Upcoming Services and Special Events!
Sunday, September 23rd
Before and after the service – Tickets for Unity’s Cabaret Fundraiser are on sale. $10 for the evening which includes an evening of music, dance, storytelling and dessert. All proceeds go towards Unity’s Music Program.
Before and after the service – Signups for Circle Suppers being held in October and November are happening in the foyer. These intimate, in-home potluck dinners for 4-8 people are a great way to experience Unity fellowship and great food outside of Sunday services. Sign up in the foyer Sunday or contact Alix Morris at 858-208-8482 or ahimsatoo@gmail.com.
10:30 a.m. Service: "One Life: The Universe as a Continuum of Consciousness" is our theme as Jon West reveals how science and scripture offer related clues about the inner nature of existence.
12:30-1:30 p.m. – Interpersonal Communications with Patrick Bronson. In this 5-week course Patrick will discuss styles of communication, look at conflict resolution, managing emotions, exploring mind/body relationship and focus on ways to understand others better. Donation basis. (September 23-October 21). For more information, contact Patrick at 541-485-6230.
Sunday, September 30th
10:30 a.m. Service: As we conclude our September series on Infinite Awareness, Jon West will explore "The Eternal Self: Awareness Beyond the Body."
RIding the Continuum of Consciousness
A message from Reverend Sherry Lady
Definition: “The continuum of consciousness is the wide range of human experiences, thoughts and feelings, from being acutely aware and alert to being unaware and unresponsive. It can include alternate states of conscious gleaned from meditation, various substances, and lack of sleep.”
Today I ran the whole range from beginning to end, and I’m exhausted. Besides beginning the day with waking up from a deep sleep, I snuck in a few minutes of daydreaming, a couple of anger and frustration, some potentially inappropriate verbal responses buried under more acceptable language, touched an altered state from too much chocolate which contains caffeine, and practiced being unresponsive by not responding to questionable phone numbers appearing on my phone. I also snuck in a nap and then finished the day off with a pre-bedtime meditation. Then, while noticing the effort it took to even remove my socks, I listened to my favorite songs sung by my favorite singer, and let peace wash over me. Yes, I have ridden on the waves of the continuum and will soon wake to do it all over again. Oh yes–there was a state of unawareness time too, when the soup I was preparing boiled over on the stove while I was in another part of the house doing laundry. Life!
In various places all over the globe, people go through their day touching similar points along the continuum of consciousness. By the focus they require, these experiences can draw you so completely into the bubble of your personal life, that it feels like you are all alone in the world. When this happens, the loneliness can be overwhelming, especially if the larger, more expansive view of a spiritual universe is not grasped to some degree. Even then, life can be confusing. The yearning that eventually awakens in most of us to understand the greater meaning of it all can, to use an old metaphor, feel like grasping at straws. What can we find to hold on to? Where is the anchor? To what do we belong? And most of all: What is this all about?
Over centuries, science and religion have attempted to help us out in this so-called conceptual “void” by explaining how things work in the universe, as well as how they work in our hearts and souls. Often considered to be at odds with each other, at a deeper level the two offer a wonderful, inclusive, and all encompassing – yet fluid and non-restrictive – kind of aura to surround us and remind us that there is an underlying order to the universe – an order that is ready to support us in spite of our fears and doubts. We might envision the combined wisdom of science and religion as joining hands to provide a protective circle such as we might form around children to insure their safety and reduce their fears.
When humankind begins to fully realize the essential union between these two supposedly conflicting viewpoints, we will be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief that is palpable in everyone’s soul. Within us will be released a surge of energy to work proactively for peace and the healing of our planet. We will be drawn together in new and beautiful ways, expanding in understanding, acceptance, compassion, caring and love to guide our steps as a world family.
This from the astronaut Edgar Mitchell, talking about his return journey on Apollo 14:
"The spacecraft was rotating to maintain the thermal balance of the sun…every two minutes, with every rotation, we saw the Earth, the Moon and the Sun as they passed by the window. The 300-degree panorama of the heavens was awesome and the stars are ten times as bright and, therefore, ten times as numerous than you could ever see on a high mountaintop on a clear night…I realized that the molecules of my body and the molecules of the spacecraft had been manufactured in an ancient generation of stars. It wasn’t just intellectual knowledge…it was a subjective visceral experience accompanied by ecstasy…a transformational experience.”
With that reminder of our oneness with everything and letting it be okay to be human, we can affirm that we are a part of the continuum of both matter and consciousness. This is an incredible gift.
Yes, I will walk the continuum again. I am, after all, human. And you will walk your way on that path, but as we walk let us reach our hands to the sky, if you will, and acknowledge the One Life that breathes in and through us. The life that nothing can destroy unless we let it. It has been wisely said, “We are the ones we have been waiting for.” The One Life certainly seems to agree when we change the way we perceive it and when we bring this perception into our daily life.
Now – on to cleaning up the soup spills on the stove.
Sherry
September 17th to September 22nd
MONDAY (7:00-9:00 p.m.) – Unity Open Men’s Circle meets in the Fillmore Wing. This group is open to all men within our church community and our larger Eugene community. For more information, contact Raymond Albano at 541-285-3943 / ralban0@icloud.com or Jim Drews at 541-726-8510.
TUESDAY
- 5:30-7:00 p.m. – Meditation Practices. Join Rev. Inge Tarantola in the exploration of a variety of meditation techniques. The class is experiential and is offered by a variety of presenters who will share their first-hand experiences. (September 11-October 2) Donation basis. Sign up in the Fellowship Hall.
6:30 p.m. - Board Meeting in the Garden Room. All are welcome to attend. If you would like to speak at the meeting, please contact John Garrett at 541-345-6511.
7:00 p.m. – The September 18 Behind the Lens Seminar movie is Songs from the Second Floor directed by Roy Andersson, followed by a Q&A session with Tom Blank. If you have not paid for the series, the cost is $5. ALSO: Be sure to pick up the new registration forms for the Fall series. It starts October 2. Register early!
THURSDAY
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. – Joy of Watercolor. The emphasis of this class is on joy. Come and explore painting with watercolor in an encouraging and fun atmosphere. All skill levels welcome. For more information, contact Ellen Ticknor at 541-344-1490.
(7:00-9:00 p.m.) - Therapeutic Touch in the Fillmore Wing. Donation basis. For more information, please contact Bev Forster at 541-520-9358.
FRIDAY (7:00 p.m.) – Friday Spiritual Cinema: Parables & Epiphanies, a series of films curated by Tom Blank. The September screening is The Seventh Seal, directed by Ingmar Bergman. A Q & A session with Tom will follow. Donation basis.
SATURDAY - (6:00-9:00 p.m.) – Reiki Do Satori Open House. This monthly event is open to all who are interested in receiving a short, free Reiki session for relaxation and/or healing. Reiki practitioners who would like to be part of this event are also welcome. Donations accepted.
September 24th to September 29th
TUESDAY 7:00 p.m. – The September 25 Behind the Lens Seminar movie is Synecdoche New York directed by Charlie Kaufman, followed by a Q&A session with Tom Blank. If you have not paid for the series, the cost is $5.
Upcoming in October
TUESDAYS, OCTOBER 2-DECEMBER 18 - The Fall Behind the Lens Seminar series begins Tuesday, October 2. Be sure to pick up a registration form in the Fellowship Hall. $30 for 12 weeks. All films are followed by a Q&A session with Tom Blank.
WEDNESDAYS, OCTOBER 3-24 - Unity Foundations, a 4-week series with Jon West. We will explore the basic yet profound principles of Unity in both large and small groups. Attendees have the option of continuing to meet regularly as a spiritual support circle. Completion of this course makes you eligible for official voting membership in Unity of the Valley. Donation basis. Sign up in the Fellowship Hall.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5 – Cabaret Fundraiser (7:00-9:00 p.m.). Join us for a refreshing and delightful evening of music, dance, storytelling, poetry, and just plain fun. Tickets are $10 and includes the show, coffee, tea, and delicious desserts! Funds raised go towards Unity’s music program.
TUESDAYS, OCTOBER 9-30 – Prayer Works Wonders with Rev. Inge Tarantola. This class offers the opportunity to take a look at how you pray, learn steps to affirmative prayer and how to create a daily spiritual practice. Donation basis. Sign up in the Fellowship Hall.
Service Opportunities
OCTOBER 22-28 - Sign up in the Fellowship Hall to help with our annual Shelter-Week Service Project. We will be serving breakfast and dinner to up to 10 families staying at the new shelter at Fox Hollow and West Amazon. For more information, contact Jon West at jwest97405@gmail.com.
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