Buried for centuries, the Gospel of Mary preserves a forgotten teaching of Jesus: “The Son of Man is within you.” But he wasn’t talking about himself. This post unpacks the radical, mystical, and dangerous truth behind those words—and why Mary understood what the apostles couldn’t.
You are amazing and everything you write I feel as if you’re speaking directly to me. Of course that’s probably true of lots of people. In any case, thank you
Laurie, your words just landed like a soft psalm on a tired monk’s heart. If something I wrote made you feel seen, then we’re already brushing up against what Mary called true vision. She taught us that revelation isn’t a lightning bolt from above—it’s someone finally saying what your soul’s been whispering all along. Thank you for letting me know it’s reaching you. We’re in this together.
I did not weather Sunday School as a child and nobody in my immediate family professed to be Christian. My first encounter with the divine was by revelation and indeed felt like an awakening.
My latest remembering came during Maundy Thursday service where, once again, ritual served as portal, not as the central point of the event.
I read these posts to stay centered in validation of my experience.
Emily, your words land like a breeze through the temple veil—quiet but undeniable. Revelation outside Sunday School? That is gospel. You remind us that awakening doesn’t ask for permission and that ritual, when approached as portal rather than performance, can still tremble with Spirit. Mary Magdalene would’ve smiled at your Maundy Thursday remembering—she too knew the divine as Presence, not propriety. Thank you for staying rooted in your experience. It helps the rest of us stay rooted in ours.
As always, interesting and thought provoking thank you Alek for posting it (you do realise that Substack is on a mission to rename you don't you? It believes you have an x as did I for a while).
Anyway a little bump in the road for me in this section:
'That the soul ascends not by fear of punishment but by releasing what binds it—
ignorance, desire, wrath, false peace, the tyranny of the flesh'
Ignorance - I spent many years of my life teaching the ignorant, some emerged educated some less so and a few unchanged. I still loved them all and I hoped that the purity of their soul was not linked to their intellectual capacity.
Desire - material desire, yeah I get it but desire for love from someone who wishes to give it, well I'm signed up for that
Wrath - I will never ascend as long as the damn dogs piss on the curtains
False peace - I need a bit of guidance about what this is
Tyranny of the flesh - Flesh is , to my way of thinking, both intrinsically wonderful and breathtakingly beautiful, it is what connects us together and connects us to all that is and all that lives - explain the tyranny for me.
Many thanks again for the post, it is good to think about these things
Appreciate you digging in, Steve. “False peace” refers to the kind of numbness or complacency that mimics stillness but avoids truth—when we settle for quiet instead of healing. And “tyranny of the flesh” isn’t a diss on embodiment (I agree—flesh is wondrous), but a critique of being ruled by appetite or survival instinct alone, at the cost of the soul’s deeper knowing. The flesh as temple? Beautiful. The flesh as tyrant? That’s the trap.
Glad you’re wrestling with it—it means it’s doing its job.
You are amazing and everything you write I feel as if you’re speaking directly to me. Of course that’s probably true of lots of people. In any case, thank you
Laurie, your words just landed like a soft psalm on a tired monk’s heart. If something I wrote made you feel seen, then we’re already brushing up against what Mary called true vision. She taught us that revelation isn’t a lightning bolt from above—it’s someone finally saying what your soul’s been whispering all along. Thank you for letting me know it’s reaching you. We’re in this together.
—Virgin Monk Boy
I did not weather Sunday School as a child and nobody in my immediate family professed to be Christian. My first encounter with the divine was by revelation and indeed felt like an awakening.
My latest remembering came during Maundy Thursday service where, once again, ritual served as portal, not as the central point of the event.
I read these posts to stay centered in validation of my experience.
Emily, your words land like a breeze through the temple veil—quiet but undeniable. Revelation outside Sunday School? That is gospel. You remind us that awakening doesn’t ask for permission and that ritual, when approached as portal rather than performance, can still tremble with Spirit. Mary Magdalene would’ve smiled at your Maundy Thursday remembering—she too knew the divine as Presence, not propriety. Thank you for staying rooted in your experience. It helps the rest of us stay rooted in ours.
—Virgin Monk Boy
Thanks for the book links to Gnosis!
Wonderful. Beautiful. Powerful. Calming. Energizing. Thank you.
As always, interesting and thought provoking thank you Alek for posting it (you do realise that Substack is on a mission to rename you don't you? It believes you have an x as did I for a while).
Anyway a little bump in the road for me in this section:
'That the soul ascends not by fear of punishment but by releasing what binds it—
ignorance, desire, wrath, false peace, the tyranny of the flesh'
Ignorance - I spent many years of my life teaching the ignorant, some emerged educated some less so and a few unchanged. I still loved them all and I hoped that the purity of their soul was not linked to their intellectual capacity.
Desire - material desire, yeah I get it but desire for love from someone who wishes to give it, well I'm signed up for that
Wrath - I will never ascend as long as the damn dogs piss on the curtains
False peace - I need a bit of guidance about what this is
Tyranny of the flesh - Flesh is , to my way of thinking, both intrinsically wonderful and breathtakingly beautiful, it is what connects us together and connects us to all that is and all that lives - explain the tyranny for me.
Many thanks again for the post, it is good to think about these things
Appreciate you digging in, Steve. “False peace” refers to the kind of numbness or complacency that mimics stillness but avoids truth—when we settle for quiet instead of healing. And “tyranny of the flesh” isn’t a diss on embodiment (I agree—flesh is wondrous), but a critique of being ruled by appetite or survival instinct alone, at the cost of the soul’s deeper knowing. The flesh as temple? Beautiful. The flesh as tyrant? That’s the trap.
Glad you’re wrestling with it—it means it’s doing its job.
Thanks Alek, I appreciate you taking the time to explain.
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