Moses, Moses, Moses
Abba Moses the Strong, Conjure Connections, Reflection Points, Devotional Divination
Blessed Thursday!
Welcome back to the Chapel of Honey. We meet you as you are, where you are, no judgement. Source list found at end of essay, I do recommend exploring the links! Need prayer support? Want to book a session? Email chapelofhoney@gmail.com
Across Three Rivers
Moses, to me, is a title. I never think of one being but of a body of spirits characterized by leadership, service, and especially guidance. The Moses of the Bible led the Israelites out of Egypt; our Mother Araminta Moses led enslaved peoples to freedom; Abba Moses, one of the most important Desert Fathers and mystic saints, became a leader of compassion, service, and accountability in his monastic community in Scetis. All of the above share a nearly mythical life - well, Biblical Moses is most likely a myth, but we’ll leave that for another day - from early hardships to fantastical feats these figures now carry a larger-than-life legacy. As a conjure and practitioner of Ancestral Veneration I cannot help but to see similarities across these three individuals, which is another reason I categorize Moses as a title and body.
Let’s take a quick look at each figure:
Moses of the Bible was hidden in the rushes along the Nile, adopted into the Egyptian royal family, and later fled after killing a slave master who had been beating a Hebrew man. He returned to become a leader of his community alongside his brother Aaron. Navigating plagues, opposing the ruling class, journeying through times of hardship, and having to lean on God all while trying to keep his people fed, faithful, and focused. This Moses and the story of the Exodus would become an inspiration for others for hundreds of years.
Araminta Moses, aka Harriet Tubman, was born into enslavement and escaped, returning for and aiding approximately 70 others in their own escapes. She was later an essential part of the Combahee River Raid which assisted in the liberation and escape of an estimated 700 enslaved peoples. She was an impressive and brilliant individual, navigating the treacherous terrain while disabled. Our Mother Moses was a spy, a general, a nurse, and set up a home for the elderly and infirm. Want to learn more? Check out this interview from S. Pearl Sharp, which is included in a dedication piece to S. Pearl herself written by Baba Arthur Flowers. For a full resource and recommendation list please see end of essay.
Abba Moses the Strong, also known as St Moses the Black, was once an enslaved man turned thief and possibly murderer. He is reported to have crossed the Nile at full flood, sword in teeth and clothes above his head. Stories vary about his arrival to the monks at Scetis, some say he was running after stealing sheep and others say he had already been seeking God, thus making the monastery a choice of curiosity. He is known not only for his physical size and strength but for his dedication to faith and community. He died protecting the monastery and is buried alongside his mentor, the desert father Abba Isidore. Read more here.
These figures span time and space, meeting us in the desert, at the shoreline, and in the midst of the American Civil War. They share themes of liberation from enslavement and focus on community stewardship. With the three of them we see emphasis on leadership through service, devotion, and personal relationship with the Most High.
A Devotional: Abba Moses, Love is the Greatest Force of Change
One spirit has continuously come to me from mid-November through December, and that is Saint Moses the Black. I recently had occasion to truly embody meditation and prayer in the face of fear, isolation, and personal trial: spaces that in a funny way cleared my head and offered a new outlook allowing for deeper witness and compassion. It was in those moments that Abba Moses’ face floated into my mind hour after hour, day after day, helping invigorate my spirit to change and grow with love and inspiration.
See, I’ve been fascinated by Abba Moses since the day I first learned of him. His dedication to change, growth, and embodiment of faith has been inspiring. I love retelling (usually poorly) the story of his journey from escaping enslavement and crossing the Nile with sword in teeth to becoming a foundational mystic teacher. I wanted to be like Abba Moses, more devout in prayer and more selfless with hospitality. But for a long time I felt I was falling short. My inner critic is well-practiced and adept at manipulation, so much so that I began to shrink away from my inspirations like Abba Moses and Ste Therese because I felt like a disappointment. Hell, I’ve gone through cycles of this with my Ancestors! Between us, dear reader, I am a walking bundle of nerves always worried about having done the wrong thing or not meeting expectations. This cycle is rooted in fear and shame, the kind that tells oneself they are no longer loveable. The thing is, that kind of shame-fear-rejection loop works to divorce self from Life, wedges itself between hope and desire, wraps around joy with suffocating tendrils. And for all my sorrows I am still a fighter: life is my God-given gift and joy is my birthright, so I will tangle with my own heart as needed.
Image sourced here.
Abba Moses, like many Saints and especially mystics, suffered trials of the heart and mind. His past life as a thief and murderer plagued him, lust and desire caused him constant discomfort. Moses thought he might never be free of the forces attempting to pull him from his new life. He would burst into tears mid-prayer or during lessons with his elder Saint Isidore, consumed with pain, regret, and fear. Even after completing his catechism and Baptism he was troubled. He spent hours on end praying, fasting, and performing duties like fetching water for elder monks despite everyone being miles apart from one another. I had been so inspired by his perseverance and faith I’d put him on a pedestal and nearly forgotten his suffering, his trials, his sorrows. It is in that suffering and striving I find compassion, love for myself and others, Divine Support. Abba Moses did not show up to the monastery casting out demons, but quite the contrary: he arrived guilt-ridden, grieving, and perhaps even scared. He went to God and his elders often, plead for help and instruction, and made his best efforts with the medicine he found in an ascetic lifestyle. Abba Moses actually made himself so sick with constant fasting and effort that Abba Isidore had to implore him to stop, to practice moderation. The feeling I had of failing or disappointing him was really a projection: I was disappointed in myself, scared, worried that my mistakes were unforgivable. I am so hard on myself that it becomes paralyzing, shrinking, dissolving. Abba Moses reminds me that with Love, with devotion and daily striving we may face our personal demons and succeed.
You can’t force yourself to be better, but you can love yourself into transformation. The River changes the landscape moment by moment, not all in a rush.
