Abba of the Unshushable
I used to be shushed a lot.
Whenever I would get too loud or boisterous or joyful, someone - my mom, a neighbour, a teacher... a disapproving adult, would furrow their brow, put a finger to their lips and gesture that I should be less; less loud, less seen, less myself.
There was always a sense of shame attached. Like I'd done something wrong. Stepped outside of what was acceptable, not stayed in my right place.
Just been "Too much".
Go ahead and be too much. Go ahead and be loud and seen and joyful. Abba of the Unshushable is here for you.
Bishops and Priests and Fathers
Bishops and Priests and members of the church in positions of power are often called "Abba".
It means Father in Aramaic, Urdu and Greek.
It's a form of honour and a reminder that the leaders of the Church are like Fathers to their flock and represent the relationship of God as a Father to his children.
It's also a reminder of the patriarchy of the Abrahamic traditions where the feminine is covered, controlled and suppressed.
Masculinity is divine and leads and teaches the flock and acts as a go-between for God, who we also refer to as Father.
There is no Divine Mother nor Divine Feminine.
There are no women in action or power. They are property and their virginity is profitable - they are hidden and kept small and quiet and powerless.
To subvert this horse shit ideology and the misogynistic inequality that places masculinity at the top of a divine value hierarchy - I have taken on the term and role of "Abba" for myself.
In the Church of Beloved Presence, we are all Abba; we all lead and follow and there is no hierarchy of worth amongst gender, ethnicity, sexuality or species.
We are all one in Beloved Presence and the Abba of the Unshushable will fight for your right to be as loud and as joyful as you want to be.
If you're on a self-aware spiritual path, retail is a great place to work on emotional triggers. For sure someone will show up who will throw an emotional bomb into an otherwise beautiful morning.