Streamed
UCH Banned Books Service
Unitarian Church of Harrisburg PA 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA, United StatesJD co-designed this service with others at UCH.
Global Kinship webinar
Past guests have included some of my big-name heroes. This is a tremendous honor. I will deliver a modified version of my talk from the Parliament of the World's Religions: Nature's Scripture - The Interfaith Promise of Science. Registration is required: Register here. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcuigpjItE9F-8VZ5hZe6NOMMaYb88K5q#/registration
This is Not My Beautiful House
UU Fellowship of Pottstown, PA 1565 South Keim Street, Pottstown, PennsylvaniaOne of our culture’s foundational myths is about ownership, security, and permanence. JD offers a bit of science, some personal experiences, and a Talking Heads song as puzzle pieces toward a new, more vulnerable humility.
Fargo-TBA
UU Church of Fargo-Morehead ND 121 9th Street S, Fargo, ND, United StatesTBA
UUFGC-TBA
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesTBA https://tinyurl.com/UUFGCZoom
Grants Pass – Ancestors: Honoring Them, Becoming Them
UUs of Grants Pass OR 129 NW E ST., Grants Pass, OR, United StatesAncestors - everyone has them, and (spoiler alert!) most of them are dead. Euro-American culture isn’t very good at death; we are so scared of death we’ve perverted the one day each year our ancestors set aside for remembering them to instead focus on giving children candy and expressing our fear with giant inflatable spiders. […]
Pathways- This is Not My Beautiful House
Pathways UU Fellowship of Hurst TX 481 West Harwood Road, Hurst, TX, United StatesOne of our culture’s foundational myths is about ownership, security, and permanence. JD offers a bit of science, some personal experiences, and a Talking Heads song as puzzle pieces toward a new, more vulnerable humility.
Fargo – Building a New Way—DIY
UU Church of Fargo-Morehead ND 121 9th Street S, Fargo, ND, United StatesJD describes lessons learned from his do-it-yourselfer father and grandfathers, and how those lessons might be applied to building a new way for our increasingly precarious global society. What kind of world do we want for our grandchildren, and for their grandchildren? Are we behaving accordingly? Building is not easy or comfortable—are we willing to […]
UUFGC – Nature’s Scripture: The Interfaith Promise of Science
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesUnderlying the human world of strife and separation is an oft-neglected landscape of commonality between faiths: the natural world. At precisely the time when our religious and political divisions threaten the existence of life on Earth, science offers a sweeping interfaith vista filled with revelations and insights as spiritually meaningful as ancient scriptures. Read as […]
Hagerstown – Love In Darkening Times
UU Church of Hagerstown MD 13245 Cearfoss Pike, Hagerstown, MD, United StatesAs the turning Earth carries us into the deepening darkness of winter, and looming shadows of hate and hurt plunge the world into an anxious twilight, we pause. In such times, we draw closer, offering our mutual support and affection. In darkening times, we renew our commitment to all love’s forms, affirmed in word and […]
Theosophical Society Webcast
Sponsored and hosted by the Theosophical Society in America. Underlying the human world of strife and separation is an oft-neglected landscape of commonality between faiths: the natural world. At precisely the time when our religious and political divisions threaten human existence, science offers a sweeping interfaith vista of how creation works and how it all unfolded. […]
UCH Evensong Service
JD will serve as one of the musicians for this wonderful annual music service. https://www.youtube.com/@UCHBG/streams
UCH Annual Poetry Service
Annual Poetry service with JD as a co-curator. https://www.youtube.com/@UCHBG/streams
UUFGC-Grand Design: Aging, Grandchildren, and Evolution
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesWhat evolutionary purpose is served by living so long after our reproductive years are done? This service explores the spiritual and social fertility of every life stage in a beloved community, an inclusive fertility especially enhanced in our later years. Not likely to be a grandparent himself, JD Stillwater takes the opportunity to scrutinize the […]
Pottstown-Defining Enough
UU Fellowship of Pottstown MD 1565 South Keim Street, Pottstown, PA, United StatesFailure to define “enough” means never being satisfied. It makes us vulnerable to slick advertising, and fills our lives with tedium and chaos. It deflects our focus from sources of true happiness, like play, family, relationships, community. Ultimately, it also leads to the desecration of Earth’s living systems. Defining “enough” is a spiritual practice.
UCH – In the Shadow of the Moon
Unitarian Church of Harrisburg PA 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA, United StatesSince the dawn of humanity, eclipses have evoked strong feelings and symbolism, and an enduring mysticism expressed in legends, theologies, and worldviews. Eclipses remind us that we are minuscule observers of grand and timeless processes far beyond our control. Rich with metaphor and meaning, a total eclipse immerses us in awe. In this service, Astronomer […]
UUFGC-Eclipsed: In the Shadow of the Moon
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesSince the dawn of humanity, eclipses have evoked strong feelings and symbolism, and an enduring mysticism expressed in legends, theologies, and worldviews. Eclipses remind us that we are minuscule observers of grand and timeless processes far beyond our control. Rich with metaphor and meaning, a total eclipse immerses us in awe. In this service, JD […]
York-Eclipsed: In the Shadow of the Moon
UU Congreg of York PA 925 South George Street, York, PA, United StatesSince the dawn of humanity, eclipses have evoked strong feelings and symbolism, and an enduring mysticism expressed in legends, theologies, and worldviews. Eclipses remind us that we are minuscule observers of grand and timeless processes far beyond our control. Rich with metaphor and meaning, a total eclipse immerses us in awe. In this service, JD […]
Grants Pass- Active Love, an Antidote to Anthropocene Angst
UUs of Grants Pass OR 129 NW E ST., Grants Pass, OR, United StatesThat humans are having major impacts on the planet is now quite clear, and some of those impacts may be evident millions of years from now. Are we a cancer on the biosphere, a plague? Would it be better if we had remained blissfully in the stone age? Our angst about such matters may be […]
Pottstown-Eclipsed: In the Shadow of the Moon
UU Fellowship of Pottstown MD 1565 South Keim Street, Pottstown, PA, United StatesSince the dawn of humanity, eclipses have evoked strong feelings and symbolism, and an enduring mysticism expressed in legends, theologies, and worldviews. Eclipses remind us that we are minuscule observers of grand and timeless processes far beyond our control. Rich with metaphor and meaning, a total eclipse immerses us in awe. In this service, JD […]
Fargo-Morehead UU – Active Love, An Antidote to Anthropocene Angst
UU Church of Fargo-Morehead ND 121 9th Street S, Fargo, ND, United StatesThat humans are having major impacts on the planet is now quite clear, and some of those impacts may be evident millions of years from now. Are we a cancer on the biosphere, a plague? Would it be better if we had remained blissfully in the stone age? Our angst about such matters may be […]
UUFGC-One Song – The Science of Unity
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesFor millennia mystics and prophets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by separation, antagonism, and isolation! With help from some intrepid dung beetles, science ambassador JD Stillwater takes us on a tour of findings from mainstream science that reveal an underlying wholism in everything from human bodies to […]
Fargo-Morehead UU – Fiddling While Rome Burns
UU Church of Fargo-Morehead ND 121 9th Street S, Fargo, ND, United StatesWhen the entire planet is engulfed in flames (climate change, nuclear arms, fascism, extinction, mass migration), isn’t full-time activism the only reasonable activity? Isn’t everything else a kind of indulgence? What if activism just isn’t your thing? What if your talents and passions lie in something like fiddling? JD shares his own wrestlings with this […]
Global Kinship webinar – One Song: The Science of Unity (LP version!)
Very cool to be asked back for a second talk with Global Kinship's community! Note: You have to register; the link isn't for the webinar, but for registering. They send the link after you register. Description: For millennia mystics and prophets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by […]
UUFGC-Combustion Addiction: 12 Steps to Climate Recovery
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesOur dependence on fossil fuels looks an awful lot like addiction. Could the 12 steps of AA offer any helpful guidance as we seek a way out? If climate change is a moral/spiritual crisis, maybe a 12-step-style “spiritual awakening” can help.
Pottstown – Grand Design: Aging, Alloparenting, and Evolution
UU Fellowship of Pottstown MD 1565 South Keim Street, Pottstown, PA, United StatesWhat evolutionary purpose is served by living so long after our reproductive years are done? This service explores the spiritual and social fertility of every life stage in a beloved community, an inclusive fertility especially enhanced in our later years. Not likely to be a grandparent himself, JD Stillwater takes the opportunity to scrutinize the […]
Pathways – Fiddling While Rome Burns
Pathways UU Fellowship of Hurst TX 481 West Harwood Road, Hurst, TX, United StatesWhen the entire planet is engulfed in flames (climate change, nuclear arms, fascism, extinction, mass migration), isn’t full-time activism the only reasonable activity? Isn’t everything else a kind of indulgence? What if activism just isn’t your thing? What if your talents and passions lie in something like fiddling? JD shares his own wrestlings with this […]
UUCH – Grand Design: Aging, Alloparenting, and Evolution
UU Church of Hagerstown MD 13245 Cearfoss Pike, Hagerstown, MD, United StatesWhat evolutionary purpose is served by living so long after our reproductive years are done? This service explores the spiritual and social fertility of every life stage in a beloved community, an inclusive fertility especially enhanced in our later years. Not likely to be a grandparent himself, JD Stillwater takes the opportunity to scrutinize the […]
UUFGC- Awetheism Part 1: Science, Awe, and Pro-Sociality
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesNew research into the experience of awe reveals that awe makes us feel small but deeply connected, and how this in turn makes us more generous people. With help from some well-timed lightning strikes (and no help from Siri or Alexa), we’ll explore what’s known about awe’s effects on us, and how it can benefit […]
UCWC – One Song: the Science of Unity
Unitarian Congr. of West Chester 501 S High St, West Chester, Pennsylvania, United StatesFor millennia mystics and prophets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by separation, antagonism, and isolation! With help from some intrepid dung beetles, science ambassador JD Stillwater takes us on a tour of findings from mainstream science that reveal an underlying wholism in everything from human bodies to […]
Fargo-Morehead UU – One Song–the Science of Unity
UU Church of Fargo-Morehead ND 121 9th Street S, Fargo, ND, United StatesFor millennia mystics and poets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by separation, antagonism, and isolation! With help from some intrepid dung beetles, science ambassador JD Stillwater takes us on a tour of findings from mainstream science that reveal an underlying wholism in everything from human bodies to […]
Kosmic Vespers – Soul of the Whole
An offshoot of Creation Spirituality Communities and Global Kinship. Flyer is here: https://www.jdstillwater.earth/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kosmic-Vespers-Flyer.jpeg This will be a brief (15-min) "teaching" about science and oneness, embedded in a meditative gathering of folks from all over. Registration is required to get the link. Email mingeicenter@gmail.com to register.
Grants Pass- Awetheism Part 1: The Power and Promise of Awe
UUs of Grants Pass OR 129 NW E ST., Grants Pass, OR, United StatesNew research into the experience of awe reveals that awe makes us feel small but deeply connected, and how this in turn makes us better people. With help from some well-timed lightning strikes (and no help from Siri or Alexa), we’ll explore what’s known about awe’s effects on us, and how it can benefit humanity. […]
Pottstown, PA – Complementarity and the End of Dogma
UU Fellowship of Pottstown MD 1565 South Keim Street, Pottstown, PA, United StatesDo you despise the question “What do you believe?” JD Stillwater gets real about his own personal beliefs, and discovers a scientific approach towards a New Agnosticism, one that fully embraces the mysteries and ambiguities inherent in natural reality. Along the way we meet a cryptic cat, a famous psychic, a woman with a problem, […]
Fargo-Morehead UU – Awetheism Part 1: The Promise and Power of Awe
UU Church of Fargo-Morehead ND 121 9th Street S, Fargo, ND, United StatesNew research into the experience of awe reveals that awe makes us feel small but deeply connected, and how this in turn makes us better people. With help from some well-timed lightning strikes (and no help from Siri or Alexa), we’ll explore what’s known about awe’s effects on us, and how it can benefit humanity. […]
UUFGC- Awetheism Part 2: Awe, Science, and Meaningful Well-Being
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesNew research into the experience of awe reveals that feeling awe makes us better, happier, more generous people. In this service, we’ll explore what’s known about awe, humility, and the wonderful word “eudaimonia.” We’ll also learn how science can help us get to them all, plugging us into a grander vision of our larger selves […]
Nature’s Scripture: The Interfaith Promise of Science
An adaptation of JD's talk from the Parliament of the World's Religions, for the Abilene Interfaith Council of Abilene Texas. Talk description:Underlying the human world of strife and separation is an oft-neglected landscape of commonality between faiths: the natural world. At precisely the time when our religious and political divisions threaten the existence of life […]
UCH – Nature’s Scripture: The Interfaith Promise of Science
Unitarian Church of Harrisburg PA 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA, United StatesUnderlying the human world of strife and separation is an oft-neglected landscape of commonality between faiths: the natural world. At precisely the time when our religious and political divisions threaten the existence of life on Earth, science offers a sweeping interfaith vista filled with revelations and insights as spiritually meaningful as ancient scriptures. Read as […]
Merging Hearts: This Is Not My Beautiful House
Yoga Central 4626 Cleveland Ave NW, Canton, Ohio, United StatesA service in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day weekend. One of our culture’s foundational myths is about ownership, security, and permanence. In the natural world and indigenous cultures, these are aberrations! JD offers a bit of science, some personal experiences, and a Talking Heads song as puzzle pieces toward a new, more vulnerable humility grounded […]
Rev. Dr. Sheri Pallas – Fireside Creators conversation
Dr. Sheri Pallas is the author of We Have Ruined God–My Journey Out of Religion and Into Unconditional Love. She asked me to review the science chapter of the manuscript, which led to an invitation to discuss further on her weekly Fireside Creators show. Should be very interesting. To watch live (or the recording) this […]
UUFGC- AweTheism: The Uses of Awe in Teaching and War
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesIn this explosive service, JD explores how awe can be manipulated for better and worse, in recreation, politics, education, and war. We will probe the boundary between awe and horror, and consider things that snap, crackle, pop, and echo through culverts, saxophones, and history.
Fargo-Morehead UU – Awe 2 (or election-related)
UU Church of Fargo-Morehead ND 121 9th Street S, Fargo, ND, United StatesIn this sequel to Part 1, waterfalls cascade us deeper into the science of awe, including: the wonderful word “eudaemonia”; the gifts of people who are pre-disposed to experience awe; and the relations between awe, wonder, spirituality, and ambiguity. Note: the title and topic may change if election chaos erupts. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83556015876
UUFGC- Mystery: Koans of Science
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesToday's culture war pushes us to perceive spirituality and science as enemies, and holds up a false dichotomy between reason and mystery. The universe as science reveals it speaks only of inherent unity, and holds up Mystery as both muse and ground of reason.
Pottstown, PA – Awetheism 1: The Power and Promise of Awe
UUFPottstown 1565 South Keim Street, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, United StatesNew research into the experience of awe reveals that awe makes us feel small but deeply connected, and how this in turn makes us better people. With help from some well-timed lightning strikes (and no help from Siri or Alexa), we’ll explore what’s known about awe’s effects on us, and how it can benefit humanity. […]
UUFGC- Peace, Love, Understanding, and Manure
UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland MD 211 South Lee St., Cumberland, MD, United StatesSocial polarization is a natural, predictable phenomenon. So is manure. JD Stillwater recounts a profound event of peace-making and innovation that happened one afternoon long ago, involving a microphone set up in a warehouse full of manure. The technology required for understanding and group intelligence is simple and ancient. Manure is optional. (JD will be […]
UCH – Love in Darkening Times
Unitarian Church of Harrisburg PA 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA, United StatesTentative: As the turning Earth carries us into the deepening darkness of winter, and looming shadows of hate and hurt plunge the world into an anxious twilight, we pause. In such times, we draw closer, offering our mutual support and affection. In darkening times, we renew our commitment to all love’s forms, affirmed in word […]
Pottstown, PA – Awetheism 2: Awe, Science, and Meaningful Well-Being
UUFPottstown 1565 South Keim Street, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, United StatesIn this sequel to Part 1, waterfalls cascade us deeper into the science of awe, including: the wonderful word “eudaemonia”; the gifts of people who are pre-disposed to experience awe; and the relations between awe, wonder, spirituality, and ambiguity. Stream Link
UCHarrisburg – Evensong Service
Unitarian Church of Harrisburg PA 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA, United StatesJD will play percussion for this one - no speaking parts planned. This is always a music-filled service, perfectly-designed by Music Minister Yvonne DuVal to sooth and deepen our spirits at this dark time of year.
Charleston, SC – Defiant Love: Interrogating Our Inheritance
UCCharleston, SC 4 ARCHDALE STREET, Charleston, South Carolina, United StatesWhat are we, crazy?! Some aspects of our inherited cultural system are clearly harmful to our planet, our descendants, and our own humanity. How did this happen? The study of trauma and the science of epigenetics offer clues. In the context of our damaged and dysfunctional culture, acting with honor for our ancestors, respect for […]
UU St. Petersburg, FL – One Song: The Science of Oneness
UU St. Petersburg 100 Mirror Lake Drive North, Saint Petersburg, Florida, United StatesFor millennia mystics and poets have told us that “All is one” and yet we feel ourselves surrounded by separation, antagonism, and isolation! With help from some intrepid dung beetles, science ambassador JD Stillwater takes us on a tour of findings from mainstream science that reveal an underlying wholism in everything from human bodies to […]
Nashville, TN – Defiant Love: Interrogating Our Heritage
First UU Nashville 1808 Woodmont Blvd, Nashville, Tennessee, United StatesWhat are we, crazy?! Some aspects of our inherited cultural system are clearly harmful to our planet, our descendants, and our own humanity. How did this happen? The study of trauma and the science of epigenetics offer clues. In the context of our damaged and dysfunctional culture, acting with honor for our ancestors, respect for […]
Grants Pass, OR – Awetheism Part 2: Awe, Science, and Meaningful Well-being
UUs of Grants Pass OR 129 NW E ST., Grants Pass, OR, United StatesIn this sequel to Part 1, waterfalls cascade us deeper into the science of awe, including: the wonderful word “eudaemonia”; the gifts of people who are pre-disposed to experience awe; and the relations between awe, wonder, spirituality, and ambiguity. Stream Link
St. Louis, MO – Defiant Love: Interrogating Our Inheritance
Eliot Chapel, Kirkwood, MO 100 South Taylor Ave., Kirkwood, Missouri, United StatesWhat are we, crazy?! Some aspects of our inherited cultural system are clearly harmful to our planet, our descendants, and our own humanity. How did this happen? The study of trauma and the science of epigenetics offer clues. In the context of our damaged and dysfunctional culture, acting with honor for our ancestors, respect for […]
St. Louis, MO – Defiant Love: Interrogating Our Inheritance
Eliot Chapel, Kirkwood, MO 100 South Taylor Ave., Kirkwood, Missouri, United StatesWhat are we, crazy?! Some aspects of our inherited cultural system are clearly harmful to our planet, our descendants, and our own humanity. How did this happen? The study of trauma and the science of epigenetics offer clues. In the context of our damaged and dysfunctional culture, acting with honor for our ancestors, respect for […]
Minnetonka, MN – Defiant Love: Interrogating Our Inheritance
What are we, crazy?! Some aspects of our inherited cultural system are clearly harmful to our planet, our descendants, and our own humanity. How did this happen? The study of trauma and the science of epigenetics offer clues. In the context of our damaged and dysfunctional culture, acting with honor for our ancestors, respect for […]
UCHarrisburg – Annual Poetry Service
Unitarian Church of Harrisburg PA 1280 Clover Lane, Harrisburg, PA, United StatesSince it immediately follows an intensive speaking tour, JD is not helping design and lead this service. This year, he will just perform a poem.
UUCLancaster, PA – Nature’s Scripture: The Interfaith Promise of Science
UU Church of Lancaster, PA 538 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United StatesUnderlying the human world of strife and separation is an oft-neglected landscape of commonality between faiths: the natural world. At precisely the time when our religious and political divisions threaten the existence of life on Earth, science offers a sweeping interfaith vista filled with revelations and insights as spiritually meaningful as ancient scriptures. Read as […]