UU Yule   Rev. Ernie Mills

(This reflection comes by way of special request. It is a “first” for me.) Yule is a noun that means Christmas. Yet its origins derive from natural or pagan festivals that celebrate the winter solstice, that is the birth of the Sun. Yule provides us a first- hand look at the pagan celebrations that form the background of Christmas, the birth of the Son.

The connections between the pagan Yule and the Christmas story reveal the natural and universal sources of religion. We are all living under the same Sun, all children of the same Divine Force.

Getting in the Way          Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30AM  Whimsical World Gallery, Landrum, SC

The Tao is often referred to as the Way. To get in the Way begins by removing obstacles that get in the way of getting in the Way. Knowledge is one of those obstacles. When we know, or think we know, we close our minds to the great mystery and wonder of life. Another obstacle is isolation and thinking we can go it alone.. Finding companions is vital as we journey on the Way. Getting in the Way is moving along with the rhythm and flow of life. The goal of this process is “self-actualization” or in Taoism terms bringing life to its completion.

What a Scallop Can Teach Us about Being Human – Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30 AM  Whimsical World Gallery, Landrum SC

Scallops have many eyes but they don’t really see; they simply react. In the human world, we call this reactional behavior prejudice. In an ideal human world, the Executive Function of the brain operates to control this kind of behavior, but unfortunately this function is not always developed (through education) or is simply not there.

It is my belief that Buddha, Jesus, Lao Tze and others tried their best to “ignite” the Executive Function so we humans would not behave like scallops.

You’ve probably heard the saying “Sometimes it might be better to be happy than right.” Yet what if being right is what makes us happy (even when it may make the other unhappy)? One of the most important ingredients in healthy, human relationships is the willingness to compromise and if being right all the time is what makes us happy – well, so much for healthy, happy relationships. The art of compromise is a spiritual practice as well as a strength of character. The unwillingness to compromise is a sign of weakness and often ignorance. Compromising is an “art” rather than an exact science, because it involves much more than logic and reason. Compromise most often demands that we set our emotions and our need to be right aside for the sake of healthy, happy relationships. We’ll examine this art under the microscope of compassion.

At a level of the psyche we call the “unconscious,” we experience life similar to the ways children, poets and “primitives” do; that is a world filled not with “things” or “its,” but with living, animated beings possessing feelings and emotions- an “I-thou” world. At this level, “things” have souls. These kinds of experiences are often deemed irrational, childish and illogical and subsequently repressed in favor of reason. Yet they still live in the depths of our unconscious and influence our lives in powerful ways. We will explore the soul in “things” and how we are moved in ways we are not always aware of.