Category: Programs

2023 October 21. Leaning Into the Light, Stephen Levine. The late Stephen Levine was a spiritual teacher and writer. Many of us have read and re-read “A Gradual Awakening,” “Who Dies?,” “Healing into Life and Death,” and others. His article “Leaning Toward the Light,” picks up familiar spiritual themes. To paraphrase Levine: “I find myself […]

2023 November 18. Who Speaks, Marsha Sinetar. Marsha discusses secular solitude as her dwelling place, in which she connects with the source of creation and spirit of life, which “speaks to her” as she discusses in this chapter. Her spirituality is very grounded, ordinary, and relational; her website pictures her in a cow pasture. We’ll explore […]

2023 December, 16. The Peace of the Divine Reality, Thích Nhất Hạnh. In his article, “The Peace of the Divine Reality,” Thích Nhất Hạnh, describes being fully alive to the peace and joy of each moment as living in the divine and earthly realities simultaneously. Nhất Hạnh was a Buddhist monk (he died on January […]

2023 May 20. Tending to the Inner Spark of Radiance. The linked reading from John Prendergast is introduced by Adyashanti: “The spiritual task we are given is a simple one: to attend to that inner spark of radiance, to hold vigil over it until we realize it to be our self, and to dig […]

2023 April 29. The Sacred Art of Listening. We live in busy times. Are we always present for the people in our lives who mean the most to us? Our discussion on Listening will help provide the most important gift we can give, Sacred Listening.

2023 March 25. Open Up To The Mystery. Inspired by the words of the late UU minister Forrest Church, we will take up the idea of God as the Great Mystery. What is your idea of God? Whether you have a definite concept of God or if you are just curious, join us for […]

2023 February 25. The Grace in Aging. Kathleen Dowling Singh taught about grace–inherent in our living, our aging, and our dying. In the linked book introduction and first chapter, she writes about living in presence, authenticity, and radically simple sanity – and a deeply sensed connection to the sacred. We will share about […]

2023 January 28. The Treasures of Life. We will take a deep dive into the treasures of life through a discussion of Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor […]

2022 December 10. Holiday In-Gathering. We’ll participate in some simple contemplative practices and share our reflections on the season. There will be an opportunity for socializing and refreshments will be provided.

2022 November 19. Insights from a Nondual Rabbi. As we approach the holiday season, we’ll consider how Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s insights from interspiritual sources resonate with our own deepening and our experiences of the upcoming season of light and love.

2022 November 5. Verse 2 of the Tao Te Ching. In this session, we’ll reflect on the Taoist concepts of non-dualism and wu wei – effortless action – by reading verse 2 of the Tao Te Ching.

2022 October 22. A Spirituality for the Second Half of Life. Spiritual director Margaret Guenther describes the second half of life as that time “when we are finally grown up…. our perspective changes.” A different kind of spirituality may be helpful than at other times. What would it look like? What life changes should it […]

2022 October 8. On The Road With Thomas Merton. This long article by Fred Bahnson won a Best Magazine Article award in 2020. Merton was a Christian monk but his ideas range far beyond his chosen faith. This is not a quick read but you will find ideas that drill deep. Although there are options […]

2022 September 24. Anne Lamott Reflects on Prayer and Living. Anne Lamott published this reflection in a New York Times op-ed in June (the reflection is copied into this link). Lamott has written many times about prayer. We’ll consider our own contemplative response to living and the call to deepening as we go through […]

2022 May 28. Journey to the Sacred: An Interview With Mark Nepo. As a cancer survivor, Nepo is most concerned with what he calls “the great ordinary things that all of us have to face: the prospect of dying without having truly lived and the prospect of living without having truly loved. And the […]

2022 April 23. Mirabai Starr – Wild Mercy. Mirabai explains women mystics’ emphasis on interbeing as well as the innate connection between spiritual seeking and the fate of the earth (note Earth Day is April 22).

2022 March 26. Redefining Prayer for UUs. Although many think of prayer as directed to a supernatural being or for something (supplication), this is too narrow a definition for UUs. In this session we take a wider view of prayer including how an atheist might pray.

2022 February 26. Bishop John Shelby Spong on Being a Mystic. Spong was a prominent religious liberal Episcopalian Bishop. The focus of this discussion will be on personal experience of our spiritual source and how that affects our life journeys.