PDF Summary:Mary Magdalene Revealed, by Meggan Watterson

The story of Mary Magdalene has been distorted throughout history—deliberately misconstrued by church leaders to diminish her spiritual authority and, by extension, the authority of women in early Christianity. In Mary Magdalene Revealed, Meggan Watterson examines the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and other early Christian texts to uncover a different narrative: one in which Mary Magdalene was a spiritual leader and visionary who taught a path of inner transformation.

Watterson explains that Mary's Gospel describes salvation as an internal awakening rather than an external gift. She explores the concept of the soul, the ego's seven binding forces, and practices for connecting with the divine through inner stillness. This guide also includes historical context about how Mary Magdalene's role was suppressed and how her teachings fit within the diverse beliefs of early Christianity.

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The Intrinsic Positivity and Wholeness of the Soul

Watterson argues that the essence is fundamentally good and whole. It's the eternal aspect of ourselves that lets us sense love and understand that we are love. The soul is without gender, making the body's sex and gender an illusory construct. It's also immune to harm, as it's not part of the material world.

Watterson adds that the ego constrains the soul, but it binds nothing itself. Fear is the sole binding force. The soul isn't acknowledged by the ego's powers, but it acknowledges the ego's seven powers.

(Shortform note: Pope John Paul II, in his Man and Woman He Created Them, argues that the body’s sex and gender are not an illusory construct. He writes that the human person is a unity of body and soul, such that the specifically masculine or feminine structure of the body belongs to the very identity of the person, and it is precisely in and through this embodied masculinity or femininity that the person can either grow in or be wounded in his or her likeness to God.)

The Path of Transformation: Inner Work & Reclamation

Watterson explains that Mary Magdalene's story is about spiritual transformation and reclaiming the sacred feminine. She was a notable Jewish figure, a supporter of Jesus's work, a seer, and a key leader in the nascent Christian community.

Watterson notes that Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the resurrection and was chosen by Christ to inform the other disciples. She’s named as the companion of Christ in the Gospel of Philip and is preeminent among the disciples in the Pistis Sophia. Mary was able to see Christ through a spiritual lens located in the heart. She had clarity of heart, enabling her to perceive Christ, proving she embodied both humanity and divinity.

Watterson adds that Mary Magdalene went through the ego's seven powers, which unbound her soul. She also made the ritual of anointing sacred, recognizing that the soul outlasts the body's demise.

Mary Magdalene’s Status as a Disciple

In Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman challenges the idea that Mary Magdalene was Christ’s companion, the first to see the resurrection, and a preeminent disciple. He argues that the earliest Christian sources provide only limited and fragmentary information about Mary of Magdala, presenting her simply as one of Jesus’ followers who appears at key moments in the passion narrative. He contends that the much more elaborate depictions of her as a bearer of secret revelations, a rival to other leading apostles, or a figure endowed with exalted spiritual status arise in later, noncanonical texts composed generations after Jesus. He maintains that these later portraits reflect ongoing struggles over authority and theology within diverse early Christian groups rather than preserved memories from the historical ministry of Jesus.

Now, we’ll explain how to practice inner transformation, as well as the historical and theological foundations of Mary Magdalene's narrative.

Practices for Internal Change

Watterson recommends the soul's voice meditation as a practice for inner transformation. This technique assists those from any faith in accessing their authentic inner voice. It also assists them in distinguishing between love's voice and fear's voice.

(Shortform note: Soul's voice meditation may help you distinguish between love's voice and fear's voice by helping you become more aware of your bodily sensations. Fear's voice often manifests as physical tension, a racing heart, or a sense of urgency.)

Below, we’ll discuss Watterson’s recommended foundational practices and the realizations that can result from internal exploration.

Foundational Practices for Cultivating Inner Stillness

Watterson describes Hesychasm as a Christian tradition focused on inner stillness. The goal is to unite with the divine by bringing your consciousness into your heart. The heart is regarded as a store of riches, and entering it allows you to access heaven's store of riches. The divine is felt as an inner radiance in the heart, discernible through the intellect, the loftiest element of the spirit. The intellect can directly comprehend the truth, which comes after cleansing the heart through repetition of the Heart Prayer.

(Shortform note: In The Orthodox Way, Kallistos Ware explains that Hesychasm and the Heart Prayer reached their classic form in the 14th century, particularly among the monks of Mount Athos. Saint Gregory Palamas, a key figure in this tradition, taught that the light experienced in prayer is the uncreated energy of God, allowing humans to participate in the divine while God remains beyond comprehension. This theological foundation supports the practice of seeking inner stillness and divine union through prayer.)

Advanced States & Realizations Through Internal Development

Watterson asserts that inner work leads to genuine change and divine connection. She explains that the divine is experienced as light within the heart and that the source of spiritual authority is internal rather than the church. However, the heart must undergo purification to accept divine grace. The body can also serve as a means to connect with the soul.

(Shortform note: In How God Changes Your Brain, neuroscientists Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman explore how spiritual practices can alter brain function and lead to profound experiences of the divine. They explain that practices like meditation, prayer, and contemplation can quiet the brain's fear and anxiety centers while strengthening areas associated with empathy, compassion, and self-reflection. This neurological shift can make experiences like feeling a "light in the heart" seem more vivid and real.)

Historical & Theological Foundations

Historical Suppression of Mary Magdalene's Authority

Watterson argues that the church suppressed Mary Magdalene’s authority by mischaracterizing her as a sex worker. This was done intentionally to undermine her authority and that of females in general. In the fourth century, the church excluded all gospels that recognized Mary's special connection with Christ and her spiritual authority.

(Shortform note: In The Gospel of Mary of Magdala, Karen King argues that the sexualized image of Mary Magdalene developed gradually over time, rather than being a deliberate invention of fourth-century church leaders. She notes that the New Testament itself doesn’t portray Mary as a sex worker, and that the association of Mary with sexual sin only emerged centuries later, when Western preachers conflated her with other women in the Gospels.)

In the 500s, Pope Gregory I interpreted Christ’s healing of Mary from seven “demons” as a sign of her sinfulness and sexuality. He confused Mary Magdalene with both the unnamed "sinner" who anointed Christ's feet in Luke 7, and with the Mary of Luke 8 and Mark 16, whom Christ freed from demons. He established the idea that Mary should be perceived as a penitent whore. This interpretation supported the idea that women should be defined by their sexuality rather than their spirituality. In 1969, the church officially corrected this mistake, but Mary Magdalene is still portrayed as a prostitute in teachings.

(Shortform note: In Mary Magdalene, The First Apostle: The Struggle for Authority, Ann Graham Brock notes that the Eastern Orthodox Church never accepted Gregory I’s portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a penitent whore. Instead, the Orthodox Church’s liturgy refers to her as “Equal-to-the-Apostles.” Brock argues that this suggests that some early Christian communities remembered Mary Magdalene as a spiritual leader rather than a sexual sinner.)

Emergent Theological Foundations in Early Christianity

Watterson clarifies that the Gospel attributed to Mary Magdalene was part of a broader early Christian community of belief. It wasn't a unique, one-off scripture. When examined alongside other early writings from Christianity, it becomes clear that it belonged to a shared belief system. The Gospel attributed to Mary and other early Christian writings show the diverse types of Christianity that were present prior to the 4th century, when the Bible took its current form. These early Christian texts discussed Christ's hidden feminine and human side, the significance of Mary Magdalene, and the idea of salvation as an internal personal transformation.

Counterpoint: The Gospel Attributed to Mary Magdalene Is Not a Legitimate Christian Text

Some scholars disagree with Watterson’s interpretation of the Gospel attributed to Mary Magdalene and other early Christian writings. For example, in The Missing Gospels, evangelical New Testament scholar Darrell Bock argues that these texts are not on par with the canonical gospels. He explains that these writings are later, fringe documents that don’t reflect the mainstream Christian tradition. Bock contends that the New Testament gospels are the earliest and most reliable sources about Jesus, while the so-called “missing” gospels are later, less trustworthy accounts. He cautions against treating these noncanonical texts as equally valid alternatives to the New Testament.