Former minster Rev. Kathy McCall fielded questions about Unity from the audience during a Sunday Service called "In the Question". Attendees wrote questions and passed them up to Kathy. The session was recorded, and cassette tapes are available for $5. Here is a transcription of the recording:
Q: What does Unity believe about global warming?
A: We believe it is happening! And that it’s good to educate ourselves and do all that we can about it, each one of us personally, and collectively.
Q: And we're getting right to it here, What does Unity believe about sex outside of marriage?
A: There is no dogma! Unity teaches that sex is a beautiful thing. And if no one is getting hurt- that is the operative question. Does this act hurt anyone, or is it an act that can bless. And if it a blessing, then go for it! I like what Matthew Fox says about perpetuating sexuality as a sinful act. He said we have to stop focusing only on the neck up, especially in church, and bring the whole body into it. That’s why we like to dance in church too.
Q: If I am to have a personal relationship with God, why do religions try to tell me how to do it?
A: Well, it’s about control. For thousand of years, it’s been about control. There is always a divine idea that starts a religion, and then dogma enters in. And when dogma enters in, we have a problem. It’s one of the reasons why I am here in Unity, because of the lack of dogma. There is rather a suggestion and possibility for a relationship with God according to one’s own divine guidance. I think that’s the key.
Q: What is the origin and significance of the wings carved in wood in the front of the sanctuary?
A: We call these the Unity wings, but they were adopted from the Egyptian wings by Charles Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity, as the symbol for Unity as well. Originally they meant divine protection and illumination, and come from the winged solar disk of the Egyptians. But today, we also talk about it as the earth being lifted in consciousness on wings of love and prayer. It’s a very powerful symbol, and one that I certainly love and resonate with. I also have felt through the years that Charles picked it to attract some of the old Egyptian souls.
Q: Some Unity churches are affiliated with Unity in Missouri, and some are independent. What is this church?
A: We are affiliated with Unity in Missouri, part of the greater association of Unity churches international. Each church is autonomous and independent, and yet we operate according to the recommended By-Laws of that greater organization.
Q: What is your personal vision for Unity of Santa Cruz?
A: My vision aligns with our church’s Vision Statement, to be a teaching and healing center that supports spiritual growth. And I see this as being a center, that is a beacon of light to the Santa Cruz community. A center where relevant rituals are practiced, where individual creativity is fostered and encouraged, and most of all, where personal spiritual growth takes place, and Christ Consciousness is awakened.
Q: What is the mission and vision of the new Youth Center to be built this year?
A: Actually, our Youth Ministry creates their own mission and vision, and they will be doing that in a new way, with this new center evolving and developing. But certainly to provide a safe place for our children to experience Unity teachings, to experience being loved and accepted. I think acceptance and love are two really important words when it comes to our Unity children. It’s an exciting opportunity to build this new building, and we’ve been looking forward to it for a long time! We’re envisioning that it will be finished by the end of the year.
Q: When is Sista Monica coming to Unity again? (Sista Monica performed at Unity on this day)
A: May 13 is the next date, and we’re working on a more regular connection together. (Sista Monica interjects: “I like it here! I’ll come back whenever you want me!” to cheers from the crowd.)
Q: Does Unity work with other denominations for the better good of the community?
A: To a degree, and this is on the agenda to do more of this interfaith work. This is a really important focus, and now that the new building has been approved, my attention can go more in that direction. I am really looking forward to that. I have been involved in interfaith groups before, and it does a lot of good for the community.
Q: What is your experience of the sacred feminine?
A: The sacred feminine shows up in many ways. For me personally, I have a great love for the sacred feminine. I feel very connected with the Divine Mother. And one of the ways that this manifested for me is when my own mother was dying. I was very close to her. One night, a prayer was prayed through me- that’s the only way I can say it. It was a prayer from Mary. I was not raised Catholic, I did not have a particular focus on Mary, but this prayer came out of my mouth from Mary. At that point, she started showing up for me. That very week, I had people telling me they were seeing her behind me- I had a friend send me photographs of this image of Mary on this giant building in Tempe. All of these synchronistic events started happening in regards to Mary in my life. When I would ask for her to show up, I would get in my car and “Let it Be” would come on the radio. It’s actually the song that is on my cell phone now. So I feel a special a special connection with Mary, but also with Kwan Yin. As a matter of fact, I was just back at Unity Village for the last 10 days, and I went to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City. They have one of the most beautiful Kwan Yin’s you’ve ever seen. She’s from the 10th century, and she’s 8 feet tall. Beautifully colored, and she sits against this fabulous wall as you approach her. It’s about the length of this sanctuary as you’re walking toward her. She’s just waiting there for you. She just exudes compassion as you sit on a bench and look at her. Her eyes seemed to close and open, and you can actually feel like she’s breathing. Right after I saw her, I walked over to look at this large Buddha. There was a plaque on the wall that said that they did a special ceremony after these artisans created the bodhisattvas. They called it a special eye- opening ceremony to bless these statues with life. I actually read that after I had had the experience of her being alive. I think there is a physical manifestation, it’s not really what we worship. We worship the spirit that’s behind the manifestations. But definitely the Divine Mother is important for all of us, the sacred feminine. And particularly since in many ways, with the patriarchal culture, she is coming to the front more and more. It’s important for both men and women to embrace her.
Q: How does one begin a meditation practice, when the mind is so resistant to even sit and begin?
A: That’s a tough one, isn’t it. Maybe do a walking meditation for starters. I think that first of all, start by thinking that life is a prayer. When I was in ministerial school, I was so busy. I had to be there at 7:00 every morning. I had my two children, who were quite young. I was married at the time, and I was also working. So it was an incredible schedule, and I averaged only five hours of sleep a night for the whole time I was in school. And then they said we needed to get up early and meditate. And there was just no time! So, the way I dealt with that was to start the mantra, “My life is a prayer. My life is a prayer. My life is a prayer.” Really getting into that consciousness that everything is a prayer. And I think that is a place to start. And then, even when you are sitting, to remember to just relax for a few minutes. Close your eyes. Breathe. And that gets you started. Keep practicing that until you can extend it. I think it is being kind to yourself, while at the same time trying to discipline yourself.
Q: I feel lazy when it comes to my spiritual practice. What can I do?
A: I would pray for more passion. Pray for passion. I brought something to show you today in hope that a question would allow me to explain what happened to me this week. And this probably is a good one. And it’s about laziness, because I had this horrendous experience on Monday, right after I’d gotten back from Unity Village. And it was all because of laziness. I was upstairs in my house, and normally, if I wash my hair, I use one of those big giant brushes to pull my hair up, wrap it around and blow dry it. It shapes the hair. And I realized that after my trip, I had left the brush downstairs, and I was just too lazy to go get it. So, I used a smaller brush, and what happened is, I got my hair wrapped around it, and couldn’t get it out. I got this brush stuck in my head, to the point that I worked 20 minutes, and I still couldn’t get it out! And I couldn’t get hold of my hairdresser. Some of you remember Char- she used to attend here, she was the board president- she now lives in Hawaii. I had talked with her earlier in the morning, and I called her back, and I said, “Help!” She said, “You have a hair emergency! You have to get yourself to a salon right now!” And I have to show you what this looked like... (holds up long red hair brush on top of her head)... This is how I went to the salon. I’m not kidding you. I know this is Santa Cruz and everything, but.... You know, it was one of life’s embarrassing moments. I arrived in the parking lot, and I sat there for the longest time, waiting for people to kind of disappear. And then I walked into the beauty salon. There was actually a crowd that gathered around me. For 25 minutes, she worked to get that out of my hair. Unbelievable! For those of you with long hair, never do that! But, it was all about laziness. It cost me money, it cost me time, and embarrassment. But it ended up creating a little joy and humor. I just didn’t want to walk downstairs in that moment. You know, it’s funny about laziness. I remember Scott Peck always said that spiritual laziness creates entropy, which is disorder in a community or an organization. It is sort of a lack of evolution- the opposite of evolution. So I think we have to really strive to overcome any kind of laziness.
Q: Is a person’s death always God’s will, even if it is by murder?
A: Wow. What a question. (long pause) I believe that every person has a time to go, but actually probably has more than one time to go. And there is a choice involved. It raises that question about do we choose our death in advance of our life. In some ways I think that we do, but not in the exact form. I don’t believe that murder is God’s will. I do believe, and have heard tales of those who have had near-death experiences, that those people who have gone through an experience of murder, or attempted murder, and then have come back, have explained that in that moment when it is so brutal, they are taken out of their bodies and there are angels present. So I truly believe that God’s angels are there at the very moment something like that would happen, and that person is lifted, so they don’t have to feel and go through that. I absolutely am convinced of that. So even if God’s will, which we say is absolute good, may not appear to be manifesting in that experience, then God’s law of compensation is always at work. So there is always good to be found in every situation, no matter how dire. And that’s the first and basic premise in Unity, that there is only one presence and one power in the universe. The practice for that, the spiritual practice is to look for the good in all things. Practicing the presence of God. Even in the worst situations there is always some kind of good to be found, even if it is difficult to see in the moment, always later there can be some blessing, even if we may not realize it at the time.
Q: What is your favorite path to God?
A: Wow! That’’s a tough one, because I am so eclectic! Unity has really been a constant for me, for many, many years. For me, it’s been a path that has been a stabilizing path in the midst of all of the new age, new thought arena, and all that is taught. Especially, when one is interested in this area, it is easy for people to get caught, and off on different paths, depending on what is going on in the moment. I have a lot of interests, but Unity has been a very constant path for me, and I feel it is a stabilizing factor for many, because I would call it “alternative Christianity”. How does it differ from mainstream “new thought”, or “new age”? It has a unique niche in the world, because in the days of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, the co-founders of Unity, over 100 years ago, they were going to the International New Thought Alliance meetings, INTA- it existed even way back then. There were a lot of fringe things going on. People into crystals, and “isms”, and “ologies” and you name it. Charles Fillmore took a stand. He said “Jesus Christ is the head of this movement!” And I think that really set the tone and created Unity’s unique niche in the world. And so, we are mystical Christianity, not mainstream. And that’s the difference.
Q: Who was Jesus, and what does Jesus mean?
A: Jesus has always been an important part of my path, but again, I’m not a mainstream kind of person, or this isn’t a mainstream kind of movement. So we think of Jesus as the historical man that lived 2000 years ago, and Christ as the consciousness that he attained. We call him our way shower, because we teach that he showed the way that we can become Christ-Conscious as well. So whether you say Christ Consciousness, or Buddha Consciousness, or Krishna Consciousness, it is the same awareness of our one-ness with God. So, I would say that really has been my important path to God, very tied in with that. Now, there have been a lot of eclectic studies in different things amidst that, but that is what’s most important to me.
Q: Unity believes there is one power in the universe. Does that mean that Unity believes everything, people and everything else, is a manifestation of that power?
A: Yes. Yes. That everything is a manifestation of the one presence and the one power. Absolutely.
Q: How to stay loving? What is the best way to present or stop yourself from getting angry, if someone accuses you of wrong doing, and you’’re not doing wrong?
A: (Laughs) Oh, boy! Well, again, we always have the choice to come from ego, or to come from higher self. And when we come from ego, we’re going to be in resistance, and have to try to defend ourselves, prove we’re right. And if we’re coming from higher self, we’re going to be in more of a place of acceptance of- what Terry Cole Whittaker said in her book, “What You Think of Me is None of My Business”. It’s a great title! You know, being in that kind of place, like this is their issue, not mine. And at the same time, not being in denial if the person is hurtful. That may mean removing yourself from their presence. I think there is a continuum there to deal with too, so you don’t want to just pretend that something is not going on. At the same time, we don’t have to get caught up- another question is, where are we getting hooked with our anger? What is this saying about me? Where am I getting hooked here?
Q: What is the difference between soul and spirit?
A: I think of soul as consciousness. Conscious mind, sub-conscious mind, super-conscious mind (with is part of the collective consciousness). So soul is my ongoing consciousness, or awareness, and includes all of my consciousness. Spirit, to me, is life. It is the life force that lives and moves through everything. It is through spirit that our soul is inspired, and guided onward. It is always an interesting concept to work with these two words, and often they are used interchangeably. For me, that is how I would define them, and how Unity would define them as well.
