Welcome to the December 2007 edition of the Laconneau Monthly Newsletter.
Laconneau Newsletter Archive: http://www.laconneau.com/NewsletterArchive.html
IN THIS ISSUE
- Book of the Month
- Upcoming Festival
- Upcoming Pilgrimage
- Regional Events & News
- Contact Laconneau
DECEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus
By Jean-Yves Leloup
"Among all the astonishing documents unearthed in 1945 near the desert village
of Nag Hammadi, the Gospel of Thomas has made the greatest impact on our
understanding of Christianity. . . . The words in this text have the power to touch
an unknown part of ourselves that brings with it an undeniable recognition of
truth and hope."
Jacob Needleman, author of Lost Christianity and The American Soul
Visit the Reading Room:
http://www.laconneau.org/readingroom.html
LACONNEAU SPRING FESTIVAL
Laconneau Spring Festival
Friday, April 25 - Sunday, April 27, 2008
Artemis House, Greenville, NC
All across Celtic Europe, the season of Imbolc ended at the spring festival,
marking the beginning of summer. As with the Fall Festival, this is a time
between dark and light, night and day, winter and summer.
We are holding the Spring Festival in full accord with the principles of our
Tradition. Come join us at Artemis House in Greenville, North Carolina for this
wonderful weekend of council discussion, workshops, feminine spirituality and
festivities. Lend your voice to the power and love of other sisters such as yourself
who feel a burning need to see change in this world.
The fee for the festival is $275.00. To register, please contact Elaine at
Greenville@laconneau.org. To reserve your space, please submit your deposit in
the amount of $150.00 by March 25th. The remaining balance for this event is
due at the festival. Housing is $40.00 per night, payable to your respective
hostesses. Please also budget for $20.00 per day to cover lunches, altar materials,
and Elaine's increased electric bill.
More Information on the Spring Festival:
http://www.laconneau.org/festivalspring.html
LACONNEAU SPRING PILGRIMAGE
Magdalene: Mother of France
A Pilgrimage to Southern France
Tuesday, April 1 – Thursday, April 10, 2008
For centuries, pilgrims have ascended the winding way to the abbey church of the
Magdalene crowning the hill at Vezelay, often crawling on their hands and knees
in penitence and petition. Construction on the basilica of La Madeleine began in
1096 and it very quickly became the fourth most popular of all sites of Christian
pilgrimage, attesting to the enormous sway that the Magdalene still held over the
hearts and minds of the population of that time, a thousand years after her death.
Based on legends that she and her family had fled to Gaul as refugees before the
first orthodox gospels were even written, the fascination and hold that Mary
Magdalene held over this ancient land was both powerful and mystifying. What
was the fascination that has held a whole nation in its thrall for nearly two
millennia? Was Mary really the founder of the Celtic Church? Was there a
connection between Mary and the Cathars? If so, has her cult survived to this day
in the countryside of Celtic Europe?
After the death of Yeshua, did Mary really flee from Jerusalem to travel to
Southern France with her sister Martha, her brother Lazarus, Joseph of
Arimithea, and other disciples, to work and preach among the people of Gaul and
eventually to found the Celtic Church before supposedly retiring from public life
to spend the last thirty years of her life in a hermit’s cave in the mountains of Ste.
Baume? Is there any real evidence to support the popular theories and legends
behind the life of this mysterious woman?
What, if any, was the connection between Mary and Joan of Arc, the Fifteenth
Century teenage heroine and prophetess, who liberated France and crowned her
king under her curious battle standard bearing the names IhesusMaria, only
then to be condemned as a heretic and to die, abandoned by her king, in the
flames of the stake, upon the orders of the Roman Church and its Inquisition?
What was it about this mysterious woman that led her followers, Cathar and
others like them, to die in their thousands during the holocaust of the
Albigensian crusade rather than deny their faith and belief? Join with us as we
travel through the magnificent country of Southern France to make a spiritual
journey back in time to explore this fascinating legend, and attempt to find
answers to some of these questions. Marvel with us as we seek to understand the
wondrous power of this extraordinary yet enigmatic woman who left behind such
a rich spiritual heritage, and yet with whom history has dealt so harshly, and with
such premeditated injustice. Our pilgrimage starts upon your arrival in Marseille
on the morning of Monday, March 31, 2008, and ends when we deliver you to
Toulouse Airport on the afternoon of Thursday, April 10, 2008. Please note that
should you wish to travel earlier, or remain later than the dates above, you are
free to do so. As stated above, our pilgrimage starts on April 1 and finishes on
April 10.
Pilgrimage Online: http://www.laconneau.org/Pilgrimages.html
GEORGIA: December Events
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Women’s Circle 8:00PM
Atlanta, GA
For students who have completed the Level I Course
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Level I Introductory Course 10:00AM
Atlanta, GA
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Meditation 6:30PM
Atlanta, GA
Friday, December 21, 2007
Women’s Circle 7:00PM
Atlanta, GA
For students who have completed the Level I Course
Atlanta Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarAtlantaGA.html
Atlanta Region Coordinator: Lorrie - georgia@laconneau.org
THE CAROLINAS: December Events
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Women’s Circle 8:30PM
Greenville, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Meditation & Film Screening 12:00PM
An Inconvenient Truth
Greenville, NC
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Women’s Circle 8:30PM
Greenville, NC
For students who have completed the Level I Course
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Meditation & Book Discussion 12:00PM
When God Was A Woman by Merlin Stone
Greenville, NC
Greenville Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarGreenvilleNC.html
Greenville Region Coordinator: Elaine - Greenville@laconneau.org
PENNSYLVANIA: December Events
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Film Screening 7:00PM
Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition,
Torture and Disappearances in the "War on Terror”
Discussion 8:00PM
Spirituality in Activism
Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Women’s Circle 7:00PM
Philadelphia, PA
For students who have completed the Level I Course.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Women’s Circle 7:00PM
Philadelphia, PA
For students who have completed the Level I Course.
Philadelphia Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarPhiladelphiaPA.html
Philadelphia Region Coordinator: Anna - philadelphia@laconneau.org
WASHINGTON, DC: December Events
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Women’s Circle 8:00PM
Washington, DC
For students who have completed the Level I Course
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Dinner & Debate 5:00PM
Was Jesus a Myth?
Suggested Reading: Jesus and the Lost Goddess by Timothy Freke
Washington, DC
Monday, December 10, 2007
Women’s Circle 6:30PM
Washington, DC
For students who have completed the Level I Course
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Women’s Circle 6:00PM
Falls Church, VA
For students who have complete the Level I Course
DC Calendar Online: http://www.laconneau.com/CalendarWashingtonDC.html
DC Region Coordinator: Lorely - dc@laconneau.org
REGIONAL NEWS
France News:
Laconneau is planning to offer a limited opportunity for a small group of
Tradition members to complete Le Sentier Cathares in the Languedoc in the
Autumn of 2008. More details will be available in upcoming newsletters.
News from the Carolinas:
Laconneau of the Carolinas Reunion: A reunion is planned for women who
have participated in Laconneau classes in the last few years. The reunion will be
held at Artemis House in Greenville. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday,
January 12, 2008. The reunion will begin with a group meditation at La Chapelle
de la Madeleine, followed by a potluck dinner. Everyone who attends will be
updated on the events of Laconneau. Please contact Elaine at
Greenville@laconneau.org for further information.
Laconneau of the Carolinas Weekend: The next Carolina weekend will be on
February 9th and 10th in Greenville. Included in this weekend will be a book
review, movie, Women's Circle and plenty of time for meditation and reflection.
It is a time for sisters to get together for community. Sisters from all Circles are
welcome to attend. Please contact Elaine at Greenville@laconneau.org for further
information.
Personal Retreats at Artemis House: Artemis House is available for personal
retreats. Overnight accommodations at Artemis House include breakfast and
dinner. Women on retreat will have access to La Chapelle de la Madeleine for
meditation and prayer. They may also take advantage of the Laconneau library,
which includes a wide variety of books and films recommended on the Laconneau
website. For an additional fee, a sister who is a licensed massage therapist would
be available to come to Artemis House for massage. For further information
and prices, please contact Elaine at Greenville@laconneau.org.
Georgia News:
The Atlanta circle is proud to host the Laconneau Level I class on December 9th
in Atlanta. We invite everyone to come and hear Jehanne de Quillan as she
shares the history of Laconneau and its integration with early Gnostic
Christianity. Contact Georgia@laconneau.org to reserve your place.
The Atlanta circle is planning a field trip early next year to the High Museum of
Art to see the “Louvre Atlanta: The Louvre and the Ancient World” display. “This
exhibition features masterpieces from the founding cultures of Western
civilization and will include more than 70 works from the Louvre’s unparalleled
Egyptian, Near Eastern and Greco-Roman antiquities collections.”
Pennsylvania News:
At the end of its first year, the Philadelphia circle has come a long way in forming
the foundation of a strong community of young women. On December 5, the
circle will host a film screening of Outlawed: Extraordinary Rendition, Torture and
Disappearances in the "War on Terror, followed by discussion. Participants in circle
events continue to grow in our understanding of the central importance of doing
the inner work in order to affect positive change in the world around us as we
continue to learn to link spirituality and activism.
Washington, DC News:
The Cathar Seminar held on November 11 was a great success. Besides being
shown a chronological overview of Cathar history, including the Albigensian
Crusade and the Inquisition, participants learned the basis of the true beliefs of
this spiritual movement.
On Sunday, December 9, the appropriately seasonal topic for the monthly Dinner
and Debate program will be, “Was Jesus a Myth?” For those who plan to attend,
Timothy Freke’s, “Jesus and the Lost Goddess” is a good book for background
information and interesting food for thought.
CONTACT LACONNEAU
Please contact your coordinator with questions or updated regional information.
In France: Jehanne jehanne@laconneau.org
In Georgia: Lorrie georgia@laconneau.org
In the Carolinas: Elaine Greenville@laconneau.org
In Pennsylvania: Anna Philadelphia@laconneau.org
In Washington, DC: Lorely dc@laconneau.org
Contact Information Online: http://www.laconneau.com/Contact.html
Please visit our website, www.laconneau.org, for the complete calendar,
further articles, the book of the month, Laconneau’s history and additional
information.
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