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MARY AS MOTHER

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Yeshua* was there. Yeshua and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Yeshua said to him, “They have no wine.” And Yeshua said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:1-5

Let’s take a look at Mother Mary, the Motherly aspect of the Great Goddess. We have opened with the famous wedding at Cana, in which Mary solicits the help of a reluctant Yeshua in order to get more wine for the wedding. The wedding at Cana is loaded with questions and confusions.  Some point to this incident and find hostility on Yeshua’s part toward his mother. We must remember that although he was Divine, Yeshua was also human. But perhaps there is no hostility at all, Mary seems to notice none.  She brushes aside her son’s reluctance to “perform” in public for the first time, instructing the servants, “do whatever he tells you.”  Note that Mary behaves as though they are her servants, and she is the hostess of the wedding, which as mother of the groom she most certainly would have been according to ancient custom.  This inference has been cited as further evidence that the Wedding at Cana was Yeshua’s own.

My  New American Bible for Catholics footnote states that the seeming hostility of Yeshua toward Mary may mean Yeshua didn’t perform miracles for family and friends.  This is nonsense, and probably an attempt to discredit the apocryphal infancy gospels in which the Child Yeshua purportedly performs miracles (some of which are malicious) for family and friends all the time. Looking at the canonical gospels, we see that the idea that he won’t perform miracles for family and friends is absurd. He cures Peter’s mother and raises his brother-in-law Lazarus* from the dead. (*Some scholars including Margaret Starbird, teach that Lazarus was Yeshua’s brother-in-law because Mary of Bethany and Mary Magdalene were the same person.  Our School is not sure about that, it does seem a high probability, but then again perhaps they were two separate women.  Either way it does appear Lazarus and his sisters were family to Yeshua in some way).

Those questions aside, we are finally able to discuss Mary as Mother. As mentioned in the last lesson, Mary transforms from innocent and idealistic to influential and even shrewd. She is influential in that it is she who pushes Yeshua to begin his public ministry. She is shrewd in knowing that Yeshua has great respect for her and wouldn’t want to embarass her as hostess, would want to “save the day” from the disaster of running out of wine, and she knows her son has a great love for his friends, family and the bride, so she knew that he would perform the miracle. Mary was the catalyst for the coming of the Light as the Maiden, and here as the Mother she is once again the catalyst of the manifestation of the power of that light.  Good things seem to come thru her first.

As the Mother, we see Mary sacrifice a part of herself in order to provide for the needs of her children – namely, all of us. The gospels assert that Yeshua knew of his fate at an early time in his life. The Prophet John surely knew, because he called Yeshua the “Lamb of God,” which of course symbolized the sacrificial lamb of the Passover. If Yeshua and John knew of his fate, it’s only logical to assume that Mary knew. Church tradition has always taught that she new from day one.  She was Yahweh’s chosen Bride, and was no doubt let in on the plan which she helped to begin.  What an extraordinary sacrifice she made when she acted as the catalyst for the beginning of Yeshua’s ministry. She knew that it marked the beginning of the end for him, but she did it anyway in accordance with the Divine Plan and in order to show us the Way to true love, and that ultimately love conquers death. In this sacrifice, we see the strength and faith of the Mother shining through Mary.

Of course, all of this is compatible with the role of Mother. Just as the Maiden is the Patroness of New Beginnings, the Mother is the Patroness of Growth. As Maiden, Mary brought the beginning of the Way by becoming the Mother-to-Be of the Krist. As Mother, Mary brought the growth of the Way by giving the Krist a little push to begin his ministry. And the great thing is that by this time, Mary was certainly in no way a pawn. She knew her role. Even if she hadn’t known her role before she most certainly discovered it while living in Egypt. There she would definitely have been exposed to the Cult of Isis, revering a goddess whom Mary embodied almost to the letter.  In my belief, and many other researchers and scholars agree, while in Egypt Mary became a Devotee and maybe even a formal Priestess of Isis. Such a thing would have been unheard of among the pious Jews in Jerusalem. But just outside Jerusalem in the pagan coastal city where the Roman Governors such as Pilate lived were several Temples, including one to Isis.  Right in Jerusalem were temples to Greek gods such as Aesclepius and Solomon had maintained a Temple of Isis in his day, though it was no longer standing by Mary’s day.  Historians point out that the Jews of Mary’s day who were from Galilee province were much more liberal, having only recently been converted to Judaism by the Maccabees, and forcibly converted at that. In fact, it’s possible even very probable that Mary had Pagan grandparents.

In any event, Mary responded to Isis. She found her role through the Great winged Goddess of Life, and it’s certain by that time Mary knew her role perfectly. In the Order of the Divine Mother, we celebrate Mary’s role in our initiatory degrees. She was first a Shemsu (Follower) of the Conception. Then she became a Hemet (Servant) of the Ministry and a Meryt (Beloved) of the Mysteries. She then became a Heri-Sesheta (One Who Is Over the Secrets) of the Great Mother, and finally a Kai-Imakhu (Exalted Reverend) and later a Nisut (High Priestess) of Isis. This is the Divine Role, which we seek to imitate, and which she showed us so that we might be enlightened.

And so we have read the beginning and middle of the book, the introduction and body of the research paper. We have seen the Caterpillar and its Cocoon. Next we will examine the Crone, who symbolized fruition. We will see the glorious ending of the book and the dramatic conclusion of the research paper. We will see the Beautiful Butterfly burst from her Cocoon and soar. In the Maiden we have seen the Birth of the Divine Plan, and in the Mother we have seen it grow. In the Crone, we will see it come to fruition at last, and we will almost have completed the Sacred Cycle that leads to enlightenment.

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For your enjoyment, I’ve included another Marian hymn:

HOLY MARY, MOTHER MILD

Chorus
O, exult ye Cherubim!
And rejoice ye Seraphim!
Praise her, praise her!
O praise our spotless Mother!

Verse 1
Holy Mary, Mother Mild,
O sweet, sweet Mother!
Hear, O hear thy feeble child,
O sweet, sweet Mother!

Verse 2
Tossed on life’s tempestuous sea,
O sweet, sweet Mother!
Cast thy tender eyes on me,
O sweet, sweet Mother!

Verse 3
Brightest in the courts above,
O sweet, sweet Mother!
Joy of Angels, Queen of Love,
O sweet, sweet Mother!

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Please copy and paste the following questions into a new e-mail, answer them, and send them to Mystery School with the subject line: “ODM Mother Devotional from ________ (your magikal name).”

1. Why was Yeshua seemingly “hostile” toward Mary at the wedding?

2. Why might some try to say Yeshua didn’t perform miracles for loved ones?

3. List two examples of Yeshua performing miracles for loved ones.

4. How is Mary influential?

5. How is Mary shrewd?

6. Compare Mary as Maiden Catalyst and Mary as Mother Catalyst.

7. How does Mary sacrifice a part of herself?

8. The Mother is the Patroness of _______. (Fill in the blank).

9. Explain why Mary may have been a Devotee of Isis.

10. List the initiatory degrees of the Order of the Divine Mother. Why did Mary show them to us?

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Essay

Briefly give an example of what Mother Mary, Patroness of Growth, has done for you in your life.

Exercise 1 (Required)

Reread the wedding at Cana story (beginning of John). How might the image of the Influential Mother affect the world around us?

Exercise 2 (Optional, but recommended)

Construct an altar to Mother Mary once the altar to Maiden Mary has been up for a week. Water, apples, and red roses are all symbols that you can use. Water mixed with wine may also be appropriate, based on the miracle at Cana. A picture of your own mother could also be nice.

Exercise 3 (Required)

Continue praying the Hail Mary (at your altar, if you have one). After you have completed a week of reflecting on the Maiden Mary, reflect upon Mother Mary.

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