-Excerpt from chapter 4 of "The Path of the Priestess"
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Black
Madonna of Chartes
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Chartres Cathedral,
one of the most exquisite Cathedrals in France, is unique
in that it contains two statues of the Black Madonna, one
in the nave, and one in the crypt. It was here, where her
statue has remained since the thirteenth century, that I first
had the opportunity to greet the Black Madonna, place my heart
in her hands and ponder her mysteries. I knelt down before
her, my palms gently held together in the universal mudra
of prayer and began to contemplate her image.
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Kali
Ma
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She was as black
as night, as the prima materia, as the virgin earth, black
as the void, the source and matrix of all becoming. Was this
the embodiment of both Isis and the Virgin Mary I beheld or
was this Kali, tantric goddess of this dark Age of iron? From
my perspective as a yogini the Black Madonna appeared to be
the Primordial Mother herself, the creator, protector and
destroyer who dissolves all illusions and machinations of
the mind. Or Kali Ma, the fearless warrior of truth and integrity
whose immaculate heart is a cremation ground on which all
egotistical cravings are offered, purified and transmuted.
As I placed my
head at the base of the Black Madonna's pedestal to ask for
her blessing, I felt the presence of the multitudes of worshippers
who have opened their hearts and placed before her their every
longing, every dream, every prayer. I heard them weeping,
chanting, crying out to this exquisite embodiment of the secret
mysteries of life, death and regeneration. Going deeper and
tuning in to the power of the place, I felt rushes of energy
course through me as shivers raced up my spine. Light suffused
my body, spiraling up through my central channel and engulfing
my energy field until I was magically transformed into a radiant
ball of light.
 In
the blink of an eye I found myself traveling through a long,
dark winding tunnel from which I was promptly expelled into
a silent space of emptiness, of nothingness. There I rested
- floating, relaxing ñ into this vast expanse of empty
space. I felt as though I was being absorbed into the very
heart of the Mother herself, dissolving into her soothing
blackness.
At the moment
of my deepest rest I was suddenly propelled outward. I felt
myself spinning, spiraling, dancing through the darkness.
All around me I saw a host of glowing balls or sparks of light,
each shining with its own radiance. We moved together on a
vast plane of energies, with stars being birthed out of the
heart of the galaxy. I was one of millions of stars that glittered
and danced and wove themselves together to form the spiraling
arms of the Milky Way.
I opened my eyes
to see the Black Madonna, the Primordial Mother, standing
silently before me, waiting patiently to take me in her arms
and listen to my prayer. Like those who had come before me,
I opened my heart to her. I asked for her assistance in my
personal quest for Gnosis and illumination. I spoke to her
of my Longing for grace, beauty, and truth to return to this
world. And I prayed that all humans would turn their hearts
toward her once again, so that every being could feel the
primal power of her loving presence- the vast healing and
transformative power of the Divine Feminine.
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