THE SION ACADEMY PRESENTS STAIRWAYS TO HEAVEN SACRED JOURNEY TO THE PORTALS OF SOUTHERN FRANCE MAY 1-11, 2014! 1
WITH WILLIAM AND CLARE HENRY Tour Facilitator Nancy Safford! 2
Join Clare & William Henry for an opportunity to experience the wonder of sacred France and to journey within yourself on this exclusive luxury retreat. Expertly managed by Nancy Safford this unique tour is limited to just 25 people. Stairways to Heaven is designed for you to answer the call of sacred Southern France and to share the experience with likeminded individuals. The Chateau Duc des Joyeuse ( The Ducs ) will be our home for all 11 days of the tour. Each day will include explorations of the sacred sites, special meditations, discussions and activities to help deepen your connection to this extraordinary ancient land, and tap into powerful aspects of your self. We will do our best to help make this feel like an individual retreat for you. This is our third tour to France within one year. With past experience, it is advisable to book early to confirm a place on the tour with us all.! 3
THE CHATEAU DES DUCS DE JOYEUSE! 4
! 5
TOUR LOGISTICS STAIRWAYS TO HEAVEN SACRED JOURNEY TO THE PORTALS OF SOUTHERN FRANCE May 1 11, 2014 Cost - $3995 TOUR INCLUDES * All ground transportation, including pick up and drop off at Blagnac airport in Toulouse, France. Does not include round trip airfare from USA to Toulouse. One flies from US city of departure (leaving the day before on April 30) to Toulouse, arriving by 11:30am on May 1st 2014. * All accommodations based on double occupancy * An extensive French breakfast each morning * Five dinners at the Chateau * All entrance fees and special presentations * Single room supplement if available for $995 * Single Suite supplement if available (check price) DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS * First payment; deposit of $600 is due immediately to secure your place. *The second installment of the total cost is $1697.50 and due by January 15, 2014 * The third and final installment balance of $1697.50 is due by March 15, 2014 * Payments can be made by cashiers check, personal check or credit card (Please note that there is a $175 credit card use fee). Payments are made payable to: William Henry, and for credit cards contact him at: whenrytn@earthlink.net or 615-292-5397 * In France, it is customary to tip for service offered to the visitor. The excellent staff at the Chateau, the wonderful bus driver and several restaurants that we will be visiting and more, offer a high level of service that has been noted by all our precious guests on past tours. We believe you will fall in love with them as we have done and will want to show your appreciation for this epic eleven day tour. We all play an important role to make sure your needs and desires are met. *The recommended tip for the eleven day tour is $100 which Clare will collect ( in euro s please) towards the end of the tour and will be presented to the recipients on the last day.! 6
ITINERARY Day 1 Thursday We pick you up in Toulouse, at Blagnac airport at 11:30 for 12:15 departure to our lodging at the Chateau des Ducs de Joyeuse, located at the foot of the famous hilltop village of Rennes Le Chateau. We will stop for lunch on our way at a well known Abbey in the tiny village of Alet les Bains, once a walled city with its own abbey and moat, built by the Benedictines in 813. An early Jewish community once thrived here, when it was a center for Jewish scholars and Cabbalist traditions. Nostradamus family once lived here and the home still stands. After lunch we ll visit the church there which has a Black Madonna, rarely spoken or written about, located next to the ruins of the earlier basilica. After arriving at the Ducs, we can relax and settle in before having have a brief introduction to the area and then retire early to catch up from the long flights.! 7
! 8
You will love the ancient feel of France.! 9
Day 2 - Friday Breakfast. We gather for a group meditation and sharing as we begin our sacred journey together. We will set our intentions, first individually and then as a group before William gives a special introductory presentation about Rennes Le Chateau and its Many Mysteries. We then will depart to explore the timeless and ancient healing waters of Rennes Les Bains, once inhabited by the Celts who lived in stone villages high above the waters within an ancient stone cromlech circle. The area is known to contain many secrets and dimensional portals. Our path weaves us along the Sals River to the Bains Doux, where the warm waters flow out from the hills above,, and where at the turn of the century, a stone building was constructed so people could bathe and receive healing from the waters leading us to one of the wonderful cafes in the small town. We continue on our path up to the 5000 year old stone, carved into what many call, the Seat of Isis next to her holy spring. There are three powerful ley lines that pass through the placement of this Seat from the back, but only one is reported coming out from the front. There will be time for quiet reflection and attunement here. We return to the hotel for our special welcome dinner.! 10
Day 3 Saturday Breakfast. We depart for Alet les Bains, first, to visit Lorrie s Angel Gallery, gaining international renown, where an Irish woman, has placed her many different angel paintings to bring peace and comfort to all who sit before them. After, we will have our first presentation by a Knights Templar, giving us background on the Templars, their brief history and mystical treasures here, the Jewish lineage of Jesus and Magdalene in the area, the Celts and Romans here, before we explore the ancient symbols in front of Nostradamus medieval home, still inhabited today.! 11
Day 3 Saturday continued Then we will continue with him to the famous hilltop village of Rennes Le Chateau where he will welcome us with a brief history, before we have lunch at the beautiful Jardin de Marie restaurant. This village was inhabited thousands of years ago by the Celts, then by the Romans, the Visigoths and then the Merovingians. An early Merovingian Chateau still stands here. Rennes Le Chateau is located within a natural pentagram pattern in the landscape here, and is situated on one of the points, while the other four are visible from here. Our Templar guide will also give us a special presentation about the geometry of this sacred land temple for our better understanding. We ll visit the Tour Magdala and the Church, both dedicated to Mary Magdalene although there is legend of an ancient Temple of Isis hidden deep within the earth below these buildings.. This is the church that Abbe Sauniere was renovating when he discovered coded documents, went to Paris with them and returned with a great amount of money (its source still unknown today) with which he built the Tour Magdala and renovated the church.! 12
Day 3- Saturday Continued. There has always been a quest for treasure here, both for hidden coins, elusive monies, as well as for the spiritual treasure of the Holy Grail. Legends say that the Holy Family possibly lived on these high banks overlooking the meandering River of Colors which flows beneath Rennes le Chateau. The Magdalene energy is very present here and it is believed that she walked and taught in the area, within this natural pentagram, the symbol of Venus. This Venus Temple holds the key to a much larger movement of celestial forces as they interact with the planet through these Venus nodes on the earth. Each person will have personal time to experience the grounds before we return to the Ducs for dinner.! 13
! 14
Day 4 Sunday Breakfast. After gathering briefly, we will leave to spend the morning at a traditional marketplace in Esperaza, to experience what the famous French open market tradition is all about. It offers various fresh local produce, wines, fresh cheeses, clothes and many gift items. There is a special church, possibly placed on a sacred Celtic site, dedicated to Archangel Michael located here, as this tiny village marks the center of a six-pointed star identified in the Temple landscape of the area. We will then depart for the famous Cathar Castle Montsegur, referred to as the Grail Castle. This stronghold is where 200 Cathars made their last stand and were burned rather than renounce their beliefs for those of the Catholic Church. The night before, legend says, four Cathars escaped down the most dangerous ledge of the Castle by ropes to safety, with their sacred treasure. It has never been revealed, what the treasure was, though there are always those who know. Some people surmise that it was the Grail Cup, or a silver plate or cauldron, while others feel it was the mystical gospel of John or the Book of Love that the Cathars considered their treasure. Our steep climb up to Montsegur Castle, gives us a new perspectives as well as breathtaking views. It is hard to imagine how anyone could not honor the Cathar s courage and wish the same dedication for all beings. In this special moment, we have the opportunity to recalibrate our lives and step beyond where we ve been. Co-creating a ceremony at the peak of this famous mountain might be a perfect choice.! 15
! 16
Day 5 Monday Breakfast. We take time to relax and share, before a presentation by William, The Cathars and Bogomils, the bridge to the true religion of Jesus, before departing to explore the Holy Mountain Bugarach, also a point on the landscape Temple pentagram. It is here that legends say an Essene community lived long ago. And there are numerous caves inside this mountain. It is a powerful place to meditate, as we sit by the magical lake and glance up at the large Buddha, part of the mountain peak. We will have a crystal bowl meditation here, after we first visit the church in the tiny village and fill our water bottles with the water that flows freely from this mountain next to the church. Bugarach has hosted numerous UFO sightings, and some legends speak of it as an intergalactic doorway possibly hosting Arcturian visitors. Jules Verne once lived here, and wrote several of his books, including Journey to the Center of the Earth, based on the mysteries of this mountain. Then we continue to the Fountain Des Amours, an ancient place where salt water flows from an unusual source above. Beings from all dimensions, seen and unseen, have been known to meet here, to join together for an experience of love, whatever that will be. We return to the Ducs for dinner.! 17
! 18
Day 6 Tuesday Breakfast. We depart early to explore two new places in the Ariege region of France, both deep in the Pyrenees, one in Ussat Les Bains to explore several important Cathar caves in the mountains above this magical town, also a place where famous healing thermal waters flow. Our friend, Christian, perhaps a present day Cathar and major researcher and musician, will offer his Cathar songs in a first level initiatory cave, before we continue to a higher level initiatory cave. Not only will we have a deeper understanding of their beliefs, their lives, but we too can have an experience of the powerful light that comes from the places that appear to have such great darkness. Our journey today will also take us to the famous town of Tarascon Sur Ariege to see an ancient Black Madonna also known as Our Lady - who mysteriously appeared in front of Charlemagne in 778 AD when his horse refused to move. She saved him and his armies from being defeated by the Saracens. Then, after she disappeared, his men dug in the earth below to find a bronze figure upon which was written, Our Lady of Victory. Thus this church was built marking her place and is called Notre Dame de Sabarthes, in which Anna and Mary Magdalene are both venerated as well. We will have lunch along the way and dinner before returning to the Ducs.! 19
Day 7 Wednesday This will be our special Sion Academy Day, The William Henry Mystery School will celebrate it s official opening on this special day. We will enjoy staying around the grounds of our Chateau with its new heated swimming pool and where two important rivers join together, the Aude and the Sals, setting the flow for several wonderful and different presentations that will happen throughout the day: 1) William - will make several inspiring presentations, 2) Clare - will offer us a unique teaching/ presentation. 3) Simon Miles - a long time writer and researcher now living here from Australia, will offer us a special new perspective in his excellent presentation on sacred geometry. 4) Nancy will offer us a special meditation and presentation. Everyone will have their free choice for lunch and then dinner at the Ducs! 20
Day 8 -- Thursday Breakfast. Early departure to weave our path into the Pyrenees to visit a special Benedictine Abbey, Saint Michel de Cuxa, founded about 840 AD. It is located at the foot of the famous Mountain, Canigou, known to some as an ascension mountain. This abbey is one of the most important ancient monuments in southern France, in fact, the Cloisters in New York City now house some of the medieval carvings from its pillars that had fallen down after a large flood. This Abbey hosts a temple to the sun and one to the moon inside, as well as an ancient Madonna. An early ceremonial stone nearby, known to be a sunstone, may go back to the time when Mithras was worshipped or even earlier. It may have been placed upon the telluric energies here that facilitate the powerful sense of wellbeing one experiences in this Abbey. The Benedictine monks were said to be the last monks to understand and know how to work with telluric energies. Each person will have a chance to experience this magical stone.! 21
We continue then to the wonderful Mediterranean town of Collioure to sit leisurely on its soothing beaches. It is situated a short distance between the French and Spanish border, where once Celtic tribes settled, before the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans arrived, who each used it as a special port for trading. Then the Visigoths took it over in the 7th century. There may even have been an ancient Temple dedicated to Isis located here thousands of years ago. The town hosts a Royal Palace, a Castle, owned by the Kings of Aragon, said to have been their summer home and then a large Templar fortress still standing today. Collioure became famous by - and was closely associated with - the Knights Templar, who passed through it on their crusade routes to the Holy Land in the 12th century and would often house their mysterious treasures in this fortress. It is used today by the French military for special seals training. Collioure is also famous for its very intriguing light, which inspired the early Fauve Painters to begin their movement here. Among them were Derain, Braque, Matisse, Picasso, to mention a few. Our stop here in this peaceful, beautiful town offers us an opportunity to relax and explore the beach walkways, the church, observe the castle of the Aragon Kings in the distance and explore the Templar fortress situated on the rocks elevated from the beach. A labyrinth was created here centuries ago on the ground, across from the side entrance to the fortress. We might also experience a mermaid connection, as they have resided in the deepest waters here, with the safety of the fortress above, for millennia. In fact at a small hotel, Les Templiers, the bar has been carved to resemble a wooden ship, with a mermaid on the bowsprit, holding a human child in her arms. We will enjoy dinner on our own here before returning to the Ducs.! 22
! 23
Day 9 - Friday Breakfast. After gathering to center, integrate and share some time with the group to catch up, we will depart for the day to visit the famous church in Vals where its historic church, built on rock in a semicave-like fashion, is known to have been a religious site even before Roman times. It hosts frescoes with a Byzantine influence that are unusual in France, with scenes from Christ s childhood, and where angels surround frescoes of Jesus, protecting the site. There is also an early depiction of the Peacock Angel here, referred to as archangel Pantasaron. It is believed to have strong Catalan influences, since it is so near to that area. A humble statue of the Virgin gives the church site an Earthly glory. We continue to Carcassonne to explore the medieval walled city, an experience not to be had anywhere else in France. The area was first settled about 3500 BC, and then later by the Celts, to become an important trading center in the 6th century BC. Then the Greeks and Romans came and later the Visigoths who were known to have brought their elusive treasure and hidden it here. Carcassonne was also a place where a good part of the Cathar inquisition took place. There is a beautiful basilica here, dedicated to Saint Nazaire, with numerous stained glass windows, including one with a tree of life in it, possibly symbolic of the early Cabbalist traditions nearby, not to mention other secret information available for discovery. We are free here to have dinner on our own before returning to the Ducs.! 24
Day 10 Saturday After breakfast William will offer a special presentation, The Cathars and Bogomils, the Bridge to the True Religion of Jesus. This is the last day of our journey and we will visit two very special places, first, the chateau, said to be the most well placed Chateau in Southern France, Puilaurens. The second place is the famous 7thCentury hermitage, the Gorges de Galamus located on the route of many famous Cathar Castles. This Chateau had belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Michel de Cuxa before it was acquired by the Queen of Aragon in 1162. Thus as an Aragonese property, it was outside of the territory ravaged by the Crusaders during the Cathar wars and could provide a refuge for those fleeing from invading forces, which included numerous Cathar deacons after the fall of Montsegur in 1244. The Chateau withstood attacks by Simon de Montfort and his successors, until the end of the crusades. After 1243, the ownership of Chateau Puilaurens changed, though it was still defended by Chabert de Barbaira, a famous Cathar military commander and the last one to defend the Occitan cause. The castle finally surrendered around 1255. Puilaurens is the only castle that has a chapel marked for the Dame Blanche. She was a legend, and known to protect the Templar and Cathar Chateau s and their causes. We enjoy a Picnic lunch here, before we continue to the Gorges de Galamus.! 25
It is a special sanctuary in the rocks that has always been associated with, and under the protection of Saint Anthony, as a place for hermits who wanted to live a life in prayer and abstinence, and a few even died here. Today it is viewed as one of the most remarkable natural curiosities of the Pyrenees, situated half-way up a cliff with cold spring waters flowing beneath it in the narrow gorge, which originate from Mt. Bugarach. We will descend onto a path leading to this mystical rock grotto which today serves as a chapel. Franciscan Monks took over the site in the 15th century, and made it a traditional place of pilgrimage. Easter is one of the more important celebrations here. For us, on our last day, this sanctuary will not only offer each person a place for quiet reflection, but also an important moment to ask yourself if you are ready to step through the next doorway, for a new experience within yourself, your life and the world around you. In just one day, you will be going home. The question is: where is your home or what is home to you? Is it within yourself or outside yourself in the outer world? Only You know. Then we return to the Chateau Ducs de Joyeuse for our celebratory Farewell dinner, a perfect moment to acknowledge and give thanks to all those who have been part of this sacred journey, including each other, yourself, and all our guides and teachers who have walked beside us for inspiration and protection. Each will have time to pack for our early next day departure.! 26
Day 11 - Sunday Prepare for early departure to the airport for flights homeward. May you have a blessed journey!! 27
TOUR TESTIMONIALS MdJ, CA I went to Egypt in 2012 with William and Clare Henry and had an amazing time, so when the opportunity to go to Sacred France came along in 2013, I jumped right on it. I didn't know a lot about the Cathars or Southern France, but I knew I had to go. Even though I didn't know what to expect, I had high expectations for this journey and this trip far exceeded anything I could have expected. I learned so much, experienced so much and most importantly started to remember who I really am. I feel we literally did go into another dimension and I know I am forever changed by this amazing journey. William and Clare do everything first class and are wonderful people! Go with an open mind and see what magic happens! Chad Schmidt. Colorado. Dearest Clare and William, our sacred pilgrimage to France was such a great and profound experience that is still working wonders in our lives. K.W. Seattle. It was a true joy to travel with you Clare and William on this amazing tour to France. Thank you for everything. Hanna C, Australia.! 28
TESTIMONIALS CONTINUED Dear Clare and William, First of all let me say what a fantastic experience the tour was for me and how blessed I am for it and for having been gifted with such a terrific group of folks with whom to experience it all. HUGE thanks once again to Nancy for your excellent tour facilitation, to William for your brilliant contributions to the experience, and to Clare for your sage wisdom, beautiful heart, and for presence-ing such tremendous LIGHT! Know that I've been immensely expanded by ALL of you, my fellow sojourners!! So excited to be joining you once again in Egypt! Ig. Vige. Oregon Hey William and Clare, I wanted to thank you for the experience you created for us all and let you know it was priceless. We had the most amazing time with you guys. I believe truly in everything you both represent :-) D.B Connecticut Dearest Clare and William, I can't thank you enough for the amazing journey in France! I'm so peaceful and happy. I miss everyone, which is so strange in a way, but we felt like one big family. I have been transformed in so many ways. I loved every moment I spent with you and the others. Again, it was like Nashville and the connections I made with people as much as the journey itself. The two of you are so inspirational and I have so much love in my heart for you. I feel blessed to know you and to have shared these moments with you. I had so many emotions and feelings in France, but the overwhelming one was of love. France was incredible, with the precious souls we were with. Thank you. X C.F. Virginia! 29
TESTIMONIALS CONTINUED Dearest Clare and William, It was one of those coincidences that I came across the web sight of William and Clare! And I liked what I saw... I bought some materials and watched avidly, than I noticed they were advertising a "mystical Tour of the Southern France...I managed to join the Tour,..It was a Blessing.. Right when we met at the airport it was more like a reunion of "Souls" that got together.. We gelled and by the end we were as ONE! Each day added to the day before and we learned some more.. We all experience things differently so you experience yours... it will be a Blessing! Buy some materials to learn and go on a Tour if you can however, do join the Sion Mystery School..it is a must. We become as Beacons of Light to many other Souls and just as the Light of the light house guides ships ashore we too will guide others and together Peace will come and Love abounds. In Love and Light Humbly.. J.M. Australia Dearest Darling Clare and William, Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what a journey!!! How wonderful it was, to actually get to meet you both at last. Wow, what a Journey it was huh?!!! Amazing and Magical, in so many ways, and with so many amazing Beings physical and otherwise : ) Thank you to both you and William and Nancy for providing the space and opportunity for so much magic to happen. I was SO incredibly Happy and Grateful to reconnect with it all in beautiful France with you leading the way so professionally. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. A.de P.L Australia! 30