Rev Terra Collier-Young:
Biography
May my life, vison, words, and actions be as a prayer.
I am a passionate and enthusiastic person! I love life, my family, friends, and communities. I love to sing and dance, and find the natural world, Earth, and the Universe fascinating. Learning, experiencing, and creativity of all kinds is like lifeblood and breath.
Most tenaciously, I truly believe that humankind are amazing beings on Earth and that we can do whatever we put our collective minds to, and this includes a true and sustainable peace. All that I do is toward this goal.
(Yes, I know, “they say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one” and I am glad to be in the company of John Lennon!)
I acknowledge the privileges that enable me to engage my Calling this way. The land that I call home is a part of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, ancestral home of the Awaswas speaking people of the Yupi tribe. My European-American family was advanced by the social structure that benefited light skinned people throughout the last 300 years since my ancestors arrival on this continent. I intend to use the privilege that I inherited to work for Earth and social justice, to dismantle white supremacy culture, to make restitution and undo the harm done to many for the benefit of the few.
Particularly, I must express great gratitude for my husband Scott and his loving support, as well as the congregants of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County (UUFSCC or Fellowship) who saw the minister within and reflected her back to me.
Theologically:
My religious and spiritual practices are multi-faith and multi-faceted. Unitarian Universalism is my primary and public religious practice. On October 13, 2018, the Fellowship ordained me into Unitarian Universalist Community Ministry. It is in the deepest gratitude and humility that I step fully into the ministry I have been called to by Spirit.
I find the covenant of our UU Principles and Sources incredibly inspiring. They empower me and hold me accountable for how I am in the world; they are a tremendous resource in guiding morality and ethics; they invoke reverence and conscious thought; in their deepest offering of interconnectedness, they frame a relatively peaceful worldview that is possible. I approach this covenant as a simple yet profound Wisdom teaching, and this I celebrate!
Wicca~Paganism and Earth~Cosmos Spirituality are my mystery traditions. When we moved into our family home in 1991, I realized my Pagan nature due to the cycle of the sun and moon as it is revealed here in the redwoods. Panentheism (a step broader than Pantheism), is to say all of Earth is alive in varying degrees of vibration and all of this together is best described in the cliché, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The Greater Whole is the Spirit of Life. Divine Unity is what makes life alive and interconnected, yet exists beyond matter.
As a witch, a healer and visionary, I use prayer, also known as spell-casting, and Reiki Healing Energy to focus my attention toward desired goals and requests made of me. I use the power of these developed gifts with great respect and following the Wiccan Rede,
"An it harm none, do as ye will."
The Buddha's Dharma teaches me equanimity, compassion, and meditation, plus I love spinning prayer wheels and have prayer flags hanging in my yard releasing their radiant prayer offerings through the wind and around the world! The Four Noble Truths (suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the cessation of the cause of suffering) are a humble reminder of the struggles life on Earth (samsara) and working with these truths is what I am incarnated in this life time to do, for myself and "for the benefit of all sentient beings."
One of my greatest joys is to participate in the Dances of Universal Peace, when we sing the praises of all that is Sacred, as expressed through the world's traditions:
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Goddess, and ancient pantheons. In a circle, we sing to each other, look into each other's eyes and hearts and see the Divine within. Like Namaste, I bow to the Divine within you where the whole Universe dwells.
I believe that the Spirit of Life whispers in my ear to inform, encourage, lure, and point me towards humanities best potential.
Blessed Be and Namaste, Terra
Here is a beautiful rendition of a beloved song:
Eva Cassidy singing John Lennon's Imagine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGnfqRR509M
*All attached websites are for reference and have been chosen because they offer a more thorough explanation of the faith.
