CHAPTER 9

PILGRIMAGE

INTRODUCTION


Pilgrimage is a theme that pervades the area of Rennes-le-Château. To undertake a pilgrimage is a humbling experience, be it to the tombs of Christian saints or the Hajj to Mecca, as pilgrims neither expect nor want recognition for their endeavour. They are often called or compelled to journey great distances from their homes and families to a place that resonates with them, and yet the journey is often more transformative than the arrival at their goal. At the core of pilgrimage is the desire to journey to sacred sites, and this responds in some way to an innate urge to connect with the divine. By undertaking a journey of contemplation toward a sacred goal we hope to become attuned to receiving an experience of the divine. The achievement of completing such a journey compounds the relationship between the pilgrim and the sacred object or location, allowing it to act as a physical amplifier for spiritual energy.

Believers have long been drawn to their chosen holy site. In ancient times it may have been the temples of Egypt or the oracle at Delphi in Greece, and today pilgrimage remains a feature of Christianity and most of the world’s other major religions, including Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. Some journey to ask favours and some to ask for healing, while others see their journey as an act of pure devotion, a sign of respect for whatever waits at their intended destination.

THE INNER ASPECTS OF THE QUEST


The outer journey of pilgrimage is also reflected in an inner journey of self-discovery.

There are ways to experience some of the religious aspects of pilgrimage symbolically. For example, a believer may follow the Stations of the Cross in churches in the order that Jesus experienced the events at the time of the crucifixion. Moving from Station to Station and contemplating each one allows for an empathic response to the suffering and trials of Jesus.

Following a labyrinth can perform a similar function. The labyrinths set out on cathedral floors, such as at Chartres, can be walked by believers as symbolic journeys to Jerusalem, the Holy City. But the labyrinth may also be used by those outside the Christian ethos. By contemplating the path of this device you can spiral down toward the ‘source’ and then return, having witnessed many revelations. So too in the Tarot, the journey of the Fool (representing the holy innocent or spiritual seeker) through the cycle of the Major Arcana is an exploration of the archetypes that can be contemplated and worked with as tools for self-development. Even rituals of the Masonic variety can act as condensed pilgrimages.

The journey, whether real or symbolic, serves as an important part of the spiritual path. Ascending a mountain to a church or temple may represent the exploration of higher consciousness – the realm of Higher Self and the path to gnosis. Many religious sites were situated high on mountains, close to ‘heaven’. The act of climbing the mountain symbolically re-enacts our spiritual ascension toward an experience of the divine. This is borne out not just in theology but can also be found in transpersonal psychology, mythology and literature.

The routes of Christianity


Christian pilgrims may visit a vast array of relics and holy sites scattered throughout Europe and the Middle East. Spiritual pilgrimage has come back into fashion in recent years, with increasing numbers choosing to explore the journeys to sacred sites in a traditional manner. In a way they are taking back the term ‘pilgrimage’ from its broader misuse and reclaiming the sacred places from the tourists who rush from pillar to post for their next photo opportunity. Just a single day’s walk with an open mind to a holy place may present opportunities for a spiritual experience.

Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land, culminating in the many holy sites of Jerusalem, began as early as the fourth century CE. By the Middle Ages, the popularity of the major routes from Europe had exploded. Regardless of the authenticity of the site or relic they were visiting, the growing trend of undertaking a long journey to a holy site had become an important spiritual expression for kings and peasants alike. This is where the roots of modern tourism as we know it began, with many pilgrims who had previously lived entirely within the boundaries of their home area, or even village, suddenly traversing Europe and the Holy Land.

The secret diversion


Within Europe itself, medieval pilgrims headed for two principal destinations. One of these was the ancient imperial capital of Rome, the seat of the Church and site of the martyrdom of many famous saints, including the apostles Peter and Paul.

The other site was the shrine of the apostle St James (Santiago) at Compostela in northern Spain. The Guide for the Pilgrim of Santiago, written in the 12th century, states that there were four main routes to the shrine at that time. From these stemmed a number of lesser routes such as the ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ routes via land or sea, which denoted an alchemical dimension of the journey.

‘It was always stated that the pilgrimage of St James, undertaken by many well-known visionaries and artists of all disciplines, was important because the route involved the pilgrim being “both pedestrian and nautonnier (helmsman)”.’

The section between Toulouse and Oloron-Sainte-Marie traditionally passed close to Rennes-le-Château. As on many other routes, a number of sites along the road are significant as part of the spiritual journey undertaken by the pilgrim. However, Sion believes that this section of the road to Santiago was used as cover for a secret destination, a diversion that took seekers into the region of Rennes-le-Château:

‘The true and ancient alchemists such as Flamel journeyed under the aegis of the Camino de Santiago [Road of St James], thus preserving their true intentions and the real place to which they made pilgrimage.’

The alchemist Nicolas Flamel is recorded as having undertaken this pilgrimage and, as we will see later, this is alluded to in Le Serpent Rouge.

To the south of Rennes-le-Château passes an old Roman road that is known to have been used as a route to Santiago de Compostela since the Middle Ages. I have walked a part of the route, though at the time I was unaware that I had joined such a sacred path.

INITIATION


Having left the main pilgrimage route a winding path would pass a number of important sites. There is a fork in the path near the Grotto of Mary Magdalene, and at this point the exoteric and esoteric routes diverge. The entire area was modified, carved and sculpted to allow a three-dimensional journey in the same way that Masonic lodges enact initiation rituals – but in the real world.

The Masonic Rose+Croix degree is said to be the closest ritual to enacting the Via Dolorosa, the journey that Jesus took from his judgment by Pilate to his crucifixion and entombment. It is this journey that is mapped out in the Stations of the Cross in churches. The versions of the Stations at Rennes-le-Château have a number of anomalies including the presence of tartan, as mentioned above.

We know that the Templars, having been expelled from the Holy Land, settled in large numbers in the Languedoc. It is entirely possible that they would have attempted to recreate their beloved Jerusalem locally in order to continue the traditions that they had learned and developed in that city, thus creating a ‘via dolorosa’ that mirrors the journey Jesus takes in the Stations of the Cross. This would then have been adapted by Sion as an early form of initiation into the Rosicrucian degrees of Freemasonry. As Sion says:

‘The environs of Rennes-le-Château were most definitely used for the purposes of induction – induction on a very grand scale.’

The pilgrimage route at Rennes-le-Château visits locations that derive their names from places in Jerusalem. The route is also in view of Father Saunière’s Tour Magdala, which acts as a beacon at various points on the journey. After the tower had been erected, the angle of one window was changed at great expense to both provide a better view of the route and to symbolically recall that Mary Magdalene was considered repentant: a woman who changed her view. This links the route of both the pilgrimage and initiation to Mary Magdalene.

It is likely that the route has varied and developed over the years with the ever-changing landscape, but there would seem to be some key aspects that have survived from as far back as the Templars.

Important though the ritualistic aspects of the journey are, one must not lose sight of the destination. Every pilgrimage must have a goal, a final location of great religious or spiritual significance, and this one is no different.

In search of this final destination we emerge from the Grotto of Mary Magdalene and follow the Ruisseau des Couleurs (the River of Colours, itself symbolic of the iridescent ‘peacock’ or ‘rainbow’ stage in alchemy), due east toward Lavaldieu, the Valley of God. Here there are a number of sites of interest but for the most part they are on private land. They include the pool with its ‘Pillar of Flagellation’ (the Sixth Station of the Cross) and a labyrinth at Rennes-les-Bains that harks back to the old design on cathedral floors. The route finishes at the Fauteuil du Diable (Devil’s Armchair), where the initiate’s feet are washed, reminiscent of Mary Magdalene washing the feet of Jesus. But to truly understand the depth of what is being presented here – the many levels of being that a true initiation works upon – we must immerse ourselves in what I consider to be Sion’s most important release: Le Serpent Rouge. There we may find some clue to the secret that is revealed along the way.