If you have not already gobbled up the books in The Maeve Chronicles by Elizabeth Cunningham, I urge you to do so instantly.

The trilogy begins with The Passion of Mary Magdalene, which is a wonderful re-envisioning of Mary Magdlene as a Celtic Queen raised by the nine Warrior Queens of Tir na mBan, the Land of Women. There she was trained in the fighting, healing and divinatory arts.

She lands in Rome as a captured slave, becomes a priestess of Isis and is ultimately reunited with Jesus, her fated soul mate. Even in captivity Maeve never loses her center or her sense of her Self. She is a red haired red hot dynamo, no-nonsense pistol. A fiery Queen of Her Self.

I am now engrossed in the prequel, Magdalene Rising: The Beginning. Here is the story of how Maeve developed her surety and Self-sovereignty as a maiden raised with no knowledge of or influence by the patriarchy.

The books are written in the first person in the raucous, irreverent voice of Maeve, herself. I don’t want to ruin the story for you, but I do want to share this excerpt. Here are her mothers talking to Maeve about the importance of being true to herself and honoring her own power:

“When women don’t have their sovereignty, it can be very messy indeed. Now we are queens and witches from our own sovereign isle.”

“Sovereignty, Maeve. Belonging to yourself. Your own terms,” Boann got in as much drill as she could.

“Tir na mBan stands for the sovereignty of women,” continued Fand. “If it exists nowhere else in the world, it exists there. Remember that, Maeve. Sovereignty is your birthright and your inheritance. Next to sovereignty, gold torques and brooches are mere trinkets. Never surrender your sovereignty, Maeve. Carry it with you wherever you go.”

Their words were stirring but abstract. Then an image rose in my mind of myself as a sort of floating island, shining, a sovereign vessel on a vast and dangerous sea.

-Excerpt from Magdalen Rising by Elizabeth Cunningham

May we all remember at all times just how strong and brave and true we are. How we have learned to stand in our center and defend our boundaries. How we are beholden only to our own authentic paths. How we rule our own lives with compassion and care. How we have fought for and won our sovereignty. How our reign is benevolent and empowering to all in our realm.

Hail to the sovereign Queens!

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Donna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife. She offers counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity. Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™

The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.