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Body Mind Spirit Journeys
BRIEF ITINERARY For details see below (You book your own airfare) Arrive Paris, To Chartres Chartres Cathedral (Breakfast/Lunch)
Day 3. Sat, Sept 20
Black Madonna
To Limoux: Black Madonna
Day 6. Tues, Sept 23 Rennes-Le-Chateau: Magdala Tower
Day 7. Wed, Sept 24:
Day 8. Thurs, Sept 25:
Day 9. Fri, Sept 26: Paris: Farewell Dinner (Breakfast/Dinner)
Day 10. Sat, Sept 27: Group transfer to airport (Breakfast)
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Departure: September 18 - 27,
2008
Join BMSJ's Director of
Sacred Journeys, Andrea Mikana-Pinkham,
Receive the loving blessings
NEWS FLASH!
"A remote mountain tomb and a wooden chest of relics from 1st century Jerusalem have been discovered in southwest France by the Bloodline film team. Among the relics are, a simple pottery drinking cup, and a small ointment vase that were said to have been used at the wedding of Jesus and Mary Magdalene over 2000 years ago. According to the priest Berenger
Sauniere (see Day 6 of our Sacred Journeys itinerary below), who is
believed to have hid them away a century ago, they have been passed down from generation
to generation as sacred relics - the true Holy Grail - which symbolized this secret
wedding. The tomb contains a mummified corpse lying under a shroud which bears the distinct red cross of the Knights Templar. Initial DNA testing of a strand of hair taken from the corpse by Lakehead University in Ontario, Canada, has revealed it to have a Middle Eastern origin. These discoveries were found from clues in papers left behind by the French priest at the end of the 19th century which were shown to the filmmakers. When the priest’s hand-written and signed confessions were discovered inside wax-sealed, glass bottles near his village last year, they revealed that he had discovered a tomb of such importance that it compelled him to break with his Church and faith. These finds, and the remarkable story that led to them, can be seen in a new documentary film, BLOODLINE, which follows a three year investigation by 40 year old, English documentary maker, Bruce Burgess into the so-called Bloodline conspiracy in which Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had children and then fled to France. Bloodline will premiere theatrically on May 9th at the Village East Cinema in New York City, and then on the west coast on May 16th at the Laemmle's Sunset 5 Cinema in Los Angeles." For more information about the movie, visit www.BloodlineTheMovie.com Join us on this Sacred Journey during which we'll explore this controversial theory proposed in Bloodline, and more! What is a Pilgrimage? A Pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place to usher one into the
presence of the Divine. Pilgrimage is an important part of spiritual life for many people
on the path. By taking time to separate yourself from the everyday concerns of your world
and spend time traveling to sacred sites full of power and special meaning, pilgrimage
becomes an act of transformation that can change your life in many positive ways. WHAT SOME OF OUR PAST TRAVELERS TO FRANCE I enjoyed the sacred
journey to France with Body Mind Spirit Journeys. Everything was set up for us so well,
making it very easy to just relax and really enjoy the experience. I particularly liked
the time we had for meditation at sacred sites!
FEATURED SPEAKER/TOUR
HOSTESS
TOUR
ITINERARY
After our group lunch at a local restaurant, we return to the Cathedral to
walk the famous Chartres Labyrinth, an ancient goddess tool for
transformation. Use this time to meditate and commune with the Divine Feminine. Unlike a
maze, the labyrinth has only one path. Walking its winding course to the center quiets the
mind. This process involves three stages: purgation - a letting go of distractions as you
walk in; Day 3. Saturday, September 20. Orleans: Cathedral of Sainte Croix &
Joan of Arc House (B/D)
We stop just outside of Limoux to visit the At the Tour Magdala or Magdalene Tower, we will explore more of Lunch on your own in the village at your leisure. You may also want to visit the local shops for some souvenirs. In the later afternoon we return to the hotel, where we enjoy our group dinner. Much to discuss tonight in our Sharing Circle. Overnight Limoux Day 7. Wednesday, September 24. To Lourdes: The Grotto, Marian Procession (B/D)We check out of the hotel this morning and depart to Lourdes, located in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. Lunch on your own along the way. We arrive in the afternoon and check into our hotel. You have  free time to visit the world famous Grotto, where in 1858 the yound peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous witnessed 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Since then many miracles have happened here, as people have visited and used the healing waters of the Grotto, the heart of Lourdes. The grotto cave is made up of three unequal openings: the largest one has become a place for celebrating Mass. Above, and a little to the right, is a gothic-like crevice where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette. There is a statue representing Our Lady of Lourdes, dressed in white with a rosary beads on her right arm and two yellow roses on her feet, just as she appeared to the young Bernadette. At the back of the Grotto, to the left of the altar, is the flowing spring that  Bernadette discovered on
February 25, 1858. In order to make the healing waters available to everyone, it is now
piped to the baths.
We
enjoy our Sharing Circle during our group dinner at the hotel.
Afterwards, you are free to walk to the Grotto and participate in the Marian
Torchlight Procession.
TOUR PRICES Tour - Land ONLY, per person, double
occupancy: ROOMMATES: We will be happy to find a suitable
roommate for those who are traveling alone and would like to share a room.
TOUR
REGISTRATION To print out a flyer
and registration form |
Andrea
Mikana-Pinkham is the Director of Sacred Journeys for Body Mind Spirit
Journeys. She an avid practitioner of the Goddess Tradition and
has been a conscious channel since 1987, bringing through the energy of
the Kumaras, who teach Unconditional Love for Self and Others, and other
aspects of the Divine Feminine. 
world-famous Chartres Cathedral.
A symphony of sacred geometry, it was the capital of the ancient Druid world and sits on
the site of an important Druid mystery center. It has been dedicated to the Divine
Feminine since Celtic times. One of the most famous Gothic cathedrals in all of
Europe, it is located on a leyline linking the sacred sites in Glastonbury, Stonehenge and
the Pyramids of Egypt, making it a center of great power!
We will meditate with
the Black Madonna of the Pillar in the main Cathedral. You have the
option to join a tour to the crypt, reputed to be an ancient temple of the Great
Goddess. You will see the ancient well that was sacred to the Celts and other
pre-Christian people who worshipped here, as well as the Black Madonna of the
Crypt, which is actually a replica of the original one that was burned in a fire.
She carries the image of the Chartres tradition relating to the pre-Christian image of the
Virgin Who Will Give Birth.
illumination - receiving what you
came for upon reaching the center; and union - a joining with the sacred as you complete
the experience and walk out. The axis mundi of the Cathedral passes over the Labyrinth,
symbolizing the way to God/Goddess here on earth.
Later afternoon
we depart Chartres south to Orleans, located on the Loire River, and famous as the place where Joan of Arc,
the Maid of Orleans, broke the long siege of the city by the English in
1429 and won freedom for France. We arrive at our hotel in the heart of the city in the later
afternoon. Andrea will facilitate our Sharing Circle.
Then you're on your own for dinner at one of the many excellent local restaurants. Overnight
Orleans. 
This morning we visit the large Gothic Cathedral
of Sainte-Croix that was built on an ancient Goddess site by the Knights Templar
and their masons. The cathedral has undergone great alterations since its original
construction. However, the presence of the Divine Feminine is still very palpable here.
Pagan and Roman temple
remains have been excavated under the Cathedral. On the Merovingian floor in the crypt is
a font that was created from ancient stones that were carved in honor of Venus.
After lunch on your own with the group, we visit a typical house of the 15th Century
that has been preserved. Jacques Boucher, general treasurer of the Duke of Orlêans,
welcomed Joan of Arc here during the siege of the English, May and
April 1429.
After breakfast, we check out of the hotel and depart south
to the cliff-hugging medieval village of Rocamadour. Built on a limestone cliff
rising 490 feet above the Alzou Canyon, the buildings scale sheer cliff walls in
unbelievable architectural splendor. Its Black Madonna, among the oldest
in France, has produced miracles for seamen, prisoners, children & travelers for over
1,000 years. 
In this setting, one of the
most extraordinary in France, we have time to stroll the narrow streets of the quaint
village on our way to the Chapelle Notre-Dame and its famous Black Madonna.
The statue of Our Lady of Rocamadour is from the 9th century. Some
legends claim that St. Amadour brought the statue with him 
from the Holy
Land. This relic, along with his tomb, made this cliffside church a major pilgrimage
point in the Middle Ages. 
After breakfast we check out
of the hotel. We're off to visit the Cathedral
of Notre Dame la Dalbade,
one of the lesser known cathedrals to the Divine Feminine, but a real find! Tucked into a
side street and off the main thoroughfare, this edifice built by the Knights Templar to
honor the Goddess still preserves Her mysteries and majesty. The Dalbade part of the
name of the cathedral is derived from the whitewash, or “albade” which was used
to cover the first Romanesque church erected here in 541. After being destroyed in a fire
in 1442, it was rebuilt and the red brick replaced the characteristic whitewash of the
past.
During our meditation
at this sacred site of the Divine Feminine we will focus on enlivening the energies that
support us to reach states of heightened sensitivity and sharpen of our psychic
senses, as well as calling in the energies of Mary Madgalene to
communiciate with us. 
Black Madonna of Notre
Dame du Marceille, one of the unusually young and beautiful dark skinned Madonnas of
France. She has been here since the 11th century. Her
legend says that she was found buried in a field by a local farmer. As he was ploughing,
his oxen refused to go forward; he studied the place where they stopped and was 
amazed to
find this statue buried in the earth. He took the statue home. The next morning She had
disappeared from his home and was miraculously found again in the field. The villagers
believed this was a sign that the Blessed Mother wanted a chapel built in that location;
thus Notre Dame du Marceille was constructed. We have time to sit in meditation
and receive the Gifts of Spirit that this energy of the Divine Feminine bestows upon each
of us. 
priest named Berenger Sauniere.
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 and Mary Magdalene? We will
explore these fascinating mysteries and more during our visit to this strange area.
First we visit the small church dedicated to Mary Magdalene,
replete with a statue of Her. We explore other mysterious items such
as Asmodeus by the stoop as we enter
the church, St. John the Baptist blessing Jesus, reverse Stations
of the Cross, and more strange and mysterious clues that abound here that have
been the subject of hundreds of books and many hours of discussion by RLC afficionados!
At the museum we view some of
the parchments that Sauniere found that led him to the treasure, and other
artifacts that add to the mystery of this strange place. 
the Magdalene Mysteries. What does
Magdala mean: a tower, a title, an archetype, or mystery? There are many thoughts on this
subject.
We're off after
breakfast with our local guide for an exciting and fun sightseeing tour of Paris,
including drives by the famous landmarks of the City of Light: the Arch de Triumph, Eiffel
Tower, Place de La Concorde, The Louvre and other famous sites. 
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.
The color blue in the rose window (below), made by the Knights Templar and their masons in
a secret process, cannot be duplicated today even by the most advanced scientific methods.
After walking through
the Cathedral with our guide, we have time for individual meditation to
connect with the powerfully transformative energies of the Divine Feminine, an auspicious
ending to our pilgrimage! Open up to the Truth of the Goddess as She reveals it to you.
Ask Her to assist you to take this back in to your life when you return home, for your
personal growth and transformation. 
to explore Paris on your own.
Perhaps
you'd like to visit La Madeleine, the church dedicated to Mary Magdalene,
located at the Place de la Madeleine. Or visit the Louvre to view its
masterpieces of art that depict the Divine Feminine - the most famous of which is Da
Vinci's Mona Lisa! Or any other of the numerous exciting places in the City of Light that
might call to you!