Crusade Against the Grail - Rennes-le-Chateau Research and ...

84 PART TWO
reality.
Fourth: Differentiation of true and false under the guidance of the good
principle.
As we can see, poetry and philosophy in Occitania formed an undis-solvable
The Occitan Church of Amor (Minne) was composed of Perfecti ["Perfect
Ones"] and the faithful or "imperfect ones." 18 The latter were not constrained by
the severe rules of the Perfecti in their condition as Pure Ones. They could do
whatever suited them: marry, dedicate themselves to business, compose songs of
the Minne, go to war—in sum, live their lives as one did in those days in
Occitania. The name "Cathar" was reserved for those who, after a precisely
prescribed period of preparation and through a sacramental act (the
consolamentum, or consolation, which we will describe a little further on), were
initiated into the esoteric mysteries of the Church of Amor.
The Cathars, like the Druids, lived in the forests and caves where they
dedicated themselves almost exclusively to the functions of their cult. A table
covered with a white mantle served as an altar. Placed on it was a New Testament
in [old] Provencal, opened to the first chapter of the Apocalypse according to Saint
John; "In the beginning, there was the Word and the Word was with God and the
Word was God."
The religious ceremonies were equally simple. They began with comments by
a Perfect One on a passage in the New Testament. Benediction followed. The
faithful who attended the religious ceremony would bring their hands together,
kneel, and repeat three times to the Perfect Ones:
"Bless us."
The third time, they would add:
"Pray to God for us sinners, so that he will make us good Christians and lead
us to a good end."
Each time, the Perfect Ones would raise their hands and give their blessings,
answering:
"Dieus vos benesiga. Shall God bless you! Shall God make good Christians of
you and lead you to a good end." 19
In Germany, where there were also Cathars, the faithful asked for the
benediction in rhymed prose: