Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Synchronicity

While researching the life and times of Otto Rahn, I have found new friends who have become very dear to me. Let me take you on a short journey of synchronicity.
 
Rahn was, during his early visits to France, working together with a group called The Polaires, researchers of forgotten history and values, who eventually founded the White Eagle Lodge in the 1930-ies.
 
A year ago, I was in Ornolac at the house of Antonin Gadal, Rahn's mentor. I was having a coffee with friends, when a group of people knocked on the door. When we started to talk, I found out that they were White Eagle Lodge. Colum Hayward, who was among them, owns Polaire Publishing, a company attached to the White Eagle Lodge. They found out I had written a book, in which, among others, Otto Rahn plays an important part. It was the start of a new friendship and a great exchange of knowledge and information.
 
 
With White Eagle Lodge members at the house of Antonin Gadal, May 2012

 
Antonin Gadal (1877–1962)

The day, which had started with a coffee with friends, was about to turn into a fantastic adventure!
 
 
 
In the footsteps of Otto Rahn, we walked and crawled through several narrow corridors and caves, and ended up at the exact spot where the original and now famous silhouette photo was taken, which is on the cover of "White Lie".
 

 
 
Colum Hayward and Dave Patrick then asked me if I'd be interested in writing a chapter for their new book, "The Cathar View". And so, one thing led to another...
 
Friday, May 10th, 2013
The new book "The Cathar View", for which I wrote a chapter called "Back to the Source", was presented in Rennes-le-Chateau, France. After Colum Hayward and Dave Patrick (publisher and editor) and several other contributors (a.w. Jaap Rameijer, Shannon Andersen, Ani Williams and myself) did a talk, Ani played her harp and Henry Lincoln (known from "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", which inspired Dan Brown to write "The Da Vinci Code") recited a beautiful poem that he had written. We had a fab lunch (Gerda and Tobi and their crew of the Jardin de Marie are stars!) and many more friends came to join us.
 
Below: Ani Williams and Henry Lincoln at the Jardin de Marie, Rennes-le-Chateau.
 

My talk (below) was, of course, about synchronicity, and how I first met Colum and Dave a year ago in Ornolac, France. ;-)

 
Thanks go to all those who organized it, and all those who came!
 
It was an honour to be asked to write a chapter for the book, and to be present during this special occasion in Rennes-le-Chateau. :)
 
Info about "The Cathar View": www.thecatharview.com