Magdalene Musings

In today’s post, I share my latest Magdalene musings. Lately, I’ve been reading several books about Mary Magdalene recently, including ‘The Gospel of Mary Magdalene,’ ‘The Meaning of Mary Magdalene,’ ‘Only love,’ ‘The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene’ and ‘Mary Magdalene: Insights from Ancient Magdala.’ Though these books have all contributed to important missing pieces of the puzzle, I’m far from done with my Magdalene studies and have another couple of books on the way.

So far, besides the ‘must read,’ The Gospel of Mary Magdalene,’ (without her own words, we really don’t have a case!), the most helpful book to me has been ‘The Meaning of Mary Magdalene‘ by Cynthia Bourgeault. It’s a scholarly (but not dry!) work which is concerned with historicity and though some of the conclusions are intuited – as needs must since so much factual data has been lost – there is no channelled material in this book. 

Not only has ‘The Meaning of Mary Magdalene’ helped me understand Mary Magdalene‘s role in the church, but it also managed to nourish me spiritually while I was reading it. It does so primarily by giving a nuanced meaning to the concept of kenosis and how it applies on a Fifth Way path through mutual surrender to the Beloved. Bourgeault’s book also inspired me to seek out a more contemplative lifestyle.

Channelled Magdalene Musings? 

While I understand that ‘Mary Magdalene meets us where we are,’ as Lauri Ann Lumby says, and that is possibly why there is so much seemingly contradictory channelled material about her out there, I find it frustrating to read accounts that are blatantly flying in the face of any kind of historicity. Surely, this is not helpful in terms of getting the message out there?

We might as well turn to fairy tales going by some of the ‘channellings’ that are currently doing the rounds (with some also seeking to cash in big time on their work). I actually love fairy tales but find them harder to digest when the author claims to be writing the actual words of Mary Magdalene. I mean, there is only so much she can contradict herself before the whole thing turns into some surreal nightmare or object of ridicule to those who are questing for the truth. 

The truth actually matters. I would wager to say it matters more than ever in our post-truth day and age of propaganda and fake news.

Magdalene Musings on The Tower

Some authors claim that Mary is known as ‘the Magdalene’ because she came from the town of Magdala. That seems likely. Mary (or Miriam) was such a common name that around 50% of all girls born in the region around the time Jesus walked the earth had the same name. Clarifying by naming them after their place of birth makes sense and you also see this practice elsewhere in Scripture. 

That said, it is entirely possible that Magdala also refers to a tower, which is what the name means. In fact, on an intuitive level, I’m quite certain that – at least energetically – she is closely associated with The Tower of the Tarot. She was a passionate woman and agent for transformation. Her presence certainly impacted Yeshua and has continued to be of great interest to so many throughout history.

Perhaps The Tower energy of the Magdalene is what is coming to the fore now and that is why some insist that her name has nothing to do with the place name. 

The Tower energy of the Magdalene could even be what ultimately ‘smashes patriarchy,’ not through a violent uprising but through the doorway of the heart and spiritual transformation. I imagine the two figures falling out of the Tower to be Peter and Paul. They wrote Mary Magdalene out of the Gospels and we need to clear their legacy before we can move on.

Justice to the Nations

In ‘Only Love,’ Lauri Ann Lumby lays out the text from Isaiah 42:1-7 with the pronouns changed from ‘he’ to ‘she.’ I found reading this passage with the feminine rather than the masculine pronoun very enlightening… It’s not about replacing male dominance, with female dominance, of course… but as the text promises, it’s about bringing ‘forth justice to the nations.’ 

Mary Magdalene and Jesus both came here to teach us about love. With Mary’s message missing, we only get half the story. And, because of that all-important bit of misinformation, Patriarchy has been able to rule us to the edge of extinction. The biggest danger we face now is AI becoming our next world religion. This means all intellect and no heart. Mary and Yeshua carry the antidote for that.

The time for change has come. A return to the ChristoSophianic teachings might – ultimately – be what saves us from ourselves. This could look like a combination of the pure message of love and forgiveness that Christ teaches us along with the Divine Feminine wisdom teachings. I’m referring to the teachings by Mary Magdalene, of course. They are so necessary for us to be able to process what it means to be ‘fully human.’

Check out the Magdalene Priestess Activation Tarot Spread!