6 —, OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS — NOVEMBER 1997 "l buy all my stuff all the l“c;«1cc &]u.s'ticc Store, where else?" -Lois, orwor ‘W- poi‘: 3”‘: FAN“ Special orders welcome We are proud to carry the area’s largest selection of gay, lesbian, and bisexual books and magazines. 81 Church St., Burlington, VT 802-862-4332 1-800-NEW BOOK Quite Simply... lllllt‘ lllicsr Cr >ll(‘C.l'll.‘11 of Furniture, C I.1r'pcrii1g & .-‘\<.‘C<_‘.\,'\‘t_)l‘iL"\ in l\'crm(>m Rutland House Ltd. r1s_1‘.’30 - an tne heart of rnanchestercenter,v:1r:nom 162 souzh mam sveet ruzlano, ve.'rr,-snl 05701 £802)?‘/'5~291l (802)362-2001 from all over verrnonl: (800)649-2911 * * uhuenixrising* , - spirited jewelry & gills - ~k . , ‘k _ 104 mom street, one lllght up monlpeller 802.229.0522 BY REV. CHRISTINE LESLIE ince moving to Vermont I have enjoyed, for the most part, what the sea- sons have to offer here. For in- stance, during our first winter, Martha and I found the snow fun to ski in and invigorating to shovel. Once spring arrived in Iune, summer was lovely and a lot longer and warmer than the ”one day in July” we had been counseled to expect. The fall foliage was beyond anything I have ever even seen, much less imagined, in terms of magnitude of beauty and brilliance of hues. What has come as a sur- ‘prise to us is just how dark it gets in the middle of the after- noon now that the clocks have been turned back an hour! Never having lived this far . north before neither Martha or I have ever experienced such a dramatic loss of light‘ as we are experiencing now. You can bet that we now have a new found appreciation for the light that does pour into our kitchen and dining area through sliding glass doors this time of year! Needless to say napping on the carpet in the sun pouring through those sliding glass doors on Sunday afternoons, with a variety of household critters, is a favorite in our home. Our need for light seems to be built into our bodies. Like leaves that need light in order to do their photosynthesis "thing, our bodies also need a certain amount of light to feel upbeat and well. I believe this is true for our souls as well. Our spirits are so intertwined with our bodies, at least while we are here, that they are es- sentially one and the same. What seems to be good for the body is good for the soul and vice versa. I believe this is true whether or not we consciously understand and accept this notion. The upshot of all this is_ that we create rituals, beliefs, stories, and practices, just to name a few activities, to help us meet our need for light, lit- erally and figuratively speak- ing, in our lives. For instance, isn’t it inter- esting that Chanukah, the ]ew- ish Festival of Lights that com- memorates the rededication of ‘ the Temple in 165 BC by Judas Maccebeus, occurs in Decem- ber? And isn’t it interesting that around 350 AD early Christian church leaders in Rome decided to formalize the celebration of Christ's birth at the same time as the winter people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's notjust in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence au- tomatically liberates others.” As we go deeper into this time of darkening days and brace ourselves for the Festival of Commercial & Religious And isn’t it interesting that our culture, based in the northern hemisphere of the earth, has put so much. stock (literally and figuratively speaking) in the delivery of toys to children in December by a fanciful, grandfatherly elf when playing outside is at a minimum‘? solstice celebrations paid hom- age to Mithra, the popular an- cient Persian god of light and truth and opponent of dark- ness and evil? And isn’t it in- teresting that our culture, based in the northern hemi- sphere of the earth, has put so much stock (literally and figu- ratively speaking) in the deliv- ery of toys to children in De- cember by a fanciful, grandfa- therly elf when playing outside is at a minimum? Our need for light, liter- ally and figuratively speaking, is very real. To live without it can create negative conse- quences for us. This explains why light has been used by so many spiritual traditions and spiritual people as a metaphor for that which is sacred and holy in our lives and for that which brings hope and re- newed life. It's why Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 25 years for opposing apartheid in South Africa, could say the following in his 1994 Presiden- tial Inaugural Speech: ”Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ”Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other Frenzy we call ”the holidays,” I hope the wisdom of Nelson Mandela sheds some light on the path we walk in the days and months to come. Most of all, I hope during this holiday season and the new year ahead ' we can ”manifest the glory of God” more and more each day in our own ways because light matters a lot, literally and figu- ratively speaking, and so does faith in ourselves, each other, and our understanding of The Holy. Please remember: Our playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around us. Peace and blessings to you and yours. Rev. Christine Leslie, the first, openly ordained lesbian in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is co—founder and direc- tor of Triangle Ministries, A Cen- ter For Lesbian and Gay Spiritual Growth near Burlington, VT. Rev. Leslie is available for coun- seling, commitment services,- workslzop and retreats, and spe- cializes in the integration of spiri- tual development with sexual- identity formation. She can be reached at 802-860-7106 or by email revcsl@aol.c0m. Visit the TM web page at http:// membersaol.com/revcsl «#57: Rio. Srmm; 1‘ ever»: a HASH V Ri : V , Golden Threads Discreet Contact Publication for Lesbian Women over 50, blip: / /rnernbers.ao}.com/ golden lred / index.htm Sample Copy $5 email: GOLDEN’I‘RED@ao1,com P. O Box 65, Richford, VT 05476-0065 and younger Triangle ‘Ministries AYAVAVAV A Center For Lesbian 8: Gay Spiritual Development: Individual, Couple 81' Group Counseling Commitment Services, Workshops 8: Retreats Rev. Christine 5. Leslie, M.Div. 14 White Birch Lane - Williston, VT 05495 802-860-7106 - Email: revcsl@aol.com http://members.aol.com/revcsl