By Gonny 
The name Magdalene literally means “from Magdala,” a town on the Sea of Galilee.
But in ancient mystical traditions, it was also seen as a title..the exalted one, the tower of strength.
In the Bible, she appears as:
the woman from whom Jesus cast out “seven demons,”
a devoted disciple who followed Him,
and the first witness to His resurrection.
Who was she really?
The historical Mary Magdalene was most likely a woman of means…an independent disciple from Galilee, not a prostitute.
That misconception arose only in 591 CE, when Pope Gregory CONFUSED her with another “sinful woman.”
That error clung to her name for over fourteen centuries.
The gnostic sources, however, see her as:
the closest disciple of Jesus,
the one who received the inner knowledge of Spirit,
a channel of compassion and insight,
a forerunner of the feminine aspect of Christ Consciousness.
Some even called her “the apostle of the apostles.”
If you read her gospel with an open heart, you don’t hear the voice of a historical woman, but the echo of the feminine principle of
wisdom….Sophia :
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene – A Contemplative Retelling
1. The Lord’s Departure
After the Savior had spoken with them about the nature of all things, He blessed them and departed.
The disciples were troubled; their hearts were heavy with fear.
Then Mary stood up among them and said, “Do not weep and grieve, nor let doubt take root in your hearts.
For His grace will be with you, and His peace will surround you.”
ACIM Reflection:
Fear arises when we believe Love has left.
But Love cannot depart, because Love is what we are.
As Lesson 132 says: “There is no world apart from what you wish.”
When we wish for separation, we see loss; when we remember Oneness, peace returns.
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2. The Inner Path
Peter said to Mary, “Sister, tell us the words of the Savior which you remember….those which you know, and we do not.”
Mary answered, “What is hidden from you, I will proclaim.
I saw the Lord in a vision, and I said to Him, ‘Lord, I saw You today in a vision.’
He answered, ‘Blessed are you, that you did not waver at the sight of Me.
For where the Mind is, there lies the treasure.’”
ACIM Reflection:
The treasure is never in form, only in awareness.
Mary reminds us that the Mind is the source of everything seen.
To shift perception is to shift the world.
Just as the Course says: “The mind is the mechanism of decision.”
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3. The vision of the soul’s ascent
Mary continued:
“I saw the soul ascending, and it met the powers that sought to hold it back.
The first was Darkness. It asked, ‘Where are you going, soul?’
The soul answered, ‘I come from the All, and the All I shall return to.’
Then came Desire, saying, ‘I did not see you descend, but now I see you rising. Do not judge me.’
The soul said, ‘I have seen you. You are not me.’
And the soul left her behind.”
ACIM Reflection:
Each ‘power’ is an aspect of ego…belief in sin, guilt, and fear.
The soul’s journey is not a climb, but a release.
In truth, there is nowhere to ascend to, only illusions to drop.
Forgiveness, in the language of ACIM, is the recognition: “You are not me.”
Desire, fear, and judgment dissolve when they are seen as nothing.
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4. The Four Powers
The next powers were Ignorance and Wrath.
Ignorance said, “You are bound by matter.”
The soul replied, “No bond can hold the Child of the Living One.”
Wrath said, “You were mine!”
The soul answered, “I have not known you. I was never yours.”
And thus it was free.
ACIM Reflection:
Ignorance is the veil of false perception…the belief that we are bodies.
Wrath is the guilt that follows from it.
In both cases, the remedy is the same: Remember Who walks with you.
Lesson 156: “You are in the Mind of God, Who holds you forever innocent.”
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5. Return to the One
Having passed through all, the soul reached the place of Rest and said,
“From this moment on, time shall be no more.”
ACIM Reflection:
This echoes the timeless instant of forgiveness.
When the mind is healed, the concept of time disappears…there is only Presence.
The Course calls this the Holy Instant: the moment when you accept you were never apart.
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6. The Reaction of the Disciples
When Mary finished speaking, she was silent.
But Andrew said, “These are strange teachings. Do you truly believe the Savior spoke this way?”
And Peter said, “Did He really speak privately with a woman, and not with us?”
Levi answered, “Peter, you are hot-tempered. If the Savior made her worthy, who are you to reject her? Surely He knew her well.
That is why He loved her more than us.”
And they went forth to preach the Good News.
ACIM Reflection:
This is the eternal conflict between the voice of the ego and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Ego says, “She is not worthy.”
Spirit says, “She is Me.”
In truth, there are no genders, no hierarchies, no favorites…only expressions of the One Mind learning to recognize Itself.
As ACIM reminds us: “The Christ in you is very still. He knows where you are going and leads you there in peace.”
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The Essence of Her Teaching
If you listen closely, Mary’s Gospel is not about a woman reclaiming her place…it is about the Soul remembering its Source.
She teaches gnosis, not belief; remembrance, not obedience.
And like A Course in Miracles, she invites us to see that salvation is not a future event, but a present recognition:
“The Son of Man is within you.
Follow Him; those who seek Him outside will not find Him.”
This is the same message the Course whispers every day:
“Seek not outside yourself, for it will fail, and you will weep each time an idol falls.”
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Mary and the Awakening of the Heart
To know Mary Magdalene is to rediscover the Divine Feminine…not as gender, but as quality: receptive, intuitive, compassionate, silent, luminous.
She is the stillness beneath thought, the tenderness that forgives without words.
If Jesus embodied the Light of Truth,
Mary embodied the Heart that receives It.
Together they show us the bridge between mind and heart…
the same bridge we walk each time we choose forgiveness instead of fear.
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A Closing Meditation
Sit quietly.
Breathe.
Imagine you are standing where she once stood…watching the empty tomb, not with despair, but with knowing.
Say gently in your heart:
“The Lord is not gone.
The Light I seek has never left me.
I am the presence of Love Itself.”
And feel what she must have felt that morning:
that Life cannot die, and Love cannot end.
With love and light,
G.