Facing My Sphenisciphobia

This is a metal sculpture, part of the public art on display at the Edward Lowe Foundation campus in Southwest Michigan.  It's one of countless pieces found in a stations of the cross garden at the grounds.  I had to share it.

It made me think of the nuns.

It's not nuns, though, since nuns are a Catholic creation.  The stations of the cross depict Jesus' final hours and, by definition, are pre-Catholicism.

Nonetheless, I interpret this piece as nun-like.  The mix of iron with rust, the sternness, the cold stare on their otherwise expressionless faces, and the overall eeriness of this piece invokes the nuns for me.

I'm certainly reading into it more than I should.  Anyone who has faced the nuns in Catholic schools in decades past can share in this interpretation I bet, though.

Even though I truly respect the nuns and credit them for an education that has been the foundation of my life's success, I must admit to a fear of nuns. One Yahoo questions piece bluntly puts a name to it:  Sphenisciphobia.  It's a fear of nuns phobia.

Perhaps taking and sharing of this photo is part of my therapy.  Enjoy.

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UPDATE:  Spenisciphobia needs some explanation.  The word I got from a Google search appears to be someone's creative word creation.  I can't find it actually exists.  The term Sphenisciformes refers to the order of penquins.   Get it?