We believe Jesus knew that he and Mary Magdalene were enacting the ancient pattern of Earth’s spirituality, the pattern of cyclic renewal of life. Perhaps the others had lost awareness that one of the ways the Bride of the Messiah King would be recognized was by her tears. In our Christian story the many tears of Mary Magdalene were often misunderstood or criticized by those around her, except Jesus. “Those who sowed in tears shall reap rejoicing, and they shall come home, bearing their sheaves” (Psalm 126:5–6). In connecting with the tears of Mary Magdalene, we reclaim our ability to live authentically, to express deeply felt compassion, to rejoice in our humanity and the gifts of our five senses, culminating in our mystical union with the Beloved.
She is the mirror of Christ’s love for us her love for him is only a shadow of his love for her! We can imagine her tears of sorrow changing to tears of joy as she encounters her Beloved risen in the garden, reaching out to her, clasping her close, whispering her name, that name, which in its very essence reflects her tears: Mary-“the bitter salt sea.” It is she who is the model for contemplative souls seeking union with the Divine- one-on-one, heart-to-heart. She is clearly the Beloved, faithful to Jesus throughout his ministry in Palestine and even to his grave. There is no mistaking this woman whose emotions are so heartfelt and whose devotion to Jesus is so passionate. First the two angels seated in the tomb ask her why she is crying, and then, a few minutes later, Jesus, whom she mistakes for the gardener, asks her the same question: “Woman, why are you crying?” Mary’s tears recall the prophetic passage addressed to the “Magdal-eder” by the prophet Micah almost seven hundred years before: “Why are you crying? Have you no king? Has your counselor/mentor perished, that you cry aloud like a woman in labor?” (Micah 4:8–9). She cries at the empty tomb of Jesus on Easter morning (John 20). Here Jesus is moved to protect her from the complaints of Judas about the wasted value of her fragrant ointment. She cries over the feet of Jesus at the banquet in Bethany (John 12) and wipes her tears from his feet with her hair. She cries at the tomb of her brother Lazarus (John 11), and Jesus is so moved by her tears that he raises Lazarus from the tomb. In the Gospels, while the Virgin Mary “ponders her sorrows in her heart,” Mary Magdalene cries. She is the compassionate one, sympathetic and empathetic, moved to tears over the plight of her friends and family. Her tear is often visible in medieval paintings and statues, reflecting the fact that the only Mary who cries in the Gospels of the New Testament is the one called “the Magdalene.” This trait is reflected in the term maudlin in English, which means “overly sentimental.” But it is one of the ageold characteristics of the Goddess who cries over the broken body of her Lover in the ancient pagan mythologies. One of the identifying features of Mary Magdalene in iconography is a tear on her cheek or a handkerchief pressed to her eyes.
Placing Mary Magdalene within the pattern of “cyclic renewal” of earth-based religions, this book offers the chance to incorporate the sacred feminine wisdom of Mary Magdalene into everyday life for Christians and spiritual feminists alike. Well-suited for the individual reader as well as a group, each lesson includes an introduction, guided meditation, questions for journaling, and an essay by Margaret Starbird as well as suggestions for group sharing. Among the lessons are prophecies of the bride, why we need the bride, Magdalene’s archetypal pattern of descent, and how modern women carry the Grail. This book offers 14 lessons to help understand the wisdom offered by Mary Magdalene’s story and mythos. Magdalene Circles are groups of women who focus their shared energies on the wisdom of Mary Magdalene to gain insight into the role of the sacred feminine in their own lives and to help them advance on their spiritual paths. Women’s circles have been called a “revolutionary-evolutionary movement hidden in plain sight” by Jean Shinoda Bolen and have been hailed as capable of affecting global change. Designed for those involved in Magdalene Circles and those interested in applying the sacred feminine wisdom of the Goddess to their lives.Includes wisdom stories, guided meditations, journaling questions, and essays by Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar.Provides a unique workbook for use in the spiritual pathwork of Magdalene Circles.
A practical guide for inviting the wisdom of Mary Magdalene into everyday life
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