Rev. Xolani Kacela, Ph.D.
Rev. Bonny Allen Rice, retired minister and chaplain, discusses the power of prayer and faith during the Season of Lent, war in the Ukraine and personal loss during COVID. She joined host, Rev. Carolyn Wilkins, for this episode of Take On Faith on KTAL-LP 101.5 broadcasted from Las Cruces, NM.
Mariel Ford Clarke, author of Where After: WHERE Do Our Loves One Go AFTER they die? was the guest on this episode of Take On Faith on KTAL-LP. Clarke visited with Rev. Xolani Kacela for a chat about her book, her work in energetics, and how she helps people cope with death and loss. She joined Rev. Kacela from her home in Galway, Ireland.
During the conversation, Mariel Ford Clarke took listeners on a deep dive into her journey through death, or the other side. She discussed dying, experiencing deep peace, and life after death. The experienced resulted in a life change which she shares with readers in her book.
Among the topics discussed included her early life with psychic parents, her take of where people go AFTER death, and the power of love to change souls. Clarke brings high energy to her work. You’ll enjoy learning about the field of energetics, how death impacts life, and Clarke’s interesting book.
You can reach Mariel Ford Clarke at info@marielfordeclarke.com. On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
It has been my privilege to count Mariel as one of my very dear and trusted friends since we first met many years ago at a workshop I ran in England. [And] later, at workshops she organized for me with a friend in Ireland.
She is a totally luminous personality, a lighthouse set on the hill. She offers guidance and wisdom to many seekers of all backgrounds. Her work in the angel field has brought peace and comfort, guidance and strength to many seekers. I am sure [she’ll] continue to do so through her website.
Being in the company of Mariel is like sitting in a flower-covered meadow in the spring next to a dancing, bubbling, singing stream.
She is the very essence of love, unconditional goodness and deep caring. Her integrity – for me the most fundamental human quality with love – is rock solid, and her love just flows and bathes those who come into her presence.
Pierre Pradervand
Author of The Gentle Art of Blessing
Calling UUs Preparing to Reopen. This post is for my fellow UUs as they prepare to reopen. Please don’t forget to include BIPOC UUs in your preparations. This is essential if you are going to “keep it 100” and jumpstart your allyship.
I’m calling you to be intentional and invite a representative number of BIPOCs into your deliberations and ask for their perspectives. If your congregation is like mine, you already have BIPOCs on your staff. Indeed, you must have BIPOC members whom you can consult about your reopening protocols.
If I were you, I’d ask those BIPOC staff and members for their viewpoints on what needs to happen for them to feel welcomed when you resume in-person worship and church activities. They will have points of view that may differ from the white staff and membership. What a gift this is for you!
You may respond, “The BIPOCs in my congregation are not on staff, and we only have a handful that attend services. I don’t believe they are interested in this.” Some might respond, “We’ve already figured it out and have a game plan. It is not possible to change the plan. I hope not. Others may say, “We don’t have any BIPOCs on staff nor the membership.” This is totally not aligned with the UU vision for beloved community or our UU Principles and values.
The reopening of UU spaces during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic is the perfect time to reset your priorities and make sure you are keeping it 100 with your BIPOC constituency. In fact, the pandemic has given us all an extended period to rethink and strategize how we welcome all people. Eighteen months is a true gift of time.
But given the report, Widening the Circle of Concern, UU clergy and church staffs have had sufficient time and data to support making how we welcome BIPOCs a special priority. I’m assuming UU clergy have ALL read the report by now. That is, unless you are a Gadfly.
If you haven’t read the report, it’s time. I’ll go further. You’re out of covenant with UUA leadership, colleagues, and congregations if you haven’t read it.
Here at UU Church of Las Cruces, the board is reading and studying the report. All members have access to the full report.
If that is your situation, please read the Commission on Appraisal’s most recent report on covenant. It is titled Unlocking the Power of Covenant. Most likely, it sits on your office desk, awaiting you to retrieve it. Get ‘er done!
Now, back to the reopening. Undoubtedly, safety is your highest priority. You’ve got to get the best minds affixed on reopening safely. No doubt, you must exercise due diligence not to encourage viral spread. That, too, deserves BIPOC input.
Again, now is the time to sharpen your skills on keeping it 100.
In case you do NOT know what I mean by “keeping it 100,” here is an excerpt from my blockbuster book, The Black UU Survival Guide:
“Keeping it 100” is another way of saying keeping it real or “honoring your own experiences and feelings. Keeping it 100 invites you to be honest by prioritizing your truth. Each of us needs to separate our own truth from our parents, spouses/partners, friends, communities, and culture. As related to being an ally, it means choosing to act in alignment with your express desires.
For example, if you believe there needs to be more equity and inclusion among White and BIPOC UUs, you’ll need to act in ways that make such equity and inclusion a reality. Your new way of being may include sacrifices you hadn’t previously considered. You may need to give up some of your privilege, preferences, and power so that BIPOC UU can exert more of their own, instead. Be prepared to abandon, or revise, the “truths” you learned about earlier in life about BIPOCs that led to contemporary disparities in UU culture.
It also means taking responsibility for your lack of understanding about race, racism, and the lives of BIPOCs. Be open and curious about how you developed the perspectives you have. What experiences do you draw upon when forming your views and ways of relating to and understanding BIPOCS.[1]
For those who are already back to in-person worship and community gathering, keep it 100!
For those getting ready, keep it 100!
For those who are already keeping it 100, right on, Ashe, and blessed be.
[1] The Black UU Survival Guide: How to Survive as a Black Unitarian Universalist and How Allies Can Keep it 100, 2021, 12.
Rabbi Daniel Cohen, Senior Rabbi at Congregation Agudath Shalom in Stamford, Connecticut, is the guest. He joined host Xolani Kacela on Take On Faith to discuss his book, what will they say about you when you are gone, published by Health Communications. The program was broadcast on KTAL-LP 101.5 in Las Cruces, NM.
Rabbi Cohen and xk discussed the seven principles for living a life of legacy. Also, they dug into the meaning of “reverse engineering” one’s life. That describes how to live one’s true purpose and realize one’s “divine potential.”
The conversation covered many topics from the book, to include embracing meditative minutes, finding Elijah moments, and bringing light into the world through act of goodness.
Rabbi Cohen’s website is rabbidanielcohen.com.
You can contact Rabbi Daniel Cohen at rabbicohen@cas-stamford.org.
Popular motivator, mentor, and inspirational speaker, Rabbi Daniel Cohen’s unique blend of authenticity, humor, wisdom, and insight helps anyone better navigate contemporary society and lead a life of legacy. Engaging in hundreds of end of life conversations and delivering thousands of eulogies provide him with a unique perspective on the essence of a meaningful life.
Rabbi Cohen has served in the rabbinate for over thirty years and currently serves as senior Rabbi at Congregation Agudath Sholom in Stamford, CT, the largest modern orthodox synagogue in New England. Rabbi Cohen is author of What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone? Creating a Life of Legacy, speaks nationally on leading a life of legacy and is currently writing two books.
The first is a parable book on the secret of the light and the second is with former NBA All Star and Olympic Gold medalist Allan Houston on legacy. He is co-host with Reverend Greg Doll of the nationally syndicated Radio Show, The Rabbi and the Reverend and writes for the Huffington Post Blog and is a Bottom Line Inc. Expert.
He enjoys doing magic shows, playing sports, writing, searching for God, and living life with joy and ever-present smile! Rabbi Cohen and Diane are the grateful parents of six daughters and two grandsons.
