Miriam the Prophetess and the Miriamic tradition

VIII Vessels - Mariam, the Prophetess
Shrine created for the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

The prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, while all the women went out after her with tambourines, dancing;  and she led them in the refrain : Sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea - NAB, Exodus 15:20-21

The Hebrew Miriam is the first woman prophet mentioned in the Christian and Jewish Scriptures.  The Greek Miriam is translated as Mariam and in English as Mary.  Thus we see that Moses' sister has the same name as Mariam/Mary, the Holy Woman in the Mysteries of Mary.  The scholar Phyllis Trible, in her piece 'Bringing Miriam out of the Shadows' argues that the Song of the Sea is Miriam's song of liberation of the Hebrew people from Egypt.  She and other feminist scholars, make the case that the Song of the Sea attributed to Moses, should actually be attributed to Miriam.  The Song of Hannah in the VI of Roses in the deck, provided the words and themes for Holy Mary's song, the Magnificat.  However, Miriam's Song, as a song of liberation is also echoed in the song of deliverance sung by Mary as the Magnificat.  

My painting of Miriam, the prophetess

Here we see the start of the Miriamic or Mariamic tradition. The mysteries of Mary starts off with Mara, the Holy Fool, whose name is the root of Miriam/Mariam and means the 'bitter one'.   (Amara is a very bitter root used for stomach ailments). Miriam's name is also understood to mean 'Bitter Sea' (mar-yam), thus evoking both the bitterness associated with Miriam and her connections with water.

The story of Miriam's Well tells of Miriam's prophetic water divining ability.  She could lead the people through the desert because she could always find springs and riverbeds.  Wheverever Miriam led, her people were assured of having water to drink.

I interpret this story and symbolism both metaphorically and energetically on many levels.  Miriam represents the feminine part of the soul and psyche, the more watery and receptive side of our nature.  One can also relate Miriam/Mariam/Mary to the feminine face of God. Elsewhere I have shared my pilgrimages down the energy ley lines that crosses the earth and specifically the Michael and Mary ley lines of England.  The Michael (masculine energy)line runs in almost a straight line and is dotted by churches and hill tops.  The Mary line, however, runs a much more winding and weaving manner across and next to the Michael lines and it runs from well to spring to lake.  The Mary ley line is dotted with sacred wells and springs.  These are of course mainly 'sweet waters' but one can say that the sea has 'bitter' water which we are unable to drink. Miriam's name is also translated as the the 'changing sea' or 'transforming sea'.  In the Mysteries of Mary guidebook I illustrate how powerfully Mary is associated with the waters and the sea. In the same manner that Miriam and her people were enslaved, is the feminine voice and face of God marginilized or completely removed from religion and spiritual teachings and practices.  Deep social, cultural and religious conditioning in valuing and honouring certain characteristics, traits and endeavours above others, results in creating a parched desert and wasteland in our psyche.  Our inner worlds are bereft of the expression and celebration of our inner feminine.  When we awaken to this realisation and we enable ourselves to break the shackles of conditioning and fear, and set the inner feminine aspects and even the soul free, do we become aware of the eternal Miriam's Well within that bubbles up with creativity, joy, pleasure, freedom, peace, dancing and the metaphorical playing of tambourines. 

Legend tells of Miriam's Well that appeared wherever Miriam traveled.  Similarly, the Divine Well within appears whenever we dance with the eternally changing and transformative Waters of Life

The waters pouring forth from the water jug or vessel

Miriam the Jewish prophetess' name is linked to the bitterness of slavery and she sings The Song of the Sea leading her people from Egypt to freedom.  Mariam/Mary in her song the Magnificat sings of her prophetic vision of the deliverance of humanity from spiritual slavery.

In her essay Eve and Miriam, Phyllis Trible puts the two hymns side by side, revealing the corresponding resonance between them

SS : I will sing to the Lord, most glorious deity

M :  My spirit rejoices in God my saviour

SS : Thy right hand, O Lord, glorious in power;

M : Thy right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy

SS : God has shown strength with the divine arm, has

M  : Scattered the proud in the imaginations of their hearts

SS :  Pharaoh's chariots and his hosts God hurled into the sea

M  :  God has put down the mighty from their thrones

Miriam the Prophetess
VIII of Vessels

In the Disney version of the story entitled The Prince of Egypt, the words are taken from Exodus :

A-shir-ra I'a-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously)
A-shir-ra I'a-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously)
Mi-cha-mo-cha ba-e-lim adonai
(Who is like You, oh Lord, among the celestials)
Mi-cha-mo-cha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh
(Who is like You, majestic in holiness)
Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your love, You lead the people You redeemed)
Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your love, You lead the people You redeemed)
A-shi-ra, a-shi-ra, A-shi-ra
A-shir-ra I'a-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously)
A-shir-ra I'a-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously)
Mi-cha-mo-cha ba-e-lim adonai
(Who is like You, oh Lord, among the celestials)
Mi-cha-mo-cha ne-dar-ba-ko-desh
(Who is like You, majestic in holiness)
Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your love, You lead the people You redeemed)
Na-chi-tah v'-chas-d'-cha am zu ga-al-ta
(In Your love, You lead the people You redeemed)

A-shi-ra, a-shi-ra, A-shi-ra

Here you can see the words 'ashira ashira' translated to mean 'I will sing', but it is also a different spelling of the name of the Hebrew Goddess Asherah.  More on this theme in another post to follow on the VII of Holyrood, Asherah.

extracted from the guidebook of Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

blessings

Hettienne