Having shared a piece of writing about Mary Magdalene just a few days ago, it subsequently came to my attention yesterday that today was the celebratory day of Mary Magdalene here in Portugal. She is definitely in the field…
I brought her energy into my online yoga class last night, curious to see where this would take us. It ended up being quite a fierce, strong class in parts, which ultimately led us to a very soft, gentle and spacious place in our bodies, especially hearts and wombs. I felt the depth and wisdom of this archetypal energy. Also, I was aware of the energy of shame activated within me, which is no surprise given her associations with prostitution and distortions around sexuality, when I am sure this is very far from the truth. I feel her energy can help us all shift the distorted beliefs and shame that we all carry within us around sexuality and our feminine self-expression.
This morning I visited our local ‘Venus Rose‘ (doesn’t everyone have one of these up the road?!) – it’s a pattern on the ground made of stones by a group of women a few years ago, which maps out the dance that Earth and Venus do together across the sky every eight years, which just so happens to create a beautiful five-petalled rose shape. I had been invited there at sunrise to honour Mary Magdalene with two other women. As I gathered flowers to take with me in the dawn light, I was humbled to see a sickle moon and Venus herself side by side in the sky, smiling down on me, like a blessing for the morning.
We weeded the Venus Rose a bit then decorated it with flowers and fruit. As we did, we spoke our feelings about Mary Magdalene – what her story and energy brought up in each of us. Talking about Mary seemed to take us deep into our shadowlands, personally and collectively. It felt like part of her energy is the capacity to be fully present with the darkest parts of our psyche; the shame, fear, trauma, the negative, destructive thoughts we have. She can hold all of this and more, from a place of calm, loving acceptance and non-judgement. Anything can be shared with her, without fear of being rejected or shamed. And this is so healing, and the key to a transformation of these darker energies within us. She knows that these dark aspects are not the higher or total truth of us, yet they are a truth of the human experience that shouldn’t be suppressed or denied. Living in a dualistic world, we are made up of both light and shadow; it all exists within our psyche, much of it buried in the unconscious and sub-conscious. But, at some point on our journey, we will be asked to meet our shadow aspects, our unconscious, and the parts we have buried, including our deepest pain, grief, fear and trauma. And then it is our unique blessing to be able to transform these shadows into treasure, by bringing them into the light of consciousness. It feels to me that the Mary Magdalene energy, which is returning to our planet after having been underground for a long time, can assist us with this.
So, on this Mary Magdalene morning, I found myself sharing into the space one of my own deepest childhood traumas, which has felt unspeakable in the company of others before this. I felt Mary was gently nudging me to speak. She was telling me that safe, non-judgemental spaces do exist, to bring our shadows out into the open. I could trust these two women I was with; they carried Mary’s energy within them. They wouldn’t judge or shame me, but would simply be present with my words. It felt like an edge, but I trusted and I felt something frozen let go around my heart in the sharing. Knowing it’s OK to speak and be held in this, without judgement, is an essential part of the healing process. We are not damaged goods for what we have experienced. We are more than our trauma. Mary knows this.
frond yoga with Rebecca May 