The Francis Bacon Research Trust
Geocosmological Pilgrimage

Golden Heart of Europe Pilgrimage

30 May – 6 June 2010

Further Details

After starting in the beautiful and geomantically important Steigenberger Inselhotel, originally an ancient Dominican monastery that stands on a small private island on the edge of the lake in the old-town of Constance, where we will stay one night, we will pilgrimage by a privately-hired boat across Lake Constance (Bodensee) to Wasserburg, then by coach to Tettnang. En route to Tettnang we will visit visit St Anthony’s Chapel at Selmnau, which has a great overview of the lake. At Tetnang, where we will be staying two nights in the Hotel Rad, we will visit the eastern ‘AA’ point of the Constance landscape zodiac as well as the fine chapel of Tettnang Palace.

From Tettnang the journey will be by coach to Daisendorf via Friedrichshafen. At Friedrichshafen we will have time to explore the chakra system of this important lakeside town, home of the famous Zeppelin, and enjoy a good lunch in the Fohr Gastronomie, Graf Zeppelin Haus overlooking the lake. From Daisendorf we will cross to Constance by ferry and visit the geomantic centre of the landscape zodiac in the hills on the northern edge of the city.

After this we will journey on to Reichenau, to spend two nights and a day enjoying that famous island, which claims to be home to a vial of Christ’ blood and the skull of St George, but more importantly for us marks the star Arcas (Polaris) in the Constance landscape zodiac. Besides the possibility of bathing in the lake from the beaches and making a group visit to the Arcas moot hill geomantic marker, bicycles will be provided for pilgrims who might like to explore the island in that way. Whilst on Reichenau we will be staying two nights at the lovely Seeschau Hotel.

After Reichenau we will take the ferry down the very beautiful High Rhine to Schaffhausen, where we will visit the dramatic Rhine Falls. From there we will travel by coach to Gailingen, the western ‘AA’ point of the Constance landscape zodiac.

The pilgrimage will culminate in Diessenhofen, facing the Gailingen ‘AA’ point across the river, where we will be staying two nights in the Seminarhotel Unterhof, a well-designed modern hotel whose main rooms are in a converted medieval castle. On the last day we will be making an excursion to the Pleiades area of the landscape zodiac and the famous castle of Hohentwiel, perched on the volcanic core overlooking Singen and the whole Constance Zodiac to the east. Lunch on that day will be at the fine Jägerhaus restaurant in the Pleiades area, which also provides fabulous views to the east from its terrace. The final celebratory dinner will be at Il Cyclope Italian Restaurant in Diessenhofen.

The pilgrimage will include group meditations and prayer as well as talks and times to share, and at each ‘AA’ point and the zodiacal heart we will carry out suitable prayerful and celebratory ritual. There will also be plenty of time to explore and have fun, with good food and the possibility of good wine to enjoy.

The pilgrimage will be conducted in English, but with Andrea Leute providing English-German translation of the main talks and discussions.

The pilgrimage will start at 3:00 pm on Sunday 20 May 2010 with the afternoon seminar, ‘The Great Landscape Temples and Chakras of Europe’, in the Steigenberger Inselhotel, Constance. It will end with breakfast in the Seminarhotel Unterhof, Diessenhofen, on Sunday 6 June 2010.

There will be a coach provided to transport pilgrims from Diessenhofen to Constance and, if required, to Friedrichshafen airport, for their return journey home.

The Swan
Both the Bull and Swan are associated symbolically with the throat chakra. The Bull bellows; the Swan sings. The Bull ploughs the land and sows the seed; the Swan swims and flies high and far. The one is associated with justice and the law, the other with poetry and the arts. Both are needed.

The geomancy of the Swan of Europe revealed itself whilst preparing for and carrying out the root chakra Bull pilgrimage last year. Indications so far given to us are that this pilgrimage, whilst being the final one of the Bull of Europe series, is also to act as the secret heart beginning of a Swan of Europe series of pilgrimages. During this pilgrimage we will endeavour to receive further insights concerning what this might mean and, if found to be true, celebrate the Swan’s birth.

(The mystery of the Bull is contained in the myth of Europa and the Bull; the mystery of the Swan is contained in the myth of Leda and the Swan.)