Mary of the Cosmos
There is a new story to be told, one that requires a vision of the Universe that is alive with creativity and imagination…a story that calls out for new images, symbols, language and structures. This is the gift of the artists, the poets, and the dreamers – to pull us forward into new perceptions of reality. Inspired by Thomas Berry, artist Bernadette Botstwick, sgm of the Green Mountain Monastery and the Thomas Berry Sanctuary in Vermont has created ‘Mary of the Cosmos’, an icon which “beautifully celebrates the sacredness and holiness of all matter in the cosmos.”
The representation is rich with symbols:
The flash of flame circling Mary is the fireball, the first flaring forth at the beginning of creation.
The three stars represent the cosmological ethics of differentiation, subjectivity and communion.
The Earth is at Mary’s centre, the planet becomes the birthing bed of Jesus.
The relationship between Earth and Moon speak of rhythm, tides and the wisdom of the feminine.
The red cloak that Mary wears points to her humanity, while the blue undergarment reflects Divinity integral with her humanity.
The universe is flowing through Mary whose body is made of the star stuff of the cosmos.
How would we perceive reality if, like Mary, we envisioned in each droplet of experience, the cosmos flowing through us? Essential for this transformation is a deep valuing of our experience, well beyond our five senses. Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead insists that every experience must be both “experiential and relational.” It is the relational that begs attention. As the poet John Keats reminds us: “Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced.” To truly embody an experience is to welcome with awe the amazing intimacy of creativity it holds.
The icon draws us again:
The straightforward gaze of Mary, as she looks further into the future, reveals a unified vision of matter and spirit, inviting us with outstretched arms, into the fullness of communion consciousness as life bearers for the planet.
Perhaps this is the double union we are now called to as Sisters of St. Joseph, to be earth mystics. Jesus, humanly fully embodied the essential values of Beauty, Truth and Goodness. Our charism compels us to create a space for the more, be it more compassion, more understanding, more caring and more appreciation of the cultural diversity which is now calling us to the deeper relationships of kinship with all of created reality. Every experience of life with all its complexities and paradoxes longs to be taken up into this sacred space.
The image of ‘Mary of the Cosmos’ and symbol descriptions are used with permission from Green Mountain Monastery.. For poster and cards of this icon visit www.greenmountainmonastery.org
