The Cathars believing themselves to be the true heirs to the true Christian heritage, the Cathars completely rejected the Catholic Church. The Cathars were a Christian sect that emerged in the 12th century in the Languedoc region of southern France. They believed in a dualistic theology, and that the human soul was a spark of the divine that was trapped in the material world. During this time, there was a revival of movements advocating ancient ascension practices. There is a suggested connection between the Cathars, Essenes, and Gnostics revolving around shared themes of dualism, asceticism, and rejection of mainstream religious practices. David Lorimer leads us through the narrative and history of the Cathars and their pursuit of ascension.
The Cathars didn’t think they needed a mediator in the form of a priest to contact their own Divinity. They believed in reincarnation and the transmigration of souls. They taught illiterate people to read, and shared their own sacred writings with everyone. The Cathars believed that sacredness is equal for all men and women, rich and poor. And that each human has their own unique connection to God. The Cathars taught that the world must be transcended through a simple life of prayer, work, fasting, and non-violence.
David Lorimer is the author and editor of over a dozen books, including The Spirit of Science, Thinking beyond the Brain, Science, Consciousness and Ultimate Reality, The Protein Crunch, and A New Renaissance. David is also Chair of the Galileo Commission which seeks to expand the evidence base of science of consciousness beyond a materialistic world view.