September 18th, Friday 6:30pmJoin us for this sacred gathering to honor the Goddess energies that are available for us to work with. This month we are working with Mary Magdalene, the quintessential feminine spiritual healer, metaphysician and minister.
Mary Magdalene is perhaps one of the most enigmatic women in the world. At once she evokes thoughts of the devoted, loving favored disciple of Christ and the prostitute whom Jesus drove seven devils out of. No matter what you might believe, due to the information that has been placed into the mass consciousness both of these thoughts tend to come to mind when you say her name. This begs the question, why? Why is her story so shrouded in mystery and filled with contradictions, missing texts and innuendo? And in that word "mystery" perhaps we may begin to track the answer.
The Gospel of Mary is an apocryphal book discovered in 1896 in a fifth-century papyrus codex. The most complete text of the Gospel of Mary is contained in Berolinensis 8502, but even so, it is missing six manuscript pages at the beginning of the document and four manuscript pages in the middle. As such, the narrative begins in the middle of a scene, leaving the setting and circumstances unclear. Theologian Karen King believes, however, that references to the death of the Savior and the commissioning scene later in the narrative indicate the setting in the first section of the text is a post resurrection appearance of the Savior.
As the narrative opens, the Savior is engaged in dialogue with his disciples, answering their questions on the nature of matter and the nature of sin. At the end of the discussion, the Savior departs leaving the disciples distraught and anxious. According to the story, Mary speaks up with words of comfort and encouragement. Then Peter asks Mary to share with them any special teaching she received from the Savior, “Peter said to Mary, ‘Sister, we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of the women. Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember - which you know (but) we do not, nor have we heard them.’” Mary responds to Peter’s request by recounting a conversation she had with the Savior about visions.
- "(Mary) said, ‘I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to him, ‘Lord, I saw you today in a vision.’ He answered and said to me: “Blessed are you, that you did not waver at the sight of me. For where the mind is, there is the treasure.’ I said to him, ‘So now, Lord, does a person who sees a vision see it
through the soul or through the spirit?’
In the conversation, the Savior teaches that the inner self is composed of soul, spirit, and mind, and visions are seen and understood in the mind. Then the text breaks off and the next four pages are missing. When the narrative resumes, Mary is no longer recalling her discussion with the Savior. She is instead recounting the revelation given to her in her vision. The revelation describes an ascent of a soul, which as it passes on its way to its final rest, engages in dialogue with four powers that try to stop it.
Her vision does not meet with universal approval:
- "But Andrew answered and said to the brethren, 'Say what you think concerning what she said. For I do not believe that the Savior said this. For certainly these teachings are of other ideas.'"
- "Peter also opposed her in regard to these matters and asked them about the Savior. 'Did he then speak secretly with a woman, in preference to us, and not openly? Are we to turn back and all listen to her? Did he prefer her to us?'"
However Levi defends Mary and quells Peter's attack on her. In the text, Peter appears to be offended by the discovery that Jesus selected Mary above the other disciples to interpret his teachings.
Scholars do not always agree which of the Marys in the New Testament is the central character of the Gospel of Mary. Arguments in favor of Mary Magdalene are based on her status as a known disciple of Jesus, the tradition of being the first witness of his resurrection, and her appearance in other early Christian writings. She is mentioned as accompanying Jesus on his journeys (Luke 8:2) and is listed in the Gospel of Matthew as being present at his crucifixion (27:56). In the Gospel of John, she is recorded as the first witness of Jesus' resurrection (John 20:14-16); (Mark 16:9 later manuscripts).De Boer compares her role in other non-canonical texts, noting "in the Gospel of Mary it is Peter who is opposed to Mary’s words, because she is a woman. Peter has the same role in the Gospel of Thomas and in Pistis Sophia. In Pistis Sophia the Mary concerned is identified as Mary Magdalene." The final scene in the Gospel of Mary may also provide evidence that Mary is indeed Mary Magdalene. Levi, in his defense of Mary and her teaching, tells Peter "Surely the Savior knows her very well. That is why he loved her more than us." In the Gospel of Philip, a similar statement is made about Mary Magdalene.
So, let's assume for a moment that through all the cross referencing of these ancient texts (sort of helps you understand the importance of journaling, doesn't it!) that at the very least Mary Magdalene is the disciple of Christ, was with him when he died and witnessed his resurrection. But, what if he did give her special teachings and her function as a disciple went beyond telling stories and speaking to the masses as the other disciples. What if Mary's role was a little different? What if she was a mystical healer, who could see energy and receive visions from other dimensions? What if Mary was a cross dimensional, metaphysical healer in human form? What if Mary was a shaman or medicine woman?
Even if you have no belief in any of this as actually happening, there is a great deal of information to receive from the life of Mary. She embodied the hidden, mysterious element of humanity called, woman. She used the mind to heal and she could see energy. These are the skills of any spiritual healer. And once again in yet another ancient text by the Master Healer himself, Jesus Christ, we are given information about the power of our mind and therefore our thoughts.
If divine masculine energy is the backing of the human will, and the divine feminine energy is what gives it form...it seems to me that there isn't much that one can do on earth without these two forces working in tandem. When we break the two apart, we are left with a mystery. We are left with raw life force power with no focus, only overwhelming power and the glory of God is no where and everywhere all at once. And perhaps this is the very mystery we are meant to solve, to work out way back to wholeness. Perhaps this is how we are to evolve, for when we ask why, we are as seekers.
So, as we continue to track the mystery and we understand the power of mind, the absolute key to manifestion, does it not seem a little odd, that if thoughts become things and Jesus Christ was the embodiment of the divine son of God, Holy Spirit and master healer that his divine union would not have created divine union for him in the manifested world by virtue of the law of equanimity, "as above, so below"? If the mind is the petri dish, and the gateway to the field of pure potential then wouldn't it be impossible not to manifest every single thing your heart desires? Why would someone as powerful in the mind, as focused of intent as Christ for healing, happiness and wholeness want to block this unstoppable force of manifestation? It does not make sense. And this is why Mary Magdalene isn't going anywhere.
Mary is the embodiment of the divine feminine force within us all. She takes the mystery and gives it form. She is the creator. He is the spark, the will. Together, they co-create what manifests first in the mind. She claims the human gift of sight and embellishes it to go beyond the physical. She is not afraid of the unseen and for this she is richly rewarded with the re-unification of what she holds most dear. She helps us to find what we have been separated from. She helps us bring down what is in the heavens of our mind, to earth.
What if it's all just a big game of hide and seek and this is the tournament of all tournaments? Or more like the treasure hunt of all time. Mary Magdalene, the mysterious one, show us your mysteries and lead us to the treasures. We are seeking the riches of our soul in the recesses of our mind and we ask to be made whole.
MAGDALENE'S AFFIRMATIONS
I am the embodiment of the divine feminine.
I see across the veils of my mind.
I open myself to the full power of being human.
I allow myself to receive the Light.
I am purified by the Light.
I receive the gift of second sight.
I see the unmanifested world.
I trust in the Light of God.
I accept the will of God into my life.
I see the wisdom and the perfection in the will of God.
I surrender to Love.
I am a devoted disciple for the Love of Man.
I love myself unconditionally.
I am open to communication with my Guides and Guardians.
I am a spiritual healer.
I am grounded and free.
I annoint my body with sacred oils and cherish this vessel.
My body is a holy temple.
I am the divine union of masculine and feminine energies.
MAGDALENE'S SYMBOLOGY
Sacred Oils and balms, Alabaster, Red, water, ritual washing, purification rituals
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