Interview with Lona Lyons, author of “The Magdalena Dispensation.”
Reader Views is pleased to have Lona Lyons, author of “The Magdalene Dispensation” with us. Welcome Lona.
Irene: What inspired you to write “The Magdalena Dispensation”?
Lona: The characters and some of the story had been coming to me over a period of six years before I sat down and wrote what would become the first real draft. I knew I wanted to write a book about the power of women and the force they become when they transcend their feelings of unworthiness and consequently their tendency to compete. I wanted to show the rich gifts of women and their embodiment of the Sacred Feminine that have been devalued for thousands of years. But even I was surprised at how the story unfolded, as I’m sure most writers are surprised when they sit back and let the pen have its way. The real turning point in story focus and content came as a result of a writers’ workshop I attended, where we were given exercises to help us identify our true passion: what we were most passionate about and what would keep them awake at night writing. . I realized that my true passion was to expose fear and guilt, as well as cruelty and injustice, that have been perpetrated and perpetuated by some of the Christian churches throughout history. I wanted to present a more unconditionally loving and inclusive alternative to what I believe to be God’s truth.
Irene: You mentioned that you were surprised by how the story unfolded. Do you think that you, for lack of another word, “channeled” the story?
Lona: I have been asked that question by many people who say they feel the truth of what I have written. I can only tell you that, as far as I know, I was not “channeling” this information. Instead, I believe that I may have accessed an ancient wisdom that I once knew, and this wisdom is available to everyone.
Irene: Your book is considered fiction. How much truth do you think there is in it? How do you base your belief?
Lona: For me, there is a lot of truth in the book. But I believe that it is up to each individual to develop the capacity within them to accurately discern the truth and that responsibility should not be abdicated to any external authority. “Blind faith” produces fanatics and cults and shuts down the intrinsic part of ourselves that knows best. I call that intrinsic part the True Self and have come to know it as the presence of the Divine within each person.
I followed the same path in my early life that most follow when seeking God. I went to every church I could find and watched and listened intently. The only conclusion I came to was that I would never measure up to an unforgiving God, he was angry and disillusioned with me as most of the leaders in the pulpit claimed HE was. And since God was introduced as a man and I was a woman, I knew my chances of redemption were even slimmer. However, there was something in me that pushed me forward and made me persist in my search, despite my initial disappointment. I believe that “something” was the Voice of God within me and it has no gender and knows everything. I believe that the same “Voice” resides in everyone and our true job here on Earth is to allow that divinity to express itself through us, as us.
Irene: Please give us some tools on how we can access that “Voice” you speak of.
Lona: There are probably many ways to develop inner stillness where the “Voice” can be heard. Many choose meditation as a discipline to quiet the mind’s incessant wanderings in order to access a deeper Truth beyond the small talk. I think intention is an important first step because it creates a kind of surrender, energetically, that opens a path to receive divine inspiration.
Irene: What research did you do before and during the writing of “The Magdalene Dispensation”?
Lona: I read a lot of books and did a lot of research online, which I found to be more up-to-date than public libraries. Margaret Starbird’s work was an inspiration and rang many bells for me, along with Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I was in the final stages of publishing my book when I heard about Dan Brown’s book and my first thought was that my book might be redundant. However, when I read The DaVinci Code, I was pleased to see that he had presented the same research that I had already seen, and that his story was very different from mine. I think his book is making a great contribution by drawing a lot of attention to the inconsistencies and abuses of power in Christian dogma and church hierarchies.
Irene: A lot of the research would be your own interpretation of what you found. Explain to us how you were able to use this research and turn it into a credible form.
Lona: One part of my book that is true is the part where the fictional author tells how a client contacted her and claimed that she had the memories of Mary Magdalene. In fact, a woman contacted me and wanted to do past life regression therapy to try to understand why the life of Mary Magdalene came back so clearly to her. (Interesting “coincidence” since she had already worked on an earlier draft of a Mary Magdalene book that was gathering dust in a drawer somewhere.)
Since I have experience in past life regression therapy, I agreed to help. Over the course of many sessions containing many details, some of my own memories came back from that period. I began to remember that I was there with Mary and Yeshua and that explained my passion for this story, along with many other experiences I had had in this life, such as the mystical experiences of the Crucifixion that occurred spontaneously some 25 years ago. back. As I got more in touch with that former life, I was able to use that as a foundation to help make the story believable.
Irene: Some people would discredit your theory that you are “there with Maria and Yeshua”, especially people who don’t believe in past lives or that one can go back to the memory bank and retrieve the experience. How can you make this more believable?
Lona: I probably wouldn’t be willing to try to make it more believable. I think resistance can be very useful. It is through our struggles that we often get the big “aha!” experiences. I remember the first time I received information about my past lives. It was about 30 years ago and I had no belief or interest in the subject because it just didn’t seem relevant to me. However, when someone who could see into my past presented me with the information, I “knew” it was true. There was no way to prove it, I just knew. That perspective changed my view of the world, but I don’t think it’s necessary for everyone to delve into the subject of past lives. If you need the information for your highest purposes and soul growth, it will be revealed to you in ways you never imagined.
Irene: Tell us about some of the most prominent characters in the book. How did you bring the characters to life?
Lona: The main characters meet again after sharing an incarnation 2,000 years ago in different bodies with different identities and sharing a common purpose. Constance Weatherstone, the present-life identity of Mary Magdalene, comes to Earth in an unusual way with freehold and property on the Big Island of Hawaii, where most of the story takes place. Greta Muldaur is a publisher and publisher of Leading Edge Women magazine, based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ella Goldman is an accomplished artist and former college professor who owns a very successful art gallery in Carmel, California. Jillian Landry is a well-known therapist and live radio host in Austin, Texas, and interviews alternative healing pioneers on her radio show. All of the main characters are more mature women, ranging in age from 56 to 90.
I drew on my own life experiences, as well as the experience of thousands of people with whom I have worked and consulted, in an attempt to create credible and credible personalities. I think the reason so many write or call me and tell me about their tears and epiphanies while reading my book is because they are relatable.
Irene: How much of the story is based on your own experience?
Lona: I’ve taken some of my own idiosyncrasies and sprinkled them liberally into the book, along with many other idiosyncrasies and virtues I’ve met along the way.
Irene: In addition to being a fable, “The Magdalena Dispensation” has some deep-seated messages. Would you tell the reading audience what the most important message of the book would be?
Lona: The most important message of the book is that we are all divine, and we are all equally divine. The true basis of our equality is spiritual in nature. God does not play favorites because favoritism requires judgment and there is no judgment possible in Unconditional Love. The greatest gift we have been given is the spark of divinity that resides within us and connects us as an inseparable part of our Divine Source. Our choice is to allow this True Self to express itself through us, or we can choose the well-trodden path of the personality/ego, which is the temporary part of us, thank God. Most of us have had enough of our personalities in one lifetime and have no interest in carrying them around for longer than necessary.
Irene: By reading the book, the reader is drawn to get in touch with their own divinity and seek their own truth. Why does he think this is an important aspect of living a spiritual life?
Lona: My biggest dream is that this book contributes to the awakening of humanity to its divinity. (I include myself in that awakening.) We are all works in progress. When we look around the world, we see evidence of the absence of this awareness in the headlines of every newspaper, in most TV shows and movies, and in our own communities. Deep within the truth of our divinity lies the key to peace on Earth. It is the great equalizer and the answer to all important questions. I think it’s worth looking for, despite the obstacles and the depth of our amnesia.
Irene: I find this topic very fascinating. I could go on and on asking you questions, but we have to get this over with. Is there anything else, Lona, that you would like readers to know?
Lona: I think we are on the verge of a breakthrough in consciousness. The more we know the truth of our divinity, the more that divinity will manifest in our outer world. I am fascinated by the critical mass theory as it applies to this consciousness. Like the mythical hundredth monkey (if it is a myth), I think there will come a time, in this lifetime, when that hundredth monkey will awaken the divinity of him, and suddenly the effect will be felt everywhere. Then life will get very, very interesting!