Unearthing the Gift

A few weeks ago marked the end of the #30dayswithMary practice. I hesitate to even write that sentence, because I feel that my walking with Mary will never really end.

Many of us who were walking together felt sadness about the conclusion of the 30 days. While I felt sad, I also felt comforted in knowing that the connections I made with my fellow travelers in the last thirty days are long-lasting and will continue even after the hashtag is no longer present in my feed.

As for my relationship with Mary, I can say that Mary will be my companion for many years to come. In this post, I’m just going to share some highlights of the 30 days and explore how I might continue my journey with Mary.

I remember at the beginning of the 30 days, during the mantra recitation, I felt a change in the energy outside of myself, in the area where I had set up the altar. I am not used to feeling energies or presences so my fear quickly took over and the presence disappeared. I didn’t feel any energies outside of myself after that, because I understood that the presence I was seeking was always inside of me and every night when I went to meet Mary, I was actually meeting Mary within myself.

At some point in the 30 days I began to sing the mantra. The first time I sang the mantra I unlocked something inside myself. I opened a door that I didn’t even realize was there. I felt feelings I had not allowed myself to feel and realize what healing I needed to work on. Most of my feelings involved my role as mother and daughter. I am still working through those feelings and I might be brave enough to share them in the future.

One of my favorite parts of the practice was the opportunity to make soul collage cards, like the one in the photos above. I’ve always had a love of photo editing and this love was reawakened thanks to the #30dayswithMary practice.

During the final days of the #30dayswithMary practice I began working on a set of 10 personal oracle cards. I used photo editing/collage to create them. I will do a separate blog post to share that project, but I feel that the cards were influenced by my experience in the walking with Mary days, so they hold a special place for that reason.

Through this practice and thanks to Hettienne’s wonderful guidance, I learned how to set up an altar and conduct a ritual. We also met many representations of Mary, but there is still so much more to explore.

In summary, I am thankful for having the opportunity to participate in this 30 days journey and for sharing the experience with other like-minded people from the tarot community on Instagram. I am hoping that Hettienne hosts this practice again next year.