Expanding Horizons

Jung’s 12 Archetypes

Today, Kris offers some reflections on Jung's "12 Archetypes" and Jung's concept of "The Persona" - the outer face we present to the world. Every one of us holds a bundle of identity cards based on our occupation - or former occupation, our relationship status, or our gender, and conceptions of ourselves based on our own journey of self-discovery. Kris asks: Who are you? How well do you relate to Jung's 12 Archetypes that present images of who we might become. How relevant are these in understanding our true selves, today. But, despite internal and external obstacles - often in the guise of messages, we do have choices in how we are to conduct ourselves in our living. How can we better understand the motivations within us that affect the decisions we make and the pathways we take? Kris believes that Jung may provide some answers in our search for our true selves, self-understanding.

Our Interfaith Service - A Celebration!

Today we celebrate our association with the Multi Faith Community in our annual Interfaith service - with speakers from the Baha’i and Jewish Communities. Kris also gave a brief Buddhist perspective.

Kris's opening words convey its underlying theme and our shared purpose:

"We realise we are not perfect, but everyone has the capacity to love - and that love can be expressed in different ways". Let us be conscious of the Unity of Humanity, no matter the illusions of separateness ...no matter the illusions of one being better than another ...of our tribe being better than their tribe. May we have the compassion to see each person as a unique individual in the sea of Humanity and all of Humanity in each person. May it be so!"

Reception

Kris's address - is about the Kabbala - sometimes referred to as the "Soul" of Judaism. It's derived from the Hebrew word for Reception - that received wisdom of Jewish theology through rituals, imagery of angels and demons, incantations, amulets and practice built upon the Judaic teachings handed down through the millennia.

Kris begins with a challenging question to focus - and to challenge our Unitarian thinking:
- Whether we want to be free of the worries, toils and snares of this world - and draw closer to the Divine?
or to put the question in a more humanistic, perhaps..."unitarianised" way:
- Can you imagine a shining light of Loving Kindness within you, a light that you can bring to your life and those around you - through self development, greater consciousness - simply being the best person you can be?

Liston on to some of the Received Wisdom of the Kabbala, the four levels of meaning from literal to the Midrashim and utimately to an esoteric, metaphyical level and how its imagery might even begin to transform our lives - as Unitarians.
Kris concludes: "Can we imagine a shining light within us? And if so let us share it with the world - every day of our lives!

War and Peace

Today's Address: "War and Peace" was led by our Minister, Kris Hanna, with Margaret Lambert (piano) playing works of the Russian composer, Sergei Prokofiev - relevant to this theme. Kris commences his address by providing us with an historical background to the current war between Hamas and the Israelis. It followed a recent talk by Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky - "Judaism 101"- an introduction to Judaism, given - the morning immediately following the tragic events that unfolded from the attack by Hamas on young Israelis attending "The Tribe of Nova" music festival.
We were then joined by during our service by Mike Khizam, from "The Australian Friends of Palestine Association". Kris interviews Mike, who gives a Palestinian perspective on the history underlying the unholy events unfolding in what Jews, Christians and Muslims each revere as their "Holy Land". We are left to ponder how Palestinians and Jews might navigate pathways to peace in The Holy Land, where - not so long ago, they once lived peacefully together under British Mandate from the League of Nations in the aftermath of WW1 - through to WW2, and the bitter residue of paranoia that is now their legacy. The Elders are not listening; it will take generational change!
"Blessed are the Peacemakers...the Children of God!"

A Festival of Light

We are so often consumed by news of the horrors of war, that we despair of the darkness and we lose perspective!
Kris commenced Sunday's address -"A festival of Light" at Shady Grove by telling a story from the Indian Upanishads. Our Unitarian Festival of Light is inspired today by the Diwali - the Hindu Festival of Lights. Light has long been a metaphor for that deeper part of ourselves - call it the soul...the spirit, some divine spark within ourselves - a light - "the lamp within" -emanating goodness and divinity. Today is our Unitarian celebration of the light and goodness, expressed in the day-to-day acts of kindness and empathy. So let's not dwell on the darkness but join with us by celebrating this light within and surrounding us. Our Diwali!
Kris leaves us with a challenge: "How do you bear that light to the people around you?"
He concludes: "Let us be the light in the darkness!"

”Coming of Age” - A Celebration!

In our church, notions of a traditional "Sunday School" have been re-defined. Today is our Unitarian recognition of our young peoples' "Coming of Age" - a celebration of  successfully passing through recent trials of endurance. Our young women successfully completed a 30 km hike along the Heysen Trail over two days and our young men canoed a long distances at West Lakes.
Today, our "Sunday Club" young people gathered to tell us about the wisdoms they had learned from their camps at Shady Grove throughout the year and their hopes for the future.

Kris's address to the young people commenced with a quote from Hamlet - Polonius's speech to Laertes "This above all: to thine own self be true..." ...being true to yourself.
And we - older members - of our Church were also invited to hand-on some our wisdoms and insights that might help our young people in how they choose to shape their lives. We were also invited to stay for a lunch prepared by our young people.

Catherin Helen Spence and other early SA Unitarians.

Today's service features a very informative and engaging address by Carolyn Spooner, Historian at the State Library. Her talk was about Catherine Helen Spence and other early, influential South Australian Unitarians who comprised our two Unitarian Churches in the early days of colonial settlement - and later. This is our history and is not to be missed!

A Flower Communion

Today we Unitarians have two significant events to celebrate: Kris welcomes three - much loved, new members into our Church. And on this mild, mid-Spring day, we Unitarians celebrate the Flower Communion  which Unitarian, Norbert Capek introduced into Bohemia (Czechoslovakia), 100 years ago.

Judaism 101

Rabbi Shoshana Kaminsky's address "Judaism 101", an introduction to Judaism for us Unitarians, was given on the morning following the tragic events that unfolded from the attack by Hamas on young Israelis attending "The Tribe of Nova" music festival. Rabbi Kaminisky bravely uses this opportunity to dispel many of the myths commonly held by Christians and others about Judaism. This is not to be missed!

A Pack of Cards

Kris begins this address with several questions that gets to the nub of the issue:
- What possible value can a deck of tarot cards be to your spiritual progress?
- What is it (about tarot cards) that will assist you on your spiritual journey?
- What is it that will help you be a kinder, wiser, more loving person?"
Kris begins with the history of cards ...playing cards... tarot cards. Kris explains their "predictive" value in the universality of this symbolism. I recall an earlier address that referred to the "Barnam effect" where a fortune teller's uncanny accuracy in describing issues that seem to be tailored specifically to the fortune-seeker are really general enough to apply to most of us. It's the universality of the symbolism behind cards that Kris explores with us today, that might be helpful on our spiritual journey.