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Day 26 and Day 3 of Art Novena

Today is day 26 of Thirty Days with Mary and 
Day 3 of the Art Novena for Our Lady of Lourdes
Today we are reminded of the universality of Mary
and the mystery of who she is.
To some she is the literal figure in a Bible story;
to others she is a Western goddess;
some know her as Queen of Heaven and the Angels
and still others know as her Mama, Gaia,
Mother Earth and our nature.

‘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. – Andrew Harvey
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




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.

Who is she to you?
What are the whispers in your ear? 
What are the winds stirring up in your heart?
It takes great courage to answer that call
and to step out of the comfort and security
of the unexamined room in which we live.
Has she been calling  you?
Then today is the day to answer.
 Today is the day to accept the call to step out
into the unknown
To do that which you have been avoiding,
to see and hear that part of yourself that has
been tugging on the hem of your coat,
begging for attention

Prayer for today :

Magnificent Mary may I remain open
to the impossible
May I remember not to ignore the very subtle
messages of Spirit;
and may I undertake each task as the sacred task that it is
Ave Maria
Om jai mata Mary ma
jai jai ma


blessings
Hettienne
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Day 25 and Day 2 of Art Novena

Blessings to you!

We are Flamekeepers keeping the focus on the sacred matrix
of life in the form, sacred presence and wholeness of
Holy Mary, Sacred Heart of the World, alive.
We have been participating in a daily ritual
for thirty days and now we are also including
the Art Novena of Our Lady of Lourdes
up till her feast day on 11 February.



Our emotions, feelings and our energetic heart
has the power to alter and transform the electromagnetic field
of our world and to move mountains.
The appearances and manifestations of Mary prove
that the idea of separation between our world and the
Otherworld is but an illusion.  Matter is made up of atoms
and those atoms can be altered by the power of belief.

At sacred sites where the veils of belief have thinned,
thousands of people feel the sacred presence  of the divine.
And this sacred presence transcends all dogma, beliefs
and laws.  It demonstrates to us that we have the power
to alter our collective reality.

The bigger the crowd of believers in the power of love and beauty,
the bigger the collective effect on the perceived and created reality.




I started the first Art Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes in 2012.
Here is an extract of my first post :

To me, the Blessed Mother is not limited to any religion, any dogma or any culture.  
The Soul has its own religion and that is where you will find Her and Her many faces.
She is present for all 
Her Grace enfolds everyone
You only have to become aware of Her.

Wherever I travel in the world, I visit Her sacred shrines.  I have visited Kwan Yin in Ayutthaya in Thailand;
Kali Ma in Her many temples in India;
I have attended the Navaratri and Durga Puja,
 the nine nights of the Goddess in Varanasi;
the holy well and holy fire of Brigit in Kildare;
the Goddess Temple in Glastonbury 
and I have participated in many Goddess Conferences in Glastonbury
hosted by the Temple of Avalon and Her priestesses
and I have facilitated the first 
International Goddess Conference in South Africa in 2008
to name some of my pilgrimages to the Holy Mother

all of these have been numinous experiences
that touched me deeply
and brought great insight and healing to my mind
for our conflicted nature as human beings
but none touched  me so profoundly
as Our Lady of Lourdes, the Immaculate Conception.

I did not have high expectations of my visit to the Grotto and the City of Lourdes.
I had seen many pictures and thought I knew what to expect.



At the grotto I fell in line with the other pilgrims, waiting my turn to touch the walls of the cave and its dripping water.  The atmosphere was light and joyful, although many stood and knelt deep in prayer.  As I approached the statue of Our Lady where She appeared to St Bernadette, I could feel an intensification of the energy, a slight vibration and a humming sound.  The closer I came, the louder the sound became.  The sound was over and above the sound of the rushing waters.
As I put my hand out to touch the dripping water and I raised my eyes, 
a column of light was visible to me,
shimmering and dancing.
My first impression was that it is a giant candle, but then my logical mind
realised that this is not possible.
The only way I can describe it is ‘a flame of living organic light’ :
Her Divine Presence made manifest in this world,
visible to my eyes.

And overwhelming and immense feelings which I am at a loss to name.
A feeling of such incredible fullness and completeness 
which has stayed with me ever since.

A hundred thousand harps take you
like wings and sweep you up out of silence.
And your primitive wind is blowing
the fragrance of your marvelous power
to every being and to every creature in need.
– Rainer Maria Rilke


That which reminds you of the Sacred in the Ordinary
and opening ourselves to the healing possibilities,
both spiritually and physically, 
that comes through love and acceptance
and opening of the heart

images
collage
poetry
stories
art works
prayer
ritual
mantra
anything
that awakens your heart

and reminds you of the Sacred in everyday living



I visited Lourdes last year as a pilgrim.  There, in front of the cave, I experienced something very special.  I felt a special vibration, a kind of spiritual presence there.  And then in front of the image of the Virgin Mary, I prayed, I expressed my admiration for this holy place that has long been a source of inspiration and strength, that has provided spiritual solace, comfort and healing to millions of people.  And I prayed that this might continue for a long time to come – the Dalai Lama

This picture I took on 8 September, the nativity feast day of Mary
Here you can see the rosary of lights procession with the full moon
hanging in the sky!!
I am the Immaculate Conception
was her words to Bernadette
She was a poor shepherdess,
Bernadette,
growing up at the foothills of the Pyrenees,
on the banks of the Gave du Pau.
Tending the very poor family’s
small flock of sheep
When the most miraculous vision 
appeared to her.
A vision of Light
with roses on Her feet.
From this numinous event
flowed forth a stream of healing water,
a holy place was born,
Bernadette’s life was transformed
into one of passion,
commitment and a vocation to the highest Love
A place where the fire was lit long ago
and the fire of your Soul
and Its unconditional love
is kept alive
And such is the miracle within our own hearts
teaching you that Love is everywhere



Prayer for today :

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.
Hail Mary
Om jai mata Mary Ma
jai jai ma
blessings to you
Hettienne
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Day 24 and Day 1 of Art Novena

The Suit of Roses in the Mysteries of Mary deck
is inextricably woven through with the elements
of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Mary, Queen of Earth and Heaven,
 manifests miracles,
opening the gateway from the world of light,
merges with your own heart,
infusing your vision and senses
with divine purpose.

Her divine presence is at one with springs,
 rivers and entire valleys  and the earth is filled with the 
vibration of holiness and sacredness.

At Lourdes Mary created a sanctuary where we can touch 
and be touched by  
a force beyond our comprehension : a doorway into pure love.


The sanctuary of Lourdes is set  in the ancient
symbol of Pisces Vesica, the shape of the primordial egg
and the divine womb and yoni through which all of creation is born.
Here is an extract from Mysteries of Mary tarot deck :

We also know the fairy tale of the goose that lays the golden egg.  
The egg has always carried the meaning of life and rebirth in ancient traditions.  
It also symbolises new life and transformation.  
The shape of the egg also has connotations as it is similar to the vesica pisces. 
Goose is a partial anagram of goddess and Mother Goose hides the word mother goddess. 
The mother aspect of the goddess is still present today in Mother Mary.  
Mother Goose is seen as the magical author of all the fairy tales, 
reminiscent of our understanding of the Shekinah or Sophia.

Pilgrim shrine made by myself after my first visit to Lourdes
Initiation into priestesshood by the Lady

One of the three fairy tale groups
is ‘The Abundance-giving women in the Other World’.
In these fairy tales the ‘goddess-heroine’ initiates
a young girl into priestesshood.

St Bernadette in the Mysteries of Mary deck
The story line of these type of fairy tales follow the
following outline :
The young girl leaves her family, as well as ordinary time
and place and then enters the Otherworld – which she does so either
through travel or visions.
In the Otherworld she meets the goddess whom
initiates her, turning her into an ordained priestess
and then grants her with gifts to take back to the world.
When the young girl or princess returns to the world
she is no longer the same innocent.
She returns with a deeper knowledge and with
the gifts of vision and compassion amongst other things,
which was granted to her.

This is the basic structure of this type of fairy tale
and we can see how the story of Bernadette and
Our Lady of Lourdes fit into this archetype.
Bernadette’s story also has many other elements in common with
classic myth and fairy tale and we will explore those
in the upcoming days.  I am thinking of the challenges that Bernadette faced
and the sacred tasks (as in the case of the myth of Psyche)
that she has to complete.

Some of the young girls who were initiated into
the priestesshood of the sacred feminine

The grotto of Massabielles was known to be sacred to the
goddess Persephone in Roman times.  The sacred feminine
has manifested in these grounds through the ages
and today Our Lady of Lourdes, the Immaculate Conception,
fills this valley and its rocks and waters with
a sacred feminine presence..
This is a mystical understanding that not everyone is open to
and especially in religious circles there are many
disagreements on what exactly is taking place here.
But for million of pilgrims (religious and non-religious)
the supernatural and loving presence at Lourdes
is undeniable.

Bernadette stepped into priestesshood of the sacred feminine
and returned to the world with unwavering faith in the
miraculous and the manifest presence of the deity in this world.
Through Bernadette’s initiation into priestesshood
of belief and faith in the supernatural and miracles,
thousands of people are daily entering
the Otherworld at Lourdes.
A world where miracles do take place
and where healings take place daily.

Light procession at Lourdes

Prayer for today :

I open myself to your presence, o Great Mother;
I commit myself to your priestesshood of miracle thinking
and the practise of faith in the extraordinary.
I am willing for my eyes and heart to be broken open
by your divine and radiant presence;
as I priestess your love and compassion in the world.

Om jai mata Mary ma
jai jai ma
blessings
Hettienne
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Day 23 – updated post

THE BLESSING OF THE ROSE QUEEN


The blessing of the Rose Queen : 
a devotion
to the power and Grace of the Blessed Mother;
to the mystery of the angelic realms
and the resurrection of the feminine mysteries.
An old legend tells that at the time of the winter solstice, 
all of those souls, who will incarnate in the coming year, 
draw close to the Earth.
The Divine Mother then takes a single petal from 
the Great Rose of Life  and places it in the heart of each of those 
souls who will be born. 
As that soul then is born and grows throughout its life and 
awakens its true self, that single petal will blossom in the
 heart of the individual, becoming a living Rose of Life 
that will bless the world.
You can do the Blessing of the Rose Queen prayers as a way
of calling upon Mary of the Divine Feminine to assist with
a special request.  It is not something to be used for ordinary
things, but for those special times in our life when what we are
doing just doesn’t seem to be enough – when we really
need assistance.

Perform these prayers for thirty days in a row.  
Visualize what it is that you wish in as much clear detail
as possible.  Write it down, so that the words are clear
and distinct, with as little room for misinterpretation as possible.




Perform it during a quiet and special time in your day :
Oh most beautiful and gracious Rose Queen,
who came down to Earth to do good and who never
left a request unanswered, grant me the rose
of _____________________
Hail Mary, Goddess full of Grace
God is with you
Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of the creativity
that spirals forth from your womb.
Through your art and rituals of beauty,
we find our forgiveness and healing.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
work the mystery for your children  


Holy Mary,  Mother of God,
oh Rose Queen 
Bestow your Blessing upon us
Now and Forever
This final week has a dual focus : that of the Rose Queen
and the Immaculate Conception.
The colour is gold and the element is Earth.
We focus on two main aspects of the Suit of Roses which is
embodiment and manifestation.
Tomorrow is the beginning of my annual Art Novena to Our Lady
of Lourdes, Immaculate Conception which I have been doing
since 2012.  
We continue with our Immaculate Practise which is a combination
of creating a sacred altar, saying the mantra and prayers.
We complement these with any of the sacred working tools
such as journalling, collage making, embroidery, knitting
and tarot work.
This work is not intended only for one’s own benefit
but to share the power of one’s own healing
through passing the Sacred Heart Diksha on to others.
The altar forms a powerful focal and envisioning centre for our
sacred work.

All of these will be woven together this week through
beautiful wholistic body movement practise and
a video will be uploaded.

May this practise inspire you to incorporate it into your practise of devotion
and awakening to the divine feminine mysteries of Mary.

blessings
Hettienne
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Day 23

THE BLESSING OF THE ROSE QUEEN


The blessing of the Rose Queen : 
a devotion
to the power and Grace of the Blessed Mother;
to the mystery of the angelic realms
and the resurrection of the feminine mysteries.
An old legend tells that at the time of the winter solstice, 
all of those souls, who will incarnate in the coming year, 
draw close to the Earth.
The Divine Mother then takes a single petal from 
the Great Rose of Life  and places it in the heart of each of those 
souls who will be born. 
As that soul then is born and grows throughout its life and 
awakens its true self, that single petal will blossom in the
 heart of the individual, becoming a living Rose of Life 
that will bless the world.
You can do the Blessing of the Rose Queen prayers as a way
of calling upon Mary of the Divine Feminine to assist with
a special request.  It is not something to be used for ordinary
things, but for those special times in our life when what we are
doing just doesn’t seem to be enough – when we really
need assistance.

Perform these prayers for thirty days in a row.  
Visualize what it is that you wish in as much clear detail
as possible.  Write it down, so that the words are clear
and distinct, with as little room for misinterpretation as possible.




Perform it during a quiet and special time in your day :
Oh most beautiful and gracious Rose Queen,
who came down to Earth to do good and who never
left a request unanswered, grant me the rose
of _____________________
Hail Mary, Goddess full of Grace
God is with you
Blessed are you among women
and blessed is the fruit of the creativity
that spirals forth from your womb.
Through your art and rituals of beauty,
we find our forgiveness and healing.
Holy Goddess, Mother of Earth,
work the mystery for your children  


Holy Mary,  Mother of God,
oh Rose Queen 
Bestow your Blessing upon us
Now and Forever
This final week has a dual focus : that of the Rose Queen
and the Immaculate Conception.
The colour is gold and the element is Earth.
We focus on two main aspects of the Suit of Roses which is
embodiment and manifestation.
Tomorrow is the beginning of my annual Art Novena to Our Lady
of Lourdes, Immaculate Conception which I have been doing
since 2012.  
We continue with our Immaculate Practise which is a combination
of creating a sacred altar, saying the mantra and prayers.
We complement these with any of the sacred working tools
such as journalling, collage making, embroidery, knitting
and tarot work.
This work is not intended only for one’s own benefit
but to share the power of one’s own healing
through passing the Sacred Heart Diksha on to others.
The altar forms a powerful focal and envisioning centre for our
sacred work.

All of these will be woven together this week through
beautiful wholistic body movement practise and
a video will be uploaded.

May this practise inspire you to incorporate it into your practise of devotion
and awakening to the divine feminine mysteries of Mary.

blessings
Hettienne
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Day 22 of Thirty Days with Mary

Mary as the Bride on St Bridget’s feast day and
celebrating the feast of candles
in my garden shrine
Today is the first day of the final week of
Thirty Days with Mary.
It is also of course St Bridgits Day and in the Northern Hemisphere
it is  Candlemas and Imbolc.
Here in the South it is Lammas or the Harvest Festival.
So today’s post is a slightly longer one.
One of my Bridget collage cards.
I have a special devotion to Bridgit and spent a few days in Kildare,
visiting her sacred well and the hearth.  I have written about this
pilgrimage on my blog Cloister of the Heart
(http://pathofdivinelove.blogspot.com)
For today I have created a special altar for Bridgit
as well as for the Priestesshood of the Temple of Mary
that we celebrate during this final week of the Suit of the Roses.
Bridgit is the Moon card in my deck and I included the
Brigit cross and the claidagh in the shrine.
In Glastonbury (Avalon) she is known as Bridie, the virgin goddess
and she can be seen in the landscape riding on the back of a swan.
I brought these back from Kildare.  The small altar on the right
is a copy of the big altar that stands at the beginning of the pilgrimage
at Brigid’s well.  Here you can see some of my offerings, along with those
of other pilgrims when I visited.
To honour my own relationship with Bridgid/Brede/Bride
that has deep roots in Glastonbury and its miraculous hawthorn tree
I included the spiral goddess on my altar.
The hawthorn branch is from my garden.
The fourth week is dedicated to the Suit of Roses.
Through the ages the goddesses Isis, Venus, Aphrodite and the Shekinah
had been called Great Rose, the Rose Queen, Flower of Venus,
the Rose Garden, the Cosmic Rose and the Mystical Rose.
The rosary is a universal form of prayer and present in many religions.
In the Bhagavad Gita it is said that the Universe is a necklace and the string
is the Atman that holds all things together.  The Hindu rosary is sacred to
Sarasvati, Goddess of language.  Sarasvati hears the words of the prayers
and she is the Word.  The Buddhist rosary has 108 beads, so does the Hindu
mala and this number represents the cycles of the universe.  The Muslim rosary
has 33 beads for the 99 names of God.
The rose is an ancient symbol sacred to the goddess, to the feminine
and the Wisdom tradition.  Sacred places often carry the perfume of
roses and mystics experience the fragrance of the rose during ecstatic
moments. 
During my first San Garmano pilgrimage I visited the church
and body of Padre Pio and when I meditated in the sacred space
I was engulfed with the fragrance of roses.  It was so strong
I will never forget it.  During my visit to the Rosa Mystica shrine
a few years later I was attracted by the strong perfume of roses,
only to discover that the fragrance was coming from the statue of Padre Pio.
I also write about the fragrance of roses and honey at Lourdes
and in Lisieux at the body of St Terese and those who went with me
had the same experience.
 The radiant Lady of Lourdes stood over a wild rose bush
and she appeared with golden roses on her bare feet.  Her image made
in roses appeared on the inside of the cloak of  Juan Diego of Guadulupe.
The original rose flower used to be an open flower with five distinct
petals.  The five petals are similar to the inner core of an apple when cut in half;
you can clearly see the pentacle.  The apple is also a traditionally feminine
symbol.  The shape of the five petals and five segments in the apple’s
inner core, is similar to the five pointed pattern that Venus forms in her 
orbit when she gets closest to Earth.
These last seven days are dedicated to Mary, the Great Rose, 
the Rose Queen, Rose of Divine Love, the Rose Garden
and Our Lady of Love and Beauty.
My altar for the week – I chose the Priestesshood card

Today we draw the fourth card for the Thirty Days of Mary.
Place all four cards in a row on your altar and start writing the story.
You may find that by the end of the thirty days you will be adding
more insights into the story.
One of my Imbolc collage cards.
Hail Mary 
Ave Maria
Glory is the one who is our home
Glory for the presence in our hearts
Glory since the mystery transcends all words.
all songs, all signs
Glory is the hope that makes us live
Hail Mary 
Ave Maria
Glory is the wonder that we were and are
and will become
Glory is the Spirit who invades our bones
and makes them shine
Glory in the wind and in the  fire
Glory in the one breath
giving life to all the world
Hail Mary
Ave Maria
Glory in the rising earth
Glory embracing what we lost
Glory in assuming who we are
Glory in the woman who is whole
Hail Mary
Ave Maria
blessings
Hettienne
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Day 21 of Thirty Days

III of Distaff, the Rosa Mystica
Listing a few of the names that Sophia goes by makes a lovely litany
Yes, she is Judaic, she is Christian, she is Buddhist, she is Moslem,
she is and will be everywhere that anything is manifest in form
Alice O Howell – The Dove in the Stone




Today I share with you one of my favourite tarot layouts, 
the Rosa Mystica reading.
The Rosa Mystica is the Three of Distaff (Swords)
in the Mysteries of Mary tarot deck.
The apparition and miracle of Mary in the story of the
Rosa Mystica is based on the three swords that are transformed
into three roses.
The roses are said to have been blue, pink and golden.
These are the exact same colours of the triple flames of the
esoteric (hidden) heart chakra, also known as the higher heart
or the sacred heart in the Ascended Master tradition.
In 1947 in Montechiari, Italy, the Radiant Lady appeared to
Pierrina Gilli.  She wore a violet dress and a white veil.
She had three big  swords through her heart.  The second
time that she appeared to Pierrina she was wearing a white dress 
and three roses had replaced the three swords.
The messages apparently had to do with the clergy of the church,
but the symbolism was that the three swords in her heart
had been transformed into three flowering roses through three
redeeming acts on the part of those that had caused her sorrow.
The pierced heart is a universal symbol.  It signifies
pain and suffering but also the awakening of the heart and the
transformation of the mind which is the gift of working
consciously and consistently with one’s pain and suffering.
This is not a morbid belief in martyrdom but the understanding
that hardship and loss need not be regarded as pointless.
If one looks at challenges and betrayals in your life 
as opportunities  to allow yourself to be informed to your
false beliefs and conditioning, as well as the inner strength
and unconditional love and forgiveness that you are capable of 
you will be rewarded with a greater sense of clarity and inner-seeing.
Spiritual growth is never possible without going through
the pain and the suffering in the same way that it is not possible
to give birth without going through the labour.
The roses at the feet of the Immaculate Conception
So, for the Rosa Mystica layout I drew the three roses
and the three swords.
Then I call on the presence of the Rosa Mystica and Our Lady of Lourdes,
the Immaculate conception and I place those two cards on the layout.
The three roses symbolically represent the three flames of kundalini
and the divine ‘braid of energy’ that is formed in your spiritual body.
The ida, pingala and sushumna.
They are not truly so distinct and separate, as shakty and shiva/
ida and pingala are not truly separate, but for the purposes of a 
reading we can separate these into three distinct aspects.
In this layout you are looking at three areas of your life;
and i separated them into action, receptivity and outcome.
The Questions :
Which challenge/obstacle do I face in each of these three areas of my life?
You can specify the three areas of your life before you do the layout.
Pick three cards, and place one on each sword.
How will these challenges be transformed into gifts/grace/positive outcomes?
What will be expected from me?
Pick three cards, and place one on each rose.
Afterwards I realised that it will on an intellectual level make more sense to turn the layout
around, that is to have the swords at the bottom of the layout and the roses on top.
But up is not always down, so I was quite happy to keep it this way.
Three of the cards that have significance on this reading
Mary, Sophia, Mother Wisdom, Gnosis, Holy Spirit or one of the many
names that have been given to her by different tradtions, speaks to and
awakens the highest point of consciousness as symbolised by the
apex of the triangle with its three sides.
She is the source of intuitive knowing and its the veils of the
mind that obscures the knowing and the bliss.
It is miraculous ….. if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of
track that has been there all the while, waiting for you,
and the life that you ought to be living is the one  you are living …
If you are following your bliss, you are enjoying … that life within you
all the time – Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
blessings
Hettienne
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Day 20

Mary Sophia
Om Jai Mata Mary Ma
Jai Jai Ma
Hail Mary




My collage card for today :

I am the One who is holding you in my most intimate embrace
whilst the city that you built crumbles around you and
I am the One that re-births you into the light of a new day.
I am your mother, now and always.
Ave Maria
Ave Maria
Ave Maria



blessings
Hettienne

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day 19 –

a Soulcollage card
You must give
birth to your images.
They are the future
waiting to be born ….
fear not the strangeness
you feel.
Just wait for the birth …..
for the hour of new clarity – Rainer Maria Rilke
Earlier on in the Thirty Days with Mary I asked you to collect
images.  I collect calendars and buy glossy art magazines and books
on sale for the purpose of creating Soulcollage cards.
Soulcollage(R) is a copyrighted term www.soulcollage.com. 
Soulcollage is a ‘therapy’ put together by Seena Frost.
These collages are powerful, simple, easy to make,
and, when used with conscious awareness,
they are wonderful guardians and guides on
the journey within the Self.

An ideal size of card to create your collage on is
20×25 cm.

Create a picture from the magazine cuttings that appeal to you.
Do not try to analyse as you work.  The more you can get
into your creative zone the better.  Allow the process to surprise you.
You may start off thinking you know what you want to put together
and then all of a sudden the images have their own plan.

The Swan Card 

I am the One who takes you on a safe passage through the transitions.  I offer you sacred companionship; the promise that I will never abandon you and the reminder that you always belong to the community of your Soul and of Spirit.

Here is my process of creating the Swan card. 
I was in the process of transition and of making changes in my life.
I became aware of continually being drawn to images of a boat;
as well as a small boat crossing a lake;  even cruise liners!!
So I started looking for images that resonate with me right then
 and I immediately chose swans.
Years ago, when I did some Jungian studies, I had many visions and dreams of swans and I have painted quite a few iconic and mythological images of swans.  Then they meant something completely different to me.  The one thing that remained a constant, though, is that they represent Soul or Spirit.  
As I gathered these image, I learnt a few things about swans.
They are hardly ever seen by themselves.  They are usually in pairs, or as a family unit.  I know that swans mate for life.
Swans carry their chicks on their backs.  How absolutely beautiful is that!!
I keep a notebook, writing down my insights during the process of making a card.  These insights are invaluable and very pertinent to one’s inner journey.  You may pick up other things that are specific to your history and circumstances.
Some more pertinent insights about swans :
the colour white which represents purity, purification, initiation, Spirit;
the throat area is emphasised by its long neck :  throat chakra, called Vissudhi in sanskrit; Vissudhi means purification.
So, a process of letting go is of importance here. 
They swim across the waters.  Waters represent the emotions, the world of the Soul.  So, again, transitions, journeys to new horizons.
And this is the card that I made :
As part of the SoulCollage process, you ‘climb’ into the card, mentally and emotionally, and you let the neter (the archetype) of the card speak to you.  You always start the process with “I am the One who ….’
I am the One who takes you on a safe passage through the transitions.  I offer you sacred companionship; 
the promise that I will never abandon you.  I am the one who reminds you that you always belong to the community of your Soul and Spirit.

The gifts of this card is sacred communion.
The shadow of the Swan is the stressful times of transition that can take you back into childhood memories of being the Ugly Duckling!
You may even consider creating your own tarot cards.

During the week I will share more collages with you

blessings on your journey of Thirty Days with Mary
Hettienne

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Day 18

Today is the eighteenth day of this journey with ourselves, meditation
and Mary in all her aspects.
Card 18 in the tarot is The Moon card.
A card that speaks of darkness and silvery light;  shadows and shadowy
passages and the fire that illuminates the darkness.
Diving deep into our own shadows always takes us out of our comfort
zones and into seemingly dangerous places.  We are all of a sudden
confronted with unspoken beliefs;  memories that had been deep down
never to be seen again (that was the idea) and an alchemical process
starts.  
Alchemy is not only something that takes place in a laboratory.
Alchemy takes place in the kitchen, when the yeast meets the flour
and rises;  when the bread is put into the oven and it bakes to a beautiful
golden brown.  Alchemy takes place when we pick up the needle and thread
and sew two pieces of fabric together and we have a garment.
Alchemy takes place in the heart when we allow the fears and hurts
to float to the surface, to be seen, to be embraced, to be accepted
and to be viewed with compassion.
For today and this stage of our journey I offer to you
IX of Distaff, Our Lady Untier of Knots
I say that we are wound with mercy round and round as if with air;
the same Mary … World-mother air, air wild, wound with thee, 
in thee isled, fold home, fast fold thy child – Gerard Manly Hopkins




Our Lady Untier of Knots symbolises the absolute power of the divine
to untie the knots of the personal self.
Yoga teaches that knots or ‘granthis’ exist in the sublte energetic meridians
(nadi) of the body.  These knots restrict the flow of prana or chi or the life force
and emotional discomfort and physical disease is the result
When we accept that we are ‘wound with mercy round and round’
then it is a small step to accept that the Divine is as close as your next breath.
The Holy Protection of the Mother of God
Mother of Mercy
if I stay awake all night,
vigilant and grateful,
will you drop your protective veil
over my vulnerable heart?
I cannot control the world around me,
I can only be faithful to my own deepest truth.
Wrap me in your pure white cloak of devotion, Mary,
so that I can remember that my sole task
is to praise the God of Love.
Cover me in your burial shroud
as I die to my false self,
to be reborn
as a living example of peace on earth.
Infuse me with the tincture of your tears
so that I may face every challenge
with a tender and courageous spirit
– Mirabai Starr from Mother of God, similar to fire
blessings
Hettienne