The Black Madonna is a sacred figure. She is a form of Our Lady, Mother Mary, and is particularly connected to those who are in suffering and in deepest need of spiritual support, protection and intervention.
One of my most precious Tibetan teachers travelled to Italy to teach Tibetan cultural studies at an Italian university. He wandered into a church where he saw a statue of the Virgin Mary. His spontaneous response was, “there’s Tara!”. Tara, in his tradition, is the Divine Mother.
In his recognition of the divine feminine in an unfamiliar form, he offered a teaching about her nature. She is universal. She is found in every culture and every spiritual tradition – though in some cases one needs to search in order to find her, but she is always there.
In this work with the Black Madonna I draw upon one of the sacred sounds or mantras of the Black Madonna in one of her forms from India known as Kali Ma. Kali is a complex spiritual figure, but her nature is that of the universal divine feminine – when one approaches with an open heart, especially during times of deep distress or confusion, she will provide protection.
Whether you resonate with the universal nature of the divine, with the particular figure of Our Lady the Black Madonna, or the sounds of Kali’s mantra – or all of the above – I offer this work to you with the intention that it brings you closer to the divine wisdom that will guide, protect and care for you always.
Namaste x
Alana Fairchild