(Midsummer) 2016 - UUWomenspirit.org

She Speaks
The Quarterly Newsletter by and for the Members of UUWomenspirit
Mid Summer 2016
I’m A ...What???
Inside this Issue:
Celebrating the
Season—Lammas
3
News from the
Coordinating Council
7
Spring 2016 Event
13
Fall 2016 Event
15
Spring 2017 Event
16
Our Web of
Community
17
Our Healing Circle
Of Support
22
Voices of our
Community
23
For as long as I can remember, I have always known my sun
sign…Virgo. Virgo is an earth sign, and along with the other earth signs
(Capricorn and Taurus) is symbolic of stability and practicality. Unlike
Capricorn and Taurus, Virgo is a mutable sign, meaning those born under the Virgo sun are flexible, adaptable and can adjust to different circumstances. Capricorn is a cardinal sign, meaning those born under the
sun in Capricorn are initiators and tend to be outgoing. Taurus is a fixed
sign, meaning those born under the Taurus sun are resistant to change
and prefer to perfect and improve what is, rather than start something
new.
As I became interested in what it means to be Virgo, I realized
many of the classic Virgo traits were present in my personality. Virgo is
reserved, which describes me perfectly. It takes me a while to get to
know people and to feel comfortable sharing parts of myself with others.
I don’t like crowds and prefer small groups and conversations one-on-one.
I am always suspicious of anyone who assumes a familiarity with me
they have not yet earned. Virgo is modest and practical, terms I can also
identify with. I do not seek the limelight and do not feel compelled to
draw attention to myself. My house is small, orderly and unassuming,
and I always allot a few hours each week to ensure my house is in order.
Virgo is also known for being industrious, analytical and discerning,
traits I also see in myself. I like solving problems and staying busy, and
I feel restless if I am not contributing in some way.
Contributors:
Tarleton Brooks, Melissa
Christopher, Christine
Grewcock, Sue Hand,
Claire Lending, Melanie
Morel-Ensminger, Linda
Myers, Judy Padgett,
Lisa Sherman, Susie
Sherman-Hall and Toni
Stephenson
I was unaware of what a “moon sign” is until recently. The moon’s
presence in a particular sign at the time of your birth can also have an
influence on your personality. The moon spends approximately 2 1/2
days in each sign of the zodiac and travels through all 12 signs. While
the sun sign reflects the traits that are most apparent on the exterior of a
person, the moon sign is reflective of instincts, emotions and the unconscious…in other words, the things as humans we experience internally.
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Not knowing what my moon sign is, I jumped at the chance to learn about it by taking
Toni Stephenson’s workshop at the Fall 2015 event. Going into this workshop, and being quite
settled and comfortable in my Virgo-ness, I fully expected my moon sign would also be Virgo. If
not Virgo, then Taurus or Capricorn…another “earthy” sign to round out and balance my sometimes overly critical nature that is one of the less desirable qualities of Virgo. Coming fully prepared to the workshop to calculate my moon sign (month, day, year and time of birth), I was
ready to jump in with both feet and embrace my moon Virgo.
So you can imagine my complete surprise when I learned my moon sign was not Virgo…
nor was it Capricorn or Taurus. To my complete dismay, my moon sign is…Sagittarius.
What??? Huh???? How could my moon sign be associated with fire, when earth is the element I
have always been drawn to? Other than knowing Sagittarius to be a fire sign, I had no idea
what this meant…other than my Virgo, earth-centered world was rocked to the core.
This curious and analytical Virgo had to find out what it means to be born under the Sagittarius moon, even if it means having to let go of my attachment to being completely and unabashedly Virgo. So, I started doing some research, which proved to be very… illuminating.
Here is the first thing I learned…no matter what a person’s sun sign is, those born under the
moon in Sagittarius are more open-minded, exuberant, adventurous and optimistic. Hmmm,
let’s see…I am a very optimistic person. I tend to lean toward the open-minded side, and under
certain circumstances I can be rather lively and exuberant. I am not sure how adventurous I
am, but in the world of moon signs one size does not fit all.
I took a deeper dive into what it means to be born under the moon in Sagittarius, and
was fascinated by what I learned. A love of higher learning and being able to see the big picture
are deeply-rooted traits of Sagittarius, which feels very familiar and comfortable to me. Those
born under this moon sign are known for having a sharp mind, being extraordinary insightful
and being able to get things done quickly. I would love to think I possess these qualities, at
least to some degree, but perhaps it is my modest Virgo-ness that resists engaging in anything
that feels like bragging. Adaptability, a good sense of humor and exercising good judgment are
cornerstone traits with this moon sign, aspects of my personality I can absolutely identify with.
In the process of learning about the influences of my moon sign, I learned a lot about myself. I also learned to let go of my complete identification with my earthy self and have embarked on the process of fully embracing my fiery
self. If you are curious about your moon sign and
other influences the moon has on us as women, be
sure to join us for our fall event in October, Moon
Energy: Rhythm, Mystery, Illumination.
So, let’s raise a glass and toast to expanding
our horizons…no matter how earthy, airy, fiery or
watery they may be…
Namaste,
Lisa C. Sherman, Editor
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Celebrating the Season—Honoring Mid Summer/Lammas/August 2nd
Editor’s Note: In 2016, we will explore the cross quarter days through different goddesses. Some of the goddesses
may be familiar to you, and others you may be meeting for the first time.
Mid Summer, also known as Lammas and Lughnasadh, falls on August 2nd this year.
This cross-quarter day is the midpoint between the summer solstice and the fall equinox, and is
the first of three harvest celebrations on the Wheel of the Year. On this cross-quarter day, we
enjoy the masses of locally grown produce as we celebrate the earth’s bounty. We have enjoyed
longer daylight hours for several weeks now, along with the (at times) oppressive heat and persistent mosquitoes. Lammas is also associated with the element of water, symbolic of reflection,
wisdom and relationships. This time of the year, I am grateful for the harvest, while also paying frequent homage to the goddess of central air conditioning!
Coincidentally, the new moon also falls on Lammas in 2016, bringing with it the opportunity for new beginnings and optimism. On this unique cross-quarter day, think about how
you can personally celebrate the harvest and the work that came before, while also taking pause
to think about incorporating the energy of the new moon as an opportunity to explore something
new.
We will continue our exploration of goddesses from different cultures to explore Lammas
energy from different perspectives. We will meet Amaterasu, the sun goddess and chief deity of
the Shinto faith from Japan, a mother goddess who asks us to engage in the exercise of selfreflection. We will also meet Saga, the water goddess and storyteller from Norse mythology.
The resources used to compile this essay are Patricia Monaghan’s The Goddess Path: Myths, Invocations and Rituals (Amaterasu) and Alice Karlsdottir’s Norse Goddess Magic: Trancework,
Mythology and Ritual (Saga).
The Myth of Amaterasu
Amaterasu, whose name means “great shining heaven”, comes from the nature-honoring
Shinto faith that was followed in Japan by indigenous people in pre-Buddhist times. Amaterasu is the chief divinity of Shinto, and is the only goddess who outranks her male counterparts in religions that are currently in practice. Amaterasu is still a part of Japanese culture
today and her image, the circle, is present on the Japanese flag. The circle represents a mirror,
an image central to Amaterasu’s story.
Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun and her brother, Susano-o, is the storm god. And like
many siblings, they had issues. We may want to think of this sister and brother pair as a symbol of the battle between good and evil, but this simplistic characterization fails to recognize the
concept of temperance and relativity that exists between the two. According to Shinto, there is
no concept of evil but instead actions should be judged based on their appropriateness under the
circumstances. Murder is wrong, but murder committed in self-defense is understandable.
Thus, Amaterasu is symbolic of order and harmony, while Susano-o represents inappropriateness.
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Celebrating the Season—Honoring Mid Summer/Lammas/August 2nd cont.
According to the myth, one day Susano-o went to the skies to visit his sister after being
particularly disruptive. Upon his arrival, Susano-o claimed he meant no harm by his prior
deeds. Amaterasu was suspicious of his intentions, and so Susano-o agreed to undergo a test of
his sincerity by giving birth…and if his intentions were genuine and peaceful, all of the children
would be male. At his request, Amaterasu gave Susano-o five of her jewels, which he then
cracked open and a male god emerged from each jewel. Much to Amaterasu’s horror, Susano-o
became so excited at his “feat” that he raged out of control and wreaked havoc upon the world
and wrecked anything he encountered. The death and destruction at the hands of her brother
proved to be too much for Amaterasu, and she retreated into a rock cave in sky, depriving the
earth of her sunlight. Without the presence of the sun goddess, the world was cloaked in darkness. Despite the pleas of the other gods and goddesses for Amaterasu to return, she ignored
their pleas and remained in her cave.
The stalemate between Amaterasu and her subjects was finally broken by the shamanic
goddess Uzume, who began first singing and dancing, followed by bawdy remarks and a striptease. Uzume’s performance brought about a raucous and joyful response from the crowd,
which was so loud it could be heard behind the walls of Amaterasu’s protective cave. Amaterasu called out and asked what all the fuss was about, and someone in the crowd told Amaterasu that a goddess better than the sun had been discovered. This piqued Amaterasu’s interest, and she opened the door to her cave just slightly, only to gaze into a mirror placed just in
time by the other gods and goddesses. Amaterasu had never seen her reflection before and was
unaware of her brilliance…as she stood there in awe of her own reflection, the other gods and
goddesses pulled the cave completely open and the sun once again shown on the earth and remains to this day.
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Celebrating the Season—Honoring Mid Summer/Lammas/August 2nd, cont.
Suggestions for Invoking Amaterasu
Create an altar to Amaterasu by incorporating her symbols: a mirror, a jewel or necklace, and a sword if you have one handy. Place fresh flowers around the mirror and also include
candles. The reflection of the lit candles off of the mirror is symbolic of the sun’s light.
After creating sacred space, bring your hands into prayer position in the Japanese fashion and bow, then ask Amaterasu to come into your space. Patricia Monaghan recommends
calling Amaterasu into your space with the following invocation:
When I look up to the royal sky
I see her, a tranquil queen
behind a screen of clouds. The sun!
For thousands of ages, may she shine.
For thousands of ages, may we serve her.
May we serve her with reverence.
May we serve her with love.
Lift the mirror and gaze at your reflection for several minutes and try not to focus on
your outward appearance. Rather, try to look beyond your exterior and look inward, and ask
yourself about the state of your life. Look to see if things feel calm and balanced (the essence of
the sun goddess), and notice if you find areas where your life feels out of balance (the presence
of the storm god). If you find areas of unbalance, ask Amaterasu to restore balance to those
places by shining her bright light, and restore harmony to your whole being. Visualize the presence of light entering your being, driving away any remaining unbalance. After several
minutes, thank Amaterasu for sharing her gift of the sun.
The Myth of Saga
Saga is the second goddess of the Aesir, a race of gods and goddesses in Norse mythology
and is tied to Frigg, the queen of the Aesir. Saga dwells in a large estate called Sokkvabekk, or
“Sinking Brook”, surrounded by water. It is said that Saga meets with Odin, the chief god of the
Aesir, every day to drink together out of golden cups and share stories. The waters surrounding
Saga’s home are symbolic of the past, and her power is associated with the events of the past
that shape the events of the present. By drinking every day of the waters, Saga and Odin partake in a ritual of taking in the collective wisdom of the past. In so doing, Saga becomes a keeper of this wisdom and imparts this wisdom through the stories she tells to those who invoke her.
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Celebrating the Season—Honoring Mid Summer/Lammas/August 2nd, cont.
The word “saga” in Old Norse means “story” or “history”; in modern English, it means
“myth” or “legend”. The underlying concept of a saga is to blend factual, historical events with
legend and myth. Thus, a saga, like the Goddess Saga, is intended to be an account of the soul
of people rather than a mere recitation of events; it is a bridge, or a point of connection, between
the events and ancestors of the past, the present, and generations to follow.
Suggestions for Invoking Saga
Saga is associated with water, so include shades of blue, green or aqua in your altar. Include a small bowl of water, and other symbols of water such as river stones and shells. Invoke
Saga in your sacred space with the following Call to Saga, adapted from Norse Goddess Magic:
Hail Saga, mistress of memory, Keeper of the timeless records
Master storyteller, speaker of true tales, Guardian of tradition, of fame, of honor…
Mistress of Sokkvabekk, the Sinking Brook,
House of the singing walls beside the stream of life.
Lead us once more to the ancient waters:
drink with us in gladness and sing the old songs;
May our deeds and works honor your halls, and ring true in the telling.
Saga of Memory, Saga of the collective wisdom of the ages Come - Saga - Come!
After you have invoked Saga to join your sacred space, sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
Close your eyes and allow your body to relax completely; slow down your breath and clear your
mind of all thoughts and distractions.
In your mind, see Saga’s home by the sea…it rests near the rocky shoreline and is made
of smooth stones. You look out over the rocks and see Saga, standing on a large rock overlooking
the sea. She is a mature woman, probably in her 40s…she is tall and statuesque, dressed in
various shades of blue. She has dark hair and blue eyes, offset by her fair complexion.
You approach Saga and she hands you a goblet made of gold. You accept her offering and
take a long, slow drink from the goblet. As the water from the goblet enters your body, you feel
the collective wisdom of the ages gently pouring into you; you sit for a time and allow the stories
of the ancient ones to slowly seep into your bloodstream and enter every space of your being.
Saga begins to stroll down the shoreline and sing songs in a language unfamiliar to you at
first…but as you sip from your goblet of ancient lore, you understand Saga’s words.
Stay for several minutes on the shoreline with Saga, and listen to her stories. When you
are ready, return to the room feeling connected to the collective wisdom of the past and its application to the world today.
She Speaks
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News From the Coordinating Council
The Coordinating Council, or CoCo, is the governing body of UUWomenspirit. The current members of the CoCo
are Lisa Sherman (Marketing and Outreach Liaison), Christine Grewcock (Membership Chair/Registrar), Gloria
Hausser (Volunteer Coordinator), Judy Padgett (outgoing Program Resource Liaison), Liz Kuemmerer (incoming
Program Resource Liaison), Sue Hand (Treasurer) and Dale Cost (Scribe).
From Lisa Sherman, Marketing and Outreach Liaison:
The CoCo has had two meetings since the Beltane issue of She Speaks was released in
late April. We had our spring meeting during the event in May, and we just wrapped up our
summer meeting during the weekend of July 22-24, 2016. For our summer meeting, we decided
to try something new and met at The Mountain instead of a CoCo member’s house, and it was a
huge success. It was very different to be on The Mountain with summer camps taking place,
but we all had a wonderful time and accomplished a great deal.
For both the spring and summer meetings, Liz Kuemmerer joined us and is fully prepared to take over the role of Program Resource Liaison (“PRL”) on August 1st as she officially
steps into the shoes of Judy Padgett, who rotates off the CoCo after serving as the PRL for over
7 years. We are so grateful to Judy for her hard work and dedication for all the years she has
served us. I can think of no one who cares about UUWomenspirit more than Judy, and our organization is stronger because of Judy’s efforts. As Judy is not one to rest on her laurels, it will
come as no surprise that she has agreed to serve as the Event Coordinator for our 30th anniversary event next spring. Judy’s committee will meet in the upcoming weeks, and we are so excited to see what they come up with to commemorate our anniversary!
During the past two meetings, the CoCo spent a great deal of time discussing the longterm health of the organization and areas where we feel additional improvements need to be
made. Through these lengthy conversations, we determined there are three key areas we need
to pay greater attention to and explore ways in which we can develop and grow. These areas
are: 1) the financial health of the organization; 2) doing a better job learning from past issues;
and 3) further developing and enhancing our relationship with The Mountain.
On the issue of the organization’s finances, it is important to note that we are in better
shape financially than we were a few years ago and we are carrying a healthier balance in our
bank account. That being said, we believe this is due, in large part, to the fact that Planning
Committee members do not ask to be reimbursed for all expenses incurred in the process of
planning and executing events. As a result, we are concerned that our current balance is not a
true representation of the financial health of the organization. While we are so grateful for the
generosity of past planning committees, the issue this has created is a lack of clarity regarding
how much it truly costs to plan and put on our events. The same comment can be made of CoCo
members who have not asked to be reimbursed for expenses associated with attending CoCo
meetings. In an effort to get our arms around what our actual expenses are for the next several
events, we are asking all Planning Committees to provide us with an accounting of all expenses
incurred in the planning and execution of events…even if the individual(s) who incurred the expense do not wish to be reimbursed. After we have collected this data for several events, we
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News From the Coordinating Council
From Lisa Sherman, cont.:
will analyze the data and determine if modifications to our business model are needed. We appreciate your support as we move through this process.
The second area where we feel attention is needed is to do a better job debriefing after
events and closely examining the things that went well in addition to the things that could have
gone more smoothly. However, our goal is to not merely discuss these issues, but to analyze
how the issues occurred and come up with strategies to address them directly. The ultimate
goal is to learn from our past issues and deploy solutions so the same issues stop repeating
themselves. We are calling this long-term project the “Lessons Learned” project, and we welcome feedback from all members on any issues they feel we need to improve upon as an organization. Of course, we would also welcome any solutions our members would like to suggest.
The third area we are placing emphasis on is our relationship with The Mountain. We
have held our events at The Mountain since 1987, and we are still around because The Mountain has graciously hosted us for all these years. I, for one, do not believe UUWomenspirit
would still be in existence without the support of The Mountain. To that end, we are considering having a UUWomenspirit “volunteer weekend” at The Mountain where we donate a minimum of 6 hours of our time each day to a service project. More to follow on this idea, but please
start thinking about your schedule in the upcoming months and whether you would be able to
donate some of your time to our long-term partner. We are also creating a partial scholarship
so a young girl in financial need can attend MountainCamp in 2017. The scholarship is $300
and covers half of the cost for a camper to attend MountainCamp for one week. While this is a
one-time donation, we are hopeful our finances will allow us to make this partial scholarship an
annual donation. As women on an earth-based spiritual path, we all know the importance of
“paying it forward” and this is one small gesture we can make to support both The Mountain
and a young girl in financial need.
On the Marketing and Outreach front, I am pleased to report that Rain Pope and
UUWomenspirit have entered into a new relationship whereby Rain can create merchandise
using the UUWomenspirit logo. As many of you know, we have unique logos for our events that
are placed on merchandise available for purchase at each event. However, we rarely have merchandise for sale with our organizational logo. This new relationship will allow our members to
explore with Rain the many different types of merchandise she creates that could display the
UUWomenspirit logo. Many of you have seen Rain’s creations available for sale during events
at Brigid’s Bazaar, and we are so excited about this new opportunity. If you are interested in
exploring options with Rain, please visit her website www.rainsews.com.
We would also like to enhance the visual content of our website by including more photos
from events. If you have good quality digital photos from past events that you would like to include on our website, please contact Lisa Sherman at [email protected]. We understand some of our members do not want their picture on the internet, so please confirm with
all women in your photos they are comfortable having their image on our website. We will not
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News From the Coordinating Council
From Lisa Sherman,cont.:
include the names of those pictured.
On the Membership front, we have made the decision to no longer require women to be
members in order to attend our events. However, women who are members of the organization
will receive a discounted rate to attend events. The discounted rate will be the same as the current rate ($250 per program before the early bird deadline, $270 after the early bird deadline).
Non-members will pay $270 per program before the early bird deadline and $290 after the early
bird deadline. This new structure will go into
effect for the Spring 2017 event.
We have also made the decision that annual membership dues can no longer be paid
during registration for events. The rationale
for this decision is two-fold. Firstly, we are
charged a fee by The Mountain when they collect our membership dues during registration,
and this fee reduces the amount of actual dues
we collect from our members. Secondly, from
an administrative perspective it will be much
easier for The Mountain during event registration to not have to deal with our membership
dues. Annual membership dues can be easily
paid at any time by visiting our website,
www.uuwomenspirit.org and paying through
PayPal or by mailing a check to CoCo Treasurer Sue Hand. If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact Membership
Chair Christine Grewcock.
She Speaks
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News From the Coordinating Council, continued
From Judy Padgett, Program Resource Liaison:
With bittersweet emotions, I am writing my last Program Resource Liaison report for our
newsletter. I have served on the Coordinating Council for 7 wonderful years and am now rotating off and passing this job on to a very capable, resourceful woman, Liz Kuemmerer, who I’m
sure will serve UUWomenspirit well. I have known Liz for many, many years and when I invited her to attend one of our events, she took to us like a duck to water! It wasn’t long before she
was on several Planning Committees and even when she wasn’t, she was always pitching in to
help where needed. I’m so pleased that she agreed to serve and that you, the members, affirmed her at our last Membership Meeting at the Spring event at The Mountain.
Liz and I both recently attended the 2nd meeting of the Fall 2016 Planning Committee, held
June 24-26 at the home of Linda Sterner on Lake Norman near Charlotte. It was a good meeting and we’re really excited about the event coming in October. They are ahead of schedule a
bit, so be on the lookout for the brochure on our website and for registration to open early. This
hopefully will allow women more time to plan so that they are able to attend. Fall is shaping
up to be a wonderful event. I’m still amazed that after 29 years and 55 events, this will be our
first event with the moon as its central theme! You won’t want to miss all the special things
that the committee has planned for you.
Liz and I will also be attending the CoCo meeting this coming weekend, where I will officially hand over the PRL job to her. I will, of course, still be available to the Fall PC since I started
their process with them almost 9 months ago. I’m really proud of the improvements the CoCo
has made in the last 7 years…..using up to date technology, improving our marketing, finding
ways of making our organization run more smoothly and efficiently, and ultimately making it
easier for a new woman to take over a position when someone rotates off. We have completely
revamped the Sacred Text so it is more user friendly not only for the Planning Committees but
also for the Coordinating Council.
It has been an honor to serve with many different women during my time on the CoCo. I value
the wonderful friendships that have grown from our time together and the way that each of
them has contributed to my spiritual growth. Thanks to all of you!
So, I am rotating off the Coordinating Council and I hope to retire soon after the first of next
year. That just sounded like too much free time, so…….I volunteered to be Event Coordinator
for the Spring 2017 Event, our 30th Anniversary!!! I’m expecting to see all of you there for a glorious reunion of spirits, Women Spirits! Blessed Be and thank you for everything I have gained
from being a part of this wonderful organization.
DON’T FORGET TO MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR VERY SPECIAL
30TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT!
COMING MAY 17-21, 2017
She Speaks
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News From the Coordinating Council, continued
From Sue Hand, Treasurer:
UUWomenspirit Treasurer’s Report - July 22, 2016
Since our fiscal year ends on July 31st this is an estimate of the year’s activity, but we have
made the decision to report at this time because it gives a clear picture of a full year including
both a spring and fall event. There is very little activity for the balance of July so this total
should not change much.
Bank Balance 7/31/15: $17,809.69
Estimate Bank Balance 7/31/16: $17,339.89
Program Development Fund 7/31/15: $800.10
Estimate Program Development Fund 7/31/16: $925.18
CD as of 5/26/16: $20,639.23, next statement 10/26/2016
INCOME
Membership Dues:
Program Fee:
Bazaar & Live Auction:
Merchandise sold:
Scholarship donations:
Silent Auction:
In-Kind donations
2,720.00
11,520.00
2,160.60
2,985.00
1,371.50
660.00
3,079.00
TOTAL
24,496.10
EXPENSES
CoCo Credits:
Chaplain credit:
PC Credits:
T/W Credits:
Merchandise:
Worship Supplies:
PC & CoCo meetings:
Scholarships:
Insurance:
Mountain Fees:
Un-reimbursed expenses
Donation to Mtn Schol
TOTAL
1,900.00
760.00
4,750.00
3,040.00
2,846.00
1,329.25
2,343.79
2,080.00
1,228.00
1,304.12
3,079.00
300.00
24,966.16
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News From the Coordinating Council, continued
From Sue Hand, cont.
Expenses came to $470 more than our income, $300 of which was a one-time donation to The
Mountain Camp Scholarship fund that the COCO made to sponsor a girl camper.
During our summer COCO meeting we determined that we need to do a thorough study
of our financial model to make sure it is viable for the future – we want UUWomenspirit to exist for another 30 years! There has been quite a bit of expense being offset by personal donations. This is why we have asked everyone to write out a voucher for money spent to put on an
event, even if that expenditure will not be reimbursed. This year we have done a much better
job of reporting those donations and you can see in the numbers above a line item for over $3k
of this kind of generosity (this does not include scholarship donations or Kiva donations). While
we are hugely grateful for this consistent pattern of giving, we want to be budgeting for the real
expense of presenting an event and not counting on PC members to cover expenses out of their
own pockets. Thank you to all who have been so generous with both your time and money.
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Spring Event—May 11-15, 2016
From Judy Padgett:
We Walk with Her, As One
Our last event, held May 11-15, at The Mountain Retreat
and Learning Center near Highlands, NC, was focused on our
connection to and relationship with the Earth. From the gorgeously decorated Treehouse to the worship services to the tracks
and workshops, we were reminded of our deep connections to the
elements and our oneness with our Mother Earth.
Logo design by Tarleton Brooks, all rights reserved
The Treehouse was transformed into a garden by the artistic Goddesses: Lisa Wolff,
Anne Freels, Mary Beth Robinson and Andrea Johnson. Using bamboo, paper flowers, twinkling lights and hand-painted scarves, they provided a beautiful setting for all the earththemed elements of worship. Before each worship service, as we entered sacred space, we
joined in a walking meditation, accompanied by the song “As One”, by Denean, which was
the inspiration for the event.
The theme was further expanded through the tracks and workshops, including sessions on Native American spirituality, living green, living in the garden, creating spirit dolls
out of items from nature and creating beautiful wire and bead tree of life suncatchers.
Shaman healing breath work, being one with your body, meeting your spirit guides, sacred
play and Nia rounded out the offerings. As usual, it was hard to make the choice of which
session to attend, as they all lived up to the excellent standard that UUWomenspirit holds
to for its program.
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Spring Event—May 11-15, 2016
Each day, as we gathered together for worship, we celebrated Her, Mother Earth,
with songs, stories, myths and rituals…..focusing on a different element at each service and
how we are connected to and affected by that element. Earth, air, fire, water and Spirit…all
are essential in making us whole in our lives on this precious planet.
Along with our perennial favorite activities, including the candlelit labyrinth, Brigid’s
Bazaar, Cabaret and more, we had new fun activities set up in the back of the dining hall to
enjoy during late evening tea and talk. There were assorted coloring books, lots of divination decks and a Goddess collage to play with at your leisure while enjoying a good conversation, a cup of tea and sweet treats. There was also drumming, dancing, star gazing, a healing circle and a beautiful meditation space, generously created by Gail Stephenson in the
Chapel. One never has to worry about a lack of things to do at UUWomenspirit!
Much gratitude goes to the Planning Committee for this lovely event: Margaret
Schmidt, Event Coordinator; Susie Adams, Scribe; Toni Stephenson and Cindy Wieger, Worship Coordinators; Cynthia Canida, Tracks and Workshops Coordinator; and Liz Kuemmerer, Sales and Activities
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Fall Event—October 19-23, 2016
Moon Energy
Rhythm, Mystery, Illumination
Logo design by Rain Pope
When our committee started our first meeting to plan this event, someone made the
suggestion to center the event around the moon. It was an idea that spoke to us all, and the
ideas began to flow. We set out the binders summarizing the last 15 or so events for inspiration and reflected on past events, as we looked for moon related themes. A little research
showed us that our magnificent moon has not yet been the theme of a UUWomenspirit
event! Until now! Consider Moon Energy:
Rhythm... tides, seasons, night and day, natural flow, menstrual cycle, comforting
Mystery...unknown, the dark side, unseen but not hidden, 6th sense, mystical
Illumination…seeing the light, awareness, enlightenment, knowing, intuition
This event will be rich with information about our lovely moon. We’ll explore rhythm
through dance, drumming, music, and poetry. We’ll explore mystery in our worship, meditations, goddess rituals, and working with tarot. We’ll be illuminated working with our sixth
sense, connecting with our spiritual center, and walking the labyrinth.
During our time together, we will learn our moon sign and discover how it impacts
our response to the different moon phases. We’ve prepared goddess rituals connected to the
moon from various cultures. We will work with the different moon phases and learn what
each one represents, and how we can use this knowledge to enhance our life.
You can choose from a wide variety of workshops and activities, and even have a
chance to give back to our beautiful home for the week at The Mountain. There are some
neat sales items too!
The brochure for this event is now available on our website, www.uuwomenspirit.org,
and registration will begin in mid-August. Mark your calendars, get your girlfriends and
come ready to feel the Energy, Mystery, Rhythm and Illumination of the Moon in your life!
With much love and anticipation,
Jenny, Melissa, Susie, Linda, and Tina
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Spring Event—May 17-21, 2017
From Judy Padgett:
SAVE THE DATE!
UUWomenspirit
WILL BE CELEBRATING OUR
30TH ANNIVERSARY!!
May 17-21, 2017
Planning Committee
Judy Padgett, Event Coordinator/Tracks and Workshops
Kathy Kemerait, Scribe
Iris Padgett, Sales and Activities
Arianna Bara, Worship
Carole Eagleheart, Worship
Farrunnissa Rosa, Worship
We are asking for proposals for Tracks and Workshops. Please submit online at uuwomenspirit.org. If you have any special requests
for activities, please let us know – [email protected]
Make your plans now to attend this reunion of Women Spirits!!
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Our Web of Community—News From Our Members
From Toni Stephenson:
A Reminder and an Opportunity
Our organization has always prided itself on being one that is open to ALL women over
18 years of age. Traditionally this has meant that we welcome and embrace women regardless
of their color, sexual orientation, spiritual path, economic situation, education level, etc. To
me, it also means we welcome those sisters who choose to be cigarette smokers. Smoking is not
totally forbidden on The Mountain as there is one space where people can go to smoke.
Please sisters, let’s remember to welcome all women to our events and to refrain from
judging their personal lifestyle choices.
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Our Web of Community—News From Our Members, continued
From Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger:
Lughnasa: Bad Harvest
At this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere as we look toward Lughnasa, the traditional Celtic celebration of the harvest, and our country spirals harder into a particularly ugly
election season, my mind turns toward what we as a nation are reaping from our history.
As a white person growing up in New Orleans in the 1950s and 60s, the Confederate statues
and symbols all around me, in place since the Jim Crow Era, gave me uncomfortable cognitive
dissonance. My parents taught me that the South was wrong to have fought for slavery, and
that it was a good thing that the North won, saving the Union and freeing the enslaved people.
And yet, my elementary Louisiana history class taught me that Reconstruction was terrible; my high school’s fight song was “Dixie.” My parents taught me that integration was a good
thing; in the days before the black students arrived, my high school teachers warned us we didn’t have to speak to or interact with the black students.
During the Civil Rights era, when we traveled, my mother would half-jokingly say we
ought to obscure our license plate with mud so no one would know we came from Louisiana, and
yet we were always proud of being New Orleanians and counted the generations our family had
lived here. My parents taught me to admire Martin Luther King Jr.; at my high school, students celebrated when he was assassinated and no teacher rebuked them.
It was hard to reconcile what my parents were teaching me with what my teachers and
peers were saying, and what was obvious all around me.
It’s easy for non-Southerners to say, “All of that is YOUR problem” but the deadly harvest of racism and white supremacy pervades our whole country. Because the state of Texas is
the biggest purchaser of school textbooks, companies providing such books have literally altered
American history to appeal to Southern sensibilities.
All over our country, school children are taught that the Civil War was fought over taxes,
over individual and states’ liberty, over Constitutional principles, and only incidentally, maybe
a little bit about slavery. All over our country, school children are taught that those who fought
for the Confederacy were “honorable.” All over our country, school children are taught that Reconstruction was bad thing, corrupt, an overreach by the federal government, and that it was a
good thing when federal troops were withdrawn from the defeated states.
But none of those things are true. They are deliberate and intentional lies, promulgated
for the purpose of reinforcing white supremacy. And we are all damaged psychically and spiritually from being fed these lies.
Continued on Page 19
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Our Web of Community—News From Our Members, continued
From Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger, cont.
All thinking people know, at some level, that the South was on the wrong side of history,
that slavery was a terrible evil, that the carnage of the Civil War was the fault of the South,
that Reconstruction brought a small measure of justice and equality for African Americans, that
to laud Confederates is to honor traitors —and yet this knowledge must be suppressed and denied. We must pretend that those who fought for the Confederacy were “heroes” and that all
those Confederate monuments and flags uplift some neutral “history” and “tradition” and thus
are not offensive.
We say in pagan circles that what you put out comes back to you in multiples. When our
country puts forth lies for decades, teaches those lies to all our children, and ignores the damage
those lies do — what then comes back to us, in what multiples?
In order to live and work around the monuments to the Confederacy, white people either
have to pretend that they don’t mean what they mean, or be outright supporters of the Lost
Cause and white supremacy. White people have to find a way to reconcile the “liberty and justice for all” with the subconscious knowledge that the monuments say instead “white = right.”
Whether we want to or not, we white people imbibe from the monuments a message of internalized superiority.
For black people and people of color, the effects are different but just as insidious and
spiritually damaging. As black people around the country have said over and over again “you
just have to ignore it” since the monuments mean “the South must’ve won the Civil War” as
Southern cities have no statues honoring Abraham Lincoln or Frederick Douglas or the first
black elected officials from Reconstruction. The South was pro-slavery and they get heroic statues and the phrase “liberty and justice for all” becomes just another hoax perpetrated on black
citizens. The monuments are another link in a chain of indignities and lies that produce internalized inferiority in people of color.
We are all of us harmed in our souls by this perverse harvest. The ongoing dissonance
between the truth of history and the lie of the Lost Cause, between civic proclamations like
“equal justice” and the lived reality of black people, between right ignored and wrong honored,
causes rage and shame. There is a kind of spiritual death brought about by a sense of moral
helplessness and demoralization. We cannot be our whole and wholesome spiritual selves while
living within this contradiction. We cannot be in right relationship with the Divine and with
other human beings while living in a moral world of “let’s pretend.”
As my grandmother used to say: Tell the truth and shame the devil. Our ancestors who
fought for the Confederacy were wrong and fought for an evil cause. We can mourn their lives
and grieve that their cause was so inhumane, their principles so deluded. We must own that
Continued on Page 20
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Our Web of Community—News From Our Members, continued
From Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger, cont.
religious people normalized the evils of slavery, and that religious people were on the forefront
of getting the Confederate monuments installed after the Civil War. They were wrong; by so
doing they participated in evil. They perverted the principles of the faith they were ordained to
proclaim.
Those who follow and honor pagan paths are not absolved or exempt. We who often are
drawn to paths first walked by People of Color owe a duty to reject the bad harvest handed
down to us. We must step forward and be among those calling for truth to be taught in history
classes and for monuments to evil to be torn down. We pagans have an obligation under our
stated principles to right this great wrong and prepare a better harvest for those who will look
to us as ancestors.
Lee Circle in New Orleans during Black Lives Matter protest July 8 (Robert E. Lee statue not shown)
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Our Web of Community—News From Our Members, continued
From Christine Grewcock:
Kiva Update
Using the money raised from Ba'alat's Bookstore (and an additional $40 we raised at the
Spring 2016 event), we continue to make loans to women through Kiva (www.kiva.org). Liezel
in the Philippines (http://www.kiva.org/lend/717047 repaid her loan in June. We were able to
fund two more women, one in May and one in June 2016. Abida Perveen in Pakistan (https://
www.kiva.org/lend/1070304) has an embroidery business. She will use her loan to purchase
thread, dress stones, and an embroidery machine. Ayelatoe in Ghana (https://www.kiva.org/
lend/1099528) is part of the Amaltinga Yarika-Biisi Group and will use her loan to purchase
straw and dye to use in weaving and decorating the baskets that she sells.
If you want to read about the other women who have a current loan, they are Clara in
Guatemala (http://www.kiva.org/lend/857866 , Legalo in Samoa (http://www.kiva.org/
lend/959612), Megala in India (https://www.kiva.org/lend/1012454), and Dominggas in Indonesia (https://www.kiva.org/lend/1037799).
She Speaks
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Our Healing Circle of Support
We offer our love and support to our sisters in need
To Tarleton Brooks, on her brother’s recent passing.
To Victoria Caplinger, on the death of her mother.
To Julia Jamieson, as she recovers from surgery.
And to all our sisters who are facing injury, illness, loss, and the other challenges that life
throws our way, spoken and unspoken…
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Voices of Our Community
The following are offerings from our creative sisters
Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from Tarleton’s sermon “Dance as a Spiritual Practice”. Additional excerpts will appear in subsequent issues of She Speaks. Please visit the Mid
Spring 2016 issue to view the first excerpt.
From Tarleton Brooks:
Dance as a Spiritual Practice
I do what is called Sacred Circle Dance.
Sacred Circle Dance was created at the Findhorn community in Scotland, as an intentional
way to connect people with divine spirit through music and to encounter the sacred through
dance.
Here’s what we do:
We gather together, light a candle, put on beautiful music, we take hands and move sincerely
and with purpose, we honor heaven & earth, the elements and the seasons, the moon, the day,
the moment. We do the same steps, but we each express those steps in our own way. Because
we are unique and we experience the dance differently one from another.
Each dance is unique. Some are slow and deep and trance-y, others are lively and energetic
and even ecstatic. There are serious ones and silly ones. All are meditative and fun.
Here’s how it goes:
I teach each dance first, step by step. Then we repeat the steps over & over to create a focused
and in-the-moment kind of moving meditation.
The music is as varied as the dances.
We have a circle with a center. The center is the still point. The center still point mirrors our
own center. And from that quiet center radiates a many-pointed star like spokes on a wheel.
Each dancer, a point on that star, forms the circle. And each dancer is vertically connecting
heaven & earth. When we hold hands, we connect the energy horizontally sending energy
around the circle. So the dance generates this beautiful ball of light.
Continued on Page 24
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Voices of Our Community, continued
From Tarleton Brooks, cont.
That’s what I see. What’s not to love? It feels like love.
One of the first circle dances I attended was led by a man named Bill. The regular teacher was
unable to be there and Bill stepped in. He was very quiet ~kind of an old-hippie guy… he had
long stringy hair and smelled of sweat from hard work on “automotive.” His hands were rough
and he had dirt & grease under his nails. At the end of the dance, he smiled and said, "the
first time I ever felt love, was in this dance.”
It broke my heart, in the nicest way.
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Voices of Our Community, continued
From Linda Myers:
Sleeping Woman
Black diamond egg of all eternity
Swimming endlessly in the void
Sweet purple shadowed water
Lies beneath the incubating sea
Beauty dreams her gift of music
Chanting under a misty moon
Soaring Sky sings with rose red life
Hot sun urges the garden to bloom
Winds blow a storm of luscious love
Forests cry, “The moment is here.”
The raw essential She shines through
A sleeping woman is about to be
A Goddess of vision and power.
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Voices of Our Community, continued
From Claire Lending (formerly Claire Crutchley):
These photos of bristlecone
pine trees were taken in
California; these trees are
the oldest living things on
earth, some living as long as
4,000 years or longer.
She Speaks
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Voices of Our Community, continued
From Sue Hand:
Moon Glow
She loved to laze
In the light of the moon,
Face upward – receiving
The full radiance
Of that silvery orb.
No hiding away, she.
No shuttering away, the moon.
No concern for contagion of madness –
Too late for that anyhow!
She loved the light,
The supernatural glow,
Letting it seep into her skin
And run along her veins
Spreading incandescence out to the tips
Of her hair and her fingers and toes
And beyond!
A “moon bath” she called it
Suffused in radiance – within … without …
Afloat in light, buoyed by luminosity.
Some magic place deep within kept alive
By this lustrous indulgence.
Some connection to nature above and below
Enhanced by this glowing umbilicus.
Made dazzlingly whole?
Who could be more
Pulled by the tides,
Sprinkled with star dust ,
Fired by the moon, than she A cosmic child, restoring her celestial bonds
In a shower of moon glow?
With perhaps just a touch of lunacy?
She Speaks
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Original photographs on pages 1, 2, 4, 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25 and
28 © 2016 Lisa C. Sherman
She Speaks is issued quarterly and is a publication of the UUWomenspirit community,
edited by Lisa Sherman. All UUWomenspirit members are encouraged to submit information, events, and creative submissions to be included in an upcoming newsletter by
sending it to [email protected]. The views expressed by an individual contributor are those of the contributor and are not necessarily the views of the organization as a whole.
The mission of UUWomenspirit is to create, conduct, and support activities that encourage and empower women to explore their religious and spiritual origins, experiences, and beliefs. Pursuing, nurturing, and affirming creativity and diversity are major
emphases. There is a strong commitment to developing the use of consensus as the
model for decision-making. Volunteers do all the work for UUWomenspirit. There are
no paid positions. Learn more about our community by going to our website:
www.uuwomenspirit.org.