Moura, Purification, and Penance

 As we are on the cusp of the month of Moura, I wanted to discuss the Madrian concept of penance and why I feel that it needs better development to best explain why we observe Moura and what we are working towards on our spiritual path.

Moura is the month of purification in observance of the great Sacrifice and Rebirth of the holy Daughter. Part of spiritual progress is a re-alignment of our souls and spirit to God Herself, and a releasing of our false self, or in psychological terms, our ego. Moura is part of the eternal cycle of time, the death and coming rebirth of all things. The great cosmic drama replays cyclically, and we are a part of that great dance. 

In the Madrian faith, we strive to live in harmony, or the Madrian term thamë, and that is the true nature of our souls and our connection to God Herself. To live in thamë means to be aligned spiritually to our true nature, and work towards guiding our souls back to God. 

In life, there is feast and famine, ebb and flow. This is the nature of the material world and we can observe this in many ways. Rains coming to water crops in spring, snow comes in winter to allow for rest of crops. It repeats endlessly, but there are times when the pendulum swings more and we either get a detriment of rain, or an over abundance of rain; while rain itself is neutral, it can either cause benefit or detriment. Like the rain, we ourselves are neutral beings and can, from our choices, either effect positive or negative outcomes. The goal is a balanced line, striving towards thamë and spiritual progress.

This can mean that we need a course correction sometimes, and that can look different depending on which way we need to move. The original Madrians had Moura as a time for penance and purification observances, and some groups included fasting or giving up of an item (not unlike Lent observations) for the month. While I do see merit in this, I do feel like it is geared towards a possibility of introducing guilt into our practice which is not the goal. We are not a faith that states that humans are sinful; rather we are beings with the power to choose our actions and that is what impacts us. We are restricted in that we are imperfect beings and may not always make the best choices, but this does not mean we are sinful and guilty of sin since birth. 

A focus on penance can make one lean towards guilt, shame, or into ascetic practices that can go to far; recall the rains, and if one has too little it means a detriment. Conversely, too much of a good thing can also be a detriment. We are striving always for balance.

Purification is a good practice, however, as it helps reorient the mind and soul towards goals. Again, it does not mean to imply with Madrianism to mean that one is 'unclean' or guilty, just that a reorientation is sometimes needed. We wash our hands and our minds to keep healthy and balanced.

I would like to put forth the concept of metanoia instead of penance. 

Metanoia is Greek, from 'meta' - after, beyond and 'noia' - mind, from nous. The word itself is translated as 'a transformative change of heart'(source). This better elucidates the idea and essence of the season of Moura, of emphasizing that one may need a 'course correction' and transformation to better align themselves towards God. We have an imperative in the faith to release the 'false self' or ego, and see that we are interconnected with each other and one with God Herself. We also have an imperative to not be attached to the material world, as it is not the ultimate Truth. This is not to deny the world as we are certainly a part of it and need to care for it, but to note that there is more than just the material world. 

I find this best illustrated in the following fragment of Scripture:

What are thou, maid, but a bright wave? Thy matter is a wave upon the sea, and thy spirit is a sun-beam piercing through it and filling it with brightness. And truly, each ray of that Sun is eternal, even as She Herself; yet a wave shall last but for a moment ere she return to the sea. So shall thy flesh return to the earth that bare it and thy mind decompose into air; but the ray of thy spirit shall have no end, for the ray is the sun herself, and so is thy spirit the Spirit Herself.

This material world is transitory, but your spirit is eternal in Her. As we move through each year and its seasons, we work on progression and remembering our true path. Within Moura, I encourage metanoia and the power of transforming your heart to remember your true self in Her.