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 

Join us on a pilgrimage to Mary Magdalene, France 2018

The Magdalen card in Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck www.hergracesacredart.com A mystical journey to Mary Magdalene in the South of France www.hergracesacredart.com

Come with us on a journey filled with mystery and

awaken the Divine Feminine within yourself

Join us on a mystical journey to the sites sacred to

Mary Magdalene in the South of France

23 to 31 May 2018

Spend a week exploring the myth and ritual

of Mary Magdalene, Mysteries of Mary tarot and

ritual in Provence, France

Shrine of Mary Magdalene in the Basilica of St Maximin st Baume on my blog Cloister of the Heart http://pathofdivinelove.blogspot.com

Join us for 8 nights and 7 days in the

South of France following in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene

after the Resurrection, to the last days of her life in the grotto

at La Sainte Baume.

It will include three days at the

Sara la Kali pilgrimage and gypsy festival 

at Saintes Maries de la Mer

The focus of this pilgrimage is the Divine Feminine

and her story in the myth of Mary Magdalene

and Sara la Kali.   Time will be spent immersing

ourselves in the sacred energies as pilgrims on these

ancient paths;  a daily meditation circle and tarot work,

tarot journalling, ritual, finding your Earth gifts and

creating a mandala in the forest, visiting the reliquaries,

creating your own tarot card and collage, creating and

ceremoniously walking a Goddess labyrinth.

And did I mention three days during the feast day of

Sara la Kali and the sacred gypsy festival and pilgrimage?

And a full day of scouring French brocante and flea markets?

We will meet on 23 May 2018 in Marseilles France

and spend the night.

The following day, after a visit to the Black Madonna of

Marseilles, we will travel to the village of

Saintes Maries de la Mer

for the three day Gypsy pilgrimage to Sante Sara la Kali and festivities.

(You can read about my previous pilgrimage to

Sante Sara and the Gypsy pilgrimage on my blog here)

Then we will move to Saint Maximin de la Sainte Baume

for the remainder of the trip.

The basilica in St Maximin la St Baume where the remains
of Mary Magdalene was found and the basilica was
erected on the site

Here we will visit the Mary Magdalene shrine

and skull reliquary at

Basilica Saint Maximin la Saint Baume.

We will travel to the sanctuary and Grotte St Saint Baume of

Mary Magdalene and ceremoniously 

walk the pilgrimage to the sacred Grotto where Mary Magdalene's bones

 are kept and where she spent the last thirty years of her life.

We will drink water from the sacred spring in the Sanctuary

of Mary Magdalene.

Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

A day workshop in tarot and specifically the Mysteries of Mary

tarot deck.  Each pilgrim will receive the deck and book

as part of the pilgrimage gift pack.

Each morning will start with a sacred circle of

focus and intent;  I will share with you how to work

with your personal numerology and the tarot.

Each pilgrim will receive a specially created tarot journal

and images for the pilgrimage.  You will have time to

journal and collage your entire pilgrimage and all work

done with the tarot.

A workshop in which you will create your own personal

tarot card compiled of insights and experiences

during the pilgrimage.

A leisure day to explore the old village and its

amazing architecture and sights, the many patisseries,

fruit stalls, street markets and coffee shops.

A day trip to the markets at Arles and Aix-en-Provence

Visits to cathedrals sacred to Virgin Mary and

Mary Magdalene in the region

We can only accommodate maximum 7 people.

A handcrafted Mysteries of Mary Tarot Rosary
for each pilgrim
www.hergracesacredart.com

Each pilgrim will receive :


* a Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck and Book

*  a Mary Magdalene tarot rosary which can be

worn to all sacred sites for blessing

*  a specially created pilgrim's tarot journal specifically

for the Mary Magdalene pilgrimage

*  sheets of images and small items for your own tarot

collage and tarot journalling - we will scavenge the village

brocantes for additional material and visit the shops at

the sacred sites for holy medals, etc.

*  a bottle of salts to be blessed and used in ritual

Final dates, details and prices will follow in due course.

If you are interested to receive more information or to be put

on the list, please send an email to hettienne@telkomsa.net

or subscribe on this blog www.hergracesacredart.com

in the top of the right hand column.

The full itinerary will be posted here

The facilitators are Hettienne Grobler, artist,

 Creator and author of the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck,

founder of Temple of Mary,

spiritual teacher and guide and pilgrim to sites

sacred to the Divine Feminine across the globe for the past

20 years and

Terry de Vries, labyrinth facilitator, creatrix and

builder of labyrinths,  pilgrim who has walked the Camino four times,

shaman and yoga teacher

and priestess in Temple of Mary

We are both intrepid travellers, artists

and holders of energetic space with many years

of experience in working with groups.

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. 

Feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

QUEEN OF ROSES – MARY, THE EARTH’S SACRED CLOAK

No estoy yo aqui que soy tu madre?  Am I not here, I who am your mother? – San Juan Diego of Guadulupe

Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

A young woman appeared in the sixteenth century to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill.

 As the story is told she was radiant with light and he was overcome by awe and fear.  She asked the Aztec man to return to his bishop and to tell him that she asks for a chapel to be built in the place that she appeared.  She also told him to climb to the top of the hill and pick of the roses that is growing there and to bring them back to her.  This was in the middle of December in the heart of winter!! It would surely be impossible for roses to be flowering on the top of the hill?  He however did find roses growing on the top of the hill, picked them and brought them back to her.  

She arranged the roses inside his cloak made of rough fibre.  He took these roses to the bishop hoping to prove to him the miracle of the Lady and Her roses that magically appeared in the middle of winter.  When he opened the cloak, the roses spilled out at the bishop’s feet and an image of the woman herself covered the inside of the garment. An even greater miracle than the roses themselves!

 A basilica was built for her on the spot where she appeared and the same image that appeared on the inside of his cloak, is still hanging in the church. Not only does this image still hang in the church, but the cloak that Juan Diego wore, made of rough cactus fibre, is still intact and also still on display.

The Lady of Guadalupe’s cloak is dark like the night sky and covered in stars.  Her robe is a rose colour, similar to a new dawn, and as in all the apparitions of Our Lady, her robe is in the style worn by pregnant mothers. Our Lady of Guadalupe, standing on the moon, upheld by the angels of creation, surrounded by the radiant rays of the sun emanating from her,  is once again ‘the woman clothed in the sun’ Rev. 7:12.  She is the Cosmic Mary Herself cloaked in the constellations and matter of Earth. 

Without the earthly cloak of the Cosmos she would be invisible as each one of us would be invisible.  And she was not the only one wearing a cloak.  Juan Diego also wore a cloak made of the plants of the Earth and this cloak is also miraculously still intact and part of the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The cloaks of earthly matter demonstrate that Juan Diego’s existence is related to the manifestation of the Cosmic Mary.  Both are made of star dust and earthly soil and green plants.  She tells us that there is no separation between spirit and matter and that the one cannot exist without the other.

blessings

Hettienne

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

Tarot Deck of Mysteries of Mary

Maria Prophetissa

the Alchemist in the Mysteries of Mary Deck

The early or even some say, the true first alchemist of the Western world,  was known as Mary or Maria the Jewess, Mary or Miriam the Prophetess and Maria Prophetissa.  She is known as a Jewish alchemist, but is also referred to by other writers and cultures.  She is also known by these names :  Maria Hebraea, Maria Prophetissima and Mariya the Sage; She is known from the works of the Gnostic Christian writer Zosimos of Panopolis who dates her as having lived in the third century.  But others claim that her work was done no later than the first century. Zosimos describes her as one of the sages. 

In alchemy the Axion of Maria exists :  "One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth."

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Maria holds the hawthorn branch as her magician’s wand.  The magician or alchemist archetype of the deck has all four the elements to her disposable.  Here we see the chalice, pitchers and alchemists' bottles of the suit of vessels and the element of water;  the white hawthorn branch as a symbol of the flowering cross of the tree of life and the element of living fire;  the red thread tied around the wisdom books as the element of air in the suit of the distaff and the red rose from the suit of roses and the element of earth.  The colours of red and white are also significant as these represent the two opposing colours of spirit and matter which has to be unifed into the sacred marriage in order for transformation and new birth within the psyche to take place.

............... Read the complete piece at http://www.hergracesacredart.com/2016/08/maria-prophetissa.html

A Labour of Love

A small portion of the 78 Tarot Cards

Two years ago I started the project of creating my own tarot deck.  I had the vision of each card being a handcrafted shrine. But I did not want to just emulate the traditional tarot decks based
on the teaching of the Order of the Golden Dawn or Rider-Waite. I wanted to share and highlight my own understanding based on my own experiences.  I saw that this could be a vehicle
for sharing my own teachings and mystical insight into the hidden secrets in religion and the new age.

I took time out from offering classes and retreats through my wisdom school, The Temple of Mary
and I closed my shop on Etsy.com. I packed away my paints and canvases and focused solely on creating this deck.

Ace of Vessels
The New Human
www.hergracesacredart.com

And what a labour of love it was.  I loved each and every 

moment of it.  The process was to collate the

many stories of Mary, gathered from folktales,

legend, metaphor and myth, Bible stories

and apocryphal books such as the Proevangelium

of James.

Each shrine consists of a small wooden shrine which contains the miniature diorama of the part of the story that I am depicting.

Card XV Our Lady and the Stag
COURAGE

Through the years I had become a committed
spiritual pilgrim and travel at least once a year
to a sacred site in the world;  especially places
where the Divine had manifested into the physical.
During my travels I collected many bits and pieces
and especially vintage and wonderfully kitsch
(some of them) religious statues.  I wanted these
for my hand crafted shrines and this became a
mission in itself.  I had to make two extra trips to
Europe to source statues and I have spent hours
on the internet buying up these little figurines.

Maria Bambina, Vessel of the Suit of the Distaff

The Tarot deck has 78 cards :

22 Major Arcana cards which are the main archetypal cards followed by the Minor Arcana which are separated into the four suits.

Well, all 78 shrines have been completed!

And my studio have been taken over by them.  All my books and display areas

have been taken over by the shrines.  

This is but a small portion of the shrines and only one wall -

they cover three walls

My vision is to publish the deck with a small accompanying book.

And then to rewrite this book over time into a more expanded version.

So now the next part of this Labour of Love is starting.

If you are interested in following my journey and
learning from my mistakes,
please follow my blog
Higher Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

I will be offering the deck for sale in my online
shop The French Madonna
and I will offer special pre-publication offers
as well.

And I am working on some unique jewellery pieces based on the cards in the deck.  I have started with Card XVIII Stella Maris, traditionally The Star.

XVIII  STELLA MARIS, Mary the Star
Higher Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

Each pendant will be accompanied by a Tarot Card and its meaning and interpretation, packaged in a special tin or presentation box.

Visit my blog at The French Madonna Sacred Altars

If you would like to stay up to date with my journey and the Higher Mysteries

of Mary tarot deck, you can subscribe to this blog in the side margins

where it says "Follow by email' or you can become

a follower on Google Plus.

I am also on Instagram where I update regularly.

blessings

Hettienne