“Was Jesus married?” Margaret embarked on her own journey to uncover the truth about the lost bride of Christ after reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail. In her research, she found that the church has been trying to suppress the sacred marriage between Jesus and Mary Magdalene for thousands of years.    As she went deeper into her inquiry, she found compelling clues that Mary was indeed Jesus’ most beloved companion. The anointing of Jesus by a woman with the alabaster jar was mentioned in all four gospels, implying the importance of this event. The gospel of John revealed the woman’s identity to be Mary. Jesus himself instructed her to bring the fragrance to his tomb after his crucifixion. A look at the Scriptures shows that Mary Magdalene is mentioned first on seven of eight lists, hinting at her status in the community. These are some of the allusions that point to the sacred marriage.  Christianity has always emphasized the image of a male celibate God and a virgin mother all the while rejecting Mary as the bride of Christ. In doing so, Christianity also rejects the divine feminine because the sacred marriage represents the partnership between the masculine and feminine energies. Without it, we lack compassion and connection. The holy union is also symbolic of the unity of flesh and divinity. God is within us and works through us. We fail to fully embody the teachings of Christianity by being blind to the divine in us.  Margaret Starbird holds BA and MA degrees from the University of Maryland where she concentrated in comparative literature, medieval studies, and German language. She later studied theology at Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville. Margaret is the author of seven books that honor the Divine Feminine and the Sacred Marriage at the core of the Christian story. Her work has been credited as the inspiration for Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. What we discuss: 02:25 - Margaret's conversion experience 08:50 - Was Jesus married? 19:55 - A rosary for Mary Magdalene 25:31 - Lauren’s relationship with Christianity 34:11 - Early Christianity before the Romans 38:08 - Divinity in the flesh 44:09 - The tragedy of the patriarchy 52:11 - Healing deep wounds from Christianity 56:19 - The meaning of Magdalene 1:00:21 - What's the message of the Divine Mother to us?   Learn more from Margaret:  Website: www.margaretstarbird.net