It appears that although the calendar says that the Autumn Equinox is on Saturday, September 22, 2018, it still feels like summer time. In fact, there may still be plenty of summer weather left to go as one never knows these days. Climate change is both unpredictable and extreme. Yet, Autumn weather will get here soon enough. Whenever it arrives, this is a truly beautiful time of year. My favorite color is October. With that being said, indulge me and lend your eyes, ears, and heart, to a much more beautiful, articulate, and profound way of describing the Autumn time of year:

A couple of thousand years ago, plus a few decades, Plato taught that everyone seeks the good. Not that everyone finds the good, or enjoys the good, but that everyone seeks it, in their own way.  Even those people whose lives seem so futile, or self- destructive, or doomed to failure, even they too are seeking, somehow, the good--think about it.  They're not trying to fail, they're not looking for sadness, doom or misfortune, at least not consciously.  They're trying to capture the gold ring, make the big score, win the lottery; they’re seeking happiness. The Declaration of Independence says that we have a "right" to pursue happiness, but it doesn't say that we will always acquire happiness. Do we really have a "right" to be happy? Let's explore.  

Sunday, 14 October 2018, 11:00 am
Rev. Michael J.S. Carter
“To Be or Not to Be – In a Relationship”

When Shakespeare put these words, this question, into the mouth of Hamlet (Hamlet is contemplating suicide), this question about existence, Hamlet is asking what it means to live. He is asking whether or not people should even exist. Heavy stuff. In this soliloquy, he is contemplating suicide and he compares death to sleep which he thinks actually wouldn’t be so bad. But then Hamlet begins to wonder if it’s better to put up with the bad things one knows about life than to run off into death’s “undiscovered country.” Life is a mystery and so is death. But what is it that compels us, urges us, to desire to live, to keep going? Is this desire to be (or not to be), this desire to exist, is it sacred?  I answer in the affirmative! Out of the primordial desire to exist, everything comes. This sacred force is different from clinging, which is the source of attachment and frustration. Let’s explore.
 
Sunday, 21 October 2018, 11:00 am
Rev. Michael J.S. Carter
"Beginnings and Endings"
 
When I was much younger and studying the bible, I became obsessed with what Christians refer to as The Last Judgement. The Last Judgement was supposed to be the end of the world  or at least the end of the world as we know it).  I could not stop thinking about how that event would occur in human history. Yes, these obsessive thoughts were due to the fear I was subjected to from the clergy and their interpretation of the bible; yes, it was because of the indoctrination I received as a child and even today, occasionally, I think, but “what if they were right?”  Yet for every so called “ending” there is usually a new “Beginning.” Life is at least on some level, a series of beginnings and endings, of knowing when to hold on and learning when to let go. How do you view beginnings and endings in your life experience?
 
 
Sunday, 28 October 2018, 11 amRev. Michael J.S. Carter
"Rev. Dr. James Cone - the Father of Black Liberation Theology"

While attending Union Seminary, I had the privilege of studying Systematic Theology with Dr. James Cone, the founder of "Black Liberation Theology." He was not a perfect human being, but his passion and love for African American people, his belief that "God" was on the side of the oppressed, and his intellectual gifts were simply astonishing. He also happened to be one of two professors who encouraged me to stay on at Union for a Ph.D. (This was after reading my Master's Thesis on the topic of UFO's and the Bible).
Professor Cone died on April 28th, 2018.  You have heard me say on more than one occasion that we as UUs must always remember that the religion of the oppressed is different from the religion of the privileged. Dr. Cone was a privileged academic and intellectual, but he never forgot where he came from. Join me on Sunday October 14th, as I present another "Biographical Sermon" on the life of yet another extraordinary human being--The Rev. Dr. James Cone, Father of Black Liberation Theology.
 
 
Sunday, 4 November 2018, 11 am
Dr. Brad Rachman
“Getting Rid of What You Never Had”

In this age, it seems to be getting more and more challenging to discern what is and is not “our stuff.” Our own personal desires, fears, and general blueprint for how we believe our life should be all cloud our recognition of what life really is about. Let’s explore together all of the nuances of this theme and see if we can clear away some of the tarnish of delusion that is resting on the crystal clear mirror of our awareness.

 

 

 

 

To quote Andrew Weil, MD, "If the breath is the movement of spirit in the body - a mystery that connects us to all creation - then working with breath is a form of spiritual practice as well as one that impacts health and healing. How we breathe influences our energy and stress levels, our sleep, heart rate, and blood pressure, digestion and much more." 

 

We will listen to a 20 minute recording of Dr. Weil leading us through 5 easy breathing techniques that we will be able to use in our daily lives. A printed handout of the 5 techniques will be available. 

The topic for the Psi (Intuitive Development) meeting on Oct 23 at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary is "Crop Circles Evidence of Intelligence," a live presentation by Freddy Silva on DVD.

 

Per NASA engineer Pat Delgado, "It is perfectly natural to ask if crop circles are hoaxes. but very difficult to explain why they cannot be hoaxed satisfactorily."  And he was right, because people cannot steam plants at right angles without damage, alter the local gravitational field, change the mineral structure of the soil, encode unknown mathematical  theorems, or apply permanent electro-magnetic signatures when attempting to replicate crop circles.