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Notre Dame in Flames: Symbolic Destruction & Collapse

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(@michele-b)
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Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is on fire. Known as the "heart of France" this is incredibly symbolic and significant. Notre Dame de Paris known as Our Lady, is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, I am watching a France newsfeed on network TV as the spire just collapsed.

Spires are symbols and conduits between man and God and Notre Dame's has tumbled in flames.

As an incredible icon and meaniful to those of all faiths but especially Roman Catholics.  

Thoughts, intuituons or tie-ins to patterns or predictions? Anyone ever visit it? Impressions?

Sending light for the sheer destruction and pathos that has now been ignited in a holy place and symbol right before Good Friday and Easter 

Prayers for all of Paris and in  France and those throughout the world who feel and mourn this devastation.

I feel and hear sobbing and tears flow from not only our eyes but senstive hearts who understand what this means for this country and our world in times to come. 

Even the newscasters are crying. 

 


   
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(@deetoo)
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Michele, this is so heartbreaking.  Do you know when the fire started?  I was on my way to an appointment and was suddenly overcome with deep sadness and anxiety, that seemingly came out of the blue.   I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin.  Also had a hard time regulating my body temperature.  I said to my husband, "I hope I'm wrong, but I think something is going to happen."   When I arrived home, I saw it on the news. 

I've never been there, but studied about Notre Dame and other cathedrals back in college.  I agree about the significance of spires.   The symbolism doesn't escape me.  

Let us not lose hope, and stay strong for ourselves and one another.  We will get through this dark time.


   
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 Baba
(@baba)
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Hi Michelle,

I saw the news about the fire too and felt incredible sadness. I have been there. It is/was an incredible church - full of history and the prayers and feelings of worshipers over hundreds of years. It is a horrible loss for for both the people of Paris and the world. 

My first feeling after seeing the news was that it is symbolically significant. One possibility is that it is symbolic of  death and rebirth. The timing right before Christian and Jewish holy days and the current times and happenings in the world and in France, the Catholic Church in particular are part of what this means. 

I heard that there are people outside praying. I join you, Michele in sending the people of France light. 

 


   
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(@laura-f)
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C'est terrible... I've been to Notre Dame many times, I have even been up on the roof and stood next to the gargoyles...

My feeling is that this was a construction accident that got out of hand. The cathedral had been suffering the effects of pollution and rain for hundreds of years, and the French had done a good job keeping the exterior in good shape, but apparently this past year they were working on really restoring it. The stone it's made out of was crumbling.

I saw the central spire fall...so sad. Send some protective light to the first responders and those who were on the premises when the fire began. And brace yourselves, I suspect that the walls will implode soon.  As sad as this is, remember, all is impermanent.


   
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(@lovendures)
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I went to Notre Dame when I was 18 in 1985.  I was awestruck.

This is very concerning on multiple fronts.  

First, this horrible event it happened during Holy Week, the day after Palm Sunday.  

Second, it was a stunning church, simply stunning.  It was as much a part of Paris as St. Paul's or Westminster Abby are London.  More so perhaps.

Third, while it MAY have been caused by a refurbishment accident, there is something else to consider.  France had 10-12 acts of desecration and vandalism including fire against catholic churches in February of this year.  These acts were largely unreported by the MSM in the US ( Newsweek and later the Washington Post only from what I have see reported on this).  The Catholic church didn't report on how widespread this was becoming until late March in one of their news  organizations.  A famous church St. Sulpice, the second-largest church in Paris, after Notre Dame Cathedral and where the The Da Vinci Code was filmed, had the large wooden door on its southern transept set ablaze March 17. Other churches were smashed ( statues), the monastery of Saint Jean des Balmes in Aveyron was sacked and in early February, in the Church of Notre-Dame-des-Enfants in Nimes, near the Spanish border, vandals created  a cross on a wall with excrement then stuck consecrated hosts to it.

  This is all quite disturbing.   I truly hope this was not a nefarious act.

Notre Dame.  Shocking.

Can we add the people of France and the world to our meditation night Jeanne?  It seems to be getting dark everywhere right now,

 

 

 

It is

 


   
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(@sidwich)
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I've been working from home all day and so I've had the newscasts on continuously since the news broke.  I do feel it is symbolic.

But I will say this... at around lunchtime for me (Pacific), an official announcement came through that the firefighters may not be able to save the cathedral at all, and the broadcasters started crying.  Since then, the latest news seems to be that they will be able to save the structure and the towers after all.

So personally, I am taking it as yes, it is devastating and there were be significant damage, but the foundations and structure will be saved, and they can be built upon again.  It will take time, but it is not lost.


   
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(@lovendures)
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Glad to see they are reporting arson has be ruled out and that they consider it  caused by a refurbishment accident. 


   
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(@michele-b)
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Thank you one and all for these thoughts, stories, and sharings about visiting Paris and Notre Dame.

I am amazed by your opportunities to go abroad and your opportinities at so many ages and life stages and your wonderful experiences. Just to have visited and seen this beautiful cathedral and then the other beautiful icons of this city. Lovely and wonderful! 

It will be challenging to rebuild as just the current rennovation costs and time frame for them were huge. But nothing is impossible and we never know how modern technologies or new techniques will come about just from these very challenges and the deep, driving passions to bring it and the heart of "our lady" to Paris and the wider world.

And I cannot help but believe that there will be many donations of money, time and labor from all over the world to restore its magesty. 

Please continue to add your  stories, impressions of your visits there or additional updates over time.

Let us hope that it will be the beginning of a new symbolic  example of the very essence of the mythological phoenix rising up from the ashes with new beauty, meaning and symbolism of community working together as hearts contine to open into unity and love for the beauty of our world, natural or manmade combined with the energies of the divine over centuries of our universal histories.

It may take a long time and many of us may not be here to see it as it takes form but perhaps someday it can stand as a beacon of hope, a new more inclusive and open hearted form of faith,  and sense of unity in a much better world.

May love, light, and divine energies surround the city of Paris and all of France and its people and create a new and very different path of hope for all.


   
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(@luminata)
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My God.  Breathe, breathe, breathe - wipe tears from face - shudder breath - deep breath - center.

So grateful the core structure appears to have been saved.

There is so much symbolism going on with this fire I'm not sure I can touch all of it.

I can't think of a more physical representation of the Tower card from the Tarot.  Jeanne and many others here will have a better in depth analysis of what the Tower card represents in a reading.  And of course placement matters to the reading, and I'll let the experts extrapolate that.

My understanding is that this is a warning.  There will be upheaval on the way to great change.  The old is not working, and the new will be ushered in.  So it's about the chaos of sweeping change.

The timing ( the start of Holy week) and the fact that it is a Catholic Church cannot be overlooked.  This is sure to be seen as a Holy event to reinforce the concepts of death and resurrection because it can be rebuilt.

It should also not be overlooked that the Al-Aqsa mosque caught fire at the same time as Notre Dame.  This is part of the Dome of the Rock which the community has discussed as a potential lightning rod for a Holy war.  To be clear, I don't see this evolving into a keystone for war yet.

I feel Spirit here issuing a strong call of retribution against abuse - a strong call for humanity to unify.  

This hit me exceptionally hard - I'm ashamed, but unafraid to say that my emotional response to this was more hurtful than to the repeated mass shootings we see on an almost daily basis.  And I believe it hit me so hard because I have become desensitized to the violence we visit on ourselves and even to the escalation of that violence.  This is a huge signal from Spirit that we must realign with our humanity.

Prayers for all.  There will be much fearful spin on this in the coming days I believe.  I will be praying for a clear and centered view of the events and for a return to a more compassionate and unified humanity moving forward.  

Much Love to all!


   
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(@bluebelle)
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Oh, my heart breaks.  I have been fortunate to visit Notre Dame many times and it is such a powerful, moving place and such a powerful symbol of western civilization.  Every time I walked inside, I always thought of the generations of men who worked to build this architectural celebration of God, the sublime highest power.  These men (and maybe women) worked their entire lives without seeing the completion of their work, yet they had this vision of creating a space to glorify God, a place where all people could experience a celebration of the mystical power of love, transformation and comfort.  

After I wept for the loss, I realized that Notre Dame will rise again from the ashes, maybe better than before with the melding of medieval with the modern and our spirits will soar again.


   
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(@stargazer)
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It is stunning. The Great Cathedral, that has withstood revolution and war through the centuries, being ravished so quickly. Like many other laboriously constructed medieval icons, the ancient timbers are so vulnerable, and for Notre Dame to have weathered 850 years under all the elements is truly a miracle in itself, as was it's original architecture.

The thing that brought me to tears was seeing the smoke pluming out of the Rose Window at the center... these windows have always been my favorite aspect of ND.

I understand that many of the priceless works of art and holy relics were removed in time, so that is a real blessing, and the fact that no lives were lost has to be the biggest blessing. It will rise again... and we are reminded once again to look within for our riches in Spirit.

 

 


   
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 Dina
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I was lucky to visit this magnificent cathedral in 2010. I feel incredibly sad, yet hopeful that it can be restored. 


   
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(@michele-b)
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The flames of Notre Dame are out after 12 hours of prayers from around the world as well as the valiant efforts of over 400 fireman.

While devastation to her shell occurred, the total destruction of her sacred artifacts were saved, her cross and altar intact, as were much of her holy and most sacred, beautiful and incredibly meaningful artifacts.

There is still great loss but there is even greater hope and faith in miracles as the human as well as the divine worked in unity.

French President Emmanuel Macron rushed to the scene of the blaze Monday.

"We'll rebuild this cathedral all together and it's undoubtedly part of the French destiny and the project we'll have for the coming years." 

And as I predicted and wrote yesterday the donations will and already are pouring in.

French billionaire Francois Henri Pinault pledged $113 million, while fellow billionaire Bernard Arnault and his LVMH group pledged $226 million. Fabulous and wonderful and heartfelt donations.

Notre Dame de Paris was one of the world's most stunning examples of medieval architecture combined with beauty from the French Revolution and its beliefs in equality for all onwards as new structures, beauty and symbols of principles were added.

But at her foundation and her very heart were the principles of sacred geometry and design.

Holy and energetic design beyond or within what our human eyes can see. Truth, foundation and the very innermost core of sacred creation. 

And just as her beautiful statue was saved, "Our Lady of Paris" (and of the world) lives on and will be someday restored in beauty and highest glory.


   
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(@michele-b)
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The flames of Notre Dame are out after 12 hours. Five hours of containment and a human chain within all working to save her her beautiful artifacts. 12 hours of prayers from around the world as well as the full and  valiant efforts of over 500 fireman. The flames are now out as hopes and prayers and sorrow for that is lost join with plans already in motion for her new restoration.

While devastation to her shell occurred, the total destruction of her sacred artifacts were saved, her cross and altar intact, the holy crown of Thorns, as were much of her holy and most sacred, beautiful and incredibly meaningful artifacts.

There is still great loss but there is even greater hope and faith in miracles as the human as well as the divine worked in unity.

French President Emmanuel Macron rushed to the scene of the blaze Monday.

"We'll rebuild this cathedral all together and it's undoubtedly part of the French destiny and the project we'll have for the coming years." 

And as I predicted and wrote yesterday the donations will and already are pouring in.

French billionaire Francois Henri Pinault pledged $113 million, while fellow billionaire Bernard Arnault and his LVMH group pledged $226 million. Fabulous and wonderful and heartfelt donations.

Notre Dame de Paris was one of the world's most stunning examples of medieval architecture combined with beauty from the French Revolution and its beliefs in equality for all onwards as new structures, beauty and symbols of principles were added.

But at her foundation and her very heart were the principles of sacred geometry and design.

Holy, sacredly energetic design beyond or within what our human eyes can see in her architecture and her artifacts. Truth, harmony, and connection with the divinity of  God and goodness and even protection from evil seen as the devil or Satan in every element of her original planning and foundation. All elements lying within her very innermost core and principles of sacred creation. 

And just as her beautiful statue was saved, "Our Lady of Paris" (and of the world) lives on and will be someday restored in beauty and highest glory.

Miracles, hope, and mercy prevail in averting total destruction.  That is her example and hope and symbol for all.

She still stands.


   
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(@coyote)
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Dovetailing with Luminata's comment about the symbolic turning of ages in this event, I think the burning of Notre Dame gives us a chance to reflect on and prepare for the irreversible destruction that will be visited upon many of our cities as global warming and sociopolitical strife intensify. How will we handle the submersion of the old city of Venice, or Osaka, or Boston, or Amsterdam? Then there are the "living" wonders that are threatened: the Everglades, the Niger Delta, the Great Barrier Reef. The main structure of the Notre Dame was saved, but many of these artifacts of our heritage will not be so lucky.

In Elizabeth Rush's book Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shoreline, the indigenous Penobscot scholar John Bear Mitchell offers an answer when he says of his own people, "We’ve seen this happen for a long time—this diminishing of natural resources—through climate change and invasive species. The losses have been slow and multigenerational. We have narrowed our spiritual palettes and our physical palettes to take what we have. But the stories, the old stories that still contain a lot of these elements, hold on to the traditional. For example, our ceremonies and language still include the caribou, even though they don’t live here anymore. Similarly, we know the petroglyphs still exist, but now they’re underwater. The change is in how we acknowledge them."

Basically, the lesson is this: by using our memories and stories, we can keep alive the spirit of the material things we no longer possess, and perhaps those memories can inform our creation of a more just world. So yes, as others have noted on this thread, the important part is the rebuilding process. As more of our landmarks and accomplishments are brought down by forces unleashed by human hubris, it is my hope that we will learn to incorporate beauty, equality, and mindful stewardship into all aspects of society.


   
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(@stargazer)
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Michele... Something has been bothering me about the spire that came down at the first, speaking of sacred geometry and energetics. It was made of oak but covered in lead, and was added in 1859. Perhaps this element was 'out of sync' ? It didn't seem to fit with the feeling of the structure, and could have been the Achilles heel...

I hope that when the reconstruction is planned, that the roof won't include a replica of this spire. Maybe a beautiful stained glass dome would be a better element? I'm sure alot of architects are going to be really busy for a long time... quelle challenge!

And to find the right fire proof materials (not oak trees), that are aestectically pleasing too... wow. Hope the Vatican with their enormous coffers will contribute, as this project is gonna be gargantuan!

 


   
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(@michele-b)
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Stargazer, you are so right. They will have a lot of major decisions to make and many elements may need drastic revision or total recreation.

There are many,  many inconsistencies in added elements, or removed artwork etc. even major ones based on political or historical views of leaders and architects. 

Statues were removed around the top, gargoyles added much later after that, inconsistencies like one architect adding his own face to a statue. 

While spires were traditionally used in cathedrals as physical as well as spiritual lightning rods and of course this one was wooden but with a lead core, the two towers are not even a matching identical set.

Of the three St. Anne's Portals one was built in a much early style, two have stiff less natural depictions facially and in the poses.

One very interesting thing I learned is that the Cathedral was built on top of a pagan temple.  Not uncommon as Christianity sought to obliterate paganistic beliefs by either altering and incorporating them (Christmas, Easter's timing etc. 

You can read more about this and all of the other strange additions or removals of both artifacts and building design at this highlighted linking.


   
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(@stargazer)
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Michele... Some impressions that came through to me today in the aftermath.....

The asteroid 'Hubres' is conjuncting the moon and closing in on the Full Moon event, and as I indicated in the 'Astrology....' topic, this is a phenomenal planetary alignment that is extremely transformational in nature.

Hubris... "forces unleashed by human hubris" as Coyote stated in his insightful post. The spire represents this to me and symbolically was overlaid with lead, which isn't conducive to light... or lightning.

The timbered roof... called  'the forest', and actually was a forest of whole trunks of old-growth sacred oak trees. These the living 'cathedral' of the ancients who held the mystical old traditions (on the site that Notre Dame was built upon ironically ?)... the captured immortals that were sacrificed to the hubris of power by man........

The Rose Windows... depicting the life of Christ, and exploding from the pressures of the fires. This seems very significant, and they appear to be irreplaceble.

There was a remarkable picture taken as the first people were allowed in to view the damages. A ray of sunshine streamed down before the cross above the main altar, that was spared the fate of the debris all around it.

It would be amazing if the roof and the entire ceiling could be restored with arches of luminescent crystal, a huge dome to let the light in. This would be a tribute to the true message of the Bringer of Light, and one day in a far away future, it would be the 'histoire de anciennes', as the history that is now being lamented as 'lost'.....

After all, Paris has long been known for it's exquisite crystal, and in being the incomparable luminous City of Light... ? 

 


   
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(@michele-b)
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Yes, indeed, Stargazer,

I had read about the 100 large trees which in one televised report said that those forests have nothing now nearly as large. So, beams will have to be brought from elsewhere for even those lost to the fire and if there are wooden beams weakened or structurally unsound by the forces of the water, weight of collapse above and other stressors there might be more yet to replace.

The stained glass supposedly all survived including the famous rose window. But news is changing daily and often says one thing and another from different sources.

Much that was initially unseen, that rose window intact, the two towers deliberating brought down to save them once the spire collapsed and many beautiful artwork or sacred pieces were loaded into big trucks and brought away for safety from further damage.

The entire cathedral is  supposedly braced with lead under the wood. I hace yet to look up the only available metals of the time but lead is of course still used in stained glass artwork, windows etc. Just not as strong as metals we have now and of course lead is now something we are seeking to avoid in many uses.

But much seen and unseen as debris, soot, and ash is cleared or all 'spirited' away by the earth angel fire dept. Chaplain who led the human chain of earth angels brigade in to bring things out. It was this brave man who procurred access to the code to get to the sacred crown of thorns believed to he worn during the crucifixion of Jesus and other holy relics.

Everything is symbolic and deeply meaningful in this sacred building. Absolutely everything, old and newer. We have to believe the same great care by experts in all areas both of heaven and of earth will work in unity recreating her beauty.

But as even the gargoyles are now adored though out of place and original design, so we can hope that changes will be respected and treasured.

There is question now if the whole wooden structure might still collapse so they are removing what they can and seeking to protect that which they cannot. It will be a great undertaking as even greater expense.

Therefore, the original estimate of $1 Billion and President's Macron's 5 years to rebuild is  now more realistically raised to $10 Billion and 10 years. 

Everything changes and some things are already gone forever.  It is simply the way of impermanence and the lesson that is meant to teach us.

But the hope and spirit lives on not only in France but now in the world and that perhaps that is the ong great gift of all of this.

Like the deaths of those still mourned forever in this world we learn to treasure all that we have and care for it the very best we can from this day or every loss or major event on.

We cannot destroy love or hope or spirit in those who believe in them and pass them on.

And that is the one best gift of this place and what many of us seek to do here and now. 

Bless you in all ways for your input and insights ?

 


   
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(@bluebelle)
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Stargazer, I am also getting impressions of glass incorporated into the renewed Notre Dame, specifically a towering glass spire rising above the cathedral and reminding me of the modern glass pyramid in front of the Louvre just a little further down the Seine.  I love the symbolism of light in the City of Light.  It will be wonderful to see the resurrection of the cathedral.


   
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