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In January of this year, I finally decided to start reading The Way of The Rose. I purchased it back at the start of the pandemic and quarantine, and it had been sitting on my Kindle ever since. I was enamored with Mary Magdalene Revealed, and I read that in December of 2019. At that point in my life, I was fine with reclaiming the outcast, the hated one, the hidden one within the Christian realm, but I still was not ready to take on Mother Mary.
After 10 years in Catholic schools, Mother Mary was not the energy I ever wanted to embody. I’ve never wanted to be the conformist, the good girl (although I was because getting in trouble was dangerous), and I definitely as an adult have never wanted to be associated with motherhood or birthing. Kudos to you mamas! You have more strength than I!
For the Capricorn New Moon, I had pulled the card Star Mother (a message from Persephone), and it is very much the image of Mary. I had pulled Star Mother from Work Your Light Oracle another time, and, under this lunar cycle, I knew it was time to start my journey, my walk with Mother Mary. It was time to heal that past bitterness.
In the prologue, there is a sentence that has stuck with me, “A rosary is a garland of prayers woven for the goddess.” I have kept a daily prayer journal since May of 2022, just a sentence or two, but the ritual came right when I needed it. I had pulled the Prayer card from the Earthcraft Oracle (a message from Artemis), and I started immediately. It has been 14 months of this daily devotional.
The quote about prayers woven for the goddess connected my journaled prayers into something more tangible for me. It made me realize that praying to my goddesses, to the energies I have connected with is valid, not just a thing that hateful, White people and institutions did.
Seeing these cards again and together, I now see that Mary had been calling on me for a while. This Prayer card is giving Our Lady vibes and peep her prayer beads!
What I loved about this book was all of the personal stories. I love nonfiction that reads as a story. I am not the best reader due to a slight reading disability, and if I can gain information through emotional connection, like in storytelling, then I am 90% more likely to remember it.
A point that stood out was that the rosary need not be said daily. There is no punishment for being too busy, for not saying it, and there is no reason to make up missed prayers. As a neurodivergent person, I experience some pretty intense all-or-nothing thinking, and this was the reminder I needed about all spiritual practices. It is the compassionate message I needed to release that perfectionism.
Clark also makes this connection of prayer, prayer beads, goddess devotion to a place that claims feminine energy, feminine power. It is this idea that the gatherer (of hunter-gatherer communities) is a multitasker, and part of that multitasking is staying in conversation with the goddess, the mother, Our Lady even as other work is being done. That resonated deeply with me.
Multitasking when framed in this way is very empowering. After a lifetime of “why can’t you just focus and sit still,” there is now a reclamation of divinity and power within multitasking.
The Way of The Rose was so powerful for me that by the time I finished it at the end of January, by February 8th, I had ordered my first rosary. I knew it was time, and I was scared. Who was I that I could be going back to the Catholic roots?
I purchased my rosary on Etsy. I could have gone with a cheaper one like this from Amazon, but I am an adult with adult money, and I wanted something that was more meaningful to me.
I chose this particular rosary because it does not have Jesus on it. That was a necessity for me. I am not yet there in my reclamation of spirituality. My rosary does have a cross, which I was very hesitant about, but the roses and depictions of Mary help me ground into the rosary outside of the cross. I also chose lepidolite because it is a stone that I am familiar with, and it is amazing for healing and soothing that deep inner hurt. As soon as I held it in my hands for the first time, my fears began to dissipate a bit, and an inner knowing of the right choice began to take its place.
There were so many options that did not have any indication of Christianity within them, and they were very pagan. I was tempted. I’m not going to lie, but I wanted this rosary connection to be about Mary and healing, not about my comfort zone. For going so far outside of my comfort zone, this devotional piece has brought me a lot of comfort and security. I take it everywhere with me.
Once I had finished The Way of The Rose, I was in that book hangover that comes when you finish a book that fundamentally changes you. I diligently prayed every morning. I started waking up at 4:30 instead of 4:45 so that I would have the time to pray, get ready, and then still have time for my morning tarot and protection routines.
I wanted to re-read the book, but I knew that I needed to move on and take action. At the end of May, I bought the Mother Mary Oracle because I was looking for more direct messaging. I use this deck at the beginning of the month in order to connect with my creative muse. So far, each message has been exactly what I need to hear, and more than once, I have been left with tears staining my cards and full body shivers.
I am just so grateful for this book, and that it was available to me before I was ready so that when I was ready, I didn’t even have to think about it. I could just open and read. It has connected me to a divine feminine energy that I had scorned for so long. It has helped me heal and shift my entire understanding of the divine feminine. It has opened up countless doors for me. There is much more to uncover here, I am excited to dive deeper with you all.
What books are you reading lately? Which ones have made a difference in your life? I’d love to hear about them! Book recs are a love language.
Wishing you well this week! May your life offer what you need in this moment.
With love,
Aventurine ✨
I also loved The Way of the Rose! A book I recently finished that has changed my perception of reality is Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm. I also love another book by Clark Strand that I felt impacted me deeply, it was Waking Up to the Dark. I think you would enjoy it!! Looking forward to reading more about your journey with Mary 🌹