From "The Warrior Queen: Encounters with a Latin Lady," by Luisah Teish in Goddess of the Americas.
"Then it begins again and She is there. Ave Maria Morena, the Virgin of Guadalupe. I talk to the Lady on the candle. Who are you today, Ms. Lupe? Shall I choose a green one for Tonantzin, the sustaining power of the Earth? I pick up the green candle and remember the coronation of la Morena. She was declared the 'Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas.' I recognize in Her Ala, the Igbo Earth Goddess; Asase Yaa, the Great Mother of Ghana; and Nana, Mother of All the Gods in the Kingdom of Dahomey. I take a moment to thank Her for welcoming my ancestors to these shores. I thank Her for the knowledge of the herbs of this land which the Native Americans shared with my people. And even now as I stand in the grocery store, I acknowledge that this little girl from Louisiana has found a place in Oakland, California. I am snug and safe in Her belly."
On Dec. 12, 1531, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to an Aztec farmer in what is now Mexico City. She is both a cultural figure and a spiritual one, and is a presence in the lives of millions of Mexicans, Chicanos, Latin Americans, and others around the world. On this day, more than a million people make the pilgrimage to her temple in Mexico City. Perhaps one day I will too.
(Art from Serena Supplee, "Artist on the Colorado Plateau.")
I just love this story about the Divine coming into Human form and especially into that of a woman! I can't relate to most Mary's-but Guadalupe is such a liberator-radical blessing that I can't but dig her!
ReplyDeleteHere is hoping that today-maybe-just maybe- the source of Love that Guadalupe is- will bring light,joy and the deepest peace to all those who need it today in our suffering world.
Hey..maybe Lupe will come visit El Monte today to ease and liven things up a bit! You never know! Hee!
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