Avignon  – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the regional county municipality in Quebec, see Avignon Regional County Municipality.

Avignon Avinhon  (Occitan)
Prefecture and commune
​  From top: skyline, Rocher des Doms, Palais des Papes, Pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon Cathedral, Festival d’Avignon
Avignon Coat of arms The Symbolic Meaning of Keys POSTED ON MAY 5, 2016 Keys have represented various spiritual symboligies for as long as man has had locks.  They are connected with gateways and portals, doorways to the unknown, knowledge, mysteries, powers, initiations, new ways, forbidden things and answers to curious questions. They are often associated with various literary idioms, specific deities or spiritual figures, and are often used as part of charms or other magical tools.  We in modern times still value keys as an important part of our daily lives, such as car keys and house keys, however with digital locks, passwords, and other technological advances, it is interesting to speculate if the key will continue to play as significant role as a tool as it has in the past.  Yes, there will always be some types of keys as in pass codes or other devices, but the idea of having a piece of metal cut to a specific shape, I fear is losing it’s place in the world of the future.  However, in the magical realm and the world of witchcraft and hoodoo, the key still has a role to play and is commonly found in most crafter’s tool kit. First let’s look at some spiritual figures that are most often associated with keys.   In Christianity, the visage of Saint Peter holding the keys to the gates of Heavencan be easily found in religious art from Christendom to the modern era.  He is often portrayed with  two keys; a golden key, representing the power to allow those who are worthy to enter into eternal life, the other a silver or iron key to close them again.  Keys also represent spiritual purity and enlightenment in these scenes. He is one of the most familiar figures in religious realms to represent a gatekeeper allowing others to pass into the spiritual realm; however, he is not alone in this task. In Voodoo practices, Papa Legba, often depicted as an elderly man with a cane, a dog and keys is also a gatekeeper, acting as a liaison for those between the spiritual and the physical realms.  He is said to speak every Human language and be a conduit between the mortal and deities, allowing for communion and safe passage if travel into the astral planes is granted. Lord Ganesh in the Hindu spiritual path is the great elephant god, the mover of obstacles and for this reason very often associated with keys.  Commonly locks or keys can be found with a Ganesh design on it to symbolically representing the unlocking of a path or knowledge.  Ganesh is associated with wisdom and spiritual knowledge, making him not only a prime example of key symbolism but also a deity, like so many others, associated with journeying.   (I do not agree with this, but I post it as written for information and education.) Hecate, a goddess often described as the Queen of the Witches, is another underworld deity associated with gate keeping and keys. Much like Papa Legba and Saint Peter, she holds the keys that allow passage into the spiritual realm.  She is a great protector and is associated with keys, and dogs among other things. Trivia is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Hecate, goddess of the three-way crossroads. Ancient Roman Goddesses for kids – Trivia The myths and legends surrounding Trivia, the Roman goddess of crossroads and guardian of roads Trivia Discover the legends and myths and religious beliefs surrounding Trivia, the Roman goddess of crossroads and guardian of roads. Her name is derived from the Latin word ‘Trivia’ meaning “three ways “from ‘tri’ meaning three and ‘via’ meaning way or road. In Latin, ‘trivialis’ appertained to the crossroads where three roads met, which came to be known, in towns, as the ‘trivium’, or the public place. As the guardian of roads she watched over the public paths and roads and protected travellers. She was also recognized in three aspects as part of a triad of goddesses consisting of Trivia, Luna the moon goddess and Diana the goddess of the hunt. Anubis, the dog headed ancient Egyptian god of the dead was often associated with keys. He would escort the soul of the dead to the underworld after its heart had been weighed and measured. Besides these five spiritual figures listed above, there are many additional deities that are connected with keys and gate keeping.  These types of deities are referred to as liminal deities and include any deity that covers thresholds, cross roads, gates, or door ways.  They are often thought of as spiritual figuresthat can cross boundaries between the worlds. Here are some of these to just give you an example of the vast array of Gods and Goddesses that are found throughout history and cultures. Hestia: (Celtic) keeper of the keys to supplies, a household deity that always made sure supplies and the running of a household went smoothly. Hermes: (Greek) / Mercury (Roman) – God of messengers, border crossings, home protection, guide of the dead, roads, travelers and animal husbandry. Cardea: (Roman) Goddess of thresholds, door hinges and handles Janus: (Roman) two-faced God of gateways, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings Portunes: (Roman) God of keys, doors and livestock Terminus: (Roman) Protector God of boundary markers There are about 20 additional Chinese deities for the protection of city walls and all associated with keys. Korean mythology has another two and Hindu religions include the solar deity Pushan, who not only oversees the journey of the dead but is also responsible for journeying and cattle care. In other paths like Santeria, voodoo both Haitian and Louisiana paths there is Ellegua who is a messenger god. In ancient Egypt, the symbol of the Ankh is a key as well, a path to eternal life.  Keys are represented in many other cultures as well. It seems that there isn’t a cultured that has been studied that isn’t connected with key symbology in some way. With so many deities connected with animals, protection, communication with the spiritual world, and journeying it is easy to see why keys have played such a significant role in our lives from ancient to modern times.   We even see keys used in jewelry and coats of arms.  The symbol is deeply embedded into our psyche.  We honor people by giving them the “Key to the City” representing trust and respect.  The key’s many layered symbology is seemingly endless in its connections to humanity throughout the ages. In the magical world, keys also hold great power. They are also used in many magical or spiritual workings; they can be attached to mojo or gris gris bags, buried at crossroads, combined with herbs or other elements to create a magic pouch.  Keys are often made into talismans or charms with all kinds of various functions.  They will always be of great desire and use to the practitioners of the craft. For me personally, I make jewelry and always add a key to the clasp area, asking various deities to bless the piece.  This past Yule, I made a neighbor some protection charms for her doorways that included keys and protection blessings so that her home would be shielded from the spirits of the place passing through her doorways.  I look for keys at estate sales and yard sales.  They always hold their own special energy and magic and can certainly find themselves a useful position in my witch’s tool box. 2016 copyright by Katie Pifer http://www.witchpetals.wordpress.com

Avignon (UK: /ˈævɪnjɒ̃/, US: /ˌævɪnˈjoʊn/;^[3] French: [aviɲɔ̃] (listen); Provençal: Avinhon (Classical norm) or Avignoun (Mistralian norm), IPA: [aviˈɲun]; Latin: Avenio) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azurregion of Southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had a population of 93,671 as of the census results of 2017, with about 16,000 (estimate from Avignon’s municipal services) living in the ancient town centre enclosed by its medieval ramparts.

Between 1309 and 1377, during the Avignon Papacy, seven successive popes resided in Avignon and in 1348 Pope Clement VI bought the town from Joanna I of Naples. Papal control persisted until 1791 when, during the French Revolution, it became part of France. The town is now the capital of the Vaucluse department and one of the few French cities to have preserved its ramparts.

rampart – [ ram-pahrt, -pert ] – noun Fortification. a broad elevation or mound of earth raised as a fortification around a place and usually capped with a stone or earth parapet. such an elevation together with the parapet. anything serving as a bulwark or defense.

So, the the town of Orange in Vaucluse, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azurregion of Southeastern France. is  a Closed Valley, a place between, where they control time and space, from where they rule the world.  I know that sounds crazy… but truth is stranger than fiction.  Anyway, this is just how I am seeing this as the facts begin to reveal themselves.  I could be wrong…

Remember:  “the name Vaucluse itself derives from the Latin Vallis Clausa (“Closed Valley“)” interval (n.) early 14c., “time elapsed between two actions or events,” from Old French intervalle” interval, interim” (14c.), earlier entreval (13c.) and directly from Late Latin  intervallum “a space between, an interval of time, a distance,” originally “space between palisades or ramparts” [OED], from inter “between” (see inter-) + vallum “rampart, palisade, wall,” which is apparently a collective form of vallus “stake,” from PIE *walso– “a post” (see wall (n.)).Metaphoric sense of “gap in time” also was in Latin. From c. 1400 in English as “a pause, an interruption in a state or activity.” Musical sense “difference in pitch between two tones” is from c. 1600. Related: Intervallic.

That is what the devil and his minions have been working on since time began.  They have been trying to slow it down, change it OR STOP IT!  Even REVERSE IT.  They have been working to BREAK the TIME BARRIER.  Time Travel.  

AND what is this lockdown, if not a PAUSE.  AN INTERRUPTION of life as we knew it, to allow them to set up life as they WANT IT?

The historic centre, which includes the Palais des Papes, the cathedral and the Pont d’Avignon, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The medieval monuments and the annualFestival d’Avignonhave helped to make the town a major centre for tourism.

The earliest forms of the name were reported by the Greeks:^[4] Аὐενιὼ ν  Aueniṑn   (Stephen of Byzantium, Strabo, IV, 1, 11) and Άουεννίων  Aouenníōn  (Ptolemy II, x).

The Roman name Avennĭo Cavărum (Mela, II, 575, Pliny III, 36), i.e. “Avignon of Cavares” accurately shows that Avignon was one of the three cities of the Celtic-Ligurian tribe of Cavares, along with  Cavaillon and Orange.

Cavares – Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CavaresThe Cavares were a Gallic confederation of tribes located in the lower Rhone valley during the Roman period. Their strongholds were Avignon (Avennio), Orange (Arausio) and Cavaillon (Cabellio).

The current name dates to a pre-Indo-European^[4] or pre-Latin^[5] theme ab-ên with the suffix -i-ōn(e).^[4][5] This theme would be a hydronym – i.e. a name linked to the river (Rhône),but perhaps also an oronym of terrain (the Rocher des Doms).

The Auenion of the 1st century BC was Latinized to Avennĭo (or Avēnĭo), -ōnis in the 1st century and is written Avinhon in classic  Occitan  spelling^[6]  or Avignoun in Mistralian spelling.^[7] The inhabitants of the commune are called avinhonencs or avignounen in both standard Occitan and Provençal dialect.

Occitan (n.) “Old or modern Provençal; langue d’Oc,” 1940, also “the northern variant of modern Provençal;” from French oc,  the word used south of the Loire for “yes” (see Languedoc). occident (n.) late 14c., “western part” (of the heavens or the earth), from Old French occident (12c.) or directly from Latin   occidentem  (nominative occidens) “western sky, sunset, part of the sky in which the sun sets,” noun use of adjective meaning “setting,” from present participle of  occidere  “fall down, go down” (see occasion (n.)). As a geopolitical term, sometimes with a capital O, always somewhat imprecise. With the definite article, the west; western countries; specifically, those countries lying to the west of Asia and of that part of eastern Europe now or formerly constituting in general European Turkey; Christendom. Various countries, as Russia, may be classed either in the Occident or in the Orient. [Century Dictionary, 1895] occipital (adj.) “of, on, or in the back of the head,” 1540s, from French occipital, from Medieval Latin occipitalis, from Latin  occiput (genitive occipitis) “back of the skull,” from assimilated form of ob “in the way of, against,” here with a sense of “in back of” (see ob-) + caput “head” (from PIE root *kaput- “head”). As a noun, “the occipital bone,” from 1758. Middle English had occiput (n.) “back of the head” and occipiciale (n.) “occipital bone.” occasion (n.) late 14c., occasioun, “opportunity; grounds for action or feeling; state of affairs that makes something else possible;  a happening, occurrence leading to some result,” from Old French ochaison, ocasion “cause, reason, excuse, pretext; opportunity” (13c.) or directly from Latin occasionem (nominative occasio) “opportunity, appropriate time,” in Late Latin “cause,” from occasum, occasus, past participle of occidere “fall down, go down,” from ob “down, away” (see ob-) + -cidere, combining form of cadere “to fall” (from PIE root *kad- “to fall”). The notion is of a “falling together,” or juncture, of circumstances. The sense of “the time or a time at which something happens” is from 1560s. occasion (v.) mid-15c., occasionen, “to bring (something) about, be the cause of (something),” from occasion (n.), or else from Old French occasionner “to cause,” from Medieval Latin  occasionare,  from Latin occasionem (see occasion (n.)). Related: Occasioned; occasioning.

Main articles: History of Avignon and Timeline of Avignon

Geography  of Avignon/ OC/ Orange/Occitan

Avignon is on the left bank of the Rhône river, a few kilometres above its confluence with the Durance, about 580 km (360 mi) south-east of Paris, 229 km (142 mi) south of Lyon and 85 km (53 mi) north-north-west of Marseille. On the west it shares a border with the department of Gard and the communes of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon and Les Angles and to the south it borders the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and the communes of Barbentane, Rognonas, Châteaurenard, and Noves.

These are the geographical sites mentioned in the geography of Avignon/OC/Occitan/Orange.  It is always good to find the root both of the name and of the location which always have spiritual significance.  I hope you can recognize the symbolism and significance in the following: DuranceThe Durance (Durença in Occitan or Durènço in Mistralian) is a major river in south-eastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is 323.2 km (200.8 mi) long.[1] Its source is in the south-western Alps, in Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon and it flows south-west through the following departments and cities: Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun. Alpes-de-Haute;  Provence: Sisteron, Manosque;  Vaucluse: Cavaillon, Avignon; Bouches-du-Rhône. The Durance’s largest tributary is the Verdon.[1] The Durance itself is a tributary of the Rhône and flows into the Rhône near Avignon.  Etymology – The Durance is documented in Ancient Greek as drouentios potamos and  in Latin as Druentia  (1st century). The traditional forms are probably derivatives of *Dūrantia, based on the Celtic “dour” (water) and suffix “ant” (stream). The Latin form drou (“hard”) changed into the proto-Occitan “dur”.[3] Similar names are found in the names of many rivers in the Western Alps: Dora in Italy, Dranse in Haute-Savoie, and the Drôme in south-eastern France. All these rivers have their sources in mountains, and are fast-running.  The Durance retains its name because the Durance valley is an old and important trade route.

Lyon  – The city was named in the 1st (43 b.c) century Lugdunum by its founder, the roman Munatius Plancus . Lugdunum is a latinization of the Gaulish *Lugudunon, meaning “Fortress (or hill since it was built on a hill) of Lugus( celtic god who romans identified as their Mercury)” or, alternately “Fortress of the champion’’.  The foundation was built on Fourvière hill and officially called Colonia Copia Felix Munatia, a name invoking prosperity and the blessing of the gods. The city became increasingly referred to as Lugdunum (and occasionally   Lugudunum[15]).[16] The earliest translation of this Gaulish place-name as “Desired Mountain” is offered by the 9th-century Endlicher Glossary.[17] In contrast, some modern scholars have proposed a Gaulish hill-fort named Lug[o]dunon, after the Celtic god Lugus (‘Light‘, cognate with Old Irish Lugh, Modern Irish Lú), and dúnon (hill-fort). It was established as the capital of the Roman french colony. To this day, the archbishop of Lyon is still referred to as “Primat des Gaules“. [20]   “high bishop, preeminent ecclesiastical official of a province,” having a certain jurisdiction, as vicar of the pope, over other bishops in his province, c. 1200, from Old French primat and directly from Medieval Latin primatem (nominative primas) “church primate,” noun use of Late Latin adjective primas “of the first rank, chief, principal,” from primus “first” (see prime (adj.)). The Romans recognised that Lugdunum’s strategic location at the convergence of two navigable rivers (These places where two rivers meet or where one or more rivers meet the ocean/sea are VERY IMPORTANT SPIRITUALLY)  made it a natural communications hub. The city became the starting point of main Roman roads in the area, and it quickly became the capital of the province, Gallia Lugdunensis. The words tend to change and simplify so over 1000 years lugdunum became Lyon , The name by which the city is known today. Monte lyon = Riding a lion in french.   SO LYON TRANSLATES TO LION The Croix-Rousse (Red Cross) district of Lyon is the hill in the northern part of the Presqu’île, or center of Lyon (map). Its name comes from a 16th century cross that was reddish brown in color.  The northern hill is La Croix-Rousse, known as “the hill that works” because it is traditionally home to many small silk (China Connection) workshops, an industry for which the city has long been renowned.[25]  Here we see a signifyer of the French/Chinese connection.  One of many. Liyon, Pronounced [ʎjɔ̃]; Italian: Lione, pronounced [liˈone]) is the third-largest city and second-largest urban area of France. Former capital of the Gauls at the time of the Roman Empire, Lyon is the seat of an archbishopric whose holder bears the title of Primate of the Gauls. Lyon was historically an important area for the production and weaving of silk.  In the late 1400s and 1500s Lyon was also a key centre of literary activity and book publishing.  Lyon played a significant role in the history of cinema: it is where Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the cinematograph. It is also known for its light festival, the Fête des Lumières, which begins every 8 December and lasts for four days, earning Lyon the title of Capital of Lights.  Economically, Lyon is a major centre for banking, as well as for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries. The city contains a significant software industry with a particular focus on video games, and in recent years has fostered a growing local start-up sector.[12] Lyon hosts the international headquarters of Interpol, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and Euronews

Gard  =  yard (n.2)  – measure of length, Old English  gerd  (Mercian), gierd (West Saxon) “rod, staff, stick; measure of length,” from West Germanic   *gazdijo, from Proto-Germanic *gazdjo “stick, rod” (source also of Old Saxon  gerda, Old Frisian ierde, Dutch gard “rod;” Old High German garta, German gerte “switch, twig,” Old Norse gaddr “spike, sting, nail”), from PIE root *ghazdh-o- “rod, staff, pole” (source also of Latin hasta “shaft, staff“). The nautical yard-arm retains the original sense of “stick.” Les Angles  –  angle (n.) –  “space or difference in direction between intersecting lines,” late 14c., from Old French angle “an angle, a corner” (12c.) and directly from Latin  angulus “an angle, a corner,” a diminutive form from PIE root  *ang-/*ank- ” to bend” (source also of Greek ankylos “bent, crooked,” Latin ang(u)ere “to compress in a bend, fold, strangle;” Old Church Slavonic aglu “corner;” Lithuanian anka “loop;” Sanskrit ankah “hook, bent,”  Old High German ango “hook“).Figurative sense “point or direction from which one approaches something” is from 1872. Angle-bracket is 1781 in carpentry; 1956 in typography.  (So, this is connected no doubt with the symbolism of the Freemasons Compass and Square.) Originally in Anglo-Saxon times a land measure of roughly 5 meters (a length later called rod, pole, or perch). Modern measure of “three feet” is attested from late 14c. (earlier rough equivalent was the ell of 45 inches, and the verge). In Middle English and after, the word also was a euphemism for “penis” (as in “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” V.ii.676). Slang meaning “one hundred dollars” first attested 1926, American English. Middle English yerd (Old English gierd) also was “yard-land, yard of land,” a varying measure but often about 30 acres or a quarter of a hide

Bouches-du-Rhône  = MOUTHS OF THE ROD.  The Rhone being the main River that runs through this area bringing water from the ALPS.

Barbentane –  Bar: (Iron barrier, door, gate, an obstruction) Bar graph is attested from 1925;  Behind bars “in prison” is attested by 1934; Bar code first recorded 1963. So, Bar Code is a gate for the data, and a barrier to common users.  ben: (roughly pyramidal mountain peaks, 1788 from Gaelic beinn “peak, summit, mountain,” from Old Irish   *benno – “peak, horn, conical point,” from PIE *bend- “projecting point.”) tane: (To be on (one’s) toes “alert, eager” is recorded from 1921. To step on (someone’s) toes in the figurative sense “give offense” is from late 14c. Toe-hold “support for the toe of a boot in climbing” is from 1880.

Rognonas: Rog: roe (n.1)“fish eggs,” mid-15c., probably from an unrecorded Old English *hrogn, from Proto-Germanic *khrugna (source also of Old Norse hrogn, Danish rogn, Swedish rom, Flemish rog, Middle Low German and Middle Dutch roge, Old High German rogo, German Rogen “roe”), from PIE *krek- “frog spawn, fish eggs” (source also of Lithuanian kurklė, Russian krjak “spawn of frogs”). Exact relations of the Germanic words are uncertain. (Is this a reference to the spawn of Satan?  The children of Dagon?  Is that why rich people love caviar so much?)rogue (n.)  1560s, “idle vagrant,” perhaps a shortened form of roger (with a hard -g-), thieves‘ slang for a begging vagabond who pretends to be a poor scholar from Oxford or Cambridge, which is perhaps an agent noun in English from Latin rogare “to ask.” (WAIT, this is too strange.  Is this a refence to the Freemason ritual?  The traveler greeting his fellow traveler by asking the questions?  Being of the brotherhood of scholars?)  Another theory [Klein] traces it to Celtic. “one who is mischievous (Now we know that the thief and the mischievous joker is a reference to Satan.)  nonas: nona – before vowels non-, word-forming element indicating “nine,” from  combining form of Latin nonus “ninth,” contracted from *novenos, from novem “nine” (see nine). nun (n.)  – Old English nunne “woman devoted to religious life under vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience to a superior,” also “vestal, pagan priestess,” Nine (9) is sacred to occultists because it is the “first cube of an odd number (3)”, (Van Buren, p.40-41) The triple nine (999) is utilized to represent 666, because it is simply the inversion of 666. 5.

Châteaurenard: chateau (n.) – “large stately residence in the country, manor-house,” c. 1739, from French château, from Old French chastel (12c.), from Latin castellum “castle” (see castle (n.)). castle (n.)– late Old English castel “village” (this sense from a biblical usage in Vulgar Latin); later “large building or series of connected buildings fortified for defense, fortress, stronghold” (late Old English), in this sense from Old North French castel (Old French chastel, 12c.; Modern French château), from Latin castellum “a castle, fort, citadel, stronghold; fortified village,” diminutive of castrum “fort,” from Proto-Italic *kastro- “part, share;” cognate with Old Irish cather, Welsh caer “town” (probably related to castrare via notion of “cut off,” from PIE root *kes- “to cut“). In early bibles, castle was used to translate Greek kome “village.”  Renard: Fox– name of an Algonquian people (confederated with the Sac after 1760), translating French renards, which itself may be a translation of an Iroquoian term meaning “red fox people.” Their name for themselves is /meškwahki:-haki/ “red earths.” French renard “fox” is from  Reginhard, the name of the fox in old Northern European fables (as in Low German Reinke de Vos, but Chaucer in The Nun’s Priest’s Tale calls him Daun Russell); it is Germanic and means literally “strong in council, wily.“

Noves: –  Noves translates to new in English. novel (n.) – “fictitious prose narrative,” 1560s, from Italian novella “short story,” originally “new story, news,” from Latin novella “new things” (source of French novelle, French nouvelle), neuter plural or fem. of novellus “new, young, recent,” diminutive of novus “new” (novelist) “an innovator” (1580s); “a novice” (1620s); “a news-carrier” (1706) From mid-14c. as “novel, modern” (Gower, 1393, has go the new foot “dance the latest style”). In the names of cities and countries named for some other place, c. 1500. Meaning “not habituated, unfamiliar, unaccustomed,” 1590s. Of the moon from late Old English. The adverb, “newly, for the first time,” is Old English niwe, from the adjective. As a noun, “that which is new,” also in Old English. There was a verb form in Old English (niwian, neowian) and Middle English (neuen) “make, invent, create; bring forth, produce, bear fruit; begin or resume (an activity); resupply; substitute”  roman (n.)  – “a novel,” 1765, from French roman, from Old French romanz (see romance (n.)); roman à clef, novel in which characters represent real persons, literally “novel with a key” MEANING, MYSTERY AND MAGIC OF THE NUMBER 9 (NINE) By Katherine Anne LeeJune 27, 2019Numerology, Numerology 101 The number Nine is the last of the single-digit numbers in our base-ten counting system, and represents the end of the cycle. Ancient mathematical philosophers called it the “finishing post”, and the ancient Greeks called it “the Horizon”. It’s unsurpassable, and represents the uppermost limit of what can be discovered, and expressed inside of our human experience. THROUGH EFFORT, COMES EXPERIENCE Numerologists understand that the number 9 holds an exceptionally wise, spiritual energy. It contains every other number that has come before it (1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 = 45, and 4 + 5 = 9). So symbolically, the number nine is the container for all worldly experiences. As well as this, it’s also made up of the sacred trinity, thrice (3 x 3) which gives it additional sacred power. When something is repeated 3 times, its potency is increased. When it’s repeated three times three, it’s power is ultimate! THE NUMBER 9 AND ASTROLOGY, MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION In the ancient world (which is, let’s face it, is where numbers and their spiritual power were understood SO much more than they are today) the number 9 resonated with sacred structure, and the furthest limitations of this world, before human experience meets the Divine. Perhaps more than any other, the number nine had an extra special significance, which spread far and wide. It features across pretty much all cultures, worldwide, rippling through culture, mythology, history, law and time. Nine is the central number in the ancient Celtic tradition. Nine expresses through the triple Goddess (see Number 3) and in myths of the nine Celtic maidens, or sorceresses. In fact, stories of nine mystical women presiding over nature spread from England, Ireland and Wales, to Scandinavia, Iceland and even as far as Kenya. Even today, it’s tradition for nine groups of nine men to dance around Beltane fires. The limit of winter (which is what Beltane Almost all of the mythological tales from around the world have patterns of the number 9 weaving throughout. The Northern European sagas tell of Odin, who rules over the nine Norse worlds. His trial, to win the secrets of wisdom for mankind, was to hang on the Yggdrasil tree for nine days. Demeter, the Greek Goddess of the Earth searched for nine days for her daughter Persephone (who was in the underworld with Hades). Demeter is often depicted holding nine pieces of corn. Once recovered, Persephone was obliged to spend three months per year below the ground, and nine months above. Native American, Mayan and Aztec myths tell of a total of nine cosmic levels (and many of the temples comprise 9 stories). And in ancient China, nine was the most auspicious number of divine power: the Chinese had nine sacred rites, nine social laws, nine classes of officials in the government and built nine-story pagodas. In astrology, the planet Mars vibrates to the frequency of the nine. The ninth sign of the Zodiac is Sagittarius (where the Sun sails from November 22nd – December 21st) In Tarot, card number nine is the Hermit. In Hinduism, nine is the number of Brahma. In the Greek Sagas, the city of Troy was under siege for nine years. Many important sites are in this provence, so check it out.  One important site:. Church of Notre-Dame de Piété, founded as a Franciscan hermitage in the 13th century. The current edifice dates to the 1630 and 1720s reconstructions.

The city of Avignon is in the vicinity of  Orange  (north), Nîmes,  Montpellier (south-west), Arles (to the south), Salon-de-Provence, and Marseille (south-east). Directly contiguous to the east and north are the communes of Caumont-sur-Durance, Morières-lès-Avignon, Le Pontet, and Sorgues.

Geology and terrain

Aerial view of Avignon

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