Who Was Mary Magdalene and Why Was She Named A Prostitute and then Apostle to the Apostles?

Priestess

Jul 14

As July 22—the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene—approaches, her presence is stirring in many of us.

Mary Magdalene was a spiritual equal to Jesus, or Yeshua as he was called in ancient times.

She is rising again in our hearts, here to help us heal the wounds we may carry around unworthiness, using our voice, seeing our sexuality as sacred, and forgiving those who have harmed us.

She was the only Apostle to witness both the crucifixion and the resurrection.

In gospels of Mark and John, she is noted among the women standing near the cross when most of the male disciples have fled. (Along with Mother Mary)

In John 20:1–18: She is the first to arrive at the tomb, the first to witness the risen Christ, and the first to be commissioned by him to “go and tell” the others.

This is why early Christian mystics and modern scholars alike refer to her as the Apostola Apostolorum — the Apostle to the Apostles.

She is the vessel of gnosis, entrusted with a truth the others were not yet prepared to hold.

Jesus chose to come to her when he rose — because she was the one he wanted to lead the movement he had started.

She was the one who saw.

And yet—she was named a prostitute.

Why?

The Distortion: How Mary Was Named a Prostitute

The myth of Mary Magdalene as a prostitute did not come from scripture—it came from misidentification and institutional agenda.

In 591 AD, Pope Gregory I gave a sermon in which he conflated several women in the New Testament, where he named Mary Magdalene a prostitute. He referred to the “seven demons” that Christ dispelled from her and the fact that she used expensive anointing oils as proof of her sinful work.

There is no biblical evidence that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute.

Many see the “seven demons” Jesus cast out of her as spiritual initiation and release of the seven lower aspects of the ego. She was not possessed—she was transformed.

So why the distortion?

Because Mary was dangerous to the early Church.

She was close to Jesus, perhaps closer than anyone. She knew his teachings not as dogma but as direct transmission.

She embodied the union of the divine and human, masculine and feminine, spirit and body. Her intimacy with Yeshua—emotional, intellectual, and yes, likely physical—threatened the Church’s emerging patriarchal structure.

By naming her a prostitute, the Church ensured that no one would take her seriously as a teacher.

It was not just about Mary—it was about suppressing all women.

It was a symbolic act of erasure that echoed through centuries.

Apostle to the Apostles: What the Title Really Means

In the Gospel of Mary Magdalene—a gnostic text discovered in the late 19th century—the apostles are confused and afraid after Jesus’ death. It is Mary who steps forward, calm and clear, and begins to teach what he had shown her in private.

She speaks of the ascent of the soul, the need to transcend fear and illusion, and the inner path of gnosis—direct knowing.

At first, Peter and Andrew resist her. They question, “Did he really speak to a woman, in private?”

But Levi defends her, saying, “If the Savior made her worthy, who are we to reject her?”

This moment shows a woman carrying spiritual authority, being challenged, and still finding her voice.

The 2016 Reclamation: Why the Church’s Recognition Was Monumental

Fast forward to 2016.

Pope Francis made a radical announcement: Mary Magdalene was no longer to be called a “penitent sinner”—but Apostle to the Apostles.

For many, it may have seemed like a symbolic gesture. But for those who carry the Magdalene codes, for those of us who feel the ancestral wound of being silenced, shamed, or diminished—it was an earthquake of healing.

For thousands of years, women have been excluded from spiritual leadership. Their wisdom has been hidden or rewritten. Their bodies shamed. Their voices quieted. Their wombs forgotten.

But in that moment, in the heart of the Vatican, something shifted.

A door cracked open. And through it, we walked.

Reminding Us to Find our Voice

In Mary’s lifetime it was a very real fear for women to be seen and heard.

Many women were persecuted for standing up as leaders. They were persecuted because they were powerful.

This is a wound many of us carry. From our ancestors. From past lives. From lineages of priestesses, witches, healers, and mothers who were silenced. So many of us have chosen to stay small and safe.

I deeply carried this fear of being seen and heard.

After a presentation that didn’t go great when I was just 13 years old, I shut down. I quieted my voice. I sensed that my magic, my intuition, my knowing—might not be safe.

But learning of Mary’s story, and the courage she had in her life, I remembered I was not alone.

Mary is here now—reminding us that we are safe to speak. Sometimes I can even hear her as if she is saying, “Please carry the wisdom forth, continue my legacy and speak where I was not able to due to the time I was living in…”

Sexuality as Sacred

One of the deepest truths that Mary Magdalene’s legacy holds is the sacredness of embodied love.

Some believe Mary and Yeshua were married, and they saw sexuality as an aspect of the divine. Their union was not sinful—it was holy.

Some believe Mary was trained in the mystery schools of Egypt, carrying on the lineage of Isis—the holy bride, the anointer, the vessel.

The Christ and Magdalene frequencies together represent wholeness.

Sexuality is a powerful force, terrifying to a Church seeking control.

And one sure way to control a group is to shame their sexuality.

Sexuality and even the body became something to be ashamed of.

Codes of Feeling and Forgiveness

Perhaps the most radical part of Mary’s legacy is not her spiritual authority, but her capacity for forgiveness.

I don’t feel she holds any ill-will towards the Church for being named a prostitute, or for withholding all that Jesus stood for.

It is said later in her life she met Longinus, the Roman centurion who pierced Jesus’ side with a spear. And she did not curse him. She saw his pain. She forgave him. She even initiated him into the teachings of Jesus and the Way of Love.

This is the way of the Magdalene—to feel every ache of betrayal and still choose compassion.

By feeling our pain, we open the doors of compassion, healing and forgiveness.

She saw that those who cause harm are often suffering themselves.

In a world that still wounds women, still denies the body, still silences the wise—it is Mary’s compassion that holds the key to our healing.

So this July 22, on her Feast Day, let us honor her.

Light a candle.
Speak your truth.
Anoint yourself or your beloved.
Place a red rose on your altar.
And invite her to walk beside you as a guide.

May we all continue her legacy…
By being willing to feel our pain
By opening our hearts to forgiveness, and
By using our voice for the upliftment of humanity…

With love,

Meredith