The Passion of Venus and Pluto
from the Mysteries of the Red Madonna tarot deck
Immerse yourself in the radiant beauty
which is the world beyond the mind.
Surrender every thought, every attempt at creating a division between yourself and the other.
Join heart and sensation with the continuous dance of lovemaking between devi and dev, shakty and shiva, bharavi and bharava, god and goddess, Maria and Christos, Sophia and the Dove.
Join with the Madonna and Her Beloved who is making love in every particle of creation
With every breath and touch bless the life that surrounds you
A blessed year of the Lovers and the unfolding of the Mysteries of the Red Madonna and Her Beloved to you
'Those initiated into these Inner Mysteries discovered that Christianity was not just about the dying and resurrecting Son of God. They were told another myth that few Christian today have even heard of - the story of Jesus' love, the lost and redeemed Daughter of the Goddess. ... They understood the Divine to have both a masculine and a feminine face; they worshiped the Divine Feminine as Sophia, the wise Goddess. - Jesus and the lost Goddess by Timothy Freke
Elaine Pagels in her book, the Gnostic Paul, writes that Paul says that 'Among the initiates we speak of Sophia' for it is 'the secret of Sophia' that is 'taught in our Mysteries'. She also explains that when initiates of the Inner Mysteries of Christianity partook of Holy Communion, it was Sophia's passion and suffering they revered and remembered. It is said that priests and priestesses offered initiates wine as a symbol of 'her blood.' The prayer that was offered was :
'May Sophia fil your inner being and increase in her Gnosis.'
Another prayer to Sophia was :
'Come, hidden Mother; come, you who are made manifest in your works, and give joy and rest to those who are bound to you. Come and partake in this Eucharist which we perform in your name, and in the love feast for which we have assembled at your invitation.'
The Mysteries of the Red Madonna and Her Beloved will be a deck that will bring together the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine in the mythological teachings of Sophia, Her Daughter Mary Magdalene and Her Son-Beloved-Brother Yeshua or Jesus.
In the Mysteries of the Red Madonna I will once again explore the allegorical teachings encoded in the Outer Mysteries. These Outer Mysteries included the allegorical initiation myths of the 'lost and redeemed' Goddess and the 'dying and resurrecting Godman of the various Gnostic communities and idealogies. These mythological motifs are displayed in the Pagan Mysteries, and taught by the great Pagan Gnostics and the later Jewish mythological mysteries. The Mysteries of the Red Madonna will firstly illuminate the stories and teachings of Sophia and her lost daughter, Mary Magdalene. The Inner Mysteries of the Red Madonna will reveal the esoteric or hidden Inner Mysteries which lead to Gnosis and the final stage of Hieros Gamos or Sacred Marriage with her Beloved and Consort, the incarnate Godman.
I will explore the divine couple in Egypt, Isis and Osiris; in Greece as Persephone and Dionysus, in Syria as Aphrodite and Adonis; Cybele and Attis, Ishtar and Marduk, Asherah and Baal amongst others.
Sophia, Lady Wisdom and Maria-Sophia in the Mysteries of Mary, has been the Goddess of the Pagan philosophers for centuries. 'Philosophy' means 'lover of Sophia'.
The Goddess Ashera, in the Jewish tradition, became known as God's companion and co-creator Sophia, in books such as Proverbs, the Sophia of Solomon and The Sophia of Jesus the son of Sirach.
As in both the Mysteries of the 'White Lady' Mary and the Black Madonna, there will be an overlap between these three decks in the Red Madonna as well. For the original Christians, Mary had always represented the Goddess Sophia, Queen of Heaven.
The Literalists, those who are exponents of the literal interpretation of the Mysteries, put an end to the Goddess and Divine nature of Mary and Sophia both. They saw her as merely a mortal woman who gave birth to a divine son. They also put an end to the equality of the sexes as proclaimed by the Gnostics and women no longer were spiritual partners to men. Women were seen as the evil descendants of Eve because of whose sin the son of God had to die.
I will explore the 'fallen goddess' theme in the many references to 'the soul as prostitute' in both the Gnostic texts as Biblical texts. This will take us into the stories of Mary Magdalene, the priestess who anointed the Godman; Mary Magdalene as the Beloved Disciple and the ancient tradition of temple priestesses or Devi Dasi, the ancient Hindu tradition of the temple priestess who were called 'prostitute'.
I will also explore the various Red Madonna Sophia figures in these stories, such as the barren Elizabeth, Rebecca who draws water from the well of wisdom of Sophia, Martha, the prostitute Tamar, the fallen Batsheba, and more.
'Jesus does not show himself as he really is, but he shows himself as people are able to see him. He shows himself to all. To the great he appears great. To the small he appears small. To the angels he appears as an angel, as to men as a man. Hence the Logos conceals itself from all. Some indeed see him and realize that they are seeing themselves.' - The Gospel of Philip
I invite you to join me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/templeofmary and to become a part of the final deck in the Mysteries of Mary.
blessings
Hettienne
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