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By Jane Rosecrans
Unitarian Universalist Community Church
Glen Allen, VA
“The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Transcending Spirit is a new group at Unitarian Universalist Community Church in Glen Allen, VA, inspired by the spiritual practices of the American Transcendentalists. These spiritual practices include:
- the celebration of nature
- writing as spiritual practice
- reading across religious and spiritual traditions
- creation of sacred time and sacred space
- contemplation, meditation, and prayer
- conversation and the spiritual voice
- creative spiritual expression
For over thirty years, I have been studying American Transcendentalism. I wrote a doctoral dissertation on Emerson's Unitarianism, and I taught a course at the Southeast UU Summer Institute (SUUSI) called “The Transcendentalist Celebration of Nature.” I used two books by Barry Andrews to guide the course, Emerson as Spiritual Guide and Thoreau as Spiritual Guide. Andrews identifies six spiritual practices of the Transcendentalists: appreciation of nature, reading, writing, observing the Sabbath, conversation, and contemplation. I decided to organize a Transcendentalist worship community, where we could understand, but also experience, the six practices identified by Andrews. I added a seventh practice, creative expression. In forming this group, I hoped to explore my own interest in Transcendentalist spirituality, not in isolation, but within a community.
American Transcendentalism
American Transcendentalism grew out of early nineteenth-century American Unitarianism, as a radical religious movement among Unitarian ministers, led by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Transcendentalists believed that Unitarians had deemphasized the feeling; their preaching seemed to relate too much to outward things, not enough to the inward life. The Transcendentalists were influenced by William Ellery Channing's belief in an indwelling God and the importance of intuition. Transcendentalism appeared in 1836 with the publication of Emerson's Nature.
The Theology of Self-Culture
“Self-culture” is a term the Transcendentalists used to convey a philosophy of the spirit. The word “self” was a religious word that meant “soul.” When Emerson coined the term “self-reliance,” for example, he did not mean it as we do today to refer to rugged individualism, but as an inner reliance on our own divinity. The word “culture” did not carry the anthropological or social associations of today, but grew out of the horticultural associations of growth, connecting nature with spirit. “Self-culture” referred to the cultivation of the soul in individuals. In his address on self-culture, William Ellery Channing wrote, “To cultivate any thing, be it a plant, an animal, a mind, is to make it grow. Growth, expansion is the end. He, therefore, who does what he can to unfold all his powers of capacities, especially his nobler ones, so as to become a well-proportioned, vigorous, excellent, happy being, practices self-culture.” Transcendentalist spiritual practices are part of the interwoven fabric of self-culture.
Transcendentalist Spiritual Practices
1. Celebration of Nature
Transcendentalists saw the presence of the divine in nature. In his journal, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “My profession is always to be on the alert to find God in nature, to know his lurking places, to attend all the oratories, the operas in nature….To watch for, describe, all the divine features which I detect in Nature.” Margaret Fuller considered nature a temple erected to its god. In his essay “Walking,” Thoreau suggests the purpose of time spent walking in nature as this: “I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit.” As a spiritual practice, then, nature is something we experience.
We celebrate nature by exploring our church land and interacting with nature through local parks and mountain trails.
2. Writing as Spiritual Practice
Most of the Transcendentalists kept a journal, and the journals produced by them are among their most important works. For Emerson, the importance of keeping a journal was this: “It is not for what is recorded, though that may be the agreeable entertainment of later years, and the pleasant remembrances of what we were, but for the habit of rendering account to yourself of yourself in some more rigorous manner and at more certain intervals than mere conversation or casual reverie of solitude require.” What is the purpose of journal writing? It helps to think about journal keeping as a way of getting to know ourselves.
We incorporate writing through writing exercises during our evening services and by encouraging writing as part of individual spiritual practice.
3. Readings Across Religious and Spiritual Traditions
Books and reading were very important for the Transcendentalists. Emerson believed books should be read not for the information they contain, but for inspiration. For Thoreau, books exist to “explain our miracles.” The Transcendentalists were especially interested in what they called “ethical scriptures,” and they read widely among the world's religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sufi poetry. The Transcendentalists were not limited in the books they chose to read, and neither should we be. Their reading was eclectic and included poetry, philosophy, mythology, history, science, and biography.
We read and discuss a wide variety of sacred and spiritual texts during our evening worship services.
4. Creation of Sacred Time and Sacred Space
In his essay “Life without Principle,” Thoreau wrote: “This world is a place of business. What an infinite bustle! I am awaked almost every night by the panting of the locomotive. It interrupts my dreams. There is no Sabbath. It would be glorious to see mankind at leisure for once. It is nothing but work, work, work.” It was important for the Transcendentalists to set aside time and space for pause and reflection. UUs can do the same. This practice preserves for us a place and day for the mindful practice of spirituality.
Our evening services are themselves a way to create sacred time and space. We will also encourage individuals to cultivate their own sacred time and space.
5. Contemplation/Prayer/Meditation
Contemplation, for the Transcendentalists, was a vehicle for experiencing their own divinity. Contemplation can include prayer, meditation, and reflection. In his first sermon, based on I Thessalonians 5:17 (“Pray without ceasing”), Emerson said, “We pray without ceasing. Every secret wish is a prayer. Every desire of the human mind is a prayer uttered to God and registered in heaven.” For Emerson, prayer was something we feel in our core being. I believe it is important to consider what it means to contemplate, reflect, and consider self and others carefully and genuinely.
Each evening service includes contemplation, meditation, and/or prayer, and we discuss how they form a part of our communal and individual spiritual practice.
6. Conversation and the Spiritual Voice
The Transcendentalists organized “conversations” through the Transcendental Club and social interactions. These conversations were important ways to establish community. Margaret Fuller held a series of conversations for women at the bookshop owned by Elizabeth Peabody, which also carried homeopathic and art supplies. The purpose of these events was to encourage women in self-expression and independent thinking, a radical practice for women in the mid-nineteenth century. Today, book discussions, discussion groups, and community circles are familiar to most UUs.
We will spend a great deal of time engaged in conversation through evening services and after worship.
7. Creative Spiritual Expression
Although this fact is not as well known, many of the Transcendentalists were music and art lovers. Christopher Pearse Cranch, considered by some to be the most eclectic of the Transcendentalists, was interested in art, music, and theatre. There was a Transcendentalist community—referred to by its location, Brook Farm—that engaged in music, dramatic readings, and plays. Performances of Shakespeare and singing were common, as were visitors such as Cranch. Many UUs are involved in music, art, and theatre; Transcendentalists remind us that this appreciation serves the spirit.
We explore varieties of creative expression through chanting and song during evening services and through special workshops and field trips on spirit and art, music, and dance.
Bi-weekly Evening Worship Services
Twice a month we gather to acknowledge and explore the divine in each and all of us. I have created rituals and practices for these services in order to cultivate the sacred. Below, I discuss each of these in detail.
The Rhythm of Worship
The pattern of worship I have created for these services follows an organic evolution: as we lock our cars and make our way from the outside world, enter our church building, and then enter our sanctuary, we cross the threshold, removing shoes and turning inward; we engage in our welcoming, calling ourselves together; we share opening words to center ourselves; we engage in an ingathering to gather ourselves together as a worship community; we engage in contemplation, meditation, or prayer in order to reflect inward; we share our voices through a spoken reading followed by discussion; we celebrate our spirits through song and music; we offer closing words to prepare us to re-enter our worlds outside this sacred time and space; and we enjoy fellowship together after worship, enjoying tea and conversation before re-engaging the outside world. In this way, we move slowly into an inner sacredness, culminating in contemplation, and then move slowly back outward again. I hope in this way to develop spiritual friendship, community, and connectedness for those who participate.
Crossing the Threshold
Transitions are important. I have requested that we remove our shoes before entering the sanctuary for our services and that we speak softly before our service begins, to acknowledge this threshold. Removing shoes is a religious custom practiced by Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. It signals reverence. Removing our shoes also allows us to be more comfortable while sitting and to feel the ground as we stand; this is especially important for walking meditation and other physical activities. It is also important to wear comfortable clothing, because we sit on the floor or, for those who prefer it, in a chair. Pillows, blankets, or meditation cushions will help us sit erect during the service, which engages the spine.
The Altar
I see altars as an important part of creating sacred space. Altars connect the creative with the spiritual and connect us to the sacred. I create an altar made up of sacred images important to a variety of religious traditions. This altar is a creation in process, and participants are invited to add to it—by contributing permanent or temporary objects or photos—during the period of the service known as “ingathering.”
Candles and Light
I dim the lights and add candles for their symbolic value. Light is essential for growth. In Tibetan Buddhism, light resides in each of us as pure energy and spirit. The Tibetans call this light Rigpa, which means “ground luminosity.” Our circle of quiet light represents this fundamental ground of our being.
Our Circle
Circles were very important to the Transcendentalists. We gather and sit in a circle to symbolize our equality and our interconnectedness.
Readings
We open and close with short readings intended to bring us in and draw us back out again. Longer readings are organized around various topics and are read aloud and then discussed. Participants share ideas for readings as well as ideas for other speakers.
Contemplation/Prayer/Meditation
Early in each service, there is a period of meditation or contemplation to help us center ourselves. We use a variety of meditations and prayers from different religious traditions, as well as guided meditations.
Music and Song
Music welcomes us and sends us on our way. There is a period in the service, toward the end, for music and song. We begin with recorded chants, but also explore other forms of music and song, dance, and other movements.
Namaste
We end our service by standing, holding our palms together near the heart, and gently bending forward while we say “Namaste” (pronounced “Namastay”). This gesture is practiced by Hindus and is familiar with many Americans who have taken yoga classes. In Sanskrit, “Namas” means “bow, obeisance, reverential salutation.” “Te” means “to you.” Thus, “namaste” means “I bow to you.” It communicates, “I honor the Divinity within you.”
After Worship
After each service, we enjoy tea in the lobby and congregate for further conversation. A tin is made available for contributions to keep various quality teas stocked.
Beyond Evening Worship
There are other opportunities for us to develop our spirituality outside our church community. Events are scheduled throughout the church year and include a wide variety of activities.
The Spiritual Journey
Through Transcending Spirit, I hope to help members of our congregation cultivate individual and communal spiritual practices that awaken us to our own possibilities and challenge us to engage our larger community. Engaging members of our congregation on this spiritual journey will enrich our lives and make real the religious legacy of the American Transcendentalists.
For more information about this program, please contact the author at jrosecrans@reynolds.edu  . |
