In recent years Chartres Cathedral has been experiencing a renaissance. The ongoing restoration work is transforming the ancient stone from grey to pale gold. The labyrinth, now open one day a week from Spring to Autumn, draws people of all faiths and none to tread the path of ancient pilgrims rather than visiting the Cathedral simply as tourists.
Walking the labyrinth enhances the possibility of feeling the powerful earth energies which have contributed to making Chartres a sacred site throughout the centuries. It allows us to connect to a universal archetype of the divine feminine in our own individual way and infuses our psyches with a pattern which allows us to better appreciate the subtle energies in the rest of the Cathedral.
My work with Brigid, Celtic goddess and early Christian saint (www.brigidscloak.com) is very much linked with what I perceive in Chartres. Here, the Madonna of Under the Earth wears a crown of oak leaves and sits close to a holy well - familiar symbols of healing and fertile energies to the Celts. Echoes of the triple goddess are found in the three different Madonnas of Chartres. The veil of Mary is known as a source of miraculous healing reminiscent of Brigid's Cloak. (Brigid was known as Mary of the Gael). As happened in Ireland, the ancient Celtic goddess here was surely overlaid by the Christian personage of Mary. But while the external religious form may change, the essence of what is felt and revered here is the divine feminine.
Naturally She has her own unique French form! She appears in the beautiful Gothic body of the Cathedral's structure, she appears in sculptures and stained glass windows as Virgin, as Mother, as the grandmother Anna, as the beloved Mary Magdalene and as Queen of Heaven. She appears in the form of the rose, both in the three rose windows and in the six-petaled rose at the heart of the labyrinth.
My own experiences here have inspired me to offer a meditative and intuitive introduction to Chartres Cathedral with the emphasis being on your own individual response and connection to the sacred symbols and stories which are ever present.
My work as a bio-energy therapist has made me open and sensitive to earth energies and the greater possibilities of healing which exist where such currents are strong. These combine with the imprints of miracles and the faith of thousands who have traveled over the centuries to Chartres. The spiritual beings imaged here in beautifully worked stone and stained glass are always present to help and to heal.
If your own focus is on healing and transformation and you would like to join me, click here to see details of workshops and dates.
 |
 |
| Le Puits des Saints Forts | Notre Dame de Sous Terre Our Lady of Under the Earth |
Notre Dame de la Belle Verriere
The Blue Virgin
Notre Dame du Pilier
Our Lady of the Pillar