Follow the Yellow Brick Road

April 14, 2006

I've had the pleasure of shooting the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception this spring. I hope my catholic friends forgive me ~ as most of you know by now, I suffer from a chronic progressive case of the whimsies and this image just SPOKE! to me. Beautiful poppies! Beeeauuuuutiful, beeeeauuuutiful poppies ~ uhh, oops, I mean... tulips!

As I lay prostrate in front of the tulip bed I wondered if the Wicked Witch of the North would appear in the viewfinder, skywriting "Surrender, Dorothy" from her fiery Nimbus 2000 broom. Would I find a new heart inside? Some courage, perhaps? Would Oz be sitting on his imposing throne inside these walls? Would I find a way home? As I goofily pondered these silly questions, a flying witch of sorts made a surprise appearance inside the viewfinder ~ a jet sketching a diagonal contrail line across the sky.

Hmmmm. I wonder if Frank Baum was catholic?, I wondered out loud.

The basilica is quite the structure. Some of the artwork inside is certainly noteworthy, with styles ranging from stunning and beautiful mosaics to somewhat odd and surreal sculpture. Multiple chapels dedicated to Mary are found throughout the shrine, with each representing a different country. Touring through the building is sort of like a Trip Around the World with Mary ~ and although that might sound like I'm just trying to be funny, the range of artistic expression from one chapel to another is quite broad. There's a Mary for everyone here, whether you adore the Virgin of Guateloupe ~

~ or identify with the famed Black Madonna (Pope John Paul's favorite)

~ delight in the colorful Lithuanian virgin

~ find comfort in the sparkly Irish holy mother

~ or respect the regal African Madonna,

there is one who will inspire you.

As a heathen, heretical former episcopalean, buddhist meditating hippee artist, I must say I honestly admire the brilliant representation here of the feminine divine. In my Christian youth, where I suffered an unfortunate exposure to fundamentalist dogma which still haunts me to this day, I had a very difficult time understanding Mary's place in the church. The bible doesn't go into the intricate details about Mary ~ the goddess status catholics embrace so passionately. Seeing Mary conveyed as a weak, submissive girly-type with her eyes shyly darting toward heaven simply failed to move me. But... as I look into the eyes of the African Mary, my gaze is met by a determined, earthy and sensual woman. The black madonna from Poland is not a woman you'd want to tangle with either. I must say, these strong and passionate Marys are spiritual women I can admire and sink my teeth into.

My reaction to these two in particular reminds me of the powerful and moving book, The Secret Life of Bees. In it, Sue Monk Kidd weaves a bittersweet story depicting strong women whose lives are in many ways defined by a connection to a strong earthy feminine divine ~

"Our Lady is not some magical being out there somewhere, like a fairy godmother. She’s not the statue in the parlor. She’s something inside of you. Do you understand what I’m telling you?"

“Our Lady is inside me,” I repeated, not sure I did.

“You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside.”

Certainly this is why we gravitate toward symbols of Spirit which remind us of ourselves and our upbringing. If you see the Divine in human physical terms, it's helpful to have a vision that resonnates with you. Around the world with Mary makes complete and perfect sense to me ~ because, truly, there really is no place like home.

On the other hand ~ and again, Catholics, forgive me ~ I have to take issue with the great Jesus who sits in judegment behind the altar of the basilica. Oddly enough, the Great Oz really does await you at the end of the grand hall. My photograph doesn't really convey his imposing, angry presence quite the way he comes across in person... I found a better representation here. (scroll down for the bottom pic.)

This Jesus quite literally wigs me out. I thought Jesus was the "lamb of god"... you know... "Jesus our brother, kind and good"... in contrast, this Jesus has flaming bonfires shooting out of his head. Is it just me, or is this a depiction of god suffering from a case of bi-polar disorder? I'm totally confused by the Arian features too, and perhaps this is what tips the scale for me and causes so much alarm. Why, he's blonder than my scandanavian ancestors, with the widest set, all-seeing bluest of blue eyes. One of my catholic friends who shall remain nameless ~ I don't want her to be excommunicated over a blog entry ~ lovingly refers to him as "Our Hammerhead Lord".

A little bird inside the church told me the symbolism in this mosaic is the source of numerous complaints and somwhat of a contraversy. It's sad, you know. Reportedly, this Jesus was created in the style of early byzantine artwork. Who would have known in the 1950's when this was being constructed our society would have become so much more enlightened when it comes to racism and cultural accuracy. Perhaps the artist was Norwegian, and he simply identified with a Norwegian Jesus? Afterall, there is an Irish Mary just up the hall. Still, I hate to say it, but looking at this depiction of our lord and saviour makes me feel like I need to be rescued from a painful and ominous collision with eternal damnation. Where's Mary?! ~ I need some serious intersession... I want my mommy!

Which, of course, is the metaphorical point of the entire building. In many ways, I do believe the builders and planners of the Shrine knew exactly what they were doing. There's a not-so-subtle mythology going on inside the walls of the shrine which I find to be truly fascinating.

As a place devoted to the Holy Mother of God, it is positively overflowing with virginal estrogen at every turn. Mother love symbolically oozes from every nook and cranny of this tabernacle. She's being invoked, impregnated, she intercedes and ascends. She coos and comforts. Tender heavenly sweetness is everywhere. A huge jolt of judgmental testosterone is desperately needed to level the lopsided hormonal balance, metaphorically speaking. Yin and Yang. Light and dark. Good and evil. A drama of operetic proportions is playing out through these sparkling mosaic wonders.

We tangle with witches and warlords, befriending tin woodsmen, anxious pussycats, and kind-hearted scarecrows as we journey through this labrynth of life. Here at the Basilica, the road is dramatically paved with bricks of shiny mosaic, and sparkling gold.

{ Now ~ if i only had a brain. }

ps: it is my hope we all learn to give our faith room to breathe, the freedom to laugh, and the courage to ask questions to truly see. Follow your heart. Don't forget your brain. Have the courage to doubt and ask the tough questions. A Good Friday to all of you, especially to Andrea & Lauren. (Genuflect lightly today ~ inside joke.)

Posted by vincent at April 14, 2006 12:00 AM

Comments

Whew, that is one dedicated post, Susan!

A Good Friday to you also...

Posted by: dan at April 14, 2006 02:25 AM

Great post form top to bottom! I liked the images of the madonna and the titile went perfectly with the image, red poppies poppies!!!

Posted by: tongue in cheek at April 14, 2006 03:27 AM

oh susan, this is my favorite writing piece you've ever done! i was on that yellow brick road right along side you - thank you! we have been waiting for our kids to get a little older to enjoy DC, but i think i need to make a trip by myself to get an insiders tour from you!

Posted by: bobbie at April 14, 2006 08:17 AM

BEAUTIFUL!!
You and your new camera are both awesome!

Posted by: aola at April 14, 2006 11:18 AM

Bravo!!!!

Posted by: janet at April 14, 2006 04:46 PM

I love the green basilica Susan! Emerald city it isn't, but it is a bit of a wonderland in it's own right. I love your cards of the Basilica's various Mary's. You've capturerd a few that even I didn't know where in there. And don't you love that the African Mary's Jesus has a fro?

Happy Good Friday.

Our Hammerhead Lord, *shakes head* LOL

Posted by: Andrea at April 14, 2006 06:45 PM

There is a poster at my church which says, "He died to take away your sins, not your brain" and another one says, "Jesus had his doubts, why can't you?" Questioning the mystery only makes my faith deepen. Thanks for such a lovely post Susan, and for the glorious photos of the Basilica.

Posted by: samtzmom at April 15, 2006 08:06 AM

The late Pope John Paul was reportedly a marianist...he was devoted to the holy mother and found great comfort in praying to her. As a converted Catholic, I came into the church not understanding that Catholics didn't pray to Mary to "save them", but to intercede for them with God. I read a wonderful article years ago in the Washington Post Magazine about the church and the late pope, and one quote of his stuck with me. He said something to the effect that "if you can't come to the Father, come to the Son, and if you can't come to the Son, come to the Mother." I just love that, that we can pray to the soft heart of mother Mary to intercede for us, and to bring us closer to God.

Lovely Easter post, Q:)

PS: I do have to point out that the Mormon Tabernacle, when you see it rising above Beach Drive or the beltway, all lit up and glowing at night, is a bit more what I think of when I think "Emerald City"!

Posted by: tamara at April 15, 2006 10:27 AM

Those are stunning photos,
Thank your kind comments on my macro flower shot!

Posted by: Kim Carney at April 15, 2006 11:57 PM

One of the reasons that I tend to shy away from the Basilica in general is the immense, scary blond Jesus that sits in judgement in the back. As you can tell, there are MANY things with which I take issue with that mosaic. I dare say, I hate it, and it's the main reason why I don't like going to the basilica, and prefer to stay at my old, deteriorating church on V street. ;p

Posted by: Lauren at April 17, 2006 08:53 AM

Interesting how most people intrepret the "blond" mosaic Jesus' angry facial expression as directed toward them. It tells us something about that person, doesn't it? (Where did all this fear-based Christianity come from?)

Maybe Jesus is looking at the devil standing just behind you, whispering in your ear, ready to attempt to steal one of his sheep?

Posted by: Mark W. at April 17, 2006 03:02 PM

Mark,

You make a very interesting point regarding personal prejudice on the part of the art critic ~ however, I find it difficult to believe the church intended this to be a protective Jesus. Perhaps I'm just too cynical, or I read Revelations one too many times when I was in high school. ;)

I guess one could read the Marys the same way... they're being mothering toward the devil?

This is even more interesting to me, because the Buddha invited Mara (the equivalent of the devil) to sit down for a cup of tea with him whenever he appeared. Maybe, if we sat with the Devil and conversed with him he wouldn't seem so "damned" frightening.

When I speak of the "devil" I do so metaphorically. The Devil could be your boss, your irritating mother-in-law, the President, Dick Cheney, or Britney Spears ~ and not necessarily in that order.

Posted by: Susan at April 17, 2006 04:10 PM

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

April 14, 2006

Comments

Categories

Most Recent

Syndicate this site (XML)