Transformative Darkness Recovering the Divine Feminine with the Black Madonna

                                   

October 3 - 17, 2025

Explore the healing transformation of Darkness and the Divine Feminine with the Black Madonnas of Spain.

Dr. Brooke Laufer, author and Jungian Psychologist, will join Stephanie Georgieff, Black Madonna Speaks Podcast Host and author, on a journey of the soul along several segments of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. 

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, often referred to simply as the Camino, is a network of pilgrimage routes that converge at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is one of the most famous and significant pilgrimage routes in the Christian world, dating back to the Middle Ages, when it became a major pilgrimage route following the discovery of the remains of St. James the Apostle in the 9th century.

The Black Madonna refers to a type of statue or painting of an image similar to the Virgin Mary in which she is depicted with dark or black skin. These images are found primarily in Catholic and Orthodox countries and are often attributed to medieval times. There are various theories about why these depictions have dark skin. Some suggest it could be due to the material used, the effects of candle soot over centuries, or symbolic representation. Others believe it reflects a connection to ancient, pre-Christian mother goddesses or has theological significance representing universality and inclusivity. The Black Madonna is often venerated and associated with miracles and pilgrimages.

The trip will begin in Barcelona, where the tour will explore the Black Madonna Shrine of Montserrat for several days - taking in the Abbey and surrounding areas along the eastern Spanish Camino. After several days at Montserrat, the tour will visit numerous Black Madonna shrines throughout the Gipuzkoa region of the Spanish Northern  Coastal Camino, concluding with a two day retreat in historic Oñati. 

Itinerary 

Date	Location	Activity
Friday October 3	Barcelona	Arrival and Group Supper (LOCATION)
Saturday October 4	Barcelona	City Tour Segrada Familia and Towers Tour (WITH A GUIDE?)
Sunday October 5	Barcelona	Optional Morning Mass 9 am at Segrada Familia (YES!) Enjoy the City Free Time Group Supper and Discussion
Monday October 6	Travel to Montserrat (HOW? DO WE GET TX?)	Shared Supper and Discussion (LOCATION)
Tuesday October 7	Montserrat	Morning Presentations Free Time in Afternoons and evening discussions
Wednesday October 8	Montserrat	Same schedule as October 7
Thursday October 9	Montserrat	Same schedule as October 7
Friday October 10	Zaragoza	Travel by train to Barcelona and then Zaragoza, visit Our Lady of the Pillar
Saturday October 11	Ujue	Travel by train to Ujue Visit Virgin of Uxue
Sunday October 12	Irun	Travel to Irun by Train Visit Virgin of Juncal
Monday October 13	San Sebastian	Walk 10 miles from Irun to San Sebastian Visit Basilica of Santa Maria del Coro
Tuesday October 14	Debla	Walk to 10 miles to Deba to  Visit Santa Maria de Itzar
Wednesday October 15	Oñati	Travel by Train to Oñati to stay in a Guest House. Visit The sanctuary of Our Lady of Aránzazu
Thursday October 16	Oñati	Enjoy the town, Sanctuary and rest
Friday October 17	Oñati	Depart for home or more independent Camino adventure

During the stay at Montserrat, Dr. Laufer and Georgieff will share their insights and experience regarding the history, folklore and deeper symbolism of darkness, the divine feminine and the Black Madonna. Dr. Georgieff will provide context and history of the Black Madonna and Dr. Laufer will present on the symbolism of the Black Madonna as an archetypal image for recovering the divine whole self. Together we will discuss the healing and alchemical properties the Black Madonna can offer us by making contact with our own dark shadows.

After several days at Montserrat, the tour will visit numerous Black Madonna shrines throughout the Gipuzkoa region of the Spanish Northern  Coastal Camino, concluding with a two day retreat in historic Oñati. Several days will provide the option for participants to walk along the Camino to the various shrines, and transportation between destinations will be available for those who wish to partake. At the time of the printing of this Itinerary, the proposed cost of the tour which will include all presentations by Dr Laufer and Georgieff,  train and bus transport within Spain, lodging and group meals is $3500 USD. Not included in the price is transport to and from Spain, free meals such as lunches and a single room supplement. A more complete price will be available in January of 2025, and a non refundable deposit of $500 USD by February 28, 2025. Prices for the tour may change due to change in lodging and transportation costs. If you would like more information, please visit the following link to sign up for regular updates. Black Madonna 2025 Tour

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The Journey of the Holy Nights with The Black Madonna

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The Journey of the Soul Holy Nights Journal available exclusively through The Black Madonna Speaks Patreon Store

Blessings!

CNN host makes discovery about his family's past that shocks him

There is Safety in Darkness

The Golden Connection

 

Gold is one of the most unique substances on earth. There are obviously concentrated deposits in various areas, but Gold is actually in everything, it is everywhere. While  in minute amounts, Gold is present throughout creation in all the elements. It is present in combination with many other elements and substances in the earth’s surface, such as Silica, Iron and Sulphur. Quite a bit of gold is mixed in with Silica, Iron and such, in fact, one of the reasons gold mining is so destructive to the environment is that toxic chemicals are mixed in with the substances to get the gold out.  It is also interesting that gold can be stretched to extremely thin sheets, to the width of a hair, and it changes colors many times as it gets thinner.

The brilliant red in medieval stained glass windows is from gold! Gold is mentioned throughout the Bible, but mainly in the Book of Revelation as part of the New Jerusalem. In a Spiritual Scientific sense, the origin of metals actually comes from the Sun and the Planets, where the metals came to Earth in a fluid astral etheric state. This shows that according to Spiritual Science, metals are actually foreigners on earth, they come from cosmic planetary origins.. All of the classic planets have metals associated with them: Silver is associated with the Moon, Quicksilver with the planet  Mercury, Copper with Venus, Iron with Mars, Tin with Jupiter, Lead with Saturn, and the metal of our focus for this podcast: Gold with the Sun.

In spiritual terms, Gold has a connection with the Human “I”. This is mainly because the Human “I” is indestructible, as is Gold, hence the symbolism. Gold rings are exchanged in marriage ceremonies as a symbol of (I would offer the ideal of) enduring love between two people. 

Iconography is a sacred art in the Byzantine and Eastern Christian tradition. By making an Icon, the artist enters a prayerful state, and paints the Icon in several different layers, each layer as a symbol of the tableau of creation. Beginning with clay which is symbolic of the first day of creation, there are several different layers to the Icon, each symbolizing a different “day” of creation. Specific prayers and meditations are employed by the artist throughout the process. The last layer of the Icon  finishes with the application of gold gilt.  In the case of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn, a golden Riza is the final layer of the Icon. What is so interesting to me personally, is that according to the Genesis narrative of Creation, Humanity was the “crown” so to speak, of the entire process. We also know that humans have a sense of the “I Am” which they share with Divinity, and this sense is something we have developed mainly through the Christ event. So these really beautiful Icons that are finished in Gold are an echo to what I was exploring earlier in the podcast. In spiritual terms, Gold has a connection with the Human “I”. This is mainly because the Human “I" is indestructible, as is Gold, hence the symbolism. Icons with their Golden Riza's are an excellent example of the indestructible nature of the essence of being Human, our “I,” as well as being a symbol of the tableau of the evolution of creation, symbolizing the incarnation of the divine Human.

The Madonna is a symbol of the highest potential and capacity of the human being. In the Gospels, Mary the Mother of Jesus, appears as the representative of the human soul, of a revealed spiritual force.

Gold in art, specifically in Iconography symbolizes the full divinization and full incarnation of the human.

Notice this when you see Icons, and hopefully it will inspire you and warm your heart.

For a fuller discussion on the Golden Connection with The Black Madonna, listen to The Black Madonna Speaks Podcast on the very subject.

The Golden Connection

Blessings on your Journey!

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The Stars on Her Mantle

 

We are about a month ahead of the Festival of Guadalupe, the Mestizo Madonna of Mexico. She is considered a Black Madonna because of her dark skin, and her image is a beautiful expression of the mixture of both Native and European features and symbolism. 

 

There are so many threads to Guadalupe of Mexico, that it would take hours to cover them all. In fact, I have written an entire book on the subject, The Virgin of Guadalupe, Mysterious Messenger of Destiny

In essence, Guadalupe of Mexico is a miracle, a story of evolution, of progression, of divine love and transformation. Her basic story is that she appeared to a Nahuatl Native on a series of days, December 9 - 12, 1531 to be exact, and the miracles surrounding her apparitions. On December 12th she imprinted her image on the cactus fabric Tilma (a poncho-type article of clothing of Nahuatl peasants of the day) in front of the Bishop of New Spain and his entourage. The image is on display in The Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico, above the main altar. It has been constantly on display for nearly 500 years, as one of the most visited of all Marian Shrines in the world. This image has also been one of the most studied of all sacred items, being deciphered by chemists, physicists, photographers, you name it, and the only thing everyone can agree upon is that it defies explanation in earthly terms, other than the Virgin of Guadalupe of Mexico is a miracle.

 

The Virgin of Guadalupe is not art in the classic materialistic sense, meaning, an image comprised of a canvas covered with some sort of paint. Hundreds of years of materialistic scientific study, including modern computer  x-ray technology and chemical analysis, can not decipher what comprises this image that has inspired millions for nearly 500 years. But in a spiritual sense, Guadalupe is art, in that she conveys quite a message from the Gods. Guadalupe does this through every single fiber, every image, every aspect of the poetic narrative of her genesis, and most elegantly through her timing, the location of her apparitions, as well as her profound repeated statements of her apparitions to Juan Diego

 

Build me a Temple and Where are you Going?

There are many skeptics as to the nature of this image. One of the more interesting and accepted ones, is that it was painted by a Spanish artist schooled in Europe on the painting techniques of the day, about 60 years after the apparitions of Guadalupe. The "painting" was created to quell resistance to Spanish colonialism and insert the Catholic faith to the Natives in New Spain. 

Everyone is welcomed to draw their own conclusions as it is everyone's right to do so, but what I find most interesting in terms of refuting this notion, is the timing of the imprinting on the Tilma and the stars on the mantle of the Virgin.

With modern computer technology, we can plug in dates, locations and times and see how the stars were configured in the sky at any moment in history. If we look at the heavens above what is now called Mexico City at 10:40 am on December 12th, 1531, the exact timing of the miraculous imprinting of Guadalupe onto the Tilma, the heavens paint quite a picture. There is no way that an artist 60 years after the event could have known this. 

The heavens were pointing to the commencing of a new era in the evolution of humanity. The stars point to this. A tradition started nearly a century ago is to pray for 46 days leading up to the apparition of Guadalupe. There are 46 stars visible on the Tilma, hence the choice of 46 days, and each day leading up to the festival has a name (Star of Peace, Star of Hope and so on.) What is interesting is the symbolism of 46 in that it is the number of chromosomes in a human cell. Chromosomes are the essential structure, the template for creating a living being. In the number 46, for me, it points to the fact that Guadalupe is heralding the formation of a new structure for humanity, based on Cosmic Love.

As with all things, we have the freedom to choose this path towards universal and cosmic love.

What is your choice? Where are you going and what sort of temple will you be building to facilitate such a transition?