a little cheerleading for the UCBK Temple
it seems like eons since I've blogged, so sorry, dear readers.
it's impossible to describe how much activity has been going on at the church, here in Bonny Doon, California, over the last few months. in addition to the full range of classes and workshops and healings and concerts and special events we offer, we've had crews of dedicated seva (service, ie, volunteer) folks doing amazing work on the land.
a whole group of giant (and I do mean giant) redwood trees came down out of the NE of the property -- a number of guys with chainsaws and guide wires and tensely held breath as 160-foot-plus trees came thundering down across the slopes.
crews have chopped firewood, dug up the flagstones around our huge patio area and replaced them much more securely, moved the fire pit from its temporary home in our NW to a more permanent location in the SE.... the deck got sanded and stained, which it sorely needed....
and just as all this activity was coming to a close, we began the Navarathri, the Nine Days Of Mother Divine celebration. this meant a fire ceremony every day to different aspects of Mother, as well as groups of people coming to the temple to attend those fires. quite a journey, in the high energy.
there are days when we're all so immersed in the flurry of divine work here that there is literally no time to scope back and really observe what it is, how it feels, what the experiences are, and so on.
there are other days, and moments in those days, like today, when I am purely awestruck at the work going on here in this temple in the mountains of Santa Cruz. there are many many moments where I'm literally stunned at what's happening, and can't fathom, with my natural mind, how it's all come together.
seeing crews of joyful people working hard to support a divine undertaking often causes my heart to well up with immense gratitude and humility. there's a real understanding growing in me that not any single person could ever succeed in creating something of spiritual value to others by themselves. it is impossible.
but together, with souls working toward a common purpose, with a common vision (however haphazard or scattered that vision seems in the beginning), the great Organizer manages to create whatever greatness It wants, to express god's truth and beauty in this world.
being a part of such an enterprise yields more wealth than I ever imagined. it's completely humbling, and at the same time, lends an incredible confidence to everything I'm engaged in -- because I know that I'm not doing any work, however large or small-seeming, alone.
thanks, everyone, who's helped so much at UCBK over the last several months! it's a beautiful odyssey we're all making together.
it's impossible to describe how much activity has been going on at the church, here in Bonny Doon, California, over the last few months. in addition to the full range of classes and workshops and healings and concerts and special events we offer, we've had crews of dedicated seva (service, ie, volunteer) folks doing amazing work on the land.
a whole group of giant (and I do mean giant) redwood trees came down out of the NE of the property -- a number of guys with chainsaws and guide wires and tensely held breath as 160-foot-plus trees came thundering down across the slopes.
crews have chopped firewood, dug up the flagstones around our huge patio area and replaced them much more securely, moved the fire pit from its temporary home in our NW to a more permanent location in the SE.... the deck got sanded and stained, which it sorely needed....
and just as all this activity was coming to a close, we began the Navarathri, the Nine Days Of Mother Divine celebration. this meant a fire ceremony every day to different aspects of Mother, as well as groups of people coming to the temple to attend those fires. quite a journey, in the high energy.
there are days when we're all so immersed in the flurry of divine work here that there is literally no time to scope back and really observe what it is, how it feels, what the experiences are, and so on.
there are other days, and moments in those days, like today, when I am purely awestruck at the work going on here in this temple in the mountains of Santa Cruz. there are many many moments where I'm literally stunned at what's happening, and can't fathom, with my natural mind, how it's all come together.
seeing crews of joyful people working hard to support a divine undertaking often causes my heart to well up with immense gratitude and humility. there's a real understanding growing in me that not any single person could ever succeed in creating something of spiritual value to others by themselves. it is impossible.
but together, with souls working toward a common purpose, with a common vision (however haphazard or scattered that vision seems in the beginning), the great Organizer manages to create whatever greatness It wants, to express god's truth and beauty in this world.
being a part of such an enterprise yields more wealth than I ever imagined. it's completely humbling, and at the same time, lends an incredible confidence to everything I'm engaged in -- because I know that I'm not doing any work, however large or small-seeming, alone.
thanks, everyone, who's helped so much at UCBK over the last several months! it's a beautiful odyssey we're all making together.
posted by Alx Uttermann @ 2:23 PM
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