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A Reflection on Black Virgins
Intentionally hundreds of icons of Mary have black faces and hands. In France they are called
"Vierge Noires" or Black Virgins. In other countries they are
called Black Madonnas. Some call her "the other Mary". Jung
said she is Isis whilst others consider her to be the iconic remains of
prehistoric Mother Earth
worship. She is linked with Cybele/Demeter, Diana/Artemis, Isis and
Venus/Aphrodite. Cross-culturally she is associated with Kali, Inanna &
Lilith. Historically she has ties to the Crusades and the Moorish occupation
of Spain, to the Conquistadors, who brought her to the New World and to the
Merovingians and Knight Templars who saw her as Mary Magdalene. As
Sara-la-Kali she is revered by the Gypsies at Saints Maries de la Mer.
(Saint Mary of the Sea). For modern psychologists she is said to express the
archetype of the Dark Feminine. In other words, She represents our
individual subconscious in which all the qualities and vices developed in
past incarnations are kept engrained and hidden until such time when the bells of “salvation” reverberate in one's
Psyche and the time for transformation appears in one's life. The feminine
Principle, like Marie Magdalene, manifests in consciousness and like the
essence that she represents, follows the guidance of the Inner Voice... the
real Master, or the Cosmic Christ within…
Whoever
the enigmatic Black Virgin may be, she holds a powerful attraction for her
millions of devotees around the world. Her sacred sites stand on
highly charged earth energy centers, enhanced by megalithic ley-lines and
sacred architecture. From ancient times to the present, people have
undertaken pilgrimages to her shrines as a way to explore her mysteries and
to enable her to do her miraculous work of healing, transformation and
inspiration. France has more than 300 Black Virgin places of worship
and over 150 Black Virgin statues still in existence.
What
does the Black Virgin represent?
In
the context of esoteric tradition, she represents a collection of all the
Feminine Qualities that are hidden but ready to express through an
individual. This kind of energy has the qualities of Demeter, Aphrodite,
Isis, Marie Magdalena and so on, all in one. Thus, she corresponds to the
powers of transformation in each one of us. The hidden part of Nature's
characteristics. These different qualities reflect through the mirror of the
PSYCHE. In other words the Black Virgin represents the AWAKENING SPIRITUAL
PROCESS OF NATURE.
The
meaning of this important feminine symbol becomes obvious and we can relate
and understand her power intuitively when the "inner energies"
unfold their varied characteristics allowing the possibility to become more
intuitive and transforming grosser feelings and mental processes to more
refined and spiritual ones. The unfolding of these qualities, are inherent
in the Soul. As for the location of these venerated icons and statues, we
should examine the places where they are found. The Black Virgins are
usually placed in strategic ley-line paths and points where the earth’s
power radiates its most potent energies. Each one of these power
points has a unique quality that affects the subtle bodies of pilgrims.
These specific energies of the earth penetrate and are activated in their
subtle bodies, thus harmonizing the chakras of the earth with that of
prepared and sensitive pilgrims.
Hence, the Black Virgins represent the process of inner TRANSFORMATION. The transformation and changes that take place in an individual. Transmuting his/her limited human nature to an unlimited and ever growing Spiritual one. The Black Virgin can be seen as the awakener who manifest and brings to life the hidden qualities within each one of us. This means that a completely new level of understanding of” being” in the world occurs. However, from my personal experience, I can say that those hidden spiritual qualities are part of past spiritual experiences, an inheritance that comes from past incarnations. If one believes or has his/her own proof of the existence of past incarnations, one should concentrate and focus on the inherited and attuned qualities... and follow the trails, find the connections that guide to their source. In this source, one finds different qualities coexisting within our Psyche... they send their impulses and energies as well as their varied tendencies through the impressions, preferences and moods that we have in this one. These impulses and intuitions help us continue on our quest, a quest that never ends. It is the Soul’s mission that does not belong to just one individual, but to all the different soul personalities that have lived and are still living in us… and through us. What does this means? It simply means that nothing is lost... and we reap now what we sowed in the past... The reason for this quest is to awaken Consciousness. Awaken consciousness to its true Essence...beyond the masks of past incarnations…and reach the bottomless source where lies pure Being. Beingness, is the source of all the manifestations of creation. The Black Virgin unfolds Beingness through a secret process that unveils and unravels the mysteries of all our past and future incarnations. Symbolically, we could say that she represents the “sign” of our Redemption. The Black Madonna of Brazil
After reading this
message on the "Black Virgin", a friend from Brazil send me the
following picture and article. She says:" In Brazil, in 1717, 3 fishermen found a Black Madonna in the Paraiba River in São Paulo - Our Lady Aparecida, patroness of Brazil, venerated today in the city which has her name. She is a small and beautiful black female figure supporting herself on a crescent moon. First her body was fished... then her head... and when she was made whole again, fish could be fished again in that river. Says the legend that when she was discovered, this tiny figure became extremely heavy, preventing the fisherman to take her away from that place. A small sentry-house was made for her there. Today there is a sanctuary city with Basilicas, numerous churches and the whole infra-structure of a city that has already welcomed the Pope, and which all year round receives pilgrims from the whole country in a great happy and colorful religious celebration. And, in the Afro-Brazilin tradition, the Black Madonna is the Orixá Oxum, Great Mother, patroness of pregnancy and of babies, of the Rivers and of the Seas, of Gold, of Honey, of Laughter, of Beauty, of Seduction, of Shrewdness and Wisdom, the Supreme Ancestral Mother: Iyami-Akoko. " 01/01/2006
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