I felt guided to offer this on how Maggie Ober and I created the altar this month. We are able to occasionally write up a description of the altar creation, other months there is less “backstory” and it evolves in a more free flowing manner. It is a joy in my life.

I am grateful to have access to the Soul Matters materials each month. It often gives me insights and inspiration for that months altar. In reading Widening the Circle I came across this:

A classic Zen exercise is the ensō, the circle hand-drawn in a single fluid brushstroke. It is close to perfect, but never there. If perfection is what you want, you can produce it anytime by using a compass or a computer, but the ensō defies such mechanistic precision; indeed it is often incomplete, left slightly open as though in invitation to everything beyond it… A perfect circle is uninteresting, a closed system containing nothing, while an imperfect one vibrates with warmth. It invites us into the moment of its creation…It is open, human, fallible—an expression, that is, of soul. (Lesley Hazleton) Enso is a sacred symbol in Zen Buddhism meaning circle of togetherness, a representation of our true and innermost self.

And then I remembered that some time ago Leia had created a beautiful painting that I believe is an enso. It is at the center of the altar.

And our beautiful banner created with the words of Francis David, a Unitarian minister in 16th century Transylvania. I reached out to Lynn Heath to inquire more about the banner. She shared that it was a project done in the social/support group formerly called UUpities. They had a meeting where people selected fabrics for hearts and chalices and sewed individual patches. Trudy Rohm was a huge help in creating the mosaic. Lynn took it home to sew pieces into place. She said we all knew we were working with the thought of the words “We do not have to think alike to love alike.” Creating expressions of community and belonging. Many of the people working on it had no prior experience with sewing machines or crafts. Trudy, Sally Taylor, Donna Baker, and Gayle Floyd would remember working on this. And there were others who contributed.

And this banner is the one we chose for this month’s theme.

One of the ways that I appreciate my role in helping to create our altars at church is that I can create, learn and grow. And I have the amazing opportunity to work with Maggie Ober, Patty Wallens and Michelle Goodrich; a co-creation sharing our gifts and talents with one another and to our congregation.

Cindy Mick