Book Review: Mary Magdalene, The Darker Saint

Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus, sometimes depicted as his closest disciple. While she is venerated as a saint by Christians, many goddess worshippers consider her to be an aspect of the Divine Feminine and even a goddess. Today, 22 July is her feast day, and so I'm offering this review of Mary Magdalene, The Darker Saint by Claire Pingel 

The text on the back of the book says:

"Mary Magdalene. Who is she? Explore the many sides of Mary - divine feminine, saint, goddess of wisdom, femininity and sexuality. There are many ways to approach the Magdalene. Her story is explored here through biblical and apocryphal texts. Paths to working with Mary, the deity, are yours to discover."

In the book, Claire describes how she discovered Mary Magdalene while on a pagan path of self-discovery and after working with many other goddesses. She describes Mary as goddess of divine spiritual energy who cares for those who suffer from depression and adversity. 

Mary Magdalene was a historical figure, but there are many different legends about her. Claire examines these and shows how the various accounts and stories can be taken as spiritual inspiration. The book ends with describing ways of working with Mary Magdalene and includes a lovely pathworking, which I was lucky enough to take part in myself when I was at the Greenoaks Gathering.  I then won my copy of Mary Magdalene, The Darker Saint in the Greenoaks raffle. I took that as a sign it was a book I needed to read and post about on my blog for Mary's feast day.

Mary Magdalene, The Darker Saint is published by Veneficia Publications. You can view the book on Amazon.

Celebrate the Festival of Mary Magdelene in London

At Wicca Moon: On Wednesday, 23 July you can celebrate the Festival of Mary Magdalene with a sacred gathering to honour the Beloved of the Rose. This is being run at Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, Eltham SE9. It starts at noon and continues through the afternoon. There are more details here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/24119425231079675

At Crossbones Graveyard (and online): Also on Wednesday, 23 July  there will be an Isis-Magdalene vigil and a vigil to honour the outcast dead of Crossbones Graveyard, Southwark. Location: Redcross Way, London, SE1 1TA. Time: 6.45pm for 7pm. Free, just turn up  You can also watch the vigil online, details are on the Facbeook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1283218100098757/

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