Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Jesus and witness to His resurrection. Her epithet Magdalene means "of Magdala", a fishing village on the Sea of Galilee. She is mentioned briefly in the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), as a woman "out of whom [Jesus] had cast seven demons". Among the varying accounts in the Gospels, Mary Magdalene is the constant as witness to Jesus' resurrection. In the Gospel of John, three Marys are mentioned at the cross--Mary, the mother of Jesus; Mary, Her sister and His aunt; and Mary Magdalene, three being a number long associated with women and the Goddesss.

Through an old confusion with Mary of Bethany (sister to Lazurus, whom Jesus raised from the dead), Mary Magdalene was often depicted washing the feet of Jesus with Her tears and anointing Him with oil of spikenard (an herb related to lavendar). As Mary of Bethany was called a "sinner", Mary of Magdala was traditionally believed to have been a prostitute, though the Bible never explicitly says so. She was portrayed by medieval artists as weeping hysterically and gave Her name to the word maudlin, meaning overly sentimental or sorrowful.

In the non-canonical Gnostic Gospels--early Christian writings (accepted as true then) that were later rejected by Church leaders when the Bible was standardized--there is a somewhat different picture. In the Gospel of Philip, Mary Magdalene is called the "companion" of Jesus, which has often been interpreted to mean "consort". Also in Philip, Jesus is said to "often kiss her on her mouth", and has to answer a question from the other disciples as to why He "love[s] her more than all of us?" Jesus often called Her "the Blessed One", and She was one of three Marys who "walked always with the Lord"--Mary Magdalene, His mother Mary, and His aunt Mary.

Among the Gnostic Gospels is a Gospel of Mary Magdalene, in which She tells the other disciples of a vision She has had of Jesus. And some scholars believe that She may have been the real author of the canonical Gospel of John.

Drawing this card indicates doomed or hopeless love, grief and loss, with a strong spiritual component. Faith (in a religion, in the world, or in yourself) in this situation can bring hope, healing, and comfort.

Alternate names: Maria, Mariam

Titles: the Pleroma or "All-blessed Pleroma" (called so by Jesus in the Pistis Sophia text). The Pleroma ("fullness") is a Gnostic concept of the state of indwelling divinity, an emanation of God.