Thirty days with Mary - annual May devotion

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