Reflection It seems that suddenly we have come to the end of September. Last September we could not have imagined what the year to come would bring. Time slips away and only the present moment is what is real. “Today is yesterday’s tomorrow”. It is a reminder that life is precious. To rush busily through our days without noticing the…
Reflection We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-Corona existence was not normal, other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction…We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch together a new garment, one that fits all humanity and nature. Sonya Renee Taylor Prayer May I seize the…
Yom Kippur Reflection Today is Yom Kippur, the most solemn of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. It is a day set aside to “afflict the soul,” to atone for the sins of the past year, a day for amendment of behavior and seeking of forgiveness for wrongs done against God and against other human beings.…
Reflection He said in reply, ‘I will not, ‘but afterwards changed his mind and went. Matthew 21:28-32 We all have our afterwards times. Impulsively, we respond to a request or a situation based in our feelings and not in adequate thought. Afterwards comes regret and a sense of responsibility. We are sorry and we do what was asked. In…
Reflection Wonder is especially important in our times, because our world has given up wonder for use as our primary experience of the universe. Use might be considered the primary orientation of American civilization toward the universe it inhabits, especially to the North American continent. Use goes with personal freedom and rights to property. To be real, a thing must…
Reflection We say we believe that everyone and everything is a product of God’s creative expression. We believe that we are each a unique vehicle for the Divine presence on Earth, and that we are all connected. We state that all living beings are kin through the creative act of the Source of Life. In spite of our verbal commitment to…
Reflection Living in the present national climate in which reality and fiction are blended and truth and falsehood are combined, we need moral courage. Moral courage is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition or discouragement. It is the conviction that we are to be guided by conscience despite those, no matter their position, who may…
Reflection There is a closed rigidity that lives in its own world. No matter what the factual evidence may be, a view based in one’s own perception or bias prevents openness to the surrounding reality. The facts are there but paying attention to them would be too problematic. There is no desire to explore differences. It might require one to…
Autumn Equinox Reflection The autumn equinox arrives on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at 9:31 A.M. EDT. The equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide. It is the first day of autumn. There is poignancy to autumn. This is the time of harvest. The plants have achieved their fullness and now they offer their fruits and drop their seeds. The trees, whose new green announced…
Reflection Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Today is not only the United Nations designated International Day of Peace but also the start of Climate Week.…