The Blessed Virgin Mary:
Dea cannot be Banished

It is well known that the earliest human civilisations known to archaeology are dominated by the iconography of the Supreme Mother God [see The Feminine Heritage].

Gradually, as the feminine-centred civilisation weakens, she is depicted with decidedly inferior male consorts (often lunar or earthly in symbolism contrasting with the Solar and Heavenly iconography of the Supreme Mother).

Then, as true patriarchy takes hold, the male consort is promoted above God the Mother in an attempt to justify male domination on earth with a newly-patriarchal "heaven". The Solar and Heavenly symbolism is transferred to the former consort, while the Our Mother is given the Earth and Moon iconography which had been given to the masculine god in the days of his subordinate status; but which had originally belonged to the Daughter.

Eventually, the pantheons of the world were dominated by male gods with Our Mother God and Her various Aspects and Angelic Emanations being represented by subsidiary figures or "Goddesses", often married, and subordinate, to "Gods".

Finally, with the Abrahamic religions, we have a return to the pure monotheism of the earliest times, only this time it is as purely masculine as the original Faith of humanity was purely feminine.

Such, at any rate, was the intention. In reality, at every stage, wherever the patriarchy was not strong enough to suppress it - whenever there was even a momentary break in the patriarchal lockdown - the original faith blossomed again and Her children turned back to Our Mother.

As the Prophet Jeremiah angrily records:

The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven.

Jeremiah 7:18

The women are by no means ashamed of this, but proclaim:

We will do everything we said we would do. We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour out wine offerings to Her .

Jeremiah 44:17

The Queen of Heaven! Let us note how gloriously Our Mother returns! From the rigid exclusion of Her attempted by the patriarchy, the people do not move shamefacedly back to depicting Her in Her intermediate status as a subordinate Earth Goddess. No, She is the Queen of Heaven, as She was in the beginning.

The very words "Queen of Heaven" are an abomination to the prophet. Who, then, would have imagined that a thousand years later, followers of the most widespread branch of the Abrahamic faith would return officially to the worship of the Queen of Heaven? Yet this is the very title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Elsewhere, we have seen the return to the worship of Our Mother God. In India Her most fervent devotees freely proclaimed Her the One Supreme Deity.

In Christianity, however, the patriarchal doctrine was carefully sealed. There was no room doctrinally for the Creatrix and officially, the importance of the Blessed Virgin Mary was simply that she was the physical vehicle of Christ's incarnation.

However, both Her titles and Her iconography told a different story. Despite the official theology, the image of the Supreme Mother was returning to the West.

She was called Mother of God - an extraordinary title which logically implies that She is antecedent to, and the Cause of, any other Divinity.

The ancient titles of the Supreme Creatrix were bestowed on Her - Queen of Heaven; Star of the Sea; Rose of the World. She was pictured "clothed in the Sun" like the Solar Mother, with the moon at her feet. She was depicted crushing the head of the serpent just like Eurynome, the Mother-Creatrix of ancient European religion.

Even theologically, the Divinity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was hard to suppress. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception means that She was conceived without sin. Now, according to Christian doctrine, all humans are conceived in original sin, and only Christ can redeem that sin. But the Blessed Virgin Mary, before the incarnation of Christ, was sinless, unlike any human being, and made the redemption possible.

Within the strict patriarchal economy of Christianity, the Blessed Virgin Mary cannot be recognised as God; but in Her iconography, her titles and Her devotional cultus (none of which have a great deal to do with the biblical and historical Mary), She is clearly God the Mother.

Western devotees of Our Mother God look upon the statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary with love and devotion: easily and naturally recognising Her as Our Lady. The question that then arises is: "Can we, and should we, take these beautiful images back? Or, since they are made within a patriarchal tradition that denies Her Divinity, would that be wrong?"

This is a question that each must consider for herself. Here are a few Déanist guidelines that you may find helpful:

1. It is generally considered that images of the Blessed Virgin Mary should be combined, in a house or place of worship, with images from other living traditions, such as Kuan Yin, Tara or Mahalakshmi, which are able fully to recognise Her Divinity.

2. In the early days of Roman Christianity, statues of the Great Mother were repainted and re-dedicated as the Blessed Virgin Mary. This helped to ease Her devotees into the new religion. In using images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, many would consider that we are simply "taking back the statues" and re-dedicating them to their true and original purpose.

3. A dedication ceremony, or at least a few words of dedication, are considered important in the case of statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This can be omitted with statues of Kuan yin, Mahalakshmi or Tara, but with Marian statues it is vital if they are to be used in devotion to Our Mother God. This is because they must be clearly rededicated from an (officially) non-Divine use to a Divine one and Our Lady invited to take Her true and proper place.

4. Statues of the Madonna and Child are sometimes regarded as statues of Mother and Daughter: and indeed, if one chooses carefully, the Child can look very feminine. Again, this is a decision each of us must take: but in this case re-dedication is all the more vital.

5. Images of the pierced Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary are sometimes regarded as representing the Sacrificial Daughter as described in the Filianic Creed and indeed these are perhaps the finest sacrificial images of Dea that we can find.

For all the caution some of us may feel over statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us never forget that this Holy Image is replete with the ancient and orthodox iconography of Our Mother God; and that She bestowed it upon the Western World as a Grace and blessing in the dark days of patriarchy.

Our Mother God cannot be banished. She loves Her children and will always find a way to come to them; and so, many believe, we should accept all Her sacred Images with a full heart.

Some have suggested that this smacks of eclecticism: but the truth is that devotee of Our Mother God are anything but eclectic. We know that we have One Mother and the She reveals Herself all over the world. We adore Her in all Her Self-revelations; knowing that all are the expression of our single, simple Faith in Her.

See also:

The Immaculate Heart of Mary A beautiful and profound symbol of Our Dear Lady's Godhead.

Creation Myths and the Virgin Mary: What is a Creation Myth? Is it true? And How is Our Lady Mary connected with the primordial Creation Myth?

Choosing a Virgin Mary Statue: a guide for Devotees of Our Mother God.

Mary Statues as Images of God the Mother: further important information on statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Maria-sama no Kokoro, a beautiful online video of a hymn to the Immaculate Heart of Mary with Déanic interpretation.

Mary and Eve reflections on the original Divine status of Eve as Creatrix, and the traditional idea of Mary as "the New Eve".

A full explanation of the Hail Mary Prayer as a devotion to Our Mother God

Hail Mary full of Grace: an explanation of this beautiful phrase.

The Mother-God Hail Mary mp3 The Hail Mary "translated" for devotional use by children of Our Mother God. This Sermon, given at a Filanic Service, presents and explains the Mother-God Hail Mary.

Rosary Prayers for Déanists: Translations of all the Rosary Prayers for devotees of Our Mother God.

Rosary Meditations: meditations for the five decades of the Rosary for devotees of Our Mother God (mp3).

The Divine and Eternal mary: Discussion on the Godhead of Our Lady Mary.

Mary's Crown of Stars and the "European Flag" A note on the crown of twelve stars worn by Our Lady Mary and its significance to Her as Solar Mother. Also addresses the relation of the"European Flag" to Our Lady's circle of twelve stars.

Nudity and Our Lady Mary: A controversial subject concerning the visions of Traditionalist philosopher Frithjof Schuon. How should a devotee of Our Mother God regard the question of nudity in relation to Our Lady Mary?

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