The Word Became Manifest

 There are two manifestations of Mestiza Madonnas in the Americas.

One is the miraculous and famous Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico

The other is a less famous but also miraculous image of Las Lajas of Colombia.

One of the hallmarks of the Christian Impulse, is that Divinity came to Humanity. The prologue of the Gospel of St John states "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John 1:14 This profound statement is worthy of contemplation for countless hours, but in essence describes how the being of Divinity, Christ, became a physical presence and lived among our human family. Christ incarnated at a time when humanity was so ensconced in the material, it was difficult to communicate with and sense the presence of the spiritual world.

The Christ Impulse and movement is not "just like all other religions." The main difference is that through this spiritual orientation, we understand that Divinity came to humanity, and inhabited a human body to understand and help transform the human/divine relationship. 

To have a human body on earth, one must be conceived in, gestate and be born of a woman.

A woman was essential to this entire divine process, and that woman was The Virgin Mary.

An interesting phenomena in the Americas is for the Virgin Mary to appear to natives and mixed race people, Mestizos, and ultimately imprint her image on physical matter.

The Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico imprinted her image on cactus fiber.

The Madonna of Las Lajas in Columbia imprinted her image on stone.

The Americas are the most materialistic and dense lands on earth. The elementals in these vast territories are materialistic, the Natives knew and respected this reality, which is why mining and other forms of human activity that destroy the earth were never practiced here by the ancient peoples of the continent. The Natives knew such practices would unleash powers with which humans would have difficulty living. We can see the consequences of unleashing such power has done by Europeans to the people and land of the Americas.

The spiritual world often brings counter impulses to invite humans to  healing, moral and loving alternatives in contrast to destructive ideas and actions.

The Black Madonna does just that, and the Mestiza Madonnas in the Americas use the physical, material substance of cloth and stone to offer loving presence and alternatives to those who will listen.

In both Guadalupe and Las Lajas, spirit became manifest and is dwelling amongst the faithful.

Iberia and The Black Madonna

Guadalupe of Extremadura 

 

Art is a reflection of the evolution of human consciousness. It is also a reflection of human history. The Black Madonna for me is a reflection of the first thousand years of the Christian movement.

As humans were created to be the catalyst for the transformation of the Cosmos of Wisdom into the Cosmos of Love, we were given Freedom. To love involves freedom, as anyone who has experienced unrequited love will attest. But to have freedom, there has to be choice, and this was the reason for the introduction of evil into the world.

When Christ came, his purpose was to help us heal from all our freely chosen evil, for we would have been on a karmic cycle for infinity had he not. Ultimately the Cosmos of Love would never come to existence. The forces and legions of evil who had become accustomed to their earthly power were none too keen on this new development, and set to work immediately on thwarting new opportunities set into motion by the Christ Event. The main stumbling block to the widening Christ Impulse of love, freedom and equality was humanities affiliation with materialism. Materialism politically is expressed through power and greed. It is the main reason the Romans were so aghast against the early Christians, who simply were kind and loving to everyone. 

Constantine the Great decreed the official toleration of Christianity as a religion in the 4th Century, but he also knew of the power it represented. He co-opted the power by institutionalizing the movement. This concept became quite useful to secular power structures, specifically monarchies. As the centuries moved forward with the ever increasing connection between institutionalized religion entwining itself with monarchies, eventually there was quite a revolt against both. These movements resulted in the Protestant Reformation and various dynastic wars. 

On the Iberian Peninsula, there had been great conflicts over the invasion of Muslim conquerers. The resistance to such invasions took 700 years to complete, but it was finished by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. One of the only places the Muslims did not have control over was along the Northern Spanish Camino. This was also a place where the original Christ Impulse free from Roman influence flourished. There was an alternate liturgy, music, and of course The Black Madonnas dotted the landscape.

Could it be that these images along with the rituals and practice in the region represented a deep Christian mystery? Could it be these images were harkening to profound truths that challenged institutions?

The Iberian Peninsula was the embarking point for conquest, environmental degradation and religious persecution that spanned the globe. A counter to this stream was the healing message of The Black Madonna. As we face difficulties in our modern world, many that had their origins in the conquests initiated from this famed peninsula, let us look to the healing counter message of The Black Madonna for inspiration.

September and The Madonna

Birth of the Virgin, Russian Orthodox Icon

September 2022 has been labeled as The Month of Our Lady of Sorrows. It seems a proper memorial for a very difficult time. The Virgin has so many correlations, but the most significant one is that she experienced quite a bit of sorrow, and is a model of what we can endure.

September 8 is considered the Nativity of Mary, and is also the festival of the Grape Harvest in many traditions. September 14, is the holy day commemoration the discovery of the True Cross by St Helen of the Cross, as we might guess her name would be. 

In this months Podcasts on The Black Madonna Speaks, we will explore several Madonnas and interview Graphic Novelist Carlos Nieto, as he discovers his heritage through art and historic exploration.

Yes, the Madonna is sorrowful, but she is also healing and peaceful, and brings much to us in terms of her many many stories.

Listen in, new episodes are posted every Wednesday

https://anchor.fm/dashboard/episodes
 

The Black Madonna and Modernity

Our Lady of Loretto Statue in Primošten, Photo by Silverije on Wikimedia Commons.

 

The Black Madonna as an artistic genera is quite popular in the last several years.

In the Early 2000's when I was starting my research, the Internet was still in its infancy. There were only a few books on the subject, and the main website for information was The University of Dayton Marian Library, which actually was quite detailed and informative.

Now there are numerous sites, books are also plentiful, there have been organized tours and pilgrimages to Black Madonna Sites all over the world. Modern artists are also embracing the theme, especially African Americans. Why this sudden interest and exploration in images that are often a thousand years old?

One of the main migrations of Black Madonnas to the European Continent occurred during the  Crusades. Rudolf Steiner tells us that the Crusades were a preparation for the Age of Consciousness Soul. According to his cosmology, this is the era we are enduring at present. I have always seen the Black Madonna as a gift and message from the Spiritual World that we are supported, understood and loved during our ordeals on Earth. 

No one would deny that our age is extraordinary in terms of challenges. I think this is why so many imaginations are sparked by these mysterious images. The Spiritual World is reaching out to us, and we are responding, because this is the time and we are the ones we have been waiting for all these centuries. We are loved and supported, and trusted.