Supporting Black Mothers

The Mt Shasta Goddess Temple is committed to honouring the Great Mother through acts of spirit, beauty, and service, and we embrace opportunities to help shape a better world for women. Our annual devotional cycle dedicated to Goddesses from many world cultures invites our membership to reflect on the diversity of the female divine, and our practices and teachings inspire women of all colors, shapes, sizes, and backgrounds to discover the divinity within. In our Temple, we believe that every woman is an earthly embodiment of the Goddess.

June is the month of the Black Madonna in our Temple, and we are listening with compassion and concern to the cries of Black Mothers who have lost their children to police and institutional violence, to racist medical practices that place communities of color at higher risk during this pandemic, and to the ongoing issues of Black infant and maternal mortality in a nation with the technological and institutional wherewithal to do better.

The Madonna of Black Butte by Priestess Holly DeFount is the Temple’s devotional representation of the Black Madonna. Situated in the Temple’s Siskiyou County landscape, against the backdrop of Black Butte (a satellite cone of Mt Shasta), the image includes iconic details in homage to several different historical Black Madonnas: the scars from the cheek of our Lady of Częstochowa, the rays of light emitting from Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the colourful robes of Sara-la-Kali. At her feet is a rattlesnake native to our region, not being trod upon or treated as evil, but curled in a harmonious infinity symbol at the feet of the Great Mother, symbolising her eternal love for the Earth and all of its sacred creatures. On her right side, red roses grow, and on her left are white Shasta lilies. The two flowers alchemically represent the sun and the moon, or the red and white tinctures that ultimately give rise to the Philosopher’s Stone.

From now until August 1, the Mt Shasta Goddess Temple will dedicate the proceeds from print sales of this image to Black Mamas Matter, an organisation addressing the needs of Black mothers today. From their website: “Black Mamas Matter Alliance is a Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance. We center Black mamas to advocate, drive research, build power, and shift culture for Black maternal health, rights, and justice.”

*Please note: due to COVID-19 labor shortages, print fulfillment may take longer than usual. Current estimate is 2-3 weeks from date or order. Thank you for your patience!

The Divine Mother Prayer

Our Mother whose body is Earth
hallowed be Thy 10,000 names.
Thy Queedom come, our wombs are one,
may all women, come to remember!
Give us each day food to nourish
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we strive to heal ourselves and the planet.
Lead us unto Your many pleasures
and deliver us from oppression.
For Thine is the wisdom,
the power and the beauty
forever and ever!

~mystic revision of The Lord's Prayer by Heather Kohser 2012 c

Santa Muerte Video Round-Up

For those interested in learning more about Santissima Muerte, here is a playlist on YouTube that has several informative videos:

Sr Marie Verité's Elemental Invocations

Holy Black Madonna of the North, Mother of the dark earth, the quiet winter and deep, sacred hush of buried things, hear our call. Keep our secrets in Your unfathomable depths, holy Silent Mother. Help us learn the value of unspeaking watchfulness and protection of those things that will quicken and grow in the months to come. Hail and welcome!

Holy Black Madonna of the East, Mother of the rising sun, beautiful flowing streams and melting snow, hear our call. Mother of emergence, Light-Bringer, teach us to cultivate refreshed determination like the seeds deep within You that begin to grow with the warming days. Help us find the open air and take our first deep breaths of spring. Hail and welcome!

Holy Black Madonna of the South, Mother of high noon and the full brightness of the days of summer, hear our call. We sing our joyful songs to You as we tend to the work of our daily lives. We follow your example of engaged leadership and activity as we bring support and aid to our communities, and surge forward all together, one Being working for the benefit of all. Hail and welcome!

Holy Black Madonna of the West, Mother of the great waters and the gathering storms of autumn, guide us through the passages we must follow as the sun gives way to increasing darkness. Mother of the Beloved Dead, help us to hear the wisdom of those who have flowed before us into the eternal cycle of life and death and life again. May we be a light in the darkness for all beings. Hail and welcome!

Holy Black Madonna of the Center, Eternal Mother and fecund darkness that is the Source of all life, we call to You. Hold us as we open within ourselves that spark of Divinity, the link that connects us to You that is forever present and always the golden road back to You. May we be exemplars of Your peaceful Presence, always mindful of the Now, always aware of the moment-by-moment possibility for compassion, growth, love, and blessings for all beings. Hail and welcome!

How to Contribute Peace: Part II

Contributed by Sr. Marie Intégrité

Anyone can do this practice, and I encourage you to do so. Words are power. Power that can lead to actions. Like a candle, your light is bright, and it spreads. Imagine a world filled with candles lit by peace, and all the light radiating from them filling the world. THAT is the purpose of this working.

No prayers, candles, or incantations can bring back the dead, But for those whose spirits are aching, it's a start. And for those feeling helpless as to what to do, it's a start. Hopefully this practice will inspire you to take actions to create change.

You will need:
White 7-day, glass-jarred, novena candle (easily found in grocery stores).
Red string or ribbon
Print out a copy of the prayer below.
*add anything else you'd like to the practice*

What to do:
1. Wrap the red string/ribbon around the candle.

2. On the candle, with a sharpie, write the words "Bringer of Peace" (or any other words of power you'd like. Could be the name of your deity, another prayer, or a sigil you've crafted)

3. Daily, light the candle and repeat the prayer. I like to do these things at the start of the day, but it's your choice. Sit for a few moments, visualizing light emanating from your core and going out into the world. Continue the visualization to see millions of points of light over the world, all expanding. Lighting all the dark corners. Casting out shadows. Stay with your visualizations for as long as you need.

Prayer
Contribution to Peace, found at the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose, CA

I contribute to Peace when I strive to express the best of myself in my contacts with others.

I contribute to Peace when I use my intelligence and my abilities to serve the good.

I contribute to Peace when I feel compassion toward all those who suffer. 

I contribute to Peace when I look upon all as my brothers and sisters regardless of race, culture, or religion.

I contribute to Peace when I rejoice over the happiness of others and pray for their well-being.

I contribute to Peace when I listen with tolerance to opinions that differ from mine or even oppose them.

I contribute to Peace when I resort to dialogue rather than force to settle any conflict.

I contribute to Peace when I respect nature and preserve it for generations to come.

I contribute to Peace when I do not seek to impose my conception of God/Goddess upon others.

I contribute to Peace when I make Peace the foundation of my ideals and philosophy.

So Mote It Be.

4. Say aloud "I am a bringer of peace" as you put out the candle.

Afterward
Continue this practice everyday until the candle is complete, then take the red string/ribbon and tie it on your wrist as a reminder that you ARE a bringer of peace. (repeat the prayer as often as you would like.)

You can refill the candle jar, and gift it to another person to follow the practice. Or use the jar as a vase in your home. Or dispose of it sacredly. Just don't throw it away....

Add to or adjust this to fit your needs. Any spiritual path can follow this practice. Make it your own.