Oh my!

I’m only beginning to reflect on the likely reverberating import of the tiny (maybe 40 participants?) Sisters of Earth gathering at a University run by the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati over this past weekend.

Sisters of Earth: human females oriented to the Earth body. All of us with a purpose beyond our own individual lives.

Sisters of Earth: mostly old women, and way more than half of us nuns!, but none of them in “habits.”

Sisters of Earth nuns: called Sisters of Charity. (Though looking around the internet, there seem to be several types of Sisters of Charity. Three of the women featured on the home page here, I recognize from the weekend:)

https://www.srcharitycinti.org/

 

While there I discovered that they view both Thomas Berry and Joanna Macy, two of my heroes, as forerunners.

 

My experience over the weekend:

I found myself taking long walks with various old “nuns” and asking them about origins: how and when did you personally decide to become a nun, to dedicate your entire life to God? I was fascinated with their stories, of the decision, at usually, a very early age, to head in that direction, and with no regrets, over the decades. One of them even spoke of being 18, and hearing a voice, for the first and only time, as she was debating which of three young men to agree to give her hand: “Come. Follow me.”

That evening, at dinner with her family, when her Mom goaded her, saying it was past time for her to choose between the three men (one a classmate in high school, one in college, one even older), she responded, “the voice” having totally transformed her intention:  “I’ve decided to become a nun,” a remark which, when she heard it, caused her sister to spit out her food: ‘WHAT?” Yes, it was that unexpected.

I was fascinated, because I really did discover that it was impossible for me to ascertain who among this group was a “nun” and who was not! I find that fact utterly astonishing, since those who did became nuns and the rest of us have obviously led very different lives!

As if we  have lived in two different universes, side by side, but with very similar emotional/spiritual trajectories. Living with purpose. Connected to the Earth body. Deeply serious in our intent, but also hilariously, uproariously funny — BOTH! AND WITH SIMILAR INTENSITY! As a group we exhibited both attitudes, and to extremes! One more example of what I call the pulsing presence between polarities.

The experience reminds me of how I experience Crone, as she who lives from the inside out; and especially, she who eats her own shadow.

For both these old nuns-without-habits, and those who call themselves crones, exhibit a similar intensity, and with a capacity to live fearlessly, so much so that what can we do ultimately but laugh — intensely — gut-wrenching belly laughs, at our all-too-human predicament in living upon this good, degrading Earth — which we love beyond measure!

I will post more on this event, as soon as I hear back from organizer (and nun) Maureen, who is going to be making a PP (power point) with lots of photos. (I did not use my phone as a camera this weekend.)