As the official religion of Rome, Christianity, spread, the motif of the Virgin Mary was already recognizable to the Pagans Rome sought to convert. The Mother goddess motif— always an analogue of the Earth—is one of our most ancient motifs. We find mother goddess statues in archaeological layers dating back at least 35,000 years, but I’m sure they’ve found older ones they just don’t want us to know about.

So when I read this hymn last night, I recognized it as the esoteric, rather than the Church’s insistence we interpret it literally. There actually was a woman named Mary. She miraculously gave birth to a child, Jesus, but I know that Jesus is an analogue for the Sun, because I’ve read dozens of other versions of the same story from different cultures spread across the planet, ignoring Geography.

I’m talking about the first hymn here, Immaculate Mary. It’s from 1857.