New Nia Dance classes beginning in November
before Worship 4-5 pm
Weekly services Sunday 5 pm, pot luck follows at 6 pm
The Black Goddess of the Dance, Dreams,
Dinner, Dogs and Day of the Dead and more!
“Dance celebrates the body in motion—striding, leaping curving, soaring, holding. Dance—whether it is religious, dance, tribal dance, social dance, our soul dances alone for the love of the dance-dance is an image of ceaseless energy forever moving toward a threshold that begins in what is ending. And we dance toward a new millennium....Biologists describe the dance of the cells. Physicists look into the depths of inner space and see, not inert matter, but a dance of energy…..Describing the continual creation and destruction of particles in the rhythmic dance is describing the Black Goddess, the Goddess of the Dance. ” Dancing in the Flames , Marion Woodman
Dear Friends, September 2017

Church for Our Common Home is dancing literally and metaphorically. We are dancing as spiritual practice in order to create loving, spirit filled community. We are recasting God as our dance partner; God dancing with us in everything we do and everywhere we go. This fall we explore dance as a way to experience the holy vibrations of music and movement that gift us with healing, joy, inter-generational community and sacred celebration. No dancing shoes required for we will dance barefoot this fall. Come experience the divine within us and all around us - dipping, flowing, gliding, leaping, in and with the cosmic universe that made us and sustains us in love.  Like dance at weddings we will enjoy m usic and dancing with kids, old people, friends, strangers and our loved ones as a part of our regular worship of God/dess. Dance as joy. Dance as pleasure. Dance as community celebration and interconnectedness.

The world is suffering from countless ecologic, political and moral crisis's and there is no quick fix, but a few things are clear. We need community and we need spiritual practice--now. Physics is now teaching us what the mystics have always known. We're not separate, we are all interconnected in a cosmic dance of relationship, divinity and energy. “The exploration of the subatomic world in the twentieth century has revealed the intrinsically dynamic nature of matter. It is shown that the constitutions of atoms, the subatomic particles are dynamic patterns which do not exist as isolated entities, but as integral parts of an inseparable network of interactions….The whole universe is thus engaged in endless motion and activity; in the continual cosmic dance of energy.” The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra

It is virtually impossible to find places to dance that aren't bars with lots of alcohol and often bad but almost always music that is way to loud. (we are a alcohol free church and community) Or perhaps we go to the gym to dance, but there we are always looking in the mirror and everyone seems concerned with the outer appearances of things with a preoccupied of how buff or thin they are. This is a different kind of dance we are offering. This is dance where everyone is included and we dance because it gives us joy and pleasure to move to music. No mirrors and no gym like atmosphere of self consciousnesses. Never mind about weight loss or body building this is dance for the joy of being alive and able to move and respond to music with one another and in celebration of our holy bodies. All body types, genders and ages welcome and no past experience necessary. 

We all sit too much, in our cars, in front to computers, TV's and movie screens. Our culture asks us to stay stuck in our thinking heads most of the time and we forget how to unplug from analytical rationalism. Many of us are cut off, not only from our hearts but from our bodies, and spirits as well. We humans are animals; creatures that need movement and play. No more talking heads only at Church for Our Common Home. It is past time we dance with one another. 

Joanna Macy a scholar, eco-philosopher, teacher, activist, and author discovered that when the devastation of the nuclear power plant catastrophe in Chernobyl had overwhelmed the Russian people, it was dance that often enabled them to experience their bodies and reconnect to beloved community and their own souls. Dance has the power to lift us out of suffering and unconsciousness. As a human family, we are falling into dissociated states and it is time to dance! Time to wake up, to commune with one another in partnership, community and celebration as we commune with the source of all life. This integration of the body, heart and soul we are now offering Nia dance classes before worship, 4-5 pm beginning in November 2017, as well as dance liturgies and rituals in worship. We need you as a dance partner on the dance floor as we explore our arts ministry using all the arts as spiritual practice. “The central purpose of The Work That Reconnects is to help people uncover and experience their innate connections with each other and with the systemic, self-healing powers of the web of life, so that they may be enlivened and motivated to play their part in creating a sustainable civilization ” - Joanna Macy

Our Common Home a church and counseling center is dedicated to creating intentional loving community. Why? Because we live in a lonely and alienated culture and we are waking up to the reality that we are living during the 6th mass extinction of life on earth. We see the devastation of climate change with floods, fires, wars, poverty, famine and mass injustice and human and non-human suffering and it is only going to get worse. WE NEED ONE ANOTHER. NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE. Recently, we have witnessed the devastation of floods caused by climate change from Bangladesh to the Caribbean as we watch on TV main streets in Miami flooded with contaminated water that is electrified because of downed power lines, filled with snakes and alligators in water waist to neck high. Climate change caused massive droughts in Syria which led to the horrific war there currently. Our polar ice sheets are melting and sea levels are rising while we live with political leadership that says climate change is a "Chinese hoax" as we listen to talk of nuclear war. Our Common Home is dedicated to seeking the truth and being dedicated to understanding the world and ourselves at a deep level for as Jesus taught, "the truth will set us free." (John 8:32)

We need meaningful spiritual practices and communities and teachers to support us in these practices. Our church offers, prayer, meditation, dream work, Gnostic scripture study from many world religions, and we always break bread and eating together regularly weekly in order to do the spiritual practice of creating loving relationship. We always have a time for everyone to share and ask, "How are you and how are you feeling?" during worship and pot lucks. We do so this in order to get to know one another and to give and receive support desperately needed by everyone.
Hinduism teaches that Shiva, the divine masculine embodies consciousness, and Shakti, the divine feminine embodies pure energy and together they dance in ecstatic union. The universe is a cosmic dance of sacred partnership of this ying and yang, male and female energy. The universe in all its manifestations, are acts of love and partnership and dance.   In one of the many recently found exciting new scriptures unearthed in miraculous archaeological finds, The Round Dance of the Cross gives us the gift of Jesus dancing, " Jesus told us to form a circle and hold each other’s hands, and he himself stood in the middle , and said, “Respond to me with ‘Amen’… I will play the flute, Dance everyone. Amen. I will mourn. Lament everyone. Amen. A realm of eight sings with us. Amen The twelfth number dances on high. Amen. The whole universe takes part in the dance. Amen. Whoever does not dance does not know what happens. Amen.

Will you come dance with us? We hope to see you on the dance floor!

Love always,
Bonnie
"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourine and with dances. "Exodus 15:20
Dream Groups and individual sessions for dream honoring.
Call Bonnie for more info.(858 248-5123
Dream Sharing as Spiritual Practice

Dream from Dancing in the Flames by Marion Woodman

“I am standing by the sea. A great tidal wave is steadily rolling in. I am terrified. Gradually, I discern a large, chocolate-colored woman riding majestic on the crest of a wave. She is triumphant, her body poised, her arms uplifted like Delacroix’s Liberty. She rides her inevitable way. Suddenly I am a molecule of energy in the wave. My friends and I are all molecules in the wave, each molecule dancing with every other molecules in love. We are all dancing with the momentum of the wave that will bring Sophia to land.
Dream, then, wherever you may be, I am the God/dess of the Dream, said she, And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I'll lead you all in the Dream, said she. Dream then and I’ll leap high; I am the life that’ll never, never die; I’ll live in you, if you’ll live in me—I am the God/des of the Dream said She. 

Dance, then, wherever you may be, I am the God/dess of the Dance, said she, And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said she. Dance then and I’ll leap high; I am the life that’ll never, never die; I’ll live in you, if you’ll live in me—I am the God/des of the Dance said She. 
Lyrics by Sydney Bertram Carter and adapted by Bonnie Tarwater

Many of Carl Jung's ideas came from his study of Gnosticism. As we honor our dreams as spiritual practice we experience liberation from our ignorance about ourselves as we experience divinity within us and its connection to the divine of the cosmos. Our highest self connects to God/dess and we are gifted with great wisdom about our own lives as we honor our dreams, but we always ask what is the dream coming to give to all of us, for the dreams do not come for one individual but for everyone and all life forms. Dreams as night visions and day visions have been left out too often in our mechanical age of industrialization and technologies. Join our dream sharing as spiritual practice in groups, worship and in individual sessions.
Animal Blessing Sunday,
October 15th 5 pm

All four and two legged, slithering, winged and swimming animals welcome for prayers and blessings. In the spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi we will gather at the Dog Chapel in our backyard and bless the animals who join us for worship as well as those who have become extinct and beloved pets who have died. Flowers will be provided for you to make garlands for your animals.
Gnostic Buddhism study October 8th and 22nd
with Dr. Walter Rutherford while Bonnie is away getting a Nia Dance certificate Walt will share his extensive study of Buddhism philosophy and the Gnostic ideas we are exploring, as well as ideas from Thich Nanh Hahns's book , Living Buddha Living Christ.
Gnosticism comes from 'gnosis' a Greek word meaning knowledge, but not rational knowledge, rather an intuitive and inner knowing. We are studying the newly found Christian Gnostic scriptures that enable us reclaim and study the profound teachings of Jesus without the trappings of the institutional madness of some Christian theology and history that many are allergic to. The Bible has been taken literally which renders it irrelevant. It is past time to welcome the symbolic metaphoric teachings of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Many Gnostic's honored Mary Magdalene and female religious leadership and the divine feminine, using many female names, metaphors and stories for the divine. The Gnostic valued visions and union with the divine, both which are desperately needed in our world. Join us this fall as we study Gnostic scriptures including, The Gospel of the Beloved Companion, The Pistis Sophia, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and more. Gnostic's of any different traditions share a lack of focus on human sin but instead teach the paths of liberation from our unconsciousness through spiritual practice. 

Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer a sacred study of scriptures and a meditation practice taught weekly on Wednesday mornings 10-11 am

NEW!!! 2nd Saturday Movie Night beginning October 14 th 7 pm and continuing every second Saturday of every month.
Safe Passage with Susan Sarandon and Sam Shephard about a mildly psychic woman who has premonitions in her dreams, as well as a short movie Appointment with a Wise Old Dog , about a man who shares his dreams during his death and dying process with beautiful art work, See painting below. Popcorn and drinks provided and discussion to follow. 
Day of the Dead
Celebration Sunday, October 29th 5 pm
Please bring photos for the altar of loved ones who have died and food they enjoyed to share with about 8 people. We will enjoy a special Day of the Dead service, followed by a Mexican Dinner that will be provided. Please come early to help create altar.
Taize first Sunday of every month except this October 1st worship canceled. Bonnie and Walt and going to Walt's 50th college reunion. Taize is a form of worship with silence, scripture readings and chanting.
Thanksgiving Pot Luck dinner and celebration the Sunday before Thanksgiving November 19, 5 pm
Christmas Eve worship and pot luck dinner 5 pm Sunday Christimas Eve Dec. 24th.

Our Common Home a church and counseling center's new mission statement.
Our Common Home provides religious and psychological services to awaken to the moral and ecologic crisis as an invitation for spiritual growth and creating loving community with all of creation, caring for our common home, Mother Earth.  
Prayer Mother/Father God who is within us, we celebrate your many names. Your wisdom come, your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us. Each day you give us all that we need. You remind us of our limits and we let go. You support us in our power and we act with courage. For you are the dwelling place within us, the empowerment around us, and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen  

by Sister Miriam Therese Winters 
Church for Our Common Home | Rev. Bonnie Tarwater | (858) 248-5123
13014 Calle De Las Rosas, San Diego CA 92129 revtarwater@yahoo.com www.churchforourcommonhome.com