Tolerance
A Short Story by Joan K. Robinson McGarrie
 

    Maggie yawned and flexed her knees so that she could rise from the massage table.  Lynne gripped Maggie’s arm to help her.
     “Awesome as usual,” Maggie said.  “Did I snore?”
     Lynne chuckled as she wiped Maggie with a damp cloth to absorb excess lotion. “When you snore, I know I’ve done my job right.”
Maggie stretched and like every time she was here, her eyes were drawn to the simple, but large wooden cross on the wall. Lynne also kept copies of The Daily Word, an inspirational publication, on the table next to a glass of water for her client. Above the table was a large mirror for neatening your messed hair and straightening your appearance, but it also increased the chance of a client noticing the publication. The massage therapist was a fundamentalist and evangelical about her faith, often mentioning it, but not belaboring it, either. Lynne only took clients on referral and Maggie assumed that because a Christian acquaintance had recommended Lynne, Lynne believed Maggie to be one of the saved. 
     Saved from patriarchy Maggie thought.
     “I’m going to wash my hands,” Lynn said, leaving the room and closing the door.
     Maggie sipped from the glass of water as she stared at the mirror. Bible verses intermingled with scrolls on its borders. She shook her head. Lynne soothed her psyche and relaxed her physically. The therapist had designed her in-home treatment room to maximize the experience – muted lighting, a calming waterfall, peaceful music, a ceiling fan if you were hot like today, a heated table if you were cold. The wide, pliant headrest on the table had the softest covering.  A nearby microwave served to warm towels or herbal pads.  The room was spotless, the air fresh. Maggie had been to other massage therapists and Lynn, by far, was the best she’d ever experienced.  And for four years it had been a less than honest relationship – at least in Maggie’s opinion. She did not practice solitary, but was an inner circle member of a Wiccan coven active in the Pagan community. As head of information technology for the city’s library system, being knowledgeable and diligent mattered, not how co-workers perceived her way of worship, although she also understood the benefit of working for an inclusive organization. Over all she was proud of her spiritual choice and in most instances, felt comfortable about being open about it. Yet every year on her birthday, Lynne would tie a ribbon around a devotional and give it to Maggie, which Maggie accepted politely. Every year Maggie failed to test the relationship by telling her the truth.
     She knows me as a person to be kind and sincere, as I know her to be, Maggie thought as she dressed. We have mutual trust and care. Her religion is not an issue to me because respecting others is part of my path. So why do I still hesitate to reveal my Wiccan beliefs? Maggie slipped into her flip-flops and touched the cross. I hesitate because a person so positive that there is only one true faith might not be capable of the same respect. Jeopardizing an association I find important to my health isn’t worth it.  Is it? Not yet. 
 
     Six months passed and it was the week of Maggie’s birthday. She arrived for her bi-monthly massage, braced and determined to make Lynne aware of her spirituality. Several days, prior she had begun meditation with Kuan Yin as her focus.  Surely the Goddess of Mercy, one akin to other Mother goddesses like Isis, Shakti and Mary, would help her to resolve the issue she had with Lynne. After all, Kuan Yin heard the cries of the world and chose to answer them rather than enter heaven. The goddess offered solace to anyone in need of compassion and love. Maggie believed compassion and love were at the heart of Lynne’s faith as it was at the heart of her own.  She did not want to shock Lynne and create a problem, but she also had hopes to enlighten the woman that blonde haired, blue eyed, freckled responsible citizens free of body piercing were what some “witches” looked like. The same type was often how “witches” behaved. Christians and Wiccans were not so dissimilar. But if this meant starting over and finding a new therapist then Maggie would risk it. She couldn’t keep up pretense anymore.
     “I remember that your birthday is tomorrow,” Lynn said entering the room after the massage. “I hope the next year is full of blessings.” She handed Maggie the annual devotional.
     “Thank you for the blessings, but no thank you to the reading material,” Maggie said quietly, but firmly. “I’m not Christian.”
     “But...”
     “It’s okay. I should have told you sooner. I’m Wiccan.”
     Lynne’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that … doesn’t that mean you’re a …”
     “Yes.” Maggie smiled gently.
     Lynne’s eyes dropped and she took a step backward, bumping the massage table.
     Maggie waited, sure this meant failure. Lynne would either cancel future appointments now if she had the courage or stealthily leave a phone message.
     “You mean you worship the devil?” Lynne blurted.
     “We don’t believe in the devil so we wouldn’t worship him. It might be helpful for you to understand that we honor God, but we also honor the Goddess.” Maggie felt any dialog was good and didn’t want to overwhelm poor Lynn who was trying unsuccessfully to appear calm.
      “But we’re taught it’s evil,” she said with conviction.
     Maggie tried the personal angle. “You’ve known me for ages.  Am I evil?”
     Lynne bit her lip. “No. I mean, I think I’d know.”  She straightened her shoulders, struggling to smooth the distress from her face. “Well, I’ll see you in a couple weeks for your next session.”
     Maggie nodded.  They usually hugged, but decided not to push her luck. Lynne might still cancel by phone. She further sensed her name had instantly been added to the massage therapist’s prayer list.
     Lynne recovered enough to follow Maggie outside as she usually did to say “goodbye.”  Sunny but pleasantly cool, it was a perfect late fall day in the desert regardless of whose Goddess or God created it.  Maggie turned on the walk and noticed a hummingbird alight on a flimsy mesquite branch no more than five feet from them. Lynne saw the bird at the same time, and both women stared, fascinated, because the hummingbird began to preen.  He kept turning his head and eyeing them so that they could see the feathery red kerchief trimming his throat.  Maggie still had the plastic cup of water from which she sipped and shiny car keys that she moved in her other hand.
     “Isn’t it amazing?” Lynne whispered.
     “It is. He’s completely at ease,” Maggie replied.
He remained stationary, ruffling his gray feathers and carrying on his grooming as they continued to watch in silence.
     This is a gift,” Maggie said quietly, considering it a sign of enlightenment and sending a slight nod of gratitude to Kuan Yin.
     Lynne looked at her and agreed. “It’s definitely a gift.”
     She stepped into the house to retrieve her camera, and the hummingbird remained on the branch as if waiting for her. Once Lynne snapped the picture, he flew off to a utility pole, but the significance of his actions lingered.
     Then, smiling, they hugged each other. Maggie believed the Lady had honored them with Her presence, but she was just as certain that Lynne believed the Lord had sent a conciliatory messenger. But it didn’t matter. What mattered was that open hearts could lead to open minds: one person at a time. As far as Maggie was concerned, it represented real progress. She owed one to Kuan Yin.
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joan K. Robinson McGarrie is a long-time Wiccan Priestess and retired accountant living in Arizona. She has been a feminist since 1970 and is a Celebrant of the Divine Feminine in Her 10,000 Names

As you've already read, we come into 2023 with a new direction for both the UAIC and Brigid in the Desert. The new UAIC Monks in the World program allows Brigid to transform from a "church with an identity crisis" into a home for those who feel a calling toward the Interspiritual ChristoPagan path. For a long time, this has been a rocky and often lonely path for many. Not feeling welcome in the church yet not quite fitting in to Pagan groups, those who find themselves attracted to the teachings of Jesus about how to interact with the world as well as the more esoteric occult studies and the practice of magick have straddled an uncomfortable line. These two paths are not mutually exclusive, however, as most of you who are reading this today already understand.

The change in structure for Brigid in the Desert also brings about some changes in the way we address one another, particularly how I am to be addressed as the ostensible "leader" or more appropriately, perhaps, the "facilitator" of the organization. The UAIC Monks in the World committee voted to use the traditional form of titling for those who are ordained, such as myself. Therefore, I am identifying as "Mother Suzy" in the diminutive. If there is some reason for me to be addressed in a formal manner, it would be appropriate to use "Reverend Mother." I am hoping to be earning a D.Min. sometime, and when that is completed, I assume the formal address would be "Reverend Doctor," but even so, I will be informally "Mother Suzy."

Those individuals who choose to apply for the Monks in the World program and are accepted would be addressed as "Friend." This was chosen by the committee as a better option in a non-binary world than the traditional "Brother" and "Sister." For folks who are part of Brigid in the Desert but don't wish to become "Monks," we have decided that "Kindred" was a good way to refer to everyone as a group, as in "Kindred Spirits." Of course, on an individual level, we will be most likely to refer to one another by first names, because in the end, we are all friends and kindred spirits.

Brigid's Arrow Newsletter will continue on a quarterly basis. We will continue to feature readings, stories, poetry, photographs, and artwork as well as information articles appropriate to the turn of the season and the liturgical calendar. Please send in your submissions for the second quarter issue by March 15. We will cover such topics as Easter, Beltane/May Day, and Spring in general.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions, and follow us on social media if you haven't done so yet. Finally, there is a public version of Brigid's Arrow in the form of a Literary & Art Magazine on Medium, which is open for anyone to write for. If you aren't signed up as a paid reader on Medium, you can read three stories a month and up to fifteen 150-word pieces.

Until then, go forth and "be excellent to each other!" Stay wonderful!

 

Bright Blessings,

Mother Suzy Cherry
Priestess & Abbess