At General Assembly this summer, bylaws changes introduced us to a new set of UU Values: equity, generosity, interdependence, justice, pluralism, transformation, and at the center, love. Centering love roots back to our Universalist ancestors who followed a loving God. What does it mean today, though, to center love and hold to all our UU … Continue reading “Love at the Center: Exploring UU Values”
Transgender Day of Remembrance recalls people who have lost their lives because of their gender identity. And it gives us an opportunity to reflect on how to transform hate to compassion — in ourselves and in others. Can we increase the amount of love and care in our lives and in our world? Direct … Continue reading “Transforming Hate to Compassion: Transgender Day of Remembrance”
Whatever the result of Tuesday’s election (and even if we don’t know it!), we know that to have real democracy — deliberative democracy rather than competitive democracy — we need to reweave the threads of civic engagement. How do we bring our UU values to the table as we strive to deepen democracy in our … Continue reading “It Ain’t Over: The Practices of Deepening Democracy”
What’s Halloween about? Scariness! A time we try to scare ourselves and one another, often with stories and threats we have made up. Which can be a way of coping with very real fears. So, what do we need to learn about fear? How do we accept our fears? How do we overcome them? Wear … Continue reading “Fear: Embracing and Escaping”
How do we become who we are? Not in a vacuum. We are not self-made despite our commitment to making informed choices for ourselves. Rather we grow in the soil of community and through the sense of connection that is relational power. Explore with Frederick Douglass, Starhawk, Saul Alinski and the Velveteen Rabbit the significance … Continue reading Becoming in Community: Claiming Relational Power
