Historically, in most Western societies shaped by Judeo-Christian norms, women’s devotional lives were confined to clear structures such as religious institutions or marriage. In those contexts, convents maintained a legitimacy framework, and marriage maintained a social contract framework. In both cases material support was part of the established system. Within this gendered narrative, female spiritual authority outside of sanctioned containment was treated as dangerous. Women who claimed it, were often marginalized, pathologized or worse, burned as Witches.

To avoid the sanitorium or the stake, for centuries independent-minded women had little choice but to marry or to enter religious orders. What’s interesting is that in popular culture nuns are often mischaracterized as passive or submissive, imagined as docile withdrawn women. Yet for many who took religious vows willingly, it was a deliberate and strategic choice that freed them from the constraints of wedlock and allowed space for a certain autonomy and intellectual pursuit. While they did not identify as feminists in the modern sense, their choice to enter religious life often functioned as a purposeful strategy for self-determination within the limits of their time.

Thankfully, progress has allowed spiritual seekers, mystics and artists to exist independently of such institutions. Self-authorship has seeded some liberty by removing certain shackles and improving visibility, but even for modern women, self-valuation is still largely seen as transgressive. It can unsettle cultural expectations. In essence, such bold independence declares:

I have value without belonging to a husband or a religion.

This freedom of exploration and expression is a welcome evolution, but now liberated devotees are faced with another ill-fitting structure. We must justify and sustain ourselves through the marketplace within a commercial system. Capitalism insists that all value is measured by market demand. If the offering is rare it must be priced exorbitantly, and if it isn’t scalable for mass consumption, it is often considered “irrelevant.”

But Devotional work, regardless of gender, does not compete. Its transcendent nature precludes it from zero sum games or adhering to trends and algorithms. It asks for cooperation and contemplation rather than consumption. It also reminds us that value, social or otherwise, is culturally constructed rather than inherent.

Another resonant subject: For much of history, womanhood and value have been closely tied to motherhood. Even today, women who do not have children are often viewed with suspicion, pity, or as socially deviant. Against this backdrop, the vocation of nuns presents an interesting paradox. Though they renounced biological motherhood, they were not generally cast as social failures. Instead, their decision was reframed as spiritual purpose. Their childlessness was not deficiency but devotion. It is also interesting to note that, in spite of this, the ultimate title within the convent is “Mother Superior”.

Personally, I have found ‘mothering’ to be a genderless energy. I experience it as an enveloping, witnessing, cradling, replenishing force. I myself have been mothered not only by my women friends and mentors, but also by the ocean, the sun, the wind, and even by certain men. And though I have not birthed children, it is my hope that through my art and other heartfelt acts of grace, that I have been mother to many.

Today, as a childless (or is it child-free?) unmarried, middle-aged woman entering her Crone years, I walk in the footsteps of these women. I consider my work restorative. It and I, restore a missing image. Framing age as culmination rather than decline. And perhaps most crucially: reclaiming Sovereignty over Shame.

I’m not a professional historian, and I understand that this overview I have offered you is simplistic. Indeed, my own personal situation was shaped by a combination of choice, circumstance and myriad aleatory intricacies. The complexities are a challenge to untangle, but in exploring these subjects, I’ve found they resonate deeply with my creative, spiritual and devotional practice as it currently unfolds through MORAH.

I am devoted to my calling and propelled by my passion and my purpose. I seek relationship rather than extraction. I am drawn to ways of being and community exchange that recognize parity, depth and presence. But I leave it to those better skilled in economic and social reform to explore new pathways that honor everyone’s inherent worth and allow all of us to spend our lives doing what we love. My task is simply to keep my eyes on the Light. This act of devotion is an action in itself. As a conduit, I amplify this Light through my creative offerings, which invite celebration of the sacred, remembrance of joy, creativity and shared humanity.

An equitable and harmonious world is often dismissed as impossible.

And yet I choose to have faith.

M.U. 2026