The Time I...Climbed a mountain in the South of France during a thunderstorm to see Mary Magdalene.
I wake up and think I just have to do it. It’s why I came. What am I waiting for? It’s a gray morning in Aix En Provence, France and I call an Uber. It says 12 minutes. The destination is 1 hour away. The sun begins to shine and I have butterflies in my stomach. Months prior I had read The Magdalene Manuscript and it changed my whole life. I don’t even know how I got my hands on the book. I don’t recall who told me, or how I found it, I somehow just had it and I read it. I read the first few pages and knew that I had to devour it in one sitting so I booked an Air bnb in Topanga Canyon for two nights so I could be alone to read it. THAT is how powerful this book is. Once I finished it, I knew that I needed to go to the South of France, again not really sure why. I booked my flights and my accommodation and began as much research as possible. The story goes that MM fled to France after Jesus’s resurrection for protection. Some legends have it that she was pregnant, some say the servant girl with her was her and Jesus’s daughter, but nonetheless she was fleeing and seeking refuge to continue her healing work. It is said she spent the last thirty years of her life in the Provence region. That the enchanted forests and caves of Saint Maximim- le Saint Baume had called to her.
The specifics and the history are largely unknown as MM was portrayed as a prostitute and a sinner in the bible. Her power and her real relationship with Jesus was written out of the bible. Can’t be having a woman in power in bible! How would we continue to oppress and control women if we read stories about their power and knowledge? Anywayyysss, her story is starting to make its way back into the world through the heart of women. Her strength, her wisdom and her truth are popping up now more than ever. Once I made public that was I reading the book, or making this pilgrimage, women were coming out the of the woodwork to say, me too!
I think it is important to know that, I was never really a Jesus girl. What I mean by that is, I went to Catholic school when I was young but never have identified with religion or the bible. I have always felt, even as a third grader, that religion was missing the point. And also, where where all the girls at?! Why are we praying to all these men all the time? The petite feminist in me always felt like this wasn’t the whole story. Reading the Manuscript and doing more research on Mary Magdalene started to help complete a more holistic picture and began to help me make sense of the power of the patriarchy and the centuries of control of women. It is both maddening and fascinating and confirms so much of what I have felt.
So there I am in the South of France trying to figure out how to get to the grotto, the a sacred cave where many make the pilgrimage to honour her life. I had spent months researching how to get there, emailed many travel services, looked into buses, trains, car shares and came up short. All I had was an address and now, an Uber on the way. I get into the car and I say I don’t speak much French, he says he doesn’t speak much English. I think, that’s fine, we can have a quiet and peaceful ride. As we start our journey he says in broken English, “where you are going there is no Uber or taxi.” That’s fine I say, thinking someone at the visitor center can help me call a car. We continue ten more minutes. He says, “ I am worried that you will not find your way back, this area is very remote.” No worries, I say. I am resourceful and will figure it.
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