I want to be a dogfish

and catch a leaping catfish

with whiskers as long as the stream.

And I want to be

the rain trinkling down on the world

telling it it's springtime. — Noah Frank, Grade 2, Lakeshore Elementary School, California

This session explores the first Unitarian Universalist Source, "Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life." Of all the Sources, this may be the hardest for young children to grasp, yet it defines us distinctly as Unitarian Universalists. This Source is rooted in Transcendentalism, most notably in the thinking of Henry David Thoreau, who taught us to live in harmony with nature, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who taught us we can directly experience the awe, wonder, and mystery in nature.

The story in this session is a meditation on how we are part of the natural evolution of life.

Goals

This session will:

• Introduce the first Source of Unitarian Universalism, the sense of wonder we all share
• Guide participants to discover the awe and wonder of nature and to experience themselves as part of nature.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Articulate the first Source of Unitarian Universalism in their own words
• Experience and express the awe and wonder of nature
• Replicate a soothing sound from nature by creating rain sticks.