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In medieval southern France, a woman stood up during a religious debate and challenged the men who claimed the authority to speak for God. A Catholic cleric told her to return to her spinning, because theology was no business of hers. Her identity was Esclarmonde de Foix, and she belonged to a Christian religious culture in which women could teach, exercise spiritual authority and administer sacred rites.
This is Part 7 of my series with Anne Baring, a writer and Jungian analyst who has spent decades studying Christian mysticism and the forgotten feminine dimension of divinity. If you’re new to the series, I recommend starting with Part 1, The Forgotten Feminine Face of God.
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In the last episode, Anne and I explored the Black Madonna, the Grail and the possibility that teachings associated with Miriam Magdalene survived in medieval France. Now we enter the Languedoc and the world of the Cathars, a Christian religious movement whose beliefs brought them into direct conflict with Rome.
Through Esclarmonde’s life, Anne introduces us to a society where women could participate in theological debate and religious leadership, and where Christianity was understood in ways that would eventually be condemned as heresy.
The Catholic Church launched a crusade against these communities in 1209. What followed remains one of the most devastating episodes in medieval European religious history. Anne believes the Cathars may have preserved teachings associated with early Gnostic Christianity and Mary Magdalene.
After our conversation, I return with some personal reflections, including the extraordinary experiences that first led me toward Esclarmonde years before these interviews. I also discuss recent reading that has challenged some of my own assumptions about Catharism and made me reconsider how easily we can romanticize the religious past.
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ANNE BARING
Writer, Jungian analyst and author of Divine Wisdom and the Holy Spirit: The Forgotten Feminine Face of God. Explore Anne’s work and writings at annebaring.com.
STUDY COMPANION
✦ John and Caitlín Matthews, Walkers Between the Worlds
✦ Arthur Guirdham, research on Cathar reincarnation and past-life memory
✦ Jehanne de Quillan, The Gospel of the Beloved Companion
✦ Gilles Quispel, research on Gnosticism and the Apocryphon of John
✦ Margaret Barker, research on First Temple theology and Divine Wisdom
✦ Elaine Pagels, Beyond Belief
✦ Peter Kingsley, In the Dark Places of Wisdom
EARLY CHRISTIAN AND CATHAR TEXTS
☿ The Apocryphon of John
☿ Liber de duobus principiis (The Book of Two Principles)
☿ The consolamentum, the Cathar rite of spiritual baptism
RELATED LISTENING
✦ This Episode Isn’t About UFOs, It’s About You (Part 1)
✦ This Episode Isn’t About UFOs, It’s About You (Part 2)
The first two episodes document the synchronicities and experiences that eventually led me toward Esclarmonde and Anne’s research. Buckle in, it’s a wild ride.
SOURCE NOTE: This conversation moves between documented history, medieval legend and esoteric interpretation. Some of Anne’s proposed connections remain speculative. I’ve included these resources so you can investigate the evidence and reach your own conclusions.
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