Description
Book SynopsisAn experiential guide to the ancient healing rituals of the Black Madonna
The mysteries of the Black Madonna can be traced to pre-Christian times, to the ancient devotion to Isis, the Earth Goddess, and the African Mother, to the era when God was not only female but also black. Sacred sites of the Black Madonna are still revered in Italy, and, as Alessandra Belloni reveals, the shamanic healing traditions of the Black Madonna are still alive today and just as powerful as they were millennia ago.
Sharing her more than 35 years of research and fieldwork at sacred sites around the world, Belloni takes you on a mystical pilgrimage of empowerment, initiation, and transformation with the Black Madonna. She explains how her love for Italian folk music led her to learn the ancient
tammorriata musical tradition of the Earth Goddess Cybele and the Moon Goddess Diana and discover the still-living cult of the Black Madonna in the remote villages of Southern Italy. She vividly describes the sensual shamanic drumming and ecstatic trance dance rituals she experienced there, including the rites of the
tammorriata, the transgender rite of
Femminielli, and the erotic “spider dance” of the
tarantella, which has been used for centuries in the Mediterranean for healing. Sharing chants, rhythms, and sacred songs, she details how she uses these therapeutic musical and trance practices to heal women and men from abuse, trauma, depression, and addiction and shows how these practices can be used for self-healing and transformation, including her personal story of using the tarantella to overcome cervical cancer.
Revealing the profound transformative power of the Black Madonna, Belloni shows how She is the womb of the earth, the dark side of the moon, and the Universal Mother to all. Truly alive for all to call upon, She embraces and gives everyone access to Her divine strength and unconditional love.
Trade Review“Belloni has done her homework and her heart work, danced the dance, drummed the drums and tambourines, bled while doing so, in a shamanistic gift for our times.” * Matthew Fox, spiritual theologian, activist, and author of Original Blessing *
“In her book
Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna, master musician, dance and music historian, and imaginative storyteller Alessandra Belloni captures the magic of the feminine soul of Southern Italy. She explores the origins of the Black Madonna from the ancient goddesses of Greece and North Africa to the syncretism with Catholicism in Italy. With brilliant storytelling, she shares of the spirit of the Black Madonna as she is experienced in modern Italy. Most importantly, this book transports readers on an inner journey in which they experience the archetype of the Black Madonna within, so they may continue to keep her mystery and healing alive in today’s world. Read this book and be transformed!” * Dr. Gabrielle Francis, author of The Rockstar Remedy *
“
Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna is an emotional tour de force that will leave you astonished by its power. But I warn you, this is not a book for those who are not ready to reflect deeply on their wounds, how they were created, and the path of recovery. The honesty within these pages is rare and appreciated in a world that often thrives off of gilded artifice and the excuses it often births. Do yourself a favor and purchase two copies of this book, one for yourself and one for someone else. The Black Madonna will let you know who is in need.” * Tayannah Lee McQuillar, author of The Sibyls Oraculum *
“Alessandra Belloni weaves a magical web, enabling readers to feel as if they are traveling alongside her. We share her profound experiences as she visits Black Madonnas and communes with goddesses. Packed with music and art,
Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna is simultaneously memoir, spiritual guide, travelogue, and a shamanic document that serves as a reminder that rhythm is the cure. This is a book to read not once but again and again. “ * Judika Illes, author of Encyclopedia of Spirits and Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells *
“Alessandra Belloni is an international living treasure. Her deep and profound knowledge of the Black Madonna is unsurpassed, and her sacred performances are literal transmissions of numinous truth to the audience. She brings us all gems of timeless spiritual knowing. Those passionate about the Black Madonna and the eternal Goddess can find no better guide to the inner esoteric awareness and hidden secrets than Belloni. She is the carrier of magic, which she shares generously with us all.” * Ava Park, founder and director of the Museum of Woman *
“Alessandra’s superb book is a surprising revelation and a powerful reminder to many of us who lost touch with the rich shamanic heritage of the Old World. She is a real passionate pioneer in the revival of this universal divine Earth Goddess archetype, a tradition from the remote villages of Southern Italy. This personal and illuminating book is an essential addition to the modern shamanic renaissance.” * Itzhak Beery, author of The Gift of Shamanism *
“As a drumming and dancing shaman, Alessandra Belloni embodies everything that the Black Madonna represents: entering the depths of self for healing and transformation, honoring the earth and the rhythm of life, finding balance and wholeness, interconnection, reclaiming the power of the Divine Feminine, embracing the mysterious to find awe and wonder. She guides us to enlightenment.” * Ami Belli, vice president and international liaison for health rhythms at Remo, Inc. *
“People have been trying to find a cure for their anxiety and depression since the dawn of time. Today we might consider psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, or psychopharmacology, but in Southern Italy they have been using erotic dance, chants, sensual shamanic drumming, and songs for centuries to accomplish a cure. Alessandra takes us on a journey back in time to Southern Italy to reveal the rituals of the Black Madonna where she experienced the cure firsthand. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in learning alternative ways to relieving anxiety and depression.” * Joseph V. Scelsa, Ed.D., LMHC, founder and director of the Italian American Museum in New York City *
“There are so many different ways to heal - and art is one of the most powerful, yet least understood. For years I have marveled at Alessandra Belloni’s performances of Southern Italian ritual dance and music, and I am thrilled that she is sharing her unique voice with the world through The Healing Journeys with the Black Madonna. While exploring the history and spirit of the Black Madonna, Belloni reminds us of the tremendous restorative and therapeutic power of art, music and dance. At a time when the stigma surrounding mental health causes so many people to suffer in silence, Belloni charts a welcome path to the joy that is part of being human.” * Chirlane McCray, Chair of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City *
Table of ContentsFOREWORDThe Return of the Archetype in Times of Need
by Matthew Fox
PREFACE Four Mystical Experiences That Led Me to the Black Madonna
Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION
Mamma Elvira’s Miracle
CHAPTER 1
Who Is the Black Madonna?
CHAPTER 2
Drumming in Honor of the Black Madonna
CHAPTER 3
The Prophetess, the Poet, and the Pagan Goddesses
CHAPTER 4 The Throne of the Madonna in Montevergine and the Legend of the Seven Sisters
CHAPTER 5 Unveiling the Powerful Black Madonna of Freedom and the Egyptian Goddess Isis
CHAPTER 6The Devotion to the Black Madonna of the Poor
CHAPTER 7 Nigra Sum Sed Formosa: “I Am Black but Comely”-- The African Mother
CHAPTER 8 The Black Madonna of the Sacred Mountain of Viggiano and the Greek Myth of Demeter and Persephone
CHAPTER 9The Black Madonna Incoronata and the Madonna of the Seven Veils
CHAPTER 10The Haunting Image of Madonna dell’Arco
CHAPTER 11
Rhythm Is the Cure: The Shamanic Power of the Tarantella
EPILOGUE The Black Madonna as Patron of All Humanity
APPENDICES Music and Lyrics for Chants to the Black Madonna
Bibliography
Index
