Spiritual

Time for forsythia and tulips and time to register children for Hebrew school 5776!  At this time we are planning to follow our traditional structure, with an Aleph class for 6-7 year olds, Bet for 8-9 year olds, Gimmel for 9-10 year olds and Dalet for 11-12 year olds, and Hey for children who are 12 and older, have been in our Hebrew school for at least one year, and are planning to become bar- or bat-mitzvah next year.

Classes will meet from 3:45 to 5:45; the b’nai mitzvah class will probably meet from 5:30 to 7:30.  We hope to keep our excellent, experienced, dedicated teaching staff, but we need to know how many students we will have (and their ages and grade in public school) so we can plan staff and space to accommodate all who wish to attend.  We particularly need to know about any new students who might wish to attend.

In the spirit of “Ask-a-Cop” and “Ask-a Realtor”, our local Baha’i community has decided to launch its own series, called “Ask-a-Baha’i”.

Although many have heard of the Baha’i Faith, few know much about the Faith’s history and teachings.

Through “Ask-a-Baha’i”, we want to create a space for people to ask questions from the privacy and convenience of their homes or mobile devices.

Andrew Bark wishes to invite everyone who loved his late wife Katharine M. Bark to a celebration of her life.

Kat’s memorial will be a pot luck to be held at the Townshend Town Hall from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 7th. 

For more information, please call Andrew at: (802) 451-6188,

Grace had just turned 5 one day before Christmas Eve, and Eve would be two the day after Christmas. It was 40 years ago. 

We had been reading chapter books, one chapter each night. It was time to pick up our current book, Wind In The Willows. Tonight happened to be Christmas Eve, but the coincidence of our having come to the chapter about Rat an Mole’s Christmas Eve celebration did not dawn on us… at least not at first. 

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I read about how Mole and Rat had finally found Mole’s cozy home under the snow, and were setting in comfortably when they heard voices outside:

The BAJC “pop-up” gift shop will be open for several  days this week and next.  Chanukah candles are available, along with menorahs, dreidels, chocolate “gelt” and other Judaica and gift items. Although you can’t purchase anything on Shabbat,  you can select your candles and gifts next Saturday morning (12/13), and pay another day, when it’s not Shabbat. (You can send a check to BAJC.) 

The gift shop (in the BAJC office–the cottage behind the shul) will also be open on Monday 12/8 from 3:00 to 6:00, on Wednesday the 10th from 1:30 to 5:30, on Thursday the 11th from 3:00 to 8:30, and on Friday the 19th from 4:00 on.

One day Clown Repa came before Tokpa Dorje with a very important question. Earlier that morning, Tokpa Dorje had thought that perhaps he’d go for a walk, so he had a disciple bring him his cane. However when he sat up from his common reclining Buddha posture he was struck yet again with the sheer wonder of enlightened manifestation and was so joyously inspired, he hadn’t moved from that position. And so it was like this that Clown Repa found him. Not wanting to disturb him, he sat near some other disciples who were meditating in the room.

After awhile Tokpa Dorje turned to the others and said, “Clown Repa has a very important question that he’s dying to ask and it would pain me greatly if the son died before his father.”

Condor and Eagle Fly Together

A Community ceremony of healing, connection and manifestation with Don Francisco and doña Juana, master shamans of Peru  

Event is June 30th, 7:30 PM

(Various offerings in Keene area and Maine May 17-29 include a 3-day workshop, individual sessions and more group ceremonies)

The Q’ero elders see the Condor as  the energy of the Andes, connected to the heart.  They see the Eagle as the energy of North America, connected to the mind.  As we connect and fly together, the power of the mind unites with the love and passion of the heart, and it becomes possible for our greatest passions to reflect our soul  purpose.  This is true for the individual, and it is true for societies as well.  Just as we seek to rediscover (and spread) the heart energies that are often well hidden in our communities, the Q’ero people seek the Eagle.  For them, the technology and know-how that is second nature for us — once united with the ancient ways —  is a gateway to abundance and a better life.  What better sendoff could there be for our guests as they prepare for a very literal flight — their long journey home — than to connect  them with us in a ceremony of healing, gratitude, abundance and celebration.

Recent decades have witnessed the emergence “political religion,” that is, social groups of global significance who define their political identities in explicitly religious terms. Examples of this phenomenon are numerous, and include global Islamism, Hindu nationalism, and the American Religious Right. This talk explores the significance of these movements for Western social and political thought and suggests how we need to reconsider our understanding of the social in light of them.

Clown Repa awoke one morning having dreamed a curious and wonderful dream that he felt surely must portend auspicious accomplishment in his practice but he could not understand the signs so he decided to briefly break retreat and go beseech Tokpa Dorje for his clairvoyant interpretation. These days Tokpa Dorje was very old and usually remained in his room which is where Clown Repa found him. As Clown Repa entered the room with his head bowed, Tokpa Dorje opened one eye and then closed it again.

           “Dear son, why have you broken your retreat?” he asked.

Anybody know the source of this quote?

“Behold! the angel said: O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a word from Him: his name will be Christ, Jesus, son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of [the company of] those nearest to God.”

A long time ago, before I was born, a world leader named Roosevelt said: “The only thing to fear is fear itself.”  And, of course, he was right.  We live in a world where there are millions of things to fear, millions of things that might potentially get us.  More and more, the simple occasions of daily life are occasions for fear, from going to the doctor to using the Internet.  If you really thought about it, you would be paralyzed!

For most people who have fears (I feel I can say this, being a person with fears), it’s not the present moment that’s the problem.  It’s what the realities that the present moment might lead to.  Yes, we want to fix the problems of the present but it’s the problems of the future that really bother us.  So many bad things could potentially happen.  Even if you think you’re not a fearful person, think of how many times you say “I didn’t do such and such because I was afraid such and so might happen.”  Fear and worry are future oriented but the future hasn’t happened yet so none of those fears are “real”.  They are imaginings, usually fairly dark imaginings at that.

The following is a brief excerpt from a story by Rebecca Stolnit. I found it on a website called TomDispatch, dated July 18th. For me Snowden is one of the few people who truly define the word hero. He gave up everything and now has the most powerful country on earth trying, vainly so far, to get its hands on him. He did what he believed was right knowing that his government would kill him in a heartbeat. He did what he did without knowing if anyone in the world would or could protect him. He gives meaning to the word courage.

Dear Edward Snowden,

Billions of us, from prime ministers to hackers, are watching a live espionage movie in which you are the protagonist and perhaps the sacrifice. Your way forward is clear to no one, least of all, I’m sure, you.

According to Catholic belief, individuals who are not “good” enough to make it to Heaven, and not “bad” enough to be damned to Hell, get to “do time” in Purgatory where the “temporal punishment” remaining after confessing and being absolved of sin is “purged”.

In medieval times the church began the practice of granting “indulgences”. After confessing and being absolved of sin, the indulgences granted reduce the amount of time one spends in purgatory, where one’s sins are weighed after death.

Don Francisco and doña Juana, elders of the Q’ero nation, will offer healing and Initiations of Connection in Brattleboro from June 11-16.  Check the IBrattleboro calendar for specifics on group events.  

This is a time when we are all experiencing great change and transition, and this is the ideal opportunity to shed what no longer serves and step into the Star that burns deep within you. 

The Q’ero — don Francisco’s and doña Juana’s people, are saidto be the last direct descendants of the Inca.  They historically were respected as the keepers of the knowledge, and held a place of honor at traditional gatherings and festivals.  After the Spanish conquest, they remained invisible, living in small villages as high as 16,000 feet above sea level.

A new group for parents of babies and young children will begin to meet Tuesdays, from 11am-12pm, at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 16 Bradley Avenue, Brattleboro.

The group begins meeting on Tuesday, June 4th. The purpose of the group is to connect parents to a greater purpose through reading, discussion and play. This group is open to all faith traditions and philosophical backgrounds. It is a chance for parents of young children to support one another AND a chance for children to play together.

We invite you to join in this incredible opportunity to work with world renowned masters of the living energy, Q’ero pampamesayok shamans from the High Andes of Peru, Don Francisco & Doña Juanita.  

We live in a time when many of us are experiencing a time of awakening, life examination and new choices.  The programs being offered locally, as well as the two-day initiation workshop on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, contain authentic rituals and ceremonies that are sure to help you unlock the special gifts you carry in ways that bring you joy and fulfillment.  

April 21 – “Thinking Green, Acting Green”

This Sunday, our Social Action Committee will host Betsy Hardy of Vermont Interfaith Power and Light and Paul Cameron, Brattleboro’s town energy coordinator and founder of Brattleboro Climate Protection.

Come listen to these committed individuals tell us why and how theyare involved with energy conservation. Members of the Social ActionCommittee will take part in the service.

All Souls February Service.