Seattle Unity Church

"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, even now. Our special Worship Arts guest is Lavon Hardison. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services. And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want to get regular updates? Stay updated with our most recent newsletter here.  

"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 resurrected lives? Our Easter Worship Arts team is larger than we've had in many months, with special guests Frederick Hagreen, and congregants Chris Sullivan and Alexandrea Davis - all still safe and socially distanced.  Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services. And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want to get regular updates? Stay updated with our most recent newsletter here. &nb

"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, religious traditions offer us the examples of Moses and Jesus, as leaders of their times. How did they step out of an old life and into a new one?  What were the challenges, the strategies and the surprises, that we can learn from as we prepare to move from pandemic thinking to a post-pandemic world? Our Worship Arts includes special guest Chava Mirel.  Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services. And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, includ

"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 materials, including Myrtle Fillmore's Healing Letters. Francis exemplifies the fifth Unity principle, in that she rooted her work in meditation and silence, but then brought that divine connection out into the world. This kind of spiritually well-rooted action effects great changes and lasting benefits for all. Our Worship Arts includes special guest Darrius Willrich.  Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services. And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagra

"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 in prayer or meditation, in 'bhakti' or devotional practices.  Maybe we expect a direct experience of God to look or feel a certain way. But as truth students, we can develop our ability to experience God in any and every moment, and also in each other. Our Worship Arts includes special guest Tiffany Wilson. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services. And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and

"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 images or feelings become so powerful, we remember them even when we're awake?  How do we remember even more?  Rev. Karen illustrates several techniques for developing our universal intuitive tools, to experience our higher selves more often, more directly, and even touch the Mind of God within. Our Worship Arts includes special guests Andrea Carino, Ryan Narcisco, and dancer Alex Kronz. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services. And as always, see our Facebook  page

"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 founding priestess of Gaia’s Temple, an inclusive, earth-based ministry, celebrating 20 years of service in the Seattle area. She also enjoys a successful private practice as a psychic, spiritual counselor, hypnotherapist, and shamanic practitioner. In this talk, Judith taps into her tradition's mystical tools for metaphysical wisdom-seeking. Our Worship Arts includes special guest Tommie Burton. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Face

"Any time you step out and break through that limitation, you break it for others as well." In honor of today's annual congregational meeting, Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig takes  a quick look back at Unity basics and Unity founding history. What makes Unity unique and different from other traditions?  She describes Unity as a tradition of breaking through the shell of previous ideas, and she draws parallels with the traditions responsible for this week's spectacular Mars Rover landing. Seattle Unity's current building project is another great example of innovation built on a tradition and long term commitment of many people, not just one or two key innovators. Johnnie Woods offers a reading from founder Chares Fillmore's Keeping a True Lent.  Our Worship Arts includes special guests sisters Sarah and Be Russell. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening

"Imagine a wheel with all the different aspects of love. While Eros may get the fire going, it's Pragma, enduring love, *standing* in love, that actually keeps it going." Celebrating a very snowy Valentine's Day, Rev. Karen leads an all-remote service. She examines many different kinds of love, from love-for-all to romantic love to sustaining love. She pulls examples from myth, history and personal experience to help us make sense of this often overused word 'love'. Our Worship Arts includes special guests Jeff Fielder and Tekla Waterfield. Special thanks to them and all the other folks - notably livestream master Phil Homan, who helped shift this service from in-person to online only. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and

"Ruth explained again and again that the Unity system for licensing teachers and ordaining ministers was stacked against Black people with tests that were biased in favor of whites, and that its discriminatory practices were counter to Unity teachings. In other words, Unity was not practicing what it preached." In honor of Black History month, Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig looks at Unity's own denominational history around entrenched racism.  The stories of Rev. Ruth Mosley and Rev. Johnnie Coleman illustrate what it takes to make change in the world, whether it means coaxing a traditionalist leadership to bend, or striking out on one's own entirely. Gerald Schley blesses the offering. Our Worship Arts includes special guest  Jimmy Shields. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram f

"The truth is that we are all sons and daughters of the most high... and we're only using a small percentage of our capacity. So, my question to you is: what do you want in your life?" Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig looks at manifestation, and our human power to create from our imagination. How do we best use our co-creative capacities with God, so that our individual and collective experience of the world may be the highest and best it can be?  Through vision-boarding, acting as-if, brainstorming, and other tools like these, we leverage the power of Imagination to leap forward beyond current limitation. Gail Crumpton offers a reading from Rev. Pam MacGregor called Accepting Divine Ideas. Our Worship Arts includes special guest Frederick Hagreen. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instag

"I invite you to embrace your inner misfit, your inner rebel, the one that knows there is a better way, the one that knows there is a way we can create a world that works for all." Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig explores what it means to be a change agent in the world. Using diverse examples from myth and history, she looks at the concept of "stealing fire"  - that is, courageously shifting norms for the benefit of a whole society.  Who makes these kinds of leaps forward, and what are the costs? Robyn McKoy reads the Amanda Gorman inaugural poem, and Melissa Mager blesses the offering. Our Worship Arts comes from Erin McGaughan, Olivia Hamilton, and David Loy. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want to get r

"We can use our words to create havoc, or we can use our words to increase love and understanding." Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig returns to discuss the power of the Creative Word.  This concept appears in the works of Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore, and resonates especially deeply this week, in the aftermath of an insurrection attempt on the Capitol. In a preview of this year's annual theme, she compares the words of figures like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, who have transformed spiritual "lead into gold", and invites us to do the same. Today also features a New Member welcoming, with Carolyn Burton and Lea Wasson. Our special Worship Arts guest is Jonas Myers. Jonas is already known to many of us for his accompanist work, so it's especially lovely to see him confidently stepping into the soloist role. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday

"If it's true, then we come to this earth school - I call it soul-making - to have myriad experiences in order to perfect or to complete this thing called the field of soul." Guest speaker Michael Bogar returns to discuss the concept of reincarnation, especially the recent work of Ian  Stevenson, Andrea Leininger and others. As he points out, New Thought students may well ask "so what?" but the topic appears in some of Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore's work. While Unity itself does not have a hard position on the topic, it remains a fascinating subject, and one which Michael will go deeper into in an online class. Our special Worship Arts guest is Stephanie Anne Johnson. Check out the full service video here. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want

"The truth is, that since we're not so busy, running to parties and doing all the things that we normally do socially, this actually gives us an opportunity to focus on the true meaning of this holiday." Senior Minister Rev. Karen Lindvig leads a very different version of our Christmas Eve Candlelighting service, but this time we're integrating the Zoom and livestream technologies, so that we can see each other a little bit during our service.   Thank you to all the Zoomers who participated, as well as all those who watched on livestream. Our special Worship Arts guest is Tiffany Wilson, a longtime Seattle Unity favorite. Check out the full service video here, including a lovely slideshow of congregants' Christmas lights. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and m

"That word white ... comes originally from the word leukos, and leukos can also mean bright or brilliant. To me this is the essence of the White Stone ritual. It's calling out that brilliance in you, that divine quality, that is most needed in this moment, in your life and in the world." Associate Minister Diane Robertson leads our annual White Stone ceremony,  using personal stories and biblical reference to bring this tradition to life.  How do we receive our words?  How do we make them unique to each one of us, how do we give them juiciness, and what is the nature of manifestation?  Join us as we leverage the best of Unity traditions, for a big, meaningful step into 2021. Our special Worship Arts guest today is Ireland Woods, a regular singer from our sister ministry at Unity of Everett. Check out the full service video here. The talk begins at 15:32. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening pr

"It is when we change ourselves that we then can influence and change the world around us." This year's Burning Bowl ritual of releasing is different from other years, in that we're not doing this together, but independently at our homes, but Rev. Karen speaks the word about this rich practice.  2020 perhaps more than other years, offers us plenty to throw into our spiritual fire. Worship Arts are presented by David Loy and Olivia Hamilton.  Chaplain Patricia Flores gives the offering blessing. Check out the full service video here, including a lovely video from our Chaplain Dedication. The talk begins at 18:56. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want to get regular updates? Stay updated with our most recent newsletter here.  

"The word solstice, in latin, means 'sun set still.'  I believe that 'sun set still' is also a reminder for us to be Soul still." On this Fourth Sunday in Advent, Rev. Karen draws on one of her superpowers:  astrology.  As we prepare for the The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on this year's solstice, we can use the moment to examine what other major changes may be coming.  "What is it that is calling me forward, what is my guiding star?" Our Worship Arts guest is Lavon Hardison, with backing from James Howard. Check out the full service video here. The talk begins at 19:15. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want to get regular updates? Stay updated with our most recent newsletter here.  

"The more clearly we see the reality of the world, the better equipped we are to deal with the world. We have some big issues that we need to face." Rev. Karen uses this third Sunday in Advent to explore both truth and Truth. While (big 't') Truth is eternal, small 't' truth is shifting, and often challenging to see clearly.  Whether it's rose-colored glasses, exaggeration, or straight up denial, we fall into darkness when we do not stay committed to seeing the world clearly. Our Worship Arts guest is Sarah Russell. Check out the full service video here. The talk begins at 19:00. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want to get regular updates? Stay updated with our most recent newsletter here.  

"It may feel we end back at a place where we began. We learn something, and then we're called, with the same pattern, to learn it again at a deeper level." Rev. Karen uses this second Sunday in Advent to explore the idea of repeated lessons.  This is how we can come back over and over to Advent and Christmas, and still find more spiritual treasure. This service also features a blessing for Karen's 30 years in this ministry. Our Worship Arts guests are Justin Huertas and Tyler Rogers. Check out the full service video here. The talk begins at 19:00. Take advantage of all the ways we can stay connected during this time, including after-service fellowship, Daily Prayer Boosts, and Wednesday evening prayer services.  And as always, see our Facebook  page or our Instagram for more, including quotes from our lesson notes, readings, and more. Want to get regular updates? Stay updated with our most recent newsletter here.