The Magadalene Rosary, the Legendary Mysteries
Posted by Joan Norton at 11/24/2008 8:59 AM 
Categories: The Magdalene Rosary
Tags: Mary Magdalene 14 Steps To Awaken the Sacred Feminine Women in the Circle of Mary Magdalene
Categories: The Magdalene Rosary
Tags: Mary Magdalene 14 Steps To Awaken the Sacred Feminine Women in the Circle of Mary Magdalene
The word "rosary" comes from the Latin for "rose garden", another metaphor for life itself. The Magdalene Rosary gives us helpful stories for the life we live. They're archetypal stories, meaning universal themes for everyone's ordinary lives. And of course we know so well that the word "Magdalene" means the Sacred Feminine and her stories. The new Magdalene Rosary which I use was developed by Margaret Starbird and can be found in 14 Steps To Awaken the Sacred Feminine: Women in the Circle of Mary Magdalene . You will enjoy reading Margaret's very personal story of inspiration and revelation that led her to develop the "seven-fold" Stories and Legendary Mysteries of Mary Magdalene.
What do I call to inside myself when I touch the rosary bead for this particular story in Mary Magdalene's Mysteries? " Mary travels with Joseph of Arimathea to safety in Egypt" is the first of the Legendary Mysteries.
She has married, her husband died, she's pregnant, and the ruling party of the land wants her dead too, along with the whole family. She is living a paradox in the extreme; she holds both death and new life in her heart and in her womb.
How well women know this, how familiar is the feeling of paradox and its call to balance. How well women know to hold two truths, two opposites, at one time in our heart. The hero has the luxury of being dominated by one goal, one "stand", one belief, one path; and we may very well have that part of ourselves too. But the Sacred Feminine consciousness who lives through Mary Magdalene must hold the paradox of two truths at once within her. Her life has seemingly ended with Jesus' death and yet her life also begins again with her pregnancy and her exile to Egypt to give birth.
How many times have you lived Mary Magdalene's story of opposites? Many.
We also learn from this story that extreme danger is present and that if we try to hold on to what is over and done, our soul's journey may be annihilated. Our Mary of Bethany, the Magdalene, would be killed by the same ones who wanted her husband dead, the "ruling party" interested in preserving its own power. The same is true in us, worn out patterns of life and thinking will kill us if we try to hang on to them too long. You see this over and over in fairy tales and myths as the corrupt ruling king who is living without a queen of equal stature.
Mary Magdalene must escape from this, both grieving and hopeful at the same time. It's not safe to stay where she is, as she is. The Church's story left her there grieving, without the story of the life inside her. I think that's why the Feminine became a stereotype in their story instead of a "living presence".
But now we know better. We know that Mary was quickly protected by the Sacred Masculine, for it has many forms as well. Joseph of Arimathea took her to safety in Egypt, so the legendary mystery is told in Mediterranean tales. He is known as Jesus' uncle and later as the a founder of the Christian church in Celtic lands.
There's a song by Billy Swann called " I Can Help" " with words that fit this part of our story. "I've got two strong arms, let me help. It would do me good to do you good, let me help." I believe that describes the Joseph of Arimathea character as he helped Mary Magdalene to safety, and then on again to France. He is the Sacred Masculine who sees that the "way of the heart" should be supported....that she alone carries "the new".
Joseph of Arimathea takes our Christian story into Celtic lands and Celtic culdee communities,
into the lands where today we're seeing "miracles in the crop." Some call that land the new center of Christianity, the place where it is being rebirthed for the Aquarian Age that we are just beginning to create for ourselves. That feels intuitively true to me....Jerusalem sometimes feels old and used up. It's become a center of fear instead of a place of potential for new life. All over Celtic lands there are ancient placenames of Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea which tell of their visits and travels, just as this is so of Mary Magdalene's name remembered all over southern France.
Barry Dunford writes extensively about Jesus in Scotland , you can read about it on his website
here .
What is my own "inner" Joseph of Arimathea? , my own self support, my own "two strong arms"? Do I allow and support my own paradoxes? Or do I criticize myself for those times I feel too much or feel two opposite ways? Our Mary Magdalene Rosary tells us that sometimes we have to hold two truths at once in our heart, two opposites, and that if we can allow ourselves not to stay stuck in one or the other, life will go on to renew us over and over again.
P.S. Maybe "the Good News" is a pregnancy announcement.
Click Here To See Magadalene Rosaries and Chaplets
What do I call to inside myself when I touch the rosary bead for this particular story in Mary Magdalene's Mysteries? " Mary travels with Joseph of Arimathea to safety in Egypt" is the first of the Legendary Mysteries.
She has married, her husband died, she's pregnant, and the ruling party of the land wants her dead too, along with the whole family. She is living a paradox in the extreme; she holds both death and new life in her heart and in her womb.
How well women know this, how familiar is the feeling of paradox and its call to balance. How well women know to hold two truths, two opposites, at one time in our heart. The hero has the luxury of being dominated by one goal, one "stand", one belief, one path; and we may very well have that part of ourselves too. But the Sacred Feminine consciousness who lives through Mary Magdalene must hold the paradox of two truths at once within her. Her life has seemingly ended with Jesus' death and yet her life also begins again with her pregnancy and her exile to Egypt to give birth.
How many times have you lived Mary Magdalene's story of opposites? Many.
We also learn from this story that extreme danger is present and that if we try to hold on to what is over and done, our soul's journey may be annihilated. Our Mary of Bethany, the Magdalene, would be killed by the same ones who wanted her husband dead, the "ruling party" interested in preserving its own power. The same is true in us, worn out patterns of life and thinking will kill us if we try to hang on to them too long. You see this over and over in fairy tales and myths as the corrupt ruling king who is living without a queen of equal stature.
Mary Magdalene must escape from this, both grieving and hopeful at the same time. It's not safe to stay where she is, as she is. The Church's story left her there grieving, without the story of the life inside her. I think that's why the Feminine became a stereotype in their story instead of a "living presence".
But now we know better. We know that Mary was quickly protected by the Sacred Masculine, for it has many forms as well. Joseph of Arimathea took her to safety in Egypt, so the legendary mystery is told in Mediterranean tales. He is known as Jesus' uncle and later as the a founder of the Christian church in Celtic lands.
There's a song by Billy Swann called " I Can Help" " with words that fit this part of our story. "I've got two strong arms, let me help. It would do me good to do you good, let me help." I believe that describes the Joseph of Arimathea character as he helped Mary Magdalene to safety, and then on again to France. He is the Sacred Masculine who sees that the "way of the heart" should be supported....that she alone carries "the new".
Joseph of Arimathea takes our Christian story into Celtic lands and Celtic culdee communities,
into the lands where today we're seeing "miracles in the crop." Some call that land the new center of Christianity, the place where it is being rebirthed for the Aquarian Age that we are just beginning to create for ourselves. That feels intuitively true to me....Jerusalem sometimes feels old and used up. It's become a center of fear instead of a place of potential for new life. All over Celtic lands there are ancient placenames of Jesus and Joseph of Arimathea which tell of their visits and travels, just as this is so of Mary Magdalene's name remembered all over southern France. Barry Dunford writes extensively about Jesus in Scotland , you can read about it on his website
here .
What is my own "inner" Joseph of Arimathea? , my own self support, my own "two strong arms"? Do I allow and support my own paradoxes? Or do I criticize myself for those times I feel too much or feel two opposite ways? Our Mary Magdalene Rosary tells us that sometimes we have to hold two truths at once in our heart, two opposites, and that if we can allow ourselves not to stay stuck in one or the other, life will go on to renew us over and over again.
P.S. Maybe "the Good News" is a pregnancy announcement.
Click Here To See Magadalene Rosaries and Chaplets
Hi, Joan, I received my Magdalene Rosary from Sally about a week ago, and I love holding it. I even wore it on Saturday when I did a Holiday Rescue and Relaxation Retreat and knew that I needed help to hold the compassionate heart energy required to do that kind of work. I've been very angry lately, so, yes, I had the challenge of holding the break-me-open energy of anger with the hold-open-the-way energy of love for the retreat.
I kept the rosary on my altar, letting it rest there for several days before I began to meditate/pray with it. Life has been too busy lately, so not until today have I looked back at the entry with the guidance on how to pray with the Magdalene Rosary. I have just held the beads and let the prayers to Her flow, starting with gratitude.
I am ready now to use the guidance. I felt the power of the rosary and my intention to evoke Her on Saturday as I was able to be fully present in my heart and at the same time, I was able to speak blunt truths about healing and the loss of the Divine Feminine from western medicine, holding the opposites you remind us of.
My dreams have been horrific lately. Many of them have had negative male figures and hermaphrodites who intend me harm, so to allow the Magdalene Rosary to call forth the Sacred Masculine, full of protection, sounds just right for me today.
And regarding the rise of the Celtic way, I just learned that there is a Celtic church and that its practices include "home churches," no doctrine, and no requirement to leave one's current church. They try to follow the early church of John and the practices of the first 1,000 years of Christianity. The very word "church" frightens me, but I am curious about this one.
Thanks for the help,
Sandra
www.bestinprinting.com/sandra
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Hi Sandra,
Fire energy is just what's needed sometimes but it can sure get hot and uncomfortable!
I did the same thing with my rosary at first. It felt confusing to try to learn the pattern, but when I settled into a rhythm of praying the 3 prayers...the thankyou to the source...the Magdalene prayer...and the hallowed be thy name prayer and then chose a Magdalene Mystery to muse on...it fell into a comforting routine. Did I tell you the change in the Magdalene prayer that Margaret has asked for? Here it is:
Dear Mary Magdalene, love incarnate,
Sacred Vessel, Holy Grail
chosen were you from all women,
and blessed is your union with Jesus
Dearest Bride and Beloved of Christ,
Show us the way of the heart.
I think you're right about invoking the sacred masculine for protection....it's a concept we may not have felt we had a right to.
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Thank you for that beautiful picture of Joseph of Arimathea. I love his story.
Sandra
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