Topic: Wisdom

“The Power of Positive Attention and Touch in All Beings”

Gaylee Tempkin, Presenter D’Vorah Kelley, Service Associate Join us as we explore the connection between the Unitarian Universalist values of Interdependence and Transformation, and a practice of intentional movement, breath, and touch in supporting physiological healing across all stages of life. Gaylee will share her work with children of all ages that taught empathy, consent, … Continue reading “The Power of Positive Attention and Touch in All Beings”

“Deep Listening”

Presenter: Rev. Matt AlspaughService Associate: Sean Donovan Deep listening involves giving others our pure, undivided attention. Such listening may involve words, but it also may involve connecting beyond words. And by listening deeply to others, we may end up listening deeply to ourselves. In this service, we explore the idea of deep listening: listening to … Continue reading “Deep Listening”

“Living the Questions”

Presenter: Rev. Matt AlspaughService Associate: Priscilla Taylor What are the questions you live with? How do you cope with the lack of answers, with uncertainty, and doubt? Many people ‘find religion’ because they are uncomfortable with those unanswered questions, they want certainty, some form of truth. Many others ‘lose religion’ because they realize that the … Continue reading “Living the Questions”

“Attention Attention Attention”

Rev. Matt Alspaugh, presenterMike Blanco, service leader There’s a Zen story about a man asks the great master Ikkyu to write him a teaching of great wisdom. With his brush Ikkyu writes just the word, “Attention.” Dissatisfied, the man asks, “is that all?” Ikkyu writes again, “Attention Attention.” The man grouses, “that doesn’t seem profound … Continue reading “Attention Attention Attention”

“What Makes a Good Life?”

Service Associate: Priscilla Taylor Dr. Robert Waldinger is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Lifespan Research Foundation, and Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He is author of ‘The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Study on Happiness’. This service will feature a … Continue reading “What Makes a Good Life?”

“Why Our Stories Matter”

Alicia Knox: Presenter– Greg Kemp: Service Associate — As a story doula and photographer, Alicia believes it is essential we preserve our life stories before they’re lost forever. Through a multimedia presentation featuring the Project Somos Children’s Learning Village in Guatemala, she will share where her inspiration for preserving stories came from.  She will talk … Continue reading “Why Our Stories Matter”

“Forbidden Knowledge: The Gospel of Mary and the Path Within”

Presenter: Richard Clarke, Service Associate: Carol Johnson. Discover the hidden wisdom of the Gospel of Mary, a text suppressed for centuries, and explore its deep resonance with the teachings of Indian sage Ramana Maharshi. This talk reveals a path that bypasses dogma and hierarchy—pointing inward instead. Includes reflections especially relevant for Unitarian Universalists and all … Continue reading “Forbidden Knowledge: The Gospel of Mary and the Path Within”

“A Better Way of Being”

Presenter: Rev. Tim Boeve Service Associate: Heidi MacLennan Our world today is filled with harm, seemingly, of late, getting worse by the day. Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön says that one anecdote to not causing harm to ourselves, and others is through mindfulness. The Rev. Tim Boeve will explore tried and true ways of not causing … Continue reading “A Better Way of Being”

“Life, Death, and Everything In Between: Selected Poems of Mary Oliver”

Presenter: Rev. D’Vorah Kelley Service Associate: Priscilla Taylor Mary Oliver was a prolific award-winning poet before her death in 2019.  Her poems often touch on spiritual topics like God and prayer, even though she rarely talked much about churches, official beliefs, or other things people often associate with religion. She became an unconventional spiritual teacher … Continue reading “Life, Death, and Everything In Between: Selected Poems of Mary Oliver”

“Writing from the Heart”

Presenter: Janice Kimball Service Associate: Carol Johnson Janice Kimball, author of numerous books and articles, will speak to us about the profoundly meaningful exercise of writing to discover the wholeness of who and what we are. Whether we write to communicate to others, or just to more deeply understand our own history and experiences, we … Continue reading “Writing from the Heart”