Light a candle for the Virgin of Guadalupe. To She who appeared to an Indian farmer, heralded by whistles and flutes, singing birds and heartbeat wings. The man to whom she chose to grant this vision was an Aztec descendant named Cuauhtlatoatzi (Talking Eagle), and renamed Juan Diego upon his conversion to Catholicism. She appeared to him as a beautiful woman with light brown skin, robed as an Aztec princess. On the hill of the shrine of Tonanztin she appeared, instructing that a chapel to the Virgin be built upon this site. She asked to be called The Virgin of Guadalupe. When a bishop demanded proof of the miracle, she instructed Juan to gather an armful of Castilian roses. Juan filled his cloak and returned to the bishop. But when he opened his cloak, instead of roses, the luminous image of Our Lady, surrounded by stars, was imprinted on the fabric, and the bishop fell to his knees in awe. Why the name Guadalupe? Tonanztin's hill on which she appeared was called Tepeyac. Some interpret this as Mother Mary's sign of divine blessing upon Christian conquest, that she is the same as "Our Lady of Guadalupe" in Estremadura, Spain. But the indigenous people of Mexico City know that hundreds of years before the Spanish invasion, offerings were made on that same hill to the Earth Mother Tonantzin. That another name for her is Coatlaxopeuh, pronounced quatlasupe. Coa (serpent), tla (the), xopeuh (crush, stamp out), or She Who Crushes the Serpent, which Christian's will say symbolizes the Aztec, Toltec and Maya and their practice of human sacrifice, but can also represent the forked tongued conquistadors.
The mestizo will tell you that her appearance inspires hope in a people who were being oppressed by the Spanish. The Zapatista in Mexico carry her image on banners to raise awareness of the plight of farm workers, women and indigenous peoples.
Throughout the land December 12 is a special day to honour Our Lady. A plethora of novena candles declare her to be one of the Lux Mundi, Light(s) of the World. Ribbons of fragrant copal rise amid sounds of conch and drum and coyolli seed pod rattles, jingling on the dancers' ankles like abundant rain. The copilli headdress they wear, an impressive feathered fan, draws down the energy of the cosmos into Mother Earth Tonantzin, healing her, and quetzal feathers dance their aerial dance, falling gently down upon her. A salute to the Four Winds and the circle of life honours the ancestors and helps keep the sacred traditions alive.
Inside the church, Mayan copal blends with European frankincense, and two diverse cultures reconcile, at least for the moment, in their common devotion to Our Lady, a bridge of Light who, at least for a day, brings forth a peaceful fusion of disparate cultures and religions. Reminding us once again that we are all connected.
Tarot card: II - High Priestess, XIV - Temperance
