Following a series of remarkable events in our lives, Margaret Bailey and myself were led to discover all we could about the history of Mary Magdalene.
We found ourselves in a maelstrom of conflicting evidence and theory. There were the old die-hards who insisted that all was as it ever had been, and that Mary was a reformed prostitute who, although desperately penitent, was spurned by Jesus when she met him after his resurrection in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus saying harshly to her as she reached out to him, 'Do not touch me'.
It was posited that Jesus and Mary were not actual people at all, but were instead tutelary myths arising from the philosophical concepts of a mystery tradition. The authors who introduced this idea argued in support of it that there was a Jesus for everybody, perhaps not noting that, as they themselves are philosophers, they had created their 'own' Jesus – Jesus the philosophical concept!
There were those who suggested that Mary was a wealthy pagan priestess who administered the rites of Osiris to Jesus, and who was persuaded by him to bribe the necessary authorities to crucify him, so that she herself could revive him from his near-death coma in order that he might convince his followers of his claims (claims he egotistically sought to substantiate by also murdering John the Baptist as an expedient career move). Later regretting her part in this stage-management, she fled from Jesus and settled in France, where she proclaimed her own mystery-religion of Isis from the steps of the temple of Diana in Paris (formerly Para Isidos, Greek for 'close to [the heart of] Isis'), winning hearts and minds to the point where many heretical Gnostic sects arose and flourished in worship of her and the Great Goddess whom she represented. Indeed, Paris itself is said originally to have been dedicated to the Magdalene.
Others posited that Mary had very possibly been involved in a Goddess-worshipping cult, but had been converted by Jesus, who made her his wife or sexual companion. Mary bore a child or children, who initiated (or extended, as Jesus himself was said to have been 'born of David's line') a holy bloodline which exists to this day.
Another theory espouses the idea that Jesus led a radical faction of Essene priests. This Jesus was not of virgin birth, was no miracle-worker, did not die on the cross and was not resurrected. He married Mary Magdalene, who was previously a divorced woman, produced a family with her, and then divorced her himself.
A further theory, to which we feel (to a certain extent) generally more attuned, cites that Mary, although a human being as was Jesus, had mystical origins and elements within her that made her truly the royal consort of the Anointed One who was of the line of David, and whose kingly bloodline, although reaching down to us today, has been denied and obscured by certain powerful, self-interested political and religious factions.
Seeing with higher vision
We felt that whilst all these recent discoveries, revelations and conclusions regarding the controversial figure of Mary Magdalene told a fascinating story, somehow, overall, their tantalizing components seemed to lack an intuitive integrity, an uplifting of the veil which would set ablaze the heart and its faculty of higher vision, that organ of spiritual perception through which we see truth, so that the obscured wonder and mystery of the Magdalene might at last step into the light of day. We seemed to begin to catch sight of a complete image within the glimmering and scattered mosaic pieces that surrounded us.
They revealed a story so compelling, so miraculous, so astonishing in its revelations and so staggering in its implications, that we felt we must offer it as our contribution to the cracking of the enigma surrounding Mary Magdalene – an enigma believed to have been purposely constructed by a patriarchal culture determined to draw a veil of invisibility and misunderstanding over all that comprises the Sacred Feminine, and which, it seems, quaked in its boots when confronted with the enormity of her true significance.
The significance of Mary Magdalene is revealed within the mysteries of her story and within the profound and mystical teachings given in her gospel. Half of it is missing. It did not reach the public domain until 1955, having been discovered almost sixty years earlier by a German academic in Cairo. We believe that this lost gospel, so recently recovered, holds an important key, a magical key which can be divined only with the wisdom of the heart.
Messages from Mary herself
We have another source. In the summer of 2004, Mary Magdalene herself made herself known to Margaret Bailey through means of spiritual communication. A long period of spiritual training and discipline in meditation and inner seeing had preceded this event. Margaret enters 'the Silence', so beloved and revered by Mary, as her gospel reveals. This 'silence' takes the form of a ring of inconceivably beautiful light, through which Margaret passes in order to commune with Mary and to receive her teachings for today.
These teachings, given by Mary, seem to us to be bright and clear, starlit in their economy and simplicity. They bear a lightness of touch that never veils their profundity. They are the words of Mary, coming to us today through Margaret Bailey, who has been specially prepared for this work, and, to a lesser degree, myself. I receive Mary's inspiration through a simple mediumistic technique, whereas Margaret truly enters 'the Silence' and is in direct visionary communion with her. I therefore regard Margaret as the most important source.
Communion
The human body, intellect and soul working together as a unity, is the finest instrument for receiving communion from the higher spheres. In order to do so, the body and the mind are quietened and calmed by gentle, focused breathing, the mind descends softly into the heart and waits in stillness, ready to serve. It has to remain humble, or the ego will assert itself. The heart-consciousness, which is different from the intellect, throws out the radiance which is its essence and begins to ascend to the highest sphere of which it can conceive. It recognizes that sphere because the quality of consciousness it touches resonates with its deepest inner flame. This interior recognition is monitored throughout the span during which communion with the consciousness of the higher spheres takes place. Therefore control and responsibility are not surrendered; the conscious self, receptive and silent, obedient to the light, makes of itself a vessel, whereas self-consciousness, the thrust of the lower self which is based in the ego, is kept firmly in abeyance.
This is the method I used to elicit the information given in The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene. A short period of preparation as described above preceded my work on it, during which I would enter into communion with Mary Magdalene and after which I would enter a state of deep inner listening whilst actually writing. However, what I received was not officially sanctioned in my eyes until Margaret Bailey had entered the Silence (the Silence which incorporates the Orbit of Sharon, that sphere of incomparably beautiful light where Mary dwells and of which she is the heart) and presented my gleanings before Mary, seeking reaffirmation from her that I had heard correctly.
These reaffirmations, plus Margaret's own revelations from Mary and the insights which came to us from our lengthy discussions throughout which disclosures and illuminations were received at a breathtakingly rapid pace (afterwards duly subjected to our usual method of scrutiny) are what comprise the book.
My own illuminations from Mary, and those of Margaret, mutually clarify and verify one another. Thus we are by no means dreamily channelling Mary's teachings in an effusive and complacent manner. We always look for confirmation that we have got the message right as far as we can, and search deep within ourselves via meditation, prayer, and clarification from the outer world that what we are hearing with our inner ears really does apply. In fact, we feel that the concept of spoon-feeding is not one that Mary will entertain! In other words, without allowing ourselves to be bound and gagged by our commonsense, we do aim to use the facility!
More than just a bloodline
We are only too aware that anyone can jump on the bandwagon of the current fascination with Mary Magdalene and claim to be receiving all sorts of teachings and channellings; and we consider that there can be no doubt that Mary is indeed speaking to those with ears to hear. All we can say is that, until recently, we had no idea that such a keen interest in her existed. We had heard of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, but as we tend to steer clear of blockbuster novels, neither of us had read it nor understood that its content involved Mary Magdalene. However, as has been discussed, from the end of July of 2004, we were firmly directed from a spiritual source to learn all we could of the current Mary Magdalene debate. We perceived from this foray that some ideas are circulating which we think are unhelpful, to say the least, and that although many revelations have been made which do reveal elements of the glorious truth of the Magdalene, we feel that her 'tower' has not yet been properly raised. ('Tower' is part of the translation of 'Magdalene' and is a deeply significant symbol of the Sacred Feminine. Other meanings are 'Magnificent', 'Great Queen' and ('the Magdalene') 'the All'.)
Our exposition of the teachings of Mary Magdalene includes some of the hidden teachings from the Gospel of John, which go hand in hand with her revelations. We hope these will help to lay to rest the negative football-team-supporter approach which seems to have overtaken some of the advocates of this mystery, who believe that there has always been some kind of power struggle between John (either John the Baptist or John the Beloved, no-one seems quite sure – but then that is part of the answer to the enigma) and Jesus!
We hope that the validity of what we have received from Mary will be self-evident, without the need for any strident claims by us. The Magdalene legacy is not that of a bloodline. It is infinitely more profound and immeasurably more significant. It is a legacy of transformative love.
From The Secret Teachings of Mary Magdalene, text copyright © by Claire Nahmad 2006, published in the UK by Watkins.
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