When and Where:
Sunday, March 26th, 10:30AM
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine
86 Court Street, Castine, Maine 04421
Or Online Via Zoom.

"Mystic, Mystery, Mysticism; It’s For Us All"
Rev. Maya Massar, Worship Leader
Colleen Fitzgerald, Musician
Click HERE to download an order of service.

“Most of us are familiar with renowned Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist, Carl G Jung, as the founder of analytic psychology, introvert and extrovert personality archetypes and the concept of the collective unconscious.  But what many do not know about Jung is that he was also something of a mystic. . .”

Is Ecstatic Mysticism only for a chosen few? . .  a thing of the past? How far “off our rockers” do we need to be to embrace truly mystical experiences - and how might they be useful to us now? Join us for an exploration of Mysticism and it’s potential relevance in our lives today.
 
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The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine, Maine, welcomes EVERYONE. Regardless of your religious affiliation, regardless of your sexual preference or identification, of your age or ancestry, your financial or political status: 
YOU ARE ALWAYS INVITED. 
No specific belief is required, other than that you be open and kind to others, whatever their path may be.

For my religious friends, you may find a sermon and discussions at a UU Church lacking in God-talk.  For others, you may find there is too much of it. 
But know this:
WHATEVER is true for you, whatever you hold most sacred, or if you are questioning your beliefs, you are still and always WELCOME.


I hope to see you there, in body or virtually!
Much Love,
Maya



And if you are curious to learn a bit more. . .
There are jokes about Unitarian Universalists not knowing what they believe, some of which may offer a giggle . . . but contrary to not knowing, most UU's, while having individual experiences of their faith, have a deep commitment to their faith.  You might be curious to take a look at what we call THE 7 PRINCIPLES. 
Here, for those who might be curious, are the 7 Principals at the center of Unitarian Universalism:

1. 1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. 2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3. 3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4. 4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. 5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6. 6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
7. 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

From the UU Association (https://www.uua.org/):  As Rev. Barbara Wellsten Hove explains, “The Principles are not dogma or doctrine, but rather a guide for those of us who choose to join and participate in Unitarian Universalist religious communities.”

Where many churches' source of spiritual guidance may be the Bible alone, UU's access spirituality from many sources.
Here are the SIX SOURCES UU congregations affirm and promote:

• Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
• Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
• Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
• Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
• Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Today, I share this wise and lovely poem by Grace Butcher, LEARNING FROM TREES. 
It is published in the author's book:  Child, house, world
You can support the poet and buy the book here: https://a.co/d/5GSFjWq

But, you may say, it is spring, and we are just now turned towards the light, and growth and newness in the world - why would I practice DEATH??

And what if I told you that the most ALIVE people I know are those who have befriended - or at least thought deeply and openly about  - their own deaths?

What if it is the very fear and abhorrence of death we walk with that keeps us from true presence in the moments of our lives?

What if - as I have seen it do - practicing death opened a doorway through which some of the anxiety we carry might flow downstream, away from our tired, battered bodies, hearts and minds, and a new light or sprout or hope could grow where the battering winds of fear have been stilled?

I invite you to consider, that is all.
Consider your relationship to what awaits us - every one of us.
Shall you face it covering your eyes and ears? Or might you find the courage to peer into the leaves that fall, even now, whatever stage of living or dying you are at, off of your own tree-body?

Because I would almost promise that the green that grows within your heart will blossom on the other side of fear,  like the magnificent blessing it is; and become a vibrant gratitude for the precious moments you still have, and an ever-growing peace around grief, loss, and the friend you once feared; your dear, impending death.

With Love and a wish for presence in all your moments,
Maya

Book:
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
By Sogyal Rinpochet

Movie:
Griefwalker

And more, on the RESOURCES page.

P.S. COMING SOON. . .
I will be starting up my in-person, open monthly gathering:

Dancing with Death;
Befriending Death and Dying as a Path to Living Life Fully
Grieving and Loss, Logistics of Dying; Art and Movement based Activities;
Neuroscience of Fear and Helpful Somatic Healing Techniques;  Open Conversation - Share Your Thoughts in Safety;
Each Month, a Peaceful Practice for Dying Exercise.

Wishing Everyone a Blessed Spring Equinox. 

As the season turns ever so gently away from winter's chill in our Northern hemisphere, we find our faces lifting toward the warmth of sunshine, and as we drink it in, and let our hearts fill with the newly brightening light, we WELCOME SPRING!

Hello hope of grass and buds. Hello baby animals, welcome back, birdsong and the scent of moist earth. . . hold on, friends, it is all unfolding, ever so silently, ever so secretly perhaps, but the season is opening its heart to us. . .  patience, patience, patience. . .

Much Love,
Maya

One of the things those who work in hospice care are aware of, is that people nearing end-of-life  experience a loss of parts of self: Body, abilities to do things they loved, things that constituted “identity”, mental abilities, actions that were once easy, sense of taste or sound or other sensory loss. . .
 
But “self” is not just the body, activities we identify with, even our mental abilities.
Self is something greater - whether you see that "greater" as the soul, heart, consciousness or something else, most of us have a sense that who and what we are is not just the pieces that we feel the loss of.
 
In pondering this, I reminded myself that this loss is not unique to those who are dying – we ALL experience a loss of parts of self – Where is that playful aspect I once had, or darn that old knee, or who am I now that I forget things so much? 
 
Those lost parts can become like strangers to us.  And so I invited my team - and I invite you now - to come with me on a little journey of reclaiming. . .
 
You can CLICK THIS LINK or visit the Meditations page to listen to the guided recording.
(Notice: When you click the link, it will take you to SOUND CLOUD. To turn OFF AUTOPLAY, go to lower right corner of tool bar at bottom of page, click on the pull down menu, and click the autoplay button to OFF position.)

Part of what I shared in our meeting was a few lines from the poem "Coleman's Bed" by the absolutely marvelous David Whyte.
The part I read was this:

Be taught now, among the trees and rocks,
how the discarded is woven into shelter,
learn the way things hidden and unspoken
slowly proclaim their voice in the world.
Find that far inward symmetry
to all outward appearances, apprentice
yourself to yourself, begin to welcome back
all you sent away, be a new annunciation,
make yourself a door through which
to be hospitable, even to the stranger in you.

You can read the entire poem here:
COLEMAN'S BED by DAVID WHYTE
or visit the POET'S WEBSITE here to explore more and buy his books.

And here is what I hope you will take away with you today: 
Even if you cannot have that lost aspect of yourself back, say, in the physical, you CAN reclaim a sort of wholeness – holding the essence of your reclaimed parts in your safe heart, always. If this seems hard to imagine, have a listen to the recording and see how you feel.

Wishing us all good tracks home to ourselves and, as always, Heartful Living and Dying.
With Love,
Maya

One of my professors from one of my seminaries recently sent out a request for thoughts from among our ministerial community.  The amazing Rev. Susan Shannon is a chaplain at San Quentin prison in California.  She works with inmates in her Buddhist Prison Ministry program.  (You can click the links to learn more about Susan's wonderful ministry.)
 
Susan shared that she had one prisoner, a student in her prison program, who was deeply interested in the question of what it means to be an "Interfaith" practitioner.  Specifically, Susan shared: "When I went through (seminary), I remember there was the sentiment that being truly interfaith is being rooted in one faith, then perceiving all truths through that lens, versus being immersed in a smorgasbord and not adhering to any. " and she asked we in the community of Interfaith ministers for our thoughts on this, to share with her student.

Because this very question has been asked of me by a number of people exploring Interfaith spirituality, I wanted to share with you the thoughts I shared with Susan and her student. 
Here you go:
 
Dear Friend on The Path,
 
Here are some of my musings on what it means to be an "Interfaith" practitioner. It is a bit long and rambly, so bear with me; I do conclude with some thoughts that I hope might be interesting to you on your journey.  Take what resonates for you, feel welcome to dump the rest!
 
In my wonderful job as Spiritual Advisor/Chaplain in hospice, I have been blessed to be the "clergy" half of a clinician/clergy team creating a program for integration of spirituality in health care in our hospice organization.  In our first training, we invited people to share their definition of "Spirituality".  I want to share one of my favorites; it is written by Helena Mailloux, Associate Director at  Community Health and Counseling Services Hospice, Bangor, ME.  Helena says:
 
“I believe spirituality is an expression/reflection of a person’s core nature. Spirituality is ever- changing and fluid as a person seeks to finding meaning and purpose in their life. One’s spiritual beliefs and how one defines spirituality are purposely influenced by the individual’s unique life experiences, their relationships and their intentional journey towards finding purpose, peace and gratitude in life’s blessings.”
 
I love this definition because is is both inclusive and alive!  It infers that spirituality belongs to EVERYONE (even Atheists), and it offers each of us the invitation to evolve our spirituality as we grow and change as human beings.
 
And so if you are a person investigating Interspirituality, this definition gives you license to choose for yourself, without judgement. It invites you to be fluid in your experience of spirituality - - If you like this definition, then perhaps you could also be fluid in your ideas about how you want to name yourself, spiritually speaking, how you want to practice, how you want to see yourself in relation to your spirituality. 
 
Another thought that might be of use is this:
Some years back, I was attending a monthly interfaith gathering.  There were about 6-7 folks who regularly showed up, and one was adamant that she was there to assist us all in converting to her religion so we would not go to hell. One very quiet man, not surprisingly a Buddhist, who almost never spoke, shared. . . he went around the circle asking each of us how we arrived to the location that evening. When all had shared "I took a bus", "I walked here", "I got a ride from so and so..." the man simply and quietly said  "Well. We are all HERE, aren't we."  Implying, of course, that the point is not the path you took, but that all the paths lead to arrival, and (again, of course), the spiritual meaning being that it is not the religion you choose that "gets you there", but the fact that your intention and focus with what you hold sacred  - whatever that sacred may be - will bring you Home if you ride it there. Sacred is Sacred, however you arrive. . .
 
I like the story because to me it gives us license to walk our path, whatever it is, however it winds. . . and to call it by whatever name we seek to call it.
 
Also, I am a part of an Interspiritual group of Spiritual Directors; my fellow SD's (most of whom have been practicing for at least a decade, many of us for many decades) and I have still different words (interfaith, interspiritual, etc), and different views on what makes one "interfaith". . .  We agree to disagree and respect each other's choices and views anyway.  And I ask this: can a truly spiritual person see their own views as greater or lesser than someone else's?  I, personally, think NOT.
 
My view on what makes you truly an Interfaith practitioner is this:
Whether you feel a deep commitment to ONE faith and view others through that lens, or whether you own a connection to an eclectic "smorgasbord" of faith practices that heal or open or uplift you - - It is up to YOU to discern, define and describe yourself AS YOU SEE FIT. And maybe the fact that we humans continue to evolve - and thus shift - our definitions of SELF, and our experiences of The Spiritual - is exactly the point.  For some, adherence to ONE faith, or one person, or one job, or one location (etc) is what brings them growth. For others, CHANGE is actually the vehicle of awakening.  And no one but yourself can decide which is true for you. . .
 
For me, what is most important is always: your INNER BAROMETER. . . that still, quiet place within you that whispers a firm, solid "yes" (or "no") - separate from our emotional desires, separate from our logical mind's musings.  . . the "still, small voice" (which I will say that in my case is often a big, loud yell) rises up from a combination - not of thought and feeling - but of The BODY's deep connection to AUTHENTICITY and the SPIRIT or SOUL's vast and unknowable connection to That Which Is Greater Than Ourselves. 
 
So, from this vantage point, after the thinking and feeling and puzzling stage has worn itself out, there is nothing to do but lay back and expand - feel deeply into body-knowing of your bones and listen with the HEART to the whisperings of Beingness/Goddess/God/HigherSelf (or whatever your name for "It" may be at the moment.).
 
If you feel "Interfaith" is the name for your spirituality, then you get to choose that title, no matter what anyone else has to say about it.
 
Blessings upon your Amazing Journey!
Much Love,
Rev. Maya

Many of the people I work with have asked one question, specifically regarding healing from traumatic childhood abuse.  The abuse may differ for each of us who experience it - physical, sexual, emotional, mental abuse, or a combination - - but the the question is the same; after a session - or sometimes weeks, months, years or even decades -  working on the many layers that present themselves as we go through the process of recollecting our authentic selves after abuse. . . the question I refer to is this:

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN I AM HEALED? 
Or: HOW DO I KNOW HOW HEALED I AM?

And here, my dears, is the simplest answer I can offer:
YOU KNOW HOW HEALED YOU ARE BY HOW WELL YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.

This is not an answer many people like to hear - especially those of us who may not consider ourselves to  have experienced any trauma or abuse. But this is the bottom line: If you are NOT taking the very best care of yourself - on all levels - physical, emotional, mental, spiritual - then somewhere within you is a particle of lack of self-worth. No one is born with low self-worth; it is learned, most often by some form of abuse. You may fight this, saying "it is not my lack of self-worth, but rather my job's demands that keep me from self care" or "but I can't take care of myself; my children (or parents, or patients, for friends...) need me and there is no time left for me" or any number of other "reasons" we come up with to defer caring for the very vessel that alows us life on earth; ourselves.

I will not ramble too deeply on this, but to say that when we are not treated with kindness, compassion, presence and awareness when we are young, we unknowingly build our brains to hold the sense of worth we were given.  Then, later in life, we are likely to live the lives we feel we are worthy of - not necessarily consciously, but rather the lives our deepest, most vulnerable inner selves feel worthy of.  Often, this means we routinely live with a lack of self care in one area or another of our lives. (As we begin to heal, we increase the care we are willing and able to take of ourselves.)

On the up-side, that lack of self care could be thought of as a golden thread - which, if we are brave and have good support, can be followed back to its roots. . . those roots which are the gateway to healing.  So, if you are taking wonderful care of yourself on all levels, BRAVA BRAVO AND HIP HIP HOORAY to you!!!  And if you assess your life and see that there are ways you are not quite caring for yourself at an A+ level, hooray for you in whatever moment of mending you are in; your AWARENESS is the key to your next steps toward healing!!

Take a breath; take a look. . . are you giving yourself all that you know you need?  Are you offering presence, listening and healthy care-giving to your body's messages? To your emotional well-being? To your mental health? To your spiritual awakening?

How well you are caring for yourself is the simplest, clearest tool for assessing your own level of healing. . .  it is an assessment that is always available and always absolutely free.  AND, if you your assessment leaves you with a new consciousness of your need for deeper healing and you feel ready to move toward it, please reach out on your own behalf; there are many, many ways to investigate self-mending.  (I am happy to assist with referrals to many types of practitioners, or if you want to work with me, personal session visits in office or by zoom.) 

However you move toward letting go of what holds you back, and however you begin to embrace filling up with what you have been lacking, I wish you growth, care and

Much Love Always,

Maya

Hello Dear Friends,

As promised to many of you, Heartful Living & Dying's Minute Meditations are finally up on Instagram.  You can access them here:
HeartfulLivingandDying on IG
Or on the Meditations page of this site. 
These are tiny little meditations/affirmations to lift your spirits, calm your mind, or bless your body.  They are so short you can do them almost any time, anywhere!  Use them for self-regeneration, emotional regulation, rest and renewal or a quick personal power-prep before you need to face something or someone you find difficult.  You are welcome to request minute meditations on particular topics - just pop me an email and we will put your topic in the lineup for recording as soon as we can!

Wishing Love and Heartfulness to All,
Maya
mayamassar@gmail.com 

And as an aside, here (picture above) is a beautiful post from @babaramdass on IG
The caption is:
"Death is our greatest challenge, as well as our greatest spiritual opportunity. By cultivating mindfulness, we can prepare ourselves for this final passage by allowing nature, rather than ego, to guide us."

And I say YES. As a hospice spiritual advisor/chaplain, I can say that in my experience death offers a most magical and powerful gateway to spiritual growth. It offers us the potential to heal the soul, grow as human beings, transform fears, harvest from our lives all that our souls came here to experience. . . and those who have prepared, who have practiced in some way, are so often the ones among us who have the most powerful and often most graceful death experiences. Meet with Death, dialogue with Death; it wants you to befriend it, and the mindfulness this entails will lift you not only in your last moments, but in all the ones you will live between now and then.

Thank you and RIP Baba RD.

Alice Herz-Sommer died in hospital in London on 23 February 2014, aged 110.  But before she died, she earned the amazing title of being the world's oldest living pianist - and also the oldest living holocaust survivor.  Born in Prague, in November of 1903, Alice survived Theresienstadt concentration camp because she was a musician.  She says "music saved my life" - but she does not mean just that being a musician kept her from the gas chambers - she shares that music kept hope alive in her. 

You can see the trailer for "The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life" - the Academy Award winning documentary about Alice's life, written, directed and produced by Malcom Clarke, HERE, (and if you would like to see the whole thing, you can purchase it on some platforms now). 

I share this story because it is one in which a fellow human being finds hope, reason to live, and even rapturous JOY - - in the face of having lived through one of human history's most brutal chapters.  To me, Alice's sense of joyful presence - "Every day in life is beautiful. every day" says Alice. . .  and I find myself lifted just seeing  image and hearing her say these words.  And so I ask myself: Can I, with the many privileges I enjoy, complain about ANYTHING when Alice finds such grace in her moments?  The answer is, of course, yes, I can choose to complain. . . yet Alice reminds me that I do not have to.  She reminds me that my moments are filled with many gifts - if only I will choose to see or feel them - even when the obvious thing might be to feel down, blue, hurt or angry, full of grief, turned in torturous frustration to the darker side of my own road. . .

My mother, in her own transcendent, near-death wisdom shared with me, "why on Earth do we wait til we are dying to let go of things? Stressful thinking, relationships, lifetimes of work, our homes, our loved ones, even our arms, legs, torso and head - - even our sense of who we are - - it would make so much more sense to start letting go of stuff earlier in life, because one day a day will come when we have no choice - and we HAVE to let go of ALL OF IT..."  Alice somehow managed to harness her love of music even as she was forced to let go of so many things - which she did with such grace.  And yet Alice remained one with her love of music, her awe at the gift composers left us, the power of music to hold up hope, even in the worst of circumstances.  If Alice did it in her circumstances, could not you and I echo this grace?

And so I share Alice with you all; may her pristine and gentle joy catalyze your own emotional system, amidst whatever heaviness you currently face, towards one small moment of upliftment  . . .  or maybe a whole bouquet of wild glee today.

Wishing you each moments of joy - not to block out the pain, but to co-exist with it.

With Much Love Always,
Rev. Maya

Believe it or not, there actually IS science to Happiness and Well-Being!!

Yale University's Laurie Santos teaches a course for teens through the Coursera.org platform.  If you are - or know of - a teen who might enjoy or benefit from this course, please pass it along!  Understanding that our state of Well-Being is something we DO have control of could not be more important for teens - or any of us - in today's world that pushes strife and stress upon us all every day. More teens than ever now report feeling depressed. . . Having taken Laurie's course for adults, I can testify to the usefulness of the fun and very accessible science she shares (and it is neither complicated nor hard to understand), and to the power of the easy-to-do exercises her course offers.  The Coursera courses are fully online, and are low-cost or free (depending on whether you are seeking a certificate). 

HERE is the LINK!

Enjoy, or pass it on.

Be Happy, Friends!
Love,
Maya