Day 15 - September

Blessings to you on this first day of the third week of 

Walking with Mary for thirty days.

A wonderful supportive community has developed

around this practise where highs and lows of the week

are shared.  You will find us on Instagram under

#thirtydayswithmary

#walkingwithmary and you can join in on the feed
@walkingwithmary.

The IX of Distaff in Mysteries of Mary tarot

The Holy Shekinah

Proverbs 31:19 In her hand she holds the distaff. Her hands

are spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber ....... 

Mishlei (Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible) She stretches forth her hands

onto the distaff and her hands support the spindle.  She spreads out her hand

to the poor man and she stretches her hands out to the needy.

She fears not for her household for snow, as all her household

is dressed in crimson.  She makes beautiful bedspreads

for herself;  fine linen and purple wool are her raiment.

These passages refer to women, skilled in the art of weaving, weaving

the curtains of the Tabernacle, or the veils of the holy of holies.

The curtain of the holy of holies, the innermost chamber of the temple,

is also a reference to the Veiled Sacred Woman of the World,

the Veiled Isis and the veiled images of

Pistis Sophia or Lady Wisdom.

From these passages we deduct that the Holy Shekinah weaves the curtain,

and that women in the world do the work of weaving.

If a woman or man's heart is uplifted in adoration to the

Shekinah, the Divine Feminine in all creation, and she or he is

devoted to Her, the person will become at one with Holy Shekinah

and the Shekinah (the hidden sacred feminine Presence) becomes

manifest in the person and what s/he weaves or manifests,

the Shekinah weaves, or manifests.

This week is dedicated to

the Suit of Distaff in the Mysteries of Mary tarot

and the archetype of

Mary as Sophia, Our Lady of Wisdom, Shekinah

and the colours are Green, Dark Blue and Purple

(its not limited to these colours only as there infinite

ways of interpreting the inner wisdom)

The element is Air.

There are various elements in this week's stories and focus.

We will work with the red thread, scissors, veil, knitting,

weaving and sewing.

It will add meaning to your work this week, if you add some

of these elements to your altar.

If you have not been wearing a veil up till now, then you

may want to consider wearing one for the practise of this week.

These are all symbolic actions which speak powerfully to the

subconscious and unconscious mind and you may be surprised

at what comes to the surface of your consciousness when

you use the ritual tools.

A practise that I have done for many years and have shared it with

others over time, is to embroider my veil as a contemplative practise.

I work simple patterns in silk or wool and attach pieces or charms

that have special meaning to me, on the borders.

I have a number of these shawls that have travelled the world

with me and I have worn them when visiting places sacred to the Mother.

The Suit of Distaff is the suit of peace and the Veils of Mary.

Before the invention of the spinning wheel, the spinning of wool

or flax were done by women using a spindle and a distaff.  The spindle

was a long spool to hold and spin the wool and the distaff a short rod

with an opening or branches at the top for holding the flax or wool.

The top of the distaff had the shape  V and has been called the

sword of peace.

According to the dictionary the word distaff took on the

meaning of 'woman's work' and eventually of 'woman'. 

It is still used to refer to the female side of the family.

Mary, like the goddesses of old, has a rich tradition of weaving 

similarly to Persephone, Kore and Athena and her role in weaving the

temple veil is an important event in the holy story.

Preparing the red thread

Before the wool and flux could be spun, it had to be prepared. 

The red thread represents the sacred red wool which forms

the the thread of our lives, our connections to each other and

our connection to Mary Sophia, the Divine Spirit, both within and without.

In the temple Mary was given the red and purple wool to spin.

The red represents the earthly life of blood and flesh and the

purple symbolises royalty and divinity signifying the 

sacred marriage of flesh and spirit in the conception and birth

of her holy child and the holy child that each one of us carry

within ourselves.

We are a divine weaving of flesh and spirit.

As part of your personal ritual and commitment today
you can create a red and purple braid with wool or string
and tie it around your left wrist.
Take your anointing oil and anoint the sacred string
whilst making a statement of intent and blessing.

The young Mary, as one of the sacred virgins, preparing

the flux in the temple.

I choose to refresh my altar.  I clean my space and for this week

I continue to burn frankincense on the charcoal burner

and I add Frankincense oil to the rose oil in my oil burner.

You only add one or two drops

and it is a very special blend.

It is a very expensive oil and you may choose to rather

continue with eucalyptus and rose.

Frankincense has a very high vibration and you only need

a few drops at a time as it can become very overpowering.

The sanctification of our sacred altars

Mantra for blessing and sanctification
Ave Maria Sanctum Gloriae
Ave Maria Sanctum Gloriae
Ave Maria Sanctum Gloriae
OM

Repeat the full mantra 3 or 6 times.  You can keep count with your rosary
or prayer beads. Then place your hands on your shawl and move to the rosary
and all items on your altar.  Place your hands on the container with water.  If you choose
to drink the water afterwards, keep a small amount for the next day.  You can
daily add to the water and by the end of the thirty days you will have water
with powerful healing properties. 

You can add this healing (holy) water to your bath or food.  

The Immaculate Practise for week 3

A new daily Prayer

You can continue with the various daily prayers and you can

alternate between the prayers and readings.

You can also create your own prayer and make this practise your own.

Oh Mary, Mother of All, grant our hearts be filled with love,
compassion and peace no matter the circumstances of our lives
OM

Oh Mary, the Wise, grant to us ever wider eyes with which to see the
true power and beauty of your world and our world. Let harmony and
wholeness be established within all kingdoms.
OM

As it is above. so it is below

Mantra
The Sanskrit word 'mantra' means protection of the mind.

Om Jai Mata Mary Ma
Jai Jai Ma

(Hail triumphant Creatrix Divine Mother Mary
Victorious Mother)

Draw a card for the week and place next to your two cards

for weeks one and two  on your altar.

If you have not done so yet, contemplate on how

the card of the previous week manifested in your life.

Keep all the cards on the altar and at the end we 

will read all four cards together as a story.

  You may want to keep your journal or a piece of paper at hand

and make a few notes every morning.

Every morning when you sit down for your communion with Mary, 

gaze on the card

that you picked a few days ago,
 and when you have completed your mantra, write down any 

thoughts, feelings, sensations, without judgement and analysis.

At the end of the seven days you will have a deeper understanding of 

your journey.

Sit quietly for a few minutes, just allowing yourself absorb

 the energy you have invoked.
Enjoy it ...... feel the presence of the Sacred embracing you, 

flowing all around you.
We rejoice in our physical nature, appreciating this 

time to pause and remember the holy
purpose of our lives.  We feel gratitude for those 

travelling with us on this path of love
and freedom.  Feel a smile forming on your face.  

You are happy to be here in this
peaceful inner place.  Let there be peace.  

Gently refocus on the outer world and carry this peace
with you into the world.

Tomorrow you will have the wonderful privilege of watching

how a devi puja is done.

Later on in the week we will start with making collages

and allowing the divine archetypes within you to speak

to you through the language of symbol and symbolism.

So start collecting old magazines or cards or calendars

and cut out pictures that speak to you for whatever reason.

Keep them all together, ready to be used in collages later on.

blessings to you
Hettienne