My Journey To Rennes-Le-Chateau ~ Leslie Cottle - April 2013 Inspired by true and mystical events

My Journey To Rennes-Le-Chateau
~ Leslie Cottle - April 2013 Inspired by true and mystical events
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My Journey To Rennes-Le-Chateau
June 11, 2013 at 12:16am

Written by: Leslie Cottle - April 2013
Inspired by true and mystical events

Deep within the heart of the picturesque region of Languedoc, France, shrouded in mystery and intrigue,
stands a tiny midieval village perched atop a foot hill of the Pyreenese mountains,
with the most breath-taking views one could ever imagine. Views which made me weep like a sissy girl numerous times!
Population, not even 100 souls yet its legends, mysteries, tall tales and infamous reputation
would give the impression that this town is much larger than life and in fact it is just that!
This is a brief glimpse into the ever infamous, oh so glorious Rennes-le-Chateau,
my favourite place on Earth....perhaps even the universe!

Over a century ago, a priest made this obscure little town famous when he discovered
a mysterious "treasure" or "le tresor" as we say in French and become incredibly wealthy over night
and that priest was the much talked about and very mysterious Abbe Berenger Sauniere.

This legend made treasure hunters flock from around the globe in hopes of finding gold, priceless jewels,
age old secrets, even the famed Holy Grail itself but much to everyone's dismay, no great treasure
was ever found though he left behind a myriad of clues which would drive many into sheer obsessive madness.

Whatever Sauniere found was huge with importance and not something he was allowed to share
but his behavior afterwards was nothing short of inexplicable and bizarre,
leaving behind a strange popcorn trail, like a treasure map of encrypted
and highly sophisticated clues and codes which sent our treasure hungry hunters
on many a wild goose chase into the incredibly intriguing history of not just the south of France
which has it's fair share of lumps and bumps throughout the centuries
but deep into the very controversial biblical times and beyond, unearthing questions
of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, the Knights Templar, the Occult, The Roman Catholic Church,
Tthe Cathars, The Merovingian Bloodline and yes, you guessed it,
the ever elusive and much coveted Holy Grail itself!

Sangraal...but that's a whole other chalice of fish...

Though sometimes the greatest treasures are those you can't touch or cash in at the local bank
or pawn shop...the greatest treasures may in fact be invisible to the naked eye,
unless it's a trained eye... but priceless to the naked soul!!

And so is the case with this infamous treasure... or "tresor maudit" which is the title
of the ever famous book by Gerard de Sedes on this exact subject..
.translated; Cursed Treasure...sounds a tad ominous non?

Millions upon millions have paid the highest toll imaginable for knowing the truth about said treasure...yikes...
read on at your own risk...lol

So what is it about this place that is so intriguing?

This is a question which has preoccupied me for years and in all honesty, it's a difficult question to answer.

I am not a treasure hunter, nor do I believe that a great material treasure lays beneath the soil of Rennes-le-Chateau,
yet I can say with a great deal of certainty that there is something very VERY intriguing there and important,
which has called to me and captivated me for as long as I can remember, but why?

One might say that I have been on my own "treasure hunt" over the years trying to answer this very question
though what I seek is not gold, jewels or any other obvious treasure.

I crave to understand the mystery behind the mystery of our famous little hamlet which goes back far
before our jet set priest Sauniere came into the picture at the turn of the last century, back to the beginning
and reveals a much different history then that which you were taught in Sunday school.

There is something undeniable there, a truth, a power, an energy and throughout my life I have been called to this place
... beckoning me like the proverbial snake charmer. Blaring clues I tried to ignore,
would send me slithering on quite the adventure!

The "coincidences", synchronicities, the synergies all designed to lure me to this remote little town since I was a little girl.

The story so bizarre that one must take a leap of faith to believe it to be actually true.

And finally, as if destiny had written it perfectly within the stars and bonked me over the head
with a giant French sledge hammer, an inexplicable sequence of events last December
would catapult me across the Atlantic ocean, with the assistance of Air France of course,
and right into this amazing and mystical place, a dream had alas come true!!
Cue the angelic choir! The journey has been fascinating to say the least but the destination was more than a bargained for!!

To answer the question of why I am so connected to this place, I would have to write a book, a very VERY long book...
but for the sake of this note I will try and keep it brief....that should be challenging!

Instead of babbling on... I will share a brief snippet of a VERY long poem I wrote about my experiences in R.L.C.
and the impact it had on me....hope you enjoy it!


La Tour Magdala, Rennes-le-chateau, France. A dream come true!


excerpt from "French Kiss"
Part 18 - Bringing The Dream To Life
My Day In RLC - Le Meilleur Jour de ma Vie!

.......(in mid verse)


Something changed in me that day,
In ways I could never truly say,
Nor accurately put into words,
But I felt the most powerful message,
In words unheard.
Quite simply,
And beyond mere joy and reverie,
The answer is LOVE,
Connecting us, them and me,
Directly,
To the Heaven's above.
Freed from the confines of the steeple,
Lifting the veil of history's betrayal,
Giving back the power to the people.

Up in that incredible french sky,
When I was trying so hard not to cry,
I know I saw Heaven's gateway.
And if you see that video,
From my beloved Rennes-le-Chateau,
You will see the undeniable look on my face,
At that glorious moment...
I completely owned it!
I was the healthiest and wealthiest,
I had ever been,
By such breath-taking beauty,
Like I have never before seen,
And that nasty illness,
The one which so painfully tried to take me,
To steal from me,
My cherished life and future destiny…
Mended was my DNA
On that picture perfect day,
It was GONE!!
Like it never belonged,
Vanished,
Banished,
Without a trace.
With just LOVE health and happiness,
Within it's place.
I found my life long answers,
And I found my inner truth,
I never felt happier or younger,
I was like a wide-eyed little girl,
Filled with such joy, innocence and wonder,
I found my fountain of youth.

After a long and painful journey,
Alas I reached my destiny,
I had finally come home,
Suddenly I didn't feel so scared and alone.
I didn't feel neglected,
Abandoned or rejected,
I felt free,
Redeemed and atoned.
Overwhelmed by this boundless, limitless love,
Directly from the Heavens above,
And maybe, for the first time in my life,
After all the pain and strife,
I was truly connected....
My now unwavering belief in a higher power,
On the 11th of December,
I will always remember,
In the 11th hour,
I could sense the presence of the ancient rose,
Now at one with her wisdom,
I sensed all that she feels and knows.
My most cherished and sacred flower,
And after my own dark night of the soul,
When I fought my own demons,
And finally took back control,
Where once I was fragmented,
With all my pieces now collected,
Alas I was whole.
Enveloped in divine warmth,
No longer alone and cold,
My tired soul suddenly,
Felt resurrected,
At one, with the heart and soul,
Of Rennes-le-Chateau.

From atop La Tour Magdala,
I was gazing into a portal to the heavens,
And everywhere I went,
I saw the magical number eleven!
I unearthed secret treasures,
Discovered amazing pleasures,
Carefully hidden so deep below.
I felt the French blood within my veins,
Heard the ancient whispers calling my name,
In that eternal monumentus moment,
The secrets they were never supposed to tell,
The undeniable clutch of a magical spell,
Within the beautiful south of France,
A fairytale of an ancient sacred romance,
I discovered everlasting love,
As below and as above,
Beside me and deep within myself,
Recovering my own inner power and self-wealth,
This was my long awaited pilgrimage,
A humbling honour and privilege,
To stand upon the soil of my holy land,
To know all who came before me,
Who perished at evil's command.
And felt my infinite connection to the divine,
The closest I have ever felt to the one they call God,
It was surreal, life altering and sublime.

I walked in the foot steps of Mary Magdalene,
My most cherished and revered heroine!
And I know she was there,
I could feel her spirit,
She whispered within the wind,
And without question,
I could hear it,
Resonating everywhere.
HE too was there,
Though there are things we mustn't share...
And of course the famous priest Berenger Sauniere,
The one who found the famous "tresor"
Spear heading the obsessive treasure hunt and folklore,
And after his mysterious and fortuitous find,
He would completely lose his mind,
Leaving many a clue,
For those who knew what to do,
What a mystery Sauniere left behind,
Over a century before.
I knelt at his grave
In rennes-le-chateau,
And I prayed,
And many a wish was made,
Asking him to share with me,
All the secrets he must have known,
And yes he revealed the mysteries,
Throughout the many hidden histories.
He too was there.
Whispering within my ear,
Beckoning me to alas shed my fear,
Thanking me for finally being there.

The Knights Templar,
The Visigoths,
My beloved Cathars,
The ruins of their majestic chateaux
I could feel their infinite power,
Sensed their agonizing last hours,
You know,
They were tortured,
And burnt at the stake,
Yet another one of the churches ugly mistakes,
Like so many others,
My fallen sisters and brothers,
For guarding the sacred truth,
Les Bonhommes, enlightened and loving people,
For refusing the Roman faith and steeple,
And speaking the gnostic sacred words,
They would meet their agonizing fate,
By the horrific Pope Innocent the third.
As I walked upon their sacred land,
Hand in hand within the land of the Occitans,
Smelling their lavender flowers,
With their ancient loving powers,
After 700 years,
The prophesy remembered and revered,
The Laurel is once again green,
A message for those who know
What that means,
Their presence I could feel,
And I knew, beyond a doubt,
I was forever changed and healed.
Clutching the messenger's hand,
Upon the soil of my beloved Holy Land.....

To be continued...maybe...

There is soooooooo much more to the story but any more and it would be a book

Wishing everyone much love and light!!

Written by Leslie Cottle - April 2013
Inspired by true and mystical events

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All Rights Reserved