Ephesus: A Trip to Mary's House

After showering the decision was made to hire Ali Baba and his son Murat for a tour to Mary's House high on a hill outside of Ephesus. In addition to Mary, Artmeis worship had been very strong in the same wooded hills and mountains. Murat refers to our destination as Mary's House...not the House of our Blessed Virgin Mary or anything else appropriately pious. I like that intimacy. It's simply the house where Mary lived after fleeing Jerusalem. Without the trappings of piety and worship, I almost feel like we will be greeted with fresh bread when we arrive.

The onslaught of tour buses in the parking lot greet me and I am a little disappointed to say the least. Ali Baba stays in the car and Murat walks with us. The building itself is quite small. A nun dressed in a light blue habit stands at the entrance welcoming visitors and pointing to the sign which lists the different times when mass is said and the various languages spoken. She seemed sweet, slight and frail - the way I have often assumed Mary to be.

Entering the first room, I am enveloped by the coolness and darkness of the space. The hushed quiet reverberates. In the center of the room is the hearth. Along the wall hangs a row of metal trays filled with sand for lighting candles. It's ablaze with flickering candles. Bob asks if I want to light a candle and I follow him to the tray.

As I lit my candle I prayed for MaMere, my maternal grandmother who passed away a few months prior. The flame crackled reminding me of dancing with Fourth of July sparklers in my backyard as a kid. I bend forward to place my candle in the sand. As I rest the candle in the sand, I sense of presence and chills run up and down my spine. A powerful energy moves through my body and tears come to my eyes.

The power of standiing on holy feminine ground coursed through me that day. I was held in Her embrace.