Spiritual but not religious? Spare me!

Do you recognize the young people holding the banner?

A hint: they both have a connection with Live Oak UU Church. Yes, I know I was too far away. We were at Marshall Park in Charlotte, NC, a 15-minute walk from the Convention Center. Free cab fare was given to folks who could not get there by foot.

We were there to hear about the discriminatory bill in North Carolina against worker rights for GLBTQ people and to sign petitions against it. Just as the closing prayer was delivered, a thunderstorm gave us a real baptism. Chaos ensued, especially for people in wheelchairs that could not get wet. Banners became “umbrellas” where needed, while most of us scurried back to the Convention Center or to our hotels to dry off.

Some years ago a social witness event in Cleveland, OH, resulted in a drenching. Hmm, what year was that?

Top ten myths about introverts – Jerry Brito.

made me think!

It was a real trip to be back in the pulpit yesterday, to see so many folks whom I have missed for three months.

The sermon, “Wisdom Tales,” focused on the Hindu deity Saraswathi, who symbolizes learning of all kinds–arts and sciences, prose and poetry, speech and music, crafts and book learning. She links intellectual learning with a connection to the natural world. She is one of the deities to whom I was especially drawn in India. And she’s a musician!

A delightful addition to the service was that my small vocal ensemble Loose Threads, provided much of the music, under the direction of Jenn Goodner and the able accompaniment of Live Oak’s Director of Music, Rebecca Maze. The first song, “Jerusalem,” is a traditional Irish melody in which parts of it were heterophonic.

Right–I had no idea what that means. We started with the chorus in unison, then sang ooh while a soloist sang the verses. The second and third chorus were heterophonic: One person started and the rest of us entered whenever we wanted to, at whatever tempo. It was a little bit like a canon but there were a dozen voices coming in at various times. One person was designated to be the last one to start the chorus, so she had to be extra attentive to what the rest of us were doing. As we sang we walked slowly in the aisles, so there was a real sense of movement, both literally and musically. All done a cappella. I’ve never heard (or sung) anything quite like it.

We sang Carly Simon’s “Let the River Run,” Elgar’s “As Torrents in Summer,” and closed with another a cappella piece called “Chasing the Northern Lights.” It ‘s all done on syllables like mamamamamamama or lalalalalalala or mohmohmohmohmoh. At times we hold a hand just in front of our mouths to “mute” the sound and other times we sing full voice. It has been tricky to learn and very ethereal in effect–like the Northern lights!

All of this was great practice for the Tapestry Singers concert this Saturday, May 7 (shameless plug). Loose Threads is a small part of Tapestry Singers. The concert is at 7:30 pm at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, near the intersection of Steck and Mesa.

Later that day I hosted the Bakery Jam–an informal bunch of musicians who love to get together and play music. Good stuff! AND the weather turned cool! No need to crank up the A/C. Hope YOU are enjoying the weather in your part of the world.

Today, Monday, the 18th of April, is the day I return to serve Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church in northwest Austin. I was blessed with 12 weeks of sabbatical! It will take many weeks to process all I have learned and experienced.

This will be time for listening to members, volunteers, and staff who carried the load while I was away. I invite you to contact me through this blog, facebook, phone, or email to let me know what is happening in your life personally and how the church may have changed. I want to get reconnected with you and to learn of the experiences at Live Oak–successes, challenges, new paths, maybe a few old ruts, new hopes and dreams.

Meanwhile, I will read newsletters, turn on yahoo groups, and look at recent email.

My first sermon at Live Oak will be on May 1. I am pleased to say that Loose Threads, the small ensemble within Tapestry Singers, will provide some of the music!

This has been a rich experience for me. Thank you!
Tell me: How has it been for you?

See you in church!

Heart Blessings,

Kathleen

When the guru jumped his bond and apparently headed to Mexico, I was a bit concerned that our Om Shanti Yoga Retreat might be canceled. Not a problem, though–Jogi Bhagat was just renting space (and they could certainly use a little income!)

Today’s news is that Barsana Dham is changing its name to Radha Madhav Dham. Some of its affiliations will be the same, but leadership is changing (no surprise). It’s still a very beautiful place where individuals or groups can arrange a pleasant retreat.

Here’s the Statesman article:
By Eric Dexheimer
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 8:02 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Published: 7:52 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, 2011
With guru on the lam, ashram makes changes

As its founder and former spiritual leader continues to elude U.S. marshals searching for him in Mexico, the Barsana Dham ashram southwest of Austin has quietly begun rebranding itself.

The changes, which include adopting a new name and reshuffling leadership positions, appear to be an effort to separate the organization from Prakashanand Saraswati, the guru who last month changed from a respected Hindu religious leader to a wanted felon.

According to an email sent to devotees April 4, the new name of the ashram will be Radha Madhav Dham.

“I would like to take this time to extend my heartfelt concern to all the loving devotees of Shree Swamiji and Shree Maharajji,” wrote Raj Goel, the organization’s newly identified president. “We have endured difficult times over the past days, both during and after the trial. Even through this, we continue to feel Shree Maharajji’s grace in our devotional lives.”

Shree Swamiji is the name devotees use for Prakashanand. Maharajji refers to Kripalu Maharaji, the India-based spiritual leader of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, or JKP, the international organization of which Barsana Dham is a part. The reference suggests that the ashram will remain affiliated with JKP.

The trial refers to Prakashanand’s conviction last month by a Hays County jury on 20 counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact. The charges stemmed from the accusations of two women who asserted that the guru molested them when they were young girls growing up on the ashram.

The verdict was rendered on March 4. On March 7, Prakashanand was to appear for his sentencing, but the night before, he disappeared from a devotee’s Driftwood house, where he’d been staying. The jury sentenced him in absentia to 14 years in prison.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Hector Gomez said Wednesday that his agents were still focusing the search for Prakashanand on the Nuevo Laredo area, where they believe the guru fled and has been living while trying to arrange transportation out of the country, presumably to India.

Going on the lam could cost the ashram and the guru’s supporters $11 million. The ashram put up a $1 million cash bond when Prakashanand was released after his arrest. Later, Peter Spiegel, a wealthy supporter and ashram trustee, signed a note promising $10 million if the guru were given his passport back and permitted to travel internationally.

Prakashanand’s passport was returned in May 2008, but state District Judge Charles Ramsay ordered it revoked in October 2010 when Hays County prosecutors claimed the guru was deceiving the court by asking for trial delays due to poor health while he traveled widely.

The Hays County district attorney’s office has filed civil actions seeking forfeiture of both amounts. Those cases are pending.

Meanwhile, Spiegel’s name has disappeared from the ashram’s list of top officers, according to the recent email announcing the changes at Barsana Dham. A California-based businessman who made his fortune in the direct marketing and infomercial business, he has been closely involved with the affairs of Barsana Dham for three decades.

Also gone from the new masthead is the name of Prabhakari Devi, the former vice president and longtime public face of Barsana Dham. She is a sister of one of the women who accused Prakashanand of groping her in the mid-1990s.

Reached by phone, Raj Goel declined to comment on the email. A spokeswoman for the ashram, Vrinda Deutsch, confirmed the veracity of the letter but declined to answer any other questions about it.

This is the second time the ashram has changed identities since moving to the Austin area. In 1991, when it purchased the 211 acres on which Barsana Dham/Radha Madhav Dham now sits, the organization was known as the International Society of Divine Love.

edexheimer@statesman.com; 445-1774

My current favorite poem of all time is by Billy Collins. “Winter Syntax” begins,

“A sentence starts out like a lone traveler
heading into a blizzard at midnight . . .”

I love the imagery of the lonely struggle to find words to express the intangible in the hope of conveying meaning to others. I’ll be preaching this Sunday at First UU Church in Austin about the longings we have for whatever is missing in our lives. (Your ideas are welcome! Help me ruminate….)

My visit to India fed me spiritually and raised new questions about wealth and poverty. We went to temples and other places of devotion. We saw the generous spirit of the people. We saw a five-star hotel going up next to the waste pickers, who will be pushed further outside Delhi.

Contrasts like these seemed stark. We have similar stark contrasts in the U.S., where the budget process on local, state, and national levels reminds us of the disparity in priorities among us. It makes home budgeting look simple by comparison!

What do we owe one another? Is there hope for governments, corporations, non-profits, and ordinary folks to feed our needs? We are hungry for food, shelter, health care, and perhaps even hungrier for spiritual nourishment. What sources and resources do we have to strengthen the Beloved Community?