Contemplations

Contemplations are opportunities to be present together through moments of contemplation, meditation, and prayer. Welcome to Contemplations at Shelter Rock!

For today’s Contemplation, you are invited to build an altar to ground and sustain the life-affirming practices explored throughout this short video series, and beyond. This sacred space is opened by lighting a chalice, and invites us to consider what we might add to our own altars, in the spirit of marking this end and exploring new beginnings.

Preparing for Change - For today’s Contemplation, you are offered an opportunity to contemplate how we prepare for change. Sacred space begins with lighting a chalice, and invites us to breathe together as we contemplate what practices enable us to navigate changing circumstances.

Pacing Ourselves - For today’s Contemplation, you are offered an opportunity to consider how we pace ourselves in this time of transition to a new stage of pandemic living. This sacred space begins with lighting a chalice, and invites us to breathe together as we consider how we each determine our own needs and may choose to set our own pace around what precautions we continue to take or release according to our needs, level of comfort and contexts when encountering each other in newly-open public spaces.

Spirit of Play - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to consider the ways play may revitalize and expand our spiritual connections. Alia opens this sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to commit to one act of play over the next week to sustain and affirm the spiritual nature of opportunities for joy and exploration in our lives.

Meditation on Interdependence - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to meditate on interdependence, lifting up those connections and relationships that support and sustain us and give us strength to carry on. Alia opens this sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to find a center from which to contemplate the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.

Seeding Kindness - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to consider what kindness we have to offer this hurting world we share. Alia opens this sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to contemplate our own experiences of giving and receiving kindness.

Embracing Change - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to contemplate changes big and small which may allow us to live into the fullness of ourselves. Alia opens this sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to consider how we encounter change and how our choices to live into new patterns and embrace new potentials may change us.

Storytelling - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to contemplate the Soul Matters theme for May, the concept of Story. Alia opens this sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to consider how the stories we tell reflect, shape, or change our understanding, and help us to make meaning in our experiences of the world.

Belonging Together - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to contemplate our experiences of belonging. Alia opens this sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to consider (and perhaps reconsider) how we come to know about each other in our covenantal Unitarian Universalist tradition.

Invitation to Gratitude - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to find a center within, and to lift up gratitude as a sacred practice. Alia offers an invitation to intentionally enter sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to find and speak aloud three things we are truly deeply grateful for.

Cultivating Spaciousness - For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers reflections on creating opportunity to rest as sacred acts of care for self, other, and community. Alia offers an invitation to intentionally enter sacred space by lighting a chalice, and to cultivate a little more spaciousness in our lives as sacred and necessary acts of kindness towards ourselves and each other.

"Finding Center, Holding Silence" For today’s Contemplation, Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an opportunity to find a center within, and hold silence together. Alia offers and invitation to intentionally enter sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to find a rhythm and breathe together knowing we are enough.

"Affirmations of Goodness" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough contemplates how we can affirm ourselves and each other, and bring light and life to some small part of this hurting world. Alia offers the opportunity to enter sacred space by lighting a chalice, and invites us to affirm the goodness of self, body, and spirit.

"Commitment to Practice" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough contemplates how committing and recommitting to spiritual practice may offer life-affirming connections, communally and individually. Alia offers the opportunity to enter sacred space with a chalice, and invites us to consider what practices and commitments may connect each of us to spirit and the sacred, and offer us reserves to draw on when in need.

"Noticing the Sacred" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough contemplates how we might pause to notice the sacred that’s always in our midst, freer from the distractions that pull our attention this way and that throughout our days. They invite us to take a moment to notice that which might otherwise be missed, be it sound, feeling, sensation, emotion, trusting that the intention to create and hold sacred space can help us share the weight of our burdens, and reorient towards being present in our bodies, present to skillfully meet this moment, whatever it brings.

"Marking Transitions" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough contemplates how the ways we make transitions in space and time have been altered through this experience of pandemic, of remote work, of sheltering in place. Alia offers the opportunity to mark the transition to and from sacred space with a chalice, and invites us to breathe together as a practice of noticing and marking these shifts in time and space.

"Marking Time through Ritual" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough contemplates the place of ritual in marking and sharing time, offering the opportunity to share sacred experiences of sorrow and joy through the lighting of candles.

"Invitation to Prayer" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an invitation to take a moment to co-create sacred space, to pray the prayer of your heart, and to join that prayer in this hour with all those who are simultaneously reaching out with the prayers of their understanding.

"Invitation to Movement for Thursday Contemplation" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough offers an invitation to movement as a spiritual practice of reconnecting with the sacredness of the body.

"Setting Intentions, Releasing Distractions" Student Minister Alia Shinbrough invites us to release distractions, set intentions, and be present together through this moment of contemplation, meditation, and prayer.

Monday Meditation and Poetry-Rev. Dr. Fenimore
Wednesday Messages-Rev. Brooks
Wednesday Conversation
Thursday Contemplations-Alia Shinbrough
Friday Meditative Moments-Rev. Brower
Soulful Songs and Stories
COVID19 Personal Protective Equipment