Trusting the Spiral Active Hope is not wishful thinking. Active Hope is not waiting to be rescued by the Lone Ranger or by some savior. Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life on whose behalf we can act. We belong to this world. The web of life is calling us forth at this time. We’ve come a long way… (read more)
Those “light glib words of hope” that Thomas Kelly refers to – like wish, desire, expectation, and anticipation – are based on wanting things we do not currently have, and trusting that life will give them to us. This kind of hope can help us to cope in the short term, but often leads to the disappointments of unmet expectations,… (read more)
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings. “As the days get shorter and winter sets in, we each experience the darkness of… (read more)
One of the reasons that early Friends tried to abolish the celebration of holidays was because they believed that every day was a holy day: we shouldn’t need a special Thanksgiving Day because we are giving thanks every day. Quaker songwriter Jon Watts wrote a blog post titled, “We Don’t Need A Holiday To Give Thanks!” In it… (read more)
Our North Pacific Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice section on Harmony with Creation begins: “The mystery and beauty of the universe reveal their Source. Spiritually and physically nourished by our home, the Earth, we are filled with gratitude and wonder.” Being filled with gratitude and wonder is a start, but where does that good feeling carry us? In November… (read more)
This First Day at 10:45 a.m., during the outdoor Meeting for Worship, we will recite the Haudenosaunee (pronounced who-DIN-oh-show-nee) Thanksgiving Address Greetings to the World. Please join us! The Haudenosaunee people (also known as the Iroquois) have said that the words of the Thanksgiving Address are their gift to the world and are meant to be shared…. (read more)
The harvest season has traditionally been a time to express gratitude for the bounty and benevolence of nature – for the abundance of food and beauty that the natural world supplies us with. And it’s easier to feel true gratitude when we feel a sense of connection to the source of what we receive – when… (read more)
It is clear that we cannot solve the plastic crisis simply by changing our buying habits or by recycling “better”. We need legislation. Environmentalists and lawmakers in some states are pushing for legislation that bans single use plastics, and for “bottle bills” which pay customers to bring back their plastic bottles. Oregon and Michigan’s bottle… (read more)
As I said earlier, over 90% of the plastic we produce is not recycled. But why is that? We have all the recycle symbols, and we are all doing our part to sort out plastic and find places to recycle it, so what’s the problem? An Oregon Public Broadcasting article explains: Waste management experts say the problem with… (read more)
On January 22, 2023, Eugene Friends Meeting approved a Minute on Reducing Plastics in the World, and we agreed to “educate ourselves, witness, and take action, as led with efforts in these directions: Reduce, re-use, and recycle our personal and Meeting House plastics: We will encourage and educate each other to reduce our purchase of new plastics, re-use what we purchase when… (read more)
Click the picture for information about community group use of the Meeting House.
