As promised, I’m giving an entire post over to the “Faces of the Black Madonna workshop.” Here is the official statement from the event:

Glastonbury artist and author Nic Phillips (Nic Phillips Sacred Art) and Priestess  of Avalon and Sacred Dramatist Katie Player share a long standing fascination with Black Madonnas, and have come together to provide a day of exploration into Her sacred mysteries.

In the morning we will be discussing her various incarnations through the centuries and posing the questions: Why is she black? Which ancient goddesses may have influenced her appearance? What message is she trying to give us? We will look at her ancient roots, through to the medieval icon phase and her cult in Western Europe, up to her depictions in the modern world and veneration in cultures such as Haitian Vodou where she is syncretised with the fierce and protective mother spirit, Erzulie Dantor.

Other parts of the day will include sacred movement and a simple ceremony to connect with Her. We will be making an altar to the Black Goddess together and invite everyone attending to bring an item of relevance to add to the altar. In the afternoon there will be a session to create your own Black Madonna icon on wood using collage pictures of Her, gold leaf, and more.

This one-day workshop is £50, 50% payable on booking, the balance due by Saturday 12th September 2015. Please email nicholasphillips365@hotmail.com for a booking form or for any further info.

The Avalon Centre, 1 King St, Glastonbury Sat 19th September. Please arrive from 9:30 for a 10am start. Ceremony closes at 4:30.

After a week of downpours starting on the day of my arrival, September 15, Saturday dawned clear, warm, and welcoming beautiful. I made my way just a few blocks from my humble abode to the very welcoming Avalon Centre. Katie and Nic were there to welcome us all into the space that they had already set up. A nice cup of Earl Grey tea and hugs was a great way to get started. Moving past the galley kitchen with a wonderful long dining/working table and some 16 chairs, I came to a door and then a lovely living room-esque space with comfy couches, suck-you-in chairs, and fortunately, some rather more sturdy straight-back chairs replete with cushions. There were already a few participants sitting and enjoying both their tea and each other’s company, so I introduced myself and chose a cushioned chair to settle into.

To the left of the living area is a large meeting room; I’m going to guess 25’ x 40’ in dimensions. It has a hardwood floor and open ceiling so that it feels very large, but, simultaneously, intimate. On the left wall are massive glass sliding doors that open onto a small garden with benches and chairs available for relaxing and chatting.

At the head of the meeting room, Katie and Nic had set up a beautiful altar for the day full of images of the Black Madonna from around the world. There is also a projection screen where Nic had a slide show of photographs so all of us who were participating could see the images that he was discussing in his narration. I truly enjoyed seeing all of the representations of the Black Madonna [the Dark Mother Goddess] in her many forms.

The Dark Mother comes in many forms around the world as well. From Cerridwen to Kali and Bast to Tiamat, SHE is the one who rules the night, the underworld, the bottom of the sea. SHE leads souls to the other side and defends HER children. As mentioned above by Nic and Katie, Erzulie Dantor is the Haitian Voodoo Loa [Goddess], the breaker of chains. Here is another depiction of HER.

Photo Source: Mystic Voodoo http://www.mysticvoodoo.com/home.htm

According to Marcel Gomes [Sweden: Swing, Swing, Swing – May 6, 2011], Erzulie Dantor

…is the Voodoo goddess of love, romance, art, jealousy, passion, & sex. Erzulie Dantor is the patron loa of lesbian women, fierce protector of women experiencing domestic violence and patron loa of New Orleans. Beauty, love, and sensuality are her Creations. Emotions are what link her to the endless reservoir of universal creativity. Erzulie Dantor offers to you protection and possibilities beyond the imagination. Erzulie Dantor is a mulatto woman who is often portrayed as the Black Madonna, or the Roman Catholic “Saint Barbara Africana”. She has tribal scars on her cheek, and is considered heterosexual because she has children, but she is also the patron loa of lesbian women. Thus, she loves women fiercely, and will defend them to the death. She loves knives and is considered the protector of newly consecrated Voodoo priests and priestesses, as well as of women and children who are victims of domestic violence, and women who have been betrayed by a lover. She is highly respected and much feared due to her Woman Power. https://marcelgomessweden.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/erzulie-voodoo-goddess-of-love/

Woman Power. It is an endless speculation as to why Woman Power is so feared. That was a part of this workshop: to embrace the power.

Beyond Katie, Nic, and myself, the participants of the workshop were: Julie, Kaff, Molly, Justin, Elinor, Mary, and Carolyn. As always, this turned out to be the perfect number of people as we could chat and get to know one another while we moved effortlessly through Katie and Nic’s beautiful day. Nic’s excellent scholarship introduced us to:

*Our Lady of Guadalupe – Maybe the Aztec Goddess, Tonantzin http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2014/12/our-lady-of-guadalupe-or-tonantzin/

*The Bride in the Song of Solomon says “I am Black and Beautiful.” She also berates herself due her dark skin which she akins to the hard fieldwork that has been her lot.
http://biblehub.com/songs/1-5.htm

*Isis and/or Artemis as a correlate to the Christian Black Madonna

*Mary Magdalene in the south of France, especially at Notre Dame de Ravis where there is a statue of Sara La Kali who is claimed to be the child of the Magdalene and Jesus, among other things. The Romani claim to be descendants Sara La Kali.          http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/28211422

*Santa Muerta who is venerated during Day of the Dead in Mexico. She is the subject of much controversy, as shown here in Huffington Post in 2013: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-andrew-chesnut/death-to-santa-muerte-the-vatican-vs-the-skeleton-saint_b_3291499.html

*Einsiedeln, Switzerland: Notre Dame Sous Terre [Our lady of the Dark Wood]. This statue is a pilgrimage destination for the Swiss as well as people from all over Europe.

This Black Madonna is carved of dark wood and is painted black. Nic and Katie speculate that the association, Our Lady of the Dark Wood, could be due to HER make-up or to an actual forest. And, here is a great article from 2002 discussing the nature of the Black Madonna as Dark Goddess. Our Lady of the Dark Forest: The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln  Originally printed in the May – June 2002 issue of Quest magazine.
Citation: McCormick, Karen. “Our Lady of the Dark Forest: The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln.” Quest 90.3 (MAY – JUNE 2002)

*Our Lady of Walsingham, Walsingham, Norfolk, UK. Why SHE is considered a Black Madonna, I have yet to discover. Katie has suggested that we take a road trip to visit her while I am here. That sounds like a great idea. In the meantime, HER picture:

And, a history of HERSELF.

http://www.rcsouthwark.co.uk/walsingham_history.html

*Our Lady of Chartres, Our Lady from Under the Earth (Notre-Dame-De-Sous-Terre), Chartres, France. The website interfaithmary.net has this explanation for HER in Chartres [where there are two Black Madonnas]

For millennia Chartres was the main pilgrimage site in France. With its ancient Pre- Christian roots, its Druidic Black Madonna, its relic of the Veil of the Virgin , not to mention the power of its cathedral, Chartres drew pilgrims from all over Europe. Much has been written about the magical, alchemical power of the cathedral to bless, purify, and transform visitors, but this is not the place for that discussion. Suffice it to say that the Lady of Chartres is a trinity of sorts who finds expression in the cathedral as a whole, which bears her name Notre-Dame de Chartres, and in the three main depictions of the Madonna on three levels of the church:
1. in the crypt, the Black Madonna Our Lady from Under the Earth, guardian of the underworld;
2. in the cathedral, the Black Madonna Our Lady of the Pillar, guardian of this world;
3. in the most famous window of Chartres, Our Lady of the Beautiful Window, crowned and wrapped in her blue mantel as the Queen of Heaven. http://www.interfaithmary.net/pages/Chartres.htm

There is a lot of detail in this explanation. Please go check it out.

*Our Lady of Czestochowa, Czestochowa, Poland. This Black Madonna happens to be Katie’s first encounter when a child of an Icon that was black skinned. Katie has joined the project, The Seduction of Avalon, so I hope she will relate her story herself. HER picture:

And, where you can read about the Black Madonna with the slashes on her cheek. http://www.piercedhearts.org/treasures/shrines/czestochowa.htm

*There are so many other stories and images, Goddesses and Madonnas that fit the bill of the Black Madonna. Here is a Sir Gawain tale from the Arthurian legends:
http://www.storiestogrowby.com/stories/gawain_rag_body.html
And, I encourage everyone to check out my friend Lydia Rule’s Black Madonna Banners and explanations, as well as the rest of Lydia’s fabulous work. She painted all of the images that you see on this website.

http://www.lydiaruyle.com/blackmadonnaspage1.html

Now, let me go beyond the scholarship and describe the spiritual aspects of the workshop.

In two separate movement sessions, Katie provided music, space, scarves, and inspiration for all of us to move our bodies and meditate upon the wonderful idea of the Black Madonna, the Dark Mother, in our own lives and in the world. Everyone got up and took a scarf with which to play. The music for each session was 3 pieces from around the world. A few were familiar, a few were strange and foreign and enchanting. As I danced with the others in the group, I felt as though all time was slipping away and that only those in that room existed on this plane of existence. We were swept up into each song, each entirely different from the last. Katie’s sensibility in movement ritual was clearly evident and we came back to our seats from each session rather floating in air. Extraordinary.

In the afternoon, after we gathered our own lunch from around Glastonbury, we were invited to make our own personal Icons to take home. Here is a picture of mine:

It was such a pleasure to all sit around that big table cutting pictures from the hundreds that Nic had found and printed out to decoupage onto our icon boards he had provided for us. We laughed, painted, glued, dripped, and glittered our way through the afternoon. Everyone’s Icon was as individual as we all are. Even when some people picked the same pictures, each Icon was completely different. Beautiful, too. Here are pictures of the event.

The last piece was a beautiful meditation and a gift of Apache tears stones from Katie and Nic. Katie led us deep into Mother Earth to a cave where the magnificent Dark Mother dwells. Each of us were on our own when we got there so all of our experiences were quite different. This will have to remain within the group as the information was sometimes intimate and very personal.

As for me, I had a dream the following night.

DREAM

The dream shook me awake with fear.

I know SHE was standing beside the bed that was not the bed that I lay upon. I had been standing and waiting for something or someone in the dream before. SHE suddenly – but more quiet than nightfall – came by my side and put her hand on my left shoulder. SHE swept HER hand down my arm to deposit something into my left hand.

I remember the deep attraction, an actual physical pulling toward something or someone that was beyond the side of the “bed.” SHE moved away from me staying on the left and I could see HER. Black haired and nut brown skin, I don’t recall her clothing at all. I couldn’t say whether she had anything on her body. Just Black hair and nut brown skin and eyes which were closed from far away. My etheric body began to turn sideways on the “bed.”

Suddenly – silently – she was again behind my left shoulder. I neither saw nor heard her move from one spot to another. Again, she put her hand on my shoulder and drew it down to my elbow. SHE gripped me hard, so I was in just enough pain to turn my head directly toward HER. Then –

HER eyes opened and I could do nothing but stare into the Space of Space, the Void of the Void, the place where all begins and ends.

I awakened when and only when SHE shut her eyes. As I awakened, I was sure that I was off of the bed and in mid-air. My etheric body struggled back to the sleeping form and when we re-merged, Tamaria and Christina, we, I mean “I,” further struggled with the bedding to find nothing amiss. I was laying just as I’d fallen asleep; solidly in the bed. It was 3:30 am.

It’s been a whirlwind of a week.  Here’s a quick rundown of events.

Monday – September 14 – A pleasant drive to New York’s JFK with my partner-man, John.  There was a longish wait, but that’s okay, rather early than late, I say.  The plane left just a tad early than the 5:30 pm time  so we arrived in Dublin early as well; a mind-numbing 4:30 am.  That 5 hour difference makes a big difference in coming the to the UK.  Waited for the Stobart Air hop to Bristol at 6:30 and arrived in the beloved country before 8 am.  I got my car, no small feat in itself, and started toward Glastonbury in a driving rain.

When I arrived at InnGlastonbury, my home for the next 100 days, I was greeted by one of their lovely womyn who keep the place clean and tidy. [Her name escapes me, even though we chatted for a long while.  Y’all know my short-comings.]  Once I got the luggage into place and was able to shut and lock the door, I face-planted into one of the lush beds for some much needed shut eye.

I roused long enough to run our to the local Tesco [TESCO!] to get some groceries and sundries for the evening.  I am staying true to my dietary regime that has given me good results so far: gluten-free and lactose-free [except for my coffee milk].  I purchased a one-person sized “George Forman TD” so I can eat good food with frying.  I also got a french-press and some very good fair trade Sumatra coffee. [coffee, coffee, coffee!]

When I got home, I ate, drank some coffee and crashed again. Until . . .

Tuesday – September 15 – At this point, I’m not sure when I even got out of bed.  I can tell you this. Everything hurt.  Oh, I do remember being wide awake from 2-4 am and calling John to let him know I was safe and secure.  I think I also tapped out a few greetings on Facebook, but I’d have to check on that.

My main mission for Tuesday afternoon was to find a couple of used tables for my little apartment.  InnG is lovely, but for a long haul stay I decided I needed some creature comforts.  As usual, the perfect pieces appeared to me as soon as I went hunting.  Firstly, I found the Weston Hospice Care Group’s 2nd hand store.  The two tables I had envisioned were sitting there waiting.  Both for L20.  One is a 30″ x 30″ solid pine coffee table.  The other is the an old-fashioned flip-top table with brass latch and red leather inlay.  It is the perfect height for doing this typing without tiring and makes a nice dining space as well.  Then I went on to a little place called Bits and Pieces and the other thing I had envisioned was waiting there for me.  A wooden stool [again old-fashioned with turned wood legs and woven thatch top] that I am using as a hassock to put my feet up.  Ahhh!

I made a couple of other stops, but that was the extent of my furniture purchasing.  I can now tell my fellow Americans what is difficult to find in the UK.  Clothes hangers.  Yep, clothes hangers are something that is in every store in the US is really hard to get here.  Tesco, Asda, Sainbury’s, Boots’ – no one sold clothes hangers.  I decided to look another day.

Once back home, I unpacked all of my creature comforts, ate and once again crashed.

Wednesday – September 16 – The work begins.  The day dawned clear and chilly.  It had been raining nearly non-stop since my arrival.  That just makes it easier to sleep, for me.  So, I had to set my alarm so as not to sleep too late.

I made my 11 am appointment with Nic Phillips and Susan Storm at Glastonbury Abbey.  They had requested that I come by to have a face-to-face chat about my project and how the Abbey might fit into it.  I sent a Letter of Inquiry back in early August to several of the primary venues in town where I want to work and gather data with my survey instruments.  They were cautious because they envisioned my tapping visitors to the Abbey on the shoulder and accosting them with questions and requests to fill out forms.  Of course, that is not what I have in mind at all.

In order to get data that I feel is authentic for the project, I’ve always felt that I should sit back and let whoever wants to come to me.  No pressure. No pushing.  In the end, Susan, who is Head of Operations, decided that she liked the project, thought it was well thought out and valuable research, and that she would like to see the Abbey involved in the work.  I have sent on the .pdf of the poster I have designed for informative purposes and I am waiting for the final okay from the Director of the Abbey to have it printed and to start.  Nic and Susan liked the idea of being in the Abbey’s museum once a week from Oct. 1 through Dec. 23.  Continuity, as in many things, is key.

I was also introduced to the staff at the Abbey who take care of the collections.  I am invited to go and read other pieces of research, one history dissertation in particular [more on that later in the year!], and be in the little library.   The offices are housed in the old Gatehouse.  Parts of this building are the original 14th century and walking into the space off of Magdalene Street is breathtaking.  The age and depth of the place is awe inspiring just as a building. Ancient worn stone spiral stairs lead up to the library level.  The more deeply stepped stairs lead on up to office space.  Putting my feet on the stones, where 7 centuries of people have already trodden puts one in a different space.  Even Nic said that when he first arrived for his job that he did a lot of staring in wonder and appreciation of the actual space.  On every wall at the ground level are shelves of hundreds of pieces of Abbey artifacts.  Every one is numbered in hopes of returning to its proper place in the stone ruins of the grounds.  There are ancient fireplaces, long out of use, windows with I don’t know how old glass, still in use, and something new to rest the eye upon where one looks. I really don’t have the right words. But, Marvelous.

Coming out of the Abbey offices into the bright sunlight, I felt a success. [Let’s keep our fingers crossed!]  So, I wandered around the corner up the High Street on the way to Burns the Bread for a gluten-free loaf! Yummy!  I was of course distracted from my mission because I saw that a friend of mine, Katie Player, was doing readings in the Goddess Temple Shop, so I went to find her.  My great luck! She was having coffee next door at the Blue Note Cafe with two more womyn I love, Katrin Knuepfer and Angie Twydal.  We were all happy to see each other and had great hugs and “great to see you’s” before they invited me to join them for a bit.  Lovely to have friends.

Thursday – September 17 – I must admit that by Thursday, the full weight of the trip and moving in for three months hit me with full force.  I was knackered.  A British word that I more than identify with, knackered means “extremely tired or worn-out.”  And so I was.  I stayed abed most of the day only coming out for sustenance.  I talked to John for a little bit, but he’s feeling the weight of my being away and counting the days already.

Friday – September 18 – The day of rest and relaxation was well worth it as I came to on Friday ready to get up and get at it.  Some of you who are close to me know that as a self-indulgence I routinely go get my hair washed and braided [plaited here in England] once a week.  It has grown down to my waist now and is very difficult to wash myself.  Last year [August 2014] I discovered a wonderful all organic salon in which the service is top-shelf.  It’s called Natural Roots. I had the most wonderful experience on this day with Katie.  I got a scalp massage with patchouli oil [heavenly!] and then the most luxurious hair wash with their wonderful line of product.  Then, Katie did a marvelous simple plait.  I’m on day 3 and it is still holding up! All of this for L10!  Katie has also offered me some clothes hangers, which I will go back and check on Monday! They don’t have wardrobes and the hangers just sit around.  Lucky me.  So I’ve made a regular appointment every Wednesday to have the same done.  What a pleasure.

After feeling so refreshed and rejuvenated, I made my way, finally, up to Earthfare, the organic store on the High Street.  I purposely waited to buy my teas and herbs until I made it to this wonderful store.  I purchased Darjeeling, some English Breakfast, chamomile flowers, and lavender buds.  At this moment, I’m enjoying a cuppa the chamomile and lavender on this rather foggy Sunday.

I also decided that I would go to Wells and do a bit of shopping [there were still a few things I hadn’t found: HANGERS].  I’m sad to say that the Cooperative store in Wells is no more.  I understand that the landowners decided to double the rent and the Coop didn’t agree, so they left.  Such a shame.  There is a lovely small Coop in Glastonbury, but the one in Wells was big with lots of choice.  Sigh.  So, instead I treated myself to a bite to eat [my first meal in a restaurant] at Beah just off the High Street in Wells. I had a perfect omelet with gammon [ham] and mushrooms and a side salad.  An Elderflower cordial finished it off.  Lovely meal.  I’ll go back!

Just half a block off the High Street, I walked down to look straight at the Wells Original Factory Shop.  Everything else I needed so far as both creature comforts and some kitchen and bedding necessities were there and quite reasonable!  [No HANGERS, though. Grrrr.]  Still, I got some items I really needed and couldn’t manage to bring from the USA home.

After such a great morning, I decided it was time to go and pay a visit to my dear friends, Anne and Melvyn, at the Nut Tree Farm, Stoughton Cross, Wedmore.  If you ever need or want to visit the Somerset countryside, this is absolutely the place to stay!  The only reason that I’m not is that I needed to be in center of Glastonbury and able to cook my own meals for this stint of fieldwork.  Anne and Melvyn are great friends and they greeted me as warmly as ever.  We’ve [Margaret Meggs and I] been staying with them since our first trip here in 2006.  It’s really like having family to come home to, and that is a wonderful feeling!  I look forward to many visits and time spent with them during my stay here.

Now I did complain to Anne and Melvyn of my hanger dilemma.  They had the answer!! [Of course they would, as having a B & B they have made sure there is hanging space and quite a number of hangers. There were only 6 in my wardrobe at home in Glastonbury.]  The answer to the question? Proper Job. And it’s only a 2-minute walk down the street from me!  Perfection.  I bought them out of flocked hangers, but I still hope to pick up a few more from Katie on Monday!  Now, I am unpacked, put away, and feeling really “home.”

Saturday – September 19 – Faces of the Black Madonna Workshop with Katie Player and Nic Phillips – 9:30 am – 4:30 pm.  Well I’m going to leave this description to its own post as so much wonderful stuff happened throughout the day yesterday.  So Stay Tuned on that!

Sunday – September 20 – And now I’m back to today.  A quiet and cloudy/cool Sunday.  I have not been out of the house this morning, yet, but I think I might get myself together and go to the countryside for a while this afternoon.  Depends on the rain, really, as I’m not up for any wetness today!  I’ll be back with a full description of the Black Madonna workshop and some pictures!

Cheers!

And the living/dining/kitchen at InnG!

Of the million things on my mind to try to get myself launched successfully into the field for the first time since 1997, one is at the very top.  That is, leaving my partner of 7 years here on his own for three months.  For  those of you who know me/us, you will realize that my trips to England have been trepidatious for him from the outset.  Though I have asked him to come with me numerous times, he just can’t or won’t.  I guess I’m putting this out in the world in order to pull in some positive energy for him whilst I am gone for this long period.  Brightest Blessings to my man.

I have a hot mess here in my house.  There are suitcases open, clothes strewn, and bottles of medications sitting around.  Every piece of electronic gizmo that I need to accomplish by work is also sitting around me.  Let’s see: the still camera, the video camera, the digital recorder, the tablet, the phone [just for the UK], and of course, the computer.  Plus all of the plug adapters, cords, wires, thumb-drives are within my view and grasp as well.  My PA and dear friend, Megan McCullagh, has been spending time getting me organized and put together.  She’ll be joining me for 4 weeks to help me keep organized in the UK.  She has put together all of the materials for the fieldwork including survey scantrons and pencils, my entire itinerary in a notebook [so I won’t leave any vital piece of paper lying around somewhere], and like last year, numerous give-a-ways for anyone who is willing to fill out a form and talk to me for a minute or two.  Whew.  I wouldn’t be even close to ready without her invaluable help.  She’ll be keeping her own Blog on Tumblr [Name TBA].

In the meantime, I continue to sit here in the middle of my mess hoping that I can figure out what I need [and more important, what I don’t need] for my sojourn in Somerset and Glastonbury.  Clothes are hanging on every possible hook and nail.  Shoes are clumped in a heap.  Sweaters and a heavy-ish coat are out and waiting.  The next big question is. . .will I make it?

I guess this is my home page.  Instead of more words, look on About for what I’m up to, I’ll add some pictures of Glastonbury and Somerset here.