There is a lot of baggage attached to the name “God” which leads many to forgo the idea altogether. Can we let go of that name and still be able to talk about the ineffable? How do we name it in order to leave open a sense of “the more”? A graduate of Union Theological […]
“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake,” wrote Thoreau, “not by mechanical aids but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” How do we awaken hope in times of loss and winter’s darkness, while cultivating the inner transformation we will need for the challenges ahead? The Rev. Karen Hering serves as consulting literary […]
Robert Johnson, the Jungian Analyst, says that romantic love is the single greatest energy system in the Western psyche. He believes that it has supplanted religion as the primary way we experience ecstasy and wholeness. The gods have left the temple, migrated. But love can never produce human relationships as long as it stays romantic. […]
Sometimes a tune gets stuck in our brains. So, too, do stories from long ago. Two stories I revisit again and again have to do with crimes: murders, trials, juries, and verdicts — and how they affected my personal and professional lives even though I was neither a perpetrator nor a victim. Cynthia Johnson, a […]
Groundhog Day, a 1993 film starring Bill Murray, may be the only movie not actually made to illustrate Buddhist principles, that does. A look at some Buddhist beliefs through the lens of this delightful film. Rev Joan Shiels is a longtime friend and frequent speaker at UUFDC. Once a year she brings us an analysis […]
Do we create an instantaneous resonance with people? A resonance that simultaneously acknowledges them and their reality and expresses ourselves? We create a mutual understanding in very few words when we consciously communicate. Carol Hackbardt served Calvary and Zion United Methodist Churches in Door County (2004-2011) before she retired after 32 years of ministry. She […]
As somas, each of us is already meaningfully structured in relation to our changing world – in other words “able to adapt.” This meaningful structure is “ourselves” – it already exists beneath all of our searching and rational thinking. From a somatic perspective, we are suffering from sensory motor amnesia – that is, we have […]
As we move into 2014, how many things will be left undone from 2013? Is there such a thing as beginning again? Ralph Waldo Emerson advised: Finish each day (year) and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow […]
Every New Year provides us with the opportunity to recalibrate our lives. Our hymn #114 Forward Through the Ages reminds us “Not alone we conquer, not alone we fall; In each loss or triumph lose or triumph all.” What might this mean in your one precious life? What might this mean in our shared life in […]
The idea that you should love yourself has been around a long time, but new psychology research shows that this actually is a smart thing to do. Although often confused with self-esteem, Self-Compassion is a separate approach and has significant advantages. This talk will briefly overview the three components of Self-Compassion: (1) self-kindness, (2) recognizing […]