Category:The Virgin Mary
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
The Virgin Mary, Mother of God, also known as The Blessed Mother, Saint Mary, and The Madonna, was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee whose actual name in Aramaic and Hebrew was Maryam or Miriam. She is identified in the New Testament of the Holy Bible as the mother of Jesus Christ.
Most Christians believe that Mary conceived her son miraculously by the agency of The Holy Spirit and that her pregnancy was announced by the Archangel Gabriel. This took place when she was betrothed to Saint Joseph, a carpenter, who adopted Jesus as his step-son, and, along with Mary and the Child, became a member of The Holy Family.
Mary remained close to Jesus throughout the years of His ministry and, along with Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene, was one of "The Three Marys" present at the Crucifixion and a witness to the evidence of Christ's Resurrection. She is said to have lived for 11 years after her son't death, passing into heaven in 41 CE.
Venerated in many different forms by Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians throughout the world as the bearer and mother of Jesus Christ, she is afforded a unique spiritual status as a blessed mother who protects and guides mankind. Mary is the loving Mother of the Christ Child, and her intercession can be sought for any trouble one may have. She has appeared to the faithful and pure of heart in visions and apparitions many times, and the locations where she has been witnessed have become holy sites of pilgrimage, healing, and worship. She is often prayed to and called upon to intercede with her Son. Because The Virgin Mary is of central importance within the Greek, Russian, and Eastern Orthodox Churches as well as the Roman Catholic tradition, a number of feast days, solemnity days, and memorial days throughout the year have been assigned to her varied apparitions and to important moments in her life. There is thus no single feast day for her veneration, but August 15h, celebrated as the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Roman Catholics and The Dormition of the Mother of God in Orthodox churches is the most universally accepted of her feast days.
Roman Catholics believe that Mary was conceived and born without the stain of Original Sin, thereby making her sinless, eternally perfect, divine and immaculate from all forms of evil. They also believe that at her death she was assumed bodily into Heaven. Devotion to the Virgin Mary was adopted into Catholic dogma during the Council of Ephesus where she was proclaimed "Theotokos" or "bearer of God." She is honoured, praised, and beloved as the Mother of Christ, and a special prayer, colloquially called "the 'Hail Mary'" after the first words of text, is dedicated to her. She is also venerated through the prayer of the Rosary, a circlet of beads marking each portion of the supplication to her.
In Islam Mary is regarded as the virgin mother of the prophet Jesus. Muslims refer to her as the Virgin Mary or Syeda Mariam, which means Our Lady Mary, and she is described in the Qur'an in the Surah Maryam. This chapter of the Qur'an may be kept as a written talisman in the home for protection and it recited in part, with hand gestures, when one expects to come into the presence of an evil tyrant.
The Virgin Mary has a number of specific titles as a result of various of her apparitions that have been revealed to the faithful. Some titles reflect cultural and regional place-names and are named for the locations where Our Lady was seen in a specific visual form; others reflect the varying human needs for which her assistance is sought.
The following are a few of the notable apparitions of Mother Mary: Click on the name of an apparition to read about its history, see a picture, and find out what kinds of prayers, petitions, and spell-craft are associated with her among spiritual workers in the folk magic traditions of various cultures.
Black Madonna
A Black Madonna is a European representation of the Virgin Mary with brown or black skin, holding the infant Jesus. (Read More ... )
Our Lady of Charity
Our Lady of Charity appeared over the stormy waters off of Cobre, Cuba, around 1608, to assist three sailors who were praying for salvation. (Read More ... )
Our Lady of Grace
Our Lady of Grace is a depiction of the Virgin humbly dressed in simple white and pale blue garments, offering her love and help to all. (Read More ... )
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to the Chichimec peasant Juan Diego in a vision in 1531 and is now the Patron of Mexico. (Read More ... )
The Holy Family
The Holy Family is a trio of Catholic spirits, consisting of Saint Joseph, Mother Mary, and young Jesus. (Read More ... )
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes first appeared in Lourdes, France in 1858 and is called upon for the healing of diseases. (Read More ... )
Our Lady Maria Dolorosa
Our Lady Maria Dolorosa the Sorrowful Mary of Mount Calvary, is the Virgin Mary with her heart pierced by swords. (Read More ... )
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is known for The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a protective cloth which is believed to grant miraculous salvation. (Read More ... )
Working with Other Entities in the Catholic Church
In addition to petitioning Catholic Church Saints to hear their prayers in Heaven, some Catholic-identified root doctors may also call upon the direct aid of Archangels, Guardian Angels, Jesus Christ, Blessed Mother Mary, or the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. They may also venerate and petition any number of Catholic Folk Saints, Spirits, or Deities.
Petitioning Catholic Church Saints
For more information, see the page on Catholic Church Saints
Within the Catholic Church, a saint may be designated as a patron or patroness of particular causes or professions, or be invoked against specific illnesses or disasters. A wide array of saints are known for their patronage of various facets of life, including returning lost lovers, finding lost objects, easing the burdens of the mentally ill, aiding in real estate and house-selling matters, bringing luck and money in a hurry, and ensuring a peaceful home and family life. (Read More ... )
Working with Catholic Folk Saints
Folk saints are spirits who have not been canonized as saintly by the Roman Catholic Church, but whose existence, legends, and assistance are well known to spiritual practitioners working within the Catholic tradition. Popular Catholic folk saints include Santisima_Muerte, Jesus Malverde, and the Intranquil Spirit. (Read More ... )
Working with Spirits and Spirit Guides
Spirit work involves enlisting the psychic aid of various spirits in order to accomplish specific spell-casting goals. These spirits may include the spirits of ancestors and the dead; the crossroads; Guardian Angels; the spirits of places, animals, plants, water sources, and beings other than humans; and a rich and varied roster of spiritual entities such as Black Hawk and Maximon (San Simon-Judas). (Read More ... )
Credits
This page is brought to you by the AIRR Tech Team:
- Author: catherine yronwode
- Contributor: Dr. E.
- Images: Henry Ossawa Tanner; Unknown Artists and Photographers; photo-edited by catherine yronwode
See Also
- Religious Traditions
- Magical Traditions
- Divination, Fortune Telling, and Oracles
- Hoodoo, Conjure, Witchcraft, and Rootwork
- Working with Spirits
Pages in category "The Virgin Mary"
The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total.
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