Amulets of Mary Oracle and Blessing Set

Blessing Amulets of Mary Oracle Set

The Amulets of Mary Oracle is a two-fold oracle, blessing and healing set incorporating various ancient traditions including the Benedicaria, the sacred path of the pilgrim and priestesshood in the Temple of Mary and the sanctification of the ordinary through the blessing way.

The Amulets of Mary Oracle and the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck are a culmination of my own conscious spiritual journey of the past 25 years.  It incorporates the practise of Sacred Altarmaking, the devotion of the pilgrim to sacred places, the use of holy waters and relics, the creation of sacred oils and elixers and my work as Diksha giver (Blessing giver) and Guru in the Shaktipat tradition of the Great Mother and my devotion to the Blessed Mary.

Recently, through various books (all listed in the Bibliography of the accompanying booklet) 

I learnt about the ancient tradition of Benedicaria and the work of a Benedetta.  Although I am not born into the Italian culture, my journey as pilgrim did start in Italy with the call issued by Archangel Michael to visit his grotto in Mont Sant’Angelo and I see myself as a modern Benedetta, continuously uncovering more.

The Amulets can be used with and alongside the Mysteries of Mary Tarot cards.

Benedicaria, the Blessing Way, is an ancient

Catholic and domestic folk tradition practised by the Italians in Southern Italy.  This tradition is fast fading from modern society, but many of its practises are still part of syncretic worship and devotion.

One who practices the Benedicaria, is known as a Benedetta, or a Wise Woman and a Benedetto, a Wise Man .  Benedicaria is a private form of practising your religion and it blends with many domestic practises, such as the blessing of animals and herbs, infusing oils and elixers, creating an altar, using flowers and holy cards for blessings and wisdom.

Benedicaria is predominantly a woman’s practise.  A Benedetta has much in common with the goddess archetypes of Demeter, Hestea, Bridgit and even Athena.   She is the homemaker, mother, herbalist, gardener, chef and healer.  This role is not regarded as of any importance in modern society, but for one who is spiritually aware and who undertakes these tasks with great intent, she understands the spiritual force that is being wielded.  The preparing of food is not only a physical act, but a spiritual one.  If this is done in love it will bless the family;  if done in anger and ignorance, it will curse the family.  The motto ‘cleanliness next to godliness’ means much more than meets the eye.  When you keep your spiritual space, ie the home clean, you also keep your spirit and its physical space clean.

The physical life and its objects are manifestations and representations of the life and existence of the spirit.  Taking care of our physical life is a sacred task and when performed with intent and awareness we realise that the ordinary is indeed sacred.

Every Benedetta will have a home altar and a personal altar.  The Amulets of Mary Oracle set can be placed on your altar along with the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.

With the Amulets of Mary blessing set you will receive guidelines for

creating an altar, using coloured candles, how to use the casting cloth,

the holy cards and more.

The novena prayers are an important part of the Benedicaria.  A novena is a prayer that is said for nine days consecutively.  It is said that the first Apostles prayed for nine days between Jesus’ Ascension and the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost.  The number 9 is a very powerful number in numerology (the science of numbers).  Usually a novena is accompanies by candles, rosaries and ritual such as sacred shrine making (see my blog http://pathofdivinelove.blogspot.com) for my art novenas to Our Lady of Lourdes.  The ancient novena prayers are used in conjunction with all of the above as well as an image of the Saint and those who you are praying for.

It is also practise to include the colour of the Saint or Holy One that you are asking for help.

The Amulets of Mary Blessing set consists of a blessed casting cloth, a set of 45 charms in a small bag, nestled in a tin;  a set of holy cards in a linen scapular bag;

an accompanying spiral bound guide book; a small statue for the altar and other options.

Each set is completely unique and one of a kind and cannot be replicated exactly as I use vintage charms, hand cast silver charms and vintage holy cards amongst others.

There are various sets available :  some are dedicated to a particular saint or saints; others to Mary and Her apparitions or a specific apparition, etc. 

You will find more information on the various available sets at The French Madonna on Etsy.com or on my blog.

The casting cloth has been blessed by touching it to the second and third holy relics of Mary’s sacred chemise and roses from St Terese’s sacred garden, as well as roses from the garden of St Francis and other holy relics.  It has also been sprinkled with holy water from Lourdes and Ngome.

On the casting cloth is a hand drawn diagram.  

Hail Mary, full of grace,

The Lord is with thee

Blessed art thou among women

and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb

Holy Mary,  Mother of God,

oh Rose Queen

Bestow your Blessing upon us

Now and Forever

Blessings

Hettienne

The French Madonna

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The Black Madonnas of the deck

XI Holy Wisdom from Mysteries of Mary tarot
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Mirror of Justice, Seat of Wisdom – Litany of Loreto

There are many streams of understanding of Holy Wisdom as the Lady of the Mysteries. 

In the Litany of Loreto She is called the Seat of Wisdom.  

The Black Madonna, the ‘Notre Dame Sous Terre de Chartres’; 

Our Lady Underground in Chartres is the representation of the Divine Woman 

as Holy Wisdom in the deck. 

The background tapestry in this shrine I drew and stitched myself.  

It is a replica of the one that hangs behind Notre Dame Sous Terre in the 

underground chapel of Chartres. 

As you enter the chapel you pass underneath ‘the Hand of God’ 

and it is as though are being blessed as you enter the hidden 

underground chamber of Dark Wisdom. 

Notre Dame Sous Terre de Chartres
XI Holy Wisdom
Mysteries of Mary Tarot

The hidden Black Madonna under the earth is seated on the throne of wisdom  

One has to descend through the Chartres Cathedral to access these 

underground passages and chapels, 

all of which are dimly lit and often only by candle light.  

You can only visit this chapel under the guidance of an appointed tour leader and you are not allowed to linger in the chapel to pray or meditate. 

Holy Wisdom is veiled behind the appearance and noise 

of the external world and it is necessary to enter the 

subterranean cave in order to find her ‘still’ voice.

The Greek for Holy Wisdom is Hagia Sophia.  

Sophia is the Wisdom of the divine deity. 

She has been revered as the Wise Bride of Solomon 

in the Judaic tradition; as Athena, the Queen of Wisdom and War 

in the Greek pantheon and as 

Our Lady Wisdom by Christians.  

She is known as Chokmah in Hebrew, and Sapientia in Latin.

When Holy Wisdom is seated on the throne of your inner world, then you are ensured of a wise voice of intuition and discernment.  Following Lady Wisdom is a skill that needs commitment to be developed.   She does not often speak in a loud voice, but often through the words of others, images, nature and your soul.  You are surrounded by the voices of Wisdom, you only have to open your ears and eyes. 

blessings

Hettienne

The Sea Journey

The Sea Journey tarot card rosary
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The Sea Journey is the VI of Distaff in the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck (listed elsewhere in my shop). This is a unique handcrafted rosary necklace with the image of Mary under a glass bubble in a bohemian style - lightweight frame and a lightweight rosary - with a vintage holy medal dangling at the bottom.

The Sea Journey card is Mary on a barge in the tradition of Isis, crossing the river Styx or metaphorically the waters of consciousness.  This tarot card is a major initiation taking you deeper into life and the Sacred Mother's mysteries. 

'Mary is the bridge between heaven and earth, between the human and the divine worlds, between human and divine justice.' - Andrew Harvey

This card depicts the tradition of carrying an image of Mary in a boat on a sea or river journey in a sacred procession and celebration.  This ritual reminds one of the processions of Sante Sara la Kali as seen in the card V Vessels in the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.  An image of Mary is sanctified with prayers, incense, candles and flowers and placed on a boat.  It is a Sea Journey to new shores, both within and without.

These rosary pieces are created in the practise of the making of sacred altars and they contain the healing energies of both the image, the meaning of these cards and the spiritual energy that they were created with.  Here is one of many testimonials : 'I received our Lady of Lourdes, mystical healer stunning wearable shrine today. The moment Hettienne shipped it, I saw a white light with a white flame in its centre. Throughout the shrine's travel I would keep visions of it. I can firmly attest that this is more than a necklace, but carries divine consciousness which is transferred powerfully through the artist's love and devotion. The package arrived fully intact, filled with frankincense and myrrh and tiny shells and pebbles, the precious necklace safely wrapped. Thank you! Arathi Ma.'

The Mysteries of Mary tarot deck took four years to complete.  Each card is a print of a handmade three dimensional shrine depicting the Mysteries of the tradition of Isis-Maryam-Mary.  It fits together the myth and metaphor as contained in Egyptian, Jewish, Greek, Christianity and the various Gnostic teachings (amongst others) of the feminine and masculine Christ and the inner Sacred Marriage.  The deck is at once an artistic and mystical vision of the sacred mysteries of the Soul and its unsung feminine path.  Each card is an individual shrine dedicated to an archetype, an initiation, a Mystery in the Great Mystery and a vignette of one of the stories woven into the tapestry of Mary.  You can read more about my tarot deck and book at www.hergracesacredart.com.

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Now in The French Madonna at www.etsy.com/shop/thefrenchmadonna

blessings

Hettienne

The Miller's Daughter

The Miller's Daughter
Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck
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The Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck and Book

has been published and is now available on

my website www.hergracesacredart.com

and also in my shop The French Madonna

at Etsy.com  www.etsy.com/shop/thefrenchmadonna.

You can subscribe to my blog

The Mysteries of Mary Tarot 

for regular updates.

A few fairytales are included in the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck.  Some of them were chosen as they relate to a specific archetype in both the tarot and the stories of Mary.

The fairy tale of the Handless Maiden was chosen because Mary

appears in an Eastern European folktale version of the story. 

In some versions an angel or a being of light appears to help the 

Handless Maiden, but in this particular folktale, Mary herself appears

to help the maiden.

The story of the Handless Maiden and her powerful symbology is told over a sequence of three cards in the deck.  Links

to different versions of the fairy tale is included

in the bibliography at the back

of the book.  

The V of Holy Rood (traditionally Wands) is the first

card that depicts a scene from the tale.  

This card is titled The Miller's Daughter 

and we are introduced to

the young maiden, her father, the devil 

and very importantly, the apple tree.

The Miller's daughter is standing next to the apple tree with a loaf of bread

(food produced by the miller) on her shoulder.  She, as well as the significant apple

tree represents feminine values and attributes.    Feminine qualities and attributes

live in both male and female.  The story of speaks of the 'miller' and not the maiden's father.

This demonstrates that great importance is given to his occupation in the world, 

rather than his role as father.

From the start we see the focus and emphasis on masculine goals and values.

In our culture the masculine values and attributes are greatly admired and promoted.

The emphasis on the miller, his greed for money, his disregard for both the apple tree

and his daughter, reflects and highlights the imbalance which exists and

the lack of reverence for the less visible feminine principles.

The apple blossom is a symbol of fertility and sensuality.

In Celtic lore the apple tree is the Tree of Love.

At the top of the shrine are two hands.  These will take

you to the next part of the story which is further developed

in VII of Holy Rood,, where the Handless Maiden enters the forest.

Traditionally this card means conflict and in this deck it refers to inner conflict.

The really important questions in life you have to find the answers to

yourself. Do not rely on the opinion of others.  Do not rely

on 'the done thing' or the accepted way of doing.

In other words, do not make a pact with the devil for your most

precious feminine feeling  and earthy nature.

Dig deep and feel the discomfort of the inner conflict

and may you find peace.

This is an extract from the discussion of this card in companion book

to the Mysteries of Mary Tarot Deck

peace,

Hettienne