Journey of the Universe

Dear Friends,

Please join us for a showing of the Movie:

Journey of the Universe

Cosmos will show the movie Journey of the Universe by Physicist Brian Swimme and Historian of Religion Mary Evelyn Tucker and host a discussion afterwards on Sunday November 3^rd 2013 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in Room 323 of the Welcome Center.

This will be the kick-off event for the educational series that was developed by physicist and mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme and Historian of Religion Mary Evelyn Tucker of Yale University. The 20 session curriculum they developed, which includes videos of interviews with leading scientists, scholars and activists, concerned about the well being and evolution of the earth community, will be offered on the first Sunday of every month from 1:00 – 3:00 pm in Room 323. There will, however, be no program in January.

Keith Mesecher

mesecher@cox.net

To stay informed please add yourself to the Cosmos mailing list by sending a message to:

cosmonauts-subscribe@cosmiccelebration.com

 

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COSMOS Gathering – Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 7:00 pm

Dear Friends,

Cosmos will meet in the Common Room, 112, at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego on Saturday, 28 August 2010 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

Cosmos is about the big picture. We humans are the universe self-aware and evolving in a fresh new way, through conscious self-awareness. We are a powerful new species shaping the earth through our numbers and our powers. We need wisdom equal to our power. Cosmos is about the development of that wisdom so that the entire earth community of which we are members can thrive and continue to evolve. Science has given us a knowledge of the dynamics of the universe which have brought us to this moment. We can learn from what the universe has done, and is doing now, how to participate in a more fruitful way in its evolution. Let’s join together for the adventure of a lifetime and participate consciously and intentionally in the development of that wisdom. Let’s transform ourselves into wise, loving, skillful practitioners of the fine art of living satisfying, joyful lives in harmony and in mutually enhancing relationships with all the other beings of the earth community, and enhance the journey of the evolving earth and universe.

I look forward to being with you,

Keith Mesecher

Convener, Cosmos

mesecher@cox.net

Blog https://cosmiccelebration.wordpress.com/

Website http://www.cosmiccelebration.com/

Cosmos Meets Saturday, 26 June 2010 at 7:00 PM

Dear Friends,

Cosmos will meet in the Common Room, Room 112, at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego on Saturday, 26 June 2010 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

We will be practicing in the tradition of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, using walking meditation, sitting meditation and the practice of deep listening and loving speech, as we explore the deep meaning of our modern scientific understanding of the evolution of the universe, the earth, life and human culture. We are especially concerned with how our understanding applies to the main event happening in the world today, the vast destruction of the earth taking place as a result of human activity, and how we are responding and how we are going to respond so that a vibrant future for all life on earth will be possible.

This month we will focus on spirituality. What does spirituality mean? Is there a spirituality that can be embraced by even an atheist, a modern scientific rational thinker, as well as a romantic enthralled by the magnificence of the cosmos and life on earth? What is the role of spirituality in your life? When do you experience spirituality? How can we cultivate what Brian Swimme called “and embodied, evolutionary spirituality.”  If the word spirituality is not meaningful to you, then think about “peak experiences,” as Maslow used the term in his exploration of “self-actualized people.” What brings you alive? When do you feel most connected to the world of which you are a member?

I look forward to being with you,

Keith Mesecher

Convener, Cosmos

Cosmos meets Saturday, 29 May 2010, to celebrate the story of life

Dear Cosmonauts,

Cosmos will meet on the 29th of May 2010, 7:00 PM, at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, 4190 Front Street,
San Diego, CA 92103-2030
(619) 298-9978

We will meet in Bard Hall Lounge.

In The Great Story of the birth and evolution of the universe, from its beginning as a tiny point, up until our moment,  the story of how the only life we know of in the universe emerged, here on planet earth, is a great story in itself. The earth is about 4 ½ billion years old and life has been around for about 4 billion of those years. How life began in the ancient seas and how it developed is an awesome story and has some important lessons for us about finding our way through the cataclysm we and the earth are going through now, and how we can evolve into what is sure to be a very surprising future.

We will have a presentation of the story of life, walking and guided meditation, singing, photos of the universe from the Hubble Telescope and deep sharing about our role in this most amazing universe.

Cosmos will be co-led by David Viafora this month. David is a member of Zen Master, peace activist and author Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing. He has lived for years at Plum Village, Nhat Hanh’s monastery in France, where Nhat Hanh lives, as well as at his local monastery, Deer Park Monastery, outside of Escondido. David’s many years of practice show in his gentle and skillful leadership and it is a great pleasure to have him co-lead Cosmos this month, when we focus on the generation and possible role of life in the evolution of the universe. David and I met at Deer Park and we practice together locally as part of the World Beat Sangha, which meets every Sunday at 5:00 PM in the World Beat Center in Balboa Park. http://worldbeatsangha.org/

I hope to see you at Cosmos this Saturday.

Keith Mesecher

Convener, Cosmos

Cosmos Gathering 23 January 2010

Cosmos Gathering

Integrating Science and Religion

Saturday, 23 January 2010

7:00 – 9:00 PM Bard Hall Lounge

First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego

Our Topic: The Great Transformation

We live in a universe where dramatic transformations are continually required so evolution may continue to unfold. In our moment a transformation of individual human minds and lives, and human civilization as a whole, is required if the human species, most other species and the well being of the planet are to exist in the future. Our questions might be, “How are we to transform ourselves?”, “How are we to participate in the transformation of human civilization?”, “What is our role in the unfolding of the universe?” “How can we be a force for good in the world?”, “How can we play a role in all of us moving toward a world of peace, joy, harmony, beauty, love and deep enjoyment of the mystery of our being?”, “In short:  How are we to bring about the beloved community of all beings: people, animals, plants and minerals?”

It is, as it has always been, the role of a cosmology to answer these questions, to orient us in our universe. Today we have a deep scientific knowledge of the story of the universe to base our cosmology on, but cosmology is more than science. It includes religion, philosophy, esthetics, ethics, history and spirituality. It is our task to create a cosmology that is appropriate for our time. Let’s do it together. Cosmos is a vehicle for this journey of a lifetime.

Cosmos Meets in January

Dear Friends,

Cosmos will meet the 4th Saturday in January. The topic will be personal transformation and how by transforming ourselves and our way of relating to the world we can, together, transform the world. Perhaps 2010 will begin the decade in which a worldwide transformation gets underway in a clear and dramatic way. A deep transformation of human identity and culture, and our relationship to other species and the earth, is required now. We are called in the direction of love, peace, joy, care of self, care of world as self, care of the whole of which we are members. Let us begin this new decade with the understanding that our role is to participate in a transformation in which we and all of humankind move into a harmonious, mutually enhancing, relationship with all the beings that constitute the earth community, even the great cosmic community. All of life and all of existence is community. We have only to remember this fundamental fact to bring about the transformation needed.

The beloved communithy of all existence and our awareness of this will call forth the creativity needed to bring us to a sustainable, viable, thriving relationship to the planet. Together we can accomplish this great transformation.

The organization Cosmos is here to help us celebrate our great good fortune at being this magnificent universe self-aware and evolving in a fresh new way through us. We will not meet in December but in January we will continue our 4th Saturday of the month, 7PM schedule. We aim to facilitate the transformation of our life on earth in the direction of mutually enhancing relationships with all beings. We aim to contribute to the realization of the beloved community of all beings, animal, plant and mineral, on the earth, in the universe.

Happy hollidays,
happy new year
happy new decade
happy living transforming the world,

Keith

Cosmos Gathering, 23 May 2009

Evolution’s Arrow

COSMOS Gathering… May 23^rd, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Bard Hall Lounge

Where is evolution taking us? Are the patterns of evolution in history liable to repeat in the future? We’ll discuss and explore the patterns of evolution and be visually inspired by the fractal based art of Dr. Michael Sussna. Dr. Sussna will demonstrate the beauty of the infinitely repeating patterns of the universe. Join us for song, ceremony, poetry, discussion and dazzling art.

Suggested reading:  Evolution’s Arrow, The Direction of Evolution and the Future of Humanity, by John Stewart

We thank a reader for the following:

I noticed that John Stewart’s latest work is The Evolutionary Manifesto, a 34 page article about the direction of evolution and its implications for humanity. It is online here: http://www.evolutionarymanifesto.com

To be added to the Cosmos mailing list send a message to:

cosmonauts-subscribe@cosmiccelebration.com

We hope to see you at our 4^th Saturday of every month gathering,

Charles Cairns, Keith Mesecher, Bridget Hanley

April 25th COSMOS Gathering

Dear Friends,

COSMOS presents: The Art and Joy of Personal and Planetary Transformation

You are invited to the monthly Cosmos Gathering which will take place in Bard Hall Lounge on the 4^th Saturday of this month, April 25^th, from 7:00 – 9:00 PM.

The topic for the evening is the great joy, even ecstasy, that flows into us human beings when we realize we are integral to this magnificent, evolving universe, whose story is our story, and that we have a role to play in its unfolding.

We are at a moment in the evolution of the earth, even the universe, when a great awakening and a great transformation are called for, an awakening of human consciousness and a transformation of the way the human species is interacting with all the other species and beings that constitute the earth community, toward a more mutually enhancing relationship.  The alternative is the mass extinction and the vast destruction of the earth and the unnecessary suffering currently underway because of the actions of human beings.

We humans have the capacity for radical transformation, and our transformation to a more mutually enhancing presence on the planet is called for now. The subject of this evening is how we can participate more effectively in the transformation of human consciousness, human culture and the human presence on the earth, and how we can experience the joy that comes with the great awakening to which we are called.

Join us for songs and poems of celebration, the latest news from the evolving universe, and for a conversation in which we all learn together.

And please note:

You are also invited to attend an amazing conference at which Michael Dowd, who inspired this whole Cosmos adventure, Duane Elgin, author of Voluntary Simplicity and The Living Unvierse, and other luminaries will be presenting and at which I have been invited to lead celebratory singing to the Cosmos songs I’ve been writing and give a talk. The conference is:

Science, Wisdom, and the Future
Humanity’s Quest for a Flourishing Earth   

For more information visit:

 

http://epicandfutures.org/

If you are at all interested make your room reservations right away. You can always cancel. 

Yours in the great adventure of learning to live in harmony with the earth and the universe,

Keith

Keith Mesecher

mesecher@cox.net

To be added to the Cosmos mailing list send a message to:

cosmonauts-subscribe@cosmiccelebration.com

check out the cosmos blog:  

https://cosmiccelebration.wordpress.com/

March 28th Cosmos Gathering

Evolution’s Arrow

COSMOS Gathering… Mar. 28^th, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Bard Hall Lounge

Where is evolution taking us? Are the patterns of evolution in history liable to repeat in the future? We’ll discuss and explore the patterns of evolution and be visually inspired by the fractal based art of Dr. Michael Sussna. Dr. Sussna will demonstrate the beauty of the infinitely repeating patterns of the universe. Join us for song, ceremony, poetry, discussion and dazzling art.

 Suggested reading:  Evolution’s Arrow, The Direction of Evolution and the Future of Humanity, by John Stewart

 Charles Cairns & Keith Mesecher

February Cosmos Gathing

EXPLORING THE GAIA HYPOTHESIS

COSMOS Gathering… Feb. 28^th, 7:00 pm, Common Room, 112

A long, long time ago…

In 1979 to be exact, the scientist James Lovelock first expressed the hypothesis that the entire Earth is a single living superorganism, the various components of which – organic and inorganic – interact in such a way as to maintain an environment in which life can exist.  He named this theory the Gaia Hypothesis.

What evidence has been found since 1979 to prove or disprove this hypothesis?  What difference does it make to us in either case?  And perhaps most importantly, what is humanity’s role in this evolution of Planet Earth?

 Join with other cosmic thinkers for an evening of ceremony, poetry, learning and stimulating discussion…

 Suggested reading is The Revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock, 2006.

library call number  QH 343.4

Charles Cairns will lead this discussion