"The glacier knocks in the cupboard, The desert sighs in the bed, And the crack in the teacup opens A lane to the land of the dead."

-W.H. Auden

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Stella Maris

In last night's dream, I asked the aether for the name of a goddess. An answer came back: Stella Maris.

I'm sure I must have heard this name before, outside of the Einstürzende Neubauten song, but could not remember. After waking, I immediately looked it up. It's Latin for Mary, Star of The Sea.

While most Christians would object to describing any variation of Mary as a goddess, it's clear to me that Mary fulfills this role in her aspects of both maiden and mother. She's the divine feminine in spirit, and in this case, a guiding star.

I was pondering this while driving the morning rounds. Having pressing issues in my life, I decided the name must have come to me for a reason.

"O Stella Maris", I said "I'm not a sailor, but I could use your guidance."

No sooner had I said it than the sound of a boatswain's call pierced the air, what they call "piping the side," when a dignitary comes aboard.

No, I wasn't hallucinating; There was a story about sailors on the radio, but the volume had been too low to hear. The boatswain's call, however, was so loud and shrill it couldn't be missed.

Rational explanation, sure. but...when you call upon a Deity and they answer, you would be a fool to dismiss it. And, frankly, I'm tired of being a fool.

Welcome aboard, Stella Maris.

2 comments:

  1. This is beautiful. This morning I was praying the Rosary at the Rotterdam Dominicans. Same Mary :-)

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