Orthodox Girl Discerning
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Discerning monastic life in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Orthodox Girl Discerning
4y ago
Earlier this week, Michael Bierut, Sonia Williams, and I spent an hour on the phone together. Michael is an influential graphic designer based in New York, Sonia is a high school student in Paintsville, Kentucky, and I’m a designer at Automattic, living outside of Boston.
Sonia came prepared with a great set of questions. She prompted Michael to tell us about his career, and to take us through some of his favorite projects. We talked about designing this website. Michael described how he came to use a photo of the earth to represent home: he’d aimed to show the most universal representation of ..read more
Orthodox Girl Discerning
4y ago
I have been at the monastery for over a week now. It has been wonderful and challenging and beautiful and hard and so many other things. I have started to write a blog post several times, but the words just won’t come. There is a lot to process and it will take some time. I try to share my discernment, and had planned to blog regularly during my stay, but for now I think I need to keep this to myself. So, I will follow the example of the Theotokos: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). You remain in my prayers, please keep me in yours.
Image Cr ..read more
Orthodox Girl Discerning
4y ago
Today was my last day of work before I leave for the monastery. Keeping with the norm of the year, this visit has also been subject to changes. I was scheduled to leave today, but some of my staff requested the day off (Black Friday) and I needed to work to assist those who were working. It turned out for the best, as I have a follow-up doctor appointment on Monday. My new departure date is Tuesday, and I will be at the monastery for 17 days. While shorter than the original 3 weeks, this is still the longest visit I have had so far, and the longest I have been away from home.
As with ev ..read more
Orthodox Girl Discerning
4y ago
If you don’t know exactly
what you want yet.
If things are taking
longer than you anticipated.
If you feel like you’re the only one who doesn’t have everything figured out.
If you change your mind
sometimes, or all the time.
If you are scared.
If you are unsure.
If sometimes you need a
break.
It’s okay. You are doing
the best you can, and that’s all you can do. Don’t stress about those who seem
to have it all under control, they probably look at you and think the same
thing. Relax, trust, and enjoy. Even monastics have snowball fights from time
to time.
Image Credi ..read more
Orthodox Girl Discerning
4y ago
As a convert, there are
times in my life that I can see a distinct difference since joining the
Orthodox Church. One of these times is the Nativity Fast, or Advent. In the
Orthodox tradition, the faithful fast for 40 days leading up to the birth of
Christ. Celebrations are not held until the feast is actually upon us, in
direct contrast to modern culture where Christmas parties begin immediately
after Thanksgiving.
I struggled a lot with
this change as a new convert. I have always appreciated extra time with family
and friends in December and did not want to miss out. I felt awkward no ..read more
Orthodox Girl Discerning
4y ago
The Church teaches there
are two paths to holiness: marriage and monasticism. Both provide ample
opportunities for sacrifice and growth towards God. Both put the individual within
a community, which is where salvation occurs. But, what if a person is neither?
There are many reasons a person
may be single and it is not always a choice. Perhaps that individual would like
to be married, but they have not found a suitable partner. Maybe they are
caring for elderly relatives, or have lost their spouse, or maybe they yearn
for monastic life but are unable to join a monastery for some reason ..read more
Orthodox Girl Discerning
4y ago
The longer I discern
monastic life, the more phases of discernment I encounter. Each stage has been
distinct and has led to moments of growth and clarity. When I first began discerning,
I was rather reluctant. Becoming a monastic was not what I had planned and it
came as a surprise when I first heard the call.
When I accepted this call
and started truly discerning, I was full of passion and fire. I read about
monasteries and monastic life, I visited them, I worked multiple jobs to pay
off my student loans, everything was focused on becoming a nun. This was
beneficial as I faced a lot of ..read more