Author: Mary Bennett

Painting with Pat on the Labyrinth

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Pat MacBain will be painting on the labyrinth again this year. And available to coach kids at 3pm.

We’ll have crayons and pastels for kids and others to use to create labyrinth art. You can create an art piece of the scene, a flower or learn to draw the labyrinth pattern.

Here are some photos from 2018 World Labyrinth Day.

A painting begins. And then the light shifted….

painting, walking, running.
Hawk was very interested in learning about oil painting from Pat.
Several people joined at 3pm through Jane’s Walk advertising.

Make a Flower Crown for May Day/Beltane

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Flower Crowns

Our plans for the flower crown activity on Sat. May 4 (4-5:30pm) and then at the Earth Spirit circle on Tuesday, May 7th are evolving.
Sandy brought in some ivy that had been twisted to form a base.
Mary was given some white wool. We did a walk around the gardens to see which flowering shrubs could benefit from a bit of judicious pruning and which flowers will be so plentiful they could be given over to this project. The cranesbill geraniums are just coming into bloom and will be plentiful.
Here’s a good link if you want to make these at home.
We’ll have (but you could also bring) ivy, laurel, rosemary and lavender for a good base.
We’ll also bring wire, twist ties, ribbon and yarn for fastening things on.
And here’s a very easy approach to do with kids. Paper bags and duct tape are involved.

Wish Tree for July 10 2022

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The Wish Tree is back. After the service by Karl Perrin and Cynthia Lam on July 10, come to the East/Fremlin side and write a wish to tie on one of the hawthorn trees on the labyrinth.  There will be a basket at each entrance to provide materials for you.

A display table will be there as well.

Coordinated by Mary Bennett.

More about our labyrinths here. 

http://vancouverunitarians.ca/labyrinth

 

From May 2019

Jodie Miller will be on site for World Labyrinth Day and encouraging you to write a wish and hang from our trees.

We’ve decided on the vine maples in the courtyard. We considered the tree/s in the centre of the garden path labyrinth, or the two at either entrance, the cherry blossom at south entrance or the vine maples in the courtyard or our orchard of 14 apple trees. We especially liked that it’s easy to get to and visible to all.
We will let the wishes fly for a while and then collect and bury them (as Yoko Ono does). (This is our first year doing this, but we already expect it will be the first annual).
Suggested colours are:
  • gold to symbolize prosperity
  • blue for courage
  • white for fidelity
  • pink for tenderness
  • green for good health.

Here’s a description of Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree Ongoing Installation.

And the instructions:

Make a wish. Write it down on a piece of paper. Fold it and tie it around a branch of a Wish Tree. Ask your friends to do the same. Keep wishing. Until the branches are covered with wishes.[2]

Yoko Ono’s comment:

  • As a child in Japan, I used to go to a temple and write out a wish on a piece of thin paper and tie it around the branch of a tree. Trees in temple courtyards were always filled with people’s wish knots, which looked like white flowers blossoming from afar.[1]
Here’s a good news story about making a public wishing tree. Traci Bunkers is the artist involved with a kids art camp and guerrilla art group.

Herbal teas

If you’re not into decorating a tree at all, don’t worry. Just add some herbs to your tea. They say all herbs are healing on Beltane and will surely fix you up.

The point is, Beltane is a holiday for our renewal, time for new hopes and beginnings. Anything you decide or wish or manifest over a cup of tea on Beltane could actually work this time. There’s lavender, rosemary, thyme and sage around the grounds. Please pick a sacred bundle for using fresh or dried. Just add hot water.

Flower Crowns

We’ll have (but you could also bring) ivy, rosemary and lavender for a good base.
We’ll also bring wire, twist ties, ribbon and yarn for fastening things on. If you have “floral tape” or “floral wire” and can bring along, please do.
And here’s a very easy approach to do with kids. Paper bags and duct tape are involved.

April on the Garden Path Labyrinth

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The grape hyacinths are in abundance. Snowdrops and crocuses have now gone back underground.

We have a few daffodils lingering on and the tulips are blooming.

The primulas are in full bloom or coming into their own. Thanks to Hanno for the pale pink perennial primulas. Last fall I divided some of them up so they’re spread around a bit.

We lost the Huntington’s carpet rosemary over the winter, but the other two rosemary plants at entrance on south side are doing fine. (Yes,you can pinch a sprig if you wish.)

Around the courtyard labyrinth, 3 of the 5 new lavender are healthy. A 4th looks like it’s alive — barely, and the 5th might well be dead. But perhaps only sleeping?

I’m watching for calendula sprouts. We’ve usually had lots of calendula but I haven’t spotted a sprout as yet.

I divided up some echinacea and rudbeckia from other parts of the grounds and planted around the perimeter. They won’t bloom for months yet.

Did you buy some tulips or daffodils in a pot and don’t need them any more? Bring to the labyrinth. They say they don’t bloom again, but they will. Maybe not this year, but the following year and we have lots of space. Or are you the kind of gardener who digs up everything as the season progresses. All “old unwanted” bulbs are very welcome. Just contact us if you want to leave them somewhere if we’re not around.

Thanks to Keith Wilkinson for these photos.

New Study Group: The Earth Has a Soul

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Update: This group will start in September as an in-person gathering on the 4th Sunday of each month 12:30-1:30 pm

Members of the Earth Spirituality group are planning a monthly study group following the chapters in this book of quotations from Carl Jung. We will meet in person or by zoom for an hour each month. Participants will take turns leading the group. Please send a note to earthspiritucv@gmail.com if you’d like to be involved. Give us your preference for online or in person and what times work for you.

Fill out this google form here to let us know when and where would work for you.

We’ll set up a doodle to finalize a regular date once we get some preliminary feedback.

 

Religious Naturalism – Take Two

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Last month, Steven preached on Religious Naturalism. The service was so well received with numerous comments on our email list from as far away as Ecuador, that we’ll get “Take Two” this coming Sunday, April 14.

Here’s the sermon from earlier.

Religious Naturalism

If you want to take a deeper dive into the UUA document that Steven refers to go here:

https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/documents/coa/engagingourtheodiversity.pdf 

The words by David Bumbaugh that Steven uses in his block quote come from page 90 of the report.  There is an interesting quote by Phillip Hewett on the next page. 

If this concept appeals to you (as it clearly does to many Unitarians), here are some links you might enjoy exploring:

https://religiousnaturalism.org/

http://religious-naturalist-association.org/

https://www.uua.org/ga/past/2006/13227.shtml

https://www.uuworld.org/articles/the-emerging-religious-humanism

https://www.uuabookstore.org/Reason-and-Reverence-P16872.aspx

https://www.meadville.edu/current-students/course-offerings/spring-term-2018-2019/course/religious-naturalism/8438948/

Forest Bathing in Pacific Spirit Park

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Several of us in the Westside Unitarian Neighbourhood Group are embarking on “forest bathing” in Pacific Spirit Park. If you’d like to know when we’re going for a walk (probably 1-2 hours), let Mary know and she’ll send you a note when we have a time set (usually weekdays during the day, late morning or early afternoon.) We meet at 16th and Discovery and go from there. We sometimes go for a coffee or lunch together. Some of us bring walking poles.

Here’s an excerpt from a post from David Suzuki: https://davidsuzuki.org/story/nature-calms-the-brain-and-heals-the-body/

In Japan, scientists found people spending time in nature — shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” — inhale “beneficial bacteria, plant-derived essential oils and negatively-charged ions” which interact with gut bacteria to strengthen the body’s immune system and improve both mental and physical health.

More information about the park. 

 

Did you know that our office assistant is a busy graphic designer?

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UCV’S very own office assistant, Marcus Hynes, will be exhibiting a selection of his illustration and graphic design works alongside 30 other visual artists, musicians, makeup artists, fashion designers, etc. as part of an upcoming interdisciplinary art show, Raw Artists: Impact, on Sunday, April 14, from 5 pm onward at Celebrities on Davie Street.

http://heymarcus.ca/?portfolio=you-are-the-universe

Each participating artist is tasked with selling 20 tickets, which can be purchased online or from Marcus directly. (He’s in the office Monday – Thursday 9:30 to 2:30 pm).
Tickets are $20 each. Prints and posters will be available at the show. Your support would be very sincerely appreciated!

For more information at Marcus’ work, please visit http://www.heymarcus.ca.

Marcus recently designed covers for The Growler magazine.

Don’t miss Marcus’ workshop at UCV on Saturday, May 25 1 – 4 pm on creating posters, flyers and brochures.

We’ll use the free software program Open Office Writer. If you want to use your own word processing or publishing program, that’s OK too, but the demonstrations and prepared templates will be provided in OpenOffice.

This workshop is open to UCV members who are on committees who sponsor events.

Must preregister. Click the workshop link above or send email to Mary.

Recently Marcus worked with Steven to take Steven’s research from interviewing the UU Ministers of Canada and put into a 16-page booklet. You can download here.

What-We-Wish-People-Knew-About-Unitarian-Universalism

 

Talking About Trans and the UU World Article

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You may have come across through email or facebook the responses to an article included in the most recent issue of UU World called “After L, G and B”.

Posted here are various statements in pdf form that you can download and read. We’ve also made some hard copies that will be available on Sunday morning on the bulletin board.

The UCV Genders & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) will be discussing further educational and awareness gatherings we might sponsor, such as the Transforming Hearts Collective six-session program called Transgender Inclusion in Congregations.

In the meantime, do consider how we as a congregation might mark March 31, the Transgender Day of Visibility, and save the date of May 3 for the film screening of “She’s A Boy I Knew” at UCV. 

Resources

UU World Article: After L, G and B

Tips for Talking About the Article

UU World Apology from Editor

CUC Statement on behalf of CUC, UU Ministers of Canada and Religious Educators: In Solidarity with Trans and Nonbinary UUs

Trans Day of Visibility Guide from City of Vancouver

Trans Style Guide by Zr. Alex Kapitan

WUNGers, a Neighbourhood Discussion Group on the West Side

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by Sheila Resels.
On the fourth Tuesday of every month I head over to Jeannie Corsi’s welcoming home. I am pleased because I know that I’ll be spending a stimulating afternoon with interesting folks. So, who are we?  And, why do we gather in this manner?  And, what in the world is WUNG?
Well, WUNG is the acronym for Westside Unitarian Neighbourhood Group (coined by Keith Wilkinson). It’s a neighbourhood group that is open to Kits-ish people as well as those further south (Kerrisdale and Dunbar) and west (Point Grey, UBC). We’ve been meeting monthly for a year now, averaging 12 folks each session. Approximately 30 people have participated. As Eva Allan, a regular attendee said, “It is always interesting and a great way to get to know better our westside UCVers”.
The Neighbourhood Groups define themselves. At our first meeting at Melody Mason’s home, we decided to select discussion topics that we were interested in and with which there was some expertise within our group.  We’ve had informative, engaging presentations on Civil Liberties, Naturopathic Medicine, World Federalism, Philosophy,  Earth Spirituality/Paganism, Compassionate (Non-Violent) Communication and Proportional Representation, to name but a few. Joan Balmer, another regular WUNGer, enthusiastically summed it up when she exclaimed, “I’m so happy we are exploring these important issues”. Not only do we have animated talks on important issues, we also simply hang out occasionally. December’s Holiday Celebration was a fine time as we sipped on wine, nibbled on appies while enjoying our Unitarian community.
Yes, I do look forward to my fourth Tuesday of the month as I head off to Jeannie’s home. Based on how quickly registration fills up each month I think others do too.  Appreciatively, Sheila (Resels).
If you’d like more information about Neighbourhood Groups in the Metro Vancouver area, give me a shout at sresels@gmail.com.
There are several Neighbourhood groups in the Metro Vancouver area in New Westminster, Richmond (south of the Fraser), East Vancouver, and Fairview/False Creek.  Each group develops its own ideas about when, where, how and why to meet.  Some groups will decide to have a focus for discussion; and others might be purely social. And in true Unitarian style, likely many gatherings will be both.