Sitting alone in the Sanctuary de Chimayo in New Mexico recently, I hear this prayer echoing loudly in my head against the silent backdrop of the empty church:

 

Madonna of Grace,

you go by so many names.

May you whisper in my ear,

the breath of God,

so many times,

that I may not forget my true nature.

 

I feel a piercing pain in my heart, and I know I am in the presence of the Divine Mother. She goes by many names, but in this part of the world, she is known as Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her presence is fierce in this sacred land where healing miracles have occurred since 1816. I sit and pray for my own healing miracle, to embody these healing codes so I may serve others, while others come in wheelchairs and on crutches to receive healing of a more physical nature.

Today I feel soft tears well up in my eyes and a sweet tenderness in my heart, for I know I am received by Her. A downpour of messages and prayers comes flooding forth, too fast for my hands to write. I feel that beautiful current of Love flowing through me as I write this message that she "wants the people to know":

 

Bury the hatchets that you swing at yourself, for they bring nothing but self-recrimination. This leads to more judgment. The world is drowning in judgment. Show compassion for yourself and the world will reflect this. First, Love is born in you, and then, out into the world. I hold you in unconditional Love. There is no harm in all that you have done or not done. This is the learning that frees you from the ballast of judgment. Go dear friend, into the heart of grace. Speak kindly to thyself and relinquish all doubt, for I am here. Look no further than your own heart and you will find me.

 

I enter a tiny room located on the side of the church with a hole in the ground revealing the holy dirt, like a monument to mother earth without any of the fanfare. The sacred Chimayo dirt is so silky smooth you want to roll your entire body in it. Of course, this is not possible, for only a very small pair of feet could fit in the round opening in the earth reminiscent of a pregnant woman's belly.

The hole to me symbolizes the possibility of birthing into our wholeness by healing our broken places or even just noticing the miracle of Essence is always within us, intact and untouched by life experiences. This part of us knows itself as Love and continues to reside in us until we are ready to claim it. Perhaps the real miracle is to know this truth. Our Lady explains in this prayer:

 

Come, Mother Divine

Nourish me with your living waters.

A thirst so longs in me to be quenched

by the Divine order of All things.

Blessed Be, Maria

For you partake in the sweet deliverance

Of Love untamed.

Your Love beckons me to a

world of wholeness,

where no hurt has ever entered.

You give me this grace,

and I receive it,

in honor of You.

This grace makes my wholeness

a felt sense that extends

to all the broken places,

and mends that which

was never really broken.

For this I am grateful,

My Beloved, Mother Divine

-Amen

 

I leave my experience in Chimayo with a much greater understanding of who we are-that in a way, our wholeness is already within us, and it is our tenderness, kindness and compassion toward ourselves that will direct us to find what we have always possessed. This is "the Divine order of all things."

 

May these messages serve as a healing for you. May you embrace the Divine Mother in your own way until she becomes a "felt sense" in your life as well.

Join us this Thursday as we marinate in the energies of the Divine Mother for our own healing and awakening so we may better serve our world. Chimayo holy dirt will be available for you to experience.

  Reserve your spot now.