Mabon: Celebrating the Web of the Harvest is the title of the Sunday, September 20 program, at the Pagosa Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship.
Mabon a harvest celebration which coincides with the Autumn Equinox in the northern hemisphere. At this time of equal day and night, we gather together to ground and center ourselves, reflecting upon our deep connection with the earth. It is also a time of giving thanks for the season’s bounty and for one other.
As we honor the focus on Interdependence, Michael Demchak, a lay minister grounded in Pagan practice, will lead the service in the spirit of the harvest with a potluck to follow. With love and gratitude in our hearts, as we give thanks, and prepare for the darker days ahead.
Demchak is the current president and chairperson of the Pagosa UU Fellowship’s steering committee and Sunday service planning team. Demchak, raised on the east coast with Unitarian Universalist roots, moved to Denver with his family in 1976. He attended the Mile High Church of Religious Science and became active in a Pagan group. From that experience, Demchak co-created many Pagan related circles in the Living Earth Church, which he helped establish. Michael Demchak arrived in Pagosa Springs in 2017, where you may find him soaking in our local hot springs.
Our Sunday services and programs begin most Sunday mornings at 10:30am. The UU Fellowship is located in the Greenbriar Plaza, Unit B-15, 301 N. Pagosa Blvd. on the north side facing the Pagosa Peak. Our Community Hub hosts various groups and meetings throughout the month and invite you to peruse PagosaUU.org for more information.
Qi Gong meets weekly on Mondays at 1:00pm. This group practice is open to all.
Wise and Wakeful Circle is an open, facilitated group for mindfulness, sharing and deepening with others, and is held the second and fourth Saturdays at 10:00am.
The long-standing Tara Pagosa Meditation Group will resume Sunday, October 4 from 5:30-6:30pm. Love, Compassion, Joy & Equanimity are core principles to this practice. The following information from the instructor may be helpful, especially if you are a newer participant or wish to begin a meditation practice. Learn meditation and the purpose of meditation. Just bring a kind heart and an open mind. We can even help you to find those! Newcomers are always welcome. Led by a certified meditation instructor and authorized Dharma teacher with over twenty years’ experience.
Diminish pain, conflict and anxiety through patience, kindness and compassion. Learn how training in love and compassion can help you to relax your mind, become a better person, and make you happier and more attractive while doing so!
Simple yet profound, these beautiful, authentic practices help us to recognize the vast world of extraordinary subtlety lying just beneath the surface of our narrow, preoccupied and fearful existence. Learn to appreciate the exquisite interdependence of life and restore joy and wonder in your world. Although these are traditional Buddhist practices, you do not have to be Buddhist to benefit from them. All are welcome.
Meditation is reviewed and practiced every week so that newcomers can learn comfortably alongside regulars. Practice is followed by a short talk and discussion. We are currently working our way through Lama Migmar’s book The Wisdom Gone Beyond, Teachings on the Heart Sutra.
Can’t attend in person? Join us on Zoom. Please email PUUF to be added to our meditation email list.