The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene: The Path of the Grail Steward [Paperback]

Jennifer Reif (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2008

Mary Magdalene takes us on an internal quest that begins with the unfolding process of love and adoration. She leads us into the mysteries of the Bride and Bridegroom where we find a renewing and perfect love. As we discover this experience, we are guided into a compassionate life. Then we become stewards fulfilling an ancient quest, living to bring a little bit more of heaven to earth. The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene celebrates Jesus and Mary Magdalene with passionate prayers, magical ceremonies, and seasonal festivals. From the Festival of the Sacred Marriage, "O Lady of Earth and Heaven, whose being is bathed in glittering light, through you the vine and the pomegranate grow rich like royal blood. Flowers burst from ready boughs, and verdant meadows wake. All rejoice, for the Bride has come." Setting the stage, this work begins with an alternative Genesis. The union of the Holy Mother and Father is the igniting point for the formation of the universe. The Garden of Eden is revisited, and the tree of knowledge is not the home of an evil serpent that entices humanity with forbidden fruit. Instead it is a source of wisdom, a gift from the Everlasting to humankind. Magdalene Jesus Mysteries: Alternative Christianity, Religious Studies, Spirituality, The Sacred Feminine.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Since the early 1980's, Jennifer Reif has been a student of the Sacred Feminine and of the dual nature of the Divine. She has always seen this duality as having descended from a non-gender Sacred Origin which she calls The Everlasting. An artist, poet, and musician, she has sought ways of expressing her internal experiences through various mediums. Her published works include the books, "Mysteries of Demeter," "Morgan Le Fay's Book of Spells," "Aphrodite's Riddle," and "The Magical Crone" (coauthored with Marline Haleff). She also published a collection of original songs inspired by mythology and the Great Mother, titled "Mysteries of Earth." The publication of "The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene," presents her journey into the mysteries of the Sacred Marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (September 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595522432
• ISBN-13: 978-0595522439
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,785,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly different, May 11, 2009

By 

Pamela Lanides "Diakonissa" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene: The Path of the Grail Steward (Paperback)

I just finished reading her book and it *is* truly awesome and refreshingly different from other books that I have read on the subject of Mary Magdalene. It's also
> helped me a lot in some areas.
> I love the alternative Garden of Eden Creation myth. I have been
leaning
> towards Adonai/Asherah as the Divine Mother and Father.

The theology is great, the prayers,
> inspiring, the rituals deeply meaningful and beautiful and the
teachings of
> Mary Magdalene not only read like mystical prose, but in my mind.. can
more
> than compare with any parables of the great teachers of the past. The
book
> just seems to cut through all past dogmas and doctrines, rhetoric and
high
> and mighty philosophy to the simple core of truth, beauty and joy.
> Very, very well-done and most appreciated.
Pamela Lanides

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have for Magdalene devotees and seekers of the divine feminine, October 12, 2008

By 

Ruth M. Thompson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene: The Path of the Grail Steward (Paperback)

An intelligently written informative and useful guide book for those who want to incorporate the divine feminine into their daily lives. For those of you who are familiar with Christian prayer books, this is just that, but it incorporates into its beautiful poetic prayers and rituals the idea that Christians should be including the feminine part of the Jesus story in their worship. For those of you who loved The DaVinci Code, this will suit you.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jesus and Magdalene...Holy Union, October 18, 2008

By 

Joan Norton "author ,14 Steps To Awaken the S... (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene: The Path of the Grail Steward (Paperback)

It's wonderful to see the community of Sacred Union writers grow and grow as more people respond positively to the full humanity of Jesus and the story of his "bride in exile". Jennifer Reif is the author of four books about the goddess traditions and philosophies which preceeded the Christian era, and which continue to nourish women today. I think that makes her uniquely qualified to express the consciousness of the Sacred Union's inherent Wholeness.....it's a pattern of equality and mutual love between Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine. Margaret Starbird describes Sacred Union as having "wings of healing".
"From the day that Jesus and Mary met, they were drawn to each other as silent memory recalled their days in the Garden. For it was the plan of the Eternal that they should find each other, that she might anoint him into his mission, first with fragrance and then with holy fire." This is from Chapter III, "Discourses in Bethany and Jerusalem". The chapter goes on to discribe their beautiful personal love story and their knowledge of their own spiritual destiny for the world.
In Chapter 5 , "Songs and Prayers For Stewards of the Grail", you will find prayers to use in daily spiritual practice to bring you closer to union with the Divine within, and to honor the Sacred Marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The chapter begins with this poem...
"They stirred within me songs and prayers,
Wound 'round with gilded ribbon and fragrant roses,
Wound 'round with vine, and crownded with the holy dove,
Building for me the tent of the Betrothed."
Other prayers include "Prayer To The Holy Dove", "Invocation of the Chalice", "To The Verdent Magdalene", "Magdalene Prayer of Healing",and "Song of the Bridal Chamber"...plus many more.
There are also guidelines for clerics who are creating ritual and ceremony for others, something many will be inspired to do when they read this book. The feeling and form of many of the blessings and ritual prayers are familiar as part of church liturgy, but here they are expressed in terms of Sacred Union. For example, in her Feast Day for Jesus the Anointed (Christmastime), the opening lines are,
"Welcome to the Feast Day for Jesus the Anointed.
We come together to honor the Sacred Bridegroom,
Who brought the world the message of love,
And the way of a compassionate life.
His message was clear;
We are the daughters and sons of the Most High,
Equal in kinship and sacred ancestry.

This gives you but a small flavor of this beautifully written book.
Joan Norton
www.blog.MaryMagdaleneWithin.com