Mother, behold thy son! Son, behold thy mother!

This statue and shrine is part of a small chapel near a cemetary at the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama. On the grounds of a Cathlolic church and prepatory school, the grotto also houses an incredible display of "little Jerusalem," dozens of miniature representations of Bible-era Jerusalem, European cathedrals, scenes from the Bible, patriotic themes, and much more, all built by hand by a monk who was denied the privilege of becoming a priest because an accident at the monastery left him a hunchback. Fascinating.

Most people see here a statue of a weeping Mary holding her dead son Jesus, with a crucifix overhead and above that, a round stained glass window. The border of the stained glass window says, "Mother, behold thy son. Son, behold thy mother."

Typical Catholic stuff, you say. Yep, I say.

But I see so much more.

I see the Queen of the Heavens — the female representation of the Mother / Sky / Heaven / the Universe/ the Moon — holding the dying and soon to be resurrected Sun / Son / God of this World. Since the dawn of Man, the Sky and the ancient planets (which included the Sun and the Moon) have been held in awe... have been worshipped and adored and sometimes feared.

Above the two figures, we see the Cross, the Crucifix, the actual emblem of the dead and resurrected God / Man / Sun. The Cross as a religious symbol predates Christianity. The Cross represents the Earth, and four quadrants the Seasons. More than that, it represents Life itself. And yes, the Cross represents Death itself, or rather, the constant renewal, the constant regeneration, the constant interplay between Birth and Death. The cross also represents the Male and the Female, both necessary to bring forth new life. The vertical shaft of the Cross is driven into/through the horizontal beam of the Cross, representing the physical requirement of Man entering Woman in order to perpetuate the Life cycle.

Male and female... mother and son... behold, Life!

The circular stained glass also represents the spherical Sun... and the Moon.

And taken as a unit, the circle atop the cross is the symbol for the heavenly Venus, Aphrodite, Hera, Juno, Ishtar, Astarte, Esther, Isis, and of course, Mary, the Queen of the Heavens.

Not to mention, the universal symbol for Female.

Astrotheology | Heaven | Catholicism | Ave Maria Grotto
Jesus | Solar Worship | Astrology Symbolism | Mythology
Virgin Mary | Mother Mary | Mother and Son