Gifts from the Heart

A gift crafted by the hands of the giver is always something very special. This is an object alive with a quality that no purchased present could possibly imitate. Never mind that the end result may not be perfect; indeed any imperfections merely add to the delight and hidden meanings of the gift. For such an object hearkens from the soul of the one who made it. Every stitch, each passing of the threads, the choosing of colours, the planning of the design — all is done with only one person in mind, that to whom the gift shall be given. And so it is that the end product is much more than the object it has become. It is a piece of the maker, a part of their soul, a physical representation of their love and affection, a constant reminder of their blessings heaped upon the recipient.

Thus it is in this manner that I spin, dye, design and knit tokens of love for my nearest and dearest. It always seems to me that each time I pick up the tools to work on their gift, that I am praying for and blessing them. When I present the object to them it is as if I am wrapping them in my love. And so it is that my favourite gifts are scarves and shawls for it is part of their very meaning to enfold and wrap and keep warm. There really is nothing quite like the feeling of cuddling under a handspun and hand knit shawl. Such a gift cannot be bought. It cannot even be earned. It can only simply be given from one soul to another. It asks for nothing in return, and doesn’t even expect thanks. The gift is in the giving for both the giver and the receiver. In this way it is a metaphor for the spiritual realms wherein I try to breathe even while living in the physical world of which the shawl is part. We walk between worlds every minute, every hour. A shawl such as this is a talisman to remind us that there is more, always much more, than what we see and hear and feel.

Making my way to the Mine

Having just narrowly missed a huge puddle I landed rather abruptly in a pile of brushed up garden cuttings, a compost heap to all intents and purposes. Shaking off the bits of dried leaves and twigs that stuck to my dress, I stood up to take stock of the new land that spread out before me. A marvellous vista of mountains and valleys drenched in bright sunshine surrounded most of the countryside. Here ancient trees which had witnessed many lifetimes of sadness and glory, stood alongside those newly planted, holding on to their hopes of new beginnings. Brightly coloured summer flowers dotted the landscape, which was divided haphazardly by stones walls, wooden fences and green copses. A lake shimmered in the distance and a wonderful waterfall cascaded down the largest mountain filling the lake with life and noise. Laughing aloud with delight at the sheer pleasure of the prospect of my journey through this land, I turned around, my attention caught by a sudden movement through the wooded area close by. Catching a glimpse of a red cloak I followed whoever it was, presuming that it was l’Enchanteur, for who else could it be? How did she arrive here before me when I had left her behind? Who knows the secrets of the magic that she wields over her realms and subjects, of which I was one, having been long held enthralled by her mysteries. Running quickly now to try and keep up with her, I eventually reached her side when she came to a stop near a gate to which some mules were tethered. She beckoned me over to her, handing me the reins of one as I approached. She told me that the mules were a gift to help me carry the mining equipment which lay in bags scattered on the roadside. Picking up the panniers I attached them to the beasts as best I could, not really being very knowledgeable about these four footed creatures. What was in the bags I had yet to discover. One thing was certain - they would be exactly what was needed when the time came to use them. Many of us have long believed that L’Enchantuer has the gift of foresight.Just as I was about to leave, l’Enchantuer spoke.

‘’Follow the road wherever it leads you, until you come to an old farmhouse where the Keeper of the Mine awaits your arrival. She will introduce you to a one who will give you food and lodgings for the duration of your time spent exploring the Alluvial Mines.’’

‘’But what do we seek here in these mines of which I have never yet heard speak?’’

‘’You are seeking the elixar of creativity. There are many who live in these environs who swear that such an elixar exists, and as many who deny the tales as nothing more than legends. Only time will tell. For now go with hope and gladness. Be not afraid…yet.’’

And so with these words ringing in my ears I headed off down the dusty road slowly leading my team of mules behind me.

Waiting

The owls may possess it at night

when fears and terrors claim the ascendancy,

but day light brings hope and solace in the soft song of the doves,who lull us into a peaceful serenity,

draping our spirits in soft folds of hope.

Night comes again and again,

relentlessly dashing gentle dreams

with visions of fraility, and empty eyes.

Lost soul railing at the world and religion

yet aching for the promise.

Morning comes slowly;

Waiting.

Entering a New Land

Sometimes its hard to know exactly how one gets where one finds oneself. I mean I thought that I was sitting in my apartment in the City of Ladies, just reading and meditating and basically getting along just fine, thank you very much, going through my days and following the ancient monastic practice of the Hours of the Day. But then suddenly, and this only a moment ago, there seemed to arise from somewhere and nowhere a gust of strong and swirling wind that caught me up in its whirling, and twisted and turned hither and thither, and then just unceremoniously dropped me on the top of a hill. And guess who was waiting on that hill? Who else but our dearest l’Enchanteur. (I have to call her ‘dearest’ otherwise she might get angry and turn me into…who knows what? Only last night she transformed poor Lori into a wombat of all things!! I mean I know we all signed up to be transformed, but goodness gracious, I do believe that we thought that she meant something slightly more spiritual and uplifting…) Anyway here we both were, her reclining on a log with a very very odd looking creature hovering nearby (he had wings) and a rather dangerous glint in his tiny beady eyes. He did not look friendly. How unfriendly I was about to discover! ‘’Good morning, Soul Sister, and welcome. You have been summoned here primarily because you have grown too comfortable and downright lazy in your apartments. Time to waken up and progress further along that spiral you so love to talk about. By the way did you like your mode of transport? It did seem to be so very appropriate!’’ ‘’Hmm, well I could think of a less shocking method of travelling but guess you have succeeded in awakening me…again!’’ On hearing that l’Enchanteur laughed out loud and then almost instantly grew serious again. Lifting her arm she waved it upwards and outwards, and as she did so it was as if a doorway appeared in front of my eyes. But this was no ordinary doorway. It shimmered and moved as if it was more of a luminous portal into another realm, another layer of the world, a layer that was not normally available to us humans, at least not until we are deemed to have achieved the honour of accessing that which is normally hidden. ‘’Before you enter this strange and starling new world where you will find wonderous and marvellous manifestations of reality that you could never even have dreamt of, I have a gift for you. Take this pouch and hold it close, never letting it out of your sight. It contains many talismen that will prove useful to you as you traverse this land. Now go, but remember no matter what you see and who you meet on your travels, you must always be true to yourself. But to do this you must discover who you are. That is your task. But you cannot do this alone, and so you will meet many with whom your soul will resonate and who will help you Become, and who you will help Become, so that you are all caught up in a luminous web of unfolding. ‘’ With that, the door opened and a wonderful, sun filled vista filled the frame. As I stood admiring the view suddenly something nipped me, and jumping up and shouting ‘ouch’ I looked around and saw that it was THAT creature. L’Enchantuer laughed and before he could take another piece of me, I leapt through the portal, hoping that a soft landing awaited!

Contemporary Drawn Thread Sampler

This is an offering from the hands of Soul Sister to the Lady of the Mine. It is given both as an appeasement in the hope that She will ease my passageway through the dark tunnels of the mine, and as a gift to honour all Her hidden magnificences which lie in wait of our discoveries on this, our latest sojourn with l’Enchanteur.

The Dream of a Contemplative Life

One of my alter ego identities (I have a few!!) is that of a contemplative monastic, living in seclusion and following the ancient rhythms of soul time. The word ‘hour’ comes from the Greek ’hora’ which refers to a measure of the soul, and not a measure of time. Each hour would then come bearing its own gifts and deep meaning which I would spend reflective time excavating. The name of my monastic settlement would be The Monastery of the Sacred Feminine and it would be set in the midst of a forest, with small huts sprinkled here and there around the area, and inhabited by other contemplatives like me. We would converge twice daily to meet in the communal sacred space, there to sing songs of praise and thanksgiving, expressions of our gratitude where each morning we would rise and learn anew what it is to be grateful just to be alive, to awaken and greet the new day as the gift that it is. Together we would re-affirm our commitment to opening our innermost selves to allow the breath of the Divine Feminine to blow through our souls. The rhythms and repetitions of the chants and bells would wash over us and draw us up into the heart of She Who Is. Such a mystical beginning to the day would water our souls with an underground river of love and mercy and carry us through the hours that lie awaiting our presence to them.Parting company we would each walk slowly and mindfully back to our individual holy places, wherein we have created our own ritual spaces containing totems and talismans on our altars that act as reminders of the Divine. This is the place where we would balance our time with meditation, reading, writing, and holy leisure when whatever it is we create would be done as a dedication and gift to the Sacred. As it comes from Her, it returns to Her. In such a place as this we would be already living in paradise, because our time would not be the time of the outside world but the time of the soul, and so our souls would be linked together in a luminous web of connections between the sensible world and the other world, that which some call heaven. And so it is that I would walk in 2 worlds, keeping one foot in each. The sensible, everyday world would beckon forth those who would care for it for a couple of hours every morning, and this would require leaving my cell to work in the fields or the kitchens. Meals also would call us forth to be eaten silently and with care and attention for the gift that they are. Throughout the day the bells would ring to remind us, time after time after time, to listen, to hear the lesson of the hour, and to look deep inside ourselves to see if our intentions are pure; to see to what extent our wishes and desires are in alignment with the Love of the Eternal Feminine. Later when dusk turns to darkness we would meet again in the sacred space and together sing and chant our gratefulness for the day that She Who Is shared with us, before retiring for meditation and interior searching of our deepest inner selves, to review our actions of the day and the intentions that lay behind them. Then we would lie down upon our little wooden beds and resting our heads upon the pillows, close our eyes and place ourselves, body and souls, into the hands of the Divine Feminine.

Meditation

Sitting still,breathing deeply,

empty mind,

floating in a sea of tranquillity.

Occasional clouds,

unbidden thoughts,

pass by,

moving on

and out of the picture.

Diving deep

leaving the surface behind,

I surrender to the Presence.

Black Madonna booklist

The following books focus in the main on topics other than the Black Madonna. Most information can only be gleaned in passing while reading on other topics, either goddess related or on the subject of Mary the mother of God.Charlene Spretnak, MISSING MARY (Palgrave MacMillan, 2004)

—A polemical work which argues for the reinstatement of Mary the Mother of God as the Queen of Heaven. Her argument leans heavily on the similarities between Mary and the cosmic matrix of the Great Mother. Looks briefly also at the Black Madonnas. Inspiring read.

Sally Cunneen, IN SEARCH OF MARY (Random House, 1996)

—Traces all the different manifestations of Mary throughout history and viewing her through the lenses of religion, art, psychology and anthropology. Includs a brief look at the Black Madonnas. Fascinating story and easy to read.

Ean Begg, THE CULT OF THE BLACK VIRGIN (New edition due out in September 2006)

—Examines Black Madonnas form their pagan origins to their contemporary understandings. One of the classics on the subject.

Caitlin Matthews, SOPHIA, GODDESS OF WISDOM, BRIDE OF GOD (Quest Books, 2001)

—Interprets the Black Madonna or Black Virgin as the author prefers to call her, in the light of the Black Goddess. However only mentions Black Virgin briefly.

China Galland, LONGING FOR DARKNESS: TARA AND THE BLACK MADONNA (Penguin, 1991)

—One woman’s search for the Sacred Feminine and how her search brought her to the recognition of the many links between the Black Madonna and the goddess Tara.

WEB SITE LINK:

http://campus.udayton.edu/mary//meditations/blackmdn.html–Excellent source of information about the Black Madonna. Further links at end of web page. Worth checking out. Also links to images.

Goddess Booklist–recommended reading

What follows is a short list of books and web sites that I found most useful so far, on my quest for the Goddess.Carol C. Christ, LAUGHTER OF APHRODITE———-, ODYSSEY WITH THE GODDESS (Continuum, 1995)

———-, REBIRTH OF THE GODDESS

———-, SHE WHO CHANGES (Palgrave MacMillan, 2003)

—Carol C. Christ has written a series of books charting her growth and experiences with Goddess spirituality. While the first 2 show her move from God to Goddess, Rebirth of the Goddess is the first systematic feminist theology of the Goddess. She Who Changes outlines the intellectual underpinnings upon which her theology is based. Obviously the first 2 titles above are the easiest to read, although the latter are not difficult given Carol’s wonderful ability to make a difficult subject accessible. I would highly recommend any and all of these books as a way into the whole area of Goddess spirituality and theology.

Tikva Frymer-Kensky, IN THE WAKE OF THE GODDESS (Fawcett Columbine, 1992)

—This is a book of feminist scholarship on the subject of ancient pagan goddesses and how they were gradually overthrown by male gods, and ultimately by the biblical god. Not your average bedtime reading, but worth it all the same!

Caitlin Matthews, SOPHIA, GODDESS OF WISDOM, BRIDE OF GOD (Quest Books, 2001)

—A book written by a well known teacher of Celtic spirituality about the many faces of the Goddess as She has been manifested in the Western tradition as Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom. One such manifestation looked at is the Black Madonna.

Rosemary Radford Ruether, GODDESSES AND THE DIVINE FEMININE (University of California Press, 2005)

—This would be an essential book as far as I am concerned! Rosemary is a feminist theologian long engaged in theological enquiry in feminist, environmental and related issues. Here she presents the definitive account of goddesses from prehistoric times to contemporary interpretations. However be warned–she examines the mythology carefully resulting in the rejection of certain premises that would be considered almost sacrosanct in some goddess circles, eg the myth of a peaceful matriarchal society that predated patriarchy. Personally I would consider that while such myths are very consoling, it is always better to be open to the truth whatever the ‘truth’ is understood to be at a particular point in time.

China Galland, LONGING FOR DARKNESS: TARA AND THE BLACK MADONNA (Penguin, 1991)

——–, THE BOND BETWEEN WOMEN (Riverhead Books, 199

—One woman’s search for the Sacred Feminine and where the search brought her, including the goddesses she ‘met‘ on her journey. Both books very easy to read as well as being informative. Recommended.

Sue Monk Kidd, THE DANCE OF THE DISSIDENT DAUGHTER (Harper Collins, 2002)

—Absolutely essential reading for anyone either on the journey, or about to embark on the quest for the Sacred Feminine. Refers to goddesses in the context of her personal search.

GODDESS WEBSITES

http://spiralgoddess.com—A wonderful site with enough to keep you entertained and amused for a long time! Pour yourself a cup of coffee or herbal tea, pull up your seat and enjoy!!http://www.imagesofdivinity.org—This is China Galland’s web site. Wonderful images of the Black Madonna.http://sagewoman.com—A goddess based magazine. Interesting reading.

Introduction to Black Madonnas and the Expression of a Dream

The statues known as Black Madonnas are a particular type of statue of Mary, the Mother of God. Usually measuring about 3 feet in height, they were carved from a single piece of lightweight wood which rendered them easy to carry in processions, reminiscent of the processions for the Goddess. Many of these statues were painted, the ones in black being associated with the greatest number of miracles. There is a striking resemblance between the images of these statues and the images of Byzantine icons of the Holy Mother, notably the look of compassion that is found in many.The usual story related about the origins of the Black Madonnas is that they were found by chance in a natural setting, eg, a cave or near a river. The story usually goes that when the statue was removed and placed into a church that it escaped and returned repeatedly to where it was found originally. In the end the church tended to be built on the site where the Black Madonna was found.

Folklore usually told that these statues were not carved by human hands, having instead being created by natural forces, which then embued them with the elemental energies of life and death. The Black Madonnas are a concrete expression of the divine which the individual person can literally reach out and touch. In this way they are a continuation of the ultimate meaning of the Goddess statues and thus have their roots in them. Indeed for many of the statues it is impossible to say whether they were originally Mary or a Goddess. It is likely that many of them were pagan in origin and then ‘borrowed’ later by Christian churches.

There has been much debate over the years about why and how the Black Madonnas were black, whether they had always been so or whether they became that way later as time wreaked its ravages upon them. But no consensus of opinion has yet been made thereby leaving open the possibility that the blackness of Black Madonnas stand for the life giving properties of the fertile earth symbolized in the Goddess.

Perhaps if we follow the trail of the Black Madonna she might take us to some surprising places, places beyond the boundaries that tradition has attempted to encase her in, and in the very process of overcoming her captors, she may teach us also how to be whole and free again.