The Practice of Chosen Filiation

Sor Juana chose intellectual and spiritual mentors, claimed lineage with classical authors and theological authorities, cultivated friendships that shaped her becoming. She practiced chosen filiation—selecting those from whom she would receive formation and knowledge. For adopted individuals, this concept validates creating intentional family systems beyond adoption circumstances. Chosen filiation means actively determining whose voices, values, and wisdom shape you, rather than passively inheriting these influences. It suggests you can claim mentors, intellectual ancestors, spiritual forebears, chosen siblings—relationship patterns that constitute identity. Sor Juana's intellectual genealogy included Aristotle, Augustine, and contemporary scholars; her spiritual formation included Dominican and Jesuit traditions. For those with adopted identities, this framework encourages deliberately cultivating the people, thinkers, and traditions from whom you choose to become. It transforms filiation from something given to something continuously chosen.