It wasn’t until my diagnosis of breast cancer that Mary really took a hold of me and I began to paint the images of the Divine Mother which appeared in my mind’s eye. You have to understand how odd her appearances were at first, because in my religious background Mary did not play a significant role and I didn’t really feel as if I knew her, or she knew me! My first attempt at painting her was Connecting With Mary; All Things Begin With This which came from a powerful dream in which she first appeared as a calla lily floating toward me in a cloud in the night sky. When she floated by, the lily transformed into Mary with baby pink roses around her in an arbor-like niche. I used images from my art history books as an inspiration of how to represent her. I painted her with a 4-petaled pattern at her center, which had also come to me with the words, “All things begin with this.” The pattern, it turns out, is a jasmine flower found on the gown of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and is sacred to the native peoples of Mexico.
Internal Help
I asked an intuitive about my prognosis with the cancer, and after she dismissed the question telling me I would be around for a long time, she told me that Mary was with me. That definitely got my attention and surprised me. Mary, she said, was saying to me; I love you; when will you love you? How does one answer that!? She was right, too, as I had always been very hard on myself. I was told to take Mary with me into the chemotherapy sessions and that she would help me, which she did. This painting of poinsettias surrounding a sacred heart, Internal Help, was what I saw as help within myself. The poinsettias represented higher, wiser spiritual parts of my Self, something like spirit guides, protecting my sacred heart, and helping me with their safe, strong and bright spirit.
The Transformation of Mary
This mandala painting, Transformation of Mary, started as a vision of an orchid and the face of Mary. The orchid connected me to the memory of the little girl I once was, delicate, soft and vulnerable. I felt the softness of the Divine Mother taking care and protecting me. I asked, “Could someone like that really care for me?” I heard, “Let the love in.” So my painting became a painting about transformation. Extreme transformation. Mary was transformed by the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of divine love, and I was being transformed by the love of Mary. There is more to the story of this painting in a former blog I wrote http://www.michelefaia.com/blog/my-mandala-the-bruges-madonna/
Go Soft
Entitled, Go Soft, this painting is a sacred heart surrounded by red and white primroses and cyclamen leaves which are shaped like hearts. It’s a smaller mandala than the others, and I did this series of Mandalas With A Message when I was writing my book and didn’t have a lot of time to paint. They incorporate words, which are messages I asked for and received from spirit. The message this one brought was to relax, let go, be soft and open to spirit. I wondered, “Could I ‘let go and let God’? I was reassured, “It’s okay to let go. I will catch you!”
Metamorphosis
This mandala, Metamorphosis, is from a vision I had of the Virgin of Guadalupe. She came to me covered with flowing red cyclamen blossoms and big, blue iridescent butterfly wings. It was as if she were bursting forth from a cocoon, her magnificence could not be contained and her light was touching us all. Hers is the story of metamorphosis, and so is mine and all the rest of us!
Follow the Path to the Divine Feminine
I was guided to walk an unfamiliar labyrinth one day after numerous doctors’ appointments. The labyrinth was a design from a cathedral dedicated to “Our Lady” Mary many centuries ago. The walk calmed me and protected me from a head-on collision on a blind curve on my way home. I knew instantly it was Mary who helped me. This incident woke me up and I acknowledged her again, after the tears, and in this mandala, Follow the Path to the Divine Feminine. “OK. I’m awake now! Thank you for saving my life. This is dedicated to You.” The painting includes a dried rose in the center and dried crape myrtle leaves surrounding the center. Hummingbirds flew into the painting before I was finished—why wouldn’t they want to enjoy this nectar!
The Vision of the Eagle Who Sings
In an inner vision, a golden eagle appeared to me with the Virgin of Guadalupe. When I finally attempted to create this vision as a mandala, it really challenged me. Just how do I go about this?! As I proceeded, almost holding my breath, the Virgin seemed to want to be placed on the eagle’s chest, just as the original image of her appeared on Juan Diego’s shawl so many years ago. I learned later that Juan Diego’s name means “the eagle who sings,” in his native language. Needless to say, I was in awe of this experience and felt very blessed by it.
There Are More Paintings and Stories About Mary To Come
The above original paintings are for sale. See my website for details:
http://www.michelefaia.com/artwork/view-artwork/divine-mandalas/
