Ancestry……how important are you?

Last updated on: October 31, 2014 at 10:27 pm by Women of Spirit and Faith

Ancestry……how important are you? 2014-10-31T22:27:43+00:00 Women of Spirit and Faith

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I remember…….Charlie Cuozzo’s Italian grocer in Washington [D.C.]. Once a week, without fail, my Nonie and Poppa [immigrant grandparents] would drive slowly, and carefully, into downtown southwest Washington.

Boisterous greetings and waves meet everyone who came and went in the store. Family, old friends, neighbors, kids, gathered; and yes, even long suffering rivalries were forgotten within Cuozzo’s store. Old men sat around and swapped tales or went out back in the tiny yard and played bocce’ ball. The women shopped, tasted, gossiped, critiqued, complained and prayed.

But it’s the smell[s] I recall most vividly. The moment we stepped inside the tiny store my senses were ignited. Even now, as I pen these words and close my eyes, my subconscious [albeit voluntarily] flashes back. The sharp zest of imported cheeses and meats; the rich scent of chianti, freely passed around; fresh bread warm from the oven dripping a huge dollop of sweet butter; yeast dough for pasta rising on a sideboard; traditional italian biscotti baked with anise oil; hot, strong caffe’ laced with anisette; garlic and olive oil simmering on the stove, as mamma Cuozzo prepared sauce and pasta for her family from the small apartment in back of the store.

My Italian ancestry [paternal] was very influential in my life. Culture and tradition were everything. Most distinctly, my religious upbringing guided every nuance of my womanhood. Catholic schools, churches, friends, education, morals left me with few independent choices. Even mother’s idea that I would make a good nun! I felt doomed!

However, deliverance came through a most unexpected channel. And also, it was the dawning of a realization that dichotomy is the rule, not the exception. My very religious, matriarchal, Italian Nonie took me under her wing and preached self-sufficiency, strength and lots of education to me. As she encouraged me to pray to the BVM [blessed virgin mary], angels and saints, she also extolled the qualities of the “evil eye”, using curses sparingly, calling on spiritello’s when necessary, and keeping angelic visions secret. I knew I had found an ally.

Unknowingly, Nonie shaped a fertile imagination into a cauldron of creative, fantastical possibilities. Being a most curious child, I was intent on reading every publication that came into our home, visiting the local library daily, and locking myself under the stairs or in the bathroom to read. One of the downsides of being too well read is that one questions absolutely everything.

It became very clear to me [early on] that “truth” was not necessarily honest or factual; specifically where religion was concerned. When I began to question where religious ritual[s] and rationale came from, I was punished. In school, I was locked in the closet by the nuns for questioning the church? At home I was further disciplined and sent to my room without dinner? What’s all the fuss about? I just wondered where holy mass was derived from? How do we know that jesus is the son of god? Where did all these rituals stem from? Why water and wine? How come we can’t go to the protestant church or temple? What’s the big deal? God is everywhere? or so I had been taught.

By the time I hit college, I was fascinated by philosophy and subjects like: Religion and Spirituality Through the Ages, Comparative Religion[s], Ethos of Spirit in Indigenous Cultures et al. So, is god really a religion? I had long since eschewed contemporary religion, and began my search for the meaning of life. As I immersed myself in exploration of world cultures and spiritual practices it led me a wide and circuitous path.

Though my Italian heritage uncovered a tumultuous, religious past rife with uncertainty, corruption and unfaithfulness; I chose to focus on my familial circle and the strength, and clarity my Nonie had gifted me as she encouraged and supported my journey. Nonie left me her marble rosary beads which hang over my computer.

A sudden twist of fate brought me full circle as I was called into the mystique of the British Isles. An affinity for celtic myth and lore fueled a spiritual resurgence. And here is where it got strange! My mother’s Irish, but we had never had contact with our Irish family. They were considered “common.” I married and had children before I connected with an Irish mystic who was my cousin. I’m Irish and it really made me feel rooted. I traveled to Ireland–alone. Spent ten unbelievable days wandering the Emerald Isle. Meditating in standing stones; visioning in ancient churches; singing in an irish castle; meeting an irish monk who changed my perspective; and never wanting to leave. It felt like home. Energy and mysticism radiated from the land. I felt closer to god than anywhere else on earth.

One day while sitting at the side of the Cliffs of Moher, I had a dream-vision of soaring out over the cliffs above the sea. Waves crashing, birds screeching, music flowing from the stones. I wanted to stay there forever. When I drifted back into my body at the top of the cliff, I was soaking wet.

Lolly Odea is a writer/editor, and a massage therapist; both for over 20 years. She’s spent the last number of years creating and presenting seminars and “playshops” for Stress Management, Energetic Body Healing, Breathwork, Spirit and Creativity, Croning, StoryTelling, Women’s Sacred Ritual Circles, and Labyrinth Design and Building.

Ancestors

Previous Post

October 28, 2014

Saidi lights a candle in honor of her relatives.

Next Post

November 24, 2014 Invitation to blog: t'is the season to be...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 28-day meditation challenge A new world Alchemy: Occupy Your Sacred Self Ancestors and Spiritual Evolution Consciousness Ending violence against women Holiday season: quiet time or chaos? How has She blessed you in 2011? inter-being. Interfaith Invitation to blog: What does a world transformed by the Divine Feminine look like? Sounds like? Taste like? Smell like? Living the Divine Feminine Mother Work Mothers and mothering On Feminine Ground Owning Our Wisdom Parliament of Worlds Religions Personal rituals or practices that keep you in touch with the Divine Feminine Reclaiming the heart of our humanity Reflections on WSF retreat Sacred Love Stepping Stones on the Spiritual Path The next generation Tugging at your heart Uncategorized Videos: women of spirit and faith What are you longing for? What are you noticing? What are your dreams/intuitions telling you? What gets stirred up in you when you hear the words "War on Women"? What happens when women lead? What is "the Divine Feminine"? What is the Devine Fem calling you to do? What wants to Emerge? When we act as the Divine Feminine... Who inspires you? Why I am a... Women of Spirit and Faith

Select a Month January 2017 December 2016 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz