Andare, Partire, Tornare ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Horses and repentant whores As my sister pointed out after her first session of therapy riding, you wouldn't think that walking around in a circle for three hours would be all that tiring, but after today's session, I'm weary and a little sore. But I think this is going to stay being loads of fun, as the kids are just adorable, even when you're fighting to have them listen to you. And the delight of being on a horse is just so thrilling to see. Found and began reading a very interesting book, _Mary Magdalen: Myth and Metaphor_. It discusses the conflation between Mary Magdalen, witness to Christ's reappearance at the tomb, with Mary of Bethany (the Mary from Mary and Martha, Lazarus' sisters), and also with the repentant prostitute who anoints Christ's feet and bathes them with her hair. In actual fact, these are probably three seperate women, but they were linked together for several different reasons, until we have the known figure Mary Magdalen, repentant prostitute, a woman who had seven devils cast out of her, and went on to become Apostle to the Apostles, a hermit, and, in the Eastern Orthodox church, a personification of wisdom and divine revelation. While tracking the imagery of the Magdalene, the author of the book looks at everything from early frescos on house-churches from the very beginnings of Christianity, to houses for reforming prostitutes, to Victorian pornography. What's interesting is that I think I can work her into my thesis, because apparently Catherine of Siena took Mary Magdalene as a spiritual mother and penitential model, because of the extreme fasting done by both. So now, I have both St. Clare of Assisi and Mary Magdalene to work with...hmm. I think I'm going to go be a sheep and watch the Oscar's now. Or perhaps go wash the horse off of me. 7:44 p.m. - 2002-03-24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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