Sophia's Children

Since my last post – amazingly, about a month ago – we’ve had the stunning force of ‘Frankenstorm’ Sandy in this region of the U.S., followed by the presidential election, the aftermath of both, a solar eclipse, and then Thanksgiving.

These few weeks have had a surreal, ‘outside of time’ or Via Feminina Kairos time quality to them.

As for the storm that hit the coast last Full Moon, it’s beyond words for me, and there’s been plenty of news coverage.

So I’ve been even more quiet than usual for a few weeks, and as I wrote in a previous entry — Hail to the Hermit: The Wisdom of Introversion — that’s saying something given the distinctly contemplative, discerning tone of this year as an ‘end year’ of two major cycles for me. (I know it’s been that way for some of you, too.)

As Clarissa Pinkola Estes wrote in Untie the Strong Woman, “The older I become, the more I sense, the less I speak, the more I pray — in ever so many ways.”

That’s pretty much how I feel about it.

As is always the case, though, a lot stirs beneath the silence and eventually finds its way from the under-soil into the world. But for now …

While re-emergence percolates, here are a few lovely gems that have crossed my path as reminders … as evocateurs:

The first sweet niblet is from fellow journeyer Christine Valters Paintner of Abbey for the Arts, in a lovely recent musing:

“Where exactly is this all going? It has to do with discovering a deep freedom, of embracing the path of the monk as one who stands at the fertile edges of things, of dancing life. But really, I still have no idea other than I know I need to keep walking in this direction of radical trust. I need to keep following the thread.”

She also shares from her recent, powerful encounter with the Black Madonna, too.

And the second niblet is from Joseph Campbell‘s conversation with Bill Moyers – if you’ve journeyed this Hero’s and Heroine’s Journey or Persephone–Underworld path, you’ll resonate:

“Heroes and Heroines who have answered the call have moved out of the society that would have protected them, and into the dark forest, into the world of fire, of original experience. Original experience has not been interpreted for you, and so you’ve got to work out your life for yourself. Either you can take it or you can’t. You don’t have to go far off the interpreted path to find yourself in very difficult situations. The courage to face the trials and to bring a whole new body of possibilities into the field of interpreted experience for other people to experience – that is the hero’s deed.”

The Black Madonna is the patron saint of the un-interpreted path and its travelers. Funny how things batch together like that, like breadcrumbs on the path, if we’re paying attention.

More musings to come, and lots of love in the meanwhile.

Jamie