Episode 3

Miriam's Sensual Universe with Sophie Strand | S4 Ep3

Published on: 4th October, 2023

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Our Story

Sophie’s new novel, The Madonna Secret, offers a lush, ecological exploration of the gospel stories of Jesus and Mary Magdalene we may think we know so well. Rather than reading an excerpt or sharing a particular story, Sophie takes us into the landscape and culture of her heroine Miriam’s world. 

Our Guest

Sophie Strand is a writer based in the Hudson Valley who focuses on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. She is the author of The Flowering Wand, The Madonna Secret, and forthcoming memoir on disability and ecology: The Body is a Doorway. Subscribe for her newsletter at sophiestrand.substack.com. And follow her work on Instagram: @cosmogyny and at www.sophiestrand.com.

Our Conversation

  • How does a man who seems to be pro-women and deeply rooted in his own landscape become the mouthpiece for sexism, oppression, colonialism, and ecocide? How does the mistranslation of Jesus happen?
  • A spiritual text is one that is a sensual text. The role of scents and herbs, especially spikenard.
  • Understanding the Marian tradition as both Mother of God and Partner of God. Seeing the trinity as: The Mother, the Wife, and the Teacher.
  • “There were lions in the old testament because there were lions in Palestine.” Shifting baseline syndrome means we’ve come to accept a desert-like Palestine. Empires committed genocide and ecocide and radically changed all aspects of the landscape in the last 2000 years. 
  • Written culture recorded by male elites; oral cultures make knowledge “a verb.” Miriam’s illiteracy is painful to her, but it’s core to who she is. 
  • Stories that were intended to be told in certain seasons. How do we transform the stories amidst climate and phenological change? 
  • Stories travel in bodies at the pace of a footstep.

More complete show notes will be available at the Myth Is Medicine Substack.

Our Music

Music at the start of the show is by Beth Sweeney and Billy Hardy: billyandbeth.com

Work With Marisa

  • 1:1 Writing Coaching: If you are working on a spiritual memoir or wellness professional or a creative entrepreneur who wants to use stories to build your business, book a free consultation with Marisa. Learn more at writingcoachmarisa.com
  • Find more of Marisa's writing and get a copy of her book, The Sovereignty Knot: www.marisagoudy.com

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About the Podcast

KnotWork Storytelling
Myths Retold, from Ireland and Beyond
In each KnotWork Storytelling episode, we'll explore a different story from mythology, folklore, or history, particularly from Ireland and the Celtic World. Then, my guest and I dive deep into why these ideas and characters still resonate today.

Your host is Marisa Goudy, author of The Sovereignty Knot: A Woman’s Way to Freedom, Power, Love, and Magic. She is a Myth Worker, a Story Healer, a Writing Coach, and a has an MA in Irish literature from University College Dublin.

Join us as we wander through these ancient storylines as we set out on a quest to learn from the past, better understand the present, and craft a sustainable future.

Every episode reminds us that age-old stories are medicine for this modern moment.

About your host

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Marisa Goudy

Marisa Goudy is a story healer, a writing coach, and a word witch. Her book, The Sovereignty Knot: A Woman’s Way to Freedom, Power, Love, and Magic, was released in 2020.
Marisa nurtures writers and storytellers in her long-running online writing community, the Sovereign Writers’ Knot.
On this show, Marisa combines her passion for story with her love of Irish literature, culture, and folklore and her fascination with the Celtic world. She has a particular love of stories of heroines, goddess, and women whose tales were forgotten by history.