The Path of the Magdalene

As I write these words, I am flying to Lyon. A Roman city founded as Colonia Copia Felix Munatia, a name invoking prosperity and the blessing of the gods. By the 1^st century AD, it became Lugdunum, from the Gaulish Lugudunon. 

 During the Middle Ages, Lugdunum, became Lyon.

Lugudunon = lugo (lug or lugh) + dunon. 

lugo = fortress or hill of the Celtic god Lug (Lugus), the shiny one, the versatile master of many talents (oaths, justice, arts, crafts, and warfare), earning him the title of Samildánch.

lug = light (Gaul) or flashing light.

lugon = crow or raven (Gaul), the messenger of Lug.

dunon = fortress, hill, high ground (Gaul).

Hence Lugudunum is the hill of Lug, hill of the crows, the shining hill or the desired mountain. Lug or Lugus corresponds to the Roman god Mercury, and the Greek god Hermes and/or Apollo. More recently, in the Victorian era, Lug is regarded as a sun god.

Just arrived in Lyon — and it’s time for you to meet my dear travel companion, Kathe.

This afternoon, as we followed the rhythm of intuition over a cup of rose tea, one path glowed brighter than the rest: the Path of Mary Magdalene in Southern France.

Just as there is the Way of Saint James, there is also the Way of the Magdalene — 224 kilometers of devotion and memory, winding dozens of towns.

It begins in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, where, as legend tells, Mary of Magdala, her sisters, and her brother arrived upon the shore after the crucifixion of Christ. It ends in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, where the cave is said to hum with the presence and silence of the Magdalene.

We only have five days to explore this dance between land and spirit.

Our chosen path:
Salin-de-Giraud → Port Saint Louis → Saint-Mitre → Martigues → Le Rove → L’Estaque → Les Aygalades → Aubagne → Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume → The Grotto

This is not a pilgrimage of endurance, nor one to conquer distance – but an inner pilgrimage of remembrance.

May each step become an echo, reveal new layer of understanding — of her, of us, and of the path that lives within.

Tomorrow begins with a rendez-vouz of Lyon, before heading south to Salin-de-Giraud.  Once again, this fractal journey begins with salt – a reminder of the start of the Transylvania journey in Salina Turda (see “Salt”, posted in October 2025).

And so, the journey continues.