Mary [Mari in the tradition] was born to an affluent Indian family of spice merchants, in the South Eastern district of Magdala, in the year c.10CE. As a young girl Mary became increasingly fascinated with the sensual aspects of life. Her home country, the world's spice, herb and opium emporium, provided ample opportunity for exposure to sensuality.

Mary must have been about 10 years old when she and a girlfriend were discovered during intimate sexual play. The girlfriend, being from a poor home, carried most of the blame for the ensuing problems. The situation was amplified and became a source of public disgrace to Mari's family. The community resolved that the girls be sent away. The friend was sent to work in a mine and Mari was sold to a pimp who had to promise to keep her far from her family.

Mary's new owner sent her to service as a prostitute in the northernmost parts of India where she soon became a favorite of the prominent members in the town. By her own admission she was diligent at the art of the prostitute and she lived with a 'knowledge' of being possessed by a demon that enjoyed exorbitant sex through her. This is how she met the man in her life - Yesu our Lord.

Nearing the end of a training course in 'mastery over the senses, at a certain north Indian school, the young Yesu was brought to face the trial of living with a woman, without succumbing to sensual desires. Mari, the girl from Maghdala, was chosen to be Yesu's testmeet. She pleaded with him not to be faced with the sensuous demon she had in her because she knew from experience that no human being, male and female, yogi or chela, could withstand her attraction and incitation to licentiousness. The rest of the story is captured in the Acts of Yesu and will not be reiterated here. Suffice it to say that Mary became a disciple of Yesu and he spent years training her how to use the extremes of human sensuality to attain spiritual perfection. The Way in which Yesu initiated Mary is an ascetic but outgoing Way of healing and service to humanity. Yesu instructed Mary to start an ascetic movement in this Tradition. In Church of the East this esoteric tradition is known as The Magadhalenes.

St. Magadhalene was the first evangelist of the Church (in the New Testament she is the first person to proclaim the risen Christ) and she served as a Counselor (Bishop) in Alexandria in North Africa.

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 Revised: 10/29/03. www.churchoftheeast.ca