Tactical Frivolity

I finally got the opportunity to visit Mary's House and check on its condition. I had been alerted by a friend that it had been broken into and that things had been "gone through". I also knew that weather would have continued to take its toll. Such sources of chaos were expected. What I did not anticipate, however, was vandalism for no apparent reason other than some incomprehensible desire for destruction. Broken glass everywhere, smashed religious statues, shattered TV screen, violence for violence's sake, and a cryptic LLLC spray painted on a wall met me as I entered. Someone had been camping out inside until my supply of bottled water ran out. Perhaps the squatter and the vandal(s) were not one and the same. Someone had taken time to remove some parts from a computer. The aspect of the scene most difficult for me to accept and process was the destruction of religious statues. Some were left alone and some were utterly destroyed. Was someone angry at the Church or at God or just enjoying mischief? On a spiritual level, I already knew the answer. And while I talked to people whose counsel I value, and thought and prayed a lot, I knew in my gut that my resolve to honor Mother Mary in that space was only strengthened. And so it has remained.

Thanks to a gift from my late husband Peter from beyond the grave, I am able to initiate a few repairs for Mary's House. A new roof is the first priority. I await an estimate.

The forward motion of Mary's Ward has been largely focused in the publishing on this site of the monthly publication Ascend. As fascism has been on the rise in America, my focus has also been on training in non-violent resistance tactics. I have been particularly persuaded that "tactical frivolity" as portrayed by the Portland, OR inflatable frogs, chicken suits, and banana band evident at the protests at the ICE facility is my strategic tactic of choice. For our local No KIngs 2 event, I chose sunflowers as my theme, decorating my hat, mask and shoes with them. I have been attending an interfaith prayer vigil of solidarity for detainees at the Cumberland County Jail weekly. There my message is conveyed through my rainbow poncho and my giant icon of Mary with her Immaculate Heart, with Our Lady of Guadalupe attached as cultural solidarity. Ever since being asked in an email to wear yellow as a symbol of resistance to tyranny in this moment, I have not failed to include a yellow item of clothing in my daily attire.

This fight for freedom is a long one, one which is fought both socially and spiritually. As I continue to learn more as a student of Sanskrit, Veda, the teachings of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, as I deconstruct the Bible and my faith, as I progress as a seminarian in the Liberal Catholic Church International, I see one battle, one mission, one purpose for Mary's Ward and for my own life. As the Roman Catholic catechism states, "to know, love, and serve" the Lord, God, the Divine, That, Truth, the Supreme. To find the light within, to strengthen my connection with the Divine, to open myself to grace from above, to surrender to The Mother so She can do the yoga ("to Jesus through Mary") and to see the same light within all, even beneath Teresa of Calcutta's notion of the "distressing disguise" (with no exceptions), standing for the truth of the dignity of every human and non-human being, that is the plan, that is the mission, that is the urgent demand of this moment.

Tactical frivolity is not just about lighthearted costumes at protests and demonstrations; it's also about joy as a force of nonviolent resistance in itself. Heavens no, I won't cower in response to your abominable and gruesome efforts to terrorize, brutalize and control. I will do all in my power to stop you, for sure. But I will also oppose your reign of terror with love, peace, joy, kindness, compassion, and humor! It is fundamentally a spiritual battle, requires spiritual armor and spiritual tactics. That's why I love sunflowers as a symbol. They are so happy-looking. So stand firm, friends. Not with grim determination, but with frivolity, with lightheartedness, with joy! Persevere in joy!

Hail Mary! Jai Maa!