First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa

So you know all that. You’ve read a little, heard a little, maybe visited a website or two. There’s a lot of information out there. A lot of it is contradictory. Some of it is really old. Some of it is really new. This site is designed to offer advice, guidance, and a little bit of extra information. You’re welcome to skip around, and if you get lost, go back a bit—the site builds on what came before.

sidebar: the general shape of this course

You should also know that exploring your spiritual self can be a rewarding, challenging, and transformative journey. As you follow this path you may wish to keep a record—a journal, a sketchbook, a scrapbook, a collection of symbolic objects—whatever will help you see where you’ve been and honour the process in which you’ve engaged. Some people find daily entries helpful, others only make a note when they feel they’ve touched a nerve or reached a milestone. Making these decisions is actually the first step of your journey; don’t be afraid to change your mind later. What is important is that you begin, somehow, just begin.

If you wish, you could write a study contract and sign it; you might wish to include a commitment to be gentle with yourself, a commitment to spend a certain amount of time each day, a commitment to stretch your boundaries. If you choose to do this, try to balance specific items that you can know you’re doing (spend three hours a week in reflection and meditaion) with things that are less concrete (do something that makes me uneasy each month). Sign it, and put it where you can find it again—in a file drawer, perhaps, or taped to the wall above your desk or printed in tiny letters and stuffed in your wallet…

Everything here is a suggestion. If you find yourself swept away by passion, by curiosity, by anger, let the path unfurl a little before you begin to judge it. If you read about something and it leads to something else, keep reading for a while. All the material you absorb becomes grist for the mill—nothing is wasted in this process, not even the cartoons in the morning paper. Religion exists only in conversation with life. Live your life, too, or all will be for naught.

lead me onward lead me backward take me home

A Quirky Intro to Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism by Leela Sinha
Guided Tour: preparing for the journey	If you like things in order . . . Introduction to the guided tour: . . . . .. lead me onward If your mind loves a search . . . Menu by Subject general information about Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism history polity general theology personal theology Religious Exploration political/social action involvement at First Unitarian, Ottawa, Ontario CANADA
So you know all that. You’ve read a little, heard a little, maybe visited a website or two. There’s a lot of information out there. A lot of it is contradictory. Some of it is really old. Some of it is really new. This site is designed to offer advice, guidance, and a little bit of extra information. You’re welcome to skip around, and if you get lost, go back a bit—the site builds on what came before. sidebar: the general shape of this course You should also know that exploring your spiritual self can be a rewarding, challenging, and transformative journey. As you follow this path you may wish to keep a record—a journal, a sketchbook, a scrapbook, a collection of symbolic objects—whatever will help you see where you’ve been and honour the process in which you’ve engaged. Some people find daily entries helpful, others only make a note when they feel they’ve touched a nerve or reached a milestone. Making these decisions is actually the first step of your journey; don’t be afraid to change your mind later. What is important is that you begin, somehow, just begin. If you wish, you could write a study contract and sign it; you might wish to include a commitment to be gentle with yourself, a commitment to spend a certain amount of time each day, a commitment to stretch your boundaries. If you choose to do this, try to balance specific items that you can know you’re doing (spend three hours a week in reflection and meditaion) with things that are less concrete (do something that makes me uneasy each month). Sign it, and put it where you can find it again—in a file drawer, perhaps, or taped to the wall above your desk or printed in tiny letters and stuffed in your wallet… Everything here is a suggestion. If you find yourself swept away by passion, by curiosity, by anger, let the path unfurl a little before you begin to judge it. If you read about something and it leads to something else, keep reading for a while. All the material you absorb becomes grist for the mill—nothing is wasted in this process, not even the cartoons in the morning paper. Religion exists only in conversation with life. Live your life, too, or all will be for naught. lead me onward lead me backward take me home
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