THE GRAIL LEGEND

A messenger appeared in my vision. He spoke:
In the tenth century
a saint saw in a vision that went back in time:
Christ on the cross – Christ’s suffering – Christ’s death –
how Christ was pierced in the side,
and how cloth was laid on his wounds.

When Christ was being taken from the cross,
a man was to be seen.
He was Joseph of Arimathea.

He, Joseph, took a cup of blood ,
from under the cloth near Christ’s wounded side.
He held the cup in his hand, and the cup radiated a strong light.

The messenger continued:
What the saint saw in his vision
and then passed on to others was the first Holy Communion
[after the death of Jesus].

In truth,
Joseph of Arimathea received primal light,
the light of creation from the risen Christ.
He received it from Christ, the man of light,
who has primal light from God.
He received it from Christ, who can pass on primal light(1).

The reality and life of Christ
brought to humanity the truth of creation.

Whoever discerns the truth receives primal light.
The saint saw and experienced how, with the cup,
Christ passed on God’s light and life to Joseph of Arimathea.

Joseph of Arimathea passed on this light to others - to Lazarus –
Who then handed it on spiritually in John’s Gospel.

The grail legend is Celtic, Christian, and holy.
Whoever finds John will find the cup!
[This refers to the quest for the truth of the holy vessel.]
Whoever has found the Johannine Church has found this chalice!
[The primal light of creation that becomes present in Holy Communion
is the keystone of the Johannine teaching.]
In order to do this, the sword is needed.

Later a messenger spoke:
Everything that was added later is legend and saga.
King Arthur did guard that place
[the grave of Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury], in a state of mental illness.

In the tales of King Arthur,
that place became the Grail kingdom,
around which so many legends have grown.

It was nearly a year later when a saint spoke again on the Grail legend:
Put together what you have received about the Grail legend
with what you have read.

Regarding the truth, the ways parted further
when the legend became more mythical.

Joseph of Arimathea was in England as Christ’s witness.
He had the cup with him.
It was placed in his grave when he died.
What you have read about the chapel touches on the truth(2).

Joseph of Arimathea, a saint who was pure,
took Christ down from the cross,
washed him, laid him in the grave
and experienced his Resurrection.

Thorn and chalice
accompanied Joseph of Arimathea throughout his life.
Whomever he loved, he initiated by showing them the cup.

And again a year later, Mary Magdalene and a saint spoke:
I am Mary Magdalene.

I am Joseph of Arimathea.
Do not be afraid!
On my flight I took the cup of Christ’s blood with me -
the blood that I saved when Christ was brought down from the cross.
Wherever my travels led me, I was a witness to Christ.

I died in England.

And Mary Magdalene spoke:
I testify to this.
I was present at the burial of Christ.

Joseph and I took with us twigs from the crown of thorns
wherever we traveled.
What you have written about the Grail legend is true!

Seek out the hill in England.
Purify it with prayer and water -
this place where truth became legend and saga.

This I did in vision. An angel now stands in this place.
Light radiates across the hill and the fields.

An angel spoke:
Victory!

So legend will pass; what remains is the truth about the cup of Joseph of Arimathea.

Notes:

(1) ‘Primal’ is how the translator has rendered the German prefix ‘Ur-’. This theme of primal or Ur-light appears in more detail in the Tenth Message of Wisdom (also in this book).

(2) This refers to Glastonbury’s earliest church, built from timber and wattles, some of which came from the legendary thornbush that grew from a twig of the crown of thorns.

Excerpt taken from ‘SO THAT YOU MAY BE ONE, from the Visions of Joa Bolendas’ by Joa Bolendas, translated by John Hill. Lindisfarne Books, 1997.