Music: Sun Jun 19

 

Western music has tended to elevate the status of harmony as the embodiment of sonic beauty. Harmony is understood to reflect the orderly workings of the cosmos, inspiring in the human psyche a consciousness of the interconnected web of existence. Harmonic function often relies on the division of musical intervals into consonance and dissonance. Tonal music gravitates towards consonance; these are the sounds which denote stability, finality, and resolution. Dissonances, by contrast, create tension, driving progressions, phrases, and entire pieces to seek the relief in the consonances to which they must inevitably accede. Dissonance has always had a role to play in music, but it has often been a rigorously controlled one.

 

At least two major historical upheavals have changed the status of dissonance in Western art music, however. In around 1600, certain composers began to develop a new style which came to be known as "Baroque". This new "practice" focused on using dissonance expressively, to convey meaning and emotion. Acceptable dissonance became not so much a matter of adhering to pre-ordained natural acoustic laws, but creating music which centered on dramatic veracity.

 

About 300 years later, at the turn of the 20th century, many composers sought to create new musical idioms, in which the fixed connotations of dissonance would no longer be relevant. To these composers, each individual work could create its own set of sonic relations. Arnold Schoenberg wrote about the "emancipation of dissonance", suggesting a newfound egalitarianism in the harmonic sphere. This music compelled listeners to grasp the harmonic logic of each work on its own terms, much as abstract painters required viewers to relinquish expectations of representational depictions.

This morning's solo piano works include several 20th-century compositions which use dissonance in free, decorative ways, alongside several works by the Baroque master J. S. Bach. El Salón México, which takes its name from a Mexico City nightclub, is also a tribute to Gay Pride Month, with a nod to Aaron Copland's celebratory embrace of his sexual identity, and a sigh for Leonard Bernstein's more tortured relationship with his.

Read on for programming details, and stay tuned for spoken introductions.

 

Gathering Music: Adam Kent, piano

El Salón México

                                    Aaron Copland, arr. by Leonard Bernstein

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

"Brave"

                                    Sara Bareilles & Jack Antonoff, arr. by Roger Emerson

 

 

Meditation:
English Suite No. 3 in G Minor, BWV 808

            Sarabande

                                                J. S. Bach

 

Interlude:
Sonatine pour Yvette

            III. Allegretto

                                                Xavier Montsalvatge

 

Postlude:
Partita No. 1 in Bb Major, BWV 825

            Gigue

                                                J. S. Bach

Unstick from Yourself

Practice of the Week
Unstick from Yourself

Category: Slogans to Live By: Practices for everyone to keep in mind and pay attention to. These practices don't require setting aside a separate substantial chunk of time. Just have the intention to grow stronger in each of these areas as you go about your day, and sometimes make one of them the focus of your daily journaling. The titles of these practices are guiding slogans to live by.

Adapted from Norman Fischer, Training in Compassion

Spiritual practice must be a process of training – envisioning your life as a process of opening and growing rather than simply enduring what happens to you, willy-nilly. To live with a training point of view requires a way to assess and see how you are doing as the training unfolds. Once you see how it’s going, you can extend and refine your practice.

Let me emphasize: go lightly. Do not be worried about “grades” or progress. Don’t turn corrosive judgment on ourselves, which will produce discouragement. The point of assessment is simply to remain engaged and informed so we can keep on making a steady, solid, interested effort.

There’s only one point, and it’s so simple, however much we keep forgetting it: Don’t be so stuck on yourself! Open Up! Mind training comes down to this. Keeping this slogan close by at all times is a good tool for seeing how you are doing. Whenever you feel upset, unhappy, dissatisfied, in a snit, frozen, constricted, bound – check and see. Probably if you reflect deeply enough you’ll come to the realization that the ultimate cause of this unpleasantness is that you are in one way or another stuck on yourself, favoring yourself and your own needs, desires, and viewpoint more than is necessary. Even recognizing this, and opening up just a little, relieves the pressure.

Think about it: you are living in a big world, with lots going one, many problems, many challenges, sad things, happy things. And all of this is the sphere of your life; it’s the ocean you swim in, the air you breathe. You are not separate from it for even a moment. Why would you want to artificially, conceptually, remove yourself from life’s great ocean and lock yourself up in the tiny prison of self, in which, despite your best efforts, you constantly feel confined and under attack?

The whole of the practice comes down to this: stop being so stuck on yourself. Let go of that and open up. Think of others. Try to do something to make them happy. Anything! Something like, “Hello, how are you?” And mean it.

This is a way to assess your practice as you go along, a question to ask yourself on a regular basis: Am I less stuck on myself, more available to others than I used to be? Am I thinking positively and generously of others more often? Be honest about your answers to these questions. If you are just as stuck on yourself as you ever were, that’s OK. That’s information. You know what you have to do. Invite someone out to lunch. Ask someone how she is. Practice more sending and receiving.

You can also practice this slogan particularly when you are feeling tight and embattled. When you notice a sinking feeling inside, say to yourself: “There’s only one point: open up!” Take three conscious breaths. Don’t think something in particular is supposed to happen. This is training. It takes time. You just have to keep on repeating the process. So take those three breaths. Notice what happens, and whatever it is, go on.

* * *

Adapted from Judith Leif, "Train Your Mind: All Dharma Agrees at One Point"

How do we evaluate ourselves and others? How do we tell if someone is the genuine article or a charlatan? How do we know if we ourselves are going off the rails in our spiritual practice?

There are a lot of trappings in the realm of spirituality. There are all sorts of costumes, titles, and robes. People speculate on how enlightened this teacher or that may be, and look for signs of official recognition, status, and power. So what should we look for in a teacher or a faith community?

Looking inward, it sometimes seems that we are making progress, and at other times it seems that the whole endeavor has been a waste of time. It all depends on our mood. Sometimes all we notice is that years go by and we seem to be no different than when we began—or even worse. At other times, we notice that we have become a bit more calm, maybe, or a bit more aware, or even a bit more kind. We are discouraged one day and inspired the next. So how do we know how we are doing? What should we be looking for?

It all comes down to not being stuck on oneself. In looking outward, it is important not to be misled by trappings of popularity or spiritual power, and in looking inward it is important not to be caught up with our shifting moods or superficial changes. Instead, we must never forget the essential point, which is to give up ego clinging. That is the one and only true measure of a teacher or a practitioner.

Practice

As you go about your day, try to pay attention to the points when your solid sense of separateness is provoked. Notice the thoughts and sensations that arise with reactions such as defensiveness and territoriality. Pay attention to the thoughts and sensations that arise when something has drawn you out, beyond your self-absorption.

* * *

PRACTICES INDEX

Minister's Post, Fri Jun 10

Dear Ones,

In our turquoise hymnal, Singing the Journey, hymn #1031 is "Filled with Loving Kindness." The first verse goes:

May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well.
May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well.
May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be whole.

For the second verse, replace "I" with "you." For the third verse replace "I" with "we."

The hymn is adapted from lovingkindness meditation practice. In this form as a UU hymn, it provides us a wonderful way to do a self-guided lovingkindness meditation practice. Simply take a few minutes some time in your day. It may work well to do this while sitting on the edge of your bed either first thing in the morning or last thing at night.

• Sit up straight.
• Lower your eyes to almost-but-not-quite closed.
• Be still and silent for a few moments.
• Then quietly sing the first verse.
• Be still and silent for another few moments.
• Then sing the second verse.

And so on for all the verses. For the second verse (the "you" verse), call to mind one specific person -- perhaps a difficult person in your life. For the last verse (the "we" verse), I suggest singing it twice. The first time through, every time you sing "we," bring to mind the people you personally know: friends, family, co-workers, fellow UU congregants. Then sing the "we" verse again, this time focusing on the most expansive sense of "we" -- namely, all beings everywhere.

If you'd find it helpful to have a recording to sing along with, you can find several to choose from on Youtube. (Go to Youtube.com and search for "Filled with Loving Kindness".)

Do this practice every day and it will slowly begin to change you.

May you be filled with lovingkindness; may you be well, peaceful, at ease, and whole,
-Meredith

Join a Journey Group: http://cucwp.org/journey-groups

I.C.Y.M.I. (In Case You Missed It)

The May 29 Service, "Remembering"



The Jun 5 Service, "Coming of Age, and a Little More Age" -- #1



Here it is, your...
MOMENT OF ZEN
#123: Fascinating

The course you travel as you roam about seeking earnestly for the path: that's the path. Suppose you look down to see this path you're on. If you do so while walking, you'll trip on something. If you stop to do so, you only see the ground around your feet: a spot, not a path. Better get back to looking for the path.

Case

At a private meeting Grouse said, "I'm not sure that I am dedicated enough to my practice."
Raven said, "Never mind about being dedicated."
Grouse said, "The truth is, I haven't the foggiest idea of what the practice really is."
"Me, either," Raven said, "but aren't you curious?"
Grouse said, "Fascinated."
Raven said, "There you go."

Verse

In a trackless forest,
making my way slowly through brush,
I came upon an unlikely hut,
and a woman in the doorway,
hoe in hand, watching my approach.
"Which way to the road?" I asked.
She studied me silently.
"Which," I started to ask again, louder.
"Just keep on," she interjected.
Before I could say, "Which direction?"
she stepped back and
closed the door.

Case adapted from Robert Aitken; introduction and verse by Meredith Garmon

PREVIOUS   ☙   NEXT   ☙   INDEX

Religious Education: June 5, 2022

*|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|*

Religious Education & Faith Development Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains June 5, 2022 2021-2022 RE Theme: Community, Wholeness, Discovering Our New Normal This Sunday  June 5th Childcare 9:45am-12:30pm Diane, Hans, and Nicole offer childcare for young children. Everyone wears a mask. No snacks are served. Drop off and pick up in room 32 in the yellow hallway. Childcare will be extended this Sunday for the annual meeting.  10:00am Worship In Person & Livestream “Coming of Age, and a Little More Age - 1”  ~ Coming of Age Youth and Adults Whole Congregation Worship Join us for the first of two very special worship services where youth and adults will share the belief statements they have written after spending the year thinking deeply about faith, values, and their spiritual journeys. The youth will also present the congregation with a special chalice that they designed and Dinsa Mehta helped them craft. Quiet activity boxes are available for young people who attend worship. The Order of Service is available on our website. To join the worship livestream, click https://bit.ly/CUUC-Worship, or phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923. Webinar: 761 321 991, Passcode: 468468. Revisit past services anytime at youtube.com/TheLiberalPulpit and subscribe! Annual Meeting After Worship, Sanctuary and Zoom Members, please plan to stay after worship and attend so we can be sure to have a quorum for our nominee and budget votes. Members joining us remotely can either stay on Zoom after worship, or log in to bit.ly/CUUC-Worship, Webinar: 761 321 991, Passcode: 468468. Or phone in (audio only): 646-876-9923. Click here to see the annual report booklet. Click here for the proposed 2022-2023 budget. Tree Dedication After the Annual Meeting, Upper Parking Area We invite all to join us for a brief tree dedication ceremony to recognize the sustained contributions of the Koide family. The generous donation bequeathed by Sam and Sumi and family is enabling CUUC to upgrade the sound and video resources in our sanctuary, allowing us to expand and improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of our worship services. Coffee and special refreshments follow in Fellowship Hall. Community UU BIPOC Gathering Monthly   1st Mondays at 6:30pm, June 6 If you identify as Black, Indigenous or a person of color (BIPOC), you're invited to join us for the Central East Region's BIPOC. In our gatherings we are joined by lay folks of color, lay leaders of color and/or religious professionals of color to be in community. Our conversations focus on topics like wellness and resilience and our goal is to center BIPOC experiences and create space to explore our UU experiences. Contact Sana Saeed at ssaeed@uua.org for connection information. UU Young Adult Gathering   June 10-12 at CUUC The first in person gathering of UU young adults will be held at CUUC! “Rom-CON” is a weekend-long conference where UU and like-minded young adults participate in activities and discussions, and build community in a safe space. Hosted by the UUA Central East Region Young Adult Organizing Committee. Young adults (ages 18-35) can sign up at linktr.ee/ceryaoc. If you are available to support this UU young adult community building event by cooking or serving a meal during the weekend, contact Tracy (cuucwptracy@gmail.com). Lead a Summer Service Would your family like to lead a summer worship service together? It would be wonderful to have young voices and we have some Sundays still available. Please send an email with your interest, your proposed topic, or the name of a speaker you'd recommend, to Pam Parker (admin@cucwp.org). Summer Programs & Activities If you are thinking about summer plans, you might like to attend a UU camp or conference. The Council of Unitarian Universalist Camps and Conferences offers a gateway to many locations across the country that offer activities for children, youth, adults, and whole families - click here.  Volunteer New York! Volunteer New York! offers many local volunteer opportunities throughout the summer. Visit their resource page.  And this list of 2022 Summer of Service Opportunities. They also offer a Leadership Westchester program designed to sharpen effective leadership skills and provide participants with the clarity to define and achieve their goals. YWCA Y Leaders YWCA summer 2022 bootcamp program will take our participants through 5 days of interactive workshops that teach you how to develop strong communication skills, create daily affirmations for good emotional wellbeing, understand your values, beliefs, priorities and passions and boldly navigate spaces with confidence and ease. With our program partner One Love Foundation, you will also identify the tools and resources needed to build healthy and supportive relationships in life and leadership! Y Leaders is open to those who identify as female, womXn, non-binary and gender-nonconforming, are between the ages of 11 and 21, and Westchester residents. Ages 11-15, August 1-5. Ages 16-21, August 8-12. Space is limited! Registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Camps are held in person at the YWCA (515 North Street, White Plains) and participants are required to wear masks throughout the program. You can read more about our bootcamp here. And youth womxn can apply here. Register here.  Processing Collective Trauma with Young People Dear Ones, this week saw another shooting. Again, I share resources for navigate answering questions and sharing information in age appropriate ways. Full text for limited access resources provided here. Our hearts are one as we grieve. Again. with love, Tracy Available Online: Family Resources for Separation, Grief, and Healing (curated list) Unitarian Universalist Association, Hate, Violence, and Trauma: Talking with Children (curated tips, facts, readings, music, and more) Tara Brach, Nourishing Our Spirit in Times of Collective Fear PBS, Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News NPR offers an amazing list of podcasts for talking with young people about a range of difficult issues, click here.  Child Mind Institute, Trauma & Grief resources, including, Helping Children Cop with Frightening News Available Online and Full Text Provided in the Doc: New York Times, An Age-by-Age Guide to Talking to Children About Mass Shootings (quick jump) The Atlantic, Children Deserve the Honest Truth About Mass Shootings  (quick jump) For up-to-date information, schedules, and Zoom links, visit the RE overview and schedule. You may also consult our CUUC website calendar. Families participating in childcare through 12th grade RE, please submit 2021 registration (click here for the form). Read All CUUC Announcements in the Weekly e-Communitarian Newsletter Tracy Breneman, Director of Faith Development and Religious Education, cuucwptracy@gmail.com Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains   468 Rosedale Ave · White Plains, NY 10605-5419