“I want to listen
for the voices beyond the boundaries,
want to open to what I can’t yet see.
I want to hear the welcome of the horizon
and, like a bell calling me home, let it lead me.”
-Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
The excerpt above is from a poem titled “A Prayer for Imagination.” (https://ahundredfallingveils.com/2021/12/30/a-prayer-for-imagination/)
The poem begins with a description of the boundaries or conditions that exist inside of us before going on to illustrate how they are broken down and recreated. She uses the metaphor of a line inside of us transforming the way a balloon animal or crown does, followed by the idea of a deadline becoming a path. I found the kind of alchemy she symbolically portrays here so touching, encouraging, and relatable.
Something I have been thinking of lately is the sense that the first, foundational step in cultivating radical imagination is a belief in inherent worthiness. If a sense of worthiness is denied, one is outsourcing their strength, and succumbing to capitalist ideals, they are often not living a fully expressed life, and stagnant imbalance may manifest.
When one believes their inner world holds value, possibility, and wisdom, one may begin to witness it with care and reverence, then share it with their outer world. This sharing can feel difficult, vulnerable, uncomfortable, even embarrassing, especially at first. However, I see imagination and creativity as somewhat of a muscle, an ongoing practice, influenced by both our inner and outer practices and our patterning.
I am grateful for the way our faith historically puts inherent worthiness at the core of Unitarian Universalism. It’s gone beyond being a simple, core belief for me. It has truly left a lasting imprint in me and the way I show up for myself and my community. In the most challenging of times, cultivating imagination and expressing that vision is not only ideal, it’s vital.
May you, too, sense the value of what you bring to this community and our wider web. Befriend and encourage yourself the way you so generously do for others. Allow your imagination to guide, remind, and align you with your values. I pray that you are guided to dream beyond this world’s perceived boundaries.
Upcoming Activities:
Intergenerational Potluck and Game Night, Wednesday, May 14th, 6:30-8pm
https://uufm.breezechms.com/form/94a17e4763
Social Justice Group Gathering: Tea and Conversation, Saturday, May 17th, 4:30-6pm
https://uufm.breezechms.com/form/d6d4a7
Intergenerational Hiking at Seven Mile Creek Park, Sunday, May 18th, at 1pm
https://uufm.breezechms.com/form/2cf88a238459647648
Intergenerational Art-Making Night, Wednesday, May 28th, 6:30-8pm