Feast of Mary Magdalene
A sacred tradition among followers of Eastern Christianity says that Mary Magdalene was bringing cooked eggs to share with the other women at the tomb of Jesus, and the eggs in her basket miraculously turned brilliant red when she saw the risen Christ.
In honor of Venus going retrograde on this special feast day honoring Lady Wisdom made flesh, I offer a meditation. This is a meditation I use for Spring Equinox, but we can use it to help clear out the old self-worth/self-love energy in your astral body so that new possibilities can fill you during this Venus retrograde in Leo.
Sit and relax and close your eyes.
1. Ground and Center.
2. In front of you is a spiral staircase going down into the Earth. Slowly walk down the spiral staircase, sinking deeper into mediation to the count of 10. At the bottom, you see a door. Open it and walk through. You find yourself in front of a silvery, misty lake. You can make out trees along its edges, shimmering darkly. The air is a silvery mist.
3. Undress and step into the waters. Swim out until you are cradled in the mists and waters. Now lay back and float. Breathe. After a while, you can no longer tell if you are suspended in water or mist. Relax.
4. Take 3 deep breaths and open your crown chakra. Your next breath draws in the watery mists through the top of your head. The silver mist settles around your crown chakra. As you gently breathe into your crown, name the belief that connects you to your highest ideals. Thank it for sustaining you – and let it go – let it dissolve into the mist.
5. Now take a deep breath and exhale it through your 3rd eye. Let the silver mist descend to your 3rd eye and encircle it. Breathe into your 3rd eye and see what story you imaginally live in – optimistic/pessimistic/spiritual/etc. Thank it for guiding you – and let it go – let it dissolve in the mist.
6. Now take another breath and exhale through your throat chakra. Let the mist fill your throat and let it speak your truth (silently or aloud). Then thank it for defending you and let it go – let it dissolve in the mist.
7. Your next breath goes through your heart. Open it wide. Let what and who you love fill your heart. Thank them for giving you comfort. And let them, too, go into the mists.
8. Rest in your heart. With each breath feel the empty chakras above your heart. They now only contain the stardust of creation, matter in its dormant stage, waiting for the spark of life. Let the stardust fill these higher chakras. Rest in the silence. Breathe.
9. Now breathe into your solar plexis. Let the silvery mist descend to your center of self-identity, your ego. Who are you? See yourself reflected in the mists, both the reality and the ideal. Thank your ego for taking care of things, and let it go, let your identity dissolve in the mist. What does it feel like? (Ride the fear, breathe in the unknown.) You are Free!
10. Let your breath fill your abdomen and feel your sacral chakra expand and contract with each breath. Let the silver mist descend into your belly and let it take on the shape of your feelings, your hurts, and your yearnings. Thank these desires for energizing your life. Now let them go flowing back into the mists.
11. And now feel your breath at your root chakra, down in the place of engendering and birth. How are you rooted to your life? What makes you feel solid and secure? Feel your connection to the Earth, bless it and let it go. Yes, even this, let go into the mists.
12. Pull the silence, the emptiness, the original matter of creation down through your body. Let it fill you as you wait for re-birth.
13. Breathe. Now stand up in the water which is mist and sink your ‘empty’ awareness down into the fires at the center of the Earth. Pull Earth’s hot, raging fires up your spine. Now lift your awareness through the top of your head and feel the pulsing energy of the stars. This is a cool, subtle fire. Pull Heaven’s eternal fires down your spine. Let the fires meet and flow through you until they blend into Aphrodite's golden light in your heart. Breathe in and out, just feeling the energies.
14. The golden light glows brightly then condenses into a snake of golden light which crawls down your spine and out your root chakra. It coils around a red egg that is floating in the watery mist. The egg is the Goddess’ gift, her sacred temenos of life. The golden snake flows over to the egg and circles around it. It glows golden and crimson with new life, new possibilities.
15. Now the golden snake of light sinks into the red egg of life. It is done! Give thanks. Your new life is fertilized!
16. Now take up the red egg and imagine placing it on your crown chakra. Let an image come to you. This is what you are ready to believe in this year.
17. Place the red egg on your 3rd eye. What do you see, feel, think? This is your new story.
18. Take the egg and place it on your throat chakra. Listen for your new truth to arise.
19. Hold the red egg in front of your heart. Let those you love be with you, and let something new to love be born amongst you. This is your heart’s desire.
20. Take the egg and put it on your solar plexis. What new thing do you know about yourself? How would you name yourself now? This is your new identity.
21. Nestle the egg against your belly. Feel what’s energizing within you. What excites you, intrigues you, pleases you? This is your motivation, the engine that drives you.
22. Tuck the red egg down in your root chakra. Feel the vibrations. Look to see how the upper chakras are glowing, pulsing, dancing with light. Let an image arise of what grounds you in this life. Why are you here – what holds you? This is your purpose.
23. Now hold your egg and turn around 3 x’s. In front of you is a wooden door. Look at it – does it have images on it. This is the doorway to inner realms. Go through it and turn and close it until you return next time. There is a spiral staircase in front of you. Slow walk back up to the count of 10 to 1, becoming more aware of your surroundings until you reach 1 when you can open your eyes.
Venus comes close to Earth now and shines her light upon us before she disappears into the rays of the Sun. This is her Crone stage. She calls us to remember the lessons of love, which are the lessons of life. When she takes her Sun bath on August 13th, when she kisses the Sun, she will renew her virginity. She become the Maiden, who is the Morning Star.
