Novena to Magdalene

From my New Book "Novena for Now"

It is very difficult to separate the story of Mary Magdalene from historical facts, myth and political intrigue.   Nevertheless,  the Cult of Mary Magdalene had a strong hold in France during the Medieval Ages.

It was in the eleventh century that the cult of Mary Magdalene began to develop in Vézelay.  The relics of Mary Magdalene were brought there from the Church Saint Maximin near the grotto of Sainte Baume.  

The legend  says she arrived with other attendants in an oarless boat onto the shores of Gaul.  The attendants are subject to change according to who is telling the story.  Magdalene preached the teaching of Jesus and created miracles while she traveled through the villages of the South of France.  It is said that at the end of her life, she retreated to the Grotte of Sainte-Baume, wearing nothing but her long hair.  She spent her last days fasting and in prayer until she ascended into Heaven... escorted by angels. 

What the Magdalene legend created, in the South of France, was an underground stream of gnostic teaching’s that are woven into symbols and archetypes left by the builders of the great cathedrals... the Knight Templars.  Magdalene’s presence echos in the Cathar’s Gnostic teaching’s of feminine wisdom known as “The Holy Spirit” or “Sophia Wisdom”.  The Magdalene heresy was also hidden in the great works of art by the Masters of the Renaissance.  Today the relics of Mary Magdalene, her skull in particular, can be viewed in the Church of St Maximin, not far from Sainte-Baume.

“But what is the significance of Mary Magdalene today?”

There is a text from the Gospel of Philip found in Egypt near Nag Hammadi, in 1945.   This 3rd century text gives us a clear view of the relationship of Mary Magdalene and Jesus.  It is written in the Gospel of Philip:

“As for Wisdom who is called the barren,  she is the mother of the angels. And the companion of the Mary Magdalene and he loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often. 

The rest of the disciples.  They said to him,

“Why do you love her more than all of us?” The

Savior answered and said to them, “Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in the darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes,  then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness.” 

But with all the different information written about the Magdalene now a days, one of the best ways to experience the Spirit of Mary Magdalene is directly.  Thus working with her nine day novena can usher you into the doorway of the Magdalene Mysteries.  You can use Magdalene’s Novena for sexual healing, relationship alchemy, understanding the death and resurrection process, the making of perfumes and even a blessing  for hair dressers.

Magdalene’s Novena

A novena is a spiritual practice that is said nine days in a row.  Magdalene’s feast day is July 22.  Saying a saint’s novena during their feast day can be most potent but saying a novena is anytime is also beneficial.  

Mystical Marriage. 

Rose of Sharon. 

Beloveds of Beloveds. 

The conner stone rejected by the architect. 

Magdala, Magdala, Magdala, 

The Watch Tower of Witnessing the alchemical process of 

Awakening. 

Bless us, Bless us, Bless us. 

Set your intention

……………………………………………..

Say nine times for nine days

Sealing the ninth repetition

with three Hail Marys

 

Oil of Magdalena

This recipe was given to me by an Italian woman named Magdalena.  She use to travel through Italy and collect old recipes from small villages. This recipe she used on her skin daily and at age 56 she had the most beautiful complexion.  

It uses the herb Helichrysum italicum which natural grows in the South of France and Italy.  The first time I went to San Baume to visit the Cave of the Magdalene I noticed the fields were filled with wild blooming helichrysum.  I picked a small bunch of the flowers and infused it into oils to create this very special Oil of Magdalena.

 Helichrysum is named after the Greek God Heilios and the word kyrsos means gold.  The leaves are feed to silk worms in Central Sardinia which produces a natural yellow silk used for folk clothing.  It has been traditionally used in perfume making.  The Historia Plantarum, the oldest text in the Western Tradition of medicinal plant, used it infused with honey to treat burns and wounds and as a topical antiseptic. It is used to reduce scaring and for skin aliments.

Oil of Magdalena 

Ingredients 

1 part almond oil

1 part avocado oil

1 part jojoba oil

4 caps of Vitamin E pierced and squeezed into the oils.

8 oz clean glass jar 

A piece of cheese cloth and a rubber band

Small bottles for storing the oil 

Fresh flowers of  Helichrysum italicum 

Remove the bright yellow flowers from the stem and completely fill the 8 oz. jar with the Helichrysum flowers to almost the top of the jar.  I add in the oils by measuring equal parts as I pour it over the flowers in the jar. I then add vitamin E by piercing the gel capsules and squeezing the E oil into the jar.  Make sure you cover all the herbs completely and gently stir the mixture.

Then, put a double layer of clean cheese cloth over the jar top and keep it in place with the rubber band.  Place it in a sunny window and let it sit in the sun for three days.  This way the moisture from the herbs evaporate from the oil.  Then with a stainless steel strainer,  which is lined with cheese cloth,  strain the herbs from the oil using the back of a wooden spoon to squeeze all the oil from the herbs after the straining process.  This way you can insure that you have gotten all the essential oils from the flowers into your mixture.  Now bottle in attractive small bottles and use daily as face oil.  Refrigerate and store left over bottles of oil.