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Catalogue: View on Your Computer
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Aspects of the Divine as Expressed in the Feminine
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| Civilizations live through ages of flourishing and of decline, succeeding each other over millennia…. Concepts about the nature of the human identity within this world change and evolve… And all this time, the Mother of God gazes down upon us from the Heavens, becoming known to humans under the guise of different names, vesting Herself in the raiment that corresponds to these variously-articulated conceptions, yet never altering any part of Her Essence. The Great Mother of the World, the Divine Feminine Principle in its thousands of aspects bestows Her blessing upon Her children. For all that it appears to us at times vaguely hazy, shrouded in mystery, yet nonetheless a devoutly intense, forthright, insistent perception of the Great Feminine as a founding principle of the Cosmos remains inextinguishably alive in humankind , throughout the ages of consciousness. Today, we stand at the threshold of new epochs, when the Feminine shall manifest itself within humanity with unprecedented force, bringing equilibrium and harmony to the Great Masculine. Let those who have the eyes to perceive behold! We have created these Reflections for the hearts of men: transcend your false sense of awkwardness as you arrive into the presence of the image of your own hidden wellsprings of tenderness, of the sensitivity and refinement of your soul, your inner elegance…. We have created these Reflections for the hearts of women: receive them and comprehend, at long last, that you are that very extension of the Waves of the Great Feminine, here, in our own world, of these Waves of the Great Feminine Light & Beauty… | |
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Rejoice, O Joy of all Thy people… Rejoice, O Purest Mother, Who doth bestow upon us great mercies from Thy ikon…
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An Unfathomable Ocean of Kindnesses and Bounties
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….as innumerable as the sands of the seas are these hymns in praise of the Mother of God, especially in the canons, stichera, dogmatic odes, akathisti that have been composed in Her honor. And She deserves all these praises. More so, in fact: even greater praise is due Her, for She was found worthy of becoming the Mother of God, and through Her God became part and One with humanity, and rendered humans divine. And we must inhale into ourselves this mystery of the Divine incarnation, receive it into our awareness, reinforce the foundation of our own identity with it… The Virgin Mary is the most good-hearted Sovereign Lady of all the sons and the daughters of humankind, being the Daughter of God the Father, Who is Love itself -- and as the Mother of God the Word, who is our Beloved, being the chosen Bride of the All-Holy Spirit, Who is Love yet again, and unanimous to the Father and the Word. How can we not have recourse to such a Sovereign Lady, and not expect from Her all the blessings and gifts of the spirit that our soul longs for! When you prepare to pray to the Queen of Heaven and Earth, the Mother of God, before you begin praying, be steadfast in your faith that you shall not leave Her without receiving the bounty of Her lovingkindness. It is praiseworthy and righteous to have such certainty of Faith in regard to Her. She is the ever-loving and all-consoling Mother of the ever-loving and all-merciful God the Word, and her kindnesses and miraculous interventions, innumerable and unimaginably wondrous, have been proclaimed unto all the ages by all the Christian churches. She truly is the “unfathomable ocean of kindnesses and bounties,” as it is written of Her in the Canon to the Guiding Light, the Odigitria. Therefore, to approach Her in prayer without such certainty would be ill-considered and ignominious, for doubt would constitute an insult to Her goodness, just as the goodness of God is insulted were one to approach God in prayer without actually hoping to receive from God that which is being sought. It is essential not to give room to doubt in prayer, not to yield to cowardly or weak feelings. Pray, brethren, to the Mother of God, when the storm of enmity and hostility rears up in your household. She, who is all goodness and all-powerful in goodness, can ease, console and succour with supreme comfort the troubled hearts of humankind, bringing peace into them. Peace and love flow from the One God, as from their Source, while the Sovereign Lady is within God, one with God, and, as the Mother of Christ Who is Peace, She devotes herself to safeguard, protect and pray for the Peace of the whole world, and above all of all Christians. She is endowed with all manner of goodness, and with the authority by the mere movement of Her Hand to drive away from us the spirits of strife and malice that dwell beneath the Heavens, those tireless and determined instigators of rage and enmity among people. To all who have recourse to Her sovereign protections with faith and with love, She quickly grants peace, love and relief. Do you also care intensely about preserving faith and love within your own hearts, for if you do not make it your own urgent care, neither shall you be found worthy of the intercession of the Mother of God on your behalf, before God Himself; therefore, be you also yourselves faithful, earnest and pious devotees of the Mother of our Lord in the Highest, for it is absolutely praiseworthy and sound to exalt Her in truth, the Mother of God, eternally blessed and most utterly pure, the Intercessor for all humankind who is Herself above all Creation. | |
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Prayer to the Mother of God
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O, Most Ever-sung Mother, Ever-merciful Intercessor, Ever-Virgin Mother of God, do Thou receive with Thy habitual compassion this small prayer of ours, and as in ancient times of yore, so also now, have mercy on our Russian land, and save it, and free us, Thy servants, from every difficult circumstance, who cry out in Thy name: Alleluia.
O, Most Holy Lady Sovereign Mother of God, Thou who art higher than all the Angels and Archangels, and more honourable than all Creation, Defender of the injured, Hope of the hopeless, Protectress of the destitute, Consolation of the bereaved, Nurturer of the hungry, Provider of the naked, Healing of the afflicted, Salvation of sinners, Help and Shield of all Christians! O, All-merciful Lady, Ever-Virgin Mother of God and Sovereign, by Thy mercy preserve, protect and save the saintly and venerable Orthodox Patriarchs, their consecrated Metropolitans, Archbishops and Bishops, and all the priestly and monastic ranks, and do Thou place all Orthodox Christians under the protection of Thy noble mantle; and obtain, O Lady, from Thy Son our Lord God Jesus Christ, Who without seed was incarnate of Thee, that He might gird us from on high by His might, and that we by Him shall prevail over all visible and invisible foes. O, All-Merciful Lady, Sovereign Mother of God! Raise us up out of the depths of sin and free us from famine, plague, infestation; from earthquake and flood; from fire and sword; from invasion of foreign hosts and from civil strife; and from unnecessary death; and from any and all assaults or traps of fiends; and from the winds of pestilence; and from deadly contagion or taint; and from every evil thing. Grant, O Lady, peace and good health to Thy servants, to all Orthodox Christians, and enlighten their spirits, and the eyes of their hearts, that they might attain salvation; and make us worthy, Thy sinful servants, of the Kingdom of Thy Son, our Lord God Jesus Christ; for His dominion shall be blessed and all-glorious in every way, together with his Eternal Father, and with His All-Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. | |
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Prayer to Be Read before All Ikons of the Mother of God
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| O, All-Pure Virgin, Mother of our Lord on high, Intercessor and Protectress of all who fly to Thee in haste, asking for Thy protection! Look down from the heights of Thy sanctity upon me, a sinner, prostrate and leaning upon Thy most pure holy image; do Thou now hear my fervent prayer and bear it into the presence of Thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; obtain of Him in Thy prayers that He might enlighten my darkening soul with the Light of His Divine Grace, that I might be released of every want, sorrow and affliction; that He might bestow upon me a peaceful and quiet life, health in the body and in the soul; that He might bring peace unto my suffering heart and heal its wounds; that He might direct me to the commission of good acts, and purge my mind of its vain thoughts; that having taught me the way to fulfil His holy commandments, He might spare me eternal suffering and not deny me His Heavenly Kingdom. O Most Holy Mother of God! Thou, who art Joy unto all who Sorrow, hear me also, sorrowful and aggrieved; Thou who art called Solace in all grief, soothe and attenuate my grief also; Thou, the Incandescent Bush burning in the wasteland, that fire cannot consume, preserve our world and all of us from the harmful fiery darts of our foe; Thou, the Safe Harbor and Rescue of the lost, do not allow me to be lost and to perish in the abyss of my sins. For upon Thee after God is all my hope and reliance. Be Thou my Protectress in the life of this world and my Advocate and Defender before Thy beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ in the matter of my salvation and eternal life. For Thou, All-Holy Mother of God, Mot Ever-Blessed Mary, art mine, to be most faithfully and devoutly revered until the end of my days. Amen. | |
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Prayer to the Mother of God for My Family
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| O Heavenly Queen, First and Supreme Intercessor, who doth plead on our behalf before Thy Son and God, our unwavering, ever-watchful and unfailing Emissary, Protection of the whole world, Source of all bounties, Solace and consolation, Safe Refuge and Salvation! Do Thou, O Most Eternally Blessed Sovereign Lady, take under Thy protection my family; instill in the hearts of my spouse and our children peace, love and ready acceptance of all that is Good; let not any of my family endure separation or bitter and grievous parting, untreatable affliction, nor untimely, nor sudden death. As for our household and all of us who dwell therein, preserve it and us from burning with fire, from attack of thieves, from all evil affront, calamity, happenstance, from fear and terrors, from fiendish confusion and deception practiced by the forces of the devil, that we might all, together and separately, openly and in the private chambers of our hearts, render glory unto Thy Holy Name, always and all ways, now, and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. | |
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Let the Eyes of Your Heart Behold Her
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When you set out to pray to the Lord, to the Mother of God, or to the saints, always remember, that God bestows His gifts in measure commensurate to the state of your heart: as is your heart, so shall God’s gifts be. If you pray with faith and conviction, with earnest and sincere feeling, wholeheartedly and without reservation, without hypocrisy, so shall the gift you receive from the Lord be the equal of your faith, the fervour and intensity of feeling in your heart. And the opposite also is true: the colder your heart, the punier or more scant its faith, the greater its hypocrisy, the less merit shall attach to your prayer; worse yet, the more such a prayer incurs God’s wrath, for God is Spirit and seeks out those who venerate Him in spirit and in truth. Therefore, when you call upon our Lord, or the Mother of God, or the angels or the saints, call upon them with your whole heart… and then shall God bestow upon you gifts equal to your Spirit.
Give thanks to the ever-swift Intercessor, our Lady Mother of God, the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary, who saves us through our heartfelt prayers from the clutches, snares, torments and tyranny of the devil. Gaze upon Her: let the eyes of your heart behold Her in the Holy Spirit, Who is every where and pervades all things, and is simple, direct, uncomplicated: gaze upon Her, as it were, present right next to your heart, and call upon Her: “O swiftest Intercessor, Lady Mother of God Mary, save me from the enemy who would cause my downfall!” And instantly, in that moment., shall She save you by the faith within your heart, by your heart’s reliance upon Her, -- and so shall the constraints, the oppression, the fire and the deep despair depart from your side. One must only imagine with your mind’s eye and believe faithfully, that the Holy Spirit is everywhere, in every place, and is a simple, proper, straightforward Being; that within the Spirit, all the heavens are close to us, as if laid out on the very palms of our hands, with all the angels and the saints, so that no sooner have we called upon our Lord or our Lady Mother of God, or a saint, with all our heart, and with clairvoyant faith, with a heartfelt repentance of all sins that the enemy uses to bind us, or that we ourselves use to bind ourselves up and to ensnare our own free will in error and confusion – and instantly shall salvation shine forth. Wondrous is the salvation brought about by the Sovereign Lady! It pours directly into your soul, like a healing balm, or as an aromatic life-instilling air, or as a calming water: only gaze upon Her with the eyes of your heart, with reliance upon Her utter goodness, Her loving-kindness and Her good authority. But that is precisely where the difficulty resides: to look to Her with heartfelt, clairvoyant faith, with unimpeded vision, as much as to our Lord or to the saints. The enemy fortifies himself in every possible way, so as to become a solid, high, densely dark wall between your soul and God, or the Mother of God, or the Angels or saints; he, the evil one, strives to prevent the eyes of our hearts from gazing upon the Lord or His saints, to behold Them; he darkens the heart in every imaginable way, shattering and scattering our faith, oppressing our innards, burning us from within, filling us with gloom. Yet as soon as you pierce this darkness and break free of it, you are saved. | |
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| This page of the website incorporates materials from the writings of the Holy Fathers of the Christian Church. | |
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