The Original Great Mother Tradition
Mother Worship

MatriTalks 28

THE GREAT MOTHER

Questions & Answers
with
Han Marie Stiekema Sermes

My Mission

Q. I have put The Great Mother on the agenda once again, because I would like to ask some more very crucial questions, questions that has to complete my thus far incomplete picture. Would you agree on that?

A. I look forward to it.

Q. Right, my first question would be: "Who is the Great Mother" and how you got to know Her?

A. There are various ways of "knowing the Ultimate". First of all, it is through the written word. Monotheistic religions each believe, that "their God" has revealed himself through the holy book. Secondly, and that is particular true for recent times, it is the people themselves, who are composing their own personal religion, usually consisting of elements of various traditions. Thirdly, there is the Direct Revelation of the Transcendence to a human being.

Q. This leaves the first part of my question unanswered.

A. There is only way you may come to "know" the Great Mother. That is by becoming instantly and utterly destroyed by Her - A Moment of Absolute Nothingness - immediately followed by dissolution into Eternal Light, the Divine.

Q. So, how you can be so sure, that it is the "Mother", you are worshipping?

A. Well, that is pretty simple. If Absolute Nothingness preceded the Eternal Light - "God", the Divine - like She did in my Realization, then It must be Something, that is beyond everything hitherto known. Later I started calling this Beyond of the Beyond "The Great Mother", and this for good reasons.

Q. Is that your only proof?

A.  My spiritual Path has shown me though repeating Realizations, that every Plane of Consciousness is bottomless. Awareness dissolving into Conscious Presence; Conscious Presence dissolving into Omni-Presence (Unity, Satori); Omni-Presence in its turn dissolving into Full Enlightenment, the latter eventually proving to be utterly Transparent. This is not final though. Because there is one more step to go: actual dying. Even Transparency is dissolving in That Which Is Beyond. The latter can thus be defined as Absolute Bottomlessness.

Q. How did you get confirmation for that?

A. From a different angle. As you will remember "my" Realization was Threefold. First there was Absolute Nothingness, immediately followed by Full Enlightenment and the Great Darkness, the latter two being a polarity. If Enlightenment and the Great Darkness appear to be two sides of the same coin, then neither of the two can be the Ultimate Oneness. There must be Something beyond.  

Q. A real breakthrough?

A. Not really. Buddhism for instance postulates, that all Planes of Consciousness are bottomless. First the ego dissolves into Enlightenment, which in its turn merges in something beyond: "Emptiness beyond Emptiness", the Ultimate Bottomlessness....     

Q. If the Truth has already been discovered by them, confirming your findings, why haven't you become a Buddhist?

A.  Buddhism has manipulated its findings. Let me explain. Before Buddhism, there used to be A Universal Mother Religion, stretching from the Western shores of Europe to the eastern shores of Asia (both originally coming from Africa). At that time, people considered the Ultimate to be a Cosmic Womb, a Void, out of Which everything was born, while continuously returning to Her. Buddhism was the successor of Hinduism, the religion, in which this memory was still alive. In order to erase this memory - which was crucial with regard to the attempt of Buddhism to become a new religion - the Void had to be stripped of Her dynamic aspects, which, you will guess are: "the cycle of death and rebirth". They neutralized it through giving it an abstract name: "Nirvana" or "Emptiness beyond Emptiness", securing themselves of the fact, that nobody would ever understand, what was meant by that.*

* Which is true until this very day..

Q. A successful strategy indeed.

A. Unfortunately, despite a very spiritual aura, that these words may be creating, these concepts - static e.g. deprived of their dynamics - do not reflect Reality. Therefore, I kept searching. It is through the Grace of the Great Mother, that I discovered the Truth behind it. Then suddenly it occurred to me. The Reality of the Vacuum corresponds with the imagery of the Cosmic Womb. What a miracle! The insight of the ancients proving to be closest to the Truth.

Q. That immediately brings me to my following question. Why are you so sure, that it was thanks to the Grace of the Great Mother, that you have discovered the Truth?

A. A Lower Plane cannot reveal a Higher. Thus, it must be the Mother Herself, Who is bestowing Her Benefits upon me.

Q. Thus, it then became clear to you, that The Original Great Mother Tradition, the one preceding not only Buddhism, but all patriarchal religions, was ultimately True.

A. You say it.

Q. Could you tell me more about your findings?

A. From that moment on, all pieces of the puzzle started to fit in. The Vacuum obviously, is not static or neutral. It is indeed giving rise to both birth and death. Her characteristics include two opposite, yet complementary forces: pulling and pushing. The first is responsible for the process of dissolution; the second for manifestation. Without insight in the dynamic aspect of the Vacuum, the universe can never be understood.

Q. This was probably only the beginning of your quest, I assume?

A. O, yes, much more was to follow. Going back to my own Realization, it was utterly clear to me, that the Mother (Absolute Nothingness) is giving birth to the Eternal Light, the Divine and the universe - the visible world - both continuously returning to Her. In my Realization, Absolute Emptiness (the Essence of the Mother) preceded the Light, after all. Eventually, I returned into my body... This insight is ancient old. It is even preserved as a saying, carved in the alter of the Cathedral of Salerno: "Darkness is preceding Light". Naughty boys, these Christians. They knew everything, yet hiding the Truth from their followers (the saying is a very rare exception).

Q. Why did it take such a long time - more than 25 years, as I have understood -  before you decided to come to the open?

A. The Mother must have been seriously doubting my suitability for a long time!

Q. Did you in any way have the ambition to become a universal teacher?

A. I have always known, that my entire life was a preparation for something to come. However, I had no idea what this would be. True enough, I remember to have always had the feeling of "hiding a Treasure within". The actual Awakening was a complete surprise though: it happened suddenly and totally unexpected, without any manipulation on my part. An immaculate Conception so to speak (laughter).

Q. Why you are so sure, that Realization, however impressive, reflects Reality?

A. Haha, because It Is Reality. This may sound cryptic, but it is exactly what happens. Because You Are Reality, You know It. There is no doubt. Still in doubt? Well, follow the invitation of the Mother to unconditionally surrendering to Her. Nobody can convince you, unless you discover the Secret yourSelf.

Q. In the mean time, do you allow me to ask you some more questions? My mind is eager to at least obtaining a as much complete picture as possible.

A. Beware of the risk. Once your mind is satisfied, there may be no incentive anymore to actually starting your search. So, I honestly ask myself, if I should further cooperate with you. The responsibility toward your spiritual well-being, suddenly weighs heavenly on my shoulders (laughing).

Q. Sorry, I cannot feel any compassion with regard to your concerns. If you are what you say, then you should be able to help yourself (laughter).

A. You made your point (laughing). By the way, what am I saying about myself?

Q. That you are the Servant/Messenger of the Great Mother. Isn't this a self-appointed title?

A. You are appointed by the Self, that you ultimately are your Self.  With other words, once you know your Origin e.g. descent or lineage, then you know you are being sent. You are not an isolated entity, but somebody who lives embedded in a multi-layered dynamic context, e.g. you have been born out of the Light, the Light in its turn being born out of the Mother. Having returned from the "Other Shore", you inevitably become a "messenger", sharing your Treasure with the people around you. Furthermore, once you have experienced, that you are part of the Whole, nay, that you are the Divine yourSelf, then your life immediately turns upside down. Self-centeredness spontaneously transforms itself in serving the Whole. As a "prisoner of the Eternal", you have no choice, but doing what the Eternal is "commanding" you. The paradox is, that you never ever have felt to be so utterly free.

Q. Do you identify with other Enlightened Teachers?

A. Their Essence is my Essence. Hence, we are One. But this is not only true with regard to them: I am you and you are me, e.g. we are essentially the Same. Oneness is All-Embracing. Therefore, our Unity is including the entire existence, without exception.

Q. Shouldn't you have reached the highest level of selflessness first, before starting such an important "job" like yours?

A. These are the concerns of an ignorant mind. Obviously, it is always good to "keep working on yourself". "You have the duty to become Holy, for the sake of the Whole" (Teresa of Avila). Eventually, though, I am not concerned about "egotism" or anything else. Selflessness and egotism, good and bad, new and old, spring and autumn are all aspects of the Mother's "Web of Life". They are the content of Her Womb. By giving it back to Her, She will be taking care of it. The same is true for ambition. Some say "ambition is bad". Since I gave up my ego-ambition, I've got Her Cosmic Ambition instead! Isn't that a joke? (outburst of laughter). The only thing, I am concerned about is my surrender to the Mother.

Q. How, generally speaking, do you know, that something is coming from the Great Mother?

A. Tell me anything, that is not coming from the Mother.

Q. What do you mean by "being saved by the Great Mother?"

A. You have to put your entire life in the Lap of the Mother: your self, your happiness, your suffering, your successes and your failures. You continuously thank Her for everything, without exception. Inner prayer would be very suitable for that.  Doing this way, you are saved.

Q. Could you be more specific about that?

A. Ultimately, surrendering to the Mother implies "dying to the old" (ego), the birth of a New Self (awareness), while subsequently fitting in into "Heaven, earth and the (new) community" once again.

Q.  Wouldn't it be needed to develop trust first?

A. It is the other way round. Like in science, accept the existence of the Mother as a hypothesis. This is the first stage. The second stage is that of experimenting. You assume, that She is the Ultimate, bestowing limitless Grace upon you. You start living according to Her Law of the Universe, following Her guideline of "Strive for Enlightenment, restructure your life and serve others". You subsequently accept, that you can establish direct contact with Her through inner prayer....then see for yourself, what will happen.

Q. In Christianity they say: God is closer to you, than your own skin. What about the Mother?

A. First of all, you are living in Her Cosmic Womb all the time. She surrounds and includes you uninterruptedly. Joke: "while you try to get in (the Womb, the Whole) - trying to surrender to Her - you have never been out". This Her Void is simultaneously pervading the entire existence. Compare it with a room. The space in the room is omni-present, "pervading" the chairs, the table, the cupboard and the carpet equally. You could also say it this way: your awareness is part of Her Light Body, while your body/mind is part of Her Material Body. Hence, the Mother is in you, while you are in the Mother.

Q. You once said, that the Mother "wants to be worshipped". How to understand this, since the Mother is beyond everything.

A. It is a indeed a mystery. A mystery, that can be easily understood though. Through emptying Herself in the very Depth of Her Vacuum, the Eternal Light is born. The Light is containing the blueprints for the universe, the material world. Through Her, the Light is subsequently giving birth to life as we know it. This movement is from Unity to diversity. Once a certain stage of diversity e.g. fragmentation is reached, life starts returning to the Mother. Eventually we will be re-united with Her. To cooperate with this Cosmic Movement is called "worshipping". Worshipping is "being in tune with the Mother's Self-Love". 

Q. Some are worried about the destructive aspect of the Mother. They remember the revengeful and bloodthirsty "Lord" only too well. Could you elaborate?

A. The Original Mother includes the Law of the Universe, which is the Law for all life. Destruction in this regard, means the dying of plants, animals and humans as part of their natural cycle of life on earth. This process is accompanied by the Mother's Compassion, e.g. concern for the continuation of the Whole. Everything has to die, in order to guarantee the birth of new life. The "revenge of the Lord" on the other hand, is the outburst of a jealous God, who - because he is insecure about his status as Ultimate Reality (logically, because he stole it from the Mother) - doesn't tolerate competitors. That's why he is enraged by every imaginable threat. So don't worry. There is a hell (heaven) of a difference between the two.

Q. What in short do you consider to be your Mission?

A. To bring people Home through Mother Worship; spreading Her Message worldwide, including A New Spirituality, A New World View and A New Community (A New Health Care), with the aim of Transforming Self and Society, to the benefit of all.

Q. What are your plans for the near future? There are rumors, that you will be "settling down" in short notice.

A. The Great Mother is my Home. I go where She leads me.

Q. I rarely have received such clear answers to such fundamental questions. Thank you very much indeed.

A. Thank the Mother for this. Without Her, we definitely couldn't have had this conversation together.

After which both interviewer and interviewed started dancing together, celebrating The Mother... 

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Last revising: 02/07/10