Minister's Post, Fri Sep 24

Dear Ones,

To all of you who came out for the afternoon service on Sun Sep 19 or Sun Sep 12, or both: thanks so much for your presence. It was great to see you all!

The weather should be nice for Sun Sep 26 afternoon, too. I hope to see you there!

And please do sign up for a Journey Group. Sign up here:
http://cucwp.org/journey-groups

-Meredith

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

The Sep 19 worship service, "What Family Is," is here:



See our channel for many other past services HERE.

Covid Review

The Worldwide numbers are not reliable, and likely are greatly underestimating the actual prevalence of Covid-19. These numbers may nevertheless give us an indication of trends.

New Cases
Average New Cases per Day, worldwide:
Peak week (Apr 23-29): 828,577
Lowest since peak (Jun 15-21): 360,855
Highest since the June low (Aug 24-30): 659,602
Four weeks ago (Aug 20-26): 658,277
Last week (Sep 10-16): 540,160
This week (Sep 17-23): 491,630

Average New Cases per Day, US:
Peak week (Jan 5-11): 255,831
Lowest since peak: (Jun 15-21): 11,956
Highest since the June low (Aug 27 - Sep 2): 167,080
Four weeks ago (Aug 20-26): 157,144
Last week (Sep 10-16): 151,896
This week (Sep 17-23): 125,618

Average New Cases per Day, Westchester County, NY:
Highest week of 2020 (Mar 23-29): 949
Lowest week, post-peak, of 2020 (Aug 19-25): 29
Highest week of 2021 (Jan 6-12): 861
Lowest week of 2021 (Jun 17-23): 11
Highest since Jun low (Aug 15-21): 212
Four weeks ago (Aug 20-26): 187
Last week (Sep 10-16): 182
This week (Sep 17-23): 154

Deaths
Average Deaths per Day, worldwide:
Peak week (Jan 20-26): 14,807
Lowest since peak (Jun 29 - Jul 5): 7,694
Highest since the July low (Aug 20-26): 10,228
Four weeks ago (Aug 20-26): 10,228
Last week (Sep 10-16): 8,846
This week (Sep 17-23): 7,919

Average Deaths per Day, US:
Peak week (Jan 7-13): 3,514
Lowest since peak (Jul 1-7): 248
Highest since the July low (Sep 9-15): 1,810
Last week (Sep 10-16): 1,783
This week (Sep 17-23): 1,700

Average Deaths per Day, Westchester County, NY:
Highest week of 2020 (Apr 9-15): 52
Lowest week, post-peak, of 2020 (Sep 27 - Oct 3): 0.0
Highest week of 2021 (Jan 28 - Feb 3): 11
Lowest week of 2021 (Jul 21-27): 0.0
Highest since the July low (Sep 10-16): 1.3
This week (Sep 17-23): 0.3

Worldwide, new cases have been declining since Aug 30, and are now down 25% since Aug 30. Deaths reached a summertime peak on Aug 25, and are now down 23% since the summer peak.

In the US, new cases declined by 11% from Sep 2 to Sep 10. After a period of increase from Sep 10 - 15, new cases have been falling and are now down 25% from the Sep 2 level -- the lowest they've been since Aug 11. Deaths: For the week of Sep 9-15, average deaths per day were 1,809 -- the highest weekly number since last Feb 26 - Mar 4. Since then, however, the death rate has been inching down: it's now down 6% from Sep 15.

The US vaccination continues to slowly climb at slightly better than 1 percentage point every 10 days. The percent fully vaccinated is up to 55.6 (Sep 23) -- from 52.1% a month ago (Aug 23), and 49.5% two months ago (Jul 23). Meanwhile, the Westchester County fully-vaccinated rate is now 67.2% -- up from 63.8% on Aug 23, and 61.1% on Jul 23.

The news this week is relatively good. Whether the downward movement of the last week will continue, however, is highly unpredictable. Be careful out there!

Practice of the Week

Study Spiritual Texts.

Two week’s ago, the suggested practice was: choose your practice. Almost any activity can a spiritual practice IF you do it mindfully, you do it with intention to cultivate spiritual development, and you establish a foundation of spiritual orientation.

Establishing a spiritual foundation is a three-legged stool: journaling, study, and stillness. This week's practice suggestion is: begin daily study of spiritual texts. Take a few minutes a day for reading wisdom literature. Here are a few suggestions:

Dao De Jing,
Bhagavad Gita
Psalms (Hebrew Bible)
Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul
Pema Chodron, The Places that Scare You
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First and Second Series
Stephen Levine, A Gradual Awakening
Ram Dass, Be Here Now
Jaris Jay Masters, Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row
Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
Chogyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
Henry David Thoreau, Collected Essays and Poems
St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul
Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Awakening of Intelligence
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi
Sharon Salzberg, A Heart as Wide as the World
Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step
Jon Kabat Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are
Howard Cutler and Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness
Julian of Norwich, Showings
M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Carlos Castenada, The Teachings of Don Juan
Lama Surya Das, Awakening the Buddha Within
Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Dalai Lama, An Open Heart
Starhawk, The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess
Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart
The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila
Rabindranath Tagore, The Religion of Man
Kazuaki Tanahashi (ed. and trans.), Moon In a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen

With journaling, study, and stillness, you establish a foundation to support some other activity – gardening, hiking, or playing music, say, as your primary spiritual practice.

See the full post: “Study Spiritual Texts.”

See also our SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY

Study Spiritual Texts

Practice of the Week
Study Spiritual Texts

Category: This is one of the Three "Core" or "Base" Daily Practices (along with Journal and Meditate)

You can learn a lot by reading. Certain texts are helpful guides for developing spiritual wisdom.

Select worthy texts of “wisdom literature.” The scriptures of any of the world’s religions are wonderful:

• the Dao De Jing, 
• the Bhagavad Gita, and 
• the Hebrew Bible's books of Psalms, Ecclesiastes, or Proverbs 

for instance.

Aside from the canonical scriptures of established traditions, there are many works of wisdom and insight. Here is an essentially random sampling of just a few of the sort of books I have in mind, in no particular order:

Thomas Moore, Care of the Soul
Pema Chodron, The Places that Scare You
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays: First and Second Series
Stephen Levine, A Gradual Awakening
Ram Dass, Be Here Now
Jaris Jay Masters, Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row
Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
Chogyam Trungpa, Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism
Henry David Thoreau, Collected Essays and Poems
St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul
Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Awakening of Intelligence
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi
Sharon Salzberg, A Heart as Wide as the World: Stories on the Path of Lovingkindness
Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior
Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step
Jon Kabat Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are
Howard Cutler and Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
Julian of Norwich, Showings
M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled
Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Carlos Castenada, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge
Lama Surya Das, Awakening the Buddha Within
Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain
Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation
Dalai Lama, An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life
Starhawk, The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess
Jack Kornfield, A Path with Heart: A Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila
Rabindranath Tagore, The Religion of Man
Kazuaki Tanahashi (ed. & trans.), Moon In a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen

Many more could be mentioned. Choose works that resonate with you, that will coach you in the ways of wise and loving peace in a way that makes sense to you.

Since spiritual deepening is never completed, maintaining a regular, ongoing discipline of study is the important thing here. Set aside 15 minutes a day for reading and reflection on your choice of wisdom literature.

There is a truth/awareness/experience beyond words. The books, of course, are all full of words. But, in combination with practices of silence, regular and continuing spiritual study can give us the words to help free ourselves from the grip of words -- the concepts to help us see through concepts.

Study of a spiritual text enlists your cognitive capacity to assist your spiritual. We live through our days full of ideas and concepts -- and most of them are connected to some form of judgment, some form of not wanting things to be as they are. Wisdom literature helps give us some concepts that can nudge some of those other concepts a little bit into the background more often.

* * *

PRACTICES INDEX

Music: Sun Sep 26

 

One of the composers I program with particular frequency at CUUC is the Catalan Federico Mompou (1893-1987). His intimately scored miniatures for solo piano are characterized by two predominant traits: the direct quotation of traditional Catalonian folk music, and the imitation of bell sounds. This latter characteristic is traceable to Mompou's family's long-standing bell foundry firm, the greatest claim of which was the casting of one of the bells on Notre Dame cathedral. The first of his Canciones y danzas (Songs and Dances) is an excellent illustration of both properties, as it quotes the Catalan folk tune "La filla del Carmesi" in its first section, and the "Dansa del Casteltersoll" in the faster dance portion. Throughout, the simple melodies seem to be enveloped in a haze of bell-like reverberations.

 

Elsewhere, the focus on caste systems calls to mind music inspired by India and its colonial past. Claude Debussy's "La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune" is said to have been inspired by the festivities surrounding George V's coronation as Emperor of India. Nazi Germany is also associated with a racially-driven caste structure, reinforced by Hitler's heavy-handed meddling in the arts. How ironic that the Nazis would ban the music of Felix Mendelssohn--included in this morning's Meditation and Parting Music--because of the composer's Jewish background, while they championed Johann Sebastian Bach as the master Aryan musician. Bach's music had largely disappeared from public consciousness after the composer's death in 1750; it was Mendelssohn's public conducting of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in Leipzig in 1829 which led to a widespread rediscovery of Bach's music by the general public as well as by composers of the early nineteenth century.

 

The CUUC Choir is back as well, with a virtual performance of "Closer to the Flame" as this morning's Anthem. Read on for programming details, and stay tuned for spoken introductions.

 

Centering Music: Adam Kent, piano

Canción y danza No. 1

                                                Federico Mompou

 

Anthem: CUUC Choir directed by Lisa N. Meyer and accompanied by Georgianna Pappas

"Closer to the Flame"
                                    Music by Susan Bentall Boersma; Words by David Lantz III

 

Meditation: Song without Words in Bb Major, Op. 67, No. 4 "Song of the Pilgrim"

                                                Felix Mendelssohn

 

Interlude: "La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune" from Préludes Book II

                                                Claude Debussy

 

Parting Music: Song without Words in A Major, Op. 102, No. 5 "The Happy Peasant"

 

                                                Mendelssohn

Minister's Post, Fri Sep 17

Dear Ones,

To all of you who came out for the afternoon service last Sunday: thanks so much for your presence. It was great to see you all!

The weather should be nice for Sun Sep 19 afternoon, too. I hope to see you there!

And please do sign up for a Journey Group. Sign up here:
http://cucwp.org/journey-groups

-Meredith

ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)

The Sep 12 worship service, "Ingathering Water Ceremony," is here:



See our channel for many other past services HERE.

Covid Review

The Worldwide numbers are not reliable, and likely are greatly underestimating the actual prevalence of Covid-19. These numbers may nevertheless give us an indication of trends.

New Cases
Average New Cases per Day, worldwide:
Peak week (Apr 23-29): 828,292
Lowest since peak (Jun 15-21): 360,505
Four weeks ago (Aug 13-19): 658,004
Last week (Sep 3-9): 582,772
This week (Sep 10-16): 537,849

Average New Cases per Day, US:
Peak week (Jan 5-11): 255,847
Lowest since peak: (Jun 15-21): 11,955
Four weeks ago (Aug 13-19): 144,215
Last week (Sep 3-9): 149,453
This week (Sep 10-16): 150,061

Average New Cases per Day, Westchester County, NY:
Highest week of 2020 (Mar 23-29): 949
Lowest week, post-peak, of 2020 (Aug 19-25): 29
Highest week of 2021 (Jan 6-12): 861
Lowest week of 2021 (Jun 17-23): 11
Four weeks ago (Aug 13-19): 201
Last week (Sep 3-9): 156
This week (Sep 10-16): 182

Deaths
Average Deaths per Day, worldwide:
Peak week (Jan 20-26): 14,808
Lowest since peak (Jun 29 - Jul 5): 7,693
Four weeks ago (Aug 13-19): 9,980
Last week (Sep 3-9): 8,922
This week (Sep 10-16): 8,654

Average Deaths per Day, US:
Peak week (Jan 7-13): 3,517
Lowest since peak (Jul 2-8): 247
Four weeks ago (Aug 13-19): 1,086
Last week (Sep 3-9): 1,446
This week (Sep 10-16): 1,621

Average Deaths per Day, Westchester County, NY:
Highest week of 2020 (Apr 6-12): 52
Lowest week, post-peak, of 2020 (Sep 27 - Oct 3): 0.0
Highest week of 2021 (Jan 28 - Feb 3): 11
Lowest week of 2021 (Jul 21-27): 0.0
Four weeks ago (Aug 13-19): 0.4
Last week (Sep 3-9): 0.9
This week (Sep 10-16): 1.3

Worldwide, new cases have been declining since Aug 30, and are now down 18% since Aug 30. Deaths declined 15% from Aug 25 to Sep 13, and since then have flattened out, with some days of small increase.

In the US, new cases declined by 11% from Sep 2 to Sep 10. New cases are now up 1.6% since Sep 10. Deaths declined from Sep 3 to Sep 7, but are now back up to 5.6% higher than they were on Sep 3.

The US vaccination continues to slowly climb at about 1 percentage point every 10 days. The percent fully vaccinated is up to 54.9 (Sep 16) -- from 51.4% a month ago (Aug 16), and 49.0% two months ago (Jul 16). Meanwhile, the Westchester County fully-vaccinated rate is now 66.6% -- up from 63.2% on Aug 16, and 60.5% on Jul 16.

A week ago, the trends were downward. Worldwide, that trend held this week. But in Westchester, as in the US overall, the rates of new cases and deaths are flat or inching upward. Be careful out there!

Practice of the Week

Journal.

Last week’s practice was: “Choose Your Spiritual Practice." Almost any activity can a spiritual practice IF you do it mindfully, you do it with intention to cultivate spiritual development, and you establish a foundation of spiritual orientation.

How do you establish a foundation of spiritual orientation? The foundation is a three-legged stool: journaling, study, and stillness.

Today I’ll talk about journaling. Journal writing is a voyage to the interior. There are many approaches to journaling. Here’s one.

1. Set aside a time each day. The best time is usually either first thing in the morning, or last thing before bed.

2. When the time comes, set a timer for 10 minutes. Once it starts, keep your pen moving and "let the pen do the thinking."

3. Start with gratitude. Begin by making a quick list of 3-5 things you're feeling grateful for. Then, for the remainder of your time: What emotions arose in the last 24 hours? What intentions do you have for the next 24 hours? What is your greatest anxiety right now?

4. When time is up, stop – even if it’s mid-sentence.

With journaling, study, and stillness, you establish a foundation to support some other activity – gardening, hiking, or playing music, say, as your primary spiritual practice.

For more on the spiritual practice of journaling, see the post "Start a Journal."

See also our SPIRITUAL PRACTICE DIRECTORY

Religious Education: September 16, 2021

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Religious Education & Faith Development Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains September 16, 2021 2021-2022 RE Theme: Community, Wholeness, Discovering Our New Normal. Adult COA Class Fri Oct 1, 7:30pm, Zoom 7899 "Coming of (a little more) Age," an 8-session class led by Rev. Meredith on the first Friday of each month, Oct 1 through May 6, 7:30 - 8:45pm. Click here to join Zoom 7899. Phone (audio only): 646-876-9923 · Meeting: 289 850 7899 · Passcode: 468468 For Unitarians, coming of age is not a once-and-done proposition. Arriving at a stage of greater maturity -- including spiritual maturity -- is an ongoing life project. This class parallels, for grown-ups, the Coming of Age class that our youth take. It includes exercises and reflections for articulating your UU faith. We especially encourage parents and mentors of this year’s Coming of Age youth to participate. Class topics in the youth and adult classes will be similar to support conversations at home. The youth COA class begins in October. Families will receive information about classes soon.  Seeking a Childcare Provider We are adding another childcare provider to our team led by Diane. Do you have a babysitter you love or know an adult (20 and older) who’s kind and gentle? Please contact Diane (dakmv@aol.com) or Tracy (cucwptracy@gmail.com).  Sunday Morning  Online Online Worship Sun Sep 19, 10:00am “What Family Is” ~ Rev. Meredith Garmon The nuclear family was a historical anomaly. For about 15 years (1950-1965), it dominated American culture, but not before then, and it has been fading ever since, though it's still often upheld as the ideal. What does family mean today? Please Note: We are returning to Zoom webinar format for worship:  Click here to join our Sunday Worship or phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923 · Webinar: 761 321 991 · Passcode: 468468   After worship, join our Virtual Coffee Hour or phone in (audio only): 929-436-2866 · Meeting: 336 956 2210 · Passcode: 468468 Orders of service are e-mailed and uploaded to our website prior to each Sunday.  Revisit past services anytime at our YouTube Channel. Sunday Afternoon  In-Person  Outside If the weather is inclement or threatening and we need to cancel, we will send out an email and post a notice on the CUUC website. Childcare Sun Sep 19, 4:00-5:30pm, Outdoor Playground Diane will offer childcare for young children on our outdoor playground. Everyone will wear masks. Drop off and pick up on the playground.  Outdoor, In-Person Religious Education Sun Sep 19, 4:00pm, Upper Parking Lot It was wonderful to see so many of you last Sunday and to meet new friends. We look forward to seeing you again! We continue with our theme of community and curiosity about place, encouraging the children and youth connect with our sacred grounds and cultivate curiosity about Place in relation to ourselves, each other, and the planet. Children and youth begin in small groups for check-in, a practice of covenant, nurturing and supporting each other. They then learn about PlaceKeepers, people who integrate themselves with the patterns of life in nature, getting to know the inhabitants and speaking for them as we look to the future. Children and youth will pick a CUUC PlaceKeeper group to learn more about - WaterKeepers, AnimalKeepers, Plant/PathKeepers - and begin observations. You are welcome to bring binoculars, books that help identify local birds, animals, and plants, and your camera.  SAFETY NOTES: All adult leaders are vaccinated. Everyone will observe pandemic safety protocols including wearing masks. Dress for a walk in the woods and wear socks with closed-toe shoes. Bug spray will be available at the RE welcome table to self-administer. To protect plants and avoid ticks, everyone will stay on groomed paths.  4:00pm Drop Off, *Upper* Parking Lot: Park in the lower lot then walk your child or youth to the upper parking lot. We will keep the upper lot as free of cars as possible. Start at the RE welcome table for bug spray, name tags, family registration form, and RE volunteer ethics form.  5:30pm Pick Up, *Lower* Parking Lot Worship Area: After RE, the children, youth, and adults will walk down to the lower parking lot where outdoor worship is held and reunite with their families. Children up to 5th grade must be met by their adult; they will not be released unattended in the parking lot.  Outdoor, In-Person Worship Sun Sep 19, 4:30pm, Lower Parking Lot “What Family Is” ~ Rev. Meredith Garmon Bring your lawn chair and gather with us in the lower parking lot for an in-person version of the morning's online worship. Please wear your mask and maintain social distance. Childcare will be available 4:00-5:30pm on the outside playground.  Connecting in Community Blessing If you were not able to join us last Sunday afternoon for the blessing of bags and other items we carry, tokens (pictured) are available on the table outside Pam’s office. These are a reminder that the warmth and support of this community is always with us. BLUU Online Worship Thursday, Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec 2 at 9pm  Black Lives of UU (BLUU) online worship resumes in October. Longtime BLUU community member, E.N. Hill, will be offering reflections and co-leading worship! Please register here. We can’t wait to be with you! BLUU's online worship services are Black Sacred Space in their entirety—by and for Black people, with the words and voices of Black folks across the diaspora— and we hope that Black UUs and Black UU-adjacent folks (who share our values) from far and wide will join us! Feel free to come into our BLUU Zoom Room 15 minutes before the start of the service. For our non-Black siblings in faith, please DO share this invitation with Black folks in your life and community. Getting the word out about BLUU’s gatherings and other programming is one powerful way of lending your support, and we deeply appreciate it! Introducing Raquel Hello CUUC community, I am Raquel Belkin (she/her) and will be joining you this year as part of my field education requirement at Union Theological Seminary where I am in my second year. My religious background is Jewish-Pagan. At CUUC, I will be focusing on youth ministry, supporting the Youth Group and Coming of Age class. I am excited to meet you this Sunday afternoon at outdoor religious education and worship, or in the future! Journey Groups   Time to Sign Up. Our Journey Groups are for exploring together, and spiritually growing and deepening, each in our own way. Journey Groups meet once a month, Sep through Jun, to examine monthly themes. You won't want to miss a single meeting! And even if you can only come occasionally, you'll find them valuable. Signing up does not commit you to attend -- it helps us plan. Many of last year's facilitators are returning. While you are welcome to rejoin a group you were in before, we encourage everyone to try a new meeting this year. Click here to sign up for a Jourey Group onlline. Click here for the September reading packet, "On the Journey: Curiosity." Halloween Party   Saturday, October 30th, Early Afternoon Start thinking about your Halloween costumes!  We're planning a party outside at CUUC. Trick-or-Treating. Games. Fun for all ages! We invite all CUUC committees, teams, youth group, and individuals to occupy a spot along the trick-or-treat circuit and help full up our trick-or-treaters' bags with goodies.  Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains   468 Rosedale Ave · White Plains, NY 10605-5419