“A human being is part of the whole called by us ‘the universe’... (But we) experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of our consciousness.”
This month feels like a chance to take a step back and look at the big picture- the planetary, astronomical picture. We start off with the Sun/Moon Eclipse Day and head towards Earth Day. Will these observances give humanity- or just us- a new perspective, renewed energy, a deeper love?
A lot of folks are feeling the heaviness of our human political system and its laggard responses to climate change and the wars abroad, especially the conflict in Israel/Gaza since US funding and weaponry are part of the industrial level violence. I started sending $100 monthly to World Central Kitchen and was so saddened to hear of the seven WCK workers killed by an Israeli airstrike in a deconflicted zone this past week. They had just unloaded 100 tons of food to head off famine but will be pulling out of Gaza now; another 240 tons of undelivered food is being turned around. Who knows how many more Palestinian kids will die unnecessarily of hunger or bombardment.
This conflict has a complicated history and far-reaching ramifications.
I agree with World Central Kitchen leader Jose Andres who said, “The Israeli government needs to stop indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now.”
For any interested, this Sunday April 7th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm, the UUA’s Side with Love is offering excerpts from a webinar originally presented in November about the Palestine/Israel conflict, hosted by Muslim and Jewish UU ministers and 3 people from Palestine/Israel. It “features experts sharing about UU engagement on these issues over the past 40 years, reflecting on the many-layered history of the region, exploring the complexities of Islamophobia and antisemitism, and faithful responses to the ongoing violence” using a format to create safe spaces for sharing. One can register here.
Albert Einstein once said, “A human being is part of the whole called by us ‘the universe’… (But we) experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of our consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison from us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” For a long time I had this quotation taped to the bottom of my computer screen. I’d like to tape it to the forehead of every politician or perhaps have it as the open screen on every computer and tik tok video. But since that’s not an option, I’ll just suggest this: Invite a friend to our services this planetary, astronomical month. Let them know we love to welcome new perspectives, energy and love.
Yours, under the sun and moon,
Rev. Lee
P.S. If you’re interested in eclipse myths from many cultures and times, Cara Forcino sent me these links to a few of them: https://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/eclipse-stories-from-around-the-world
https://www.almanac.com/solar-eclipse-folklore-myths-and-superstitions