Covenant is our Whole Souul Living Theme for April, and we are proudly a covenantal tradition.  In Unitarian Universalism, we are distrustful of creeds, and we mean something fairly specific when we talk about covenant.  Our covenant is not a contract, nor a promise, but a statement of our highest, mutual aspirations.  It is how we aspire to be with each other, and the underlying religious premise is that how we actually live our lives is more important than w

Memory, Hope, and the deep relationship between them is our Whole Souul Living Theme for March.  There is a reason human beings are tellers of stories, recorders of history, and creators of rituals to recall and honor our moments of great joy or great pain.  Even when we are not aware of it, we are connected deeply to the past.  It tells us who we are, from whence we’ve come, and conditions our hopes for the future.  Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote: If

“Am I my brother’s keeper?” 

Mysticism is our Whole Souul Living Theme for December, which we will be exploring in a number of different ways.  Here is a fine definition from Rabbi Lawrence Kushner;  Who is a mystic?

A basic definition of wisdom is, “the use of knowledge for goodness.”  The opposite of wisdom is folly.  The dictionary says wisdom is, “Knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action.”  Confucius wrote; “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

Spiritual Practices is our Whole Souul Living Theme for October.  And because we are Unitarian Universalists, some definition is in order.  The word spiritual comes from the Latin spirare, the breath.

As happens too often, modern culture gets it exactly backwards when it comes to Learning and Growth, assuming yet another commodity to be acquired for its practical or monetary value.  But the wisdom teachings and spiritual traditions of the world would have us see a deeper dimension to learning and growth.  The depth dimensions of learning and growth are about a lifelong process of becoming more aware, more conscious, more sensitive to the inner reaches, more at home in the world.  “I have never let my schoo

Ultimacy may seem like an odd word for a Whole Souul Living Theme, so a little background is probably needed.  Unitarian theologian James Luther Adams once summarized the reasons people go to church as, “because of the need for intimacy and ultimacy.”  Intimacy refers to the need for felt connection among people; belonging, acceptance, love, and community.  Ultimacy refers to the equally powerful human need for meaning, transcendence, and a larger purpose for our lives.  It is the second part