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St Joseph, earthly father of the Divine Child :
symbol of humility and positive fatherly values,
faith and trust in the Will of God even when we do not know what the outcome will be nor what
is waiting for us :
living with an open heart and a surrendered mind without the need to first understand
before we accept our path as it is laid out in front of us.
St Joseph shrine - Oracle Deck : Sacred Altars of the Mysteries
by Hettienne Grobler
The Feast of the Annunciation focuses on Mary's first initiation into the Joyful Divine Mysteries.
Humility, obedience and service are the qualities of the handmaid who sacrifices everything to fulfill
the Divine Plan for humanity.
Just as much as this was Mary's initiation, it was also Joseph's initiation into fulfilling the Divine Plan.
For him too, it was an initiation of humility, obedience and service.
The ancient esoteric legend tells us the following about the betrothal and marriage of
Mary and Joseph:
She saw in your soul's garden
The virgin lilies stand,
And knew God made you worthy
To touch her virgin hand.
'It came to pass when they were gathered together, Joseph was found with them, and as they were
waiting, behold, a snow white dove went forth from the Sanctuary and alighted upon the top of
Joseph's staff (which had spring into blossom) and then flew upon his head.
The holy virgin heart of Mary could be wedded
only to another holy virgin heart.
St Ambrose writes that theirs was the perfect love match as the great saint was
betrothed to the Lily of Israel.
St Joseph, the Earthly Father of the Christ child,
went through his own journey of initiation, of joy and sorrow, sacrifice, loss and love.
Joseph had to accept in humble willingness a task so great and so painful : he sacrificed his personal life
for that of one of the highest service; he had to withstand his society's
scorn and disdain when he married a young girl
pregnant by the Holy Spirit; he had to father and love a child
whom he had to surrender to the Greater Mystery.
The contemplative seeker realizes that there are many esoteric layers of
symbolism hidden and stored in the Lesser and Greater Divine Mysteries.
Joseph is, amongst others, a symbol of the 'positive' father within.
He is the inner masculine self whom has to act on our inner inspiration.
Inspiration (in spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit) is in itself an immaculate conception.
Inspiration finds us, borne on the wings of the angel, in the same way
that the Archangel Gabriel delivered the news to Mary and Elizabeth.
But it is not always easy to act on inspiration.
We may be inspired to start a new project,
to write a book, to get involved in our community,
to give up a bad habit, to make lifestyle changes,
but it is not always that easy to make work of our new ideas
We may be faced with many obstacles and challenges in manifesting
our dreams and visions, the biggest one being our own doubts.
And this is where the positive inner father steps in. That aspect of ourselves
which is represented by the 'upright' St Joseph; that part who has to to guide and protect the inner child,
the enthusiasm (being filled with the passionate spirit of God) of a new
undertaking, or an inner unfolding of the heart.
The inner father who overcomes the inner critic; the inner voice who
encourages, supports and that part of the self that takes right action
to help us stay motivated and inspired and steadfast to our own dreams
and our vulnerable inner child.
This was one of the altar cards from the Oracle Deck that
I am working on; it has since evolved into a more complex
shadowbox and card
shadowbox and card
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The Higher Mysteries of Mary Tarot
http://www.hergracesacredart.com
The Higher Mysteries of Mary Tarot
Blessings
