Following Her Bliss
Inside the CSU Women & Spirituality Conference

How did a garrulous, 50-something, triple-major Cleveland State undergrad who belongs to a Druid grove become the genius behind the upcoming Women and Spirituality Symposium? "The universe seems to have conspired on my behalf, as Goethe said. All I had to do was leap!" explains Patricia Awen Fey O'Luanaigh, a student of creative writing, women’s studies, and religion, and a divorced mother of two grown children.

Cleveland native O'Luanaigh has trod upon many spiritual paths throughout the years; raised Roman Catholic, she began exploring other religions as a teenager. "I read a lot of fairy tales and mythology," she says, "and I had a pretty active imagination." From the Hare Krishna temple to synagogues and mosques, transcendental meditation to Eckankar, there are few mainstream and fringe traditions she has not sampled. "I was just looking for some kind of common thread, and as you investigate all these different spiritual traditions, you come to understand that it all comes from a common need or impulse, and I think that's what connects it for me. I consider myself a fringe-dweller."

A long-time Tops employee, O’Luanaigh—thankfully—missed the interview to transfer to Giant Eagle once the grocery store chain went out of business. After a leg operation left her unable to walk for a while, she applied for unemployment. “It was pretty scary,” she admits. “I wanted to go back to school, and I started doing the process, and even that was overwhelming, especially since I was out of school for a long time, and I’m older, you know—older than what? I guess it’s relative.”

Luckily, O’Luanaigh won a scholarship through the Women’s Comprehensive Program, and returned to complete her BA. While looking for on-campus student employment—preferably that which did not require a hair net or a cart of cleaning supplies—she stumbled upon a listing from history professor Dr. Regennia Williams, who was looking for a writer.

They clicked immediately, and Dr. Williams hired her on the spot to help with her quarterly newsletter. During a brainstorming session at a grant writing workshop in the summer of 2008, the idea for the symposium germinated. O’Luanaigh shared her idea with Dr. Williams on the drive home, and the two became very excited.

“I didn’t want it to just be academic papers, because that keeps too many people out of the loop. I want to be more inclusive.” She wanted to feature her academic interests. “I’m all about leveling the playing field, bringing people into the center, pushing the center out. As I talked about it [Dr. Williams] was like, ‘That’s a wonderful idea!’ And I was sort of in shock because I’ve always been an idea person, and I never heard any confirmation. I mean, I wasn’t in the correct context--who’s gonna listen at Tops, you know?”

They agreed that it was important to include students in the symposium in order to provide a forum for them to get comfortable in front of their peers—and in front of the community at large. The silver-haired O’Luanaigh will be a first-time presenter, and will also take part in a poetry performance with other CSU students. Women will speak about personal experiences within their own spiritual traditions, and there will also be scholars, clergy, and others (male and female) who will give presentations, conduct workshops, and provide the kind of “engaged learning” Cleveland State touts.

Among the notable presenters will be Selena Fox, a Wiccan priestess, artist, psychotherapist, writer, and photographer. Fox has a large following in the pagan/neo-pagan community, and will be the keynote speaker on the last day of the symposium. In addition to various presenters from around the country, scholars from France, Thailand, and England are traveling to Cleveland for the event. Local Buddhist nun Ani Palmo is leading a meditation session, as well as presenting a paper on women in Buddhism. A film series featuring movies from around the globe, roundtable discussions, dance performances, and art installations offer something for everyone, regardless of their spiritual background.

O’Luanaigh’s vision of the symposium sprang from her desire to give others a way to experience these various ideas without committing to them. The need to ascribe meaning to our existence, she feels, is what ties all of these traditions together. “It’s hard to extend the parameters of your thinking or your perception, what you find acceptable, and there’s a certain amount of discomfort that goes with that. But I think that’s necessary, I think that leads to growth,” she explains.

She feels a sense of destiny about the symposium, and lives by Joseph Campbell’s idea of following your bliss. Though the symposium is a completely new thing for her, she is ready for it. “I’m brave enough, I’m stepping into my sovereignty. There’s gonna be things that develop out of this that I can’t really even envision right now, so I think that’s what excites me the most. I’m always like, I wanna know more! You have a vision, and you share the vision, and something builds out of the vision. But I wanna know what the next vision is! I’m wired for this. I was made for this.”

O’Luanaigh hopes the symposium will have a positive impact on the everyday lives of attendees. “I want it to be where men and women take something away from it that gives them vision, and the inner strength linked up with the outer forces at play in the universe spiritually that allows them to change their own lives, and become active agents for change in the world at large,” she says. “That’s what I see coming out of this.”

The Women and Spirituality Symposium: An International Interdisciplinary Academic Symposium will be held at Cleveland State University from March 12-14. For the complete event schedule and registration form, check out http://csuohio.edu/class/history/events/2009/Women%20and%20Spirituality%20Daily%20Schedule%20Revised%20022709.htm. Join the Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=54242386329&ref=ts .

From Cool Cleveland contributor Dana Aritonovich mrsgrohl1ATyahoo.com

Aritonovich is the Marketing Strategist for the Women and Spirituality Symposium
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