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| Rose of the World – shrine at Temple of Mary |
Since the ancient times, the month of May always
had a special significance for the celebration of the divine feminine
and the goddess.
In the Northern hemisphere May is the month of spring, so the Romans and Greeks
dedicated this month to Flora
and Artemis.
In the Southern Hemisphere it is Autumn and we
prepare for the transition of the winter months and to
deeper travels into the inner worlds.
Traditionally the month of May celebrates
the crowning of Mary and for the next thirty days
The Temple of Mary, Flamekeepers and
Initiates of the Order of the Dove
will celebrate the crowning of Mary in
devotion and celebration.
During these thirty days we will immerse
ourselves in daily ritual and meditation
and thus deepen our personal connection
with Her
We will be devoting the entire Month of May
to Blessed Mother Mary and her gifts of
peace, healing and enlightenment.
During these thirty days we celebrate, question, contemplate
and listen with awareness as we spend time in devotion
to the Blessed Mary and our own stories.
This is the second annual Thirty Days with Mary.
You can find the 2015 posts and daily
instructions on this blog by searching ‘thirtydays’
or by clicking on the page tab
Thirty Days with Mary – annual May devotion.
I will be posting the prayers and rituals for
2016 here as from today. In the circular
and catholic nature of the feminine, you are
invited to weave and stitch together your
thirty days in a combination of the previous
thirty days’ devotion and this year’s thirty days of May.
You are invited to join in wherever you are,
at your own timezone,
by following these posts and instructions.
Today you can start
by creating an altar dedicated
specifically to these thirty days
of immersing yourself in the arms
and healing embrace of
Blessed Mary.
So take the time, create
an altar and weave a crown of flowers for your Mary statue.
Remember that your devotion and attention
invoke the holy Presence into the physical image and you can
place water, oil and food on
your altar to be blessed by her presence.
“Who is she that rises forth like the dawn,
fair as the moon,
pure and bright as the sun,
and as terrible as a many-bannered army?”
– Song of Songs 6:10
On Day Two you can start by rising for dawn
say the prayer and chant AUM.
The first seven days are dedicated to
Mary, the Tree of Life.
For these seven days, starting tomorrow,
we start the morning with Lauds
or Morning Prayer at dawn your time
followed by saying a rosary or japa mala
and chanting the AMEN or Aum.
Aum is a name of God.
In the Egyptian tradition Amen was considered
a divinity. It was the word that allows anything
to be realized.
There is a parallel between the Aum of India,
the Amon and Aton of the Egyptians and
the Amen of the Essenes and the Christians.
The sound AU, pronounced as EU, means eye
or the Being, the Supreme Godhead.
Pronounce EU in your head and whilst exhaling
and sounding the M, the primordial ocean which is Mary.
The M is also the Tree of Life which is Mary and
the N is the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
The divine used to be understood and worshiped
as both male and female : a hieros gamos
between Creator and Beloved.
These sacred roles were also not limited
to rigid masculine and feminine, but
rather more like the yin and yang
the one contained in the other;
inseparable and indivisible.
Asherah the beloved of Yahweh
became a holy rod, a holy tree and
a pillar. She became a sacred grove
of trees where Her devotees worshipped
both the natural and cosmic
nature of Goddess.
She both gave birth to this world
and became this world.
As the holy rod she brought order
to the chaos. As the sacred tree
she became the matter of this world,
the seed that contains all life and which
gives food and shelter.
As we contemplate the rays of the sun
we contemplate the unique nature of
each creature; we contemplate that all are
born from one Godhead, one Source.
We contemplate that each one indispensable
to the whole and that it is our sacred duty
to become fully what we truly are.
In order to become your truest self you have
to work at dissolving the ego structures which
keep you locked into valueing and judging
your every action and feeling.
When the central organising principle of the ego
has broken up, you become free to act
freely, from Love, and not from conditioning
and fear.
Start and end the day with the following prayer :
On this day, O Beautiful Mother
On this day we give thee our love.
Near thee, Madonna, fondly we hover,
Trusting thy gentle care to prove.
On this day we ask to share
Dearest Mother, thy sweet care.
Aid us ere our feet astray
Wander from thy guiding way.
On this day, O Beautiful Mother
On this day we give thee our love.
Near thee, Madonna, fondly we hover,
Trusting thy gentle care to prove.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Mother, and of the Son,
and of the Daughter and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
As we walk these thirty days in
contemplation and celebration we allow
Divine Wisdom to show us where to become
more of our True Selves and together we will open up our spirit
to the healing Grace of the Virgin.
I invite you to spread the word, the inspiration and the Love.
blessings
Hettienne BhaktyMaria Ma
