If you think of Mother Mary in terms of the benign virgin and mother figure of religious Christian iconography, someone who does not not threaten the status quo and keep women in line, think again. Mother Mary is a version of the Wild Mother that lives in the wild feminine subconscious. She is the force that leads us through our darkest nights and births the Christ consciousness from within us. This Christ consciousness is not a soft, naive love that conforms to societal norms and expectations. No, the Christ consciousness that she births is what will transform this world and birth a new paradigm.

This is already happening. Old paradigms and dogmas, both collectively and individually, are falling and burning. This is not always a pretty sight and can feel tumultuous and traumatic at times. Mother Mary is there to lead us through this. She is one manifestation of this feminine shadow guide archetype and maybe the most outwardly benign one. But make no mistake, she means business.

Other Wild Mother archetypes are Hel - Norse queen of the underworld and Kali - The Divine Mother or Dark Mother in Hinduism. You might relate to one or more of these guides at different times and depending on your background and ancestry. Mother Mary can help us with the journey of letting go and destroying what does not serve us any longer and rebirthing the new, while all along maintaining a fierce unconditional love for us that will see us through the darkness.

With this in mind the traditional Christian prayer dedicated to Mary takes on a whole different meaning to me:

Hail Mary
Full of Grace
The Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou
among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus,
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners
now, and at the hour
of our death
Amen