[This story is a continuation of the Mrs. Tupa series. For better context and understanding, you might consider reading the previous stories. Please note that this story is not for everyone. It includes mature characters, religious rituals, body hair, and strong smells, among other things. If you find any of these off-putting or offensive, please do not read it or down-vote it. I generally reply to personal messages, but please include your username and email if you wish a reply. Thank you for reading.]
Discovering Other Practices of the Old Ways
If you have read this far in my memoirs of my early days of joining and serving the local parish of the Bohemian Church, you will not be surprised to discover that the more I learned about the customs and the old ways of the church, the more intrigued I became. I was beginning to liken the church's traditions to the many layers of an onion, though perhaps the many layers of a cabbage would be more apt, given its central place in Bohemian cuisine. I would peel back an outer layer, only to find another hidden beneath, and then another and another.
My initial discovery that there was a strong tradition in the Bohemian community of both congregants and clergy communally looking after each other's "needs" had certainly piqued my interest when I realized that those needs were almost entirely of a sexual nature. Or perhaps I should say of an "erotic" nature, as according to Bohemian logic, the only "sexual" act is one that leads to -- or at least risks -- procreation.
Perhaps due to the long-standing influence of the gnostic Bogomils out of Bulgaria, who frowned upon bringing new souls into this vale of tears, preferring instead to practice buggery and other non-procreative erotic acts, Bohemian doctrine considered vaginal "sex" to be a grave sin, usually requiring penance in the form of Mortification of the Flesh. Which is not to say that vaginal sex was totally forbidden. Most Czechs, after all, were devoted to raising families, and children were not delivered by storks, despite what the Dutch might claim.
However, the reality in the Bohemian parish that I joined, back in 1968 when I was 18, was that the vast majority of the parish congregation were Czech widows who had outlasted their husbands and whose grown children had moved away, sadly finding the Bohemian customs and old ways embarrassing, archaic, and uncool. Perhaps because my family was not at all religious -- and certainly not Bohemian -- I had become fascinated with the old ways when my next door neighbor, Mrs. Tupa, had begun to teach them to me. I was especially charmed by the Bohemian tradition that the natural human body, with all its body hair, smells, and excretions, was nothing to be ashamed of, but instead something to celebrate together in social and spiritual rituals of a very earthy kind.
There seemed to be an endless number of these rituals that dated back to the old days in the old country, and our parish was blessed by the patronage and generosity of Dame Taborova, who was a dedicated student and teacher of the ancient rituals. We were also blessed that our two leading clergy, Father Viktor and Mother Magdalene, were strong believers in preserving and propagating the old ways.
* * *
In one of my daily catechumen sessions with Father Viktor, I brought up the topic of the old ways.
"Father, you were kind enough to let me know of the church's Penance Chapel in its basement, and to take me as a special guest to the Wednesday night "Sharing Circle" that meets there. It was very inspiring, to say the least. But surely there are other rooms in the basement dedicated to other rituals and old ways?"
"Well, hmmm, Jack my boy, I can't blame you for asking. It must seem like we've only been scratching the surface with the rituals you've encountered so far. But there's a reason for that. As I've said before, any of the old ways are rather shocking to those who do not have the proper grounding in church doctrine and Bohemian history. As the old saying goes, 'Feed them bread and warm milk to begin with, later they can handle nice fat sausage!'
"You've been making excellent progress in both your studies and your home visits, and you did jump into the spirit of the "Sharing Circle" and were a very able participant. So, let me ponder this a bit, and see what you might be ready for next."
Father Viktor went into deep meditation for five minutes or so, emerging with a thoughtful demeanor.
"Brother Jack, we do have several basement chambers dedicated to different purposes related to rituals of the old ways. Some are restricted to specific participants, with no visitors allowed. Then there are some that are more flexible, depending on the inclinations of their inhabitants at any given time.
"For instance, there are the Mortification Cells where we accommodate those of our community who crave further Penance and Mortification than are provided by the Wednesday Sharing Circles in the Penance Chapel. Confidentially, two of these cells are most often occupied by the two Sisters from the nunnery who I mentioned a while ago, who seem addicted to mortifying pain which their nervous systems seem to experience as a form of pleasure. They often need servers to help administer their Mortifications or sometimes just to witness them, which seems to give them a special frisson. If that might be of interest to you, I can let you know if and when such opportunities may arise."
"Gosh, Father Viktor, that sounds possibly interesting, but I just don't know. Dame Taborova and Mrs. Tupa seem to crave such things, from time to time, as you know, but it always seems to be in a context of sacred love. Left to my own wishes, I generally don't like to cause others pain."
"A wise policy, my boy! There are many temptations to lead us astray along the path to serving others' needs in a loving fashion. Still, if either of the Sisters requests assistance, I may run it by you. You should understand that they are as hungry for love and acceptance as our more 'balanced' members."
"Fair enough, Father. I am confident that my Guardian Angel may help guide me to do the right thing."