Much of the mysterious power around Basye seems to actually emanate from, or be connected to, Shrine Mont. A "village within a hamlet," Shrine Mont is the name of a conference center and it is also the location of the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration - the unique open-air church in Orkney Springs. It is the cathedral seat of the Bishop of Virginia for the Episcopal Church of the USA. Shrine Mont has a bookstore which, like the conference center, cottages and hotels, is run by the Moomaw family. Shrine Mont can be contacted at (540) 856 2141.

[A portico of the Cathedral Shrine of the Transfiguration.]

The hotel and village of Orkney Springs are a scarce 1/4 mile away from the tree-covered pews in this outdoor house of worship. It is an Episcopalian Shrine, but it transcends differences, becoming a holy site for all visitors.The Shrine was built under the direction and creative inspiration of The Rev. Edmund Lee Woodward, M.D. -- to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude. Consecrated in 1925, the edifice was built from stones gathered in the local hills. The process of its construction has been said to symbolize the "building" of the higher self - a process of making whole. It would be fascinating to have The Rev. Woodward's comments on this topic.

Thus the shrine is an emblem of return to heaven -- what Jewish doctrine calls "Tikkun HaOlam," healing (or reintegration) of the world. Behind that doctrine is the esoteric, Kabbalistical concept of "gathering the sparks" which had been scattered as a result of the Shattering of the Vessels - a cataclysmic event, sometimes described as an "accident" in the process of Creation. This event from what is known as the "Lurianic Kabbalah" -- Rebbe Ari Luria was a 17th C. theological genius who re-visioned the story of creation while remaining completely faithful in every detail to the Biblical account -- is the esoteric telling of the Fall. The cause of the accident, in one version of this deeply mystical vision, was an excess of the quality of Judgment or Severity ("Din"). But most of all, Luria shows what is implicit but not spoken of in the whole story of the Biblical Creation: it is not, in fact a creation, but a reduction. The world we have is a reduced set of heaven, just as in quantum physics today we know that any state of things is a probability of a superset -- of what is called the "quantum superposition." Creation was a destruction, the Fall was a loss of paradise, and our way spiritually is the way back. Hence the Jews speak of the healing / reconstruction of the world. 

A similar story of All and Return is told in the Egyptian legend in which the god Osiris was dismemembered by his enemy, Set - who also represents severity and separateness; but the parts of the body of Osiris were subsequently gathered and rejoined by his wife and sister Isis, as a prelude to Osiris's resurrection to the throne of heaven. The divine force of resurrection is symbolized by Isis disguised as a hawk or, variously, a serpent, so that Osiris is lifted back to the erect position as if by magic. Read more about re-integration under the rubric of "The Origin of the Milky Way."

The relevance of both of these stories is that they directly parallel the creation legend attributed to the Shendo, who also project a narrative of shattered paradise. Whether that creation legend is historically accurate or not, is something we cannot answer -- but it provides a powerful link to the Jewish and Egyptian legends, and that deserves further consideration. If there is a treasure of cosmic creative energy in the Basye Vortex region, then following these threads of analysis out is important to understanding it....