Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine [Hardcover]

Siobhan Houston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

Recent discoveries of sacred texts such as the Gospel of Mary of Magdala and the Gospel of Thomas tell us that Mary Magdalene was independent, insightful, and courageous-a woman so inspirational that her voice can still be heard across the ages. In Invoking Mary Magdalene, religious scholar Siobhan Houston invites you to develop your own personal relationship with one of Jesus' closest disciples, as she instructs you in a daily devotional practice of prayers, meditations, and visualizations from around the world. With the exercises in this book and on the accompanying CD, Houston offers step-by-step guidance for accessing the wisdom of the Divine Feminine that Mary Magdalene represents, as you explore: Novenas, rosaries, and seasonal rituals from the Gnostic, Kabbalistic, and Grail traditions, How to connect to Mary Magdalene in her Dark Goddess aspect to unleash your own fierce power-the energy that turns fear and illusion into healing and renewal, "Reveling in bliss": realizing a euphoric adoration of the Divine that eclipses all earthly concerns, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Siobhán Houston is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a doctoral candidate in the study of religion at the University of Exeter (UK). She is a longtime student of the Western mysteries and has written widely on contemporary religious issues for several national magazines, including GNOSIS: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions, Parabola, and Intuition Magazine, among others. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, where she teaches at Naropa University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 100 pages
• Publisher: Sounds True, Incorporated; 1St Edition edition (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591794226
• ISBN-13: 978-1591794226
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical guide to approaching the Magdalene, May 23, 2006

By 

John P. Plummer (Nashville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine (Hardcover)

Siobhan Houston has made a unique contribution to the growing literature on Mary Magdalene. While many books are focused on history, theological reflection, or alternative spiritual perspectives, Houston offers a practice-centered volume. The pratices range from rituals to a rosary to making a garden, and are flexibly constructed so as to be useful to seekers with many different approaches to the Magdalene (as Goddess, Christian saint, Jewish woman, female manifestation of the Christ, etc). Definitely a must for those who want to pursue a relationship with Mary Magdalene.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Liturgy for the Magdalene", May 17, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine (Hardcover)

As a co-leader of a Magdalene Circle, I found this book a wonderfully helpful guide to developing ways to publicly honor Mary Magdalene as Sacred Complement and Divine Partner. Siobhan Houston has given us the next step to take after immersing ourselves in study about early Christianity and Mary Magdalene, when we find ourselves wanting to express devotion to Her. Suggested prayers, a nine day devotional practice,and a July 22 Magdalene Feast Day ritual all serve to bring the devotee into an experience of gnosis of the Divine Feminine Wisdom. The book satisfies both a thirst for knowledge about Mary Magdalene the women and a thirst for experiencing the dimension of consciousness where She is available to us all. Accessing this dimension is facilitated by the book's wonderful CD of guided meditations.
Thank you, Siobhan Houston, for creating a bridge upon which deeply intuitive/feeling women can walk again into Christianity.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book, but..., August 23, 2006

By 

Andrea Berman "TeaAddictedGeek" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Invoking Mary Magdalene: Accessing the Wisdom of the Divine Feminine (Hardcover)

This book contains some very solid, practical ways of starting up a spiritual practice devoted to the Magdalene. Unfortunately I could not get past the whole "let's throw Kali, Sekhmet, Hecate, and the Magdalene into a blender!" concept that she tries to sell. None of these goddesses have a thing in common with the Magdalene except maybe their gender. I would've loved to have seen some genuine cross comparisons and rituals between her and very similar goddesses who are equally as popular, and would've made far more sense to include: Isis, Astarte, Aphrodite, Ishtar, and Inanna are just a few I can rattle off the top of my head. I think that she is trying to market this book for the type of person who would be much happier picking up a book on Teen Wicca. Nonetheless, this book has a lot of excellent ideas in it and I found that the information included was just what I was looking for--when I ignored all of the "dark godddess" nonsense, that is.