The Order of the Black Madonna is a holy order within the Mt Shasta Goddess Temple devoted to the Great Dark Mother known by many names: Mitochondrial Eve, Au Set, Isis, Gaia, Cybele, Our Lady of Czestochowa, Santa Muerte, Sara la Kali, Our Lady of Monserrat, and others.
She is vast, timeless, fierce, and benevolent. She is non-local and ever-present. She is the balm for all suffering, the relief for obsessions and addictions, the matron of those who have been sexually marginalized and wounded, the mother of the oppressed, arbiter of justice, and the symbol for the deep, wise, female power that has been denigrated and treated as hidden/forbidden within more traditional religious contexts.
Order members follow a largely self-guided, ongoing path of reverence and devotion to the Black Madonna in one or more of her forms, with freedom in our approaches and a commitment to empowerment for all.
We collectively and individually:
Observe Feast Days and holidays on a schedule of our own design
Research Her many faces, history, and lore
Write our own prayers and re-write traditional prayers to suit our needs
Honor Her with our own system of symbols, ceremonies, and practices
Forge self-directed authentic relationships with the Black Madonna through individual service projects
Gather in a monthly ceremony honoring the Prayer Requests submitted to this website
Collect funds toward Black Madonna Reparation Retreats: healing, soul-nourishing retreats for Black and Indigenous women of color.
If you are interested in joining the Order of the Black Madonna, please join the Mt Shasta Goddess Temple as a Mandala Member and begin attending our monthly Madonna ceremonies on 4th Wednesdays. In these ceremonies, we lift the petitions submitted to this website and study aspects of the Black Madonna and her history. Every June we hold Madonna Holy Week, a one-week online daily devotional with topics related to Marian devotion. All of these activities are included in Mandala Membership in the Mt Shasta Goddess Temple.