**Pre-Service Music**
Banquet In The Woods,
Composed and Performed by Medwyn Goodall
Seasons of Love,
Composed by Jonathon Larson, performed by the cast of the movie, RENT
Both Sides Now,
Composed and Performed by Joni Mitchell
**Introit**
So Many Changes,
Composed and Performed by Dan Fogelberg
** Announcements **
Hello. I am Freda Frostbite in Second Life, Stephanie Mesler in the solid world. I will be your guide and preacher this evening.
An order of service is available in notecard form by saying “oos” in local chat. You can also choose to just follow along in local.
Tonight’s service will be streamed in audio, spoken in SL voice and scrolled out in text.
If you are unable to hear audio in SL, the spoken portions of the service will continue to appear before you in local, as they are now.
Welcome to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Second Life, FUUCSL as some of us call it.
To visitors, a special welcome.
Please feel free to IM any of the congregants in attendance here, if you are in need of assistance in following the service or if you would like more information about UUtopia, Unitarian Universalism, or Second Life.
If you are not familiar with Unitarian Universalism ("UU"), a single service is not enough
to experience the diversity of ideas and styles of interaction that we offer,
either here in SL or in FL. Please come again.
You might also wish to look at UUA.org. or consider joining the group
Unitarian Universalists of SL to receive regular announcements.
Also please check out fuucsl.org, our web site.
We are always looking for members of our community who wish to get more involved.
If you would like to try your hand at leading a service, please contact
a member of the Leadership Group – their names are available in the notecard dispenser
in the welcome area.
Please join us after the service for coffee, conversation, and dancing!
Are there any other announcements?
(A bell is rung, calling this far-flung community together.)
** Lighting the Chalice and Opening words**
(the chalice is lighted and we join in saying the following)
Come to us all who are broken...
Come to us all who are laden...
Find strength here in safe and supportive community...
Know that this place can be your home...
Come to us in joy and in anguish...
Come to us in peace and in turmoil...
Let this light warm your heart and guide your mind...
Know that this place can be your home...
** Joys and Concerns **
Now let us prepare our hearts to receive the joys and concerns,
hopes and sorrows, fears and dreams of those present here tonight.
If there is something that has recently happened to you, happy or sad,
and you would like to share it with us, now is the time.
We invite you to share your joys and concerns in local chat, when you are ready.
** Offering **
A freewill offering is a sacrament of a free Church.
This fellowship is supported by the voluntary generosity of all who join with us.
There is an offering plate in the pool in front of us.
Please be generous in support of this UU fellowship.
** Musical Interlude **
Touch The Sky,
Composed and Performed by Julie Fowlis for the motion picture, Brave.
** The Word**
To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal ...
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance ...
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
ecclesiastes 3:1-8
**The Meditation**
MUSIC CUE: WALKING THROUGH THE FOREST, FROM THE ALBUM, NATURE SOUNDS, BY DAN GIBSON
We are going to take a journey through a centuries-old forest in winter on a trail you have created. This trail will take us to a magical place where all things are possible.
Please enjoy the music and allow yourself to relax as we prepare to begin the guided meditation.
Sitting comfortably or lying down with your eyes closed, let's begin the meditation by becoming aware of our breathing.
Be sure you are in a comfortable position. We will begin the guided meditation in a few moments.
(Pause briefly so that people can get comfortable and quiet themselves a bit.)
Take a deep breath, inhaling slowly to a count of four -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath for a few -- and, then, exhale 1 - 2 - 3 - 4
Feel your breath as it enters with a cool feeling. It warms as it gently travels down into your lungs.
Fill your lungs with a deep inhalation of air, bringing in energy and vitality.
As you exhale, feel your body releasing tensions, stress and any negativity that has accumulated during your day. Let all of that drain down through the floor.
Now inhale again, slowly -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Continue this manner of breathing, focusing on a feeling of deep peace, for ten deep inhalations and exhalations.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Be aware of the energy that runs through your body as you breathe.
Focus on that feeling of calm warmth that flows through your body.
As you inhale, feel the energy that is in the extended environment.
Imagine that energy flowing infinitely out into the cosmos.
Exhale that life force, prana, to every part of nature and into every living thing.
As you keep breathing smoothly and slowly, bring all those energies together and feel them as one.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Continue breathing as we clear our minds, creating a blank page on which we will create the images of the guided meditation.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
You are at the foot of a hill, deep in a forest. It is cold outside.
There is snow on the ground beneath your booted feet. You wear a warm coat, zipped tight to your chin, a hood surrounding your head.
You shoulder a small but adequate pack that holds all you will need for your journey.
Your hands are encased in heavy wool mittens and you wear a long scarf wrapped several times around your neck and face.
Any person who met you now, standing at the foot of this hill, would not be able to tell your age or gender. Only your eyes can be seen, and they tell a story all their own.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Your eyes tell your story without words. They are a reflection of the days and weeks, months and years that have brought you to this place on a cold evening.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
You have been walking a long while and your journey is not yet done. You are tired. No, more than just tired, bone tired.
You could rest here at the foot of the hill in this dark forest. You have a blanket in your pack and water enough to make it through the night,
even some nuts and a piece of fruit in addition to the supper you would cook if you were not in the forest where it is not safe to light a fire.
The sun will soon set but here in the twilight you see that the ground beneath the larger pines is dry, that there are pine needles you could use to create a soft pallet on which to rest.
But you can also see that the forest is deep all around and you know that you are not alone here. You do not relish a night spent surrounded by the forest’s winter creatures.
So, tired as you are, you choose to continue the journey uphill.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
You look down at your feet as you climb the gentle slope that is at the base of this hill.
The trail is not obvious under snow, which is packed solidly beneath you, and you have lost sight of the markers that, in better light, would point your way.
Having walked it before though, you know it is there even without seeing its markers.
As you walk, the sounds of the forest surround you. You can hear wind blowing from the west. It whistles as it hits your back and propels you forward.
There are the occasional calls of winter birds, chickadees and cardinals, an owl somewhere in the distance. You pick out the pecking of a woodpecker somewhere not too far from your path.
From time to time, you hear a crash in the woods, snow falling from branches to ground, an icicle plummeting into snow.
Non-hibernating animals, like beavers and squirrels and deer, making their own way in the dark.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
The slope inclines a bit more severely now. Walking is not so easy and your breathing becomes a bit labored.
Still looking down at your feet, you realize the sun has set and you are making your way in complete darkness.
Tall trees that tower beside and arch over the trail block any possible view of the night sky.
You pause a moment to assess your situation and try to estimate how much further you must walk to reach the hilltop.
This is when you notice there is no longer snow beneath your feet.
The trail is obvious beneath your boots now that it is no longer covered by snow.
The surface of the trail is smoother than the rock and stick covered ground that lines it and stretches into the forest.
You resume climbing through the pitch. Wind lashes your back as it too finds its way down the trail, overtaking you with each gust, pushing past you in its own hurry to reach the hilltop.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
About halfway up the hill, you pause to assess the situation.
You are still tired, of course, but not so tired as to end your journey here in the woods.
You have unwound your scarf and opened the top of your jacket to let some fresh air cool your body which has grown hot from the climb.
You remove your mittens and shove them into your pack.
Take your water bottle and sip slowly from it to make it last.
You turn to observe the place from which you have come. All there is darkness. It’s like the forest has closed around you as you walked further and further from your origin.
Now, you turn to face the path ahead of you. At the end of the trail, you see the top of the hill lit by what must be bright moonlight.
You are almost there now and the air is growing warmer as you climb. You unzip your coat completely and remove your hat, shoving it in a coat pocket.
Your stride lengthens and your pace quickens as you head east toward the moon.
MUSIC CUE: FULL MOON MAGIC, COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY MEDWYN GOODALL
WHEN FULL MOON MAGIC ENDS, GO STRAIGHT INTO MOONLIT WHISPERS, ALSO COMPOSED AND PERFORMED BY MEDWYN GOODALL
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
As you near the end of the trail, the trees fall away behind you and the sky above opens.
You can see a million tiny specs of light in the night sky and a moon as full and silver as a Roman coin.
You spin in a circle, taking in all around you. It is amazing how clearly you can see by the light of this moon. It is just the moon you need for this night, for the tasks that lay before you.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Take a moment to look around you now. You stand atop the hill in a broad clearing.
Three sides of the hill slope gently down covered in the forest from which you came. The fourth, to the east, drops dramatically off.
You walk to that rocky eastern lookout. You can see a river far below. On the other side of the river, there is another hill and beyond that hill, another and another.
The water in that river does not flow gently by. It churns, creating white rapids that dash over rock you see glistening in the moonlight as it protrudes from the river bottom.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
This hill is called Transfiguration. More than a century ago there was a small chapel here. You can see what remains of its foundation to your right, part of it in the clearing,
the rest jutting into the forest which has grown up around it in the decades since the chapel walls were blown away by a high wind. .
Now in the light of the moon, you find you are warm enough to remove some layers. You open your pack and take the blanket from it. That you lay that atop the old foundation.
Remove your coat and scarf now and shove them in the bag. Hanging from a branch of a tree there is a heavy cardigan sweater. Who knows where it came from?
The sweater has deep pockets loaded with items you will need for this night. Slip it on.
For the next hour or so, you will be busy, building and lighting a small fire to keep you warm when finally you sleep, preparing and eating the small supper you have brought with you.
While you work, the moon will rise a little higher in the sky and its light will more fully bathe the hilltop. Quietly, now enjoy your meal and take in the sights and sounds of the hill.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
The fire crackles and sparks. Your food smells heavenly as it cooks.
The river is not quiet; you can hear it crashing over rock, its noise sometimes drowning out that of your fire.
As the moon more fully dominates the sky, the stars grow dimmer, but the hilltop comes even more sharply into focus.
You can see clearly now the trees that surround this clearing on three sides. They stand tall, pointing straight to the sky.
You can also see the path you took to get here, the same one you will follow when it is time to leave this place.
In the light of the moon, you can see the first of many markers that show the way down the hilltop and out of the forest, markers you could not see on your own hike through darkness.
The eastern edge of the hilltop is covered by flattish rock. Be glad there is no ice and snow up here. If there were, a person could slide right off the edge and plummet to the river below.
Now that your belly is full and you are thoroughly warm; Now that you have had an opportunity to relax and take in your surroundings, it is time to do what you came here to do.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
For just a few moments, focus on the day you have had thus far and the many days that have preceded this one.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Picture two empty boxes open on the flat rock before you, the rock along the hilltop’s eastern edge.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
In the first box, please pile up any and all the unpleasantness you have faced. If anyone has been unkind to you, please put the memory of those unkindnesses in the box.
If you have experienced pain or disappointment in your life, you should place thoughts of those events and feelings in this box.
If you have any reason for anger or sadness or fear, no matter how justified, put all of that in this box too.
If there was a lot of nastiness in your life, you may have to really cram the stuff in. We are not going to ignore that stuff.
Even here atop this magical hill, we cannot pretend things do not exist. But, for the moment, let’s contain it.
Do what you have to to make that ugliness fit into the box. You can even sit on the box to close it if need be.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Now, see yourself taking a black Sharpie out of your pocket. Use that to label this first box “Toxic.”
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
In the second box, place all the fabulous things that have been said or happened in your life. Put all the times you have been kind or received kindness into this box.
If you have loved or been loved, put that here too. Friendships and love affairs, experiences that made you feel complete, they all go into this box.
Have you ever burst out singing or dancing? Have you caught yourself whistling or humming while you worked? Put them in there too.
Anything that has ever made you smile or shed tears of joy belong in these boxes.
I hope there have been so many incidents of joy in your life that you cannot count them. I hope you need to reach for a third, maybe even a fourth box to hold them all.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Now reach deep into that pocket of yours and haul out a set of …
finger paints! These are in gallon sized cans. You have really deep pockets.
Open the finger paints. They come in all your favorite colors!
Now roll up your sleeves. Be bold! Don't worry at all about the mess; The sweater can be washed and, besides, it’s magic so probably stays eternally pristine!
Forget about feeling self-conscious; there is no one here to see anyway!
Dip your fingers in the paint and have at it! Paint the box full of happy memories in all your favorite colors!
Don't worry about making pictures anyone will recognize; just paint them the colors of your joy.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Remember what it felt like when you were a child to paint on large sheets of white paper, to transform them into expressions of your youth and revelry.
Now is your chance to re-create and exceed that experience.
Imagine your fingers and hands covered in paint. The paints are warm and wet; your hands are slick and shiny.
See yourself painting the box full of your happiness.
Then, take your paints and have at the box full of woes. Paint it too!
With your hands and your paint, you can transform all the bad things that have preceded this magical day.
No, you can’t make them disappear, not even with magic finger paint taken from the magic pockets of a magic sweater.
But you can make something useful of them. You can use all that suffering to build a happier life and a happier you! Turn all that nasty stuff into joy!
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
As the music swells, let your joy swell as well. Take your hands and slather them again in your favorite colors.
See yourself bending from your waste, the deep bow of a ballerina at curtain call. Let your color coated hands fall to the rock on which you stand.
Press your handprints onto the rock. Make as many handprints as you can in as many colors as you can imagine. What colors did you choose?
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Now, dump the remaining paint out on the rock. Take off your shoes and your socks! Dance now!
Make arcs of color that cover the hill. Let your feet paint the rock covered hilltop as you dance your joy.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
When the rock and the happiness box are thoroughly decorated, when the paint is thoroughly distributed, stand back and look at your work.
What colors do you see in the moonlight? Have the painted boxes blended in with the painted hilltop around them?
Can you tell now which box held the toxic stuff? Is the label even visible when you look for it?
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Take off the sweater now and walk to the foundation of the old chapel. Take a seat on the blanket you prepared there near the fire.
The moon is halfway down the morning sky now and you can see the stars again.
Take in the sounds of the forest and hear the river as you let your mind clear once more.
It is like you can hear all of nature up here on Transfiguration Hill. The world is at once still and vibrant. And you are part of it.
By morning, things will have changed as things are wont to do. You will have changed too. But, for now, take this opportunity to just breathe, to be.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
Continue breathing slowly, rhythmically, deeply. Let the music envelop you and the heat of the fire warm you through and through.
Feel your connection to all that is and ever was. See yourself, your energy, as part of what will always be.
Stay with this feeling of deep connectedness as the music touches you.
Allow yourself, now, to revel in the light of the moon, in its warmth and gentleness. Continue breathing slowly in and out.
During this time of intentional focus, remember that there is no perfect way to meditate. Just breathe and be. Even falling asleep is okay.
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
(Pause for as long as feels right and good.)
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
inhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 -- hold the breath and exhale -- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 --
When you are ready to finish your time of intentional focus, take a deep breath.
Exhale through your mouth, blowing out slowly.
Bring your awareness back to the present.
Slowly stretch your muscles.... and open your eyes. Enjoy the feeling of calm and peace that remains with you.
Become more aware of the time and place you are in today, remembering that you can return to Transfiguration Hill anytime you like.
**Discussion, if there is to be any**
**Extinguishing the chalice**
Please join me in saying the following:
We extinguish this light, but do not darken the world.
We extinguish this light so that we may return to the world, carrying with us the light of this loving fellowship wherever we go and in all we do.
Let us bring a light of hope, clarity, and love to the world beyond this virtual one.
**The Benediction**
Go, now, in peace to love, light, and serve the world.
**Music and Dancing!!**
Turn, Turn, Turn,
composed by Pete Seeger and performed by Wilson Phillips.
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