It’s the annual General Assembly of the whole UUA – delegates from a representative sampling of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s thousand-plus congregations, plus representatives of the many organizations of UUs for a special interest (CUUPS would be one of those) or UUs with a special mission (such as Prison Ministry), plus a few organizations of non-UUs with allied aims — and undoubtedly, people and organizations I have completely missed. We’re in Portland, Oregon, at the convention center Wednesday through Sunday.
As I started writing early this morning, some 4000 people were waking up after an evening of business, ritual, and consciousness raising. CUUPS President Amy Beltaine carried the CUUPS banner at the opening session on Wednesday night, marching among the banners of the many congregations and other organizations.
I feel nearly overwhelmed, energized, battered, wide awake and tired already – and it’s only Thursday. But, wow! What a day! What a glorious, hardworking, challenging and exhilarating day!
It was a thrill to stand on that stage with other Board members and our Executive Director, looking out at a huge crowd of UUs applauding at the morning’s general session as CUUPS was accepted as a Covenanting Community by the UUA, along with a dozen or so new UU fellowships and several other newly covenanted organizations.
The day ended with a business meeting at which we approved the slate of nominees for Board positions for our next election and elected the nominating committee for next year (more on that in a later post). After a few minor tech issues, some CUUPS members were able to join us remotely via the Internet.
But before that, CUUPS held a Midsummer celebration (four days after the Solstice). Here in Portland, this visitor from Philadelphia, PA, has been blown away by the midsummer light. My body is not accustomed to sunset after 9 p.m. and first light just after 4 a.m. I’ve been having trouble winding down in the evening to go to sleep when the sky is still light at 10 pm.
This afternoon that high solar energy seemed to rock the room as CUUPSfolk from as far away as Brooklyn, NY, and as near as Portland honored the seven sacred directions, moving from seed, to branch, to flower, to fruit; as within, so without; as above, so below; and invoked the Divine as male and female, both and neither. We collected our intentions toward our love and joy for the universe and our work to care for our beloved planet and all who live here. And then we sang.
“Planted like a tree with my roots dug downMy branches wide and open
Come down the sun,come down the rain
Come down the fruit to a heart that is open to be
“Planted like a tree …”
We sang and drummed until the room hummed. Then it was my turn to stand up from my borrowed drum and bring our attention to the energy we had brought forward from ourselves, from one another, from the planet, and from the sun, and to ask each person present to use this energy to move toward justice, trust, love, and peace, to find ways to love people we think we don’t know and to find ways to be a friend to the stranger. To bring forth justice, trust, love and peace.
We thanked our honored guests, seen and unseen, and offered gifts. So mote it be.
The Witch stares out the window at the sunlight on the building across the street from where I sit in a borrowed easy chair. It’s after 9 pm but sunset is still minutes away, and dark seems a long time coming. She laughs at my presumption but delights in my joy that lingers hours after today’s ritual.
She wants me to tell you to be sure to watch the UUA’s streaming of some of the events of GA, especially the sermon preached by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar at the Service of the Living Tradition – his message on openness and justice is one we all need to hear.
I tell her it has been a lovely day, and she tells me to bid you all goodnight.
Blessed Be.
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