Giving Tuesday may have been November 29; however, we are still reaping the benefits from it. We have exceeded our goal of $10,000 and have received more than $11,500. A huge thank you to all who supported this effort. A huge thank you to all who support this ministry. Without you we wouldn’t exist.

As we near the new year several new programs are in the offering. It is very exciting to be offering a range of options that hopefully you find interesting and participate in.

The winter solstice is Wednesday, December 21, and Rev Todd Glacy is offering a drum circle to usher in winter.

In Week 2 of Advent, the focus was on the body.

This week “the body” is about embodied spirituality, which is reintegrating our emotional and interior lives with the physical.

Our body is our living world… with all its interiority and depth, its needs and desires, its lights and shadows, its wisdom, and obscurities. The body speaks to us through bodily joys and sorrows, tensions and relaxations, longings, and repulsions. The body is not to be objectified and used for the goals or even spiritual ecstasies of the conscious mind, but as an intimate partner with whom the other human dimensions can collaborate in the pursuit of ever-increasing forms of liberating wisdom.

Our body is a source of spiritual insight: The Buddha said, “Everything that arises in the mind starts flowing with a sensation on the body.”

Think of the body as a divine gift… it offers us spiritual understanding, discrimination, and wisdom. In this physical reality in which we live, the body is our home, a locus of freedom that allows us to walk our own unique path, both literally and symbolically.

Here are a few practices this week to support the body:

There is tension in the waiting of Advent, we can also remember a habit of release and rest. Practice clenching your fists (or another part of your body) and holding for 5-10 seconds before releasing into a rested stillness for 30 seconds – 1 minute. If it feels safe, mentally connect this to a memory or experience of tension and release in this season of life.
Practice attuning to breath. No pace or depth to the breathing. Just listen and count along with the natural rhythm of your breath. Do this, bringing awareness to different sensations around your body.
When you find different places of tensions or contraction, silently say “I give myself large doses of grace.”
As you reflect, just notice it. Now bring your attention to the weight of your body, feeling yourself held by the chair or cushion if you are seated; or if you are lying down, feeling the ground under your body; or if you are standing, feeling the ground under your feet.

Try these different practices during your week and I will see you next Sunday as we explore The Silence.

You are a blessing in my life,
Rev. Patricia Bessey

P.S.: Just a reminder to take care and pay attention to what your body is telling you. If you feel great, join us in person; if you don’t feel so great, join us online.