Tonight is one of those tired-eyed, late nights where I don’t feel like ranting, so I’m going to keep this one short. I’ve been listening to “Ave Maria” on repeat the last few days (I’m a listen-to-one-song-five-million-times-in-a-row kind of guy), and I’ve been feeling especially connected to the persona of Mary, the Mother of Christ.
The connection I speak of isn’t particularly Catholic, or even Christian. It feels older than that. Mary represents so many things that transcend the barriers of religion - unconditional love, courage, surrender - all things we strive for. I can go into the metaphysics of the archetype of the virgin mother and all that jazz, but tonight I want to speak from the heart rather than the head.
When I think of Mary, I feel comfort.
I feel warmth.
I feel held.
I feel loved.
During times of distress, I like to spend some time sitting with the image of Mary. Not the person necessarily, but the idea - the idea that there’s a force out there much greater than myself that represents ultimate, divine motherhood. The purpose of this force is to only do good, and all it wants is to protect and to guide me to where I need to go. I feel its presence deeply.
When I was a little boy, I used to have conversations with Mary (and a host of other angels). I hardly remember these conversations, but this is what my mother (who should herself be up for sainthood) tells me. It really makes me think - who was I talking to? Was it all made up in my mind, or was I tapped into this force in a more direct way? I guess we’ll never know, but if you’ve read these Reflections, you know I lean towards the latter.
You always have access to the Great Mother if you need. You can call her Mary, Earth, whatever it may be. There are forces out there that our on our side always, if we choose to believe in them. Remember this as you navigate through this mad, mad world.
Ave Maria!