“As the Yin and Yang symbol illustrates, there is a piece of each in the other, teaching us the importance of empathy and understanding.” The July Service will be conducted by NAUA’s worship team. The theme will be “Yin and Yang: How is it possible to have opposites come together, and if they are together, are they that much different?”
On June 15th the North American Unitarian Association (NAUA) became a member of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF). This is an important milestone for NAUA as membership in IARF represents recognition of NAUA as a member of the world-wide community of liberal religious organizations.
The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), founded in 1900, is the oldest interfaith organization in the world, uniting members across five continents and over 20 countries. Its spiritual diversity includes Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Shintoists, Zoroastrians, and Indigenous practitioners—people who value open inquiry, spiritual growth, and action for justice. Through its Free-Religion Institute and other global programs, IARF engages in thoughtful study, interfaith dialogue, spiritual practice, and advocacy for human rights. Its consultative status at the United Nations enables IARF to give voice to liberal religion in the defense of marginalized communities and the promotion of liberative religion worldwide.
Through NAUA’s membership in IARF, NAUA members will be able to participate in IARF programs and initiatives. NAUA and IARF will collaborate not only with respect to interfaith educational programs but NAUA will also support IARF at the UN to strengthen the voice of liberal religion. NAUA’s admission to membership in IARF was accomplished through the efforts of our International Alliances Committee in collaboration with Professor George Williams, President of IARF. More information about IARF programs and our collaboration with IARF will be provided in future editions of the Compass Newsletter, on the NAUA website and in the Liberal Beacon.
The June Sunday Service brings together the scientific view of nature, along with the mystical and spiritual view, with a sermon by Dr. Gary Nelson. Dr. Nelson’s training in electrical engineering and applied mathematics encouraged views of the cosmos as mindless, meaningless matter in motion. However, his great-grandmother was Native American, and he grew up with a grandmother who was a trance medium who introduced him to a spirit guide that was a helper.
His path to a PhD was unconventional. He built and operated two “beatnik “ coffee houses, did a stint in the USAF as a computer repairman and then attended college. He has been a student of spirituality since childhood. This presentation incorporates his interests in Vipassana Buddhism and the process philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead.
The NAUA International Alliance hosted a 5-month educational series on Mythology, It was led by Margarete (Marga) Hanna from January through May 2025, with support from Stephen Polmar, John Eichrodt, and Wayne Hanna. We asked Marga to summarize the series for those who were unable to attend one or more monthly sessions. We also want to express gratitude for the enormous investment of time and resources by all series planners, presenters and organizers, as well as the many attendees who enriched the series with their participation.
From January to May 2025, the International Alliance Committee of the NAUA offered the opportunity to gather and discuss how the commonality of myth fosters interconnectedness and a foundation for our spiritual and religious traditions.
The group met on the second Saturday of each month, for five consecutive months. The individuals attending came from Europe, Canada and the United States. The pre-work for each session included reading from the following source books: “The Power of Myth”, the written conversations between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers from 1985/86; “The Heroine’s Journey” by Maureen Murdock, and “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover” by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette. Additionally, participants viewed Joseph Campbell’s 5-part series, “The Shaping of our Mythic Tradition.
Mythology has an important connection for Unitarians as it aligns with our values of inclusivity, spiritual exploration and the search for universal truths. Myths embody the mystery and wonder of life. We were encouraged to think of our mystical connection to archetypes and the hero/heroine’s journey. An important part of our discussion was to link the prevailing myths of our North American culture with the archetypes that define us and with the hero-heroine’s journeys which have impacted our lives. ‘Archetype’ is a term first coined by the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. He proposed that archetypes are inherited unconscious patterns of thought and behaviour shared by all humans, such as the ‘warrior’, the ‘maiden’, the ‘lover’ the ‘healer’, or the ‘king’.
With the Joseph Campbell lectures we explored how myths from different cultures reflect human experiences. For Campbell, the power of myths lies in the myth’s ability to touch something timeless in the human psyche, what Carl Jung calls “the collective unconscious.” The collective unconscious is a shared, inherited reservoir of universal ideas and images that exist in all human minds, as distinct from the “personal unconscious” which holds individual experiences and memories. Myths provide meaning that speaks to our inner experiences and act as roadmaps for personal growth and transformation. They inspire both individual awakening and communal purpose.
Carl Jung believed that ‘archetypes’ are not learned but live in the ‘collective unconscious’ and show up naturally across time and cultures. They are not fixed patterns of behaviour but are living patterns expressing meaning in our society. Archetypes form the backbone of myths, novels, films and fairy tales. They help us understand patterns of personal growth, relationships and inner conflict. We each play a variety of archetypal roles during our lives; for instance, strength may lie in our role of parent, rebel, caregiver, leader, and so forth.
As part of our journey to understand changing myths and their impact, we explored the ‘Hero’s as well as the Heroine’s’ journeys in ourselves through the lens of mythology. While the Hero’s Journey primarily deals with a protagonist’s quest for an external goal, such as winning a title or special conquest, the Heroine’s Journey is more focused on one’s internal journey, healing wounds, finding self-worth or integrating the feminine and masculine aspects within.
Historical myths show us the gradual displacement of revered female Goddesses with the ascendance of Gods as powerful deities. With the coming of Christianity, worship and reverence was focused on one monotheistic male God only. Gendering the divine was a way for humans to diminish the sacred of the divine feminine, and to elevate the sacred of the divine masculine, enabling them to structure society accordingly by creating a deep split between the power of the masculine and feminine.
Our journey finally led us to discuss the prevailing current myths which have brought America to the ‘brink’. Several of these myths, for example, the myth of the “Red” versus a “Blue” America, the MAGA (Make America Great Again) myth, and others are well identified in the book “A Great Disorder: National Myth and the Battle for America” by Richard Slotkin. These have contributed to America at war with itself, rivalrous and antagonistic rather than united and collaborative.
There always is, and will remain, much value in studying the history of myths from around the world, to illuminate our present world’s problems as well as successes, giving us new insights for more effective ways to live in harmony with each other on our magnificent earth, not least through our own spiritual development.
Todd Eklof, NAUA President, will be the main speaker for May’s service. He will discuss where we are, where we have come from, and where we might go. This will be a chance to reflect on our course and offer your thoughts to the community. In addition, with our annual Summit only a few months away, participants will be invited to share their priorities and suggestions as we plan, prepare, and move forward.
Ralph Waldo Emerson decried the Unitarianism of his day as “corpse-cold” and urged the religion to evolve with new understandings of the contemporary world. Those understandings are still with us today, but our Living Tradition asks us to continue evolving with the times. Dr. Matthew Shear will share with us a positive view of what a liberal religion for the 21st century could look like.
Dr. Matthew Shear is a 1980 graduate of the New England College of Optometry, and completed a post-graduate program from the Baltimore Academy for Behavioral Optometry in 2002. He has also trained as a peer counselor, eventually teaching the technique to others. His particular interest is in the effects of misperception on our understanding of ourselves and the world, and how that affects our behaviors. This focus eventually led him from clinical practice to becoming a religious professional. He began preaching lay led services in 2007, and in 2018 was engaged by Channing Church in Rockland, MA as their full time Preacher, where he served for two years. A former Board member of UUMUAC, he is still an occasional preacher of their 3rd Wednesday Vesper services and elsewhere.