All women are invited

Mark your calendar Potluck January 24

Potluck on Friday, Janaury 24 at the Westport home of Linda Hudson

Chase the winter chill away. Share a meal and good conversation on Friday, January 24. Bring something to share or if there’s no time to shop or cook – just come. There is always plenty.

RSVP for the Potluck tucwomen@uuwestport.org

Brown Bag Lunches are a time to gather together… connect with each other… make new connections… and deepen existing ones… informally… in conversation. Bring your Brown Bag (filled with your favorite food and drink) and join us at the Meeting House at 12:30 Sunday following the 11:00 service. They are typically the second Sunday of the month. Watch for announcements in Soundings and the Order of Service.

Shawl Ministry has added an evening on the first Tuesday of each month.

Learn more Shawl Ministry Evening Gatherings

Sacred Circles Continue in 2020

Women, Spirit and Imagination, the outstanding women’s spirituality series continued this year after a successful beginning last Spring. Each session is independent of the others so all women are invited to register for a few or all. The purpose of this series is to offer women a welcoming, safe place to explore their spirituality and imaginations. Most sessions will provide an experience of meditation, inspiration, imagination and connection, where women may absorb the healing power of beauty and a supportive community, and develop a feeling of calm and peace within, an inner haven to return to at any time. No prior experience is needed. Watch the schedule for new offerings in the new year.

The Sacred Circles with Grandmother Nancy continue and usually will be held twice a month.

We are fortunate to have Grandmother Nancy Andry who guides our Sacred Circles. She is an elder and storyteller of the Algonquin nation. As a lifelong participant of the native red road of spirituality she has studied with many medicine teachers of the Lakota and Ojibwa people.

Women of all ages are invited to participate in the formation of a circle of support and trust. Through stories and rituals, Grandmother Nancy will guide us in exploring what she calls “the ancient ways of knowing”. Such knowing invites us to deepen our connection to nature and to our own inner wisdom.

In Sacred Circle, Grandmother Nancy will use the talking stick, which encourages respectful listening so that all who wish to share may be heard. There will be drumming which reminds us of the heartbeat of Mother Earth and of our own voices previously silenced. Grandmother Nancy teaches a number of rituals, such as the Water Ritual, that help us connect not only to the natural world but also to the world of the unseen. She brings a source that UUs draw upon: “Spiritual teaching of earth-centered traditions that celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.”

Put these dates on your calendar:

Tuesdays, 7:00 – 8:30 PM in the Meeting House

January 28

February 4

March 10 and 24

April 14 and 28

May 12 and 26

June 9 and 23

For more information send a note to tucwomen@uuwestport.org

What Sacred Circle Participants Have to Say

“Meeting Grandma Nancy and hearing her stories was wonderful. She’s truly an inspiring and insightful woman.” — Jamie Coppola

“Listening to women opening up, sharing authentically from their hearts and feeling, inspired me to share my own experiences. It was truly healing to my heart and soul.” — Golden Hawk

“I enjoyed the ritual aspect of Grandmother Nancy’s workshops. The drumming is a wonderful way to start her workshops. It has a grounding effect. Grandmother Nancy is sincere in her efforts to create a scared space.” — Beverly Bailey

“I felt a sense of peace and the beginning of a great companionship amongst the women of the circle.” — Sarah Kent

“What I most appreciated about the talking circles is how it gave us, the participants, an opportunity to share in a meaningful way and showed what a wonderful community of caring, interesting, and insightful people we are a part of!” — Elizabeth MacDonald

“I enjoyed participating in several sessions of Grandma Nancy’s workshop. One session began with us gathering in a circle and drumming to the rhythm of our heart beats. Then we closed our eyes as Grandma Nancy calmly had us imagine ourselves on a journey into a snowy wood where we came upon a wolf. Both exercises, as well as singing a Native American song taught to us by Grandma Nancy, opened us up to honestly answer the questions she posed as she passed around the talking stick. It was a welcome respite from the stress of daily life.” — Sari Bodi