"So too, the "eye for an eye" legends of many an old country teller stand as a way to hand down intelligent cautions to the next generation: That no one ought dare desecrate what others hold sacred - whether the sacred be innocent people, naive children, humble travelers, or holy images . . . just in case "what you do unto others will also be done onto you."
Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD
UNTIE THE STRONG WOMAN
While I am still reading UNTIE THE STRONG WOMAN by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, I find myself to be amazed at the attempts to assault, close behind locked doors and hide pictures, statues, or any holy image of the Holy Mother. This did not happen in a small area, but rather across many countries: Czeck Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, France, Romania, Russia, land masses of The Middle and Near East, all of Asia, Africa, the Island nations, the mountain nations, the ocean nations, and the North Countries.
The myths, legends, or miracles of the Ancestral Great Mother survived literally and figuratively speaking. Many shrines today hold original paintings or relics once associated with the Holy Mother. Most impressively, in my opinion, is the fact images of the Blessed Mother were kept very much alive in the hearts and stories of all people.
There is the debate between fact and fiction, but could not the same be true of Jesus the Christ or the Bible? To me, accuracy is not the point. The fact a woman remained in the hearts of so many people; offered hope, encouragement and healing; and survived all attempts of suppression intrigues me.
Then there is the basic question of "why" this was ever attempted. If she were just an ordinary woman without special meaning, why should such efforts be so widely spread to destroy her. It is at this point I get that little tingle up my spine and the hair on my neck begins to stick out. What was really going on here with this woman who endured the persecution and humiliation of her son, staying at the cross until he was taken down. Certainly a woman of strength, but was there really more?
There are those who would say the appearances and miracles of this Mother Mary are folk lore or simple myths or no more than fairy tales. There are also those who would just as soon finalize this feminine energy today. This persistent feminine energy which continues to prosper and bring balance to our world today.
The myths, legends, or miracles of the Ancestral Great Mother survived literally and figuratively speaking. Many shrines today hold original paintings or relics once associated with the Holy Mother. Most impressively, in my opinion, is the fact images of the Blessed Mother were kept very much alive in the hearts and stories of all people.
There is the debate between fact and fiction, but could not the same be true of Jesus the Christ or the Bible? To me, accuracy is not the point. The fact a woman remained in the hearts of so many people; offered hope, encouragement and healing; and survived all attempts of suppression intrigues me.
Then there is the basic question of "why" this was ever attempted. If she were just an ordinary woman without special meaning, why should such efforts be so widely spread to destroy her. It is at this point I get that little tingle up my spine and the hair on my neck begins to stick out. What was really going on here with this woman who endured the persecution and humiliation of her son, staying at the cross until he was taken down. Certainly a woman of strength, but was there really more?
There are those who would say the appearances and miracles of this Mother Mary are folk lore or simple myths or no more than fairy tales. There are also those who would just as soon finalize this feminine energy today. This persistent feminine energy which continues to prosper and bring balance to our world today.
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