The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity [Paperback]

"The gospel narratives leave us with a powerful icon of the deep and pure soul love between Mary Magdalene and Jesus..a deep and mystical bond between them, stronger than physical life or death,(which) becomes profoundly engendering to the whole subsequent unfolding of Christianity" ( C. Bourgeault 2008 The Wisdom Jesus). Picking up themes from earlier work which are at the heart of her teaching and Thomas Keating's, and further exploring her own almost life long interest in Mary Magdalene, this book, takes us on a journey through an imaginal ( not the same as imagined) consideration of the relationship between Jesus and Mary. The Rev. Bourgeault takes us on a journey, informed by faith, experience and a sparkling intellect through an ages old consideration of the relationship between eros and agape. Before taking us on this journey with her, she first visits what we know of Mary in history referring to the bible as well as the gnostic gospels (but not the Pistis Sophia or the Jesus Sophia) and very logically in very human terms points to the evidence that the relationship was deeply personal, intimate and loving and that Mary most likely had her own .spiritual gifts. Rev. Bourgeault tells us that the meaning of Mary is not as sophia incarnate, that the recovery of Magdalene is not a recovery of Sophia, the feminine divine. There is only one ordering principle,not a masculine and a feminine,she says with compelling clarity. The real meaning of Mary Magdalene to Christianity is in her human being..in her being the first Christian..the first to understand and model Jesus' transparency ( not as God but as Human (sic)) There is obviously much more experience, thought and revelation to be shared than could be accommodated in these few pages. There is no question that The Rev. Bourgeault's voice is an authentic one on the subject of Mary Magdalene..she tells us she has been drawn to Mary Magdalene for more than 40 years. Readers and students interested in further exploration or deeper understanding of the themes in this book might also want to read, or re read, Wisdom Jesus and Love is Stronger than Death. Her bibilographies are always a treasure trove and a work of hers cited in this book is well worth a read for further background on eros as divine love (Spring 1999 issue of Gnosis..available through Field Books, San Francisco) Sardello also speaks very movingly to the transformative power of the sacred in relationship, to the emanation of a third and sacred presence from such relationships, in Chapter six of his book, Silence. Athough a very different kind of book, oustide the garden wall of wisdom teaching for contemplatives, Jane Norton's "The Mary Magdalene Within" is a plain English version of the imaginal relationship Bourgeault conveys in her book which may make what Bourgeault is saying here more accessible to you. Reread..a few times. ..and do explore other sources, especially those she recommends.

It is possible that some of what the Rev. Bourgeault asks us to consider may be rough going.( mostly things mentioned in passing and not developed)but she is only asking us to consider and not for the sake of persuasion but to provoke a search for clarity within ourselves.

I am a middle aged male from the Roman Catholic tradition and Cynthia Bourgeault is my spiritual guide. She does not know this as we have never met. I have read her book on Centering Prayer (8 times), The Wisdom Way of Knowing, Wisdom Jesus (5 times), Mystical Hope, Love is stronger than Death, and now Mary Magdalene. I mention these other works because this might be a reasonable order for approaching her work. She may occasionally be a little off the mark but I always have a deep sense that she is leading me in the right direction. I never get the sense that she has an agenda but that she is following her heart in union with God. I now feel an inner certainty that Mary Magdalene was the first to realize that Jesus continued to live after his death. Then she got Peter on board and the rest is history. I could not stop reading this book and I will soon be reading it again.

It is light bursting over the waters beneath a heavily clouded sky--It is a woman speaking out into the clear air after the heart's years of secret conversing. To continue David Whyte's imagery, it is `the opening of eyes long closed'---deep seeing into the true image at the core and resolving back to our origin. I sense an energetic symbiosis between Cynthia's mind and Mary's until I am not sure who is speaking. That is the amazing anamnesis Dr. Bourgeault has achieved. The book is magnificent: another writing to live on -to love through.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 35 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars