At UUSS we experience the Soul Matters theme in our services, our religious education for children and youth, and in our small groups.  If you would like to explore this theme on your own, check out the materials for individual reflection posted in the box at the bottom of the soul matters page.

Here is the introductory message from Soul Matters:

We all know what it was like. The world was alive once. When we were little. The trees whispered words. Animals spoke to us with their eyes. Playgrounds could become castles. The stars somehow told us we were special. Life could speak.

The magic wasn’t imprisoned in childhood. We’ve all had adult moments when we’ve “come alive.” Wonderfully lost in our work, our creativity or a kiss. Time both stopped and was set on fire.  It happened as well in moments of alignment. When our inner life and outer life fell into step. We were finally “us.” Everything was clear, and enough.  For those fleeting moments, we lacked nothing. We felt gifted beyond comprehension.

And it’s not that these moments of awakening don’t still happen. There’s just something about how we’ve got things organized that places a fog between them and us. As Aniais Nin says, we believe we are living, but really aren’t. It’s surprising actually – how easily we let dullness sink in, how often we allow life to be muted.

But there are always those memories. That whispering tree. That magic kiss. That moment of being true to ourselves. They can be brought back. Yes, we forget what it feels like to be fully awake and for life to be fully alive. But forgetting means we can remember. It means we can help each other remember. And remembering opens a door for us to find our way back.

So maybe the message this month isn’t simply, “Awaken!” but also, “Remind!” We need to tell our stories so others remember theirs. We need to take each other back in time, so we can fully inhabit our present. It’s no small thing. On our own, we are so easily convinced being wide awake was a delusion, so easily fooled into thinking that life never really felt that good or seemed so clear. But with help, we wake up. We remember what it is like for life to shimmer. And for us to shimmer too.

April 2022 Materials for Individual Reflection – Awakening