The Weekly Service Calls are SolSeed Services for the core SolSeedMembership. They are short, generally no more than 30 minutes, and provide a way to frequently reconnect and use spiritual practice to reaffirm our commitment to each other, to action, and to The Destiny.
Logistics
When: Currently scheduled on Saturdays at 8:00 AM Pacific time
How: We currently use Skype group video calls. In the past, we've used http://tokbox.com and http://tinychat.com. We could also connect people with audio only if desired.
Who: Each service has a leader who prepares the content and guides the service, currently rotating among Brandon, Shelley, Ben, and Eric. Anyone can participate, but please contact Brandon if you want to be included.
What: We ask that each participant bring a candle and matches, a glass of water, a dish of some kind with some soil in it, and a seed.
Content
The services are divided into four sections. The italic lines below are each spoken by one person, while the bold lines are spoken in unison.
Check-in
The participants briefly update each other on how they're doing and what's going on in their lives.
Opening ceremony
At Sol2013, The SolSeed Movement agreed that the words and motions of the opening ceremony would begin to vary with the season and that we would create 8 different opening ceremonies to match the eight seasons of our symbolic year (each one half the length of an ordinary season). The first time we used new words was September 28th, 2013, the first Sabbath of the season of Viventibus Mundos. We plan to create the opening ceremonies for the other 6 seasons over the year stretching from Fall Equinox 2013 to mid Summer 2014.
- Genesis Winter Solstice to Mid Winter
- Conflatorium Mid Winter to Spring Equinox
- Viriditas de Terra Spring Equinox to Mid Spring <-- current season
- Diversitas Mid Spring to Summer Solstice
- Sophos Summer Solstice to Mid Summer
- Civis Mid Summer to Fall Equinox
- Viventibus Mundos Fall Equinox to Mid Fall
- Viventibus Galaxia Mid Fall to Winter Solstice
Reading
This is the most changeable part of the service. Here are some examples of readings we've done in the past:
Silent meditation
Please join me for seven minutes of silence while we contemplate our planet and meditate on the story of life.
(Service Leader rings the bell)
(silence)
(Service Leader rings the bell again at the end of the seven minutes)
Discussion
The participants take turns talking about what they were thinking about during the meditation.
Reading of the SolSeed Creed
Note: There is another version of the creed which is not formatted for group reading.
Also: We Believe, a book of commentary and illustrations unpacking each verse of the creed.
The SolSeed Creed is a statement of the shared values that ground the SolSeed Movement. The SolSeed Creed asserts that life and that which sustains life is good and precious, and calls humanity to mature into its role as caretaker of SolSeed. The Destiny is the ultimate expression of what nurturing and protecting life means. Becoming worthy of and fulfilling The Destiny are the two ultimate goals held by members of the SolSeed Movement.
The current version has been revised to support our six-month experiment with calling ourselves Gaia's People.
Please respond to the portions of the Creed highlighted in bold in unison:
Life is precious. It has always been precious, it will always be precious.
Life exuberant bursting through boundaries to flower and spread creates the conditions for more Life, in an Upward Spiral of ever-growing possibilities.
As you are alive, and I am alive, and in kinship with all other beings nourished by Sol, we are Gaia --- the body of all Life.
The Destiny of Gaia is to take root and flower amongst the stars --- to give birth to a family of living worlds.
As intelligent sparks of Gaia, we are called to express her excellent nature, we are called to attend the Great Birthing.
We who answer this call dedicate ourselves to Gaia, We join together in a community of practice to align our words and actions with our highest aspirations.
Through art and the natural world We awaken within ourselves and others the Cosmic Religious Feeling that ignites wonder, fosters compassion, and inspires invention.
Our sacred duty is to embrace Passion, cultivate Empathy, and pursue Wisdom, So that our being honors Gaia and our striving hastens the Great Birthing.
Passion drives us. Without Passion Empathy and Wisdom are lethargic.
I pledge to stoke the fire in my belly, to compassionately care for my inner elephant --- to really be me, Happy in the Sun!
Empathy is transcendent. Without Empathy, Passion and Wisdom are evil.
I pledge to love others as I love myself, to consider their needs as if they were my own --- to Grow Ours, not just Get Mine!
Wisdom is effective. Without Wisdom, Passion and Empathy are reckless.
I pledge to seek truth by studying the world around me, to develop my character through regular practice --- to cultivate sound instincts.
Through Passion, Empathy, and Wisdom we have come to know that: We are Gaia's People children of the Earth and Sun awakened by starlight growing nurturing discovering We Bring Life!
Closing words
We extinguish this flame, but not the light of truth, the warmth of community or the fires of commitment ... these we carry in our hearts until we are together again.
(Blow out the candles)
May your week be blessed with life and love. Blessed be.