Evolving Madonna

"The church ignored her too until about a thousand years ago.  Then the mother of Jesus was consecrated as the mother of humanity and . . . in the eleventh century . . . in France (alone) eighty churches and cathedrals sprang up in homage to Mary."

Eduardo Galeano
MIRRORS: STORIES OF ALMOST EVERYONE


Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD is a well known author who wrote WOMEN WHO RUN WITH THE WOLVES;  however, she also wrote UNTIE THE STRONG WOMAN which is an expansive study of the "Blessed Mother's Immaculate Love for the Wild Soul".  Clarissa Pinkola Estes describes this Great Mother in the following way:


                                 "She wears a thousand names, thousands of skin tones,
                                  thousands of costumes to represent her being a patroness
                                  of deserts, mountains, stars, streams, and oceans.  If there
                                  are more than six billion people on earth, then thereby she
                                  comes to us in literally billions of images."


As a Lutheran attending a Roman Catholic Elementary School, I certainly became acquainted with the Blessed Mother from kindergarten through eighth grade.  There were a variety of statues, prayers, pictures, and meaningful stories to be heard.  Conversely, in my Lutheran Church, there was a recognition of Mother Mary, but she definitely was not of the essence I found her to be in the Catholic schooling.  During the Roman Catholic Mass, I always felt a mystical sense created by the stained glass windows, candles, incense, and the intimacy of the missal written in Latin.  I found mass to be a personal experience in sacred space.

UNTIE A STRONG WOMAN is written in an artful and creative way with both holiness and humor.  It presents a powerful image of the Divine Feminine from across the world and bridging many cultures.  Poems are included written with such creative tenderness, they ignite holiness within all readers.

When facing a challenging time or when faith seems to falter, UNTIE A STRONG WOMAN will comfort and strengthen the soul.  As an exceptional story teller, Clarissa Pinkola Estes, shares many individual experiences with the ever evolving image of Mary.  This writing carries us past the familiar stories of a virgin birth, or mother of Jesus. 

The image of Mary has evolved enormously and if nothing else, provides compassionate passage with Divine Intervention.  The Sacred Feminine is being restored with images of courage, bravery, resilience and creative inspiration.  With the help of this writing, the reader is able to unlock mysteries and come to know the Madonna of our time.