Dear ones, 

 

Our sanctuary was filled with the deep energy of peace and community on September 21st, as the Women of Vision shared their music and songs, stories of their childhoods and varied experiences in Israel. They honored each other’s experience as Jewish and Palestinian women and together we created an earth altar and sang We Shall Overcome and Imagine. Through prayer and song, ritual and dance, these women shared their vision for Peace.

It takes courage for them, for each of us to live into our vision for a world that is kinder, where we feel compassion for another. Though our views may not be the same, and we may come from varied backgrounds and experiences, we share a common humanity. Each of us has experienced losses and yearns for relationships that are deep and rewarding. I am so honored and glad that we were able to host these women. Creating opportunities for us to witness and hear one another offers an opening for healing, for expression that is uniquely ours.  Thich Nhat Hanh offers that:  “Deep listening is at the foundation of right speech. If we cannot listen mindfully, we cannot practise right speech. No matter what we say, it will not be mindful, because we’ll be speaking only our own ideas and not in response to the other person.” He shared that “compassionate listening happens when we listen with the sole purpose to understand others. Underlying genuine deep listening is the genuine concern for others’ well-being: If we don’t care about others’ suffering, why would we listen to what they have to say?” This is a foundational practice. 

So we listen, but we not only do we hear through our ears, but by noticing another’s expression, posture, body language. Using our senses, including intuition, we can reach another, witness, support and comfort them. If we are practicing deep listening, we will hear elements of another’s story that touch and move us. We might hear a connection we weren’t aware of. In Buddhist philosophy and in our UU belief, every being is interdependent and interconnected which brings with it a deepening of relationship, a responsibility that we carry. Through this practice, caring for each other is caring for ourselves, our well-being is interrelated to other people, to our animals, trees, geese flying overhead, and people, and beings suffering here and across the ocean. May we listen and learn, always moving together toward deeper relationships in our dear community of All Souls! 

With Love, Rev. Telos