MARA - the first card in the deck

Mara, the holy fool
Card 0 Major Arcana
Sacred Mysteries of Mary tarot deck

Drink the poison and find the cure

Mara is the archetypal woman representing the self

on the inner journey of Self-Realization.

She is the holy fool who sets out on an unknown

journey towards an unknown destination, leaving

behind a limited understanding and perception

of the inner life and its manifestation into this world.

Mary had a little lamb 

Its fleece was white as snow

 And everywhere that Mary went 

The lamb was sure to go 

Here she is accompanied by the rabbit,

symbol of the goddess and the fertile nature

of the divine and nature as well as the

vulnerability and tenderness of all life

and all living beings.

Mara carries the Lamb, symbol of the Soul,

as well as the soul's purity, enduring innocence

and its incorruptibility.

She also wears the garland of the virgin

symbolizing a potent truth of 

the true metaphysical meaning of the virgin :

'one unto herself'.  

Behind her are the trees of the forest

that she is leaving behind as steps out on her journey.

On the tree top sits a dove, the Holy Spirit, or

messenger of the heavens, accompanying her on

this journey.

The tree represents the archetypal Tree of Life and the

Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  This theme

is more fully explored in the Suit of the Holy Rood.

Here we see the fir tree for the first time and

we are reminded that this is the shape of the pineal gland, the

seat of consciousness and enlightenment in the human brain.

.

She is surrounded by the elements of the

Sacred Mysteries of Mary :

the white hawthorn blossoms,

the red berries, the black seeds

and the green branches.

Read here more about the symbolism of the hawthorn

in this deck.

Mara's story unfolds through the journey of Maryam,

the Jewish prophetess and the hidden Hebrew goddess;

through the wisdom of Maria-Sophia,

the three Marys, Mary Magdalene, the handless maiden

and finally, through the initiations of

Mary.

The name 'Mara' forms part of the word 'amara',

a medicinal plant called bitter-ash or bitter-wood;

the most bitter plant known to us with a characteristic black

elixer which is known to aid digestion and healing

for stomach disorders.  It is also known for its blood purification

properties and cleansing of the gallbladder and liver. 

'Mara' from the Hebrew means 'bitter' or 'strong' in taste.  

This first card introduces us to the sacred understanding

that our journey will lead us through the purification

of fire and flame.  And most importantly, 

Mara teaches that we have the 'cure' for our malaise

within ourselves, accessible by and through the self.

'Drink the poison and find the cure"

As she sets out on her journey she will move through

the lower and also the higher mysteries of initiation

towards self-realization.

Another important message that Mara delivers

is the unity and oneness of divine and nature,

as well as the sacred knowledge that all

paths lead to the same mountain.  It does not

matter which culture you belong to and which

myths guide your story, there is the One and the Many.

One Divine Being and many different names and traditions.

The Kingdom of Grace cannot be achieved.  

It arrives when the ego is surrendered.

When all desire and goals fall away

and when the fullness of life is truly experienced.

When all desire for perfection is no longer

existent and when innocence is born.

The symbol of the flowering cross, the Holy Rood

The Three of Holy Rood (Three Marys at the Cross)

The flowering crucifix is a symbol of Divine Love,

absolute forgiveness and rebirth.

It is also a promise of regeneration and a new vision.

It symbolises the Life Force also known as the kundalini

or the Sacred Living Fire, which gives life to

all that is alive.  

An object of torture and death becomes a symbol

and an embodiment of the greatest power : Love.

Each human being has the power and the ability

to know Love and to become Love and the act of

forgiveness truly speaks of Love.

The crucifix theme is a continuation

of the theme of the sacred tree or tree trunk as

seen in the myth of Isis and Osiris where a tree

grows around the chest containing Osiris' corpse.

Isis through various tasks resurrects Osiris from the tree.

Death is a journey through the Underworld

in order to be born again.
In contemplating the hidden or esoteric meaning
of the metaphor of spiritual and religious stories
we enter the realm of sacred psychology.
The marriage of the personal life and the 
inner divine life, give birth to the divine
child of Love within.  
This marriage initiates one into an amplified
life, one that is more cherished and more cherishing.
It requires that we undertake the task of
dying to our habitual, reactive, personal selves
and being reborn to our eternal selves.

The flowering crucifix and flowering rod is a symbol of eternal life.

It is a reminder that we, as Spirit, live eternally and that

death is merely a transition and not the end.

Love is eternal and by embodying Love

we become One with the eternal.

The crucifix is the ultimate symbol of the Holy Rood,

the Holy Wand or Holy Rod.

We see an example of this miracle of the flowering branch

the first time

in the Old Testament with the flowering of Aaron's rod.

Then again at Mary and Joseph's wedding and

later with the flowering of the hawthorn rod planted

by Joseph of Arimathea in Glastonbury.

The story  of Mary and Joseph's wedding and the miraculous

flowering of the rod that he carried,

is found in the Protoevangelium (New Testament apocrypha) 

and thence in the 13th century Golden Legend, 

which was an important source-book for artists.

Four of the Holy Rood - The marriage of Mary and Joseph

It tells how Joseph was chosen from among a number of suitors by a sign,

 the miraculous flowering of his rod. The miracle was witnessed by the 

seven virgins who were Mary's companions during her upbringing in the Temple. 

Joseph, the husband of Mary's attributes as a saint 

are a Lily (for chastity); various carpenter's tools, and a flowering rod or wand.

The story of the flowering of Joseph's rod :

 According to St Jerome the suitors of Mary each brought a 

rod to the high priest of the Temple. 

Joseph's rod blossomed, a sign from heaven 

he was chosen to be her husband. 

The apocryphal Book of James relates that a

 DOVE came forth from the rod and settled on Joseph's head. 

He is usually depicted with a flowering rod, 

sometimes with a dove on it. 

The theme was condemned by the Council of Trent

 in the mid-16th century 

though thereafter Joseph retains the rod as an attribute. 

It was seen as a symbol of the Virgin's state because 

it flowered without being fertilized.

 The story was a borrowing from the Old Testament account, 

which it closely resembles, of the flowering of Aaron's rod.

  -  extracts from the Sacred Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck