The Swan Blessing - part 1

Full moon at Notre Dame - Swan Blessing Pilgrimage September 2014

I woke up from my afternoon nap, blinded by a great

golden spotlight turned on in my room.

At first all I could see was thick golden light,

like a golden carpet and then I saw her,

standing in this light.

I immediately recognized her as

Joan of Arc or Jeanne d'Arc
 as she is called

in France.

I bought a tiny Jeanne d'Arc statue,

on the last day of my recent trip, at the
 incredible town Chartres.

We had a train to catch and there was no time to ask myself
why I am buying a statue of 

Jeanne d'Arc when there are so many others,
seemingly more fitting to Chartres, on the shelves.

I gazed at this compelling apparition
and presence
or does one call it a Vision?
Nothing small about her.
In fact very little about her presence
is captured in the tiny statue other
than the banner that she carries.

I gazed at her as long as I could
absorbing the message that I
could hear with my heart.

Never waiver from your Vision.
Stay committed to your heart's desire
and passion and continue
to walk towards the Sun.
Let no obstacle nor challenge
prove too big to overcome.
Use your power of prophecy!

She showed me an intense and clear
path of light, as thick as a carpet of gold!

Let me start at the beginning.

Before I set off for my pilgrimage earlier this month
(September 2014)
 to Paris, Lourdes, Lisieux, Chartres, Rome and Assisi,

I received very clear guidance that the Swan and her

energy will play an important role in this pilgrimage.

My very first pilgrimage I set out on was to Italy in  September 2000
to attend the Archangel Michael festival in Mont' San Angelo.

On that trip I bought my very first Mary statue and my very first

rosary.  I visited the ancient city of Rome and was

fascinated by the Temple of the Vestal Virgins, especially when

I discovered the story of one of the priestesses, named Claudia.

My own daughter was born two years previously and I had

named her Claudia, not for any particular reason.

I never managed to get to the Temple of the Vesta as they were

busy with archeological work and I had to be satisfied with looking

at images in books.  But this led me to her counterpart Hestea and

to her Irish counterpart Bridget and my subsequent pilgrimages

to Glastonbuy and St Bridget in Kildare.

(You can read about these pilgrimages elsewhere on this blog)

St Michael Tower with engraving of Bridget on the Tor, Glastonbury

St Bridgit shrine in Kildare

Myself at St Bridgit shrine in Kildare

One of my first paintings of Bridgid and her Swan

A shadowbox I made a while ago - see the beautiful white swan,
the two swans in the right hand side and the wings on
the little Victorian skater girl - also the bird in a cage!!

The first few nights we stayed in Paris, right on the doorstep
of the magnificent Notre Dame.  At night we went to sleep with the
pealing of the bells of the Notre Dame de Paris, Our Lady of Paris.

The very first morning that we stepped out of our apartment,
we saw the incredible sight of three white swans on the Seine
and I was reminded of the guidance of the blessing
of the presence of Swan.

part two to follow .......................


blessings

Hettienne