The Priestess And The Nun – Sisters In Service

Last updated on: January 16, 2017 at 11:28 am by Phoenix LeFae

The Priestess And The Nun – Sisters In Service 2017-01-16T11:28:05-08:00 Phoenix LeFae

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I was leaving Berkeley when I saw her. A woman, not much older than me, standing on the corner waiting for the light to turn so that she could cross the street. She was short and petite, wearing a plain gray skirt and shirt with an even plainer blue cardigan over it. Her legs were covered by thick, dark stockings ending at her feet with dark, sensible shoes. There was nothing particularly interesting about her, but she fascinated me. I couldn’t stop staring at her and when the light turned green, the car behind me had to honk to break me out of the spell I was lost in.

You might be asking yourself, what was so interesting about this plainly dressed woman crossing the street? Well, I left out one detail. What struck me about her was what was on the top of her head. She wore a veil and a wimple. This woman was a nun.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AStreet_Nuns_(5468767745).jpg

As silly as it sounds, I don’t see a lot of nuns in my area. Heck, I don’t see a lot of Catholic ministry in general. Sure, I’m not Catholic, so that contributes, but it’s not every day I see a nun just strolling down the street. I found myself fascinated by this nun. All sorts of questions about her life and her choices ran through my head. What does dedication to her god look like for her? Does she regret giving her life to study her religion or has it been the most beautiful gift? Suddenly I felt an odd mixture of pride for this woman’s dedication and a little bit of jealousy. Okay, maybe a lot of jealousy.

Anyone who sees that woman crossing the street knows that she has dedicated her life to her faith. No one is going to ask her what it is she does for a living. People might make judgments on her vocation, but no one will have to guess about what that vocation might be. She has made a commitment to her god to do His service. What a beautiful message. What a beautiful vocation.

And this makes me jealous, or perhaps a better word is envious. I am a Witch and Priestess. I love the Earth and the Goddess. I am a Priestess in service to the Goddess (A few actually). I am dedicated to my faith. I have made a commitment to my Godds and I do Their service. But you wouldn’t know that by looking at me. I don’t have a uniform, or an obvious specific symbol or sign that makes me stand out a ‘Pagan Clergy’. There isn’t a dedicated house that I can cloister in and be in constant service to the land, the community, and the Godds. I’m conflicted over whether or not I really want their to be pagan temples, and “churches” and institutions (that’s for another blog altogether) but I am unwavering clear that there needs to be some mechanisms in place whereby my service is recognized as equally valuable and honorable. Our Godds might be different. How we work with them might vary, but the work is much the same. If we sat down and had tea together, this nun and priestess, what stories would we share? Do the same fears keep us up at night? Have we heard our Godds and questioned our sanity and our certainty?

“What experiences would the Nun and the Priestess share?”
Pixabay – CCO Public Domain Free for commercial use

I feel envious of this beautiful women so clearly dedicated to her god, living a life of simple service, dedication to her faith, steeped in connection to her sisterhood.But there is something else, something sweet and beautiful about this random nun and my connection to her. You see, we do really have something in common, me and this nun. This woman on the street corner is my sister. We are both in service our own ways. We two are committed to our Godds. We’ve both “married” our faiths and we share a fierce dedication to our, albeit very different, sisterhoods.

What a blessing to see myself reflected in this servant of the Christian god.

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