I remember stories of the Grail from early in my childhood. The earliest memory was the poem of La Belle Dame Sans Merci which tells the story of a young women confined in a castle who longs to be rescued. In those days, a woman, like a child today, could not survive alone and even today for many women, life alone is undesirable. This mediaeval young lady admires knights on horseback as they ride past on their way to Arthur's majestic court in Camelot. She is aware of their fearless reputation for saving the fair sex because these men were chivilrous, courteous, strong and kind. She hopes they will see her, but she is invisible to them, and they pass by without acknowledging her. In her distress, she decides to take her own life, and in a small boat that floats to Camelot, she dies of desperation.
As a child, I read many of poems of knighthood, and also the stories of the quest for the Holy Grail. The era in which the original poetry of the Grail was written were dangerous and complex times, and the poem itself is surrounded with mystery and strange occurrences, as though set in an extraordinary and tragic dream. Visions and dreams have a special wonder and magic, and what we witness within them are allegory, metaphor and symbols. But the map is not the territory!
But what is the meaning of the strange story of the Quest for the Holy Grail? A disabled fisher king awaits vital questioning! If we approach the grail story as though it was a dream, it becomes very meaningful. In dreams, we often describe events without the expression of emotion - and this story is extremely enigmatic. Could it be a wisdom story that holds importance for the time in which we live today? It could describe an urgency related to the healing of the Wasteland, and due to the lack of questioning, the opportunity to heal is lost.
“It’s easier to produce religious experiences than to produce religious lives.” William James.
In the story, something incredible and wonderful happened that gave an opportunity for something greater to occur. A young man finds himself in a strange castle where a king is unwell. He sees an extraordinary pageant that features the host, the bread that bears the power of Christ to heal, renew and enlighten. As this is written by a Christian, and about Christian ritual, we must assume that there is a Christian message here.
For those with no knowledge of Christianity, they will be unaware of the background to this fictional story with a metaphorical meaning.
Jesus was a spiritual teacher and healer who was a maverick in a neighbourhood of strict religious fundamentalism. The powers that be - the Sanhedren and the Roman government - conspired to bring about his downfall. His last meal was at the Jewish feast of the Passover when everyone arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Exodus, when the Angel of Death passed over the Israelites allowing them to flee to safety. Jesus celebrated that meal with his 12 disciples. This was the time in which Judas made his decision to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and he kissed Jesus when he went to pray after the meal in the Garden of Gethsamane.
At that last meal, Jesus gave a piece of unleavened bread to each disciple and gave a drink of wine, saying 'eat of my flesh and drink of my blood'. "Do this in commemmoration of me". To this day, Christians throughout the world, use this small meal to congregate and celebrate the life of Jesus and the religion that has grown as a result. It is not bread, but under the power invested in a priest, it becomes the flesh and blood of the redeeming god.
Jesus was brought to court for a trial, was stripped and whipped and crowned with thorns. He carried his cross to a rubbish tip outside the town where they crucified him. Christians believe that Jesus was God made man, that is, the Old Testament God was a jealous and ruthless God that made many difficult demands on his people. Jesus came to show that God is loving, generous and forgiving. It is during the Mass, when the bread is changed to his body and the wine is changed to his Blood, that we also partake of that original meal, and though it doesn't happen on every occasion, sometimes we can feel uplifted, touched to our core, connected to something great and wonderful, beyond ourselves. Belief in Jesus still has the power to cleanse and change lives. Though many criticise Christianity, and prefer other paths, millions have been inspired to change their lives on account of the story of the life and death of Jesus.
If the story of the Holy Grail is related to Christianity, it is related through the host, and through the story of Easter, and death and resurrection of the Messiah.
Each season offers a time of beauty and the majesty of nature and something amazing happens when the earth gives forth its bounty for our delight, in autumnal colour, snow and ice, spring flowers or summer sunshine. Religion often can offer a touch of the heart and restore us to health and vitality. We also need to remember the land upon which food grows, waters run, and the importance of the land to all life, not only our own.
Article by Wendy Stokes https://wendystokes.co.uk
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