Dayle in Limoux – Day # 57

Matin à Limoux.

‘In the Talmud it is written, “During the times of darkest night, act as if the morning has already come.” When the world is chaotic we can find peace within our hearts. And then we can share our peace with each other. We can forgive, we can bless, we can love, we can create, we can make space for the new in ourselves and in the world. And miracles will follow. This is a moment of chaos, yes, but simultaneously it is a magic hour. It is the sunset of one world and the dawning of another. Day has turned into night, now the night is turning into day.’

-Marianne Williamson

Pour Guillaume Henri.

First light in Limoux this morning before catching an early train to Arles. So many sites to share, the ancient Roman ruins, and Van Gogh’s cafe. This capture, though, needs its own day. 

Bonne nuit. 

♡

Dayle in Limoux – Day # 56

Les Ampoules sont meilleures! Dieu Merci.

🌸 

After my climb up to St. Salvayre late last week, the blisters are better and time for  new exploration. Heading to Arles tomorrow, where I can explore Roman ruins and basque in the energy and paintings of Vincent van Gogh. In 1888, after two years living in Paris, he yearned for sunshine and the colors of Midi-France, the South of France. Apparently, he was consumed by creativity during his time in Arles, before he left to voluntarily be committed to a psychiatric institution in Saint-Rémy de Provence. 🌻

You know what’s so wild? I was in Denver last summer for my birthday to be with my son and his girlfriend, and my daughter and her boyfriend, to visit the traveling Van Gogh exhibit called, Van Gogh Alive!

It was s p e c t a c u l a r and incredibly moving. And now, this year for my birthday (!), Arles and walk in Vincent’s footsteps, absorbing, Gaia willing, his energy…feeling his presence. Who knew! The Universe. ℒℴve ☆҉  it when that happens.

Incredible, really, the U.S. media has not picked up on what Lance Armstrong and his WEDŪ team did for the kids in Uvalde. Maybe if DT was somehow involved, either dissing it or the providers, they would have then covered it and amplified what collective compassion and goodness can do for a community to heal violent devastation and emotional wounds.

I wrote about this yesterday. If it wasn’t for listening to the Vuelta update on The Move podcast/YouTube, I would not have known the bikes were delivered.

BIKES FOR UVALDE DELIVERED

On August 27th, 800 bikes and helmets were delivered to the children in the Uvalde, Texas community – $269,446 in donations! 

Here’s what Lance had to say about your tremendous efforts.

Thank you for making a difference!

 

From Lance…

“To say the experience was powerful & moving & emotional would be wildly understating the resilience of the children and community of Uvalde, and of the human spirit; but it’s a good place to start. I truly believe there’s an unmatched freedom in bicycles; and in that freedom, there’s power. To all involved, thank you.”

Would love to find the Cave of Bethlehem, where the Cathars reportedly conducted their initiations, for the Parfaits, and many people connected with them visited. Perhaps Mariam of Mandela…and Yeshua. The Rosicrusians ascribed and still ascribe great importance to the space. Some believe invitations continue to take place there in the cave.

P. 422 of the book, The Manuscript, I picked up at the book shop in Rennes-les-Chateau: “…can’t run away from he past, always present and now.”

Ancient Aramaic prayer:

Heavenly Source

You Who are everywhere

Thy Kingdom come

Your will be done

Here and now and for evermore.

Fill us with the power of your mercy.

And free us from the fetters with which we bind each other.

Lead us out of temptation: free us from ourselves

And give us the strength to be one with You.

Teach us the true power of forgiveness.

May this holy moment be the ground

From which our future actions grow.

Amen.

To many of you, this will sound familiar. You may know it in later versions as “Our Father,” “The Lord’s Prayer,” or “Pater Noster.”

From the Center of Action & Contemplation this week:

“Parables are a wisdom genre. They belong to mashal, the Jewish branch of the universal tradition of sacred poetry, stories, proverbs, riddles, and dialogues through which wisdom is conveyed. . . .

We can see the razor edge of Yeshua’s brilliance as he takes the familiar world of mashal far beyond the safety zone of conventional morality into a world of radical reversal and paradox. He is transforming proverbs into parables—and a parable, incidentally, is not the same thing as an aphorism or a moral lesson. Its closest cousin is really the Buddhist koan, a deliberately subversive paradox aimed at turning our usual mind upside down. . . . Their job is not to confirm but to uproot. You can imagine the effect that had on his audience!

Stories were Yeshua’s stock-in-trade, the main medium by which he conveyed his message. The parables occupy fully 35% of the first three Gospels. But one of their most surprising features is that they are not about God. They are about weddings and banquets, family tensions, muggings, farmers sowing and reaping, and shrewd business dealings. God is mentioned in only one or two. . . . Rabbi Yeshua obviously wanted us to look closely at this world, not some other one. It is here and now—all around us in the most ordinary things—that we find the divine presence.”

jai

Drinking Blanquette de Limoux, Perrier, and inhaling the sounds, the music, the French conversation, the beautiful and quiet energy of Limoux, on the Place de le Republique. Merci, Le Concept, for the Wifi. :)

Demain (tomorrow), Gaia willing, Arles!

🌻

Dayle in Limoux – Day #55

After picking up some items at the local supermarket in Limoux, I sat down at a cafe in the Place de la Republicque for a Perrier and a Blanquette and to read my latest Cathar/Languedoc book. I was there about 30 minutes when suddenly this massive wind squall descended on us, turning over umbrellas and tables, shattering dishes and glasses, some folks screaming–the scene turned chaotic in moments. I wanted to take some photos, but my phone was put away and I needed to find shelter. Walking back to my studio I could barely stay upright…intense wind…no lights…lightening…and right as I opened the main door to my place, the rain started. It was frightening. I found this report online.

[Image d’illustration) © Radio France – Cathy Vaxelaire]

by Manon Klein

France Bleu Occitanie

‘De violents orages frappent une bonne partie de l’ex région Midi-Pyrénées ce lundi soir. Une rafale de vent à 103 km/h a été enregistrée en Ariège.

Here’s a translation I put together:

“The sky thunders in the former Midi-Pyrénées region.  Five departments are on orange alert to thunderstorms this Monday evening. At 8:30 p.m., strong gusts of wind were already recorded;  103 km/h measured by the station of Saint-Girons, in Ariège.  Gusts of wind, rain, lightning and outbreaks of fire: strong storms hit the former Midi-Pyrénées region.  North of Toulouse, in Labastide-Saint-Sernin, a fire in a field spread to a house under the effect of the wind. Firefighters are still on site at 8:30 p.m.  They managed to stop the progression of the fire which threatened two neighboring houses.”

I had lamps turned over in my place, windows slammed closed, papers scattered, some books soggy, and I think the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard…constant lightening. Then I heard the emergency responses. That was w i l d. No warnings or sirens. Quiet now.

I heard a re-cap about Bikes for Uvalde this evening. For those following the ‘Dayle in Limoux’ daily posts, you may remember I wrote about the fundraiser Lance Armstrong and his WEDU/The Move team put together during the Tour de France to purchase bikes for all the elementary school kids in Uvalde, Texas who witnessed and survived the horrific and tragic mass shooting at their school. The team raised over $250,000 from listeners/viewers to purchase bikes, helmets, and locks to give to the students. They distributed them this past Saturday in Uvalde. The kids and parents/families are so happy. Some of the families shared with the WEDU team that some of kids haven’t really spoken much at home since that awful day. On Saturday after they received their new bikes, they were smiling, laughing, and talking. They also shared how being a small community, people are seeing kids out and about and riding all over town after receiving their new bikes.

From radio station KURV News Talk Radio:

Around 800 kids in Uvalde received a free bike Saturday thanks in large part to the generosity of Texans. Around 270-thousand dollars was raised through efforts of the cycling community, as well as Lance Armstrong and Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop.

The goal was to give each elementary student a bicycle before the start of the school year to bring them a “sense of normalcy, freedom and fun.” Volunteers spent two weeks unboxing and building the bikes in Austin before they were shipped out to Uvalde.

From News 4 San Antonio:

Operation Get Out handed out bikes and helmets to the Uvalde Community earlier Saturday morning.

The organization funded over 800 bikes, helmets, and other gear for the kids in Uvalde at Winter Garden Produce.

“Operation Get Out is a non-profit organization out of Austin, Texas that provides equipment, resources, and events for individuals and agencies who have gone through trauma, stress, loss, or grief. We provide the equipment so they can get out on nature and water! Two months ago, we were planning and said what about Uvalde? Would they embrace it? Would they need it? A bike is a great tool to Get Out, Get Active, and Get Connected for positive mental and emotional wellness impact.” said Cindy Present.

Former Tour De France Champion, Lance Armstrong, also attended the bike giveaway. Armstrong teamed up with Operation Get Out to transport the bikes and gear to Uvalde, in honor of the lives lost at the Robb Elementary School shooting.

I screen grabbed some shots from Lance and the WEDU team when they were re-capping the Vuelta today. Big smiles and happy families. How wonderful to witness. Lance was getting a little emotional talking about it, in awe of the kids and their families…the community.

Beautiful. 

School starts again for the kids on September 6th, and according to some reports, many do not want to go back to school because they do not feel safe; many still traumatized and will be for a very, very long time. The bikes are a needed, and most likely necessary gift of freedom and encouragement. Deep collective gratitude to the team at WEDU and all the people who donated during the Tour.

Look what we can accomplish together, for each other, through kindness and compassion and service! ℒℴve. ☆҉

Reminds me of this Heineken ad being passed around again on socials called ‘Worlds Apart.’ It’s emerged after Robb Willer, sociology/psychology/organizational behavior professor at Stanford, posted a paper on strengthening democracy and reducing partisan animosity and anti-democratic behavior. He writes they tested 25 interventions to reduce these attitudes. “23 interventions reduced partisan animosity, often sizably, across survey and behavioral indicators. […] Overall, our results provide a toolkit of promising interventions for practitioners and shed new theoretical light on challenges facing American democracy.”

The video received 13 million views in the first month. The premise was, “We know we’re never going to agree on everything but there will also be common ground.”

From a posted comment on the Stanford study:

“The Heineken experiment is basically an argument for some kind of mandatory national service–its ‘ice break’ and ‘bridge building’ tasks show the power of doing something together as a foundation for connection, conversation, understanding.”

Jon Stewart is promoting this, too.

“There should be a draft where every young person has to do one year of something–military, public works–something so that we all feel invested in the same game, because that’s the part that we’ve lost.”

Found one more photo on my phone from Barcelona. This one’s for my dad.

♡

Bonne nuit. Go share a cerveza. :)

🍻

Dayle in Limoux – Day #54

H A P P Y

B

I

R

T

H

D

A

Y

A N N I E  G L E N N! 

❗️

It’s my girl’s 26th today! She’s back in France with Michael, her boyfriend, mid-September to celebrate with Blanquette and gâteau!

We need a birthday celebration in Languedoc! Hurry!

I miss you so much.

{xxoo}

Happy~Happy!

‘On the day that you were born the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold and starlight in your eyes of blue…’

Dayle in Limoux – Day #53

Back to L i m o u x on the 4-hour BlaBla Bus O’ Fun!

Barcelona bus station.

B

A

C

K

to my beloved Languedoc. Next stop, Carcassonne!

Bonne nuit.

💤

Dayle in Limoux – Day #52

B A R C E L O N A❗️

From Alet-les-Bains in southwestern France to Barcelona in northeastern Spain to see my dear friend and sorority sister from DePauw University. A city of trees. So pretty.

And, of course, the architecturally and geometrically glorious Segrada Família. ♰

The Basílica | Sagrada Família is a large unfinished church building in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and is currently the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church. Designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), his work on Sagrada Família is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica.

On 19 March 1882, construction of the Sagrada Família began under architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned, Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete. [wikipedia]

✧        *    .    *    ✧     .   *   .   *
.  *   .    * .’ Light not only shines into the Sagrada Família through windows on the walls, but also through skylights in the vaults.’     .   ✧        .
✧  ✧   *    .   *        .       .     *.     .
✧   *    .     .     ✧     .     * .  *   .

“The book of nature.”

“The great book, always open and which we should make an effort to read, is that of nature.”

According to our docent, as architects and their creation continued onward after Gaudí’s death, some of the initial reaction wasn’t always positive. In particular, this structure shows a nude Yeshua, not, apparently, depicted before. Quite controversial.

And here, we see Judas kissing Yeshua. I thought about asking if it could possibly be Mary Magdalene. :) Re-considered the question after reading the room.

Antoni Gaudí’s obsession, dedication, and faith is fascinating.

All of the diversity of languages represented in this sculpture. Notice the A|G in gold, his initials. I purchased a book mark of this image; so beautiful.

Had to highlight…the Camino!

A plaster image taken from his death mask.

“Gaudí’s primordial soup, Langdon thought, again startled by how perfectly the city of Barcelona dovetailed with Edmond’s curiosity about the beginnings of life.”

—Dan Brown, Origin

In Barcelona, Sofia! Gnostic’s wisdom at every turn on this journey. Here, the name of my hotel.

The concierge headed us into the direction of a fabulous restaurant…I mean, truly fabulous food and service. It’s called ‘Green Spot Diagonal.’

The curry was a-MAZ-ing.

And for a starter, absolutely get the hummus. The best. Marc from Costa Brava, thank you! You made our night so fun. And for the blue bottle. :)

À bientôt.

❀

Dayle in Limoux – Day #51

Day #51 spent not walking, trying to heal the blisters from my 6 kilometer vertical climb yesterday to the magical space that is Saint-Salvayre. Also, keeping my feet in the pool water that is naturally fed from the healing waters in Alet-les-Bains, and the added sel (salt) in the water. I truly think it helped; I can at least walk this evening. And thank you to Rita and George who are staying here at Les Marguerites and brought me some bandages on their return from their day at Carcassonne. My two Bains-Aid strips I brought didn’t last too long. So sweet.

Just about finished with the book from Graham Simmans who lived at Rennes-les-Chateau for 15 yeas, researching, writing, and excavating ruins in Egypt. It’s antithetical to Pauline Christianity and many would consider heretical. Yet, we’ve learned ‘heretic’ means to choose. Many who chose the alternate from Roman Catholic ideology were burned or the heads were threaded onto spikes. Graham’s book has been one epiphany and ‘right on’ after another.

Maybe I’ll find a way to summa the contents. I think I’ve underscored every line in the book. Fascinating and connects so many thoughts throughout history, from the first century of gnostic teachings, and the fabrications of Pauline Christianity. Paul kinda did his own thing. And Graham’s writings, for me, was the thread through so much research and writing.

And Allysha’s book:

Read in tandem. :) Allysha’s book will be a trilogy.

On my balcony in Alet-les-Bains at the villa of Les Marguerites. Our sole mission.

If you explore this region of France, you must visit this magical oasis in Alet-les-Bains. Antoinette and Keith have created this tranquil and other worldly place of healing and refuge for 15 years.

https://www.les-marguerites.fr

Then you can explore Languedoc and find your own historical connections. Gnosis.

Catching an early bus from Carcassone to Spain to see my dearest friend from college who’s in Barcelona for a couple of days…only 4 hours away! Alpha Phi ℒℴve. J’adore living in Europe. Pictures tomorrow!

Bonne nuit.

ღ

Dayle in Limoux – Day #50

✧        *    .    *    ✧     .   *   .   *
 .  *   .    * . m y s t e r y      .   ✧        .
 ✧  ✧   *    .   *        .       .     *. m a g i c    .   
✧   *    .m a g d e l a    .   ✧     .     * .  *   . 

The last time I visited Saint-Salvayre was before times, in the fall of 2019. I’ve been contemplating this day for so long, yearning to be here, pulled to being here.  And as Sir Henry Lincoln (‘Holy Blood Holy Grail’) said to me that day inside the church as he was sitting quietly next to the ancient standing stone, “This is a very special place.”  I captured Henry as he was leaving the church in the small hamlet of Saint-Salvayre near Alet-les-Bains.

Sir Henry died this year on February 24th. He was 92. How I wish I could meet up with him where he lived at Rennes-les-Bains and talk all things Mariam of Magdala and her journeys with Yeshua in the Languedoc region of France. I have so many more questions and perspectives to share. More than that, just to listen to him speak of this history, where ever he chooses to take the listener. “Don’t look, see.”

When I visited this tiny, ancient church/Roman resting place on my first visit, we were in a small van. I had no recollection how vertical! the journey was.  I remember reading recently about Roman garrisons lighting fires in St. Salvayre to alert chateaus in the surrounding area thinking, how could they see it, it is not very high. And when I heard people drive up to the hamlet to watch the Bastille Day fireworks being displayed in Carcassonne, I thought, but isn’t that high, so maybe the open space? Now I know. The views of the Pyrenees are spectacular; just the general splendor of the entire region is on display on the long hike up. The path is six kilometers from Alet-les-Bains and it’s all vertical. I read recently where someone had shared it was a ‘comfortable hike.’ My take? A little different. Some thought processes today in the 95 degree heat…going up.

Starting point: If I lived here, I could climb this every morning for prayers and meditations.

1/4 way up: maybe once a week.

1/2 way up: maybe twice a month.

3/4 way up: maybe just once a month.

Almost there: definitely need a Vespa.

Seeing the sign…f i n a l l y. So happy.

And then, there it is.

Pausing, reflecting, and centering before entering.

Gratitude and grace for surviving the plague and being given the gift of returning to this sacred and magical place, Saint-Salvayre. Indeed, as Sir Henry shared, a very special place, from the shrines to Mary Magdalene, to the painting of Yeshua, still living, being helped from the cross by St. Francis. The messages, the meaning, and the mystery. It’s all of it: the history, the sacred geometry, and the ancient standing stone, where it seems the structure was actually built around.

The stones, the shapes, their placement, all speak to ancient Roman times. Where this structure is placed could once have been a pagan place of worship. Then, in later centuries, a new structure built in the shape of St. Andrew’s cross. The Templars were reportedly here (Baphomet), and it was a place of refuge for Cathars.

Cathar cross.

And here, a shell. Was this left by a pilgrim on their way to the Camino de Santiago de Compostella?

A small ancient water basin outside the door of the church discovered behind thick foliage.

A marker outside of the church, just up to the left. The markings look Greek, or Egyptian. I haven’t been able to locate any information about this stone piece.

I tried to locate the twin trees and other standing stone about 1.5 kilometers away, but couldn’t find it this time. It’s been three years and there’s so much undergrowth and with COVID, very few visitors. I really tried.

I don’t remember the barrier there; climbed over.

By then, my feet were hurting so badly from the climb…blisters.

So after one more repose inside Saint-Salvayre, I started the climb down, grateful to use a different set of leg muscles, although my poor pieds, pas bon.

I stopped at one point on a hill of natural limestone to find Rennes-les-Chateau in the distance…sacred geometry.

Light. It’s everywhere. We just have to see.

I loved today.

Bonne nuit.

🔆

Dayle in Limoux – Day #49

Being in France.

❀

I know. Nothing to do with France, right? But it F E E L S like this.

 ´*.¸.• .¸. ❥¸¸.☆¨¯ℒℴve.¸.¸¸.☆¨¯`❥

Exploring Alet-les-Bains today after a beautiful breakfast in the garden at Les Margarites with Antoinette, the proprietor. A lovely conversation weighted too heavily with all my questions.

Les Marguerites in Alet-les-Bains. It sat empty and unloved for 50 years. During WWI it was used as a convalescent home for veterans. Prior to that it was a holiday home for many who came every summer. Some have returned just to see it, with fond memories from their childhoods. Antoinette and Keith have owned it for 15 years now, raising their four children here. The trees in the yard deserve a historical plaque of their own. Majestic and magnificent.

Here’s a link to their website. https://www.les-marguerites.fr

The grass is brown from the extreme heat and the proprietors aren’t wasting precious water to grow it back. Letting it be.

The population in Alet is about 249, decreasing since the 2015 census. It somehow feels ‘bigger’ walking through the medieval streets. Spotted a tiny market today that the community pooled together to have some needed supplies for those who can’t make it to Limoux.

There’s a tiny post office at the tourist /abbey office. And had to go back to the abbey today, too. Original structure, most likely pagan, from the 800’s.

And in the church next to the abbey ruins, interesting stained glass. Typically, although this method of crucifixion was used as depicted, it isn’t the way Yeshua is depicted being crucified.

Église Saint André is the name of the church in Alet still being utilized for worship.

And images from the village…

River L’Aude.

Love this capture of the ancient fortifying wall, many sections still standing. Very little renovation can occur in this medieval village without the proper permission, especially to the exterior of buildings.

And found an old barn for sale!

Yep. A barn in france.

Demain. Tomorrow! The tiny hamlet of Saint-Salvayre.

Bonne nuit.

❁

Dayle in Limoux – Day #48

Leaving the lights of Limoux for the village of Alet-les-Bains. J’adore. The history, the energy, the healing water, and St-Salvayre. Hiking there this week, about 5 km away from the village. Last there in 2019, ‘before times.’

How will it feel this time? So much more knowledge since my last visit. Part of the sacred geometry, and the Roman road between Alet-les-Bains and Narbonne. Mary Magdalene traversed these roads in France.

Les Marguerites, where I’m staying while in Let-les-Bains. Tellement jolie. I’ll take lots more pictures of the village tomorrow.

Isn’t this a great symbol? Still used today by protestants in France.

The Huguenots were a protestant sect who numbered about 2 (m) in France circa 600 years ago. They burnt the Abbey here at one point because, you know, Catholics. Seriously, we should have stayed with Pagan worship…the sun…the stars…the earth. We’d be in a waaaaaaay different place now.

The best flag in Alet-les-Bains. 💛

Andandand…guess who lived here at one time for awhile?

Oui! Nostradamus! I’ll be at the Faire la fete on Sept. 10th. :)

And, a sweet message from the bed-side drawer in my lovely little room.

..•*¨`*.•

´*.¸.• ❥❥ Bonne nuit. .¸.

Dayle in Limoux – Day # 47

The village people…nope, he ruined that phrase, too…the townspeople, when they meet in the in the little place  [pronounced ‘ploss’], or square, down below without devices or agenda, are doing way more than nothing, they are doing everything. They c o m m u n i c a t e face-to-face with deep compassion and care for one another, and their tribe. They laugh, they dialogue…sometimes with incredible passion…sometimes silence. And it goes on for hours. They sit under the trees with their cool, cross natural ventilations and circulation, living with the heat not against.

    🌱

And I thought of them when I read an email from one of my favorite beings on the planet right now, Baratunde Thurston, a writer and cultural critic. He contributes to PUCK. I learned of him watching Brian William’s ’11th Hour’ where he appeared a number of times with clarity and perspective, which, to me, was always right on. He wrote so beautifully from a place of anguish after witnessing the violent slap on the Oscar stage.

   🌱

I was reminded of the French townspeople here in Limoux when he writes about his travels these summer months in Europe, particularly in Southern France/Spain when he refers to the blistering heat and the climate breakdown. I had some other things to share with you today, yet, I find his writing so profound and important, as well as in alignment with my own thoughts and feelings right now, I decided to share his email, as well as an event he has planned for NYC in September, free for those who join virtually. Sending him a virtual {hug} for that; thank you, Baratunde.

And this is Baratunde’s information about his NYC event next month. And for those of us who can only attend virtually, there is no cost.

_________________

This September 21-24, I’ll be hosting Unfinished Live in NYC. This is an immersive live and digital event that, like me, exists at the intersection of technology, art, ideas, and impact. If you don’t think the future should be a foregone conclusion decided by a handful of tech companies hoarding all the things, consider joining. 

See you soon!

unfinished.com

I saw this synopsis from TMZ today posted after Bill Maher’s HBO show last night. I’ve been feeling this while in France. That is, no online shopping. Everything, every consumption, is purchased locally. And very little processed food. Haven’t seen one Amazon truck or van, even though I understand they do deliver to the area. The point is, the U.S. is catastrophic in its collective energy use, fossil fuel pollution, and junk food, especially in comparison to other countries.

[Bill Maher]

TMZ 

The “Real Time” host went scorched earth on people who like to order 9 pairs of pants to find the one that fits just right … only to return the other 8. Those boxes go somewhere … yep, landfills, oceans … not good.

The visual tells the story … buy a small item, it comes in a big box. Buy 3 items … you get 3 big boxes. When you add it up, it’s kind of an environmental disaster.

And, then there’s the human toll … Americans don’t leave their homes like they used to because it’s easier to push a button than to start a car and drive to a mall. Thing is … Americans have become way more isolated, and it’s taking a mental toll, because we are social creatures who increasingly have stopped socializing.”

Dayle in Limoux – Day #46

TODAY!

From Jessica Rosenworce, the Chair of the FCC [Federal Communications Commission]

“It’s National Radio Day! Did you know that Guglielmo Marconi broadcast the first transatlantic radio signal, 121 years ago in 1901?”

I Do! Radio was my everything.

❧

Today I met a man while having a café crème under the trees sitting at a table outside a local establishment in Limoux. His name is Kumar and he’s from India. He’s trying to save his working money to buy a home in Bugarach, a village steeped in Cathar history, Alien refuge, and inspiration for some epic films. His family lives in Rishikesh and he hasn’t seen them in a very long time. He speaks his native language, very good English and French. Very kind. There was gentleness to his essence. He offered to tour Bugarach with me, sharing we would need to hitchhike since neither of us has a vehicle. After I shared the dangers of hitchhiking in my native country, he assured me we would be safe.

Bugarach is rocky peak the highest point of the foothills of the Pyrenees in Pyrenees near Corbières. It’s nearer to Quillan and Raines-les-Bains as well as Raine-les-Chateau. It’s quite lovely, and spiritually rich. The population is around 235.

‘Nostradamus, the French apothecary who supposedly came from nearby Alet-les-Bains is said to have found the “vibrations” of Bugarach to be positive. The Pic de Bugarach is said to be where Jules Verne found the entrance and the inspiration for A Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

The Nazis are said to have carried out mysterious archaeological digs at the top of the Pic de Bugarach (possibly true) and so are Mossad, the Israeli secret services (unlikely).

Interest in the site had recently skyrocketed with online UFO websites, many in the USA, advising people to seek shelter in Bugarach as the countdown to Armageddon draws near. 👀

Such digs here and at Montsegur are supposed to have inspired the film The Raiders of the Lost Ark. A visit to the Pic de Bugarach is said to have inspired Steven Spielberg’s film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The internet relates stories of the late President François Mitterrand being helicoptered on to the peak for reasons unknown.’ !!!

Bugarach flag.

Esoteric theorists also associate the peak with the Cathars. This is the heart of Cathar Country and many esoteric thinkers feel a strong affinity with the dreadfully persecuted Cathars who held esoteric theories of their own. The last known Cathar Parfit was born near here at Cubiers and was burned alive near here at Villerouge Termenes. The ruins of a Cathar Castle at Le Bezu lie within sight of the Pic de Bugarach. https://www.midi-france.info/030606_bugarach.htm

❧

Where are you watching the Vuelta?!

Pour moi? France. Limoux, France.

Sidebar.

From artnews.com

Did you see this?!

From ARTnews Travel.

One of the largest megalithic complexes in Europe was discovered in Huelva, Spain. More than 500 standing stones were found during a land survey for an anticipated avocado plantation. Located along the Spain-Portugal border, the land on which the stones sit spans roughly 1,500 acres.

The stones were revealed because of the drought.

“This is the biggest and most diverse collection of standing stones grouped together in the Iberian peninsula,” José Antonio Linares, Huelva University and one of the project’s co-directors, told Agence France-Presse Thursday. Linares added that the oldest standing stones at the site were likely erected during the second half of the sixth or fifth millennium B.C.E.

One of the most striking characteristics of the stones, however, was the diversity of their grouping in one location.

“Finding alignments [a linear arrangement of upright standing stones along a shared axis] and dolmens [a megalithic tomb comprised of two or more standing stones topped with a large, flat capstone] on one site is not very common. Here you find everything all together–alignments, cromlechs [a stone circle] and dolmens–and that is very striking,” noted Primitiva Bueno, co-director and pre-history professor at Alcalá University, according to the Guardian.

Carnac in northwestern France is one of the most famous megalithic sites in the world with some 3,000 standing stones.

À bientôt.

👽

Dayle in Limoux – Day #45

[45 is my least favorite number now. Especially out loud. Quiet quitting. :) So, welcome to the day that will not be spoken.]

Today, baguettes and poop.

The French love pain, therefore, I love the French. At the local market I frequent here in Limoux, fresh baguettes morning, noon, and evening.

.80 €.

Yep. That’s it. 80 cents.

And it is the best. fresh. bread. you can imagine. And the aroma. So, pain and fromage and wine. Actually, Blanquette de Limoux. Could it even <get> any better. J’adore.

And the 💩.

In France, at least in Limoux, folks aren’t required to pick up after their pooches. Merde. As in, “J’ai marche dans de la merde. ” I haven’t yet, but oh so close because quite literally, it’s everywhere. The feral kitties do their part, too.

Maybe that’s why these little street cleaners come through all the time. The 💩.

Seems like I remember a reference to this when watching season 1 of ‘Emily in Paris.’ I didn’t realize it’s a thing.

‘As she steps out of her apartment building, Emily steps on dog poop. Disgusted, she decides to take a picture of the dog and its owner and posts it on social media with the hashtag #mindthemerde.’

Today’s memory:

#mindthemerde

I love this story so much. During the Tour de France, Lance and his buddies put a fundraiser together to buy bikes for the kids when they go back to school in Uvalde. Look at this.

From The Move:

BIKES FOR KIDS UVALDE UPDATE

‘There’s nothing better than a bike to help children Get Out, move, breathe, play and release — a great tool for positive mental, physical, and emotional wellness impact!

The children of Robb Elementary will join Flores Elementary this fall, creating a total enrollment of 800 students.

On August 27th, 800 bikes and helmets will be delivered to the children in the Uvalde, Texas community – $269,446 in donations.

Thank you for stepping up and making a difference for these kids!’

mercimercimerci

Bonne nuit.

❀

Dayle in Limoux – Day #44

✿`*•✿ ✿`*•✿.

We are not alone. The wise ones who walked before us have left luminous footprints for us to follow in our own apocalyptic time.

 ‘It takes a contemplative mind to spend months living and working in relative isolation because of a devastating pandemic—and not lose hope.’

♡

-Mirabai Starr

Julian of Norwich

John of the Cross

More from Mirabai.

‘Mystics see through a lens of paradox: dazzling darkness, beautiful wound, the longing that is the remedy for longing. Paradox points beyond itself to a truth that both transcends and includes logic, a truth that is alive, generative, and whole. Such a dynamic mode of knowing demands our complete attention. . . . 

What does a religious woman who dwelt in an anchor-hold during the Middle Ages have to do with you and me today? Julian endured a long and cruel pandemic. The disease ravaged her community and carried off the people that she loved. She learned to shelter in place, focusing on cultivating her interior landscape and sharing the fruits of her wisdom through the window that opened from her cell onto the busy streets of her city (think computer screen and Zoom), where she offered counsel to visitors . . . each day.

And how could a renegade monk, who survived the Spanish Inquisition despite the Jewish and Moorish blood that flowed through his veins, have anything to teach us about flourishing in our own dark nights? John of the Cross illumines the transformational power of radical unknowing. He rekindles our latent longing for union with the Beloved and, through sublime poetry and precise prose, blows on the flames so that they dance back to life in our
beleaguered hearts. 

He reminds us that when everything in us wants to rush out and fix the problem of our brokenness, both individual and collective, the wisest and most loving thing to do is to be still, letting go of our attachment to the way we thought the spiritual life was supposed to feel and the sense we assumed it should make.

Once we step out of our own way, into the dark and empty vessel of the soul, “an ineffable sweetness” will begin to rise, permeating and nourishing the quiet earth, uncovering a resurrection we never dreamed possible: a dazzling darkness, a radiant night, a revolutionary newness
of being.’

(This essay, and others, is included in the Oneing/Unveiled book illustrated above.)

Our ancestors, on standby and ready for our inquiry. Reading earlier this morning from YES! Magazine:

Defenders of the system [Capitalism/Philanthropy] cannot rightfully claim they were not warned. There are warnings against overreach and hubris in the founding myths, literature, poetry, and scriptures of nearly every culture on Earth. In Western literature, for example, the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), for one, is not the creature but its creator, who refused to take responsibility for what he’d done. Herman Melville’s Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick (1851) is a further warning about the penalties that accompany uncontrolled obsession in pursuit of ignoble ends. Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor gave a further warning about the perverse logic of necessity; in The Brothers Karamazov (1879), the Grand Inquisitor says to a silent Christ: “In the end they [the people] will lay their freedom at our feet, and say to us, ‘make us your slaves but feed us.’ They will understand at last that freedom and bread enough for all are inconceivable together … they can never be free for they are weak, vicious, worthless, and rebellious.”

Good essay.

‘Sometime after Adam Smith published ‘The Wealth of Nations’ in 1776, the logic of brute force infected Western economics, informing its underlying proposition that all men (mostly) have insatiable wants that justify tearing up the earth, polluting it, or frying it to death. By this logic, human survival is deemed uneconomical. But why would any even modestly sane person run the risks of destabilizing the Earth’s climate? It is impossible to comprehend the depth of nonsense in waters so turbid.’

The Disaster of Philanthropy and Capitalism

by David W. Orr

C

L

I

M

A

T

E

B R E A K  D O W N

Reading about the fires in Algiers, 38 have perished thus far in this rapid and large burning fire. The planet is burning. Gaia is crying for our help.

France 24:

‘Forest fires that ravaged 14 districts of northern Algeria—a country with an already limited amount of forest.’

The country is south of Spain and east of Morocco.

Everyday I feel as though all news and information should rake away anything that doesn’t deserve what should be the planet’s number one priority: C L I M A T E. Imagine if the media focused on climate like they do president #45. I mean, if we don’t have a planet that is inhabitable, and vast majorities of people are migrating to simply live, it probably won’t matter a whole heck of a lot what he did, what he’s going to do, or what he blabbered about at a rally.

Learning that we can all do our part, however small our gesture or effort, like eating less meat, driving/flying less, removing lawns, reuse, change out older appliances (CFC’s), and lastly, hugely, V O T E for candidates who 1. Believe in climate breakdown and 2. Will work to save our planet, release the grip on U.S. fossil fuels, and amplify every step of progress that could heal our planet, collective micro efforts will create shift. WE MUST ‘LOOK UP.’ From YES! magazine:

100 Things You Can Do to Help in the Climate Crisis
In case you needed help getting started.
A New Social Justice: Solutions We Love

[YES! Magazine]

‘To heal ourselves, we must remember that we are a small part of a much greater whole.’

-Adrienne Maree Brown.

~

Buying real estate is France. Some incredible finds and quite affordable, especially when comparing housing prices in the u.s.a. right now. This is fun. A couple of guys bought a village (!) in France.

More from Julian of Norwich, lyrics based on her well-known and often shared quote:

 “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.”

Receive the gift of healing
from the well of tears;
be washed anew
by grief and sorrowing.

Receive the gift of healing
from our mother Earth,
her deep and dark
and secret verdancy.
Receive the gift of healing
from the shaman’s touch:
the wounded healer’s power
to revive.

Receive the gift of healing
in the arms of love,
embraced in passion
and compassioning.

—

Covid. It is not over. 500 people are still dying every day in the United States. Here in France absolutely no mitigation. Many people are out and about coughing, congestion; could all very well have Covid. Even the woman who own my building, back from the hospital after two weeks, being in a coma and on respirator, will not wear a mask. Or her family. She is getting stronger, her breathing more fluid. Thank, Gaia. Yet she has not fully recovered. So. Doubling down. Again. My heart is so sad knowing how many immune compromised stay in isolation, many away from friends and co-workers…families…because they can not chance being ill. There is still so little known about the disease and it’s long-term effects. From Axios:

‘A new large-scale Oxford University study finds that people who’ve had COVID face increased risk of neurological and psychiatric issues — brain fog, psychosis, seizures, dementia — for up to two years after infection.

• The study found anxiety and depression are more common after COVID, though typically subside within two months of infection, Axios’ Rebecca Falconer writes.

Why it matters: The study, published yesterday in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, is the “first to attempt to examine some of the heterogeneity of persistent neurological and psychiatric aspects of COVID-19 in a large dataset,” an accompanying editorial says.

And Monkeypox, reportedly can infect asymptomatically. And now polio is back due to lack of vaccines in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan; travelers/migrants can bring those viruses into another country, and many parents have opted not to vaccinate. A man in New York who contracted the polio virus is now paralyzed. Apparently, some of the vaccines…not in the U.S….vaccinate with a ‘live’ virus and that can be problematic when they do travel. This is what reportedly happened in New York, according to one doctor. And with our climate breakdown, will be seeing, and contracting, more viruses. The CDC’s choice to basically eliminate precautions, i.e., physical distancing and isolating when testing positive, is baffling. 

VUELTA❗️ Starts tomorrow in S P A I N! 🚴🏻

CyclingNews:

‘The 2022 Vuelta a España starts on August 19 in Utrecht, Holland, and ends in Madrid, Spain, on September 11. The 21 stages include a team time trial, an individual time trial, several flat stages and nine of the often-steep uphill finishes the Vuelta has become known for. 

Two years after the pandemic caused a postponement of the Vuelta a Espana’s Dutch start, Utrecht will finally become the first city in the world to organise the opening stage of all three Grand Tours after the Tour de France in 2015 and the Giro d’Italia in 2017.’ 

Jusqu’à demain.

✿

Dayle in Limoux – Dayle #43

  * .  .   ✧

* ✧  ✧   *    .   *   * .  .   ✧ ✧   *    .     .     ✧     .     * .  *   . ✧  ✧   *    .   * ✧  ✧   *    .   *   * .  .   ✧

* ✧  ✧   *    .   *   * .  .   ✧ ✧        *    .    *    ✧     .   *   .   *✧  ✧   *    .   *   * .  .   ✧  * .  .   ✧ .  *   .    * . .   *   * .  .   ✧

.  *   .    * . There is magic in this world and you’re part of it.     *    .   *

 ✧        *    .    *    ✧   * .  .    -Sydney Azari    .   *   .   * ✧  ✧   *    .   *
 .  *   .    * .  .   ✧        .✧  ✧   *    .   * ✧  ✧   *    .   *   * .  .   ✧   * .  .   ✧
 ✧  ✧   *    .   *        .       .     *.     .✧  ✧   *    .   * ✧  ✧   *    .   *

 ✧   *    .     .     ✧     .     * .  *   . ✧  ✧   *    .   * ✧  ✧   *    .   *   * .  .   ✧

  * .  .   ✧

‘I use my body as it was meant to be used, as a vessel of light, to express ℒℴve. I protect my body against the assaults of modernity from thoughts of

  c h a o s

to the contaminates of the physical environment, infusing my body with the light of the divine.’

-Marianne Williamson

🌼

Marianne’s prayer is basically a Cathar approach to their beliefs. There’s a devil and a god and that everything material (including the body) was the domain of evil, and the ethereal soul was the domain of God and that life was about the keeping the soul GOOD and PURE. To be a light and a conduit for spirit. Baptism was a vessel of purification. They revered John the Baptist. If in this life they did not achieve their goal, the goal of purity, they were reincarnated. Not unlike the Hindus belief of samskaras (earthly conditioning) and moksha, ending the cycle of death and re-birth through purification at the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. The underlying similarities between many religions and faiths is truly remarkable, especially in the Jewish faith and practices in Egypt and Iran. There was a lot of borrowing and re-shaping over the centuries, and yet, the ugly inhumane violence and destruction in the name of those beliefs is beyond understanding. The Cathars would probably just say, “Well, yeah. That’s the Rex Mundi part of this existence, the evil…the devil. The human experience.”

Might be a good time to listen to the ever optimistic Coldplay with their song ‘Humankind.’ I listened to it today after Rolling Stone posted about the group’s new video for the ‘Music of the Spheres’ track. They’re holding on to h o p e for the humans.

Rolling Stone

Coldplay Break Out the Fireworks for Euphoric ‘Humankind’ Video

I know, I know, I know
We’re only human
I know, I know, I know
How we’re designed
Oh I know, I know, I know
We’re only human
But we’re capable of kindness
So they call us humankind

Some of us, especially in the u.s.a., just need a lot more practice.

It rains in France!

And it’s 72 degrees!

Woo-Hoo! Doing the Languedoc happy dance. :)

Now, bring on the flooding since the drought has dried everything and the earth can’t absorb. You know, I think the river already looks higher. They run these test sirens for flooding that sound like WWII air raids. Glad I had been told me about them early after my arrival or I would have taken shelter under the bed thinking Putin had gotten feisty.

From France 24 and AFP News:

‘The French weather service warned Wednesday of flash flooding risks across much of the south, where a historic drought has parched the rugged Mediterranean hills, a day after fierce rainstorms lashed much of the country.’

And the fires. Spain firefighters are having a harrowing effort battling blazes as have many in France this summer.

The Independent

‘Firefighters ran from towering flames as they tackled the Bejís fire in Castellón, eastern Spain, on Tuesday afternoon, 16 August. Footage shows firefighters repeatedly shouting “fuera”, which means “get out,” as huge flames and plumes of smoke close in. The fire has burned over 1,900 acres (800 hectares) so far. Around 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, Valencia’s president Ximo Puig said. At least 11 people were injured after they evacuated a train travelling near the flames through Castellón.’

There’s always music in Limoux! ..•*¨`*♫.•

´*.¸.• .¸. ❥❥¸¸.☆¨¯ ♫.¸.¸¸.☆¨¯`❥❥

With the rain, lots of reading and research today. One of my favorite things is unlimited time and be surrounded by books and journals. Divine grace. Learning so much about the deeply layered history of this area, along with Egypt and Spain. I hope to visit a number of the ruins and villages I’m reading about, although getting there is going to be tough without a vehicle; cell phone service is precarious in some of these places too, to be able to fetch a ride from a taxi service, if…big if…they want to drive to the places I need to go for drop-off and pick-up. I’m going to look into some day tours, too.

http://www.enigmatours.com/EnigmaTours-Rennes-Le-Chateau_en.html

And found another site, too, with great visuals and history of the Cathars and Languedoc/Occitanie region.

‘And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.’ -F. Scott Fitzgerald

My favorite place to be.

https://www.payscathare.org/en

‘I believe the spiritual realm is so enmeshed with the physical that it is imperceptible. I believe in the mysterious nearness of my ancestors, but I believe they are located at the site of my own blood and bone.’ -Fr Richard Rohr

Oui! Or, as they said in Languedoc before they were overtaken by French kings and the Catholic church, ‘Oc!’ Yes. They had their own language, although not far from some of the French language. The dialect is so different here in this region and most likely the reason NOBODY UNDERSTANDS MY SIMPLEST OF FRENCH WORDS. Pronunciation. It’s mauvais. <sigh> Just wrong. It’s going to take me awhile. There’s a food server here I’ve gotten to know and she’s helping with my French pronunciation. So kind. She has trouble saying my first name. It’s very ‘flat’ sounding, I think…just kinda falls, well, flat. But! When I told her my middle name and try putting both together, it was beautiful! Dayle Ann…only she said it with her French accent and blurred the two names. It was parfait! Perfect. I think my new French name is now DayleAnn. My family once called me that when I was a little girl because I was named after my dad, Dale. So, DayleAnn it is. :)

À bientôt.

❀

Dayle in Limoux – Day #42

Just finished my first France journal my daughter made for me at Christmas.

🌸🤍🌸🤍🌸🤍🌸🤍🌸🤍🌸🤍🌸🤍🌸

#Deux!

‘If you think one noble thought in a mountain cave, then it will form vibrations throughout the Universe and will do what can and must be done’ [p.95, The Manuscript].

Again.

‘We all take part in the cruelty of the world. Even when we think we know nothing about it. We all carry a Hitler and a Yeshua in us. At one time or another each person must stop and face their own failures and cruelties. Otherwise they are just projected on’ [The Manuscript].

Indeed. When we forgive and offer grace, and it is not received, it is gravity. [Dualism] ‘Earth is a half-way house.’ And then, it is no longer ours. Forgive: to let go. If the other does not, it is their path now, not ours.

From Marianne Williamson today:

‘With every breath, I breathe in the holy substance that infuses all things.

On this day, I remember and will not forget that love is all around me. I acknowledge love’s presence in myself and others, and breathe in with every breath all the power it bestows.’

Cue The Troggs. :)

—

From the book, ‘The Beauty and Mystery of the Languedoc:’

‘The Languedoc region has a very extraordinary history, full of tragedy, conquer, drama and mystery. When you drive through the sleep villages today, it is hard to imagine that this region was once a metropolis of the highest importance and was at other times the seat of power from which large parts of the world were ruled. That is why it is worth while to have a closer look at its amazing history, because if you know what to look for, you can still find relics of these high times hidden in the most remote places.’ -Julia B. Kingsley

C’est vrai.

Look what I found. This ancienne église (ancient church) in Limoux, set back, and fenced off from the public due to safety concerns. I believe there is a renovation plan in place. Gorgeous. Even the tile. In many apartments and homes in the Occitanie region, the buildings are original, like the building I’m staying in, and often the original tile and flooring is in place, as well as stone walls and cobbled streets. In France they preserve and honor their history. How I wish the stones could speak. If we vibrated just a little more slowly, perhaps we could listen!

I want to hear their stories. It was once a convent in 1358.

I remember what Sir Henry Lincoln once said to me, ‘Stop looking, and see.’

Oui.

“The Holy Grail ‘neath ancient Roslin waits / The blade and chalice guarding o’er Her gates / Adorned by masters’ loving art, She lies / She rests at last beneath the starry skies.”

Bonne nuit.

🌹

Dayle in Limoux – Day #41

One of my favorite writers, Rebecca Solnit, posted this on social media–a quote from Robin Wall Kimmerer, a cherished essay called, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.

More from Robin…

‘Grieving is a sign of spiritual health. But it is not enough to weep for our lost landscapes; we have to put our hands in the earth to make ourselves whole again.’ 

‘Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.’

🌹There is no death. There are only new beginnings. As the sun sets it rises somewhere else. Whether it’s dawn or dusk, the light is always burning, always evolving into greater love.

-Jennifer Rose

‘We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.’ 

-Buckminister Fuller

Reading this quote again earlier today, my mind wallowed to Poussin’s own discovery of the Sacred Architecture in the Languedoc/Occitanie region of France and his painting, Les Bergers d’Arcadie (The Shepherds of Arcadia). Some consider it to be one of the greatest mysteries in France.

Et in Arcadia Ego

‘Even in Arcadia, there am I’

[Images are from the book, ‘Poussin’s Secret.‘]

“Seeing this complex harmony of trigonometrical, geometrical and doctrinal factor so brilliants interlaced, forcibly reminds one of the face that even Louis XIV went to considerable lengths to pursue this mystery. He knew that the Poussin painting held clues to a great secret, and he eventually became its owner.

His interest was no doubt precipitated by a strange letter which his Superintendent of Finances, Nicolas Fouquet, received from his brother, the Abbe Louis Fouquet, after the latter had met with Poussin in Rome. Part of the letter reads:

‘He and I discussed certain things, which I shall with ease be able to explain to you in detail. Things which will give you, through Monsieur Poussin, advantages which even kings would have great pains to draw form him and which, according to him, it is possible that nobody else will ever rediscover in the centuries to come. And what is more, these are things so difficult to discover that nothing now on this earth can prove of better fortune nor be their equal’ [p.23].

❦

Marianne Williamson:

‘According to ancient Asian philosophy, life is not a straight line but a spiral.’ (A go-to doodle!)

‘Every life lesson that has ever been presented to me (which means everything I have ever been through) will come back again, in some form, until I learn it. And the stakes each time will be higher. Whatever I’ve learned will bear greater fruit. Whatever I’ve failed to learn will bear harsher consequences.

Whatever didn’t work in my life before this point was a reflection of my failure to integrate the different parts of myself. Where I didn’t yet accept myself, I attracted a lack of acceptance in others. Where I hadn’t yet dealt with my shadows, I manifest shadowy situations. Broken parts of me encountered broken parts of others. But now I know! That was then and this is now.

The situation is what it is, although we will invariably cycle through stages of denial, anger, bargaining, resignation, and (hopefully) acceptance. The suffering might feel wrong, terminal, absurd, unjust, impossible, physically painful, or merely beyond our comfort zone. Can you see why we must have a proper attitude toward suffering? So many things, every day, leave us out of control—even if it is just a long stoplight. Remember, however, that if we do not transform our pain, we will surely transmit it to those around us and even to the next generation.’

Here endeth the lesson. :)

18 degrees cooler than the average over the last two months, which is actually, or was, the normal temperature this time of year. Read this earlier from AXIOS:

A new study reveals the emergence of an Extreme Heat Belt from Texas to Illinois, where the heat index could reach 125°F at least one day a year by 2053.

• That sweltering region includes St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, Tulsa and Chicago.
• By 2030, some coastal areas in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic may also experience days with a heat index above 125°F, the report found.

The findings come from a hyperlocal analysis of current and future extreme heat events published today by the nonprofit First Street Foundation.

And from director and co-writer of the film, “Don’t Look Up”, Adam McKay posted this earlier on social media:

“This is full on as terrifying as anything I’ve ever seen.”

The recent droughts in Europe once again made visible the “Hunger Stones” in some Czech and German rivers. These stones were used to mark desperately low river levels that would forecast famines. This one, in the Elbe river, is from 1616 and reads: “If you see me, cry.”

[Shoko Asahara Appreciation Consortium]

‘Even a wounded world holds us…’

À bientôt.
❀

Dayle in Limoux – Day #40

Back in Quillan for the Criterium!

It’s back after a two year hiatus because of the plague. Lots of happy people and bikers and music and…refreshments. Lots. :)

Cue the riders!

It’s the oldest criterium in France, 77 years!

And a better capture of the sun dial in Quillan. That’s what we need, more sun dials, and town criers…and church bells. Definitely more church bells. Speaking of…had to go back.

I was born in the wrong century.

Had to go back to the church and basque in the Divine Feminine. 🥀

Love France. This random saint sculpture above a bar at the bus stop. Yohannan is everywhere in Languedoc. And Mariam the Mandala. Big time. Yeshua? Not so much.

Hey! I had a Renault! Not as incredibly cute and cool as this one, though. l o v e

Reading the label…

Instantly?

At this moment, 11:15 pm, or in France 23:15, it is 77! It wasn’t 400 degrees today. Lord. So needed the cool down as fires continue to burn and rivers dry; Spain is getting hit, too, now.

[Reuters]

And so many people, U.S. law-making people, still screaming their blah blah at anyone who will listen, it’s made-up. God bless the u.s.a.

Bonne nuit.

♥

Dayle in Limoux – Day # 39

The Satanic Verses [1988]

Posted by Mikhail Khodorkovsky. https://khodorkovsky.com

From Dan Froomkin at Press Watch:

‘Mainstream media reporters are having a hard time fully explaining the link between the increasingly violent rhetoric acts like Thursday’s attempted attack on an FBI office in Cincinnati.

The phrase they’re looking for is “stochastic terrorism.”

It may not trip off the tongue, but it needs to become part of the media lexicon.

Stochastic terrorism means

terrorism that’s statistically predictable but individually unpredictable. In simpler language,  it is not just possible that someone at some point will do something about it, it’s damn near inevitable.

Calling certain forms of violent rhetoric stochastic terrorism is essential to holding the perpetrators accountable for the tragic consequences.’

Symbol from the book, The Manuscript, depicting the marriage at Cana where both Mariam Magdalene and Yeshua were present, and as presented in the book, where the ‘first’ miracle occurred between the two of them. Their wedding day. Yeshua turns the vats of water into wine. And it was Mariam’s idea, the ‘gate of grace and compassion.’

‘I will show you that which the eye cannot see,

the ear cannot hear,

no hand can touch,

and no man understand through his own understanding.’

-The Gospel of Thomas

‘The time will come when time is meaningless, and place is nowhere. All our concepts wait, but their appointed ending. They uphold a dream with no dimension. At the gate of Heaven are they merely laid aside, before the blazing of the light within.’

-Helen Schucman

Mary’s prayer:

Heavenly source, you who are everywhere,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, here and now and in eternity.

Fill us with the power of Thy grace.

And set us free from the chains which which we bind ourselves and each other.

Lead us out of temptation: Free us from ourselves.

And lend us the power to be one with You.

Aum.

Om.

Amen.

⦿

“This is my daughter, Mariam, in whom I am well please. Today she has received the name Magdalene, the Exalted Spirit of Peace. I have some back to the world in her shape. Bu her power shall humanity understand its destiny. Through her shall humanity again find peace.”

[…]

“Now, in this 21st century, a creative face which is still effective and which manifests itself in the ethereal plane, a new feminine form of energy through Rucha d’koodsha…Holy Spirit.”

The old patriarchal energy has had its day.

• Separatist
• Divisive
• Egotistical

An Earthly flame now dying.

The new power, the Feminine Power:

• Inclusive
• Healing
• Altruistic

“Everything you want to become you already are.”

“Mariam Magdalene was the true founder of esoteric Christianity.” 

What we need, truly need, to heal and re-set is for all social media to go dark for awhile. I think at least six months. Or, bring back the Fairness Doctrine. Or, re-write the dreadful Communications Act of 1996. All probably not going to happen. Maybe what we need, then, is a moment…a day…of reflection and re-prioritizing, knowing and agreeing to the perilous moment the United States of America is facing. Jon Meacham on Friday focused his ‘Reflections of History’ on Lincoln’s Proclamation of Prayer and Fasting. On August 12, 1861, President Lincoln calls for a national day of prayer and fasting.

Lincoln:

Nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward, Secretary of State.

From Jon:

‘Speedy restoration of peace was the key element. So the Union turned to prayer. Not a conventional religious believer, Abraham Lincoln was, however, a man of conscious. A student of the Bible, and an inherent to the school of thought that held that human events were in fact under the care of a providential force. […] Whether prayer made any difference, is a matter of interpretation. But this much is clear, the nation that emerged from what Lincoln once called ‘the fiery trial of the war,’ lived in closer accord with the dictates of the all mighty. And the America that had begun that war.’

The country shuts down for O N E day for reflection and contemplation. No bar-b-q’s and no mattress sales, only prayer and contemplation. 

Here’s the link to listen to this episode of Jon Meacham’s ‘Reflections of History.’

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reflections-of-history/id1563421928?i=1000575851761

Thunderstorms tonight; continuously rolling thunder and lightening. Only sprinkles, though, no rain, and with the drought, so desperately needed.

From The Independent:

“In places, the Loire can now be crossed on foot; France’s longest river has never flowed so slowly. The Rhine is fast becoming impassable to barge traffic. In Italy, the Po is 2 metres lower than normal, crippling crops. Serbia is dredging the Danube.”

Across Europe, drought is reducing once-mighty rivers to trickles, with potentially dramatic consequences for industry, freight, energy and food production – just as supply shortages and price rises due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine bite.

Driven by climate breakdown, an unusually dry winter and spring followed by record-breaking summer temperatures and repeated heatwaves have left Europe’s essential waterways under-replenished and, increasingly, overheated.

With no significant rainfall recorded for almost two months across western, central and southern Europe and none forecast in the near future, meteorologists say the drought could become the continent’s worst in more than 500 years.”

• Climate breakdown.
• Viruses.
• Violence.
• Migration.
• We need that day of collective prayer and contemplation. Jon, talk to Joe.

In the meantime, I’m on baby lizard watch. Apparently there’s been a ‘hatch’ (?) and baby lizards are everywhere. And they’re spastic. And very fast. 😳

Lizards in Limoux.

Please just don’t fall or crawl on me. You’ll freak me out.

Time for yoga. On the floor.

À bientôt.

🦎

Dayle in Limoux – Day #38

“When you’re born into this world, you’re given a ticket to the freak show. If you’re born in America you get a front row seat.“

-George Carlin

No truer words. Miss him. To hear how he would unpack this for everybody, with incomparable humor, massive intellect, and deep concern for all those being mistreated and more importantly, misguided, I would be happy to claim my front row seat.

More exploration today. Found a ruin! Invariably I seem to pick the hottest days to climb. 104. Actually, it might have been 111 at one point. Doesn’t matter. Hot is hot. And it’s hot everywhere. And burning.

I missed the first bus, or it never showed. Not sure. Caught the next one two hours later and headed south to Quillan, located in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Sweet little village.

Tree lined streets, an active place (square), and a Romanesque church mentioned as early as 930.

The squared architecture is our first clue that this one goes way back, although some renovations have occurred over the centuries. Above the entry, or ‘porch’ area, a wooden Pieta.

First time I tried to open the door, locked. Dang it. So walked around a bit. Then I saw the ruin! Started the climb. And then, on my way back, the door was open! Beautiful. The Divine Feminine once again given priority and attention, as so many in this region.

And Joan. ♡

Doing some research on the ruin, the castle, when I returned because I wasn’t familiar with this one at all.

Truly fascinating piece about how things worked and were designed in this 12 century chateau. Catholics and Protestants captured Quillan alternately during the religious wars despite the defensive ramparts around the town [all-andorra.com]. After the Crusades ended, the town became a military fortification to withstand the invasions of the Aragonese. First look, it really does look more like a fort than a castle.

Quite a history.

• First it was a Roman village
• Then a Visigoth fortress
• Then a chateau
• Invaded by Simon de Monfort’s army (bad guy) during the Albigensian Crusade
• Belonged to various kings of both Aragon and France
• Walls dismantled during the French revolution to create platform for canons

From chateauview.com:

‘The classic mediaeval defense system included an exterior moat (renderings),

an exterior door and drawbridge (renderings),

two interior doors,

and archery slits.’ (These knock me out every time I see them. History suddenly manifest…real…the violence and fear…always defending to live.)

The stones from the walls were excavated from the river.’ 

And this particular chateau had working latrines!

‘The southeast and south towers were latrine towers with different functions.
The south tower, with four latrines, served the three levels. Its pit, built in its foundations, was emptied by rainwater guided by a system of underground canals.’

(Rendering.)

[Source in French: http://amisduvieuxchateau.org/chateau-xiie-siecle/]

Back in the village, spotted a building with a sundial.

And a Criterium on Sunday, which I just might return to see. Folks were setting up for it today.

And there’s a marche on Sundays in Quillan, too. Started my day at the Friday morning marche for carrots, flowers, and more incense. :)

(Limoux.)

Tomorrow there’s a marche in Carcassonne. I’ll see if I’m up for another day of being wrung. Weather…fingers crossed…is supposed to relax a bit beginning on Sunday. At this point, I’d be grateful for just a bit of breeze.

Awful development today in the U.S. Collective prayers lifted for Salman Rushdie. Très triste. The prognosis late tonight is not good. U.S. journalists are reporting Rushdie is on a ventilator and cannot speak. Quoting, “He will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged.” Because of religion. Again. And again. And again. A post I read tonight on social media:

“This is outrageous and horrible. I maintain my stance, coming from a religious childhood, that religion is the single biggest threat to humanity since its inception. All the hate, violence, persecution and blood spilled because of it is immeasurable.”

Vérité.

From the BBC:

‘French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that Mr Rushdie “embodied freedom and the fight against obscurantism” and was the victim “of a cowardly attack by the forces of hatred and barbarism.”‘

Something happy?

Oui. 

Bonne nuit.

❀