her side, And (in) every English child is seen, Children of Jesus and his Bride. 'Song of Jerusalem' by William Blake
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General
Itinerary
(more details upon registration)
Print Itinerary for Pilgrimage of Magdalene and the Holy Grail
June
15-16-17-18-19 Avalon and Avebury
Chalice Well Gardens, Glastonbury England
Our
luxury Avalon Coach will pick you up at London Heathrow Airport
at noon on June
15th.
I will
have Avalon White Spring water and snacks on board! With a brief
rest stop at Stonehenge, we will drive to
our destination at Avalon, modern day
Glastonbury and the heart of Britain’s sacred landscape and
inner mysteries. We will have our own
country kitchen, living room and library at Little
St. Michael’s retreat house at Chalice Well for five days!
(Visit www.chalicewell.org.uk)
The sacred gardens at Chalice Well with its healing Red Spring
waters is literally our backyard for our entire stay. Glastonbury
is full of important Magdalene and grail sites and said to be where
Joseph of Arimathea brought the Holy Grail. We will visit St. John’s
Church, site of Arimathea’s sarcophagus and exquisite stained
glass windows.
We
will hear the ancient grail legends as told by historian, writer
and myth muse Nicholas Mann, author of ‘Isle of Avalon’,
‘Red and White Springs of Avalon’, ‘Energy Secrets
of Glastonbury Tor’ and his wife and co-author of ‘Avalon’s
Red and White Springs’, Philippa Glasson, PhD,. We will share
stories and tea with long time friend and Avalonian Goddess Caroline
Wyndham, who will join us for a special picnic in the well garden.
Caroline is an Earth Grid Keeper and will share her amazing stories
of creating crystal matrixes from the Tibetan highlands to the Sea
of Galilee.
Glastonbury Tor is right next door to Chalice Well, and a hike to
the Michael Tower will provide the perfect views across the Avalonian
landscape for a powerful Full Moon Rise June 18. (I will send the
chart for this amazing planetary alignment when I receive registrations.)
We will chant in Avalon’s little Magdalene Chapel and do an
attunement in the Mary Chapel of the Glastonbury Abbey, constructed
on the site of the 1st c. church established by Joseph of Arimathea.
We will see the amazing stone carving of ‘Jesus—Maria’
on the Abbey wall, which for me signifies Yeshua’s sacred
partnership with Magdalene.
A short drive takes us into the power of the stones at 4000 year old Avebury, the largest stone circle complex in all of Britain. We will connect with these wise stone Guardians to hear their messages and celebrate the Full Moon planetary alignment with Galactic Center with harp and our voices chanting a new song for our earth. My guidance tells me that these stones have much to say to us and we will do deep listening to the Soul of Sacred Landscape here. (Stonehenge is totally closed for four days before the Solstice, so our experience at Stonehenge will be from the perimeter of this megalithic solar and lunar calibrator. They now close at Solstice, after vandalism years ago.)
Avebury Stone Guardian
June 20-21-22 Solstice Sunrise Cornwall Coast
Riverside Inn, Boscastle Cornwall
On the
morning of June 20th, we drive from Glastonbury in our Avalon Coach
to Dartmoor, passing through the wild scenic moors of Devon, one
of my favorite areas of England! Schedules permitting, we will visit
shaman-artist-musicians Caroline Hillyer and Nigel Shaw. (Visit
their website at www.seventhwavemusic.co.uk).
Their farmhouse built in the middle-ages and the hearth fire and
chanting in their Neolithic roundhouse gives us a sense of the ancient
Celtic traditions.
In the early evening, we will drive the short distance to the spectacular
Cornwall Coast at Boscastle, an ancient fishing village and port
which hosted Phoenician trade, Templar, and pirate fleets, as well
as an important site during Druid and Arthurian eras. The wind,
water and high rocky cliffs provide a powerful cleansing of the
elements and an opportunity to integrate our experiences. The coastal
paths offer rare views of the sea and rolling Cornwall terrain.
We will stay here for three nights and visit nearby Tintagel Castle,
birthplace of King Arthur and Merlin’s Cave below the castle.
We hike enchanted Saint Nectin’s Glen, site of Arthurian knighthood
rituals and monastery and the wild beauty of Rocky Valley, with
its 4000 year old carved labyrinths. Early morning on the 21st of
June, we will procession up the coastal path to experience the Summer
Solstice Sunrise over Cornwall from the Atlantic cliffs.
June 23-24-25 Rosslyn and Edinburgh Scotland
Roslin Glen Hotel, Rosslyn Scotland
Our 2008 Grail journey completes in enchanting Scotland. We will
fly into Edinburgh, from Bristol Airport near Cornwall early June
23 and our private bus will drive us the short six miles to the
little village of Roslin. We stay three nights in Roslin, just a
short one block walk from Rosslyn Chapel. This is the famed resting
place of the grail according to Dan Brown’s ‘Da Vinci
Code’.
Rosslyn Chapel is often called a ‘bible in stone’ and
contains magically carved scenes from the Old and New Testament
and the Garden of Eden. Many Rosslyn legends speak of the Holy Grail
being contained in the exquisitely carved stone Apprentice Pillar
of the chapel. Legends tell of lost treasure and ancient scrolls
of Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem being uncovered by the Knights
Templar and hidden beneath the chapel or its nearby Rosslyn Castle.
We may even meet the enigmatic White Lady, guardian of the castle
treasure….she is often summoned by our songs! And a hike into
the natural beauty and elemental magic of Roslin Glen will surely
enchant us all. (See article Magdalene—Mistress
of the Grail on this website.)
In
Edinburgh, we will see enchanting and historically rich medieval
architecture and have optional visits to Edinburgh Castle with its
St. Margaret’s Chapel, St. Giles Cathedral with Magdalene
and Unicorn windows, the Poisson and Rafael original art at Scotland’s
National Galleries or the Museums filled with Pictish, Celtic and
Medieval history. Templar archivist, historian and author Robert
Brydon and/or his amazing assistant Mark Naples will meet with us
and share some of the ancient knowledge of Rosslyn and the Knights
Templar. (Both Robert and Mark are Templars). We will drive to Temple
Village (Ballantrodoch) and Temple Church the first Templar site
established in Scotland in the 12th century, an area close to Rosslyn
and steeped in ancient Templar mysteries.
We will meet with a very special friend and one of Earth’s
premier visionary authors, Gordon Strachan at the prestigious Edinburgh
Overseas Club. This is a private club where writers and scholars
on the leading edge gather and converse. Gordon is author of Jesus
The Master Builder, The Return of Merlin, Chartres—Sacred
Geometry, Sacred Space, The Bible’s Hidden Cosmology.
June 26 Our Edinburgh Coach takes us to Edinburgh Airport for departures.
Our arrival at the airport will be about 7:30 am.
Print
Itinerary for Pilgrimage of Magdalene and the Holy Grail
“May
the circle be open but unbroken
May the love of the Goddess be ever in your hearts,
Merry meet and merry part—merry meet again!”
Traditional
Celtic parting song
“The essence of the Magdalene not only represents the
Bride of Christ but also a group of people who are married to the
Light…The encoding of the Magdalene is aligned with a deep
love of what is holy, sacred and beautiful….The Portal of
the Magdalene allows access to the inner realms of the divine feminine.
It is a temple of healing, a mirrored room that will only reflect
that which has been healed. It allows one to see themselves as whole
and not fractured and afraid.”
Gillian
MacBeth-Louthan
“Ani, I want to thank you for a wonderful experience.
You were an excellent pilgrimage leader, everything went so smoothly,
and I had experiences of places, people, and the spiritual that
have left lasting impressions on my life.”
Jill Dubisch PhD, has joined two of my pilgrimages. She has long
held a post as Anthropology Professor at NAU and author of ‘Pilgrimage
and Healing’ and other pilgrimage books (Available at Amazon.com)
Pilgrimage Background Information
Pilgrimage is defined by Webster’s dictionary
as: ‘a journey to a sacred place or shrine…a quest for
the sacred’. For individuals in today’s fragmented and
fast-paced world, pilgrimage could be defined as a necessity for
spiritual survival. There is a growing yearning to reconnect to
the deeper soul of life and to meet one’s more authentic and
sacred self. Historically, the Grail Quest is a path traveled by
countless pilgrims, seeking to find a way out of the Waste Land
of ‘life as usual’. In Grail legends, the Waste Land
according to Joseph Campbell, is the place where the vitality, spontaneity
and meaning of life has gone.
In La Queste del Saint Graal, there is the story of the brief visionary appearance of the Grail to King Arthur’s Roundtable, yet it is covered with a cloth. Arthur’s nephew Gawain proposes a vow that all the Knights go in pursuit of the Grail to behold it unveiled. That is our quest in the Pilgrimage of Magdalene and the Holy Grail, to unveil that which is pure, sacred and magically alive in each one of us.
Mary Magdalene, the Knights Templar and Arthur’s knights all have in common a guardianship of the True Grail of ancient truth, love, courage, male-female equanimity and the inner mystical teachings that liberate souls. The current popularity in these studies indicates a strong current rising out of the thousands of humans seeking liberation and a return to the sacred, and to our essential nature. (Tibetans would term this Ground Luminosity).
“The
Earth lifts its glass to the sun
And light—light is poured.
A bird comes and sits on a crystal rim
And from my forest cove I hear singing.
….An emerald bird rises from inside me
And now sits upon the Beloved’s glass.
I have left that dark cave forever.
My body has blended with His.
I lay my wing as a bridge to you
So that you can join us singing.”
‘The
Crystal Rim’ from ‘The Gift—Poems by Hafiz’,
translated by Daniel Ladinsky
Our journey into the Magdalene mysteries follows her trail of legends and shrines throughout Britain, as mysterious threads of a woven story – a story whose time has finally come. Her presence is suddenly re-emerging in books, new translations of Gnostic gospels, television specials and film, making her way into our psyches and preparing new ground for healing at least 2000 years of separation of earth and spirit, male and female, and the human body-mind. Magdalene’s legacy calls us to retrieve the fragments of our sensual, passionate natures, and when impregnated with divine love and a spiritual fire, the alchemy of sacred union transforms us. She represents a profound knowledge of the mysteries of the sacred marriage, earthly and heavenly union, embodied spiritual passion and a necessary lost chord in the remnants of the song of the sacred feminine.
“The
people shall rejoice and dance within,
and all the kingdoms shall rise together
as if from the mist of the dreams of humanity,
and forge a union with the divine….
and man shall join woman in the final dance of alchemy.”
‘
I Remember Union—The Story of Maria Magdalena’ by Flo
Aeveia Magdalena
When I made my first journey into the sacred sites of Great Britain in 1987, I had no idea how deeply I would be impacted by the rich layers of Mary's story that are still palpable and readily accessible to modern pilgrims. In Glastonbury, England, the site of ancient Avalon, I was struck with the 'presence' of both Mary's—Mary Mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, in the shrines, cathedral ruins, springs, and even her presence in the land itself. The St. Michael and St. Mary ley lines weave back and forth over each other across England, intersecting at the major archeological sites and early Christian cathedrals. Mary's dragon line moves in a serpentine flow, crossing the straight Michael line in a repeating geomantic Hieros-Gamos or signs of sacred union in the land. On our pilgrimage, we will weave our way to many of these sacred marriage dragon line crossings.
My spikenard sent forth its fragrance.
My beloved is unto me as a bundle of myrrh,
That lieth betwixt my breasts."
Solomon and Sheba's 'Song of Songs'
Mary Magdalene's story as told in the Nag Hammadi and other Gnostic Gospels, indicates her intimate relationship with Jesus, and many of their significant ritual moments, such as the anointing with spikenard, mirror a more ancient tradition as seen in the love songs of Solomon and Sheba. We will use this ancient healing herb as well as other chosen essential oils, to cleanse, align and increase our sacred intentions on the journey.
The Glastonbury Abbey Mary Chapel displays a carved Jesus-Maria stone that most likely indicates their sacred marriage and holy bloodline. This famous abbey was the first Christian church in Britain, and its original humble form of mud and thatch was dedicated sometime between 41-63 A.D. by Joseph of Arimathea. In fact, it was the world's first Christian church above ground. According to the 1922 publication 'St. Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury' by Lionel S. Lewis, Joseph came to the Isle of Glas, an older name for Glastonbury, in about 31 A.D. with ten companions to spread Christ's message. It is said that they were told in a vision by the Archangel Gabriel to build a church in honor of Mary— but which Mary? It is striking that many historical references date the original Mary chapel as founded in 63 AD, the same year as Mary Magdalene's death. Not only the great Gothic Cathedrals were dedicated to Mary Magdalene, but also many other chapels throughout Britain.
(Numerous European legends tell of Joseph of Arimathea traveling by boat with Magdalene and several others to the southern coast of France, landing at a town now known as Saints-Marie-de-la-Mer. It is not known whether or not Magdalene then accompanied Joseph further north into Britain, however in the 2002 book 'The Magdalen Manuscript', by Tom Kenyon and Judi Sion, she is said to have lived in Glastonbury for two periods of time, as well as in Southern France. At Bride's Mound, on the western edge of Glastonbury, there are a few scattered remains of a stonewall from the old Magdalene Chapel.)
On our pilgrimage, we have the opportunity to make our home for five full days at Chalice Well Gardens' private retreat house, Little Saint Michaels. This quaint two-story stone dwelling has housed pilgrims for centuries, and is set right within the famous sanctity of Chalice Well Gardens. Within the gardens are lush flower gardens, several stations where the blood red healing waters emerge, and the powerful Vesica Pisces pools, all providing a place for ceremony as well as time for private reflection. Visit the website: www.chalicewell.org.uk.
Margaret Starbird, in her book 'The Woman with the Alabaster Jar', states, "Some of the later European legends say that Joseph of Arimathea caught the blood of the dying Jesus in a chalice and brought it to Western Europe by boat during the early persecution of the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem (A.D. 42). One chronicler preserves the story that Joseph of Arimathea brought two cruets containing the blood and sweat of Jesus to Glastonbury England, and a staff of hawthorn that sprouted and bloomed when it was planted." (The two cruets relate to the red and white springs of Avalon. And several offspring of Arimathea's original Holy Thorn, or hawthorn tree are still growing in Glastonbury. It has white flowers and red fruits and blooms during the Christian holy weeks in spring, and winter solstice).
The mysteries of Avalon are many layered, spanning the time periods of the Druid, Avalonian Priestess, early Christian, and Arthurian eras. Avalon always gives us just what we need.
"I Am the living grail, the flame of true love, the blueprint* of divine union and beloved of Jesus. Our seed has been sown, our union endures in the human heart and our presence is alive in that shared heartbeat." Magdalene's message to Ani, Jan. 2003.
Because of her presence at both the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, Magdalene was seen by the Gnostics and mystics of the Middle-Ages to be 'The Medium of Secret Revelation.' These same Gnostics also associated her with the planet Venus, a shining symbol of the sacred feminine, the arts and love.
Planetary archetypes are present in the cosmology of ancient cultures, as guiding symbols, way-showers to help us understand the complexities of human existence. In Egypt, China, Babylon, and Druid, Mayan and most native traditions, the world-view included the mirroring of celestial patterns upon the earth and honoring these patterns insured a continuing harmonious relationship between earth and sky. The movements of the stars and planets also determined ceremonial cycles and the building patterns of megalithic sites and temples. Author Henry Lincoln in 'Key To The Sacred Pattern' states:
"As they turn, the planets are showing us the mysterious workings of God's hand, expressed in the harmonious movements of the spheres. Each planet, as it revolves in its orbit, reaches positions where Earth, Sun and Planet form distinct alignment patterns...only one planet shows us a perfect geometrical form. This form is pentagonal and the planet is Venus. Creating five equally-spaced alignments over a period of eight years, she draws the perfect, hidden and secret symbol of the five-pointed star in the heavens...as above, so below. The very landscape bears the sign of her secret revelation."
(At Rennes le Chateau, a five-pointed star is formed by the prominent mountain peaks and Magdalene shrines and the star's hidden image is also seen as a secret code within the art of Da Vinci and Poussin, as well as the old parchments of the Priory of Sion.)
Pentagram image courtesy Bruce Rawls at www.intent.com
Current astronomical observations reveal two rare passages of Venus in front of the sun; the first was on June 8, 2004 and the second will be on June 6, 2012, the last time having occurred in 1874 and 1882. These signs in the sky signal the end of a great cycle of time, according to the Mayan calendar ending December 2012, and brings a radiant sun shining on Venus as the harbinger of beauty, love, and the revival of the sacred feminine, which is Magdalene' legacy to us. Notable is the timing of this Venus return and the current growing tide of interest in Mary Magdalene, evidenced by the popularity of the bestselling novel 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown.
Mary Magdalene is said to be the patron saint of the Knights Templar, and numerous signs of her presence can be found in Scotland, including indications of her children and a Celtic Magdalene bloodline! My October 2003 research and filming journey to Britain began at Rosslyn Chapel, near Edinburgh, just days behind the ABC 'Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci 'documentary film crew, ...all of us hot on the trail of discovery. This mysterious chapel, is often referred to as a 'Bible in Stone', or 'Chapel of the Grail' mirrors Jerusalem's Temple of Solomon design. The building of Rosslyn was begun in 1446 and completed forty years later, by Sir William St. Clair, the third and last Prince of Orkney. Members of the Sinclair family claim to be descendants of the Davidic, Merovingian bloodline, through the children of Jesus and Magdalene.
The prolific symbolic carvings in Rosslyn, many of which relate to the Knights Templar, present a striking integration of both Christian and Pagan motifs. According to Karen Ralls former assistant curator of Rosslyn, in her book 'The Templars and the Grail', "Templar, Masonic, Rosicrucian and Christian symbolism...are woven throughout...In many ways, the carvings at Rosslyn Chapel are about the interplay of opposites and complements...light and dark, male and female, life and death."
According to Andrew Sinclair, member of the St. Clair/Sinclair clan and author of The Sword and The Grail', the name Rosslyn ..."is said to derive from the old Scottish ROS-LIN or Rosy Stream, suggesting the blood of Christ." One of the persistent legends regarding Rosslyn is that the Holy Grail is buried within the Apprentice Pillar inside the chapel—possibly the same grail or cup which contained Christ's blood and is said to have been carried by Joseph of Arimathea from Jerusalem, through France to Britain. Could this Grail brought by either Joseph of Arimathea, or the Templars out of the Holy Land, have finally ended up at Rosslyn?
Other sacred and precious items originally from Solomon's Temple and Medieval Europe were brought north to Scotland for safe-keeping. This was out of reach of the power-hungry hands of 14th century French royalty and the Roman Church's Inquisition and many relics are said to have been placed at Rosslyn. "The Ark of the Covenant, the mummified head of Christ, the Holy Grail, lost scrolls from the Temple of Jerusalem, Templar Order treasures...a Black Madonna and more have been thought to lie within its vaults," says Karen Ralls author of "The Templars and the Grail". The Sinclair family history also speaks of the Holy Rood, a piece of the original crucifixion cross, being carried to Rosslyn and buried within its vaults.
Many significant pilgrimage sites across the world are built upon the ruins of earlier temple structures, the locations chosen strategically for the natural earth-spirit currents already present. Common to spiritual centers such as Chartres, Glastonbury, Rosslyn, Iona, Glen Lyon, Sedona, and Mayan and Aztec pyramids, we find numerous crossing energy currents, or ley lines, underground water streams, caves and places of great beauty and power. These are places of pilgrimage, spanning thousands of years.
This is certainly the case with lush Roslin Glen with its winding River Esk, many caves and hundreds of rare varieties of flora. One can easily enter the glen through the Rosslyn Castle ruins. It is said that Bonny Prince Charley and King Robert The Bruce both hid in the numerous caves here. Bruce was the rebellious Scottish king who together with the Knights Templar miraculously defeated the English at the Battle of Bannachburn. When walking through the glen, one senses the strong presence of Elves and Fairy Folk, and it is this magical sense of the sacred here that provided original inspiration to build Rosslyn Chapel.
Ani Williams is a harpist, chantress, sound therapist and writer. She has been guiding pilgrimages to sacred sites since 1987, including South America, Mexico's Mayan and Aztec pyramids, Egypt and Sacred Britain. Having lived in Glastonbury, England for part of every year since 1987, has given her insights into the history and energies of Britain's sacred places, and access to some of its foremost experts, authors and guides. Even our van drivers are well versed in the background of the ancient sites and informed teachers of the rich Celtic lore and legends!
Sacred sound, chant and harp song are woven throughout our pilgrimages, as offerings to the sites, adding to our ability to connect with the sacred aspects of each place and heightening our inner experience. Since 1971, Ani has drawn musical inspiration from the beauty of nature and the power of sacred land to sing the songs of the earth. Her dozens of sacred music recordings and interactive live chant gatherings have inspired people around the world.
Read the more detailed online articles about Magdalene, Rosslyn, Avalon, and Sound Medicine and learn about Ani's recordings of sacred music at: www.aniwilliams.com
Visit www.chalicewell.org.uk to see the beauty of where we will be staying while in Avalon! Go to www.sacredsites.com and www.stonepages.com to learn more about specific sacred sites. Also see the crop circle site www.cropcircleconnector.com
Mary Magdalene: Mistress of the Grail
and Maria Magdalena by Ani Williams
Songaia
Sound Productions
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