What is CIRCUIT?
Philippe de Chérisey's novel Circuit is a curious and enigmatic work that plays a significant role in the mythology surrounding Rennes-le-Château. It has never been officially published, but was placed in a library in 1968. The novel is not a straightforward narrative but rather a complex and cryptic text that combines elements of fiction, riddles, historical references, and esoteric symbolism. It is closely tied to the mysteries of Rennes-le-Château and the broader mythos involving the Priory of Sion and the alleged secrets hidden in the region. I feel this is the more important work, perhaps more so than the manuscript 'Stone & Paper' which others have alleged was a joke played on Chaumeil. Lincoln described Chaumeil as;
a so called expert on the Rennes-le-Château story, who is now wheeled out as [that] expert.
That isn't such a glowing endorsement!
Structure and Content:
- Circuit is structured as a labyrinthine puzzle1, filled with obscure references, wordplay, and coded messages. The novel does not follow a traditional plot but instead leads the reader through a series of cryptic passages that seem to be designed to confuse and intrigue. It is set out like a film script of film for a niche theatre production - which reflects the real life perhaps of its author. In some ways one could think that it is a kind of autobiography by Cherisey.
- The text is full of allusions to historical figures, religious symbols, and mythical themes, many of which are linked to the Rennes-le-Château mystery. It often feels like a treasure hunt, where each piece of information could be a clue leading to some greater understanding or revelation.
- Connection to Rennes-le-Château:
- The novel is heavily influenced by the lore of Rennes-le-Château, particularly the story of Bérenger Saunière, the priest who allegedly discovered a hidden treasure or secret knowledge in the village. Circuit references many of the same elements that are central to the Rennes-le-Château mythos, such as the Holy Grail, the Merovingian dynasty, and the Priory of Sion.
- Some interpretations suggest that the novel is a veiled guide to the mysteries of Rennes-le-Château, with its labyrinthine structure mirroring the complex and hidden nature of the secrets associated with the village.
- Literary and Esoteric Elements:
- De Chérisey's Circuit is often seen as a work of esoteric literature, where the true meaning is hidden beneath layers of symbolism and allegory. The novel plays with themes of hidden knowledge, sacred geometry, and the intersection of myth and reality and particular versions of history.
- The book's title, Circuit, could itself be symbolic, suggesting a journey or path that one must follow to uncover hidden truths. The idea of a "circuit" might also imply a closed loop, where the end is connected to the beginning, reflecting the cyclical nature of mysteries and the search for answers2.
- The Role in the Larger Mythology:
- Circuit is often considered part of a larger body of work created by Philippe de Chérisey and his associates, including Pierre Plantard. These works, including the Dossiers Secrets and Le Serpent Rouge, are seen by many as deliberate attempts to create or elaborate upon the Rennes-le-Château mystery.
- The novel's cryptic nature has led to various interpretations and theories, with some researchers and enthusiasts seeing it as a key to understanding the Rennes-le-Château enigma, while others view it as a surrealist prank or literary hoax.
Circuit by Philippe de Chérisey then is an enigmatic and esoteric novel deeply embedded in the mythology of Rennes-le-Château. It is less a traditional novel and more a puzzle or riddle, filled with cryptic references and hidden meanings that continue to intrigue and perplex readers. The novel plays a significant role in the ongoing fascination with the mysteries of Rennes-le-Château, blending fiction, history, and esotericism in a way that challenges and entices those who seek to uncover its secrets.
Rhedesium Notes;
1] A situation, process, or field of knowledge described as labyrinthine means that it is very complicated and difficult to understand. And that it is made up of a complicated series of paths or passages, through which it is difficult to find your way.
2] This idea of a closed loop may have something to do with the concept of time. Chérisey is overly preoccupied with this concept of Time and the shifting sands of time, and time over-lapping itself within the novel. Very often in the novel Chérisey uses a key word or clue - for the attentive reader - signifying a time change and even a dream sequence.
In the first chapter of the novel, this idea of time is confronted head on. In the chapter titled Le Bateleur3 one of the characters - Matras - plays a psychological test on Charlot when he is told about six photocopied documents upon which it is necessary he must make an assessment after just one minute of looking at them and then describe in a single sentence. After studying for a minute Charlot says;
"distortion of time in 1, 2, 3 - a contradiction between 4, 5 & 6".
So Charlot can see distortions in time in the first 3 documents. Distortions probably mean a substantially altered perception of time in that the sense of time duration or the temporal relationship between events seems fundamentally altered. In the documents 4, 5 and 6 Charlot states that they contradict each other. The meanings for contradiction are;
- a combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another.
- a situation in which inconsistent elements are present.
- the statement of a position opposite to one already made.
This is how one must navigate CIRCUIT.
Recent studies in time and the universe suggest that everything is on a loop viz: rather than one sudden big bang a hypothesis proposed by Roger Penrose may be more true. He conjectures that in the earliest epoch of the universe, it was at the point of thermal equilibrium. We know this from studies of cosmic microwave background, there were only very slight perturbation's in temperature universe-wide. However this is, by definition, a very low entropy state at the beginning and the heat death of the universe is also a low entropy state. Penrose proposed that if matter has a finite lifespan, protons and other basic particles spontaneously decay eventually, there will come a moment in the universe where no matter exists at all. However without matter, time no longer describes anything, because photons don’t experience time. Time doesn’t stop, it disappears as a feature of the universe, because it no longer describes anything within it. However time and space are intrinsically connected, if two points are some distance apart, they have to be some time apart as well. Therefore the moment time doesn’t describe any thing any more, neither does distance and all distances disappear as well. Therefore the heat death of the universe, once the last proton decays, is the initial moment of the big bang. A cyclical universe is a whole lot more interesting than one that sprouted into existence and will continue to exist in an irrelevant state for what might as well be an eternity. There’s no magic involved, once you realise this implies distances and time are not intrinsic to the universe, but emergent phenomena of properties of matter.
Cyclical could be conceived as a loop or circuit?
This may have appealed to Cherisey's more philosophical thought wanderings in his novel. The cross over between times, historical characters, religions etc is truly ingenious.
3] The Juggler - meaning a street performer. In French, "the mountebank" or the "sleight of hand artist", a practitioner of stage magic - he is the second lowest in the series, outranking only the Beggar. In the Tarot he has the meaning of skill or deception. Le Bateleur was the first card, number I of the Tarot cards.