Mary Magdalene and the Art of Kind Rebirth
INTRODUCING: Meshell Ndegeocello – Mary Magdalene
There is a hauntingly beautiful undertone about arguably my favorite song by Meshell Ndegeocello: Mary Magdalene. While the song touts the name of Mary Magdalene in tribute to the biblical apostle of Jesus, to me it speaks of the modern-day resurrection and rebirth of a person’s tainted character. When listening to the song, Meshell’s voice moves through many deep layers of pain, devotion, and redemption. This is a causal tale of a woman that had been painted negatively by the light and masses of the world, but despite the nefarious reputation gained. Meshell was able to find the innocence and beauty within her regardless of the life she had led. It gives voice to any soul who has ever had to face the harshest views and mocking, struggling to reclaim the true story of their lives yet to be told.
At its deepest core, the song, Mary Magdalene, the character in the song’s account, speaks to rebirth, or the act of seeing oneself anew after being misnamed, misjudged, and misunderstood. Remember who you are beneath that noise in order to reclaim your positive essence. To allow yourself to pass on that part of your healing rather than the shame associated with it is a kind rebirth. And in this account, Meshell’s role was of one who was able to see that almost unforgotten and unforeseen person.
The Misunderstood
The true Mary Magdalene, for many centuries, has been presented as a controversial person, again, possibly, and probably branded unfairly as her story was and has been rewritten time and time again. That tends to happen when the fears that others carry or of the unknown begin to project negatively. Yet, the beauty in this song’s interpretation begins to take on a conception, or variation of the Mary, and allows her to become more than a mythological character. She is a mirror of many disenfranchised people, yet, while in her “downtrodden” times, she still presents her true face allowing others to see the resilience of a woman who persists in spite of the judgment she endures. In song, we hear the compassion that Meshell has for the woman and not the contemptuous nature painted by society.
Meshell’s vocal sound resonates out to her like a prayer for those who have been silenced. I know some may question the authenticity of Mary Magdalene’s actual story, but this story is wider than a biblical story. It’s about any person learning to stand again after being knocked down and broken. Kind Rebirths, in that same energy and spirit, calls upon us to strip away false labels, false imprisonments of our minds, and mental chains that lead us down those scary paths. To be reborn kindly is to stop apologizing for who we appear to be, especially when we are so much more. It is the purest and truest strength. When we accept that, more Meshells appear in our lives to support our journey.
Reclamation
The Mary Magdalene soundtrack feels like stepping slowly into a baptism. Humming bass vibrating like the heartbeat of the earth, saxophone interludes taking us from one life moment to the next, and her voice provides the meditative and grounded life-force we need – transformative and convincing. The song makes me believe in her truth and how she can see the rebirth awaiting inside someone else. To the Mary in this story, she sees it and she offers the simple idea of rebirth. A Kind Rebirth is special in that it’s personal. What makes it more special is that we can see that potential in others. That’s what the practice of Kind Rebirths invites: sacred reclamation for ourselves and for those who are equally deserving.
Meshell’s worldview lens of Mary’s story through song tells that neither are running from the past, Mary’s history. She wants to walk with it, barefoot and unashamed. This is a rebirth transformation from compassionate grace, not sympathy. Practicing mindfulness and love of others is an act of self-love. Every breath is an act of restoration.
The Jazz of Healing
Meshell may not consider this piece jazz, but there is no denying there is a jazz element embedded in this composition — not just in sound but in spirit. This song is an improvisation of life and a reflection of the things and the people we meet in it. Moreover, it’s the courage to make beauty out of uncertainty. That rhythm and balance, that creative surrender, is the essence of a kind rebirth.
For me here, Mary Magdalene’s story, retold through the beautiful composition of Meshell’s music, reminds us that the sacred doesn’t demand perfection — it asks that we show up, again and again, with open hearts. It asks that we look through the outward images of others to see the rebirth in them. To live a kind rebirth is to listen to your own rhythm and find the pulse of renewal in others.
The Newest Gospel: Compassion
In Mary Magdalene, Meshell doesn’t reinterpret scripture; she writes a new gospel — one of kind-heartedness and acceptance. Please continue to share this kind of rebirth message in modern form of turning spiritual philosophy into lived experience.
Stay mindful…
Rebirth
