Day Nine of Art Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

Photograph taken by myself during procession at Lourdes

Visionary or apparitional culture is no static force, a cultural 'given' that people can join as members.
It is dynamic, responding to contemporary political, social and religious realities
and shaping those realities, and is also shaped
by the individuals who identify themselves as Marian devotees
and visionaries.
Visionary culture is a confluence of Catholic devotions, symbols,
and traditions of innovative responses to modern
contexts of negotiations among social, religious and interpersonal
forces of the interactions of apparitions believers
and apparition doubters and of the loving
and guiding influence of Our Lady, who for believers is imminently present.
Visionary culture is a worldview, a palette of practices, an understanding
of the cosmos, a palette on which individuals paint
the stories of their lives.
              Extract from Out Lady of Emmitsburg by Jill Krebs

Photographs taken by myself during procession at Lourdes

'I realized that all the powers of the Mothers, of Tara, Durga, Kali are in Mary.

She has Tara's sublime tenderness;

Durga's inaccessible silent calm force;

the grandeur and terribilta of Kali.

But Mary is also a woman,

a poor woman

and a human mother.

In her the full path of the sacred feminine is lived.

In her we have a complete image of the Divine Mother,

an image at once transcendent and immanent,

other-worldly and this-wordly,

at once mystical and political and practical.

In Mary the Divine Mother comes to earth and lives on earth

and lives, the passionate, strong, serious,

simple and transforming life that shows us all how to live.

 Mary is the bridge between heaven and earth,

between the human and the divine worlds,

between human and divine justice."

Andrew Harvey in The Return of the Mother

Mary statue in my garden in Durbanville South Africa

A blessed feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes to you

Day Six of Art Novena of Our Lady of Lourdes

Fire and Light

Fire and light are both powerful  symbols and alchemical agents
of transformation
and they play an important role in myth,
fairy tale and religious stories and rites.

I took this picture during a full moon on the Nativity of Mary
at the light procession at the sanctuary of Lourdes

In the story of Bernadette and the Soubirous family we
learn that Bernadette's father, a miller by craft and trade,
had fallen on hard times and the family had lost everything.
To earn money he undertook to dispose of waste materials from
the local hospital.  He took the bloodied and putrid bandages
in a small wooden wagon and set off
to the grotto of Massabielles where he built a big fire

'There arises an evil-smelling pyramid of
blood-soaked cotton, pus-stained bandages,
and filthy linen rags...quickly he tosses his box
of matches to set the heap on fire...The horrid
combustible pyramid flares up on the instant...
this strange sacrificial pyre, whose smoke, graciously
accepted by Heaven, rises in a straight line.
extract from The Song of Bernadette

a vestal virgin in Rome

A shrine of Bernadette Soubirous with the
candles of Lourdes

Fire is of great importance to us.  We use it to
cook our food and to keep warm in winter.
The hearth and its fire has always been a symbol
of the divine presence of the Deity who
provides and supplies us with what we need.
The candle is also seen as the flame of the Soul.
Those with mystical sight can see the flame that
is alit on the crown of the awakened ones.

The crown on top of the basilica of Our Lady of Lourdes

One can see the halo of a burning flame with the naked eye
and holy ones and awakened ones are often
drawn with similar halos.

Even though we understand how fire is created, it remains
a mystical ocurrence with miraculous abilities.
Similarly, as prana is ignited in the body (spontaneously
or through spiritual practice) and involuntary and
unexpected changes take place in both the mind, the body
and the heart, it is a wondrous mystical occurrence.
As inner sight develops and extra sensory perception
and a vast peace eventually settles in your being,
one feels drawn to make these events manifest in ritual
and practise.

Since ancient days a candle was kept alit in the temples and cities
as an offering to the heavens and as a sign of the unwavering spirit.
This is still the practise at Lourdes and also at Kildare where
the Brigidine nuns keep the flame lit.

The candles at the sanctuary of Lourdes are
kept burning 27 hours a day

Novena for Day Six

Radiant Mary, shine radiantly upon me.

Bright Lady who illuminates my inner darkness

Yours is the incorruptible fire;

As it is clean, it cleanses; as it is pure, it purifies.

Taken in my garden in the most eastern corner
at dawn

blessings

Hettienne

The Fairytale of Lourdes

Fairytales are a font of wisdom,;

a secret book of Wisdom and Divine Feminine tales.

In fairy tales the hero is always a woman

guided by the supernatural,

surrounded by magic and miracles

and a wondrous healing tale for all!

This year's Art Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

will explore the feminine wisdom and guidance

of fairytales and specifically the miraculous

story of Our Lady of Lourdes

and the similarities with other fairy tales!

You are invited :  bring your spinning wheel and broom

and join me from Saturday 3 February 2018
at Cloister of the Heart.

be blessed

Hettienne

IV Roses - Chapel of Miraculous Medal, Paris

The Miraculous Medal Chapel shrine, rosary and tarot card
www.hergracesacredart.com

The IV of Roses in the Mysteries of Mary Tarot deck is the captured image of my experience
in the Miraculous Medal chapel in Paris.  I have had the privilege to return twice to the chapel
and to attend a special mass for Mary's nativity!!

After my first visit I created a couple of shrines to represent the
incredible light and Presence which is in the Chapel, a place of
Mary's manifestation and visitation.  This shrine eventually became a card in
the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck.

Chapel of the Miraculous Medal, Paris, France
www.hergracesacredart.com

I have also made a few rosaries which can be bought with the tarot deck
or on their own.  These are powerful healing amulets and many have testified
to the healing power experienced when wearing them.

' 'I received our Lady of Lourdes, mystical healer stunning wearable shrine today. The moment Hettienne shipped it, I saw a white light with a white flame in its centre. Throughout the shrine's travel I would keep visions of it. I can firmly attest that this is more than a necklace, but carries divine consciousness which is transferred powerfully through the artist's love and devotion. The package arrived fully intact, filled with frankincense and myrrh and tiny shells and pebbles, the precious necklace safely wrapped. Thank you! Arathi Ma.'

Here is an extract of my post in 2012

A hot steamy day in Paris, a cooling breeze dancing in the tree outside my balcony. ..... This question is even more prominent when we visit the beautiful cathedrals of Paris. At each and every one of them tourists are turned away because of wearing shorts, short skirts and sleeveless shirts. The latter included cotton shirts, covering up to the neck, but lacking sleeves! Which part of the body is offensive to whom and why? I wonder whether it is offensive to the Divine that tourists, carrying their backpacks, are taking the time to integrate the spiritual with the secular? Is it not the nature of life that these two cannot be separated? 

But then, of course, the church is an institution and it has it's own backpack to contend with. It took me a while to learn to look past bureaucracy and dogma and to not let these exclude me from experiencing the Light upon which most cathedrals and other beautiful gifts are built. 

One such gift is the miraculous medal. A young nun at the Daughters of Charity Chapel received a visitation from divine Mary. In more than one visitation she received the image and instruction about the miraculous medal. Mary made it clear that this medal can be worn by anyone and everyone, regardless of religion. The only requisite was faith in 'when you ask, you will receive'. 

The chapel is tucked away in a busy street across from a large departmental store. The nuns scrutinize all visitors and the tiny gift shop is spartan and does not use electronic means of payment; each sale is written down by hand. The chapel is incredibly beautiful, and as soon as you enter you feel the incredible Presence. 

Soon the images seen by my eyes disappear and only a brilliant golden light is visible. The light has a silver rim to it and it is alive and palpable with wisdom and knowledge which cannot be translated into words. This is the Presence of Divine Mary. The light translates into my physical body and energetically there is deep movement in and through my body. 

Then my heart fills with a feeling that seems physical. Everything and everyone around me is bathed in this beautiful light and they all glow in love. The Light becomes stronger and more powerful and I see the intense Light at the centre of it all and also at the centre of each and every person. And the quality of this Light is Good and only Good - pure and beautiful and innocent! And it does not matter what happens on the exterior : nothing can corrupt or diminish that Light which is you and me. 

Blessings from Paris 

Hettienne

Now available at The French Madonna

www.etsy.com/shop/thefrenchmadonna 

Wonderful review of Mysteries of Mary

King of Vessels : The Marriage of Canaan

Arnell Ando wrote a wonderful review on The Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

on her website 

Arnell Ando' Art at www.arnellart.com.

In previous posts I have written about the role that Arnell's work

has played in my life (we have never met, but who knows, that may change!)

Here is the link to my previous posts : 

http://www.hergracesacredart.com/2016/08/my-journey-with-creating-my-own-tarot.html

This is an extract of the review.  If you are interested you can read the entire
review here :  http://www.hergracesacredart.com/2017/01/wonderful-review-by-arnell-ando.html

The Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck & Book 
Inner Mysteries of the Journey of the Soul as Portrayed by Mary
Created by: Hettienne Grobler
A Limited, Signed Edition
78 Card Deck & Book Set
Cards: Semi-Gloss, Sturdy 350 Gsm Stock, with Gold Edges & Rounded Corners
Each Image Created as an Individual Shrine
Card Dimensions: 5" L by 3.75" W, 12.7 by 9.5 Cm
Card Backs: Non-reversible Image, (Shown Below)
Accompanying Book: Soft-Cover, 160 Pages, Written by the Artist
Price: $75. + P&H
Self-Published in Cape Town, South Africa, 2016
Review by: Arnell Ando

I recently received a simply divine 78-card Tarot deck and book set from this gifted artist in Cape Town,  South Africa. I was immediately struck by the intricate, symbolic altars in the imagery, which she painstakingly created for each card with great purpose and attention to detail. Even a heathen like me could feel the 

artist's sincere devotion to the subject matter and her deep reverence for Mary. 

Every card depicts a small, hand-crafted, wooden shrine with a miniature diorama  dedicated to an archetype or an initiation into the Great Mystery, while revealing a vignette woven into this rich, meaningful tapestry dedicated to the sainted mother of Jesus.

The four suits of this deck correspond with the four elements and four cycles of Mary's life:  Virgin and Priestess is denoted by the suit of Vessels (Water, Cups); Beloved and Bride, is the suit of Holyrood (Fire, Wands); Mother and Sacred Woman is represented by the suit of Distaff (Air, Swords) and Wisdom is attributed to the suit of Roses (Earth, Pentacles).

 

The cards were professionally photographed and printed in a large format 

(5"L by 3.75"; W, 12.7 cm by 9.5 cm) on sturdy cardstock and would work nicely for readings or as one's daily card meditation (also serving to study her personal associations and interpretations). 

The 160 page, soft-cover book goes into great detail about each card, while sharing stories with historical and mythological context and analogies. Each limited edition set is signed by the artist and comes beautifully packaged, including a unique cloth pouch in the style of the deck, adorned with a St. Mary amulet and a rosary, for a distinctive and enticing presentation. Alternatively a version with a handcrafted box relating to the iconography of this deck may also be available upon request from the creator. And an expanded version of the guidebook became available in early 2017.

Hettienne Grobler believes Mary's long legacy is connected to the ancient Goddess culture and lore. She envisions Mary as the archetypal Divine Woman of our time as well as the bridge between the mortal and immortal feminine and the sacred heart of humanity, (in dire need of myths which can usher in an era of intuitive awareness, visionary creativity imagination, social justice and the healing of humanity, the earth and all her creatures!)

Ms. Grobler surmises that we currently recognize Mary as the Mother of Jesus, playing a small part in the story as told by Protestant Christianity or having a more significant role in the Roman Catholic tradition. However Mary is less known as a goddess in the feminine traditions and few would connect her with the great Mother Goddesses of distant past or as the Lady Sophia in the Wisdom traditions. But to the creator of this deck and others like her, there is an underlying red thread of connection. Since the ancient divine feminine became demonized many moons ago and her stories went underground, one must rely on myth, fairy and folk tales, oral traditions and subtle clues to uncover Her story.

 Grobler adds that if we dig deeper, we can discover that many of the titles belonging to Mary used to also be attributed to ancient goddesses in various cultures and traditions and that even the name 'Mary' has been known to signify a title, such as 'Priestess', beyond being used as a personal name. Ms. Grobler goes on to state that the history of both the power and eradication of the  Divine Feminine as an ideology have been suppressed and hidden by each subsequent ruling power throughout time, until she was at last removed from any meaningful role in religion and thereby relegated to only a minor part in the story. 

The Miller's Daughter

The Miller's Daugher
V Holy Rood - Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck
www.hergracesacredart.com

The Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck and Book

has been published and is now available on

my website www.hergracesacredart.com

and also in my shop The French Madonna

at Etsy.com  www.etsy.com/shop/thefrenchmadonna.

You can subscribe to my blog

The Mysteries of Mary Tarot 

for regular updates.

A few fairytales are included in the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.  Some of them were chosen as they relate to a specific archetype in both the tarot and the stories of Mary.

The fairy tale of the Handless Maiden was chosen because Mary

appears in an Eastern European folktale version of the story. 

In some versions an angel or a being of light appears to help the 

Handless Maiden, but in this particular folktale, Mary herself appears

to help the maiden.

The story of the Handless Maiden and her powerful symbology is told over a sequence of three cards in the deck.  Links

to different versions of the fairy tale is included

in the bibliography at the back

of the book.  

The V of Holy Rood (traditionally Wands) is the first

card that depicts a scene from the tale.  

This card is titled The Miller's Daughter 

and we are introduced to

the young maiden, her father, the devil 

and very importantly, the apple tree.

The Miller's daughter is standing next to the apple tree with a loaf of bread

(food produced by the miller) on her shoulder.  She, as well as the significant apple

tree represents feminine values and attributes.    Feminine qualities and attributes

live in both male and female.  The story of speaks of the 'miller' and not the maiden's father.

This demonstrates that great importance is given to his occupation in the world, 

rather than his role as father.

From the start we see the focus and emphasis on masculine goals and values.

In our culture the masculine values and attributes are greatly admired and promoted.

The emphasis on the miller, his greed for money, his disregard for both the apple tree

and his daughter, reflects and highlights the imbalance which exists and

the lack of reverence for the less visible feminine principles.

The apple blossom is a symbol of fertility and sensuality.

In Celtic lore the apple tree is the Tree of Love.

At the top of the shrine are two hands.  These will take

you to the next part of the story which is further developed

in VII of Holy Rood,, where the Handless Maiden enters the forest.

Traditionally this card means conflict and in this deck it refers to inner conflict.

The really important questions in life you have to find the answers to

yourself. Do not rely on the opinion of others.  Do not rely

on 'the done thing' or the accepted way of doing.

In other words, do not make a pact with the devil for your most

precious feminine feeling  and earthy nature.

Dig deep and feel the discomfort of the inner conflict

and may you find peace.

This is an extract from the discussion of this card in companion book

to the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

peace,

Hettienne

Triumph of the Immaculate Heart

www.etsy.com/shop/thefrenchmadonna

You who radiate peace, dear Mary,

help us to break this obsession with war

and vanquish the culture of death.

Too many people have died, Blessed Mother,

and no amount of official explanations

and strategic manipulations

can possible justify such suffering.

At this very moment, all over the planet,

dozens of battles are raging,

like bursts of flame exploding

from different zones of a forest on fire.

Whether they take the form of the 

massive bloodshed of entire communities

or single acts of domestic violence,

your Mother-Heart will not tolerate such hatred.

You break yourself open

and offer us the only true antidote

to the poison of global strife:

universal love.

The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart

from

Mother of God

Similar to Fire

by

Mirabai Starr