The Bee Goddess is the Cure

Virgo Maria Potens
III The Empress
Sacred Mysteries of Mary Tarot deck

Working on the Black Madonna tarot deck I have once again uncovered

many golden threads.  One of them being the Presence of the Bee Goddess and

her Bee Priestesses.  In the Mysteries of Mary deck there are many

references to the Sacred Bee.

Mary as The Empress Virgo Maria Potens

in the Sacred Mysteries of Mary Tarot deck is 

connected to the Sacred Bee

Here Mary is the strong,  powerful and positive Feminine, 

Empress and Mother of the World.

She is pregnant with Life and the absolute abundance of creativity

and beauty and she is the womb of potential 

for ever-returning life;  the possibility of birthing 

sustaining and fertile life both within the psyche,

the spiritual and the physical.

The Empress
The Mysteries of Mary tarot deck  www.hergracesacredart.com

Mary as the Empress embodies the powerful feminine force which is within

both the masculine and the feminine.  This strength is not limited to the masculine

action of this world. The receptivity of the feminine does not make

her only submissive and dependent and the activity

of the masculine does not make it only divisive and cutting.

The strong positive feminine power within the Soul and

within the person, is often regarded as wild and chaotic

and it is also mostly deeply feared and our culture

believes that she should be controlled and harnessed

for our own use and benefit.

In a simplistic fashion, mother nature is seen

as the pure expression of the powerful feminine.

But mother nature, and our instinctual nature, is only a

part of the feminine power.  The soul is, and in earlier times,

the Holy Spirit was as well, most often depicted as a woman

and if the soul is only seen as a wild force of nature which

should be dominated and controlled, where does that leave us

as human beings?  And where does that put women

in this world of organisation and structure?  And

what happens to traditionally womanly values

and enterprises and to whom is the mothering of

the world relegated?   We end up with a world in

which the ideal and image of a
 positive nurturing mother and the powerful empress 

is completely absent.

She is surrounded by the symbols of the Mother of Nature
and the Mother as Earth as known to mankind

through the ages and throughout many cultures.
  She is standing in the stream of living waters, 

as they are eternally birthing through her.

She has the bee, the Queen bee, the sheafs of wheat, bunches

of grapes and is standing on a mountain covered in roses.

She is the Queen Bee surrounded by bees.
In the ancient world those who worshipped Demeter and Artemis 

were referred to as 'bees' or 'melissas'.

The bee was also a symbol of Potnia, also referred to as the

pure Mother Bee in the Minoan mysteries.

The priestess at the sacred site of Delphi was known as

the 'honey bee' and honey has many sacred and profound metaphysical

and physical properties and metaphoric meaning.

In Samuel 1 "Jonathan... put forth the end of the rod 

that was in his hand, and dipped it in a honey comb, 

and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened."

The Empress
The Mysteries of Mary tarot deck http://www.hergracesacredart.com

Mary as The Empress embodies the great positive

Mother of the World.  Through her courageous

acts of meekness and mercy she manifests

the positive feminine force in this world.

She is the icon and symbol of our own

positive feminine strength and courage

and of the great mothering power that we possess.

We are capable of great acts of kindness,

we are capable of staying present in life with an open

heart and being present to our own vulnerability

and allowing the infinite waters of compassion

to flow through us to all of creation and to all living creatures,

including ourselves.

blessings
Hettienne

Joy

To be human is to be born into a dance in which every animate or inanimate, visible or invisible being is also dancing. Every step of this dance is printed in light; its energy is adoration, its rhythm is praise. Pain, desolution, and destruction in this full and unified sacred vision are not separate from the dance, but are instead essential energies of its transformative unfolding. Death itself cannot shatter the dance, because death is the lifespring of its fertility, the mother of all its changing splendor. If we could bring ourselves to open to this vision, we would undergo a revolution of the heart.⠀

~ from THE RETURN OF THE MOTHER by Andrew Harvey

blessings

Hettienne

The Month of Ma(r)y

Shrines of Blessed Mary in my garden
photograph by Hettienne Grobler

Since the ancient times the month of May always
had a special significance for the divine feminine

and goddess.  
In the North it is spring, so the Romans and Greeks
 dedicated this month to Flora and she had her own

feast called the Floralia.

The month of May was also holy to Artemis 

and in Rome the great Titaness Rhea was venerated as the 

Queen of Heaven and the Spring Goddess.  She later became

known as the goddess Cybele and these ritual spring festivities

celebrated the union of the god Attis and Cybele after the long

winter months.

In the Southern Hemisphere it is Autumn and we
prepare for the transition of the winter months to
deeper travels into the inner worlds so we do not have the 

same fertility rituals and celebrations in the month of May.

Crowning ritual of Blessed Mary at the Temple of Mary shrine
in my garden by Hettienne Grobler

With every season there used to be a transition of goddess.

May Day, or the first day of May was seen as the official day of spring

in the Northern Hemisphere and this spring transition of the reigning

goddess forms the background 

 to the tradition of the May Queen. On May Day the May Queen and the Queen of Winter,  would participate in a ritual contest

 After the May Queen won, she would be crowned.

 In this crowning ritual the May Queen would be married to the May King in a ceremony 

of the annual marriage or union between the God and Goddess.

On Flora's holy day the celebration included the picking of flowers and

making them into garlands and crowns and handing the flowers out throughout

the village.  It also included a special procession with a statue of the spring goddess

covered in flowers.

And so it has become that May is the month of the Madonna

and the crowning of Mary on May Day

Showers of blessings

descend upon

the heart in the lovely month -

blessings that

blossom in Roses,

 the beloved flower of the Madonna

and a reflection

 of the Mystic Rose which

blooms eternally in her heart

In this month I take the time to create

an altar and weave a crown of flowers for my  Mary statues and altars. 

I  place water, oil and food on

your altar to be blessed by her presence.

 

Mary blessings to you

Hettienne

Introduction to Mysteries of Mary tarot deck

A card deck of 78 large size cards printed on 350 gsm card stock with an accompanying A5 book with glossy papercover and 160 pages of info on each card and its themes and background.  Packaged in a hand crafted tarot pouch, accompanied by a signed card from the deck and a rosary.  

The Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck is a unique deck of cards and guide book published in Cape Town, South Africa.  The Mysteries of Mary Tarot is a mystical vision of the sacred mysteries of the Soul and its unsung feminine path. The Mysteries tells of a sacred marriage of the Bride and the Beloved : a new mythos of the Story of the Child Within and the Gospel of Love. A mystical vision of the religion of the Soul as reflected in the archetypal images of the story of Divine Mary in the Mariamic tradition.

Back of the Mysteries of Mary deck

Today we know the Blessed Mary as the Mother of Jesus who plays a small part in the story of Protestant Christianity and who plays an important part in the Roman Catholic tradition.  She is lesser known as a goddess in the feminine traditions and very few would connect her with the great Mother goddesses of the past or the Lady Sophia in the Wisdom traditions.

But to myself, and others like me, there is a connection, a red thread that connects the dots in the eye of the heart.  The ancient divine feminine had been demonised many moons ago and her stories had gone underground.  One has to rely on myth, folk tale, oral traditions, fairy tales and subtle clues and especially correspondences, to uncover Her story.  And today Mary is the Sacred Keeper of all Our Lady’s titles and Wisdom.

The Mysteries of Mary is a reweaving and a regathering of all these threads of Our Lady’s garment created from red wool and linen.  We look in the Bible, in the Koran, the Kabbalah and many other ancient and rediscovered lost books.  There are also esoteric and apocryphal books that tell the stories of Mary, the feminine counterpart of the Divine Creator in the Western religion and myth and many of these stories have been included to create The Mysteries of Mary deck.

In this deck the story starts with Mara, the bitter one.  Why is she called Mara?  We follow Mara, the holy fool through the stories of Maria Prophetissa, the Jewess and the first woman alchemist, to Sophia, Mary of the Gael onwards till we get to the Woman who stands on the moon with twelve stars around her head.

Woven into the tapestry of myth, metaphor and inspiration, are fairytales and in particular, the folktale of The Handless Maiden.  And so are the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, pagan and especially the Judaic history which is the precursor to the Christian mysteries.

The deck incorporates alchemical principles and as such it is a marriage of opposites, a living hieros gamos which follows the sacred journey of the Holy Fool through the mysteries of Mary. I focus on the mystical (hidden)  and inner meanings of the Mysteries of Mary. 

Historically and politically there are so many theories and ideas – none of them completely provable – thus it remains a Mystery. The teachings of Jesus and the Marys, are also open to various interpretations.  Many wars have been fought based on differences in interpretation.  I am not exploring the religion of the Mystery, but rather the message that I, personally see in this ancient story.

The four suits of the deck correspond with the four cycles of Mary's life :  Virgin and Priestess as the Suit of Vessels;  Beloved and Bride as the Suit of the Holyrood;  Mother and Sacred Woman as the Suit of Distaff and Wisdom as Suit of Roses.

It is my vision that this deck can be the start of a far greater vision : one that marries the mind and the heart; the feminine and the masculine.  It is my hope that you will glimpse the revelation that all religion contains Soul and that the veils of dogma and manipulation obscure the truth.  May you look in the mirror of Sophia and see yourself as Love Eternal. - extracted from the Introduction of the accompanying book.

The deck consists of 78 handcrafted shrines, each one made by  myself to 

represent one of the stories in the deck.  These were photographed and then professionally 

printed in a large card format on a good quality card stock.  

The style and colours used create a rich tapestry of imagery, symbol and colour.  

The accompanying guide book has a paperback cover.   

Each limited edition deck will be signed by myself and each deck 

will come in a unique pouch in the style of the deck

- 78 tarot cards printed on 350 gsm card stock with thick glossy varnish

- 160 page A5 paperback tarot book signed by myself

- Unique handprinted tarot pouch

- Extra signed tarot card

I ship registered airmail with a tracking number

Here is a link for reviews received from those who purchased

the deck :

 http://www.hergracesacredart.com/p/feedback-and-reviews-of-mysteries-of.html

Here is a link to the review by Arnell Ando on her website :

http://www.arnellart.com/mary-tarot.htm

The deck is available in my shop The French Madonna

www.etsy.com/shop/thefrenchmadonna

blessings

Hettienne

Anna, Keeper of the Hearth

Saint Anne Keeper of the Hearth - Ten of Vessels (cups) in the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck as an amulet rosary.

You can choose to wear it as a protective and blessing rosary or you can choose to put it on your altar.

The image is set under a glass bubble in a resin frame with crystal beads - all in violet hues.  It comes with the tarot card in the pouch as shown.

This image is of the tarot card Ten of Vessels(Cups) in the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck.  In this suit the story of Mary in the archetype of Virgin-Mother, Prophet and Priestess of the Mysteries is depicted.

X Vessels - Anna, Keeper of the Hearth

Anna sits with Mary on her lap in the same way that Mary sits with Jesus on her lap. Here we have the feminine version of the Mother and Holy Child: Holy Mother and Holy Daughter. They are surrounded by the pots, pans and utensils of the kitchen.  The kitchen is the hearth of the home and the oven specifically is an alchemical container.  The process of baking and cooking is an example of an alchemical process in ordinary domestic life. Turning wheat into flour, then into dough and ultimately baking it into bread, is symbolic and representative of the powerful processes of transformation in our lives.   Making bread in different shapes as a sacramental ritual and offering to the goddess is an ancient tradition which is still prevalent today.   An oven has also been a metaphor for a woman’s womb and bread making as a metaphor for gestating and giving birth to a new life.  For instance, the saying in popular vernacular: ‘she has another bun in the oven’.  In ancient houses the hearth or kitchen was the communal living area and the central and biggest room in the house and the oven used to be a separate structure outside.

In these old civilisations the process of harvesting from the land and then turning the grain into a complete food, was honoured and revered.  In our modern society much of the preparation of food has been industrialised and domestic activities, once sacred to the Goddess, are no longer valued.

This shrine and card indicates a happy time at the end of a long journey.  It speaks of idyllic happiness and moments to be treasured and honoured.  You are reminded to honour and value the feminine qualities of nurturing, empathy and creating supportive surroundings for yourself and others.  It also speaks of alchemical transformation and positive outcomes.  As a spiritual initiate and student of the mysteries, you will be basking in the blissful glow of fulfilment of being.

The Suit of Vessels in the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck

The Ace of Vessels

Mary in the archetype of Virgin-Mother, Prophet and Priestess of the Mysteries

In the suit of Vessels we encounter Mary as the element of water.  Mary is a derivative from the Latin Maria which means waters.  In French ‘mare’ is the word for water.  Water has the power to drown us or to quench our thirst. We know Mary as the loving nurturing mother and also as the Mater Dolorosa, the grieving mourning mother, dressed in black, mourning the loss of her son. In Lourdes you will see hundreds of pilgrims carrying large containers of water from the sacred spring home every day and many fill small bottles from the waters of the healing spring.  Mary is called a Vessel of Spirit, a Vessel of Honour and in Lourdes she is the Vessel of the Sacred Waters. In the Mysteries vessels refer to the human being and its divine soul being a vessel for the will and love of the divine.

She represents the oceans of consciousness as well as the energetic flow of the soul and her powerful emotions.   Vessels also relate to the metaphor of the Cosmic womb of the soul and the dark void of the Source of all creation. We see the element of water represented in mystery of Mary’s blue robes.  In Homer’s Odyssey, the sea is referred to as being ‘wine-dark’ (obviously a reddish colour) and not blue.  Research has been done which shows that the colour blue was only referred to and used in dyes by the early Egyptians.  Scientists have also argued that the human eye could not see blue in the spectrum of light up till that time.  In the glass windows of Chartres a certain blue is used for the Virgin’s blue cloak.  This colour is called ‘chartres blue’ and modern stained glass manufacturers have not been able to recreate this colour.

The various blues of the Suit of Vessels

In this suit we enter the alchemical process of the miraculous conception within ourselves and we prepare to birth the Sacred One in our own psyche.

     

In alchemy the vessel is the container in which the various ingredients are mixed and transformed by each other. It was believed that the alchemists were looking for a way to turn lead into gold, but it is also believed that it is actually a metaphorical journey of transforming darkness into light and one of finding joy and peace amidst sorrow and hardship as we live in a world of holy paradox.  Mary is the vessel for Divine Love incarnated as her Son in the physical world and within our souls.  She is also the spiritual vessel in which opposites combine.  As we are tested and challenged, like Bernadette, we have the choice to obey the instructions of the voice of the Lady that no-one else sees or to listen to the incredulous villagers and Cure.  As we follow the calling of our heart, we are led to dig where no-one else thought to look and we will uncover a spring that will feed and nourish thousands.

  .blessings

Hettienne

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

Holy pilgrimage to the Three Marys

Photograph by Ella Rozzett from her website Interfaith Mary
http://interfaithmary.net/blog/2017/11/4/marseille
Notre Dame de Confession

Dear friends and devotees of the Mother in her many forms and aspects

The pilgrimage to the Three Maries in France will not take place in 2019.  I cannot promise that it will take place the following year either.  I did not realise that taking a group on pilgrimage will be such a big undertaking.  I have always taken friends and family on pilgrimage previously and therefore it was a much more casual affair.

However, taking a group of strangers means a much more formal arrangement and contracts and I therefore decided to get a guide and a travel agent, but that made the costs sky rocket.

I have been waiting on inner guidance and finally received it very clearly : I am to focus on the research and creation of the Black Madonna deck.

So dear ones, that is what I will do.  I have already with the creation of the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck learnt that it is a huge undertaking that it demands diving deeply into the Otherworlds in order to return with the insight and understanding necessary to put the deck together; and then there is still the actual crafting of the deck.  I will share my journey with you.

I will leave the itinerary up here for those who would like to undertake this pilgrimage on their own.  

blessings to you

 A Holy pilgrimage to the Three Marys as explored

in the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.

23 May 2019 to 3 June 2019

The intent of the tour is that of a holy pilgrimage and initiation
into the Temple of Mary priestesshood and I will only take 6 people with me

The vision of this pilgrimage is to learn about and immerse ourselves in the
energies of Blessed Mary, Mary Magdalane and the Black Virgin of the South of France

Since I have envisioned taking a slightly bigger group than usual with me, this idea
has blossomed and grown and I have now teamed up with two local experts who
will take care of all the arrangements and travel and leave me free to
spend time with you in meditation, contemplation and sharing of energy, experience and
knowledge.

My own spiritual path have included at least one pilgrimage once a year for the past 20 years
and I have travelled to Thailand and the temples of Quan Yin, across Europe to the many
sacred Marian shrines, six annual visits to the Goddess Conference in Glastonbury and my priestess of Avalon soul friend Koko Newport and my spiritual path as Jothi Diksha giver and Shaktipat in India and Malaysia. I have blogged some of these pilgrimages
on my blog Cloister of the Heart at  :

:  http://pathofdivinelove.blogspot.co.za/p/sacred-journeys-pilgrimages-from-2000.html

Candles burning in the Lourdes sanctuary

Our Lady of Lourdes card in Mysteries of Mary tarot deck

  

23 May to 3 June 2019

Starting in Marseilles and ending in Lourdes, France

As a group we are accompanied by a local guide from Provence who is
also a Mary Magdalene devotee.  My own personal experience with pilgrimages
to Saintes Maries de la Mer and Sante Sara, the Mary Magdalene pilgrimage and my many
personal retreats at Lourdes PLUS our French guide's mastery of the French language,
her first hand knowledge and intimate experience
with the mysteries of the Mary Magdalene, the Cathars and the other saints and
myths of the region will open doors for us that we otherwise will not have
access to plus new sites that I have not visited either, so I am also excited.

All travelling will be done in the comfort of an 8 seater minibus.

We will meet in Marseilles on Thursday 23 May.
The city was founded by the Phoenicians 2600 years ago and it is the oldest city in France.
This is also the place where Mary Magdalene preached with her brother Lazarus after
they landed at Saintes Maries de la Mer.  We will drive along the panoramic Corniche to
the Basilica of Our Lady of Gard and we will visit the Saint Victor Abbey and the ancient crypts
and one of the highlights of visiting Notre Dame de Confession.

There are those who believe that this Black Madonna is indeed Mary Magdalene.

From the website www.interfaithmary.net :

According to an obscure French alchemists’ website, Our Lady the Green One is an old title of Our Lady of the Confession. Normally I wouldn’t pay this much heed, but she certainly has a close relationship to the color green and she has another old title, which has fallen out of use. Ean Begg mentions it as: Our Lady of the Fennel or Our Lady of New Fire. “Our Lady of the Fennel” is actually a misunderstanding of the old Provence dialect words ‘fue nou’ or ‘fuech noou’. They mean ‘new fire’, not ‘fennel’ or ‘fenouil’ in modern French. She was long called Our Lady of the New Fire, because on her feast day, Candlemas, the new fire for the candles was blessed, just like nowadays the new Easter fire for the Easter candle is blessed during the Easter vigil. People would then bring fresh wicks and oil lamps and take some of this “new fire” home. This old rite of blessing a fire connected with Mary (as well as one connected with Jesus) probably survived longer at St. Victor’s church than anywhere else.] It still echoes to this day in the green candles, which the faithful buy at the church on Candlemas to offer there and also take home. What about the title the Green One? The easy explanation for it would be that she wears a green mantle, not so easily made out normally, because the colors are faded. However on her feast day, Candlemas, on February 2nd, her wooden green mantel is overlaid with a green cloth over coat and green candles are burnt and blessed in her honor.

The bell tower of Notre Dame de la Gare

Marseilles, France

Sara la Kali and Saintes Maries de la Mer in the Mysteries

of Mary tarot deck

Late afternoon we will drive to the seaside town of Saintes Maries de la Mer where legend has it that the small boat without sail or oars, carrying the three Marys landed.  Here Sante Sara, the black madonna of the Rom Gypsies, miraculously covered the ocean with her cloak and the women could disembark.  We will drive through the landscape of the Camargue, its salted marshes with white sands, wild horses and coral flamingoes.  Annually hundreds of pilgrims arrive in the small town and for a week there are festivities, celebrations and wonderful religious processions carrying Sante Sara and the two Marys into the ocean.

We will spend three nights at Saintes Maries de la Mer to take in the wonderful vibrant

market, the wonderful food of this specific region, the daily opening of the town with the running of the white horses of the Camargue and to participate in the two main events of the pilgrimage :  the two processions on consecutive days of carrying the two Marys and Sante Sara into the ocean.  Similar to the Hindu traditions of Durga Ma, the water is blessed by the saint's immersion into the water and many pilgrims follow her into the waves.

We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant facing the Mediterranean sea and you will have enough personal free time to scavenge the markets and the choice of dinners.

Picture taken by myself of Mary Magdalene crypt in Basilica in

St Maximin la Ste Baume

One of the Mary Magdalene shrines in the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

The following three nights are spent in Saint Maximin le St Baume.  The town is situated around the magnificent Mary Magdalene Basilica and convent which is now a hotel in which we will stay, right next door to the Basilica.  The Basilica contains the skull relic of Mary Magdalene which is on display once a year on her feast day in June.  You will be able to visit the Basilica and Mary Magdalene crypt more than once and also to spend time there in prayer and meditation.

From here we will undertake a day visit to the grotto where Mary Magdalene spent the last thirty years of her life.  We will hike to the grotto where a daily mass is held. It is a bit of a steep walk up the side of the mountain, but it has carved steps and the walk is done as a ritual and a sacred pilgrimage, so no rushing!  We will drink water from the sacred spring in the Sanctuary of Mary Magdalene.
We will have lunch at the Monastery.

Another day visit will be to Our Lady of Graces and the three apparitions of Mary
and Joseph and the Holy Family at Cotignac.  We will enjoy lunch at the sanctuary.
In the afternoon we will visit the Abbey of Le Thoronet, established as a Cistercian
monastery by Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th century.
St Bernard had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary, and he would later write several works about the Queen of Heaven.

We will marvel at the beauty of the extraordinary architecture based on sacred
geometry and hear the stories of how the mystical devotion to the sacred feminine
emerged in the 12th and 13th centuries.

From here we will enter the landscape of the history of the Cathars and the many
stories of Mary Magdalene!  This region is known as Our Lady of the Blue Apples.

We will overnight for two nights in the region and will visit the many Black Madonnas,
some which are only known to the locals.

Our Lady of the Blue Apples shrine in the
Mysteries of Mary tarot deck

From there we travel to Lourdes where we will spend two days and nights
filled with visits to the Rosary Basilica, the sacred spring, the miraculous grotto
and participate in the Rosary procession dedicated to Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes.

The final day of the pilgrimage is 2 June 2019 and this night we will walk
the procession together as pilgrims and priestesses.

 From here you can fly to Paris or take a TGV or travel

back to Marseilles by transfer with our guide and driver, depending on your own travel arrangements.  Should you wish to stay longer in Lourdes, I can arrange for your room to be available for a few more days.

The final itinerary with all details, accommodation, meals included, etc
will be up on this website on 1 June 2108 when bookings will open.

Join us for 10 nights and 11 days in France

on a life-changing pilgrimage and retreat

seen through the lens of Mysteries of Mary tarot and ritual

The focus of this pilgrimage is the Cosmic Mother  in the three aspects of Mary, Mary Magdalene and the Black Madonna and an immersion in the mysteries of the Great Mother.
  Time will be spent immersing ourselves in the sacred energies as pilgrims on these ancient paths;  a daily meditation circle and tarot work, tarot journalling, ritual,  visiting the reliquaries, creating your own tarot card and collage, participating in the nightly light rosary procession at Lourdes, drinking of the sacred waters of the miracle spring at Lourdes, visiting the Basilica and enough personal time to soak it all up and to look after the sensual pleasures of life, such as market scavenging, eating local food and time to rest and integrate. 

The basilica in St Maximin la St Baume where the remains

of Mary Magdalene was found and the basilica was

erected on the site

Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

Picture taken in crypt of Church of Saintes Maries de les Mer 2012

You can read about my previous pilgrimage to the festival

and pilgrimage of the Romani Gypsies to

Sante Sara la Kali here

Ave Maria!

An  unforgettable experience.

Read more about my many pilgrimages to Lourdes

on my blog Cloister of the Heart.

Each morning will start with a sacred circle of focus and intent;  We will work with the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck in a deep and healing way - discussions will be personalised for you and for your own focus for the pilgrimage and spiritual journey.  Each pilgrim will receive a specially created tarot journal and images for the pilgrimage.  You will have time to journal and collage your entire pilgrimage and all work done with the tarot.  A workshop in which you will create your own personal tarot card compiled of insights and experiences during the pilgrimage.

Since planning these pilgrimages I have been creating the Amulets of Mary Blessing and healing sets based on the story of Lourdes, Santa Sara and Mary Magdalene.  I will include these into the daily sessions and I will share my insights and teachings on these ancient systems with you. 

A handcrafted Mysteries of Mary Tarot Rosary

for each pilgrim

www.hergracesacredart.com

Each pilgrim will receive :

*  a Mary Magdalene/Mary tarot rosary which can be worn to all sacred sites for blessing

*  a specially created pilgrim's tarot journal specifically for the Three Marys pilgrimage

*  sheets of images and small items for your own tarot collage and tarot journalling - we will scavenge the village brocantes for additional material and visit the shops at the sacred sites for holy medals, etc.

*  a bottle of salts to be blessed and used in ritual

*a link bracelet for attaching amulets and holy medals along your pilgrimage

I will provide final details, a full itinerary and costs in June and bookings will open in June 2018

Only 6 persons can be accommodated

Final dates, details and prices will follow in due course.

The full itinerary will be posted here

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I am on Instagram as @thefrenchmadonna

blessings

Hettienne