Mary, Gate of the New Dawn

The first seven days are dedicated to

Mary, Gate of the New Dawn.

"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

We start the first seven days with a dedication to the

Black Madonna.  I invite you to ponder on her meaning

for you and for your belief systems and how they play

out in your life and experiences.

I quote the words of Ella Rozett from interfaithmary.net

:

To many (-)  Mary is the Heavenly Mother of all, and like a good mother she seeks to meet all the needs of her children. Especially as the mysterious "Black Madonna" she allows people to project their hopes, desires, and needs unto her, only to draw them ever deeper into divine mysteries.

She plays many roles for many different kinds of people: She is the heiress of the thrones of the pre-Christian goddesses. She is the bride of the Christian God, the bride in the Song of Songs, who represents all souls seeking union with the Divine and says: "I am black but beautiful." (1:5) She is a rebel against the establishment, a heavenly therapist, a spiritual guide. As the Dark Mother archetype she is a symbol of our inner shadow-self when properly integrated. As a black woman she is a friend to the oppressed and reconciler of all races. She is a healer of all dis-ease, a guide and companion at the time of death. She is the helper of Christ, turned black by carrying our sins with him.

This is the ground that we will be comtemplating in the first seven days.