Source: “The Woman With The Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen And The Holy Grail”, By Margaret Starbird, 1993.
The Twelfth Century awakening.wav
This podcast delves into an "alternative" understanding of early Christianity, particularly highlighting a suppressed version of the faith that diverged significantly from what became orthodox Roman Catholicism. It emphasizes how the Council of Nicaea and subsequent imperial decrees ruthlessly persecuted and destroyed alternative interpretations that challenged concepts like Jesus's divinity or the celibacy of the clergy. The text then focuses on Provence, a region in Southern France, as a cradle of resistance and enlightened culture during the "Dark Ages," where dissenting Christian sects like the Cathars flourished, known for their egalitarian views, emphasis on simple living, and reverence for the feminine, often linked to Mary Magdalene. Ultimately, the source argues that the Albigensian Crusade and the Inquisition violently suppressed these "heretical" beliefs, which included the veneration of a "Bride" figure (Mary Magdalene) and the belief in Jesus's human lineage, impacting everything from courtly love poetry to the design of Gothic cathedrals built by groups like the Knights Templar who shared these suppressed ideals.
Topic 1: Divergent Early Christianities and the Rise of Orthodoxy Early Christianity was not monolithic, with numerous versions existing, many of which did not survive. For example, the Church of Jerusalem, led by Jesus’ brother James, maintained a strong Jewish orientation, remaining loyal to the Temple and the Torah, and did not equate Jesus with God. Both James and Peter, key leaders of this community, showed disturbance regarding the version of Christianity taught by Paul. Evidence in Paul's Epistles and the Book of Acts suggests their repudiation of some of Paul’s teachings. Followers of Paul's interpretation eventually scorned Jesus' family and the original Apostles, believing they hadn't fully understood Jesus. The Gospels also imply Jesus chastised the Apostles for being obtuse, singling out Peter for misunderstanding the crucifixion and denying Jesus. Numerous Christologies and heated factional struggles characterized the early church for centuries. With the disbanding of the Jerusalem Christian community after the Jewish Revolt in A.D. 66-74, there was no single authoritative version of Christianity. Some sects were eventually driven out, while others compromised. The Ebionites, considered spiritual descendants of the Jerusalem community, were deemed heretical because their "low" Christology did not attribute divinity to the historical Jesus of Nazareth. Most records and teachings of these "deviant" sects were destroyed, often only mentioned in polemical writings of church fathers intent on exposing their errors. The first four centuries were turbulent, marked by persecution and heterodox interpretations. The Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 established the orthodox creed, proclaiming Jesus as "the only begotten Son of the Father, Light from Light, true God from true God, of one being with the Father," tolerating no variations. Following Emperor Theodosius' edict in A.D. 380, which declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, versions disagreeing with the newly empowered hierarchy of bishops were ruthlessly persecuted and their teachings eradicated.
Topic 2: The Dark Ages and the Arian Heresy The period between the fourth and tenth centuries in Europe, often referred to as the Dark Ages, was marked by general pillage and turmoil due to barbarian tribal movements. This era saw a significant scarcity of written records, with some evidence suggesting deliberate expunging of existing documents. Interestingly, most Western European barbarian tribes were initially converted to the Arian heresy. This form of Christianity, articulated by a fourth-century Alexandrian, denied the doctrines of the Holy Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. Instead, it preached the existence of an all-powerful God and his son, a fully human Jesus. The Arian heresy was widespread in Western Europe during the fifth and sixth centuries. The history of this obscured period has been laboriously reconstructed through documents found in monasteries and cloisters, as well as archaeological discoveries. This research has revealed the tragic history of the Merovingian kings, such as Childeric III, who was deposed in A.D. 751 by Pepin, whose descendants became known as the Carolingians, with Charlemagne being conferred the title Holy Roman Emperor in A.D. 800. During Charlemagne’s reign, arts and letters were encouraged, including the copying and preservation of manuscripts. It is noted that those who lived through this period did not refer to it as "dark."
Topic 3: The Twelfth-Century Awakening in Provence Many European historians contend that the true awakening from the Dark Ages occurred not in the fifteenth-century Renaissance, but in southern France during the twelfth century. This region, known interchangeably as Occitania, the Languedoc, or the Midi (now commonly Provence), was a significant center of civilization alongside Celtic Ireland and Moorish Spain. Provence had been a hub of enlightenment and progress for centuries before the Crusades, demonstrating a strong interest in Islamic and Jewish religion, arts, and literature, and a remarkable tolerance for new scientific and philosophical ideas. This openness to diversity fostered a level of sophistication in the Midi unmatched by northern European countries. The region is identified as the "seedbed" of legends and heresies, particularly those concerning the Sangraal. Its flourishing culture had been influenced by its enlightened relationship with Moorish and Jewish learning centers in Spain and North Africa for several hundred years prior to the Crusades. Furthermore, a significant portion of Provence was part of the eighth-century Jewish kingdom of Septimania under Guillem of Gellone, a Jewish Prince of Merovingian descent. This area had also been a long-standing center for a cult of Mary Magdalen, evidenced by numerous chapels, fountains, and landmarks bearing her name. She was revered as the patron saint of gardens and vineyards, a mediatrix of fertility, beauty, and joy, associated with ancient love goddesses. The cult of the Rose, an anagram of Eros, also flourished in Provence, indicating a deep connection to themes of love and the feminine.
Topic 4: The Changing Status of Women and the Feminine Principle A profound social change in twelfth-century Europe was a growing appreciation of the feminine, a radical shift rooted in Provence, which stood in stark contrast to the prevalent misogynistic attitudes of the medieval world. Medieval hostility towards women stemmed from the stated positions of church fathers, partly based on the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. Writings by Christian patriarchs like Saint Augustine of Hippo and Saint Jerome viewed women as morally and spiritually inferior, with later theologians even debating whether women possessed souls. Women, sex, and the human body, along with all earthly pleasures, were officially condemned as distractions luring men away from the spiritual path. Medieval Christian beliefs were radically dualistic, equating the material world, the flesh, the devil, and women as sources of evil that impeded spiritual union with God. Desires of the flesh were to be scorned. Saint Augustine's views, heavily influenced by the Manichaean heresy (which he followed before converting to Christianity), contributed significantly to attitudes towards women and sex. Mani, the founder of Manichaeanism, taught that the Old Testament god was a demigod who created a world of evils, trapping pure spirits in human flesh. Logically, women were seen as primary agents in perpetuating the miseries of the physical world, and conception of children was discouraged. Augustine, despite his conversion, carried remnants of this dualistic worldview and basic misogyny into his interpretations of Catholic doctrine. In contrast, women in medieval Europe generally lacked legal rights, were dependents of fathers or husbands, excluded from civic life, and owned no property, being considered mere chattels. The significant exception was southern France, where women held many fiefs and manors by inheritance as early as the tenth century, possibly due to ties to egalitarian Roman practices or ancient tribal traditions. This area had a strong history of honoring women, especially during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) is cited as a classic example of a "liberated woman" whose power plays as a wife and mother of kings profoundly impacted Europe.
Topic 5: The Crusades and the Rise of Grail Legends The Crusades are often cited as catalysts for Europe's cultural reawakening after the Dark Ages, though Provence had already fostered an enlightened culture through its interaction with Moorish and Jewish learning. Peter the Hermit, the monk who instigated the First Crusade in the late eleventh century, preached a "holy war" to reclaim Jerusalem from the Saracens. His message, often delivered with an hourglass as a symbol, urged the restoration of the Holy City and the rebuilding of the Temple, destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. However, Peter and his influential friends had a secret agenda: to place a descendant of David’s line on the throne of Jerusalem, thereby "assisting God" in bringing about the prophesied millennium of peace. In 1099, the Crusaders achieved their goal, defeating the Saracens. Godfroi of Lorraine, a nobleman allegedly of Merovingian lineage, was offered the title Baron of Jerusalem. This political coup satisfied those who orchestrated it, as a scion of David was seemingly restored to Jerusalem. Following this, numerous stories, poems, songs, and eventually the Grail legends themselves, began to flourish. An emerging culture across Christendom extolled Godfroi, the Crusaders, and "Our Lady." The source suggests that the cultural seeds for these developments were originally carried to western Europe by Mary Magdalen and germinated in the fertile soil of Provence. The naming of Godfroi's heirs as King of Jerusalem further emboldened poets to freely spin tales and legends of the Sangraal, broadly hinting at the prestige and role of the Grail Family. Grail romances, including Parsifal's search and the legends of King Arthur, proliferated, always with the Grail as the central motif. Prominent twelfth-century court poets like Guiot de Provins, Robert de Boron, Chrétien de Troyes, Walter Map, and Wolfram von Eschenbach contributed to these early Grail epics. The original "Sangraal" of Old French legends is presented as a distinctly Christian myth, much older than the Moorish presence in Spain or even the faith of Islam, and indigenous to Provence. Early legends indicate it was brought ashore in A.D. 42 at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
Topic 6: The Knights Templar and Their Esoteric Connections The Order of the Knights Templar, a powerful chivalric order of warrior-clerics, emerged in the first decades of the twelfth century following the recapture of Jerusalem. They enjoyed significant papal and royal favor for nearly two centuries before their annihilation on charges of heresy in the early fourteenth century. Research suggests the Templars were closely involved with heretical Christian sects that believed Jesus was fully human and married, that his royal blood flowed in the veins of noble Provençal families, and that Hebrew messianic promises would be fulfilled in a descendant of Jesus. Many Templars originated from noble families in Provence, a region historically independent of official Roman doctrines. The Templars are believed to have had access to esoteric wisdom from the classical world, possibly preserved in Islamic sources, which informed their knowledge of mathematics and engineering. This knowledge gave rise to the Gothic architectural style, which spread rapidly across Europe from 1130 to 1250, characterized by its delicate balance, harmony, and dedication to "Our Lady." Many of these cathedrals, including Chartres, are believed to have been designed and constructed under Templar influence, indicating a technological and geometric understanding far beyond previous European practices. A strong connection is noted between the Templars and the development of the masons' craft and guilds that built Europe's Gothic cathedrals. The Templars planned and financed these structures, and stonemason guilds implemented their designs, reportedly embedding their faith, expressed through mathematics and symbol, into the cathedrals. A paramount tenet of this faith was the cosmic principle of harmony between male and female energies. The guild of masons who built Chartres and other French cathedrals called themselves the "Children of Solomon," a reference to King David's son who built the first Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. This name also connects to Solomon's renowned wisdom, his supposed authorship of the Song of Songs, and his seeking Wisdom as his bride, linking the builders to ancient Jewish wisdom traditions and their goal of restoring the feminine principle. After the Templars were dissolved in 1307, some escaped and later surfaced in Scotland. Much of their lore was "reincarnated" in the secret fraternity of Freemasons centuries later, with significant "fossil evidence" connecting modern Freemasons to the Templars. Freemasonry draws heavily on the symbolism of Solomon's Temple, and the master architect Hiram of Tyre, a "widow's son" prominent in Masonic ritual, is seen as a prototype of alchemists and a symbolic reference to Jesus as the "master builder" of the New Covenant whose "master plan" was lost or corrupted. The "sons of the widow" epithet, significant in Freemasonry and applied to Parsifal in the Grail poem, also alludes to the desolate "Widow Jerusalem," the royal Jewish bloodline of David, and ultimately, those descended from the "widow of Jesus."
Topic 7: The Heresies of Provence: Cathars and Their Practices Provence never fully embraced the orthodox version of Roman Catholicism, nurturing various "alternative Gospels" such as the Arian heresy and later the Cathar and Waldensian heresies. The term "Albigensian" originated in A.D. 1165 after a church council in Albi condemned the heretics of the Midi, particularly the Cathars, leading to the indiscriminate use of the term for all regional heretics. The people of this area were notably tolerant of Jewish and Moorish cultures, embracing their philosophical and esoteric traditions and openly criticizing the hierarchy of the Roman Church, which was widely admitted to be corrupt and abusive during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. A significant disconnect often existed between the Church's preaching and its practice. The Mediterranean coast of France was a hub of cross-pollinating stimuli, with freedom as a rallying cry. Provençal families valued independence and resisted becoming Rome's minions or allies of the French king. The Cathar heresy, with an increasing hold in the twelfth century, appealed to simple farmers and peasants. These "pure ones," or Cathari, were itinerant preachers who lived humbly, shared bread, worked in fields, and urged followers to live simply, in the spirit of Jesus. Known as "credants," they believed their Christianity was purer and older than orthodoxy, closer to Jesus' and the Apostles' original teachings. They were often vegetarian and pacifist, practicing a charismatic form of Christianity similar to the early church described in the Book of Acts. Surviving Inquisition documents confirm Catharism's ancient and pure roots, reflecting primitive Christianity's vigor. While accused of Manichaeanism and radical dualism by the Inquisition, surviving Cathar documents do not mention Mani, suggesting their roots are more likely in first-century Christian practice and Judeo-Christian apocalyptic dualism, similar to the Qumran community. Their focus on spiritual life and limited enthusiasm for marriage (due to its condemnation of the spirit to fleshly existence) echoed early Judeo-Christian beliefs. Despite accusations of undermining family, noble families adhering to Catharism survived, indicating they likely refused orthodox wedding ceremonies and Roman Church baptism not to reject marriage itself, but because they considered those rituals invalid or unnecessary. Cathars preached a lifestyle of simple living and radical faith in God's constant presence and guidance, aligning with Jesus' own view that the devil was "Prince of this world." They were likely literal adherents to the Gospels, owning copies. For these Albigensian heretics, faith was a life to be lived, not just a doctrine. They called themselves Christians. Their "Church of Love" (or "Church of Amor"—"Roma" spelled backward) emphasized devotion to Jesus as Light Bearer and to his mother and friends. Unlike Rome's focus on rules and prohibitions, their church taught individual transformation into holiness through the Holy Spirit. They honored Jesus as prophet, priest, king, and Messiah—a fully human agent and anointed Son of God—but saw themselves as "earthen vessels" of the same Holy Spirit. They recognized the mythological and mystical depth of Christ's teachings as a path to transformation and its connections to classical revelation and religious consciousness. They did not consider exoteric practices like baptism or Sunday Mass sufficient for salvation; their religion was a practice of God's presence and daily growth in charity, humility, and service, modeled on Jesus' life. Antagonism toward the Catholic Church was widespread in Provence, as people observed the institutional church hierarchy not living the Gospel message, with clerics often exploiting the poor and living in luxury while parishioners starved. Albigensian sects were distinctly anticlerical and antiecclesiastic. Cathars formed their own church, repudiating the Mass and the cross (as an instrument of torture, unworthy of veneration). They claimed their church retained the Holy Spirit conferred at Pentecost, passed on by the laying on of hands, which was their only authentic ritual. Their fundamental prayer was the "Our Father." Two surviving Catharist ritual texts suggest ancient documents directly inspired by the primitive Christian community. Cathar faith did not require a cultic priesthood or church buildings, being practiced in homes and fields. They disdained the need for churches, relics, and sacramentals. Among Cathars, men and women were considered equals; women could inherit and own property and were allowed to preach, a practice common in early Christianity but discontinued in Roman Catholicism, reflecting the high esteem for women, including Mary Magdalen, in the infant church. Cathar preachers, both men and women, traveled in pairs like Jesus' early disciples, sharing food with the poor, working in fields, and preaching a simple, spiritually enlightened life. Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi were so impressed they modeled their mendicant friars on Cathar evangelizing methods, taking vows of poverty and charity. An extraordinary Cathar practice was their insistence on translating the Bible into their local Langue d'Oc dialect and teaching people to read it. This led to numerous paper mills, spurring a resurgence of art, thought, and letters in Provence and then Europe. Cathar children, especially girls, were taught to read, with girls often becoming better educated than boys, showcasing Provence as an enlightened domain.
Topic 8: The Albigensian Crusade and the Inquisition's Suppression In 1209, the Vatican, allied with the King of France, launched a crusade against the entire region of Provence, including its nobility, many of whom had embraced the Cathar heresy. The armies ravaged the Midi for a generation, culminating in the 1244 massacre at Montsegur, a Cathar seminary. More than two hundred besieged heretics who refused to recant were burned at the stake. This "Albigensian Crusade" effectively broke the backbone of Catharism, stifling the cultural flowering that had begun in the twelfth century. The Inquisition, formally established in 1233, relentlessly interrogated and sentenced heretics, executing thousands. The records of the Inquisition are often unclear about the specific heretical beliefs that offended Rome, and most documents of the Albigensian heresy were destroyed. It was not in the Vatican's or Inquisition's interest to preserve documents that might propagate the very doctrines they sought to eradicate. From a historical perspective, the Albigensian Crusade appears to have been an attempt to force an entire region into Roman orthodoxy and destroy families who resisted. Provence's "deviant thought, culture, and underlying beliefs" were seen as contrary to the orthodox faith, leading to concerted efforts to erase them from memory. The entire region was opposed to the Roman Church's hegemony for numerous reasons and in various ways. One fundamental aspect of this deep-seated disenchantment was the indigenous belief in Provence that Jesus was married and had heirs. Mary Magdalen was believed to have lived, been buried, and had chapels dedicated to her there, along with her brother, sister, and friends. Local legends and place names reinforced these beliefs, as did the secret genealogies of their noble families. Following the Albigensian Crusade, surviving daughters of noble Midi families were forced to marry into northern families, likely to dilute the exclusive claims of certain southern families to their special Merovingian bloodline, a tactic previously used by Charlemagne’s father to consolidate his claim to the throne. The "spirit" that inspired authentic Gothic cathedrals inexplicably departed after 1250, correlating with the rising power of the inquisitors, the "rape of Provence," and the destruction of Montsegur, suggesting a direct link between the suppression and a decline in cultural creativity. The attempt to restore the feminine was severely constrained, forcing mystics, artists, and scientists of the "heretical church" to pursue their interests in secrecy, and disciplines like medicine, alchemy, astrology, and psychology were condemned as "occult."
Topic 9: The Troubadours and the Revered "Dompna" An interesting aspect of the Albigensian Crusade's impact on Provence was the fate of the troubadours, twelfth- and thirteenth-century singers and songwriters. These artists extolled the virtues of their "Lady"—a woman of ultimate beauty and lovability, whose servant they desired to be, whose favor they sought, and whose praises they endlessly sang. She was often called "Dompna," the Langue d'Oc word for the Latin "Domina," the feminine form of "Dominus" (Lord), a common title for Jesus in Catholic liturgies. The Dompna was the source of their life's joy and enthusiasm, motivating them to join the Crusades and restore the Holy Land to Christianity. She served as their mentor and patroness, often a secret love whose praises were sung aloud but whose identity and secrets were held in confidence. The troubadour was her humble and obedient vassal, sworn to secrecy and fidelity, with his only reward being ennoblement through association with his Lady. Sentiments honoring Dompna were so frequent that some scholars suggest they were singing praises of the same ideal "feminine" or an ideal Lady, though many poems were clearly addressed to specific human mentors or lovers. Modern scholars of courtly love occasionally propose that the troubadours were secretly Cathars and that this "Lady" represented the Cathar heresy itself, the "Church of Amor," which offered them secret solace and inspired their poetry. Denis de Rougemont's work is cited as suggesting this connection. One troubadour, Peire Vidal, praised courts in Provence known to be "mother houses" of the Cathar heresy. The troubadours were indeed interrogated by papal legates and the Inquisition, which was specifically created to identify heretics in Provence. Their minstrelsy and poetry were found to be heretical. In 1209, troubadour Gui D'Ussel was ordered to cease composing. Many troubadours subsequently went into exile or altered their songs. Eventually, the "Lady" became idealized and immortal, transforming into an "eternal feminine principle" or often the Virgin "Saint Mary." However, the source suggests that the original "Saint Mary" of the courtly poets, their Dompna, was Mary Magdalen, the patron saint of their region, where her cult flourished from the late eighth century and chapels dedicated to her are numerous. She was their "Domina," the feminine counterpart of the "Lord," not a prostitute, but a Lady.
Topic 10: The Lost Bride and the Wounded King in Grail Legends The Church of Rome, perceiving danger in rumors of Jesus' marriage and alleged bloodline, acted swiftly in the thirteenth century to ensure that only Jesus' mother, not his wife, was venerated by the faithful. While all Christians honored the mother of Jesus, the text suggests that the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity implicitly denies the aspect of a wife, leaving a "very real and precious" missing figure: the Bride. This concept intertwines with the Grail legends and ancient mythologies. The flowering of civilization in the twelfth century, influenced by "Our Lady," encouraged various disciplines such as astronomy, mathematics, medicine, mysticism, art, and architecture, often enhanced by contact with Islamic civilization. This brief 120-year period of profuse medieval cultural blooming was stifled by the Inquisition. The veneration of the Bride of Jesus was officially suppressed, yet shrines to the Virgin Mary flourished, attracting pilgrims. The cult of the feminine was redirected, culminating in Mary being named the Virgin Queen of Heaven. A fascinating book, "The Holy Place," describes how medieval Templars practiced sacred geometry in the region around Rennes le Château in Provence, identifying five mountains forming a perfect five-pointed star with a sixth mountain at its center. This natural formation was perceived as a temple to the goddess of love, influencing landowners and nobility to build citadels and chapels aligned to form perfect five- and six-pointed stars on the ground, providing evidence of the region's practice of sacred geometry in the cult of their "Domina," the Magdalen. The medieval Jewish myth of Yahweh and Matronit, where Matronit (the Shekinah) is the consort of Yahweh, echoing the theme of the Grail legends: a king powerless and impotent without his consort. Her loss, following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in A.D. 70, leaves Yahweh reigning alone, with Matronit wandering in exile. This reflects a broader theological and philosophical awareness in the Middle Ages of the need to restore the neglected feminine principle to the celestial paradigm to rebalance society, based on the esoteric principle "As in Heaven, so on Earth." In the Grail legends, the wound that never heals and the stricken wasteland are caused by the loss of the feminine counterpart of the god. Though never explicitly stated as the Bride, the identity of the Fisher King in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parsifal legend is significant: he is Anfortas, a corruption of "in fortis" ("in strength"), the Latin name for the left pillar of the Temple of Jerusalem, Boaz. This name, also an ancestor of King David, clearly refers to the Davidic bloodline and the promise that its dominion would be "established forever 'in strength'." Anfortas is thus associated with the "broken left pillar" of the Temple, symbolizing the broken Davidic succession. The story implies that the "Fisher King" Anfortas—identified as the Davidic "Fish-King" Jesus—can only be healed when the Grail is restored. This restoration occurs only when the "right questions are asked." The source concludes that the loss of the feminine counterpart is the source of the king's wound, and later interpreters misunderstood the Grail to be an artifact when, in reality, it was the lost and repudiated Bride