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UU Santa Fe | A Unitarian Universalist Community
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This page is curated by Steven Mead, Program Ministry staff and our Lifespan Religious Educator. We come in all "religious flavors," and regardless of your perspective, use the wide-ranging sources on this page to inspire, challenge and create a life of meaning for yourself and enrich the lives of those around you. ​[To reveal more of the content on this web page​―open the accordion files below.]
​

On Your Own Time | Adult Lifelong Learning Resources​


Soul Food for you

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“When one with honeyed words but evil mind
Persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.”
― Euripides, Orestes
  • Free Online Education Sources
  • The School of Life
  • Are you there, God? TED Talks. For as many people as there are on Earth, there are as many answers to the question: Are you there, God? These talks offer a spectrum of personal perspectives on faith, from ardent atheists to devout believers.
“It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.”― Noël Coward, Blithe Spirit

​WISDOM CONTENT FROM THE DIGITAL WONDERLAND

The content below changes monthly (more or less). Visit regularly! The opinions expressed in these articles do not necessarily reflect the views of UU Santa Fe. January content posted January 4 and 5. *NEW* are posted even more recently.
  • *NEW* Sanctus: London (Ola Gjeilo) - Sofia Vokalensemble.
  • 2021. https://www.becomingminimalist.com/make-2021-better/
  • In the Moment. https://zenhabits.net/lovely-moment/
  • Presence. https://cac.org/the-wisdom-of-presence-2020-12-17/
  • Revolutionary Love. https://cac.org/revolutionary-love-2020-11-12/
  • Love Ethic. https://cac.org/a-love-ethic-2020-11-11/
  • Secret Embrace. https://cac.org/the-secret-embrace-2020-10-21/
  • A Monk's Guide to Happiness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1gY7RWE48U&feature=youtu.be
  • Minimalism. https://www.becomingminimalist.com/encouraging-simplicity-1020c/
  • Closure 2020. 
    https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/features/view/28944/honorable-closure-of-2020
  • Being Alive. https://www.lionsroar.com/just-to-be-alive-is-enough/
  • Science of a Meaningful Life.
    https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_top_10_insights_from_the_science_of_a_meaningful_life_in_2020?utm_source=Greater+Good+Science+Center&utm_campaign=5f6768e6cd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_GG_Newsletter_December_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5ae73e326e-5f6768e6cd-51355763
  • Economic Inequality.
    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/difference-opinion/202012/getting-people-care-about-economic-inequality
  • Inspiration. Holstee • Inspiration and tools to help you live a more meaningful life.
  • Happiness. A Monk's Guide to Happiness - with Gelong Thubten
  • Burnout. Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
    by Emily Nagoski (Goodreads Author), Amelia Nagoski (Goodreads Author)

Imagination
January Theme

Theme Resources
  • Click here for the YouTube playlist on Imagination
  • On Despair and the Imagination
    https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/on-despair-and-the-imagination/
  • The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
What does it mean to be a People of Imagination?
Maybe our most important work is to re-imagine imagination.
 
Imagination’s great gift is improvement. At least that is what we’re usually taught. The deep magic lies in the way it can reshape our reality. We are urged to imagine the world we dream of. A world with more justice. More peace. More love. From that, a mysterious magnetism arises, a magnetism that pulls our imperfect present into an improved future. Imagination moves us forward. It makes us better.
 
And illuminates it too. That’s right. Imagination isn’t just a force that drives us forward toward a more perfect future, it also pulls the sacred into our impoverished present. Imagination is what transforms trees from potential firewood into wise friends. Imagination is what moves us from lording over the natural word to seeing ourselves as part of it. It gives the world a soul. And not just the natural world, but the ordinary world too. Through the lens of imagination, we perceive the common as precious, even miraculous. The laughter of our children becomes the sound of angels. Sunshine on our face becomes a greater treasure than gold. Our “everyday” lives are understood as amazing adventures and inexplicably lucky gifts.
 
So friends, this month, do everything you can to soak in the many messages of imagination. It’s not just shouting, “Improve the world!” It’s also pleading, “Let the world come alive!”

Content attribution:  Soul Matters Sharing Circle

Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.―G. K. Chesterton

More Wisdom Resources | The Accordion File of Good Stuff

Open the accordion file (+) below to reveal (lots of!) additional content.
Wisdom Resources:  Reading | Websites | Blog Sites
Reading | Contemporary Authors
It seems presumptuous to even suggest a list from among the combined wisdom of the world; but one must start somewhere. Try Goodreads 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century. Here's a broad, short, sampler list:
  • Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse
  • Man's Search for Meaning 
    by Viktor E. Frankl
  • The Seven Storey Mountain 
    by Thomas Merton
  • Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life 
    by Thích Nhất Hạnh
  • The Perennial Philosophy 
    by Aldous Huxley
  • Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice by Shunryu Suzuki
  • The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Mahatma Gandhi
  • I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World by Martin Luther King Jr.
  • A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

​The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.―Alvin Toffler​
​Web Sites
The following sites cover a wide range of spiritual and wisdom tradition topics. Feed your mind and soul!
  • Aspen Journal
  • Beautiful Trouble
  • The BeZine
  • Center for Action and Contemplation
  • Christian Century
  • Citizen University
  • Contemplative Outreach
  • Commonweal
  • Elephant Journal
  • Geez
  • Greater Good
  • Heartfulness
  • HuffPost | Religion
  • Lilith
  • Lion's Roar
  • Mindful
  • Orion
  • Othering & Belonging
  • Parabola
  • Resurgence
  • Sage-ing International
  • Sojourners
  • Spirituality & Practice
  • SuperSoul
  • TheHumanist.com
  • The Sun
  • Tikkun
  • Tricycle
  • UA Magazine
  • Utne Reader
  • UU World
  • Yes!
Blog Sites
We spill a lot of electronic ink talking about spirituality and religion. Here are some excellent resources biased toward Unitarian Universalist voices, but including others as well: 
  • Be the Love | UUA
  • Beacon Broadside | UUA
  • ​Braver Wiser | UUA
  • Brene Brown
  • Contemplative Mind in Society
  • ​Mark Nepo
  • ​On Being | Krista Tippett
  • Patheos
  • Patheos | UU Collective
  • Pinterest | UU blogs
  • Pluralism, Pragmatism, Progressivism | Carl Gregg
  • Quest for Meaning
  • Tara Brach
  • Trike Daily
  • Unitarian Universalist Association
  • UU Updates
  • Yet Another Unitarian Universalist

What, at this moment, is lacking?―Rinzai
Wisdom Resources:  Elder Spirituality | Spiritual Practice | Multimedia
 The most important thing is to find out the most important thing.―Zen master, Suzuki Roshi
Elder Spirituality
  • Do you, or someone you know in their elder years, need spirituality resources? Visit Spirituality & Practice's curated Elder Spirituality Project or
  • Landscapes of Aging and Spirituality: Essays Edited by Kay Montgomery (Skinner House Books). In a collection of lovely essays, nineteen writers reflect on the experience of aging and the ways it intersects with their spiritual lives or
  • Sage-ing International
  • Virtual Senior Center
  • UU Resources to enrich and support the journey of older adulthood
  • Spirituality and Aging | UUA Webinar
  • Conscious Living, Conscious Aging: Embrace Savor Your Next Chapter by Ron Pevny
  • AgeNation, Solutions for People Who Weren't Born Yesterday
  • ​Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them): A Practical Perspective on Death and Dying by Sallie Tisdale
  • Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble by Stephen Jenkinson
​Spiritual Practice
"And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."―Rainer Maria Rilke
  • Spiritual but not religious? But if you are curious which faith or wisdom tradition might nourish you, try the Belief-O-Matic!
  • For centuries and across religious traditions spiritual directors have helped people along the way.  If a more intense engagement with spirituality is calling you, you might wish to connect with someone from the Unitarian Universalist Spiritual Directors Network
  • Quotes about spiritual growth from Goodreads readers
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Multimedia | Film | Performance Art
"...contemporary art that roams the ground between faith and mystery. . . calls us into the imaginative life and makes us aware of the rich possibilities of being human."―Image
  • Arts & Faith
  • Film Comment
  • Films for Action
  • Good Letters | Images
  • Greatest Films of Art and Spirituality
  • Huff Post | All Together podcasts
  • Image Journal
  • KarmaTube | Be Inspired
  • Spirituality & Practice: Films Homepage
  • The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2017
  • The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2018
  • The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2019
  • Watching the Wild Things, Movie going as spiritual practice, by Tracy Cochran - Parabola ​
​​Recommended Reading List from Zen Mountain Monastery

​Do Shag!
“The Buddhist word for attachment is “do shag” which literally translates to mean “sticky desire.” I love this translation! If you really think about how you feel when you are grasping for something that you really want, you can feel its sticky pull. And until you figure out a way to get it, you feel this longing and obsession. We have all been there with different things and at different times in our lives. In a world that entices us with constant cravings and sticky desires, we can slow ourselves down and let go of attachment to that desire for more. And surprisingly, without fail, if we let go, we will receive…”―Rev. Karon Sandberg
Wisdom Resources: UUA Common Reads | Study Issues

Unitarian Universalist Common ReadS

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Unitarian Universalist Common Read 2020-2021
​
The 2020–2021 UUA Common Read is Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry, published by Beacon Press. Emotionally raw and deeply reflective, Imani Perry issues a challenge to society to see Black children as deserving of humanity.

She admits fear and frustration for her sons in a society that is increasingly racist and at times seems irredeemable. However, as a mother, feminist, writer, and intellectual, Perry offers an unfettered expression of love—finding beauty and possibility in life—and she exhorts her children and their peers to find the courage to chart their own paths and find steady footing and inspiration in Black tradition. Breathe offers a broader meditation on race, gender, and the meaning of a life well lived and is also an unforgettable lesson in Black resistance and resilience.


We are in the midst of a historic national reckoning with what it means to live as a Black or Brown American and systems of institutional racism that have been operating since our country’s founding. As UUA President, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, has written, “It matters that we support the uprisings whose goal is the liberation of Black people and communities who for too long have been crushed by white supremacy, militarism, and capitalism. We must find the sources within ourselves to give us courage in this moment. To resist. To risk. To sacrifice for this movement that needs all of us to succeed. To be midwives for a new era in which all of us will be free.”

Discussion materials will be available for download in late fall 2020. For more information about the Common Read program visit: www.uua.org/read

​Unitarian Universalist Common Read 2019-2020. The Common Read Selection Committee is pleased to announce that
  • An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (Beacon Press, 2015) and
  • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People adapted by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese (Beacon Press, 2019) are the new Common Read. 
  • Discussion Guide
    https://www.uuabookstore.org/Assets/PDFs/Indigenous%20Peoples%20CR%20discussion%20guide.pdf

UUA Study Action

UUA 2016-2020 Congregational Study/Action Issue:  The Corruption of Our Democracy
  • CSAI, "The Corruption of Our Democracy".
  • Download the Corruption of Our Democracy CSAI Study Guide (PDF, 24 pages), (Word, 24 pages).
UU Faith and Spirituality Resources​
​Websites
  • Black Lives UU
  • Blue Boat Home Young Adults
  • Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF)
    CLF 
     is an online Unitarian Universalist spiritual community of 3,500 members from all over the world
  • Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans
  • International Council of Unitarians and Universalists
  • Justice and Spirit: Unitarian Universalist Book Club
  • Quest for Meaning
  • Side With Love
  • Unitarian Universalist Association
  • Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship
  • ​Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association
  • Unitarian Universalist Ministry for the Earth
  • Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
  • Unitarian Universalist Spiritual Directors Network
  • Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation
  • Unitarian Universalists for a Just Economic Community
  • Unitarian Universalists for Jewish Awareness
  • Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
  • ​UU Buddhist Fellowship Sangha
  • UU Leadership Institute
  • ​UU Santa Fe Podcast Channel
  • UU World
  • ​UU@Home (for parents of children and youth)
  • UUs for Sikh Awareness
YouTube
  • Church of the Larger Fellowship - YouTube
  • Unitarian Universalist Association - YouTube
  • UU Leadership Institute - YouTube
  • UU Santa Fe - ​YouTube
Social Media
  • Soul Matters - Pinterest
  • Soul Matters for Religious Educators and Teachers - Facebook
  • Soul Matters Inspiration - Facebook
  • Unitarian Universalist Association - Facebook
  • Unitarian Universalist Hysterical Society - Facebook (just for fun!)
  • ​UUA Blogs
  • UU Email Lists and Forums
  • UU Santa Fe Facebook
  • ​UU Young Adult Connections - Facebook​
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UU Church of the Larger Fellowship  | Quest for Meaning
The Church of the Larger Fellowship is our wider movement's online virtual church-without-walls. It is one of the best resources for current Unitarian Universalist thinking and spirituality.

​"Love and Loss. Awe and wonder. Journeys and home. The events of our lives and our spiritual curiosity lead us to ponder topics close to our hearts. Through 12 curated themes, you will find a wide range of spiritual resources to expand your perspective and enrich your search for meaning."
Church of the Larger Fellowship | Spiritual Themes

​Unitarian Universalist Perspectives
Sometimes described as "one faith and many beliefs," Unitarian Universalism draws from a wide range of wisdom traditions, both secular and sacred.
  • Try these book recommendations from the UUA Bookstore
  • Or select from among these meditation sources from the UUA Bookstore

"I am now convinced that “belief,” in the way we usually use the word, is actually the enemy of faith, religion, and spirituality. Let me say that again: belief is the enemy of faith. When we dwell on beliefs we ask all the wrong questions. My faith is much more about what I love than about what I think."―Rev Peter Morales​
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​Jack Jezreel, founder of JustFaith observes, “The world cannot be changed-by-love to become just, unless we are changed by love to become whole, but we cannot be made whole without engaging in the work of making the world whole. Personal transformation and social transformation are one piece.” ​

​​​Sophia Perennis 

Religion as participation is a rediscovery of the Perennial Tradition that Plotinus, Gottfried Leibniz, Alan Watts, Aldous Huxley, and so many saints and mystics have spoken of in their own ways. It constantly recognizes that we are a part of something, more than we are observing something or “believing” in something.―Richard Rohr
​The Perennial Tradition
​
by Richard Rohr
​​Sophia Perennis | Perennial Wisdom Tradition
The Perennial Tradition encompasses the recurring themes in all of the world’s religions and philosophies that continue to say:
  • There is a Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things,
  • There is in the human soul a natural capacity, similarity, and longing for this Reality, and
  • The final goal of existence is union with this Reality.
Our own UU movement, beginning with the transcendentalists, contributed to this philosophy. Explore this fascinating wisdom tradition so compatible with current Unitarian Universalist faith development through a bibliography prepared by Steven Mead, Program Ministry staff and our Lifespan Religious Educator.
021415_sophia_perennis_bibliography.docx
File Size: 19 kb
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Decisions
​Between two words, choose the quieter one.
Between word and silence, choose listening.
Between two books, choose the dustier one.
Between the earth and the sky, choose a bird.
Between two animals, choose the one who needs you more.
Between two children, choose both.
Between the lesser and greater evil, choose neither.
Between hope and despair choose hope:  it will be harder to bear.
―Boris Novak, translated by Mia Dintinjana
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Kirsti L. Adkins Original work
“Inventory:
"Four be the things I am wiser to know:
Idleness, sorrow, a friend, and a foe.
Four be the things I'd been better without:
Love, curiosity, freckles, and doubt.
Three be the things I shall never attain:
Envy, content, and sufficient champagne.
Three be the things I shall have till I die:
Laughter and hope and a sock in the eye.” 
―Dorothy Parker, The Complete Poems of Dorothy Parker

Location

UU Santa Fe
107 West Barcelona
Santa Fe, NM 87505
​​Phone:  505.982.9674

Come! UU Santa Fe is meant for you.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Sunday gatherings are livestreamed at 10:30. You may watch livestream gatherings Sunday at 10:30 am here or recorded services at any time on our YouTube channel. ​

​Inclusivity
We welcome all persons, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin; gender or gender identification, affectional preference or sexual orientation; age, physical or mental challenge; or social, economic or marital status. Come, there is a place for you here.

UU Santa Fe will never ask for sensitive information such as banking information and passwords via email, nor will we ever ask you to purchase gift cards of any kind. If you have any concerns about an email that appears to be sent by UU Santa Fe or its staff members, don't click on any links and forward the email to admin@uusantafe.org.

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​Copyright © 2021 Unitarian Universalist Santa Fe. All Rights Reserved.
  • Come!
    • Upcoming Sunday Gatherings
    • UU Santa Fe Events and News
    • Leadership Blog Posts
    • Connecting Digitally
    • Contact Us
    • Events Calendar
  • Visit
    • Online Welcome Table
    • Your First Visit
    • About Unitarian Universalism
    • Your Starting Point
    • UU Santa Fe Membership
    • Contact Us
    • Events Calendar
    • Spanish/Español
  • Worship
    • Upcoming Sunday Gatherings
    • Sermons and Videos
    • Our Minister
    • Our Sacred Days
    • Life Celebrations
  • Learn
    • Adult Learning >
      • Adult Learning Opportunities
      • Adult Learning Groups
      • Curated Adult Self-Study Resources
    • Family Program >
      • Family Program Content
      • Program Registration Form
      • UU Santa Fe Family Program Website
  • Belong
    • Groups >
      • Affinity Groups
      • Learning Groups
      • Spirituality Groups
      • Support Groups
    • UU Women's Fellowship
    • Art On Barcelona
    • Mardi Gras 2021
  • Engage
    • Justice Making >
      • UU Santa Fe Justice Teams
      • UUA Justice Statements
      • UU Service Committee
    • Serve UU Santa Fe | Volunteering
  • Give
    • Your Gift$
    • Serve UU Santa Fe | Volunteering
  • Join
    • UU Santa Fe Membership
  • Discover UU Santa Fe
    • Contact Us
    • Events Calendar
    • About UU Santa Fe
    • Our Minister
    • UU Santa Fe Staff
    • Our Governance >
      • Governance Documents
    • Reservations and Rentals
  • Calendar