As a pluralistic, living religious tradition, we draw inspiration from our direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder as well as historical wisdom which provides many paths to feeling a part of something larger than ourselves. These experiences of connection open our hearts, renew our spirits, and transform our lives. We draw upon, and are inspired by, sacred, secular, and scientific paths that help us make meaning and ground us as we live into our values. These diverse paths include but are not limited to:
Paths of wonder which provide energy and joy
- Experiencing the beauty of the natural world and learning scientific and mathematical insights which help us live the questions and deal with uncertainty;
- Sharing experiences of collective effervescence with large groups of people which promotes joy and expanding goodwill;
- Performing acts of moral beauty which nourishes our spirits and bodies;
- Laughing and sharing time with friends which help us find our true selves and belonging;
Paths of wisdom which provide courage, hope, and faith
- Practicing discernment and recognizing knowledge comes in many forms;
- Gaining perspective by taking a long view of time, learning from history and prophetic people, and embodying ethics in the here and now;
- Practicing philosophies and religious and spiritual traditions which center love for our neighbors, humility, reciprocity, and celebrate the sacred circle of life;
- Experiencing or creating myths, art, poetry, music, and dance which help us feel and express the ineffable;
Paths of grounding which provide balance and restoration
- Practicing rituals which bring historical wisdom to life and create shared sacred time and space;
- Practicing mindfulness by deeply listening to ourselves, each other, reason, and the ground of being;
- Practicing sacred rest which connects our minds and bodies and creates routines and patterns such as those of the seasons or day and night;
- Composting difficult times into new paths forward and practicing resiliency and resurrection.
We respect the histories, contexts and cultures in which these paths were created and are currently practiced, and we are called to ever deepen and expand our paths.
To replace the existing flower values image and description:
Our living religious tradition can be thought of as a metaphor of a flower and its environment.
The values of our tradition are represented by petals and they are how we communicate and live out our living tradition with the ultimate goal of love. This goal of universal love also represents our Universalist heritage. Wonder is represented by the sun as it is where we draw our energy and joy and represents our Unitarian heritage of Transcendentalism.
Unitarian Universalism draws wisdom and grounding from many older traditions. These are represented by the leaves, stem, and earth. Wisdom from these traditions helps us make meaning from our experiences and photosynthesizes courage, hope, and faith needed for our work. Grounding from these traditions grounds us in reality and provides balance and restoration during difficult times.
Not depicted here are elements of air and water which represent that which cannot be named and the ultimate forms in which we live, move, and have our being.
