HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Over the years archaeologists, cartographers, traders, and travelers have discovered what might be called "Sacred Geography." Ancient shrines located on straight lines that crisscross the globe. In Chinese lore they are called "dragon lines." These "dragon lines" connect elevated, isolated places where spiritual shrines were built suggesting the battle-grounds between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. The sites are separated by thousands of miles and their builders were separated by centuries. Is the presence of the shrines in a straight line coincidental, or is their origin supernatural? Do they reveal a sacred code left behind by the gods? Were the civilizations that built these sites simply far more advanced in archaeo-astronomy than previously thought? Is their alignment due to some astrophysical or magnetic phenomenon? Do these ancient sacred places, along geographical lines, channel supernatural powers? Do they reveal dimensions of reality otherwise inaccessible to mortals on earth? Do they hold any significance for pilgrims in search of a deeper meaning for their lives? Ancient myths [footnote 1] about epic battles, past and future, between the forces of good and evil pervade all historical cultures and society. The Star Wars saga is only a recent example. Such stories bring to mind the battles found in Judeo-Christian texts. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But they were not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down -- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him (Revelation 12:7-9). At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began (Daniel 12:1). Is there any connection between such texts, Chinese dragon lines, and St. Michael's Sword? We hope to find out. Footnote 1: The use of the term "myth" here is not a mistake. Classically, the term "myth" refers to a narrative vehcile (a story) that in an explicit sense may be true or false. But the underlying meaning of the story, that is its moral premise, is always true. It is a fallacious equivocation to think of "myth" or "mythic" as universally referring to a story as false, untrue, or fictional. The myth may be fictioinal in a explicit sense, but it just as often is nonfiction. But properly used, a myth or a mythic narrative always communicates a truth.

St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall England

SWORD OF ST. MICHAEL

One of the most amazing of these earth alignments is known as the Apollo/St. Michael Axis or the Sword of St. Michael. It stretches from a craggy island off Ireland's southwest coast, used as a location in the latest Star Wars films, to the Stella Maris monastery on Mount Carmel in Israel where millennia ago the prophet Elijah challenged 450 pagan prophets. A few miles further along the line is tel Megiddo where legend tells us St. Michael will fight the devil in the final battle of Armageddon. Between Skellig Michael and Stella Maris five additional sanctuaries point to the starry heavens. All seven lie in a perfect straight line stretching across Europe. According to legend, the St. Michael's line represents the blow with which St. Michael battled the devil, casting him and his minions from heaven down to earth at the dawn of time -- and where he will defeat the Great Dragon at the end of time. If this isn't intriguing enough, the geographic line of St Michael's Sword perfectly aligns with sunset on the day of the summer solstice.

Sacra di San Michele, Turin, Italy

CULTURAL RELEVANCE

It is natural to question the relevance of monasticism, but the monastic life is one of the few shared traditions in all world religions. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism all have mystical, monastic strains, however in a modern, technological and pragmatic society one wonders what monasteries are for. In previous centuries monasteries arose as havens for prayer, worship and spiritual growth for the men (or women) would could brave a life of asceticism. The immediate benefit was an escape from the dangers of an anarchic and chaotic society. But from a focus on spiritual priorities sprung hospitality for travelers, food and humanitarian aid for the poor, healing for the sick, and literacy and education for young and old. Today we take for granted the various institutions derived from monastic life. We enjoy the convenience of the hospitality industry: hotels, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, as well as monasteries and religious guest houses that we stay at while documenting this journey. Food pantries, soup kitchens and hostels for the homeless are the heirs of the institutions first founded and run by the monasteries. We have public and private schools, not just for children, but high schools and universities. The common thread in all these traditions is the preservation of knowledge and values and protection against barbarian raids. More specifically, there is a parallel between what our ancestors did centuries ago to preserve culture and what many are doing today. During the recent pandemic when schools were closed, parents re-established their homes as family monasteries to care for and protect the sick, and to educate their children. Food shortages and store closures prompted church pantries and other socially aware organizations to become food and clothing distribution centers. Monasteries, however, were more than social service centers. At the heart of monastic life was a priority of prayer, meditation and interaction with the supernatural realm. Popular culture expresses the ongoing fascination in supernatural masters in films like the Batman franchise, The Matrix and the Jedi knights of Star Wars. In past ages the supernatural conflict embraced by monastic masters was expressed through the symbolism of the cosmic battle. Angels and Demons were at war, but not through a fantasy board game, or in a Dan Brown novel. It seems that monks believed they were joined in a real life or death conflict.

THE UNIVERSALITY OF ANGELS

The belief in the existence of winged intermediary spirit beings is virtually universal in human religious experience. Whether it is the kinnara of Hinduism and Buddhism, the malaka in Islam, angels in Judaism and Christianity--the flying gods of pagan religions or the winged shamans of Amerindians, these spirit beings function as messengers, muses, comforters, guides and protectors of humanity. The Angel Quest documentary and book project uses the famed Sword of St Michael to open viewers to the reality of the transcendent realm a reality believed in by the vast majority of human beings in every epoch and every culture down through history. As the human race falls into the trap of modern secular materialism, Angel Quest uses powerful visual images and the structure of a quest and pilgrimage to explore the reality of angels and the immanence and importance of the transcendent realm.

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