Recent works of fiction and popular history have promoted the idea that the Holy Grail symbolizes a physical bloodline resulting from the union of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. This, supposedly, is the 'secret' that esoteric movements have kept tirelessly for the past 2,000 years. From her groundbreaking research, Sylvia Francke exposes this notion to be a blatant misinterpretation of the mystery traditions that preceded and ran parallel to the birth of Christianity. She traces the ancient spiritual paths of knowledge from the Cathars, the Knights Templar and the enigmatic Rosicrucians, to the work of Rudolf Steiner in the twentieth century. Here, she concludes, is true Grail knowledge: the Tree of Life and the Holy Grail itself explained in their metaphysical context. From her research she suggests a solution to the riddle of the sudden wealth and strange behaviour of Bérenger Saunière, the mysterious priest of Rennes-le-Château in southern France. True Grail knowledge, she concludes, has nothing to do with bloodlines or worldly status, but is an ancient lifeline to the spiritual origins of creation. Its energetic forces ray up from the earth and down from the constellations and planets while interacting with individual human beings. It holds the key to the fulfilment of mankind's quest, a step to the next phase of human evolution... The recent explosion of interest in an alternative history of Christianity - the shadow Grail - prompted Sylvia Francke to revise The Tree of Life and the Holy Grail, first published in 1996. The result is a completely reworked and expanded book that constitutes a powerful and convincing refutation of distorted esoteric truths.

The publication in 1982 of the controversial bestseller The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail convinced many readers that there is no spiritual truth in the legends of the Holy Grail. After chancing on the book, and unimpressed with its conclusions, Sylvia Francke was inspired to begin her own Grail quest, the result of which is this carefully researched and revealing work, coauthored with Thomas Cawthorne -- a powerful and convincing refutation of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grails materialistic thesis. Drawing upon many sources -- such as the legend of Parsival, the Gnostic Gospels, Rosicrucian texts, and the seminal research of the scientist and educationalist Rudolf Steiner -- the authors focus upon the mysterious village of Rennes-le-Chateau in southern France, suggesting a solution to its secret. Among much else, they also touch upon the significance of the Cathars, Knights Templars, and King Arthur. The quest for the Grail today is an empowering path of self-transformation, they conclude, and a renewal of the true Grail mysteries at the end of the twentieth century is urgently required.

Recent works of fiction and popular history have promoted the idea that the Holy Grail symbolizes a physical bloodline that resulted from a union of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. It is claimed by some that this is the secret kept tirelessly by certain esoteric movements for the past two millennia. Based on her groundbreaking research, Sylvia Francke exposes this notion as a blatant misinterpretation of the mystery traditions that preceded and ran parallel to the birth of Christianity. She traces the ancient spiritual paths of knowledge from the Cathars, the Knights Templar, and the enigmatic Rosicrucians, to the work of Rudolf Steiner in the twentieth century. Here, she concludes, is true Grail knowledge--the Tree of Life and the Holy Grail itself, explained in their metaphysical context. She suggests a solution to the mystery of sudden wealth and the strange behavior of Bérenger Saunière, the mysterious priest of Rennes-le-Château in southern France. True Grail knowledge, Francke concludes, has nothing to do with bloodlines or worldly status; rather, it is an ancient lifeline to the spiritual origins of creation. Its energetic forces radiate out from the Earth and in from the constellations and planets, while interacting with human individuals. It represents the key to fulfilling humanity's quest and the next step in human evolution. The recent explosion of interest in revisionist Christianity history--the shadow Grail--prompted Sylvia Francke to revise The Tree of Life and the Holy Grail, first published in 1996. The result is a completely reworked and expanded book that offers a powerful and convincing refutation of distorted esoteric truths.

Does the Holy Grail truly exist along with a fifth gospel? Come and discover. Read the second book (The Tree of Life) in the Cup of Christ series and find out! Will Lord Robert de Borron find relief and enlightenment in the strange land of Iberia?" He now desires the hidden gospel's kindness and understanding.

What if the literary form of the Bible derived its pattern from the elementary process of creation? Is there an underlying symbolic form to the book? The Tree of Life is an analysis of this form and compares it to the operations of the intellect. These operations are the process by which we come to know what is. It also corresponds to the metaphysical elements, which are the core of our being. What becomes evident is that there is a form to human consciousness.

What if the literary form of the Bible derived its pattern from the elementary process of creation? Is there an underlying symbolic form to the book? The Tree of Life is an analysis of this form and compares it to the operations of the intellect. These operations are the process by which we come to know what is. It also corresponds to the metaphysical elements, which are the core of our being. What becomes evident is that there is a form to human consciousness.