Vision of the Grail 2

Vision of the Grail: the trinity of Enlightenment,
personal integration and selflessness.

8. In his quest for all-inclusive clarity HMS subsequently started studying the history of the Grail, doing this with a certain degree of reluctance, nay aversion, considering the bulk of esoteric non-sense writings about the Grail, still on the increase every year. What he distilled out as being reasonably acceptable, that the Essence of the Grail symbolizes the Cosmic Womb as the Ultimate Reality.* The first mythological/historic source is the Celtic Tradition. Its legends talk about the "Ladies of the Wells" offering "refreshing water" to every traveller. Often it is offered in a golden chalice, the latter being the Source of everlasting youth and abundance. (F.i. the MotherGoddess Cerridwin is said to be the guardian of the Cauldron of Regeneration). However, sadly, the wells are terrorized and destroyed by a warrior king, the latter raping the Lady. Soon after the wells dried out, while the land turning into a wasteland. The Lady stands for the sovereignty of the land, now violently taken over by ruthless warriors. The latter having disonnected themselves from the Source, hence the land deterioratiing and in decay.

* The Grail is representing the womb transformed into universal Womb Consciousness, as expressed in various traditions, f.i. as Cosmic Womb, Great Mother, Vessel, Chalice, Ark, Stone, Ka'aba, Laying Moon, Yantra, Yoni, Lotus, Circle, Yüanbao, Maria, Maria Magdalena in fact...the natural womb with its menstruation, thus every woman.

9. Wolfram von Eschenbach describes the process, through which restoring of Wholeness has to be achieved. This Path is open to all those, who still possess the "original innocence" (in Essence all of us). In the legend, Parcival turns his back to his mother.....who soon dies from grief. As a young lad he has only one goal in mind: to become a famous knight. The countless adventures lead him to growing self-understanding and growth. At crucial moments, it is always through ladies that he gains the right insights. It both means, that the "Eternal Feminine" is always there (often hidden because of being suppressed) to guide men on their path toward Wholeness, simultaneously symbolizing the "anima" (feeling) aspect of the male personality. At a certain moment Parcival is granted to visit the Grail Castle, where (again) Ladies show him the holy Grail. Obsessed by what he sees, he forgot to ask about the health of the Fisher-King, indicating that his compassion - the core quality of Enlightenment - is still absent cq immature. He has to bear the consequences and is literally thrown out of the Castle, facing even tougher years of self-confrontation.

10. The one who destroyed paradise is the one who has the obligation to repair it. Hence, it is the holy duty of men to "Restore the Wholeness of Life". It underlines the actuality of the Grail legend. It is the men who have to acknowledge the "Lady" as the sovereign of the land, while becoming Her servant. He has to give up his self-centeredness (ego) e.g. his greed for money and power. Rather than serving corporate interests, he has to repent, acknowledging his (self)destructive behaviour*. Only though deep grief with regard to his crimes, a turning point can be brought about. Parcival (as one of the most outspoken representatives of the Tradition of the Green Man**) is a great example in this regard. After much suffering he finally returns to the court of King Arthur, expecting to be honoured for his efforts. However, even then, he is confronted for his (last) shortcomings. An ugly Lady ("Kundrie", destructive aspect of the Great Mother) on a donkey, shouts at him, despises him and humiliates him in front of a big audience. She reproaches him of still not possessing the right attitude toward the suffering of the world. After this last teaching he was allowed to again enter the Grail Castle. This time, while seeing the Grail again, he doesn't forget to ask after the health of the wounded Fisher-King (symbolizing the ego cut off from the Source). Immediately, the palace rejoices and the wasteland is turned into the abundance it once was.

* Incuding all those women, who also have identified themselves with the patriarchal ego, self-indulgence and consumerism.

** See: "HisStory" and "The Green Man".

11. Last but not least. The Grail legend became the source of a new interpretation to the Jesus story. It were the Knights Templar who - heavily influenced by what they learned in the Holy Land - adopted a new version of the "bloodline". It is centered around the archaic myth of the MotherGoddess with Her Vegetation God. The latter dying every autumn in order to be reborn in spring, thus "securing the fertility of the new season". The Templars connected Christianity to the old tradition, giving a totally new meaning to the former. Links to all kinds of suppressed (gnostic) information were made. Simon Magus - the "prototype of the heretics" - played a crucial role here. He stated that the Mother was the Ultimate Reality, while the Father being Her Son.....This was the Achillus-heel of the young church, hence the latter doing all it could to crush Simon. This wasn't all, though. "Persistant rumors" emphasized the role of Mary Magdalene, as being the first disciple of Jesus. Nowadays, countless publications have shed their light on her position. Still, they have not gone far enough. The Truth is, that she was a priestess of the old Canaanite Mother Religion, looking for a suitable candidate for the role of a Sacrificing God. It explains why Jesus was anointed by her, something that had been the tradition for several thousands of years. Obviously, in his teaching he couldn't directly talk about the Mother (although some gnostic texts suggest it). Instead he displayed an extremely women-friendly attitude.

See: Vision of the Grail 3

See also: "Autobiography" Zie: uitgebreide nederlandse versie