Sacred Journeys - France
 


Mary Magdalene and Black Madonna Pilgrimage

August 30 – September 12, 2007
Past Tour
 

Tour Leaders: Mark Amaru Pinkham is a noted author, researcher, spiritual teacher, North American Grand Prior of The International Order of Gnostic Templars, and founder/director of The Seven Rays of Healing School. Andrea Mikana-Pinkham is the Co-North American Commander of The International Order of Gnostic Templars. Her greatest passion in life is to assist others to travel to and connect with the transformative energies at sacred sites around the world. Learn more about Mark & Andrea on our About Your Tour Leaders page.



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Tour Description

Join us on this auspicious spiritual pilgrimage to France!


Explore and experience many fascinating mysteries, enigmatic and elusive secrets, and the ancient esoteric traditions of:

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About your Tour Leader:

Mark Amaru Pinkham is a noted author, researcher, spiritual teacher, North American Grand Prior of The International Order of Gnostic Templars, and founder/director of The Seven Rays of Healing School. Throughout this sacred pilgrimage, Mark will share cutting-edge information from his fourth book, Guardians of the Holy Grail: The Knights Templar, John the Baptist, and the Water of Life, as well as fascinating esoteric teachings from his other books, The Return of the Serpents of Wisdom, Conversations with the Goddess, and The Truth Behind the Christ Myth. Mark’s lectures will include a presentation of the history, practices, and secret Holy Grail lineage of the Knights Templar, as well as the secret bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, and the Black Madonna Tradition.
 

Andrea Mikana-Pinkham is the Co-North American Commander of The International Order of Gnostic Templars. With her husband, Mark Amaru Pinkham, she teaches and facilitates classes, seminars and healing retreats in The Seven Rays of Healing School. During the pilgrimage, Andrea and Mark will lead special ceremonies and meditations to connect with the specific energy at each site, for spiritual awakening and transformation.

 

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Tour Summary

Day 1 Depart your home city to Paris
Day 2 Arrive Paris
Day 3 Toulouse/Limoux
Day 4 Rennes-Le-Chateau
Day 5 Montsegur
Day 6 Rennes les Bains and Carcassonne
Day 7 Stes. Maries de la Mer/Arles
Day 8 St. Baume
Day 9 St. Baume
Day 10 Vezelay
Day 11 Vezelay/Chartres
Day 12 Chartres/Paris
Day 13 Paris
Day 14 Depart Paris


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Detailed Itinerary

 

Day 1 – Thurs., August 30: Your home city to Paris
Depart from your home city on your international departure to Paris. En route overnight.

Day 2 – Fri., August 31: Arrive Paris/ Sightseeing Tour (D)
Arrive Paris in the morning. Clear Immigration, Baggage Claim and Customs. Meet our local tour representative for the transfer to our hotel. Lunch on your own. Afternoon sightseeing tour of Paris, including drives by the famous Arch de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, Place de La Concorde, The Louvre and other famous sites. We will visit the powerful Cathedral of Notre Dame, built to honor Mary Magdalene, and alchemically associated with the color blue, the 5th Chakra (communication). Standing on the Ile de la Cité on a site that was sacred to the Celts and their Goddess Culture, and where the Romans worshipped Jupiter and Mars, the cathedral is in the center of the land that eventually became the capital of France. Notre Dame is one of the supreme alchemical temples in all of Europe. We have time here for individual meditation to connect with these powerfully transformative energies….an auspicious beginning to our pilgrimage!

Return to the hotel. Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Paris.

Day 3 – Sat., Sept. 1: To Toulouse/Limoux (B/D)
Check out after breakfast and depart to the train station, where we board the train for a trip through the French countryside in comfort and luxury. Lunch on your own. Arrive at Toulouse and transfer by bus to Limoux, nearby to Rennes-Le-Chateau, heart of one of the most baffling mysteries of the century! Arrive late afternoon & check into the hotel. Group dinner. Overnight Limoux.

Day 4 – Sun, Sept. 2: Rennes-Le-Chateau (B/L/D)
Morning lecture with Speaker Mark Pinkham: “Mary Magdalene and The Black Madonna Tradition”

Later morning departure to visit the Black Madonna at Notre Dame du Marceille outside of Limoux, one of the unusually young and beautiful dark skinned Madonnas. Group lunch at a local restaurant.
We continue to Rennes-Le-Chateau, the small hill top village in the Eastern Pyrenees, that is shrouded in mystery and linked with the Knight Templars, Cathars, Merovingian Kings and the secrets of Mary Magdalene. The village has become a modern day enigma, beginning in 1885 with the arrival of a new parish priest named Berenger Sauniere. While restoring the church Sauniere uncovered something. No one knows exactly what he uncovered, but it enabled Sauniere to spend a vast amount of money. Was it treasure belonging to the Knights Templars or Cathars or some other group or secret society? Was it a set of parchment papers giving information of a family tree dating from Merovingian times and linking the Hapsburgs to the throne of France? Was it a family tree showing descendents of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene? We will explore these fascinating mysteries and more during our visit to this strange area. First we visit the museum with some of the artifacts & parchments that Sauniere found that led him to the treasure, then the Villa Bethania, Sauniere's home At the Magdalene Tower, we will explore more of the Magdalene Mysteries. What does Magdala mean: a tower, a title, an archetype, or mystery? There are many answers. For Gnostics, she is a major mystery at the heart of their faith. Mark and Andrea will help us to unravel some of this mystery.

Return to the hotel for our group dinner this evening. Overnight Limoux.

Day 5 – Mon., Sept. 3: Montsegur (B/D)
We depart after breakfast to spend a full day in Cathar country visiting Montsegur, the last Cathar stronghold. On the way Mark and Andrea will share information about the Cathar Heresy and Montsegur. Below Montsegur lies a peaceful meadow named "Field of the Burned", indicating the grim event that took place there a little over 700 years ago in March 1244, when 205 Cathars were burned alive on the site, rather than renounce their creed. Before their final defeat at Montsegur it is believed that much of their wealth, and/or Knights Templar wealth, was secretly slipped out of Montsegur. Legend says that four men made a daring escape from the garrison by dangling from ropes on the sheer mountainside. What was this great treasure? Mark and Andrea will share information from their research regarding this fascinating mystery. You have the option to walk to the top to visit the fortress, with its superb view of the surrounding countryside, or stay and visit the on-site museum, and view the castle from below. Lunch on your own at the visitor center at Montsegur.

Later afternoon return to the hotel. Group dinner at the hotel. Overnight Limoux.

Day 6 – Tues., Sept. 4: To Rennes les Bains and Carcassonne (B/L)
Check out of the hotel after breakfast. Our morning visit is to Rennes les Bains, known for its thermal spa, where you will be able to visit the hot springs and take a dip in the nearby thermal swimming pool. Additionally, we will make the short hike to a nearby prehistoric site called Isis's Chair. Why is it located here? What connection does Isis have to the Black Madonnas? Will Isis reveal herself to you? Lunch with the group. Afterwards we depart to the medieval walled city of Carcassonne, visited by the Knights Templars, worshippers of the Goddess. Our afternoon tour will take us through the city for a visit back in time. Late afternoon check in at the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight Carcassonne.

Day 7 – Wed., Sept. 5: To Stes. Maries de la Mer/Arles (B/L)
After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and journey via private motorcoach to Stes. Marie de la Mer. Lunch on the way with the group. Continue to this small town dedicated originally to St. Mary (our Lady) of the Sea; its title later became The Three Marys of the Sea--'Les Saintes Maries de la Mer." A legend originating about the year 1200 CE says that fourteen years after Jesus’ crucifixion, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, Mary Salome, her sister Martha, their maid Sara, Lazarus, Maximin, one of the seventy-two disciples, and Sidonius, the man born blind, were set adrift in a vessel without sails, oars, or rudder by the Jews. They were guided by Spirit and landed in this area. We visit the crypt of the Black Madonna of the area, Sara-la-Kâli, the patron saint of the Gypsies, located in the antique fortified Romanesque sanctuary of the little village. Bring a candle to add to the white fiery forest that spreads in the crypt of the chapel. Near Her statue, you can leave a note with intention, or an offering of your choice. You may see linens and clothing of children, humble jewels, abandoned crutches, and the robes that are placed on the statue and accumulate day to day.
Continue to Arles and check in at our hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight Arles.

Day 8 – Thurs., Sept. 6: To St. Baume (B)
Morning check-out from the hotel. We depart via our motorcoach to St. Maximin Le St. Baume in the heart of Provence. St-Maximin la Ste Baume lies at the northern foot of the Massif de la Ste-Baume in the basin of a dried-up lake, northeast of Marseilles and east of Aix-en-Provence. The little basin was already settled at the time of the Roman occupation. The town became famous, not only for its church, but also as the place where, it is said, the bones of St Mary Magdalene reside. Lunch on your own along the way. We arrive in the small town and visit the St. Madeleine Basilica. After their arrival in Stes. Marie de la Mer, while some of her fellow exiles stayed to preach near the coast, Mary Magdalene went inland, towards the Ste. Baume massif, to preach near the village of St Maximin. A 5th to 6th century Latin document refers to an earlier church document that claimed that Mary Magdalene traveled to Aix-le-Provence with Saint Maximin. She kept the mission that Jesus entrusted to her as the first apostle; she and Maximin preached the gospel in Gaul. She lived there for many years before she died in Aix at the age of 60. When Mary died, St. Maximin placed her embalmed body in a crypt and had a Basilica built over it to honor and protect it. Here we enter the crypt and view what are reputed to be relics of Mary Magdalene – a golden statue with a darkish mask - her skull! Time for meditation and contemplation here in this powerful sacred site.

Continue to Aix- en-Provence. Check in at the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight Aix-en-Provence.

Day 9 – Fri., Sept. 7: Visit Grotto at St. Baume (B/L)
Our day’s journey takes us into the hills of the Massif de la Ste-Baume to the Grotto of La St Baume to the cave where the Magdalene is said to have passed the last 33 years of her life in solitude and ecstatic contemplation, and where she is supposed to have written her memoirs. Perhaps this is where she penned the Gospel of Mary? Lunch included.

Later afternoon return to the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight Aix-en-Provence.

Day 10 – Sat., Sept. 8: To Vezelay (B)
We depart after breakfast on our private motorcoach for our full day journey to Vezeley in Burgundy, a settled pre-Celtic community from at least 900BC, due to the existence of mineral water springs at the foot of the Vezelay hill. The land fell into the hands of the Roman estate of Vercellus (hence Vezelay), then those of the Carolingian Emperors before they were taken over in the 800s by Count Girart de Roussillon. He established two convents that did not survive long due to Saracen raids. A monastery built in a better defensive position at the top of the hill lasted until it too was looted and burned down in the early 900’s by the Normans. Sometime during this period, legend says that a monk named Baudillon obtained some of the bones of Mary Magdalene from Saint Maximin la Ste Baume and brought them to the monastery. In 1037 the ironwork was melted down and refashioned into wrought iron railings around the Mary Magdelene altar. A papal letter dated April 27, 1058 confirmed the genuineness of the relics and sparked such a vast influx of pilgrims that by 1096, the year after the first crusade was launched, it was necessary to build a new Basilica to accommodate all the visitors. The new church was dedicated on April 21, 1104. By 1132 Vezelay housed over 800 monks. In 1147, from the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdelene the Cistercian Abbot Saint Bernard preached the ill fated Second Crusade to a crowd of over 100,000 people. In 1166 Thomas Becket preached the sermon at Vezelay, announcing the excommunication of the main followers of his English King, Henry II. Henry then facilitated the murder of Thomas, the Archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170. In 1190 Kings Richard I and Philip II spent April, May and June in Vezelay assembling their forces before setting off to the middle east on the Third Crusade. The nave that burned down again in 1165 was rebuilt in its present form later in the eleven hundreds using translucent local white and colored limestone; this is the nave that stands today as one of the most beautiful examples of Romanesque architecture. During Europe's religious wars, Vezelay became a refuge for Huguenot refugees who torched the Magdelene relics, though they were not destroyed. Vezelay escaped the wreckers after the French Revolution at the end of the 1700s. In 1834, after the French national inspector of historical monuments warned that it was about to collapse, the rising young architect Viollet-le-Duc supervised a massive and successful restoration between 1840 and 1861. Lunch on your own along the way.

Arrive late afternoon and check in at the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight Vezelay.

Day 11 – Sun., Sept. 9: Visit Vezelay Cathedral/ To Chartres (B)
Our morning visit is to Vezelay Cathedral, to view more reputed relics of St. Mary Magdalene. Legend says that as the monk that was moving Her remains from St. Maximim La Ste. Baume, Mary Magdalene appeared to him at night saying that he should not be afraid but should complete the work which he had started. The monk started home, but very close to the monastery the remains became so heavy that he could not carry them. The abbot and monks of the monastery appeared in solemn procession, and they all took St. Mary Magdalene's remains to their cathedral. The adoration of St. Mary Magdalene has since been accompanied by many miracles. She is supposed to have awakened a dead knight to life, to have aided lost sailors to find their way, and to have returned vision to a blind pilgrim when he had asked her for help in front of the church. As well, she is supposed to have released a prisoner from chains and to have shown the path of virtue to a sinful priest. What blessing of Spirit will She bestow on us, modern-day pilgrims who have come today in search of Her Blessing? Time for meditation and reflection to receive Her gift to you.

Afterwards we enjoy lunch on our own with the group, then depart to Chartres. Arrive later afternoon. Check in at our hotel on the outskirts of this ancient town. Dinner on your own. Overnight Chartres.

Day 12 – Mon., Sept. 10: Chartres Cathedral / To Paris (B)
This morning we check out of the hotel and drive into Chartres, where we explore world-famous Chartres Cathedral. Said to be the capital of the ancient Druid world, the cathedral sits on the site of an important Druid mystery center, and has been dedicated to Alchemy and the Divine Feminine since Celtic times. One of the most famous Gothic cathedrals in all of Europe, it is located on a leyline linking Glastonbury, Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Egypt. Built using the principles of sacred geometry, Chartres has long been a pilgrimage center for those following the Goddess Tradition, as it is associated with the color green and the 4th Chakra energies (heart center of love and devotion). The famous Chartres Labyrinth was an ancient goddess tool for transformation. This original labyrinth is almost 40 feet in diameter, with 12 circles, 11 courses (or circuits), and 10 labyres. The axis mundi of the Cathedral passes over the Labyrinth, symbolizing the way to God/Goddess here on earth. We may have time to meditate with the Black Madonna of the Pillar in the main cathedral area, and/or visit the Black Madonna of the Crypt, who reflects the Hecate and Persephone archetypes. The crypt, a symphony of sacred geometry, is reputed to be an ancient temple of the Great Goddess. This present statue, a replica of the original one that was burned in a fire, carries the image of the Chartres tradition relating to the pre-Christian image of the Virgin Who Will Give Birth.

Afterwards we continue to Paris via our private motorcoach. Arrive and check in at our hotel in the heart of the city. Dinner on your own at one of the nearby restaurants or brasseries. Overnight Paris.

Day 13 – Tues., Sept. 11: Paris - Free time / Farewell Dinner (B/D)
Today you have a full day to rest, relax and/or explore Paris on your own! Perhaps you’d like to return to Notre Dame and come full circle from the beginning of our journey, to spend more time there in meditation connecting with the Magdalene energies. Or, perhaps you’d like to visit La Madeleine, the church dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, located at the Place de la Madeleine, close to the Palais Garnier and the Place de la Concorde. (In French, Magdalene is known as Madeleine, hence the name of the building.) Inside, behind the altar is a large statue depicting the ascension of Mary Magdalene. Or maybe the Black Madonna in the Church of Nuns of the Sacred Heart. Or, any other of the numerous exciting places that might call to you! Lunch on your own.

“Farewell to France” Dinner at a local restaurant. Return to hotel. Overnight Paris.

Day 14 – Wed., Sept. 12: Depart Paris/Return to your home city (B)
Morning group transfer to the airport for your return flight to your home city. Arrive same day.


(B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
NOTE: This itinerary is subject to change due to conditions beyond our control.
 

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Tour Inclusions & Price
 

Tour Price  (To Be Posted Soon)

Tour Price Per Person (Land Only)  USD $ 

Single Supplement  USD $

Prepaid Gratuities USD $


Tour Includes:
Roundtrip transfers between airport and hotels
Accommodations in First Class hotels, including daily breakfast
Additional Meals, as per final itinerary (vegetarian always available)
Hotel taxes & service charges
Sightseeing tour as per itinerary, including entrance fees
Escorted throughout by Andrea and Mark Pinkham
Sightseeing tour in Paris
Bilingual Guides/Escorts

Added Features:
Hosted by author Mark Amaru Pinkham and Andrea Mikana-Pinkham
Presentations on France’s esoteric spiritual history by Mark and Andrea Pinkham
Optional ceremonies & meditations at sacred sites led by Andrea and Mark Pinkham
Special Welcome and Farewell Dinners
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
The Black Madonna at Notre Dame du Marceille
Rennes-Le-Chateau
Montsegur
Rennes Les Bains and the Seat of Isis
The walled city of Carcassonne
Stes. Marie de La Mer and the Black Madonna, Sara Kali, Patroness of the Gypsies
Visit to St. Madeleine Basilica and the relics of Mary Magdalene at St. Maximin La Ste. Baume
Grotto where Mary Magdalene lived for 33 years at St. Maximin La Ste. Baume
Vezelay Cathedral and the relics of Mary Magdalene
Chartres Cathedral, the Black Madonna of the Pillar & The Black Madonna of the Crypt


Not Included:
Airfare to Paris (ask us for a quote from your home city)
Cancellation & Medical Insurance (ask us for a quote)
Meals not included, as indicated in the itinerary
Any items of personal nature such as laundry, drinks and telephone calls.

Any item that is not specifically detailed on our web site or in the final trip itinerary

Tour Price

 

Tour Price Per Person (Land Only)
USD $3408.00
 
Single Supplement
USD $999.00
 
Prepaid Gratuities
USD $150.00



Note: Pre-paid gratuities to cover guides, drivers, waiters, baggage handling, etc. Your Tour Escort will carry and disburse these funds so that you can relax and enjoy your trip, knowing that everyone assisting you is being taken care of properly.

Note: The single supplement is ONLY for those who would like to secure a private room throughout the tour, at the indicated additional price. If you are not traveling with anyone you know and would like to share a room, we will be happy to work to find you a suitable roommate. Per our Terms and Conditions, registration for the tour will be held open until two weeks before the departure date in order to try to match everyone with a roommate. If by that date we have not been able to match you with a suitable roommate, you will be responsible to pay for the single supplement. An early registration will facilitate this process.

 

Sacred Earth Journeys, Ste 220 - 133 E. 8th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 1R8 Canada
Tel: (604) 874-7922, Toll Free 1-877-874-7922 www.sacredearthjourneys.ca