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PSI Symposium Annual Journal 2003
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| Your Editor was pleased to be one of the Psi Symposium speakers at this year's UUA General Assembly in Boston. The title of my address to some 100 plus GA attendees was somewhat presumptuous: "Dick's Excellent Adventure into the Psychic and Paranormal." In my presentation I tried to answer the question, "How do psychic and mystical experiences relate to a rational UU approach to religion?" by sharing my views and experiences from more than 30 years of personal and professional association with the Psi Symposium. I also attempted to say why UU's should continue to be interested in this realm of human experience because, like it or not, there is truth to be found here. I do not know if I succeeded, but a lively discussion followed my presentation.
Back in 1980 the Rev. Dr. Josiah Bartlett had the courage to preach about "Psi and Liberal Religion" from the pulpit of the Orange Coast UU Church in Costa Mesa, California, where he was serving as interim minister. He submitted it to the PSI Journal and we were pleased to share it with our readers at that time. It seems just as timely today as it did then and I am pleased to resurrect it for our readers in 2003. Though Joe is in spirit his words from 23 years ago are reincarnate in this issue of the Journal. The Rev. Dr. Peter E. Lanzillotta is past President of the UU Psi Symposium Board. During one of his recent interim ministries at UU Society East in Manchester, Connecticut, Peter preached on the topic of "Imagination as Our Spiritual Gift", a somewhat esoteric topic which he applied in a very practical way to the challenges facing a congregation in the midst of change and transition. He showed that the metaphysical and the practical can indeed meet and converge. Back in 1984-85 your Editor published an article about "Exploring Reincarnation in Theory, Fantasy and Experience." I have used the ideas and techniques from that article in many a past lives workshop both before and after its publication. By special request I am pleased to republish (or should I say reincarnate) that article for our readers in 2003 as I have done for Josiah Bartlett's article noted above. The next article makes an excellent companion piece to my article on reincarnation. The late John K. Hammond was former minister to First and Second Church in Boston among others. In 1975 we published his sermon with the intriguing title, "Do We Live Again (and Again)?" Not many UU ministers in 1975 preached about reincarnation from their supposedly liberal pulpits. Not many do so today. So we thought it worth while to let his words be heard again (and again) in 2003. The final selection in this year's issue of the Psi Symposium Annual Journal is "A Reflection on Religion and Science" (also by your Editor) which was originally preached as my farewell sermon to the First Parish UU Church in Bridgewater, Mass. in June of 2002. I have since taken it on the road where it has been well received by other UU congregations. The topic is clearly relevant to UU's who believe that psychic and paranormal experiences have implications worth considering for both science and religion. In closing I would like to make an appeal to our members and readers for fresh materials worthy of consideration for publication in our Journal. I am running out of good articles and find myself relying too much on what we have done in the past and on my own efforts in this realm. Surely there must be more of you out there who have something worth sharing or can recommend the same by others. Please let me hear from you. REV. RICHARD M. FEWKES |
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