Tending to the Fire in your Soul

I really love the message on this week's postcard, by Vincent van Gogh: "Man soll das Feuer in seiner Seele nie ausgehen lassen, sondern es schüren."

Which being translated means: "One should never let the fire in one's soul go out, but should stir it up."

This is advice that all ministers and worship leaders and people who spend their lives giving to others should heed. Because we cannot give of our best, from our souls, if we do not also nourish those souls by receiving what we need - worship, inspiration, knowledge, hope.

This was brought home to me this week, when I (and many Unitarian ministerial colleagues) attended MOSA - the annual conference at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. My friend Kate McKenna reflected on this on her return home... that ministers need to experience worship without being responsible for it.

Because it's not possible to give out nourishment, if we ourselves are empty inside. Which is why attending events such as the General Assembly meetings, the Ministerial Fellowship conferences and Summer School is so important to me. They feed my soul, enable me to recharge my emotional and spiritual batteries, and return to my vocation refreshed and strengthened. The fire in my soul is stirred up by new experiences, by worshipping with others, and burns brightly again.

And this doesn't only apply to ministers and worship leaders. It applies to all creative people, and to all people who wish to live wholeheartedly, with all of themselves. Which is why I'm going on a one-day writing retreat on 13th July - to feed my soul, and re-inspire me. There are many retreats and events of all kinds where you can go to learn new things, make new friends, and come back to your ordinary life energised and enriched.

If you are feeling undernourished, lonely, in need of encouragement and energy boosting, why not find an event to go to?

Feeling Blessed

We are just home from a week's holiday in mid-Wales. The weather started off grey and overcast, but finished up with blue skies and sunshine. Here is my favourite beach in the late afternoon...

Benar Beach

We got up late, had leisurely breakfasts, then headed out to explore this beautiful part of Wales. Dolgoch Falls, Portmeirion, Harlech Castle (and the wonderful ice cream shop just below it), the Panorama Walk above Barmouth, and Bodnant Gardens. We ate some fabulous meals, and relaxed each evening, either playing some hilarious games of pool or watching DVDs together.

Dolgoch Falls

Each day was different, each day was wonderful. Full of wonder. Two things made this holiday special: the people I was with (husband, daughter and daughter's fiancé) and the fact that I let go of "ought to" and "need to" and simply went with the flow. Whatever we did, wherever we went, I tried to be present and full of wonder and joy and gratitude.

I think that this week has been a lesson for me in the gentle art of being present. Of having no particular goal in mind. Of simply being.

Consequently, I feel blessed.

The Difference between Loneliness and Solitude

The different German to English translation engines had trouble with this week's quotation, from Wilhelm von Humboldt: "Die wenigsten Menschen verstehen, wie unendlich viel in der Einsamkeit liegt."

Some talked about "infinite loneliness" which I thought missed the point. My favourite translation is: "Very few people understand how infinitely much there is (can be found) in solitude."

Because there is a huge difference between feeling lonely and being alone. The first is a negative emotion, in which the person feels incomplete without the company of others. The second is a simple statement of fact. Being alone can be a time of rich contemplation, or of simple enjoyment of one's own company, or a welcome retreat from the hurly-burly of life.

I used to be afraid of loneliness and found the company of people infinitely preferable. As I have got older, and farther on in my spiritual journey, I find that I welcome solitude, as a time to think, to reflect, to spend time in my own company, to come near to the Divine. And if I spend too much time in the company of too many people, I need a lot of time alone to come back to myself.

True extroverts will find this hard to understand, but introverts and ambiverts will be reading with little cries of recognition. I'm not saying "I want to be alone" a la Garbo, but that I need some kind of balance between being with people and being on my own.

Of course, I do like being with people (I'm a minister, after all!) and being in Unitarian community is an important part of my life. But the time when I am on my own is when I do my best thinking, when I can read for hours without feeling guilty, when I can meditate, pray, write. I find I am at my best alone, or in the company of one or two dear friends or family members.

Building Bridges

This week's card has a quote by Ivo Andric: "Von allem, was der Mensch baut und aufbaut, gibt es nichts Besseres und Wertvolleres als Brücken." Which being translated, means: "Of everything that humankind builds, there is nothing better and worthier than bridges."

It is appropriate that this quote has come during Pride Month. When I have just seen on Facebook a story about two lesbians being violently attacked on a London bus for kissing.... we still have so far to go, before the LGBTQ+ community is fully accepted by all.

We are all inter-connected human beings. We all have a spark of the Divine within us. We are all utterly worthy of being treated with compassion, dignity and respect. Nobody should be discriminated against on account of their gender, sexuality, class, race, age or any other distinguishing feature.

So we need to build bridges of understanding. We need to reach out to those who still have closed minds, and help them to understand that Different is not the same as Devilish. That every single person is a worthy member of the human race.

I love the prayer by GA President, Celia Cartwright:

O God of All Creation, God of Love,
We pray that the walls that divide us shall be takne down,
And with the bricks and stones let us build bridges between us,
That we may learn from each other not to fear each othere,
And so may more easily come to keep faith
With the Greatest Commandment,
That is: To love our God, with all our heart and mind and strength,
And each other as ourselves.

Amen. Amen.

T