The Church of Mary Magdalene, site of a Cathar massacre in 1209
Seeing Things for What they Truly Are
Everytime there is a gathering of friends or family nowadays the main conversation point is ‘no politics here’. It seems like the subject has become so weighted and filled with poison that people are too frightened or tired to get involved in more arguing or moaning.
On one hand I totally agree, but on the other I really feel the only way out is through. We have to come to terms with where we are right now and why this is happening.
As always for me the story is so much bigger than we think. I am off on holiday to the South of France to see my very wonderful school friend who has recently moved to the Beziers area, the Cathar area of France.
I know a little about the history there and would very much like to visit the church of Mary Magdelene. In 1209 the massacre of Beziers against the Cathars, killed 20.000 people, 7,000 of those were taking refuge in this church. An Abbott, one of the commanders of the crusade, was asked by a crusader, how they should tell a Catholic from a Cathar. He replied,
"Kill them all, for the Lord knoweth them that are His.” No one was spared in that town from the priests to the babies.
Where have we come since then. Times, I do not believe, have really changed they have just become more sophisticated. Though we do openly massacre anyone we think disagrees with our way of being, mainly we just ride waves in and out of social conscience that give the impression that things are improving then slide back into the anger and fear again.
I feel the last century was an amazing time of social shift, with the first half full of revolution and war. We came out of the two wars with great hope and this country began to develop an amazing social structure which seemed like it was for the good of all. Having done it first, Europe then followed suit and as always some did it so much better.
As Capitalism took hold in the 80s we slipped into the quagmire we find ourselves in today with the individual more important than the community and finances up the creek, all built on thin air.
The governments seems extremely adept at saying one thing to the people, which en masse the majority seem to wholly believe, and doing the opposite in reality. Part of the skill is shifting the blame and today it is obviously being pointed away from the real truth.
Now the scape goat, that is Europe, is being well and truly cast out we are going to be left face the music.
When I visit this church, where I feel much of the pain we have created in our society began, where we started killing our own in the name of religion, for what we were told was some greater good, I feel the cycle is hopefully nearly able to be completed and ready for breaking open.
However, while we are still massacring people abroad, allowing people to be malnourished here and elsewhere, creating poverty and mental illness through the stress of just everyday living, we are still miles from home. We also know the darkest part of the night is just before the dawn.
It is time to wake up to what we are being told and realise that the truth is not on some billboard or spoken by our politicians. They have no one’s interests but their own at heart. We need to realise that what is best for us is only what is also best for everyone. When we choose to create a world where we can say we truly have that in our society then we know we have made a change. Otherwise we are just circling around variations of different types of oppression.
Starting with ourselves is the only way, and love and forgiveness is the way forward. I know I keep saying this but until we really hold it in our hearts we cannot expect anyone else to change.
Owning and taking responsibility for everything that we have created, recognising when we are being part of the problem, and knowing that everything we continue to do will make a difference whether it is positive or negative is the way for change.
Let’s keep the conversation open and start creating a new world filled with love.
