The nineteenth century witnessed a discursive explosion around the subject of sex. Historical evidence indicates that the sexual behaviour which had always been punishable began to be spoken of, regulated, and policed in new ways. Prostitutes were no longer dragged through the town, dunked in lakes, whipped and branded. Medieval forms of punishment shifted from the emphasis on punishing the body to punishing the mind. Building on the work of Foucault, Walkowitz, and Mort, Linda Mahood traces and examines new approached emerging throughout the nineteenth century towards prostitution and looks at the apparatus and institutions created for its regulation and control. In particular, throughout the century, the bourgeoisie contributed regularly to the discourse on the prostitution problem, the debate focusing on the sexual and vocational behaviour of working class women. The thrust of the discourse, however, was not just repression or control but the moral reform – through religious training, moral education, and training in domestic service – of working class women. With her emphasis on Scottish 'magdalene' homes and a case study of the system of police repression used in Glasgow, Linda Mahood has written the first book of its kind dealing with these issues in Scotland. At the same time the book sets nineteenth-century treatment of prostitutes in Scotland into the longer run of British attempts to control 'drabs and harlots', and contributes to the wider discussion of 'dangerous female sexuality' in a male-dominated society.

In this channelled sequel to the international bestseller Anna, Grandmother of Jesus, we journey with Anna, the Holy Family and 18 other Magdalene–Essenes as they travel to France and Britain after Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. This book gives a completely new perspective on the gnostic Mount Carmel Essene mystery school, in which Jesus and Mary Magdalene took initiations, as well as on the Holy Family and the Magdalene Order. Through Claire Heartsong, Anna tells not only the story of Jesus, but also the story of the women who surrounded him throughout his life. The book reveals the deeper mysteries they have safeguarded for aeons of time, including aspects of Jesus’s personal life not recorded in history – his relationships and, most radically, his offspring.In this one-of-a-kind story, Claire shares the information she received from Anna on the ‘Seeding of Light’ – the dispersion of Anna, Mother Mary and Jesus’s enlightened descendants whose ‘bloodline’ acts as a living catalyst for the awakening of the Christ–Magdalene potential today. Not only does this book give a new view of the Christ drama 2,000 years ago but, more importantly, it offers the potential to lift the suppressed Divine Feminine voice in our time.

What makes Mary Magdalene such a unique, powerful, female disciple and counterpart to Jesus? If you are drawn to her energy and wisdom it may be a signal from your soul asking you to remember you may be part of a larger picture in which Magdalene is not just an individual but an 'Order of Consciousness' to which you may be connected.

The nineteenth century witnessed a discursive explosion around the subject of sex. Historical evidence indicates that the sexual behaviour which had always been punishable began to be spoken of, regulated, and policed in new ways. Prostitutes were no longer dragged through the town, dunked in lakes, whipped and branded. Medieval forms of punishment shifted from the emphasis on punishing the body to punishing the mind. Building on the work of Foucault, Walkowitz, and Mort, Linda Mahood traces and examines new approached emerging throughout the nineteenth century towards prostitution and looks at the apparatus and institutions created for its regulation and control. In particular, throughout the century, the bourgeoisie contributed regularly to the discourse on the prostitution problem, the debate focusing on the sexual and vocational behaviour of working class women. The thrust of the discourse, however, was not just repression or control but the moral reform – through religious training, moral education, and training in domestic service – of working class women. With her emphasis on Scottish 'magdalene' homes and a case study of the system of police repression used in Glasgow, Linda Mahood has written the first book of its kind dealing with these issues in Scotland. At the same time the book sets nineteenth-century treatment of prostitutes in Scotland into the longer run of British attempts to control 'drabs and harlots', and contributes to the wider discussion of 'dangerous female sexuality' in a male-dominated society.

Between 1922 and 1996, over 10,000 girls and women were imprisoned in Magdalene Laundries, including those considered 'promiscuous', a burden to their families or the state, those who had been sexually abused or raised in the care of the Church and State, and unmarried mothers. These girls and women were subjected to forced labour as well as psychological and physical maltreatment. Using the Irish State's own report into the Magdalene institutions, as well as testimonies from survivors and independent witnesses, this book gives a detailed account of life behind the high walls of Ireland's Magdalene institutions. The book offers an overview of the social, cultural and political contexts of institutional survivor activism, the Irish State's response culminating in the McAleese Report, and the formation of the Justice for Magdalenes campaign, a volunteer-run survivor advocacy group. Ireland and the Magdalene Laundries documents the ongoing work carried out by the Justice for Magdalenes group in advancing public knowledge and research into Magdalene Laundries, and how the Irish State continues to evade its responsibilities not just to survivors of the Magdalenes but also in providing a truthful account of what happened. Drawing from a variety of primary sources, this book reveals the fundamental flaws in the state's investigation and how the treatment of the burials, exhumation and cremation of former Magdalene women remains a deeply troubling issue today, emblematic of the system of torture and studious official neglect in which the Magdalene women lived their lives. The Authors are donating all royalties in the name of the women who were held in the Magdalenes to EPIC (Empowering People in Care).

In this channelled sequel to the international bestseller Anna, Grandmother of Jesus, we journey with Anna, the Holy Family and 18 other Magdalene–Essenes as they travel to France and Britain after Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. This book gives a completely new perspective on the gnostic Mount Carmel Essene mystery school, in which Jesus and Mary Magdalene took initiations, as well as on the Holy Family and the Magdalene Order. Through Claire Heartsong, Anna tells not only the story of Jesus, but also the story of the women who surrounded him throughout his life. The book reveals the deeper mysteries they have safeguarded for aeons of time, including aspects of Jesus’s personal life not recorded in history – his relationships and, most radically, his offspring.In this one-of-a-kind story, Claire shares the information she received from Anna on the ‘Seeding of Light’ – the dispersion of Anna, Mother Mary and Jesus’s enlightened descendants whose ‘bloodline’ acts as a living catalyst for the awakening of the Christ–Magdalene potential today. Not only does this book give a new view of the Christ drama 2,000 years ago but, more importantly, it offers the potential to lift the suppressed Divine Feminine voice in our time.

The Magdalen laundries were workhouses in which many Irish women and girls were effectively imprisoned because they were perceived to be a threat to the moral fiber of society. Mandated by the Irish state beginning in the eighteenth century, they were operated by various orders of the Catholic Church until the last laundry closed in 1996. A few years earlier, in 1993, an order of nuns in Dublin sold part of their Magdalen convent to a real estate developer. The remains of 155 inmates, buried in unmarked graves on the property, were exhumed, cremated, and buried elsewhere in a mass grave. This triggered a public scandal in Ireland and since then the Magdalen laundries have become an important issue in Irish culture, especially with the 2002 release of the film The Magdalene Sisters. Focusing on the ten Catholic Magdalen laundries operating between 1922 and 1996, Ireland's Magdalen Laundries and the Nation's Architecture of Containment offers the first history of women entering these institutions in the twentieth century. Because the religious orders have not opened their archival records, Smith argues that Ireland's Magdalen institutions continue to exist in the public mind primarily at the level of story (cultural representation and survivor testimony) rather than history (archival history and documentation). Addressed to academic and general readers alike, James M. Smith's book accomplishes three primary objectives. First, it connects what history we have of the Magdalen laundries to Ireland's “architecture of containment” that made undesirable segments of the female population such as illegitimate children, single mothers, and sexually promiscuous women literally invisible. Second, it critically evaluates cultural representations in drama and visual art of the laundries that have, over the past fifteen years, brought them significant attention in Irish culture. Finally, Smith challenges the nation—church, state, and society—to acknowledge its complicity in Ireland's Magdalen scandal and to offer redress for victims and survivors alike.

Come spend some time in the sanctuary of women, an often-ignored space in Jewish and Christian history. This devotional book for women highlights six women from around the world and across the centuries, inviting us to discover what their lives tell us about God. Jan Richardson, a gifted poet, artist, and author, believes it is essential for women to listen to one another's wisdom and bring the fullness of their lives, with all the wonders and messiness, into their prayer life. In the Sanctuary of Women gathers together these women from scripture and history: Eve Brigid of Kildare The desert mothers Hildegard of Bingen Harriet Powers The Woman of the Song of Songs Each chapter becomes its own sanctuary, with one of the women serving as a companion as you contemplate the theme that her life offers. Throughout the readings Richardson weaves her own stories, poetry, prayers, and blessings. Midway through each chapter, a section called "The Secret Room" gives you a chance to pause and reflect on unexpected insights. Reading the book daily will carry you through six months, or you can dip into the readings as you wish. An invitation into reflection and prayer alone or in the company of others, In the Sanctuary of Women is a book to treasure and to share with the women and the men in your life.

"...a marvelous tapestry of insights, discoveries, tools and resources that gives us all hope for Heaven on Planet Earth." - Rev. Ruth L. Miller, PhD, author of Mary's Power "Claire's deep work of Sacred Feminine wisdom ... could not come at a better time." - Tim Kelley, author of True Purpose "...an important contribution to mending a world torn in half..." - Lion Goodman, author of Creating on Purpose Feminine wisdom revealed and reclaimed! Unveil this hidden power within and transform your life. Recent discoveries of ancient manuscripts have shined a light on Mary Magdalene as a powerful teacher and luminous feminine spirit. In The Magdalene Path, Claire Sierra shares her inspiring communication with Mary Magdalene about the awakening of the Divine Feminine as a means to shift and up-level our lives as women in the modern world. The Magdalene Path is a guidebook of compelling ideas, skills and practices to bring your Feminine Soul into daily life. Regardless of your spiritual orientation or previous connection to Mary Magdalene, you will bask in the inspiring wisdom and practical insights in this empowering, illuminating book. - Revitalize your mind and body to tap into more energy for what you love. - Ignite your connection to Spirit through simple rituals and Soul-care practices. - Embrace your authentic, radiant beauty as you reclaim your innate feminine power. - Replenish your passions and feel empowered to live your purpose. - Embody your creativity and live as the vibrant woman you truly are.

The convents, asylums, and laundries that once comprised the Magdalene institutions are the subject of this work. Though originally half-way homes for prostitutes in the Middle Ages, these homes often became forced-labor institutions, particularly in Ireland. Examining the laundries within the context of a growing world capitalist economy, the work argues that the process of colonization, and of defining a national image, determined the nature and longevity of the Magdalene Laundries. This process developed differently in Ireland, where the last laundry closed in 1996. The book focuses on the devolution of the significance of Mary Magdalene as a metaphor for the organization: from an affluent, strong supporter of Jesus to a simple, fallen woman.