The most powerful experience at the Grotto of Massabielle
at Lourdes in France is one of absolute peace.
Peace beyond words and understanding.
I personally witnessed and became immersed in the peace
and this peace never leaves. Even when the emotions
and the mind lose focus, the peace sits underneath,
eternally watching and loving, waiting for the storm to
pass and for the mind to become aware of Its Presence again.
When one is at Lourdes and especially during the processions,
you are struck by the absolute acceptance of those who come there
looking for healing, miracles and peace.
And this acceptance is not a passive giving-up but an active
choice of surrender to a Greater Power and
an active act of forgiveness of the self, of the world,
and of God.
The peace of accepting that one is held in the embrace
of loving powerful hands even when nothing makes sense.
The peace of accepting that Love has a plan that will bring you
peace because your own plans has not been able to do.
And the greatest acceptance that our belief systems are only
that : belief systems. And often and mostly, we have to be
willing to change our minds and to let go of our way thinking
and believing and our need to feel secure and allow
Life to show us a different and better way of being with ourselves
and with life.
The peace of knowing that the Divine is not defined and created
by concepts and words and dogma, but our relationship
with the Divine is crafted from our pain and joy; from our
personal experiences and our direct knowledge and insights
and that it is a highly personal, individual and unique relationship
which does not depend on the interpretation of it by others.
The peace of knowing that you can never be lost. That the Hand
of Love has you tightly in her grip.
When visiting the Grotto of Massabielles at Lourdes in France, and especially during the processions,
one is struck by the incredible peace that is present here and by the peace that you experience within yourself. This peace can be attributed to many things, but the most noticeable is that the absolute dynamic acceptance of the Divine Order of this world and its hardships, by the thousands of pilgrims who visit daily. Peace that comes from within and peace which is present within each one of us, it just takes some steps on our side to welcome peace into our hearts and minds.
This experience inspires most of my work and especially my
Lourdes pieces such as the Hand of Our Lady of Lourdes
Handmade Mother Mary Our Lady of Lourdes French blue and Sterling Silver Assemblage Rosary Necklace made with Vintage Rosaries and Virgin Mary blue Glass Beads. Includes Vintage Catholic Holy Medals (Our Lady of Lourdes and Vintage Miraculous Medal), a Sterling Silver Heart and a silver hand. This Unique Handmade Vintage Assemblage Rosary is Blessed with Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Water.
A blend of very old Lourdes medals, handcrafted sterling silver charms, fire beads in the most beautiful subtle colours and a double strand of a very old mother of pearl rosary. All of these together create the sacred wearable altar called the Peace of Lourdes. The necklace symbolizes that if your heart is safely held by the Blessed Mother you know true peace.
This necklace contains fire beads, a Lourdes grotto centrepiece, two beautiful hands holding the centrepiece, with a very old rosary connector with an image of Our Lady, two sterling silver hearts and a hand hanging from it. Halfway through the necklace is a beautiful reversible Lourdes grotto rosary centrepiece from which the double strand of mother of pearl rosary follows. it all comes together with a sterling silver handcrafted hook.
With this necklace you will receive a small bottle of Lourdes water from one of my pilgrimages to Lourdes. added many more pictures here.
As part of my spiritual practise I travel at least once a year to places sacred to the Divine Feminine and especially where she is known and worshiped as Mary. I bring items back with which i create pieces of art to be used and enjoyed as items to remind us of the Divine power of healing, Grace and peace available to us and within reach. The beauty of Her images and sacred symbols soften our hearts and open our minds and Divine Inspiration reminds us that She is as close as our own breath. All it takes is hope and faith and Grace will flow.
All my pieces are shipped with a small amount of sacred salts or holy water, gathered and collected from the sacred places. I carry them in the healing processions and touch them to the Earth which holds these high vibrations where She has appeared in form and is still appearing.
You can read http://www.hergracesacredart.com/p/sacred.html about the process of infusing my art with sacred oils.
Her Grace Sacred Art and Altars are all sacred items. The wearable shrines and altars
are hand made shadowboxes to be worn as an altar. Each piece is unique and individual and an original. Every wearable altar, shrine and pendant carries the signature of the
artisan (me) engraved on a sterling silver leaf, or on the back of a sterling silver hand cast icon,
or on a brass dangle, hanging on the necklace.
Each one of my pendants, shrines, paintings and other sacred art are first infused with holy water from Lourdes (which I brought back), and then infused with holy relic oil of more than 53 Saints & pure essential oils. A mixture of one hundred oils are used, including frankincense,
myrrh, spikenard, agarwood and rose.
It is also immersed in blessed pink dead sea salts, infused with rose petals steeped in holy oil of a third relic of St Therese of Lisieux and it is packaged with blessed salts, frankincense and
sprinkled with holy water collected form many sacred places in the world.
So it becomes a holy object to be handled with reverence and care.
blessings
Hettienne
