In case you were wondering................

Many people want an audience more than a relationship.

Question of the day

What contributes to your forgetting your divine essence?

In case you were wondering..........

A human being is a seed of the divine with inherent worth and dignity waiting to germinate

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The question is not whether human beings have inherent worth and dignity but rather whether that inherent worth and dignity is actualized? It is latent, hidden, and must be realized. It is in realizing our latent worth and dignity that is the purpose of religious practice, not belief mind you, but practice. Osho calls this practice "meditation." Now days in some circles, this practice is called "mindfulness." I like to call it, "loving mindfulness."

Osho has said,

"Man is a seed, but just a seed – he is of great potential, but nothing is actual. The seed can die as a seed without ever becoming a tree, without ever coming to flowering. Man is a seed of light. But ordinarily man is not resplendent, man is not luminous, for the simple reason that the shell of the seed is hard and there are no windows. Man remains enclosed in himself; hence the darkness on the faces of people, in their eyes. But if the shell can be broken – and it can be – then great light is released. It is an explosion! That explosion brings ecstasy. That explosion brings you the eternal. That explosion makes you aware of your eternity,

There is no way other than meditation to break the seed. One has to go on hammering with meditation. One never knows how long it will take because each individual is different. No individual is predictable because people have lived different lives in their past and they have accumulated different personalities. A few people have very thin layers: just a little hit is enough, just the shadow of the whip is enough, not even the whip is needed. But a few people are really thick-skinned: unless you go on hammering, their inner light, their inner splendor, cannot be released. And one never knows how thick the layer is.

One thing is certain – it may take a little longer or a little less time, that doesn't matter – the shell of the seed can be broken, the breakthrough is possible. And that is the only hope for man because only through that breakthrough do you become aware that God is. Then life has meaning, significance, beauty, benediction."

Osho. First in the Morning: 365 Uplifting Moments to Start the Day Consciously, p.13

Third week of advent - Friday

Rev. Dr. Galen Guengerich, pastor of All Soul's Unitarian Church in New York City has written that gratitude should be at the center of Unitarian Universalist theology. There seems to be some social science to validate his position.

This emphasis on gratitude seems to be especially significant at this time of year, advent, when we remember the divine light that empowers our world. When we share that light in the expression of gratitude,  we experience a boost in joy.

Try it.

See what happens.

Let us know in the comments.

Question of the day

When peace and love come into your life, will other people be able to tell? How?

What matters the most to UUs

UUs covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. What does "free and responsible" mean? It does not mean, as is often misconstrued by outside observers, that UUs can believe just anything they fancy. UU faith is not based on anarchy, nihilism, and whims. Unitarian Universalism does have certain principles. It is not an unprincipled faith. Sometimes these "principles" can be thought of as values and these values imply that certain beliefs matter. What matters to UUs? In it's simplest form, it is Love of which we all are a part. This Love , in which UUs believe, is unconditional.

It is written in A Course In Miracles that "No belief is neutral. Every one has the power to dictate each decision you make. For a decision is a conclusion based on everything you believe." T-24.Intro.2:3-5

What is it then that you believe? And based on those beliefs, what do you value? A quick way to hone in the answer to these questions is to fill in this blank, "What matters the most to me in my life is ___________________."

It is written in ACIM, "To learn this course requires willingness to question every value that you hold." T-24.Intro.2:1

Are we willing to do this?  Unconditional Love is a most difficult teaching. Jesus said we should love our enemies, love the people and things that scare us. Our spiritual growth depends on it.