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Mystical Paris – Paris, France July 9 – 15, 2023

Mystical Paris – Paris, France 

July 9 – 15, 2023

 

No city in the world exudes the mystical feminine in its history, spirituality, art and culture more than Paris, and no one adores Paris more than mystic and author Andrew Harvey. This is a rare opportunity to join Andrew in the Paris he has known for the past five decades. We will join Andrew as he leads us through her ancient streets, churches and museums, weaving a tapestry of sights and sounds, with daily meditations and teachings. Experience the magic that is Paris, including incredibly good food and wine, as we come together in an intimate group to share sacred space.

 

 

Dates: July 9 -15, 2023

Location:  Paris, France

Faculty:  Andrew Harvey  

Academic Credit:  Ubiquity University BA & Masters -4 credits; The Wisdom School (WS) Doctoral – 4 credits

Coupon Codes: Use “EARLY22” to receive 10% off on either of our summer pilgrimages. If you’re buying both journeys, use “WISDOM23” to receive an additional 10% discount! *Ensure no additional products are in your cart or else the coupons will not apply.

Mystical Paris

 

In this pilgrimage, we will explore a city founded on a sacred geometry infused with the spirit of the divine feminine, perfectly embodied in the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Goddess statues have been there since ancient times, and sculptures of early Roman and Celtic goddesses, among them Vesta, Venus and Fortuna, as well as the sublime tapestries of the Lady and the Unicorn, can be found in the Musee de Cluny. It is thought that a temple of Isis existed near either St. Sulpice or St. Germain des Pres, and a celebrated Black Madonna has reigned on top of Genevieve’s mountain since the 13th century. The city itself was first built on the Montagne St. Genevieve, named after it’s visionary protectress and patron saint.

We will explore the great mystics of Paris, especially Nicolas Flamel, the great medieval alchemist who was said to have actually created the philosopher’s stone out of the elixirs in his laboratory that gave him the power to literally turn lead into gold and thereby secure immortality. Many legends grew up around his penetrating insights into the alchemical process.

Another mystic we will contemplate is Saint Louis de Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), a Roman Catholic priest and confessor, one of the first notable writers in the field of Mariology, following Fulbert, the bishop of Chartres who founded the Chartres Academy in 1006. De Montfort was canonized in 1947 and a statue to him resides in St Peter’s cathedral in Rome.

A walking tour of mystical Paris with Andrew will yield a richly layered ensemble of meaning between geometry, architecture, history, and symbolic forms. The focus will be an exploration of how Parisian architecture was designed along geometric forms with different layers of archeological and historical depth. We will visit the Louvre, trace the edges of the ancient templar quarter, and explore the energy matrix of the city. We will visit the mystical sundial in Saint-Sulpice church and examine the obelisks and arches in those star-shaped intersections that Napoleon built to create a new, mysterious alignment in the city, enhanced in recent years by the Louvre pyramid and the Grand Arche de la Defense.

 

Itinerary and Topics

 

The order of the following itinerary may change and you will receive updates after bookings are complete and again the week prior.  Please note that on any walking tour, changes may also occur during the week in response to weather. Rain will mean more indoor time, and heat might encourage us to slow down and find cool indoor places as well. We will also make stops in green spaces and cafes for rest and restoration, and churches and chapels for meditation. Some days are very full, and activities could spill into the next day if we run out of time.

Sunday, July 9
Arrival in Paris to enjoy some of the Bastille Day celebrations (e.g. morning parade and evening fireworks).  (Note:  Those travelling together from Chartres will arrive Saturday afternoon, July 13.)

Monday, July 10
On the first full day, Andrew will lead us along the stones of Roman Lutece, and we will meet three women. The first is
Sainte Genevieve, the patron saint and protectress of Paris in the eglise St Etienne du Mont. In the Musee Cluny we will discover the Lady of the Unicorn. We will also meet Roman goddesses Venus and Fortuna, along with Celtic gods on the Pillar of the Boatmen. Later, crossing to the island, we will visit the remains of Notre Dame de Paris.

  • Montagne Saint Genevieve
  • Sainte Genvieve, patron saint of Paris
  • Lady and the Unicorn, Musee de Cluny
  • Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris)

Tuesday, July 11
We will cross the river to the
Marais to visit some of the oldest private houses in Paris, leading us to the templar quarter, a sacred city within the city (many believe that the templars brought the black virgins to France), and the house of the alchemist Nicolas Flamel. We will then visit Notre Dame de la bonne Deliverance, a powerful black Madonna in Neuilly, just west of Paris.

  • Morning meditation at St Germain des Pres, where a statue of Isis was kept for many years.
  • The house of the alchemist Nicolas Flamel
  • Musee Carnavalet
  • Notre Dame de la Bonne Deliverance, in nearby Neuilly, the black virgin of Paris. She used to be in a church on the Montagne Set Genevieve. Optional stop Ile de La Jatte

Wednesday, July 12
On day three we go high up above Paris and breathe the air of Montmartre, then deep underground into the catacombs, and later receive the blessing of the Miraculous medallion. In the evening you will have the option to take a boat ride on the waters of the Seine.

  • In the morning we will climb Montmartre, the second sacred mountain of Paris, once home to an ancient temple to Mercury. It was also the site of St Denis’s martyrdom, by beheading, that symbolizes a shift in consciousness. We will visit the ancient church St Pierre de Montmartre. If time, we will explore Rue des Martyrs, one of the oldest streets in Paris, or alternatively lunch at Rue Daguerre in the 14th arrondisement.
  • In the afternoon, we go deep into mother earth, south of Paris, in the catacombs before emerging to visit the Chapel of the Miraculous Medallion where the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Catherine de Laboure.

Thursday, July 13
On day four we come to the alignment of science and spirituality at
St Sulpice, then plunge into the spiritual stream of feminine beauty in the Louvre. We will explore the energetic alignment of the arches and obelisks that emerge in post revolutionary Paris, along with the more recent pyramid of the Louvre connected to the Grand Arche de la Defence.

  • Saint Sulpice, with its statue of Saint Louis de Marie Grignion de Montfort in the Chapel of the Virgin Mary where he celebrated his frist mass
  • The Louvre and its pyramid
  • Venus de Milo, ancient Greece, the ideal of feminine beauty
  • Maris Magadalene, German Renaissance statue in the Louvre
  • Lunch at the Palais-Royal, near the Louvre
  • Obelisk, Place de Concorde
  • Concert at Ste. Chapelle (optional) or picnic, or late night meditation Saint Gervais

Friday, July 14
On day five we explore the inspiration of the great impressionist painters at the
Musee Marmottan, and nearby we will drink from a fountain, an artesian well bringing spring water from 700-meters deep beneath Paris. In the afternoon we will continue to explore beauty in the Petit Palais (Musee Guime). Our last evening will be a special meal together in the latin quarter.

  • Monet water lilies at the Musee Marmottan
  • Spring water fountain, at square Lamartine
  • Petit Palais (free entry) (Musee Guime) and/or free final afternoon

Saturday, July 15
Group departs

Faculty

 

Andrew Harvey, PhD (Hons) is a poet, novelist, translator, mystical scholar and lecturer.  He has taught at Oxford, Cornell, Hobart and Smith Colleges, California Institute of Integral Studies, and UCS. Honors he has received include the Benjamin Franklin Award, and the Mind Body Spirit Award, and the Christmas Humphries Award. He is the author and editor of over 30 books including: The Return of the Mother and Son of Man: The Mystical Path to Christ, and The Direct Path. He is Founder and Director of the Institute of Sacred Activism.

 

 

Required Reading (if taking course for academic credit)

1) Saint Louis de Marie Grignion de Montfort, The Devotion of Mary

2) Andrew Harvey, Return of the Mother

Post-Class Assignment for Ubiquity University students (if taking course for academic credit)

Requirement for BA students is a 7-10 page paper, MA students, a 12-15 page paper, and Doctoral students, a 20-25 page paper, focused on the mystical dimensions of Paris with particular attention to the work of Flamel and de Montfort as well as the uniquely feminine aspects of the city’s history and ethos. Draw upon your personal experience during the pilgrimage and your reading of the assigned material. Artistic work is welcome to supplement your paper.

Course Duration: 7 days

Coupon Codes:
Use “EARLY22” to receive 10% off on either of our summer pilgrimages. If you’re buying both journeys, use “WISDOM23” to receive an additional 10% discount! *Ensure no additional products are in your cart or else the coupons will not apply.

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