Washington Ethical Society

Spring Festival: Demeter and Persephone Lyn Cox, Interim Leader. The story of Demeter and Persephone reminds us that seasonal changes feel differently to different people, that there is a place for grief in the cycle of renewal, and that change is possible. At Spring Fest, we celebrate Baby Naming and dedicate ourselves to nurturing new life among us.

"Accountability and Responsibility: Towards a relational ethic of repair" Anthony Cruz This platform will illuminate dimensions of accountability and responsibility that contribute to a more humanizing praxis for transformative change. In particular, this message will invoke the wisdom from Black and Afro-Carribean thinkers.

"Cultivate a Brighter Future" Lyn Cox, Interim Leader. What we pay attention to grows in our minds and hearts. Words and deeds add up to nourish commitments, from seed to harvest. This Platform is also the beginning of the pledge drive, when WES members are encouraged to renew their commitments.

"Love, History and the Statement of Purpose" Vincent Tyler, WES Board of Trustees As members prepare to examine WES’s Statement of Purpose, let’s look back on how we have defined our mission and values over the years, and imagine how we might describe our direction today.

Superhero stories in popular culture are fictional, yet they contain themes that remind us about making ethical choices. Let's explore how these stories help us to come to terms with the past, grapple with power and responsibility, and team up as a source of strength.

Love is more than sentimentality and greeting cards. Love, in the broader sense, offers lessons such as groundedness, embodiment, and interdependence. This is wisdom that helps us to live out our values. The essays and poetry of free thinking ancestors such as Egbert Ethelred Brown and Lewis Latimer show that intellect and love are partners in cultivating wisdom.

"Trees" Lyn Cox We reflect on putting down roots and growing shelter for generations to come. We will draw inspiration for resilience from the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of Trees, as we consider growth and fruitfulness on a long time scale.

Replacing Magical Thinking with Rational Discourse: How can freethinkers help restore democracy? The platform will be shared by representatives from all twenty-five national Ethical Societies and will feature music from the Washington Ethical Society Chorus, Jaque DuPree and Barry Kornhauser, with presiders Vandra Thorburn, Elaine Durbach and Lyn Cox. As we face this historical moment, when cult thinking and fake news have fueled an attempted insurrection, yet grassroots organizing gives us hope in the future of multiracial democracy, we reflect on the intellectual traditions supporting a free society. What do our shared values lead us to do now in order to cultivate a world in which we bring out the best in each other and ideas are allowed to flourish without threat of violence? A panel of ‘freethinkers’ from within our movement will draw from philosophy, history, and Ethical Culture. They are Dr. David Sprintzen, Professor Emeritus at Long Island University; Christian Hayden, Leader-in-Training

'Stardust' Lyn Cox, Interim Leader. The origins of the universe, at least to the best of our knowledge. show that we are related to all life, and that we are connected atomically to all matter. Science leads to awe and wonder while maintaining rationality.

"Dreamers" Lyn Cox, Interim Leader. Working toward a better world, a world of racial justice and an end to interlocking oppressions, requires imagination. On this weekend when we remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let's also consider both the history of civil rights and the unbounded creativity of speculative fiction by writers of color as sources of inspiration.

"Democracy Is Not a State" Lyn Cox, Interim Leader. This week has been filled with emotion as we see the will of the people expressed in the electoral process, and an attempt to thwart that process with violent insurrection. The late Rep. John Lewis reminded us that democracy is an ongoing practice, not a binary condition, and that our sustained and collaborative work is what brings us closer to Beloved Community. We return to our values and reflect on our next steps in our quest for a better world.

Resolution Lyn Cox, Interim Leader. How shall we re-imagine the year ahead? Bring your intentions for letting go and your intentions for fresh beginnings as we kindle a flame for the new year.

"De-Stressing: Allowing Our Bodies to Work" Trish Weil, WES Mindfulness Group The practice of deep relaxation is built on the premise that relaxed muscles and anxiety are mutually exclusive states. We can bring about very deep relaxation intentionally and adopt it as a practice. That requires learning to release muscular tension, breathing practices, even bringing attention to sensation. It’s fascinating work that deeply soothes and breaks the circuit of anxiety. If adopted as a regular practice, deep relaxation can bring about beneficial and lasting attitude change.

Winter Festival People of all ages are invited to help bring winter-themed poetry to life in this virtual adaptation of one of WES’s favorite celebrations. We’ll lift up peace, hope, love, joy, and giving in creative and collaborative ways.

"Blue" Lyn Cox, Interim Senior Leader. Between the dwindling hours of sunlight and difficult memories associated with the time of year, many people struggle with the winter holiday season. Let’s look out for one another, and let’s give comfort and solace to our own troubled hearts.

Some of us may be anticipating stressful situations, and are looking for skills in de-escalation. The first step is to de-escalate our own minds and hearts. How can we respond rather than react when our earliest instincts tell us to fight or flee?

The stories we tell about our past affect the way we view the present and orient toward the future. This is true about the myth of Thanksgiving, stories we tell about WES’s and Ethical Culture’s past, stories we tell about our individual journeys, and more. When we recognize the impact of origin stories, we can be intentional about how we tell them in the future and how they guide us to bring out the best.

Follow along as we celebrate the annual coming together of community in this story of Stone Soup.

"Faces of a Just Society" Ryane Nickens Let’s talk about how we love, protect, and support each other and all of our neighbors.

National and international events that change the course of our lives are in mid-swing. We may wish for certainty, yet we also know that resolution may not be as swift as we might hope. In this in-between time of doing all we can and not yet knowing the results, we ground ourselves as we are able in the here and now. In this moment, we listen to our hearts. In this moment, we listen to each other. In this moment, we listen to what our values might ask us to do next, one step at a time, regardless of outcomes we can’t control.