July, l996 Volume VII, Number 7
THE MANY FACES OF SPIRIT
Celebrating through the Arts and Dialogue
In December of last year several of us began discussing the possibility of
creating a forum where the ideas of mutual understanding that we have been
pursuing in the Spiritual Growth Network could be offered to others in our
area. Building bridges has been a theme that has had special appeal, and the
Parliament of World Religions was an inspiration to many. By April of this
year there were enough committed individuals to begin to develope a plan. Many
Lexington area groups were represented and several were from SGN. The Mayor
of Lexington, welcoming our efforts has proclaimed July, l996 Spiritual
Diversity Month.
If there is to be tolerance to combat prejudice it must be grounded in
mutual respect and an awareness of the validity and worth of our many different
paths. Too often we have seen religious identification misused to the extent
that it may even foster the violence that teachings condemn. While this is the
extreme, all of us have had the experience of beginning a discussion and ending
in an arguement. One of the ways we can overcome our lesser tendencies is to
learn to know each other in an atmosphere that is not charged with inflamatory
issues. We need situations where we can access the common ground of our
humanity from which our faiths are born.
It is in this spirit that the celebration, `The Many Faces of Spirit', came
into being. The Arts are often a meeting ground for deeper sensitivities and
through this medium, individuals may find a doorway to faiths other than their
own. Thus we have chosen to begin our celebration on Friday evening with a
concert featuring a multimedia presentation of music, art, poetry, slides &
tapestry. Saturday morning our keynote speaker will be Brother Wayne Teasdale,
a trustee of the Parliament of the World's Religions,and an advisor to Monastic
Interreligious Dialogue. The conference will give each person a chance to
attend four workshops from a choice of twenty eight. After a closing summary,
where we can join together, sharing the spirit of the event, we will adjourn to
a picnic where we can continue our informal dialogue.
The concert will be held on Friday July 19th, at 8:00PM and the conference
will be on Saturday from 9:00AM to 5:00PM. It will take the place of our July
Day of Recollection. Everyone is invited to attend. The concert and
conference will be held at the Newman Center on Rose Lane, near the UK campus
in Lexington. There is no charge for either, although contributions to help
cover expenses are appreciated. There will be a suggested donation for the
picnic.
Enclosed in this newsletter is the flyer which describes this event and
includes a list of many of the workshops. There is also a form for
pre-registering. Feel free to post this flyer where it may be seen by fellow
citizens, and pass this information on to friends who might be interested. For
those of you who receive this newsletter but are not near the Lexington area,
we hope you use this as inspirational material. After all, if a conference on
spiritual unity can happen in Lexington, KY, it might happen anywhere people
come together to share their spiritual journey and build bridges of mutual
respect and understanding.
Our Saturday morning session was a time to listen to our ancestors. When we allow time to think over our spiritual and famililal heritage there arises a question, "Are we talking to spirits?" This misunderstanding of intention is what got our first lady into the press most recently. One way to learn is to remember how we have benefited from our ancestors. This is often deeply imbedded in our mind. It is only found when we take time to be open and listen. Whether the conversations we undertake are a part of our personal memories or from beyond our present intimations is not really the issue. Mostly we are making connections and integrations which need to be rewoven into our life. One may call this technique an inner dialogue, or a more meditative "kithing". At our retreat we felt very good about this exercise and shared some of our new understandings with each other.
During the afternoon we were led to appreciate the quality of surrender to that Mystery which is greater than ourselves. "If we passionately surrender to God, then ecstasy is normal." We sang together a song based on an African chant in which there is a call and response.
| My life is God's -- to give, to take My life is God's -- to empty, to fill My life is God's -- to seize, to own My life is God's -- to crave, to spill. |
Sunday is always a very moving day. It is a time when with the help of grace we hear our center and are helped to know just that vision which will help us after the retreat. It is a time to ground our experience and know the care we have for each other. It is a time to feel at home in a circle of friends. We closed with a service in which we remembered those who have passed away, and the wonder of this sacred mandala of the natural world in which we live.
A.S.
Dealing Creatively with Death, Ernest Morgan, Celo Press, 1988
Deathing, An Intelligent Alternative for the Final Moments of Life, Anya Foos-Graber, Nicolas-Hays, Inc., 1989
The Dialogues of Plato, any edition
Easy Death, and The Fire Gospel, by Da Free John, The Dawn Horse Press.
Final Exit, Derek Humphry, Dell Trade Paperback, 1991
God in All Worlds; An Anthology of Contemporary Spiritual Writing, Edited with introduction by Lucinda Vardey, Pantheon Books, 1995
Love and Living, Thomas Merton, Harcourt Brace & Co, 1965
On Life After Death, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, Celestial Arts, 1991
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche, Harper San Francisco, 1992
The Upanishads, translated by Eknath Easwaran, Nilgiri Press, 1988
The Paradigm Conspiracy
Book Review by Paschal Baute
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DAY OF RECOLLECTION Many Faces of Spirit: Celebrating the Arts and Dialogue July 19th 8 PM, Opening Concert July 20th, 9 AM to 5 PM Conference At the Newman Center, Rose Lane, Lexington (no fee)
DAY OF RECOLLECTION |