Torture By Roses: Ignis Spiritus: Liber Magdalena

IGNIS SPIRITUS: LIBER MAGDALENA

..Ignis Spiritus: Liber Magdalena was written as the signature piece for The Magdalene, considering, as it does, the role of her namesake, the first Magdalene. It is a solo work, twelve minutes in length, which depicts the journey of the Magdalene as the embodiment of Sophia through seven levels known as the Seven Powers of Wrath. As the Gnostic Gospel of Mary relates: the first form is darkness, the second desire, the third ignorance, the fourth is the excitement of death, the fifth is the kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the foolish wisdom of flesh, the seventh is the wrathful wisdom. Having passed through each of the powers and thrown off the fetter of oblivion that is matter, the soul of The Magdalene is released and attains to the rest of the time, of the season, of the aeon, in silence.

The music of Ignis Spiritus was composed by Abby Helasdottir and The Magdalene, incorporating Middle Eastern percussion, nursery rhymes, the music of Hildegard von Bingen, field recordings, dark ambient drones, and image-to-sound synthesis. Choreography, set and costume-design by The Magdalene.

In addition to the 12 minute performance version of Ignis Spiritus is an extended, 28 minute remix by Gydja called Pleroma of all Pleromas. This expands on the themes of the work, placing them in a longer and slower-paced dark ambient context.

Pleroma of all Pleromas

FURTHER INFORMATION:

GNOSTIC TEXTS: Much of the imagery of Ignis Spiritus is derived from Gnostic and other early Christian texts in which Mary Magdalene features prominently.
*The Gospel of Mary from the Papyrus Berolinensis 8502 (sometimes called the Akhmim Codex), which was discovered in Cairo in 1896. The codex also contains portions of two other Gnostic texts, the Sophia of Jesus Christ and the Apocryphon of John.
*The Pistis Sophia resembles the Gospel of Mary in many ways, but is a far lengthier tract (External Link).

IMAGERY: This gallery features images from the live performance of Ignis Spiritus, as well as associated pictures.