Their founder/director, Episcopal priest, Becca Stevens’ latest book, “Find Your Way Home,” is an inspirational compilation of these remarkable women’s transitions from harsh street life to comforting mutual support.

Stevens’ publicist, Ashley Miller, expressed her appreciation for my previous Clarksville Online article about Magdalene House by sending me a complimentary copy, so — having read it — I can personally attest to its honest, courageous anecdotes and moving photographs. Its subtitle is “Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart” and the cover photo depicts a scrappy but beautiful purple thistle flower growing from a crack in the asphalt. They encourage all of us to . . . “take a picture of thistles growing in your city and send it to Thistle Farms to be used in our thistle gallery.”

Thistle Farm Candles

Visit thistlefarms.org for more information. Again, I highly encourage you to join us at 10:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clarksville (UUFC) this Sunday, January 25, at 3053 41-A South (Madison Street), about two miles from K-Mart and Wal-Mart on the left (next to a horse pasture). Any one of their soothing products, including lovely scented or unscented candles, would make an ideal gift for Valentines Day.

Founder/Director & Episcopal Priest Becca Stevens

The spirit of the “holiday season,” which is kicked off by Thanksgiving, is buoyed by hopeful, upbeat music and encouragement to express good will to all, but is often squelched by frenetic desires to do too much. That overwhelming energy zap can be circumvented in at least three inspirational ways by the women of Magdalene House, who will speak on Sunday, December 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clarksville.

What can this program do for you?

1. You’ll give yourself the gift of absorbing astonishing stories of hope and even self-redemption. Even though I contend personally that we’re all already “redeemed” just as we are, I’ve noticed that a process of self-acceptance (“love” if you will) must be honored. Magdalene House offers women who have fallen into prostitution and drug abuse the opportunity to change those influences through group support. In a November 3 Nashville City paper article, Nate Rau quotes a Magdalene House participant, “. . . it’s the love, the support. . . They’re not judgmental.” The success rate of approximately ¾ of graduates never returning to prostitution or drugs speaks for itself. Founder/Director and Episcopal priest Becca Stevens told Rau, “We ask people to give in gratitude for all they have been given.”

2. You can give to this wonderful program by simultaneously enjoying Thistle Farms pampering products, made by women in the program, which include: candles, room spray, multi-fragranced or non-fragranced lotions and soaps, mini-sachets, salt scrubs and body and lip balms.

3. You can buy these excellent-quality products for others in the true spirit of the season, thereby radiating your generosity out even further.

After hearing two women share their heart-rending stories to our teary-eyed congregation last year, I strongly recommend that you join us in person, but if you can’t, you can order from this extraordinary organization at www.thistlefarms.org.

Stevens, who started “Thistle Farms” in 2002, has written two books. “Hither & Yon” is Stevens’ latest book encompassing her thoughts on steps you can take and preparations you can make on your own spiritual journey. “Sanctuary,” is about some unexpected places where she has encountered God – a trail in the Andes, her son’s bathtub, a Kroger parking lot. The book written by the Magdalene women – “Find Your Way Home” – sounds intriguing to me.

Hope to see you Sunday, December 7 at 3053 41-A South (Madison Street) about two miles from K-Mart and Walmart on the left (next to a horse pasture).

The Power of Nightmares (Part 1) is being shown this Friday, August 1, at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 3053 Highway 41A South. The screening is a continuation of the UU First Friday Film program.

Adam Curtis showed us in Century of Self a key way of controlling the masses is by making people good consumers. Make people want things they do not need by appealing to their secret desires. Come to present time in The Power of Nightmares, where terror and torture and the fear of such has become the new tools of control by governments.

About the movie: For a time politicians promised to create a better world. When this dream lost its promise, politicians were simply seen as managers. Their power to control has returned as their job became rescuing us from dreadful dangers. Much of the terrorism threat is a fantasy that is an exaggerated and distorted dark illusion spread by governments, security services, and the international media.

This is a series of films about how and why a fantasy about terror was created and who it benefits. This story starts with two groups, American Neo-conservatives and the radical Islams. These idealists, born out of the failure of the liberal dream to build a better world, have similar explanations for what caused that failure.

This screening is free and open to the public and the film is a appropriate for mature, adult audiences. Bring snacks to share if you wish. To reach the UU Church, head south on Madison, 1.9 miles past the Wal-Mart.

http://www.archive.org/details/ThePowerOfNightmares

The film is approximately 1 hour long and a discussion follows the film.

A Century of Self is fascinating look at how America’s masses were/are controlled through the use of Freud’s psychology. We’ve looked at how advertisers used this psychology to sell us things we do not need. Now we will look at how the government used/uses it to control us for its desires.
To find the UU Fellowship, drive south on Madison, 1.9 miles past the Wal Mart. Bring snacks to share if you wish.

I learned through meditation that when I imagine a line between myself and the center of the earth, my body feels safe and can release old emotions and energy (like worry or seriousness) that I’m done with. When I am “grounded”, or imagining that connection, people also feel very comfortable around me. When I am not grounded, I am an easier target for someone to pick on me, because I’m more like a bird with no feet on the ground:I look vulnerable and unprotected. I’ve noticed that when I am practicing being grounded, people flock to me. They subconsciously are attracted to the idea of their bodies and spirit feeling safer and connected to the earth also.

J.J. Kent, the most grounded person I have ever met, teaches Lakota spiritual laws based on this connection to the Earth. J. J. uses his good voice to do public speaking and flute recordings, and on Saturday, April 19th, he will be featured speaking at Rivers and Spires in downtown Clarksville around noon. He will also speak to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Clarksville on May 11, 2008.

Kent is a Lakota-Sioux Indian who lives with his family in the Nashville area. He has spoken at the Unitarian Universalist Clarksville Fellowship (UUFC) many times, telling stories, playing flute music or honoring us by smoking his sacred pipe. Everyone, especially the children, flock around him when he visits, hanging on his every word. We can’t seem to get enough of him. I am convinced that we are attracted to him, not just because of what he has to say, but because of his connection to the earth. I think that connection gives him an automatic love of himself and others. I didn’t realize that I wasn’t very connected to the Earth until I saw how connected he is; how much connection is possible!

When J.J., or any person, is connected to the earth, he/she is not as threatened by other people. He/she can allow others to exist, no matter how they are. If J. J. had to deal with someone who is harming others, I imagine that J.J. would point him into seeing sense, not throw him into punishment, which would not change a thing. Most important to me, J.J. or any man who is really connected to the earth, is comfortable enough in his own body to allow women to exist, in the creative and wonderful ways that they can. Women can vibrate at higher vibrations and a room full of them doing that will make a man pretty uncomfortable. Usually women slow their vibrations down so that men feel comfortable around them. But because of his earth connection, there’s no threat to J.J. if I am powerful, because he is OK with his own power. J.J. doesn’t demand that I calm down and match his slower male vibration because he is OK in his own connection to the earth.

I asked him about this ability to connect to the earth and he said: I am of the conviction that every human being needs a firm spiritual foundation in order for them to stay grounded and have a source of inner strength to cope with the stresses of modern day society. This spiritual foundation should also include a spiritual relationship with our “Sacred Mother”, the Earth, being ever mindful of the importance of helping to maintain good ecological balance and harmony with the environment. An ancestor much wiser than me once said, “We do not inherit the Earth from our forefathers, we are borrowing it from our children!

J.J.’s traditional Lakota name is Wicasa Ho’ Waste’ which means Man with a Good Voice. He carries a sacred pipe for the people. He says that approximately 25 years ago he made the choice to “Take up the Pipe” which is like the Catholic equivalent to “Entering the Priesthood”. It meant making a vow to serve the community’s spiritual needs in accordance with established Lakota spiritual traditions.

The Pipe that J.J. is tending has been miscalled by non-Indians, a Peace Pipe. J.J. says that is a misnomer. Native people refer to it as the “Sacred Pipe” and he says it is precisely that! “The pipe serves as a very sacred and holy instrument of prayer, incorporating much symbolism. According to Lakota legend a messenger from Wakan Tanka, The Great Spirit (God) came long ago to bring the first original sacred pipe to the Lakota people along with a set of teachings or principles which have since come to be known as the ‘Seven Sacred Spiritual Laws’ of the Lakotas. It was placed in the care of the Lakota spiritual leader of that time whose name was ‘Standing Hollow Horn’ and has been passed down within the same family for 19 generations. All pipes which have been properly blessed are considered extensions of the first pipe.”

J.J. has shared the seven spiritual Laws with us at UUFC. In his own words: The first of the Lakota Seven Spiritual Laws is called” Wah Wa La”, which means to “Walk quietly (go slowly, practice patience and humility)” For all of Humanity who believe in a supreme Creator, we should always remember that we as humans are as nothing when compared with our Creator and, we should take time out from our hustle and bustle life styles every now and then to “Walk Quietly” with the Creator for a little while and reflect on how we got here in the first place, and remember where we would be if we didn’t have the light of our Creator’s wisdom to shine upon our path. Chances are we would be stumbling blindly through the darkness of our own ignorance!

Contact him and hear his music at:
www.myspace.com/flutistjjkent and also www.ourstage.com/jjkent

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/04/18/sacred-pipe-holder-for-lakota-comes-to-clarksville/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/04/01/viewing-of-century-of-self/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/04/01/viewing-of-century-of-self/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:00:27 +0000 Tom Paine http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=4148 The First Friday Film night will present a viewing of Century of Self this Friday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Clarksville’s meeting hall. Century of Self is a four part documentary by BBC producer Adam Curtis that investigates the role of public relations in influencing public opinion. It shows how the ideas of Sigmund Freud on the unconscious were used by his nephew, Edward Bernays, to develop the field of public relations and how public relations is used by corporations and by governments to manipulate and control the masses.

The first two parts of the documentary will be shown this Friday and will be about 2 hours long. The final two parts of Century of Self will be presented next month. The showing will start promptly at 7:00 PM Friday. The UUFC meeting hall is located on Madison Street, 1.9 miles past the bypass headed toward Nashville, on the left side of the street.  The address is 3053 Highway 41A South (Madison becomes 41A South)  Call 920-5390 with questions.  Bring snacks and drinks to share if you wish.  Free and open to the public.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bernie Ellis introduces “UnCounted”

Producers describe UnCounted as “an explosive documentary that shows how the election fraud that changed the outcome of the 2004 election led to even greater fraud in 2006 — and now looms as an unbridled threat to the outcome of the 2008 election. This controversial film examines…how easy it is to change election outcomes and undermine election integrity…”

“There is still time to return to a verifiable system [such as paper ballots] for the 2008 presidential election,” Ellis said. Ellis, (at left with producer Patricia Earnhardt), is featured in this film. He noted that when issues arose with the e-machines in Maryland, the Republican governor of that state dumped the machines in favor of paper ballots in just seven weeks to guarantee the “integrity” of the election.

UnCounted details the long lines, missing machines, inaccuracies in tabulating votes, and the ways voting machines can be tampered with to affect tallies. The film documents long voting lines, missing and failed machines, and other occurrences in the 2000, 2004 and 2006 elections. It examines the relationship between companies such as Diebold, manufacturer of voting machines that serve millions of American voters, and elected officials including election commissions and federal and state officers whose decisions affect how Americans will cast their votes.

In Nashville, David Earnhardt said “buying a Krispy Kreme donut was better documented than our vote.” Our most vital right as as Americans is our right to vote, and that right is being eroded by the manipulation and malfunctioning of electronic voting machines, and there is no paper trail, no way to verify how votes were cast or tabulated.

Patricia Earnhardt (above right with display of UnCounted DVDs) introduced the film, noting that the Clarksville screening was only the second time this film has been shown in the state of Tennessee, though it has been screened in 39 other states and several other countries since its worldwide premiere in Nashville in November at the Belcourt Theater. That premiere played to a standing room only crowd, just as last night’s screening played to a full house. At both events, the film generated heavy comments and considerable questions in the post-film debate. Earnhardt also noted the absence of interest by mainstream media in this film, noting that Clarksville Online was the only media to cover the world premiere of Uncounted in Nashville.

For a state that tipped the scales on women’s suffrage and was pivotal in civil rights, Tennessee stands “eighth from bottom” on a list of states when it comes to election integrity, Ellis (at right) said. “[Election officials] say it is too late to change how we vote in this state. It is not. If Maryland can do it in seven weeks, we can too.”

Ellis noted that pivotal votes on the voting process are coming up on December 18 and urged this audience to contact their legislators and election commissioners to demand verifiable voting. Ellis is also creating a lending library of UnCounted DVDs that will be available at no cost to groups who want to screen this film.

Friday’s event was hosted by the Unitarian fellowship and sponsored by the FreeThinkers for Peace and Civil Liberties and Clarksville Online.

FreeThinkers founder Debbie Boen was “excited” over the turnout, voicing satisfaction that so many people are interested in the voting process and concerned about issues of voting and electronic machines. “This kind of turnout just fuels us, recharges us and makes us want to do more.”

Boen (at left) brought her sculpture, Bob, to the event, attaching a “trust me” sign about voting to this figure, which has been displayed in numerous art venues throughout Clarksville.

Clarksville Online Publisher Bill Larson, equally pleased with the success of the program, said that Clarksville sponsorship of this event, which was offered admission-free as a community service by all sponsoring groups, is just the first of a number of community programs Larson would endorse in the coming year. “This is part of what we give back to the community.”

Ellis wrapped up the event with recommended contacts and suggested actions for those interested in voicing their opinion about electronic voting.

Ellis urged anyone who wants to know more or wants to communicate with legislators on the issue to email him ( "> ) for an action packet and/or visit the web-site: www.votesafetn.org . More information is also available at ">.

Here is a preview of UnCounted: The Movie –

Click here to view the embedded video.

Additional photos from the Clarksville premiere of UnCounted:

A crowd gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for the Clarksville screening of David Earnhardt’s film, UnCounted

Bernie Ellis (left) makes a point on e-voting

Many viewers lingered after the film to comment on the e-voting issue and question Ellis on the finer points in the film

Chris Lugo, candidate for U.S. Senate, who attended the Nashville premiere and the Clarksville screening, discusses the electronic voting issue

FreeThinkers founder Debbie Boen makes a point on e-voting

Photos by David Shelton and Christine Anne Piesyk

Barry Kitterman (above right) of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship accepted a certificate of appreciation from Nancy McPherson, founder of Underwater Warriors, for a contribution in support of the rehabilitation work this non-profit center offers soldiers recovering from injuries sustained in the Iraq and Afghanistan war.

Underwater Warriors is a charitable and educational non-profit created to provide scuba diving as therapeutic recreation for injured servicemen and women. Armed with adaptive skills, injured soldiers are now defying gravity, liberating bodies confined to wheelchairs, and finding freedom once again in an underwater world.

McPherson, who has worked tirelessly to establish this program, attended the Unitarian service Sunday morning to personally thank the congregation for their support. Underwater warriors is a scuba diving program that allows wounded soldiers and their family members (over age 10) to participate in a unique form of water therapy and exercise.

For more information on the Underwater Warrior program, contact McPherson at Underwater Warriors, P.O. Box 2117, Fort Campbell, KY 42223.

Photo Credit: Debbie Boen

3053 Highway 41A South

Clarksville

This month’s film is the ”The Wooden Camera” which comes from S. Africa and tells a compelling story of faith and friendship as two boys make a simple choice that alters their lives forever.  Come join us in fellowship as we watch this award winning film.  This film is not rated but if it were it would probably be PG13. Bring snacks to share if you wish.

Admission is free, donations accepted.

Friday, Jan. 5th at 7:00 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
3053 Highway 41A South
Clarksville, TN 37042

For more information contact David Boen at (931) 920-5390