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
About the Author
Alessandra Belloni is a world-renowned percussionist, singer, dancer, and actress born in Rome. Voted one of the best female percussionists in the world by Drum Magazine, she designed a signature series of tambourines for REMO, Inc. She is the founder and lead performer of “I Giullari di Piazza,” an Italian music, theatre, and dance ensemble, and is an Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. She teaches workshops and healing retreats around the world and lives in Edgewater, New Jersey.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 6
The Devotion of the Black Madonna of the Poor
I drove down the road toward Reggio Calabria. It had only two lanes and was pitch dark. As I approached the exit for Seminara, I was astonished to see the giant olive trees; they seemed to be thousands of years old.
I thought that here is the earth at its best, so rich in her gifts to us! The word Seminara comes from semens (Latin for seed.) From the trees and the name of the town it was very clear to me how this Black Madonna must be connected to the earth.
I had to park far from town since the whole town was closed for the procession. As I walked on the narrow cobblestone streets, people looked at us a little cautiously, but when I asked about the feast and showed my tamburello, they all laughed and said, “Benvenuta figghia! A Madonna t’accumpagna.” “Welcome daughter, the Madonna accompanies you.”
As I was getting closer to the church, the street decorations and vendors of local craft were extremely festive, as was the local food being cooked in the street. The air was filled with strong smells of goat meat, sausages, and sweet almond pastries.
Then suddenly, I heard very powerful loud drumming. Snare drums! As the sound got closer I started running up the hill.
So taken by the music, I felt I was in Africa and not in Italy! At the top of the hill was a group of twenty snare drummers, marching and playing the bass drum and cymbals, at an obsessive, loud, fast 6/8 rhythm, which was a tarantella, but felt very African and tribal. The leader of the team was a tiny man with a thick moustache, playing super-fast. He had a beautiful, proud face as he directed the group of drummers.
I also saw the most beautiful giant puppets, called I GIGANTI, dancing toward us in a sensuous tarantella. One of the puppets was a stunning black African king, the mythological Grifone. Dressed with green, red, and gold, he wore a crown and was courting in a dance the beautiful white Italian Queen, the mythical Mata, smiling in a gold cape and a red and blue dress.
In this dancing courtship, Mata and Grifone fall in love, and their union represents the coming together of the African culture with the Southern Italian. Spurred on by the rhythmic beat of drums, the dance is then sealed with an embrace and a kiss symbolizing peace among our cultures and races.
It is interesting that this puppet tradition is found not only in Calabria but is also popular in Sicily for the feast of the Assumption of Mary on August 15th, and even in Spain, Malta, and Belgium. (Later, I found this same tradition during Carnival in Recife, in the northeast of Brazil.)
The drums got louder, and I saw a man dressed in white and blue dancing with a Palio (large flag) in a very unusual way. The dark-skinned man looked very proud as he held between his legs the huge blue Flag with golden stars and performed a sensuous dance with the pole tied to his arm. He danced in a circle and also dropped down on his knees in a circular motion, whirling, as if caressing the earth, to the loud 6/8 rhythm of the tarantella played on the snare drums. I jumped up and decided to follow this wild man and his team. He had a lovely, benevolent smile and nodded to me to follow him through the streets toward the procession of La Madonna Nera.
Feeling the fast rhythm inside my bones and pulsating in my heart I began dancing in circular motion, following the steps of the flag bearer and I Giganti, through the winding streets, up and down, not thinking at all that I could break an ankle or fall on the cobblestones. I was feeling deliriously happy and light as I spun around in circles.
As I danced to this African-accented rhythm, I arrived in front of the beautiful Basilica, where a huge crowd was screaming, EVIVA MARIA, crying and sobbing, as the stunning Statue of the Black Madonna dei Poveri was coming out of the Church! The Madonna of the Poor! There she was, unbelievably powerful and mysterious.
Feeling complete ecstasy, I saw Her. Finally a beautiful black statue, which looked very ancient, with a strange enigmatic smile and face that seemed so alive, staring at all of us, with no real eyes, yet, looking alive.
Dressed in an ancient looking tunic, She was the color of the earth herself, dark brown and adorned in gold decorations. And astonishingly, She had blond hair! Wearing beautiful silver jewelry, large earrings and necklaces, She looked North African and even Gypsy. Her black son, Jesus, was standing on Her lap, holding a globe in His hands.
Carrying Her out of the church was a group of twelve men dressed in white and blue. It was clear that the statue was very heavy, as the Queen of Heaven’s incredible throne is made of solid silver and gold. Two golden angels perch above her on each side, were holding the Canape with elaborate decorations.
I stared at Her and wondered why it is that this Black Madonna wears a very simple earth-colored tunic with no other colors on Her, but is surrounded by a heavily decorated and precious throne, Her own altar. She was an unusual, ancient looking, mysterious, and enigmatic statue, almost one meter tall; yet she looked bigger. She seemed to be staring at me from above Her throne, smiling as if she were happy I had finally arrived. . . . This was my feeling, again to be welcomed by Her as Her daughter.
