A Special Report - Laura Knight-Jadczyk


Vincent Bridges and Jay Weidner

Magickal Mystery Tour Scam


July 21, 2003 Update: Vincent Bridges Magickal Mystery Tours:

Vincent Bridges Magickal Mystery Tours: In Search of Fulcanelli: A TOUR OF ALCHEMICAL FRANCE May 23rd through June 8th 2003

Week One- The Holy Grail in Provence May 24 th - May 31st 2003 We will find Black Madonnas and Gypsy protectors in the flickering candle light of cathedral crypts, participate in a Grail procession as the boat of the Marys returns to the sea, and climb the ancient pilgrim stairs to Mary Magdalene's Grotto. From these experiences, and many more, we will gain a deeper understanding of the origins of Christianity in the west as we realize that the greatest secret of all, the Holy Grail itself, is hidden in plain sight.

Week Two - Grail Mysteries of the Pyrennes June 1st through June 8th 2003 Just as Provence provides clues to the origins of esoteric Christianity, Languedoc and the Pyrenees supply us with traces of its subsequent history, including the bloody genocide of the Cathars at the hands of the Imperial Catholic Church and the King of France. But the secret lives on in the land itself, its picturesque ruins and its sacred sites.

Week Three - Fulcanelli's Paris June 7th through June 14th 2003 Join the authors of A Monument to the End of Time -- the only full scale examination of Fulcanelli's masterpiece -- Vincent Bridges and Jay Weidner, as they reveal the meaning of the secrets hidden in plain sight on and within the Gothic cathedrals of Paris, Amiens and Chartres. With Fulcanelli's masterpiece for a guidebook, and the on-site help of our guide Yanka Marie De Rokay, this truly one of a kind tour reveals the initiatory pattern at the heart of alchemy, the great secret itself. It also raises the even more interesting question of how the secret came to be carved on the front of cathedrals.


That sounds pretty exciting, yes? Sounds like these guys are right on top of things esoterically speaking. What a tour! Let's all sign up right now! How?

I found this guide to getting hooked up with the Bridges-Weidner tour business:


Reservations

At Magickal Mystery Tours, we believe in the individual experience, therefore each of our tours is indivually designed. We offer a wide range of accomodations, prices and services, in order to reach pilgrims on all sorts of budgets, from those who desire total service, to those who just want to join us for a few dys along the way.

The core of each tour is limited in size, so we recommend that you reserve your spot early. A reservation fee of $500 is required for those joining us for a week or more. (This is refundable up to two weeks before departure, except for a $50 processing fee.) Make all checks payable to Magickal Mystery Tours, and be sure to included your day time phone number.

Once you have selected your tour, or tours, and made a reservation, we will get back to you on customing designing your experience. Prices are determined by how much we do for you, and how many extras you want for yourself. For instance, you could make your own transportation arrangements, and then book a deluxe suite at our hotel in Paris, while deciding not to do the Louvre portion of the tour. Each tour is then custom priced. Payment in full for the Magickal Mystery Tours portion of the trip is required two weeks before departure.


Okay. Sounds pretty up-front except, maybe, for the fact that no matter whether you go or not, Bridges and Weidner are going to make 50 bux. Pretty pricey "processing fee" if you ask me. So, how do I know that I can have some confidence in sending a nice chunk of change off to Bridges and Weidner?

Well, they've been doing this for awhile, or so they say. I can have a look at one of their past "tours" posted right there on the website:


In the Footsteps of Fulcanelli: The Mystery of the Cathedrals Revealed Tour May 26th - June 3rd, 2001

The enigmatic Fulcanelli, the 20th century's most mysterious alchemist, declared in his 1926 masterpiece, Le Mystere de Cathedrals, that the Gothic cathedrals were books in stone where with guidance one might "rediscover the meaning of the secrets hidden under the petrified exterior of this wondrous book of magic." Join the authors of A Monument to the End of Time -- the only full scale examination of Fulcanelli's masterpiece -- Vincent Bridges and Jay Weidner, as they reveal the meaning of the secrets hidden in plain sight on and within the Gothic cathedrals of Paris, Amiens and Chartres.

With Fulcanelli's masterpiece for a guidebook, and the on-site help of our guide Yanka Marie De Rokay, this truly one of a kind tour reveals the initiatory pattern at the heart of alchemy, the great secret itself. It also raises the even more interesting question of how the secret came to be carved on the front of cathedrals.

Itinerary Saturday, May 26th, 2001 - Arrive at De Gaulle Airport, and then transport to our hotel, the Esmeralda, in the Latin Quarter - the best rooms have views of Notre Dame de Paris. Dinner and an orientation discussion will be held at a nearby restaurant.

Sunday, May 27th, 2001 - Early morning walking tour of medieval Paris, from The Latin Quarter to the Cluny, across the Ile de Citie and down the Right bank to St. Germain l'Auxerrois and the site of Flamel's St. Jacques de la Boucherie. In the afternoon, we return to the Ile de Citie for a tour of Notre Dame de Paris, Ste Chapelle and the crypts of the Parvis with our guide , Yanka Marie De Rokay. Evening free, optional dinner and discussion at Left Bank Cafe.

Monday, May 28th, 2001 - On the Trail of Fulcanelli - Montparnasse and the Luxembourg District, Pierre Du Juls' bookstore; Montmartre, the Chat Noir and the residence of Canseliet and Champagne. In the afternoon, we turn once again to Notre Dame de Paris, and this time try to see it through Fulcanelli's eyes. We will examine every image mentioned by Fulcanelli and try to place it within the larger context of the cathedral itself. The Middle Ages will never be the same again, after this revealing look at the hermetic book in stone. Evening free, optional dinner and discussion at our favorite Latin Quarter Cafe.

Tuesday, May 29th, 2001 - Early morning walk to the Louvre by way of St. German des Pres and St. Sulpice. In the Louvre, we will examine the esoteric art of Leonardo and Poussin. Lunch at the Louvre then depart early afternoon for Amiens. Following Fulcanelli's example, we will examine closely the images on the west front of the cathedral - Notre Dame de Amiens, the "purest document" of medieval hermeticism and in many ways a replica of Notre Dame de Paris. Free time in the old city of Amiens before early evening departure for Paris.

Wednesday, May 30th, 2001 - Optional free day in Paris, for sightseeing, museum crawling or just people watching from a cafe. For those who want more cathedrals, we offer a morning subway excursion to the heart of the Merovingian mysteries and the first Gothic Cathedral, St. Denis, with stops along the way at the Flower Market in the Ile de Citie, and the place of martyrdom on Montmartre. In the afternoon, a short train ride to Chartres will allow us to examine the Cult of the Black Madonna and the finest example of the Gothic style. No planned meals.

Thursday, May 31th, 2001 - Free morning in Paris before early afternoon departure to Bourges. After we arrive, there will be time for a little sightseeing, before dinner and discussion at our hotel, the Hotel Bourbon and the Restaurant St. Ambroix.

Friday, June 1st, 2001 - Early morning walk through the old town of Bourges, ending at the Cathedral St. Etienne with its five arched portals and incredible stained glass. On to the Palais Jacques-Coeur, a Gothic masterpiece built by an alchemist, where we will continue to examine images from Fulcanelli's masterpiece, including the enigmatic Tristan and Isolde. We end the day at Hotel Lallemant, home of Jean Lallemant, another alchemist and probable Grand Master of a secret society that in a few centuries would emerge as the Rosecrucians. Dinner and discussion will be at the Restaurant Jacques-Coeur.

Saturday June 2nd, 2001 - Free day in Bourges then evening train to Paris. Optional overnight or change for De Gaulle Airport and then departure to our destinations.


Now, what is wrong with this picture?

As it happens, the above "tour" NEVER HAPPENED and I can prove it!

All during the time that this "wonderful" event was supposed to be taking place - about which I knew nothing until May of 2003 when it was pointed out to me, Vincent Bridges was IN NORTH CAROLINA. He was regularly corresponding with me via email and telephone. For example, one email sent on the day that the above tour was supposed to be underway, when the itinerary was described as:

Itinerary Saturday, May 26th, 2001 - Arrive at De Gaulle Airport, and then transport to our hotel, the Esmeralda, in the Latin Quarter - the best rooms have views of Notre Dame de Paris. Dinner and an orientation discussion will be held at a nearby restaurant.

This is what Bridges was writing from his home in NC on that day:


Received: from iron.carolina.net ([208.170.147.84]) by ns1.ozline with SMTP (Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Service Version 5.5.2650.21) id L2KD31ZX; Sat, 26 May 2001 11:17:30 -0400 Received: from [205.138.47.169] (unverified [205.138.47.169]) by iron.carolina.net (Vircom SMTPRS 4.5.188) with ESMTP id B0002204241@iron.carolina.net for lark2@ozline.net; Sat, 26 May 2001 11:31:26 -0400
User-Agent: Microsoft Outlook Express Macintosh Edition - 5.01 (1630)


Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 11:17:45 -0400
Subject: Re: What or Who are the "knighted ones?" From: Vincent Bridges abooks@ac.net
To: lark2@ozline.net Message-ID: B7354158.1D69%abooks@ac.net In-Reply-To: 3B0E45D0.31078.EFFC70@localhost Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit X-PMFLAGS: 35127424 0 1 P205A0.CNM

Well, what a lot of strange threads in this collective tapestry.

I'm going to start here, but it may take me a few days to work through all of my comments.

Now when I was in Greenville the other week, I had the opportunity to ask my mother and father plenty of questions.

[snip long personal story that includes references to innocent people, so it is deleted.]

So... Busy day today, the guy doing our photoshop work is going to look at Noah and so forth. Gonna send this section and work on more later.

V.


The point is: nothing is said about a tour to France either planned or otherwise.

What happened to the best rooms in the "Hotel Esmeralda, in the Latin Quarter" and the "Dinner and an orientation discussion ...at a nearby restaurant?"

Has Vincent Bridges achieved such high spiritual development that he can bilocate?

Just to make the point, I have other emails posted from the North Carolina IP on May 31, 2001 and June 3rd, 2001. Remember May 31st?

Free morning in Paris before early afternoon departure to Bourges. After we arrive, there will be time for a little sightseeing, before dinner and discussion at our hotel, the Hotel Bourbon and the Restaurant St. Ambroix.

And how about June 3rd when Bridges and Weidner were supposed to be on a plane back to the US? Another email sent that day to us (available on request).

In other words, Magickal Mystery Tours looks to be a complete fraud - a con-job - an operation run by New Age Grifters. And you just start to wonder how many 50 buck processing fees these guys are stealing from unwary folks who think that they are really running a tour business. Unless, of course, they are simply ripped off for the full amount by these creeps.

Wonder if Magickal Mystery Tours is incorporated or if they pay taxes? Wonder if the Attorney General of North Carolina would be interested?

 

 

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