The Magdalene Mystique » 2007 » May

The Author

Betty Conrad Adam, an Episcopal priest, is resident Canon Theologian at Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, and spiritual director of the Magdalene Community. She holds a PhD in philosphy from Rice University and was a recipient of a Merrill Fellowship at the Harvard Divinity School.

The Book

The Magdalene Mystique retells the story of Mary Magdalene for our time. As the consummate “other” who is mislabelled and demonized, the Magdalene becomes an ancestor who can help us bridge our cultural and religious divisions. Her lost Gospel tells us how a more deeply connected consciousness can happen to all of us and how we can be lead into a “shared peace.”

The CD

The Magdalene Mystique: Songs From Within by Anita Kruse is a companion to the book, The Magdalene Mystique. The music that accompanies our services can be found on this CD along with voices from other religious traditions. You will find this music helpful for private devotion or for use in your community.

Continuing Book Studies: Comment and/or Quote

posted May 16th, 2007 at 10:41 am by Betty

The Friday group reading The Secrets of Mary Magdalene was lively in its study of Chapter 2. We want to include you in our conversation so below you will find quotes from the book we spontaneously selected to discuss. Also you will find some thoughts and questions that came up in our conversation. If you are keeping up with us in the reading, if not but have a view you want to express, I hope you will enter into our on-line conversation.

Our discussion from The Secrets of Mary Magdalene (Chapter 2 “Embracing the Traditions of Women and the Sacred”) centered upon the following:

From When God was a Woman by Merlin Stone:
Quote: ‘The archaeological artifacts suggest that in all the Neolithic and early Chalcolithic societies the Divine Ancestress, generally referred to by most writers as the Mother Goddess, was revered as the supreme deity.”

Discussion: There was doubt among members of the community as to the validity of this claim. More importantly it was felt that within our Magdalene Communty we are trying to avoid the exclusivity of one gender.

From “Sex n the Temple,” an interview with Nancy Qualis-Corbett:

Quote: “The sacred prostitue, perhaps an initiate, could experience the fullness of womanhood, her feminine nature awakened to life. The element of divine love now resided in her.”

Discussion: Questions came forth from the community such as

“Was the “sacred prostitute” a man-made concept?

Would an initiate or goddess even want to experience “the fullness of womanhood, her feminine nature awakened to life” this way?

Shouldn’t we stop including the name of Mary Magdalene when the word prostitution comes up?

What is the relationship between goddess worship and the worship of the Magdalene Community?

From : “Mary Magdalene and the Sacred Union,” an Interview with Margaret Starbird

Quote: “In Luke, the women seem to be demoted from active participants in the movement to “ministering to/providing for them out of their goods.”

Discussion: We centered our conversation about the meaning of “from their means” and although the gosepls seem to add that phrase causally, we might be looking at the backbone and strength of the survival of the movement.

Let us hear from you. Many blessings of peace for this week. margaret starbird merlin stone sacred prostitute mary magdalene