A blessed Candlemass!

 

A blessed Candlemass and feast day of the Black Madonna of the Green Candles to you

If you are interested in going deeper, posts with more content, ritual and prayers are shared on Patreon.

A major pilgrimage takes place every year at Candlemas (a celebration 40 days after Christmas) in the town of Marseilles, France. In the evening of 1 February the preparations already start and on the morning of February 2nd, a procession starts from the Old Port to the Abbaye of Saint Victor.  The pilgrims carry long green candles symbolizing the eagerly awaited green shoots of spring. The black Virgin stored in the crypts is dressed in a green cloak and presented to the crowd.  The archbishop then blesses her and a mass begins.

Afterwards, everyone goes to a nearby bakery to buy navettes, long thin biscuits flavored with orange water and intended to resemble the boat, or navette, that brought Lazarus, Mary Magdalene and other saints to Saintes Maries de la Mer in Provence 

Black Madonna of Confession; The Good Black Mother; Our Lady the Green One; Our Lady of New Fire

Bride of Holy Wells in the Mysteries of the Black Madonna tarot deck

Today, 2 February, pilgrims descend onto the crypt of the Abbey;  they light their green candles and carry the Black Mother with the green cloak up and out into the procession.  The Candlemas procession of this Black Madonna replaced an ancient torchlight procession in honour of Persephone, daughter of Demeter. 

The green candles of Candlemas symbolize fertility, the birth of new life and the greening of the Earth.  The wings of the goddess Isis is still depicted as being green and there used to be a devotion to Green Isis.  

Our Lady of Confession, the Black Madonna, has always been known as Our Lady of the New Fire because on her feast day, the new candles are blessed for the year.  Devotees still take their green candles to be blessed in the annual ritual in the Abbey.

She is still known as The Green One and her woollen green mantel is overlaid with a green cloth coat and green candles are lit in front of her.  The colour green is also associated with the planet Venus. - from the Mysteries of the Black Madonna

You can read the entire story of the legend of the green candles in the Abbey of St Victor in the guidebook of the Mysteries of the Black Madonna. 

Many believe this Madonna to be Mary Magdalene and there is also a strong connection with Sante Sara.  

She is the personification of new life and fertility.  She reminds us that Our Lady of Living Fire restores health and joy after the long dark nights of the winter of the soul.  She restores hope and optimism as her fire lights the candle, both within and within our world.  

Blessing rite of the green candles

What is needed beforehand :

Set up your altar

Place two green candles on altar

Place bowl of water on altar

Have prayers and mantra at hand (for sanctification of space and water)

Today is when the blessing rite of the green candles take place.  Place two green candles on your altar.  I have shared with you the opening and closing prayers and the sanctification mantras, to clear and bless your space all your sacred tools.  Before you do the candle blessing rite, first sanctify your altar and make sure that you have placed water on the altar.

Light the two candles and repeat the following prayer.  Sprinkle candles with the blessed water on your altar.

You can use the sanctification prayer and mantra that I shared with you in the previous post

on creating your altar.  There are also more prayers on Patreon.

blessings

Hettienne