Review
“Joan Norton and Margaret Starbird have written an inspiring guide for women to create their own Mary Magdalene circles. The simplicity of their lessons provides confidence and encouragement to the beginner and offers a basis for further creativity for the more experienced seeker of the Divine Feminine within.”
(
Barry Dunford, author of Vision of Albion: The Key to the Holy Grail )
“Joyfully delve into the mysteries of Mary Magdalene with this wonderful new book. It features group circles that combine traditional seasonal motifs with the journey of Mary Magdalene, then links these motifs to our own life journey, encouraging us to discover inner wisdom and understanding. Rich and intelligent essays on related lore are provided by well-known Magdalene author Margaret Starbird. The blending of the lessons and essays provides a work that inspires us to deepen our journey into the essence of Mary Magdalene. Highly recommended.”
(
Jennifer Reif, author of The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene and Mysteries of Demeter )
“The faster we awaken the Sacred Feminine within all of us, the faster we can save the world. Don’t delay. Drink in the wisdom of Norton and Starbird, who offer Mary Magdalene as the archetype of the Divine Bride of love, sensuality, and wholeness.”
(
Karen Tate, author of Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations and Walking an Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth )
“Joan Norton and Margaret Starbird’s suggestions for approaching the encounter with Mary Magdalene integrate some of the most precious traditions known to women’s history: building caring communities, gathering together as a way of birthing new life and knowledge, and sharing devotional experience.”
(
Martha Mathews Libster, Ph.D., R.N., historian and author of Enlightened Charity and Herbal Diplomats )
“As a sexual abuse survivor, this is a book I celebrate! Sexual abuse thrives in cultures like ours that banish the Sacred Feminine, and here is a book that shows how to awaken her and bring her back. The very thought is healing.”
(
Sandra Pope, author of Growing Up without the Goddess: A Journey through Sexual Abuse to the Sacred Embrace of Mary Magdalene )
“Joan Norton and Margaret Starbird have created a link to the long-hidden mystery of the holy marriage and family of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. This loving journey is shared in simple and graceful ways, allowing us to discover the Feminine Face of God, follow the signs, and practice in community and as individuals. I highly recommend beginning your own journey.”
(
Tina Carey, author of God’s Messengers for Today’s Women )
“
14 Steps to Awaken the Sacred Feminine embodies the leadership spirit of the Magdalene and invites us into her mysteries through personal experiences, thoughtful scholarship, and guided meditations. Norton and Starbird have written a book that shows Mary Magdalene is both an ancient representation of the sacred feminine and a potent role model for contemporary women.”
(
Kris Oster, Ph.D., cofounder of Gaia Festival )
“Joan and Margaret deliver the story of Mary Magdalene in a way that puts into balance the truth of the Sacred Feminine. I feel within my very DNA that the oppression and suffering of the feminine that has occurred through all time has somehow been put right. I have been inspired to begin a Magdalene Circle in my own community, and I know women everywhere will be feeling the same call after reading this very important material.”
(
Carrie Woodburn, integrative energy healer )
"Both new age and women's studies collection will find inspiring this guide on how to create a personal Mary Magdalene circle." (
The Midwest Book Review, California Bookwatch, July 2009 )
"This exciting, intriguing, and practical book presents an invaluable opportunity to women of all religious paths to connect with a vital force of the divine feminine. Highly recommended."
(
Wendy Hawksley, Sage Woman, No. 77, Autumn 2009 )
"Whether one believes in her as an equal to Jesus, or as a Jungian archetype representing the shadow side of the feminine, the exercises in this book will help readers reclaim those parts of themselves."
(
Swan and Iris Solstice 2009, Dec 2009 )
From the Back Cover
NEW AGE / WOMEN'S STUDIES
“Joan Norton and Margaret Starbird have written an inspiring guide for women to create their own Mary Magdalene circles. The simplicity of their lessons provides confidence and encouragement to the beginner and offers a basis for further creativity for the more experienced seeker of the Divine Feminine within.”
--Barry Dunford, author of
Vision of Albion: The Key to the Holy Grail “Joyfully delve into the mysteries of Mary Magdalene with this wonderful new book. It features group circles that combine traditional seasonal motifs with the journey of Mary Magdalene, then links these motifs to our own life journey, encouraging us to discover inner wisdom and understanding. Rich and intelligent essays on related lore are provided by well-known Magdalene author Margaret Starbird. The blending of the lessons and essays provides a work that inspires us to deepen our journey into the essence of Mary Magdalene. Highly recommended.”
--Jennifer Reif, author of
The Holy Book of Mary Magdalene and
Mysteries of Demeter Women’s circles have been called a “revolutionary-evolutionary movement hidden in plain sight” by Jean Shinoda Bolen and have been hailed as capable of affecting global change. Magdalene Circles are groups of women who focus their shared energies on the wisdom of Mary Magdalene to gain insight into the role of the sacred feminine in their own lives and to help them advance on their spiritual paths.
This book presents 14 lessons to help understand the wisdom offered by Mary Magdalene’s story and mythos. Among the lessons are prophecies of the bride, why we need the bride, Magdalene’s archetypal pattern of descent, and how modern women carry the Grail. Well-suited for the individual reader or a group, each lesson includes an introduction, guided meditation, questions for journaling, and an essay by Margaret Starbird as well as suggestions for group sharing. Placing Mary Magdalene within the pattern of “cyclic renewal” of earth-based religions, this book offers the chance to incorporate the Sacred Feminine wisdom of Mary Magdalene into everyday life for Christians and spiritual feminists alike.
JOAN NORTON, a licensed psychotherapist with 25 years of experience helping women, founded the Los Angeles Mary Magdalene Circle. The author of
The Mary Magdalene Within and a contributor to
Secrets of Mary Magdalene, she lives in California. MARGARET STARBIRD is the author of the bestselling
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar,
The Goddess in the Gospels, and
Mary Magdalene,
Bride in Exile. She lives in Washington state.
