The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln, An Ancient Image for Our Present Time

It was a great, thought-provoking read.It told me more than I knew before about the cult of this virgin and of the many other black virgins in the world.

Very clear and good information.

The Black Madonna is a sound starting point for anyone with an interest in Dark Goddesses, the Magdelene, and the Black Virgins (BV) of Europe. As this is a book published by a house providing information about Jungian psychology, Gustafson spends much of this work exploring the Jungian symbolism behind the BV. He also provides the history of a specific BV, using its history and symbolism as a lens to dissect theories concering other BV's.An entire chapter of the book is devoted to comparing the BV to other Dark Goddesses, such as Kali, and Isis. Although I found "The Black Madonna" a useful tool in learning more about the phenomenon of the BV, I was dissapointed by a publisher's 'teaser' on the back cover of the book. The teaser hints that a relationship between the Hebrew Lilith and the BV will be established in this book. Although many Dark Goddesses are mentioned, Lilith is overlooked.I also found some of the scholarship of this book in opposition to other books concering the BV. For example, "The Templar Revelation" disproves the oft-repeated theory that BV's black coloration was created by accidents concerning soot deposits from centuries of exposure to flame. "The Templar Revelation" also makes the case of Mary Magdelene's ties to the BV much clearer. I would recommend starting with "The Black Madonna" for a background about the BV, and then tackleing "The Templar Revelation" for more information."The Black Madonna" is, all-in-all, a good starting point for those interested in the BV and is certainly the definitive resource for psychological symbolism surrounding her. It is not, however, her full story.

I really liked this, a thorough theory of this archetype as a kind of 'Western Kali'. A deep and refreshing read.