Tomorrow, July 22nd, is Magdalene Day. The Church long believed this was her birthday and celebrated the 22nd of July every year as the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene. The beautiful painting below shows Magdalene as the wife of Jesus and mother of his children. An ancient manuscript suggests Jesus married Mary Magdalene as explained in one of my favorite articles on the subject of Jesus’ marriage to “the Magdalene”.  Magdalene is a title meaning “great” because Mary Magdalene was ordained the First Lady of Christianity.
Was there a sacred marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene?
{Quick side note: For several months I’ve been intending a virtual retreat on Magdalene Feast day this weekend. But it’s only just today that I’m clear and aligned with the essence and message of this invitation to you. That’s a tale for another time, hard but true. So while this invite is later than I hoped, (unless you saved the date ;) I do hope you can still join me. Read on…}
Shhh…..Listen, sister….can you hear it?
The sounds of bare feet padding down the temple halls.
The allure of lush color, pungent fragrance, a warm embrace…
Come, you’re being called.
Magdalene Mysteries ~ Virtual Temple Retreat is this Saturday.
Gather in a circle on-line (you don’t have to live nearby!) for retreat and reflection on the magic and mystery of Mary Magdalene, on her holy feast day. Discover who she really is and what her message is for you. (Whether you’re Christian or not, she’s relevant.)
Explore a lost icon of the Christian tradition—the Goddess in the Gospels—whose presence (and banishment) has everything to do with your divinity, power and magic as a woman.
Come, sister…
I’m gifting you this virtual gathering (It’s free!) to enter sacred space and reconnect with your Feminine Soul
Join a circle of sisters from around the globe.
Retreat for 2 hours, using your phone or computer to share stories: missing mythology, ancient esoteric knowledge, re-visioned history.
Saturday 10am PT. Details to join, below.
Journey in meditation to gather wisdom that your soul wants you to hear.
Tap your creative spirit as we create shamanic art together that expresses your soul messages.
Breathe, move, embody the holy temple your body is.
Recover the lost wisdom of Magdalene and The Magdalene Path!
All in a safe and sacred space broadcast via Zoom* from the Balch Hotel library. No cost to you.
If you’re drawn to the mystery of the Magdalene or the magic of the Divine Feminine, come, you’re being called.
Since you’re already part of the circle here, I’m not doing an separate sign up for you…
Here are the details….
(Copy it into your calendar now, so you don’t forget. ;)
When: Saturday, July 22, at 10 am Pacific/ 1 pm Eastern (plan for 2 hours)Â
*Never used Zoom? It’s great and easy—it allows us to see and talk with each other in a group. Log in early so any tech issues can get sorted out before we start.
While it’s best to attend live to experience the energy and sisterhood of the gathering, sometimes life doesn’t allow that. So don’t worry, the call will be recorded. You’ll get the replay and can still be part of it.
I’ll see you Saturday?
PSÂ Share this with a friend you think would love this. Guys, I’m thinking of you.
Upcoming Events in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon
Experience Community, Connection and Creativity
Creative Spirits at Jacob Williams Winery 7/26/17 6:30pm $40 REGISTER
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Sisterhood Supper at the Balch Hotel, 8/24/17 6:00 pm (FREE)
Treat yourself to a copy of this encouraging, inspirational book that awakens your innate beauty and ignites the power of your Divine Feminine.Â
The Magdalene Path:
Awaken the Power of Your Feminine Soul
The Magdalene Path is a deep dive into the process of awakening your hidden power as a woman. Rooted in the wisdom of Mary Magdalene, this guidebook of Feminine Soul offers compelling ideas and practical skills.
Bring the Sacred Feminine within you into your daily life. So there’s no longer a split between your spiritual and “regular” self!
In addition to inspiring Divine downloads from Mary Magdalene–received by Claire in meditation and prayer–you’ll discover how to create a life that nurtures your soul and fulfills your deepest longings.
There are 24 tools woven in to deepen the teachings from concept to practice. So this isn’t esoteric teaching–you can take this wisdom and apply in your life in a meaningful way!
Published by Balboa Press, Hay House. Trade paperback 243 pages $17.99 Personally inscribed for you by the author (moi!)
You’ll Receive:
Magdalene Path book with 24 practices $17.99 value
Personal Inscription to you from Author-Â priceless! And included (you can’t get that on Amazon!)
Hand decorated mailing package $5.00 value–included!
Shipping and Handling $5.00–included! (**US ORDERS ONLY< SORRY. International orders, please inquire)
Total Value: $27.99
YOUR Direct Indie Author PRICE: $21.99*
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Praise for  The Magdalene Path:
“Brava to Claire Sierra for her brave and honest work on The Magdalene Path. I am proud to call her my sister on the journey!”
~New York Times Bestselling Author, Kathleen McGowan, author of The Expected One, The Book of Love and others
“I have waited lifetimes for the writings in your book. The whole of me is so congruent with each line of text, from the deep knowing of my soul to the questioning of my ego. It’s hard to put down and gives me much to look forward to. Good work! Namaste, sister!â€Â  ~Karri G., Applegate, OR
“I am totally blown away! I literally could not put it down. The Magdalene Path holds crucial pieces to a much bigger picture…” ~Bobbye M., Chicago, IL
“Claire Sierra has composed a marvelous tapestry of insights, discoveries, tools, and resources for all of us to use in designing a new global culture. The wisdom of the Magdalene gives us all hope for Heaven on Planet Earth.â€Â ~ Rev. Ruth L. Miller, PhD,author of The New Game of Life, Mary’s Power and many others
  *PS–When you purchase directly from Indie authors you support small business. You get personal connection and care that you won’t from Amazon!
The Goddess Coloring Book Kit
Sometimes we need a little help to get our creative juices flowing. (I know I do!) So to aid you (or a loved one), I created a coloring book for grown-ups: 22 Feminine Soul images fresh from the pages of my sketchbooks.
These images are designed with ample space for you to play and express yourself. Color outside the lines, add your own symbols, shapes and lines. Make it your own, over and over again.
This full-length print version of the Goddess Coloring Book is 22 pages, 9″ x 11″,single-sided with blank pages for your own doodles and sketches. You can easily copy and reuse–over and over!
Included in the kit, is a package of 16 Oil Pastels (shown above), to get started right away. No need to dig out your kids’ old crayons or dried up markers.You’ll love the creamy softness and bright color. Easy to blend and create texture. They come in a self-contained sleeve box, so they travel nicely.
Makes a great (and unusual) gift!
Comes in a hand painted envelope, ready for gifting!
The Goddess Coloring Book Kit
Goddess Coloring Book -Â $9.95 value
Oil Pastel kit  – $5.95 value
$14.95 coloring book and oil pastel set
+ $5 shipping and handling
Total: $19.95
(US Orders ONLY)
Would you rather have this as a Download?
My European friends requested this.
A Downloadable PDF of the Goddess Coloring Book AND the Practices Workbook from The Magdalene Path.
Includes a gorgeous Sacred Dreamer gift card (The Magdalene Path book cover).
Shipping is included in the price. You’ll get the card via airmail.
(Unfortunately no oil pastels included. You can purchase those separately & add it to your gift.)
Goddess Coloring Book Download
Price: $9.95
Includes:Â postage (including international) and customized gift card mailed to you or to your gift recipient. NOTE: NO oil pastels included.
**Please include the address you wish the download card to be mailed to in the “Note to Seller” box in Paypal. Otherwise, we’ll mail it to you.
If you just want it emailed to you, we can do that also. Indicate that in the “Note to Seller” box in your PayPal order.
Meet Claire
Claire Sierra, MA, is the author of The Magdalene Path – Awaken the Power of Your Feminine Soul, published by a division of Hay House. The Magdalene Path, has been called “a guidebook of ancient wisdom for contemporary women.” Claire divined ways to bring Feminine Soul into your daily life using Mary Magdalene as a wisdom guide and archetype..
As an Expressive Arts Therapist, True Purpose™ Master Coach, and Licensed Esthetician, Claire has helped thousands of women who felt lost and confused about purpose, use the arts to gain clarity and new direction for their lives. For over 2 decades she has guided access to divine connection, creativity and soul purpose in sessions across the globe.
As Spa Wellness & Retreat Director of the Balch Hotel and Bliss at the Balch Spa, Claire also offers in-person private and virtual retreats, as well as wellness sessions that merge spa services with creative, reflective soul coaching sessions.
As a visionary mixed media artist, Claire has art in collections throughout the U.S, including the Balch Hotel Gallery. Her artwork graces The Magdalene Path and The Goddess Coloring Book.
She is a featured writer for Bella Mia magazine, and has contributed to wellness magazines for decades.
She lives with her husband in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon where they are the proprietors of the Historic Balch Hotel, a boutique inn and retreat center. The Balch was recently named #13 of 100 Top Fan Favorite Destinations in Oregon, according to Trip Advisor, Google and Yelp.
FREE RESOURCES: Download your FREE Chapter (and other goodies) from The Magdalene Path by going to: MagdalenePath.com.  For a FREE MP3 download of “LightBreath Guided Meditation: Instant Relief for Burnout, Exhaustion and Overwhelmâ€Â visit: BlissBreakthrough.com.  You will also receive this monthly newsletter.
The article is technical with regard to ancient Greek and Latin texts, but the gist is that the presence of “Martha†in John 11 and 12 is “unstable†in many of the earliest copies of the Gospel, suggesting that she was added in to the story of the Mary whose tears moved Jesus to raise her brother Lazarus and at the supper in Bethany where Jesus was anointed by the same Mary, the sister of Lazarus [and Martha].
I hope many of you will find time to read this article for the light it throws on the New Testament Gospel of John and the woman who was later identified with the title  “the Magdalene.”
Here is a video where Libbie Schrader talks about raising money to make a music video of her Magdalene Song. She shows a few clips of her trip to France to secret Magdalene gardens, destroyed churches, etc.
Here is the Abstract of Elizabeth’s Master’s Degree Thesis:
Abstract
This study examines the text transmission of the figure of Martha of Bethany throughout the Fourth Gospel in over one hundred of our oldest extant Greek and Vetus Latina witnesses. The starting point for this study is instability around Martha in our most ancient witness of John 11–12, Papyrus 66. By looking at P66’s idiosyncrasies and then comparing them to the Fourth Gospel’s greater manuscript transmission, I hope to demonstrate that Martha’s presence shows significant textual instability throughout the Lazarus episode, and thus that this Lukan figure may not have been present in a predecessor text form of the Fourth Gospel that circulated in the second century. In order to gain the greatest amount of data on the Fourth Gospel’s text transmission, I rely on several sources. Occasionally these sources conflict in their rendering of a variant; I have tried to make note of these discrepancies and look at photographs of witnesses whenever possible. Although this study is primarily focused on Greek and Vetus Latina witnesses, an occasional noteworthy variant (e.g., from a Syriac or Vulgate witness) may be mentioned when relevant to the subject at hand. The work of many established redaction critics, who have already hypothesized that Martha was not present in an earlier form of this Gospel story, will also be addressed.
Margaret Starbird writes: On my website under the Magdalene Rosary tab in the menu you will find prayers and “Magdalene Mysteries†for a rosary I developed in her honor—based on seven “heptads†of seven prayers each.
Here is the “Magdalene Prayer†for anyone interested in honoring her in this way:
Annual May 24 Procession of the Gypsies Honoring St Sara
Margaret Starbird writes:
May 24th is the celebration of St. Sara (the Egyptian) at the little town of Saints Maries-de-la-Mer on the coast of France. Legends about this dark saint differ, but one insists that she was pre-adolescent girl on the boat that brought Mary Jacobi, Mary Salome and Mary Magdalene, political refugees from Jerusalem, to France in AD 44. The oral tradition goes way back into forgotten origins, but the story has some very poignant hints about this little girl on the boat. Her name Sara means “princess†in Hebrew and she is said to have been the servant of her relatives….. (just like Cinderella—another “sooty-faced†princess,â€lost†or “locked away†in our Western fairytale). In the little novella published as the Foreword to my “Woman with the Alabaster Jar,†I suggested that Sara was born in Egypt after the Crucifixion of Jesus and was the daughter of Mary Magdalene—who is proclaimed to have brought the “Holy Grail†(sangraal)
St Sara / Sarah of Egypt, honored in France every year – is she Jesus & Magdalene’s Daughter?
to France. The Old French word “sangraal†is misleading when it is divided after the “nâ€: san graal or “holy Grail.†When you divide the word after the g—“sang realâ€â€”it means “blood royal.†One does not carry the “blood royal†around in a jar with a lid…. it flows in the veins of a child of royal lineage, in this case, the daughter if the Davidic line of Israel’s kings. An interesting prophecy occurs in the Hebrew Bible in the book of Lamentations: “Then princes of Judah, whose faces were once white as milk are now black as soot. They are not recognized in the streets†(Lam 4:7-8). The darkness of this little princess, born in Egypt, may be symbolic of her status as a dis-inherited exile of her native Israel—obscure and hidden in the annals of Western history books….
St Sarah, the Sooty Faced Cinderella girl Saint
Today the Gypsy procession in Stes. Maries-de-la-Mer will accompany Sara’s statue from the Church of Our Lady of the Sea to the Mediterranean beach, shouting as they go: “Vive Sainte Sara!” commemorating the story that says she is one of the boatload of Christians who brought the Gospel to Western Europe. The festival begins tonight in Stes. Maries with street dancing and gypsy concerts and culminates with the procession of the effigies of the two Maries (Marie Jacobi and Marie Salome) in their blue boat to the sea on the 25th. Various websites have photos of the festival and processions…. very picturesque!
Peace and light,
Margaret
http://margaretstarbird.net/the_woman_with_the_alabaste.html
“The Woman with the Alabaster Jar”
Question for Margaret Starbird
Posted by: “Pamela Lanides”
Date: Sun Apr 17, 2016
Dear Mrs. Starbird,
I have a couple of Jewish friends who will say that during the time of
Jesus, no rabbi would be accepted if he had not been married and so it
would be perfectly plausible that Jesus and MM were married.
However, some Christian scholars will turn around and state that there
were many celibate men at the time of Jesus who were considered to be holy
men.
Is the latter statement true, in your estimation?
Margaret Starbird writes:
Dear Rev. Pamela,
My major source for believing that marriage was a “cultural imperative†for Jewish males is Dr. William E. Phipps, head of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Davis and Elkins College (West Virginia). Dr. Phipps wrote two books on the subject, “The Sexuality of Jesus,†and “Was Jesus Married?†A Jewish father in the first century had 5 duties toward his son:
1) Have him circumcised on the 8th day after his birth; 2) offer an offering in the temple on his behalf; 3) teach him Torah; 4) teach him a trade (so he could support himself and his family); and
5) find him a wife before his 18th birthday (20th birthday if the son was studying to be a rabbi). If the father failed to find a wife for his son, the community elders helped him! Apparently girls were not required to marry, but boys were!
Occasionally Christians suggest the the Essenes were unmarried, but when females were found in tombs in the cemetery at Qumran, they had to revise that assertion. What appears to be true is that Essene males would leave their wives and families for a period of training and then return to them. Life-long celibacy was not condoned. It was a breach of the first commandment God gave to Adam in Genesis: “Be fruitful and multiply.â€
Christian exegetes occasionally mention Rabbi Akiba (2nd century) who devoted his life to studying Scripture, but the Talmud says in several other places that he was married and then divorced his wife so that he would have more time for his studies, so even his (often cited case for celibacy) is unclear.
If your Christian friends can name a 1st c. Jewish man who was unmarried, that would surprise me. A “beardless youth†is not yet old enough to marry and St. Paul, who claims to be celibate during his ministry, also asserts that he is a Pharisee, so he must have been either widowed or divorced. Divorce was really easy back in those times, so many men may have enjoyed that single state…. but they were not “life-long celibates.â€
The Hebrew language did not have a word for “bachelor.†The word they now use is “ravakâ€â€”which means “empty.â€
“I would like to ask how to return the Divine Feminine to Judeo-Christian religion. My background is Christian, but I find that traditional church is missing something. I feel maybe your organization may help me grow spiritually.” — Stuart, Alberta Canada
We received this inquiry the other day via our northernway.org website. I thought some of you might wish to offer Stuart some ideas, advice, point him in the direction of resources you know, etc.
Margaret Starbird answered:
Jesus & Mary Magdalene as married couple
Maybe Stuart could start by reading the Mary Magdalene page on your northernway.org website. That page introduces him to the “Lost Bride†who was once at the heart of the Christian story. Tell him that the first heresy in Christianity was the denial of the Bride….and that in silencing her, the Church fathers silenced women’s voices on the planet for nearly two millennia! Now, in the Year of Our Lord MMxv, we celebrate her return to our consciousness bringing wisdom, compassion, and celebration of life and the gift of our bodies as “vesselsâ€â€”containers for the Spirit of God. Show him the “marriage window†from Dervaig, Scotland, where Jesus and Mary are “hand-fasted†(clasping right hands, as in the rites of Christian marriage)…. and if he wants more, send him to my website: http://www.margaretstarbird.net
In memory of Her—
Margaret
“The Woman with the Alabaster Jar”
The First Step, of course, is bringing the Divine Feminine into your own daily life and daily devotions.
Returning the Divine Feminine to Judeo-Christian religion as a whole, is a tall order… and it’s just gonna take a lonnng time… and I’m meaning at least centuries.
What Yeshua once told me was, “Goddess must be elevated for a thousand years.”
He also once indicated that Goddess has to have a different language than the patriarchal religious language.
In Her Spirit we must bring forth different words, a different conceptual matrix rather than just copping-out on Her by carbon-copying the patriarchal language describing the patriarchal God and transferring that to Her.
The Second Step is that we have to be in genuine comm*union* with Her Holy Spirit… so that we are receiving Her Direct Guidance… for She’s the One who will know how to bring about the needed changes.. . She’s the One who can provide us with the phraseology of a variant linguistic and conceptual paradigm. We have to become extensions of Her Living Spirit, womanifestations of Her transformative Spiritual Essence into time. We have to become Her Living Hands, Her Heart & Mind & Spirit — rising like waves of Her Eternal Ocean of Spirit into this time.
The Divine Feminine in Christianity, at this point in time, is mainly represented by Sophia, Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene.
Margaret Starbird’s books on Mary Magdalene are an important resource… relative to the Divine Feminine Bride of Yeshua Christ.
There is some measure of Marian worship in Roman Catholicism… but it’s highly doubtful that it’ll ever be “legitimatized” by the patriarchal stranglehold over that denomination.
When talking about Judaism and Christianity, the most helpful book by way of a Major Resource (that I’m aware of) relative to the Sophia of the Bible is WISDOM’S FEAST: Sophia in Study and Celebration by Susan Cole, Marian Ronan and Hal Taussig. Two of these have been in the Methodist ministry; one is Roman Catholic in background.
Of course you’re gonna get a lot of flack from conservative Christianity… so those seeking to help return the Divine Feminine to Judeo-Christian religion need to be well-versed in all the segments in the Bible that reinforce the Divine Feminine perspective and Sophia (as the Holy Spirit) specifically. Tho they won’t be of any use to you, relative to conservative theological lock-ins, it is also best to be well-versed in all parts of the ancient Gnostic scriptures that reveal more about Sophia & the Divine Feminine in general.
For example, it is very important to realize that when Yeshua spoke of what we have translated into the English words “the Holy Spirit” that he was always referring to Her with feminine pronouns, not the masculine pronoun as is falsely translated in the Gospel of John, chapters 14 & 16. The Hebrew word for spirit is ruach… and the Aramaic word for spirit is rukha (there are variant English spellings of these two words)… both of which are feminine nouns. I think it is also important to know that in “The Gospel of the Hebrews” Jesus actually called the Holy Spirit his Mother! Jerome — who, to my understanding, translated the entire Bible (including the intertestamentary books — which Protestantism expurgated from their Bibles — thus deleting major revelations about Sophia — “Sirach” chapter 24 and “The Wisdom of Solomon”) into the Latin Vulgate also considered “The Gospel of the Hebrews” sufficiently spiritually legitimate that he translated it too! Roman Catholicism did not include “The Gospel of the Hebrews” in their canon — and only quotations from it have survived in some of the Church Fathers’ writings… but maybe a complete copy if it will eventually be discovered and we’ll be able to determine why it was excluded from the canonized scriptures — and (possibly) learn much more therefrom relative to early Christian beliefs and actual further teachings of Yeshua that didn’t survive otherwise.
In the Nag Hammadi Library, works like “The Gospel of Philip”… “Thunder, Perfect Mind”… “Trimorphic Protennoia”… and “The Apocryphon of John” (and others like “The Hypostasis of the Archons” and “Upon The Origin Of The World”) are important resources relative to awareness of Sophia & the Divine Feminine as it existed in the early centuries of Christianity… and the return of neo-Gnostic denominations of Christianity, as they florish across centuries ahead will surely be utilizing these… along with more contemporary revelations of and from the Divine Feminine… for, of course, we’re going to get lots of future texts being written across the centuries forthcoming by many who are “in Her Spirit”.
It’s going to be exciting!
Besides contemporary Gnostic groups (like those of Tau Malachi and Tau Rosamonde Miller) incorporating the Divine Feminine in their services, there are a few contemporary ministers in the mainline Christian denominations who are devoted to the Divine Feminine, too. Foremost, to my knowledge, is “herchurch” (ECLA Lutheran) in San Francisco, California.
I think it also Of Value to read some of what the opposition to the Divine Feminine are writing… so that one is aware of what kind of criticisms / attacks one needs to be equipped to respond to for the sake of the borderline sorts (one is hardly going to convince the “hardliners”).
The only major Christian denomination (that I’m aware of) which recognizes Goddess, is Mormonism — but you’ll hardly find that out from the most of what they’re saying! — for they pretty much “keep Her in the closet”… and (it appears to me) that the voices of the women who want to promote Her are being suppressed by the Mormon patriarchy. One writing friend (who is Mormon) at a local writers group a half a dozen years ago, when I asked him about it, said that Mormons don’t broadcast Her Existence because She’s too holy to them to beget circumstances where unbelievers will be profaning Her. Another Mormon who came to my door about six months ago — when I brought up the subject to him — said that Mormons are condemned to hell for so many of their doctrines, already, that they didn’t want to be adding more fuel to the fires of other denominations condemning them as not being Christians by publicly advocating Goddess, too — for of course that gets labelled as being “paganism” by Christians who condemn the Divine Feminine.
I praise those who are working within the established denominations, trying to “return the Divine Feminine to Judeo-Christian religion” — but, overall, I believe it’s going to turn out to be a heart-breakingly futile attempt. (I’ll be only happy to be proven mistaken in this assessment! I believe there are several in the ministry who would love to incorporate Her in their services, but are very well aware that they will either lose their positions… or lose most of their congregation — especially the conservative ones who make the larger monetary donations.)
I think, in largest part, those capable of doing so are just going to have to start up their own separate denominations… just like Methodism, Lutheranism, Christian Science, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormonism, Unity & the Jehovah Witnesses all had their own beginnings (or, more anciently, Valentinism, the Sethians, the Barbelites, etc. did) — only these new denominations will totally incorporate the Divine Feminine, eliminating the distortions and still-faulty mythology of many of the ancient Christian Gnostic sects. And they will be bringing forth “The New Wine of Her Spirit”.
I personally have had good experience with the Unity Church, a very metaphysical Christian denomination. They allow Goddess to be mentioned in childrens’ Sunday School — She is not suppressed! Unity Churches are in most cities. Â — Katia
Margaret says: Although this author, Dr. Margaret Merisante, does not site my work, she could have. I discussed the connection of Mary Magdalene with Isis, the original “Sister-Bride†of a sacrificed Bridegroom-King in my Woman with the Alabaster Jar (published in 1993). I’m not an expert on Egyptian funerary rites, but I recognized the connection of the anointing of the king as an ancient rite from the Hieros games cult in which the marriage union of the “Beloveds†is followed later in the liturgical season by the assault, mutilation, death and burial. This connection of Mary Magdalene with Isis is strong—based on the “Song of Songs†where the fragrance of the “Sister-Bride†spreads around her Bridegroom at the banqueting table. The “Canticle†(Song of Songs) is known to be a a liturgical poem from the cult of Isis and Osiris. The Bridegroom speaks of his beloved as “My sister, my spouseâ€â€” which I believe was the epithet given to the wives of Jesus and his apostles, the “sister-wives†Paul mentions in his letter to Corinthians (1: 9-5).
I’m so thrilled that others are finally seeing this connection and are willing to research and affirm that Mary Magdalene is indeed, the “Goddess in the Gospels“.
Jesus & Magdalene in the 1973 Movie Jesus Christ Superstar
Margaret Starbird wrote today April 10, 2015 the week after Easter:
Legend places Mary Magdalene in France after AD 42, but she disappears from the Christian narrative sometime between Easter morning and the beginning of the Book of Acts. One of the questions we must ask is WHY? The mother of Jesus and the apostles all reappear in Acts—but Mary Magdalene, Joseph of Arimathea, not to mention Lazarus and Martha, all disappear abruptly and are noticeably absent in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.  St. Paul never mentions any of them in his epistles either.
In 1988 I wrote the short fictional “novella†that was later published as the “Prologue†in “The Woman with the Alabaster Jar†(1993). The story show how we might have lost all information about Mary Magdalene following the proclamation of the Resurrection. If Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus and pregnant with his child (or even possibly pregnant—or already a mother), protecting her from the Roman and/or Jewish authorities would have been a top priority of the friends and followers of Jesus. Legend insists that Joseph of Arimathea was the “custodian of the Grailâ€â€”the vessel that “once contained the blood of Christ.â€â€”
In 1995 Susan Methvin, Ph.D. a college English professor in Alabama, sent me a poem she had written in response to reading my book:
“Imagine the Grail if you can, not as a gold cup
nor as one silver, embossed with grapes and vines,
but imagine the grail as the cup of her body,
that rocking place beneath her breast, the deep pear-shaped sac.
Her stomach rounded skin stretched into spun silk,
fills with the fruited seed of their making love.
The unborn child sways in this dark grail as her mother rides
across the searing desert. Â Magdalen’s only songs . .
steady breath, heart’s beat, dry sob.
In the heat, sometimes Magdalen
mouths His name, and the child takes form
blessed beneath the name of Jesus.”
I’m always amazed at the contortions New Testament scholars go into in an attempt to avoid seeing and stating the obvious. The CNN “special†segment about Mary Magdalene aired tonight. One scholar (Dr. Nicola Denzey Lewis) declared twice that “ground zero†for the idea that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus was the Gospel of Philip, which states that Mary was the “companion†or “consort†of Jesus and that he kissed her often on her…. (sadly the location is missing, but we are told that the apostles were jealous of Mary….because Jesus loved her more than all the rest of them….
If she had read my “Woman with the Alabaster Jar,†published in 1992 and cited by Dan Brown in The DaVinci Codeâ€), Dr.Lewis would have known that for many of us “ground zero†is the canonical
Gospel of John which names the woman who anointed Christ at the banquet at Bethany (Mary) and dried his feet with her hair and follows the passion narrative all the way to the sacred reunion of the Sacred King and his Bride at the tomb on Easter morning. This has nothing to do with the (2nd or 3rd century) Gospel of Philip. All four canonical Gospels mention the anointing of Jesus by a woman and three place this event in Holy Week—followed closely by the Passion of the Christ and his resurrection. This liturgical sequence is reminiscent, even a reenactment of ancient rites of “hieros games†indigenous to the Near East—where the Sacred King is anointed and united in marriage with a royal priestess/princess and later sacrificed, mutilated, executed and entombed.
After three days his Bride/consort returns to the tomb to mourn him and finds him resurrected. These ancient rites go back to neolithic times and are repeated in the Gospel narratives, where Mary and Jesus embody the archetypal Bride and Bridegroom “in the fleshâ€â€”.
In the CNN segment, the question was raised: What happened to Mary Magdalene? Back in the 1980’s when I was researching everything I could find about Mary Magdalene, it struck me that in spite of her importance in the final chapters of the Gospels—beginning with the anointing scene and ending with the reunion with Jesus at the tomb (“Don’t keep clinging to meâ€)—Mary totally disappears from the story, never mentioned in the epistles or in the Book of Acts of the Apostles. What happened to her? The mother of Jesus and other female disciples show up in Acts and elsewhere. Only Mary, Martha and Lazarus are totally missing, except for later legends that try to
fill in the gaps, placing them in Gaul around AD 42…. But why did they leave?
One afternoon in 1988, I sat down at my computer and wrote a story—which is now the fictional opening “Prologue†in my “Alabaster Jar†book—explaining how we came to lose the Beloved of Jesus for two millennia. Sensing danger to the wife of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, the “custodian of the Grail,†came to her on Easter in the evening and convinced her to flee with him to a place of safety…which would only have been necessary if she were possibly pregnant with—or the mother of—a child of Jesus. Protecting the royal family would have been a top priority of the friends and followers of Jesus, the Davidic Messiah of prophecy.
Imagine her—meditate on her—over these coming days, riding on a donkey across the Sinai under the protection of Joseph of Arimathea—“defiled and defamed†seeking refuge in a foreign land, fulfilling the prophecy of the “Magdal-eder†from Micah 4:8-11.
My friend (and teacher these 20 years now!), Margaret Starbird writes:
I hope this finds you thriving in the light and enjoying the fresh greening of the land —
For anyone interested, I just posted a new blog article “A Timely Lesson” on my website: http://www.margaretstarbird.net/blog.html . [Text included below in case the link leads to a newer article]
I hope you’ll pass this on to anyone you know who might be interested in sharing these thoughts from my on-going “quest” for Mary Magdalene, the Lost Bride of the Christian story.
Â
peace and light,
Margaret
copyright 2014 by Margaret Starbird. All rights reserved.
06-02-14
A Timely Lesson
In 1983 Ann Requa, a dear friend since my college years at the University of Maryland, told me about Holy Blood, Holy Grail, that she thought I needed to read the book, and that I could probably find a copy in my local library. A few days later I looked the title up in the lubrary’s card catalogue, found it listed, and discovered it in the stacks. The front cover said Holy Blood, Holy Grail, as expected. But the back cover asserted that Jesus was probably married and that his wife and progeny survived the Crucifixion and fled into exile as refugees in Gaul. At the time in 1983 I was still “singing in the choir†and teaching catchism classes for the Roman Catholic Church, and I was definitely not inclined to accept any notion that I perceived as so clearly blasphemous.
But some important illuminating incidents didn’t make the “cut†for that book, including one I didn’t fully understand at the time, but which has grown on me over the years and has become a very important key understanding of the tragic consequences of the “Lost Bride.”
One Monday afternoon in 1986 while I was doing my usual chores, I sent out a special request—asking God to have the mailman deliver something to my mailbox that would confirm or deny the assertion of Holy Blood, Holy Grail that Mary Magdalene was the “Bride of Christ.†I had no idea what I would consider a proof or denial of the theory—but I asked for it anyhow.
When the mailman had passed, I ran to the box to see what he had left there. To my befuddlement, the only item in the box was a small package, about 7†by 10â€, from a company that  advertised ant farms. Opening the container, I remembered having ordered the item weeks before so I could teach my children about the almost legendary work-ethic and industry of ants. The advertisement for the “farm†stated that viewers could watch the community of ants through the plastic walls of the box — tunneling and moving food particles through the network of tunnels the worker ants would create. I was sad that I hadn’t received an answer to my prayer for the confirmation or denial of the “married Jesus†hypothesis, but I decided maybe my request had come too late — probably the mailman had already packed his bag and started on his rounds.
When the kids got home from school, they were excited the ant farm had arrived. They bent their heads together over the instructions and unpacked the package to set up the ant farm. There was a narrow box with clear plastic panels on each side, a package of sand and a small packet containing the live ants! Carefully we assembled the project, added the ants and watched as they began scurrying to and fro digging their first tunnel. Sure enough, over a period of hours, the ants built tunnels and started carrying food particles from place to place. The kids watched with fascination for a few minutes, then went on to other activities, returning at intervals to see how the ants were doing with their project. As advertised, the ants continued to scurry around behind their plastic walls tunneling and carrying food particles.
At breakfast the next morning, the kids inspected their ant colony performing its activities — and rushed in again after school. For several days the ant farm was a magnet for attention. Neighborhood children were invited in to watch the ants. Everyone was enjoying observing ants busily scurrying around inside their plastic box, tirelessly tunneling and carrying food particles hither and yon.
But by the end of the week activity gradually slowed and then finally ceased. The ants had apparently worn themselves out and one at a time had begun to die off. After another forty-eight hours, we sadly agreed that the experiment was over and that it was time to trash the ant farm. We had gotten the message that the ants were an industrious community, but somehow they had failed to thrive. We carried the plastic box out to the back yard and dumped the experimental ant farm onto the ground, hoping any survivors might find a new colony and home outdoors.
Much later I realized that I actually HAD received an answer affirming the “sacred marriage†in the mailbox that Monday afternoon. The meaning was clear. The ant community had failed to thrive because they had no “organizing principle†at the heart of their “farm.” The goal of any community, its “reason for being” is the continuity and nurturing of life. They had no Queen and therefore, no reason for their labor, no progeny to nurture, no “vocation.†All their activities were ultimately just “busy workâ€â€”and wasted.
I believe the earliest Christians established their community with the partnership of Jesus and Mary Magdalene at its heart — modeled on the “Song of Songs,†where the devoted relationship of the “Beloveds†was a mirror of God’s passionate love for his people. While Jesus represented Yahweh as “Bridegroom,†(an epithet confirmed in various Gospel passages), Mary Magdalene represented the people of Israel, the “Daughter of Sion,†as Sister-Bride and Beloved. Their union was celebrated at all levels of human experience, exemplified in the “Sacrament of the Bridal Chamber,†in early Christian communities.
In his letter to Corinthians 5:9, Paul states that Cephas and the brothers of Jesus and the other apostles all “travel around with their sister-wives.†Where did Paul get that phrase, if not from the original Christian community that modeled itself on the “Song of Songs,†derived from an ancient rite of “sacred marriage,’ where the Bridegroom frequently refers to his Beloved as “My sister, my spouse: “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride†(SoS 4:9); “a garden enclosed is my sister, my bride†(SoS 4: 12); and “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride†(SoS 5:1).
English translations of Paul’s letter invariably call these sister-wives “Christian sisters†even though the phrase in the original Greek does not contain the word “Christian†at all.
Why did the Jerome and later translators of the Greek Gospels wish to obscure the knowledge that the closest associates and kin of Jesus traveled with their “sister-wives†as missionary couples, bearing the “Good News†to the farthest outposts of the Roman Empire? When he sent them forth “two by two,†Jesus was apparently sending couples, not pairs of males, according to Paul, the earliest witness to Christian practices.
It’s a good thing Noah didn’t misunderstand God’s instructions about bringing the animals into the ark “two by two†as the early church fathers apparently misunderstood the instruction of Jesus to preach the “Way of the heart†in a couples’ ministry!
Come, sister…
A, is the author of The Magdalene Path – Awaken the Power of Your Feminine Soul, published by a division of Hay House. The Magdalene Path, has been called “a guidebook of ancient wisdom for contemporary women.” Claire divined ways to bring Feminine Soul into your daily life using Mary Magdalene as a wisdom guide and archetype..
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