Seattle Unity

"I do this instead of complaining, because now I feel like I'm building hope --  hope for the homeless individuals, their families and our city, and I also restoring my own hope that through acts of service small groups of dedicated people can help change the world."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig quotes Board member George Edwards, who wrote about the work he and wife Kathy are...

“If you're doing dishes you're doing God's dishes. If you sweep the walk, you're sweeping God's walk. When you feed a homeless person, as Mother Theresa did, yes? You're feeding God."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig returns to start this new series on the Alchemy of Service. She cites stories from history, everyday life, and other sources as diverse as the Bibl...

“You know those old world maps, with the terra incognito, where it had the world as we knew it was defined, and then it had all the scary monsters and the dragons on the outside, and you're not supposed to go there? No, we're supposed to go there.”Guest speaker Rev. Meghan Smith-Brooks gives a talk on facing the biggest challenges humans can face, and thriving.  Meghan's ministry gr...

“So we have this divine spark, this divinity, this light within. And our job, if you will, is to let that light shine and to express it here on this earth. ”Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig continues the series on Courage, this time inviting us to let ourselves be seen for who and what we are.  Each of us expresses some unique aspect of the divine, but expressing that isn't always easy.  Wh...

“You know, then, that you are a force that can help heal the planet, that can help heal any situation in your life. ”Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig finishes the series on Courage, by exploring the concept of Will - human will, divine will, and how we conceptualize them.  She introduces a central New Thought description of the journey of spiritual awakening in four stages:  To Me, By Me, Throug...

“The alchemy of courage takes heart. So before the summer is over, and the days become short and the rains return, take time to enjoy and relish these beautiful days.”Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig continues looking at the Alchemy of Courage.  This time, in recognition of today's community picnic, she looks at the spiritual role of humor and fun.  How does leisure help us take heart, stay...

“Courage is the ability to show up when you think you can't. Courage is the ability to speak your truth, and confront obstacles. Courage puts feet on your prayers, and lets you try new things.”Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig dives into a new series on The Alchemy of Courage, which she describes as taking the lead of weakness and fear, transforming them into the gold of strength. She begins...

“The truth is when we take a moment to see the Divine in another, kindness automatically follows, right? If I'm looking and I'm seeing the Divine in you, I'm inclined to be kind.”Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig finishes our series on the Alchemy of Compassion with an uplifting look at how simple kindnesses strenthen us, and help us to bring forth the best from each other.  Who is...

“Even my father’s grumbling about July 4th not being his holiday was gift, because I hadn’t thought about that. Can you believe I hadn’t thought about that?”Pamelagrace Beatty returns for both a contemplation and celebration of July 4th, in its old and new significance. Using the touchpoints of Community, Compassion and Independence, she helps us take stock of this moment in our national and perso...

“So just know that if you're facing challenges in your life, you didn't do anything wrong, you're not being singled out. It's part of being in a body. It's part of being on this Earth. ”Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig takes us further in our study of the Alchemy of Compassion. Using everyday stories ranging from traffic to her pets, she illustrates the ways we can allow...

"So often, Unity gets equated with sameness... and it's not. Unity is not about sameness."Associate Minister Diane Robertson leads a vibrant Pride service, a fitting first Sunday for our series on The Alchemy of Compassion. Using stories from history, testimony from congregants, and revelations about her own personal journey, she addresses one of the central challenges in New Though...

"My spiritual journey at 80 is being aware of what I want to feel and choose...shifting my perspective to that of joy. My granddaughter, Quinn teaches me every day what spontaneous joy is, and the many, many ways to express it."Rev. Karen invites congregant and chaplain Donna Hutchinson to share some thoughts about her path into spiritual study. Donna's originally from the east coas...

"We can think about reflection as being like a mirror, right? When you look in the mirror you can check to see if you have spinach in your teeth, see if your hair is okay. So we see ourselves reflected back to us, so we can make changes. Reflection of the mind is a similar process. Rather than observing the physical, we are observing what is going on within."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Li...

"Jnana yoga is the philosophical approach to the yoga of knowledge. It uses intellectual inquiry for spiritual evolution.'"Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig ventures into this new series on the Alchemy of Understanding. One of the 12 powers of man identified by Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore, Understanding here refers to intellectual pursuits. But it may also include curiosity,...

"During our prayer service on Wednesday nights, we always have a reading of the Daily Word... and this Wednesday, the affirmation is 'I grow stronger with every experience of life. I am bolstered by my Inner Strength.'"Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig wraps up the series on Strength with a rich and deep service, including strong community representation, too.  Carl Woestwin p...

"I realized, in every single area of our lives we tend to hold on, and our whole culture says 'hold on to as much as you can, the one with the most stuff wins.'  What we've learned is that in spirituality, it's exactly the opposite. "Guest speaker Rev. Cynthia Alice Anderson joins us, continuing our series on the Alchemy of Strength. Cynthia Alice uses the moment to a...

"Is the universe a friendly place or not? I think how you answer that question is going to impact if not determine how your life unfolds. How are you going to interpret and respond to the things that happen to you, including events like the pandemic or the political, cultural, racial turmoil of the last year or so."Guest speaker Gregg Levoy invites us to use the quarantine asour personal...

"... when is a time in your life that you were so touched, by the beauty that you saw? Whether it be out at sea or in a mountain, maybe it's in the woods or your yard. It can be something as simple as watching how the light shines through the window... we have those moments when we're just awestruck..."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig celebrates Earth Day beginning with the c...

"So imagine if you will that this past year has been about fermentation, right? That there has been a remembering that has been happening."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig ushers in a new Easter. With the pandemic abating, many of us are emerging from the tombs in perhaps a more profound way than ever before. How have we changed in this past year?  And what will we do with our resurrec...

"So the Alchemy of Leadership, then, is not about doing it all yourself, because you can't turn lead into gold alone."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig continues our series on leadership using examples from scripture, personal experience, expert authors, and ... geese!  Nature has great lessons to offer us about vision, collaboration, and communication. Burnout is not a requirement...

"So rather than looking to someone else to be the leader, to solve whatever it is that needs to be solved, may we be wise enough to take the leadership of Moses and Jesus to the next level, and cross the threshold into a new way of being."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig returns to look further into our current series The Alchemy of Leadership. On this Palm Sunday, during Passover, rel...

"She started working these practices, and when I say working it, she was *working* it. She was actually living this fifth principle."Associate Minister Diane Robertson takes a first step into our new series Alchemy of Leadership. Pulling from her current ministerial training materials, she introduces us to Francis W. Foulks, who wrote Effectual Prayer, and also edited many early Unity ma...

"Since this is Pisces season, we're looking at intuition, emotion, spiritual connection that goes beyond rational thought, water flowing ---  dreams.  As we develop our intuition, it can help prepare us for what lies next in our lives."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig pulls some golden bits from her ongoing Dream Interpretation class. How do our intuitive faculties manifest?  What...

"Maybe you have felt extremely connected to God during this time, and maybe you have felt abandoned and alone. Perhaps it's been a little bit of both. But the truth is that no matter where you have been, God has always been present."Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig concludes the series on the Alchemy of the Mystic by looking at direct experiences of God.  Sometimes we feel it more...

"When we look at alchemy through our spiritual eyes rather our mercenary eyes, we’re looking at Elements. From my tradition, the earth-based tradition, we follow earth, air, fire, water, and ether, or spirit -- the spirit that animates all things."Guest speaker Rev. Judith Laxer speaks to our annual theme of Alchemy of the Soul, and this months' mystical perspective.  Judith is the...