I am a newbie...somehow finding a very strong connection. As I listen to the rain, or the peepers out my open window, I am drawn deeper and deeper into the "understanding" of Mary Magdelene. This summit has taken me from a place of emotional hostageship (if that is even a word, if not, well, it's new), to a place of learning to, on the very pinnacle of encouraging myself, to be MYSELF. Whatever message I am being awakened too, my ears are up, I am listening.

Hello everyone! I'm Jeanne, joining you from Southern California. A little about me... I've been drawn to Mary Magdalene since I was a small child. I never believed the stories I was told about who she was. Somehow, I always knew she was so much more than I had been taught growing up Catholic. I sensed there was a profound connection between her and Jesus. It was something ineffable—an inner knowing. I felt it in my bones. I hold a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and have spent much of my professional life exploring healing, relationships, and personal transformation. In recent years, my interests have expanded to include Mary Magdalene, pilgrimage, contemplative practice, and the ways sacred places invite us into deeper listening. I recently returned from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and will be leading a women's pilgrimage there, La Sainte-Baume, and other sacred sites in southern France this fall. Each visit has deepened my appreciation for the ways these places continue to shape us—not only through their history, but through the countless prayers, hopes, and longings entrusted to them over the centuries. I'm grateful to have found this community and look forward to learning from your experiences and sharing in the conversations ahead. Merci for welcoming me.

Tonight, I am sitting here feeling deeply blessed.🙏 Today we had the pleasure of hearing from so many beautiful voices, each carrying a different relationship with Mary Magdalene, a different tradition, a different lens, and a different way of understanding the Divine Feminine. And that is one of the core philosophies of The Magdalene Network. We do not gather because we all believe the exact same thing. We gather because we are willing to listen with honor We gather because wisdom often arrives through many doors. We gather because Mary Magdalene’s story is too vast, too layered, and too alive to be held by one perspective alone. We began the day with Flo Aeveia Magdalena and her beautiful offering, Our Unified Presence with the Essence of Magdalene. She reminded us that so many of us carry a personal relationship with Mary, but that relationship is also part of something larger: a family of the heart, a remembrance, a coming together of souls who feel her call. Then we heard from our dear friend and colleague Vanessa Tavernetti, who guided us into the mystery of Mary Magdalene, the Black Madonnas, and Miraculture. Vanessa has such a gift for bringing us back into relationship with the earth, the sacred feminine, and the miraculous threads that are still alive in the world around us. And Aude Barras, with her passionate and reverent delivery, brought many of us to tears. Her teaching on Magdalene as devotion, as icon, as doorway to Love and to the living presence of Christ, felt like a prayer moving through the room. Then Soul Voice brought the day into our own bodies and hearts. We looked at how unaddressed trauma, old conditioning, and the patterns we carry can keep us from living as fully human and fully divine. We witnessed women having revelations in real time. We held our sisters in reverence. We listened without needing to fix. We remembered that we are all capable of so much more than we have been told. At one point, I looked out into the sea of women gathered for Mary Magdalene and the rising of the feminine, and I felt something I will never forget.

As Mary Magdalene's Feast Day approaches, I've been reflecting on my recent returned visit to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where tradition tells us Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, Mary Jacobe, and Sara first came ashore. I spent time sitting quietly in the crypt dedicated to St. Sara, the young girl who, according to tradition, accompanied the Marys' on their journey. Much speculation surrounds who Sara was, and to this day her story remains a mystery. Pilgrims visit the church dedicated to the Three Marys before making their way down to the crypt, where this beloved saint is adorned with robes and flowers. They bring their prayers, leave treasured images, and light candles in her honor. During my visit, I simply sat in silence—sometimes in a pew, sometimes on the steps leading down to the crypt. I watched a man gently relight candles the wind had extinguished, making sure every flame continued to burn. I watched parents help their children place coins into the candle box and light a candle. I watched two young girls reach up to touch St. Sara's face before standing quietly together in silence. As I sat in reverent silence, I found myself wondering: Perhaps sacred places aren't made holy only by what happened there centuries ago. Perhaps they become sacred because, generation after generation, people entrust them with their deepest grief, gratitude, hope, and longing. Maybe that's why we don't simply visit a sacred place—we participate in it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you ever experienced a place that touched you so deeply that you could almost feel the sacredness it held?

My ex will be filing our divorce papers sometime today. I feel so ready after months of initiating myself and preparation for crossing this threshold. I literally anointed myself with oils every single day, including frankincense and myrrh, for an entire year without realizing the subtle ritual I've been doing. I am holding all the complex emotions all at once today, but I know this is the right next step toward my resurrection. My Soul Voice has been trying to get me out of this marriage for years. May it be the very last time I ignore my Knowing for so long. And what an auspicious time with Barbault's Basket this week and the Summit and Mary's feast day! I feel so held through it all. It's no accident I found y'all and this glorious space at this crossroads! Praise be to all the Marys.🌹