Someone posted the Cathar Creed in the FB group. It moved me so I wanted to share it here The Church of Love It has no fabric – only understanding. It has no membership – save those who know they belong. It has no rivals – because it is non-competitive. It has no ambition, because it only seeks to serve. It knows of no boundaries for nationalisms are unloving. It is not of itself because it seeks to enrich all groups and religions. It acknowledges all great teachers of all the ages who have shown the truth of Love. Those who participate, practise the Truth of Love in all their daily being. There is no walk of life or nationality that is a barrier. Those who are, know. It seeks not to teach but to be, and by being, enrich. It recognizes the collectivity of all humanity and that we are all one with the One. It recognizes that the way we are may be the way of those around us because we are that way. It recognizes the whole planet as a Being, of which we are a part. It recognizes that the time has come for the supreme transmutation, the ultimate alchemical act, the conscious change of the ego into a voluntary return to the whole. It does not proclaim itself with a loud voice but in the subtle realms of loving. It salutes all those in the past who have blazoned the path but paid the price. It admits of no hierarchy or structure, for no one is greater than another. Its members shall know each other by their deeds and being and their eyes and by no other outward sign, save the fraternal embrace. Each one will dedicate his or her life to the silent loving of their neighbor and environment and the planet, whilst carrying out their daily task, however exalted or humble. It recognizes the supremacy of the great idea which may only be accomplished if the human race practices the supremacy of Love. It has no rewards to offer, either here or in the hereafter, save that of the ineffable joy of being and loving. Its members shall seek only to advance the cause of understanding, within whichever church, group or family they happen to be.

The following is an excerpt from The Way of the Rose, which was our inspiration for Sacred Petitions of the Rose, held everyday, 10am, est for premium members and Saturday for ALL. “Journey through a dozen different religious traditions, noting the problems they share in common, and eventually you will realize they have a hard time with one of two things—women or conversation. Sometimes they suppress one, and sometimes the other. Usually, it is both. The circle we gather in to pray the rosary is the antidote to these problems, although it might take a while for the implicitly feminine wisdom of that circle to sink in. Arrange the chairs so that you can see one another, talk to one another, support one another, and get to know one another, and it’s hard to preserve a hierarchy, much less a patriarchy. Circles are inclusive. Circles invite conversation. Circles privilege whoever happens to be speaking at the time. The pulpit-to-pew model turns that ancient circle into a line. With the chairs or the meditation cushions all facing the front, it is shockingly easy to abdicate responsibility for our lives to some spiritual authority or institution. Every seat becomes a hideout. It becomes effortless to avoid the question of who we are and what we really want. But you can’t hide in a circle. And eventually, after you’ve spent enough time there, you don’t want to. Of course, the wisdom of all this is implicit in the rosary itself. The circle we sit in mirrors the circle of beads, and just as we “tell” each bead in saying the rosary, at our meetings each of us, one by one, tells our story. We journey through the mysteries of life together, sharing our triumphs and disappointments, voicing our concerns and our dreams. We listen to one another, get to know each other, becoming closer and more intimate every time we meet. We don’t need spiritual leaders to pray the rosary, we only need spiritual friends. Even so, many of us arrive at our first rosary circle with those linear, hierarchical notions still in place. In the absence of any priest or guru, we may feel that someone, maybe the Goddess, ought to be in charge. But we don’t worship Our Lady at our meetings. We don’t put the Virgin on a pedestal. We invite her to take a seat among us. Gradually, we begin to hear her in one another’s voices. In learning how to talk with each other, we learn how to talk to Our Lady—spontaneously, playfully, honestly.

Book circle begins again this week! Yay! I have really missed the gathering! We are finishing up Anna, Grandmother of Jesus in the next two weeks and then we begin a new round QUESTION! Would anyone like to begin a new book circle. We could start simple with Mary Magdalene Revealed or The Way of the Rose Pop in here and let me know. Should we have two book circles going?!?! And if YES!, which title?

Hi, I'm Monique. I found you through this community through Sistership Circle FB group. I am currently reading Anna, Grandmother of Jesus which my "auntie" housemates loaned to me. It turns out she has been initiated into the Magdalene order (I'm not sure what that means yet)... but it's beautiful and she is a wonderful human. I chose to follow Christ when I was 6 years old. My mom ran away from a religious and abusive environment when she was 12 and found her way back to church-God when she was around 27...I was 6. It was our long haired hippy pastor landlord couple downstairs that shared with me about Jesus! When I heard his name...it sounds like magical sparkling flying unicorns with rainbows. I was like who is that!? She was sharing with us basic bible stories for kids but there was so much more energy on it!!! No, really! WHO is that!!!? I asked mom...she told me...we knelt down in the living room and I said I want to be Jesus friend..."come live in my heart"... I'd learn later he was there all along. But that's how it started (with words) for me! From then on Jesus and I were best friends. I went to church...I liked it more than mom...she was a single divorced woman but I was a happy child...though I eventually picked up on people's weirdness towards her. Obviously NOT Jesus-like. So yah...I was on the youth leadership team and worship team, I read my Bible, I did't kiss a boy until I was 18. I enjoyed the community, the potlucks, the playmates, the friendships, all that good stuff!!! Life altering kindness (despite weirdness)! No regrets. But then in my later 20's I just couldn't feel great at church anymore... I was at one church...some people called it the last church they would ever go to because it was hip, cutting edge, small, granola-like, social justice minded, down to earth, honoured artists, served those on the streets etc...all that is true. And yet, there was also some weird clicky-ness (human behaviour really) and no hugs weirdness (as always - eye roll- ...except for the friendly warm hearted happily married Aussie pastor. Thank God!). But that church was really focused on the sadness, the mourning and the lamenting. Lord have mercy!

I’m going to be honest. This Christmas was a struggle for me. I’m usually pretty easygoing. Kind. Live-and-let-live. But somewhere between the decorations, the food, the forced cheer, and the excess, I felt… feral. Not in an actual punch-someone way. More like an internal, eye-twitching, “I need to stare out a window for a minute” way. I watched everyone enjoying themselves and thought, Why can’t I get into this? The food didn’t hit. Opening gifts felt strange. Christmas movies felt hollow. The decorations, the waste, the repetition… for what? The birth of the biggest spiritual scandal in history? 😬 When you’ve spent the better part of a year learning how religious stories were shaped, borrowed, edited, and used to control the masses, it’s hard to suddenly slip back into wide-eyed celebration like nothing happened. And yet… here we are. Because Christmas isn’t just a religious event anymore. It’s a family tradition. A memory-maker. A nostalgia machine. It’s love, togetherness, childhood, warmth. Things that matter deeply, even when the original story no longer lands the same way. That’s where I felt stuck. Spiritually homeless between nostalgia and truth. Not wanting to ruin it. Not able to fully believe it. Trying to hold it all without snapping. And yes, every “Keep Christ in Christmas” bumper sticker activated a very sarcastic inner monologue. Not because I hate Christ, but because slogans don’t allow for nuance. Or history. Or personal evolution. Or the reality that some of us are in the middle of a massive unlearning. So here’s my honest question, because I know I’m not alone: ➡️ How did you handle this year’s celebration? ➡️ Did you lean in? Check out? Feel irritated, sad, nostalgic, detached, or conflicted? ➡️ Did it bring comfort… or highlight how much your relationship to religion and spirituality has changed? No right answers. No debating. Just real reflections. Because if you felt a little unhinged, a little tender, or a little lost this year, I see you.