MOTHER MARY: Unconditional Love and Faith
Mother to Jesus of Nazareth and known as the Virgin Mary, Queen of Angels, Miriam, or Maryam, she is pure unconditional mother love. She was promised to Joseph as a young teen; but before they could marry, the Archangel Gabriel came to Mary and told her she was carrying a child. Although she faced an extraordinary situation, Mary had great faith in her role on Earth and married Joseph. Following signs and the guidance from her visions and never wavering in her beliefs, with faith in a divine plan, Mary watched her son grow to be a great teacher and later be tortured and crucified. She supported his work even though she knew his fate, and after his death, she continued to spread his message of love.
She was judged and chastised as a whore and a liar in regard to the virgin birth, and it was not until the beginning of the fifth century, after the Council of Ephesus, that she became important to the Christian Church. When she was introduced to the Americas, Mary transformed the religious landscape and quickly melded into the local culture replacing their goddesses. She is worshiped and adored to this day, as a deity in her own right, with rituals, processions, and festivities all around the world.
Mother Mary is innocent, pure love, which is inclusive, unconditional, and without judgement or jealousy. She is surrender, gentleness, comfort, and peace. Mary supports and understands us as she can relate to our human pain and suffering. She offers protective and soothing energy as she loves us unconditionally for all eternity.
Mother Mary’s Message: When you need reassurance and faith, and your heart needs strengthening from all you have suffered, be held in the energy of perfect, unconditional motherly love. Believe in yourself and your dreams. When you feel as though you will never reach that goal, remember to have faith, even faith the size of a mustard seed, and you will see it manifested. Have faith in yourself and the eternal love of the Divine.
Your visions and thoughts have the power to create and heal, to restore you to wholeness of mind, body, and soul. Remember, inner healing does not have to a painful and tiresome experience. Honor your feelings and begin your transformation by realizing what you need to let go of. Once you do let go, fill that empty space with something else. Do not give attention to the things you don’t desire; instead, put all your attention into the which you do desire. Have faith, it will come to pass. It is done!
Call on Mother Mary: to help manifest goals and wishes into reality; when you need to feel loved, safe, and at peace; for motherly support and guidance; to help you heal from emotional or spiritual wounds cause by poor parenting; when you need help in mothering children, whether biological or spiritual.
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BUTTERFLY MAIDEN: Openness and Renewal
Butterfly Maiden is a goddess found in many native traditions throughout the Americas. She is associated with renewal, transformation, beauty, fertility, rebirth, freedom, and springtime.
The Hopi and Zuni people of North America make beautiful wooden sculptures, called kachinas, to represent the Butterfly Maiden. Girls braid their hair into wings on top of their heads to represent the wings of the butterfly, and they perform dances in her honor.
In Mexico, this goddess of butterflies is Itzpapalotl. She covers herself with an invisibility cloak to avoid the attention of those who are envious of her beauty and powers of eternal regeneration.
Butterfly Maiden’s Message: Open yourself to transformation and growth. You are able to evolve and change continuously. You may feel like spending time alone. Do not be afraid. When you have the courage to explore the darkness, you will rediscover the infinite power of your light. Trust your instincts and do not force things to happen. Know when to protect yourself. It may be necessary to enter the cocoon of darkness and renewal. Nurture, regen- erate, and revitalize yourself, to amplify your ability to more fully receive the love and light waiting for you. There is much to be learned from these times.
Conversely, do not be anxious if it is time to leave the cocoon to explore all life has to offer. Know when to open yourself up to new situations, people, beliefs, and opportunities. Work to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit as you awaken to your true magnificence and to the gifts of the universe.
Some situations cause us to withdraw and close up to avoid pain and sorrow. This can be helpful or hurtful. Become very aware of your emotional health and needs. Do you need to cocoon for renewal? Or is cocooning stagnating your free flow of giving to and receiving from the universe? Are you blocking yourself from what you truly desire? Or is it time to open your wings to explore your life, situation, or self? You are here to bring beauty to the world. Do not repress the beautiful being you are.
It is time to move forward into satisfying, loving relationships. If you are lonely and tired, know you can overcome this by becoming comfortable with spending intimate time with yourself. Learn to be alone, but do not isolate yourself. You can then face truths and let go of negative attitudes and the inner critic that stifles your growth and spiritual evolution.
Call on Butterfly Maiden: when you need to be exposed to the truth of your situation; to help you be open to a new and unknown phase with vulnerability and strength; to accompany you on your journey back to the essence of your being; to celebrate with you when you are ready to receive.
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IXCHEL: Fertility and Healing
Mayan goddess of the moon, Ixchel, is a triple goddess. Her name comes from the Mayan words ix, which means ‘ goddess of the feminine’ and chel, which means ‘light’. Ixchel is the goddess of the Sacred Light and is known as Lady of the Rainbow. She is the giver of water and rain.
Ixchel is a powerful healer. Her companion animal is the snake, which is associated with shamans, kundalini energy, intuition, medicine, and other healing powers. She is also a fertility goddess and patroness of midwives, doulas, and pregnant women. Ixchel is responsible for the gestation of the baby in the mother’s womb and decides the gender and birthdate. Mayans placed her image under the birthing bed.
Women were to make two pilgrimages in their lives to Ixchel’s home on Cozumel, an island in the Caribbean Sea. First with their mother, and the second time with their daughters. Here, they would leave Ixchel offerings of food, flowers, and pottery.
Ixchel’s Message: Connect with your feminine energy to develop your intuitive power for healing. Be open to the divine and sacred gift of energy and natural healing. The laying on of hands, reiki, energy medicine, chakra cleansing, whatever you choose to call it – connect to this energy to heal yourself and others. Practice and experience the magical healing gifts of plant medicine, essential oils, shamanic ceremonies, crystals, and more.
Call on Ixchel: to aid in fertility rites, pregnancies, births, adoptions, as well as metaphorical births such as new ideas, ventures, or anything you are hoping to bring into your life; to help heal emotions, especially those to do with sexual trauma, infertility, miscarriage, and abortion; for assistance with energy medicine and other holistic practices; to further develop intuition, especially through dreams.