From Juli's Journal (Spring 2014)

Every Spring, as I arrive at Pilgrim Park, peace settles over me. It seems to have the same effect on all of us, we just settle in. Pilgrim Park is set in farm country, with old stately trees, calm water, walking trails, a porch for just sitting, reading, or chatting. Every year I feel lucky to get away for this quiet weekend with no responsibilities: a time to relax.

For me, Pilgrim Park is a also a joyous place: old friends, lots of hugs, catching up , and new attendees, greeted and introduced.

I was up early Saturday, a beautiful day, and was out for a walk. By the lake I saw a woman I didn't know, moving slowly and peacefully in Tai Chi. (It was Kathy Salzano!) I stepped behind her and started following her slow flowing moves. I didn't know Tai Chi, and she didn't know me, but that didn't matter. She glanced at me, and continued. For fifteen minutes or so, in the quiet morning, with birds chirping, and frogs croaking, I was one with nature, moving slowly and gracefully. Later, when I told her how much I enjoyed it, I asked her if maybe she would do a Tai Chi morning workshop next year.

I could share the rest of my day... but you can read the rest in the Summer-Fall issue of Voices of Women!

Spiritual Work

As a UU Women's Connection Council member, I am sometimes asked to write something for the newsletter. It's not required. And at the moment I have nothing newsworthy to impart. But I have some thoughts I'd like to share. If you like my thoughts, I may make this a regular item in the newsletter.

One of my spiritual teachers recently told me that only about 5% of all people are doing spiritual work at any given time. I knew what she meant, at least as it applied to me. But I got to thinking -- what is spiritual work; what activities qualify? Also, who's to say what spiritual work is and what isn't? Must it be a conscious effort? Or is everything we do spiritual work? To those last two questions, I guess a case could be made for a positive answer to the latter. But I'm going to go with an affirmative to the former for this discussion. So first things first -- let me attempt to define spiritual work. But as with all things spiritual, I know that my definition will be limited and may not match your definition or that of others -- all of which are valid.

Read more: Spiritual Work

Driving Ms Starhawk

Part of the spiritual practice of tonglen is to go to places and have experiences that scare you as a way to open and begin to feel comfortable with the uncertainty of life. Driving from my Springfield home to Janice Bailey's condo in Chicago, then on to tour an historic UU church in Oak Park; then onto Madison, Milwaukee, back to Chicago in two days -- seemed to fit the bill for understanding experimenting with this practice.

Road trips are an adventure, but I usually let others do the driving. I am more "comfortable" just being a passenger instead of being the driver, uncertain and uncomfortable trekking off into the unknown of triangular three-city trip of many miles.

Walking the Edge: Deepening Our Magic The Madison workshop title and description came a month before:

Read more: Driving Ms Starhawk

Is Feminism Dead?

Why don't young independent women who seem...well...feminist want to claim the name? What is third wave feminism? What goals have been reached or dropped, taken up as National Organization of Women celebrates its 40th Anniversary?

Summer 2006 Voices of Women (VOW), the UU Women's Connection quarterly newsletter, explores the long and winding road to equal rights. Are we there yet?

  1. Eighth Recommendation goal reached

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