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| Smaller statue at sacred spring Rosa Mistica, Fontanelle, Montechiari, Italy |
I recently visited Italy and on my list of places that I really wanted to visit
was the Rosa Mistica in Montechiari.
For me these sacred places of manifestation of the Divine Feminine
has such power and meaning and it is a reminder that Heaven and
Earth are not two separate places but that humanity has such inner
power which seldom manifests.
The Rosa Mistica is regarded as a cult by the Church which
has appropriated all the manifestations of Mary, the
embodiment of the Divine Feminine for our age and culture
As such it is not well advertised and very little information is
available other than their many attempts to become recognized
by the Roman Catholic Church. It took us two days to find the shrine.
We stayed the night in the nearby Brescia - luckily! as our first
attempts were unsuccessful. We had a GPS and a map and
directions but still could not find the place. It was like
an elusive castle in a fairy tale!
The second day we had a 'plan' and we found it and we
were not disappointed. It is in the middle of quiet fields
next to the river and there were hardly anyone else visiting.
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| The running water from the spring |
The spring is open here, as opposed to the closed up spring
at Lourdes and I could drink directly from the water and
wash my hands and face. There is also an open foot bath
and I could immerse my feet and legs in the freezing water.
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| The main statue in the chapel |
The statue that gets taken out in the procession is locked up in a tiny
building and she is only visible through the glass doors. Once a day
a healing procession and rosary takes place when she is taken out.
The walls are covered with plaques of those who received healings
at this shrine. Outside are beautiful gardens and prayer spots. It was
a beautiful crisp and clear day when we visited and we spent
about an hour sitting in the garden. I then went back to collect water
and then only noticed the large statues of saints. I stopped in front of
Padre Pio with whom I have had a close relationship all my life.
You can read more about this under the heading of Sacred Journeys.
I lit a candle and had water from the sacred spring in my hand and
an intense fragrance of fresh roses spilled over me. It took my breath away
it was so intense and despite having had this experience many times
I still looked around to see if anyone had arrived with bunches and bunches
of red roses!!! but of course there was no-one else!
Only the presence of Padre Pio and he always makes himself
known with the fragrance of roses.
I have smelled the fragrance of roses at other sacred sites such
as the shrine of Padre Pio in San Giovanni, the convent and gardens
of St Terese in Lisieux and at Lourdes.
Our divine mother embraces us with such compassion
and deep love and as mother to our own inner child
our healing lies in having acceptance, compassion and deep love
for our own inner wounded one and those of people that crosses
our path on our journey.
Her Presence is palpable and Real and these manifestations
show us how thin the veil is and that our heart and mind
has the power to cross it and to bask in the love of yourself.
with the fragrance of roses still lingering in my mind
blessings
Hettienne
