Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown. ~ Proverbs 4:5-9
This is a Call to Mystical Creatives seeking a dedicated spiritual practice for 2020 starting on Spring Equinox (online)
Every full moon since 2011 I have painted for the Divine Mother – with over 100 other women in the Red Madonna Sisterhood. This has been my sanctuary. Over the years, thousands of us have painted Her, in our own image, and inspired by images of Her from around the world from the Guadalupe to the Black Madonna. Her image and Her story go back over 100k years at least….let’s explore this reality.
We have always been making images as a form of devotion. Over the past 5,000 or so years of patriarchy, the feminine image has often been distorted and hidden and fragmented. So the call to reclaim Her image for ourselves is also an invitation to claim OUR IMAGE for ourselves. When we work with the luminous power inherent in Intentional Creativity with the image of the feminine as sacred, we heal. Our very eyes and how we see is altered.
For those of you interested in a dedicated spiritual path exploring the Feminine, Christ and Creation – within the framework of Intentional Creativity – this is the invitation. We teach on the New and Full Moon, with calls, and videos and a very private online forum.
Were you raised in the Judeo-Christian framework? Do you feel complete, or is there more work to do?
Would shedding some light on how the ‘church’ has misrepresented the feminine help in the healing?
Have the scriptures been twisted against you, or the feminine or Wisdom?
Some of us have left entirely and aren’t looking back, and I so get that. I have been so close, yet I have work to do here.
“Where paths meet SHE takes HER stand” – Proverbs regarding Wisdom (Sophia)
painting the Black Madonna in 2017
Red Madonna’s 2020 theme, Psalms for Creation, is for those who want to work with me, who feel that lingering desire for the mystical Quantum Christ, the Mother, the Sophia, the Holy Spirit – but who want something that feels more real and relevant and honoring. The mythic story is quantum, but you need the eyes to see. And those kind of eyes, don’t often get opened in the more traditional frameworks. And if they do – we run for the hills. Rather, institutional religion may be doing their best to keep our eyes closed. And our mouths. There is another path. I am on it.
Part of my sacred assignment is to share this message with those who need it. As for my part – based on my studies, practice and the actual texts, I am fairly certain we have missed the revolutionary feminine framework that Jesus was living out and pointing to. It’s in the text. I found it hidden there in the earth, the air, the fire, the water, breath and the Tree of Life. There is a medicine wheel of the Madonna woven in…. let’s find it.
The Red Madonna Sisterhood offers two levels of membership, depending on how much you want to paint – the value is beyond measure for both levels. We will have incredible offerings from Intentional Creativity Teachers, with the Direction of Havi Brysk Mandell.
Havi who has been with me every moon since we began will be a guiding light for us from the Jewish tradition. Yet this year, Havi’s teachings will focus on creation, intimacy and awe as well as meditations. And her teachings are also an offering for those who do not wish to dive into the Jesus/Mary/Sophia part of the teaching. Emily Grieves, Mary Ann Matthys, Caron McCloud and Susan Daniel will also be part of our team again this year!
There is LOTS of room for many views, yet if you are allergic to the Judeo-Christian story, then likely you won’t feel called. Or if you are on the very conservative side of either tradition, we will likely be too un-hinged and yes, wild. Wild, we are. We are free women, returning to serve within the frameworks we have come to understand in new ways. The revolution we seek is within the heart….and lives in the Great Mystery.
Build an altar…pray with sisters…paint with prayer….write a Psalm for Creation…bring poetry to your practice… expand your view….engage with the Divine in a rich and colorful way.
I am going to be leading something new this year, that scares me a lot (gulp). One of my teachings will be “Church of the Scarlet Thread”. This will be live Sunday morning zoom calls with scripture readings and my interpretations and perspectives. I have some interesting insights you likely haven’t heard before, that are awesome for healing the Judeo-Christian wounding that many of us have experienced.
I have been studying the Gospels, looking for HER in it since my twenties. My mom says I “have the goods” on these stories. I certainly have found so much hidden there. So if you want “Rev. Shiloh Sophia unplugged” – often red faced with tears and hand flying and who knows what else, this would be the time. I am very passionate when it comes to these texts and how they have been used as weapons instead of weavings for healing. We will be reading the Gospels and discussing them together. This will also feature select readings from my mother Caron’s book, Rachel’s Bag.
Truth time? I don’t really want to do this, I feel I have to do this. And the feeling of being ‘exiled or burned’ for speaking this, is never far from my psyche. Perhaps you have had a similar feeling of being silenced as I have? Oh in so many ways. Red Madonna is the one place I speak about this area of my study openly. And many women have been praying for me for years, for guidance, for protection for me. I am so grateful.
Teaching Gospel According To Her in 2016 about Jesus and the Women in his life.
This year I almost didn’t do it. I am giving myself a 3 month break and new Spring start date, but I am a YES. One big reason was because a young girl who paints with her Grandmother, and has for years within this framework, asked me to keep going.
The painting process offers two choices as well – 5 major paintings or one very mystical painting experience based on the egg of creation/compass/medicine wheel/Celtic cross that will be paired with core Intentional Creativity teachings – inspired by Jung and Hildegard von Bingen.
You can read our invitation here. We appreciate your registration now if you are a yes, so that we can prepare for our Spring start date. Then you can refresh your studio, gather your materials and plan the dates on your calendar.
This is an experience of sacred connection in the red thread. A place to pray, to be nourished and find a deeper intimacy with creation and the Divine. To share a comment about this message, come on over to my Artist Shiloh Sophia FB page.
With heart and the joy of service, and a connection with Her that keeps me going,
Oh and there is one more thing, another gulp, there is a new Bible interpretation, from the Greek – with some very interesting word changes….while I won’t say it is all that more inclusive of the feminine because he was going word for word, the translator does recognize the need for the feminine. I have been working with him and his wife for over two years. I am sure this book will get much criticism, so it is also scary in that way. And while I don’t jive with all of it, something about it does change in the reading and listening of it through this language of the Fresh Agreement. So we will be using it in our studies. He first contacted me to include my image on the cover – “In the Beginning Was the Word” with Mother Mary teaching Jesus the word….
A message from Havi Mandell:
I feel so excited and inspired for this next beautiful piece of what has been such a living, vital and blessed journey with you, Shiloh Sophia, my dear friend, mentor, guide, and blessing, and with all the heart-filled and wise teachers Emily Grieves, Mary Ann Matthys, Caron McCloud and Susan Daniel, and a sisterhood that never ceases to amaze me in the best of ways. In these times, powerful sisterhood, non-dogmatic explorations of spirituality one can grow with through deep intimacy with the Divine, and empowered spiritual and embodied presence on this earth and for this earth is so essential. I am so very grateful and in joy to be part of Red Madonna! I can’t wait! I am filled with love and awe and a happy heart.
Photo from Red Madonna Leadership gathering in 2018 when we were all together: Mary Ann Matthys, Dr. Havi Mandell, Shiloh Sophia, Caron McCloud, Susan Daniels and Emily Grieves
Red Madonna Sisterhood Psalms for Creation
Intentional Creativity as Spiritual Practice and Devotion
13 Moon Virtual Sanctuary for Women
Guided by Rev. Shiloh Sophia With Dr. Havi Mandell
Community Teachings and Support from Mary Ann Matthys, Emily Grieves, Caron McCloud & Susan Daniels
Oh and there is one more thing, another gulp, there is a new Bible interpretation, from the Greek – with some very interesting word changes….while I won’t say it is all that more inclusive of the feminine because he was going word for word, the translator does recognize the need for the feminine. I have been working with him and his wife for over two years. I am sure this book will get much criticism, so it is also scary in that way. And while I don’t jive with all of it, something about it does change in the reading and listening of it through this language of the Fresh Agreement. So we will be using it in our studies. He first contacted me to include my image on the cover – “In the Beginning Was the Word” with Mother Mary teaching Jesus the word….
