The Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from the Women of the Wilderness

by Mary C. Earle

A historical and enlightening introduction to Desert Mothers and the wise spiritual lessons we can glean from their lives, trials and tribulations, and writings. At the dawn of Christianity, holy women went into the wilderness of the desert of Northern Egypt to give themselves totally to lives of prayer. Explore the unique spirituality of Desert Mothers, and learn ways to apply their wisdom today. “The Desert Mothers are often overshadowed by the better-known Desert Fathers, but these women who went into the wilderness to pursue deep prayer deserve to be heard. Mary Earle has taken nine concise sayings from Desert Mothers and explore them in original ways.”―Frederica Mathewes-Green, author, columnist, and speaker “Mary Earle is a modern-day Desert Mother, and we are fortunate, indeed, for her introduction to Desert Amma’s ancient wisdom, and for her gentle guidance on ways to incorporate that wisdom into contemporary spiritual practices.”―Debra K. Farrington, author of Hearing with the A Gentle Guide to Discerning God’s Will for Your Life

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, Prayer, Christianity

89 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the second time I have read this small gem and I suspect I will return to it again. Earle gives an overview of the women who moved to the desert to discover Christian spirituality. Each chapter talks about an aspect of desert spirituality; gives it a context to our present lives and then asks questions so that the reader can apply the lessons learned to her own life. All in all a good study guide to the desert ammas of the first centuries of Christianity.

I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that there were no women involved in the early church or those who want to think through their present spiritual practices.

[Totochelamouche · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would not have seen the light of day without the gift of two weeks as a Visiting Fellow at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. That fellowship afforded me the space and time necessary to begin the project.

The students who participated in my Desert and Celtic Spirituality class at the Seminary of the Southwest in the fall of 2005 […].

In the late 1980s, as I began life as an Episcopal priest, I kept wondering where all the women were.

And some of them, as Christianity became an official religion of the Roman Empire, became what are known as the “desert mothers” or ammas.

We have collections of sayings from three ammas, Sarah, Syncletica, and Theodora. We have mention of a woman named Amma Matrona. While these four names may lead us to believe there were few women in this movement, a contemporary historian tells us that there were twice as many women as men living in the desert.

These were women who left their established roles and sought to live both in communities and as hermits in the deserts of what are now Egypt, Israel, and Syria. Others established communities in the area that is now Turkey.

These ammas and abbas (the desert fathers) are down-to-earth, blunt, and savvy about what is needed to mend the ragged fabric of human community.

Saint Paul gives us the names of women who were his coworkers for the gospel. In Romans 16:7, Paul names Junia as an apostle, one sent by the resurrected Christ to proclaim the gospel. Phoebe, a deacon, was sent to the Romans (Romans 16:1). Paul greets nine different women at the close of this letter, clearly indicating their prominence in the very earliest years of the formation of the Christian community.

These are women who lived during a particular moment in church history—a time during the fourth century when Christianity had been sanctioned by the Roman Empire and active persecutions had stopped.

These ammas and abbas (the desert fathers) are down-to-earth, blunt, and savvy about what is needed to mend the ragged fabric of human community.

In stark contrast to the continuous indulgence of gluttony that is our cultural norm, the desert mothers remind us of the virtues of fasting—from food, from frenetic activity, from anger, from hurtful speech, from arrogant and mean-spirited behavior.

Some years ago I made a retreat at Christ in the Desert, a Benedictine monastery near Abiquiu, New Mexico […].

Having spent so many days in silence, we were delivered from the presumption of speaking out of our old scripts.

Who do you find yourself to be when you are not in your native habitat?

When have you extended mercy to another person? When have you withheld judgment, acted kind, initiated relief for another […].

The life of faith looks like a mother bird, sitting on her eggs. For all we know, that mother bird has moments when it seems like nothing is happening. There are moments when real boredom sets in and the temptation to leave the eggs and do something more interesting arises.

A beautiful and educated woman, Amma Syncletica began her life in Alexandria, in Egypt, in the fourth century. She was one of four children; her brothers died and her sister was blind. In other words, despite her privilege, she was acquainted with loss and sorrow. When her parents died, Syncletica gave all of the family wealth away, cut off her hair, and set out for the desert with her blind sister.

Just as it would be difficult to read this text if there were no spaces between the words, so living without taking time for silence makes our lives a jumbled and garbled text.

Learning to live in this way requires practice and role models—teachers who, as far as possible, are patient, gentle, and humble.

In the way of the desert, humility begins when we understand ourselves to be mortal […].

We practice humility when we allow ourselves, as Roberta Bondi observes, to know we will never be above reproach.
Real humility allows us to take ourselves lightly, to be less concerned with heroic endeavors always to be right, to be kind, to be "the good person."

Humility encourages us to be frank about our shortcomings and failures and to desire transformation.
When we are short on humility, we tend either to ignore our own shortcomings (because to admit them would be to admit that we are human) or to wallow in them.

Seeking an amma, a teacher, a guide, is possible when we desire instruction, when we have the humility to know that we are ready to seek help and companionship.

We have allowed ourselves to be reduced to identities such as "I am what I have" or "I am what I do."

And in a society that is thriving on an inability to admit wrongdoing and take responsibility, the ongoing practice of repentance is a lost art.

At the period in history in which the desert became filled with men and women seeking God, the church had incorporated the ideal of ascesis from Greek life and culture, a term that referred to the physical preparation of athletes.

The walk of faith is not a competition; it is a company, walking together, encouraging one another, tending each other gently.

[Audra Spiven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, thankfully, was very short and easy to read. As someone who has never had any exposure at all to the desert mothers, this book was a good introductory devotional, but it's more of a practical/application kind of book than an analysis or even presentation of what the desert mothers thought, wrote, did, or said. So while it is a good book for someone looking to imitate the intentional spirituality of the desert mothers in their own life today, I am not sure it's a great intro to who the desert mothers were--but that's not Mary Earle's fault, of course. She accomplished exactly what she set out to do in this book. I think the fault lies with the prof who assigned this book intending for it to be an intro to this world. It just doesn't work for that purpose.

[Marilyn McEntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discovering the writings of the Desert Fathers as a young adult, I was awakened and enchanted by their winsome, surprising, sometimes sidelong wisdom. This book about the Desert Mothers is a lovely introduction to another group of early saints, similar in their pared down clarity of mind and heart and intention. Mary Earle accompanies her brief introductions to them with suggestions for spiritual exercises suited to each of the sayings. A practical, lively guide to foremothers well worth knowing.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, especially for these times in our collective lives. I am not monastic; I do appreciate the example of the teachings of the desert mothers. Learning the act of discernment, prayerfully reflecting upon our choices before we act, is a lesson from which all can benefit. Practicing humility, to know when we have not used discernment, to repent and to recognize that we are all from the same source can only multiply the love and beauty of this earth.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but very meaningful book - it truly deepened my faith, and I really appreciated the activities/opportunities for reflection at the end of each chapter.

Main takeaways for me: do not judge your neighbor; take yourself lightly.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was perfect for leading a retreat on the topic! I was very happy to find this resource. Thank you!

[Amanda Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This simple book offers an opportunity to look at some spiritual practices of early Jesus Followers. It offers an invitation to enter into practices of your own while learning from the desert ammas.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Profound wisdom

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel proud to have met these women of the wilderness.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spiritual form of the book by Laura Swan. Since I bought it this book for research, I can't currently review it for its prayer use.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brief introduction to integrating the spiritual practices of the Essene mothers into modern life. I found it understandable and approachable. For anyone wishing to deepen Christian spiritual practice through daily readings and straightforward self discipline in reading, praying and meditating, this seems like a promising place to start.

[Melanie Rigney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the back cover copy, I was expecting this to be a resource about the early Christian women who went to the desert of the Middle East to grow in Christ and community. Instead, I found in essence a spiritual guide to self-discovery and as much space if not more devoted to stories of women the author knows as to the desert mothers. It's not necessarily a bad book, just different than what I feel it promised to be.

[Kirstin · Rating 3 out of 5]

With short chapters that end with reflection and practice options, I found this book to be a good companion for Sunday morning readings over several weeks. It's quite basic, but the point is not rigorous academic reading--it's self-reflection spurred on by the habits and sayings of the desert mothers. I'm left wondering how and where to create a "cell" in our evolving home.

[Vicki]

Interesting perspectives. Not a life I think appeals to me but pieces of it do.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author uses what little is known about the early Christians who went out into the desert to worship, to discuss lessons modern-day Christians can take from their practices.

[LNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

i thought this book was good, there were some parts that seemed repetitive. I read it with my women's group at church and we go a lot of discussion out of it.

[Jamie Brame · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for a religious book club. A good introduction to the dessert ammas who have been largely ignored in the rush to study the desert fathers!

[Linda Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the desert mothers.