1 00:00:09,143 --> 00:00:11,343 Freeman: I spent a good portion of my early acting career 2 00:00:11,445 --> 00:00:14,346 treading the boards in theaters like this one. 3 00:00:15,282 --> 00:00:18,634 It's a profession full of superstitions. 4 00:00:19,336 --> 00:00:23,572 For instance, a theater is never supposed to be completely dark, 5 00:00:23,674 --> 00:00:27,743 so the ghost light remains on stage, lit, 6 00:00:27,845 --> 00:00:30,379 even when no one is around. 7 00:00:30,481 --> 00:00:32,181 Whistling back stage? 8 00:00:32,283 --> 00:00:34,066 Completely forbidden. 9 00:00:34,168 --> 00:00:36,001 And there's a certain shakespearean play whose 10 00:00:36,103 --> 00:00:39,471 name must never be uttered within these walls. 11 00:00:40,574 --> 00:00:44,476 You only become privy to these rules when you work in a theater. 12 00:00:45,980 --> 00:00:48,747 Many religions keep secrets too. 13 00:00:48,849 --> 00:00:50,866 Some have a hidden hierarchy of knowledge 14 00:00:50,968 --> 00:00:53,969 available only to higher officials. 15 00:00:54,772 --> 00:00:58,540 Why do religions shroud themselves in secrecy? 16 00:00:58,642 --> 00:01:02,044 I mean, why would they obscure holy wisdom? 17 00:01:02,146 --> 00:01:08,400 Or, do divine secrets actually bring us closer to god? 18 00:01:15,910 --> 00:01:19,144 I am going to peer behind the curtain of hidden cults. 19 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,981 Andrew: They used music to drown out the cries. 20 00:01:24,468 --> 00:01:27,870 Freeman: I'll see how secrets triggered one faith's battle for survival. 21 00:01:27,972 --> 00:01:30,873 Your leaders were imprisoned by the french. 22 00:01:32,409 --> 00:01:35,210 And spread dangerous rumors about another. 23 00:01:35,412 --> 00:01:38,480 Bruce: Christians drank the blood of children. 24 00:01:39,083 --> 00:01:40,365 Freeman: Oh my. 25 00:01:40,434 --> 00:01:43,102 I'll witness the rebirth of the sun... 26 00:01:43,204 --> 00:01:47,539 Adrien: So let's give a rousing cheer for the returning sun god. 27 00:01:48,142 --> 00:01:49,942 Freeman: And a long suppressed faith. 28 00:01:50,044 --> 00:01:51,176 Jj: Yeah! 29 00:01:51,278 --> 00:01:52,611 (applause). 30 00:01:52,713 --> 00:01:55,547 Freeman: Learn about decoding divine secrets. 31 00:01:55,649 --> 00:01:59,601 Julien: God encoded secrets of reality in this torah. 32 00:02:00,671 --> 00:02:04,540 Freeman: And seek a hidden pathway to enlightenment. 33 00:02:05,976 --> 00:02:07,543 Could I get a mantra? 34 00:02:07,645 --> 00:02:10,145 Jinpa: I doubt you get any mantras. 35 00:02:33,504 --> 00:02:36,805 Freeman: I'm starting my quest outside of naples, Italy... 36 00:02:38,742 --> 00:02:43,779 In a city whose secrets were buried in ash in 79 ad, 37 00:02:44,248 --> 00:02:45,914 pompeii. 38 00:02:51,539 --> 00:02:53,405 Historian, andrew wallace-hadrill, 39 00:02:53,507 --> 00:02:56,642 is taking me to an ancient home that mount vesuvius 40 00:02:56,744 --> 00:02:59,144 froze in time. 41 00:03:01,115 --> 00:03:03,148 Andrew: So, push through the leaves, morgan, 42 00:03:03,250 --> 00:03:06,235 and you're gonna get an eye full of something amazing. 43 00:03:10,507 --> 00:03:12,808 That is the villa of the mysteries. 44 00:03:12,910 --> 00:03:15,344 Freeman: That's lovely. That is terrific. 45 00:03:15,446 --> 00:03:19,047 Soon after archaeologists unearthed the villa in 1909, 46 00:03:19,149 --> 00:03:22,534 they realized it held clues to one of the most secretive 47 00:03:22,636 --> 00:03:27,239 religious sects in history, the cult of dionysus. 48 00:03:31,378 --> 00:03:33,078 Andrew: So, morgan, you've got to see this. 49 00:03:33,180 --> 00:03:35,013 This is the room of the mysteries. 50 00:03:35,115 --> 00:03:37,232 Freeman: Oh, my goodness. 51 00:03:41,071 --> 00:03:42,704 Andrew: This... Freeman: Oh my goodness. 52 00:03:42,806 --> 00:03:48,277 Andrew: Is the most extraordinary painted room in any roman house that I know. 53 00:03:49,613 --> 00:03:52,881 And there is the god, dionysus. 54 00:03:52,983 --> 00:03:56,034 The greeks called him dionysus, the romans called him bacchus. 55 00:03:56,136 --> 00:04:00,138 And you see, he's sort of, he's slumped, because he's the god of wine, 56 00:04:00,307 --> 00:04:02,841 he's the god of drink and he's had some. 57 00:04:02,943 --> 00:04:05,210 Freeman: He looks a little bit stoned. 58 00:04:05,312 --> 00:04:08,247 Andrew: He's way, way out of it. 59 00:04:09,984 --> 00:04:14,603 Then around, are all these scenes that are somehow associated 60 00:04:14,705 --> 00:04:17,339 with the cult of dionysus. 61 00:04:17,441 --> 00:04:19,474 Freeman: Uh, huh. 62 00:04:19,576 --> 00:04:23,979 Dionysus was the god, not just of wine, but also of fertility, 63 00:04:24,081 --> 00:04:27,666 theater and ecstasy. 64 00:04:28,669 --> 00:04:32,237 Ancient roman writers told stories of wine fueled orgies, 65 00:04:32,339 --> 00:04:36,308 bacchanalia, held in his honor. 66 00:04:38,445 --> 00:04:41,680 The cult of dionysus, what's the purpose of it? 67 00:04:41,782 --> 00:04:42,848 Andrew: Huh. 68 00:04:42,950 --> 00:04:45,100 Freeman: Is it a religious thing or? 69 00:04:45,202 --> 00:04:47,669 Andrew: It's absolutely a religious thing. 70 00:04:47,771 --> 00:04:51,273 But most religious practices in the roman world are 71 00:04:51,375 --> 00:04:54,743 about how you hold the community together. 72 00:04:54,845 --> 00:04:58,246 This is not about the whole community, it's for the initiated, 73 00:04:58,349 --> 00:05:03,201 for the chosen few who have dedicated themselves to this. 74 00:05:04,238 --> 00:05:09,207 You actually have to go through a process to join that type of cult. 75 00:05:10,411 --> 00:05:12,477 Freeman: What happened in the cult of dionysus 76 00:05:12,579 --> 00:05:16,748 remained shrouded in almost total mystery for two millennia, 77 00:05:17,101 --> 00:05:21,370 until the frescoes in this room saw the light of day. 78 00:05:21,605 --> 00:05:24,006 Many historians believe they show the secret 79 00:05:24,108 --> 00:05:27,776 initiation rites of a young woman into the cult. 80 00:05:27,878 --> 00:05:29,745 Where does it begin? 81 00:05:29,847 --> 00:05:34,833 Andrew: Probably, reading left to right, begins there with a woman walking into the scene. 82 00:05:36,337 --> 00:05:39,338 Freeman: The woman arrives fully clothed, 83 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:43,442 but after a child reads from what might be a sacred text, 84 00:05:45,045 --> 00:05:47,446 we see her more scantily clad, 85 00:05:47,548 --> 00:05:50,665 possibly bringing an offering of food for the god. 86 00:05:51,101 --> 00:05:55,203 Andrew: Then some sort of, is this a ritual cleansing, some sort of preparation? 87 00:05:55,305 --> 00:05:58,040 I think this is the scene that really tells us that 88 00:05:58,142 --> 00:06:00,409 it's something to do with mysteries. 89 00:06:00,577 --> 00:06:03,478 It's incredibly rare to depict someone, 90 00:06:03,580 --> 00:06:07,466 like turning your back to the camera. 91 00:06:08,435 --> 00:06:11,803 And that's concealing something. 92 00:06:11,905 --> 00:06:13,205 Freeman: Oh. 93 00:06:13,307 --> 00:06:16,308 Andrew: It's something secret going on. 94 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:23,615 Freeman: After this scene, we lose track of the initiate for a while. 95 00:06:24,868 --> 00:06:29,304 But when she reappears, she's in a different state of mind. 96 00:06:29,406 --> 00:06:32,441 Andrew: She's looking at something that's happening over here, 97 00:06:32,543 --> 00:06:36,578 with an expression of horror on her face. 98 00:06:37,681 --> 00:06:42,434 This woman, she has a whip in her hand, 99 00:06:44,438 --> 00:06:48,073 which appears to be about to descend on 100 00:06:48,175 --> 00:06:52,377 the back of this lady here, who has a bare back. 101 00:06:55,315 --> 00:06:59,668 Her head in another woman's lap, giving her comfort and support. 102 00:07:05,909 --> 00:07:08,276 (pained cry). 103 00:07:08,545 --> 00:07:11,847 Andrew: And the fact there's another naked woman, 104 00:07:12,783 --> 00:07:14,733 dancing and she's got... 105 00:07:14,835 --> 00:07:17,536 Freeman: Those bells, so it's bing, ding, ding. 106 00:07:17,638 --> 00:07:21,807 Andrew: In her hand and one of the things they complained about this cult, 107 00:07:21,909 --> 00:07:26,344 was that they used the sound of music to drown out... 108 00:07:26,947 --> 00:07:28,413 (pained cry). 109 00:07:28,515 --> 00:07:30,999 Andrew: The cries of the people. 110 00:07:33,971 --> 00:07:37,139 You've got this basket down below, 111 00:07:37,508 --> 00:07:41,042 but in this winnowing basket is a very large 112 00:07:41,145 --> 00:07:44,312 object covered with a veil. 113 00:07:44,414 --> 00:07:49,134 And we can be absolutely certain that what is being revealed is a phallus. 114 00:07:49,636 --> 00:07:50,902 Freeman: Oh. 115 00:07:51,004 --> 00:07:55,674 Andrew: Because the phallus is so strongly connected with dionysus. 116 00:07:56,276 --> 00:08:00,412 Freeman: The phallus was the supreme symbol of the god of fertility. 117 00:08:00,881 --> 00:08:04,966 What role it played in the initiation rites, what secrets were revealed when it was 118 00:08:05,068 --> 00:08:09,571 uncovered, are not recorded here and by the next fresco, 119 00:08:09,673 --> 00:08:13,074 the mood has changed completely. 120 00:08:13,477 --> 00:08:17,812 Andrew: Here, we have a girl preparing, apparently, for marriage. 121 00:08:19,183 --> 00:08:24,336 That way of doing your hair into separate locks was part of a roman tradition of 122 00:08:24,438 --> 00:08:26,972 preparing your hair for the wedding ceremony. 123 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:28,406 Freeman: Okay. 124 00:08:28,542 --> 00:08:31,877 Andrew: And she has two cupids on either side and one is holding up... 125 00:08:32,012 --> 00:08:34,579 Freeman: Probably a mirror of some sort. 126 00:08:36,517 --> 00:08:40,435 The marriage seems to imply the end of the initiation. 127 00:08:40,938 --> 00:08:46,408 The woman is now ready to devote herself to dionysus and be part of his cult. 128 00:08:52,983 --> 00:08:56,034 This is just fascinating to end all fascinations. 129 00:08:56,136 --> 00:08:57,536 Andrew: Uh, huh. 130 00:08:57,638 --> 00:09:03,108 Freeman: But, I count 17 women, where are the men? 131 00:09:03,777 --> 00:09:06,077 Andrew: So, I think this is as it's meant to be. 132 00:09:06,179 --> 00:09:09,014 It's a women's cult. 133 00:09:09,116 --> 00:09:10,899 Freeman: Across the greco-roman world, 134 00:09:11,001 --> 00:09:12,701 women seem to have accounted for most 135 00:09:12,803 --> 00:09:15,670 members of the cult of dionysus. 136 00:09:15,772 --> 00:09:19,441 Perhaps it wasn't just a place to lose one's self in wine. 137 00:09:19,543 --> 00:09:22,777 It may have been a place where women made the rules. 138 00:09:23,347 --> 00:09:26,581 Of course, we will never really know. 139 00:09:26,683 --> 00:09:29,100 Andrew: You know why a mystery is called a mystery? 140 00:09:29,202 --> 00:09:30,135 Freeman: No. 141 00:09:30,237 --> 00:09:31,870 Andrew: It's a greek word. 142 00:09:31,972 --> 00:09:35,140 Mústes is someone who has been initiated, 143 00:09:35,242 --> 00:09:38,209 and the word múo in greek means, 144 00:09:38,312 --> 00:09:40,211 "keep your mouth shut." 145 00:09:40,314 --> 00:09:44,332 once you're initiated, you can't reveal what you have seen. 146 00:09:49,673 --> 00:09:55,043 Freeman: The dionysiac cult used wine and sex to get closer to their gods. 147 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:00,081 But it seems that the secrecy of their faith helped them to connect, 148 00:10:00,183 --> 00:10:03,602 not just to the divine, but to one another. 149 00:10:04,171 --> 00:10:06,304 It allowed initiates, especially women, 150 00:10:06,406 --> 00:10:09,975 to worship away from the prying eyes of rome. 151 00:10:10,444 --> 00:10:13,712 Their secret religion set them free. 152 00:10:21,538 --> 00:10:25,073 Secrets are designed to conceal, but sometimes 153 00:10:25,175 --> 00:10:29,311 the very presence of a secret draws unwelcome attention. 154 00:10:34,835 --> 00:10:37,268 I'm in southern vietnam, traveling toward the 155 00:10:37,371 --> 00:10:40,805 cambodian border in the province of tay ninh. 156 00:10:51,601 --> 00:10:56,338 This is the spiritual home of cao dai, a religion that was once banned by the government, 157 00:10:56,807 --> 00:11:01,309 but now is practiced in plain view by over four million vietnamese. 158 00:11:04,381 --> 00:11:09,534 It's epicenter is the holy see temple, in the city of tay ninh. 159 00:11:16,643 --> 00:11:19,778 I'm meeting with cao dai's esteemed archbishop, 160 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,715 le phuong hong and his interpreter, nguyen tuan em. 161 00:11:23,817 --> 00:11:25,066 Le phuong: Hello. Nguyen: Yeah, good morning. 162 00:11:25,168 --> 00:11:26,334 Freeman: Hello. How are you? 163 00:11:26,436 --> 00:11:27,602 Le phuong: Thank you. And you? 164 00:11:27,704 --> 00:11:28,770 Freeman: Very well and thank you very much. 165 00:11:28,872 --> 00:11:30,405 Le phuong: Yeah. Freeman: Big question. 166 00:11:30,507 --> 00:11:32,674 The eye, what does it mean? 167 00:11:51,712 --> 00:11:54,279 Freeman: This is amazing! 168 00:12:04,474 --> 00:12:08,176 Nguyen: There are nine steps, representing the nine stages in heaven. 169 00:12:08,445 --> 00:12:10,011 Freeman: Ah-ha! 170 00:12:10,113 --> 00:12:13,748 Nguyen: And you can see, there are 18 columns surrounded by dragons. 171 00:12:15,836 --> 00:12:18,603 Freeman: Are these saints? 172 00:12:18,805 --> 00:12:20,338 (speaking native language). 173 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,242 Nguyen: They are representing the religions combined of caodaism. 174 00:12:25,512 --> 00:12:27,445 (speaking native language). 175 00:12:27,547 --> 00:12:32,534 Nguyen: There was a message from god to unite the branches of the religion. 176 00:12:32,636 --> 00:12:34,102 Freeman: Of religion. 177 00:12:34,204 --> 00:12:37,705 Nguyen: And you can see, in the middle, the first one is buddha and then on 178 00:12:37,808 --> 00:12:42,744 the left hand side, you can see lao zi, representing taoism, 179 00:12:43,447 --> 00:12:46,381 and this is confucius. 180 00:12:46,483 --> 00:12:49,467 And then jesus christ representing christianity. 181 00:12:49,569 --> 00:12:51,603 Freeman: Ah-ha, that is him. 182 00:12:51,705 --> 00:12:55,140 (speaking native language). 183 00:12:55,242 --> 00:12:57,909 Nguyen: And now is time for the service and we would like to go upstairs 184 00:12:58,011 --> 00:13:00,879 and we show you where you can see the service. 185 00:13:00,981 --> 00:13:03,014 Freeman: Excellent. 186 00:13:21,868 --> 00:13:26,304 As I watch the congregation being marshaled into precise formation, 187 00:13:26,406 --> 00:13:31,676 I can't help thinking that caodaism has almost militaristic overtones. 188 00:13:34,181 --> 00:13:37,048 It's a hint of the religion's secret past and its 189 00:13:37,150 --> 00:13:41,069 battles with governments that grew into outright war. 190 00:13:55,168 --> 00:13:59,237 Freeman: The cao dai religion, an unusual blend of eastern and western faiths, 191 00:13:59,339 --> 00:14:02,140 appears to be flourishing in vietnam. 192 00:14:02,876 --> 00:14:06,644 Across the country there are almost 400 temples. 193 00:14:06,913 --> 00:14:11,215 Followers worship openly, but it wasn't always that way. 194 00:14:16,439 --> 00:14:19,440 I've been offered an audience with cao dai's senior cardinal, 195 00:14:19,543 --> 00:14:23,244 thuong tám thanh, to understand the religion's secretive history. 196 00:14:24,314 --> 00:14:25,380 How do you do, sir. 197 00:14:25,482 --> 00:14:27,866 Very pleased to meet you. 198 00:14:30,003 --> 00:14:35,006 Can you give me a brief history of the religion? 199 00:14:39,679 --> 00:14:42,614 Thuong: The purpose of caodaism is to unite the 200 00:14:42,716 --> 00:14:46,034 traditions of all religions in the world. 201 00:14:47,671 --> 00:14:52,674 Caodaism was established in vietnam in 1926 and vietnam, 202 00:14:52,776 --> 00:14:57,011 at that time, was under the control of the french administration. 203 00:14:57,314 --> 00:15:01,833 Freeman: I understood that some of your leaders were imprisoned by the french. 204 00:15:01,935 --> 00:15:04,102 Is that so? 205 00:15:05,171 --> 00:15:07,572 Thuong: There was some misunderstanding between 206 00:15:07,674 --> 00:15:11,242 the french and caodaism at the time. 207 00:15:11,344 --> 00:15:16,915 The leader was arrested and sent in exile for five years. 208 00:15:17,901 --> 00:15:21,336 But after that, when they understood the purpose of this religion, 209 00:15:21,438 --> 00:15:25,940 the french administration let his holiness to be returned into vietnam. 210 00:15:29,946 --> 00:15:33,581 Freeman: But cao dai's struggles did not end with the french. 211 00:15:33,984 --> 00:15:37,669 In 1943, they took up arms against japanese invaders. 212 00:15:39,005 --> 00:15:43,474 The cao dai army established a semi-autonomous state in the mekong delta, 213 00:15:43,576 --> 00:15:47,312 that survived for a decade after the japanese left. 214 00:15:48,448 --> 00:15:52,066 When the communists took control of vietnam in 1975, 215 00:15:52,168 --> 00:15:56,004 caodaism was banned for more than two decades. 216 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,808 It wasn't just because the government feared cao dai's military history, 217 00:16:00,977 --> 00:16:04,679 or its blending of faiths from all over the world. 218 00:16:05,215 --> 00:16:09,567 It was also because of the secret ceremony that lay at the heart of the religion. 219 00:16:28,738 --> 00:16:33,007 Freeman: So those mediums were used to establish the religion. 220 00:16:34,411 --> 00:16:36,611 Thuong: Those mediums received the messages from god to 221 00:16:36,713 --> 00:16:40,148 establish and write out the religious regulations, 222 00:16:40,250 --> 00:16:44,268 the constitutions and now we use those as the basis of caodaism. 223 00:16:47,307 --> 00:16:50,675 Freeman: The details of what happened in these séances is still secret, 224 00:16:50,777 --> 00:16:54,112 known only by high dignitaries. 225 00:16:54,514 --> 00:16:58,566 What is known, is that there were always two mediums 226 00:16:58,668 --> 00:17:01,869 controlling some sort of instrument; 227 00:17:02,305 --> 00:17:06,941 someone to read the instrument and a secretary to write down the message. 228 00:17:07,410 --> 00:17:12,213 When the vietnamese government made it legal to practice the cao dai religion in 1997, 229 00:17:13,016 --> 00:17:17,435 one of the conditions was that séances would remain banned. 230 00:17:19,506 --> 00:17:22,807 So, are these mediums chosen by god today? 231 00:17:25,011 --> 00:17:30,214 Thuong: All the former mediums have fulfilled their duties and now they return with god. 232 00:17:31,167 --> 00:17:36,604 All the regulations and doctrines have been written down by god through mediums. 233 00:17:37,974 --> 00:17:42,410 Freeman: Now, all we have to do is just follow the rules and carry on? 234 00:17:43,346 --> 00:17:49,067 Thuong: And we all try for peace and independence in the world. 235 00:17:51,104 --> 00:17:53,137 Freeman: Got it. 236 00:18:15,612 --> 00:18:19,914 The followers of cao dai say they no longer need secret séances to spread their 237 00:18:20,016 --> 00:18:24,635 message of universal humanity, love and justice. 238 00:18:25,672 --> 00:18:28,172 What was once the most sacred part of their worship 239 00:18:28,274 --> 00:18:32,043 is now history and the religion is thriving. 240 00:18:33,847 --> 00:18:36,897 Being forced to hide something sometimes helps us to learn 241 00:18:36,983 --> 00:18:40,535 to get along just fine without it. 242 00:18:47,310 --> 00:18:50,812 But some religions keep secrets, because they believe they are too powerful to be 243 00:18:50,914 --> 00:18:54,765 revealed, except to those with years of training. 244 00:19:05,512 --> 00:19:10,648 I'm in kathmandu, nepal, to learn about a branch of buddhism called vajrayana, 245 00:19:11,050 --> 00:19:13,801 or the diamond vehicle. 246 00:19:16,072 --> 00:19:18,706 It is the final level of buddhist teachings, 247 00:19:18,808 --> 00:19:22,944 known as an accelerated path to enlightenment. 248 00:19:24,647 --> 00:19:27,014 Here at the kopan monastery, 249 00:19:27,116 --> 00:19:32,236 I'm meeting one of their head monks, geshe thubten jinpa. 250 00:19:35,241 --> 00:19:37,275 Jinpa: Hi, morgan. Freeman: Hello, jinpa. 251 00:19:37,377 --> 00:19:39,243 Jinpa: Welcome to kopan. Freeman: Thank you so much. 252 00:19:39,345 --> 00:19:40,878 Jinpa: Thank you. Freeman: Thank you. Thank you. 253 00:19:40,980 --> 00:19:42,396 Jinpa: Come see. 254 00:19:42,482 --> 00:19:44,932 I take you to the monastery, okay? 255 00:19:48,504 --> 00:19:53,007 Freeman: I want to try to learn more about their rapid pathway to enlightenment. 256 00:19:54,244 --> 00:19:56,978 Some of the mantras the monks will chant today, 257 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,615 are said to contain the sacred power of enlightened beings. 258 00:20:01,267 --> 00:20:07,605 (chanting). 259 00:20:08,308 --> 00:20:12,043 Freeman: They recite them to invoke those divine energies and 260 00:20:12,145 --> 00:20:15,246 advance toward their own enlightenment. 261 00:20:23,673 --> 00:20:25,439 Freeman: Okay. 262 00:20:29,212 --> 00:20:32,280 These mantras are not for my ears. 263 00:20:47,747 --> 00:20:53,034 Freeman: In the hills above kathmandu, only the faintest sound of buddhist monks 264 00:20:53,136 --> 00:20:57,138 chanting a secret mantra escapes the temple doors. 265 00:21:06,849 --> 00:21:09,900 This only makes me more curious. 266 00:21:10,003 --> 00:21:12,937 Why all the secrecy? 267 00:21:13,039 --> 00:21:17,541 If it will lead to enlightenment, why not reveal it to all? 268 00:21:20,446 --> 00:21:22,246 "diamond vehicle", jinpa. 269 00:21:22,348 --> 00:21:24,482 Why do you use that term, "diamond?" 270 00:21:24,584 --> 00:21:30,320 jinpa: It really cuts through, like you use a sort of a 271 00:21:30,406 --> 00:21:32,740 diamond to slice the glass. 272 00:21:32,842 --> 00:21:33,975 Freeman: Yes. 273 00:21:34,077 --> 00:21:36,477 Jinpa: And it pierce the wrong conceptions. 274 00:21:36,579 --> 00:21:38,779 So that's why we call it "diamond." 275 00:21:38,881 --> 00:21:40,414 freeman: If you are a student and you are starting out, 276 00:21:40,516 --> 00:21:42,333 you could get into the diamond vehicle? 277 00:21:42,435 --> 00:21:46,370 Jinpa: First, we have to get well trained for that, so when buddha taught this, 278 00:21:46,472 --> 00:21:48,139 the diamond vehicles, 279 00:21:50,910 --> 00:21:54,829 he reveal it to the some particular, special students. 280 00:21:55,848 --> 00:21:59,834 Freeman: Why must these mantras be kept secret? 281 00:22:00,670 --> 00:22:05,740 Jinpa: So without that proper training, so you will misuse of that mantra and it bring 282 00:22:05,842 --> 00:22:08,209 harms to others and as well as yourself. 283 00:22:08,311 --> 00:22:10,644 Freeman: As well to yourself. 284 00:22:10,747 --> 00:22:13,748 These monks have had years of training in meditation. 285 00:22:13,850 --> 00:22:17,268 They believe learning a secret mantra, without such preparation, 286 00:22:17,370 --> 00:22:21,272 risks actually increasing their negative thoughts, 287 00:22:21,374 --> 00:22:24,742 taking them further away from enlightenment. 288 00:22:26,112 --> 00:22:29,914 So, jinpa, what are the real requirements in terms of 289 00:22:30,116 --> 00:22:32,700 trying to gain enlightenment? 290 00:22:33,436 --> 00:22:36,704 Jinpa: So the very first requirements is the motivations. 291 00:22:36,806 --> 00:22:37,872 Freeman: Motivation? 292 00:22:47,550 --> 00:22:52,770 Freeman: Now, jinpa, 293 00:22:52,872 --> 00:22:58,109 I'm fairly intelligent myself so my question is, 294 00:22:59,779 --> 00:23:02,313 could I get a mantra? 295 00:23:02,648 --> 00:23:06,000 Jinpa: Uh, oh, wait. 296 00:23:06,102 --> 00:23:08,002 Okay, is this on... 297 00:23:08,104 --> 00:23:09,570 Freeman: Yeah. Jinpa: Is on? 298 00:23:09,672 --> 00:23:11,072 Okay, oh, sorry, sorry. 299 00:23:11,174 --> 00:23:12,723 Mantra? 300 00:23:12,809 --> 00:23:18,045 I know you are very smart but, I doubt you'd get any mantras. 301 00:23:18,915 --> 00:23:21,766 Ha ha! Ha ha ha! 302 00:23:21,868 --> 00:23:23,801 Oh no, I'm just joking. 303 00:23:23,903 --> 00:23:26,737 There is different degrees of mantras. 304 00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:30,274 The one mantras, which always brings goods to everyone, 305 00:23:30,376 --> 00:23:33,744 whether you have the pre-required training or not. 306 00:23:33,846 --> 00:23:36,347 So I can share that with you. 307 00:23:36,449 --> 00:23:37,581 Freeman: Thank you. 308 00:23:37,683 --> 00:23:38,833 (laughs). 309 00:23:38,935 --> 00:23:41,068 Okay. 310 00:23:42,738 --> 00:23:47,308 Traditionally, a mantra can only be given by a guru to a monk who is 311 00:23:47,410 --> 00:23:51,212 in the process of becoming his disciple. 312 00:23:51,881 --> 00:23:56,934 Jinpa, however, will make an exception, since he considers me a spiritual friend. 313 00:23:59,705 --> 00:24:01,906 Jinpa: The mantra that we're going to work together 314 00:24:05,278 --> 00:24:06,911 he is the buddha of compassion. 315 00:24:07,013 --> 00:24:08,579 Freeman: Compassion buddha. 316 00:24:08,714 --> 00:24:14,768 Jinpa: So, this mantra helps us to enhance all that compassions to the universe. 317 00:24:16,439 --> 00:24:21,542 So I am going to give you the mantra, so you can generate motivation to yourself, 318 00:24:21,644 --> 00:24:25,079 for the goodness of all the living beings. 319 00:24:27,049 --> 00:24:30,701 So, as I say the mantra, you try to repeat. 320 00:24:30,803 --> 00:24:33,003 Om... Freeman: Om. 321 00:24:33,105 --> 00:24:34,905 Jinpa: Mani... Freeman: Mani. 322 00:24:35,007 --> 00:24:36,674 Jinpa: Padme... Freeman: Padme. 323 00:24:36,776 --> 00:24:38,309 Jinpa: Hum. Freeman: Hum. 324 00:24:38,411 --> 00:24:42,646 Jinpa: So, you visualize that on my crown there's a buddha of compassion. 325 00:24:43,015 --> 00:24:46,400 So there's a radiance of light sending towards you, 326 00:24:46,602 --> 00:24:49,537 with this all good heart in the form of light. 327 00:24:49,639 --> 00:24:50,905 Okay? 328 00:24:50,990 --> 00:24:53,507 So repeat for final time. Om... 329 00:24:53,609 --> 00:24:55,059 Freeman: Om. Jinpa: Mani... 330 00:24:55,144 --> 00:24:56,710 Freeman: Mani. Jinpa: Padme... 331 00:24:56,812 --> 00:24:58,512 Freeman: Padme. Hum. Jinpa: Hum. 332 00:24:58,614 --> 00:25:01,182 Freeman: Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum. 333 00:25:01,284 --> 00:25:03,284 Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum... 334 00:25:03,369 --> 00:25:05,436 Jinpa: Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum. 335 00:25:05,538 --> 00:25:08,239 Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum... 336 00:25:11,110 --> 00:25:17,314 Freeman: As I chant the mantra, I am trying to see the light dissolving into my body 337 00:25:17,416 --> 00:25:21,769 and imagine it filling me with love and compassion. 338 00:25:24,307 --> 00:25:29,543 (speaking native language). 339 00:25:29,645 --> 00:25:32,179 Freeman: Om mani padme hum. Om mani padme hum. 340 00:25:32,281 --> 00:25:33,948 Om mani padme hum. Om mani... 341 00:25:34,050 --> 00:25:40,004 Jinpa: As we recite the mantras togethers, so you feel so much compassion 342 00:25:40,122 --> 00:25:44,909 and love generated within you, then sending this all love 343 00:25:45,011 --> 00:25:48,579 towards the all the sentient being. 344 00:25:54,303 --> 00:25:58,872 Freeman: Secrecy isn't always a way to protect a faith from outsiders. 345 00:25:58,975 --> 00:26:05,179 It also provides in the faithful a hunger for divine knowledge. 346 00:26:06,649 --> 00:26:09,333 To learn a secret mantra at kopan, 347 00:26:09,435 --> 00:26:13,604 a monk must study the methods of vajrayana buddhism for many years. 348 00:26:15,041 --> 00:26:18,509 Some secrets are the reward of a lifetime of work. 349 00:26:18,611 --> 00:26:22,012 Shows how precious enlightenment is. 350 00:26:22,281 --> 00:26:25,099 As precious as a diamond. 351 00:26:28,871 --> 00:26:33,274 Devotees of many faiths make a lifelong quest for divine knowledge, 352 00:26:34,510 --> 00:26:38,512 but that knowledge is not always deliberately withheld. 353 00:26:39,315 --> 00:26:43,067 Sometimes it is hidden in plain sight. 354 00:26:47,039 --> 00:26:50,140 In the south of France, in the city of carpentras, 355 00:26:50,242 --> 00:26:52,643 there is an unassuming building that houses 356 00:26:52,745 --> 00:26:56,413 one of the oldest synagogues in the country. 357 00:26:57,617 --> 00:27:00,634 Journalist, nelufar hedayat, has come here to explore 358 00:27:00,803 --> 00:27:04,338 the secrets of the mystical jewish kabbalah. 359 00:27:04,740 --> 00:27:07,875 She is meeting scholar, julien darmon. 360 00:27:07,977 --> 00:27:10,377 Nelufar: Julien! Absolute pleasure to see you. 361 00:27:10,479 --> 00:27:12,112 Julien: Pleased to meet you. Nelufar: How are you? 362 00:27:12,214 --> 00:27:13,447 Julien: Delighted to meet you. 363 00:27:13,549 --> 00:27:15,566 Nelufar: The pleasure's all mine. 364 00:27:19,805 --> 00:27:21,238 Wow. 365 00:27:21,340 --> 00:27:22,806 Julien: Indeed, huh? 366 00:27:22,908 --> 00:27:25,109 Nelufar: It's not what I expected. 367 00:27:25,211 --> 00:27:27,978 It's beautiful. 368 00:27:33,636 --> 00:27:35,936 When we say kabbalah, what do we mean? 369 00:27:36,038 --> 00:27:37,671 What is it that you study? 370 00:27:37,773 --> 00:27:41,008 Julien: Kabbalah is the method of plunging the depth of the torah, 371 00:27:41,110 --> 00:27:45,045 over every letter, every word and they retrieve, 372 00:27:45,147 --> 00:27:47,915 through combinations of letters, 373 00:27:48,017 --> 00:27:52,936 secrets that tell us stories that happened before the creation of time. 374 00:27:53,539 --> 00:27:55,439 Nelufar: Can you show me? I'd love to see this. 375 00:27:55,541 --> 00:27:58,275 Julien: Of course I can show you. 376 00:28:13,642 --> 00:28:17,311 So, this is the actual text of the torah, hand written. 377 00:28:17,413 --> 00:28:19,279 Nelufar: This is the literal word of god. 378 00:28:19,382 --> 00:28:21,682 Julien: This is the literal word of god. 379 00:28:21,767 --> 00:28:23,300 Nelufar: So, where should we start? 380 00:28:23,402 --> 00:28:25,602 Julien: Well, we should start at the beginning with the verse saying, 381 00:28:25,705 --> 00:28:28,772 "in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth." 382 00:28:30,109 --> 00:28:34,945 so the very first word which we would usually translate as "at the beginning" 383 00:28:35,047 --> 00:28:39,967 does not necessarily mean that. It reads "bereishit." 384 00:28:40,403 --> 00:28:41,835 nelufar: Bereishit. 385 00:28:41,937 --> 00:28:45,005 Julien: And literally it means "at the beginning of." 386 00:28:45,107 --> 00:28:48,592 and kabbalah says that at the beginning of what? 387 00:28:48,677 --> 00:28:50,110 Nelufar: Good question. 388 00:28:50,212 --> 00:28:53,013 Julien: And there is a hint in the way the word is written. 389 00:28:53,249 --> 00:28:54,882 Bereishit. 390 00:28:54,984 --> 00:28:59,670 So if you rearrange the letters, bereishit can also be read, 391 00:29:00,172 --> 00:29:05,109 "berit-esh" which means "covenant of fire." 392 00:29:05,544 --> 00:29:07,678 nelufar: Ah, the covenant of fire. 393 00:29:07,780 --> 00:29:11,749 Julien: That means first that this text is not just information, 394 00:29:11,867 --> 00:29:15,436 it's something that binds you to god. 395 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:23,777 Another reading, bereishit has, at its root, the word "rosh" which is, 396 00:29:23,879 --> 00:29:27,948 like in arabic, ras, which means the head. 397 00:29:28,050 --> 00:29:29,733 Nelufar: Ras, yes. 398 00:29:29,835 --> 00:29:35,472 Julien: So, what it alludes to, is that before god 399 00:29:35,574 --> 00:29:38,742 created the world by speaking, 400 00:29:38,844 --> 00:29:42,212 he thought the world. 401 00:29:42,982 --> 00:29:45,299 Nelufar: Why is it important that god said "the head" 402 00:29:45,401 --> 00:29:48,535 or thought before he said the words? 403 00:29:48,637 --> 00:29:53,240 Julien: We usually translate, "in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth." 404 00:29:53,843 --> 00:29:56,276 but in hebrew, the order is 405 00:29:56,378 --> 00:30:01,281 "in the beginning he created god and the heavens and the earth." 406 00:30:02,368 --> 00:30:07,704 we can read this text as meaning that the first thing that god created, 407 00:30:07,807 --> 00:30:13,143 was not the heavens and earth, but he created his own manifestation to the world. 408 00:30:14,113 --> 00:30:15,579 Nelufar: This is astonishing. 409 00:30:15,681 --> 00:30:20,000 So I might as well have an infinite number of these parchments, 410 00:30:20,102 --> 00:30:22,603 because that's how many meanings there are here. 411 00:30:22,738 --> 00:30:26,707 But, julien, why would god make it so difficult to understand? 412 00:30:27,476 --> 00:30:31,812 Julien: When you start reading texts that way, you become humble. 413 00:30:32,081 --> 00:30:36,834 You say, "I have to study and study and study more 414 00:30:37,736 --> 00:30:40,571 and what I understand now 415 00:30:40,673 --> 00:30:44,107 is not the final word of the bible." 416 00:30:50,416 --> 00:30:55,402 freeman: To an outsider, the endless decoding of kabbalah may seem like a fool's errand. 417 00:30:57,406 --> 00:31:01,842 But I think it's more about the journey than the destination. 418 00:31:02,244 --> 00:31:05,345 Many religions are an attempt to explain the infinite, 419 00:31:05,447 --> 00:31:08,648 the universe in finite terms. 420 00:31:08,750 --> 00:31:12,769 But, what better way to give yourself over to the mystery of the eternal 421 00:31:12,872 --> 00:31:16,023 than a quest with no end? 422 00:31:21,614 --> 00:31:26,667 Secrecy can be part of a faith's allure, or surround a religion's birth, 423 00:31:27,636 --> 00:31:31,805 or entice the believers to find the pathway to enlightenment. 424 00:31:32,541 --> 00:31:36,643 But sometimes, a faith is forced to hide underground. 425 00:31:36,979 --> 00:31:39,079 Oh my. 426 00:31:39,548 --> 00:31:42,633 And secrets can smear its name. 427 00:31:53,579 --> 00:31:55,979 Freeman: Below rome's cobblestone streets, 428 00:31:56,248 --> 00:31:59,466 there is still evidence of an ancient, secret sect, 429 00:32:01,337 --> 00:32:05,906 one that was rumored to drink blood and perform human sacrifice. 430 00:32:14,283 --> 00:32:17,834 Religious scholar, bruce chilton, is taking me to a house that was hidden 431 00:32:17,937 --> 00:32:21,471 under a fourth century church for 1500 years. 432 00:32:22,975 --> 00:32:27,778 It's named after two men, who were executed for being part of an illegal cult. 433 00:32:29,281 --> 00:32:32,399 Bruce: John and paul were two young men, 434 00:32:32,501 --> 00:32:36,169 who had worked in the family of the emperor constantine. 435 00:32:36,271 --> 00:32:38,772 They were ardent christians. 436 00:32:38,874 --> 00:32:43,910 In the year 361 a new emperor came to power, the emperor julian. 437 00:32:44,913 --> 00:32:49,266 He decided, I'm going to get rid of this sect of christians. 438 00:32:50,135 --> 00:32:55,806 I'm going to treat it as a superstition, a cult and as a result of that, 439 00:32:55,908 --> 00:33:00,243 john and paul were beheaded at julian's order. 440 00:33:07,536 --> 00:33:09,803 Freeman: Bruce, are you telling me that this place 441 00:33:09,905 --> 00:33:13,473 was buried under the basilica for 1500 years? 442 00:33:13,909 --> 00:33:17,077 Bruce: It's all underneath the basilica and you can see 443 00:33:17,179 --> 00:33:20,580 this whole complex was really quite high. 444 00:33:29,708 --> 00:33:31,141 Freeman: Bruce. Bruce: Yeah? 445 00:33:31,243 --> 00:33:32,943 Freeman: You're not getting us lost, are you? 446 00:33:33,045 --> 00:33:35,779 Bruce: I hope I'm not getting us lost. 447 00:33:40,069 --> 00:33:43,270 Freeman: Oh, my. Look at this. 448 00:33:43,372 --> 00:33:47,741 These are the remains of a house church dating to the fourth century. 449 00:33:48,143 --> 00:33:52,312 Here, wealthy roman christians practiced their faith in secret. 450 00:33:53,215 --> 00:33:58,435 So a christian family could come here and pray in private? 451 00:33:59,204 --> 00:34:03,206 Bruce: What you looked for was a safe place, where you could gather with others 452 00:34:03,675 --> 00:34:08,345 and go about your celebration of christ's presence in the eucharist. 453 00:34:09,581 --> 00:34:13,867 Freeman: The eucharist, a meal that remembered and celebrated jesus' last supper, 454 00:34:13,969 --> 00:34:17,738 was the central part of early christian worship. 455 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:21,374 The sharing of jesus' body and blood in the form of bread and wine 456 00:34:21,477 --> 00:34:25,645 was their act of communion with god and one another. 457 00:34:27,149 --> 00:34:30,600 But some outsiders saw it in a different light. 458 00:34:30,702 --> 00:34:34,805 Bruce: When you practice in secret, especially in the roman world, 459 00:34:34,907 --> 00:34:40,243 you open yourself up to the possibility of all kinds of rumors circulating. 460 00:34:40,646 --> 00:34:42,679 Freeman: Rumors? Bruce: Rumors. 461 00:34:42,781 --> 00:34:44,114 Freeman: Or course. 462 00:34:44,216 --> 00:34:47,768 Bruce: That christians in rooms like this one, practiced orgies. 463 00:34:48,504 --> 00:34:52,072 That they drank the blood of children. 464 00:34:54,009 --> 00:34:57,544 Freeman: In the imaginations of the romans, 465 00:34:58,614 --> 00:35:01,248 christians drank actual blood, 466 00:35:01,350 --> 00:35:04,301 not the metaphorical blood of christ. 467 00:35:05,737 --> 00:35:10,907 It was a libel used to incite fear and reprisal against this upstart sect. 468 00:35:15,581 --> 00:35:18,115 How do rumors like that get started, I wonder? 469 00:35:18,217 --> 00:35:23,537 Bruce: They get started, because the rumor, what is now called the blood libel, 470 00:35:23,972 --> 00:35:27,841 is always very effective to use against people you hate. 471 00:35:28,944 --> 00:35:33,113 And if people you hate, because they're concerned about oppression, 472 00:35:33,215 --> 00:35:37,968 practice in secrecy, then that secrecy is used against them. 473 00:35:39,438 --> 00:35:42,706 Freeman: Here's the question. How safe was it? 474 00:35:42,808 --> 00:35:46,109 Bruce: Although the families were wealthy and they protected christians, 475 00:35:46,211 --> 00:35:50,847 they also had to use a kind of code in their artwork 476 00:35:51,116 --> 00:35:56,102 to support christianity without advertising christianity. 477 00:35:57,105 --> 00:36:00,240 Just on this wall is a figure, 478 00:36:00,876 --> 00:36:03,677 she's a woman called the orante, 479 00:36:03,879 --> 00:36:06,580 which means "the woman who prays." 480 00:36:07,082 --> 00:36:10,667 and you notice that she has her hands outstretched? 481 00:36:10,769 --> 00:36:12,285 Freeman: Right. 482 00:36:12,404 --> 00:36:15,805 Bruce: We can't actually say whether she is a christian lady or a pagan lady 483 00:36:15,908 --> 00:36:18,742 and I think that was part of the point. 484 00:36:18,844 --> 00:36:22,913 That the room could be accessible to everyone, 485 00:36:23,015 --> 00:36:26,566 but christians would find a safe home here, 486 00:36:26,668 --> 00:36:28,301 where they could worship. 487 00:36:28,403 --> 00:36:30,036 Freeman: I see. 488 00:36:30,172 --> 00:36:33,807 This code may have helped ordinary christians blend in with their pagan neighbors, 489 00:36:34,710 --> 00:36:38,178 but it did not help prominent christians like john and paul. 490 00:36:40,415 --> 00:36:44,201 Bruce: We're now in the special installation for the martyrs, 491 00:36:44,303 --> 00:36:46,636 john and paul. 492 00:36:46,738 --> 00:36:51,208 We can't prove that they were buried here, 493 00:36:51,410 --> 00:36:55,111 but we do know that since the fourth century, 494 00:36:55,214 --> 00:36:58,682 this has been used as the place where they were venerated. 495 00:37:00,636 --> 00:37:06,006 Freeman: Christianity obviously got past this period. How? 496 00:37:06,975 --> 00:37:10,911 Bruce: The emperor julian led the roman army in battle 497 00:37:11,013 --> 00:37:14,614 against the persians, but he was killed. 498 00:37:14,716 --> 00:37:16,533 Freeman: Oh, oh. 499 00:37:16,635 --> 00:37:21,338 Bruce: His place was taken by the emperor jovans and jovans decided, 500 00:37:21,540 --> 00:37:25,508 I'm going back, not only to tolerate christianity, 501 00:37:26,178 --> 00:37:30,146 but even to prefer christianity. 502 00:37:34,269 --> 00:37:37,103 Freeman: It's hard to believe that christianity was once 503 00:37:37,205 --> 00:37:40,874 a small, secret faith, practiced in the shadows. 504 00:37:42,077 --> 00:37:45,578 But secrecy actually gave christianity strength. 505 00:37:45,681 --> 00:37:49,165 Its followers venerated jesus, who died opposing rome. 506 00:37:49,935 --> 00:37:52,402 Oppression only fed the movement. 507 00:37:52,504 --> 00:37:56,139 And once it was set free, it traveled to every corner of the globe. 508 00:37:56,942 --> 00:37:58,608 Hum. 509 00:38:02,247 --> 00:38:06,166 Christianity flourished after a few centuries of roman suppression, 510 00:38:07,202 --> 00:38:10,670 but other faiths weren't as quick to recover. 511 00:38:11,273 --> 00:38:14,474 There is one that, only now, is coming back into the light. 512 00:38:26,571 --> 00:38:32,909 ♪ ♪ 513 00:38:48,610 --> 00:38:51,077 freeman: On the eve of the winter solstice, 514 00:38:51,179 --> 00:38:55,965 journalist sal masekela is traveling to the english village of stanton drew. 515 00:38:57,369 --> 00:39:02,405 He's come to witness a celebration that was banned for almost two millennia. 516 00:39:08,046 --> 00:39:09,846 Sal: Hello. Ronald: Hello! 517 00:39:09,948 --> 00:39:11,781 Sal: How are you, sir? Nice to meet you, sir. 518 00:39:11,883 --> 00:39:13,466 Ronald: It's lovely to meet you. 519 00:39:13,568 --> 00:39:16,770 Sal: First thing I see is that this pub is called the druid's arms. 520 00:39:16,872 --> 00:39:18,521 Do the druids have their own pub? 521 00:39:18,607 --> 00:39:20,006 Ronald: Alas, no. 522 00:39:20,108 --> 00:39:21,608 But there's some interesting stuff to see. 523 00:39:21,710 --> 00:39:22,776 Sal: Alright. 524 00:39:22,878 --> 00:39:25,278 Ronald: Please come. 525 00:39:25,380 --> 00:39:27,680 Freeman: Ronald hutton is an expert in the pre-christian 526 00:39:27,783 --> 00:39:30,367 religions of the british isles. 527 00:39:30,469 --> 00:39:31,935 Sal: We're really not having a beer? 528 00:39:32,037 --> 00:39:35,505 Ronald: Alas, no. Sal: Alright. 529 00:39:36,641 --> 00:39:39,743 Wow. 530 00:39:42,681 --> 00:39:46,299 Ronald: You just walked back around five and a half thousand years 531 00:39:46,401 --> 00:39:48,501 to the new stone age. 532 00:39:48,603 --> 00:39:51,638 That's why this village is called stanton, stone town. 533 00:39:51,740 --> 00:39:54,574 There are just ancient, huge stones everywhere. 534 00:39:56,645 --> 00:39:59,979 Sal: What does the druid belief system look like? 535 00:40:00,082 --> 00:40:02,465 How would you explain it? 536 00:40:02,567 --> 00:40:05,201 Ronald: Druids essentially hold the earth itself, 537 00:40:05,303 --> 00:40:08,238 the natural world, to be sacred. 538 00:40:08,774 --> 00:40:13,376 So they have a profound relationship with the land itself. 539 00:40:16,248 --> 00:40:19,532 Sal: What happened to the ancient practice that it went away? 540 00:40:19,634 --> 00:40:22,268 Ronald: The romans came and conquered most of britain 541 00:40:22,370 --> 00:40:25,338 and they suppressed the practice of druidry. 542 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:29,142 Then along came christianity and suppressed it in turn. 543 00:40:29,544 --> 00:40:32,745 And it was dormant for about 1000 years. 544 00:40:34,349 --> 00:40:37,801 Freeman: But as the power of the church waned in the 18th century, 545 00:40:37,903 --> 00:40:41,971 the enigmatic stone circles here and across the british isles, 546 00:40:42,073 --> 00:40:47,243 began to draw people back to druidism, to revive an extinct religion. 547 00:40:49,114 --> 00:40:51,681 Sal: What about the principles of druidry, do you think, 548 00:40:51,783 --> 00:40:54,334 made it something that people got curious about 549 00:40:54,436 --> 00:40:55,969 and wanted to revive? 550 00:40:56,071 --> 00:40:59,939 Ronald: Because druidry provides one way of reconnecting modern people 551 00:41:00,108 --> 00:41:02,709 with things from which they often feel cut off. 552 00:41:02,811 --> 00:41:06,012 From the land and the natural world, 553 00:41:06,114 --> 00:41:10,433 from the past, especially the remote past. 554 00:41:11,136 --> 00:41:13,436 It gives them roots. 555 00:41:13,538 --> 00:41:15,538 Freeman: And just as stonehenge comes into 556 00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:19,075 alignment with the rising sun on the winter solstice, 557 00:41:19,177 --> 00:41:23,279 modern druids across the country are preparing to celebrate the 558 00:41:23,381 --> 00:41:28,134 rebirth of the sun, including here in stanton drew. 559 00:41:29,104 --> 00:41:33,506 Ronald: Sal, may I introduce you to my two druid friends, adrien and jj. 560 00:41:34,009 --> 00:41:35,375 Sal: Hi, jj. I'm sal. Nice to meet you. 561 00:41:35,477 --> 00:41:37,577 Jj: Lovely to meet you, sal. 562 00:41:43,635 --> 00:41:46,102 Sal: What's the significance of the mistletoe? 563 00:41:46,204 --> 00:41:49,939 Obviously, during the christmas holiday, you know, kissing under the mistletoe. 564 00:41:50,041 --> 00:41:53,710 What does it mean in the druid culture? 565 00:41:53,812 --> 00:41:57,480 Jj: I think the clue is in, the druid term for it is "all heal" and I think, 566 00:41:57,582 --> 00:42:03,736 traditionally, our ancestors understood the power and the wisdom inherent in this plant. 567 00:42:04,372 --> 00:42:07,373 Because it sits between heaven and earth. 568 00:42:07,475 --> 00:42:09,876 It never touches the ground. 569 00:42:09,978 --> 00:42:13,246 Sal: And how will it be used in the ceremony tomorrow? 570 00:42:13,348 --> 00:42:16,466 Jj: We honor the mistletoe and then we offer it to the earth. 571 00:42:16,568 --> 00:42:18,535 It's fertilizing the earth. 572 00:42:18,637 --> 00:42:21,471 Sal: So, the getting of the mistletoe, what do we need to do? 573 00:42:21,806 --> 00:42:25,275 Adrien: So it's not about just coming and taking and going. 574 00:42:25,377 --> 00:42:29,612 It's about this tree will gift us the mistletoe, 575 00:42:29,714 --> 00:42:33,299 the mistletoe will then gift people that hope. 576 00:42:33,868 --> 00:42:37,570 It's been a long, hard winter, you know, so it's all gonna change! 577 00:42:37,672 --> 00:42:40,106 The sun's only round the corner! 578 00:42:40,208 --> 00:42:41,941 We can do this! We can do this! 579 00:42:42,043 --> 00:42:45,078 Jj: It's coming! It's not far away now. 580 00:42:46,848 --> 00:42:50,667 Adrien: Now bless this tree, symbolic of all the trees 581 00:42:50,769 --> 00:42:54,470 in this orchard, with the element of fire. 582 00:42:56,908 --> 00:42:58,274 Jj: You gonna go first? Adrien: Yeah. 583 00:42:58,376 --> 00:43:01,177 Jj: You go up. 584 00:43:07,435 --> 00:43:09,769 Chuck it out. Oi! Got it, great. 585 00:43:09,871 --> 00:43:11,671 Adrien: Hey, well done. 586 00:43:11,773 --> 00:43:13,339 Jj: So the trick is not to let it hit the ground. 587 00:43:13,441 --> 00:43:14,907 Sal: Why is that? 588 00:43:15,043 --> 00:43:17,210 Jj: Because, once it hits the ground, the fertility goes into the earth. 589 00:43:17,312 --> 00:43:18,611 Sal: Right. 590 00:43:18,747 --> 00:43:22,865 Jj: Yeah, so the healing power, its potency is contained in the fact 591 00:43:22,968 --> 00:43:24,901 it's never touched the ground. 592 00:43:25,003 --> 00:43:27,937 The other thing about it is, you notice that in the depths of winter, 593 00:43:28,039 --> 00:43:30,306 this is still green and berried. 594 00:43:30,408 --> 00:43:34,510 This is still fertile, it's still vibrant, it's at its height. 595 00:43:34,613 --> 00:43:35,945 Sal: Yeah. 596 00:43:36,047 --> 00:43:40,300 It's almost as if druidry was like the original environmentalism. 597 00:43:40,669 --> 00:43:43,870 Jj: I think it is very much so, from where we come from. 598 00:43:44,439 --> 00:43:47,073 It's at the heart. 599 00:43:47,175 --> 00:43:50,009 Instead of man being separate from nature, everything is connected. 600 00:43:50,111 --> 00:43:53,313 Sal: Well, thank you. Looking forward to tomorrow. 601 00:44:01,740 --> 00:44:07,744 (drumming). 602 00:44:12,017 --> 00:44:15,802 Freeman: It's an hour before dawn, on the shortest day of the year. 603 00:44:16,504 --> 00:44:19,339 Around 200 druids assemble at stanton drew's 604 00:44:19,441 --> 00:44:22,575 5,000 year old stone circle, 605 00:44:22,677 --> 00:44:27,280 rekindling a ceremony that must have taken place thousands of times before. 606 00:44:32,537 --> 00:44:36,839 Adrien: As we gather as we always do, in love and light, 607 00:44:37,242 --> 00:44:42,111 to honor the birth of the mabon, the new sun king, 608 00:44:42,847 --> 00:44:46,999 who will be seen to be moving back across these heavens, 609 00:44:47,102 --> 00:44:50,837 bestowing new life upon the lands. 610 00:44:53,575 --> 00:44:57,410 Freeman: As the sun creeps toward the horizon, there's a sense here, 611 00:44:57,512 --> 00:45:02,081 that druidry is finally making its way out of the shadows. 612 00:45:02,183 --> 00:45:05,802 Across the world, 20,000 people have joined the druid movement, 613 00:45:05,904 --> 00:45:10,606 driven by a need to reconnect with the earth and the numbers are growing. 614 00:45:11,776 --> 00:45:14,644 Jj: I am the spirit of mistletoe. 615 00:45:14,913 --> 00:45:19,949 Mistletoe is the sperm of the gods, impregnating the earth 616 00:45:20,668 --> 00:45:24,337 to bring forth fresh life in abundance. 617 00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:31,377 I bring healing and protection, for the body and for the spirit 618 00:45:31,479 --> 00:45:35,515 and life renewed for the earth. 619 00:45:46,377 --> 00:45:49,112 Adrien: The sun stands still, 620 00:45:49,214 --> 00:45:54,333 so let's give a rousing cheer for the returning sun god. 621 00:45:55,503 --> 00:45:57,069 Yeah! 622 00:45:57,172 --> 00:46:01,507 (cheer). 623 00:46:01,709 --> 00:46:05,178 Adrien: Yeah! 624 00:46:25,283 --> 00:46:29,802 Freeman: I'm always in awe of the richness of the world around me. 625 00:46:30,905 --> 00:46:35,174 I can't help but marvel at how all of this came to be. 626 00:46:37,412 --> 00:46:42,048 Well, if there were no mystery to life, there would be no need 627 00:46:42,150 --> 00:46:46,769 for faith, no room for divine secrets. 628 00:46:48,273 --> 00:46:51,641 The promise of access to those secrets inspire religions, 629 00:46:52,844 --> 00:46:56,512 encourages people to dig deeper into their faith. 630 00:46:56,948 --> 00:47:01,501 Secrets protect believers in times of oppression and keep them alive, 631 00:47:01,603 --> 00:47:05,738 until their message can take root in fertile ground. 632 00:47:07,041 --> 00:47:10,843 We can never expect to know the mind of god, 633 00:47:12,013 --> 00:47:15,448 but we can work to get closer to it. 634 00:47:18,002 --> 00:47:19,168 Captioned by cotter captioning services.