December 25th, 2020
Religious Exploration/Education
December's Theme is Stillness
Hello Lovelies,

We find ourselves at Christmas time already. This season is so full of celebrations and festivals that honor the light and that celebrate our connection to each other. It's amazing to read about how cultures all over the world have celebrated this time historically and still today. One celebration that I'm just learning about is Watch Night, also called Freedom's Eve. It is celebrated on Dec. 31st as a way of commemorating the night when black people throughout the South waited to hear if Lincoln would sign the Emancipation Proclamation. It continues to be celebration of the end of slavery, as well as a spiritual practice in the African Methodist Episcopal church and elsewhere of bringing in faith and blessings for a new year. Learning more about this time of waiting for freedom helps support our Eighth Principle: “journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”

Watch Night explained with pictures of the original Emancipation Proclamation document
Gathering Together Video
Candles and a Christmas Spider
One more video for 2020. I'm excited to share with you some of my special candles for this time of year. We lit Solstice candles and angel chimes and we successfully made a candle flame jump between two candles! I also share the story of the Christmas Spider. Enjoy!
Songs of Joy


One planet is turning
Circle on her path around the sun
Earth Mother is calling her children home

Let's keep it burning
Let's keep this flame of hope alive
Make safe our journey through the storm

Light is returning
Even though this is the darkest hour
No one can hold back the dawn


Stories for RE
Picture Books
Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett is one of my favorite stories for this time of year. Her illustrations are so detailed and I love the side panels with glimpses of what's coming next in the story. Enjoy!
Henry's Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine is based on the true story of one man's journey from slavery to freedom. FYI: It has sad moments of his family being split up and children sold off to different masters and suspenseful moments of Henry being shipped in a box to freedom. But overall, the tone is gentle with no graphic details.
Videos
Mindful Moment
Think about a time when you felt all bound up, not free to do as you pleased, or held back in some way. Have you ever wished to be free?
Listen to this song, I Wish I Knew (How it would feel to be free) by Nina Simone.
As you listen to the song, draw a picture of freedom.
Soulful Connections:
Let's take some time to reflect on our year. I know it was possibly the most challenging year any of us have ever had. And there is a lot of grief to process. We are learning to let go and move through this hard time, and we are learning new ways to love and connect and to grow stronger. Let's write down some of these lessons as we reflect on our year. And let's call in what we want for our new year.
Here is an example of making a family time capsule of reflection pages for all ages.
Below are some ideas for questions to ask.
If you feel moved to make art or collage that reflects your past year, go for it! And send me pictures! :)
Sunday Zoom Time
We will be taking two weeks off from our Sunday zoom time. Enjoy your winter break!
We will start again on January 10th!
Keep an eye out for information on our new online offering: CartUUns! starting in January!
Photos from this week
I hope you got to see the Saturn/Jupiter conjunction on the Solstice! The sky miraculously cleared right at sunset for a gorgeous view. And thank you to everyone who came to the food drive and cookie exchange. We made a beautiful cookie mandala for the solstice with some of the cookies from that exchange. Sending you all light and love for a cozy wintertime.
The Solstice Star from my backyard!
Solstice cookies from the cookie exchange!
Bells!
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