Greater Community

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Brunswick Earth Art 2010 Event Planned for the 28th: Fans of the Earth will be able to join with others to promote creative ways to curb climate change on Sunday, November 28 in Brunswick. Earth Art 2010 will take place that day from 2 to 3 PM on the Town Mall. This will be one of many gatherings worldwide between the 21st and 28th sponsored by the climate advocacy group 350.org. Led by Bill McKibben, the group intends for Earth Art to “spread a warning” as well as “a message of hope… to cope with the most dangerous problem we’ve ever faced, and begin to work our way towards a clean, renewable future” (from www.350.org).
Brownie Carson of the Natural Resources Council of Maine is scheduled to give a welcome speech. There will also be an open mic for sharing environmental action ideas. The event will culminate in a group photo to capture attendees’ costumes, banners, and other visual art. The emcee will be Brunswick and Bowdoin grad Tyson Weems, who recently founded a Maine non-profit called The Health League in order to promote personal, community, and environmental health.
According to the 350.org website, “350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide – measured in Parts Per Million (PPM) – in our atmosphere. Measurements indicate we presently have 388 PPM. The group considers 350 to be “the number humanity needs to get back to as soon as possible to avoid runaway climate change.” That will take collective will and creative action. Using art to help celebrate, educate, and activate, writes McKibben, is a way “to reach past people's heads to their hearts.”
Everyone who cares about Mother Earth and wants to see constructive action to deal with global warming is invited to attend this event and make a statement. Participants are invited to wear a costume, bring a creative piece of Earth Art on a large poster or banner or just come and support others. It’s a celebration and call for constructive action.
Jeff Gillis from Well Tree will be photographing the event from his bucket truck. The event will take place rain or shine. For more information, contact: sfweems68@yahoo.com (11/23)

The First Parish in Portland, Unitarian Universalist, will present the 84rd Annual Pageant of the Nativity, Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 4:45 p.m.in the historic Meeting House at 425 Congress Street, just off Monument Square in downtown Portland. First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church has been staging its Pageant of the Nativity for 84 years now. The Pageant sports a cast of nearly 80 people, most of whom are adults, and many of whom have been in this pageant, in one role or another, for nearly all of their lives. There are no words spoken by the actors in this pageant. Indeed, the actors are never named. Rather the story of the Nativity is told in music and scripture while the actors, one by one, create a tableau in the candlelit sanctuary that is sculpted to replicate a Fra Angelico painting. Light bulbs in the 30 odd sconces in the church are replaced by candles and the scriptural "story" of the birth of Jesus is read by the minister who is hidden off to the side and unseen by most of the audience. In addition, history is honored by the fact that some of the costumes have been created from fabrics brought back from Palestine by nieces of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Non-denominational in nature, this event makes no political or religious statement. Rather it uses a combination of music, historic text, and tradition to honor the birth of one of history’s great prophets. In short, it is a truly magical 60 minutes in which we stop, quiet our hearts, and remember the reason that this holiday exists. Please plan to join us this year on December 12 and see for yourselves! (11/23)

4th Annual Creative Economy Show & Sale
November 26, 27 & 28 • 11-8/Friday, 10-6/Saturday & Sunday
Studio on the Hill, 21 Pleasant Hill Road • Freeport. For more info: 865-0605
Over 25 artists will have their beautiful art and fine crafts for sale in this unique holiday boutique. Snacks and music too! Please support your local artists when doing your holiday shopping. (11/23)

The Dzogchen Buddhist Meditation Center Presents:

On Knowing Reality: The View and Practice of Buddhist Meditation
Buddhist meditation is simply looking directly at our conscious awareness. From the Buddhist yogi’s point of view, our mind’s true nature is also the nature of all phenomena.

“Everything that arises is merely the play of the mind…” Trungpa Rinpoche

This is called ’resolving our true nature”. The first step on this path is to see thoughts as the dynamic expression of awareness rather than being caught in the storyline of discursive thinking. Once we are able to be aware of ’thinking’ without being caught in its discursive web, we are able to recognize conscious awareness itself and study its nature. This is the path of meditation. The nature of this awareness is actually the experience of ’sacredness.’ Hence the path of spiritual training in meditation is the highest expression of our human nature -- “Unborn, unceasing, with a nature like the sky”
This will be a weekend retreat December 11th and 12 at our center in West Bath
Saturday 9-12 Dzogchen Meditation
12-12:30 Oryoki Lunch in the Shrine Room
1-4 Dzogchen Meditation
Sunday 9-12 Dzogchen Meditation and Closing Chants
The Program is free, a vegetarian lunch will be served on
Saturday for $10.00.
The Dzogchen Buddhist Meditation Center
4 Armstrong Way, West Bath, ME
(207) 443-3842 nmrc@comcast.net
Tashi Armstrong is a ngakpa or lay practitioner/ yogi of the Dzogchen and Mahamudra schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Tashi was a student of Trungpa Rinpoche in the 1980’s, attending Vajrayana Seminary in 1986 and living in residence for 4 years at Karme-Choling and Rocky Mountain Dharma Center. Tashi is also a student of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, a Dzogchen and Kagyu master and abbot of Ka-Nying Shedrup Ling monastery in Boudhnath, Nepal. (11/23)

BESSIE'S FARM GOODS HOLIDAY SALE:  Saturday and Sunday November 27th and 28th, from 9-5. Local artisans offering a variety of beautifully handmade pieces.  Seasonal bulbs and greenery, goodies for the birds, wooden kitchen ware, unique local treats, lots and lots of bags, pottery and stone buttons, soaps and sachets, whimsical baby gifts, fiber in every form- roving, hand dyed and spun yarn and knitted wear- beeswax candles, practical pottery, a variety of special cards, handcrafted silver and beaded jewelry, handwoven kitchen linens, and lots of surprises!  Sat and Sun  Nov 27 and 28   9-5    33 Lichfield Rd. Freeport  865-9840  Watch for Bessie's signs on the way to Wolfe Neck Farm.  For directions:  bessiesfarmgoods.com  (11/16)