Las Lajas

So, the virgin Mary appeared on a sheer rock canyon face a couple hundred feet above the river below near the town of Ipiales, Colombia.  And the Catholic church decided to commemorate the apparition with an absolutely beautiful church, built right on the sheer rock wall.  And they called it Las Lajas, which literally translated means The Lajas.  

The place is stunning.  Breathtaking, really.  I visited it while waiting for the bus in Ipiales (it's only about 10km away).  A particularly interesting part of the church is that the rock faces surrounding the church are filled with hundred of plaques giving thanks to Mary from families all around Colombia and Ecuador.  I took a lot of pictures at first, but then just went in and, well, prayed.  Not really to anyone, but just did a check in, and kinda talked to myself.  And I actually felt very peaceful.  And here's where I get strange - so brace yourself. 

At the retreat I went to in Northern California, we did a lot of visualizations.  In many of our visualizations, we visualize a certain previously unknown person who is our "spiritual guide," who helps us stay on our spiritual paths.  Each person visualizes his spiritual guide differently, and nobody actively chooses how to visualize his spiritual guide.  The guide just kinda comes to us.  It's been over a year and a half since the retreat, and so I know how strange this sounds to people, but this visioning helps enormously in my ability myself and be authentic.  My spiritual guide, for example, is named Emily, and looks a lot like the Liv Tyler playing the elven princess in the Lord of the Rings.  Again, I didn't choose this, she's just who came.  In my visualizations, I frequently ask her questions, ask for her help, or just listen to her and what she has to say.  I bet Liv would find that strange.  I think I may have just lost a lot of friends by sharing this, but anyway... 

While in the Lajas cathedral, I went into a visualization, and to my surprise, my spiritual guide came to me appearing as Mary.  And it was really interesting to me how similar Mary was to Emily.  Almost identical, actually.  Now, I don't believe in the Christian god, nor do I believe Jesus was any more a son of god than I am.  But there was something very soothing about Mary.  In her appearance to me, and in the images of her throughout the world, Mary is very much the personification of love.  In the statues around the church and the painting above the alter, Mary always has the look of compassion, understanding, and acceptance.  The same that has been provided to me by Emily.  And I felt at peace, there in the church dedicated to Mary, as Mary approached in place of my spiritual guide. 

Doesn't she kind resemble the virgin Mary?

And I now better understand the thousands of plaques giving thanks to Mary.  I guess to millions of Christians around the world, Mary is much like my Emily - a source of unconditional love and a guide to stay on that path of love.  And for me, Mary's very much become the same - her image now serving as a reminder to me of that compassion and acceptance which I so often lose connection with.  

Thank God only my mother reads this blog.