Day 13 - September

The Anointing One

'Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.'

You may wish to create an anointing oil and carry it with you in a small bottle.

The sacrament of anointing is a blessing and a healing. You may wish to anoint your hands

before you meditate.  You can anoint others in your circle.  You can bless

your chakras or other parts of your body with a healing or intentional blessing.

A traditional blessing is to anoint the forehead (third eye chakra) with

a touch of the thumb dipped into the anointing oil.

One can anoint your tarot decks by touching the oil to the 

box that you keep them in or to the pouch.  You can anoint your meditation

shawls, your candles or any objects on your altar

Recipe :

Mix 2 parts of olive oil with 1 part petroleum jelly.

Add drops of rose or spikenard oil.

You can also add franckincense or myrrh oil

and sandal paste if you wish.

I use kum kum, the red paste that I bring back from India.
I mix it with a bit of water and a few drops of oil.

You can create your own prayer or mantra for
the anointing blessing.


I use the following :

'In the Sacred Heart of Mary I trust'

and

'In the Immaculate Sacred Heart of Mary I am'

Walking in the footsteps of Mary the Magdalene in the South of France

A few years ago I undertook a pilgrimage to France
with the focus of walking in the footsteps of

Mary the Magdalene.

Our first stop was St Maximin la St Baume where we stayed in the old cloisters of the Basilica. The adjacent Basilica houses the relics of Mary Magdalene. As with all sacred places, saints, myths and legends, there is always controversy and dispute about the truth of the legends as well as the relics. As we know, religion is a powerful political tool. Personally, I choose to see the entire spectrum of religion, myth and legend as an archetypal journey. We, ourselves, embody these archetypes and these inspirational lives and stories of these almost superhuman beings, is to me a cross road where the archetype and the physical meet and cross. 

One cannot ignore the power of the names given to these characters - the names in themselves are archetypal. Also, if you pay attention to the ley lines where the sacred places are established and where the waters run from the sacred springs and well, you can see the presence of the Divine, marrying our world with the Spiritual world.

Staying in the old cloisters was a very humbling experience. 

This was the view from my room in the convent which has now been turned into a hotel.

Right next door, as part of the complex, stands the massive St Maximin Basilica of Mary Magdalene. 

We visited the Basilica more than once. We also visited the chapel at the grotto where Mary Magdalene spent the last thirty three years of her life at La Sainte Baume. I experienced the same divine Presence at both these sites. The Presence of the Divine Feminine known as Mary Magdelene. I can only describe it as a very very gentle, loving and forgiving energy. It felt as though the energy was vibrating in gentle, yet powerful waves of nurturing and embracing : an energy with a very specific vibration and colour which I will now recognize immediately again. 

This is the statue of Mary Magdalene placed just outside the crypt where her relics are kept.

Here is picture taken during the Mary Magdalene feast day procession. Her skull is behind this mask which is taken out for the procession.

The Basilica contained many statues and a shrine dedicated to Mother Mary, the Mary Magdelene crypt and more. The most beautiful Mary Magdalene statue graced this church. The picture does not really do justice to the presence that radiates from this beautiful image.

I open myself to the spirit of the sacred feminine as embodied

and demonstrated by Mary the Magdalene and the ancient sacrament of anointing. 

 I invoke the sacred feminine

presence within myself to receive the Beloved within the mystical

bridal chamber in my innermost heart.

I invoke the blessing and healing sacrament

the sacred marriage within myself and my world

Thank you

thank you

thank you

and so it is 

blessings

Hettienne