2016 Festival of Unitarians in the South East (FUSE)

One of our group went to FUSE, a weekend Unitarian festival in Worthing, held each February for the past eight or so years.  This is what she said about it.

"It was a wonderful experience.  This was the first time I had been to FUSE.  Because it has no element of 'annual general meetings' or other administration, I could just enjoy the activities on offer, and get on with soaking up the atmosphere of being - for the first time in many years - in a large group of Unitarians all together.  The hotel had 90 or so rooms, and I don't know how many were being occupied by Unitarians on their own, or as pairs, or as families, but there were enough of us to fill their huge dining room and make a quite a din at meal times.

For me, it was a very prayerful time; but not all Unitarians like the word "prayer" or attach a meaning to it.  You see, not all Unitarians think in terms of God or even religion.  Some think in terms of the highest human values, the complexities of the human spirit, the common features of life as we directly experience it.  Others are more aligned to thinking about life as part of how God can be experienced in the world.  That didn't stop us all enjoying together the singing, the walking, the meditation and mindfulness, the Qi Gong, the spiritual elements that can in some way be called sacred, the encouragement of children to find their own spiritual path ... or any of the other activities that were laid on.  There were some very talented workshop leaders there, who with the management team, made it all happen.  And just outside there was the promenade along the beach, empty in February and with some tremendous waves crashing on the pebbles.  Spectacular!

When you soak yourself in a new atmosphere that is bursting with enthusiasm like that, especially over a whole weekend, it is a very intense experience and it does funny things to your thinking.  I chose to stop using any electronic gadgets, even the TV in my room. Whenever I was between scheduled activities I simply went back to my room and just sat, and looked, and waited.  I don't know what I was waiting for, but something definitely did emerge for me, in the quiet.

I can't wait to go back next year.

And I would like to thank the Southern Unitarian Association who generously gave me a grant towards my costs.  I'd like to think that one of the other Ringwood Unitarians might be able to take up a grant from SUA for 2017 FUSE.  I would hate to keep this experience all for myself."

Annual Muster February 2016

Our meeting for reverence on 14 February 2016 marked the start of our third year, so after the meeting we carried out our annual muster as we do at the start of each year.  At the muster, those present are given the opportunity to declare their chosen relationship with the Didymus society in a formal way.  This is so that the right people are included in the governing decisions we take throughout the year, and it provides transparency and openness.

It was very heartening to find that, after all had considered the matter, we had gained an additional “Associate” and an additional “Visitor”.  Neither Associates nor Visitors are held responsible or accountable for the conduct of the life of the society; but, as they have vested some interest in the society, they are consulted by Members prior to making important decisions.

People who for various reasons were not able to come to our meeting on 14 February 2016 will be able to sign the muster record on a later occasion, up until our meeting in May, after which the list will be closed until February 2017.

February 2016 meeting for reverence

Today’s theme was the Pagan festival of Imbolc.  Imbolc is usually celebrated on 2 February, and is the first festival of Spring.  Unlike the later festival of Beltane at the beginning of May, Imbolc is more tentative – a mixture of hope and uncertainty, as winter may not have delivered its full impact by 2 February.

Imbolc is a Spring festival centred on the livestock rather than plants and flowers.  At the beginning of February, the first lambs are being born, and the name may be an old form of the words “in milk”, referring to the ewe’s milk first becoming available to the lambs.  Lambs born this early in the year may yet die of cold; food and firewood stocks can be running very low; and the full flood of Spring may yet be many weeks off.  Not all animals or indeed people may survive to see the Spring.

Imbolc marks the birth of the sun-child in the depths of winter, and it is a festival of innocence.  In Druidic circles it is often the only festival of the year solely focused on the feminine deity, gently though powerfully woven into the fabric of the season.

At our meeting for reverence today, we heard a number of meditations on the theme of Imbolc and a lovely poem which spoke of the fragility of the ice crystals of the frost being destroyed by the strengthening sunlight, which promised so much for us while destroying the beauty of the frost.  We learned some chants to centre our breathing and to lead us into our period of meditation.  A musical interlude and our candles of joys and concerns followed.

After that we moved onto a discussion of our business, the outcomes of recent business meetings, and our programme for the year ahead.