The Heart of the Black Madonna

Wednesday, December 20, 2023

The Journey of the Holy Nights with The Black Madonna

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Blessings!

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

The Golden Connection


 

Gold is one of the most unique substances on earth. There are obviously concentrated deposits in various areas, but Gold is actually in everything, it is everywhere. While  in minute amounts, Gold is present throughout creation in all the elements. It is present in combination with many other elements and substances in the earth’s surface, such as Silica, Iron and Sulphur. Quite a bit of gold is mixed in with Silica, Iron and such, in fact, one of the reasons gold mining is so destructive to the environment is that toxic chemicals are mixed in with the substances to get the gold out.  It is also interesting that gold can be stretched to extremely thin sheets, to the width of a hair, and it changes colors many times as it gets thinner.

The brilliant red in medieval stained glass windows is from gold! Gold is mentioned throughout the Bible, but mainly in the Book of Revelation as part of the New Jerusalem. In a Spiritual Scientific sense, the origin of metals actually comes from the Sun and the Planets, where the metals came to Earth in a fluid astral etheric state. This shows that according to Spiritual Science, metals are actually foreigners on earth, they come from cosmic planetary origins.. All of the classic planets have metals associated with them: Silver is associated with the Moon, Quicksilver with the planet  Mercury, Copper with Venus, Iron with Mars, Tin with Jupiter, Lead with Saturn, and the metal of our focus for this podcast: Gold with the Sun.



In spiritual terms, Gold has a connection with the Human “I”. This is mainly because the Human “I” is indestructible, as is Gold, hence the symbolism. Gold rings are exchanged in marriage ceremonies as a symbol of (I would offer the ideal of) enduring love between two people. 




Iconography is a sacred art in the Byzantine and Eastern Christian tradition. By making an Icon, the artist enters a prayerful state, and paints the Icon in several different layers, each layer as a symbol of the tableau of creation. Beginning with clay which is symbolic of the first day of creation, there are several different layers to the Icon, each symbolizing a different “day” of creation. Specific prayers and meditations are employed by the artist throughout the process. The last layer of the Icon  finishes with the application of gold gilt.  In the case of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, a golden Riza is the final layer of the Icon. What is so interesting to me personally, is that according to the Genesis narrative of Creation, Humanity was the “crown” so to speak, of the entire process. We also know that humans have a sense of the “I Am” which they share with Divinity, and this sense is something we have developed mainly through the Christ event. So these really beautiful Icons that are finished in Gold are an echo to what I was exploring earlier in the podcast. In spiritual terms, Gold has a connection with the Human “I”. This is mainly because the Human “I" is indestructible, as is Gold, hence the symbolism. Icons with their Golden Riza's are an excellent example of the indestructible nature of the essence of being Human, our “I,” as well as being a symbol of the tableau of the evolution of creation, symbolizing the incarnation of the divine Human.


The Madonna is a symbol of the highest potential and capacity of the human being. In the Gospels, Mary the Mother of Jesus, appears as the representative of the human soul, of a revealed spiritual force.


Gold in art, specifically in Iconography symbolizes the full divinization and full incarnation of the human.


Notice this when you see Icons, and hopefully it will inspire you and warm your heart.


For a fuller discussion on the Golden Connection with The Black Madonna, listen to The Black Madonna Speaks Podcast on the very subject.


The Golden Connection


Blessings on your Journey!


Sunday, November 6, 2022

The Stars on Her Mantle


 


We are about a month ahead of the Festival of Guadalupe, the Mestizo Madonna of Mexico. She is considered a Black Madonna because of her dark skin, and her image is a beautiful expression of the mixture of both Native and European features and symbolism. 

 

There are so many threads to Guadalupe of Mexico, that it would take hours to cover them all. In fact, I have written an entire book on the subject, The Virgin of Guadalupe, Mysterious Messenger of Destiny


In essence, Guadalupe of Mexico is a miracle, a story of evolution, of progression, of divine love and transformation. Her basic story is that she appeared to a Nahuatl Native on a series of days, December 9 - 12, 1531 to be exact, and the miracles surrounding her apparitions. On December 12th she imprinted her image on the cactus fabric Tilma (a poncho-type article of clothing of Nahuatl peasants of the day) in front of the Bishop of New Spain and his entourage. The image is on display in The Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico, above the main altar. It has been constantly on display for nearly 500 years, as one of the most visited of all Marian Shrines in the world. This image has also been one of the most studied of all sacred items, being deciphered by chemists, physicists, photographers, you name it, and the only thing everyone can agree upon is that it defies explanation in earthly terms, other than the Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico is a miracle.

 

The Virgin of Guadalupe is not art in the classic materialistic sense, meaning, an image comprised of a canvas covered with some sort of paint. Hundreds of years of materialistic scientific study, including modern computer  x-ray technology and chemical analysis, can not decipher what comprises this image that has inspired millions for nearly 500 years. But in a spiritual sense, Guadalupe is art, in that she conveys quite a message from the Gods. Guadalupe does this through every single fiber, every image, every aspect of the poetic narrative of her genesis, and most elegantly through her timing, the location of her apparitions, as well as her profound repeated statements of her apparitions to Juan Diego

 

Build me a Temple and Where are you Going?





There are many skeptics as to the nature of this image. One of the more interesting and accepted ones, is that it was painted by a Spanish artist schooled in Europe on the painting techniques of the day, about 60 years after the apparitions of Guadalupe. The "painting" was created to quell resistance to Spanish colonialism and insert the Catholic faith to the Natives in New Spain. 

Everyone is welcomed to draw their own conclusions as it is everyone's right to do so, but what I find most interesting in terms of refuting this notion, is the timing of the imprinting on the Tilma and the stars on the mantle of the Virgin.

With modern computer technology, we can plug in dates, locations and times and see how the stars were configured in the sky at any moment in history. If we look at the heavens above what is now called Mexico City at 10:40 am on December 12th, 1531, the exact timing of the miraculous imprinting of Guadalupe onto the Tilma, the heavens paint quite a picture. There is no way that an artist 60 years after the event could have known this. 

The heavens were pointing to the commencing of a new era in the evolution of humanity. The stars point to this. A tradition started nearly a century ago is to pray for 46 days leading up to the apparition of Guadalupe. There are 46 stars visible on the Tilma, hence the choice of 46 days, and each day leading up to the festival has a name (Star of Peace, Star of Hope and so on.) What is interesting is the symbolism of 46 in that it is the number of chromosomes in a human cell. Chromosomes are the essential structure, the template for creating a living being. In the number 46, for me, it points to the fact that Guadalupe is heralding the formation of a new structure for humanity, based on Cosmic Love.

As with all things, we have the freedom to choose this path towards universal and cosmic love.

What is your choice? Where are you going and what sort of temple will you be building to facilitate such a transition?


Monday, October 31, 2022

Our Lady of the Good Death

 

Our Lady of the Good Death, Clermont Ferrand, France



It is hard to know when exactly death started to terrify humans. In Medieval times, the common person's birthdate was not recorded, but their death date was, because it was seen as when the person entered "Real Life" in the hereafter.

In these times, it was important to have a good death, which meant being surrounded by those who one loved, and praying constantly for a good and holy transition. There is an order of Nuns in Brazil who are actually called The Order of Our Lady of Good Death. When someone in the community passes, these women sing and dance in order to accompany the soul into the next life.

There are many Black Madonnas associated with the underworld, with death, with transitions. For the next few days, from October 31 through to November 2, it is considered Allhallowtide Triduum, a time for honoring those who have passed. Dios de los Muertos is Mexican evolution of this tradition. Allhallowtide is a "time to remember the dead, including martyrs saints  and all faithful departed Christians." The present date of Hallowmas also known as All Saints' Day and thus also of its vigil (Hallowe'en the night before Hallowmas) was established for Rome perhaps by Pope Gregory III (731 - 741)  and was made of obligation throughout the Frankish Empire by Louis the Pious in 835. So the origins of Halloween are actually quite sacred, and it is odd to me it has been made such a scary secular production, while simultaneously being feared and avoided by many Christian sects. 

Halloween, All Saints Day and All Souls Day are sacred times within a community. Those who have passed before us, gave us so much. They are often still with us in many ways.

The Church Triumphant, Fresco by Andrea da Fierenza in Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy


I wish you all a sacred and reflective time this year as we begin our festival season leading up to Christmas and the New Year


Blessings!