How do you feel about being perfect? Our doubts keep us from fully engaging in life. Today, honoring Indigenous People’s Day, Jesse Poydak offers his tradition of sitting in prayer circle for unity and healing. He invites us to look into each other’s eyes, speak from our hearts and listen deeply, for bringing us back onto harmony with Creator.
The teachings attributed to the Rabbi Jesus were often offered as parables, stories that invite one to find a path towards answers to those questions that never go away. Such stories come to us from many traditions. Let’s explore together the most well-known Christian parable, the story of the Good Samaritan, and see how it continue to offer wisdom for our times and our lives.
Today’s service is part of the national UU climate justice revival, with a focus on our love for earth, air, fire, water, and each other, especially those people first and most impacted by climate disruption. We will be celebrating all of creation and recommitting our care and protection. The service will be followed by a potluck, raffle, and action hour.
What is Reiki? Susan will give us a short history of Reiki in hospitals, and share how each of us can stay healthier and happier with Reiki Tummo.
Our tradition, along with many others, has long been centered on “capital-L” Love. How do our stories as individuals, as communities, and our historical journey as Unitarian Universalists intersect and reflect this commitment, and how can we lean deeper into relationship with ourselves, each other, and our individual and collective values in order to build more caring, relational, and connected communities and a more just and equitable world?
While many of Donald Trump’s words and actions demonstrate qualities I try very hard to avoid, he and I share the good fortune of being American citizens, and we share the benefits and also the harms inherent to our specific position in space-time. As Americans all of us inevitably participate in the disproportionate harms we do to the planet and to the countries and populations we seek to control or exploit.
What should we do?
The Eagle Staff is a tradition rich in spirituality and symbolism. Each element of the staff has its own meaning and each feather its own story. The story of the Rogue Valley Veterans Eagle Staff is unique to our local area and a memorial for many of our local community members.
It is the beginning of a new church year! As we gather together returning from our summer activities, our ingathering service will include a traditional UU Water Ceremony. We invite you to please bring a small amount of water from your summer activities or water from your favorite water source, one might be the precious water faucet in your home. We will mingle the waters you bring into a common chalice of community. The service will include words from members of the congregation who will share their ideas, relationship with, or feelings about water. Everyone will be invited to take some of our communal water home to add to, and return for next years water ceremony.
New research into the experience of awe reveals that awe makes us feel small but deeply connected, and how this in turn makes us better people. With help from some well-timed lightning strikes (and no help from Siri or Alexa), we’ll explore what’s known about awe’s effects on us, and how it can benefit humanity. We’ll also learn how science can help us experience awe, plugging us into a grander vision of our larger selves within our communities, world, and universe.
Harley Eblen is a cellist, music producer, and string arranger who has worked on numerous recording projects including a Billboard #1, and a Grammy nominated album. Through personal stories and playing music, Harley will look at how society teaches us that creativity is a rare gift, and how we can all reclaim expression as part of our spiritual path.
