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01-19-25 Weekly Gathering, “Living Your Spiritual Path” with Rev. David Hemphill

Title: “Living Your Spiritual Path”

Description: Ultimately, each of us journeys through life the same way: by starting at the beginning and finishing at the end. Our journeys diverge and become unique because of the paths each of us take. Our unique paths are the only paths we get to take: We are never somebody else, walking somebody else’s path, on somebody else’s life journey.

Although this metaphor of life as a journey is simple and common, it is also deep and complex. During this homily, we will explore our unique, individual paths to awakening and discuss pragmatic, actionable steps we can take to supporting ourselves and one another on different paths of awakening.

Reading: Laura “Joy” Bedford read from Chapter 45 of Tao Te Ching: An Interpretive Translation to Live By, by Regina Dawn Akers, and passages from A Mind at Home With Itself, by Byron Katie, The Experience of No Self, by Bernadette Roberts & Unveiling the Mystery (Unpublished) by David Hemphill.

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01-12-25 Weekly Gathering, “Beyond Duality Is the Thunder of Silence” with Rev. Beverly Toporowski

Title: “Beyond Duality Is the Thunder of Silence”

Description: Explore the nuances of how we come to live in a separation and how we have come to believe we can be separate from God while simultaneously understanding that this could never be. How can we understand and that there is no journey back to the Self? The illusion of having left begins with the belief in 2 powers. The Kingdom of Heaven is immediately revealed when thought ceases and Silence speaks.

Reading: Mary Dugan read from The Thunder of Silence by Joel Goldsmith, Chapter 4: “Who Told You?” pp. 41-50.

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01-05-25 Weekly Gathering, “Claiming One Self Anew” with Rev. Cyndi Krupp

Title: “Claiming One Self Anew”

Description: The New Year is an ideal time to consider letting go of what no longer serves and stepping into a “new” way of being. During this Gathering Rev. Cyndi Krupp will invite us to “Claim Ourselves Anew”, not by creating a new version of ourselves but through our willingness to surrender our false ways of identifying with that which is not true.

Reading: Rona Marren read an excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Voice of Knowledge by Don Miguel Ruiz with Janet Mills.

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12-29-24 Weekly Gathering, “Living in the Question: Following the Voice of Love to Recognition of the Self” with Rev. Michele Hojnacki

Title: “Living in the Question: Following the Voice of Love to Recognition of the Self”

Description: Many beautiful teachings reveal the “truth” of our identity, but do we truly know it ourselves? How can we come to know this directly? The exploration of self is not merely an intellectual exercise; it demands a deeper engagement with the Heart.

The true questions of the Heart cannot be answered by the mind, for the mind cannot carry us beyond the limits of its learning. The false cannot speak of truth. If you would “Know Thyself,” you must ask the silent depths within and listen for Love’s answer.

The journey towards self-realization invites us to pause and reflect, to explore the silent spaces where true knowledge resides. Through this journey, we can begin to peel back the layers that obscure our essence and allow ourselves to be guided by a profound sense of love and understanding. As we embark on this path, we may find that the answers we seek are not as far away as they seem.

On January 1st, a yearlong contemplative program will commence in the sanctuary dedicated to exploring our Hearts questions. We will use the Thoughts of Awakening as the springboard for our contemplation.

Reading: Sami Ross read from The Way of Transformation, Lesson 9: Question 1 – “How do you know if you are truly being guided?”.

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12-22-24 Weekly Gathering, “The Veil Laughs Last: Holy Wit, Experience Is Sleep” with Rev. Meg Reinhart

Title: “The Veil Laughs Last: Holy Wit, Experience Is Sleep”

Description: This homily examines the profound synergy between illusion and awakening, where holy wit becomes the sacred intelligence that perceives the dream of experience with piercing clarity. It delves into the nature of the veil—the semblance of separation that entangles humanity in cycles of sleep—and reveals how this veil, though seemingly impenetrable, can be dissolved by a lucidity that emerges not from effort but from unified recognition.

Reading: Jill Grace & Rev. Yoland Mapes read “May These Hypotheses Prove Useful, The Sleeper’s Flame” by Meg Reinhart.

 

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12-14-24 Weekly Gathering, “From Intent to Consent: Praying Without Ceasing” with Rev. Anne Blanchard

Title: “From Intent to Consent: Praying Without Ceasing”

Description: In every moment, prayer is happening. When we are listening to mind, we are praying for mind’s illusions. When, however, we are listening to our true intention – our desire for Truth – we are praying for Truth. In this week’s message, Rev. Anne Blanchard will share how in her current practice she has moved to what feels like a next stage, beyond intention to consent, that is, from listening to her true desire to listening from it.

Reading: Jai Segal read from Angelo DiLullo’s “Awake”. Starting from the first full paragraph on pg. 409 to the final full paragraph on pg. 414.

 

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12-08-24 Weekly Gathering, “A Contemplation On Discipline” with Rev. Melody Brauninger

Title: “A Contemplation on Discipline”

Description: Most of us have struggled at some point along the path, wanting to follow the mind’s prompts to engage in all sorts of activities, as a distraction from spiritual practice. Sometimes the distraction can even feel like we are “being spiritual.” Melody will talk about her recent contemplation on discipline and the inner wisdom that showed her that discipline is the way we are nurtured. We heal most gently and quickly by being fully present and willing in every moment to listen to the guidance of our inner wisdom. She will share ways she was shown to get help along the way.

Reading: Melanie Sloan read NTI – 1 Corinthians, ch. 8, NTI – Luke, ch. 3, v 1-20 & Inner Ramana: The Love Of Discipline.

 

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12-01-24 Weekly Gathering, “Material, Emotional & Spiritual Traps” with Rev. Billy Sintiris

Title: “Material, Emotional & Spiritual Traps”

Description: Rev. Billy explored the traps that keep us bound—materialism, emotional entanglements, and the illusion of spiritual achievement—revealing how they preoccupy and divert us from awakening to our true Identity.

Reading: Stephanie Baquerizo read from A Course in Miracles, Lesson 189, guiding us toward the mind’s final resting place and the choice to reclaim our true self.

 

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11-24-24 Weekly Gathering, “Practicing Mindful Activism” with Rev. Erica West

Title: “Practicing Mindful Activism”

Description: In a time of increased suffering from growing economic inequality, social injustices and polarization, what is our spiritual responsibility to activism? By looking at social justice through a dharmic lens we can use the spiritual wisdom of the Four Noble Truths to actively participate in the transformation of our society.

Reading: Rona Marren read The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh, Chapter 28 “Touching the Buddha Within”, Pgs. 418-419.

 

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11-17-24 Weekly Gathering, “Being Deeply Present to What Is Here” with Rev. Helen Avery

Title: “Being Deeply Present to What Is Here”

Reading: Inka Omholt read Sometimes, a poem by David Whyte & transcript of What to Remember When Waking by David Whyte.

 

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