I traveled through the famous Tunnel of Light and came back to tell you about it!
Enlightened Landscapes. . .
are places of power and healing energy that can be found all over the world. They are places where people saw the bigger picture, took a wider view, and understood the interconnectedness of all things. Some believe the power and energy of these places is due to spiritual activity; others believe it is a phenomenon of location, that these powerful places sit on powerful vortexes or on intersections of ley lines, which form the energy grid of the earth. My guess is, it's both; centers of spiritual activity were created in pagan times in places that emanated power. Whatever the source, these amazing places pulse with healing energy, and that energy flows through these images.
Browse through my photographs of enlightened landscapes in Southern France. Breathe in their energy and let your mind and spirit take you there to discover the unique enchantment and enlightenment of each place. The images are available as matted prints, greeting cards, mousepads, and calendars. Email me at LionMagic@msn.com for ordering information.
Southern France
The South of France, particularly Provence and the Languedoc, is filled with enlightened landscapes. This is the land of Mary Magdalene, the Knights Templar, and the Cathars. . . a land of beauty, myth, and mystery. The Languedoc flourished as a center of trade, culture, and the arts for centuries until the interests of the French king—who wanted to lay claim to these independent fertile lands—and the Pope—who wanted to eliminate an increasingly popular and influential alternate form of Christianity—came together in the declaration of the Albigensian Crusade, the only "Holy Crusade" on European soil.
These medieval fortresses (Montsegur, Peyrepertuse, Puivert, and Queribus) and most of the towns pictured (Carcassonne, Cordes-sur-Siel, Mirapoix, and Vals) sheltered the Cathars against the Crusaders. The populations of entire towns were, at best, excommunicated for sheltering the Cathars and, at worst, brutally murdered. At Beziers, the order was "Kill them all. God will know His own." And they did kill them all. Montsegur is famous as the fortress where, following a long siege, hundreds of Cathars walked down the mountain and into the flames. Natives of the Languedoc still spit when they hear the name of Simon de Montfort, the leader of that brutal Crusade.
Not all the images here are in the Languedoc. Rocamadour, farther north, is an astonishing medieval city built into the side of a mountain. It is an ancient pilgrimage site that houses a powerful Black Madonna credited with more miracles than the waters of Lourdes. There are also photographs of the cave where Mary Magdalene is said to have lived out her life in the St. Baum mountains. Chateau Royal, possibly a Templar fortress, guards the harbor at Collieure on the Mediteranean, while the Cathedral of Notre Dame de la Garde watches over the harbor of Marseilles. And Rennes-le-Chateau is the small mountain village known for the mysterious sudden wealth of the local priest, Berenger Sauniere, in the late 1800's, and speculations as to its source. There's a tantalizing story that four Cathars escaped down the back wall of Montsegur, carrying the Cathar treasure, the night before their friends surrendered to the Crusaders and the flames. . . and there are as many guesses about what that treasure was as there are guesses about the treasure of the Knights Templar! No one really knows what those treasures were. . . gold, ancient texts and artifacts, or documentation of a sacred bloodline. . . or what happened to them. No wonder people are obsessed with finding out what Sauniere discovered in his parish church in the middle of Cathar/Templar territory!
You might recognize Peyrepertuse as the amazing fortress lending its magical presence to the cover of my fantasy novel, The Search for the Crystal Key!
Enlightened Landscapes in Southern France
Photos by Ellyn. Copyright 2007, Blue Lion Press. All rights reserved.
Please honor my copyright as you access these images.
NOW AVAILABLE! 2011 calendars of Bermuda, Jamaica and Southern France, and matted 8x10 and 11x14 prints of the photos below.
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These enlightened landscapes are now available as 8x10 and 11x14 matted prints. Visit the Products page now!
