“Widening the Circle” is our February worship and programming theme. What comes to your mind when you read the words “widening the circle”?

Do you think of letting other people in? What other people? People who are different? How are they different?

Is this “different” based solely on skin color? Can you think beyond skin color when we contemplate diversity?

What about ideas? Histories? Perspectives?

How can you widen your circle of responsibility? What are you responsible for beyond your own self? Do you understand the interconnectedness of our freedoms?

What about compassion? Have you drawn a circle that limits who you extend compassion to?

What about your own self? Have you drawn a circle around what you are and what you are not? Is it authentic? Does your circle recognize that you are nature? Do you feel like you are a part of the universe?

These are just some of the questions to contemplate this month as we widen our circle. When we discern what we actually want to open up to, we can start to do the spiritual work we need to do to figure out how to open up to what may seem challenging or difficult.

But when we open up, we let in new light, new breath, new pieces of the truth, and many gifts that can transcend our individual selves and connect us with each other and the divine.