Our Pilgrimage

Our EUU Spring Retreat 2025’s theme speaker was Rev. Dr. Frederick Wooden. The theme was Pilgrim Ways Pilgrim Days, Exploring Pilgrimage as Our Quintessential Spiritual Practice.

In 2012, Wooden read an article about walking Hadrian’s Wall and he knew he had to do this. He understood it was who he was. Since then, he realized that Pilgrimage is the perfect experience of our living tradition and the means to cultivating it with ourselves personally.

As UUs we hope to learn, to grow, to change the world for the better. Pilgrimage helps you to live your best life whether you move or not.

To journey without being changed is to be a nomad. To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and to be transformed by the journey is to be a pilgrim. Mark Nepo.

As UUs we hope to fail forward.

These, Wooden said, are the aspects of a pilgrim’s life:

• get out
• get lost
• get stupid
• get small.

To illustrate the first, get out, Wooden had us note what it took for us to get out, leaving the familiar of our homes, perhaps our families, on our journey to the retreat, then share it with someone.

To get lost becomes ineffable. The response to the question of what enlightenment was like is everything is alive. We have the beginner’s mind. The pilgrim tries to recover her earlier child-like mind. In any new venue, everything is new, everything is connected, and you must pay attention. “A person becomes their attention.” William Least Heat Moon

Getting lost is spiritual: “Not until we are complete lost do we begin to find ourselves.” Henry David Thoreau. According to Wooden, ” Sometimes you need to get lost to go home.” Getting lost is a moment of spiritual awakening. In groups we shared experiences of getting lost.

Wooden shared amusing (to us) times when he thought he might end up having a stupid obituary while traveling. “…being in a sleeping bag at 10,000 feet in a snowstorm can make you feel calamitously stupid.” William Least Heat Moon. However, when you feel stupid you are on the cusp of learning something new.

About getting small, “to see the world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in and hour ” William Blake.

In order to get small, you have to get stupid first. You have to get lost to feel stupid and you have to go out to get lost. You have to succumb to the vastness.

To be a pilgrim you have to be stupid so you can be small. Here Wooden had us make a haiku about a photo or drawing he had us make earlier.

I thoroughly enjoyed the theme talk which was more like a workshop and really brought home the theme. And in our group of world travelers, our sharing was precious.

Janie Spencer

Workshops

Sharing Ideas on Preserving Democracy

The workshop on “Sharing Ideas on Preserving Democracy” led by Janet Mac Nair was attended by 21 people of seven nationalities, many from the United States but also from Britain, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Participants mingled, holding a lively, good-natured discussion, punctuated by outbreaks of laughter and Matt Gilsenan bursting into song during the swapshop of ideas revolving around current political developments and social trends.

Discussions revolved around five themes: emotions, activism and resistance, how to counter dis-mis-information, digital and non- digital tools and how to counter intimidation.

“The fact that that so many people took part in this workshop is a good start,” Janet said at the end of the workshop, pointing to the fact “that we can do something, that we have a few tools”.

The information gathered at the workshop is posted on the EUU Drive of Google Docs. If you weren’t at the workshop and would like the link, write to DemocracyWorkshop@europeanuu.org

Janet McEvoy

International Workshop with the U/U Global Network Facilitator

EUU participants including members of its leadership came together to meet and have a friendly discussion online with Esther Wanjiru Mukera, facilitator for the Global Network. She made a slide-based presentation (available from Peter Jarrett upon request at peter@jarrett-net.com). She reminded us of the formation by the Leadership and Design Team of the Global Network, which followed the dissolving of the ICUU and the Partner Church Council. The Network is charged with:

• Developing partnerships in new and creative ways
• Training lay and professional leaders with culturally adaptive and accessible programs
• Supporting existing and emerging groups towards sustainability
• Exploring and supporting justice-based initiatives
• Fostering global communication and collaboration

Esther is the first person hired by the Team; another hire is scheduled to take place next year to handle spiritual development. As she sees it, U/U communities face a large number of challenges associated mainly with shrinking and passive membership, a paucity of ministers, a gap in strategic planning and financial constraints. On the other hand, we do have a number of enthusiastic people who yearn for global collaboration. There is untapped potential and wisdom among our members that can be better exploited using digital technologies, and our faith is inclusive and adaptable. Her shorter-term objectives are to: foster collaboration and build communities; develop thematic topics for engagement; address training needs in some locations; and encourage commitment by “friends of the network” (passionate volunteers). She promised to hold another online activity soon.

One participant was unaware of the relevant international history and asked why the ICUU had been dissolved, on which there was no complete agreement.

John Eichrodt spoke on behalf of the International Committee of the North American Unitarian Association. He stressed two points:

• That the NAUA’s International Committee (International Alliance of UUs) wished to promote strong, inclusive, international relations and cooperation, including with the EUU as well as with the Global Network.
• That the NAUA’s International committee itself needed the support of both the Global Network and the EUU. Esther indicated that she would indeed contact the NAUA’s International Alliance.

John suggested the establishment of an international contact list by the Global Network. Such a list could be of immediate practical use for announcements and cooperation.

Peter Jarrett

A Pilgrimage to Inner Peace with the 5 Toltec Agreements

I attended *A Pilgrimage to Inner Peace with the 5 Toltec Agreements* lead by Blanca Maria.

This is her description: In keeping with our retreat theme “Exploring Pilgrimage,” I propose our going on a pilgrimage to inner peace with the 5 Toltec Agreements (Be impeccable with your word; Don’t take anything personally; Don’t make assumptions; Always do your best; Be skeptical, but learn to listen).

We explored this knowledge and how it applies to us. It was very specific, with Blanca Maria working with each of the participants. I am thankful for this work and for Blanca Maria’s kindness in coaching us. In addition, we had our workshop outside under the warm spring sun.

It was lovely.

Janie Spencer