Novena to Our Lady of the Living Fire Day 8

 Sacred Altar VI Holy Mother and Child from the Mysteries of the Black Madonna tarot deck

Contemplation 

We are blessed with three mothers in the course of life; our biological mother, mother nature, and Mary, our spiritual mother. Mother being a metaphor in the case of nature and of Mary.

They are mothers in the sense that they represent a structure that acts in a motherly way; forming, transforming, protecting, instructing, directing and redirecting, warning and initiating. This is an energy in the universe called mother nature and an energy in the soul personified as Mary.

The life-giving powers in nature were sacred in ancient times and revered as deities, deva, angels and fay.

Nature has laws that exert an energy that compels and draws but also accompanies us through the phases of life.

The early Christian Didache communities followed the Way of Life and used gender-inclusive language throughout.  Women were called on to lead all sacraments and rites and they called their spiritual Mother, 'the Lord'.

Aldobrandesca, a medieval mystic of Siena, when close to death had a vision of Mary with this message : 'Daughters, be obedient to the law of the Mother'.

Mechtild of Magdeburg saw Mary as the spiritual mother of all humankind : 'I suckled the prophets and sages before God was born'.

Juliana of Norwich saw visions of the motherhood of God and also said 'Our Lady is our mother in whom we are all enclosed ..... and our saviour is our mother in whom we are endlessly born ..... To motherhood belong nature, love, wisdom and knowledge, and this is God'

Inciting love in every heart, you bring forth generation after generation - Prayer to Venus, Mother of Rome, by Lucretius (d 55B.C.)

The Tao is the great mother, empty and yet overflowing, bringing forth the infinite universe. And it is forever inside you - Tao Te Ching

You will open the hearing of the wayfarer's heart (fu'aadi min saalikin) because the subtle knowledge of Her is Her proof. Grant us union with Her always and cause us to withdraw from every sensory existence.- Songs of Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib

A Mary-Psalter

O Mother of beautiful Love

You who are our moon and our lamp

Our Lady of Heaven and Our Lady of the World

Holy Mother of All

Aurora radiating the Eternal Sun,

the rod smoking with incense,

The Lord is with you as the sun is with the dawn going before it,

as the flower is with the flowering rod

Mother of Dawn, Sun, Rod and mother of all

blessings

Hettienne