The Fourteenth Annual Magdalene Movement
SECRETS OF THE MAGDALENE ROSE
A Special 20th Anniversary Retreat
Presented by Kathleen McGowan
December 4-7, 2026
Austin, Texas
Optional Extension Workshop: December 7-8
Join Bestselling author Kathleen McGowan with teachings from the ancient Magdalene mystery traditions and in celebration of her recent book: Secrets of the Magdalene Rose! And, it is the 20th Anniversary of The Expected One’s global release!
In this dynamic weekend retreat, Kathleen McGowan demonstrates and teaches how the embodiment of Mary Magdalene’s teachings in today’s world will bring us to the next level on our personal and spiritual journeys. You do NOT want to miss this deep dive into never-before shared teachings – and the celebration of Kathleen’s books – the classics and the new!
TWENTY YEARS AGO, THE EXPECTED ONE BEGAN A JOURNEY.
In 2006, The Expected One was released to the world.
It was a novel. It was a mystery. It was the culmination of years of research into Mary Magdalene, the women who surrounded her, and the traditions that preserved her legacy.
But it was also a beginning.
Over the next twenty years, Kathleen McGowan’s search for the historical Mary Magdalene would continue across countries, continents, ancient texts, churches, crypts, caves, private archives, sacred landscapes and living traditions. The questions raised in The Expected One led to thousands of pages of research, a global bestselling series, documentaries and television appearances, pilgrimages throughout France and Egypt, and an ever-deepening body of work devoted to restoring Mary Magdalene to her rightful place in history.
The teachings continued to reveal themselves. Twenty years later, we arrive at Secrets of the Magdalene Rose.
This very special anniversary retreat in Austin is a celebration of the extraordinary journey from The Expected One to the Magdalene Rose, and of the twenty years of discovery, writing and lived experience that connect them.
For one weekend, we will gather to explore where we began, what we have discovered since, and where the Magdalene path leads us now.
THE MAGDALENE ROSE
Again, and perhaps more than ever, we need the power of the Magdalene.
But Mary Magdalene did not leave us only a story to admire. She left us a way to live.
At the heart of Kathleen’s newest work is an ancient process for spiritual development and embodied transformation: the six petals of the Magdalene Rose.
These teachings ask us to move beyond reading about Mary Magdalene and into the far more challenging work of understanding what she taught, how those teachings were lived, and what it means to embody them in the modern world. During this dynamic weekend retreat, Kathleen will weave together the history of the Magdalene lineage with the teachings at the heart of Secrets of the Magdalene Rose. We will explore the survival of these traditions across two thousand years and enter deeply into the six gates as a living process for creating a more joyful, purposeful and spiritually sovereign life. This takes the understanding of the rose to new heights, with new teachings.
For longtime readers of The Magdalene Line, this will be a celebration of twenty extraordinary years. For students of Kathleen’s work, it will be an opportunity to enter the teachings more deeply.
And for those who feel that the world is asking something more of us now, it will be a call to embodiment.
The story brought us here. Now we enter the teachings.
WELCOME TO AUSTIN
There is a reason we gather every year during the first weekend of December.
Kathleen’s annual North American retreat has become a beloved tradition: a long weekend of deep teaching, meaningful conversation, beautiful experiences, laughter, music, wonderful food and the extraordinary connections that form when like-minded people come together with intention.
In 2026, we gather in Austin, Texas.
Creative, unconventional and fiercely individual, Austin offers a vibrant setting for this very special anniversary weekend. Its celebrated music culture, natural beauty, legendary cuisine and unmistakable independent spirit make it a wonderful place to celebrate twenty years of The Magdalene Line—and to open the next chapter of the work.
Your Host on the Journey
Kathleen McGowan
Kathleen McGowan is the author of the New York Times and internationally bestselling series The Magdalene Line. Her books have sold more than one million copies and have been published in approximately forty languages and nearly one hundred countries around the world. An internationally recognized researcher and expert in women’s history, ancient mysteries and the historical Mary Magdalene, Kathleen has appeared as an on-air expert on multiple History Channel programs and in historical and biblical documentaries in the United States and abroad. For more than thirty years, Kathleen has researched the life, teachings and legacy of Mary Magdalene across four continents. Her work has taken her into the sacred landscapes of France, Italy, England, Spain, Scotland, Israel and Egypt. She has spent decades studying the traditions that preserved the Magdalene story and tracing the communities and individuals who carried those traditions forward. Her newest work, Secrets of the Magdalene Rose, reveals an ancient process of spiritual development and manifestation centered around teachings carried out by Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and preserved by the Cathars. This work represents the next evolution of a journey that began publicly twenty years ago with The Expected One.
This weekend marks that anniversary and celebrates everything that has been discovered along the way.
Special Guest Jeremiah da Rosa
Jeremiah da Rosa is a Juilliard-trained, world-class musician who has evolved into a master-level practitioner of transformational sound. After years of performing internationally, Jeremiah answered a deeper calling: to explore the power of voice, vibration and sacred sound as tools for transformation and awakening. Today, he is sought after by healers and spiritual seekers who wish to enter more deeply into the mysteries of vibration and the Temple of Sound. Jeremiah lives by the ancient understanding that sound is the first law of manifestation. A longtime student of the Egyptian and Magdalene mysteries, Jeremiah has studied onsite with Kathleen McGowan in France and Egypt. During our Austin retreat, he will weave music and sacred sound throughout the weekend, creating experiences designed specifically to complement the teachings of the Magdalene Rose. He will also introduce us to aspects of vocal vibration and help participants begin to explore the extraordinary instrument each of us already carries: the human voice.
PS – AND YES—MEN ARE WELCOME!
We love the men in our lives and honor the Sacred Masculine. The teachings of the Magdalene Rose are not teachings for women only. They are teachings of wholeness, embodiment, sovereignty and sacred balance.
Men are warmly and enthusiastically welcomed at this retreat
RETREAT PROGRAM OVERVIEW
(At press time certain elements of the schedule are subject to change)
Day 1, Friday, December 4: Retreat Starts in Austin (D)
Arrival on your own to your reserved accommodations in Austin. (Shuttle & transfer information will be given with confirmation). Time to refresh yourself before a beautiful welcome dinner and wine. Kathleen will officially open our twentieth anniversary weekend and share the remarkable story of the journey from The Expected One to Secrets of the Magdalene Rose.
What has happened in these twenty years? What has changed? What has been discovered? And why have the teachings themselves now become the most important part of the work? Kathleen will introduce the themes of the weekend and prepare us to enter the Magdalene Rose together in an evening of reunion, celebration and new beginnings.
Day 2, Saturday, December 5: Retreat Continues. Morning workshop – The Lineage and the Rose (B/D)
After breakfast, we begin our first full day of teachings. Kathleen will present The Magdalene Lineage: How the Teachings Survived, tracing the extraordinary transmission of Magdalene traditions across two thousand years.
From the earliest Christian communities to the traditions of France and Occitania, we will explore the people, places and spiritual movements that protected and preserved a radically different vision of Christianity: one rooted in direct experience, spiritual sovereignty and the embodiment of the teachings of Jesus. Kathleen will then lead an interactive introduction to The Secrets of The Magdalene Rose. The Rose is more than a symbol; it is a map. Each of its six petals represents a gate of spiritual development, a process that asks us not simply what we believe, but how we live. Together, the gates offer a practical path toward greater clarity, purpose, joy and conscious manifestation. Throughout the morning, we will begin exploring the Rose as both an ancient mystery and a profoundly relevant process for the modern world. Lunch on our own.
After a morning of deep teaching, it is time for a change of pace—and a little Texas Hill Country Christmas magic! We will board our private coach and travel to the charming town of Wimberley, where the holiday season will be in full swing. December brings Christmas to Hill Country, and we are giving you the afternoon 
to simply enjoy it. Wander the charming shops and galleries filled with Southwestern treasures. Hunt for unusual Christmas gifts. Explore the famous Wimberley Market Days for antiques and vintage items. Visit the “Stevie Nicks Store” or drink a pint of Matthew McConnaughey’s finest beer at one of the great eateries in town. Laugh and relax with your new friends. Lunch is on your own to provide you with the freedom to explore. Later, we return to the hotel for dinner, wine and an evening with Jeremiah da Rosa, who will introduce us to the extraordinary power of sound, vibration and the human voice.
Day 3, Sunday, December 6: Retreat Continues- Embodying the Magdalene Rose. In the afternoon, it’s to Salt Lick (B/D)
After breakfast, Kathleen will take us more deeply into the teachings of the six gates and the direct correlation with the directives left to us by Jesus and Mary Magdalene. This is where the work becomes personal. The Magdalene Rose is not a philosophy to be admired from a distance. It is a process to be practiced.
How do we recognize where we are blocked or holding ourselves back?
How do we understand the patterns that repeatedly prevent us from creating the lives we desire? How do we walk fully into the life we are here to lead with joy and love?
How do faith, service, mercy, purification and the other great principles of the ancient teachings become living practices rather than beautiful spiritual ideas?
And what happens when we begin to understand manifestation not as wishing for what we want, but as becoming capable of carrying what we are asking to receive?
Kathleen will guide us through the gates as an embodied process, drawing from the Magdalene traditions, the teachings of Jesus, the ancient mystery schools and more than thirty years of her own research and practice.
Jeremiah will then bring the teachings into vibration.
Through demonstration and interactive work with the human voice, he will explore sound as a creative force and introduce practices for discovering our individual vocal vibration. After a break for lunch on our own, we board our private coach and travel into the Texas Hill Country for an unforgettable closing celebration at the legendary Salt Lick Ranch.
We will begin at Salt Lick Cellars, nestled beneath majestic live oak trees and surrounded by the vineyards that produce its Texas wines. Here, in a relaxed and authentically Texan setting, we will enjoy wine tasting and time together before continuing to our farewell dinner. Our final retreat dinner will be a world-renowned Texas barbecue feast served with true Hill Country hospitality. The Roberts family’s culinary traditions reach back to the wagon trains of the mid-nineteenth century, and six generations later, the Salt Lick remains one of Texas’s most beloved gathering places. Following dinner, we return for one final evening together. Pour a glass of wine or something sparkling. Find a comfortable seat. Spend time with Kathleen and your fellow travelers as Jeremiah fills the evening with instruments, music and songs honoring the extraordinary women of the Magdalene Lineage. A fitting celebration of twenty years.
Day 4- Monday, December 7: Retreat Ends. Or stay for the Optional Post-Retreat Tour (B)
We gather for an early final breakfast and the closing of our retreat. Kathleen will bring the teachings of the weekend together and offer a final reflection on the journey from The Expected One to Secrets of the Magdalene Rose. Twenty years ago, the story opened a door. For millions of readers around the world, Mary Magdalene became visible in a new way. But the story was never the final destination.
The teachings were waiting.
As we close our twentieth anniversary retreat, we look toward the next twenty years—and toward the responsibility each of us carries to embody what we have learned. For those departing, we say our farewells and send you onward with the Rose.
For those continuing with Kathleen, the work goes deeper
Your Retreat Includes:
● All Retreat activities including workshops, prayer circles and entry to exchange
● 4 days & 3 nights accommodations
● Hotel taxes
● Daily breakfast
● Dinner every night
● Wine with dinner
● Welcome reception
● In-room water and coffee
● Meeting coffee, tea & water breaks
● Complimentary guest room wifi
● Afternoon tour to the Town of Wimberly to experience “Christmas in the Hill Country”
● Afternoon Wine tasting and BBQ Final Dinner
● PLUS an Intensive Optional Tour 2-day/1 night tour to experiencing Kathleen going deeper into the Rose
OUR RETREAT HOTEL IN TEXAS – THE OMNI BARTON CREEK RESORT
Tucked into the Texas Hill Country just outside downtown Austin, Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa offers the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. Set across 4,000 acres of scenic countryside, the resort features thoughtfully appointed guest rooms and suites, four championship golf courses, and the world-class Mokara Spa. Spend the day teeing off on award-winning courses, unwinding with rejuvenating spa treatments, or lounging poolside with sweeping hillside views. Savor bold Texas flavors across nine distinct dining destinations before heading into Austin to experience why it’s known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” Whether you’re planning a weekend escape, golf getaway, or family vacation, unforgettable moments await in the heart of the Texas Hill Country
POST-RETREAT OPTIONAL TOUR – December 7 to 8
We are offering a 2-day/1-night post-retreat tour featuring an intensive workshop with Kathleen.
OPTIONAL POST-RETREAT TOUR: For serious students of the work, this optional extension offers a rare opportunity to remain inside the teachings for one more day
Monday, December 7: (B/D)
For those who want more time with Kathleen and a deeper exploration of the teachings, we are offering a very limited post-retreat intensive. Following the close of the main retreat on Monday morning, participants in the extension will continue with a special advanced workshop led by Kathleen. This is an opportunity to move beyond the introductory framework of the six gates and work more intimately with the Magdalene Rose as a personal process. Kathleen will continue the teachings, guide participants through deeper applications of the gates, and create space for the questions and discussions that inevitably emerge after an intensive weekend of work. The pace will be slower. The group will be smaller. And the work will be deeper.
After lunch on your own, you will have the balance of the day to relax and enjoy the many amenities at the Resort. Perfect your games at the Resorts four golf course, or perfect your game at the Golf Academy. Explore over 30 weekly fitness classes, from yoga to weight training, at our 33,000-square-foot fitness center. The all-new Mokara Spa draws inspiration from the surrounding lakes, creeks and springs. With 20 treatment rooms, indoor whirlpools, relaxation lounges, steam rooms, saunas and a private rooftop pool, Mokara Spa is the ultimate Austin retreat. Hiking and nature are abundant in Austin’s Hill Country. Explore our family-friendly 1 mile nature trail loop featuring bubbling creeks and wildlife. The resort also offers multiple morning jogging paths for guests. After our workshop, participants will have time to enjoy Austin, rest, integrate and explore before gathering for a final farewell dinner.
Tuesday, December 8: Optional Tour Ends (B)
On Tuesday morning, we share breakfast and close our time together.
FROM THE EXPECTED ONE TO THE MAGDALENE ROSE
Twenty years.
Twenty years of questions.
Twenty years of research.
Twenty years of following the clues across the world.
Twenty years of writing, teaching, searching and discovering.
The Expected One introduced millions of readers to a different Mary Magdalene.
Now, Secrets of the Magdalene Rose asks a different question. What did she teach us about how to live?
Your Optional Tour Includes:
- 2 days & 1 night accommodation at the Omni Barton Creek
- Hotel taxes
- Breakfast and Dinner
- Wine with dinner
- Extensive Magdalene Workshop with Kathleen
Please read the Terms and Conditions for this program.
** Bonus! SAVE! You will receive a 5% discount off the credit card rate if ALL payments are made by check or money order. This discounted price is noted below in red.
Special NO INTEREST- NO PAYMENTS* Plan!
Body Mind Spirit Journeys now offers a Credit Plan with PayPal (Click here for details)
LAND ONLY PRICING for December 4-7 Retreat
PRICE PER PERSON IN TWIN BEDDED ROOM
Per Person Double Occupancy: $2,499 by check OR $2,629 by credit card
PRICE PER PERSON IN SINGLE ROOM
Per Person Single Room Occupancy: $3,299 by check OR $3,469 by credit card
OPTIONAL SUPPLEMENTAL PRICE FOR POST-RETREAT TOUR (December 7-8 Only)
Per Person Double Occupancy: $599 by check OR $629 by credit card
Per Person Single Room Occupancy $779 by check OR $819 by credit card
Pre-Retreat Extra Night Accommodations (room only):
Price Per Person in a double room: $199 by check OR $209 by credit card
Price Per Person in a single room: $379 by check OR $399 by credit card
SPECIAL PRICE FOR AUSTIN AREA RESIDENTS (December 4-7)
For local residents of the Austin area who do not require accommodations and just want to attend the retreat, they can take a special program that includes the total Retreat day-by-day program with Kathleen PLUS dinner every night.
Price Per Person: $1,399 by check or money order, $1,479 by credit card
Optional Package available on December 7 (after breakfast) at $349, $369 by credit card
Deposit Schedule:
Non-Refundable Payment – due as soon as possible in order to ensure a place on the tour as space is limited.
Per Person Double or Single accommodations: $750 by check or money order, $800 by credit card
Final Payment (due on or before September 1, 2026
Attendance is strictly limited due to hotel capacity, and the event is expected to sell out. Early booking is highly recommended.
If you have already registered and want to access the Payment Page, Click Here.
Travel Insurance
Body Mind Spirit Journeys highly recommends the purchase of Trip Cancellation/Interruption Travel Insurance, and we therefore provide you with an easy way to contact BMSJ’s preferred insurance provider, Allianz Global Assistance. If you need additional information or have questions, please call Allianz directly at 1-800-284-8300, and refer to code F025323.