Pre-orders of the Mysteries of the Red Madonna, Mary Magdalene tarot deck

Pre-orders open on the website hergracesacredart.com

on Thursday 12 December 2024

You can read the ful reveal on the free feed of my Patreon/WalkingwithMary

I created the first elements of the Mysteries of Mary Magdalene, in early 2020 with the Swan Mysteries of Venus and Mary Magdalene and this was the first altar!

Four and a half years later I can finally offer you the deck! It is a true labour of devotion, bhaky and great passion.

This journey started with the Mysteries of Mary and us releasing Her from the strangling vines of dogma and patriarchal religion; we followed the sacred Path of the Distaff and Needles deeper into the darkest, wildest forests. And then with the Black Madonna as our secret Blessing Doll we travelled under the protection of the Red Cloak and came face to face with Black Mary. And nothing would seem the same ever again.

The dreams started and unfolded over a few nights and then she appeared to me, the Red Madonna of Alchemy.  She appeared as a red lion dressed as the Madonna with cloak and crown. She handed me a red bejewelled egg that opened to reveal a golden chalice inner, a fish and a black stone.

The red lion is also another name for the Philosopher’s Stone, which is required to transform base metal into gold. The chemicals mercury (quicksilver) (the god Hermes/Mercury) and sulfur, both highly revered for their alchemical properties, turn into a vermilion red compound when combined into mercuric sulfide. Many alchemists considered this red chemical the key to the Magnum Opus, the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone from raw materials.

 The process of the Magnum Opus begins with the blackening (nigredo) and goes through the whitening (albedo) and yellowing (citrinitas)  before ending with the reddening (rubedo). Many writers after the 15th century combined the yellowing with the reddening to make just three steps — black, white and red

Mary Magdalene is first referred to by name in Chapter 15 of St Mark's gospel, in the Bible, towards the end of his account of Jesus's crucifixion on Golgotha, 'the place of the skull', the Hebrew name for Calvary, just outside Jerusalem. Among the women who stayed after the men had fled were 'Mary Magdalene' and 'Mary'.  These women had followed Christ in Galilee and had ministered unto him.

Our Lady of the Red Cloak started the dance of the Muse of Love slowly in 2020.  She took mantel after mantel off, setting the scene to share Her deepest and most hidden heresies. With the Red Madonna the themes that were showcased in the first two decks will now be cleaved open to the bone and we will travel deep behind the Red Veil. In this deck I am sharing the incredible shamanic nature of Christianity in Mary Magdalene's story and that of Jesus, Her Beloved.

I cannot share the actual cards with you yet, so these are the pre-printing proofs - cards will be corner rounded and cut to the same size as the other two Mysteries decks.

Themes of the Deck

There are a number of major themes in this deck. The various historical and mythical stories and devotion to Mary Magdalene is one of them. I include some of the Cathar history; Sophian Gnosticism; the traditions that are particular to the South of France, to name a few. Evolutionary astrology and speficically the movement and myth of the asteroids play a big role; the shamanic journey of Venus-Inanna-Magdalene in evolutionary astrology is integral to the deck as well.

This deck is rooted in the Sacred Bridal Chamber tradition of esoteric Gnosticism and the Tantric practises of the East.

The four suits reflect the major themes. I will discuss these in more detail below.

Title Card

Backs of cards

The four suits are :

The suit of Chalices, the element of water (Cups in the RWS) - the theme of Mary Magdalene as Vessel for the Church of Love and all the ways in which this is celebrated in both myth and culture

The suit of Myrrh, the element of Fire, (Wands in RWS) - the theme of anointing, the holy oil, flower essences, entheogenics and the states of ecstasy that is available to the human being through the chrism and kundalini

The suit of Doves, the element of Air (Swords in RWS) - this is the theme of Visions. Each suit is based on a particular vision that I had received and experienced in imaginal realms. This suit focuses on the role of the dove in the stories and in particular the Temple of Doves and Mary as 'the Dove'

The suit of Swans, the element of Earth (Pentacles in RWS) - the Swan plays such an important role in the Mysteries. In the suit of earth, the Swan represents embodied spirituality as opposed to transcendence; it is the power of spiritual practise and growth and the sacred marriage between body and spirit. The swan is the feathered serpent and the winged dragon.

The Court cards are :

Hearthkeeper, Flamekeeper, Temple and Tower

The deck is being printed on exactly the same cardstock as both the new editions of the Mysteries of Mary and the Black Madonna; the same size; uv varnish coated; deep red metallic edges, with a beautiful handcrafted pouch AND a beautiful printed storage box with lid; as always, each set will arrive with a red rosary and red mini Mary figurine. And a substantial paperback guidebook in the same style as the previous two books

Shipping with express courier delivery worldwide

The price includes international delivery worldwide with DHL Express Courier; delivered within 7 days of shipping.

Shipping is expected to start during March 2025; if the decks arrive earlier, I will share that with you and you will receive your deck sooner.

Creating the Mysteries of the Red Madonna and her Beloved tarot deck in 2022

The Passion of Venus and Pluto

from the Mysteries of the Red Madonna tarot deck

Immerse yourself in the radiant beauty

which is the world beyond the mind.

Surrender every thought, every attempt at creating a division between yourself and the other.

Join heart and sensation with the continuous dance of lovemaking between devi and dev, shakty and shiva, bharavi and bharava, god and goddess, Maria and Christos, Sophia and the Dove.

Join with the Madonna and Her Beloved who is making love in every particle of creation

With every breath and touch bless the life that surrounds you

A blessed year of the Lovers and the unfolding of the Mysteries of the Red Madonna and Her Beloved to you

 'Those initiated into these Inner Mysteries discovered that Christianity was not just about the dying and resurrecting Son of God. They were told another myth that few Christian today have even heard of - the story of Jesus' love, the lost and redeemed Daughter of the Goddess. ... They understood the Divine to have both a masculine and a feminine face; they worshiped the Divine Feminine as Sophia, the wise Goddess. - Jesus and the lost Goddess by Timothy Freke

Elaine Pagels in her book, the Gnostic Paul, writes that Paul says that 'Among the initiates we speak of Sophia' for it is 'the secret of Sophia' that is 'taught in our Mysteries'.  She also explains that when initiates of the Inner Mysteries of Christianity partook of Holy Communion, it was Sophia's passion and suffering they revered and remembered.  It is said that priests and priestesses offered initiates wine as a symbol of 'her blood.'  The prayer that was offered was :

'May Sophia fil your inner being and increase in her Gnosis.'

Another prayer to Sophia was :

'Come, hidden Mother; come, you who are made manifest in your works, and give joy and rest to those who are bound to you.  Come and partake in this Eucharist which we perform in  your name, and in the love feast for which we have assembled at your invitation.'

The Mysteries of the Red Madonna and Her Beloved will be a deck that will bring together the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine in the mythological teachings of Sophia, Her Daughter Mary Magdalene and Her Son-Beloved-Brother Yeshua or Jesus.

In the Mysteries of the Red Madonna I will once again explore the allegorical teachings encoded in the Outer Mysteries.  These Outer Mysteries included the allegorical initiation myths of the 'lost and redeemed' Goddess and the 'dying and resurrecting Godman of the various Gnostic communities and idealogies.  These mythological motifs are displayed in the Pagan Mysteries, and taught by the great Pagan Gnostics and the later Jewish mythological mysteries.  The Mysteries of the Red Madonna will firstly illuminate the stories and teachings of Sophia and her lost daughter, Mary Magdalene.  The Inner Mysteries of the Red Madonna will reveal the esoteric or hidden Inner Mysteries which lead to Gnosis and the final stage of Hieros Gamos or Sacred Marriage with her Beloved and Consort, the incarnate Godman.

I will explore the divine couple in Egypt, Isis and Osiris; in Greece as Persephone and Dionysus, in Syria as Aphrodite and Adonis; Cybele and Attis, Ishtar and Marduk, Asherah and Baal amongst others.

Sophia, Lady Wisdom and Maria-Sophia in the Mysteries of Mary, has been the Goddess of the Pagan philosophers for centuries.  'Philosophy' means 'lover of Sophia'.

The Goddess Ashera, in the Jewish tradition,  became known as God's companion and co-creator Sophia, in books such as Proverbs, the Sophia of Solomon and The Sophia of Jesus the son of Sirach.   

As in both the Mysteries of the 'White Lady' Mary and the Black Madonna, there will be an overlap between these three decks in the Red Madonna as well.  For the original Christians, Mary had always represented the Goddess Sophia, Queen of Heaven.

The Literalists, those who are exponents of the literal interpretation of the Mysteries, put an end to the Goddess and Divine nature of Mary and Sophia both.  They saw her as merely a mortal woman who gave birth to a divine son.  They also put an end to the equality of the sexes as proclaimed by the Gnostics and women no longer were spiritual partners to men.  Women were seen as the evil descendants of Eve because of whose sin the son of God had to die.

 I will explore the 'fallen goddess' theme in the many references to 'the soul as prostitute' in both the Gnostic texts as Biblical texts.  This will take us into the stories of Mary Magdalene, the priestess who anointed the Godman; Mary Magdalene as the Beloved Disciple and the ancient tradition of temple priestesses or Devi Dasi, the ancient Hindu tradition of the temple priestess who were called 'prostitute'.

I will also explore the various Red Madonna Sophia figures in these stories, such as the barren Elizabeth, Rebecca who draws water from the well of wisdom of Sophia, Martha, the prostitute Tamar, the fallen Batsheba, and more.

'Jesus does not show himself as he really is, but he shows himself as people are able to see him.  He shows himself to all.  To the great he appears great. To the small he appears small.  To the angels he appears as an angel, as to men as a man. Hence the Logos conceals itself from all.  Some indeed see him and realize that they are seeing themselves.' - The Gospel of Philip

I invite you to join me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/templeofmary and to become a part of the final deck in the Mysteries of Mary.

blessings

Hettienne