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Reveal: A Sacred Manual for Getting Spiritually Naked
Harvard-trained theologian Meggan Watterson marched out of her church at age ten. With little-girl clarity, she knew something tremendously crucial was missing...the voices of women. Watterson became a theologian and a pilgrim to the divine feminine to find the missing stories and images of women's spiritual voices. She knew women's voices had never been silenced, just buried. But what she truly sought was her own spiritual voice inside her--the one veiled beneath years of self-doubt. At a sacred site of the Black Madonna in Europe, Watterson had a revelation that changed her. Rather than transcending the body, denying or ignoring it, being spiritual for her meant accepting her body as sacred. Only then, Watterson realized could she hear the voice of unfaltering love inside her- the voice of her soul. With passion, humor, and brutal honesty, Watterson draws on ancient stories and lesser-known texts of the divine feminine, like The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, making them modern and accessible to reveal the spiritual process she went through. She suggests that being spiritual is simply about stripping down to the truth of who we really are. Through her extensive work with women, Watterson found that she was not alone. There are countless women who long for a spirituality that encourages embodiment rather than denies it, that inspires them to abandon their fears but never themselves, and to be led by the audacious and fiercely loving voice of truth inside them. No matter where you rest on the spectrum of spirituality; religious or secular, devout believer or chronic doubter, freelance mystic or borderline agnostic, this story is about the desire in all of us to want to shed everything that holds us back. "Reveal" provides what religions have left out--the spiritual voice of a woman who has claimed her body as sacred--a woman who has found the divine insider her. In essence, this is a manual for revealing your soul. ""I have spent the majority of my life gathering stories of the divine feminine. Each time before getting my masters degrees in theology and divinity, I went on a pilgrimage to sacred sites of the divine feminine throughout Europe. The first one was with a group and the second was on my own... " "The stories of the divine feminine, of Christianity's Mary Magdalene, Catholicism's Black Madonna, Hinduism's Kali ma, and Buddhism's Green Tara for example, allowed me to begin to see that I wasn't as much of a spiritual misfit as I had thought. There was a red thread that became visible to me that ran through so many of the world religions, especially through their mystics, relating that the way to find the divine is to go within. And, that our potential to be transformed by going inward is exactly the same whether we are a man or a woman. The real barometer of our spiritual potential is not our sex, but the commitment of our desire to want to encounter the divine." "Excerpt from "Reveal"
218 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
127 people are currently reading
1073 people want to read
About the author
Meggan Watterson
13 books347 followersMEGGAN WATTERSON is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling Mary Magdalene Revealed, and The Mary Magdalene Oracle, among others. She is a feminist theologian with a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. She created The House of Mary Magdalene– a spiritual community that studies sacred texts left out of the traditional canon and practices the soul-voice meditation. Her work has appeared in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Huffington Post, TEDxWomen, and Marie Claire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 2, 2016
OH MY GODDESS!!!
This is the book I have been waiting for.
This is the book I have been praying for, without really knowing it. I resonated so deeply with every single word Meggan wrote that I basically cried throughout this entire book. Don't be afraid-- this book is not sad. It is just deeply authentic, wholly awakened, and fiercely spiritual. This book called to a place in me that I am achingly aware of, but that often goes unconscious out of frustration from time to time. This place is often overlooked, unaddressed, and there is rarely any place for it in mainstream society. Meggan's book is a battle cry, at once fearless and gentle, calling this part of my soul (and every woman's soul) to come out of hiding once and for all, and to live in the light.
Each time I opened "Reveal" to read it, I felt completely alive. Through my tears, I found myself loudly exclaiming "YES!" when I came across something that jostled my soul (this happened often, to the dismay of my husband and children who were often in the room with me), and the exclamation was usually accompanied by pumping my fist in the air. I tweeted beautiful quotes copiously, and believe me, this book is full of them!
I could go on forever, but I won't. Because I'd rather you go buy a copy of "Reveal" for yourself and read that instead! I will read this book again and again, and buy copies of it for my girlfriends, and keep it on my bedside... yeah. I love this book, so so much!!!
This is the book I have been waiting for.
This is the book I have been praying for, without really knowing it. I resonated so deeply with every single word Meggan wrote that I basically cried throughout this entire book. Don't be afraid-- this book is not sad. It is just deeply authentic, wholly awakened, and fiercely spiritual. This book called to a place in me that I am achingly aware of, but that often goes unconscious out of frustration from time to time. This place is often overlooked, unaddressed, and there is rarely any place for it in mainstream society. Meggan's book is a battle cry, at once fearless and gentle, calling this part of my soul (and every woman's soul) to come out of hiding once and for all, and to live in the light.
Each time I opened "Reveal" to read it, I felt completely alive. Through my tears, I found myself loudly exclaiming "YES!" when I came across something that jostled my soul (this happened often, to the dismay of my husband and children who were often in the room with me), and the exclamation was usually accompanied by pumping my fist in the air. I tweeted beautiful quotes copiously, and believe me, this book is full of them!
I could go on forever, but I won't. Because I'd rather you go buy a copy of "Reveal" for yourself and read that instead! I will read this book again and again, and buy copies of it for my girlfriends, and keep it on my bedside... yeah. I love this book, so so much!!!
January 9, 2014
If you are curious about the Divine Feminine, or about conflicts in women's spirituality, this book is a good start. I enjoyed Watterson's conversational and, at times, confessional tone. It made me feel connected to the author and better able to engage with her writing. At the end, I felt that I knew her.
On the other hand, if you know a little something of theology, religious history, and female divinity, this book may disappoint you. I'm glad I read it, but I felt that there was too much flitting from one topic to the next where I was longing for a deeper meditation. It really read like a woman's spiritual smorgasbord. I'd like to think this is an effect of an editor who desperately wanted to reach the eyes and ears of the distractoid popular non-fiction readers. One last bit of critique: this book calls itself a spiritual manual. However, I didn't feel that I had any real direction about exploring my spirituality after reading it. I would retitle it one woman's spiritual journey through the divine feminine.
On the other hand, if you know a little something of theology, religious history, and female divinity, this book may disappoint you. I'm glad I read it, but I felt that there was too much flitting from one topic to the next where I was longing for a deeper meditation. It really read like a woman's spiritual smorgasbord. I'd like to think this is an effect of an editor who desperately wanted to reach the eyes and ears of the distractoid popular non-fiction readers. One last bit of critique: this book calls itself a spiritual manual. However, I didn't feel that I had any real direction about exploring my spirituality after reading it. I would retitle it one woman's spiritual journey through the divine feminine.
November 14, 2015
I received a complementary copy of this book from Hay House for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
I’m probably one of the few guys who is writing a review of Meggan Watterson’s new book, “Reveal: A Sacred Manual For Getting Spiritually Naked”. Intended for a female audience, Reveal tells how the feminine aspect of spirituality has been suppressed in all of the major religions. “(I believe) there is a connection between our ideas of the Divine and the status of women,” Watterson writes, “and that until there is a more balanced perception of the Divine as both male and female, masculine and feminine … women and girls will continue to be mistreated by both themselves and others. I ardently believe that if men and women could speak with equal spiritual authority about the Divine, there would be far less gender-based violence in the world.”
Watterson’s message about bringing the feminine part of Spirit to light intrigued me. She was interviewed as part of Hay House’s World Summit where she emphasized the importance of divine feminine attributes such as vulnerability, compassion and empathy. The goal, she said, is not to just “see God as male and masculine but also seeing the divine as female and feminine and embodying both. Allowing ourselves to be both.” After listening to that interview, I decided to read Reveal. I was glad I did. Early in the book she writes “what I want most for you (is) to hear and feel the limitless love and wisdom of the truth inside you, to know and trust the voice of your own soul so much that you let it guide you from within.” That message applies equally to me, a man, as it does to Watterson’s female audience.
I once had a powerful mystical experience when I was in my 20′s. A realization within me of God’s unconditional love. 30 years later I still ponder what that was all about. In Reveal I read that the author had a similar experience. “The Divine for me was in the opposite direction from where I’d been told to look,” Watterson writes. “Until then, I had seen the Divine as something outside of me, beyond me, something I had to reach out of myself to attain. But now I had discovered that finding the Divine meant going within.” My feelings exactly. I appreciated the insights Watterson gives in her book for getting in touch with that inner soul voice of unconditional love that we all have.
Other parts of Reveal I didn’t relate to as much, such as the importance of women to recognize their sexuality and bodies as sacred, too. “The majority of the world religions have a negative message about the body, the female body in particular,” Watterson says. Women readers, especially those with body image issues, will no doubt find value in these words.
One of my goals for this year is to be more authentic, a strong theme in Reveal. “To me being spiritual is less about learning something new and more about remembering what I have always known,” the author writes. “Being spiritual is a process of stripping down to what is authentic for me, for my life. Getting spiritually naked is about having the courage to be radically open about the truth of who we are with no exceptions and no apologies, to reveal ourselves without judgment or shame.” Wise advice for anyone, male or female, to follow. Watterson is very open about her own personal struggles and triumphs in Reveal, and in doing so she has created a worthy spiritual guidebook for the rest of us.
I’m probably one of the few guys who is writing a review of Meggan Watterson’s new book, “Reveal: A Sacred Manual For Getting Spiritually Naked”. Intended for a female audience, Reveal tells how the feminine aspect of spirituality has been suppressed in all of the major religions. “(I believe) there is a connection between our ideas of the Divine and the status of women,” Watterson writes, “and that until there is a more balanced perception of the Divine as both male and female, masculine and feminine … women and girls will continue to be mistreated by both themselves and others. I ardently believe that if men and women could speak with equal spiritual authority about the Divine, there would be far less gender-based violence in the world.”
Watterson’s message about bringing the feminine part of Spirit to light intrigued me. She was interviewed as part of Hay House’s World Summit where she emphasized the importance of divine feminine attributes such as vulnerability, compassion and empathy. The goal, she said, is not to just “see God as male and masculine but also seeing the divine as female and feminine and embodying both. Allowing ourselves to be both.” After listening to that interview, I decided to read Reveal. I was glad I did. Early in the book she writes “what I want most for you (is) to hear and feel the limitless love and wisdom of the truth inside you, to know and trust the voice of your own soul so much that you let it guide you from within.” That message applies equally to me, a man, as it does to Watterson’s female audience.
I once had a powerful mystical experience when I was in my 20′s. A realization within me of God’s unconditional love. 30 years later I still ponder what that was all about. In Reveal I read that the author had a similar experience. “The Divine for me was in the opposite direction from where I’d been told to look,” Watterson writes. “Until then, I had seen the Divine as something outside of me, beyond me, something I had to reach out of myself to attain. But now I had discovered that finding the Divine meant going within.” My feelings exactly. I appreciated the insights Watterson gives in her book for getting in touch with that inner soul voice of unconditional love that we all have.
Other parts of Reveal I didn’t relate to as much, such as the importance of women to recognize their sexuality and bodies as sacred, too. “The majority of the world religions have a negative message about the body, the female body in particular,” Watterson says. Women readers, especially those with body image issues, will no doubt find value in these words.
One of my goals for this year is to be more authentic, a strong theme in Reveal. “To me being spiritual is less about learning something new and more about remembering what I have always known,” the author writes. “Being spiritual is a process of stripping down to what is authentic for me, for my life. Getting spiritually naked is about having the courage to be radically open about the truth of who we are with no exceptions and no apologies, to reveal ourselves without judgment or shame.” Wise advice for anyone, male or female, to follow. Watterson is very open about her own personal struggles and triumphs in Reveal, and in doing so she has created a worthy spiritual guidebook for the rest of us.
April 30, 2013
Meggan Watterson's REVEAL book is full of soulful substance and nourishment. REVEAL came to me with perfect timing. Her love letter to the Divine Feminine and the holy, sacred, spiritual authority each of us carries found me when I needed to be guided back to my innermost desires, truth, and dreams. I highly recommend REVEAL for all spiritual seekers and people who are curious about how to accept and celebrate engaging in spiritual pursuits on our own terms--without mandates, ultimatums, and conditional love. REVEAL is an honest and well-researched tribute to historic priestesses, prophets, guides, goddesses, and visionaries that also documents one woman's journey toward finding her place among these holy women--and accepting and realizing the same divine power she too carries within. REVEAL is a page-turner that is filled with spiritual wisdom that is accessible while also being studied. This book contains true SUBSTANCE and provides a refreshing amount of both theological expertise and insight while also remaining conversational and lively.Meggan Watterson
February 28, 2013
Book review on my blog to come.
March 15, 2017
so beautiful. watterson writes with a raw but gentle truth that went staright to my heart.
May 30, 2013
In the interest of full disclosure: I'm a guy, but I did get a lot out of this book. I've heard many male authors and guru types speak of the Divine Feminine, but always as something that's making a comeback or soon to be re-ushered in. Never many details offered other than, religious history has treated women horribly, but that's changing. What I particularly enjoyed were the feminine goddess stories like Ishtar and Isis and several others. The author's pilgrimages to holy sites, also make the book worth reading. They can best be described as adventures. Her authenticity and frankness in speaking about her diagnosis with General Anxiety Disorder is something I found brave, and inspiring. Too often our spiritual teachers are expected to be perfect, it's nice to see an author admit they're human for a change. There's a lot to study here, fascinating on many levels. I had no idea there was an entire language created, and only spoken among certain women in our past. I don't want to give too much away, it's a cool story. Meggan Watterson has written a great book. I received a copy of this book for free, for review purposes from Hay House. I was not paid for my opinion, and it's my honest assessment.
April 21, 2013
This book is a compelling, honest and passionate testimony of a woman's pilgrimage in search of spiritual growth. It sets us free from the bondages of religious institutions' pseudo-truths, and yet it brings us closer to the Divine. It is not a guide book, but it is a book to keep on your side bed table, as a reminder that the Divine is within and that whenever we forget about its existence, we have the chance to go within and rescue it back. I recommend this book to everyone - men and women - as it tells the journey of a young women's search for freedom of her soul and body, to exist, in spiritual and physical unison, free of fear and filled with love. It is delicious to read, completely unbiased and absolutely empowering to women. Meggan Watterson's debut as a writer is a gift to anyone interested in experiencing the best in themselves. Can't wait for her second one!
January 4, 2019
One of the most important books I've ever read. I am forever changed.
April 6, 2021
Fully Human, Fully Divine
This Lent and Holy Week I followed the women of Jesus life, particularly Mary Magdalene. I reread both of the authors books and find them enlightening. I live alone and practice a contemplative, meditative, free write journaling lifestyle. My wife died 18 years ago. I fail miserably at orthodox creed and belief. I have come to experience Holy Sophia as my inner Self, my awareness, wakefulness, Consciousness. She is my guide, strength and center. I experience "fully human, divine " when feminine / complete one another. This for me is the paradoxical shift from orthodox paradigm shift of either / or into both and more. Union of opposites, non dual, full equality and Third Way, Sophia-Christos. I spoke last night at our Centering prayer group for a few minutes about our spiritual mutuality and infusion of our blessed, gifted, graced feminine/ masculine souls, spirits, bodies and union of both spiritual and sexual. Meggans books inspired me greatly. Thank you
This Lent and Holy Week I followed the women of Jesus life, particularly Mary Magdalene. I reread both of the authors books and find them enlightening. I live alone and practice a contemplative, meditative, free write journaling lifestyle. My wife died 18 years ago. I fail miserably at orthodox creed and belief. I have come to experience Holy Sophia as my inner Self, my awareness, wakefulness, Consciousness. She is my guide, strength and center. I experience "fully human, divine " when feminine / complete one another. This for me is the paradoxical shift from orthodox paradigm shift of either / or into both and more. Union of opposites, non dual, full equality and Third Way, Sophia-Christos. I spoke last night at our Centering prayer group for a few minutes about our spiritual mutuality and infusion of our blessed, gifted, graced feminine/ masculine souls, spirits, bodies and union of both spiritual and sexual. Meggans books inspired me greatly. Thank you
October 24, 2025
Beautifully unexpected and deeply empowering.
This book truly caught me by surprise — I had no idea what it was about when I started reading it. Reveal turned out to be written by a feminist theologian with profound education and life experience, and through her spiritual journey, Meggan Watterson shares moments of self-discovery, healing, and divine connection.
She reminds us how teachings and miracles can be found everywhere when we’re open to seeing them. Her message is powerful — especially for women. She emphasizes the importance of self-love, the strength that comes from within, and honoring ourselves fully.
It’s a beautiful and thought-provoking book that speaks directly to the soul. However, it’s not for everyone — only read it if you’re genuinely interested in spirituality and inner transformation. Otherwise, you might miss its depth and magic.
This book truly caught me by surprise — I had no idea what it was about when I started reading it. Reveal turned out to be written by a feminist theologian with profound education and life experience, and through her spiritual journey, Meggan Watterson shares moments of self-discovery, healing, and divine connection.
She reminds us how teachings and miracles can be found everywhere when we’re open to seeing them. Her message is powerful — especially for women. She emphasizes the importance of self-love, the strength that comes from within, and honoring ourselves fully.
It’s a beautiful and thought-provoking book that speaks directly to the soul. However, it’s not for everyone — only read it if you’re genuinely interested in spirituality and inner transformation. Otherwise, you might miss its depth and magic.
January 11, 2022
This book swept me up in its passionate embrace showing exquisitely the journey of one woman to the arms of the Beloved. While the details of Meggan's journey are her own, the process she reveals is universal. I was struck by the numerous synchronicities in our journeys. Though I feel a kindred spirit to her Red Ladies, I have never met or even heard of her before finding her book. Nonetheless, many of the milestones she talks about echo my own and also led me to my next unveiling along The Way. I salute the courage and presence of Meggan to stay steadfast to the light of truth and love embodied in her own divine feminine presence, even when overlaid against the conditioning of precedence. I am bursting with gratitude for this book.
August 11, 2025
Wow. I did not expect to love this book as much as I do. It’s an easy read! Although I can’t say that it provided steps I was searching for to actually get “spiritually naked”, I did thoroughly enjoy the author’s personal experience achieving that herself and it gave me hope and inspiration for my own journey. Honestly, I want to reread this and mark it up like crazy with a highlighter! So much spoke to my soul! So much made absolute sense to me and answered questions I feel I hadn’t even asked yet! It also reinforced things I already felt I knew on a soul level! It’s just so well written and I found myself crying in parts as she so beautifully and eloquently shares her soul journey. I’m inspired to read her other books now!
August 22, 2023
Easily in my top 10 of all time. Thank you Meggan. Hot Damn.
This quote at the end explains how the entire book makes you feel
++
In the company of women, it’s easier for each of us to remember our own truth. We remember that our lives depend on our capacity to drop all facades and pretenses. We remember the bliss of just accepting that we are here to be ourselves. And we remember, together, that the most powerful place for us to be, even if it is sometimes terrifying, is fully in our body, so that we can move with the vulnerability and compassion of a broken-open heart.
This quote at the end explains how the entire book makes you feel
++
In the company of women, it’s easier for each of us to remember our own truth. We remember that our lives depend on our capacity to drop all facades and pretenses. We remember the bliss of just accepting that we are here to be ourselves. And we remember, together, that the most powerful place for us to be, even if it is sometimes terrifying, is fully in our body, so that we can move with the vulnerability and compassion of a broken-open heart.
December 5, 2019
This book is eye-opening, gentle, compassionate, deep, and something I wish I'd read years and years ago. However, I do understand that years ago I wouldn't have been ready for this kind of awakening. If you're looking for a book that speaks to your soul, to your deepest whispering spirit, you will greatly benefit from reading this. Take your time with it too. I've gone back over and over again to specific parts, and each time there is a greater takeaway.
May 22, 2021
I read the first chapter a few months ago, then set it aside. Yesterday I read the first chapter again and set it aside. Clearly, the first chapter didn’t hook me, but today I also read the second chapter, and I’m so glad I did. After chapter two, I couldn’t put it down. I love the way Meggan’s books make me feel. I feel the love and I remember what I came here for. Read this book if you’re a woman who wants to remember how to love and trust yourself.
January 2, 2023
Meggan Watterson is a feminist theologian and self proclaimed priestess of devine feminine. This book describes her spiritual journey from a shocking revelation that the Bible doesn't include many female voices through her studies of the scriptures never included in the Bible to creating her own, ecclectic spiritual path. It is a great read for anyone who doesn't fit within the constraints of traditional religion.
May 23, 2020
A good book on how to begin accessing the divine that resides within our soul. Sharing some of her own life and spiritual journeys, the author helps the reader to find ways to access the divine within. Since I love reading about women’s places in different spiritual histories, I enjoyed what the author had to share.
January 20, 2023
I feel like this book was written for me. I highlighted nearly every page because everything spoke to my soul. Since leaving an organized religion, it has felt like I am free floating with no sense of what I believe in. This book strengthen my spirituality and guided me to meet my Divine Feminine within.
February 28, 2023
This is more of a personal account of the author's journey instead a manual for the reader themselves. Not quite what I was looking for. I am enjoying her other book "Mary Magdalene Revealed: The First Apostle, Her Feminist Gospel & the Christianity We Haven't Tried Yet", but I couldn't get into this book.
October 31, 2017
This is one of my all-time favorite books. I think I underlined whole pages of it, that is how strongly it resonated with me. This book reads like a divine download from the supreme feminine intelligence of the universe. So profound and potent are Watterson's messages.
March 23, 2022
The discussion of the divine feminine was interesting, but ultimately this one was a little woo-woo for me. What I mean is that some of the spiritual awakenings the author describes were not relatable or credible to my logical and practical sensibilities.
January 17, 2023
Powerful and Pressing
This book is a raw testament to the work and reward of getting spiritually naked. It confirmed, stretched, pulled me deeper into my own process of Owning All of Me.
This book is a raw testament to the work and reward of getting spiritually naked. It confirmed, stretched, pulled me deeper into my own process of Owning All of Me.
October 27, 2023
Inspiration and guidance
I read this book and have told many of my friends about it. This is a great look at the divine feminine and woman rediscovering it. This true story is a great example for all those who don’t think they should or are worthy.
I read this book and have told many of my friends about it. This is a great look at the divine feminine and woman rediscovering it. This true story is a great example for all those who don’t think they should or are worthy.
February 27, 2025
Theologian Meggan Watterson has written an intensely personal book. Reveal: A Sacred Manual for Getting Spiritually Naked chronicles her journey to her authentic spiritual self. I recommend it for all those who are spiritually wondering and wandering.
August 18, 2018
So much food for though in this book. The chapter on revealing your soul-work, alone, is invaluable. I’ll be returning to this one.
May 16, 2020
Enjoyed Meggan's journey
December 21, 2020
So much love for Meggan and the messages she shares. The simple yet profound truths she reveals resonate deep into my heart.
August 12, 2021
Honest and open telling of her personal journey into her self and sharing with the world. <3
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews