Day Eight of Twelve Days with Mary

Pictures taken today in the Mary shrine in the garden of my studio

Today is 8 December and the

Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

I found this very interesting conversation on the Internet

by Eric Bugyis published in the Commonweal Magaize online

I share a small extract, but here is the link

https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/philosophical-reflections-immaculate-conception

Philosophical Reflections on the Immaculate Conception

This past week, I had lunch with one of my Philosophy professors, Karsten Harries, who does not self-identify as a Christian, but given his specialization in nineteenth and twentieth century German thought, is quite familiar with the tradition. Our conversation veered onto the topic of the Immaculate Conception, and he suggested that this Marian doctrine represented a curious celebration of the divinity of nature, more generally, and an elevation of the feminine, in particular, that challenged the patriarchal theology of the Church. By insisting on Mary's sinless state, he suggested, the Church recognized a Trinitarian divinization of Mary as the Mother, Daughter, and Bride of the Godhead, thereby placing Mary, a human, above one of the divine persons and on an equal footing with the other two. Indeed, he pointed out, there were icons of the Virgin that portrayed her as housing all three members of the Trinity in her womb in churches throughout Bavaria, an area whose church architecture Harries has written on extensively. (This is an image that is also repeated in the writings of female mystics like Frauenlob). 

The theological dissonance between the doctrine we affirm this December 8 and the ecclesial practice currently barring women who may be called, like Mary, to (re)conceive and give new birth to the Word of God made flesh among us should be both felt and mourned as we remember and give thanks for that first woman who said, "Yes."

Here is the link for the

Twelve Days of Mary Pilgrimage

hosted by Rebecca

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/

Shine the Divine Gratitude Quilt by Laura

Please visit Laura's blog

Shine the Divine : Creativity is a spiritual practice

for the most amazing

Gratitude Quilt

http://www.shinethedivinecreativityisaspiritualpractice.com/2013/11/2013-gratitude-quilt.html

Two hundred and ten contributions from across the planet!

You may want to make a cup of tea before you sit down

and don't leave the tissues behind!

Reading this quilt humbled me yet again

witnessing such open hearts and

such a powerful reminder that we were

all created in the same Image.

Thank you Laura!

Mornings with Mary - Mary of Avalon

In the arms of
Mary, Our Lady of Avalon,

mystical isle of sacred apples.

A few years back I followed the Michael and Mary leylines

through the countryside of England.

My journey started with a pilgrimage to Monte Sant'Angelo in Italy to the grotto

of Archangel Michael which led me to Glastonbury, also known as the Isle of Avalon in myth and lore.

Mystery works in many strange ways.

I read the book The Sun and the Serpent by Paul Broadhurst and Hamish Miller and was so inspired

that I decided to do the Michael and Mary pilgrimage. They dowsed the energy lines across

the entire England, discovering the 'solar' Archangel Michael line

which interweaves with the 'lunar' Mary line.  The Mary line flows

through all the sacred wells and through many many churches

including the great St Mary's Churches and Cathedrals.  It was obvious

that the ancients understood the flow of energy and built their

sacred wells and altars on this ley line.

Here is a map of the St Michael alignment

On each of these major crossing points stand a church today and these were all

ancient places of worship before that.

The pilgrimage starts at St Michaels Mount, at the seaside

This picture of the beautiful statue of Mary I took in the church at Penzance - needless

to say the Mary line runs right through this church.

The Michael and Mary leylines run from St Michaels Mount, through

Cornwell, Avebury, Glastonbury and the east coast.

This is the famous St Michaels tower on the Tor in Glastonbury.  The leylines circumambulate

this entire man made mount.  This was built even before the time of the Abbey.

A side view of the ruins of the old Glastonbury Abbey with an apple tree in blossom.

 Blossoming apple trees in the Glastonbury Abbey orchard.

And this is my pendant that I created for Mary of Avalon.

With a glistening red apple for the sacred orchards of Avalon,

a pomegranate as symbol of the eternal feminine,

a sword for the Archangel Michael and a chalice to drink deeply

from the sacred wells of Our Lady.

I am joining in with Rebecca at http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/2013/11/mornings-with-mary-.html

for mornings with Mary

Please visit and pay it forward

blessings,

Hettienne

The Call to our True Selves - Poetry Party - Abbey of the Arts

Image Credit: © Brent Bill#

Courtesy of Abbey of the Arts

Used with Permission

A ladder of light
stretching mind and body
into infinity

A spine becomes fluid
inspiration
sending branches
of love into
ancient limbs

My fingers move in the breeze,
touching the
loving gaze of God

I am participating in the Poetry Party

at www.abbeyoftheheart.com

Click on the link in the side bar and participate!
or click here
http://abbeyofthearts.com/blog/2013/11/17/invitation-to-poetry-the-call-to-our-true-selves/

#Brent Bill is a Quaker minister, photographer, and author. His blog isHoly Ordinary: Musings and Photography from a Quaker Perspective. He lives in rural Indiana.

Miracle Thinking

Miracles - Soulcollage card by Hettienne

A miracle is when the cross of suffering

blooms with roses of forgiveness, healing, courage and wisdom.

As lovers of the mystical and divine mythos and living event

of Divine Love we are daily reminded
of Miracles -
and its ability to triumph over

the darkness of life -

we celebrate an immaculate conception,
a resurrection, an assumption into Heaven
and so much more.

But maybe we feel too far removed from these
cosmic events to realise that they reflect such
wisdom for our own daily living.

And we are taught that we need to be special
to have a miracle in our lives! Yet, there are many
who can testify to miracles!.
But still we do not believe that these miracles

are our right - they belong to saints, or holy ones,

or sages or the enlightened ones, or such.

Faith and the belief in miracles,

is a way of thinking :

A way of thinking that allows for miracles to happen.

Inner peace is one such miracle.

Have you ever observed your mind, and its endless

monologue, or dialogue with itself?

How it never admits that it is wrong?

How it switches sides in order to avoid being wrong?

Or how it supports your decision in one moment

only to oppose it in the next?

If you observe your mind closely, and you move

into the 'witness', the one who is listening,

you will notice that the mind moves from side to side,

looking for a place to rest.

If you stay in the witness and you observe your

mind and your body, you will notice how

these thoughts are not without effect -

you will notice how your breath becomes shorter,

or how you even stop breathing because

of a thought;  how your stomach tightens

and your heart beats faster!

All because of some random thoughts

which are not you.

If you are the one listening, how could you be the

one talking??

So why not create a place of rest for the restless mind?

A pool of peace and tranquility;

a garden within which miracles are possible.

But in order to do that, you have to change your mind

and you have to abandon your mind;

you have to let go of the misplaced loyalty that you

have to your thoughts, believing that they are your

thoughts.  

Have you noticed how fickle the mind is at times

and how stuck it is at other times?

So why even bother with following its train??

When you hook your coach to that engine

you will end up in distress and confusion

and soon the old familiar feelings of hurt, betrayal,

sadness and loss will follow.

Once you have become aware of your mind

and its ability to draw a veil of fear

over the reality, one nail in your cross

will bloom into a rose of courage!

When you forgive yourself ,

another rose will sprout.

The rose of healing appears,

seemingly out of nowhere this miracle takes place

and we are amazed!

The rose of Wisdom is handed to us by Grace

as we realise that the uprooting of the mind

is the key

Om Shanty, Shalom, Peace

A Hallowed Eve

Divine Healer - Soulcollage card by Hettienne

All Hallow's Eve

All Saints Day Eve

Halloween

Samhain

Dia de los Muertos

Many celebrations over the period of

31 October and 1 November every year.

When you Google these holy, hallowed, days, 

you find many discussions about

how they are related or not.

Either way, you cannot miss the fact

that in the Northern Hemisphere,

people are preparing for the end of Autumn

and the start of Winter;

a transition time honouring departed souls

and the lives of those who have gone before us,
be they saints, sages or ancestors.

Here, in the Southern Hemisphere,

we are into spring and on the wheel of the year

it is Beltane, halfway between the Spring Equinox

and the Summer Solstice.

Outside it is a lovely, chilly rainy day. 

My hawthorn is not flowering yet, so spring

has not officially arrived.

Any time of transitioning is fraught with thoughts of the unknown.

This is my offering to us as we transition from the one realm

to the other :  the Spirit of the Divine Healer within.

She transforms all fearful thoughts into beautiful

roses of love.

Om Shanty, Shalom, Peace, Hettienne

Blooming of the Heart

Blooming of the Heart

Soulcollage image by Hettienne - read in sidebar about 

Soulcollage images 

"The purpose of life is not to do as the majority do,

but to live according to the inner law 

which you understand in yourself"

For the Unknown Self

Picture taken in my garden at my home (Sancta Maria)

For the Unknown Self

So much of what delights and troubles you

Happens on a surface

You take for ground.

Your mind thinks your life alone,

Your eyes consider air your nearest neighbor,

Yet it seems that a little below your heart

There houses in you an unknown self

Who prefers the patterns of the dark

And is not persuaded by the eye's affection

Or caught by the flash of thought.

It is a self that enjoys contemplative patience

With all your unfolding expression,

Is never drawn to break into light

Though you entangle yourself in unworthiness

And misjudge what you do and who you are.

It presides within like an evening freedom

That will often see you enchanted by twilight

Without ever recognizing the falling night,

It resembles the under-earth of your visible life:

All you do and say and think is fostered

Deep in its opaque and prevenient clay.

It dwells in a strange, yet rhythmic ease

That is not ruffled by disappointment;

It presides in a deeper current of time

Free from the force of cause and sequence

That otherwise shapes your life.

Were it to break forth into day,

Its dark light might quench your mind,

For it knows how your primeval heart

Sisters every cell of your life

To all your known mind would avoid,

Thus it knows to dwell in you gently,

Offering you only discrete glimpses

Of how you construct your life.

At times, it will lead you strangely,

Magnetized by some resonance

That ambushes your vigilance.

It works most resolutely at night

As the poet who draws your dreams,

Creating for you many secret doors,

Decorated with pictures of your hunger;

It has the dignity of the angelic

That knows you to your roots,

Always awaiting your deeper befriending

To take you beyond the threshold of want,

Where all your diverse strainings

Can come to wholesome ease.

-John O'Donohue (1956-2008)

Copyright of pictures

  Great was my surprise when I found this image of mine

on an Etsy shop for sale!!!

You can purchase my photograph in various sizes,

in a frame, without a frame

and as stationery!

The only problem is that the shop is not my shop,

but Bernadette's Cupboard

and I did not give permission for my photograph to be used

and definitely not sold.

When I contacted the shop owner she challenged me

as to how did I copyright the picture and how can I

prove that I am the photographer, despite the fact

that I pointed her to this blog post where I shared

the sacred process of creating this devotion

http://www.path-of-divine-love.com/2012/02/holy-day-of-our-lady-of-lourdes.html

For those who are uncertain about copyright, I found the following on

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/copyright-fair-use-and-how-it-works-for-online-images/

Copyright attaches at the time of creation and there is no requirement to use the “circle c”. Image source: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Copyright is a federal law of the United States that protects original works of authorship. A work of authorship includes literary, written, dramatic, artistic, musical and certain other types of works.

Copyright attaches as soon as the original work is created, and applies to both published and unpublished works. As soon as you type words, click the shutter on your camera (or, for many of you, hit the home button on your iPhone), apply paint to canvas or paper or lay down tracks for your next hit, you’ve got a copyright (with some exceptions).

Copyright is an automatic right and does not require the author to file special paperwork, as is the case for trademark and patent. Registration is required to enforce the rights, but as a matter of right, an author is not required to register anything to get the right to use the “circle c,” showing the work is copyrighted.

One of the many terrific things about copyright is that it comes with a host of exclusive rights that allow the owner to do or authorize a number of things and exercise substantial control over his or her work. The copyright owner has the right to do four things (called exclusive rights):

1.            Reproduce the copyrighted work;

2.            Display the copyrighted work publicly;

3.            Prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work; and

4.            Distribute copies of the copyrighted work to the public by sale, rental or lending, and/or to display                the image.

I am more upset about my picture being named May Day!! and somewhere

else Mary in the Garden, than the fact

that someone else is making money from it.

Mondays with Mary Love perseveres

I  am writing to you from the Kruger National Park.  One of the biggest natural conservation areas in Africa with an abundance of wild life, including the Big Five and amazing bird life!

I am blogging from my phone with very little internet coverage, so it is quite an undertaking!!

It is spring here in the Lowveld of South Africa and we had some summer rains, but the weather is clearing up with lovely sunny skies.

The one message I noticed everywhere in nature  today is that growth cannot be thwarted when it is filled with the sap of joy and sheer abundance and surrender to life : no getting stuck in worrying over the little details!!

Follow your heart and do not lose your passion when you hit a big rock - look at these trees - they all grow at a picnic spot we stopped at today for a hot cup of camping coffee!!

Sometimes we are faced with disapproval of others or ignorance of our heart's desire and how we view the world and this may make us feel tempted to give up on chasing the rainbow - but Mary's message is no rock is too hard for the Love tree!

i added a wildlife picture or two for you!

p.s. I could not figure out how to get the pictures in the right sequence

I am sharing with Rebecca at Mornings with Mary

I feel it now .....

I feel it now :

there's a power in me 

to grasp and give shape to the world.

I know nothing has ever been real

without my beholding it.

All becoming has needed me

My looking ripens things

and they come toward me, to meet me and be met

Rainer Maria Rilke - words to live by!

Monday mornings with Mary - Seat of Wisdom

Seat of Wisdom *

For wisdom is 

better than jewels,

and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
                                          - The Book of Wisdom

Wearable shrines in the making


*from the Litany of Loreto

My Monday morning with Mary
- this week Rebecca has taken to the open road,
so I am holding vigil for our weekly space
with my sharing which I have come to love!!!

If you would like to see more of my wearable shrines,
rosaries and other creations,
please visit http://hergracedevata.blogspot.com

Have a wonderful week with Mary

blessings

Hettienne

Monday mornings with Mary - a world in my house

memories that I carry with me forever ...

the smell of wet rock,

the sound of the rushing waters,

the drops falling from above

the gentleness of the colour that is Lourdes

and then,

the busyness of Paris,

climbing the many steps up the Sacre Couer de Montmartre

the soothing coolness inside

and then as I turn the corner, my heart feels as though
someone opened a stable door,
in front of me the spectacular

gold statue of Mary in

an aura that defies explanation, religion or faith

On the left is the Madonne from the Basilica at Montmartre and on the right
is the Vierge de Paris or Notre Dame de Paris

Remembering the massive Notre Dame Cathedral

with its thronging masses, people walking as though they

are in a shopping mall and my desperation

to have some time alone in a quiet space

to hear her whispers that called me to visit once again

another trip another time

travelling to the top of the hill which is Marseilles

miles away you can see the magnificent statue

of Notre Dame de Marseilles on the spire

of La Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde

a house of memories

keeping me company

where I work and play

and remember

Another Monday morning with Mary

with Rebecca and friends

Please join in and visit

http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/2013/09/mornings-with-mary-our-lady-of-the-milagros.html

blessings

Monday mornings with Mary - offering of beauty

Flowers on the altar,

an offering of gratitude and joy,

in our modern day Temple of Mary,

sanctuary for seekers of the  Holy Grail

on the Path of Divine Love

I have missed a few Monday mornings with Mary

as I was preparing for the regular retreat weekend

of The Temple of Mary of which I am the Founder

and Guardian.  These photographs were taken of the main

altar to the Blessed Mother and Son.

And here are some photographs of the beautiful

surroundings in which the Temple community gathers and meet

at Tulbagh, a rural village in the Western Cape.

As you can see it is cold here.

Have a blessed week

blessings

Monday mornings with Mary - Reflection

When the world reflects Love at us

it is easier and natural for us to know ourselves as love

and as being loving hearts

but mostly we have to remind ourselves and others

that

Love 

is 

a

verb;

an act of revealing the self and the most intimate heart

Thank you to you for reminding me that our hearts are capable of infinite love.

A love-ly Monday with Mary to you

(pictures taken in my studio)

You can link up with Rebecca at http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/2013/08/mornings-with-mary-loving-lupita.html

for more sharings from the heart every Monday

blessings