Magdalene's Beehive:
The Flowering of The Mystic Tradition From Egypt to Iona
Join us as we dive deeply into the ancient texts and creative practices of the early Western contemplative tradition, continuing to follow the Magdalene thread of turning towards the Good and awakening the eye and ear of the heart. This mystical pathway of passionate pursuit for direct experience and creative engagement has so much to offer us in our time, opening up our imaginations to connect to the "divine spark" and ignite the seeds of expression within us.
We will begin by discovering the roots of the contemplative life in Egypt in the first century. The philosophers of Alexandria known as Therapeuts (from which we get our word "therapist") will teach us how to work with dreams and how to read the Old Testament with a mythopoetic eye. In the fourth century, we will follow John Cassian as he sits at the feet of Desert Elders imbibing their psychologically astute teachings about how to work with our own inner conflicts. Cassian will carry this wisdom to France to establish double monasteries of men and women seeking to find union with the divine. The books he writes at Mary Magdalene's cave at La Sainte Baume (the Institutes and Conferences) will travel with St Patrick to Ireland and also become the foundation of Benedictine monasteries throughout Europe. We will discover how the Celtic Christian tradition thrived with St. Columba in Iona, becoming a beacon of light of scholarship, poetry, music and artwork. Along the way, we will meet fascinating women you have likely never heard of: wise leaders who became bishops and teachers of bishops. They have been hidden throughout the centuries, but are now re-emerging to claim their rightful places. Some of them were consciously following in Mary Magdalene’s footsteps; others were intuitively embodying the Magdalene path of Courage and Compassion that “reunites us with our root” and the memory of the Good.
The Flowering of the Mystic Tradition is a celebration of the Mythopoetic Imagination and the beauty that can emerge in such a quest. As we explore the next chapter of the Magdalene Contemplative legacy, we will be holding in balance (like the Celtic Christians did) both scholarship and intuition, paying attention to the healing power of dreams. We will discover the deep, alchemical insight found in the practice of working with opposites through creative dialoguing in word and image. We will explore nature wisdom and immerse ourselves in the ancient chants that monks used to give shape to their days in imitation of how legend claimed that Mary Magdalene was lifted up "seven times a day" by the songs of the angels. We will find tools for discernment, equanimity and creativity in our own lives, and then we will come together on the Magdalene path in celebration with hands and hearts wide enough to embrace both lamentation and joy.
Will you join us?
Each month will have one 90 minute seminar (held on the first Mondays, January-April plus May 27) and one embodied, experiential chapel of contemplation and creative practice that highlights key celebrations in the Celtic calendar. All programs are recorded for downloading and streaming later.
Beehive Calendar 2025
Seminars: First Mondays, 10 am -11:30 am Pacific
Monday, January 6: Epiphany, Egypt and Dreams of the Desert: The Foundations of Contemplative Life
Monday, February 3: The Caves of Wisdom and Wonder: Tales of the Desert Elders
Monday, March 3: Taming Our Demons Through Art and Imagination: Cassian, Jung and Hildegard of Bingen
Monday, April 7: The Celtic Braid: Where Nature and Culture Intertwine
Monday, May 26: Blessing the World Around Us With Beauty
Chapels, 10 am, Pacific
Sunday, January 5:
Feast of The Desert Mothers
Saturday, February 1:
Feasts of the Coming Light: Candlemas, Imbolc and Saint Brigid
Tuesday, March 25:
The Annunciation in Art, Poetry, and Music in the Celtic Tradition and Celtic Revival
Saturday, April 12:
Rituals of Grief, Anointing and Lamentation
Friday, May 1:
Beltane and the Fires of Transformation
All classes will be recorded for later streaming.
Tuition: $350
Register by Friday, November 29 for our Early Bird Special of $300 for the semester program