Last night, I lay in the topmost room of our tiny old house (humble, solid and plain, our house) and listened to the wind roar and rip over the roof, blowing snow around so much that my intrepid partner remarked that it looked like great stampeding herds of snow barrelling through the dark, snorting and throwing menacing looks at wary motorists (look smart, friends, it could be time for Mama Earth to let loose with the Buffalo Snow). It occurs to me that it might be a nice vocation, to be a snow-herder.
I’ve had more than one occasion this week to consider the humbling power of this rough and tumble glorious mossy stone we all happen to be blessed enough to walk upon. Here in the not-so-wild midwest, our access to the seemingly illimitable flood of electricity, that insidious and domesticating teat we in the postindustrialized North all greedily suck on mostly without even thinking about it, has been less reliable than usual, as is its wont annually in various parts of the country due to various weather conditions, though those conditions do seem to be playing out in rather more vicious ways as of late (*cough*climatechange*cough*). But then again, I am a terrible liberal pagan environmentalist communist demon-person, holed up in my luxury beachfront home, chortling manaically at all the climate change ruckus I’m causing via my crazy lies, and planning to plunge the world into “mass starvation and human devastation,” so, you know, try not to take anything I say to heart (Oh, Ann Coulter, you comedienne – it’s just impossible to take you even remotely seriously. I have a theory that Ann Coulter is actually a performance artist with some kind of amazingly dedicated long-term artistic vision…one day, mid-screech, she will rip off her mask, exposing another mask, that of one of the Guerrilla Girls, who will then take a bow and explain that it was all a masterful parody of the most extreme right-wing foaming-at-the-mouth, ugly, mean, baseless, unhinged, soulless, cruel, accusatory, nonsensical, blithering rhetoric she could muster – the world will be speechless with admiration). The point here is that, as is often the case, I’ve had extra occasion to think about how my spirituality plays out in my deliberations on how I live.
I have just finished reading A Plain Life: Walking My Belief by Scott Savage, which chronicles the author’s walk from his home in a Quaker community that practices Plain Living to the capital of Ohio to return his driver’s license, and so I have been thinking a lot about the author and his wife’s choice to abandon their previous lifestyle and adopt a plain one (a life very similar to that of the Amish, though I have been reading predominately about plain Quakers in particular). Savage’s theology is not my own, and there are places in the book where he makes it clear that he is not terribly down with deep ecumenism, yet I can appreciate his and his partner’s call towards a simpler way.
I have an interest in plain living, as there is something that appeals to me in radically downsizing my life to make room for opening to Other Things, to simplicity. I am intrigued by the points made in Quaker Jane’s testimony regarding plain dress as a visual koan and avenue to witness. I am learning that there are many reasons why different people choose plain dress and plain living, some that are compatible with my ways of thinking and some that aren’t (among the ones that aren’t being various issues regarding gender dynamics) – but still, I am intrigued. The wind ripping over my roof says something to me – something simple, something that cuts large swathes in all this frantic accumulation we do in our consumerist monoculture…something that makes room to breathe.
Which leads me to the question – what would a Pagan Plain life look like? Just as a plain Quaker’s (or other plain folks’) Christian beliefs lead them towards their callings in the world, and given that we Pagani run under an enormous range of polythea/ological interpretations and spiritual gnosis/revelations, I have little doubt that it is possible to perceive a calling to a simpler life within Pagan theological systems. Of course it would look different – I’ve no notion to ape other people’s traditions or theologies. But I wonder…I reach…I listen. I pray. I think about the many lessons there are in pursuing a life closer to real community, less reliant on electricity, living in wide silent spaces. And then, the mess flowers around me, dancing in my spangled, colorful, anarchic, crazy radical blissful soul, and I wonder if there is a balance in there somewhere, speculating then of the existence of that holy tiny seedpoint of limitlessness (the further in you go, the bigger it gets), where simplicity and complexity are perfectly held in concert with each other, each dancing the other over and under and through. Something for a little old mystic soul like mine to strive for, I suppose.
And in the meantime I watch the roil and flash of whirling flurries and listen to the roar of my brother wind through the tops of skeletal trees, and I breathe in the smoke from far away fires and infintesimal beads of sky, and throw my hands out and up in wonder at everything, everything, everwhere. I marvel. I marvel.
Hecate Demetersdatter said,
March 3, 2007 at 5:52 pm
A plain Pagan life is an interesting idea. Starhawk’s written about trying to live off the grid and do permaculture as part of her spiritual pratice.
I’m amazed sometimes at the hunk of stuff that so many Pagans accumulate. I’m guilty myself with books, but I know so many Pagans who have tons and tons of cheap pewter jewelry, for example. There’s a real freedom, for me, at least, in not being weighed down by too much “stuff”, by having open, orderly space.
I do think that plain can also be high-tech. My cell phone and blackberry allow me to store a ton of necessary information. Solar panels can allow one to begin to live off the grid.
Anyway, my two cents. Hope that you can see the eclipse tonight!
Two Witches said,
March 5, 2007 at 1:51 am
A lot of interesting food for thought …
I am a long-time Pagan with too much stuff and Hubby and I talk again and again about one day moving to a less populated locale, living more off the grid and trimming our possessions.
Blessings
Mama Kelly
pat said,
March 5, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I try, but the more I seem to get rid of, the more I end up with. At the least, i recycle everything allowable here, and I try to do my part just being a part of this glorious globe we abide upon. This is not easy, since we live in a world where everything comes in something that needs to be trashed. I live in a place where Amish are an ordinary site everyday, My only problem with the “plain life” is bathing on a regular basis, not just once a week. Sorry, I just love my hot showers too much. Yet, I do wonder myself if it would be for me. Then I know its not, a buggy ride in the frozen east is not my kind of ride thatnk you very much.
Slowly but surely I am pareing down, I want less to dust and a cleaner atmosphere to live in, its a matter of stash it or trash it, and by trash it I mean it goes to Goodwill. Its one of those ‘easier said than done’ things I guess. Good luck to all who decide to “stash it or trash it’ it aint easy.
Blessings
Ladymorgain
Qira said,
March 6, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Hey there. I found you because of the Quaker-Pagan listserv you just joined. What a lovely post. My wife and I are working on living more simply, in a Wiccan context, so this post really resonates with me. Lovely!
Yvonne said,
March 9, 2007 at 2:48 pm
The various clutter in our house is either books, or treasured gifts from other people.
I like the dictum “Keep nothing that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”.
Yvonne said,
March 9, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Just had a look at the Quaker Jane website – actually I think some of their plain dress looks really cool. Kind of Shaker-style. Also , kudos to them for living their values in all aspects of their lifestyle.
I think the Pagan equivalent of plain dress is probably skyclad though
Personally I dress most of the time to be comfortable, not to maximise my sexual allure. I don’t want to be seen as a sex object, but to be appreciated for my intelligence. That said, I don’t mind being appreciated on an aesthetic level, as long as it is not divorced from the mental and spiritual aspects of me. I think the problem is when people see others as objects and don’t respect them.
I do think we should be more aware of the ethical aspects of clothes (e.g. avoiding stuff made in third-world sweatshops).
Amelia said,
March 9, 2007 at 11:37 pm
I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now, and several times I’ve thought “is she reading my mind?” This is one of those moments. There was a great discussion on another message board I frequent about plain dressing, and I’d been thinking about plain dressing as a lifestyle choice, and hadn’t considered the spiritual/religious angle.
I’ve been bothered for awhile now about the fact that most “Pagan community centers” are actually stores. And when I think about how metal mining hurts the earth, and the amount of silver jewelry some pagans own and wear all at once, it starts to seem hypocritical.
Yvonne said,
March 12, 2007 at 5:34 pm
This post and the ensuing discussion has inspired my husband and me to do an environmental and ethical audit: http://pagantheologies.pbwiki.com/Ethical-and-ecological-audit
Thanks again for the inspiring post!
Diotima said,
April 11, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Hi,
A little late to this party, but better late than never.
I am a solitary Pagan, and from the beginning of this year, I have started to dress plainly.
How do I dress? Because I have a professional life, I have basically two versions of plain dress, and 99% of my time, I am wearing one or the other. My “professional plain” outfit consists of a long, usually gray skirt, a plain white tunic and a white shawl. My “home plain” outfit, which I wear at all times except when I need to look very professional, is a “traditional” solid color plain dress and an apron in matching color. When it is absolutely necessary for practical reasons (like when I exercise), I wear pants, but it’s important for me that these occassions remain truly as an exceptions.
In order to avoid looking too “Christian”, I have stretched my earlobe, and I also wear hair jewelry (in general, I find that long hair in a bun is the simplest hairstyle there is). I don’t think that plain Christians would be into body mods, so my body mod has a spiritual meaning for me- wearing it as a part of my plain dress makes me conscious of my being a Pagan.
I chose the traditional plain dress as my “basic garment” around which I have built my plain style, because it is super practical and I find it also beautiful. I just put my plain dress on in the morning, and go on about my business, whether it is in the kitchen, in the garden, running errands in the City, and finally in the evening, relaxing. If an apron gets dirty, I can change it quickly without having to go over the trouble of changing my whole outfit.
Why do I dress that way? Because I believe it is the right thing for me to do. I make my own dresses, so I know they haven’t been made in a sweatshop or by a child. They do not promote unhealthy fashion, they are frugal and help me to keep in mind who I am -not one of the mass, but someone with conscience and purpose in life. My dress is a daily reminder that helps me to stay focused, and hopefully it is also a gentle reminder to people who see me. I have not been plain for long, but I can say that it has brought me peace and inspiration in all levels of my life. Sometimes I still ask myself silly questions like “What does everyone think of me?” (Why should I be interested in that?) and “Is this just a phase?” (What does it matter, as I can’t even be totally sure that I will live to see tomorrow?). But all the time, the questions grow fewer and quieter, and the calm and happiness grows greater.
I always hated to read the newspaper stories that told about the injustices and moral problems of fashion industry, yet ended up in reminding that “there’s really not much that an individual person can do”. I don’t like being told what I can’t do, and dressing plainly is my solution.
gospelpagan said,
April 11, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Hi Diotima,
Thank you so much for sharing your interesting, and to me inspiring, story! I am so interested in this choice, and especially in the adjustments you’ve made re: body modifications to make it a distinctly Pagan plain dress experience. I am just in the beginning of exploring this for myself, and I am truly inspired by your story.
-S
Jen C-S said,
April 11, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Have you heard about the upcoming Quaker Pagan gathering? I’ll post some info below:
Can one be a Quaker and a Pagan at the same time? Members of the Religious Society of Friends who experience the Divine through Nature not only say “yes” but are organizing nationally for the first time—at Great Waters Pagan Friends Gathering.
Registration is now available at the http:// http://www.great-waters.blogspot.com.
The Gathering takes place Memorial Day weekend, May 25-28, 2007 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Gathering includes workshops, worship, discussions and more at the Ann Arbor Friends Meeting on Hill Street. Huron Valley Pagan Friends Circle is sponsoring the Gathering.
“Are you a Quaker who experiences the Divine primarily through Nature, the Earth and Her seasons, the Divine Feminine, the Goddess and the God, or other pre-Christian Deities?” the organizers write on their website. “Are you a Pagan who finds Quaker worship and Quaker testimonies – Peace, Simplicity, Equality, Integrity, and Stewardship/Earthcare – a central part of how you walk through your life? [Then] come to Great Waters.”
The $45 registration fee does not include food or lodging (information on both, including camping options, are available at the website). Participants under the age of five attend for free.
While Ann Arbor Friends Meeting is not co-sponsoring the Gathering, the Meeting holds the Gathering in the Light; Gathering organizers also hold Ann Arbor Friends Meeting in the Light.
Find out more about Huron Valley Pagan Friends Circle at http://www.witchvox.com/vn/gr/usmi_grf.html.
albgardis said,
March 6, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Hello, very interesting post!
I know, it is a year later now, and maybe nobody will ever read my comment, but who knows really? so I just “add my mustard to it” (german saying) resp “give my 2 cents” (as americans are saying).
I am living a very simple life, simply because my (american) husband has a very small income. Well, that’s always relative, of course. There are people with less than we have. it is a matter of how you look at it, I guess.
Basically, we have a limited income, and we have to make decisions about how to spend it. That means: what do I really need/want, and what is nonsense and unnecessary?
If you have to devide your income in pieces for this and that you think you can’t live without, then it is nothing left over for useless items.
Or the other way around, of course.
Being german and in my mid 40s, I cannot imgaine living without real cheese (only made in Europe, unfortaunately!) and good tea (same as cheese, not available in american stores).
Almost 60 percent of my husband’s salary goes to the mortgage, then another 28% is eaten up by gasoline and motoroil and such (related to his necessary commute to his workplace 50 min away), and the rest we live on. Since I insist on my tea (imported from a traditional teablender in Bremen) and good cheese (luckily igourmet.com is only 3 miles from hubby’s office!), there is nothing left over for toys like cable TV, mobile phones, car payments or DSL. (Well, I would like to have a fast connection, but we can’t afford it).
Whatver they might announce in their TV-ads as ‘must haves’, I don’t care about. The cultural difference helps a lot in that. Being 40 when I entered this country made me non-formable to their sick attempts to sell unusable nonsense.
I mean, whatever TV commercials tell you that you must have, seems ridiculous to me. They seriously tell you to buy stink-gadges to plugg in to your electric outlets, to cover up the stench from the never-opened windows.
Or certain chemicals to be sprayed around in rooms.
Hello? Have you ever heard of the concept “open the windows and simply let the stench out?” No?
No, they have not, and that is disgusting to me. They rather buy products to “disinfect” the air…
Same about teeth-whitening and hair-colouring. And processed food items and so on…
We are living far away from any other people, but instead among wildlife. That makes me happy and soothes my soul. We have foxes coming through, rabbits, 2 groundhogs, an opossum, more than 50 deer and uncounted birds. No, none of them are “our” animals, they live in the fields and mountains around us. Those are the neighbours I apreciate to have around me.
And they don’t call the american police when during the summer I don’t wear clothing hahaha…
No, never happened to me, I have never been arrested for whatever-they-call-it (being nude in the hot summer), but I heard many stories from other germans about that.
So it took us full 2 years to find this house far away from humans. I cannot imagine having american neighbours.
It has a price. But I will pay it. I am alone with my dial-up computer everyday, never see anyone. Hubby’s parents once in a while, and one of his brothers in case they are just at their parents’ house as well. But usually I am alone with my computer and the Internet.
I would like to know other pagans, but unfortunately those I have met are all christian-raised americans, and it shows. It just hurts me to see pagans eating processed foods or buying packaged items in small sizes (“just use once and toss, for your convenience”).
I guess in the end it comes down to personal choices. We alone decide what we do, what we buy, and how we live. A more plain live is a good step in the right direction, but everyone must decide on their own what steps they want to take.
From my experience I say that the cultural differences are so immense that Europeans an Americans hardly will agree on what that really means. So I just leave this comment and now go away again.
gospelpagan said,
March 6, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Hi Albgardis!
Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate your thoughts and am glad you visited!
-S
Squirrel said,
March 23, 2008 at 6:12 am
I have been wasting a lot of time on the internet tonight, and finally finding these post and comments has made it worth it. I have identified as pagan for a little over two years, and as Quakerish for about one. I am so drawn to Quaker simplicity and sometimes to plain dress. I reread QuakerJane every month or so, and I also read Scott Savage’s book last summer. They “speak to my condition” (a Quaker phrase) in ways that pagan writers still have not. It has been wonderful reading here what everyone has said. I did not know there were such people as plain pagans in the world, and it has excited me greatly.
What would plain pagan living be like? There is the common pagan fantasy of a little cottage and garden in the woods, lighting and cooking with fire, and dancing with the tree spirits come sabbat time. I’ve had the fantasy myself. To use a Christian phrase, however, none of the pagans I know personally or read of seem “called” to this kind of simplicity, not the level that Savage embraces. It is a fantasy of romance without the desire to truly leave the pleasures of the world. The pagans I know seem very technological people, and they enjoy all acts of love and pleasure that the Goddess and the times lay before them. I do have a wonderful pagan friend who is studying to start a sustainable living community and organic farm, complete with animal power and solar panels a clothing-optional provision. At the same time, she is definitely NOT a plain dresser; she enjoys the beauty possible in clothing. I don’t blame her, for the same reason keeps me from dressing QuakerJane-plain. But back to the question, I think plain living would look something like this friend of mine is trying to accomplish.
Pagan plain practice? The first public ritual I attended was the least fulfilling ritual ever. Not really because it was public, but because all the parts of it felt like empty forms to me. They were there because that is what that group always did. I don’t mean to criticize ritual; no, I love ritual. Nor do I mean to say that ritual components cannot be the same from one celebration to the next. Rather, I think that in the complexity of some rituals and in the struggle to memorize and perform, the meaning is lost. I know this type of use of ritual serves to awaken the child self, and that is useful in magic-making, but when rituals lose their strong symbolic connotations, they are just bells and whistles distracting from spirituality. It would be better to ask at the beginning of each ritual, “Do these symbols have strong meaning to us today?” If not, do away. Actually, I really love Quaker silent worship, waiting to hear the voice of the Divine through the vocal chords of the people in attendance. I find it very similar to divination–enter a silent [trance] state, see what happens in self and others and then discern the meaning of it–therefore I find it very pagan. It is like group meditation. In my estimation, the plainest pagan practice would look very much like this, a Quaker meeting of silent worship. Yet ritual could be plain if objects, words, and symbols had strong meaning and were more mindfully chosen.
Pagan plain dress? Again, there is pleasure in beauty, and pagans are not typically ones to deny themselves pleasure. That said, there can be and are exceptions. Before I knew about Quakers, my ideal ritual garb was already a loose white linen tunic and pants. No crushed velvet, no clanging bangles. Like being skyclad without being naked, I suppose. More recent visions of daily plain dress have looked like layers of moderately-full T-tunic dresses, floor length or with loose pants (frankly like you might expect to see at an SCA event). Square, untailored cloaks for warmth, possibly drawn over the head in imitation of a hood, fastened with the ubiquitous penannular broach. The easier to construct, you see, the more likely one could sew it by hand oneself. Square veils/scarves if separate headcovering is required for any reason. Belts could be cloth and tied, or for a more formal/professional/dressy look, fitted to waist size exactly, the ends butted and fastened by hook and eye. Sleeves and hems could shorten according to the weather if modesty requirements are not in place. In summary, I imagine a unisex, untailored, handsewn closet of garments as a uniquely pagan way of plain dressing.
Whew. I never put that in print before. I might post this to my blog as well, if I can figure out how to relate it.
Diotima, you inspire me. Amelia, you are so right about pagan community centers, and sadly I rarely visit them because my anti-consumer disposition ensures that there is never anything I want sold at them. Once again, thanks to everyone and Sara for starting this conversation.
gospelpagan said,
March 23, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Thank you for your thoughts and kind words, Squirrel! I think you have much to add to the conversation and I enjoyed reading your ideas.
And good luck with your Appalachian trail adventure – it sounds exciting!
-S
Squirrel said,
March 23, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Oh, but this morning I thought of something I should add. I want to recognize that there are so many definitions of paganism that “plain pagan” could never have a single look. My ideas only fit with my definition of pagan. I can’t imagine a universal pagan plain any more than I can imagine a universal paganism.
What would be the driving motive for being plain? Other groups look to their sacred writings. They are called to shun worldly things, or set themselves apart. Some seek spiritual clarity through simplicity. Some seek simply an outward symbol of personal commitment.
Possible pagan motives include: Setting oneself apart; seeking clarity through simplicity; identification with ancient ancestors; dedication to the rawness of nature; magical power; illustrating a personal commitment to the Divine. Can you think of more? The motive would shape the plain philosophy, and the outward appearance. My motive is partly simplicity, which is why I am drawn to geometric construction.
Is there a community of pagan simplicity in which to discuss this kind of thing?
Lila said,
November 3, 2008 at 1:25 am
Is there a communtiy of pagan simplicity? I have come here via Google, as my interest in plain dress continues to grow.
Summer 2007 I sewed myself a plain wardrobe to experiment with wearing only simple homemade clothing. I have been drawn to simple clothing for many reasons, among them my feeling that the fashion industry is appalling in many ways, my desire to be seen as a person not a commodity, and my concern about our western obsession with continually reinventing ourselves via our media-driven wardrobe choices. Having lived through everything from poodle skirts to bell bottoms to mini-skirts, maxi-skirts, polyester pants suits…..my soul really wanted to just choose a kind of clothing that is practical and comfortable and Stick With It no matter what the fashion industry decides to do with itself.
So. I thought it out and decided on a simple, long dress with long sleeves loose enough to roll up out of the way. I was a religious studies student and visited a lot of churches, mosques, synagogues, etc, and some places pants for women are not acceptable or short skirts are not acceptible. I felt a long dress would be something that would not offend no matter where I go. I chose to make aprons to wear with the dresses, for practicality and because I just really like aprons. Put side pockets in all the dresses so I wouldn’t have to carry a purse.
I live in central Indiana where there are a lot of Amish and Mennonites, and because I do things and go places that would not be approved of by these good people I didn’t want to be mistaken for one of them–for the sake of their communities reputation, so I made my clothes non-Amish looking bu using small checks and tiny prints instead of plain fabric. Also I didn’t adopt a prayer covering (the little white cap some religious sects wear).
Decided I could wear my pentacle and a pair of simple earrings and my wrist mala, but otherwise no jewelry (gave it all to my kids). To keep myself from chickening out I gave away all my fashionable clothes. I dressed this way for a semester, from August until the end of December.
It was difficult for the first day, and quite easy thereafter. I had not planned it to be a forever choice, but just an experiment. I wanted to see what it would do to my head. I liked not having to decide what to wear, just put on one of eight or nine pretty much the same dresses, tie on an apron and go. I liked having things be that easy.
I still have the dresses, and for months have been thinking of going back to plain dress. It seems to express something about my inner self that is not expressed in factory made clothes. I just really liked wearing really uncomplicated straightforward clothes that I made myself.
So what is stopping me? Well, for one thing I have a boyfriend now I didn’t have then and I’m not sure what he’d think if I suddenly started dressing in a different way. When I was cooking last week he said I’m the only person he’s ever seen actually wear an apron, and that was just in the kitchen. NOt sure what he’d think if I wore them everywhere.
Lately I’ve been internet searching everything I can find on plain dress because the thought of it just won’t leave me alone. I’ve been doing this for probably three months, and yesterday I got out all my plain dresses and washed them. Tomorrow I’ll iron them and hang them in the closet so they’re ready to wear…..is this what the Quakers call a leading? feeling compelled to do something without understanding why?
I thought that kind of thing onoly happened to Christians….
gospelpagan said,
November 4, 2008 at 2:10 am
Hi Lila,
Thank you so much for you thoughts and for sharing your experiences with plain dress! I find it so fascinating that this post continues to receive so much attention and comments even a year and half after I posted it. I still find this subject to be central to my thinking often and am so glad to know that others are exploring it!!
Thank you again!
-Sara
gospelpagan said,
December 31, 2008 at 3:48 pm
You know what, Lila? I don’t think my response to your incredibly interesting and thoughtful post was worthy of it. I have just re-read it and wanted to say a couple of things.
First, what is happening to you, feeling ‘called,’ or ‘led,’ is most definitely not something that only happens to Christians. Our deep relationships with the world, with Nature, with our own souls, with the spirits of the Otherworld, with our Gods – these are more profound than we can possible realize, and they work to change us…this is what a spiritual life should do at its core…shape and change us. Certainly it has done this to me…especially over the past couple of years. To feel called means that you are open to a call – and that is a gift. Yes, you will want and should vett and consider the call – its practical implications, its authenticity. I wouldn’t suggest that anyone follow any old notion that occurred to them and slap a big “divinely inspired” label on it. That sort of thing leads to all kinds of places, the most harmless being merely silly, all the way up to dangerous. However, what I read in your post suggests that you’ve taken an eminently patient, practical approach to this call. You experimented. You put it away. You felt the call again – you considered. You thought. I say that makes it extremely valid.
I do not know of any Pagan Plain communities in existence…or even very many Pagans who are adopting those modes of dress – though the response to this post has been such that I think it may be on the rise.
I am so moved by these stories of Pagans opening up to these inner voices, of thinking them through and testing the waters, and then making choices that are spirit-led. I personally feel that there is a whole world here unexplored, and if more and more Pagans feel drawn to plain communities, simple dress, monastic discipline, Quaker silence, etc., then there is something there, and not just a strange desire to mimic Christian practice, but a human need, and a uniquely Pagan place from which these yearnings spring.
Thank you again, Lila. I appreciate your sharing your amazing journey.
-S