expr:class='"loading" + data:blog.mobileClass'>

Sunday, November 26, 2017

The Amulets of Mary Blessing Set



Blessing Amulets of Mary Oracle Set


The Amulets of Mary Oracle is a two-fold oracle, blessing and healing set incorporating various ancient traditions including the Benedicaria, the sacred path of the pilgrim and priestesshood in the Temple of Mary and the sanctification of the ordinary through the blessing way.



The Amulets of Mary Oracle and the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck are a culmination of my own conscious spiritual journey of the past 25 years.  It incorporates the practise of Sacred Altarmaking, the devotion of the pilgrim to sacred places, the use of holy waters and relics, the creation of sacred oils and elixers and my work as Diksha giver (Blessing giver) and Guru in the Shaktipat tradition of the Great Mother and my devotion to the Blessed Mary.

Recently, through various books (all listed in the Bibliography of the accompanying booklet) 
I learnt about the ancient tradition of Benedicaria and the work of a Benedetta.  Although I am not born into the Italian culture, my journey as pilgrim did start in Italy with the call issued by Archangel Michael to visit his grotto in Mont Sant’Angelo and I see myself as a modern Benedetta, continuously uncovering more.

The Amulets can be used with and alongside the Mysteries of Mary Tarot cards.




Benedicaria, the Blessing Way, is an ancient
Catholic and domestic folk tradition practised by the Italians in Southern Italy.  This tradition is fast fading from modern society, but many of its practises are still part of syncretic worship and devotion.

One who practices the Benedicaria, is known as a Benedetta, or a Wise Woman and a Benedetto, a Wise Man .  Benedicaria is a private form of practising your religion and it blends with many domestic practises, such as the blessing of animals and herbs, infusing oils and elixers, creating an altar, using flowers and holy cards for blessings and wisdom.


Benedicaria is predominantly a woman’s practise.  A Benedetta has much in common with the goddess archetypes of Demeter, Hestea, Bridgit and even Athena.   She is the homemaker, mother, herbalist, gardener, chef and healer.  This role is not regarded as of any importance in modern society, but for one who is spiritually aware and who undertakes these tasks with great intent, she understands the spiritual force that is being wielded.  The preparing of food is not only a physical act, but a spiritual one.  If this is done in love it will bless the family;  if done in anger and ignorance, it will curse the family.  The motto ‘cleanliness next to godliness’ means much more than meets the eye.  When you keep your spiritual space, ie the home clean, you also keep your spirit and its physical space clean.

The physical life and its objects are manifestations and representations of the life and existence of the spirit.  Taking care of our physical life is a sacred task and when performed with intent and awareness we realise that the ordinary is indeed sacred.



Every Benedetta will have a home altar and a personal altar.  The Amulets of Mary Oracle set can be placed on your altar along with the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.

With the Amulets of Mary blessing set you will receive guidelines for
creating an altar, using coloured candles, how to use the casting cloth,
the holy cards and more.



The novena prayers are an important part of the Benedicaria.  A novena is a prayer that is said for nine days consecutively.  It is said that the first Apostles prayed for nine days between Jesus’ Ascension and the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost.  The number 9 is a very powerful number in numerology (the science of numbers).  Usually a novena is accompanies by candles, rosaries and ritual such as sacred shrine making (see my blog http://pathofdivinelove.blogspot.com) for my art novenas to Our Lady of Lourdes.  The ancient novena prayers are used in conjunction with all of the above as well as an image of the Saint and those who you are praying for.
It is also practise to include the colour of the Saint or Holy One that you are asking for help.

The Amulets of Mary Blessing set consists of a blessed casting cloth, a set of 54 charms in a small bag, nestled in a tin;  a set of holy cards in a linen scapular bag;
an accompanying spiral bound guide book; a small statue for the altar and other options.
Each set is completely unique and one of a kind and cannot be replicated exactly as I use vintage charms, hand cast silver charms and vintage holy cards amongst others.

There are various sets available :  some are dedicated to a particular saint or saints; others to Mary and Her apparitions or a specific apparition, etc. 
You will find more information on the various available sets at The French Madonna on Etsy.com or on my blog.



The casting cloth has been blessed by touching it to the second and third holy relics of Mary’s sacred chemise and roses from St Terese’s sacred garden, as well as roses from the garden of St Francis and other holy relics.  It has also been sprinkled with holy water from Lourdes and Ngome.
On the casting cloth is a hand drawn diagram.  

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou among women
and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb

Holy Mary,  Mother of God,
oh Rose Queen
Bestow your Blessing upon us
Now and Forever


Blessings
Hettienne


The French Madonna
www.etsy.com/shop/thefrenchmadonna


Thursday, February 23, 2017

Pilgrimage to Lady of Ngome Part 1




Five years ago I visited the grotto and sanctuary of Lourdes
in the Alps of France.  My direct personal experience of the sacred Presence
of the Lady, irrevocably changed my understanding of life and set me on a new path.
I returned and felt compelled to devote all my work and actions to Her.
I created a sacred Mary Garden   Under Her guidance I founded
the Temple of Mary and She imparted the two year initiation program to me.
I felt called to create shrines in the ancient sacred altar tradition and this led
me to creating the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.

Since then I have made four more pilgrimages to the grotto of Lourdes.
Last year I  did not travel to Lourdes and towards the end of the year
I had more and more dreams of Our Lady of Lourdes.  I felt a deep
calling to commune with Her in Her sacred place where She manifested.
But I could not see how I would be able to visit Lourdes till much later
the following year.  Still the dreams persisted and became more sensory.

Years ago I had heard about the apparitions of Our Lady of Ngome.  
I did add it to my bucket list and then it sorted moved to the background
of life.  At the time of the dreams I started doing research on Ngome
only to discover that it is called the Lourdes of Africa! 

Ngome is an ancient sacred site where seven streams meet to form a 
spring of which the water has healing properties. Mary as Lady of Ngome
had appeared ten times to a local Benedictine nun and the image of the Lady
 of Ngome, Tabernacle of the Most High, cured many miraculously.
The apparitions were kept secret for years after the death of Sr Reinolde -
but I will share the full story in my next post.

Our Lady of Lourdes shrine at Marianhill, Durban

Once I had read up on Ngome I decided that I am being called
to visit Our Lady of Ngome and immerse myself in Her sacred waters
and energy.  Three of us decided to go on a pilgrimage to Ngome in 
the new year.  We did not have any specific dates in mind and decided
to buy the best airfare tickets available which happened to be
9 to 14 February.  Only when I made the booking for the guesthouse
near Ngome did I realise the incredible synchronicity : we had planned
to spend the Saturday in Ngome.  As it turned out it was
Saturday 11 February, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes!!

We took a local flight to Durban, spend the day and two nights, then drove five
hours to Ngome - a story on its own as we dodged cows, goats
and potholes.  As part of our pilgrimage we visited the Lady of Lourdes
shrines at Marianhill Monastery near Durban.  The monastery is
outside Durban in the green rolling hills of Natal.


As we climbed the steps toward the shrine we were enveloped
in the most intense fragrance of thick sweet honey.  At first we did
not really pay attention as we were in the tropical and lush
Natal gardens and we had seen many tropical flowering trees
everywhere.  After a few minutes, as the pungent fragrance
persisted, unmoving, unlike the fragrance of flowers carried
on the wind, we all came to a standstill and exclaimed
'what is that smell?'.  We all had previously been to Lourdes
and Lisieux (the shrine of St Terese) where we had experienced
the incredible honey-rose fragrance.  However, there we were
surrounded by roses and a rose garden, although we all did agree
that we had never smelled roses with such a potent fragrance!

We lit some candles and spent some time at the shrine and as we
descended the stairs, we could not resist the temptation to look for 
the source of the fragrance.  There were no flowers nearby, only
creepers and ferns and trees. We walked up and down and the
fragrance did not move, nor become any fainter.

We realised that we were once again immersed in the
honeyed fragrance of Our Lady of Lourdes.

This is a very real phenomenon found at places where the Lady
has either appeared or where She is revered.  It also appears
during healing sessions with the healing energy and Presence
of Our Lady or during times of deep meditation and bliss.

with love and blessings
always
Hettienne