The Black Madonna: Healing Meditations Through the Power of the Dark Feminine, by Alana Fairchild
Blue Angel Music, 3 tracks, 2015
Who hasn’t fallen, at some point in her life, into the deep, dark place of fear, regret, despair or heartbreak? And once there, wished for some comforting words or simply a hand to hold, or a hug? If you find yourself there, reach for The Black Madonna. The music envelops you, mimicking the Mother’s heartbeat, accompanied by Alana Fairchild’s deep and soothing voice, guiding you to healing.
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of the Black Madonna, start with the Madonna we know more commonly. She is a manifestation of light and love and all that is right in our lives. We easily move into her presence and welcome her in to ours. The nature of the Black Madonna is the opposite; she forces us to examine our shadow selves, the places we don’t like to visit, the pain that the soul can’t comprehend. Some things need to be felt to be released — especially when we’d rather not feel them. And this is the grace of the Dark Feminine; she helps us go there and promises to hold us as we do so. Because only in the feeling can we heal. This CD is meant to wrest those emotions, bring them forward and offer them up for transformation or dissolution.
The first two tracks are guided meditations spoken by Fairchild, with the same chanting melody used in the background for both. Fairchild’s powerful meditations lead you deep into imagery designed to transform pain into comforting grace. “Alchemy of the Black Rose,” the first track, leads you to a vast internal space where you meet several divine feminine beings, who help you surrender pain and all else that does not serve. These are transformed into black roses, symbols of your healing. The next track, “Pillar of Holy Black Fire,” continues the vivid imagery as you pass through the pillar and receive the gifts of the white dove and the black diamond, symbolizing radical transformation of struggle into grace.
The third is a music-only track in which the background chanting from the meditations takes center stage. Here the artist invokes Kali Ma, the terrifying yet kind Hindu goddess of empowerment, time and change, one of the manifestations of the Black Madonna. Here you can meet the Dark Mother in your own way, to continue with Fairchild’s imagery or substitute your own.
A curious effect of these tracks is that although the first two are about 20 minutes and the last 11, they seem to be much longer. There’s a sense of timelessness during the meditations, an indication (to me, at least) that they are effective and work on a deep level. Because the music doesn’t change one can meditate through all three tracks in one session without a change of mood.
I’m going to admit here that I had a most difficult time reviewing this CD, and part of that is because this is the first I’ve ever reviewed. Yet I don’t think that’s the whole reason; it’s certainly not because the meditations or music are lacking. Instead, I believe it’s because the place they touch is so deep within that the experience defies description. Like the deep electric blue ocean Fairchild invokes at one point, we each have our own depths to explore where words fail and only direct experience will suffice.
The Black Madonna is the latest of Fairchild’s CDs; others explore Isis, Kuan Yin, Ganeshe, and inner work such as chakra balancing. She’s also written books and oracle decks and produced DVDs around these themes. She is concerned with awakening the divine within each of us, moving us closer to living in grace and receiving the many gifts therein. This CD certainly accomplishes that, if you allow yourself to fall deeply into its healing trance.
