Andrew Gough's Arcadia

Part 2

Another key figure in Chaplin’s book is Ingrid, the German Cabbala expert who once lived in the States. Chaplin is eager to see her and has arranged a lunch. I had not planned on meeting Ingrid – or she me, but am thrilled at the prospect. We meet at an outdoor restaurant on the coast and I’m at once impressed by her breadth and depth of knowledge – and intensity. In fact, I cannot recall another quit like her. She wastes little time and with hardly a ‘hello’, delves into what I can only describe as an esoteric master class. She speaks with authority on a vast range of subjects and exhibits a refreshing enthusiasm for her domain. I am reminded of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code character – The Teacher. The woman’s brilliant, and a master teacher, indeed.

The Cabbalist: a teacher

Ingrid was understandably guarded at first, but slowly attuned to the stranger in the group – me. After lunch we went for a walk near the sea before heading back to her home in the hills for more discussion. Here Ingrid served water that had been chilled for a day in a pitcher with a rare crystal. Before long she produced an analysis of our Cabbala numbers. Ingrid’s insight is extremely detailed and highly esoteric, drawing on volumes of work from decades of research. Chaplin and Frisvold’s Cabbala readings are fascinating. Mine involves the degree of the sun’s arc in a day, season and year, prompting Ingrid to emphasis Arc-a-day, and to inform me that I am associated with Arcadia. As Ingrid has never been on the internet, I’m intrigued, and leave impressed with all aspects of her performance. She’s an amazing lady.

No sooner then we arrive back in Girona, do we stumble upon Tarres – completely by chance. ‘This sort of thing has been happening for years,’ Frisvold adds. The three of us can’t believe our luck.

The meeting is serendipitous, no doubt, for it affords Chaplin the opportunity to brief Tarres in advance of the launch. I observe the encounter with great interest, but am careful not to intrude. We shake hands and exchange niceties. Tarres seemed amiable and genuinely excited to see the book. He struck me as sincere and passionate; a gentleman – yet someone who knows things. He has that quality about him. ‘Extreme sensitivity’ – that made more sense to me now.

Sharing a moment: Chaplin shows Tarres City of Secrets for the first time

Regretfully, our encounter with Tarres was brief. He said he hoped to attend the launch and we wished him well and on his way. As it turned out, Tarres was unable to attend, and not surprisingly so. While his participation was sadly missed, the evening was fascinating nevertheless.

Chaplin’s book launch

On the night, Chaplin drew a standing room only crowd of 75+ people – mostly supporters and old friends, including a number of society members. It’s an eclectic group. Many are discussing the French woman and the two towers; others speak of their parents’ recollection of the French priest who visited Girona many years ago. I’m amazed that so many are so well versed in the story...

Chaplin’s good friend, the actress Clara Mascaro, kicks things off by reading excerpts from City of Secrets in Catalan. Mascaro also starred in Chaplin’s play about the Italian painter Amedo Modigliana, and is an accomplished performer. As Mascaro finishes her readings, Chaplin, who is flanked by her Spanish publisher and Catalan translator, prepares to address questions from the audience. And that’s when things got interesting.

Mascaro reads from City of Secrets – in Catalan

Before questions can be solicited from the audience, Chaplin is pre-empted by a influential local business woman who asserts her opinions without so much as a preamble. The woman, now in her 90’s, is featured in City of Secrets and was one of Chaplin’s many sources, supplying information, letters and photos to the project.

The mystery woman – was she planted by the society?

The local business woman proceeded to launch into a tirade of apparent misinformation, suggesting dates for the construction of the Torre Magdala and the French woman’s house – none of which were correct. She continued, aggressively asserting that Saunière had nothing to do with Girona and that there was no society. A well known Spanish politician sat in the same row – 3 seats away – and watched and listened with great interest. He appeared to be the only one not surprised by her comments and even looked on, approvingly.

Later, after the question and answer segment had finished, I took the opportunity to engage the controversial old woman in conversation. With the help of Chaplin’s translator, the three of us spoke for several minutes before being interrupted by the politician, who made a considerable effort to have a private word with her before departing.

Chaplin’s translator helps me interview the mystery woman

I resumed my inquisition with a myriad of politely phrased questions. Her replies were fascinating. She recounted how Tourdes used to walk past her husband’s store – that’s how they met – and that they eventually became good friends. She said she once accompanied Tourdes to Paris and occasionally drove her to her home on the coast. She added: ‘If there was a private society, I would have known about it!’

Everything she said contradicted her previously statements – and she kept getting the dates wrong. But I was riveted. ‘Was she a set-up, planted by the society?’ City of secrets, indeed. At the post launch party I pondered the possibilities until the early hours of the morning...

The following day was my last day in Girona and we were off on the only quest I could think of that could equal the intrigue of meeting Tarres, Ingrid the Cabbalist, and witnessing an apparent society set-up at the book launch; a trip to Mt. Canigu. We arrived at the base of the mountain after a late start, keen to ascend as far as possible with the daylight remaining. The trail up the mountainside is hazardous, so we rented a jeep. Our driver was quite knowledgeable and stopped on a number of occasions to show us points of interest, including Mt. Bugarach, and Rennes-le-Château, off in the distance.

Chaplin points towards Rennes-le-Château. Frisvold talks to our driver.
Mt. Bugarach touches the clouds in the distance.

As we gazed towards Rennes-le-Château, I recalled what the Ingrid had said, and what Chaplin had written in her book. The summit of Canigou represents the precise centre between Girona and Rennes-le-Château (Note 3). The two points represent Isis and Nephtis – the north and south – and the south is always hidden. Canigou, I am told, is the sacred portal that is invoked for Grail rituals – equal distance between the two.

After a rather arduous 90 minute journey up the mountain we neared the spot where Tarres escorted Chaplin all those years ago. This is where he deposited artefacts used in the society’s Grail rituals. It’s also the spot where ‘Stillman’ died while returning the Grail artefacts to the portal – like Tarres had done before her - according to Chaplin.

Isis and Nephtis: North and South
(© Corjan de Raaf)

Our jeep picked up pace as the gravel trail turned to asphalt and we winded toward the base of the summit.

‘So what exactly is a portal, Patrice?’ The scepticism in my voice was intentional. I had hoped to illicit a reaction.

‘I mean, when Jose left you on the summit with a sack of Grail artefacts slung over his shoulder, surely he walked to a hiding place and hid them under a rock or in a nearby shed - no?’

Chaplin sneered, and then retorted: ‘Hardly. You don’t understand the concept of a portal very well, do you Andrew? It’s a passage to another realm – another dimension.’

‘So have you been through one?’ I asked defensively.

‘Not this one, but I’ve visited others - one back in London, in fact. I also visited a portal outside of Narbonne – not far from here. That night I dreamt about it. I saw a place bustling with people preparing souls for their passage to the next stage. Don’t forget I‘m psychic. But no, I’ve never experienced this one – Josep’s portal.’

And with that our jeep came to a stop. We had arrived. It was time to stretch our legs.

The accommodation at the base of the Summit

The view from the base of the summit was sensational – as was the feel of the place. The air was crisp and we could see all the way to Perillos. But time was not our friend and we would not be able to complete the 90 minute hike to the top of the summit. This was frustrating, as I was determined to locate the portal and discover for myself what all the fuss was about. Perturbed, I studied the old photographs and drawings in the lodge and imagined what it would be like to venture the final leg of the journey.

Hiking to the summit in winter

The temperature had dropped considerably and we ordered hot chocolate and spoke to the staff in the lodge about their experiences living on the mountain. They spoke of the holiness of the summit – how it was a sacred place. Looking at the pictures I took consolation in not being able to ascend further; the final leg of the journey looked tricky, and the summit itself appeared quite small.

The summit in summer

Chaplin remembers being left on the summit by Tarres, who returned from the portal approximately an hour or so later.

‘Where could he have gone?’ I asked. ‘Patrice, you must remember more. What direction did he walk?’

‘It was a long time ago. I honestly don’t remember. All I recollect is that he made the sign of the cross as he left and when he returned he was very serious and introspective. He wouldn’t talk about it. He wouldn’t talk about anything – not for a while.’

‘All I know is that it’s up there. That’s all I know. I can tell you this, however. You could be standing right next to it and never know it’s there. But it’s up there, all right.’

Pointing to the summit where Grail ritual artifacts are kept – in another dimension – according to City of Secrets

We descended the mountain, drawing to a close yet another Girona odyssey. It had been an amazing week. I’d met some incredible people, including Josep Tarres - the alleged grandson of Bérenger Saunière and a Cabbalist named Ingrid who appeared to be the fountain of all knowledge. I needed time to think, but not now. I was shattered. And anyway, at the moment I was more concerned if Chaplin would someday show me a portal, and if so, would I experience the Grail?

I would like to thank Patrice Chaplin and Tove Frisvold for their trust in sharing the people, places and research that led to City of Secrets.

Notes

Note 1: Much concern has been raised regarding a rudimentary drawing of a tower that appears on page 294 of City of Secrets and page 125 of a book by Antoine Captier and Claire Corbu’s called L'Heritage de l'Abbe Sauniere. While both drawings have the same date: October 1st, 1903, and are otherwise identical, one is labeled Girona and the other Limoux, creating speculation that the version in Chaplin’s book was copied and altered from the Captier and Corbu book.

Above: The version that appears in both books (Comparison by Corjan de Raaf)
Below: Chaplin’s version – in her private collection

Chaplin’s earliest version of the drawing – 31 October, 1901

The version of the drawing in Chaplin’s book also includes the words ‘Maria, in haste, Guillem' – Guillem being a figure from Chaplin’s letters to and from Maria Tourdes. I personally have seen 3 different versions of the drawings / sketches of the towers – and I am told there several more in existence. In the day before ‘copy machines’, reproducing documents by hand was a common practice. The version displayed in this article is the oldest, and coincides with the year – 1901 - that construction commenced on the Tour Magdala in Rennes-le-Château. The document has also been certified by authorities in Oxford. Others believe the drawings were made by Tiburce Caminade, Sauniere’s building architect.

Note 2: The genre’s foremost expert on La Sang (Spanish) and La Sanch (French) is Isaac Ben Jacob, a ‘research collective’ whose investigation into the La Sang death cult is proving to be a key element that links Girona and Rennes-le-Château with Perpignan. The Perpignan based society is famous for its Easter processions, elaborate dress, and mysterious rituals on the dead; rituals performed for a fee, designed to ensure that a person’s soul goes to heaven regardless of the quality of life they led. Ben Jacob’s analysis of Bérenger Saunière’s letters and regalia indicate that the priest may have been part of the society.

Curiously, the church in Durban, near Perillos / Perpignan, contains La Sanch symbolism. This is the church where Saunière’s mentors, Abbés Gelis and Boudet, received their first assignment as priests. Further, I have personally identified the ‘bag’ or ‘sachet’ on Saunière’s West Wall Fresco in his church in Rennes-le-Château as a La Sanch symbol, establishing physical evidence of the possibility that Saunière was involved in the sect. La Sanch / La Sang research is in it infancy but appears to be a new and vital source of information to the mystery.

Note 3: Actually, the northern counterpart of Girona is not Rennes-le-Château, according to the Cabbalist, but Quillian – the town near Rennes-le-Château where Maria Tourdes is from and where Saunière is said to have owned property.