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About a year and a half ago I had the honor of taking a journey to the South of France with an extra-ordinary group of people to visit the sacred sites of Mary Magdalene and to understand the truth of who she was/is. The photo below was taken in La Saint Baume in the cave which became her refuge during the last decades of her life. To get there, we hiked a mountain through the most beautiful forest.
It was not a religious trip, but a spiritual one as we connected with the places where she walked, taught, and meditated.
Did you know that ancient manuscripts were discovered that are believed to be the writings of Mary Magdalene? The Gospel of Mary. In Meggan Watterson's book "Mary Magdalene Revealed: the First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel, and the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet," she shares her journey, as a Harvard trained theologian, into Mary's text. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a deeper understanding of Mary Magdalene and her place in history as an archetype of the Divine Feminine. Her words are revolutionary, they are empowering, they are beautiful, they encourage us to go inwards to our heart-space, they teach us, according to Watterson, how to be fully human and fully divine.
But, getting back to my thoughts...as I've contemplated Magdalene's place in the Easter Story, my heart is full. She was with Jesus during the Crucifixion. She was the first person to see him after the Resurrection. She was with him during one of his darkest hours as well as one of the most hopeful moments in human history. That both the Divine Masculine (Jesus) and the Divine Feminine (Mary) are represented in the Easter Story somehow feels sacred and right to me. In a world where the Divine Feminine is rising to become balanced with the Divine Masculine, it brings me peace and hope that Jesus himself understood the importance of women and their strength, their tenderness, their courage, their loyalty, their affection, and their presence.
On this special day, I honor Jesus and his radical love for all of us. His teachings uplift and empower. They offer hope to the broken-hearted. His life exemplified compassion. He was a revolutionary who taught truth and broke the glass ceiling of his time.
And I humbly honor Mary Magdalene, who faithfully supported Jesus--remaining with him during his darkest hours, undoubtedly offering her strength and unfailing love. Her teachings, her wisdom, are worth exploring. My trip to France opened my heart, not only helping me see the truth of who she was, but the truth of who I am as a woman. And for that, I am deeply grateful.
This is a day of celebration...of hope, rebirth, renewal, rejuvenation, and the promise of eternal life. I wish each of you its blessings.
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