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Your Heart Knows How to Heal You, by Cissi Williams

Your Heart Knows How to Heal You: The Sacred Medicine of the Four Chamber of the Heart, by Cissi Williams
Findhorn Press, 9798888502044, 256 pages, April 2025

In her latest book, Your Heart Knows How to Heal You: The Sacred Medicine of the Four Chamber of the Heart, Cissi Williams writes an inspiring and transformative guide for anyone wanting to embrace their inner power and heal emotional wounds. Williams takes the reader on a journey from your head to your heart then deep into the inner chambers for healing and rewriting your own story.

Cissi Williams has a masterful background in physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.  She is an osteopath and a naturopath, while also being trained in NLP, hypnosis, energy medicine, and shamanism. In her work with clients, she has created a unique healing method that combines each of these healing modalities to heal the body, mind, soul and spirit.  Through her teachings and podcasts, she has supported thousands of people in healing their lives. Originally from Sweden, Williams lives with her husband and two daughters in the Cotswolds, England. Learn more on her website.

Drawing from her vast experience as a spiritual guide and healer, Williams offers a practical blueprint for self-discovery, emotional freedom, and spiritual growth. What sets Your Heart Knows How to Heal You apart is its ability to blend the magic and mythology of healing with shamanic journeys and journaling. The result is a holistic approach that encourages readers to listen to the wisdom of their hearts, trust their inner guidance, and reconnect with the essence of who they truly are.

Williams divides the book into three parts: 

Part 1: From the Head to the Heart
Part 2: Journey into the Sacred Medicine of the Four Chambers of Your Heart
Part 3: Weaving Your Heart’s Wisdom into Your World

In the brief introduction, Williams shares her story and what led to her experiences and the healing tools she now shares. She experienced a heart attack prior to her 52nd birthday and she came to know this:

“At that moment in the waiting room at the hospital as I made this decision to let my heart heal me, I was filled with a deep inner peace. I just knew that somehow everything would be fine.”1

Next, she shares that the structure of the book will support the reader to move from “your head to your heart”2, explore the four chambers of the heart with shamanic journeys and learn to listen to your heart.

Although I was familiar with the concept of the four chambers of the heart, I was not aware of the idea that the four chambers mirror the four seasons. The first chamber brings “the medicine of healing and letting go”3 and aligns with the season of autumn.  In the second chamber of the heart, we find “the medicine of transformation”4 and the winter season. For the third chamber, Williams mentions “the medicine of the magical light”5 and the energy of spring. Finally, we have the fourth chamber and “the medicine of rebirth”6, corresponding to summer.

After a brief explanation of shamanic practices, Williams shares how to best use the written shamanic journeys for your own healing.  She also invites you to go to her website, where she has recorded these guided journeys.  It is an easy sign-up process for access to a brief introduction, a journal, nine shamanic journeys, and three prayers.

Williams also includes mythological information on the Tree of Life, numerous goddesses, such as Freya, Mary Magdalene, Hel, and Brigid.  In doing so, you can learn about your nervous system and receive wisdom from your body. In this same chapter, she discusses the chakra system and how to work with it through shamanic energy medicine. She includes another “shamanic journey to cleanse your chakras and tune into the Tree of Life.”7

The chapters on the four chambers of the heart comprise the most important sections of the book. Again, she weaves in goddesses and spirit animals to support your healing journey. At the core of the book lies the belief in the heart’s innate intelligence. Williams emphasizes that the heart is not only a metaphorical source of love but also a powerful guide for decision-making and healing. She encourages readers to tap into the heart’s wisdom through practices such as visualization, chakra work, and shamanic journeys. These tools allow readers to cultivate a deeper sense of self-compassion and intuitive clarity.

My favorite chapter is Chapter 8, which is in Part 3 and is entitled “Re-writing Your Story.” Williams shares the story of Mary Magdalene and Glastonbury, which has long been held as the “heart chakra of the world”8. Next, she takes the reader through a shamanic journey to connect with both Mary and Glastonbury.

As the reader is supported to release old fears, receive “medicine from the four elements”9 and learn to weave magic from various chakras, they are also led to write a letter to Mary that highlights a new life story. This is so powerful and healing!

Wiliams has included many resources and navigational aids, such as the table of contents, and a recap that suggests specific chapters for aspects of life. She also includes a closing prayer and a resource list of books and oracle decks, as well as other sources and websites for more guided shamanic journeys. Additionally, there’s a recap of shamanic journeys and exercises from the book. This makes it easy for the reader to find a specific exercise, line of questioning, or guided journey.  

Williams’ tone is compassionate and non-judgmental, creating a sense of safety and encouragement; her writing style is warm and relatable. Each chapter is interwoven with meditations, visualizations, and shamanic journeys, making the book not just an intellectual read but an experiential process. I’m particularly pleased that she provides audio of the guided shamanic journeys on her website. This offering makes the book even more supportive for transformation and healing.  

Whether you are new to self-healing practices or a seasoned spiritual seeker, Your Heart Knows How to Heal You has something to offer. It is accessible for beginners, with its clear explanations and step-by-step instructions, yet it is profound enough for those well-versed in shamanism and spiritual growth. As Williams shares on the first page of her book:

“For all the mothers and grandmothers, sisters, and daughters–may we awaken the feminine wisdom that is embedded within our bones, flowing through our veins, and wired into our DNA, so that we can weave our healing medicine into our world.”10

Magdalene Manifestation Cards, by Danielle Rama Hoffman

Magdalene Manifestation Cards: Create Abundance through Love, by Danielle Rama Hoffman and illustrated by Christine Lucas
Bear & Company, 9781591434801, 44 cards, 202 pages, May 2023

In creating the Magdalene Manifestation Cards: Create Abundance through Love deck, Danielle Rama Hoffman has brought keys and holograms for manifestation into the hands of everyone who chooses to work with these codes of light.

Hoffman is an author, channel, and coach, who has been on the leading edge of the evolution of consciousness for almost 30 years. Her clients are healers, coaches, and lightworkers. She has trained massage therapists, reiki masters, and Quantum Light practitioners, as well as led tours to Egypt and France.

Christine Lucas is the illustrator of the beautiful keys, holograms, and light codes. She assigns her lineage to the Ascended Masters Lineage of Thoth. Lucas worked closely with Thoth, the Magdalenes, the Codes of Love, and Danielle to bring these cards to life. Lucas is an intuitive artist, illustrator, and graphic designer, who also has a background in meditation. She loves nature, travel, photography, and music.

Initially attracted to these cards because of the Magdalenes. Then once I began to play with the energy of the cards, I really resonated with the light codes and glyphs that Lucas and Hoffman have created. The deck is divided into two sections: 1) Four Resource Codes and 2) Twenty Codes of Love. Within the Twenty Codes of Love, you’ll find a pair of cards for each concept. The total number of cards in the deck is 44.

Hoffman presents an extensive introduction to the cards, how they came to be created, and her almost 30-year journey with Thoth. She includes some of her journey entries from several different meetings with Thoth, both in France and Egypt. She also defines the Magdalenes:

“A group of love beings including Anna, Isis, Mary Magdalene, the black Madonna, and many galactic beings.”6

When she returned from Egypt in 2020 and the pandemic lockdown began, she started to transcribe more of the Magdalene Codes and work on creating this deck. In the introduction, she shares stories from clients and friends who worked with the codes to manifest incredible results in health, wealth, and business success.

Hoffman shares several ways to work with this deck, from simple one card readings to a tableau of 16 cards. I chose to work with a one-card reading for 3 days in a row. As Hoffman suggests, I pulled a card from the deck and then found its “pair” for a complete reading and activation of the love codes.

My first card was the key card: Ecstatic Bliss – Joyful Simplicity.

“It is a joy to be me. Bliss exists in every moment. Home in on what matters most to you. Simplify to amplify your results.”11

This card really hit home for me, in that we are in the midst of a Venus retrograde, which asks us to really look at what we value and what we really want, focusing on that and letting go of the rest.

Then, I looked through the deck for the second card, the pair to that key, and I found the hologram: Ecstatic Bliss – Signature Essence.

“The difference of you is what matters. Boldly shine your uniqueness for consistent, predictable manifestation.”12

This concept is also something I’ve really been focusing on over the past year as I’ve worked with a designer to revise my website and fine-tune my offerings to be more true to who I am. I am also learning to put myself out there more with my blog and other posts on social media.

The guidebook has even more guidance from the Magdalenes and Thoth for each card, such as this from the passage on Ecstatic Bliss – Signature Essence:

“Simple, elegant, streamlined. Steep in this hologram to reabsorb that which is no longer aligned with you so that it organically falls away, like leaves on a tree that know when it’s time to fall with grace, ease, and an exhale. What remains is Ecstatic Bliss.”13

Hoffman also includes what she calls an application for each of the hologram cards. This consists of some suggestions for integrating the message of the card. It may include a ritual, an exercise, or something to do in nature, among other things.

Next, I did readings for three friends with this deck. I pulled the cards and then sent them photos of the cards and brief messages from the guidebook. For one friend who was struggling with a recent move for her business, I drew Birthright of Love. The key card is Authentic Expression, and the hologram card is Openhearted Connection.

The guidance for the key card recommended that she bring in the energy of the four Resource Codes, so I sent her photos of those four cards, as well. The other guidance that she really took to heart:

“Take one loving action today, not because you have to, but because it is natural for Love to move through you.”14

From the hologram card, I read that it was time to call upon the Birthright of Love Code. This guidance was recommended for the start of a new project, which was relevant to my friend’s new location for her business. The guidance went on to suggest focusing on the following affirmation:

“I am loved. All my creations are loved. Love is a given in this situation.15

My friend loved the guidance from these cards and was planning to print out all six cards and use them in her workspace. She called me later to say she printed a second set of cards for her home!

The artwork on these cards and the colors selected are very beautiful. Jewel tones are used with bright colored accents, some of which are almost neon. Each of the pairs of cards share the same color scheme, which makes it easy to find the matching card within the deck.
For another friend, I drew two of the resource code cards: Yummy Money and Divine Relationships.

Her message was a combination of allowing money “do things for you and watch your mission thrive”16 and remembering that “you may require primary relationships with light beings, animals, nature and crystals.”17 The guidebook encouraged my friend to use the word “Yummy” or say “mmmmm” each time she said or thought about money. Doing so raises your vibration. My friend loved the guidance and loved the Yummy Money challenge!

In order to find the guidance, one must use the table of contents and search for the name of each of the Codes of Love. These are not listed in alphabetical order, which takes a little longer to find the correct code. Once you find the code, you’ll see that there is a number assigned to each pair. It would have been very helpful for the designer to incorporate this number on the cards.

Due to the complex nature of the cards, the guidance, and the system to use these cards, I feel that this deck is best suited to someone with several years’ experience working with either tarot or oracle cards. Or, someone who is learning light language or learning to work with Thoth or any ascended masters for manifestation or personal healing would also benefit from this deck.

Hoffman includes extensive information on how to best work with the cards, including the use of a 16-card tableau for what she calls “Multi-D Abundance.”18 She also includes directions for using the cards for both personal and professional relationships, changing your money story and enhancing your energy. I’ll look forward to utilizing Magdalene Manifestation Cards in some of my groups and with clients who want to change the energy around relationships, abundance or vitality.

Magdalene’s Ascension, by Annie Van Der Meer, Ph.D.

Magdalene’s Ascension: Mary’s Journey to Becoming Light, by Annine Van Der Meer, Ph.D.
Bear & Company, 1591435269, 416 pages, January 2025

Magdalene’s Ascension: Mary’s Journey to Becoming Light by Annine Van Der Meer, Ph.D., is a deep dive into early Christianity and the role Mary Magdalene had within it, specifically through her ascension process. Often misunderstood and overlooked in Christian narratives, Van Der Meer, a scholar with a profound understanding of religious history and feminine spirituality, embarks on a journey to shed light on the life and legacy of Mary Magdalene, portraying her as a pivotal figure in the spiritual realm.

Van Der Meer approaches the subject with rigor, combining biblical and early Christian canons, apocryphal texts of the Old and New testament, historical writing from classic antiquity, and alternative sources, such as channeled information and regression reports. Her work aims to uplift Mary Magdalene from the shadows of history, presenting her as a figure of light and wisdom. The book meticulously examines ancient texts, religious traditions, and historical contexts to reconstruct a more nuanced and empowering image of Mary Magdalene, while also drawing from a variety of channeled messages and regression reports that provide insights that have been missing from traditional texts.

As someone inclined to be a bit skeptical of the regressions, I felt more comfortable opening up to the idea while reading the first chapter “New Roads Open Up” in which Van Der Meer goes into great detail about others who have shared complied regressions that reveal insights into life during the time of Jesus. These include The Unknown Jesus by Joanne Klink, Jesus and the Essenes by Dolores Cannon, and The Essenes by Stuart Wilson and Joanna Prentis.

Additionally, I appreciated Van Der Meer’s explanation for “risking her reputation”1 focusing her work around The Gospel of the Beloved Companion, translated by Jehanne de Quillan, which is believed by some to be a first-century gospel of Mary Magdalene that has been preserved and kept hidden by “a closed Cathar community in western France”19. She states:

“My intuition, trained by a little less than fifty years of research into ancient pre- and early Christian texts, tells me that this text is pure and true, and this has been confirmed by measurements from spiritual radiesthesia…”20

The book is structured into seven portals (“Portal One”, “Portal Two”, and so on) that have between one to five chapters within. The early portals focus on Mary Magdalene’s personal ascension and then advance to her influence within collective ascension as the portals go higher. Throughout the book, Van Der Meer also included interludes between chapters where she shares specific historical sources, specifically separated from the alternative ones, to delve deeper into the topics discussed within the chapters.

There’s A LOT of information to absorb. Wanting to make sure I was fully comprehending everything, I moved extra slowly through this book, and I still feel I’ll often be going back again! Compared to other Mary Magdalene books I’ve read, such as Magdalene Mysteries by Seren and Azra Bertrand and The Magdalene Frequency  by Adele Venneri, this one is more scholarly; there’s a great amount of Christian historical context contained within, and it makes for a very illuminating read.

While the central theme of the book is Mary Magdalene’s transformation and ascension, Van Der Meer also shares information about the Essense community, the family of Jesus (Anna, Joseph of Arimathea, and Mother Mary), and what happened after Jesus’s crucifixion. She discusses what happened to Daniel and Joseph of Arimathea afterwards, as well as how Mary Magdalene continued on her spiritual journey, travelling to France. Van Der Meer even asserts based on her research that Jesus might have survived the crucifixion and continued on to Asia. There’s a lot to contemplate, as the information certainly rewrites the history most people believe to be true, and I commend Van Der Meer for being so transparent about her sources to give readers the opportunity to ponder these revelations themselves.

I really enjoyed the chapters in “Portal Seven” that covered the quantum physics of ascension, the current revolution in consciousness, and our collective ascension. For me, these chapters were the fascinating bridge between ancient history and the importance of uncovering this hidden knowledge in modern times. Van Der Meer writes:

“It was Love that brought the universe into being, and Love that sustains it and provides the impetus for change within the consciousness of the sentient beings. Whatever spiritual path you choose, the transformative energy of Unconditional Love is there to support and nourish that path and carry through the process of change and transformation within the heart.”21

Overall, Magdalene’s Ascension is a compelling read for anyone interested in religious studies, spirituality, and the role of women in religion. Van Der Meer offers a refreshing and enlightening take on Mary Magdalene, inviting readers to reconsider her significance within Christianity. This book not only enriches our understanding of Mary Magdalene but also inspires a deeper reflection on the themes of light, transformation, and spiritual ascension happening now. This work is a testament to the power of re-examining historical narratives within pioneering spiritual technologies and modern scientific insight.

The Magdalene Frequency, by Adele Venneri

 The Magdalene Frequency: Become the Love You Are Not the Love You Seek, by Adele Venneri
Bear & Company, 1591435005, 192 pages, November 2023

The Magdalene Frequency: Become the Love You Are Not the Love You Seek by Adele Venneri was not at all what I was expecting, and in retrospect, I am so glad it wasn’t.

When I first received this book, I thought it was going to be another one of those self-help visualization books where you write affirmations to yourself and look yourself in the mirror to tell yourself how wonderful you are. However, The Magdalene Frequency is….something different. Deeper. More concentrated. It’s not about telling yourself you’re good enough. It’s about becoming the best version of yourself all the time. You become your best partner. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that?

Full disclosure: I know next to nothing about the lore surrounding Mary Magdalene and much less about the teachings that have been developed as a result of her influence. I thought she was simply a bit player in a religious book that I personally have shied away from for most of my life. Part of my reason for wanting to read this book was to find out what I was missing. I struggle with books that are heavy with religious overtones and undertones, and this book has plenty of those. But is it worth the discomfort? YES.

An expert in esoteric psychology and the expansion of consciousness, as well as a researcher and professional counselor, author Adele Venneri decodes the mythology and stories around Mary Magdalene and presents a whole new frame of reference. She offers the idea that Mary Magdalene (or Myriam as she is often referred to) is actually an ancient frequency of the soul that provides a blueprint for both accessing that frequency and working with it.

So what exactly is The Magdalene Frequency  about? In the introduction, Venneri explains:

 “In the pages of this book you will not find the story or the pseudo story of Mary Magdalene that during the centuries has been made up and altered, depending on the historical context or on the needs and interests of those who were writing. Mary Magdalene is a controversial figure, concealed and vilified by the occult power of the church with the goal of keeping hidden not only the secrets about who she really was, but also hiding the secrets of the history of humanity.”1

This is more of a spiritual journey that the reader takes with themselves in an effort to find their own specific resonance within the context of the universal framework surrounding the frequency. This isn’t something to be taken lightly; the work encompasses a great deal of personal introspection as well as practical reformatting around previously held beliefs.

Thirteen chapters delve into the mysteries surrounding Mary Magdalene. From the first chapter that details the author’s personal encounter and subsequent journey with the frequency to the final words that bring the book to a radiant closure, the information is presented in a way that encourages questions and rewards patience. There is an undercurrent of an invitation to go deeper if the reader chooses to, and that’s where the discomfort creeps in.

To be clear, this is not a book for someone who is casually interested in the esoteric vibrations of the universe and learning how to use those vibrations to better themselves. This is some really intense information that for some might not be easy to grasp. I found myself looking up terms and unfamiliar words only to find myself standing at the top of a rabbit hole so deep and dark that had I jumped in, I would still be going in circles in order to understand this book.

Would I recommend The Magdalene Frequency  to others? Yes, with the caveat that they have a pre-existing desire and thirst for the knowledge embedded in these pages. If you don’t know the topic and aren’t prepared to do the work needed to process the information contained in these pages, then I would respectfully invite you to pass.

The Madonna Secret, by Sophie Strand

The Madonna Secret, by Sophie Strand
Bear & Company, 159143467X, 608 pages, August 2023

A tale as old as time, the tragic story of lovers parted by fate, is what one might expect for a Shakesphere play, but the roots of Christianity? Not so much. Yet the tale artfully woven together in The Madonna Secret by Sophie Strand is by far the most epic love story I have read to date.

Strand is an enticing writer, drawing the reader slowly into the stories with descriptive words that bring the setting to life. Her website describes how her work “focuses on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology” 22 These themes clearly come through in The Madonna Secret, which is a historic fictional novel based on the gospel through a feminist lens.

The story is centered upon Miriam of Bethany and her family, including siblings Lazaros (Lazarus), known for his resurrection by Jesus, and Marta (Martha). The family dynamics are centerfold for this story, highlighting gender inequalities and “norms” in both religious and social context. Miriam dances to the beat of her own heart, but struggles with finding her place when she doesn’t fit in with the women and yearns for the knowledge of scripture limited to men’s access only.

Through attending births with her housemaid Kemet, who is from Egypt, Miriam learns the secrets of herbal healing and that she, surprisingly, has the ability to heal people with her touch. However, she is also prone to fits and fainting, which others believe is from demon possession. Her ability and episodes sparks many questions as she seeks to know more about her healing ability – why can she heal some and not others? Is this a power from God or could it be used for harm too? How is she even able to perform such feats?

Despite her deep internal quest, Miriam’s life as a young woman of this time continues forward, and she becomes betrothed to a wealthy spice merchant. Yet when she suffers another episode, her family decides it’s in her best interest to seek healing. Miriam and Lazoros set out on a quest, and soon enough, they find themselves at the camp of Yochanan. Yochanan is not the only healer here though; much of the community also revels in the stories of Yeshua around the campfire. There’s a subtle undercurrent of a growing divide between the two men.

At this juncture, Miriam and Yeshua both feel the inexplicable pull of destiny as their paths cross more. However, now that she’s been healed, Miriam returns to her life in Bethany. Without giving too many spoilers into the twists and turns of their love story, I will say the rest of the story follows the passionate romance between Miriam and Yeshua. Their similarities and contrasts both, pulling them together and repelling them at the same time, shaping the fate of the world in the meanwhile.

Now that the general premise is outlined, and keeping in mind this is a 600-page book filled to the brim with details, textures, and revelation that my short synopsis hardly covers, I need to share my own feelings about the text: I have been permanently internally shifted, turned around, and rearranged after reading this book on the deepest level. The profound places Strand’s writing was able to take me within myself, uncovering buried parts of my psyche and cracking open my heart, has left me a new person. I know this might sound dramatic or perhaps an embellishment, but it truly is not.

Thus far in my life, as an avid reader, I have never experienced the afterglow I’ve been basking in from this book. All the sorrow, grief, and love bundled within have been pouring through me and silently working their magic. It’s been over a week now and I haven’t been able to move onto a new book yet because everything else feels shallow in comparison. The Madonna Secret has hold on me; the message of the story has sunk deep into my bones, activating my consciousness, allowing me to perceive the evolution of Christianity in a new light.

As someone who has studied Christianity through a feminist lens, nothing has tied pieces together for me more than this book. And I think it’s the power of narrative, which Strand has mastered, that is what propels shifts in consciousness. It’s one thing to read the actual gospel, another to read feminist theologian’s perspectives based on their academic research, but to take the source material and transform it into such a profound story is brilliance and talent beyond comprehension. I’m so thoroughly impressed by Strand’s writing ability and keen insight into how all these pieces fit together.

The Madonna Secret is a story that will continue to live on in my heart forever. Upon reading the last sentence, I quietly – and completely unconsciously – whispered to myself, “This is the best book ever…”. I had no words; the activation of my soul was in motion. I’ve done my best to string together cohesive thoughts in this review, yet even as I’m writing, all I’m feeling is the love within my body that has taken residence since bearing witness to Miriam’s journey. 

Strand has truly rewritten the narrative of Christianity in a way that makes sense and heals. I hope to see the activation of this book spread far and wide, which is why I have already gifted copies of it to those I know will be open to its message. Little by little these shifts in consciousness, which reconnect the material and spiritual, realigning humanity and nature, masculine and feminine, and the mundane and divine, is what will create a new world view. Strand is a pioneer voice, reshaping the mythos and landscape to give voice for those who need it most: the land, the animals, the outcasts, and the women!

As Miriam says:

“I am here for the trees. The women. The children. The birds. I am not here for the men who would hurt them all.”23

Magdalene Mysteries, by Seren and Azra Bertrand

Magdalene Mysteries: The Left-Hand Path of the Feminine Christ, Seren Bertrand & Azra Bertrand, M.D.
Bear & Company, 978-1-59143-346-0, 525 pages, 2020

Magdalene Myserties: The Left-hand Path of the Feminine Christ by Seren Bertrand and Azra Bertrand is a deep dive into Mary Magdalene, viewing her from Biblical, historical, and mystical perspectives. This well-researched book invites the reader on a pilgrimage to the Rose by journeying through three portals: the Magdalene Chronicles, the Magdalene Codex, and the Magdalene Vision Quest. These portals form the basis of the sectioning of the book, with each portal offering in-depth exploration of the topic. The authors write that “a key to our journey into the Magdalene Mysteries is to understand the true left-hand path of the goddess; and that Mary Magdalene…was the lineage holder of this sacred tradition.”24

Before the reader enters the portals, the authors provide their “love letters,” each offering individual writings on their initiations/encounters with Mary Magdalene, with Sara writing of meeting Mary Magdalene and of the sacred masculine vision and Azra writing about the Holy Whore of Sophia. The book then proceeds to “explore a radical, forbidden version of Mary Magdalene as a priestess of the Womb mysteries.”25

I was drawn to this book to explore the multi-faceted Mary Magdalene. Having been raised a Catholic, I initially only knew of Mary Magdalene as the prostitute, carried into my teen years with watching Jesus Christ Superstar where she was again portrayed in this role. I later became an adjunct instructor of Art History, and again, my encounters with Mary Magdalene in painting and sculpture again had her portrayed as a prostitute. As I began reading sources other than the Catholic church (!) I was met by a powerful woman, a trusted apostle of Jesus. I needed to learn more, and this book provided a compendious accounting of Mary Magdalene. 

Portal One, the Magdalene Chronicles, details Mary Magdalene’s lineage, starting with the “ancient mothers” in Sumeria. The chronology includes mermaids and the primeval water dragons, Inanna, and Asherah. It was illuminating to read of this lineage of the powerful woman, the vessel, the womb. The authors then transition to Mary Magdalene’ story of the Feminine Christ, looking at the feminist ministry of Christ, whether or not Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married, and her place at the crucifixion and resurrection. The first portal concludes with churches linked to the growth of churches in Europe linked to Mary Magdalene. 

The main focus of Portal Two, the Magdalene Codex, is an in-depth study of the Ghent Altarpiece, created by Jan Van Eyck, from 1426 to 1432. The authors approach this work “as both a pilgrimage and Grail Quest.”26 I found this section fascinating. I was familiar with the Ghent Altarpiece and taught about it in my Art History classes from the typical perspective of the religious symbolism in the painting such as the lamb symbolizing the Lamb of God. I taught about perspective, the place of patrons present in the piece, the role of an altarpiece in a church, etc. The authors, however, offer a complex and compelling distillation of the altarpiece, focusing one’s attention on the positioning of images to create the “position of birthing and sacred sexuality.” (plate 15). I did need to sit a while with the intimation that Van Eyck inserted an heretical message in the work. 

The authors turned next to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper. I will admit that I never “bought” the explanation that the feminine figure to the side of Jesus was John the Evangelist. I am in agreement that, after having read about the important place of Mary Magdalene in the life of Jesus, that this image was indeed that of Mary Magdalene. The authors write that da Vinci was also “connected to the underground streams of the feminine mysteries.” 27 I imagine that these artists kept the need of art patronage in the forefront as they created multi-dimensional works of art with levels of meaning. 

The belief that Mary Magdalene was seen as a “dangerous figure” threatening to usurp masculine power, led to her portrayal as a “less than,” a whore, non-starter. The second portal closes with a return to the Ghent Altarpiece, where the authors write that Van Eyck “presents an entirely new, and at the same time ancient, vision in which the feminine is restored.” 28 I found the second portal so very fascinating, given my background in Art History. It’s given me a desire to develop an art history course on Mary Magdalene. 

The Third Portal, Magdalene Vision Quest, focuses on the pilgrimage to the Rose through “stories, oracles, and personal rituals.” 29 In the chapter Honoring the Motherline, Mary Magdalene as the “spirit keeper of the womb” is investigated. Seren writes about her own opening up to the path of Mary Magdalene and the goddess path. A personal favorite of mine was her writing about her pilgrimage to Glastonbury in England, a place I was drawn to visit as well. It is hard to adequately describe the otherworldly feeling of Glastonbury, the multidimensional feeling of space and time. Sere writes about the chalice well and its red flowing water and Glastonbury Abbey built on the site of an ancient sacred site devoted to the divine feminine and “known in local lore as the ‘vagina of the birth goddess.’”30

Seren recounts how Magdalene directed her to visit Iona, a remote Scottish island in the Hebrides. I was beginning to feel a connection both to Magdalene and Seren as Iona is a place that I find myself constantly drawn to read about and to most definitely visit post-pandemic. She continues by writing about the ancestral wise witches and the death of her mother, the mother of her “birth womb.”31 She movingly describes the graveside service she led for her mother. “As my mother’s womb had birthed me into this world, now I midwived her back into the womb of Mother Earth, for her rebirth into the Spirit world.”32

The Third Portal section contains rituals that the reader can perform, such as a Rose Ritual or the Anointing of the Moon ritual, a Mermaid ritual, and a Black Rose rituals. The rituals all contain references to an element, a ministry (such as cleansing), archetypes (such as Aphrodite), colors, and sigils (like a chalice). I have not yet taken the time to participate in a ritual, though, but the moving descriptions accompanying each ritual will draw me in sooner rather than later.

The book concludes with an invitation to return to the “dynamic Wild Feminine” which is “not limited to the story of one person or priestess – it is a living, vibrant frequency within everyone, calling to be remembered and embodied.” 33 Seren’s prayers to Magdalene are the final pages of the book. 

The book contains numerous images and illustrations to support the writings, including prehistoric clay tablets and sculptures, rich reproductions of pre-Renaissance and Renaissance tapestries, painting, and sculptures, and 20th century art including the image of a stained glass window in Sheffield, England in which Mary Magdalene is depicted as holding her hands in the “womb mudra position.” 34

Magdalene Mysteries offers a perfect combination of historic information across millennia along with the personal interactions of the authors with Mary Magdalene. It is a book to be read over time, allowing the information to seep in. It reads as a pilgrimage, and like all pilgrimages, time should be taken to allow the path to reveal itself to you, to allow yourself to open to revelations and notice the changes that occur as a result of the pilgrimage. The book is a pilgrimage to the Rose, and as such, invites the reader to open up slowly to Mary Magdalene, much like a rose itself that slowly opens, moving from a bud to a flower in full bloom, layers of beautiful petals.  It is a comprehensive introduction to Mary Magdalene to those new to the subject and also a deep-dive for those wanting a deeper interaction with Mary Magdalene. I highly recommend this book and encourage the reader to walk the path of pilgrimage to the Rose with these highly informed and passionate authors.