The [[Weekly Service Calls]] are [[SolSeed Services]] for the core [[SolSeedMembership]]. They are very short, generally no more than 15 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 Fridays at 8:30 PM Pacific time
'''How:''' When it's just [[Brandon]], [[Shelley]], and [[Ben]], we use a two-way Skype video call. To add more people with webcams, 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]], and [[Ben]]. Anyone can participate, but please contact [[Shelley]] if you want to be included.
'''What:''' We ask that each participant bring a candle and matches, a glass of water, and a dish of some kind with some soil in it.
== 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.
=== Opening ceremony ===
''We gather to mark the passing of a week''<br>
''To align our hearts as one.''
''First came Sol, the sun, the fire that sparks life into being.''
(Light the candles)
''Then came the Earth, our only home, both the shaper of life and the clay from which life makes itself.''
(Run fingers through the soil)
* Note: in one case, we instead looked at pictures of Earth from Google image search
''Then came the water, the sea where the first life swam, the sea that swims inside each of us.''
(Drink the water)
''Finally life made the air, turning sunlight into fuel, freely available to all breathing creatures.''
(Take three deep breaths)
''Fire, Earth, Water, Air.''
=== Silent meditation ===
''Please join me for seven minutes of silence while we meditate on the story of life on our world, as well as the many stories of life on other worlds, some of which have yet to be written.''
* Previous versions of this invocation were simpler, e.g. ''...while we contemplate our planet and meditate on the story of life.''
([[Brandon]] rings the bell)
(silence)
([[Brandon]] rings the bell again at the end of the seven minutes)
=== Reading ===
This is the most changeable part of the service. Here are some examples of readings we've done in the past:
==== Lost (poem) ====
:''Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you''
:''Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,''
:''And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,''
:''Must ask permission to know it and be known.''
:''The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,''
:''I have made this place around you,''
:''If you leave it you may come back again, saying Here.''
:''No two trees are the same to Raven.''
:''No two branches are the same to Wren.''
:''If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,''
:''You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows''
:''Where you are. You must let it find you.''
:: - David Wagoner
==== The Earth (poem) ====
:''Two-thirds water.''
:''One-third land.''
:''Valleys deep.''
:''Mountains grand.''
:''Sky of blue.''
:''Clouds of gray.''
:''Life here, too -- ''
:''Think I’ll stay.''
==== After the Gold Rush (third verse of a song) ====
:''Well, I dreamed I saw the silver''
:''Space ships flying'' (sic)
:''In the yellow haze of the sun,''
:''There were children crying''
:''And colors flying''
:''All around the chosen ones.''
:''All in a dream, all in a dream''
:''The loading had begun.''
:''They were flying Mother Nature's''
:''Silver seed to a new home in the sun.''
:''Flying Mother Nature's''
:''Silver seed to a new home.''
:: — Neil Young
==== [[SolSeedCreed]] ====
: ''We believe that:''
:: '''[[The Destiny]] of [[SolSeed]]'''
:: '''is to take root amongst the stars.'''
: ''[[Sol]],
:: ''[[Terra]],
::: ''you,
:::: ''me,
::::: ''we,
:::::: ''ALL,
: ''are precious SolSeed.
:: '''As SolSeed's intelligent spark,'''
:: '''We are its caretakers,'''
:: '''We must fulfill The Destiny.
: ''We believe that:
: ''Our holy duty is to
: ''embrace [[Self-Love]],
: ''cultivate [[Empathy]],
: ''and pursue [[Wisdom]],
:: '''so that our being honors SolSeed,'''
:: '''and our striving hastens
:: '''the fulfillment of The Destiny.'''
: ''Self-Love is motive.
: ''Without Self-Love,
: ''Empathy and Wisdom are impotent.
:: '''I pledge to learn to love myself; to
:: '''become a person I cherish,
:: '''admire, and care for.'''
: ''Empathy is transcendent.
: ''Without Empathy,
: ''Self-Love and Wisdom are evil.
:: '''I pledge to cultivate empathy in
:: '''myself and others; to share and
:: '''demonstrate my concern for
:: '''others and for the growing life all
:: '''around me.
: ''Wisdom is effective.
: ''Without Wisdom,
: ''Self-Love and Empathy are feeble and capricious.
:: '''I pledge to seek wisdom; to honor
:: '''my past, to strive for the future, to
:: '''be open to new ideas and new
:: '''beliefs, and to share my wisdom
:: '''with others.
:''Through Self Love, Empathy, and Wisdom
:''we have come to know that:
:: '''We are SolSeed;
:: '''Children of the sun,
:: '''Awakened by starlight,
:: '''Growing, nurturing, protecting,
:: '''We bring life!
=== Closing words ===
''We extinguish this chalice, 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.''