NOTRE DAME: THE SOUL OF PARIS, analysis by Philip Lindsay.

In 2015 I had the good fortune to visit Notre Dame with some Parisian friends and experienced the beauty, grandeur and spiritual power of this extraordinary place. The soul of Paris is Virgo the Virgin - and Notre Dame (Our Lady) is its personification. The building celebrates the beauty of the second ray of Love-Wisdom, transmitted through Virgo - more powerfully than any other zodiac sign. It was built upon the site of an ancient temple of Isis, one of the three goddesses of Virgo – Eve, Isis and Mary.

In the event chart for the outbreak of the fire, the Moon was in Virgo, square to fiery Mars in Gemini. As the ferocious fire burned for the next four hours, the moon moved into an even closer square with Mars, reaching exactitude at 5 am the next day - when Notre Dame was a smouldering ruin. The Sun was in Mars-ruled Aries, but Mars’ placement in air sign Gemini seemed to fan the flames.

Pisces is also the soul of France, hence this profound Virgo-Pisces pair of opposites between the nation and its capital Paris. In some ways the utter destruction of the cathedral signals the end of the Piscean Age, even if the building is going to be restored. The fire is also however a symbol of renewal – Aries is a sign of death and rebirth. Given the fact that Notre Dame is not only the heart of France, but at the heart of Europe, its destruction may spark a sense of European unification during this Brexit crisis. Whilst Paris is a Virgo soul, it has Capricorn as its personality ruler:

“The forces of crystallisation pour through Paris which is ruled by Capricorn in its personality and yet the soul of the French nation is nurtured in that great capital through the soul of the city, energised by Virgo and, forget not, that Virgo is the polar opposite of Pisces and the infant Christ in Virgo comes to full flower in Pisces. Here lies the hope of France.” (The Destiny of the Nations, Alice A. Bailey. p.73.)

Saturn is currently in its own sign of Capricorn conjunct Pluto, both square to the Aries sun (in fact, a grand cross with Earth and the nodal axis) – right there is this destructive and renovative event, as the soul of Paris is scorched and its personality battered, reportedly to the point of shame for some Parisians. The “coincidence” of the fire with the beginning of Holy Week and Easter is quite obvious - this fire is unquestionably a major spiritual event, and many of us have felt it deeply, before during and after.

There was an ominousness about the fire that appears to herald the return of the Masters of Wisdom and the Christ. Indeed, the words of Christ come to mind, “I come not to bring peace, but a sword” - to shock people into a keener sense of values which the world has today largely lost. When all these cathedrals were built many centuries ago, despite their occult and spiritual significance, many people suffered acute poverty whilst huge sums were invested in the buildings; there is a paralell today with the recent Gilets Jaunes demonstrations:

“An intensely materialistic attitude. The Church of Rome stands for great stone structures—cathedrals, churches, institutions, convents, monasteries. In order to build them, the policy down the centuries has been to drain the money out of the pockets of rich and poor alike. The Roman Catholic Church is a strictly capitalistic church. The money gathered into its coffers supports a powerful ecclesiastical hierarchy and provides for its many institutions and schools.”(Problems of Humanity, Alice A. Bailey.p.130.)

“The vast cathedrals and the pompous ceremonies of the orthodox are far removed from the humble way of the life of the Christ, the Master of all the Masters and the Teacher alike of angels and of men, and from the simplicity of His present way of life as He watches and waits for the return of His people to the simple way of spiritual realisation.” (Glamour: A World Problem, Alice A. Bailey. p.186.)

“How can the starving children of the world—and of Europe in particular [written WW2] —be salvaged when pleas go out from Popes and Bishops for money to build cathedrals and erect more churches when the existent churches now stand empty? How can light shine again in the minds of men when churchmen keep the people in a state of fear unless they accept the old theological interpretations and the old ways of approaching God.” (The Reappearance of the Christ, Alice A. Bailey. p.142.)

“The churches—materialistic, hide-bound and submerged in their theological concepts, seeking political power or possessions, emphasising stone buildings and cathedrals whilst neglecting "the Temple of God, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens"—are occupied with the symbols and not with the reality.” The Externalisation of the Hierarchy, Alice A. Bailey. p.471.)

Only recently has the author written about the Catholic Church (https://esotericastrologer.org/…/aries-2019-blue-moon-equ…/…) - and the Notre Dame fire signifies:

1. Primarily a great cleansing and purification of Paris and France that will lay the groundwork for real spiritual progress for itself and for Europe.

2. That the Catholic Church is all but finished, along with the Age of Pisces. But, because it still spiritually serves millions around the world, it must go through a renewal, as part of its overall purification process, such as the recent convictions of widespread sex abuse.

Notre Dame cathedral is one of a group that were all dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Notre Dame. The physical locations of these cathedrals form a pattern that venerates the constellation of Virgo. The tradition of the Knights Templar and the sacred geometry of these buildings are well known to students of The Mysteries. May the soul of Paris rise forth from the ashes!