What does a Unitarian
Buddhist do at a Lutheran memorial service?
Show up, breathe deep,
remember the bass-line for "Beautiful Savior"
feel again the currents of love and loss,
embrace, grieve, hope,
begin again
remember my mother-wound
drink lemonade
and in ways beyond counting
sigh into the edge of this great mystery....
Thanks to Krista Spieler and Thomas Smith
for inviting me to say good-bye
to Krista's mother Shirley.
Two Tales, One Dog
Rev. Ted Tollefson
1.
Once upon a time people and animals lived together and spoke
the same language.
Then human beings got uppity and moved to the other side of
the river.
When humans got lonely and began to go crazy, the
animals took pity.
One animal volunteered to swim across the river and remind
humans of other half.
Who volunteered? It was Dog!
2.
Once upon a time people and animals lived together and spoke
the same language.
Then human beings got uppity and moved to the other side of
the river.
When humans got crazy and lonely, God took pity and sent
his best friend to swim across the river and remind humans of other
half.
Who was God's messenger? It was "Dog"
Dog >> God spelled backwards
A
Blessing for our 20th Anniversary
May
the Light of Wisdom open our eyes
so that we are
awakened by a fresh and living truth
May the warmth of Compassion open our hearts
so that no one need
be an outcast, stranger or enemy
May the call to Justice stir our bodies
so that we might
shape for our children and grandchildren
a world without
hunger, a world without war,
a world in which no
one will be punished
for who they love,
how they vote, or what they believe.
Rev. Ted Tollefson
April 18, 2010
Universal Mandate for Health Insurance: A
Good Republican idea?
Rev. Ted E.
Tollefson Frontenac, Minnesota
Though
you might not guess it from the outpourings by Tea-party ranters, the
new mandate that everyone must get health insurance began as a
Republican idea. In the 1970's, President Nixon and many
thoughtful Republicans viewed such a requirement as an
alternative to "Medicare for Everyone". In 1991 an
economist from the Wharton School of Finance named Mark Pauly refined
the idea by combining it with tax credits for employers who provided
health insurance for their employees. The idea got a favorable hearing
in the administration of George Bush, Sr. Former Minnesota
senator Dave Durenberger and other Republicans supported such a
universal mandate in 1993, comparing it to the requirement in most
states that every driver have auto insurance. When everyone is
insured, they argued, costs and law-suits tend to go down.
Fast forward to 2008, when Mitt Romney, then governor of Massachusetts
supported and signed a reform of health insurance that included a
universal mandate. Massachusetts state senator, now U.S.
Senator Scott Brown also supported the idea because it worked:
almost everyone in Massachusetts is now covered and costs have come
down. During the Democratic presidential primary of 2008, it was
Hillary Clinton who supported a Universal Mandate; not
Obama. More than once during the debates Hillary pointed
out that without a universal mandate, there would not be universal coverage. Obama apparently
listened because by the summer of 2009, he signalled his support
for a universal mandate.
By any fair measure, the health reform bill that has now become
law has Republican roots, a Republican trunk
and Democratic branches. It allows
individuals to seek coverage from their employer or through
free-market exchanges. It requires health insurance
companies to make the kind of humane reforms that have been long
over-due: no one may be dis-qualifed for pre-existing conditions;
no one will face impossible rate-hikes because they file a claim.
Parents can provide coverage for their children up to the age of
26. Many health insurance companies support these reforms not
only because they are reasonable and humane, but because the health
insurance companies will gain at least 30 million new customers.
Most healthcare providers support these reforms because the
current system of providing ad hoc universal care through Emergency
Rooms is not economically
sustainable.
After ranting has given way to thoughtful analysis and civil
conversation, I'm hopeful that universally mandated health insurance
will be seen for what it is: a balanced bi-partisan
approach that combines free market economics with appropriate
regulation of the health insurance industry. It is an idea whose time
has finally come---100 years after a progressive Republican president,
Teddy Roosevelt, first proposed it.
Sources:
Many historic references come stories from the Associated Press (week of March 27, 2010)
and theHuffington Post (same week). Former Senator
Dave Durenberger is quoted in an article from Kaiser Health News, "The
Democrats' 2010 Health Reform Plan Evokes 1993 Republican Bill"
February 23, 2010 by Maggie Mertens and The New Republic, "Obama's
Moderate Health Care Plan" March 22, 2010 by Jonathan Chait.
The
Little Train that Could ----a childhood favorite retold by Rev.
Ted Tollefson
There are many versions
of the "The Engine that Could" or the "The Little Train that
Could". One early story called
"Thinking One Could" appeared in a Sunday school publication (1906) and
was reprinted by the Daughters of the American
Revolution(1910). Mary C. Jacobs
published a version called "The Pony Express" (1910). Many of us grew up with
a friendly blue Little Engine (1954) with
lovely illustrations by George and Doris Hauman. It was
been retold by Captain Kangaroo, countless parents, grandparents,
teachers and ministers. I told this version on Sunday
March 21, 2010---the day that the House of Representatives passed an
historic reform of our health care system. May it continue to
inspire us to live with courage tempered with
compassion, self-discipline balanced by service to others.
Once upon a time, there
was a train that set out filled with toys for the good girls and boys
who lived on the far side of the mountain. The train was
hopeful because it knew that it's job was important. Many of
the girls and boys lived on the wrong side of the tracks.
They didn't have toys to play with. As it approached the
foothills, the train began to slow down. Eventually
it coasted onto a side-track where it stopped and waited for
help. The Clown who sometimes acted as conductor walked up and
down the train encouraging the dolls and teddy-bears to be brave.
Surely someone would stop to help them.
By early afternoon, the
tracks began to hum. A train was approaching!
The Clown made big signs that said
"Please
Help!" "We Need a Tow" and had several toys prepared
to wave them aloft. Then they saw the "Green-back Express". It was painted the color of
money: with gold and silver wheels and rhinestones on the
spokes. In the club car, some of your representatives and
mine were smoking Cuban cigars, lit with $100 bills. They saw the
signs asking for help, they saw the Clown waving but they shook their
heads. "Time is money" they said. "Why didn't you
check your engine before leaving home?" And they roared past
leaving
the train full of toys
for the good girls and boys quite discouraged.
But they waited
hopefully for another train. As the sun was setting, the
tracks began to thunder. A heavily armoured train was bearing
down upon them with blacked-out windows, gun turrets fore
and aft, and rocket launchers hidden inside boxcars.
It picked up speed as it saw the little train stalled on the
side-tracks. Most of the toys were afraid to ask for help. Only
the Clown held up the sign that said "Please Help!", but he hid behind
a tree most of the time. "The Blackwater Express" thundered by,
with the gun turrets spinning but did not fire.
Then night fell.
The dolls and the teddy-bears comforted each other. The
Clown walked up and down the isles telling stories of the good girls
and boys who needed a single toy to hold. And eventually they all
fell asleep.
Sun-light awakened the
train full of toys and they all prepared signs saying: "Help!"
"We need a tow!"
"Children are waiting for us."
Soon the tracks began to hum again and many of the toys climbed outside
the train to help the
Clown flag down the train. There was a cloud of smoke at
the horizon, as an old blue
steam locomotive
approached. It was not as fancy as the Green-back Express,
not a scary as the Black-water
Express, but it kept on
chugging. When it saw the signs and the Clown, dolls and
teddy-bears waving them
arms it slowed down and
stopped. It puffed: "How can I help ?"
Within an hour, the
little blue train was pulling the cars filled with toys for the
good girls and boys
up the foot-hills,
towards the mountains. As the grade got steeper, the little
Engine slowed down and worried
that it might not be
able to finish the journey. But then it began repeating to
itself some words of comfort
and encouragement: "I
think I can! I think I can! I think I can!"
And the dolls and teddy bears chanted
back "Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes
we can!"
Soon the Little Engine
and the train full of toys reached the top of the mountain and glided
down the other side.
They could see up in the
distance many of the good girls and boys waiting to welcome them.
A couple of dogs barked with joy and a small band played.
That night, all the toys had found a new home where they were needed
and new arms to hold them.
All the way home,
the Little Engine sang it's new song: "I think I can! Yes we can! I
think I can! Yes we can!"
And that's how the
Little Engine that could became the Little Train that Could.
Don't
Mess with Christmas?
a response by Rev. Ted Tollefson
Unitarian Universalist Society of River Falls, WI
Christmas week 2010
Link to Garrison's 'original' article: http://www.salon.com/opinion/keillor/2009/12/15/cambridge/index.html
As a Norwegian Unitarian minister, I can only marvel at Garrison
Keillor's recent article "Don't Mess with Christmas". Of course,
it is a heinous matter to write new and sometimes improved lyrics to
old standards, but Mr. Keillor has made a pretty good living by doing
so. Nor is it the soundest move to generalize about all Unitarian (or
Lutheran) churches based on a small sample. And I suppose only a
curmudgeon would point out that First Unitarian Church of Cambridge has
earned the right to call itself a "church" in its 377th year,
though Mr. Keillor may call it an "outfit" if he must.
Setting aside these tangential concerns, the real bone I have to pick
with the Old Scout is about religion and imagination. If we take
seriously Keillor's First Commandment ("If you're not in the club, then
buzz off"), then neither Christianity and Buddhism would be possible.
Jesus was born a Jew; Buddha was born a Hindu.
Both turned against what they felt were corrupt aspects of their
received faith. They used old words in new ways ("neighbor", "dharma").
They and their followers created new rituals, new stories, new
spiritual and ethical practices. By following the "small still voice
within" which Mr. Keillor has put to such ample good use and yet
despises in others, they created something new, sometimes offensive and
yet deeply liberating.
I'm inclined to believe that each individual and congregation must work
out for itself how to celebrate our holidays. I'd be willing to
bet a life-time supply of pretty good goods, that very few
congregations---even the Real Ones--- sing "Silent Night" in its
original German version. Most Unitarian congregations which I have
served sing the
English translation that is commonly in use. My only insistence is that
we sing all the verses and not drip candle wax on the floor. Why?
Because candle wax is hard to clean up and the deep, serene Light that
is hidden between the notes of "Silent Night" takes a while to sneak
into our guarded hearts and minds. And that same Light still shines
clearly in Emerson and Mary Oliver, Mr. Keillor and his Unitarian fans.
"all is calm, all is bright"...
Rev. Ted Tollefson
The Unitarian Universalist Society of River Falls, WI
revted9@earthlink.net
Blessed are the peace-makers
The
Lost Flying Dogs of Frontenac
Rev. Ted Tollefson September 21, 2009 (Fall Equinox)
They're back again: the lost flying dogs of
Frontenac. At least that's how Gryff, our
australian shepherd, sees them. Whenever a wave of honkers
pass overhead, he runs to the deck trying to be helpful. Why are they
lost? Where are they trying to go? How
could he help?
This happens every year in mid-September. First come the
Lutherans: on-time or early, flying in orderly formations, with ushers
directing traffic from the edges. Then come the Catholics:
on time but not early and clearly having a good deal more fun
than the Lutherans. Near the tail end of September or early
October, the Unitarian honkers arrive. A bit late, but
enjoying every minute of it! A bit random in their
formations. How do we know they're
Unitarians? They hold committee meetings on the
fly. Flying west, then discussing
options. Flying north, considering other
possibilities. Turning east. Another
meeting and a vote and its back to the south. They fly
down-river when they are good and ready! They are
not especially interested in the opinions of Gryff and I. since we're
not able to join
their air-born caucuses.
Within a month, all the honkers will be gone, following their
ancient faith, southward towards the Mississippi delta or
Florida. Gryff and I will be left behind
again. By January we'll be pining to join them. For now, we
are grateful for the music of their passing.
Mary Oliver writes of this same winged flock:
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the
clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how
lonely,
the world offers itself to your
imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese,
harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
("Wild Geese")
YES!
Blessed are the peace-makers
Sunday
August 28,
2009: A Gift for the Kennedy brothers
Among many other gifts, the Kennedy brothers---John, Robert and
Teddy---shared
a love of poetry and a love of sailing.
Tennyson was one of their favorites. This poem by Tennyson
unites
these
themes. It seems a fitting farewell for Senator
Ted Kennedy who, in his 46 years in the US Senate, translated the
ideals of his
brothers into law. I've changed one word.
Can you find it?
“Crossing the Bar”
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Sunset and evening star
And one
clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put
out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full
for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the
boundless deep
Turns
again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after
that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I
embark;
For though from out our bourne of Time
and Place
The flood
may bear me far,
I hope to see my brothers face to face
When I
have crossed the bar.
Rev. Ted E. Tollefson
Now the work for Universal Health care begins again.
There's still plenty of room for more crew
Blessed are the peace-makers
Minister's
Musings: "How Much is that
Bottle of Aspirin?"
The
debate about health care reform is complex. Not as complex as going to
the
moon, but sufficiently complex to call for a story. This is a story my
father
told many times to all who would listen.
Before
my mother died, she spent several months in a long-term care
facility.
Each month my Dad would go over the
bills. He
noticed
alot of "deliveries" at $20 each. He called the
director
to ask what the deliveries were for. The
director
said, "Ted...it's
not your problem...Medicare will take care of it ". Dad
replied ,
"those bills have my name on them.
What are they for?"
It turned out they were for aspirin delivered at $20 each.
My
Dad thought about this and made an appointment with the
director.
He asked why they charged so much for aspirin. The director
went
into a
long-winded explanation . When he was finally done, my dad
reached into
his coat pocket and put a bottle of two hundred aspirin on the
director's desk.
He asked the director what it was worth . The director said
"a
buck
...less for us because we buy in bulk".
"No,"
said my Dad, "You haven't been
listening."
"That's 200 hundred aspirin delivered . By your standards, it's worth
$4000. I want a credit to our bill". Dad claimed
that a
credit
was made but never specified the amount.
The
interactions between Medicare, a for-profit care facility,
its
director,
and my Dad there are
complex. But a few lessons
seem clear.
When the profit motive over-rides common sense,
the bills
sent to
Medicare can sky-rocket. But citizens can call a
complex
system to
account if they know which levers to push. Informed, vigilant
citizen-consumers
are the fulcrum of both justice and common sense---in our
democracy.
What
is a bottle of aspirin worth? Taking aspirin regularly may
reduce
the
risk of heart attacks and colon
cancer.
If
you think about the cost of treating either of those diseases, a little
bottle
of aspirin, self-administered, is worth a small fortune. Best
of
all: self-delivery is usually free.
Rev.
Ted Tollefson
UU
Society of River Falls August 19, 2009
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GIFTS
from a
May-Fly
Memorial
Service
for Jim D. Groves
Rev.
Ted
Tollefson,
UU
Society of
River Falls, WI August 8, 2009
A
special guest
came with me when I went to say good-bye to Jim
at
United
Hospital in St. Paul.
Several
people
in the white hallways stared at my straw hat;
a
few added
“nice lure”.
The
special
guest was a May-Fly freshly hatched from Frontenac, Minnesota
member
of a
species whose Latin name means “winged ephemoria”.
Jim
would
probably know its Latin name
and
how to
pronounce it correctly.
He
might regale
us at great length
with
the details
of its whole life-cycle.
That
little
May-fly that came with me to say good-bye to Jim
is
a winged
messenger of 3 truths
that
I find
difficult to avoid
even harder to refute:
All
lives,
including our own , are transient---
just
like the
may flies, and Jim and all of us here
our
lives are
joined in a sentence that ends
with
a period
an
exclamation
point,
or
a question
mark.
All
lives,
including our own , are connected---
all
of us here
in this room are now joined
by
the
generosity of Jim's life
the
sadness of
his loss
and
our hope
that the best of Jim
will
live on
through us--------
his
tenacious
caring,
his
fierce
curiosity
and
the sparkle
in his eye
when
he asked a
challenging question.
All
lives,
including our own, are precious.
When
I released
the may-fly
it
fluttered
around the hospital meeting room,
flitting
from
hand to hand
reminding
us to
stop!
cherish
the
beauty of this moment
and
tenderly
hold the lives
entrusted
to our
care
and
then, when
the moment comes,
to
let it
go....to let it go...
Jim
might prefer
that I stop at this point,
but
some of us
in this room operate within
a
horizon of
beliefs that may be different than Jims.
So
I want to add
a few remarks
for
those of us
whom imagine our lives
within
a
framework of hope
that
reaches
beyond
what
we know for
sure.
If
you like, you
can imagine Jim saying: “are you sure?”
at
the end of
these after- thoughts.
Jim's
spirit,
however we imagine it
has
been
released from its body
and
no longer
struggles for breath.
Thank
goodness
for that!
It
wanders in
realms we can scarcely conceive
except
to hope
that
wherever
Jim is
the
fishing is
good,
the
beer is cold
 and
the company is as half as good
as
the family
and friends gathered in this room
who
wish him well
on
the next
stage of his journey....
TT:
Amen!
JDG:
Are you sure?
Rev.
Ted
Tollefson
August
8, 2009
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Camp
StarTrail: Ted and Kristen's Big UU Adventure
August
11,
2009 Rev Ted Tollefson
In
the rear-view mirror of memory, Camp
StarTrail is looming large this week. Kristen and I
were
among the
97 pioneers
who made there way to a Lutheran camp near Ashland,
Nebraska. We
hitched a ride with Rev. Phil Lund and his son Henry
David who is indeed named for Thoreau. For several
years,
I've been
part of conversations encouraging the formation of
a camp near the south edge of our district so that Camp Unistar,
usually
oversubscribed, might have some company.
The first thing I have to say about Camp StarTrail is that it was intense.
We worshiped twice a
day with provocative lectures
each morning. Kristen and I co-led two
workshops---"Waking
Up" in the morning and "Dreaming Deep" in the afternoon.
There were lively conversations at meals, staff meetings, walks outside
in the
cool of the day. I think you get the picture.
Second, Camp StarTrail was cushy.
We stayed in
"Sjogren", the middle range lodging, with incredibly comfortable
beds, a flat screen tv on the wall, with internet connections most of
the
day. Third, the
food was
amazing! Some
of the
most tasty camp food I've encountered----including a salad bar with
blue cheese
and Greek olives!
Our theme speaker was Rev.
Kendyl Gibbons who spoke each
day
about
"Spiritual Maturity"
for Unitarian Universalists.
Drawing upon several worlds religions, she identified twelve qualities
which
differentiate mature from less mature forms of
Unitarian Universalism. You'll be hearing more about this
topic
from me
this fall. We may even have a "twelve step group"
for UU's on the path towards spiritual growth! Here's one
example:
the spiritually mature realize that much of religious language
is metaphor. For example, "the Kingdom of Heaven"
is
neither pie in the sky when you die NOR real estate to fight over in the
Middle East. It is a metaphor for those times and places when
our
lives
are governed or guided by the love of truth and the truth of
love.
Would I recommend Camp StarTrail? Yes!
Especially
if you're
looking for an intense, almost luxurious camp that is
unabashedly
UU positive.
When
Things Fall Apart
Rev
Ted Tollefson
& members
of the Unitarian Universalist Society of
River Falls, WI
July
19, 2009
1.
Pay Attention
2.
Ask for Help
3.
Accept Help
4.
Practice Serenity: differentiating between what you can and cannot
change
5.
Go to your safe place: physical, imaginary, spiritual
6.
RESET and begin again
breathe deep and move slow
go to sleep
walk, run
or swim
have a cup of coffee or tea
get a second opinion
7.
Do your Spiritual Practice:
prayer & meditation
the 6 steps
yoga, t'ai chi, chi gong, fitness training
atune with Nature
mantra
reading
writing in your journal
joining this religious community
look for lessons, learnings
be grateful for what you already have
8.
Do what makes you feel good:
go shopping
eat chocolate
commune with a pet
work in your garden
take time alone
call a friend
clean, sort, organize, throw
let go of fear & worry & your plans
trust those trying to help
knit, weave, crochet, draw, paint
get a latte
play computer games
write in journal
sleep on it
watch British comedies
laugh out loud
listen to music, make music, sing
talk with friends and family
cook and eat
take a nap or a warm shower or bath
9.
make careful distinctions between short-term and long-term crises
10.
Minister's Musings
Sunday
June 28,
2009: Visit to a Hindu Temple
My
encounter with
Hinduism began 40 years ago when I signed up for a U of M
summer
class on
Existentialism with
"M.J. Abhishaker". "Abhi" as he was known to
his friends and students was the first person I met who was a global
thinker.
He was equally at home with Existentialism and Buddhism, Dante's Divine
Comedy and The
Bhagavad Gita. Over a
course of
many years he became my mentor and friend. Among many other
gifts
he
introduced me to India Cooking and thereby saved me
from the bland cuisine of my Norwegian/English/Scotch ancestors.
The Hindu Temple of Minnesota whose opening celebration
Kristen
and I
attended has been twenty years in the making.
It's 43,000 square feet contains rooms for every conceivable purpose
with gods
and goddesses representing the
diverse pantheon of Hindu religion. Along with about 5,000
other
guests, we were offered a shuttle bus ride by
kindly volunteers from the Hindu community. After we took off
our
shoes,
we entered the sanctuary where several
hundred people were milling about, each worshiping a particular
manifestation
of the Divine. More than most western religions,
Hindus realize that the "finger pointing at the moon is not the moon"
and so make room multiple divine masks and metaphors.
This courtesy and tolerance helped Hindus with a hundred languages and
thousands of gods and goddesses live together in relative
peace for hundreds of years.
There's also a cafeteria where dozens of spices, herbs, grains, nuts
and sauces
conspire to create the diverse delicious
unity this is East Indian cooking. The delightful
breadth
of
god-images and cuisine reminded again of my friend
Abhi who sometimes said that "all
who search after Truth are
Hindus". This
might also mean that Hindus are
Unitarians and Unitarian are Hindus. We know that
we
are
blind philosophers holding a piece of the Elephant
who must listen and learn to gain a picture of the dynamic whole.
Join us sometime this fall for a group field trip to the Hindu Temple
of
Minnesota. Come curious and hungry. In the meantime,
here's a link to their web-site: http://hindumandirmn.org/
Sunday July 5: The American Founders were Deists, Unitarians &
Masons
Three
summers ago I had
a rare attack of politeness. I was in Nashville, TN and had
just
completed five days of
"boot-camp" for UU interim ministers. I went out to a local
BBQ
joint to celebrate and over-heard a conversation
among three or four fundamentalist ministers who were proclaiming to
all who
would listen that "the Founding Fathers
were all good Christians" and "America was a Christian nation".
Rather than arguing, I decided to try something new:
I listened
to see what I could learn. What I learned what
that
their view of revolutionary American history was sparse
and selective. They did not refer to the Declaration of
Independence or
the Bill of Rights. They marshaled anecdotal
evidence that the Founders sometimes attended or contributed to
Christian
churches. And that if you look carefully,
you can find one or two treaties which make reference to America as a
"Christian Nation".
After reading Gary Kowalski's wonderful book Revolutionary
Spirits,
I
would say that the American founders were
complex men with multiple religious identities. Most of them
were
a of
combination of Deists, Untarians and/or Masons.
The three people often credited with drafting the Declaration of
Independence
are a case in point. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and
John
Adams
were all Deists:
they believed that the Creator was revealed in
Nature
understand through Reason and Science.
Deists prefer the God of Nature to the Gods of revealed religions; they
prefer
Reason and Facts to Faith and Revelation. Jefferson
powerfully
exemplified this faith in Reason, Nature and Nature's God when he took
a pair
of scissors to New Testament cutting away all supernatural
references.
Jefferson, Franklin and Adams were theological Unitarians
who
viewed
Jesus as a prophet and teacher NOT a God. Jefferson and
Franklin
were
inspired by the English scientist and Unitarian minister Joseph
Priestly.
When Priestly fled England after his home and laboratory were
burned by
the fundamentalists of his day, they helped him establish First Church
Unitarian in Philadelphia.
John Adams was a member of First Church Unitarian in Quincy,
Massachusetts who sold some of his land so to help build a
Unitarian
Church there. And finally, many Founders including Franklin,
Jefferson
and Washington were Masons: they
participated in an
Enlightenment faith
which proclaimed itself a universal faith based on Reason, not
revelation. Because of their faith in Reason and their
distrust
of inspired,
sectarian religion that Jefferson, Adams and Franklin conspired to
draft a
constitution based on the SEPARATION of church and state, not the
unification
of church and state.
Were the Founding Fathers "good Christians"? Hardly---they
went
to great lengths to find and articulate a faith based on Reason
not Revelation, on Nature's God not the God-man of the Christian Bible.
Is America a "Christian Nation"? Not according to the Bill of
Rights enshrined in our constitution: " " Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion". (Article
2)
Sunday July 12: Shakespeare on the Mississippi
If
you like Shakespeare
and don't live too far from Winona, Minnesota a
wonderful
evening
of theater awaits you.
We traveled down the "Great River Road" (Highway 61) to meet 3
couples from River Falls for a matinee performance
of Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Despite a labyrinth of
blocked-off streets, we met in a parking lot of Winona State University
for the Great River Shakespeare Festival, now in its 6th
season.
This
theater company creates "theater magic" the old-fashioned
way: by the power of superb acting, simple yet effective stagecraft and
Shakespeare's mind-stretching vocabulary.
Among many other gifts, this play contains one of Shakespeare's most
famous
speeches which may also be his farewell to theater
voiced by Prospero, the Magi:
Our
revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
The
Tempest Act 4, scene 1, 148–158
After
a dazzling performance,
we found our way to a near-by park for a feast worthy of the Bard
himself.
We drove home along the Mississippi as day turned towards night, still
reflecting on some of the timeless questions this play
planted in our hearts and minds:
What
are the limits of magic, art and imagination?
How is the drive towards power bounded by compassion, love and a freely
chosen
life?
What invisible circle connects the fiery power of imagination (Ariel)
with the
earthy depths of passion (Caliban)?
Why does
Prospero, the magician, renounce his powers?
For more information about the Great River Shakespeare Festival and its
July
schedule, contact: http://grsf.org/