Learning and exploration are about the transformation of the individual, our community, and the larger society. Participation helps us grow in wisdom, compassion, and ethical living. See our July activities, programs, and workshops for adults.
To contact the facilitator in regard to any offering, you may email AdultRE@UUSM.org with the title of the group in the subject line. Your email will be forwarded.
Do you have a passion or an expertise? Are you a chef or a gardener, a historian or an actor? Would you like to offer some help, support, or some frivolity to our UU community via Zoom? We’re seeking programming that is fun, informative, and engaging. Please let us know if there’s something you’d like to offer and the Adult RE Committee will help you to do it. Email the Adult RE Committee (AdultRE@UUSM.org) or Teri Lucas (uusmREassist@uusm.org) and we can work with you on presenting your ideas.
Limited Offerings
Tarot Meditation Workshop
4 Tuesdays, beginning June 30 – Online Zoom
The Tarot, it is said, is a symbolic picture of the universe in its many layers, from material to the spiritual and beyond. Currently, the Tarot has as its basis the mystical Jewish Qabalah, drawing into it various Medieval and Renaissance systems such as astrology, alchemy, numerology, sacred geometry and mathematics, world mythology, Theosophy, Hermeticism, Rosicrucianism, and even Freemasonry. In modern times, it acquired Jungian psychological commentary as well. The Tarot itself is a fascinating, intricate system of interconnecting pictorial symbolism that is meant to catalyze helpful transformations within ourselves and our psyches, affecting not just behaviors, but perhaps even granting serendipitous opportunities. Jonathan “Buudha” Quant has been a practitioner of Tarot meditation for over 20 years and is eager to introduce you to Tarot meditation. Whether you are new to Tarot, or believe you know much, you will certainly gain fresh insights. It is preferable that participants meet for the entire sequence, but it is not mandatory. All are welcome. This class will meet via Zoom from 7:00 to 8:30 pm on four Tuesdays.
Community Building Through Personal Development:
Online Coffee & Teahouse Conversation Wednesdays – Online Zoom
Bring your tea or coffee cup and have a check in with Reverend Jeremiah and your fellow UUs. We shall examine our current lives, as well as focus on UUA monthly themes at our weekly Wednesday check-in. Scheduled for every Wednesday from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Contact Reverend Jeremiah at minister@uusm.org for the Zoom link.
CommUUnity Connection Meetings Wednesdays July 1, 15, 29 – Online Zoom
A time to connect with others and share experiences during this time of isolation. Margot Page and Wendi Gladstone will be conducting this meeting. Email CommUUnity@uusm.org to register for this 7:00 to 8:30 pm Wednesday Zoom meeting.
CommUUnity Connection Meeting Thursday July 9 – Online Zoom
A time to connect with others and share experiences during this time of isolation. Bettye Barclay and Denise Helton will be conducting the meeting. Email at CommUUnity@uusm.org to register for this 3:00 to 4:00 pm Thursday Zoom meeting.
Ukulele Strum Along, Saturday July 11 – Online Zoom
Come and play ukulele with us or join with another strumming instrument. We recommended a familiarity with the ukulele for this online format but all levels welcome (beginner to advanced). We will meet on Saturday, July 11th from 9:30am-11:00am. Bring a ukulele to our Zoom meeting and chords and lyrics will be provided in advance with a few folks prepared to lead some songs. We will share tips and support each other, pulling from a wide range of music. This event is for ages 15 and up, or 10 and up if accompanied by a guardian. We will need your email contact information so that we can send you the music. Please RSVP to Kim Kalmanson before July 9th.
Exploration of Ideas:
AAHS Freethinker Forum Sunday, July 26 – Online Zoom
AAHS (Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, and Secularists) is an open group that meets for a lively and engaging discussion on topics of politics, science, religion, and philosophy. We also host occasional guest speakers, films, and outings. We are a home base for non-believers and questioners, but everyone is welcome. For many, atheism/agnosticism is a first step; Humanism is the thousand steps that come after. We’ll meet from 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm via Zoom. Contact: James Witker.
Science Non-Fiction Book Discussion Tuesday July 21 – Online Zoom
We will discuss “She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity,” by Carl Zimmer. This book won several science-writing awards, including the Keck Communication Award for 2019. The author covers the basics and then moves to some of the latest surprises in heredity. The cultural history of how some have responded to genetic findings, both positive and negative, are included. To receive the Zoom link, you will want to be on the group email list. Contact: Rebecca Crawford at sci-nonfiction@uusm.org for more information. We meet from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.
UU Men’s Group Thursdays, July 2 and 16 – Online Zoom
The Men’s Group offers a special opportunity to the men of the congregation and other like-minded men to join our welcoming group with provocative and stimulating discussion and to get to know others with UU perspectives in a more meaningful way. The topic for July 2 will be considering articles dealing with the future of America following the protests. The topic for July 16th is recalling an important conflict in your life, did you handle it successfully? If not, did you benefit from the experience in a similar situation later in life? We meet from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. For more information and Zoom link, contact Richard Mathias.
Meditations:
An Enjoyable Dive into Who and What We Are Mondays, July 6 and July 20 – Online Zoom
Bill Blake will present an enjoyable dive into the “who and what” we are. This on-going, twice a month class on the 1st and 3rd Mondays is presented to help participants master specific meditation skills. We endeavor to answer the questions Who am I? (attitudes and beliefs) and What am I? (essence or true nature). This class will include meditations that explore participants’ spiritual goals. The monthly group meetings will also focus on insights gained throughout the month. It is expected that participants will develop and enjoy a regular meditation practice. The class meets from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Contact: Bill Blake.
Open Meditation Mondays, July 13 and July 27 – Online Zoom
We gather twice a month to sit together quietly for 20 minutes, to walk with gentle awareness for seven minutes, and to explore the integration of meditation with ordinary life through reading and sharing. Anyone who senses they would benefit from 20 minutes of silent, non-guided sitting is welcome to join us. We have found that this time of quiet meditation and shared exploration can be deeply nourishing – a time of simply “being” amidst all the “doing” of our lives. We meet from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Contacts: Bev Shoenberger or Carol Ring.
Open Meditation: Wellsprings Wednesdays and Fridays – Online Zoom
These are exceptional times. Taking this time for quiet meditation and sharing in the intimacy of having sat in silence together can help sustain and ground us during these difficult days. We trust each of you will use this group in the way that fits your needs. We listen to brief readings, sit together quietly for twenty minutes, journal and share with each other what’s on our hearts. We simply sit together in our shared humanity. We call off the struggle to become other than we are. These are drop-in groups. You are welcome to join us when it feels right to you. If you come in late or need to leave early, just do so quietly. We meet every Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 12:00 to 1:00 pm online. Contact: Bev Shoenberger.
