Dec 12th – Divine Mother

December 12th is the Fiesta de Nuestro Senora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadalupe). Some believe the name to be a derivative of Coatlaxopeuh (pronounced quatlachupe) or Tequatlanopeuh, which can be translated from the indigenous Mexican Nahuatl language “she whose origins were in the rocky summit.”
This Catholic fiesta commemorates a vision Juan Diego had of La Virgen Moreno (the brown virgin) in December 1531 near Mexico City.

The story goes that Juan Diego saw a vision of a young woman, approximately 16 years old, surrounded by light, on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac, in the desert near Mexico City. Speaking in the local Nahuatl language, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor.
Diego told his story to the Spanish bishop in Mexico City, Fray Zumarraga. Bishop Zumarraga wanted proof that the vision was authentic. He instructed Juan Diego to return to the site and ask the Lady for a miraculous sign to prove her claim. Diego went back to the hill and once again saw the vision. He told the brown virgin that the bishop wanted a sign to convince him. The Lady instructed Diego to gather some roses from the bush behind him.
It was winter and very late in the season for any flowers to bloom, but Diego found a rose bush flowering behind him. He picked the roses, and it is told that the Lady herself arranged the flowers in his tilma – an outer garment which can be either a poncho or an apron..
Juan Diego wrapped the roses in his poncho and returned to Bishop Zumarraga on December 12th. When he unwrapped the tilma to reveal the flowers, according to legend, the roses either fell to the floor or disappeared completely, and in their place was an image of the young woman Diego had seen in his vision, miraculously imprinted on the fabric.

There are historical records dating to 1556 which tell of an image that was on display in the Catholic chapel at Tepeyac. In those documents, the priests write that the image was painted on fabric by “Marcos the Indian.”

Tonantzin / Coatlique

This particular chapel was built on the ruins of a sacred site that was a place where the local version of the Divine Mother had been honored for years before the Spanish arrived. Tonantzin / Totlaconantzin / Coatlique / Coatlicue was the Divine Mother image favored by locals in pre-Columbian days. Some people see the image in the ancient fabric as an image of Tonantzin / Coatlique. Catholics believe she is Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Whether the image was painted or miraculously imprinted, the story and the image have endured, and the fabric is on display in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. There are many miracles associated with this image, not the least of which is its longevity. Our Lady of Guadalupe is revered in Mexico, by Spanish and Mexican-American Catholics in the Southwest and in Latino Catholic communities throughout the US. Her image is a unifying force in Latino culture. Candlelight processions and special masses and celebrations are held on December 11th and 12th to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Stars and roses are symbols often incorporated into the pageantry.

The idea of the Divine Mother is prevalent in human history, crossing cultural and geographic boundaries and timelines, and weaving in and out of even the most patriarchal cultures. How many different cultural names and stories do you know of the Divine Mother?

Whatever you believe, today is a great day to honor the feminine face of the Divine.

+ Today, honor your own mother or the Divine Mother or Mother Earth or all of the above in whatever way feels appropriate to you.

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