The Blessing of Jingletown's Virgin of Guadalupe Mosaic Mural

As you may know, the center mural on the Peterson Street Art Wall is a mosaic of the Virgin Of Guadalupe. She was created by me at the request of Cynthia Elliot, the "Mayor of Jingletown",  as a gift to the neighborhood and as a way to stop the gang graffiti on the wall.

  December 12 is traditionally the Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day.  To mark the occasion, Jingletown's own Victoria Slind-Flor and her witch's coven, the Coven of the Sacred Feminine, held a blessing of this mural. The day began with a procession:

The Lady is viewed by many as the patroness of North America and the incarnation of Tonatzin, Aztec Goddess.
This is Victoria Slind-Flor: 

First, the artists were recognized and all the art 
honored as sacred work.
That is me in the middle with Bill Silveira and Saundra Warren.

  
The first offering was "fire". Incense was lit, passed around, 
then laid at the Lady's feet.

Next, "water" was offered. Each glass came from a different area of the country: the Colorado, Mississippi, Willamette, Potomac, the Oakland Estuary and the Great Lakes.

   
Cynthia poured the water onto the new rose bushes, which are an essential part of the Lady's lore. Neighbors are being enlisted to water and tend these bushes.

 

Next was the offering of flowers. Every person took a red flower from a basket and laid it at Her feet.  It was obvious that many of us were saying our private prayers also.

Many flowers were laid.

At the end, a young couple from the neighborhood, who had stood by watching quietly, approached the mural, knelt and prayed. We gave them their privacy and left them to their prayers.

We went back to Victoria's loft for a feast of 

Christmas cookies and cider.

 We all agreed it was a very sweet and unique celebration. 

All photos by Merri Besden