Novena to Our Lady of the Living Fire Day 5

The Madonna with the Fiery Eyes

Madonna Nera di Montevergine : Mamma Schaviona

She is one of the Seven Sisters of Calabria in Italy and I visited Her last year. She is known as the Slave Mother, Mama Schaviona and She is the patron of the LGBTQ community, the poor and the oppressed.  She has two feast days that are assigned to her, 2 February and 15 August.  Both these feast days are celebrated with the tammuriata, the song, drumming and dance of the region and sacred to the Black Madonna.  The legend goes that there were seven sisters and the blackest one was the ugliest but then She became the most powerful!!  And this is Mamma Schaviona.

She is located on the top of the mountain and where an ancient Cybele shrine used to be. Cybele has a long history in Africa and Egypt, and was also known as Kybele and it is believed that She was brought to Italy by the people of Africa who migrated to and lived in Italy and Sicily. Maybe when African slaves arrived much later they recognized their mother goddess in the Black Madonna of Montevergine.

She is located on the top of the mountain and where an ancient Cybele shrine used to be. Cybele has a long history in Africa and Egypt, and was also known as Kybele and it is believed that She was brought to Italy by the people of Africa who migrated to and lived in Italy and Sicily. Maybe when African slaves arrived much later they recognized their mother goddess in the Black Madonna of Montevergine.

Madonna of Montevergine has the most piercing gaze and her eyes follow you wherever you move.  By touching the railings and the marble around her inner shrine, one can feel the ages of devotion and faith in Her almighty power.

Contemplation

Mother of the Eucharist

Bread and roses

Mamma Schaviona is on the top of the mount on the site where an ancient Cybele used to be.  The feast of Cybele also celebrated the harvest and a hieros gamos ritual bread and wine. Mamma Schaviona's great feast is also celebrated by her devotees, the femminielle.  Here is a literal hieros gamos which erases all boundaries between the opposites as embodiment by gender. 

The Black Madonna of Montevergine opens the portal into altered states of consciousness and blesses you with a vision of your own Being.

Priestesshood and priesthood is a sacramental aspect of oneself.  Bread and wine are the vital symbols of the Eucharistic sacrament : bread and wine are shared as nourishment and transformation and has been a part of the transformational mysteries celebrated by women outside religion for ages.  Bread is a powerful symbol of the transformation of the alchemical process.

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.

 

Prayer

O Mother of the Eucharist

You are the bread. You are the wheat

You are the field. You are the dough.

You are the fire and you are the loaf.

You are food for the world and you are the world.

O Holy Mother Eucharista

blessings

Hettienne