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 Artist - Sarah Honeycutt-Steele Scanned from cover of Margaret Starbird's "Goddess in the Gospels" |
A few years ago, I had hardly heard of Mary Magdalene. I remember hearing that she was a prostitute, but that was as far as my knowledge of her went. That changed one night when I had a very intense, very real dream of her. But it wasn't just "of" her. In the dream, I actually "was her", or at least, I was seeing things from her perspective, through her eyes. Dreams are funny in that you just know certain things without having to be told. During this dream, nobody said her name, but I knew without a doubt that it was her. The telling of the dream will be in first person, because this is the perspective I viewed it in. The dream starts out with a very intimate, very loving encounter with Jesus. The passion between us was incredible, unspeakable. It was beyond pure physical love, although the physical passion was undeniable. Then the dream progressed until we were traveling with a group of people through villages. Jesus was speaking to groups at the villages we would stop at. People were mesmerized by him, and I would stand near him, soaking up every word, as not only his student, but his equal partner. Although none of this was said within the dream, it came to me as a knowing. She was a priestess and she was his wife. |
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At one of the villages, while listening to him speak to the crowd, I started to feel very sick to my stomach and weak. I began to blackout and faint. And in that moment, I knew that I was pregnant. Just as that realization dawned, I was lifted up in his arms and taken from the crowd. His every move was full of love and gentleness. It was amazing to be able to see him as she saw him, to be able to experience his love for her first hand. The last thing I remember about the dream (which seemed to cover a period of time in quick images here and there) was traveling in a long boat with no oars. While in the boat, I knew that Jesus had already been crucified and that I had his child with me. Upon waking from the dream, I was filled with an overwhelming desire to read more about Mary Magdalene and her relationship to Jesus. During the dream, a few things were shown to me that I knew to be truth (with or without proof). I was pleasantly surprised to find evidence to support all (and more) of these theories.
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| Mary Magdalene is mentioned in the Bible as a "sinner" who is redeemed by Jesus and becomes one of his followers, but that is not the entire story. Mary was a priestess of the Goddess. Priestesses of the Temples were referred to as "sacred prostitutes" or "heirodules". They took on the role of the Goddess during the Sacred Marriage, an ancient rite done to legitimize the rule of Kings. In order for a King to have the rule of the land, he had to be symbolically wed to the Goddess. [2][3] Mary was most likely a priestess of a temple, where the mother of Jesus also served. [3] The term "Magdala" means "high place," or "Temple. Thus "Miriam of Magdala" (Mary Magdalene) was either the queen herself or a high priestess, impersonating {representing} the Goddess Mari. [8] Jesus is said to have cast "seven demons" from her, which can be linked to the initiations that priestesses regularly underwent in the temples of Isis-Ishtar-Inanna as a symbolic rite of death and rebirth, descending through the seven gates of the Underworld and then being reborn after three days. Being linked with the Goddess religions may have made her a "sinner" in the eyes of some, and her role was intentionally degraded in the "official" version of the Bible. [16] because it threatened to undermine the control of the male leaders of the Church. |
Image found @ www.spiralgoddess.com |
| She is called the Apostle of the Apostles. [2] Jesus called her "She Who Knows All".[1] [14] Some even believe she authored the 4th Gospel of the Bible, known as the Gospel of the Beloved Disciple. [4] Traditionally, the Church has asserted that John was the Beloved Disciple mentioned in the Bible, but further study suggests that it more likely was Mary herself. She was Jesus's first and most cherished student and partner. My intuition (and my dream) tell me that she was highly influential in the decision making process, and seen by Jesus as his equal, rather than just a disciple of his teachings. I suspect that together, through their union, the teachings were brought forth. Because God/dess is within each of us, it is through the joyful experience of life that the most Divine truths are uncovered, so I feel that their union and passionate love for each other and for their connection to the Mother/Father God, allowed them to be perfect channels for the Will of the Divine. |
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There is much evidence to support the theory that Mary was in fact Jesus' wife. In the Bible, it states that Mary anoints Jesus to prepare him for burial. This can be linked to the ancient rites of the Goddess religions, in which the Bride (a priestess representative of the Goddess) anoints the King, her Bridegroom during the the Sacred Marriage, heiros gamous. [2] In the temple of Isis-Inanna-Ishtar-Ashera, the King, who represented the God Dumuzi, would be married to one of the priestess, who represented the Goddess Inanna. [9] Jesus was called "King of the Jews" and he would have entered into this Sacred Marriage in order to legitimize that role. She was referred to as his "Sister-Bride". This signifies that their relationship was more than a sexual union; it was a deep spiritual intimacy and "kinship" summed up in the word sister. This Sacred Marriage was not limited to physical passion; it was a marriage of deepest spiritual and emotional ectasy as well. [5] Mary is mentioned in the Bible many times in close connection to Jesus. She is the only witness to his resurrection and she is known to be the one who anoints him and washes his feet with her hair. The Gospel of Mary, found in the Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of Gnostic texts, refers to their close relationship: "And the companion of the [...] Mary Magdalene. [...] loved her more than all the disciples, and used to kiss her often on her mouth." [1] Peter said to Mary (in the Gospel of Mary) "Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of women."[12] In Judaism at the time, it would have been unheard of for Jesus to NOT be married. Had he been unmarried, he would not have been seen as a fit leader or King.[2] [13] [16] The freedom to travel that Mary obviously had would also have been highly unusual had she not been married. [16] Just the very closeness of their relationship, confirmed by many sources, strongly supports the assertion that they were married. The behavior would have been seen as highly inappropriate had they not been. Some sources even state that she was so close to him that she sat in his lap during the Last Supper. [14] It is suggested that the Wedding of Canna, where Jesus turned the water into wine, was actually his own marriage to Mary of Bethany, the Magdalene [5] [16] |
| Their union can easily be compared to pagan myths, in which the Year God is born of the Goddess (Mother aspect - Virgin Mary) at the Winter Solstice, matures and joins with the Goddess in Sacred Marriage (Maiden/Lover aspect - Mary Magdalene) and is sacrificed (crucified), only to be resurrected and born once again, ensuring fertility and growth to the Earth ("saving humanity"). It is no coincidence that the day set aside to celebrate the birthday of Jesus coincides with the pagan Winter Solstice. It is clear that Jesus is just another aspect of the Year God of pagan myth, just as Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene are two aspects of the same Mother Goddess who has been worshiped by peoples since ancient times. Jesus was one to unite all people, regardless of social status or religion, so a marriage entered between him and a priestess would be a symbol of the union between the Mother Goddess of the pagan, Earth-fertility religions and the Father God of the Old Testament, creating a new religion that honors and embraces both masculine and feminine energies and harnesses the creative power inherent in all people. |
| The Virgin Mary was also said to have been a temple priestess. In the time, there were hierodules in the Temple of Jerusalem. [11] Mother Mary is said to have been dedicated to Temple work, she lived there, wove tapestries, altar cloths, and prayed for the betterment of the people. She is repeatedly called a "Temple Virgin". The term "virgin" doesn't have a connection to her actual physical state. The term "almah" can be translated to mean "virgin" or "maiden" all of which would be used to identify an unmarried girl [11][10][9] In Goddess worship, the term "virgin" means simply that she is beholden to no man, free to love as she chooses. "one in herself, to be true to her own nature and instinct. Unexploited, not in man's control." [11] It is interesting how a minor change in translation can change the entire meaning of who Mary, the Virgin Mother was. The connection between the Goddess creation myths and the stories of Mary's virgin birth are strikingly clear. As Elinor Gadon writes, "There is no more matriarchal image than the Christian mother of God who bore a child without male assistance." [11] |
 Image found at www.immaculateheart.com |
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Stained glass, Carmelite church, Boppard on the Rhine, 1440s, Detroit Institute of Arts. |
The Gospel of Philip, in the Gnostic texts of the Nag Hammadi library state: "There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary, his mother, and her sister, and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary." This is a clear connection to the Triple Goddess. Symbolic of the three aspects of every woman: sister, wife, mother. A symbol of the Goddess, complete unto herself. Jesus honored the sacred presence of these three strong women, all of whom were manifestations of the Goddess, whom he served alongside the Father. |
| Understanding his true relationship to these women has helped me (and I'm sure will help others) heal any rifts that remain between Christianity and Goddess worship. The original intent of Jesus and his early followers was very different than the institutionalized, fear based religions that the world has come to identify as modern, fundamentalist Christianity. This aberration from the true intent of Jesus and Mary was due to power hungry rulers who had the authority over access to this information and changed it to suit their own purposes. Some believe that after the crucifixion of Jesus, Mary, with the help of Jesus' close friend Joseph of Arimathea, fled to Egypt where she gave birth to his child. [5] This was neccessary because the nature of her relationship to Jesus put her, and her child, in danger. Many years later, when the child would have been about twelve years old, Mary fled to France accompanied by her sister, Martha of Bethany and their brother, Lazarus. They arrived on the coast of Provence in France."in a boat with no oars after narrowly escaping death during a storm at sea." [5] [7] (Note: I was amazed to find this piece of information, because this detail was SO prominent in my dream and I thought it was unusual to have a boat with no oars at that time in history. It served as a huge validation of the accuracy of my dream.) It is said that she arrived in France bearing the Holy Grail, which instead of being an actual cup which held the blood of Jesus, referred to the bloodline of Jesus, through the child that he and Mary had together. [16] Margaret Starbird, in her books "The Woman With the Alabaster Jar" and "Goddess in the Gospels" makes this connection and also states that the child was a girl named Sarah, called "Sarah, the Egyptian." [2][5][6] "Sarah" meaning "princess" in Hebrew. [5][6] This child may have carried on the bloodline even further, establishing the Merovingian monarchs of France. This word breaks down into mer and vin, which is translated as Mary's Vine. [5] In the town of Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in France, there is a festival every May 23rd - 25th at a shrine in honor of Saint Sarah the Egyptian. [5] |
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Symbols of Mary Magdalene:
Symbols of Virgin (Mother) Mary:
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| Mary Magdalene became an influential leader of early Christians, founding a cult of her own, called the Cult of the Magdalene or the Cult of the Beloved Disciple. [6] [4] The story of Mary and Jesus can be compared to that of Isis and Osiris. [3] as well as with Inanna and Dumuzi. Connecting to Mary in this way, as my patron Goddess, has helped me change my feelings towards Christianity and to nurture a close connection to both Mary and Jesus, as a symbol of Divine Wholeness, the balance of masculine and feminine that exists within each of us. Within each of us is "She Who Knows All", priestess, mother, lover, wife, and spiritual partner. It is my feeling that Mary is the bridge between modern day Pagans and Christians, and I feel this role is the vital element that will bring these two seemingly opposing belief structures into a unified Oneness. As Carl McColman states in his book, "Embracing Jesus and the Goddess" [15], Jesus and the Goddess are much like Romeo and Juliet, madly in love with each other, but with warring families. It is my hope that these warring families can come together and start a dialogue that will result in common understanding and tolerance, and finally... love and acceptance. Embracing Mary in her rightful place will also heal the often troubled relationships between men and women. The denial of the feminine as partner and friend has robbed us of the ecstasy and reduced our male-female relationships to a distorted shadow of the joy shared by the archetypal couple in the Garden. [5] Their story shows us that there is a way for men and women to complement each other, instead of oppose each other. Their relationship is the model of the perfect partnership, on all levels: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Embracing the partnership of these two archeypes also allows each of us to honor the partnership within us. Their love affair is present in each of us. Our other half is not outside of ourselves. It is within, and when we learn to love both sides of our Nature, we can love All. The Jesus story is incomplete without the Lost Goddess, and it is only when she is able to reclaim her rightful place, that all will be healed. |
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"..Exhausted and parched (from Margaret Starbirds : Woman With the Alabaster Jar) |
 found at www.artcyclopedia.com
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| "She Who Knows All" a collage arranged by Lotus Moonwise. In the collage above, you can see that there are two sides to the face of the Goddess: light and dark. With her eyes peacefully closed, a river of images flow through her consciousness. It is a mixture of All That Is, both light and dark, positive and negative, power, weakness, strength, frailty, peace, war, love, hate, death, birth, emotion, life!. "Like music to my eyes, so flows the river of life." Mary, in all her aspects is "She Who Knows All" |
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(Designed for a group, but could be adapted to a solitary practitioner) Tools: Red cloth to cover altar While setting up the altar, place the dark veil over the statue of Mary. Place this statue beside the statue of Christ. Have all other items laid out on altar nearby. Begin ritual: 1) Purify space
3) Call Quarters:
4) Intention:
5) Invocation to Mary:
6) Symbolic Re-Union:
7) Thank Goddess and God.
8) Thank / Release Quarters:
9) Open Circle:
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Reference sources: 1} Love
is Stronger than Death by Lesa Whyte (website) |
