Magdalene the Liberator

Mary Magdalene, the historical woman, and the archetype is rising in the collective consciousness. It has been happening for some years, and not for the first time has she pervaded the collective psyche. She has captivated us, whispers to us through the ages, inspires us to create, to heal, to rise. Books have been written in her name, films produced, great works of art, pilgrimages made to sites where she is honoured, hearts opened, tears shed, and inner fires stoked… She lives in us a divine feminine presence of love, wisdom, and gnosis. She speaks to us through the soul; She evokes devotion, not only to her image but to her image in us.

I am curious about why individually and collectively the Magdalene speaks to us so powerfully. What is it about her and her story, or the Magdalene archetype that resonates so profoundly in our soul?

I consider that as well as an actual woman, Magdalene is an archetype of individuation, as one who has integrated the shadow and has risen into the fullness of her feminine soul. An emanation of Sophia, she is wisdom incarnate in a flesh and blood woman. If Sophia lives in Magdalene, she lives in us too.

In the story of the Rose, and the Eros of Sophia, and that of Magdalene, there are many thorns. Sophia in an act of rapturous desire splits from her male counterpart which results in the demiurge, Yaldabaoth, a false god who creates a world of ignorance, darkness and suffering. Eve, as the first emanation of Sophia, is likewise said to have created suffering, and shame by disobeying God- though from a Gnostic perspective, the god that Eve disobeys is Yaldabaoth, and true gnosis is gained through the serpent and the tree of wisdom.

Mary Magdalene is depicted as a sinner, a fallen woman, one who has seven demons cast from her. Although she is at the foot of the cross, and is the first to witness the resurrected Christ, out with Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection, Magdalene rarely gets a mention in the bible. There is also confusion around the other Marys’.

Everything changed with the discovery of The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, in 1896. Here we are introduced to another version of the Magdalene, not only as an Apostle of Christ, but the only Apostle who has fully understood his teachings and who is ready to take up her ministry without fear.

In the pages of the Gospel of Mary, concerned with the ascent of the soul, a dialogue ensues between the powers of wrath, or the seven powers, and the soul. These powers are: darkness; desire; ignorance; zeal for death; the realm of the flesh; the foolish wisdom of the flesh; the wisdom of the wrathful person.

The powers which are seen as obstacles that prevent the ascension of the soul, interrogate the soul, asking “Where are you coming from, human killer?”, and, where are you going space- conqueror?”

While today, many of us on our journey to wholeness embrace the wisdom of the body, knowing that it is through being fully embodied that we begin to heal, at the time when the Gospel of Magdalene was written- likely sometime in the second century AD- over-identification with the body was thought to lead to attachment, ignorance, and suffering. Now, many of us feel that by being fully present in our physical body, fully ensouled, we are clearer vessels to be filled with spirit, and that it is through facing the shadow inherent within these attachments that we are liberated.

The negative aspects of the powers of wrath are within us and they are also forced upon us through negative conditioning of a false matrix world. Unhooking ourselves from these destructive ways of being and beliefs that are detrimental to the soul, liberates us from suffering and returns us to source, God, or the creative spirit.

When you consider the seven powers of wrath, and Magdalene’s awakening, what speaks most to you most in your own journey of awakening?

In my case, sexual shame is a big one: the first time I was called a slut, I was 8 years old. Exile, rejection, persecution, misunderstanding, are also powers that have led to my personal suffering.

While it is therapeutic and liberating to discover where we are, or have been, most controlled by negative powers in our lives, the disenfranchisement from spirit is a bigger story that has played out in the collective consciousness for millennia. The disenfranchisement of the feminine body and soul from spirit is a very particular one. That is why I have called my website Gnostic Woman, not because I am expert on the historical sects of Gnostics, but because I am aware that nearly all of what has been written and taught through the ages has been filtered through a male-centric position, even within the gnostic texts, and it is only now that we are beginning to get a true picture of the feminine soul.

One of the ways I work with Magdalene is in the astrology chart.

Asteroid Magdalena (318) was discovered by Auguste Charlios, in Nice, in 1891, just 5 years before the discovery of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene- though it is possible that the actual discovery date of the text, of which we know little, was earlier.

That same year, American author Edgar Saltus wrote a book entitled Mary Magdalen: A Chronicle in which he depicts Magdalene as a heroine living in a castle in Magdala, and her relationship with Jesus and Judas.

Also in that year, artist Jean Béraud painted St Mary Magdalene in the house of Simon the Pharisee.

Clearly Magdalene fever was as alive and kicking in the late 19th century as it is today.

It remains to say that an archetype which holds as much power, meaning, and necessity for wholeness as Magdalene, is irrepressible. While various authorities have tried to condemn her, she undoubtedly lives as a vibrant pulsating energy in the human soul.

I work with asteroid Magdalena:

Using asteroids in this way may seem a little far-fetched, after all what does a lump of rock orbiting the Sun have to do with a female figure from the New Testament, or even the archetype of Magdalene?

Archetypes, symbols, and myths do not exist in a vacuum, they hold layers of meaning that correspond to, and connect with, multidimensional realities that resist fixed interpretation. They are fluid entities, alive with power that manifests on different levels of consciousness, meeting us where we are.

In my own chart, for example, asteroid Magdalena is 18° Aquarius, conjunct Venus at 20° Aquarius, in the 7^th house of relationships. It is also just minutes from the degree that asteroid Magdalena was when it was discovered- the discovery chart. This may go some way to explaining why Magdalene is such an important figure and archetype in my life.

Without going into detail (for another time), I have a strong sense of the meaning of asteroid Magdalena in this placement of my  natal chart. It has taken me years of working in this way, archetypally, intuitively, and symbolically to arrive at a deeper understanding of my soul’s journey. If you would like to work with me, I would be honoured to offer this to you too.

I am also preparing an 8-week experiential on-line course to delve deeper into working with your own chart, Magdalene, and healing the feminine soul. If you are interested in participating in this, please note your interest here, or by emailing me at: karenmullensmith@gmail.com