From the Litany of Loreto :
Spiritual vessel, pray for us
Vessel of honour, pray for us
Singular vessel of devotion, pray for us
Mystical rose, pray for us
Tower of David, pray for us
Tower of Ivory, pray for us
House of Gold, pray for us
The Loreto shrine, the traditional house of Mary, the dwelling of the feminine aspect of God. At sunset it is bathed in gold and so it is often referred to as the golden house.
Gold is a symbol of grace and spiritual virginity. Gilding of images of gods and saints in India was meant to show their spiritual perfection and how they hearken from a world beyond ego. Halos are gold auras betokening the divine light that emanates from saints who are incarnations of the divine life.
A custom was to bronze the shoes in which a baby first walked. Mary is the house of the ego that has been gilded because she walked the path from ego to Self. She represents the completed process of the ego/Self axis. By the invocation, House of Gold, we commit ourselves to enter the mansion of spiritual individuation. What happened to her, happens to us : we make a series of choices and surrenders that move us from cellar to attic and then down to earth and out into the world with treasures to share.
In the fire of creation, gold does not vanish: the fire brightens. Each creature God made must live in its own true nature; how could I resist my nature, that lives for oneness with God? - Mechtild of Magdeburg
Mary, we enter the house of your golden radiance
We find in you the virtues that make our world a house of gold
We share with you the house of earth and join you in making it a palace of light
We offer the sunrise and the sunset to you
Help us in our beginnings and our endings
May we make the world a house of golden love. (extract from prayer by David Richo)
Golden blessings!
this is lovely hettienne.
ReplyDeleteVery pretty and thanks so much for all the golden info! All the details on the card are lovely.
ReplyDeleteI came from Inspiration Avenue and this is a beautiful piece. The details of the beads and lace is beautiful. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteThe wonderful thing about challenges is that they can be interpreted in so many different ways. Yours is both unique and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with your fabric collage. It is super, including the way your described the art and how each bit relates to the whole. Perfect IA challenge entry.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all these lovely comments! I love the IA weekly challenges - they really expand one's vision
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful and full of peace.
ReplyDeleteThis as such a wonderful radiance to it- beautiful piece!
ReplyDeleteWell now I know why I have a pair of my father's bronzed baby shoes ~ fascinating! Beautiful collage art too!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving your mix & match, the background picks up those subtle pinks in your banner beautifully ~ thanks for inviting me for a look-see.
♥Sharon