THE VELACION: HONORING THE MOTHER- THE VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE

December 12th is a very important day and just as important is the night before.  Whether you are in Mexico, or in the United States, the Virgen de Guadalupe is the Mother of all Mothers and the Female of all Females.  Our Lady of Guadalupe, as she is also named, is for everyone.  She embraces all and encourages all of us to see the light in ourselves.  She encourages us to come to understand how important all of us are and the power in trust and belief in oneself, regardless of whatever walk of life we are in.

As a young child, each year on December 11th, the ladies of the community would come to my Nana’s house. There would be food, music, rosaries, and above all, the altar of the Lady of Guadalupe in the center of the living room.  It was a time for celebration, but most importantly, a time for honoring the Mother.

When it was time for the lead woman to begin the rosary, the whole house fell silent.  Whatever we were talking about, or eating, or playing, it stopped so that we could all pray the rosary.  With the room filled with all of us saying the same prayers in sync, it became a rhythmic ceremony of sound to be sent to the Virgen de Guadalupe in honor of our love and devotion to her.  When December 11th began to merge to December 12th, the house was filled with songs, dancing, and even more celebration.

She is a symbol of feminine strength, perseverance, tenacity, and faith. The Virgin de Guadalupe is there to represent the love, strength, and wisdom of every grandmother, aunt, mother, daughter, and friend who has gone through it all.  She is the femininity that is grounded, fierce, demands that we are respected, and above all, to acknowledge we are who we are because we were created this way and this is sacred.

Wherever we are placed on this Earth, we are born to inspire and persevere, and to spread the love.  Regardless of our economic status, our ethnicity, our race, our religious beliefs, we are who we are and equal in importance by preserving our individuality, not conformity.   The power of the community is profound and so is the one person who can still practice compassion, empathy, and unconditional love.

However, no one is perfect all the time.  The Virgin de Guadalupe is there to dust you off and encourage you to do better, now that you know better.  She has helped me realize that I probably would have made a better decision if I wasn’t so tired that day, or for the last few weeks.   Persevering takes practice.  In doing so, we do our best with what we have, even if our best was different from yesterday.  She has remained with me and I have remained with her because of this.

When it was time for me to merge into woman hood with my Quinceañera, she was there. When it was time for me to celebrate my marriage, she was there. When it was time for me to be initiated into motherhood, she was there. She has been there through the greatest times and in the darkest moments of my life. She is the first one you see when you enter my house because she is there to welcome you like any other matriarch in the family.  She is Mother.

In honor of the beautiful Matriarch, I created this Mandala a year ago for her.  May this bring you inspiration and blessings.  May this inspire you to search for the strong feminine wisdom within yourself.   May she also bring you encouragement to see the light within you and to trust in your own importance, just as she has done for me.

​Many blessings,

Christina Grossman, M.A, C.A. 
Founder of Sacred Reminders, LLC

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