Outremer I

by D. N. Carter

“Ali, are you okay?” Paul asked as he moved to sit next to her. Her eyes were still wide. Paul looked at Sister Lucy concerned as Alisha seemed out of sorts, her broad smile at odds with her grief.

  “’Tis fine, young Paul. She has no fever…and as far as I can tell, the baby is kicking and lively. But…her eyes…her pupils are far too open. Like someone who has been smoking hashish or similar,” Sister Lucy explained.

  Paul held Alisha’s hand as she smiled broadly in silence just looking at him.

  “Ali, how do you feel?” Paul asked softly.

  “Oh…I am fine. Honestly I am, so please do not fear, my love,” she answered serenely.

  Paul looked at Sister Lucy, puzzled, as she shrugged and carried on mixing the hot drink.

  “Ali…are you sure as you look different somehow? Are you awake or is this some kind of sleepwalking?” Paul asked as Alisha just smiled back in silence. He looked at Sister Lucy, concerned.

  “Do not worry yourself, Paul. This will make her relax. I think her body is simply reacting to the grief of her loss and I believe the tension of seeing you amongst that angry crowd has simply overloaded her senses. ’Tis not the first time I have seen such in a person,” Sister Lucy explained.

  “Hey…I can still understand you both. I am fine. In fact I feel very fine. As for grief of my father…I am okay with it…for I know he is here with us still,” Alisha said softly and smiled broadly again.

  “Ali, do you not remember anything earlier, when you stood in front of all those people? You healed that man’s hand…do you not recall?” Paul asked and held both her hands.

  Alisha simply shook her head no and smiled again. Sister Lucy pulled the lanthorns near ready to light as the night was approaching fast and light was fading. She removed a stirring stick from the hot drink.

  “I shall leave you two here awhile whilst I go and treat that man. Named Rick you say?” Sister Lucy asked as she stood and passed over the drink for Paul to take.

  “Yes, Rick.”

  Sister Lucy approached Taqi and Tenno, who were sat next to Rick lying out flat upon the blanket. Rick was trying to shift his position on the blanket. Tenno stood up fast when she stood under the main capstone and knelt next to Rick. She pulled his chin so he faced her.

  “So the name is Rick, is it?” she asked sternly.

  Rick nodded, his eyes still firmly closed due to the swelling.

  “He knows much about the paths of the dragon and more,” Tenno stated.

  “Hmm. I once knew someone who knew much about such matters. A long time ago but he is dead,” Sister Lucy said quietly as she studied Rick in the fading light. “Do not worry, I shall tend to this man this night. You two must rest.”

  Taqi stood up and looked at Rick then Sister Lucy.

  “Do we get any explanation about what happened earlier with Alisha?” he asked, still bemused.

  Sister Lucy looked up at him and stared for a moment.

  “Probably not. No,” she answered and then sat down next to Rick. “Please, Taqi, we shall need more blankets. Oh, and keep an eye out on the caravan this night as knowing what people are like, their curiosity having been roused, they may come back and want more of Alisha.”

  “What do you mean?” Taqi asked as Tenno frowned, puzzled likewise.

  “Trust me…people see one minor incident and demonstration of the power of the mind and suggestion and they start shouting miracles. Before you know it, they will be flocking to her feet demanding healing miracles. Do you understand me now?” Sister Lucy said sternly.

  Rick reached out his hand and grabbed her forearm and smiled.

  “We shall keep watch all night in turns, so worry not,” Tenno stated and began to usher Taqi away.

  That night, Paul and Alisha ate a small meal alone inside the caravan as Taqi and Tenno kept watch outside. Alisha fell asleep in Paul’s arms still smiling serenely, which perplexed him considerably. He had questions he wished to ask Rick, but they could wait until the morning. But Alisha’s behaviour and mannerisms concerned him greatly. She had fearlessly and calmly just walked up to the villagers and with a simple look diffused their anger almost instantly, as well as healed the muscled man’s hand that Tenno had crushed. The image of her standing before him, her left hand upon her tummy, holding up the sword in her right hand towards him was burnt into his mind. Her smile had been totally mesmerising as she looked at him, offering the sword. He looked across the caravan at the sword hung next to their bunk. The words of his poem to her entered his mind, ‘sword to my heart, sword through my soul’ and it seemed even more appropriate than ever. He kissed the top of her head and looked down, his gaze following the outline of her cheek, then her neck to her bosom as she breathed gently, then her tummy. He placed his hand upon her hand resting upon her tummy, closed his eyes, and eventually fell asleep.

  Port of La Rochelle, France, Melissae Inn, spring 1191

  “I can see where this story is going,” the wealthy tailor said aloud, almost bombastically.

  “Really, pray tell so,” the Templar immediately asked.

  “You are going to try and tell us she is carrying a new Messiah or she is the new Mary…yes?” the wealthy tailor remarked, but the old man just smiled and shook his head no.

  “Then what?” the wealthy tailor demanded.

  “My friend, she could just as easily be accused of being a sorceress, which sadly too many were accused of for displaying such gifts,” the old man said softly.

  “What? She is no sorceress,” Sarah interrupted loudly.

  “Well I can say that the incident at the dolmen stones was as much a revelation to Alisha and Paul as it was to all the others,” the old man explained.

  “But how come she did not remember doing it?” the Genoese sailor asked.

  “Later, she did say she vaguely recalled parts of it, mainly her concern that Paul should have his sword and placing her hand upon the muscled man’s injured hand. But she said it was more like a dream recollection,” the old man detailed as Gabirol wrote faster.

  “A Muslim woman carrying a new Messiah, or a prophet…can you just imagine the chaos that would cause?” Simon said, shaking his head, his arms folded.

  “Chaos…perhaps. But maybe it would unite both do you not think?” the old man asked.

  “Chaos…for I have seen what both faiths can do to each other. They would probably tear her limb from limb first rather than stand together. Both would argue it is their Messiah only, not the other’s,” the Hospitaller interjected vociferously.

  “You think that?” the old man asked quietly.

  The Hospitaller sat back in his chair, thought for a moment then nodded yes silently.

  “Well I want to know what all the talk of dragons is about. Huh, I mean I know about St George and the dragon from my days in Britain…but lines of power of the dragon. What pray tell is that?” the farrier asked as he looked at each in turn rapidly to see if they thought the same. Simon and Sarah both nodded in agreement with his question.

  “The lines of the dragon. More correctly, the paths of the dragon,” the old man said softly.

  “So you know of these things clearly?” Gabirol said quietly. The old man nodded yes silently and looked at him. “Will you explain them to us…please?”

  “If you wish…what say you all?”

  All around the table looked at each other and all agreed they would like to learn more.

  “Okay, in that case I shall explain about the paths of the dragon,” the old man began and cleared his throat, took another sip of water and sat up straight. “Let me first explain that those who study this subject do not call them the paths of the dragon, but refer to them as ‘ley lines’.”

  “Pray lines?” Miriam asked and went red in the face with embarrassment.

  “No, not pray lines…ley lines,” the old man smiled back. “It is worth noting that perfectly straight roads or paths are found all over the ancient Mediterranean world that still link many of the ancient sites that are g
overned by magic squares. Remember earlier I explained that Magic is derived from the root word of the name of the three wise men of the Bible, the Magi. Well, these paths are the ones called ‘ley lines’ or ‘Paths of the Dragon’, especially in China. That is why Tenno knew of them. Here in Europe these paths were marked out by Herms stones. Recall I mentioned the ancient god Hermes? Well some of you may already know that the dragon represents in symbolic form the actual energy within the earth; energy which the ancients believed they could harness and use. Herms stones were directly linked to Omphalos and oracle centres across the ancient world. Note also that the alignment of ancient sites across the world has been noted for many years, especially by the ancient geomancers, but it was only during the Roman Empire that the full extent of these sacred pathways became evident as they used them to lay out their roads. The Roman engineers were not slow in realising and rediscovering an apparently extensive network of alignments involving the sighting of ancient prehistoric earthworks, standing stones, henge monuments, stone circles and ancient churches that had been built over earlier, far older, ancient pagan sites. These sites all ran in straight lines across the countryside. One day in the long distant future, mankind may again fully understand the importance of these pathways and again name them for what they are. Ley lines. The churches that appear on these lines now, built upon the old pagan sites, are all down to Pope Gregory the First, who specifically issued orders in AD 601 that all pagan temples should be sought out, purified and converted to churches. For each cathedral the Knights Templar designed and constructed, they chose appropriate numbers according to the very nature of the site and the dominant astrological sign of the country it was in. Hence in Germany and Hanseatic cities such as Lubeck, the cathedrals being designed for there are being laid out according to the numerical magic square of Mars and built in red brick. Lichfield Cathedral plans have already been likewise designed to be constructed from red brick. Mars is red also. That cathedral is due to be started in 1195 if all that Philip and Firgany have set in motion does come to pass. It will have three major spires, which to those who have eyes to see, and know the esoteric codes, will represent not only the God, the father and the Holy Spirit, but also the three belt stars of Orion,” the old man explained enthusiastically.

  “Orion?” Gabirol asked puzzled.

  “Yes. But I shall, I promise before you say it, Simon, explain why later.”

  “I said nothing!” Simon remarked and raised both hands in the air, smiling, and looked at Sarah quickly.

  “Well, to continue, it is worth noting that the city of Lichfield was formerly called ‘Liches’ meaning ‘from War’. Mars was the god of war. Originally Mars was regarded as the god of fertility, only later being portrayed as the god of war and depicted as a spear-wielding warrior. Mars only became the god of war after the devastation caused during the biblical Exodus period, but that is something for perhaps another time to explain.”

  “Please, can you not explain that comment now?” Gabirol asked.

  “I can, but only in the briefest of explanations,” the old man replied as Gabirol nodded yes. “All I can say is that at the time of the great Exodus, even in its simplest terms, was a time when planets in the heavens were pushed and moved from their locations. Mars, at the time the god of fertility, was moved and caused chaos and destruction across the face of the world we live upon. As a consequence, it became by association immediately the god of war,” the old man explained briefly. “I hope that answers your question on that matter?”

  “Not really, but it will suffice this night. But I foresee I may be paying you many more visits if you are willing,” Gabirol replied.

  “Would be my pleasure,” the old man stated and nodded. “Now, if we return to the paths of the dragon, you must know that they have been used for centuries as places of healing. Sick animals naturally go to these places and lie down to recover. The paths run across our entire world. Now recall that previously I demonstrated that there is a connection between the Templars and the idol head that they are accused of worshipping, as explained in Stewart’s initiation ceremony. Well, this head legend states that it is CAPUT L VIIIm and as I showed, this has generally been interpreted as meaning ‘Head 58’. Fifty-eight is very important, as I will reveal later, but for now know that the ‘m’ after it stands for the representation of the astrological sign for Virgo. So you see the symbolism of Virgo again appears. Now the cathedrals of England and Europe will be the physical representations in stone of constellations of the heavens laid across the land. If all goes according to plan, in less than a century the entire landscape of Europe will be changed forever with these new and unbelievably huge inspiring buildings, only equalled in size by the Great Pyramid of Egypt. And know that just a fraction of the documents recovered by the original Templars found under the Temple of Jerusalem showed them how to complete these feats.”

  “What, like a massive visual signal to God that we are now ready?” the Genoese sailor asked.

  All looked at him.

  “You have no idea just how near that is to being part of a truth,” the old man smiled. “And whilst we are on the subject perhaps it is worth mentioning that King Louis and Queen Eleanor from France, whilst on their way to the Crusades in 1147, were accompanied by a contingent of Knights Templar. It was at this time that he adopted the symbol of the fleur de lys as his heraldic device. No doubt due to his close involvement with the Templars. The fleur de lys became the Royal Coat of Arms of France and, it has been speculated by some, which I am able to confirm, occurred after the King’s initiation into the Templar Order. The fleur de lys, which is a lily as you all now know, was a very popular symbol in both Egypt and Byzantium. The fleur de lys derives from the ‘fleur de luce’ or iris. This is the European version of the lily or lotus as given to the Virgin Mary by the Angel Gabriel. It is the same as the sheaf of the Virgo figure and esoterically represents the flower from which the soul of a new king will emerge. Just why the fleur de lys became so important in France has never been satisfactorily answered but if you believe what I tell you this night, you now know why and how,” the old man explained and looked at them all again in turn.

  “So let me get this straight. You are saying that the fleur de lys is taken from an ancient symbol but also that Chartres Cathedral and others now being commissioned are to be built across the landscape, just as the great monuments of ancient Egypt and Greece were, as some kind of manifestation of a secret communicated to mankind by occult, esoteric or mystical means from ancient codes?” Gabirol asked pensively.

  The old man looked at him and nodded yes, smiling.

  “Well what is the secret then?” Simon asked impatiently.

  “I shall answer that very question by the conclusion of this story…that you have my word upon,” the old man said politely.

  “Truly?” the Templar asked as the old man nodded yes.

  “As I explained at the very start of this tale, the original nine Templar Knights were responsible for bringing the Ark of the Covenant, more correctly, an aspect of the Covenant, to France having been instructed by St Bernard to do so. That first Ark was buried on Mount Moriah prior to the first destruction of the first Temple of Solomon. But also other aspects of that Ark and other ancient artefacts were taken to Africa. Places Firgany, Philip and their good friend Theodoric had to travel to in their journeys. The Ark, even purely as a symbolic notion, along with ancient sacred books and scrolls containing ancient wisdom, technical skills and building techniques, mainly technological wisdom from great antiquity along with the genealogical records of Jesus’s family, was indeed recovered. For you see that actual Ark represents the true Gnosis, knowledge, as brought to France by the knights and shows that the Notre-Dame Cathedrals of Northern France are to be laid out to a definite plan. As explained earlier and to remind you, the Cathedrals of Rouen, Chartres, Laon, Reims and others will all represent a different star. When viewed together they will show that the cathedrals in France make up the image of
the main body of stars that form the constellation of Virgo,” the old man detailed as Gabirol looked through his earlier notes.

  “Yes…you have indeed already made that point,” he stated.

  “Can I ask how this ties in with Orion and the sword?” Simon asked and quickly looked at Sarah.

  “Of course. Orion is a constellation with three belt stars. It also has the very important blue star Sirius. It also has a further three smaller stars that point downwards, which represent Orion’s sword. It also represents the two handed long sword that Jesus speaks of in the Bible,” the old man explained before Miriam interrupted him.

  “In the Bible?” she exclaimed bemused and shook her head.

  “Yes, it is referenced within the Bible. So very briefly let me explain something else of importance. From ancient Colchis came the only cure for serious gout. It was derived from the plant Colchicium and this was why the Egyptians established a colony there in the first place. Colchicium is also called ‘meadow saffron’, which gives a golden dye, and hence ‘Golden Fleece’. A Golden Fleece is a solar symbol; Horus was a solar god. Well note that the letters I and R are interchangeable, hence the Egyptian Horus or Heru, can become Helu, which is the name of the Greek solar god, Helios. Helios in their ancient myths stabled his horses at Colchis. Woollen fleece in Greek is Erion, which is almost identical to Heru with a dropped aspirate H. But also know how the Argo of Jason and the Argonauts fame is directly related to Isis, who in turn is represented by the star Sirius. In the Bible we find Orion mentioned by name in the Book of Job in two places, Job 9:9 ‘Which maketh Arcturus, Orion and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south’, and then in Job 38:31 ‘Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?’. Orion is again mentioned in a similar vein in Amos 5:8 ‘Seek him that maketh the Pleiades and Orion’. In all three cases, the Hebrew name for Orion is Kesil, which means ‘strong’. In consequence the Hebrews looked upon Orion as being a strong man. Even Samson in the Bible – there are many symbolic connections to him in regard to Orion and the Knights Templar traditions of two twin pillars just as Samson is connected to two pillars. In the Samson story, he slays the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. This story is purely symbolic of astronomical information. Samson is the strong man constellation of Orion and the jawbone is the V shaped star group above him, which we today call the Hyades. This cannot be doubted especially when you learn that one of the first tasks of Samson is the slaying of a lion. Later Samson finds bees and a honeycomb in the dead corpse, which gives him an idea of a riddle. You may now see how bee symbolism is an important aspect of this tale. Samson posed the riddle ‘Out of the strong came something sweet’. The hidden esoteric meaning behind this is to be found in the stars. The lion is of course the constellation of Leo, and next to it in the constellation of Cancer, is the Beehive, Praesepe. Both constellations are very near to Orion. Just as in the Greek myth of Orion, it is a woman who proves to be the downfall of Samson and is likewise blinded by his enemies and then bound between two pillars. Briefly it is worth noting that the Biblical Abraham in the mythology of the ancient city of Edessa is bound between two pillars. It is therefore not surprising to note that at the ancient site of Edessa, there are two pillars through which the constellation of Orion can be seen momentarily appearing to be bound to the pillars. The name of the province that Edessa is in is called ‘Osrhoene’ and had an original form of name ‘Orrhoene’. But in the Hebrew tradition, Orion is not so much represented as a hunter as more of a wild man of God. He has special powers and acts as the conscience of the nation of Israel. This extraordinary figure is the prophet Elijah, who appears from nowhere and immediately starts performing miracles such as not seen since the time of Moses. He challenges the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal to a competition of bringing fire down from heaven to consume a bull, which he wins and then promptly puts the false prophets to death. The only way of identifying Elijah is that he only wears a haircloth with a girdle of leather about his loins, just as Samson and Hercules, I might also add, only wore a lion’s pelt. Orion is viewed in the same manner with the three centre stars marking its belt, hence they are called the three belt stars of Orion. Also when Elijah departed the earth, he was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind, just like the Horus Kings of Egypt, who ascended to heaven after their deaths. After Elijah had departed to heaven, Elisha, his apprentice, then takes up the role by putting on Elijah’s haircloth and then stands on the banks of the River Jordan, which Elijah had parted on their way over earlier. Now Elisha takes the mantle of Elijah and strikes the water saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ whereupon the water parts again, enabling Elisha to cross the Jordan back to where he came. This is symbolically identical to the Egyptian procession for the dead Pharaohs across the Nile and the Milky Way, only the river Jordan is the Biblical counterpart for the Hebrews. In ancient Egyptian myth, the dead Horus King is resurrected as an Osiris in the constellation of Orion. It seems therefore that just like Osiris, Hercules, Samson and Elijah ascended to heaven to be represented by the stars of Orion. Maybe you will ask yourselves the question of why is the constellation of Orion of such great importance? What significance is there behind it that the religions of the world encompassed it within their very foundations?” the old man asked and paused as everyone looked at each other waiting for someone to say something.