With Head and Heart
“Humboldt soaked up the tropical scenery. Everything was so new and spectacular. Each bird, palm, or wave ‘announced the grand aspect of nature.’ It was the beginning of a new life, a period of five years in which Humboldt would change from a curious and talented young man into the most extraordinary scientist of his age. It was here that Humboldt would see nature with both head and heart.” (Andrea Wulf, The Invention of Nature)
The brilliance of the world reveals the brilliance of human being.
Snakes in the Anthropocene
Volunteer Fair following the Sunday Service
This Sunday, we welcome Dr. Melissa Pilgrim to share her research, with a special focus on the connection between herpetology and environmental change.
Dr. Pilgrim writes:
"We live in a world of large-scale environmental change in part driven by human activities on the planet. A major issue we face is the biodiversity crisis; species are going extinct at rates many refer to as the planet’s sixth mass extinction. It is hard to come to consensus regarding the significance of species loss. I will use snakes, an often misunderstood group, to demonstrate connections of species to their – and our – environments. I will discuss the role of snakes in our world, including their contributions to medicine, technology, ecosystem functioning, and as indicators of environmental health."
Holding the World Together
The Oneness of All Things.
A Circle Round the Earth
Water Communion / Ingathering of Waters
Bonnie-Lee Mizzell and Martha Corbin, two pieces for violin and piano
Celebrate our return from summer adventures with our annual intergenerational Water Communion, the ingathering of waters. Bring water from your travels or from your home. During our service, we will pour water from our many sources together, creating a unity of our differences greater than the sum of our parts.
Holding Together Opposites
"Ouroboros appears as the snake that surrounds the world, the world serpent. It recurs in the ancient myths of Babylon, in India, in Africa and Mexico, in the sand paintings of the Navajo, in the occult documents of the Gnostics, on the amulets of gypsies...." (from The Forest of Symbols)
The Snake that Holds Its Tail in Its Mouth:
a symbol of world mythology that challenges us
to make whole that which is fractured,
to hold opposites in creative fusion,
to travel the cycle of time again.
A Godless Spirituality
"Spirituality" is a slippery, subjective term meaning different things to different people. Rather than regarding it as supernatural, I see it as being quite natural; instead of being divinely inspired, I see it as an innate human capacity. This recovering Southern Baptist, humanist, UU minister will share his definition of spirituality.
