the space between ~ mosaic gathering June 2018

I jumped on a tube train in East London from a stop I don’t usually use. I should have changed onto the district line at the very next stop but my head was full of the meeting I had just been in and I sat there for another 2 stops before I realised! So, I rerouted my journey and caught an over ground train.

As I got on my heart sank – I had chosen a carriage with tension. Didn’t need that, I just wanted to keep my head down and get home. She was a large woman, a bit crazed looking, wild hair and unkempt clothes. She was eating some spicy smelling food, noisily, with her fingers. I avoided eye contact. As she came to the end of her food I watch with rising anger as she discarded the empty box on the floor behind her. Ha! Here was an opportunity for me to justify my rising anger and engage. No, I thought, don’t engage. I closed my eyes and dug deep for some loving energy. I kept my eyes closed and moved that loving energy around me, through me and from me. After a minute or two I realised even without opening my eyes that the woman’s eyes were on me. ‘I must not engage’, until eventually I could resist no longer and opened my eyes to find her beaming face looking straight at me with the broadest, gentlest smile. That was a bit of a surprise. I smiled back, and she leant forward commenting on my beads. Laughing, I said it was the first time I’d worn them having bought them in a charity shop earlier that week. And with that we arrived in East Ham station, my stop. That was the extent of our exchange, and yet it has stayed with me for many months.

I find myself wondering what exactly happened in that exchange. It would be nice to think that my loving energy somehow transformed my travelling companion. I’m more inclined to think that my determination to find loving energy transformed me, myself, I, so that I was able to witness to the exchange through a different lens. Or maybe something happened in that space between us that finds explanation beyond our understanding.

‘Deep, beneath the chatter of the world,
enveloped in a rich, pregnant silence,

Immutable power
winds its way through the spaces between…..

‘…… We’re so used to filling space,
that we lose the simplicity of each moment’s grace.
Confidence grows with awareness.
And that’s the magic within.
The power of presence,
herein, found
in the spaces in between.’

–

Cat Simmons

As Cat Simmons describes so beautifully in this poem there is magic in that space between. The space between each of us as individual beings, individuals complete in ourselves but simultaneously a part of a bigger whole.

And what is it that we want to place in that space in between? Without thought, when with people we know and love, there is an easy answer. In the space between myself and someone who triggers my negative reactions the answer may be more difficult to admit.

If that space is in fact part of me and part of you, however different to me you are, how can I not try to be with the magic? I may not understand you, but even to be present to the other, with my most loving self, must go some way to improve the energy of the whole of which we are both part?

who is not in labour?

The body is like Mary, and each of us has a Jesus inside.
Who is not in labour, holy labour? Every creature is.

See the value of true art, when the earth or a soul is in
the mood to create beauty;

for the witness might then for a moment know beyond
any doubt, God is really there within,

so innocently drawing life from us with Her umbilical
universe – infinite existence …

though also needing to be born. yes, God also needs
to be born!

Birth from a hand’s loving touch. Birth from a song,
from a dance, breathing life into this world.

The body is like Mary, and each of us, each of us has
a Christ within.

– Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi

Michael's reflection to Mosaic gathering 17th December 2017

For my reflection I will concentrate on the Rumi poem – I hope you don’t mind;

In the Celtic tradition, the story explaining the birth of Soul Friends or Anam Cara presents the picture of God bending down to the earth and picking up a clump of clay in each hand; God fashions each clump of clay into a human being, and puts them back rather randomly onto the ground – for the two clumps of clay, that were next to each other in the earth, are now, fashioned as human beings, put back onto the earth in far apart lands, and I like to think, at far apart times and epochs. When they meet, or come together through their poetry, there is a connection, a certain : Je ne sais quoi, a certain, close friendship.

And that’s how it feels when I read Rumi’s poetry.

So, this is really my reflection on Rumi’s poem; I hope you enjoy it.

“when earth and a soul are in the mood to create beauty”

what happens?   -

deep within the womb

in darkness and in stillness

in a place before knowing

in the space of being

in the grace of becoming

there emerges

quarks become atoms

atoms become molecules

molecules become cells

then emerges the photosynthetic krebs cycle

the organ systems

the neural net

the reptilian brain stem

the mammalian limbic system

the primate cortex

the complex neuro-cortex

with as many connections and more

as the stars in the universe

“when earth and a soul are in the mood to create beauty”

“Who is not in labour?”

We live in an emerging universe, and we are emerging parts of the universe.

We have within us far more than our life of conscious thoughts; 

far more than the vast amount of information that excites our senses

far more than the words we utter                                                   

far more than human DNA

We, and the universe, are, at each stage of our emerging, more than simply the sum total of our parts.

Here lies the wildness of the emergent process – for there is a creativity, a something radically new, drawing the process on, pulling us from simplicity to complexity.

“Who is not in labour?”

“For the witness might then go beyond”

This movement, this dynamic of evolution, this hum of the universe, holds our vocation, our individual calling, personally tailored in our DNA. We are called personally to go beyond.

And so, the dynamic emerges –

“God is really within; and God needs to be born”

We must include all that has gone before, so that we can go beyond. If we deny something deep within us, it will re-emerge in a twisted form; if we do not resist suppression, we will shrivel up; if we fence off a part of us, or something in our past, it will be a barrier.

This is the “holy labour” we are engaged in.

And finally, this emergent process bestows on us the freedom to be wild; the freedom not to be restrained by the formulas of the past, not to put our faith in dogmas claiming to be absolute, not to allow ourselves to be imprisoned by doctrines purporting finality.

The guarantor of this freedom is that it will not create exclusion, it will not lead to oppression, it will not engender alienation, but rather it will

“create beauty”

“God there within” “God needing to be born”

living worship for living gods

Deities perform music to tempt the Sun Goddess c. 1830 © Trustees British Museum 2017

Just back from a preview of the exhibition ‘Living with the Gods’ that opens at the British Museum on 2nd November. Well worth a visit – no dogma or doctrine, not ‘what’ we believe but ‘how’ we believe. Amazing to see artefacts 40,000 years old, one particularly; the Lion Man, a carved mammoth tusk of a human lower half with a lion’s head, a creature clearly formed from the imagination. Found in a cave with no remnants of human domestic habitation, as with other caves around, but in a space used only for ritual. A hunter gatherer society would have needed all resources concentrated on finding food and defending from marauders, how remarkable that members of the community were spared for the hundreds of hours the carving would have taken and that they made time for gathering in ritual.

Lion Man ©Museum Ulm; photo Oleg Kuchar

Seeing all the artefacts from every continent on our planet, with over 4000 religions in the world and an estimated 85% of the world population engaging with some faith path – gathering together for purposes that are not about practical day to day living are clearly important to human beings.

It’s interesting to note the growing trend of humanist communities meeting together to share readings, sing songs and reflect together. There is something about ritual that seems to be vital to what it means to be human.

With an integral understanding of human development and living in a diverse, urban community I’m aware, and indeed delighted by, the myriad ways we celebrate our beliefs in the 21st century. The privilege for me as an independent minister is that I’m free to lead services that are creative, inspired and without constraint, crafted for the very people who attend. It’s my delight to lead ceremony that moves from the heart of those gathered, that is held in a container of belief in the power of the spirit flowing between us, whether we call that power God, Allah, Love or divine consciousness. Ritual that is not delivered as performance but rather emergent, dancing in the light of those drawn into the sacred circle.

At Mosaic, our monthly interfaith gathering, we sit in a circle around a simple altar with a theme brought by the turning of the year and by the joys and concerns of those gathered, we share stories, poems and song. We celebrate, we grieve, and we listen deeply to each other. We do not aim to ‘teach’ but rather to learn from each other what it is that makes our collective heart sing.

The opening section of the Living with the Gods exhibition focuses on the elements of fire, water light. Delightful are the artefacts that tell stories from different traditions about how light came to be – maybe the raven stole it from the box of the old man; the Japanese say that it was the music that tempted the Sun Goddess from the cave, that brought light to the world. However light came to be, finding ways to keep it lit is surely an imperative for us here & now. Coming into a sacred circle of lovers does it for me!

Mosaic is open to everyone - if you would like to know more do contact me, Anne Cross

0772 0841 826

Mosaic on Facebook

www.revannecross.com

Mosaic ~ October 2017 gathering

Harvesting in Prayer

With gratitude for a gorgeous Mosaic gathering last evening on the theme of Harvesting. 

'And in this vision he also showed me a little thing the size of a hazelnut lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed to me and it was round as a ball. I looked at it with my minds eye and thought ‘what can this be? And the answer came in a general way, like this ‘it is all there is’. 
Julian of Norwich

With thanks to Marta for inspiring our sharing with her reflection.

We all have childhood memories of celebrating harvest time, with collections for the poor and some topical hymns. And now how do we as adult city dwellers relate to our food? its sowing, it’s harvesting and of course it’s journey to our plate? How do we teach our children the visceral husbandry of our food production?

We reflected together with gratitude for all that Gaia, great mother earth, gifts us and wondered what we are doing to protect those gifts. 

Our bubbling sharing reflected the colourful altar brimming with seasonal colours and delights, the shining light reminded us that as the plants take up light for their growth, so we take in the light as we partake our food. We celebrated our light, and the light of all the world marking the wonderful festival of Divali. 

We closed with a Hindu mantra for Divali:

‘Lead us from untruth to truth, 
from darkness to light, 
from death to immortality, 
Om Peace, Peace, Peace.’ …….and we bounded outside giggling like children as we lit our sparklers! 💥💥

music to die for

I was mooching round Mothercare with my daughter, feeling all emotional – yes, yes….I’m to be Grandma again! We were just going all gooey over a sweet little two piece when the store music changed and I got a shot of happy hormone before I’d even realised that the song was John Legend’s ‘All of me’……the song that very same daughter danced her first dance to at her wedding.

How music evokes emotions in a way nothing else does!

When I was doing my funeral celebrant training I was confident that I had all the necessary skills ..... except maybe music knowledge. I know what I like but wasn’t sure I had a good enough range of songs from different eras with the right feelz for funerals. Well now 3 years and many funerals later I know this is not a concern. Of all the things that people aren’t sure about including at their loved one’s funeral they nearly always know the music they want!

At a funeral I led this week we played Abide with me and Chelsea football club’s ‘Blue is the colour’! And in a well-crafted funeral – it works!  Just as we tell the story of the dear person who has died, with all it’s ups and downs, it joys and its sorrows, so the music rises and falls through the service bringing resonance, harmony ….and dissonance sometimes!  

Music gives a soul to the universe,

wings to the mind,

flight to the imagination,

and life to everything.

Plato

As the minister at funerals my privilege is to craft a service with the family, which evokes the presence of the person who has died and enables them to say goodbye from this life to the person they loved. By inviting the presence of the spirit of the deceased, by celebrating all that they were in life with all their glorious gifts and their foibles, we may ease the passing from the physical realm to the heart felt memory of the family.

The structure of funeral rituals have developed over the millennia in different ways in different cultures and belief systems. Here in the West there is currently a strong pull away from a formulaic religious format to a service that more fully recognises the person who has died. For those who nevertheless have a sense of the spiritual a good minister will weave the stories of life with the hopes and fears of death into a safe space where we can experience the joy of life, the sadness of passing and the mystery of that which we know only at a deep soul level.

As was my experience in Mothercare, emotions are touched through the first few bars of a song way before our heads transcribe what we are hearing. Music evokes a primal memory, a link to the eternal hum of the universe and into the soul of the one who hears. An American actress Stella Adler said, ‘Life beats down and crushes the soul, and music reminds you that you have one.’

I’ve led funerals that have included the Muppets, Lady Gaga and Dvorak. There are a few songs that are requested more regularly than others, but not as often as the ‘7 tops songs for a funeral’ would have you believe! We’ve had grandchildren playing the cello, recordings of the person who’s died singing and opera singers drafted in for the occasion – there is always music.

So, have you thought about what will be playing at your funeral...

and why?

Do share, I would love to know – in the comments below…..

ritually speaking

As a minister my joy lies in creating wonderful ceremonies, and ordinary prayer spaces, and small rituals that mark a moment. As so often happens in Interfaith Ministry it’s easy to trip over language – different faiths and cultures use different language and have different understanding of what it is we do when we come together as a community in the presence of God – ritual, prayer, ceremony, liturgy…… important to tease out what these terms mean even as we know that ritual takes us to a place known even before we had the language to explain. Ritual taps into archetypal memories that go beyond explanation, with the potential for uniting, for healing, for blessing.

We have two lodgers at home whose first language isn’t English, we have fallen into a ritual when we sit down for our evening meal together; someone starts with ‘bon appetite’, followed by ‘cheers’ from somewhere else round the table, ‘bismillah’, ‘guten appetit’, …..every week we seem to add another. It’s our own little ritual, not very original maybe but we’ve made it our own, we’ve developed it, it makes us smile and helps us feel like we belong right here, right now. And it connects us across boundaries of language and culture.

There is something very grounding about being in a place where we recognise the customs and rituals, we feel we belong, we feel comfortable, at home, peaceful. When we visit another country or find ourselves among people of another culture it can be quite disconcerting when we don’t understand the rituals that are being shared. We feel out of place, a bit lost - like we don’t fully belong.

There can be something deeper to ritual though. When ritual acknowledges the presence of God, it becomes sacred. When ritual becomes sacred it touches us at a deeper spiritual and emotional level. A place that connects us to universal energy, to our ancestors, to all creation. We are moved from our heads to our hearts. Depending on our culture or religion we may have different words for ‘sacred rituals’, many Christians would call them ‘liturgies’, pagans would term them rituals or sacred ceremonies others may speak of being in prayer. The term ceremony may also be used by many for larger celebrations such as marriage or baptism.

In my Christian family of 100 years ago, many rituals would have taken place at home. The rosary would have been said together every night, a prayer before meals and everything from the plough to the harvest would have been blessed. When someone died the deceased would have been cared for at home until the funeral, prayers would have been said around the body and customs helping the bereaved cope with their loss would have been led by friends and neighbours.

Over recent years religious rituals and ceremonies have moved almost completely into places of worship, death is something that happens in hospitals or care homes. The welfare state and the NHS has improved the health of the nation, it has lifted people out of poverty and life expectancy has increased exponentially. It has also moved some of our most intimate moments from the heart of the home to the hospital or care home. This together with many people now leaving institutional religion, ritual, liturgy or ceremony is in danger of being lost from our lives almost entirely save for the occasional wedding or funeral.

Sobonfu Some who died in January this year, was from Bukino Faso in West Africa. She moved to live in the West and became a renowned teacher on the importance of ritual in our lives. Ritual, she says, is the life-giving force of every human being.

There are an infinite number of reasons to create a ceremony,– a marriage, a birth, a new home, adolescent rite of passage or a significant birthday – it may be a loss;  the death of a loved one or the ending of a relationship. It may be a community coming together in regular prayer or to mark a significant event. The richness of such gathering is to be found in the personal involvement of those gathered, in the acknowledgement of God’s presence in the midst of that gathering, and in hearts moved beyond the practical of everyday life.

in praise of mothering

tapestry by Judy Chicago. 

What a joy spring is, when the bulbs begin to push through the thawing earth to reveal their radiance of colour to a still chilly world. The weather remains in flux, the blossom of the magnolia being blown hither and thither and the seeping warmth of the sun peeping from the clouds. As I wander through the park I can almost hear the puffing and blowing of pride as nature displays the fruits of survival through the winter months. Trees not yet in leaf standing taller in their nakedness over the early risers; the daffodils, the crocuses, and grape hyacinths. It is no wonder the earth has been known for all time as Gaia, the great mother, harbinger of birth and death, holder of all that is sacred to life.

As humans we are deeply connected to the cycles of nature and ignore them at our peril. From deforestation, forced farming and pollution to the ravages of medicalised labour & delivery for women, our generation is disconnecting to the natural creative process. To become disconnected from the spirit of creation and the cycles of life is to live a life enslaved…………

From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know, has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our lives to be free. . . .   “ (Romans 8)

….to be free is a privilege we prize in our world; we talk of freedom of speech and freedom to practice our faith; may freedom may also be found in hearing and believing in the call of the Spirit within each of us, unencumbered by the toxicity of violence, the draining demands of capitalism and the constant striving for physical perfection.

What a joy to hear, just in the last few weeks, of two governments that have registered rivers with rights equal to those of humans. Anyone caught polluting the Ganges or Yamuna rivers in India or the Whanganui river on the north island of New Zealand or destroying their capacity to function naturally will find themselves foul of the law. A young Maori woman spoke after the declaration was signed a few weeks ago, saying that when you fight over money or land people become opposed to each other, with the river you can never be split, the river runs from the mountain to the sea, this can never be divided up.

What a joy to witness a woman birthing a child, her innate knowing of its needs of food, warmth and safety as if they were her own. The unconditional love she bestows is perfect. In mental and physical health she would never harm her child, a baby that she has carried for 9 months is as if herself. Disconnection from a knowledge of the beauty and tenacity of nature, from the virulence and strength of creation leads to a fearful and pallid understanding of all that mothering is.

And so today the churches are full of yellow daffodils, mantelpieces adorned with big pink cards and the florists are rubbing their hands in glee. Those women who have given birth up and down the land are being feted, as they rightly should be, all year round, for loving and supporting their offspring. Let us celebrate all mothering, from the creation’s great act of birthing to the stewardship and care of all the earth. Let us trust each other and nature in the ability of the natural world to provide for all its inhabitants. Let us tune in to our own innate ability to mother ourselves, each other and the world around us.

finding hope in hopeless places

'And I've pitched my tent in a land of hope' Acts 22: 25-26

What a gorgeous invitation to set up a prayer tent at a local community event run by Bonny Downs Community Association. An event designed to be a creative exploration of hope in hopeless places. Opening with the East Ham voices community choir singing ‘I want to cross over into Jordan…..my home a place of safety’. We heard from Anji Barker and her tales of working in the extreme material poverty of the slums of Bankok. Philippa King spoke of her art – which are essentially collections of rubbish and an invitation to look from a different angle….and lo! the rusty nail, twisted wire or shard of glass is a beautiful object!...and with that everyone was encouraged to join one of the tables around the room to explore their own response to finding hope through the myriad of art materials laid out.

‘I trusted in God, I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic! And I’ve pitched my tent in a land of hope’ Acts 22: 25-26.

And in the corner of the room I sat in the tent which glittered with fairy lights, comfy with cushions and throws, a candle burning softly. A gentle space for time out, for a prayer or a tear.

And the room spoke to me of all the elements of sacred activism.

The first movement is that we listen. We listen to the cries of the poor, the marginalised, the oppressed. We listen to the experience of those who have engaged, learning from those who have trod the path before us.

The second movement is that we reflect. In prayer, in meditation, in stillness…whatever term we use for allowing ourselves space to sit with what we have heard and for God to be in the mix.  

And thirdly we respond – for us on Saturday it was creatively through art. At other times this may be by more actively engaging in the need that we witness.  

By going through these movements we engage all of ourselves – head, heart and hara. Our response is fulsome and informed – ‘from the inside out’!

And so, the room hummed with hope.

the interfaith imperative

My first encounters in an interfaith context were over 20 years ago when I worked in a voluntary organisation in East London which had a diverse staff team and a quiet prayer space that was open to all. Twice a week several of us would meet in that space and share something of our faith, have a short time of silence and would sometimes share in prayer. This experience had a profound effect on me, not least was the desire it awoke in me to learn more about my own faith so that I could share more deeply in these gatherings. The interfaith imperative became clear to me; a peaceful, just world will come about through approaching others as gift; ‘Namaste’ …..an ancient Sanskrit greeting meaning ‘I bow to the divine in you’.

We are living in times of separation; of fear of the other. We are isolated from the part of ourselves that is inherently in need of connection. Political climates the world over are playing on that fear of the other, that disconnect that we are encouraged to feel from those who are different to ourselves. It benefits hierarchical structures to have groups of people isolated from others. A united, trusting community is in a far stronger place to stand up to oppression.

The two greatest needs in our times are to be open to hear the other and to recognise and share in the love that flows between us. All the great world faith traditions are founded on a premise of love. Interfaith ministry seeks to witness to love; love flowing through our differing communities, through our families, our faith paths and sharing that love on holy ground – on the ground of the sacred.

For me Interfaith ministry is not about becoming expert in all the faith traditions, it’s not about dialoguing on the tenets of my faith and how they are similar to, or differ from, yours. Interfaith ministry is about recognising the deep wells of inspiration in each of the faith paths and drinking deeply from them.

Years have passed but the experience I was gifted in that small quiet space in East London has stayed with me and it’s now my joy to share that gift with others through my ministry, through the way I live my life, on holy ground, with you if you will join me.

Interconnected

Everything we know is interconnected, for good reason - it aids healing.

And the Great Mother said...

And the Great Mother said:
Come my child and give me all that you are.
I am not afraid of your strength and darkness, 
of your fear and pain.
Give me your tears.
They will be my rushing rivers and roaring oceans.
Give me your rage.
It will erupt into my molten volcanoes and rolling thunder.
Give me your tired spirit.
I will lay it to rest in my soft meadows.
Give me your hopes and dreams.
I will plant a field of sunflowers and arch rainbows in the sky.
You are not too much for me.
My arms and heart welcome your true fullness.
There is room in my world for all of you, all that you are.
I will cradle you in the boughs of my ancient redwoods
and the valleys of my gentle rolling hills.
My soft winds will sing you lullabies
and soothe your burdened heart.
Release your deep pain.
You are not alone and you have never been alone.

~ Linda Reuther, "Homecoming"

Advent

May all...