Neighboring Faiths

Today, we wrapped up a year of our Unitarian Universalist Neighboring Faiths curriculum which seeks to introduce UU kids to the religious beliefs of their neighbors. In our case this year, this included Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism (Presbyterians, specifically), Hinduism (with smaller discussions of Sikkhism and Buddhism), AME (African Methodist Episcopal, an American black Christian church), nature-based paganism, humanism, a review of UU, and Quakers.  We had class activities about different faiths, visiting speakers, field trips, and time for reflection.  It was an astounding year and I was so glad to teach it with three other co-teachers.  

I think I liked the Jewish, Islam, Hindu, and AME field trips the most, probably because they were least familiar to me.  And I liked our Muslim speaker most.  The kids least liked the Catholic and Presbyterian services--"too much Bible reading!"

Judaism (field trip):

• historic Torah--Survivors' Scroll for Bar and Bat Bitzvahs was 450 years old, surviving Holocaust in Czechoslavakia
• Ark by Ben Shahn; kids fascinated by Ark (where Torah scrolls are kept)
• MLK dedicated building in 1961
• story of the Menorah hand carved by student
• righteous and most righteous at the time, story of Noah and Abraham, who argued with God in name of justice
• in class, kids learned about Torah (first 5 books of the Hebrew scriptures) and Talmud (commentary); important prophets include Abraham, David, Solomon; minyan, or minimum number for service; kashrut (kosher laws) about pork and shellfish; yarmulke, tfflin; menorah as symbol of Judaism (not just Star of David); various holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Sukkot, which was occurring when we visited); differences between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform, especially as relates to women; a bit of the history of the Jewish diaspora across Europe and into the US; 

Catholicism (field trip):

• 8 altar boys
• 2 priests, a deacon, 2 lay ministers
• beautiful 19th-century Gothic Revival church
• lots of incense!
• Wise and Foolish Virgins--all well and good but you must convert and believe now!
• NO girls as altar servers because they can't become priests
• in class, kids had discussed rosary, Trinity, 7 sacraments (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Sacrament of the Sick, Marriage, Holy Orders)
• symbol: Crucifix

Presbyterianism (field trip):

• rainbow flag, refugee help, homeless shelter program
• focus on social action, justice, equality
• in-depth textual analysis of Nathaniel story, being known to God and knowing God--answering God's call "come and see"
• beautiful building--recycled telephone poles
• minister saw her stole as the yolk of Christ
• in class, kids heard about Martin Luther and Calvin; economic, political and religious focus of Reformation; stress on individual relationship with God, not through priest or Church; scriptural basis (Catholic church based on scripture AND tradition)
• symbol: cross

Islam (speaker and field trip):

• Belief in God/Allah; Prophets; The Unseen (angels, devils, etc)
• Islam is the religion; Muslim is the follower
• Five Pillars--belief, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimmage
• song about the months--Ramadan is holiest month
• Hijab--modesty; covers all but her face and hands; others don't wear headscarves and some wear niqab over entire face, also abaya/robe over close for some (see here); men were kufi/hats
• fasting--also about refraining from sin, not just food
• Prayer--ritual washing, prayer to Allah, bow, prayer to Allah, kneel, "Praise to God" x 3, and repeat from second prayer to Allah--5 times a day facing Mecca
• Hajj--pilgrimmage to Mecca in 12th month; ideally once in lifetime
• Koran--learn/memorize in Arabic, also many translations; Hafiz is person who memorizes it fully
• Service--same prayers for men and women but sit separately; long sermon, short prayer, over in about an hour.
• Bean pie!  African-American Muslim traditional food
• symbol: crescent

Hinduism (field trip):

• The four faces of Brahma, and the three main deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva
• The oneness and multifaceted aspects of God (which are either believed to really exist or to be symbols of life, nature, etc.)
• Rama and his story in the Ramayana; Baghavad Gita; Vedas; Upanishads
• Krishna and his incarnations when life on earth is out of balance between good and bad
• Elephant-headed god Ganesh; 
• pooja, the ritual offerings; 
• the animal spirits associated with the gods (and so there are many vegetarians); 
• samsara, or the wheel of suffering; 
• reincarnation; 
• karma, which is not some kind of universal scale of justice, but is more about the sum total of your actions (I've heard it described as intention)--so not "karma is a bitch";
• At the temple, we chanted OM , and other chants (shanti, shanti, shanti), plus two cycles of yoga forms (essentially what we would call salutation of the sun, downward facing dog, and others, called the Surya Namaskara);
• laddu, a sweet yellow ball with (usually) chickpea flour, ghee, sugar, nuts (almonds or pistachios), cardamom, and this one had raisins
• symbols: OM, 

Sikkhism:

• Punjabi religion founded in 15th century, not to be confused with Islam or Hinduism
• The 5Ks of Sikkhism--Kesh (uncut long hair); Kangha (small wooden comb); Kara (steel bracelet); Kachera (a type of undergarments); Kirpan (sword or knife); the Kangha and Kirpan are sometimes worn as little amulets in the turban.
• The ten Gurus
• One Creator, social justice, selfless service--they will feed anyone who comes to the temple and often deliver meals in times of crisis

Buddhism:

• Siddhartha Gautama:  mom dies when he is born; prophecy about becoming powerful warrior or influential guru; hidden from illness, aging, and death; studies to be an aesthete; Enlightenment--"all beings and I awake."
• The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path ("Middle Way")
• Three refuges:  Buddha, dharma, sangha
• karma, nirvana (enlightenment), samsara (wheel of suffering), bodhisattvas
• meditation
• Theravada--focus on Middle Way and nirvana, divided into samatha ("calm") and vipassana ("insight"); Mahayana ("great vehicle")--Pure Land and Zen, focuses on bodhisattvas; Vajrayana--Tibetan
• originally an oral tradition so no main text like the Bible or Quaran.  Sutras gathered in nikayas, which are part of the tripitakas ("three baskets," the Pali Canon)
• symbols: lotus, wheel, Buddha (elongated ears, wheels on hands, top knot of wisdom)

AME (field trip):

• African Methodist Episcopal (AME) founded when racism experienced in Methodist church in Philadelphia
• Church we visited formed by ex-slaves is 1818 and is second-oldest AME church in the world;
• Booker T Washington once spoke here;
• near a lookout spot for the Underground Railroad;
• focus on personal/experiential preaching, blending of music and spoken word, physical response to worship (hands raised, dance, movement in the aisles);
• very loud music--one song lasted 15+ minutes ("Way Maker" and "It Could Have Been Me")
• very traditional Apostles' Creed
• Matthew 21:2--about being tied up (by challenges) and let loose by God--what challenges you makes you worthy to be called.
• altar call, with one person saved
• offertory conducted by everyone filing past the box up front
• some women in gorgeous hats

Nature-based/Pagan (speaker):

• This is the only class topic that I totally missed because we had just gotten back from Italy.
• An email describing the class:  "I opened with brief overview of earth-centered religions, and the kids were pretty astute about why we see the earth as a "mother" and why this would be worthy of worship.  "Earth is a Mother" served as a good chalice lighting; 4 kids read a stanza each, and then I re-read it and we discussed its symbols.  They identified directions, we read "The Four Directions" while turning appropriately each way - and teacher drove home the point about how out of touch we are in so much of our lives with where we are on the earth.  She also spoke to the 7th UU principle, and the 6th source.  We used the photos and teacher had photos from the May Day celebration she attends each year, we discussed paganism, Wiccan, why there might be a focus in this domain on the moon rather than on the sun (tides, women's cycles tied to lunar cycles).  She talked about her experiences with shamanism, including sharing Tarot cards and some other practice elements.  We spent a few minutes outside, came back to the room, made a circle and shared thoughts and blew out the chalice."
• Later, I told the kids about the 8 sabbats and the Law of Three, the individual practice, folklore as a sacred source.
• symbol:  pentagram

Quaker (speaker):

• Did a silent meditation and encouraged students to share when they felt called to, a la a Quaker meeting;
• Watched two videos about Quakerism, including "What does George Fox Say?" (based on the hit song);
• Speaker compared Quaker meditation, where you ask for insight and listen for the "still, small voice," to Buddhist meditation, where you do not focus on a question or a thought.
• Speaker liked the very long silences
• liberal religious tradition but still very Christian

At the Hindu Temple

Today, our RE class went to a Hindu temple here in CT, having learned more about Hinduism last week from our RE director, who had majored in East Asian religions and lived in India for a year (his mother had been in the Peace Corps in India for 2 1/2 years; he was in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, I believe.)

He had told us several stories from Hinduism, about the four faces of Brahma, and the three main deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; about both the oneness and multifaceted aspects of God (which are either believed to really exist or to be symbols of life, nature, etc.); about Rama and his story in the Ramayana; about Krishna and his incarnations when life on earth is out of balance between good and bad; about the elephant-headed god Ganesh; pooja, the ritual offerings; the animal spirits associated with the gods (and so there are many vegetarians); Sanskrit; samsara, or the wheel of suffering; reincarnation; karma, which is not some kind of universal scale of justice, but is more about the sum total of your actions (I've heard it described as intention)--so not "karma is a bitch."

So today was our field trip.  We removed our shoes, saw the shrine to Ganesh, entered the main sanctuary, and did the prayer walk around the room, seeing each shrine and statues to the deities.  The kids asked questions, as did the adults, as we went.  The statues were from India, but the elaborate, gleaming white architectural niches were made here (no pictures allowed inside this area.)  We saw several people praying and making offerings at various shrines--Rama, Shiva, the Jains, the planets, and several others.  There was the sweet smell of incense and lots of ringing bells, plus chanting.  Also, another member demonstrated how ashes at the shrine of Shiva were put across the forehead, left to right; he compared it to Catholic Ash Wednesday.

Then we went downstairs to the Hindu school for the common prayers; we sat on mats or in chairs along the wall.  Led by students, we chanted OM , and other chants (shanti, shanti, shanti), plus two cycles of yoga forms (essentially what we would call salutation of the sun, downward facing dog, and others, each presented with their Hindu name and a short instruction, but I had the strong feeling that this was yoga as it was meant to be--within its spiritual tradition.  i just looked it up--it was a progression called the Surya Namaskara), and more chanting.  There were two presentations on temples by students--one in Tamil Nadu to Shiva and one KaliSa (I think.)  After the kids presented, they asked the gathered children and adults 4 questions--right answers were rewarded with candy!  Everybody liked this part and a couple of our students had a right answer.

Then we went upstairs where there was more chanting and an increasing number of people.  We watched for awhile, looked over a book they had on the temple and its prayer walk.  The curtain in front of the main deity was drawn because the statue was being washed (butter, milk, juice, honey etc., which is later offered as a blessing) and dressed; we hoped to see the curtain opened but think it happened later than we were there.  As we left, I did buy some laddu, a sweet yellow ball with (usually) chickpea flour, ghee, sugar, nuts (almonds or pistachios), cardamom, and this one had raisins.  I shared it around outside but the kids pretty much didn't like it, neither did the adults (well, I did, but I remember having it at my Hindu neighbor's house when I was a child.)

I think we have one major field trip left, to an African American Baptist church.  I've really loved this class.

The Weekend

We're watching the Super Bowl, though we have misgivings about the NFL.  And about the Patriots, even if they are widely loved up here.  The kids wanted to understand football and what all the other kids are excited about, so it's on and we're sorta watching.  I've explained the mechanics of the game. And we're evaluating the ads.  Liked Toyota's ad on the Paralympics. And Chris Hemsworth promoting Australia.  Not impressed with Dodge Ram using MLK's words to sell trucks, a focus on "service" or not.  The meanness of the Cure ads were funny, just barely.  And we're ready to see Solo. We liked Justin Timberlake at the half, though we didn't know most of his songs.  Bud liked his dancing, which is like the moves of the K-Pop band BTS that he likes so much.  We liked the tribute to Prince and the Trolls song.

Otherwise, it's been a busy weekend.  Mama worked from home Friday and we were able to have lunch together at a local Indian buffet.  As we were driving to the restaurant, I spotted a lump on a branch in a tree by the river.  An adult bald eagle!  Mama turned around and we were able to cross the road to see the beautiful bird, still at a safe distance from us.  I even got a few pictures.  You could see its head moving back and forth, presumably as it scanned for lunch, because several minutes later, it took off.  Gorgeous.  In fact, now we've seen eagles in pretty much the same area three days in a row--one on Friday (twice--before and after lunch!), two on one branch--one adult (with the telltale white head and dark body) and one juvie (splotchy brown but still really big) on Saturday, and then one adult today.

And of course we're rooting for the Eagles!  Friends think it's a sign that there are Eagles in New England territory!

Friday night, the kids had a birthday party dance to attend--one of the first kids to turn 13 in their group.  Mama enjoyed our second "date" of the day by eating pizza and watching Wings of the Dove, featuring lovely Venice.  Saturday had Sis helping with pony rides and Bud performing in a kung fu show for Lunar New Year.  Today we were similarly split, with Bud off for another performance.  Sis was supposed to go to speedskating, but her tummy was upset so she stayed home.

Ponies and horses are a bittersweet topic around our house these days.  We learned a week or so ago that the farm where Sis rides is going to send her beloved leased pony Murphy back to his owners in Vermont because he's too old to be ridden often and is having some leg troubles.  Sis is heartbroken.  We are heartbroken.  He was her first pony, pretty much, and can't ever be replaced in her heart.  And so she wants to see him as much as possible but knows that time is limited.  He'll probably leave in March.  Her coach has invited Sis to go to Vermont to help choose the next horse to come back to Connecticut.  And while she's sure she still wants to lease and loves horses, she's just so sad when she thinks of them right now.  It's going to be a tough month.

Okay, confession:  this is going to be long because I already wrote it as one of my papers for my CPE.

I had a wonderful experience in the religious education (RE) class I co-teach.  As I think I've explained, this year the focus is on the “Neighboring Faiths” curriculum, which requires participants to learn about various religions in our area, speak with their practitioners, and, when possible, attend a service.  Thus far, the class—with our kiddos included—has visited a rabbi from a conservative Jewish synagogue, a Roman Catholic mass, and a Presbyterian service.   This class is particularly important for Unitarian Universalists (UU) because we value the voices of prophetic men and women from many faiths.  We also recognize that we live in a global community and believe that multicultural competence, including interfaith dialogue, is an important part of being a citizen of the world. 

We have been preparing to visit a mosque and so met last week with a Muslim woman (NOTE:  Islam is the religion; Muslim is the practitioner) who travels the area teaching “Islam 101.”  She gave a wonderful presentation to our students, explaining core beliefs, the Five Pillars (belief, prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage), the reasons behind and techniques for the wearing of hijab, the timing and format of five prayers a day, the gestures and verses that comprise those prayers, and more.  She taught the children how to sing a song about the months of the Islamic calendar, recited many of the 99 names of Allah, and shared with us some sweet bean pie, a traditional African-American Muslim dish.  She spoke of her love of scarves and different editions of the Quran.  She even showed us her special app that alerts her to the time for prayers each day and also orients her towards Mecca for those prayers.  The kids were fascinated by the niqab she passed around so that we could look through the sheer material that would cover a woman's face and intrigued by the bowing and kneeling and rituals of her prayers.  As she had hoped, she made Muslims seem just like everyone else—not weird or scary or dangerous.  And she thanked us for inviting us because she believes it will help our world if we all understand and respect each other. 

On Sunday, we visited a local mosque and met their Imam, youth director, and young members of their community.  We were welcomed heartily into the mosque, removed our shoes as a sign of respect, and then sat in chairs in the main room.  The Imam talked to our group about the basis of Islam, focusing on the Six Pillars of Belief (as opposed to the practices of the pious that we learned about the week before):  1.) God (the Oneness of God, as opposed to the Trinity) 2.) Angels (“The Unseen,” like Gabriel 3.) Sacred Books (The Quran, but also the Torah, Psalms, and Gospels--aka Bible) 4.) Prophets (The Quran names 25, including Abraham, Noah, Moses, John the Baptist, Jesus, Mohammed is the last.  Jesus is not meant to be worshipped, only a messenger) 5.) Judgment Day (there are three lives—spiritual life before birth, terrestrial life, and then resurrected life after Judgment) 6.) Free will (God knows everything, but we choose.)  The students in our class were overwhelmed by all the teachings—especially when one of the adults tried to ask about jihad and Sunnis and Shi’ites. The Imam was very careful and clear in his disavowal of violence and hatred between faiths and races.  But he was talking to such a young group that many of them didn’t understand his words in quite the same vein as the adults.  Soon we shared doughnuts and the kids from both youth groups were smiling!   The Imam also based out thematic translations of the Quran in English to each student and adult present.  (We were all surprised to hear the telling of Jesus’s birth, when he spoke out as an infant, which appears in the Quranic book of Mary.)

We also witnessed the afternoon prayer, starting with the Athan called by the youth director.  I remembered my college summer in Tunisia when I was on an archaeological dig in Carthage and we could hear the calls to prayer resonate across the city from its many minarets five times a day.  Then, with the Imam going first, the long row of men and a shorter row of young women further behind, bowed and knelt repeatedly to pray.  In all, it lasted about 15 minutes.  Though, the Imam didn’t point it out, I could see the door to the area for ritual cleansing that many of the men who had stopped by for the afternoon prayer entered.  Apparently, there is a separate room for women—for their privacy, the Imam said—but they do not have to pray in there but can pray in the large room.  Still, the rows in front are for men, to protect the modesty of the women, who are behind.  (We had noticed separate entrances for “Brothers” and “Sisters” but they did not insist on their use today and had us all come through the Brothers’ door.  Also, one of our female teachers went to shake hands with the youth director who politely declined touching her.)  We were told later that it is important to pray close together—even touching feet—because it consolidates the spirit of the prayer.  I wondered why the men were so close together (even the carpet, with its decoration demarcating separate but small spaces, like individual prayer rugs.)  At our UU church people would never sit that close to anyone but spread out as a form of politeness and personal space.

I'm really loving this RE class, especially when we're looking at religions I don't know as well, like Islam.  It was all really interesting and great for the kids, and for me in my work as a hospice chaplain.  Soon, we'll study Buddhism, visit a Hindu temple, meet with some Quakers, and go to an AME church.

Lots of Little Things

I haven't made any final decision on the blog and, since I have a few stories, I'll post them.

Yesterday, at the drive-thru, the woman on the intercom greeted me in Spanish.  She apologized and switched to English.  When I pulled up to the window, she apologized again, profusely.  I asked, "Are you apologizing to me for greeting me in Spanish?"  Yes, she said; sometimes she gets confused switching back and forth.  I asked if she were bilingual and, when she said yes, I told her that was wonderful and she never needed to apologize.  I said I would have answered in Spanish if mine were any good.  But as I left, I said "gracias."

Last night, our Cadette troop helped out at the local food pantry.  When we arrived, more than an hour before it opened, there was already a line of 20+ people.  Inside, there were six rows of shelves, with a a few selections per aisle, and unlimited produce while it lasted.  A family of four could get some dried fruit, some canned fruit, 2 boxes of pasta, one box of cereal, two cans of tomato sauce, a jar of cocktail sauce, peanut butter, some meat or cheese or eggs, and a bag of day-old bread.  For a week.  Not much food, not much choice, no real brands.  And some of the clients were homeless, which means they only really could take food that didn't need to be cooked--apples, raisins, cereal, peanut butter, bread.  Others, were confused--I had to explain cocktail sauce to numerous clients--what were they going to do, run out and buy shrimp??  These weren't exactly foods that you could make a lot of different meals with--a family of four could perhaps make cereal breakfast, two spaghetti dinners, and perhaps chicken drumsticks with cocktail sauce.  We ran low on pretty much everything as the evening progressed, so that the only fresh vegetable was onions--and some took 20 or more, I'm guessing for soup.  Meat and eggs ran out, too.  The people at the end of the session had almost no choice.

I know that many of the clients work (and maybe that's why they came at the end of the evening); food insecurity hits more than just people who are unemployed or homeless.  Many brought small children.  Most were minorities (African American or Latinx), most were women, young and older.  There were a few white people, who had clear signs of mental health issues and learning disabilities.  As Sis noted, several clients smelled like cigarettes; I smelled urine, too.

It was very eye-opening for the troop and for the adults.  The girls were mostly sad--sad that people were hungry, sad that people were poor, sad that there was so little.   I was surprised at how little food they got, especially given that they only came once a week. And the quality was very low.  I know my family is privileged--I think I didn't realize how much.  I'm sure we waste more food than these 115 or so clients and their families get.  And, in the current political climate, there will probably be less rather than more.  I mentioned to one of the moms that I would have loved if some of the dads--many of the dads are Republicans, though married to Democrats--had been there, though I can just hear the racism and classism ("I work to take care of my family," etc.)  And then if the GOP takes away healthcare too . . . . The girls were very mature, very hardworking (they carried bags and helped  clients figure out what they could take)--the volunteer coordinator couldn't believe they were seventh graders.  They were pretty quiet as they left after two hours of work, but dedicated to coming back to help at the pantry and later cook dinner at the soup kitchen.  And I think I'll be making more deliveries to the food pantry (though, they said cash is best so they can buy in bulk.)

Otherwise, I've been taking it slowly this week, mainly because I twisted my knee last Friday at hospice.  I thought it would stop hurting with some rest and wearing the little brace I have--I do this about every five years or so--but it's gotten harder to walk and I've even canceled going to hospice tomorrow.    I have an appointment to see my ortho next week and am still taking it easy.  Blah.  I'm pretty sure it's just a muscle thing but better to check.

It might as well be this week because I'm spending a lot of time online doing my Chaplaincy Care Volunteer training class, through Healthcare Chaplaincy and the Spiritual Care Network.  It's an online, introductory course for some continuing education credits; though I've been a hospice volunteer for five years, I'm taking the class to learn more of the theoretical underpinings of hospice and to explore the organization before I apply to do their Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) unit
(which is much more involved--about 400 CPE hours vs. 18 ce credit hours) in the spring.  So, I've spent every morning this week doing the readings, watching the videos, and doing the assignments.  Not surprisingly, many of the assignments are reflective not the regurgitation of information.  And I've found it fascinating.

For instance, the discussion of spiritual distress clarified for me that I experienced such distress after my emergency abdominal surgery, which was a reminder of mortality. And my secular humanist, Buddhist-inspired Unitarian Universalism is not all that comforting about the afterlife.  I don't believe in heaven (or hell); I do not believe in an omnipotent, omnipresence authoritarian godhead.  Pretty much, when I die, I'm dead. And that's not all that comforting.  So for awhile after surgery, I wondered if I could change my beliefs to something with more of an afterlife, and, in the end, I just can't.  I go back and forth about the divine light inside of each of us, which rejoins the universe after death (because energy cannot be destroyed, accoring to our current understanding of physics), but it's not me.  And it's not my life.  As a parent with relatively young children, I find it very difficult to think of leaving them permanently now (even just thinking about it, much less being faced with it really), hence the distress.  How did I overcome it?  Hospice work helps and distance from the precipitating event allows me to go back to ignoring it on such a visceral level.  I'm hoping as the kids get older, as I get older, or if something forces my hand, that I will become better at thinking of leaving this life.  It's a practice.

About that little divine light within each of us; I'm thinking of it metaphorically.  It's been called our spirit, our soul, "this little light of mine." That which enlivens us, differentiates us.  Namaste. "The light in me recognizes the light in you." In me, it flares up at the smiles of my family, a beautiful sunset or view, the national anthem or other pageantry (like the Olympics), when I sing a touching song, when my cats purr.  It draws me to community, to service, to compassion, to love.  When I'm angry or sad or regretful or guilty, it darkens.  Yep, all those tried and true light vs dark metaphors (though as a white woman, I reognize the trouble in associating light with goodness, hope, etc., and darkness with the opposite.)  When my UU RE class visited the local synagogue this Sunday and spoke with the rabbi, he spoke of the divine light that Jews believe is present in them, first breathed into us by God with Adam.  There is no hell; when someone dies, the spark rejoins the divine.  The rabbi mentioned that this interest in a divine spark, an internal, eternal light, comes from the East and in that way is similar to Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.  (BTW, I personally got teary on that field trip when a young woman from the synagogue practiced her bat mitzvah portion on the synagogue's 450-year-old scroll that survived the Holocaust.  This Torah now helps initiate a new generation of young Jews.)

I'm also reading a book by John Pavolitz, the progressive Christian preacher who is active on social media in excorciating #45, the GOP, and religious extremists who hate on LGBTQ, feminists, and others.  I grew up in a family that was, at best, disinterested in Christianity (and all religions), if not somewhat hostile.  Even at a young age, I saw a lot of hypocrisy in the Southern Baptists I knew.  As I grew older, I saw more--people were religious but didn't seem to live out the values of mercy, charity, faith, love, etc exemplified by Christ.  Certainly, now that I'm an out lesbian, I see even more hypocrisy and quite often wonder then, why do people bother to be Christians then?  Except reading Pavolitz's new book, Building a Bigger Table, I'm starting to understand the appeal of Christianity, at least as Pavolitz describes it--a table with legs of radical hospitality, divesity, beloved community, and  . .. oh, I'm forgetting the last leg.  Still, those are all wonderful things.  Now I don't know much about Jesus--and I don't believe in a supreme being, much less his holy incarnation on earth and so I won't become a Christian--but I can appreicate the core values as Pavolitz sees it.  He also talks about the light inside of us, which reaches out to others.

And today is Diwali, the Indian festival of lights . . . and the chalice is the symbol of Unitarian Universalism . . . so I have light on my mind.

What else?  I learned about reminiscence therapy, where you guide older people, especially those with memory loss, through significant life events, like school or marriage, using objects (e.g. a wedding veil), music (wedding song), scent (fresh flowers), etc.  I actually had the opportunity to try it with one of my hospice patients that afternoon, as she had a letter about a family member's recent wedding.  So, we talked about her wedding, back in the 1940s, after the war.  A chuppah, breaking the glass, a white dress, and how it all started the family that loves and surrounds her today.  Also, one of the videos, this time on prejudice and professional, featured a therapist who said there are no first impressions--every time we meet someone new we are reminded of people we've met before or lessons we learned from our family and/or culture (such as racism) and so we have prejudices that are very hardwired and hard to overcome; as professionals, it would be our job to see these thoughts and then just set them aside. (As we say in Buddhism, don't believe everything you think.)  My first thoughts weren't about my own prejudices with regards to other people but how such prejudices affect how I see myself--how much I berate myself for being overweight, for instance.  I have a very strong, very negative inner voice that rarely quits (especially this week with my knee hurting), even when I can examine the thoughts and try to let them go.  I am much nicer and more understanding, for instance, about everyone else's body issues; just not mine.  As for prejudices I might carry with me to hospice, ironically, I used to be anxious about talking to elderly people because I couldn't understand them (on, say, Girl Scout visits to nursing homes) and would avoid it; I would rather have spent time with children with special needs, say (like when I worked at various camps.)  Well, now I spend a lot of time with sometimes very hard to understand elderly people!  Of course, the most obvious prejudice is racial.  I carry that baggage, too, but consider myself, to use the parlance, newly "woke." Or, perhaps, awakening.  I try to stay aware of my privilege and the challenges of non-white or non-privileged people, based on race, ability, income, gender etc.  I hope it doesn't affect my hospice work.  For instance, I do become very aware of racial issues (and am a bit uncomfortable) when I'm singing Harry Belafonte songs with Carribean patois lyrics to my white patient who loves those songs, in front of her Jamaican personal health aide, who sometimes sings and dances along!  But I will enter any room where I'm welcomed and treat the person in the bed and the friends and family around with all respect and dignity.

Whew! I think that's probably enough for today.

Talking Faith

Today at Hospice, a Jehovah's Witness proselytized to myself and my fellow spiritual care volunteer about her faith.  I'm not sure how often I've been on the receiving end of such a strong impulse to convert me (even my Mormon friend doesn't try that!)  But she was so dedicated to her faith, supporting her through the death of her spouse.  I couldn't agree with her about her Savior and his Resurrection, but we all agreed on the importance of hope and community, which permeate most faiths.  We just give the light that sustains us in the darkness different names. Christ, God, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Spirit, Love, Mother Nature, Beloved Community . . . even science and humanity.  Afterwards, I spoke with my colleague, who is Jewish (and so was equally unmoved by the conversion attempt), and we continued our discussion of faith, hope, and community and how we functioned in a predominantly Roman Catholic environment. She likes Psalm 23 but rarely recites the Lord's Prayer, since it isn't about honest or true connection for her.  I've done the Lord's Prayer and "Amazing Grace" but not the Catholic blessing with the cross on the forehead.  For both of us, listening to patients and their families, truly connecting with them, serving our communities is a main tenet of our faiths, above and beyond communion, salvation, and witness.  Beyond this deep conversation, we talked kids and Connecticut.  I'm going to enjoy working with her.

The conversation reminded me of church, where I'm teaching RE this year--the kiddos' class, even.   "Neighboring Faiths" is the curriculum, which introduces kids to other religions--Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Catholicism, Protestantism--through visitors and field trips.  I'm really looking forward to it, which is why I volunteered to teach (it'll help with my hospice work, too, even if most patients are RC.)  I think it's really important for the kids, too.  I learned through going to church with childhood friends--whoever I spent the night with on Saturday, I'd go to church with on Sunday (mostly on the Protestant spectrum, though--Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Southern Baptist, some Catholic, and my Hindu neighbors, though they didn't go to temple much.)    The kids groan a bit about going, but they know it's important to me.  And maybe, years from now, it will help them in their own discussions of faith and interactions with people of other faiths.  Or, they might even change faith communities.  Okay, sure, I'd be shocked if they became Catholic--like my cousin did, becoming a monk even--but I think as long as they kept to the spirit of UU principles--the worth of all beings, the importance of community, the responsible search for truth and justice, the respect for different sources of wisdom--well, it'd make for some good conversations.

Besides, having a better understanding of Catholicism will come in handy for our trip to Italy in the spring!

Peace and the Interconnected Web

I forgot that I was the lead teacher in religious education (RE) this week until about 15 minutes before we had to leave, late, for church.

Spirit Play is not the kind of curriculum that you can pull off last minute.

Except I sorta did.

I brainstormed on peace in light of recent worldwide events, namely Paris, but also Kenya, Beirut, and so on.

This led to the story of Sadako Sasaki and the thousand peace cranes, which is a touching story about war, loss, children, action, hope, and, above all, peace.  And origami is a great project with all ages.

That led to the idea of the interconnected web of all beings, our seventh principle.  A yarn web.  This is a standard Unitarian Universalist (and also Girl Scout) bonding activity, as it's a metaphor for connection, interdependence, teamwork, and the like.  Plus, it's beautiful.

So, we started class with our usual chalice lighting, which happens to be Gandhi's prayer for peace:

Gandhi's Prayer for Peace
I offer you peace.
I offer you love.
I offer you friendship.
I see your beauty.
I hear your need.
I feel your feelings.
My wisdom flows from the highest source.
I salute that source in you.
Let us work together.
For unity and peace. 

Mahatma Gandhi

We shared our class Joys and Concerns.  We followed this with a brief metta meditation for the safety, health, happiness, and ease of all living beings.

I introduced our topics of peace and interconnection, lightly, with gentle references to world events because we have very young pre-K kids and more mature 7th graders, and a few in-between.

Then we did the yarn web.  We pulled it, loosened bits of it, stretched it, admired it, and finally dropped it.  Not stressing the metaphor too much.

I retold the story of Sadako and her one thousand cranes.  And they all opted to do origami as their class work, though I also had materials for Tibetan prayer flags.

We all sat around the table with a pile of origami paper and a few books.  Bud and the seventh-grader attempted the actual peace crane, which is a complicated fold.  The littlest girl did several flapping butterflies, really getting the hang of the pattern by the end.  Sis and another classmate folded pinwheels, while my co-teacher folded a tiny pinwheel, impressing us all.

 We talked of origami and other things, enjoying our joint activity.

By the end, both Bud and Sis had vowed to make 1000 of each of their designs, just like Sadako.

And tonight, they were still working on their projects.

Now, that's what I call a successful class--it stayed with them.  Whew!

Spirit Play: Labyrinths and Mandalas

We're well into our religious education (RE) year at our Unitarian Universalist church, where we're teaching the Spirit Play curriculum.  It's a kind of Montessori, learner-centered approach to RE the privileges storytelling and hands-on activities.  It's just our first year using Spirit Play and we only watched some videos and studied the manual; so let's call it Spirit-Play-light, since we don't have lots of felt manipulatives, pure retelling of the stories, and "I wonder" questions.  Still, we let the kids work their way through our theme using a few carefully designed and selected activities (though probably a little too much information and explaining; it's an extra challenge because our age range is 5 to 13.)

A few weeks ago, following another teacher's lesson on Sacred Spaces, I led a class on labyrinths.  I read a story entitled Ladybug's Labyrinth, which dealt with a little lost bug who follows a labyrinth and is able to calm down and not feel so lost, and we talked a little about personal sacred spaces (vs. communal ones) and meditation.  Then the kiddos had their choice of work:  making tape labyrinths on the floor, learning to draw a labyrinth, and using two of the labyrinths I brought (one finger, one ball maze.)  The eldest student worked on the two handheld labyrinths while my kids and the younger ones all worked on the large tape labyrinth on the floor (using the how-to-draw directions.)  Then they took turns racing around it like a race track.  We adults went through, too, much more slowly, but the little ones were more intent on the dizzy buzz they got running through it.  And that's okay.  (They did each try it the slow way, a least partly.) They all finished the class by drawing their own labyrinth on a white paper plate, thereby making their own finger labyrinth.  I wish the story had been stronger, but the kids had a good time, even if the whole idea of internal, personal, meditative space (or even labyrinths as metaphor for life's journey) got a little lost.  But experiencing the shape itself was very compelling for all of them.

Bud's

Mine

Today, I built upon the meditative practice of labyrinths by leading a class on mandalas.  We talked about mandalas as a (radially-symetrical) circle made by many religious traditions to aid in prayer, particularly Tibetan monks who make intricate ones out of sand, only to blow them away instead of keep them.  Impermanence.  It's also the time of death and dying--waning light, fall leaves, and Samhain, Day of the Dead, All Souls/Saints, and, of course, Halloween--when so many people feel more connection to those who have gone before us.  And we read Grandad's Prayers of the Earth, which tells of one grandfather explaining prayer to his grandson, who only really understands once his grandfather has died.  Prayer in this book as divined, briefly, as anything that connects one to the larger beauty of life, be it stillness, movement, laughter, song, or words spoken by grandparents . . . .

Sis's

And so we walked through our church's "backyard," stopping for a moment of silence by the stones of the Memorial Garden, where congregants' ashes are sprinkled.  We also picked up materials to make our own nature mandalas.  The kids worked separately and so diligently . . . and with the wind, we all experienced the impermanence of our art form.  And perhaps the older ones understood the metaphor.  At least the mandalas lasted long enough to show parents and take photos (because you know us humans, always trying to stop the impermanence.)

We called these gorgeous things "mandala leaves" for the layers of color.  No idea what tree they're from.

I'm not sure what I'll do at my next class in two weeks.  Maybe something on gratitude.

So UU

I had a wonderful time at RE class (Unitarian Universalist Sunday school) this weekend, where we discussed the story of Joseph.  And it was so funny how UU the kids were, because

• they all knew Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; 
• they were more interested in the fact that the story we read lists all of Joseph's brothers' names and then leaves the sister unnamed, which really got the kids riled up (it's Dinah, actually.)