"The Magdalene Essence of Love" Doll by Migdalia Santiago

Migdalia Santiago has been a spiritually connected person all her life. As part of her spiritual journey, she started making dolls. Recently, she was inspired to create a Mary Magdalene doll. She will be exhibiting this creation during The Mary Magdalene Celebration. In the following text, Migdalia shares some ideas and intentions for this Mary Magdalene representation.

Meaning of the doll and its outfit

The Magdalena doll was created after a long meditation on what I have read and heard about Maria Magdalena. With this meditation I discovered my own version of that wonderful woman in our history. Then the doll is made with all its meanings, which add a special touch and a message of strength, love and struggle to those who delight in its presence.

This is how I describe the symbols of the cloth doll The Magdalene Essence of Love.

With her perfumed essence, she exudes the 7 virtues and strengths of a unique woman. And I think that perhaps those virtues were what in those times were called the 7 demons.

1-Deep femininity

2- Bravery and courage

3-Woman with her own will

4- A woman with frankness

5-Dedicated

6-Activate

7-- First Witness of The Mystery and the Unknown and how she uses the power of renewal to receive and understand the experience received.

The transparent heart on top of her head, represents the Pure Light of the spirit that we all carry inside and that many times we can only recognize it by looking closely.

Her perfume offering with colored rays and offered on a heart-shaped tray represents her essence. All people have their own essence and we decide whether to let it emanate and perfume others or lock it in a jar and not even enjoy it ourselves.

Her worn sandals represent a long walk through life, full of joyful but also sad experiences, but which are the key to standing firm at the foot of the cross.

Her long hair is the representation of the experiences lived and how we decide how we use them to perfume or hide them under a cloak.

About the artist

Migdalia Santiago is a Puerto Rican woman living in New York City. She worked for many years as a social worker, activist, and counselor for the LGBTQ community and Latino immigrants in New York City. In 2019 she had to quit her job to dedicate to her health. Looking for ways to deal with a new path, she decided to find her motivation in the crafts she had done since she was a child, making cloth dolls. The dolls have been the perfect therapy to follow the new path in her life, while creating happy moments for herself and those who love her dolls, full of love, meditation and vibrations of peace.