Friday 21 January 2011

Spirituality Workshops

Contemplative Prayer 
Wednesday 16 February 2011, 7 till 9 pm
Because many people do not believe in a personal God or in miraculous interventions, we find it difficult to pray. But prayer is not just about asking for things. It can be contemplative. It can be about communing silently with the universe, or self-examination, or holding loved ones in your thoughts, or increasing mindfulness. This workshop will look at different types of prayer, and invite you to create your own prayers, as well as spending some time practicing contemplative and centering prayer.

People of all faiths and none are welcome to this event. It is about how you develop your own ideas of prayer; it does not seek to impose any viewpoint.

Register for this event at UKSpirituality.org or Sign up for this event on Facebook

What do Lent and Easter mean to you? 
Wednesday 16 March, 7 till 9 pm
We will examine what Lent and Easter have meant to Unitarians and Christians down the ages, and what they can mean for us now.

The workshop will include Jungian perspectives, ancient pagan mythological parallels, and Christian mystical ideas.

Unitarians have traditionally disbelieved in original sin, vicarious atonement and the resurrection, but it is interesting to view the Easter story as a piece of mythology, and compare it with Jungian views of the process of individuation, and with myths of dying-and-resurrecting vegetation gods from the ancient pagan Near East.

Modern Pagans celebrate the myths of Ishtar, Adonis, Attis and Baldr, all of which involve a similar journey to the underworld.

Christian mystics and heretics have also viewed the Easter story differently.

We will also look at traditions of fasting and preparation, and ask if they are still relevant, or whether some other practice would be more appropriate for Lent.

Register for this event at UKSpirituality.org or Sign up for this event on Facebook

Cost
Free, but donations for tea & coffee and chapel funds gratefully received

Where?
TrowbridgeUnited KingdomBA14 8LY


Pledge of Quality

In every UK Spirituality event, workshop, course, or retreat that I lead, I will do my utmost to:

  • Welcome people regardless of race, ability, sex, or sexual orientation.
  • Welcome people of all ages except that a lower limit may be applied as appropriate.
  • Welcome new members and help them to feel at home.
  • Offer a safe space, characterised by acceptance and respect for all.
  • Make room for people of different beliefs, perspectives, and spiritual orientations.
  • Emphasize that there is no single answer to life's great questions, no one way of understanding the sacred element of life, and no one spiritual path that is right for everyone.
  • Offer opportunities for broad participation.

Sunday 16 January 2011

Mother Spirit

a prayer by Yvonne Aburrow

God our Mother: the source and origin of all life
Who is in both the starry heavens and the fruitful Earth
We sing to you of your beauty,
And we cry to you when we are in pain,
We whisper your many names into the night.
Your presence is everywhere
Your song is the music of creation, perpetually renewing itself,
Reflected in the patterns of Nature and the movements of the stars.
You feed us from the bounty of Nature’s store
And nurture us when we are in pain,
When we have hurt others,
And give us the strength to heal and forgive.
May we not harm the delicate web of existence,
But help to heal and strengthen it.
For yours is the beauty, present in everything,
The ever-changing beauty of Nature,
Throughout all existence
Amen.