Articles

The Cathars

The last of the Cathars were burnt to death at Montsegur, Languedoc, France on March 16th in 1244. This terrible crime was carried out by Christians who had been offered by the Church in Rome forgiveness of all sins, past, present and future if they would kill the Cathars.

The Cathars or ‘pure ones’ as they were sometimes known, followed Jesus' teaching as it was before it was changed so much by the church in Rome. Their religion came from a mixture of Jesus teaching and ancient Egyptian beliefs. In the 10th, 11th & 12th centuries it was very popular in Bulgaria where it was known as Bogolism, which means ‘Beloved of God’. Their beliefs originated from a mixture of ancient philosophy and Christianity originating from Jesus’ teaching, which we now know as Gnosticism and is therefore much older than the Christian church itself.

By the 11th century these Gnostic doctrines had grown enormously in popularity in Northern Italy and the Languedoc in the south of France. They believed in astrology, reincarnation, the law of karma and also practised birth control. As a Cathar believer one would aspire towards being one of their ‘Perfecti, both men and women became Perfecti and as spiritual leaders their wonderful example involved a life of celibacy, a vegetarian diet, a way of life that involved having no personal possessions, an attitude of non violence and much prayer and meditation. However a normal Cathar who had not attained this level of perfection did not feel any guilt as a result of eating meat, having sexual intercourse etc.

Some people believe that the beliefs of the Cathars in the Languedoc were strengthened by Jesus' daughter who came to live in the south of France following the crucifixion with her mother Mary Magdalene to whom Jesus had been married. Jesus had been educated by the Essene brotherhood whose beliefs originated in Egypt, and involved the worship of the Goddess Isis. Women were an important part of the priesthood of this sect, and it has been suggested that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ high priestess and therefore the most senior of his disciples. The Hebrew word for whore is almost identical to the word for priestess! The Roman church denigrated Mary Magdelene and denied her marriage to Jesus in order to prevent people from realising that Jesus' bloodlline still existed in France.

It was the Goddess Isis who gave virgin birth to her son Horus, not Jesus’ mother Mary! Worship of the Goddess Isis and her son Horus continued in Rome alongside the Christian religion until the fourth century by which time it had been absorbed into the Christian religion along with some of it’s beliefs, in particular the virgin state of Isis which was passed over to Jesus’ mother, giving her an importance in the Christian faith which hitherto she had not held. The role of Horus passed over to Jesus. This made it so much easier for the Christian church to convert and absorb the followers of Isis into their own church. Over the next six hundred years the Catholic church in Rome changed in order to have more control over its followers, to the point of offering forgiveness of sins in return for payment and / or the persecution and murder of people whose beliefs were different from the now established church in Rome.

For 1200 years there remained in the Languedoc followers of the much older Gnostic / Christian religion, it’s followers had such a reputation for being ‘good people’ that they were held in high regard by the aristocracy and in particular by the Knights Templar who’s own brand of Christianity had gnostic / mystic origins that went back to King Solomon. The Cathars' beliefs were very similar to the Celtic and Arian churches beliefs were until they were (with much resistance) absorbed into the Roman Church during the 7th and 8th centuries. The Cathars, the Arian and Celtic Churches did not believe in Jesus' divinity, nor did they believe him to be the 'son of God' any more than the rest of us are, but they did believe him to be descended from King David and therefore 'King of the Jews'. The story about him being a carpenters son was an intentional mis-translation by the early Roman church. The other story that was invented by the Roman church that the Cathars, Arian and Celtic churches did not believe in was the story of Jesus' crucifixion and his ascension into heaven taking his physical body with him. It was actually St Paul (who had never met Jesus) who invented this story to give Jesus more credibility as a son of a God. The fact that Jesus had survived the crucifixion was a closely guarded secret and even some of the disciples did not know that Jesus had recovered from his wounds and gone to preach in India. It was vitally important that this secret should be hidden from the Romans. In order for the church in Rome to retain it's authority it was necessary that the Cathars should be annihilated completely. The first executions took place in 1002 at Orleans and Toulouse. These executions continued for the next two hundred years. A lesser punishment than being burnt at the stake involved torture and mutilation, often those accused of speaking heresy had their tongues cut out.

In 1208 the 'Albigensian Crusade' was launched by the Pope with the help of the French King, whose ulterior motive was that he wanted to add the Languedoc to France. The towns of Beziers, Narbonne, Carcassonne and Toulouse fell to the Crusaders.  Finally at the castle of Montségur on March 1st 1244 after a siege lasting for nine months the Cathars surrendered. They were given 15 days to renounce their heretical beliefs; those who did not recant would be burnt at the stake, a terrible end for such gentle people. On March 16th over two hundred Cathars came down to the foot of the mountain where an enormous pyre had been built, they were all thrown into the fire including  the sick and wounded. It has been said that prior to this a small group of Cathars escaped down the side of the mountain taking the 'Cathar Treasure' with them. It is not known whether this treasure involved gold, silver and jewels or was perhaps evidence giving proof of the veracity of their beliefs.

On March 14th they had held a religious ceremony and had made this prophecy. That the Church of Love would be proclaimed in 1986. They also said that they would return in 700 years. I feel certain that many of us who were born in the 40's and 50's are those same Cathars; I was born on March 14th in 1944, exactly 700 years later. We are here now as a result of a powerful commitment made at the end of a previous life to return and as a result of love and good example make a significant contribution towards the spiritual rehabilitation of this planet and its people.

This is much better described in the words used to describe the "Church" by the Cathars themselves, as in their description of “The Church of Love”.

THE CHURCH OF LOVE

It has no fabric, only understanding.

It has no membership, save those who know that they belong.

It has no rivals, because it is non competitive.

It has no ambition, it seeks only to serve.

It has no boundaries for nationalisms are unloving.

It is not of itself because it seeks to enrich all groups and religions.

It acknowledges all great teachers of all ages who have shown the truth of love.

Those who participate, practise the truth of love in all their beings.

There is no walk of life or nationality, that is a barrier.

Those who are, know.

It seeks not to teach but be and, by being, enrich.

It recognises that the way we are may be the way of those around us because we are the way.

It recognises the whole planet as a Being of which we are part.

It recognises that the time has come for the supreme transmutation, the ultimate alchemic act for conscious change of the ego into a voluntary return to the whole.

It does not proclaim itself with a loud voice but in the subtle realms of loving.

It salutes all those in the past that blazed the path but have paid the price.

It admits no hierarchy or structure, for no one is greater than the other.

Its members shall know each other by their deeds and being, and by their eyes and by no other outwards sign save the fraternal embrace.

Each one will dedicate their life to the silent loving of their neighbour and environment and the planet, while carrying out their task however exalted or humble.

It recognises the supremacy of the great idea, which may only be accomplished if the human race practises the supremacy of love.

It has no reward to offer here or in the hereafter save that ineffable joy of being and loving.

Each shall seek to advance the cause of understanding, doing good by stealth and teaching by example.

They shall heal their neighbour, their community and the Planet.

They shall feel no fear, feel no shame and their witness shall prevail over all odds.

It has no secret, no Arcanum, no initiation save of the true understanding of the power of love and that, if we want it to be so, the world will change, but only if we change ourselves first.