The Portal: An Initiate's Journey into the Secret of Rennes-le-Château

by Patrice Chaplin

The true-life memoir Patrice Chaplin began in City of Secrets continues here in the story of her spiritual initiation into the Kabbalistic tradition preserved since the Middle Ages by a secret society in the pre-Roman city of Girona, Spain. Salvador Dalí was a member of that society, as was the renowned author Umberto Eco, the filmmaker Jean Cocteau, and Jancint Verdeguer, one of the most celebrated Catalan poets. Importantly, so was the mysterious Berenger Sauniere, the priest who in the late 1800s built Rennes-le-Château in southern France, with the Tour Magdala, a tower that is twin to the neo-gothic tower in Girona. In this gripping story that reads like the adventures of a female Castenada, Chaplin is led through a series of initiatory stages which correspond to the magical square of Venus, containing the constellation of the Great Bear.

361 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Genia Stemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Portal, by Patrice Chaplin is a multi layered read, the levels of which are still making themselves apparent, even days after I turned the last page. On the simplest level, it is beautifully written, the author being superbly adept at never reminding the reader that they are in fact, reading a book. It feels as if we are actually on a journey with her, frightening at times, and always breathtaking, through the countryside of Spain and France. We live vicariously through Chaplin and her vulnerabilities as we accompany her on this quest that pushes her to the edge of what she knows, and what she believes she is capable of. We feel her frustrations and celebrate her courage. We smell the orange blossoms and the rich earth in the shadowed gardens. We feel the pull to reach out and grasp something that lies just at the edge of darkness. We feel the intensity of the love for a man she met years before, a love that it seems, has stayed with her through lifetimes. And we can't help but be intrigued by the actual journey Chaplin takes, a journey that initiates in the secret societies have been taking for centuries.
In being invited along on this journey, if only from my armchair, I was reminded of several things that I already know, but have a hard time implementing in every day life. For example, to forgive. Chaplin's guide, a Cabbalist, puts it so eloquently though, encouraging Chaplin not to deal with the nuances of the meaning of the word "forgive," and much more simply to just "let go."
This brings us to the point of the journey, to shed the body, to peel back to the core, to recognize spirit for what it is, to be reborn knowing. At one point in the journey, Chaplin goes as far as to lie in a grave that she has dug for herself. And although I doubt I would ever go to this extreme, I understand the message, and when I lie under the stars I too hope to shed the feeling of being bound by my physical body.
The book can be taken further, with the understanding of magic squares (which Chaplin admits are a bit beyond her grasp), ley lines and Cabbalistic symbols. When Chaplin lets her guide tell her about magic squares, rather than trying to decipher the information, Chaplin lets the information wash over her. This, as a reader, made Chaplin endearing to me, as I know I would have done the same, fully aware of the shortcomings my brain has when it comes to puzzles, symbols and numbers.
Whether the portal is in fact a place that can be accessed only through the map in this book, and using the techniques on the pages, or whether we all are capable of finding portals within us and around us, is up to the reader to decipher.
As for research into the secret societies, Chaplin concludes the book with as many questions as answers. But, isn't this why the secret societies remain so intriguing? The answers or the destination, and I think Chaplin would agree, aren't nearly as important as the journey.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book of two by Patrice Chaplin relating to her experiences in Girona as an adolescent, and linking them to the well know mystery of Berenger Sauniere and Rennes le Chateau. Originally adumbrated by a Chronicle programme presented by Henry Lincoln in 1970, this story has continued to tantalise until one of its premises suddenly reached a global audience through Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code' which was based on the premise, set out in 'Hold Blood, Holy Grail' by Michael Baigent and Henry Lincoln, that Sauniere had stumbled on a secret concerning the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, which formed a holy (and secret) bloodline in France.

Chaplin explores an alternative and equally seductive theory that Sauniere was an initiate of a group of mystics who had preserved and carried on the tradition of Kabbalah in Catalonia. The members of the society gathered to perform a ritual that raised their consciousness to a higher plane, but also opened a portal into another world.

In this second book, Chaplin describes her own journey as a somewhat reluctant initiate, pursuing a journey that is both physical and spiritual. As a long-standing fan of the mystery of Rennes le Chateau, I found the story completely compelling. The sceptic in me believes that it must be a load of old cobblers, but something about this mystery remains seductive, and Chaplin's story carries much greater credibility than the rather laboured account of the holy bloodline (apologies to Baigent and Lincoln, whose book I enjoyed immensely).

Chaplin is an accomplished writer and the book makes fascinating reading whether or not one believes the central premise of the story. I would love to visit Girona and to attempt the journey which she describes. It is interesting to note that apparently many people walk the Camino del Santiago who are not remotely religious. This not only the story of a walk, under the tutelage of an inspiring and infuriating instructor, but also of the writer's own attempt to come to terms with her past, until she is ready to face the final, fearsome encounter with Mt Canigou itself.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another glimpse

Another glimpse of Patrice's experience and the many secrets hidden in Girona, and around. As with City of Secrets, I feel there is a lot left out, but I'm grateful there are still things revealed.

And, in the end, her Journey to the Portal is an experience enlightening and worth reading.

If you're interested in all things Renne de Chateau mystery this book should be on your radar.

[Lily MacKenzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, I admit it. I’m a sucker for esoteric thought. For years I’ve been interested in Jungian psychology. I also love the occult and mysticism, whether it’s Christian, Jewish, Islamic, or something else. Dreams fascinate me.

I believe that we occupy just a tiny corner of the universe and there may be alternate/parallel worlds. I think there is likely a life beyond this one, though I have no idea what it is. I’m sure that “miracles” occur, occasions when something outside of ordinary reality intervenes and shakes things up a bit. The Christ story might be one of those events. I don’t know. It’s all speculation, but it does enliven the quotidian.

This impulse of mine led me to read Patrice Chaplin’s book The Portal: An Initiate’s Journey into the Secret of Rennes-le-Chateau. It’s heralded as being an account of her initiation into a secret society that has included, apparently, such luminaries as Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dali, and Umberto Eco. Women have also partaken of this arcane group.

You may be wondering, as I did, what is Rennes-le-Chateau? According to http://www.renneslechateau.nl/mystery..., “At the end of the 19th century, Bérenger Saunière, the poor parish priest of Rennes-le-Château, all of a sudden started spending a lot more money then he could ever have earned performing his normal duties. He had been assigned to this tiny village in the south of France at the age of 33 and had spent his first few years there in piety and poverty. According to his meticulously kept accounting books, in February 1892 he had a debt of 105 francs and 80,65 francs in his ‘fonds secrets’ (savings). That all changed in the 1890s. From that time on his surviving papers and accounts record a total expenditure of some 660,000 francs, equivalent to EUR 2,500,000 today. He would spend up to 50,000 francs in one month in some periods. His salary as a priest was 900 francs per annum.”

There is much speculation as to where these funds came from. Saunière did discover some ancient documents in and around his church. Some have thought they proved that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had produced a child. Their offspring began the divine bloodline that ended in France. It’s speculated that Saunière then blackmailed the Vatican, and that was the source of his funds. This is only one of several inventions, but Chaplin also claims that Saunière was part of this ancient secret society she became part of.

The Portal is presented as if it’s a memoir of Chaplin’s participation in visiting these eleven ritual points on the Venus Magic Square. It comes complete with a female guide/initiate who leads the author from one point to the next and ensures that she meets the requirements of the journey. I didn't believe it for a minute. For me, the narrative seemed more of a fiction. A serious “initiate” into a revered tradition would not exploit the experience in this way.

I have no complaint if Chaplin wishes to masquerade as one who has made a revelatory descent. But I like REAL mysteries, not invented ones. Yes, I do suppose there are true noviates into certain mysteries, but they remain mysteries because lengthy preparation has to be made before such a voyage can occur. And those initiates know how to keep a secret!