Marguerite Mary Rigoglioso, Ph.D., is the foremost authority on the history of virgin birth and has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The founding director of Seven Sisters Mystery School, she is the author of The Cult of Divine Birth in Ancient Greece and Virgin Mother Goddesses of Antiquity. She lives in western Massachusetts.
Marguerite Rigoglioso is a holy conduit who proclaims a message so timely, so graceful, and so filled with truth that my hands tremble as I pick up this book. It is about time the prestige and wisdom of Mother Mary are seen and acknowledged in the devastation of an institution that gave her nothing more than the appearance of a passive spectator. These pages are soaked with Her presence, offering us a generosity that comes freely and touches deeply. The Mystery Tradition of Miraculous Conception is a body of work that reveals the real Mary, one who lived before the church and sure as heaven shall live on after the church. * Anaiya Sophia, author of Fierce Feminine Rising * With exquisite clarity and impeccable scholarship, Rigoglioso details the ancient, historical tradition from which Mary sprang, which culminated in Her conscious decision to bring forth into the world an elevated being. Fascinating insights into the many priestess traditions that were widely practiced throughout the ancient Mediterranean infuse every page. Rigoglioso illuminates for modern audiences the essence of the esoteric teachings of and about Mary and other holy women, and what they mean for us today. * Natalie Galli, author of The Girl Who Said No * An opus for our times based on the re-birthing of who Mother Mary really was. Through scholarly research, together with deep spiritual wisdom, Rigoglioso shares with us the power and intentionality behind the divine conception of Jesus. This book is ablaze with a rising revolution of Mother Mary and the tribe of women who supported her over generations. It gives a fresh look at who she really was, her amazing spiritual prowess, and how she serves as a beacon to all humankind, giving us a deeper view of what it means to embody the Divine Feminine. * Melissa Sophia Joy, ND, founder of Somatic Awakening (R) and Sophia Healing Academy * Teacher, priestess, and scholar Marguerite Rigoglioso has produced another compelling study of the history of miraculous conception. The focus of her carefully researched, eloquent new book shifts from her earlier work on classical antiquity to the Judeo-Christian tradition and invites us to perceive the Virgin Mary as an embodiment of the Divine Feminine accessible to us today in our own spiritual lives. Reading this powerful book is an inspiring and transformative experience. * Beth Darlington, Ph.D., professor emerita of English at Vassar College and certified Jungian psychoa * Mary has been reduced to a mere passive vessel by the limitations imposed by patriarchal insecurity. Marguerite Rigoglioso performs a divine resurrection of Mary in this book, and that has profound implications for all women and our floundering culture. In an era of extreme misogyny superimposed against movements like #metoo and women taking to the streets all over the world, you will find this book an empowering, enlightening read. * Maura McCarley Torkildson, artist and author of The Inner Tree * As with her previous scholarly works, Marguerite Rigoglioso displays a rare combination of erudition, courage, creativity, and skillful writing which leads to a fascinating result that has wide implications. * Byron Belitsos, publisher, journalist, educator, and author of Your Evolving Soul * With Mary's infancy gospel as our guidebook and Rigoglioso as our skilled interpreter and trusted guide, we cross what was once a threshold obscured by fear-based patriarchy. Here we find Mary's archetypal sacred virginal womb . . . that abides within all women's wombs, and that is our birthright. * Claire Heartsong, author of Anna, Grandmother of Jesus * The sacred potential of divine conception is the mystery of mysteries. Marguerite's sensitive and thorough treatment, found within The Mystery Tradition of Miraculous Conception, offers a bold new step in her pioneering work on this topic. It is nothing less than a radical reclamation of the true potential available to women! At a time when much is being revealed about humanity's true divine nature, and as the Divine Feminine rises to return to her rightful place within our human awareness, this book comes as an essential piece of insight about our collective feminine past. * Dawn DelVecchio, author of Spirit, Mind and Money * The Mystery Tradition of Miraculous Conception expands Marguerite Rigoglioso's ground-breaking theory of holy parthenogenesis into more recent times by addressing Mary, Anne, and Elizabeth. While some have tried to dismiss the concept of virgin birth, Marguerite's research restores and contextualizes it. Marguerite puts the 'Virgin' back into 'Virgin Mary.' A must-read for Marian scholars. * Mary Beth Moser, Ph.D., author of Honoring Darkness * This convincing work reveals the lineage of priestesses who mastered the capacity to give birth outside the laws of biology. Well written, engaging, and accessible, Rigoglioso invites us to overturn centuries of false narratives and revision and remember what was once a known form of female power. * Patricia Reis, author of Motherlines and Through the Goddess * As the title suggests, this book, based on the Gnostic Infancy Gospel of James and on extensive cross-cultural research paints a very different picture of the Virgin Mary within an ancient tradition of parthenogenesis or miraculous conception. Mary emerges as a high priestess, an active holy woman and a living embodiment of the great goddess. The book certainly recontextualises the whole issue of virgin birth and is a powerful statement of the emerging Divine Feminine that has also seen a redefinition of the role of Mary Magdalene. * David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer * More than anything, I hope the information in The Mystery Traditions of Miraculous Conception becomes more wide-spread. I've been actively sharing what I learned from reading it with friends and family, initiating discussions about the topic of a virgin birth and Mary's spiritual lineage. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the divine feminine, especially within Christianity. Rigoglioso has packed so much information into this text that I know I'll be reading it again and again. I love that it's filled with references and sources to assist the reader in doing their own investigation. All in all, this book is the major missing piece to the history of Christianity that is sure to spark meaningful revelation in all readers. * Alanna Kali, Musing Mystical * Mary's parthenogenesis occurred at the time when patriarchy was diminishing the power and position of women. Today's headlines regarding laws affecting women's rights to their own bodies indicate that we need to learn more about our inner power. The Mystery Tradition of Miraculous Conception could not have come out at a more appropriate time. I feel it's a must-read for every woman. * Sheila Graham, Psychic-Magic *