Lepidolite
Dayle in Limoux – Day #36
August 10, 2022On my brutal heat hike to Rennes-les-Chateau on Mary Magdalene’s feast day I lost my prayer/meditation amethyst. It was in my pocket. When I found shade I would stop and rest and I think it dropped out. On the 5th, when I was back and in the book shop, I found a new stone…a crystal…called LEPIDOLITE.
So beautiful. I call it my ‘Alma’ stone, for my great-grandmother, whom I adored.
The Lepidolite name comes from the Greek “lepidos” meaning “scale”. It almost looks fossilized.
It can be found in Brazil, Peru, Russia, Afghanistan and Madagascar. The book shop clerk, Adrian, believes this particular stone is from Brazil.
‘Spiritually, this crystal alone makes any kind of negativity disappear. It contributes to the development of the spiritual senses. It makes it possible to bring out one’s higher self. This stone favours the stimulation of the spiritual senses and the development of the soul. It allows you to have spiritual insight and to be able to interpret the various situations of everyday life. It also helps you to reach higher levels of consciousness and to understand unusual events.
Concerning the chakras, lepidolite opens the heart and throat chakras. (I love. I speak.) It is known to dissipate misfortune and remove blockages while stimulating the third eye (Ajna, I see). It is a purifying stone.’
ℒℴve.
The heat wave continues. So do the fires, evacuations and drought here in France.
From FRANCE 24.
‘The Loire, the Seine, the Rhone, and the Meuse are the names of some of #France’s 🇫🇷 famous rivers that are almost unrecognisable this summer as drought and #water shortages persist.’
From The Independent:
‘Renewable energy can end the energy price crisis and energy security crisis. We can make all the energy we need right here, priced permanently low. There is no global commodity price for wind energy, it gets used where it gets made and we can take a big step towards net zero. We could do this in ten years. Five if we reflected the genuine urgency of the situation. [Jai to that.]
We have all the tools we need; the technology, the economics, public support. We lack only one thing; politicians (in charge) that get it.’
Also from The Independent:
‘The impact of heat is cumulative, and the body only starts to recover when it drops below 80F.
Scientists warn that dangerous heatwaves will become more frequent and unpredictable unless sweeping action is taken to stop burning fossil fuels and curtail global heating.’
Some heat waves have names now. That could save lives.
Treating heat waves more like hurricanes could help us take them more seriously.
by Neel Dhanesha
“Naming hurricanes has been really effective,” said Kathy Baughman McLeod, director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock), which studies climate resiliency. Hurricane-prone communities tend to have what McLeod called “a culture of preparedness and prevention,” where residents know how to prepare for storms of varying intensity. Residents who decide to ride out a weaker storm at home, for example, might board up their windows and store a few days’ worth of water. “Heat waves need that branding, that identity,” McLeod said.’
From Reuters:
‘A huge wildfire that has destroyed more than a dozen homes and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents, some of whom had clambered onto rooftops as the blaze neared, was sweeping through the Gironde region of southwestern France on Wednesday.
More than 1,000 firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft were fighting the fire that has razed more than 6,000 hectares and is still burning out of control.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
France, like the rest of Europe, is struggling with successive heatwaves and its worst drought on record. Dozens of wildfires are ablaze across the country, including at least four other major ones.’
Having lived through two major wild fires in Sun Valley, Idaho…evacuations; when the wind picks up here in Limoux like today combined with the heat, it is very concerning.
︶⁀°• •° ⁀︶
I learned that the building I am living in was once occupied by the Nazi’s during WWII. The man who sold the structure to the current owner remembers hearing their boots on the stairs. He lived here for 90 years. We don’t know how old this building in because the newest owner told me France doesn’t reveal that detail in ownership exchanges. In the various books I’ve picked up recently about this Languedoc region, I’m learning about Hitler’s obsession with the Grail and the Cathars. Marking the Jewish clothes with mandatory Star of David crosses was learned from the Crusades and the Inquisitions during the 12th and 13th centuries, when Cathars were ordered to wear the double yellow cross on their clothing.
I remember learning about his presence during the war at the medieval city and fortress of Carcassonne the first time I was in the region. Apparently his troops were ordered to dig deep in an old well in hopes of finding treasure, the Holy Grail.
From the book ‘The Manuscript’ by Lars Muhl:
‘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 [Duality] in us. At one time or another each person must stop and face his own failures and cruelties’ [p. 135].
From the book, ‘The Cathar View’, edited by Dave Patrick:
‘There has been a Caharism for every generation – – including today’s consumerist society, not just those who seek a new spirituality’ [page 24].
‘Cathars who confessed their allegiances or who were released after interrogation were made to wear two yellow crosses sewn onto their clothes and often forcibly relocate to ares in which there was no heresy. Usually such survivors were Believers., the Perfects were burnt. […] Although it has become popular in modern imagery as an icon of sympathy with the Cathars, it was near reclaimed by the Cathars as their own symbol’ [p. 31].
Cathars considered the cross a symbol of Rex Mundi when encountered as it was a representation of evil [worldhistory.org]. The cross, they claimed, was nothing more than a symbol of world power.
More from ‘The Cathar View:’
‘Peter Maury, the priest of Montaillou, accepted bribes to ignore Cathars who were not wearing their crosses’ [p.31].
A Nazi researcher by the name of Otto Rahn, was sent to Southern France to learn more about the Holy Grail, which the Nazi’s believed was an actual jeweled artifact. He visited in ’31 and again in ’37. He and his cohorts believed that in finding the ‘Grail-stone containing the secret of the origin of the world, they would learn the teaching about the Aryan race that had been los, then found, and finally hidden by the Cathars in the fortress of Montsegur.
In his book ‘The myth of the Twentieth Century, Alfred Rosenberg, it is the ‘awakening of the race soul, which after a long sleep, victoriously ends the race chaos. […] Under the sign of he swastika unchains the racial world-revolution.’ Hitler was a fan. He gave his ‘enthusiastic appraisal of the book.’
[The mission of Otto Rahn at Montsegur, by Cunha Alvarenga.]
It will be interesting to see if Ken Burns covers this part of the Nazi history when he debuts his new documentary on PBS, September 18th.
Here’s the trailer.
https://www.pbs.org/video/us-and-holocaust-trailer-hlj3aj/
And a quick update on Amnesty’s dreadful decision to publish their tarnished and erroneous report on Ukraine war activities.
From the Kyiv Independent:
‘Swedish co-founder leaves Amnesty due to controversial report on Ukraine. “I have now been a member for almost sixty years. It is with a heavy heart that I, in view of Amnesty’s statements on the war in Ukraine, ending a long and rewarding commitment and rewarding commitment.”
Amnesty International triggered a scandal by publishing a report on Aug. 4 claiming that Ukrainian troops are endangering civilians by deploying weapons in residential areas. Oksana Pokalchuk, head of Amnesty International’s Ukrainian branch, also resigned in protest.’
Same. Right on.
À bientôt.
❀
Dayle in Limoux — Day #31
August 5, 2022Marche
Esperaza
Mary’s Grotto
Dinosaurs
Rennes-les-Chateau
Visigoths
Books
Lepidolite
1163
:)
It’s been a day!
On this day, August 5th, in 1163, four Cathar men and a girl were burned for refusing to ‘repent’ after it was discovered they were living in a barn in Cologne and had not gone to church that Sunday. They were called out for heresy and would not deny their Cathar, or Good Christian, faith. So they were thrown into the fire. The story goes that some of the villagers were holding the girl back, trying to protect her, but she would not leave her Cathar brethren. She tore herself away from them and threw her body onto the pyre.
Burnings, you may be surprised to learn, had been very uncommon up to that point, and in the past had sometimes taken place at the request of noblemen for potlical, rather than religious reasons. After 1163, everything changed.
I’ll update soon! My phone went completely dead and it’s taking forever to charge, so I can’t grab my photos. I’ll be back…
(Did you know the first dinosaur eggs to be found anywhere on the planet were discovered in this region of Southern France? One of the many discoveries today.)
U
P
D
A
T
E
Well, an update to the update. I just lost all of my edits…photos…text…two hours just 💨. Poof. Gone. Trying to recover, no luck. Not sure I have the energy to do this all again.
I think, without trying to re-create all my writing, I’ll post photos and give you an idea of the day’s exploration. My phone wouldn’t re-charge, tried outlets and cleaning portals…nothing. Knew I needed a new chord…travel with two or three! I only brought one. So I set out on a reconnaissance mission for a virtual life-line and with the help of a new acquaintance found the store without a sign or a street name. New chord, a charged iPhone, and now access to photos!
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
—John Steinbeck, East of Eden
I’m finding myself drawn to mess, to darkness, to things that are loved to the point of shabbiness, or just wildly imperfect in their own gorgeous way.
Present is living with your feet firmly grounded in reality, pale and uncertain as it may seem. Present is choosing to believe that your own life is worth investing deeply in, instead of waiting for some rare miracle or fairy tale. Present means we understand that the here and now is sacred, sacramental, threaded through with divinity even in its plainness. Especially in its plainness.
—Shauna Niequist
Wildly imperfect. My new mantra.
The day started at Saint Martin’s for some time with Mary Magdalene.
Then the marche with wildly imperfect sites and sounds and aromas and people. The Friday markets are the best…blocks of vendors and local foods. Although I reject fish and seafood as nourishment, I had to capture a photo of this sweet man’s Paella. He was so proud to share his creation. It looked amazing!
Found some more incense and then it was time to head for the bus with my €1…public transportation here is the best…and journey to Esperaza. There’s a church there I really wanted to see, dedicated to Mary Magdalene.
I was dropped at the stop and started walking. Finally found the city center, or place [pronounced ‘ploss’] in this sweet little village.
And then, the church!
So much history. I tried to open the door. Locked. Shoot. So I walked around the church and starting taking pictures…
When I walked back around I saw a woman who looked like she just left. What the heck. Tried the door. Still locked. But! The door next to it that looked like a storage closet was open! I was in. As my eyes started to adjust, that’s when I saw it. Mary Magdalene’s grotto. What. My Gaia. So so beautiful.
Mary is revered in Languedoc. For good reason. Will share more later. The history of the church in Esperaza is that it was built in the 1200’s, and one of the old pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela passesd this way, through the mountains and on into Spain. The town lies in the very heart of Cathar country and intersects the sacred geometry in the region. I spent awhile inside.
The flooring! A want for my future French home.
☆☆•*¨*•.¸¸
☆☆¸.•*¨*•☆☆•*¨*•.¸¸☆☆
Then it was time to find a taxi and head back to the sacred space of Rennes-les-Chateau.
But.
No Taxi.
But.
Found a dinosaur museum!
In this sweet tiny village a dinosaur museum. Pourquoi pas? I mean, who knew the first dinosaur eggs on the P L A N E T were found in this region in Southern France? Crazy.
And this region at one time was more hot and humid than now…tropical, actually. Climate only a dinosaur could love. Also learned that the Ginkgo Biloba trees have been evolving for some 290 million years.
When I went back outside to remove my mask and breathe a bit, somebody sent in this pre-historic bug.
‘To the eternal happiness of all species.’
Found a new number for a taxi service and with the help from the attendants at the museum desk, went out to the road and wait.
Had about a 30 minute wait, so grabbed some Perrier and nuts out of my backpack, grateful for the shade of a beautiful village tree. And a sign. A sign that reminded me it’s my day. :)
Perrier, Blanquette de Limoux, and crème brûlée in the Jardin de Marie at Rennes-les-Chateau. For my birthday! Yep. I celebrated a birthday while in France.
Joyeux anniversaire à moi!
Look closely and you’ll spot another ancient chateau. My heck. They’re everywhere here! The vibrations from Gaia pulsating with history and mystery.
I was able to join a special meditation located in the ancient Visigoth structures, from about 500 CE.
We had live music accompaniment, too. Beautiful. And transcendent. Talk about vibrations…
Then back to Mary Magdalene’s church.
‘She rests at last beneath the starry skies.’
There it is. Mary’s rose cross. l o v e. 🌸
Then it was back to the book store for more books. The young book shop clerk there is so kind and helpful. His name is Adrian. Wonderful softly-spoken sense of humor. It would be so fun to hang with the workers there, discover their stories and lives. I made a discovery through the books I purchased…more music dedicated to the Magdala. Quite lovely. From Ani Williams. Prolific catalogue of music.
Then it was time to call for a taxi and leave the Chateau.
Back in Limoux I had my new books and found a nice little table at the Grand Cafe there on the square, the Place du la Republique, with one of my favorite servers and had myself a yummy little birthday dinner.
Thanks to Hulu, DePauw University, my dentist in Coronado, a pharmacy on the San Juan Islands, and Delta Airlines for all of the birthday messages. :)
August 5, 1163. Will always remember now the young girl in Cologne. The day she was violenty forced to leave the earth, on the date I was welcomed in. jai
À bientôt.
🎈