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Caridad Del Cobre

To: alt.lucky.w,alt.magick.tyagi
From: catherine yronwode 
Subject: Re: Caridad Del Cobre
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 18:32:45 GMT

Animefoo16 (animefoo16@aol.com) wrote:

> Does anyone know how to use Caridad del Cobre talismans? They look 
> like little pouches with a little angel icon on it, and it comes with 
> a bottle of perfume, some crystals and a prayer.

The being depicted on your talisman is not an angel but Nuestra Senora
de la Caridad del Cobre (Our Lady of Charity of Cobre). Cobre is a town
in Cuba. The word "cobre" literally means "copper" (the metal) but the
reference is to the place, not the metal. The image is of a particular
statue of the Virgin in her "Our Lady of Charity" modality (what the
Buddhists would call her "boon granting" modality) that is enshrined in
the town of Cobre. 

Because the statue in Cobre is quite complex in all its parts, many
representations show only a portion of the figure and its surroundings,
so here is a full description of the most complete Caridad del Cobre you
are likely to find:

Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre is dressed in stiffly starched
white embroidered clothes with a blue cape bearing gold embroidery. She 
is haloed with stars, wears a golden crown, holds a golden cross in her
right hand and carries the Infant Jesus in the crook of her left arm. 
Beneath her are a lunar crescent and three cherub heads and she is
flanked by two female-looking non-winged flying angels dressed in pink
gowns who hold a banner over her head that reads "Mater Caritatis In
Fluctibus Maris Ambulavit." 

Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre is especially renowned for
rescuing sailors from the sea, and in her prints and holy cards one
often sees the ocean below her with three men rowing a rowboat away from
a sinking sailing ship. The men are of three skin colours, white, tan,
and black. This image refers to a miraculous apparition during which she
saved the sailors, of course.  As a starry rescuer, Nuestra Senora de la
Caridad del Cobre is revered by sailors, of course, but she more
notably, she is also the patroness of the nation of Cuba, in the same
way that the Virgin of Guadelupe is the patroness of the nation of
Mexico. 

What you are describing is a "package amulket," which is a style of
amulet popular in Latin America. Typical package amulets are sewn of
cloth and contain quartz, wheat grains, red-and-black legume seeds,
lodestone chips and magnetic sand, and/or other small lucky, religious,
and shamanic items. 

I have a master-link web page all about Latin American package amulets,
with links to pictures and descriptions of many different styles from
Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru. Check it out for further details on package
amulets in general:

     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageamulets.html

The subsidiary URLS showing an assortment of package amulets are:

     http://www.luckymojo.com/packagecollage.html 
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageguatemalan.html
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageguathorseshoe.html
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageherradura.html
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageminiature.html
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageninofidencio.html
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageorisha.html
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packageperuvian.html
     http://www.luckymojo.com/packagestuffedbag.html

I hope this was the information you wanted, 

Cordially, 

cat yronwode 

Lucky W Amulet Archive --------- http://www.luckymojo.com/luckyw.html
No personal e-mail, please; just catch me in usenet; i read it daily. 

Lucky Mojo Curio Co. http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
   Send e-mail with your street address to catalogue@luckymojo.com
and receive our free 32 page catalogue of hoodoo supplies and amulets

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