As Earth Centered Spirituality folks, we share a path of living in
harmony with and maintaining a reverence for Nature. Our goal is to
help each other reclaim our lost spiritual heritage, our affinity with
the earth. We practice a religion that has neither creeds nor dogmas,
neither prophets nor holy books. We use ritual and creative
visualization to reunite ourselves with the natural world.
As
Unitarian Universalists, our living tradition draws from direct
experience of the transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all
cultures. There are no boundaries on the diverse ways we understand
this mystery. This experience moves us to a renewal of the spirit and
an openness to the forces which create and uphold life. There are no
restrictions on the myriad ways in which we live out this reality. We
hold in great value direct experience of the sacred.
Some of
us identify with the moniker "pagan", which is derived from the Latin
paganus, meaning country dweller. In the early Christian times, when
Christianity was predominantly a religion of the cities, the
not-yet-Christian country folk were called pagans. These country folk
retained their old ways of worship, emphasizing the major cycles of the
seasons. To this end, our Earth Centered Spirituality Circle organizes
rituals for many of the traditional Pagan seasonal holidays. One of the
most popular is the Winter Solstice Festival which celebrates the
seasonal stories of many cultures in song, dance, story, and chant.
Generally,
we hold that the four ancient elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
are powerful energy sources, and that Nature is a manifestation of
Deity. We practice rituals to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm
of life forces and celebrate festivals that renew a sense of living
communion with natural cycles, with the changes of the seasons and the
land. We understand there is no distinction between spiritual and
material, sacred and secular.
Our rituals, activities, and
events are open to all, and welcome families with children and youth.
We hold regular ritual, pagan prayer circles and study groups, children
classes, and other activities. To get involved, contact Suzette
Southfox at 619-298-9978.