“Those who live in accordance with The Way,” Ruth continued, “live by simple yet universal truths. We believe in a divine and ever-present Creator. We call her the Great Mother. And sometimes we call her by other names. The Queen of Heaven. The Most High. The Source. The Spirit. Maker of All that Is Seen and Unseen. Other peoples refer to her according to their own custom and language.”

Memories of the words in her mother’s hymns leapt into Anna’s mind. “Queen of Heaven” and “Bless the earth that is to be blessed.”

Had her mother somehow known of The Way?

Ruth took a breath and continued. “We believe that every form of life and the very earth itself is a sacred manifestation of the Mother. We believe that daily and direct contemplation of the source of our life, through conscious and creative means, is the way for humans to remain spiritually connected to the ever-present miracles around them. We further believe that the highest human power, and that which should be cherished above all, is the female capacity to create and nurture life. And, lastly, we believe that human suffering arises, one way or the other, from a spiritual separation between individuals and the Mother from which they arise.”

Anna swallowed the information eagerly along with a fig’s sweet flesh. “But how did The Way come to be?” she asked.

Ruth chose a fruit for herself. Felt its weight in her palm. “The Way has existed since the beginning,” she said. “Since the time when people bowed before the awesome power of Creation. When divinity and spirit dripped off every leaf. When each star was counted and loved. When people took what they needed, but no more. When life was treasured as a gift, not a promise.

“It was then that people revered the Great Mother, not because she symbolized a literal being, but because she represented and embodied the beauty, mystery, and sanctity of life. For them she personified the intrinsic and bountiful force that surges through everything, connecting the known and the unknown, bringing hope of renewal. And since women were the earthly beings who most clearly manifested the awesome power of Creation—by generating and sustaining new life from within their own bodies—they held positions of honor in both worship and community life. Simply put, it was a time when people understood that if women and the life-giving source of the Mother did not exist, neither would they. And they bowed down before that simple truth in endless gratitude and awe.”

Anna frowned. “So, at that time, women did not live separately as the Sisters do?”