Month: November 2016

Mary is celebrated around the world as the Divine Feminine by millions of people, many of them Catholics. Those who are devoted to Mary, honor Her as the mother of Jesus. The Blessed Virgin Mary is known as the dispenser of mercy, the ever patient mother, and protectress of humanity, and special protectress of women and children.

Many believe that with the rise of Christianity and papal power, the Goddess slowly disappeared from western culture and faded into the Mists of Avalon . . . . So great was devotion to the Goddess that She was resurrected in the hearts of the people by a new Goddess, Mary, Mother of Jesus, the Christian version of the Green Man.

Officially, the Catholic Church teaches that Mary was mortal and is not a Goddess, but despite this official position, many Catholics honor Mary as a Goddess. Other Catholics revere Mary as Mother of Jesus, but not as divine.

Visions of the Virgin Mary have appeared to thousands of people around the world. Her sacred shrines are at Lourdes in France and Guadalupe in Mexico, as well as many other places. Her apparitions are often to children.
Artemis Diana of Ephesus

Mary was declared to be the “Mother of God” by the Christian church in the 7th century at Ephesus, Turkey. Ephesus was the home of a magnificent temple to the Goddess, Artemis Diana, one of whose sacred titles was “Queen of Heaven”. Mary is a more recent and much loved incarnation of the Great Goddess of the ancient Middle-eastern cultures. Mary shares many standard Goddess attributes and symbols.

The Christian church also conferred the Goddess’s title on the Mother of Jesus. They called Her,”Mary, Queen of Heaven” and “Mary, Queen of the Angels” both are very ancient titles of the widely worshiped Great Goddesses on the Middle-east.

The Madonna and child have been revered since the earliest times. Isis and Her son Horus, Mary and Her son Jesus, Demeter and Her daughter Kore, all have attracted a devout following. Long before Mary or Demeter, the human psyche fashioned Madonna and child icons and placed them in sacred shrines. in ritual caves and worshiped the Icons as sacred representation in sacred groves. to honor the Mother & Child. Mary is always shown wearing a head covering like Muslim women today, a head covering was required for women throughout Christian history. In 1983 the rule requiring woman to cover their hair in Church was omitted from the updated official revised Catholic Canon pertaining to such matters.

Through time, the names and sometimes the images of the Madonna and child have changed, but the location of these shrines, and the wide devotion to them has remained constant. in many cultures. Image of the Madonna & Child are central to Catholicism, as they were often central to the Pagan worship of the Goddess and other Goddesses in the ancient world. Below are Demeter and her daughter Kore.
Demeter and Persephone / Kore
One of the most beloved images in all Christianity is the The Black Madonna. Devotion to the Black Virgin has never been stronger, Her shrines attract thousands of worshipers each year. The Black Madonna is revered throughout the world, particularly in France, Poland, Italy and Spain. She is the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Crusades and holy pilgrimages. There are thousands of these beautiful sacred Madonna Icons.
The Black Madonna is honored as a true Goddess figure, and has been since Christianity entered Europe. She is honored by many as Gaia, Kali, Mary, “the Other Mary” (Mary Magdalene), Diana, Sheela Na Gig, and the Ancient Primal Earth-Mother Goddess. All are beloved all are revered, each region has their own traditions.

For many European Christians, the blending of their ancient Goddesses with the Blessed Virgin Mary has been a well accepted fact of their faith for centuries, there is no conflict. The holy Black Madonna, be She called Isis, or Mary, or Kali, or Diana, embodies all the aspects of Female Divinity for many millions of people. Mary’s blessings and intervention are still sought daily by millions who pray to the Mother.

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene is believed by many to have been the wife of Jesus, or his most favored Apostle, though most Catholics today vigorously reject this idea. At the very least, Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ chief Apostle and a Priestess of early Christianity in her own right. Church fathers have tried for two thousand years to erase Mary Magdalene as a woman of importance, spirituality and power. They have failed, Mary Magdalene remain a figure of importance for women. The Apostle Mary Magdalene is not a fallen woman, she is a free woman, and one of the “Three Marys” of the New Testament who shared the life and labors of Jesus. Fragments have survived of “The Gospel of Mary” written in the first century or two of Christianity. We will probably never recover a copy of the complete Mary Gospel, but what has been found profoundly alters our perceptions of the role of women in early Christianity. Women were church leaders and teachers in the early years after the death of Jesus Mary Magdalene and Phoebe were among them.

EXTRACT FROM DANIEL RIFFLE’S ARTICLE.

THANKS TO DANIEL RIFFLE.

For more information on God as Mother, please see the following links –

http://mohankharkar.wixsite.com/mai-ism?fb_ref=Default

http://maiism.blogspot.in/2014/04/mai-lalita-sahasranam-mothers-thousand.html

http://universalreligionmaiism.blogspot.in/2014/02/mai-niwas.html

http://maaiism.blogspot.in/2015/06/notes-1-to-20-of-mai-ism-book-1952.html

http://crispywonderlandtriumph.tumblr.com/

https://maiismwordpree.wordpress.com/2015/11/20/about-visualisation-of-god/

View at Medium.com

 

 

 

Lord Shree Shiva शिव said,” Now, hear Uma उमा , the delectable account of the device that Lord Shree Rama श्रीराम employed. When Laksmana लक्ष्मण  had gone to the woods to gather roots,fruits and bulbs , Shree Rama , the very incarnation of compassion and joy, spoke with a smile to Janaka’s Daughter जनकसुता  : – “Listen, my darling, who have been staunch in the holy vow of fidelity to me and so virtuous in conduct : I am going to act a lovely human part. ABIDE IN FIRE UNTIL I HAVE COMPLETED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DEMONS. “ No sooner had Shree Rama told Her every thing in detail than SHE ( SITA ) impressed the image of Lord’s feet on Her heart and ENTERED INTO THE FIRE , LEAVING BEHIND WITH HIM ONLY A SHADOW OF HERS , THOUGH PRECISELY OF THE SAME APPEARANCE AND THE SAME AMIABLE AND GENTLE DISPOSITION.    Lakshmana लक्ष्मण too did not know the secret of the Lord Shree Rama had done behind the curtain.  The ten headed Ravana approached Maricha and bowed his head to him, selfish and vile as he was……………  For further reading  please  refer to : SHRI RAMACHARITAMANASA ( ARANYA KAND – VERSE 23 ) OF SAINT SHREE TULSIDAS , PUBLICATION : GITA PRESS, GORAKHAPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, 273005, INDIA.

 

हिन्दी रुपांतर – इहॉं राम जसि जुगुति बनाई । सुनहु उमा सो कथा सुहाई । लछिमन गए बनहि जब लेन मूल फल कंद । जनकसुता सन बोले बिहसि कृपासुख वृंद ।। दोहा 23 – अरण्यकाण्ड सुनहु प्रिया व्रत रुचिर सुसीला । मै कछु करबि ललित नरलीला ।। तुम्ह पावक महँ करहु निवासा । जौ लगि करहुं निसाचर नासा ।। जबही राम सब कहा बखानी । प्रभुपद धरि हियँ अनल समानी ।। निज प्रतिबिम्ब राखि तहँ सीता । तैसइ सीलरुप सुविनिता ।। लछिमनहँ यह मरमु  न जाना । जो कछु चरित रचा भगवाना ।। दसमुख गया जहँ मारीचा । नाइ माथ स्वारथ रत नीचा ।। संत श्री तुलसीदास रचित  श्रीरामचरितमानस , अरण्य काण्ड, दोहा 23 इसके आगेका भाग श्री तुलसीदास रचित श्रीरामचरितमानस अरण्य काण्ड दोहा 23 से आगे पढिये । धन्यवाद । उपरलिखीत सब चित्र और प्रमाणके लिये  गीता प्रेस , गोरखपुर को धन्यवाद । Courtesy to Gita Press, Gorakhapur, Uttar Pradesh, 273005, India, for the picture and extract.   EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK :  RAAMACHARITAMAANASA, POET : SAINT SHREE TULSIDAAS, GITA PRESS, GORAKHAPUR , INDIA.