16/06/2024
After the tsunami of feeling, sharing, poetry and opinion that responded to the removal of this beautiful statue, I am so glad that I will be in Glastonbury in September-- By the way there are 2 spaces left in my retreat:
https://circleway.com/?page_id=643
I want to visit her where she now resides in a meadow not near enough to the holy well, but clearly her essence and power are still vibrantly alive.
When I lived in Chartres in 2004, sitting in meditation in the Cathedral in the chapel of Notre Dame du Pillier, I wrote this poem. It is the same experience I have had with the statue in Challce Well and speaks of the reciprocal relationship with the Divine that can occur in sacred space with a beloved icon.
Let me heal you with my Grace
The winds gust on a quiet Monday morning.
I am alone with Mary, bundled in my shawl.
Let me heal you with my grace, she says,
And I face Her.
She is pouring through
The statue with its baroque finery.
I am so glad that I know where to go to find Her.
Time mellows into the Kairos
There are no shuffling tourists today,
Not even the sound of the mass.
I am able to quiet down to the essentials.
Over and over again now with a tune:
Let me heal you with my grace.
I am your constant Mother.