TRASH SOCIETY
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TRASH SOCIETY
In, through, loop, pull and cinch. Repeat. In, through, loop, pull and cinch...repeat. This repetition continued in a meticulous manner, allowing the silky emerald thread to catch the light of the room and cast small glints that disappeared as soon as it had found purchase in the now. "I dont know why ya stare." the usual gravel in mouth accent was no where to be found as he spoke in plain tongue "It aint like ya havent seen this before. Ya been here long enough to see how this is done." he chuckled "Dont tell me ya still got a weak stomach?" Nezzok glanced over at Tamaku who was sitting across the room, mortar and pestle in hand slowly grinding away at what ever herb lay within the dip of the bowl. Tamaku twitched a bit in surprise now being in the spotlight unintentionally "Hm, oh, no not at all. Just because I dont revel in all of it dont mean I have a weak stomach for it." he set the mortar and pestle down "Though its not to say it isnt interesting to still watch."
Nezzok shook his head as he pulled the length of thread taught and snipped the end. He laid the needle down atop a stretch of leather that contained various types of needles in sizes from barely visible to hooked and thick. "I still think ya would benefit from learning more so ya can more properly care for the Mindless Cousins but that is neither here nor there. Ya should know we will have a guest soon enough." he took his right hand and brought it up to his mouth, biting into the fatty part of his palm, black ichorous blood welled up in the palm of his hand. Once satisfied with the amount he began to let it drip on the appendage he had just sewed on, pressing his hand onto it and smearing around the circumference of the limb. "vutula menga na menga, kanga nsinga yina bo katulaka. " words came from his lips like the death rattle of someones last breath, runes in the flesh shone through the ichor, fading and after a moment the limb twitched and fingers curled. Tamaku on the other hand would knit his brow. There had already been a Forsaken to come here bringing Nezzok secreted crates and if it were those amongst the Sanctum he would have thought he would have also felt that over the Sanguine, unless his neglected use of it these last years had dulled his ability to feel the others like he should. "Oh?" he asked without trying to display his ignorance on the matter. "Mhm, Ya may not know her. Or ya might only ya would know who ya would have met before we were scattered from the Temple when ya mother brought the house down upon us the first time. " he flexed the new limb, testing its range of motion and how the muscles worked to ensure that everything was as it should be, allowing it to complete the set and returning all four limbs to use. "The mother of millions will be here soon. She's been lurking on the edges of the Sanguine for some time now. Im sure her journey has been long and arduous, which will require her to rest and renew herself before we take her to the Defiler." "Mother of Millions?" Tamaku cocked his head, not recalling that name. "Aye. Swarm Mother was her chosen name upon her ascendance." "That sounds unpleasant." "Nah she is perfection in many ways and there will be much to catch up on once she arrives." he stood now towering over Tamaku as he closed the gap between them. A large meaty hand came to rest on Tamakus shoulder. "Finish ya work. It wont be long until she arrives and before we must rejoin the flock. We've been gone to long. Gods know what my brother has been up to in my absence." With that he made his way out of the room, silent footsteps belied his huge stature before he disappeared into the darkness of the hallway leading from the room. Alone now, Tamaku picked up the mortar and pestle once more to finish his work. His mind wondered off idlely as he let the Sanguine become more clear in his being, tendrils reaching out to test the waters of connecting with the others unobtrusively as he could.
I wanna make a cult
I mean, after this year, would anyone be surprised if he had joined a cult? It would explain a lot...
Nothing, absolutely nothing surprises me anymore.....
In third grade read-aloud, our teacher read us Son of the Mob and I was CONVINCED that my dad was in the mafia:
An obsession with suits and ties (also he a big white dude).
Random “uncles” coming over often and then suddenly never again.
People dropping packages off and calling us on the phone to tell where they were hidden (in the hifi; behind the garage; in the ally; under the flower pot; etc.).
Packages came in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they were keys.
Incredibly invasive and persistent paranoia.
The “family business.”
Our neighborhood had a lot of gang violence, but they left us alone.
Then one day, I realized that it wasn’t the mafia, it was a cult. 😅
15 Things They Don’t Tell You About Leaving the Servidoras
After my grand letter to all of the sisters and superiors of the order back in 2015 (http://www.iveinfo.org/2016/03/letter-from-ex-ssvm-superior.html ,) I never really thought I would be writing to any group or former group of the institute again. However, due to the considerable amount of what I call “post-convent deprogramming” I've done over the years with former servidoras, (literally to this week!) I've felt moved to write again because it's just so noteworthy how so many women have experienced similar types of situations, both inside the convent and once they have left. The number of women I have helped in this province (about 15) is very small compared to the actual number who have left the convent in this province (50+ easy.) As you'll read below, it's often very difficult to reconnect or find former sisters once you have left. That number does not include the dozens of parents & friends of sisters or seminarians who have also reached out with questions and concerns from my original letter. What I wrote in that letter hits such a cord because it’s all true. It’s pretty simple. And folks find solace and relief when their concerns are stated aloud and their questions answered by an insider.
I've been home from the convent now for over 5 years and in that short time I have personally connected with at least 15 other women who have left the Servants of the Lord in this province and helped them to transition and de-program. All but one of these women were younger than me in religious life & were there fewer years than myself. (I was in almost 8 years, longer than most!) In some way, I feel a responsibility to help confirm their concerns and shake out the programming, and I actually enjoy re-connecting and holding that space for them. So many have expressed huge relief at being able to share stuff they've never told anyone or get confirmation on things they had a hunch were not ok, that happened inside. I'm speaking mostly about cult-like programming, behavior & manipulation, although sexual scandal is not foreign to the institute either (male and female branches, founder, all of it.)
For those of you who don't know or have never read anything else I've written about convent life, my general opinion is that while we learned a lot of transferable skills & traveled to interesting places during our time with the ssvm, I do believe it functions as a religious cult. The order exhibits behaviors and mental programming that you will find across the board and any other type of cults (I don’t say this lightly. They check out - https://culteducation.com/warningsigns.html) Thus, the transition out of the order can be arduous, especially when it comes to learning how to de-program mentally. In the order, the programming is deceivingly wrapped up in sparkling divine concepts and holy ideals, so deprogramming often means rejecting even what once were tightly held spiritual beliefs, close to our hearts & identities. They play a tight game and they play to win.
So here goes: 15 Things They Don’t Tell You About Leaving the Servidoras
It’s long. All my posts are long. Each theme could easily be it’s own separate blog post. So, don’t think of it as a blog. Think of it as chapters in a book & enjoy! As always, thank you for reading & I’m happy to engage about any of these topics!
About You:
What’s the Schedule for This? There is no right way to do this – it’s messy and that is one of the best lessons! While most things in the convent and in the church were black & white, this journey is not! It’s not linear and it looks different for each person. There is no life timeline you need to be on & you’re not “behind” everyone else. You are on your life path that is exquisitely perfect for you. Enjoy it. Take your time. Breathe. Observe. Be grateful that you lived a few years in a really unique, really rare way. There is no rush to get anywhere – you don’t have to hop into a huge career, you don’t have to get a degree, you don’t have to date or get married (ever,) buy a car or a house or get credit cards. What you label as a “transition period” in your life is actually just your life and as rich, important and meaningful as any other time, so take it in. Enjoy. Relax. Allow the new energy to settle into your cells. It’s all good, new and rejuvenating for you. It’s your life’s journey, just like everyone else’s. It winds, has hills and valleys, moments of clarity and joy, and moments of confusion. All of this is ok, healthy and normal. Embrace your unique journey. You are exactly where you are meant to be.
Rest! In the convent, we never stopped. The schedule was full from morning till bedtime and having open, unstructured time was looked upon suspiciously. It will take some time to adjust to a slower, more open pace of life. It will feel uncomfortable! Rest includes sleep and leisure. Know that it's okay to get a full 8 hours of sleep or more, it's okay to sleep in and it's okay to go to bed early. Our bodies recover mentally and physically while we sleep, so getting plenty and quality sleep is crucial to feeling bright and ready for the next day. (Applicable to any human, not just former nuns!) Leisure is the second part of rest and it's going to feel really uncomfortable to have unstructured free time. Know that it's okay to lounge, take walks, doodle, read, people watch and even watch TV or listen to music! None of it is a sin, you won’t be wasting time. You have not had real mental or physical rest in a long time and your nervous system is probably still in stress mode – cortisol all over the fucking place! It takes a few months of settling into a slower pace of life for your body to breathe and relax. My best teacher in this area was nature. The pace and vibration of the forest, the flowers and the ocean helped my nervous system to adjust. So, bottom line is slow the fuck down and enjoy it! Your body will thank you, I promise!
Clothes? This may not be true for everyone, but my first experiences with shopping for clothes it was really difficult & triggering. After so many years of ignoring our bodies and our figures,and generally relating them to sin or negative programming, it was hard for me to feel comfortable in clothes that were more fitted or generally to give positive attention to my female figure. It was hard for me to look in the mirror and see my curves. It was very uncomfortable. I got a teaching job quickly, so I had to find work appropriate clothing. For the first few months I definitely wore turtlenecks and khakis! I have photos to prove! It's okay to feel like a fish out of water while clothes shopping (among other socially normal activities!) Learning to love and be comfortable with your body is a deeply personal journey. What ended up helping me eventually was discovering yoga and, again, being in nature. I've written about both on my blog, as well as my body journey in various posts there (http://wildflower8281.tumblr.com/archive.) Just know it's okay to cry and feel uncomfortable. The best thing you can do in those moments is feel your feelings, be with yourself and go shopping another day if you need to. The struggle and process is very, very real and there is no timeline.
Your True Fam. Find your friends from the convent who also have left, reconnect with girls in your class and share. There are things that only former ssvm will understand. Let’s be honest – we were in a cult together. While friends and family may listen and be empathetic, they have not actually lived the life with you. Only your former sisters have and there are things only they will understand. So, if you are itching to question or share something, and you wonder if others have also experienced this – find your girls and talk with them. Many former ssvm have shared with me that the fb group has been so helpful to reconnect with girls in their class. Also, the international FB group has also allowed girls to find friends they missioned with across the world or studied in Italy with. Re-connect and share. This is healing and often times fun! Granted some former ssvm are still die-hard fans of the order, so those people have left the group or have no intention of sharing. That’s ok. It’s their journey. The groups are here for those who want to use them.
Job/Career. I know at first it seems like you are behind or you don't have a lot of what the world sees as a ‘work experience,’ but in reality, the arduous, missionary life that we lived for those years was chock full of tons of skill-learning and adapting to different circumstances all the time. You have a zillion transferable skills!!! So, while you may not have a certain degree or career label, in most cases you can take what you've learned in the convent and make it apply to a job you are after. You have experience teaching, working with youth, cooking for large groups, event planning, musical experience, admin & organizational skills, planning trips, retreats & camps, customer service, camping skills, sports, communication, editing and blogging and in many of these cases you can also do these things in Spanish! You learn to be a jack-of-all-trades, the longer you are there, so your years there are definitely not wasted by any means. So get those negative ideas out of your head and know that you actually have a very rich, varied experience, in many cases more so than most others who may be have been in one job for the past 2-3 years or who spent those years in classrooms.
My advice would be to tailor your resumes and cover letters to the specific job you are after. This may mean making it very obvious that you spent time in the convent as a Catholic missionary. Sometimes it really helps to drop #nunlife for a specific job, and sometimes it may be wiser to just say you were a missionary. Use your judgement (new concept, I know!) It may mean making it less obvious that you spent those years in a catholic institution.
When I have applied for more secular jobs, I have listed the institute by the male branch name and just labeled it as missionary or youth minister. Learn to be savvy with the skills you list under that time as well: when I applied for the bookstore, I listed my years working with the IVE press, writing book reviews, translating and editing. I omitted that when I applied for the juice bar, and instead listed the event planning that I had experienced in. Learn to be savvy & a master of wielding words!
Take a Breather from the Church. It’s ok to take a breather from all things catholic & all things church. This of course is up to each person but if you feel the need to lay down some Catholic habits, rituals, anything we did in the convent or church life for a while, just to step back and breathe a little, know that that is totally okay! Many of us came from super catholic cultures, whether that was university or family culture and then we spent various years in an even more extreme version of orthodox, traditional catholic culture. The religious family is truly a catholic cult and lives on the extreme end of all things catholic. So, if you find yourself wanting to let go of a lot of the daily or weekly prayer habits, rituals, rules, etc., know that it's fine to do that and your spirit is probably asking for it. Living in the convent is like a sponge being totally saturated with the color blue. At first we love blue and we want to soak up all and everything of that color! But, when the novelty wears off, some of us never want to see blue again. So give yourself time to rinse off all of the blue, squeeze it out, dry off and breathe a little. You were saturated and soaked in one dense color for many years. It’s ok if you don’t want to see, think or breathe blue for awhile!
When I first came home,
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UNGOVERNABLE