Today the 22nd July is the Feast Day of Mary Magdalene, on this day we honour a woman whose name has echoed through centuries a woman of mystery, strength, devotion, and sacred feminine power.
In 2016, the Catholic Church formally recognised her role as the “Apostle to the Apostles,” giving her an official Feast Day on 22nd July. This long awaited acknowledgement lifted her from centuries of misrepresentation a woman too often reduced to labels that never truly reflected who she was.
For generations, Mary Magdalene was wrongly portrayed as a prostitute a narrative not found in scripture, but one that became deeply embedded in tradition. Today, many of us see through this distortion and honour her instead as a teacher, spiritual leader, and sacred anointer. A woman of depth. Of wisdom. Of presence.
What draws me to Mary Magdalene is her profound connection to essential oils and sacred healing. She is believed to have anointed Jesus with Spikenard before his crucifixion a precious oil used in ancient times for grief, anointing, spiritual preparation, and honouring the sacredness of transition.
Spikenard is earthy, grounding, and deeply calming to the nervous system. Its benefits include easing anxiety, promoting emotional release, and supporting the heart through sorrow or change. It’s not hard to imagine why Mary would have chosen this sacred oil, it speaks directly to the soul.
She is often depicted in sacred art holding an alabaster jar a vessel believed to contain Spikenard. This image appears again and again across centuries, symbolising her role as an anointer and keeper of holy medicine. One can wonder did she receive this alabaster jar during her time in Egypt, where Spikenard was traded and revered as a sacred healing oil? Egypt, the land of temple initiations and priestess teachings, where Mary is believed to have studied the mysteries of Isis goddess of healing, rebirth, and divine feminine wisdom.
In the aromatherapy world, she is remembered as a Myrrhophore a bearer of sacred oils. The word comes from “myrrh,” one of the holy oils, and refers to women trained in the ceremonial and healing use of essential oils. Myrrhophores were guardians of ancient plant wisdom, tending to the body and spirit through anointing, prayer, and ritual. These women worked with oils not only for physical ailments but for emotional, spiritual, and energetic healing too.
Mary’s connection to Egypt and the ancient lineages of sacred oil carriers continues to awaken something deep in many of us. As someone who works daily with these oils, I often feel her presence. Her guidance whispers through the blends I create, through the way I listen, and through the reverence I hold for the oils and their ability to shift emotions, open hearts, and heal deeply. Her story reminds me that plant medicine is a sacred language one passed down through priestesses, healers, mothers, and wisdom keepers.
Today, on her Feast Day, may we remember Mary Magdalene not just as a woman in history but as a woman of great spiritual power.
A teacher.
A healer.
A symbol of the rising divine feminine.
And may her legacy continue to inspire each of us to reclaim the sacred within ourselves one drop of oil, one breath, one remembrance at a time.
With love,
Tracy
