Art Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes 2018

Art Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

Art Novena for Our Lady of Lourdes - an annual tradition on Cloister of the Heart starts

again on

3 February (the day after Candlemas or Imbolc and St Bridgid's feast day) and 

culminating on the feast day of Our Lady

of Lourdes, the Immaculate Conception on 11 February.

Seven years ago I started the tradition

of the Art Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes on my blogs.

This was part of my very first post :

A few months ago I visited the grotto of the Lady of Lourdes. An unforgettable

experience which has touched me deeply - beyond religion, beyond concepts, 

beyond labels. 

Nine Days for the Lady of Lourdes 

a novena 

('novem' the Latin word meaning 'nine') 

nine days of illuminating art, 

poetry, 

and sharing 

Starting on Friday 3 February 

till 11 February 

the feast day of the Lady of Lourdes. 

When one participates in a ritual (probably any ritual, but when you regard it as sacred, you add a certain 'light' to it) you are transported into a different time and space : colors are different; the light is different; everything has meaning and the ordinary become extra-ordinary. My art novena for Lourdes in particular, highlights my statement that our lives are the altar to the Divine and I strive to capture that numinosity of the sacred ritual in my photographs and altars. I only started creating sacred altars on my return from Lourdes. These small shadowboxes are vignettes, a moment in time in the life of ordinary human beings, lifted out of the mundane into the numinous, merely by seeing life as sacred.

You can read the previous seven years' novena blog posts here :

Art Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes on Cloister of the Heart

This year I am creating Our Lady of Lourdes Amulet Blessing Sets

based on the Benedicaria way.

The Amulets of Mary Blessing set is a two-fold oracle, blessing 

and healing set incorporating various ancient traditions including the Benedicaria, 

the sacred path of the pilgrim and priestesshood in the Temple of Mary

and the sanctification of the ordinary through the blessing way.

I am creating only a few Our Lady of Lourdes Amulet sets for use

in the annual novena and for every day!!. All amulet sets

that I create complement the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.

Benedicaria, the Blessing Way, is an ancient Catholic and domestic folk tradition practised by the Italians in Southern Italy. This tradition is fast fading from modern society, but many of its practises are still part of syncretic worship and devotion.

One who practices the Benedicaria, is known as a Benedetta, or a Wise Woman and a Benedetto, a Wise Man . Benedicaria is a private form of practising your religion and it blends with many domestic practises, such as the blessing of animals and herbs, infusing oils and elixers, creating an altar, using flowers and holy cards for blessings and wisdom.

Benedicaria is predominantly a woman’s practise. 

A Benedetta has much in common with the goddess archetypes of 

Demeter, Hestea, Bridgit and even Athena.

She is the homemaker, mother, herbalist, gardener, chef and healer. 

This role is not regarded as of any importance 

in modern society, but for one who is spiritually aware and 

who undertakes these tasks with great intent, 

she understands the spiritual force that is being wielded. 

The preparing of food is not only a physical act, but a spiritual one. 

If this is done in love it will bless the family; 

if done in anger and ignorance, it will curse the family. 

The physical life and its objects are manifestations and representations of the life and existence of the spirit. Taking care of our physical life is a sacred task and when performed with intent and awareness we realise that the ordinary is indeed sacred.

The Lady of Lourdes amulet sets will contain

items that I collected during my annual visits to Lourdes,

hand cast resin holy medals (including

a cast of the Holy Chemise of Our Lady charm)

charms, holy cards, a miniature Lady of Lourdes resin

statue, a tiny vial of the healing waters of the Lourdes

spring, as well a set of 46 charms applicable to the story of Lourdes

and the Mysteries of Mary

(some of these charms will be the same as in the Amulets

of Mary set but some are completely unique)

and a Our Lady of Lourdes casting sheet with different

sections to the Mary and Goddess sets.

(All sprinkled with waters from the Lourdes spring and touched

to the relic of the Chemise of Our Lady.

The Lady of Lourdes amulet sets will be available in

my shop The French Madonna @etsy.com in the next fortnight.

Be sure to visit my blog Cloister of the Heart

on 3 February and follow the art novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

blessings

Hettienne