Daily Compass

Inspiration: 

“Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?” 

― D.T. Suzuki

Walking

Tonight I walk. I am watching the sky. I think of the people who came before me and how they knew the placement of stars in the sky, watched the moving sun long and hard enough to witness how a certain angle of light touched a stone only once a year. Without written records, they knew the gods of every night, the small, fine details of the world around them and of immensity above them.

Walking, I can almost hear the redwoods beating. And the oceans are above me here, rolling clouds, heavy and dark, considering snow. On the dry, red road, I pass the place of the sunflower, that dark and secret location where creation took place. I wonder if it will return this summer, if it will multiply and move up to the other stand of flowers in a territorial struggle.

It’s winter and there is smoke from the fires. The square, lighted windows of houses are fogging over. It is a world of elemental attention, of all things working together, listening to what speaks in the blood. Whichever road I follow, I walk in the land of many gods, and they love and eat one another.

Walking, I am listening to a deeper way. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.

by Linda Hogan, TO READ MORE

Inspiration: 

 

Through calm seas and rough, teach me to sail toward deep water.

On Pilgrimage

What opportunities to connect with your heart are waiting for you? We may postpone them for months on end, but there’s something persistent about the nature of grace: it never goes away. It is always there to be uncovered, and it is, I believe, a significant part of our human journey as we connect with the world authentically, so that grace is unveiled and brought forth.

There are so many things in life that, if we just give them some attention, reveal far more truth and wisdom than first meets the eye. It is easy to be judgmental, to live our days in hurried anticipation of achievement after achievement, and thus lose sight of the wisdom, the beauty, and the authentic significance of what is available to us. I believe that if we pace ourselves, pay attention, and intentionally make room in our lives for genuine encounter, we can uncover grace waiting to be manifested, and thereby bless the world.

by Alan Taylor, Senior Minister, Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Oak Park, Illinois TO READ MORE

Inspiration: 

 

Much of a tree, or any plant, is invisible underneath the ground. What part of you is invisible, perhaps even to yourself?

To Be Seen

No matter what our religious beliefs, being seen for who we truly are is something that most of us rarely experience.

Look around—we are a people of masks and disguises. We are a people who have been taught to transform ourselves into what others need us to be. We’ve learned the roles and rules—the art of subtle artifice. We’ve come to believe that most people don’t want to see or hear what we feel, what we need, who we are. We’ve learned that most people don’t want to see the messiness and confusion that each of us carries inside. We’ve learned that only parts of ourselves are publicly presentable. Other parts must be hidden away. For acceptability, approval or promotion, we conceal the rough edges, the broken places. Appearance is the key.

We are afraid that if anyone truly sees inside us, they will run screaming from the sight.

What have you hidden from view? What don’t you let anyone see? What don’t you let yourself see?

BY TIM KUTZMARK, MINISTER, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF READING, MASSACHUSETTS TO READ MORE

Inspiration: 

 

When I am present to what is in front of me, I am open to what is beyond me.

Transcending Boundaries

When I was a child, I would stand and gaze at the starry firmament and contemplate infinity. As I stood there, the boundary that is time dissolved; I expanded my Spirit to fill the boundary that is space. My being stilled and all fear, anxiety, and anguish disappeared. Forgotten were the chores, the homework, the ordinary around me. Transcending boundaries was fun in those days. But, as I reached adulthood, it became more difficult…

Today, transcending boundaries is hard work. For one thing, I’ve created more of them since I was young, and I’ve built them higher and stronger than they once were. For another thing, I’m much more self-righteous and much less humble than I was then. Sometimes, when I am at my best, I remember that the “other” I distinguish myself from could be me in another time, another place, another circumstance. Then, I remember the words of a colleague who observed that it is “my racism, my sexism, my homophobia” that I am called upon to address. So, I take a few deep breaths and begin to release the fears that are the boundaries between me and my fellow humans.

By by Yvonne Seon TO READ MORE

Inspiration: 

 

Imagine that your consciousness is an empty bowl. Into that bowl place every thing of beauty that you love – music, art, poetry, nature, the images of those you love, until the bowl overflows with beauty.

The Great Fullness

It’s nice to set aside a few minutes each day to do nothing but practice gratitude. In the morning, I have embraced lighting the flaming chalice, Unitarian Universalism’s centering symbol, as my time of intentional strengthening of the gratitude muscle.

Before I light it, I sit with the great fullness of the chalice itself, empty though it may appear. I call to mind all that surrounds and supports me: ancestors, spiritual leaders, beautiful sights, people and animals and plants, and I sit with the great fullness of all there is. The members of CLF are central in this great fullness practice, both the folks I have spoken with and the ones I have yet to meet personally.

Once I am full of all of the gifts of life, I light the chalice flame, a symbol of thanksgiving. Flame offers light and warmth, without qualification, to all. “Be ours a religion which, like sunshine, goes everywhere,” wrote Theodore Parker, a prominent Unitarian preacher in the 1800s. And there is the flame, happy to offer itself, like sunshine, without limitation or holding back, to all who seek light or warmth.

By Rev Meg Riley, Senior Minister, Church of the Larger Fellowship TO READ MORE