Linda Dillon: Mother Mary invites us – “Come and Play with Me”

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I ask of thee, “What is your intention for your new life? What is your intention for joy? How do you intend to spend the rest of your life on planet?”

Channeling:

Greetings, I AM Mary, Universal Mother, Divine Mother, Mother of One, Mother of all. And yes, I step forward first, this day and every day, to embrace you sweet angels of light, sweet angels of change, sweet angels of love, who, with the clearest intention, with the purest of hearts have said yes to me. That you would come and you would work with mighty GiAnna, and all the kingdoms, and all your star family, to create and recreate, and re-anchor, and then anchor again a planet of love, a planet of play.

So often my original intent, which cannot be changed unless I desired it… and I do not desire it… I have already dreamed it into existence. I have created, and Gaia has volunteered, so that my angels, in a variety of forms, would have a place to play, to have the joy-filled experience of a different form, energetically and physically, to experience the joy of different form. This is the intent and the purpose of this creation.

It is curious, if not sad, that so often in the demise of the human race, that the idea of play, that the idea of fun, of laughter, of sweetness, of sharing, of unity consciousness has become something that is secondary, that it is something that you can squeeze in if you have an extra hour. Or that you can wait and get a week a year. This is the most egregious misunderstanding of why you are here.

So often I hear your hearts, and I speak to your hearts, and you say, in the most sincere way possible, of your love and commitment to me, to us, to the One. You say, “Mother, how can I serve you? Mother, am I doing enough? I will work tirelessly to fulfill your Plan.” Well, My Plan, and yes, there have been many steps, but My Plan is, was, and still will be that this is a planet of joy, that this is a planet of play, of fun.

So, how do you serve me? And I am not talking merely about an outing to the beach, or the mountains, or to Bali, I am talking about the sense of wonder and awe, yes, at your surroundings, at the mountains, and the streams, and every blade of grass, and every tiny bird to the biggest eagle. What about you? Do you awaken and say to yourself, gazing at your hands, at your hair, at your face and say, “I am a miracle. I am a miracle that the Mother has wrought. And my job, my service to One is to know laughter and sweetness and play.” I dare say, periodically you think this way… generally, sweet ones, you don’t.

I want you to play… with initiation, with the reset of intention, and that is why I am being so emphatic in this. You say, “I don’t need to reset my heart, my mind, my soul, Mother. I am dedicated to you and I will work endlessly and arduously to bring about your Plan.” And then I say to you, “Do you see the wonder of who you are? That you literally have been birthed from my essence? How can you not be amazed, overwhelmed, dumbfounded at the beauty of you, the magnificence of you?

Too often the idea of play and fun has been associated with being lazy or uncommitted. This is not so. That is why I have given the channel the image of the toddler standing up for the very first time, beginning to navigate a new world. And that is with an incredible sense of wonder and awe… and yes, play. When you tend to the children you think of creative play. For a very long time I have infused every gathering, every webinar, every class with a great deal of creative play.

So, I am beckoning you… my clarion call to action is for you to say yes to joy. And if it is not joyous, if it can not be done with a joy-filled heart, then turn away because it is not of love. And the entire foundation of what we are doing, sweet angels, is the rebirth of love.

Now, why is this so important? Your planet has lived without a collective embrace of love for a very, very long time. But Gabrielle has laid a new golden grid ages ago. We have laid a new grid for humanity a while ago. So, the old systems do not work. Repeatedly I have said in recent times that it is not a question of who is right, who is wrong, who is up, who is down… it is rising above. It is getting your eyes off the floor, pulling yourself up… not because it is a task but because it is so much fun.

When Yeshua, and St. Germaine, and I have asked you to walk with us, we didn’t mean until you were so tired and weary that you thought you couldn’t move another muscle. It was to come and feel the love, feel the joy, and allow the sense of wonder to reignite you. Rebirth is not merely flowery language… you are being, and you have been rebirthed.

So, I ask of thee, “What is your intention for your new life? What is your intention for joy? How do you intend to play and to rediscover your power… which, by the way, is my power… of creation? Creation is done in the luxurious splendor of joy. Lasting creation is not borne of angst, or fear, or anger, or need. It is borne of purity and grace and clarity and a sense of wonder of what can be.

So, take this time with me… gazing into my heart, into the mirror of my heart… and determine sweet ones, how do you intend to spend the rest of your life on planet? I am inviting you to come and play with me! There’ve been far too many tears… yes, for legitimate reasons… but it is time for this to be set aside. Not that this side or that side wins or loses, but that there is no longer a battle.

Come join me, come join your Mother, come join all of us… to be light-hearted, light-being, love-being.

I am waiting. Farewell.

Channeled by Linda Dillon
©2020 Council of Love, Inc.
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Mother Mary – Motherhood and Fatherhood

by Pamela Kribbe

Dear friends. I am mother Mary. I greet you all with joy in my heart. It makes me happy to share this moment with you, united with one heart.

The authentic maternal energy has been absent from Earth for a long time. There have been many mothers, but the way they exercised their motherhood was often permeated with fear, worry, and even aggression. The mothers of the past were wounded mothers, who exercised their task from a lack of being at home within themselves. They acted from an anxious feeling of being rejected for their own true nature.

The authentic energy of motherhood is very light and tender and extremely flexible. In the original mother energy there is selflessness, but not in the sense of a complete sacrifice of the self. There is a generous giving of a mother’s own abundance from the mother within herself. A mother gives selflessly, gives life from her womb, wants to pass on life, and allows her children their own life, their own individuality, their own unique energy. She does not want to predetermine or shape the new life; she only wants to pass on what is flowing through her.

She holds the infant in her arms to nourish and nurture it when it is still small and fragile, but her hands remain open so that when the awakened young life is ready to leave, it can fly away in freedom. That is the essence of motherhood, the way it was originally meant to be: to procreate life, and to protect and hold it when it is extremely vulnerable and naked, and then to release it completely to fulfill its own purpose.

In the act of motherhood there is, in part, the need to bear the child, and in the act of carrying the child there is a selflessness that gives motherly joy. She literally becomes the womb for something else, something new, and the mother experiences joy in offering that possibility. When the new life is born, it is the first step into the outside world. The child comes out of her womb and that gives the mother joy because she can now see what she has brought forth. She can now interact with what has awakened from and through her. And as the child grows, the mother retreats slowly and lets go, but without losing anything. She again returns inward, prepared to give birth to another life.

Even when I use the example of a child, you can see this process has a broader meaning. All forms of creativity, where you give space to something new and let it flourish freely, come under this same heading.

The original energy, the love of motherhood, is incredibly missed on Earth: in women, in men, and in children. In the past, caring for children became almost exclusively a task for women and this is an unnatural situation. Men were only allowed to assert themselves in the social domain. They had to compete and perform in the outer world, while women were relegated to the private domain of the home. The result was that women only derived their identity from motherhood. They got very little chance to express and carry out their creative, unique energy, the energy that says: “This is me and this is how I want to manifest.”

A woman cannot be just giving and serving. She then becomes frustrated because the male energy in her gets denied: the energy that says “I” and wants to assert itself in a positive way by expressing itself in a creative, instinctive, and also sexual manner. Those creative forces in the woman were suppressed and she had to channel everything into motherhood. In this way, motherhood acquired an emotional charge and a need to be assertive. It became so important to them that they could smother their children with it, either by being overprotective and not being able to let go, or else by becoming cold and distant. She felt that something had been taken away from her by having to focus solely on motherhood. Motherhood became distorted, and this hurt the children and locked out the fathers, and so everyone played a painful role in the game.

However, this describing is not about placing blame. What is important is that the original meaning of motherhood be restored in both women and men, so that women, especially, may again increase and strengthen their creative force, and again manifest themselves from their souls and stand up for themselves. Then motherhood has a natural place in their lives: it is not everything, it is simply one aspect of their being. Motherhood can be expressed through having children, but it can be also expressed by a woman in other ways: through her work, her dealings with people, with friends or people that she helps. Motherhood is broader than simply having biological children.

I ask that you now feel the energy of what is motherly in yourself, in your heart. And if you wish, you can ask me to come closer in order to put you in touch with that gentle tender energy. It is a universal flow that is not mine, it comes through everyone. Without this energy, Creation and the universe would not exist. It is a primal energy and it is love. Allow that flow into your heart and see how it feels for you, specifically, and let it move down into your abdomen and pelvis. Feel very deeply how this original mother energy gives you a feeling of “home”, a sense of safety and security, allowing you to relax and, at the same time, giving you complete freedom.

Imagine two extended hands, women’s hands: open, soft, and tender. Place yourself within these open hands. They allow you to leave at any time, yet you can always come back. You can go to wherever you want, but these hands are always there for you, so you can rest for awhile and know that you are all right just as you are, beautiful and unique and loved. You are protected, there is always support for you – it is love from the universe. These motherly hands that hold and embrace you can see you – they see who you are. They are happy when you leave to grow and develop on your own, and they are happy when you come back to these hands. They are nurturing hands, not forcing hands.

Let go of the images of the past. There were certain constrictions and fears in your own biological mother’s life which led her to be an unnatural mother. Forgive her for that, even though forgiveness is sometimes difficult, given the many effects it has had on you. Feel the willingness to forgive. Do not see her as merely your own mother, but as the many mothers who have had a long history of struggle and cruelty in both their female and male energies.

Men have also been robbed of their true fatherhood, which is more than only the physical protection or survival of the child. Seen emotionally, fatherhood is so much more. It has to do with the actual support of the uniqueness of the child: to challenge, encourage, and be an example for the child.

True fatherhood has been literally denied to men in most of known history because they were rarely home, and their emotional life became impoverished because of that. Thereby, they could not be the father that they were. Women had to fill the father’s role; but, as mentioned, they did it in a distorted way. Men and women each have their own contribution to the education and growth of the child, and that is as it should be.

Now try to feel the energy of the original father in yourself, to sense his universal power and creativity. The paternal is protective, but it is also challenging. He encourages you to explore your own limits and to overcome your fears. Sometimes the father gives you a nudge when you find yourself in the hands of the mother and says: “Take a step out into the world; see what is going on outside in the world and what exists there for you to discover.” The paternal and maternal work together and are not inconsistent with each other.

The motherly energy carries you in her two hands as long as you need it. But these hands cannot expel you from the nest; they are not created for that. It is the fatherly energy that gives you the nudge that tells you: “You are a unique person, go discover who you are, make mistakes, stumble. I am with you; I trust you, encourage you, and support your adventure.” From the fatherly, paternal energy also comes something caring and protective, but it is bolder and encourages you to step out into the unknown. Put your trust in this energy and take it into yourself. See where that paternal energy wants to go in your body and if there are special places in need of this energy flow.

Finally, realize that if you begin to again recognize these original energies in their true form, the maternal and the paternal, you can also share them with other people. You then represent that universal love flow in this world. As you learn how to restore these energies in yourself, and begin to recognize and understand them, you are going to help transform the past. You will become a light in this world whereby the masculine and the feminine can again dance together. And the children of the future will have a better opportunity to grow up harmoniously. They will become more balanced, more mature.

I greet you with gratitude that you want to take this on and to become an example for a new future. I salute you.

Channeled through Natalie Glasson – Original Source: Sacred School of OmNa

Greetings beloved children of the light, I am Mother Mary.

I hold the vibrations and frequencies of the Divine Mother and the Goddess energies which I distribute throughout the entire world, and the entire Universe of the Creator.

I am more than a mother, I am an expression of the divine feminine, I have mastered the many levels of ascension. I understand the Universe of the Creator and can navigate through the Universe of the Creator and its multiple dimensions.

I understand what it is like to exist on the Earth, to experience separation and limitations. To experience a disconnection with the Creator and to work through this to access what is truly yours. The energy, vibration, the wisdom, the presence of the Creator within, and then the joy that comes when you are able to live a life on the Earth that is filled with the Creator, as you express the Creator through your being.

Mother Mary’s Gift

The gift I wish to share with you today Is known as the Rose of Awakening.

It is a rose, like you might find on the Earth. It is filled with the vibrations of the Universe of the Creator. It is something that I discovered through my journey throughout the Universe of the Creator, a Rose which extends from the cosmic level.

It holds the vibration of love, freedom, and exploration, whichever form of exploration whether it is within or outside of yourself, discovering things a new or remembering the truth that is already present.

I invite you to sit with me, Mother Mary, imagine we are sitting together. There is a candle before us, between us, this candle holds the energy of the entire Universe of the Creator, it radiates its energy to create a bubble that surrounds us completely.

I hold within my hands the Rose of Awakening of cosmic vibration representing love, freedom, and exploration. I place the Rose above the flame, gradually it sinks into the very centre of the flame.

When you are ready, I invite you to create an intention through exploring my questions:

What do you wish to awaken within your being?
What do you wish to awaken within your reality?
What do you wish to awaken within the world?

It is important to take time to contemplate my questions as your intention requires to be pure, accurate and precise.

If you can create an intention that is transformational, that touches every part of your being, that touches every part of your reality and touches every part of the world. How amazing that would be?

It is possible, it would promote and manifest within your reality love, freedom, and exploration.

When you embody love and freedom, you naturally discover all that is the Creator so you may wish to take time to contemplate your intention. Imagine that you have been waiting lifetimes to create this intention of awakening, it is an extremely important intention that encapsulates everything.

When you have created your intention, you can receive the Rose of Awakening from the flame. Place it within your heart chakra and take time to contemplate the Rose and to experience its energy radiating, to be aware of its influence, presence and the healing that begins to take place.

You can use the Rose of Awakening whenever you wish, you can use it multiple times. It is important to remember how sacred and powerful the Rose is with the cosmic vibrations of love, freedom, and discovery.

There is a need for you to allow time and space for the energy of awakening to truly integrate into your being and reality.

You may begin to notice the presence of love emanating from your being, the presence of freedom integrating into your reality.

You may experience that you are discovering so much more than you could possibly imagine.

Take time to allow this process to fully integrate into your being. A part of the process is that you recognise the presence of love, freedom and discovery.

I am present, Mother Mary, to assist, to support, to encourage, to embrace you at all times.

This is my simple gift to you in this time of ascension.

In the presence of love and freedom allow yourself to awaken. Discover what is necessary for the next stages of your ascension, to be of service to yourself and to be of service to the world.

I love you unconditionally, and I thank you,

I am Mother Mary

In This Time Things Are Different.

Pamela Kribbe channels Mary

In This Time Things are Different

Dear friends, I am Mary.

While on Earth, I was the mother of Jeshua, whom you all know. He was the bearer of the Christ Energy: the innovative energy that touched the hearts of people and called them to awaken. I was close to him as his mother, but as a soul, I was, by my relationship with him, also confronted with my pain and my fears at the deepest level. I had to let go of so much in order to see him as an independent soul with his own path, and to slowly release my protective wings from around him.

It has taught me a lot about being a mother and human being, about holding on and letting go. In that life, more than two thousand years ago, I learned, in the course of time, to let go. That was the greatest sacrifice I had to bring to my life: to let go of my son, to surrender my protective instinct, and to hear the cry of my own soul that also sought liberation and enlightenment

Planting the seeds of the Christ Energy was a combined effort, not confined to one single human being. It was the birth of something new and it was borne by many. Jeshua was the most visible personification of it, but there were many around him who helped him bear it.

When you experience a kinship with the Christ energy, or with the well-known people of that time, it often arises from the fact that you have been, and still are, deeply connected with this energy of renewal – a breakthrough at the heart level – that took place in the collective consciousness at that time. But it was still very new then, like a trickle of water that seeped into the collective consciousness, where it also encountered a lot of resistance and misunderstanding.

During this time, things are different. There is now a much broader and deeper capacity present in human consciousness to absorb the Christ energy and the possibility of letting it flourish.

You are part of the birth of the Christ Energy on Earth – an energy of the heart, of connection, of humanness and compassion – and it is something we do together, something that unites us.

You are not alone. Your soul has chosen to be here on Earth during this time in order to contribute, to help with the change of consciousness, and to seek a connection with other kindred spirits, and with the world around you – and that is something that is now possible.

In the past – and this was the case for many centuries – if you wanted to lead a spiritual life, you usually had to isolate yourself and lead a religious life of seclusion, cloistering as it is called. Feel the energy in this chapel, at this place; for here were said a great many prayers.

There was a dedication to the spiritual that was experienced deeply in the inner life of the women who came here to pray. Feel the power of this inner devotion, which was so strong that it is still tangible in this place as an energetic channel that connects Heaven and Earth.

You are part of this history, because many of you were devoted to the spiritual during previous lives. You were attracted to the seclusion, because your desires, intentions, and vibrations did not correspond to that of society, with that of everyday life.

It seemed that you had to isolate yourself and to not participate in worldly life if you wanted to devote yourself to the path of inner growth and awareness. It has brought you devotion and understanding, a deepening of your inner life, but it has also brought you loneliness and a sense of alienation when it comes to life here on Earth, life among people.

Many of you are experiencing a distancing from human society, a sense of not being at home in it, and that does cause problems for you. But you are here on Earth not just for yourself, not just to connect with your own soul and to experience your divinity.

It is also the purpose of this life – in this time that is different – to share with others the divine in yourself, your highest inspiration; to bring out what you have to give in the way of your inner riches and wisdom so that the stream of the living water of inspiration in you bears fruit.

It is the intention during this era that it is a time of connection between the spiritual and the earthly. And also a connection between people worldwide, between different cultures and nations, so that the differences are transcended and what human beings have in common, the similarities, are rediscovered.

Your soul calls you to take part in life from the accumulated knowledge and wealth in your heart that is already so great. You are not new here on Earth; you are old at the level of your soul.

Many ancient religions carry a burdensome energy with them, an energy of commandments, duties, and rules. That was never the original energy of the first messengers, such as Jeshua and Buddha.

The great Prophets and Seers had a direct connection with their souls, with the Source, and that always brought them into a state of tremendous joy, of gladness, of ecstasy, because the soul is the source of light and joy, and also feels unburdened.

You know this from having had moments of ecstasy in your life when you felt lifted from the heaviness of life here. But sadly, the ancient religions have smothered much of that joy through the idea that humankind is essentially bad, sinful, gone astray, and can only gain access to the divine through being disciplined, following rules, and restraining their spontaneity.

This attitude has been a mistake that still affects and influences you, causing the spiritual to become too mixed with the heavy energies of fear and of a judgmental God.

True spirituality and surrender to the soul are not at all burdensome. A deep surrender to the soul brings joy, inspiration, a gentle sense of letting go and also of security; the feeling of being able to trust in life, in a divine hand that is merciful, full of compassion. A hand that does not punish you for mistakes, but one who picks you up and encourages you – a loving God and Goddess all in one.

That is the true source from which you originate, from which your soul was born full of joy. Your soul is meant to emanate, to uniquely express itself and to have experiences.

So connecting with your soul gives you a sense of vibrancy and joy. Remember that and look back at your own life to moments which have been of joy and of living from your soul; of simply surrendering and knowing that something is good, even if you could not give reasons for feeling that way. You felt this deep inside yourself in your gut, in your body: “This is what I want and who I am.”

The language of the soul is not difficult or complex in itself; it speaks directly to you. It is a sense of direct knowing that corresponds to your deepest desires. And it is precisely this deeply felt inner connection with the soul that also gives you courage and perseverance.

For if the soul touches and calls you, and gives you a desire in your heart to do certain things or to do more, then it often also asks for the courage and perseverance needed to listen to your heart when choosing what may be contrary to what other people expect, and when making choices that go against the views of society.

Soul choices are often contrary to the long established energies of how things “should be”: the rules, commandments, and dogmas. So the soul, besides being joyful and light, is always revolutionary; it upsets things and can therefore also bring you into contact with pain and fear within yourself.

Then it is important to make yourself great and to stand up and say: “This is what I feel, this is what I experience as being right for me at my deepest level”. However, accepting your own greatness at the same time activates the most fearful parts in yourself, the parts that say: “You cannot do this. Keep small. Do not cause conflict or disharmony, or you will be punished or rejected”. This whole complex of negative emotions also gets activated when you begin to listen to the voice of your heart and your soul.

Therefore, choosing your soul path is not always easy. Actually, it is never easy, because you live not only within yourself, but also in the world around you, a world of duality. It is a world of the old – with all its old fears, rules, and commandments – as well as of the new that wants to be born: the Song of your Soul, a unique melody that is not understood by everyone and is not perceived by everyone as harmonious.

Realize that anyone who has ever chosen to go the way of the soul had to endure a certain loneliness or ordeal in order to truly believe in and align with themselves, to be faithful to that voice in their heart. Which is why I stated previously that it is not only about the inner experiencing of the connection with your Source and your soul, it is also about bringing that inner experience out into the open and making your unique inspiration visible: your greater self that is not determined by surrounding influences. It is really about being a creator of something new.

Your biggest enemy in doing this, your greatest counterforce, is fear.

Fear of failing, of being rejected, of being different. A fear that nags at you, which influences your thoughts, makes you worry, creates in you a distrust of life, and makes you expect that things will go wrong.

You know all too well that whole litany of fear-based thinking – it is the past speaking. To overcome this, you have to first recognize it and really perceive what is happening in yourself when you are in the grip of that kind of thinking: the fearful, hectic thinking that has become as a second nature for many of you.

Realize how often you are seized by repetitive thoughts in your head.

Feel the nature of that worrying, that anxious thinking: the anticipation of what can go wrong, the mistrust. Instead of listening to the content of those voices, feel the vibration of it, its energy, which is like a disturbing, buzzing noise.

You often are not aware that there is something beyond that type of thinking, something that is much more truthful, much more reliable, much more anchored in life, and what I mean here is what is in your heart. And with it your intuition, which does not think much, but feels more; a feeling that is not excitable and emotional; a feeling that is pure and without the intervention of thoughts.

I ask you to now take a moment to practice letting go of the way your mind goes about dealing with certain problems and simply allow your life to be what it naturally is.

The mind may be there as background noise, but simply move your awareness, your attention, down to your abdomen and become aware of your legs and how your feet rest on the Earth. Feel how big the Earth is! Not only physically, in terms of surface area; feel her spirit, her soul. Feel what enlivens the life of nature around you.

Your body is also borne and enlivened by the Earth, from your birth to your death.

There is wisdom and intelligence living in the Earth and in your body, but it is not mental, not of the mind. Just allow that energy to be there. Become aware of your body as an intelligent force field. Your body wants to be a support for you and help you to receive and transmit your soul energy.

Now get in touch with your heart.

Feel within to its enormous silence: the silence of your heart that is so much older than this single life. Your heart is as big as the universe itself; it is connected with everything that exists. Can you imagine how big your heart is? You are God within yourselves, you are not outside It. You take part in God, just as does the smallest cell in your body take part in you. Feel respect for yourself, for your own soul: the spark of Eternity within you. That spark is who you are, who wants to be here, here and now on Earth. It is what wants to connect with your body and with the Earth.

Your soul, that spark, has joined with the Earth and wants to experience joy, but not in an impulsive or frivolous way. She wants to radiate the deep joy of your light, to share your love and connect with others, and to heal old pains both in yourself and in others.

Feel that urge in your soul. Feel the desire and joy it gives to you that you no longer need to hide yourself, that you may let the light shine out from your eyes and that you can do what befits you, whatever that is; for every soul is attracted by a different occupation or activity. But you can be sure that if you follow the voice of your soul, then there is a path for you, a place on Earth in this world.

At this time, your light is more than ever welcome; you no longer have to hide it.

Feel that silence in your heart, that spaciousness. Your heart has seen so much, heard and experienced so much. Feel the depth in your heart and know that she is wiser and more all-inclusive than the fearful thought processes that often determine your daily life.

Feel that there are forces in yourself that transcend this fear and connect you with a greater wisdom that cannot be contained by the mind. The mind, however, can help you transform your soul desires into action in the material world. To that purpose, the mind is capable of helping you. But the source of your choices lies deeper than the mind, it lies within.

Now connect again with your abdomen, with the Earth energy within you, and with your heart, with your Cosmic source – feel them join together.

When people come together with the intent to hear the cry of their souls, that intention alone creates a certain opening. The soul wants to become earthly flesh and blood, to manifest itself here on Earth, so a common field of intention can accomplish a lot. Then feel, in this moment, this joint intention of what is important to you right now in your life.

Do not feel it from your head, but from your heart and in your abdomen. Simply ask yourself: “What do I desire? What do I really want to do?”

And what is the first thing that comes to mind?

It does not have to be anything outside you, such as a certain job, or a relationship, or a problem to be solved. You can also simply desire a feeling of how things are when they become reconciled and harmonious; for example, of peace, confidence, or lightheartedness. Choose a single word or concept that suits what you desire, and name that desire for yourself. Feel what you desire! Let it really permeate you, because this is the language of the soul – simple and direct.

Through your deepest desire, the soul speaks to you. Not through commandments: “Do this or do that; you must do it this way or that way”.

That strict voice that you sometimes associate with spirituality and religion is not the voice or the language of the soul. The language of the soul is rather like the spontaneity of a child: “I wish I could do this? I wonder if that is possible?” Wishing, wondering, imagining – as you did as a child and can still do – come closer to the language of the soul than the rules and laws of spirituality.

Finally, let the face of a child appear to you; It may be yours when you were a child, or whatever face appears.

It is the open face of a child who dares to imagine without boundaries, who dares to wish with the confidence that life will bring what it desires. Be open to the good forces in life: the protective and supportive hand of God, of the Mother and the Father.

Embrace the child within yourself. It is a direct connection to your soul. Know that you are not alone; you are connected to the whole. You are always surrounded by energies of joy, inspiration, and friendship.

Thank you so much for your presence here and for the love in your heart.

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary



Commemorated on August 15

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary: After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, and during his journeys She lived at the home of his parents, near the Mount of Olives. She was a source of consolation and edification both for the Apostles and for all the believers. Conversing with them, She told them about miraculous events: the Annunciation, the seedless and undefiled Conception of Christ born of Her, about His early childhood, and about His earthly life. Like the Apostles, She helped plant and strengthen the Christian Church by Her presence, Her discourse and Her prayers.

The reverence of the Apostles for the Most Holy Virgin was extraordinary. After the receiving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the Apostles remained at Jerusalem for about ten years attending to the salvation of the Jews, and wanting moreover to see the Mother of God and hear Her holy discourse. Many of the newly-enlightened in the Faith even came from faraway lands to Jerusalem, to see and to hear the All-Pure Mother of God.

During the persecution initiated by King Herod against the young Church of Christ (Acts 12:1-3), the Most Holy Virgin and the Apostle John the Theologian withdrew to Ephesus in the year 43. The preaching of the Gospel there had fallen by lot to the Apostle John the Theologian. The Mother of God was on Cyprus with Saint Lazarus the Four-Days-Dead, where he was bishop. She was also on Holy Mount Athos. Saint Stephen of the Holy Mountain says that the Mother of God prophetically spoke of it: “Let this place be my lot, given to me by my Son and my God. I will be the Patroness of this place and intercede with God for it.”

The respect of ancient Christians for the Mother of God was so great that they preserved what they could about Her life, what they could take note of concerning Her sayings and deeds, and they even passed down to us a description of Her outward appearance.

According to Tradition, based on the words of the Hieromartyrs Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3), Ignatius the God-Bearer (December 20), Saint Ambrose of Milan (December 7) had occasion to write in his work “On Virgins” concerning the Mother of God: “She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul, humble of heart, circumspect in word, wise in mind, not overly given to speaking, a lover of reading and of work, and prudent in speech. Her rule of life was to offend no one, to intend good for everyone, to respect the aged, not envy others, avoid bragging, be healthy of mind, and to love virtue.”

When did She ever hurl the least insult in the face of Her parents? When was She at discord with Her kin? When did She ever puff up with pride before a modest person, or laugh at the weak, or shun the destitute? With Her there was nothing of glaring eyes, nothing of unseemly words, nor of improper conduct. She was modest in the movement of Her body, Her step was quiet, and Her voice straightforward; so that Her face was an expression of soul. She was the personification of purity.

All Her days She was concerned with fasting: She slept only when necessary, and even then, when Her body was at rest, She was still alert in spirit, repeating in Her dreams what She had read, or the implementation of proposed intentions, or those planned yet anew. She was out of Her house only for church, and then only in the company of relatives. Otherwise, She seldom appeared outside Her house in the company of others, and She was Her own best overseer. Others could protect Her only in body, but She Herself guarded Her character.”

According to Tradition, that from the compiler of Church history Nicephorus Callistus (fourteenth century), the Mother of God “was of average stature, or as others suggest, slightly more than average; Her hair golden in appearance; Her eyes bright with pupils like shiny olives; Her eyebrows strong in character and moderately dark, Her nose pronounced and Her mouth vibrant bespeaking sweet speech; Her face was neither round nor angular, but somewhat oblong; the palm of Her hands and fingers were longish…

In conversation with others She preserved decorum, neither becoming silly nor agitated, and indeed especially never angry; without artifice, and direct, She was not overly concerned about Herself, and far from pampering Herself, She was distinctly full of humility. Regarding the clothing which She wore, She was satisfied to have natural colors, which even now is evidenced by Her holy head-covering. Suffice it to say, a special grace attended all Her actions.” (Nicephoros Callistus borrowed his description from Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus (May 12), from the “Letter to Theophilus Concerning Icons.”

The circumstances of the Dormition of the Mother of God were known in the Orthodox Church from apostolic times. Already in the first century, the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite wrote about Her “Falling-Asleep.” In the second century, the account of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven is found in the works of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. In the fourth century, Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus refers to the tradition about the “Falling Asleep” of the Mother of God. In the fifth century, Saint Juvenal, Patriarch of Jerusalem, told the holy Byzantine Empress Pulcheria: “Although there is no account of the circumstances of Her death in Holy Scripture, we know about them from the most ancient and credible Tradition.” This tradition was gathered and expounded in the Church History of Nicephorus Callistus during the fourteenth century.

At the time of Her blessed Falling Asleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary was again at Jerusalem. Her fame as the Mother of God had already spread throughout the land and had aroused many of the envious and the spiteful against Her. They wanted to make attempts on Her life; but God preserved Her from enemies.

Day and night She spent her time in prayer. The Most Holy Theotokos went often to the Holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and here She offered up fevent prayer. More than once, enemies of the Savior sought to hinder Her from visiting her holy place, and they asked the High Priest for a guard to watch over the Grave of the Lord. The Holy Virgin continued to pray right in front of them, yet unseen by anyone.

In one such visit to Golgotha, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her and announced Her approaching departure from this life to eternal life. In pledge of this, the Archangel gave Her a palm branch. With these heavenly tidings the Mother of God returned to Bethlehem with the three girls attending Her (Sepphora, Abigail, and Jael). She summoned Righteous Joseph of Arimathea and other disciples of the Lord, and told them of Her impending Repose.

The Most Holy Virgin prayed also that the Lord would have the Apostle John come to Her. The Holy Spirit transported him from Ephesus, setting him in that very place where the Mother of God lay. After the prayer, the Most Holy Virgin offered incense, and John heard a voice from Heaven, closing Her prayer with the word “Amen.” The Mother of God took it that the voice meant the speedy arrival of the Apostles and the Disciples and the holy Bodiless Powers.

The faithful, whose number by then was impossible to count, gathered together, says Saint John of Damascus, like clouds and eagles, to listen to the Mother of God. Seeing one another, the Disciples rejoiced, but in their confusion they asked each other why the Lord had gathered them together in one place. Saint John the Theologian, greeting them with tears of joy, said that the time of the Virgin’s repose was at hand.

Going in to the Mother of God, they beheld Her lying upon the bed, and filled with spiritual joy. The Disciples greeted Her, and then they told her how they had been carried miraculously from their places of preaching. The Most Holy Virgin Mary glorified God, because He had heard Her prayer and fulfilled Her heart’s desire, and She began speaking about Her imminent end.

During this conversation the Apostle Paul also appeared in a miraculous manner together with his disciples Dionysius the Areopagite, Saint Hierotheus, Saint Timothy and others of the Seventy Apostles. The Holy Spirit had gathered them all together so that they might be granted the blessing of the All-Pure Virgin Mary, and more fittingly to see to the burial of the Mother of the Lord. She called each of them to Herself by name, She blessed them and extolled them for their faith and the hardships they endured in preaching the Gospel of Christ. To each She wished eternal bliss, and prayed with them for the peace and welfare of the whole world.

Then came the third hour (9 A.M.), when the Dormition of the Mother of God was to occur. A number of candles were burning. The holy Disciples surrounded her beautifully adorned bed, offering praise to God. She prayed in anticipation of Her demise and of the arrival of Her longed-for Son and Lord. Suddenly, the inexpressible Light of Divine Glory shone forth, before which the blazing candles paled in comparison. All who saw it took fright. Descending from Heaven was Christ, the King of Glory, surrounded by hosts of Angels and Archangels and other Heavenly Powers, together with the souls of the Forefathers and the Prophets, who had prophesied in ages past concerning the Most Holy Virgin Mary.

Seeing Her Son, the Mother of God exclaimed: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God My Savior, for He hath regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden” (Luke 1:46-48) and, rising from Her bed to meet the Lord, She bowed down to Him, and the Lord bid Her enter into Life Eternal. Without any bodily suffering, as though in a happy sleep, the Most Holy Virgin Mary gave Her soul into the hands of Her Son and God.

Then began a joyous angelic song. Accompanying the pure soul of the God-betrothed and with reverent awe for the Queen of Heaven, the angels exclaimed: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, blessed art Thou among women! For lo, the Queen, God’s Maiden comes, lift up the gates, and with the Ever-Existing One, take up the Mother of Light; for through Her salvation has come to all the human race. It is impossible to gaze upon Her, and it is impossible to render Her due honor” (Stikherion on “Lord, I Have Cried”). The Heavenly gates were raised, and meeting the soul of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Cherubim and the Seraphim glorified Her with joy. The face of the Mother of God was radiant with the glory of Divine virginity, and from Her body there came a sweet fragrance.

Miraculous was the life of the All-Pure Virgin, and wondrous was Her Repose, as Holy Church sings: “In Thee, O Queen, the God of all hath given thee as thy portion the things that are above nature. Just as in the Birth-Giving He did preserve Thine virginity, so also in the grave He did preserve Thy body from decay” (Canon 1, Ode 6, Troparion 1).

Kissing the all-pure body with reverence and in awe, the Disciples in turn were blessed by it and filled with grace and spiritual joy. Through the great glorification of the Most Holy Theotokos, the almighty power of God healed the sick, who with faith and love touched the holy bed.

Bewailing their separation from the Mother of God, the Apostles prepared to bury Her all-pure body. The holy Apostles Peter, Paul, James and others of the Twelve Apostles carried the funeral bier upon their shoulders, and upon it lay the body of the Ever-Virgin Mary. Saint John the Theologian went at the head with the resplendent palm-branch from Paradise. The other saints and a multitude of the faithful accompanied the funeral bier with candles and censers, singing sacred songs. This solemn procession went from Sion through Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane.

With the start of the procession there suddenly appeared over the all-pure body of the Mother of God and all those accompanying Her a resplendent circular cloud, like a crown. There was heard the singing of the Heavenly Powers, glorifying the Mother of God, which echoed that of the worldly voices. This circle of Heavenly singers and radiance accompanied the procession to the very place of burial.

Unbelieving inhabitants of Jerusalem, taken aback by the extraordinarily grand funeral procession and vexed at the honor accorded the Mother of Jesus, complained of this to the High Priest and scribes. Burning with envy and vengefulness toward everything that reminded them of Christ, they sent out their own servants to disrupt the procession and to set the body of the Mother of God afire.

An angry crowd and soldiers set off against the Christians, but the circular cloud accompanying the procession descended and surrounded them like a wall. The pursuers heard the footsteps and the singing, but could not see any of those accompanying the procession. Indeed, many of them were struck blind.

The Jewish priest Athonios, out of spite and hatred for the Mother of Jesus of Nazareth, wanted to topple the funeral bier on which lay the body of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, but an angel of God invisibly cut off his hands, which had touched the bier. Seeing such a wonder, Athonios repented and with faith confessed the majesty of the Mother of God. He received healing and joined the crowd accompanying the body of the Mother of God, and he became a zealous follower of Christ.

When the procession reached the Garden of Gethsemane, then amidst the weeping and the wailing began the last kiss to the all-pure body. Only towards evening were the Apostles able to place it in the tomb and seal the entrance to the cave with a large stone.

For three days they did not depart from the place of burial, praying and chanting Psalms. Through the wise providence of God, the Apostle Thomas was not to be present at the burial of the Mother of God. Arriving late on the third day at Gethsemane, he lay down at the tomb and with bitter tears asked that he might be permitted to look once more upon the Mother of God and bid her farewell. The Apostles out of heartfelt pity for him decided to open the grave and permit him the comfort of venerating the holy relics of the Ever-Virgin Mary. Having opened the grave, they found in it only the grave wrappings and were thus convinced of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven.

On the evening of the same day, when the Apostles had gathered at a house to strengthen themselves with food, the Mother of God appeared to them and said: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days of your lives.” This so gladdened the Apostles and everyone with them, that they took a portion of the bread, set aside at the meal in memory of the Savior (“the Lord’s Portion”), and they exclaimed : “Most Holy Theotokos, save us”. (This marks the beginning of the rite of offering up the “Panagia” (“All-Holy”), a portion of bread in honor of the Mother of God, which is done at monasteries to the present day).

The sash of the Mother of God, and Her holy garb, preserved with reverence and distributed over the face of the earth in pieces, have worked miracles both in the past and at present. Her numerous icons everywhere pour forth signs and healings, and Her holy body, taken up to Heaven, bears witness to our own future life there. Her body was not left to the vicissitudes of the transitory world, but was incomparably exalted by its glorious ascent to Heaven.

The Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated with special solemnity at Gethsemane, the place of Her burial. Nowhere else is there such sorrow of heart at the separation from the Mother of God, and nowhere else such joy, because of Her intercession for the world.

The holy city of Jerusalem is separated from the Mount of Olives by the valley of Kedron on Josaphat. At the foot of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane, where olive trees bear fruit even now.

The holy Ancestor-of-God Joachim had himself reposed at 80 years of age, several years after the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (November 21). Saint Anna, having been left a widow, moved from Nazareth to Jerusalem, and lived near the Temple. At Jerusalem she bought two pieces of property: the first at the gates of Gethsemane, and the second in the valley of Josaphat. At the second locale she built a tomb for the members of her family, and where also she herself was buried with Joachim. It was there in the Garden of Gethsemane that the Savior often prayed with His disciples.

The most-pure body of the Mother of God was buried in the family tomb. Christians honored the sepulchre of the Mother of God, and they built a church on this spot. Within the church was preserved the precious funeral cloth, which covered Her all-pure and fragrant body.

The holy Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem (420-458) testified before the emperor Marcian (450-457) as to the authenticity of the tradition about the miraculous ascent of the Mother of God to Heaven, and he sent to the empress, Saint Pulcheria (September 10), the grave wrappings of the Mother of God from Her tomb. Saint Pulcheria then placed these grave-wrappings within the Blachernae church.

Accounts have been preserved, that at the end of the seventh century a church had been built atop the underground church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, and that from its high bell-tower could be seen the dome of the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord. Traces of this church are no longer to be seen. And in the ninth century near the subterranean Gethsemane church a monastery was built, in which more than 30 monks struggled.

Great destruction was done the Church in the year 1009 by the despoiler of the holy places, Hakim. Radical changes, the traces of which remain at present, also took place under the crusaders in the year 1130. During the eleventh to twelfth centuries the piece of excavated stone, at which the Savior had prayed on the night of His betrayal disappeared from Jerusalem. This piece of stone had been in the Gethsemane basilica from the sixth century.

But in spite of the destruction and the changes, the overall original cruciform (cross-shaped) plan of the church has been preserved. At the entrance to the church along the sides of the iron gates stand four marble columns. To enter the church, it is necessary to go down a stairway of 48 steps. At the 23rd step on the right side is a chapel in honor of the holy Ancestors-of-God Joachim and Anna together with their graves, and on the left side opposite, the chapel of Saint Joseph the Betrothed with his grave. The right chapel belongs to the Orthodox Church, and the left to the Armenian Church (since 1814).

The church of the Dormition of the Theotokos has the following dimensions: in length it is 48 arshin, and in breadth 8 arshin [1 arshin = 28 inches]. At an earlier time the church had also windows beside the doors. The whole temple was adorned with a multitude of lampadas and offerings. Two small entrances lead into the burial-chamber of the Mother of God. One enters through the western doors, and exits at the northern doors. The burial-chamber of the All-Pure Virgin Mary is veiled with precious curtains. The burial place was hewn out of stone in the manner of the ancient Jewish graves and is very similar to the Sepulchre of the Lord. Beyond the burial-chamber is the altar of the church, in which Divine Liturgy is celebrated each day in the Greek language.

The olive woods on the eastern and northern sides of the temple was acquired from the Turks by the Orthodox during the seventh and eighth centuries. The Catholics acquired the olive woods on the east and south sides in 1803, and the Armenians on the west side in 1821.

On August 12, at Little Gethsemane, at the second hour of the night, the head of the Gethsemane church celebrates Divine Liturgy. With the end of Liturgy, at the fourth hour of the morning, he serves a short Molieben before the resplendent burial shroud, lifts it in his hands and solemnly carries it beyond the church to Gethsemane proper where the holy sepulchre of the Mother of God is situated. All the members of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Jerusalem, with the head of the Mission presiding, participate each year in the procession (called the “Litania”) with the holy burial shroud of the Mother of God..

The rite of the Burial of the Mother of God at Gethsemane begins customarily on the morning of August 14. A multitude of people with hierarchs and clergy at the head set off from the Jerusalem Patriarchate (nearby the Church of the Resurrection of Christ) in sorrowful procession. Along the narrow alley-ways of the Holy City the funeral procession makes its way to Gethsemane. Toward the front of the procession an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is carried. Along the way, pilgrims meet the icon, kissing the image of the All-Pure Virgin Mary and lift children of various ages to the icon. After the clergy, in two rows walk the black-robed monks and nuns of the Holy City: Greeks, Roumanians, Arabs, Russians. The procession, going along for about two hours, concludes with Lamentations at the Gethsemane church. In front the altar, beyond the burial chamber of the Mother of God, is a raised-up spot, upon which rests the burial shroud of the Most Holy Mother of God among fragrant flowers and myrtle, with precious coverings.

“O marvelous wonder! The Fount of Life is placed in the grave, and the grave doth become the ladder to Heaven…” Here at the grave of the All-Pure Virgin, these words strike deep with their original sense and grief is dispelled by joy: “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee, granting the world, through Thee, great mercy!”

Numerous pilgrims, having kissed the icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, following an ancient custom, then stoop down and go beneath it.

On the day of the Leave-taking of the feast (August 23), another solemn procession is made. On the return path, the holy burial shroud is carried by clergy led by the Archimandrite of Gethsemane.

There is an article in the “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”, 1979, No. 3 regarding the rite of the litany and Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God in the Holy Land.

Today flowers are blessed in church, and people keep them in their homes. During times of family strife or illness, the flower petals are placed in the censer with the incense, and the whole house is censed. See the Prayer at the Sanctification of any Fragrant Herbage.

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