St Michaels Mount in Cornwall and Mont St Michel in Normandy – both straight out of ‘Myths & Legends’

A Tale of Two Mounts: Allow me to transport you to two beautiful and seemingly out of the world places across the seas; St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, England and Mont St Michel in Normandy, France, both are beautiful and fairy tale worlds with much in common. Both mounts have many secrets to reveal to those who are willing to look and listen and to see the tales unravel of past and present within the dimesions. The Archangel Michael is said to have appeared at both sites and of course both sites sit upon significant ‘energy lines’.

Traveling to St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, one can either take a small boat ride when the tide is high or walk across the man-made granite causeway between mid-tide and low water. The mount and its castle is indeed a faitytale sight rising up out of the seas as one approaches. The mount’s Cornish language name literally means ‘the grey rock in a wood’ maybe hinting to a time before the sea flooded and the island was cut off from the main-land with maybe, some would say, many more tales that lie hidden under the surface ‘folk memory’. It is a very ‘energetic’ place which is no surprise, for it is a part of the famous St Michaels Ley Line.

A short journey across topaz coloured seas…

Historically, and in a Craft sense too, St Michael’s Mount is a Cornish counterpart of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France with which it shares the same tidal island characteristics and the same conical shape, in spite of it being much smaller, yet they also share very similar myths, legends and sightings. It was given to the Benedictine religous order by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century and it is thought that the site could have been a monastry in the 8th to early 11th centuries. (Many more historical facts can be read on my actual quest write up previously posted) All over the Island references can be seen to the Arch Angel Michael, and also at Mont St Michel in France too; my focus here. Over the years there have been instances of earthquakes and floods destroying older buildings and even a tsunami which caused great loss of life along this part of the Cornsh coast.

Imposing upon the rocks

In history St Michael’s Mount was in the possession of the monks of the ‘sister’ isle of Mont St Michel in Normandy, at around the time of the Norman Conquest of 1066 and it was in the twelfth century that the monks built the church and priory. In 1193 the mount was seized by Henry La Pomery and again, (moving on in history) during the ‘Wars of the Roses’ was held by the Earl of Oxford. Yet do not let us forget or undestimate the many secret and hidden reasons for earthly wars and the attainment of power among men. For the history of these magificant lands is very far removed from modern-time ventures. What is important, especially on a Craft level, is the foundation of something that has been ‘hidden’ for centuries, and yet remains the knowledge within the walls of that which was moved.

St Michael: The angel Michael is said to have appeared to fishermen here in the 8th century AD. There are tales that date back to 495AD, of seafarers being lured to the rocks by mermaids, but then saved by an apparition of St Michael, whom guided them to safety. Within the history of the mount a series of miracles and legends of the apearance of Saint Michael have bought folks of all faiths to this island for centuries. The church on the island is of course named after St Michael and has a beautiful statue of the angel inside.

Local Legends of Giants: Amongst the rock, within the leylines and energy-flow, a local legend states that during the 6th century, before a castle was ever built, the island sat upon what was once home to an 18 foot giant named Cormaran, who lived in a cave with his ill-gotten treasures from terrorizing local towns and villages. That is, until a young farmer’s son named Jack, who lived in the town of Marazion, the ‘gateway’ to the mount made an appearance. Jack knew that the town had to destroy the ‘curse of the beast’ and took on this gigantic menace, whom had an appetite for cattle and for children. So one evening Jack ventured onto the cobble-stone causeway and blew his horn. The beast came down the mount to see what the noise was and Jack sneaked around and up the mount to reach the stone called ‘The Stone Heart’. Jack smashed the stone heart with his horn and the beast dissapeared, never to be seen again. Another version tells of Jack slaying the giant by trapping him in a concealed pit, bringing down his axe upon his head. When he returned home, the elders in the village gave him a hero’s welcome and henceforth, called him ‘Jack the Giant Killer.‘

The Giants Well – halfway up

Solomon’s Cross: Hidden away peacefully on a quiet terrace of the island overlooking the sea, and never written about anywhere, is a mysterious single solitary cross; a reminder of an earlier time in our history, that to some is lost forever, yet to others is as alive and vibrant as it ever was. The cross is a direct bloodline connection to ‘Solomon Solamh’ and to those who choose to know, a further significant pointer to the  ‘Neville Bloodline’. So for this first time on our quests we had a mention of the Irish Bloodline connection and of how the ‘True Bloodline‘ came to these lands, of a connection to the High Kings of Ireland and of their travels to further afield.

 

Where he needed to be….

Our lasting thoughts of this day would be with that single solitary cross, which everyone passes by and that if ever there were a place so profound, it would be that of St Michael’s Mount. Standing alone upon the mount and looking towards the ocean we see the solitary cross upon the mound and to that we cast our eyes and thoughts to Solomon, to the of Solamh. Such that a place so sacred and treasured should always be. As the tides of time do wash the sands of history away, we see that the mound exists to share with those whom see it’s beauty and tellings beyond the mundane…

Mont Saint-Michel: Mont Saint-Michel in lower Normandy, France rises up over the French landscape overlooking the land for miles around. The actual Abbey lies at the peak of a rocky islet less than half a mile off the coast of Normandy from land, the commune there was made accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its abbey, but still defensible due to incoming tides stranding or drowning would-be assailants. The island remained unconquered during the Hundred Years War where a small garrison fended off a full attack by the English in 1433, until Louis XI recognised the reverse benefits of its natural defences and turned it into a prison.  Now a rocky tidal island, with modern access roads, the Mont occupied dry land in prehistoric times.

Rising up out of the Normandy landscape

The abbey is an essential part of the structural composition of the town that the feudal society constructed. At the very top, G-d, the abbey, and the monastery. Below this, the Great halls, then stores and housing, and at the very bottom (outside the walls), fishermen’s and farmers’ housing.  The monks there durung first century of their institution, venerated the archangel Michael. The Mont became a place of prayer and study, but the stable period, during the reign of Charlemagne ended when he died. At first, pilgrims kept coming to the Mont but after the Vikings captured the Mont in 847, the monks departed. The abbey has had a rich and varied history and starting in 1922, Christian worship was again practiced in the abbey. The wealth and influence of the abbey extended to many daughter foundations, including St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall. (more historical facts can be found on the relevant quest pages) The tides vary greatly, at roughly 14 metres (46 ft) between highest and lowest water marks. Popularly nicknamed “St. Michael in peril of the sea” by medieval pilgrims making their way across the flats, the mount can still pose dangers for visitors who avoid the causeway and attempt the hazardous walk across the sands from the neighbouring coast.

At the very top St Michael on the spire

The access to the Mont, unlike its sister in Cornwall is often by a ‘standing-room’ only shuttle bus, across the bay, with a bit of a walk at the other end. Old very steep stone steps take one to the very top of the mont, it is a long and ardurous journey up, with many rests needed along the way. The abbey complex is much bigger than one would imagine with many facets to it. In times past one can easily imagine what an isolated life the monks and visiting knights here, would have led. A gold statue of St Michel rest atop of the spire there. There are many lovely traditional shops and resturants on the island and a Templar pressence is very obvious there too, which is of no surprise. Sadly all the sacred ‘energies‘ that would have been there at one point in time are now no more; probably eroded away by mankind’s unspiritual interactions; interactions that are as much about ‘giving back’ as ‘receiving’ (taking) upon the shores of time. Folks fail to realise this and energies dissipate and move as and when (or where) they need to. There is so much more to this world and these important sites than folks will ever realise.

Local Legends: The original site was founded by an Irish hermit, who gathered a following of his own from the local community. The island was called Mont Tombe (Latin: tumba) and the story goes that one night in the year 708, the Archangel Michael, leader of God’s armies against Satan, appeared to St. Aubert, the bishop of Avranches, in a dream. The archangel ordered the bishop to build a sanctuary in his name at the top of the island. Aubert ignored this order; after all, it was only a dream. The next night, the Archangel Michael appeared again and repeated his order to build a sanctuary at the top of Mont Tombe in his honor. Again, Aubert was unconvinced, and in any case, building a church on overgrown and rocky terrain on an isolated mount surrounded by the sea would be an immense task. Thus, it suited the bishop to ignore this recurring dream. Faced with such obstinacy, St. Michael realized that he would need to work on his powers of persuasion, so as Aubert slept the following night, the Archangel Michael pressed his finger into Aubert’s forehead and repeated his command. Aubert awoke the next morning to find that the archangel had burned a hole in his head. He needed no further convincing! In late 709, a church was built and devoted to Archangel Michael.

St Michel depicted in a church painting

St Michel and the Dragon: Apparently, it is no coincidence that St. Michael chose this location for the church. Some believe that it was on this mount that St. Michael won his mighty victory over the dragon, described in the New Testament’s Book of Revelations (12:7-9):

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not… the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him”.

There are many tellings on the internet of St Michael and the dragon/satan at Mont St Michel, of a quarrel between them and St Michel needing to escape from his malicious neighbour whom kept him in poverty. St Michel tried to protect himself and built a home on an islet in the open ocean (what would eventually be known as Mont Saint Michel).  For protection, he surrounded his island with treacherous quicksand. St Michael ended up making various promises and deals with the devious devil, to save and protect himself and eventually saved himself and kicked the devil off the island.

Slaying the ‘dragon’….

Connections to King Arthur: Sir Beldivere was a trusty supporter of Arthur from the beginning of his reign, and one of the first knights to join the Knights of the Round Table. He helped Arthur fight the Giant of Mont St Michel in Normandy; a giant that ravaged France until confronted by King Arthur. It abducted the niece of the King of Brittany and took her to his cave in the mountains known as Mont St. Michel. He plundered the nearby villages, spreading fear among the locals. Hearing this, King Howel asked for the help of King Arthur and his knights to kill the Giant. King Arthur ventured with Sir Kay, Sir Bedivere and two squires.They rode through the deserted forests until they they were within site of Mont St. Michel. Upon the mountain range they saw two fires burning, one to the east and one to the west. King Arthur could not decide which one to investigate first and so he sent Bedivere to the smaller fire. Bedivere journeyed across the rocky terrain and drew his sword when he heard movements. When he came to the fire he met an old woman mourning next to a tomb. She told him that she cried for the death of a girl that she had nursed since childhood who had been killed by the Giant. She told Bedivere to leave this place now before the devilish beast killed them all. Bedivere reported back to King Arthur who decided to travel to the other larger fire alone. King Arthur with sword and shield in hand, approached the Giant in an attempt to catch him off-guard. The Giant rose up immediately and took a club of oak which he put in the fire. The two fought ferociously until King Arthur cut the Giant between his eyebrows. Blinded by blood the Giant thrashed about with his club and eventually caught Arthur’s arm. The King wrestled free and after exchanging blade against wood, the King thrust his sword under the Giant’s crocodile skin armor and killed him. He then called for assistance from Sir Kay to behead the enormous man, and prove to the locals that the Giant had been slain.

Who is Saint Michel? Angels have always been with us upon this earth, whether we wish to admit it or not, they have been here in many guises over many centuries and have been known by other names including The Watchers. Angels are able to cross the boundaries of time and space in all dimensions. St Michael is associated with this earth, with the energy of the earth, with leylines in particular, especially the famous line named after him. His name appears time and time again, upon this earth, especially where churches named after him are concerned. He is the angel that is seen to be fighting for good and is seen to be victorious over evil and is known as Prince of the Heavenly Host. He is the angel whom will fight the dragon, the ancient serpent, known as the devil or satan. Many paintings and statues of him are to be found at the sites that bear his name; the sites upon The St Michel Ley Line.

St Michael from Brentnor Church on The St Michael Ley Line

The St Michel/Apollo Ley Lines: Ley lines are electro-magnetic energy lines that run through our earth. Both St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall and Mont St Michel in Normandy have these ley lines running through them. The Appollo line runs through Normandy and The St Michael Line runs through Cornwall; the point of connection between the two lines is at St Michaels Mount, where the cross over, the intersection forms a Templar Cross. Ley Lines are part of the grid of energy that covers the surface of the earth, connecting many ancient spiritual sites. (Much more on Ley Lines and accurate mappings can be found in the excellent new book ‘Finding Camelot’ by Karl Neville). The lines do have special significance upon this earth and what is clear is that they have a special significance within the riddles of the Grail Quests too. The St Michael Alignment runs through the southern part of England and many sites upon it’s 350 mile course do bear the name of St Michael. The St Michael Ley Line is an important aspect of the island in Cornwall, having been under the sea on the ocean bed for many a good year and the ‘energies’ there draw folks to it time and time again in the hope of discovering something more to life. At the side of the ancient church of St Michael, the very rock is said to grant ‘romantic wishes’ for anyone whom touches the rock and asks for their wishes to be granted.  Much of this of course has to do with the energy of the Mount connecting with the person’s ‘power of though’, something that Craft/Templar folks will know a lot about. This thus enables them to put across a more convincing reason and understanding to their loved one. Whatever you think you know already about the St Michael’s Line, you will probably be wrong, for the line embeds, diverts and repeats itself in ‘mirror-images’ throughout the earth with ease, and through time and space. It is likely to alter it’s ‘projections’ in the near future too, for as the earth changes, so do the lines.

 

The Appollo Line amd the St Michael Line intersect at St Michael’s Mount

So these two magnificant sites both named after St Michael have been very significant within time and space, especially earthly time and space, both with tellings of battles fought and giants slain, also battles fought for good over evil. St Michael, so it is said has appeared at both sites and is a part of the energy alignment there, part of the energy alignment of the earth which bear his name. Of course the many sacred sites on the lines (and the leylines themselves) go back much further than modern day pagans believe, although the folks of old whom were in tune to these alignments, being guided to be so, did create (under guidance) the ‘waymarkers’ in time upon the sites, but they were not the ‘pagan’ folks we are lead to believe they were.

Let us then stop and consider for one moment. We know that throughout time and space, the same ‘energy line’ will have different names upon this earth, as the quest tales, my writings and stories bear witness to, time and time again. So let us consider then, is St Michael, actually Azazel? For the St Michael energy line lies within the earth, Azazel too has ‘earthly’ connections, for ‘he’ was/is buried for many centuries deep within the earth…. and as we know there is no such thing as coincidence….

‘Never underestimate an Angel for they may not be whom you think they are’

 

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’ May 2021

AKA <moon.willow@ntlworld.com>

 

Sources: Previous Quest posts and teachings, ‘Finding Camelot’ by Karl Neville – available now on Amazon!