Namaste to Knoxville

I don't understand violence and I don't understand hatred. This weekend's shooting (read first-hand accounts) in Knoxville hit close to home, since I am a part of the Unitarian Universalist community. Tonight my church, the UU Fellowship of Fredericksburg, held a candlelight vigil in love and support of the Knoxville community. We took our candles outside where we sang "This little light of mine" and "Tomorrow" from Annie. We shared our thoughts and grief. There was a powerful feeling of strength and solidarity between us and with the larger UU community.

I remember similar feelings of shock and grief when the shooting at the Amish school happened nearly two years ago (not to mention the VA Tech shooting, also so close to home). Who would want to harm the Amish, some of the most peaceful people in the world? My church was deeply touched by their response of forgiveness and love, and that is again the feeling that is emanating from Knoxville during this difficult time. Indeed, the front-page quote on the Tennessee Valley UU Church's website reads:

"Love is the spirit of this church and service is its law. This is our great covenant: to live together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another." ~ James Vila Blake

I was also touched by the observations of Annette Marquis, our district executive, who I met a few weeks ago at a leadership conference at my church. She has been helping the Knoxville UU community, and her experiences give a first-hand look at the response there. I encourage you to take a look. If you are also inclined to leave your thoughts and prayers for the Knoxville community, a blog and a Facebook group have been set up for that purpose.

A special note of thanks in my heart goes out to the members of Second Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, as well as the larger interfaith community, who opened their arms and hearts wide for the TVUUC members during and after this tragedy.

~~~

The liberal UU faith is getting more attention as a result of this tragedy. It is often difficult for UU's to explain our faith, since we allow each other freedom in finding our individual beliefs. I, myself, have been embarrassed recently by my inability to articulate UUism to a new friend (I'm so much better writing than speaking on the spot!), so I am working on that, especially since I now represent my church as the youngest member of our current Board of Trustees. I am also linking to a few other UU-oriented blogs that I have come across, Transient and Permanent and the Socinian, since they are more adept than I am currently in discussing UU issues and apologetics. Of particular interest to me were the Socinian's entries on Biblical Prooftexting for UUs and Reinterpreting John 14:6, which elegantly describes in intellectual terms the path my heart and spirit have taken.

Unitarian Universalism comes from a rich historical faith tradition and are bound by seven principles, which include a belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We welcome those from all faith (and non-faith) traditions, and there are those in my congregation who would call themselves Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Pagan, Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Hindu, and more, as well as those who would prefer not to be labeled at all. Our greatest bond is our love and respect for each other. I truly believe that when we act in Love, we are expressing the same Spirit, the same Source, the same God, no matter what name we give to it. In the immortal words of Mason Jennings (my new favorite singer/songwriter), "Look deep in your heart and know that we are one."

Voices of a Liberal Faith - Unitarian Universalists

"Let us commit ourselves to living out our theology. Let us celebrate being part of a reasonable and a passionate faith--a faith that requires us to engage deeply with moral questions. This work is difficult and the discoveries will be different for each of us, but we must always remember that is is through our most human quality, the ability to love, that we can touch the Divine. So may it be, and Amen."

The impeded stream

It may be that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings. ~ Wendell Berry, Collected Poems.

There have always been two places where I feel close to God through nature and where I find healing: the mountains and the ocean. I am learning that I need to retreat to both places regularly for the sake of regenerating my soul and spirit. And in general, my husband and I need vacations just for us. We have not had a 'real' vacation in 5 years. We have had many trips out of town, but mostly to visit friends or relatives at holidays, weddings, or more recently, a series of funerals. I have not sojourned to the mountains, except incidentally, in 9 years, although during our trips to Ferrum and Roanoke I did feel refreshed by being among the hills and mountains. I have not traveled to the ocean at all in 10 years, so that is where I set my attention this summer.

My gracious friend opened her home to me, which made the trip easy and affordable. It was a time to relax without guilt, to just be. I made it to Huntington Beach once, and to Buckroe Beach on the Chesapeake Bay three times. I attended three yoga classes, and had a lovely massage. I ate out alone for lunch most days at a lovely deli across the street where every attention was paid me, and for dinner either stayed in or ate out with Hope as company. Evenings I would snuggle on the couch in my pj's and silk kimono robe and read or watch television. On my last day we went to the cinema to the ultimate feel-good summer movie.

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play in your hair. ~ Kahil Gibran

The beach gave me just what I needed. The saltwater and sun are both healing to the body. I swam and floated in the sea, walked the long shoreline, and just listened and watched the waves crashing on the shore. The waves ebb and flow, one after the other, now quiet and now loud. Being near the ocean helps me deepen my breath--I often find I'm holding my breath or breathing very shallow especially during stressful times. I also think of the ocean often when meditating, as it helps me let go of stray thoughts when I think of each thought as a different wave that is just crashing on shore then washing away back into the stillness of my mind.

"Prana" is the Sanskit word for "breath" or "life-force", similar in meaning to the Chinese word "qi" or "chi", the Greek "pneuma," and the Hebrew "ruah" which refers to the "Breath of Life" in Genesis that created the world and the physical being of man. The practice of yoga (meaning "to control" or "to unite") centers around the breath and prepares one for meditation. In daily life, we often 'take a breather' or even just sigh deeply when we are stressed or angry and need to calm down and center ourselves. Is it any wonder, then, that I was instinctively drawn to the ocean and yoga practice during my retreat? I need oxygen in a big way, on all levels--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

The way our breath behaves within us becomes a dynamic metaphor for the way we move on the outside. Full breaths are characteristic of living a full life, and visa-versa. ~ Catherine Ghosh, The Breath of Bhakti: Pranayama from a devotional perspective.

By inhaling, we provide much-needed oxygen to our cells, and by exhaling rid our body of carbon dioxide. When we don't breathe well, we acidify our body, which opens us up to all kinds of dis-ease. I have larger-than-normal lungs, but due to my asthma I am using about 18% less lung capacity than the normal woman (with normal lungs) my size. I developed asthma and migraines around the same time as I was taking on more responsibility at work. (Coincidence?) Later, as the stress increased both at work and outside I developed heartburn, and high cholesterol. I got tired of the drug cocktail my doctors had me on and went to an herbalist to get to the root of the problem(s). It wasn't a big surprise when a BT assessment showed that my body was de-mineralized and overly acidic. Although I can't prove it, I am convinced that the majority of my health issues were directly related to stress. Add to everything a trough of depression that I can't shake alone (the body is so attached to the mind!).

Meditation, a better diet, exercise, counseling, and a less stressful and more fulfilling job are all in my program for better health, and I'm working on each one in degrees. My vacation filled a need, although it wasn't the instant cure-all that part of me secretly hoped for. But I got what I knew deep inside I really needed--stillness, awareness, time for simply being without guilt. After all, inner peace isn't hiding on some beach somewhere. Everything I need is inside of me, waiting to be expressed, interpreted, delivered, born again into my reality.

While remembering, yet again, this truth during my retreat, here is part of what I wrote:

Yet God has spoken to me this week. Through my yoga asanas, through the hands of the masseuse, through the friendliness and care of the Deli Basket staff, through the gentle company of a friend, through the persistence of a cat, through the rolling of the ocean, the rough sand on my feet, the sun burning my skin. And more directly through the printed word--reminding me that everything is connected--my emotions and my health, myself and the Universe, and the great religions of the ages. And even in loneliness and aloneness, in sadness and in boredom, God is there--I am there--I am. I am here, right now. I am here right now--God experiencing life as Heather. I have everything I need.

I may be, in this moment, an impeded stream. But that's okay. I'll observe this part of my journey; simply be here with it with a gentle, knowing joy. And when it's time to move on, I will do so, again with joy.

Namaste.

My friend made the paper with his tasty creations

Yes, it's Jim Daddy in the Martinsville Bulletin, in "The right attitude is the key to cooking for kids"--check it out.

Nice Asana

Yoga at Zenya was wonderful this morning. It felt great to get up and get going my first day here. I knew a lot of the poses from my other classes, and was challenged by a few new ones. I've lined up a few more classes and a massage for this week. It started pouring down rain while I was preparing for the beach, so that was postponed. For lunch I ventured to the Deli Basket, which is just across the street. The guys there are so friendly! By the time I left, they practically knew my life story. I had an egg-salad sandwich, the best potato salad I've ever eaten, and a strawberry jam cheesecake that was almost too pretty to eat. I think I'll go back tomorrow. The rest of the rainy afternoon was spent reading, napping, and being nuzzled by the resident calico cat, Sprinkle. Then grocery shopping with Hope at the farmer's market and Trader Joe's!! My first time at a Trader Joe's--we so need one in the 'burg! I made a favorite meal, pasta g viola, for our dinner along with ceasar salad and bread. Checked in with hubby, then curled up for more reading and channel-flipping.