As we are beginning to see businesses opening here in Maine you may be wondering what is our time frame for regathering in person to hold our services. Your Board of Trustees and I are in discussion about this very topic. Like many of you, we want to be able to have face to face conversations and to be in community together however, we also want to be sure we can do it in a safe way for everyone.
A shout out to Dee Capoldo; he has been making good use of this time of sheltering in place and as a result has completed the necessary studies to become an ordained minister. Congratulations, Dee!
As we continue the series of talks from the book, What is in the Way, IS the Way by Mary O’Malley. This week the focus was getting to know the meadow. The meadow of well-being is our natural home. It is the place our soul longs for but often misses because we have withdrawn from an actual experience of life. Instead of experiencing life, we think about life.
In our home of well-being, there are five core qualities: flow, spaciousness, light, love, and stillness.
Let’s take a look at each of them briefly.
Flow: Everything in the meadow is about flow. There is flow, there is ebb. There is expansion, there is contraction. We need these polarities to live.
Spaciousness: Life loves space. The universe is spaciousness. Imagine it is 24.8 trillions miles to the closest star! You are filled with spaciousness. The 1000 trillion atoms that make up your being are filled mostly with space.
Light: Light is thought to be a vital ingredient in all atoms, thus all has and is light!
Plato says that tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. Jesus taught to let our light shine, not to hide it under the bushel of clouds. Carl Jung says that the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.
Love: O’Malley has an interesting definition of LOVE: The movement of Light through us.
As we experience the movement of energy through us rather than trying to control it, we are experiencing LOVE! Love permeates everything. Love makes the world go round.
Stillness: The dance of life, the dance of electrons, the movement of earth and stars arises out of a stillness that births all the varied forms of life.
As we spend time in nature, in meditation, in Mindfulness, we can catch a glimpse of this underlying stillness. As we are willing to be curious about what is happening within ourselves, stillness reveals itself. Stillness is not empty, but full and rich with Life, Love, and Intelligence.
If you missed the service on Sunday, you can watch it on YouTube and get the full message of the meadow.
This Sunday will be “Fear – It’s Nothing To Be Afraid Of.” Hope to see you then.
You are a blessing in my life,
Rev. Patricia Bessey
If you are having a birthday in May, I have a gift for you. It is meeting with me and completing an Annual Spiritual Checkup. We can do this by using Zoom, Skype or telephone. Let me know when your birthday is and that you would like to schedule a time to receive your gift. You can contact me here.
For your safety, continue to social distance and wear face masks. The church building remains closed for gatherings of all services and group meetings. All business with the church office needs to be via telephone or email.
LET’S STAY CONNECTED!