Chapter 8 was torn out because patriarchy always fears what a woman might say when she names the powers directly.
Mary’s ascent is not a tantrum of rage. It is a calm dismantling. She lays the powers down one by one like stones from her pocket. Darkness. Desire. Forgetting. Body. Even anger she speaks of as information, not condemnation.
That is the threat. She did not fight to prove herself louder than the men. She held her ground with the kind of steadiness that makes empires nervous.
Blessed be the Magdalene who showed us that transcendence is not escape. It is intimacy with what we most fear in ourselves, spoken without flinching.
Hello, thank you for your thoughts on this. As a mental health therapist myself, these passages have piqued my interest. I see a lot of similarities between these verses and Internal Family Systems. In this view, each power is a part that the soul (Self in IFS) can interact with and unblend from (not overly identify with). When the Self is unblended, qualities like calm, curiosity, clarity, and compassion arise and would equate to transcending the ego as in Freud. I’m inclined to think the answer to your questions is yes ☺️.
Thank you for sharing your insights… there’s so much strength and beauty in the ways we can expand our understanding of self and others. Your work in the world is needed.
Do you think sometime you could write a post regarding the origins of the Gospel of Mary, something that could be understood by a Christian lay person? And explain to your readers how Christian theologians regard this Gospel. And explain how theologians like yourself regard the divinity of Christ and the Trinity?
I’ve found your writings fascinating to say the least.
Thank you Fred for connecting and for sharing your interest in the Magdalene.. She has been shaping history since she walked into Jesus’ life and he walked into hers… I too have been learning from her yes, but there are those ‘whose shoe laces I am holding and learning from..’
While you will find me following her, writing about her and walking with her on a daily basis, there are masters of her research here on Substack that will give you the opportunity to shape your own theology of her work…
Start with Cynthia Bourgeault, Karen King, Elaine Pagels, Meggan Watterson, Bruce Chilton and see where Her Spirit leads you…
Chapter 8 was torn out because patriarchy always fears what a woman might say when she names the powers directly.
Mary’s ascent is not a tantrum of rage. It is a calm dismantling. She lays the powers down one by one like stones from her pocket. Darkness. Desire. Forgetting. Body. Even anger she speaks of as information, not condemnation.
That is the threat. She did not fight to prove herself louder than the men. She held her ground with the kind of steadiness that makes empires nervous.
Blessed be the Magdalene who showed us that transcendence is not escape. It is intimacy with what we most fear in ourselves, spoken without flinching.
Yes 🙌🏻 Keep naming her!! Thank you for doing so…
Hello, thank you for your thoughts on this. As a mental health therapist myself, these passages have piqued my interest. I see a lot of similarities between these verses and Internal Family Systems. In this view, each power is a part that the soul (Self in IFS) can interact with and unblend from (not overly identify with). When the Self is unblended, qualities like calm, curiosity, clarity, and compassion arise and would equate to transcending the ego as in Freud. I’m inclined to think the answer to your questions is yes ☺️.
Thank you for sharing your insights… there’s so much strength and beauty in the ways we can expand our understanding of self and others. Your work in the world is needed.
Do you think sometime you could write a post regarding the origins of the Gospel of Mary, something that could be understood by a Christian lay person? And explain to your readers how Christian theologians regard this Gospel. And explain how theologians like yourself regard the divinity of Christ and the Trinity?
I’ve found your writings fascinating to say the least.
Best
Fred Haddad
Perkins School of Theology
Southern Methodist University Class of 2001.
Thank you Fred for connecting and for sharing your interest in the Magdalene.. She has been shaping history since she walked into Jesus’ life and he walked into hers… I too have been learning from her yes, but there are those ‘whose shoe laces I am holding and learning from..’
While you will find me following her, writing about her and walking with her on a daily basis, there are masters of her research here on Substack that will give you the opportunity to shape your own theology of her work…
Start with Cynthia Bourgeault, Karen King, Elaine Pagels, Meggan Watterson, Bruce Chilton and see where Her Spirit leads you…
I look forward to your insights…