“Time is creating me in each moment,” is a phrase that came to me during an individual retreat that I attended in May. I was at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery on the mountain above Woodstock, New York, when my retreat Master Khenpo Tekyong gave me the subject of “Time” to consider while there on retreat.
Given our uncertainty as to the fundamental building blocks of material reality, and given the universe’s incomprehensible scope, do we humans have any firm ground on which to base our existence? Do we matter? And do our Unitarian Universalist principles matter?
General Assembly takes form in a barrage of emotions- exhausting, invigorating, frustrating, satisfying, inspiring. One item that is perhaps more important than the whirlwind of emotions is that General Assembly is an educational experience. The education that one receives at General Assembly is life-altering and possesses so much power that there lies the ability to spark a movement of change.
Apathy is pushing compassion away from mainstream human interaction in recent times. This 25-minute song and story sermon consists of four spoken messages, each followed by a song related to the story. “By Way of Compassion” is based on a few of The Perras’ personal experiences. They came to the realization that any human interactions of genuine tender-heartedness can have a ripple effect of positive effects.
Do you know what Lughnasadh is? Do you even know how to pronounce it? As modern humans we are much removed from the rhythms of the Earth and out of tune with the Wheel of the Year ancient humans devised to keep time with the seasons. Modern adherents of Earth-Centered spiritual paths seek to bring their lives back as much as possible to their ‘roots’ and align themselves with the natural world around them. Learn the timeless insight and universal wisdom the Pagan holiday of Lughnasadh–Celebration of First Harvest–can teach to humans living in the modern world.
Description forthcoming.
Inspired by a dear friend who is fighting for his life in a hospital in central Florida, this sermon will not be a sappy and mild admonishment to be grateful for each day. No way. It will be a full on revelation of that one pivotal moment we either accept the invitation to, or wonder why we are so miserable. Come prepared to leave changed.
We hear many despairing voices around us today. So many problems look huge and unyielding: climate change, global economic disruption, economic and racial inequality, violence both far away and close by. People are doubting their ability to make positive change happen. How do we doubt this doubt? Where do we find hope when hope is hard to find?
If the 10 commandments aren’t a passionate guide for our lives and those of other faiths seem obscure or less applicable, what source might suggest a contemporary and rigorous basis for personal decision-making?
July 3: In my nearly 70 years as a dedicated music student, performer and teacher, I find that I have experienced many life lessons, serious, ridiculous, profoundly mysterious, funny, exasperating. Some of my stories might be parables. Others are just unexpected. A life in the arts can be interesting to examine because it has essentially different goals than most vocations. Gary … Continue reading Stories From A Life in Music
