Pomba Gira and Mary Magdalene: Sacred Sex for the Holiday!

Last updated on: April 12, 2020 at 8:03 am by Lilith Dorsey

Pomba Gira and Mary Magdalene: Sacred Sex for the Holiday! 2020-04-12T08:03:26-05:00 Lilith Dorsey

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The Penitent Magdalen painting by de la Tour. Photo by schizoform. Licensed under CC 2.0

Happy Ostara, Everybody! Happy Easter, as you may be used to calling the day! Nothing like sacred sex to celebrate the holy season, so today I’m writing about two women associated with this, Pomba Gira and Mary Magdalene. Neo-Pagans in general seem to have a special affinity for both of these women, probably because they are real, they have sex, they help people, they don’t make excuses. There are some differences, however. I’m not proposing a celebrity death match between the two, but they are definitely similar sides of the same sensual Goddess coin.

Pomba Gira Maria Padilha photo by Lilith Dorsey

Pomba Gira is hot stuff. She is a Brazilian Umbanda Orixa (divine spirit) of the streets, of the ghettos, of the people. She is brazen, very often depicted bare breasted and sporting a necklace of skulls, giving new meaning to the word bling. In my book Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism, I note her “prowess is invaluable in removing obstacles blocking your path toward love and happiness. She undulates with joy and mirth.” I know one group of performative sex workers who set up a shrine to her backstage, and she granted them wealth and success for every dollar they stuffed into her spiritual g-string. She understands the importance of money and what people sometimes have or want to do. There are many different avatars of Pomba Gira. Pomba Gira Mundo, world spinner who keeps the world turning on its axis. Pomba Gira Maria Padhilha (shown here), based on a woman in living memory who embodied these qualities so much she became deified. There is a Pomba Gira Siete Encruzadas, the goddess of the seven crossroads. This is an Orixa, or goddess for lack of a better term, that celebrates all her powers: her sensuality, her strength, her wisdom.

Mary Magdalene, St. Stephen’s Church. Photo by John Taylor. Licensed under CC 2.0

Mary Magdalene, like Pomba Gira, is often seen as a sacred sex worker. Traditional Christian doctrine tells us she gave up her wicked ways to follow Jesus and live a life of humble servitude. Many scholars and historians dispute this recounting of the “greatest story ever told.” Even the Smithsonian Magazine tells us that the story “that she was a repentant prostitute is most certainly untrue…. discrediting sexuality in general and disempowering women in particular.” Many modern women have attempted to reclaim the sacred feminine power of Mary Magdalene that was lost to many over the years. This is a necessary effort after years of suppression and much confusion surrounding the interpretation of many different versions of Christian “His”tory.

Mary Magdalene has stories about washing feet and a wicked past, while Pomba Gira is “possibly evil, definitely dangerous,” according to the book Holy Harlots by Kelly E Hayes. She has also taken on modern media and is a frequent feature in popular telenovelas (soap operas). They prove, however, that you can’t keep a good woman, nee goddess figure, down. Maybe, this Easter season, take some time to celebrate these misunderstood powerful women, and recast them in the history of your mind. The egg is after all a symbol of new beginnings and transformation.

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About Lilith Dorsey

Lilith Dorsey M.A. , hails from many magickal traditions, including Celtic, Afro-Caribbean, and Native American spirituality. Her traditional education focused on Plant Science, Anthropology, and Film at the University of R.I, New York University and the University of London, and her magickal training includes numerous initiations in Santeria also known as Lucumi, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. Lilith Dorsey is a Voodoo Priestess and in that capacity has been doing successful magick since 1991 for patrons, is editor/publisher of Oshun-African Magickal Quarterly , filmmaker of the experimental documentary Bodies of Water :Voodoo Identity and Tranceformation, author of Voodoo and Afro-Caribbean Paganism and The African-American Ritual Cookbook, and choreographer for jazz legend Dr. John's "Night Tripper" Voodoo Show. She believes good ritual should be fun and innovative, and to that end she led the first ever Voodoo Zombie Silent Rave Ritual in July 2013, complete with confused Thriller flash mob. You can read more about the author here.

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