Turning

A meditation on the deep pattern of our lives, the spiral that transforms chaos, here and now, at the turning of the year.

A sermon for Samhain, for Halloween, for All Hallows and All Souls. Offered at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg on October 29, 2017.

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At the conclusion of the service where this reflection was offered, a mathematician handed me the following note:

“Mathematically, chaos & cyclical motion of an orbit differ in only the slightest change of an input.

“The discipline is topological dynamics–

“A product is the beauty of the fractal.”

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The sermon may be heard here:

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From the sermon:

“This is the power of turning to face our life,

turning to consider with attention and care

our fears & doubts & joys, all of who we are

so that we do not ignore them

and are not controlled by them,

but so we turn with them

in a spiral,

 

entering with them

into the pattern of the year, the pattern of time and history,

turning in the spiral of our lives

consciously, wisely, realistically, generously,

 

to embrace life,

to embrace our life,

to embrace the lives of one another…

 

with the spiral of our lives

turning the darkness of an oppressive world

 

into a deeper pattern,

where fear can let go

into the stronger pattern of love

 

and remake the world

for ourselves and many, many more.

 

It is such generous, powerful work

to turn this way.”

 

Image: Painting meditation by Judy Allen, UUCS member, at “no words” gathering of Speaking Down Barriers.