SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good evening, everyone. Gosh, and welcome or welcome back to the summer school theme talks for 2021. This is our second talk this week after a strong opener from Jo James last night. I'm very much looking forward to hearing from Shahna Parvin Begum this evening, and she will be very grateful that I've made the mistakes for her already. I'll introduce her properly after some housekeeping. I'm welcoming you this evening on behalf of the summer school panel. In alphabetical order, by first name, we are Jane Blackhall, Kate Brady McKenna, Michael Alerd, and Nicola Temple. And you are welcome, no matter what you've brought with you, no matter where you are, and no matter how many of these talks you've experienced in the past. We gather from all over the place. And we gather at our desks, our kitchen tables, our sofas, our beds, our gardens, our offices. But it doesn't matter how or from where we gather. It matters that we gather. Our overall theme this week is why are we here? Discerning our unitarian mission in an upturned world. And each of our speakers has been invited to bring their own particular take to this topic. It is a fantastic opportunity for us all to be able to ponder questions more deeply than we get the chance to in a normal sermon. We do have some housekeeping. If you're coming to several sessions this week, you will become familiar with these notices, but they are important to help us all get what we need from the sessions, and they may be new to some of you. We are recording this session. I'd like to ask you to leave the chat box alone until the end of the small group sessions at the end of the evening, unless our speaker asks you to use it. We want you to be able to listen to the talk without distraction, and any questions which crop up can be raised in the group chats afterwards. As I say, obviously, if Shauna asks you to use the chat box, she overrides me all the time. I don't mean she overrides me, so her power overrides mine. You should be able to turn subtitles on and off somewhere in the app or on the web page, depending on how it is you're joining us. The subtitles are pretty accurate, but they are live and they are automatic. So there may be some issues with particular words. If it doesn't make sense, it's probably the subtitles. I do apologize if that happens. If it does, either come to us for clarification afterwards or watch it again after the YouTube recording appears. They iron them out at that stage. Throughout the evening, please do what you need to do to be comfortable. You may want to turn your camera off or stretch or move around. If you miss any of the talk because you've had to wander off, it will be available later on YouTube. We also know that there are reasons you may need to leave before the end. Again, I'd refer you to the YouTube recording and know that you go with our blessing. We do understand. Please remember that even if you can only see the speaker, if your camera is on, we can all see you. So please turn your camera off if you're moving around. Please don't take us wandering about your house with you. It's quite distracting because we're all quite nosy. Everyone's quite nosy. So cameras off if you're not just looking at your screen. We, the panel, will be monitoring what's going on on the participant screens during the session. So if anything untoward should happen, we will deal with it. A big part of our ethos at Summer School when we meet in person and here in this virtual summer school is that we receive these talks as open and generous spiritual offerings from the speaker. They do take spiritual and emotional energy to put together, and they're presented as precious gifts to the community. For that reason, we don't have QA sessions or discussions straight after the talk. After the talk this evening, the chat will be open for you to thank Shana for what she's done. It's not there for debate or critique. You will be able to share your views in small groups, and we hope that you will use these groups as a continuation of the spirit of the talk itself rather than for any heated debating. Please accept the offering that you're getting this evening as a precious gift. When we pop you into small discussion groups, they won't be recorded or monitored, though it's possible one or two of the panel will bob in and out because we don't want to miss out on things. In the same way as last night, Michael Alerd and I, both of whom are Unitarian ministers, will be available separately from the end of the session until 9.45 if you'd like a pastoral discussion. You will have had our contact details in your joining email. If you contact us, we will work out what's the best way to be in touch with you.

SPEAKER_10 5:16

That's the housekeeping.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Having attended summer school twice in person, Shahna feels really honored to be invited to be a theme speaker this year. Shahna has a background in media, trained in counseling and yoga, and works with children, where she brings her passion for psychoeduc and well-being. Coming from a lineage of Sufi peers, Shana is also a practitioner of bhakti yoga and was given the spiritual name Sri Devi by her guru. She enjoys playing her ukulele, drumming, chanting, and dancing like nobody's watching. So let's settle into the spirit of sacred receptiveness and we'll hear some music, after which you'll be in Sharma's hands.

SPEAKER_04 7:35

I want to shine up. I want to shine up.

SPEAKER_08 9:01

I want to shine brighters. I want to shine brightest.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

May the radiance of strength, light of compassion, and flame of love reach all of those who are in need of it at this time. A spiritual practice that I observe and has helped me through some of the most challenging times in my life. While I share out loud in a sort of award ceremony style, I invite you to join me by holding in your heart appreciation for people and situations that help or have helped you over the past few days, things that have helped you get through the day, giving thanks for the things that have helped to make the day feel a bit better. I'd like to start by offering gratitude to the spirit that dwells in us all, my guiding light, for bringing me into this space at this time with you all right now, and to my spiritual teachers who bless my world. I'm grateful for this opportunity to be with you this week and the summer school panel for inviting me. For inviting me to speak and share my one small voice with so many others, in particular Jane, Jane Blackhall, who has supported me to get going when I thought I wouldn't manage alongside some personal challenges I've been facing. And I'm grateful to you all for being present here with me tonight with your fabulous, majestic and beautiful bodies, even if I can only see part of them. So let's settle into this space together.

SPEAKER_03 14:06

Perhaps taking a few intentional breaths to ground yourself into the space.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

In a moment I'll share a reading and then we'll have a moment of rest. I invite you to simply be as you are, welcoming all of who you are, whether you're alone with others, with others, but feeling alone with comfort and delight or with the pain and grief of the world. Give yourself permission to rest with your authentic self. Welcome all of how you are, because this body, this being human is like a guest house, as the Sufi poet Rumi says. This being human is a guest house. Every morning, a new arrival, a joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all, even if they're a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture. Still treat each guest honourably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door, laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whatever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. And I hope to weave those threads into this evening. I'd like to start by sharing a retelling of a story about a Japanese Zen master who was visited by someone from a faraway land. Some say a university professor, some say a wealthy man who wants to know all the things and gain more knowledge. In my version, he's a mediocre white man who will probably mansplain what Zen Buddhism is to this Zen master. So this guy goes to the Zen master and demands to know about Zen. Showing respect to her visitor, the Zen master prepares a tea ceremony. If anyone has experienced a Japanese tea ceremony, it's quite something. It's with its particular rituals and prepare rituals on preparing and serving the tea. It's an art form. So the tea ritual is taking place, and the Zen master serves the tea to her visitor. And as she's elegantly pouring the tea, the little cup fills. And the tea begins to spill out. And the guy says, Whoa, stop, what are you doing? Spilling the tea. She carries on. He's saying, stop, as the tea is starting to spill onto him. And the Zen Master says, I can't give you any more knowledge. Your mind is already full, Mansolena. You need to empty your mind of what you think you know first. I imagine that there are a variety of opinions and different approaches here as to what being welcoming is. I invite you to empty your cups this evening and just be present.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

I'm someone who cares deeply about a lot of things.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

I care about those who are pushed to the margins, those who are silenced. I care about emotional and physical well-being, about oppression, injustice, and so much more. In preparing for this talk, I realised I had a lot to say, so much that it was overwhelming, not knowing how to fit it all in. So I'm touching lightly on some subjects and some things I've not had the chance to cover, but all of them are equally important to me. I realize I pose more questions and offer solutions to anything. And my offering is really me having a conversation with you. And I invite you to receive it in that manner. It's not a to-do or to don't list. It's not meant to be a rant either. Um it's a focus time, a time for raising awareness to get issues out there in the hope that it sparks ideas and gets communities to put the work into further activities. This is an offering from my heart in the hope that it touches yours. I was definitely tripped up with the language when I first read that the theme this year was around mission. After the initial What Would I Know About Mission complex? My thoughts went towards the damaging Christian mission and exclusion. The erasure of other people's identities makes them feel like they have to ignore or leave behind their heritage, their culture. Even when groups of people were invited to Britain, like the Windrush generation, to feel like they belonged. People felt they had to conform to a society and culture that wasn't necessarily comfortable to do so. And they had to practice what was comfortable in secret. So I've been thinking about the diversity of lived experiences and reflecting on exclusion, my attention came to these questions. Who and what are we excluding? And how can we be more inclusive? And how can we truly become a beloved community that welcomes all? Reflecting on mission, I noticed my attention drop to my inner self and my personal experiences, the things that I'm longing for, the things that I could be better, the thing that I the things that I think could be better, and how we can shift the culture that we as Unitarians dwell in to create a culture where people can be unapologetically themselves. So this is what I hope to do share ideas, thoughts, feelings, and wisdom from the place where I stand. And I'll be referring to internal and external, inside, outside our inner and outer diversities, how we engage with ourselves, with people around us and communities in the world, because our welcome, in my opinion, isn't just about inviting people in. It's about going out, being in community with our surroundings, our world, working in the community, supporting other organizations. And also name some broad affairs that might influence internal structures. When I talk about welcome, I don't just mean how we greet people, it's about how we can create safe and diverse spaces, places that people can find meaning and a sense of belonging. So I'd like to invite you to bring to mind a time that you went to a community space for the first time, or maybe the last time you went, it could be your own spiritual community or a space that you are familiar with.

SPEAKER_03 21:31

What made you feel welcome in that space?

SPEAKER_01 21:37

Or if your experience was the opposite, what made it feel not so welcoming? In case it's helpful, I'll share an example. I recently attended an event at a community center for the first time, and I felt very much at home because there was familiarity with the setting and the smells, an immediate connection with the first person I spoke to. Something during the event bothered me though, and that was somebody wandering around with a massive camera taking photos, which made me feel uncomfortable. Consent is a really big thing, and I'll talk a bit more about that later on. Another experience I had was not finding the entrance to a building, and when I found the door, I was met by a staircase, and there wasn't a lift. So we'll have a few moments now for silent contemplation. An objective of the General Assembly is the service of humanity and respect for all creation. I'm also going to mention a few of the principles from the Unitarian Universalist Association, where they also declare the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and include justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, an acceptance of one another, and our encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations. And I'll be focusing a little bit on these three. I started out in the shoe shop and I could manage that, but my sales figures were particularly poor in the clothes shop. I'm terrible at dishonesty, and I just couldn't tell someone that they look good in the clothes they're trying on just to make a sale. When my colleagues would ignore certain people, like a teenager walking into the store, I'd be the one serving them just like anybody else because everyone is worthy of receiving that same level of customer service. Although my sales figures weren't the best at times, I was someone who customers would ask for or come to. Even after I'd left the job, people asked, Well, where's Shahna? In the language of that retail environment, a shopper is someone who might look around, buy something from you, and you might never see them again. They got what they needed. A customer is developed through a relationship of trust. They'll return to your place of business the next time they need to buy something. On the other side of that, once the shopper or customer has made their transaction, the seller moves on to the next person buying. I don't want us to be like that.

SPEAKER_03 25:45

Once they're in, we forget about them mindset.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Are you familiar with stories like, I sat with them for 20 minutes and gave them tea, and they didn't even sign up to the newsletter, or they didn't show up to the book group. They said they're interested. We sing the hymn, Come, come, whoever you are, affirming that everyone is welcome, whether they are a wanderer, curious about what's going on, receiving a moment of spiritual nourishment and leaving. They are welcome. There's a missing line from that poem that maybe we ought to sing, saying that even if a promise is broken a hundred times, sorry, even if you have promised a hundred times and a hundred times you've broken that promise, that's okay. Our doors are open. And when people do enter our spaces, remember that they don't have to be physically sitting in our circle to be part of a circle of love. The chair at the back, the hidden corner, the floor, wherever a person feels comfortable is absolutely okay. We can acknowledge them with a warm smile without needing them to sit next to us. People are not numbers, existing for raising membership, newsletter sign-ups. We are a spiritual movement, a spiritual, a religious movement. Our mission shouldn't be all about figures. Yes, that's important to keep us sustained and going, but we'll find, in my opinion, that that will happen naturally if we meet people where they are, no matter what is dwelling in their heart or the shape of their mind, however their body exists, how their spirit rests in that body. I feel we need to move towards selfless giving, generally serving humanity. In my humble opinion, the transaction should be between an individual and themselves, an internal transaction between you and what you hold as most sacred, where the receiving is a sense of being whole, a sense of joy, a sense of fulfillment. Building on the relationships you already have is important. Discrimination of any form creates a hostile environment. A safe space needs to first be welcoming, letting people know they are valued, heard, seen, and that message needs to be clear and in existence. When there's poor leadership, whether that's due to incompetence, abuse of power, or insecurity, it can create toxic conditions. Volunteers are key to this movement, but if they feel overworked, as often is the case, that a few people are doing a bulk of the work undervalued, what might happen? We need to make sure people are feeling creative, motivated, and inspired to carry on doing the work. I invite you to think about building good practice by looking at what you're already doing and what needs improving in maintaining health and work in your communities. You might like to search for a healthy workplace charter. I've had conversations with people who have said that they really want more young people in their congregations. And I have to question why. What is the intention? And I get responses back like, oh, we're tired, you know, people are tired of doing the jobs. Um, you know, I've been doing this for 10 years, you know, the treasurer's tired, the tea person's had enough. But that assumes a young person is fit and healthy and willing and able to take on those roles that need filling. I've lived with a health condition for over half of my life, and it's frustrating when people assume by looking at me that I'm okay, even after I've said I'm not well, I still get asked to do something. What we need, what is needed for younger people, is the space to explore spirituality, especially in this upturned world, as our title says. A space with intention of providing healing and nourishment for people. So let's focus on what people can offer us rather than what we want from them, their presence being enough. Can you notice where there are gaps? How can we fill them?

SPEAKER_03 30:58

We need to look at inclusion at all levels.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

Our cultural and our cultural upbringing and our personal experiences affects how we receive and how we interpret what is put before us. If we as communities are involved with issues that minority ethnic people deal with, it could bring in more people from an ethnic minority heritage. But Unitarian settings are rooted in whiteness and in particular, and a particular socioeconomic status. In an address delivered by the at the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly in 2000, Reverend David E. Bumble said, When Theophilus Lindsay founded the Essex Street Chapel in England in 1774, the faith he offered attracted the middle class and included amateur scientists and scholars like Benjamin Franklin. Priestley's Unitarianism grew out of rigorous intellectualism of the dissenting academies and was a movement of the merchants and scholars and the literary class. It included people like Priestley and Desireh Wedgewood and Charles Dickens and Florence Nightingale and Neville Chamberlain, none of whom were representative of the labouring classes. Unitarianism in England was the creature of a middle class as it reached it for respectability and access to power and influence. He goes on to suggest that Unitarians' class identity may be less the result of wealth than a consequence of the educational levels people have attained and value. It may be the style, the peculiar spirituality based on these dominant educational levels, rather than the theology which defines Unitarians as a movement. And where a lot of work needs to be done. Taking time out costs, as we've seen, how the pandemic has hurt the most vulnerable people. Last year, 2.5 million people used food banks. That's over 600, 600,000 more than the previous year. So we could think consciously where our resources go. How can we support people financially for retreats, for example, or training? And how can we be approachable about it when asking about it when asking for financial support isn't easy?

SPEAKER_03 33:37

Racial inequality can continues in many forms.

SPEAKER_01 33:41

The police crime sentencing and courts bill is highly racialized and will have serious ramifications for black and brown communities, Muslim communities, as well as explicitly criminalizing gypsy, Roma, and traveller communities. In our battle with a deadly virus, we may have forgotten the 2014 Ebola outbreak. It took five years to get a pre-exposure vaccine made. Five years. We were pretty quick to get the vaccine for COVID-19 because it impacted the privileged. Or was it genuinely because those lives are worth being preserved and cared for? The predominantly white congregations can be a challenge for some. Meeting someone who looks like someone who has caused a person harm can cause a lot of stress. So work needs to be done to create safe spaces with intention. And part of our mission could be doing much more outreach, doing work in the community and creating connections that will bring in a diversity of people. Disabled people are overlooked in the world of inclusivity. When the buildings we use aren't accessible, it sends the message. We didn't think of you as part of our community.

SPEAKER_03 35:23

If it was an option at school, I would have studied British Sign Language rather than French.

SPEAKER_01 35:30

And thinking about what Joe was saying yesterday about campaigning, I was like thinking, should I get people to help me campaign to bring this into schools? It's unfair for those with hearing loss to have to rely on lip reading. Unless you're a careful annunciator, words can be misunderstood. What to speak of being around masked people for 18 months? And when I've inquired about the presence of a British Sign Language interpreter for Sunday services, I've been told, oh, we don't have anyone who needs it. Even with its 80% accuracy and giving me much giggles on Saturday and last night, I'm glad that these summer school talks have closed captioning available. Unitarians were leaders in the struggle for equal marriage. The marriage same-sex couples act was passed in July 2013, and the first marriages of the same-sex couples took place the following year. Getting married or even cohabiting takes away a disabled person's eligibility for financial support, putting them in a vulnerable position. According to Safe Lives, a domestic abuse organization, disabled people typically experience abuse on average of an average of 3.3 years before seeking support compared to 2.3 years for non-disabled people. And after receiving support, disabled victims are 8% more likely to continue to experience abuse. So if there really is to be marriage equality, or if, or is there really marriage equality if disabled, if people with disabilities can't get married without losing their income, their benefits, their health and their health insurance? Access is a choice we as organizers can think about ahead of time. It's about having support structure to enable people with different abilities to do the things that they need to do. We're not always going to know what people need unless they tell us, but the environment needs to feel safe enough for people to speak up and let you know what they require. And aware that adjustments require money, and it's easy to say, well, we can't afford it, but what message does that send out? As a community, we need to push our leaders. We need to ask what we can do, what resources are available, can we start a fundraiser? If we truly regard the intrinsic value of every human, regardless of identity, we need to include every human and make sure nobody is an island. When someone is physically ill in the hospital, it seems to be easier for people to grasp. They know what to do, you know, bring their loved ones flowers, get world cards to help them recover quickly. But when someone opens up about their psychological challenges, maybe their specific struggle with suicidal thoughts, they may be labelled or shunned, they may lose their job, relationships, respect, sense of self-worth, and more. One in four people will experience mental health difficulties in some sort in a year. That would suggest that each of us knows someone with living with a condition. According to the Office of National Statistics, 21% of adults experienced depressive symptoms in early 2021, more than double what was observed before the COVID-19 pandemic. So, what to speak of those people who have been struggling and in hospital with psychological conditions. Loneliness and isolation is real, and the lockdowns have had a devastating impact on our emotional well-being. A lack of understanding, support, and access to mental health services makes facing challenges harder. I feel Unitarians are well placed to offer solace to well-being and spiritual seekers with our diverse and broad offering of worship, wisdom, and practices. As people begin to enter our spaces, we also need to practice empathy. It's a superpower. When we are able to respond with empathy, it could help someone from going down a devastating path. Our words and silence are powerful. They have the ability to heal just as much as our words and silence have the ability to cause so much harm. If someone refers to a husband, use the word husband. If they have a partner, use partner back. It's important that people are in control of the language they use. Ask open questions and don't assume. You could end up asking a recent widower, where's your wife? Or someone who's longing for a child, oh, where's your child?

SPEAKER_03 40:39

Do you have any children?

SPEAKER_01 40:44

One of the advantages of being on Zoom is that we can include our pronouns alongside our names if that's what we wish to do, and avoids us misgendering someone else. Misgendering is addressing someone by using language that doesn't align with their affirmed gender, referring to someone as she when they might identify as male. In the real world, unless we have name tags, we need to ask. I know for some it can feel daunting with the fear of getting things wrong. But mistakes are okay. Just accept when you are corrected, apologize, and know that you will do better. Our individual experiences of the pandemic have been unique to each of us. It has been restricting, but has offered liberation too. There are people who have struggled financially or because of health, and socializing costs money, you know, to go out to meet people or buy that drink. So being able to meet online on Zoom has offered people the ability to connect with others and space for international connection. Because of social distancing, before because of social distancing, people now check before entering another person's personal space, giving permission for those who don't want anyone in their space to say no thanks. But the pandemic shouldn't be an excuse. We need to ensure that consent becomes part of our culture, our nature, and that it's taken seriously. So to continue with seeking permission to enter someone's space, and including that person I mentioned earlier who wishes to sit quietly at the back. And to say that the pandemic is over to someone is not okay when they're trying to continue being cautious if they want to wear masks or keep distance. And on the matter of consent, when a person agrees to something, it doesn't mean that we can take their yes, you know, they said that yes, they said yes last time, attitude. Permission, consent, name, pronouns need to be sought every time we are checking in at a group or asking someone, asking something of a person. Jane mentioned on Saturday the value of engagement groups at the opening service, which are a big part of Hakler Summer School. And I'd suggest to anyone who hasn't experienced it to attend and learn more about them so that practices become part of our everyday lives. And I encourage facilitators to deeply consider how groups and meditation sessions are held. People have varying tolerances, some are survivors of trauma, and being pushed too far to engage with something like a meditation, especially if lights are low, can be profoundly damaging for a person. You might like to research window of tolerance. A term coined by neurobiologist Dr. Dan Siegel. That's window of tolerance. Using grounding and mindfulness skills sensitively can help people remain in the present. I know that those of us who who lead worship, facilitate groups, minister to the congregation are not psychological well-being practitioners. However, people seeking spiritual spaces often go there from a place of distress, usually a form of loss. And I'm not here to speak to grief healing tonight, but I will say that sometimes sitting with people in their suffering in silence is one of the most comforting things you can do. Obviously, if there's a real concern, signpost to a professional, it's always good to have contacts of mental health services. And in emergency, in an emergency, it goes without saying medical nine nine nine. Whether it's their words or their behaviors, whether they're right or they're wrong, their visibility visibility is noticed and responded to. And I feel we need to give voice to the silence. The ones who sit in the corner at meetings, who probably have something profound to say, take notice of who is speaking up. Are people aware of their privilege? Are we inviting those voices who haven't been heard? Well, that's a person of colour, disabled, female, those who identify as LGBT, those living with mental health conditions, people who are neurodivergent. We need to make sure that those voices are invited not just to the table, but to belong to our community. Our Unitarian forebears were persecuted for their liberal religious ideas. Although coming from a place of privilege, they were still marginalized. If we continue with holding that in our hearts, that our history comes from a place of experiencing persecution, having to hide, having to flee homes, we owe it to the campaigning history, as Joe mentioned last night, and actively welcoming marginalized people by doing the work necessary to be open. And I can't talk about welcome without mentioning displaced humans. I started writing this talk before the latest refugee crisis, and I'm holding a lot here right now. So just briefly, I wonder if part of our Unitarian mission should be about welcoming refugees, with all of us playing a part in our social activism, whether that's doing something like community sponsorship, whether that's offering accommodation, whether it's doing more private acts of activism, personal activism online, on online platforms, petitioning government leaders to help. Everyone has a right to be human, and we need to advocate for those who need it. Whichever subject matter that I just touched upon spoke to you. I suggest you continue learning, have conversations with others about how you could be a better ally, speak up, challenge ignorance and hate. My wish is for us to be an inclusive spiritual community, one that can feel truly welcoming and is constantly working to do better and being accountable for the times we fall short.

SPEAKER_03 47:50

I've talked a lot.

SPEAKER_01 47:52

Let's take a pause, have a short time for reflection, a stretch, a screen break, a break, whatever you need to do, and we'll listen to about three and a half minutes of music. I mentioned earlier the story of emptying our cups so we can hear with all our heart. But to do the necessary work, we need to fill our wells. So we're emptying the cups of our minds to receive and filling the wells of our core so we may give. As the barriers come down around our own hearts, we are less afraid of other people. We are more able to hear what is being said, see what is in front of our eyes, and work in accord with what happens rather than struggle against it. The Lozhong teachings or mind training say that the way to help, the way to act compassionately is to exchange oneself for others. When you can put yourself in someone else's shoes, then you know what is needed and what would speak to the heart.

SPEAKER_03 52:52

I used to want a pet tortoise.

SPEAKER_01 52:54

One of the things I like about the tortoises is uh is uh their amazing ability to retract their limbs when feeling like they would need to withdraw. It reminds me to turn inwards by listening to the signals of my emotions, my body and my mind, and have a conversation with what rests in my heart. We all need to look deeply and wholly within ourselves to heal, to be truth tellers and justice seekers. By helping ourselves, we can be a more inclusive society. In taking time to reflect and care for yourself, there is also work to be done for self-awareness, recognizing your privileges, whether that's gender, identity, sexuality, race, ability, socioeconomics, becoming aware of the shadows that you might be carrying. Jane reminded us on Saturday through Nadia Boltz-Weber's reflection about everything being too much and overloading our circuit breakers, that we are not built to act on every single world issue. Nadia shares my effectiveness in the world cannot extend to every worthy to be cared about event and situation. It's not an issue of values, it's an issue of mass. So I try to remember one, we're still living through a global pandemic, and that means the baseline of anxiety and grief is higher than every higher than ever and shared by everyone. The world is literally on fire. Literally, sorry, the world is on fire literally and metaphorically. But three, I have I only have so much water in my bucket to help with the fires. The more exposure I have to the fires, I have no water to fight. The more likely I am to get burned and inhale so much smoke that I cannot help anymore with the fire is close enough to fight once the bucket is full again. What we need to do is experience rest, love, time for enjoyable things, things that make each day worth living, each moment worth living, and be present in dancing, healthy eating, cooking, healthy sleeping patterns, playing, taking breaks, taking a deep breath. Finding beauty in your day. When we are spiritually healthy, we can work to heal wounds. Remember that filling our wells, maintaining our inner peace isn't a get about getting to a finish line. It's about the journey. If we can appreciate the journey, the progress we make, we can enjoy life. If we keep our energies high, others around us will change theirs. And this is how we change the world. If you are willing and able to, I invite you all to collectively raise your energies with me now by singing together, bringing our hearts to a holy place.

SPEAKER_03 58:20

I was just I was just trying to be like Kate.

SPEAKER_01 58:26

In the short time I've been involved in this movement, even though it feels like a lifetime, I've heard that it's a small movement and people talk. So I guess there's a Unitarian great grapevine that extends across the country. And when someone whispers, it's everywhere. Although I can appreciate that, but what I don't understand is when there's a confidential chat between very few people in a circle of trust, how parts of that conversation have gone across. It suggests to me that someone has grabbed onto that great bar and given a little shake. I feel like something that needs to change as well is that phrase. It's just more movement of people talk. Like I said, I'm fairly new and I don't know what that means. Sometimes it sounds like a threat. Don't say this. Be careful of your actions. Yes, we do need to be mindful of our actions if it's going to be damaging to someone. But if it's for one's own self and one's own well-being, like some of the things that I'm raising tonight, it feels more like a warning. You know, don't say that.

SPEAKER_03 59:33

People will talk about you, you'll be shunned, you'll never get anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 59:40

Spiritual teacher Radhanaatswami said, There cannot be love without trust. And there cannot be trust unless we take responsibility to act in a way that people can trust us. Satchit Ananda. Truth, knowledge, bliss. The Sanskrit words we heard at the end of the opening music, Satchit Ananda.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:07

Truth knowledge. Speaking to someone directly rather than relying on hearsay or that grapevine is probably a better thing to do.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:22

I mean, have you ever heard of that game or played that game Chinese whistles? You know what happens. Being genuine, being authentic, having knowledge, seeking truth, helps us to achieve joy.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:43

We live in a time of cancel culture.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

That is when a person, usually a prominent public figure, is culturally blocked from having a public platform or career because they've said or done something offensive. Cancel culture has become a tool for social action and holding people accountable. I'd like to bring that closer to home. If there's someone you disagree with, take a moment to contemplate what's happening for you. What does it stir up? Why shouldn't that person come to your congregation, to your Sunday services, be part of your committee? Can you respond to them without naming, blaming, and criticizing? Can we shift from a council culture to one of compassion? Compassion means to suffer with. So in that disagreeing, could we still work together, suffer together? Even people who annoy us, people who don't we don't vibe with, want to be loved, be at peace, be free from suffering. It's the most important thing we can know about another person. During this talk, we're not expecting to do a long meditation, but I wanted to just invite you, if you're willing, just to do a very short practice with me. Uh a metta bhavana practice. It normally takes about half an hour or so if we're doing it properly. Uh metta means uh loving kindness in Pali, an ancient Indian language when it's a rough translation is loving kindness. So I just invite you to just rest where you are, rest into the space that you're in. And we're just just going to do a very brief practice where we're going to send affirmations of kindness to ourselves and other people. So I'll just sit with you, sit with yourself and say, May I be happy, may I be well, may I be at ease, or whatever affirmations feel comfortable for you. And then think of someone you care about, someone close to you, a friend, a loved one, and say, May you be happy, may you be well, may you be at ease. Again, whatever words feel comfortable for you. And then just to think about someone you don't really know, maybe another face you've seen on the screen, you don't know who they are. And say to them, you might you can look at them on the screen if you like, may you be happy, may you be well, may you be at ease.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:34

Now maybe think about someone you don't vibe so well with.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:37

Just briefly, don't overthink it, don't worry about what about them has annoyed you.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:43

Just say out there, may you be happy, may you be well, may you be at ease.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:59

May we be determined to do better, to be better human beings, creating a more compassionate culture, going beyond religion and going into deep spirituality. It's been wonderful to be here with all of you, with all of you magical beings, with your divine lights spiritually connecting together. May we continue to plant seeds of change, influence and diversity and enjoy the love community brings.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:45

When the chalice is extinguished, may we keep the flame of love in our hearts, and may the light of that love shine on to others.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:00

You're true carless, true carless, a beautiful, all like a rainbow.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:21

Show me your smile. Show me your smile. Don't be unhappy, can remember. And I saw you laughing. But this world makes you crazy. And you take it all you can bear. Just call me up, cause you know I'll be there. I see your true colours shining through. I see your true colors, and that's why I love you. So don't be afraid to let them show your true colours, true colors, a beautiful all like a rainbow. I see your true colors shining through. I see your true colors, and that's why I love you. So don't be afraid to let them show your true colors. A beautiful I see your true colors shining through. I see your true colors, and that's why I love you.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:02

So don't be afraid to let them show your truce, true colors, a beautiful, so beautiful like a rain.