We are blessed with thousands of manuscripts we can sink our teeth into to nourish our spiritual hunger. From ‘The Bible’ and the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ to ‘The Celestine Prophecy’ and ‘Eat, Pray, Love,’ there is a book out there for every seeker’s craving and taste. I read a lot of spiritual books; in fact, most of my bookshelves are lined with this genre. While I usually go for nonfiction, this summer I absolutely devoured a juicy series of spiritual thrillers, and one miraculous part of that is I was able to read the books, in public, without being burned at the stake. (I had a close call, though.)
While Kathleen McGowan’s first novel in the Magdalene Line, ‘The Expected One,’ was first published in 2006, it recently came to my attention during a radio interview with the controversial and courageous author about the newly released third book, ‘The Poet Prince.’ I immediately rushed out and bought ‘The Expected One,’ the story of Maureen Paschal, a journalist who begins to have life-altering visions of Mary Magdalene during a research trip to Jerusalem. She discovers that she is an integral part of an ancient bloodline prophecy, the one to bring to light the true teachings of Jesus Christ, the Way of Love.
Maureen learns about Magdalene’s relationship with Jesus and the Apostles as she searches for the ‘Arques Gospel of Mary Magdalene,’ scrolls written in Magdalene’s own hand, hidden in the Pyrenees Mountains near Rennes les Chateau, France. She also begins to understand the dangers of being one of the Expected Ones as she evades attempts on her life and learns the stories of the historical women who shared her destiny and died trying to carry Magdalene’s message.
Now some may say, ‘That smacks of ‘The DaVinci Code,’’ and there are some elements of truth to that (the possibility that Jesus and Magdalene were married and had children, clandestine societies fighting the Roman Catholic Church, and nail-biting climaxes), but McGowan goes places Dan Brown never dreamed of going. These books propose an important perspective to consider as a possible explanation of what happened to the demise of women’s power as a result of the rise of Christianity, a belief system Jesus himself may never have intended.
The second book, ‘The Book of Love,’ takes Maureen and her twin soul (one’s romantic love through many embodiments), Berenger Sinclair, on the search for Jesus’ gospel. They learn about heiros gamos, the sacred union of beloveds, and the six aspects of sacred love. A primary lesson is that ‘love conquers all.’ McGowan also introduces the power of Chartres Cathedral’s labyrinth, originally designed by Jesus, Solomon, and Sheba. The maze holds such power that upon reaching its center men and women can speak directly to God. (Not a big money maker for the Church.) She also explains a manner of working with ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ (the subject of her non-fiction book, ‘The Source of Miracles’) wherein each of six petals on a rose design found on the cover of ‘The Book of Love,’ as well as in the center of the labyrinth, represents a part of the prayer and a principle to live by: faith, surrender, service, abundance, forgiveness, and strength. The central circle is love. It is through this prayer that we can live as love expressed, which creates heaven on earth.
‘The Poet Prince’ gives Berenger his part in the prophecies and takes the story to Renaissance Florence, introducing Lorenzo de Medici, the prince who gave rise to what is perhaps one of the greatest periods in human evolution (so far). We find the symbolism of the Way of Love in Sandro Botticelli’s glorious paintings hidden in plain sight ‘for those with eyes to see.’ Da Vinci also makes an appearance and is not the darling he was in Brown’s story. A major theme of this book is ‘art will save the world.’
Woven throughout the series are the love stories of El and Asherah (God and his twin soul), Jesus and Magdalene, King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Countess Matilda of Tuscany and Pope Gregory VII, Ariadne and Theseus, and Lorenzo de Medici and his beloved Colombina, couples whose purpose it is to teach the Way of Love.
I found these books to be full of profound wisdom, rich in love and historical fiction, and populated with genuine characters and their heart-opening stories. In fact, I loved McGowan’s books so much, I’m going to order a second helping and re-read the whole series. Because, as in Botticelli’s paintings, there are many levels to the teachings of these novels. The frosting on the cake is that Kathleen McGowan’s stories are largely autobiographical. Like Maureen, she experienced visions of Magdalene, which led to her research and subsequent drive to share the truths she found. (The author’s notes and interviews with her are just about as juicy as the books.) There are people who find her truths very frightening, so she, too, has been the object of death threats and vicious character attacks. It is time for a new perspective on Jesus and love that gives voice to women.
What is so scary about that?
