Creative Chaplaincy Initiative
Fostering culture and the arts in spiritual expression and spiritual care…
CCI Aims and Objectives
The Creative Chaplaincy Initiative (CCI) aims to foster culture and the arts in spiritual expression and spiritual care through innovative publications, collaborative projects and events.
This initiative also aims to connect chaplains and chaplaincy partners/sponsors – and indeed all pastoral and spiritual care practitioners – who are passionate about enriching their reflective and therapeutic practices ever more deeply with cultural content and artistic expression. This includes the use of their own creative output and/or the creative reuse or repurposing of the works of others.
My hope is that the Creative Chaplaincy Initiative will enhance and enrich the use of creativity and creative and cultural content in pastoral and spiritual and that it will connect people who are practising and pioneering creative activities in chaplaincy around the country. I think quite a few of us are doing creative things but don’t know much about each other and could potentially engage in collaborative projects or at least provide one another with mutual inspiration and support and help promote one another’s works and projects. There are of course many forms of art therapy provided by other practitioners such as art and occupational therapists, but as chaplains, we do creative things a little differently, with a particular focus on ethics, spirituality, reflective practice, ritual and ceremony.
I would love to be in touch with other creative chaplains (or pastoral and spiritual carers with other titles) in the South West and beyond, and to discuss the potential for collaborative projects that will promote themes of wellbeing, inclusivity, ethical awareness and engagement (e.g. human rights, social justice, care for the earth etc) and the importance of creativity in general in pastoral and spiritual care.
CCI is Inclusive
The Creative Chaplaincy Initiative is an initiative linked to the Inclusive Chaplains Network and aims to promote inclusivity within chaplaincy and spiritual care. The initiative also follows on from my 6th July presentation on ‘Creative Chaplaincy’ for the Arts and Culture Critical Friends Network at the University of Exeter. The Creative Chaplaincy Initiative is therefore listed as an Arts and Culture Resource at the University of Exeter. I would love to hear from anyone in chaplaincy and spiritual care interested in discussing this initiative and helping to form a leadership team.
CCI on Social Media
Having always used a lot of cultural and artistic content in my chaplaincy work, including the works of poetry and song I produce myself, I thought it would be really interesting, and mutually inspirational, to hear about what other chaplains and chaplaincy partners are doing in terms of both established and innovative creative practice, projects and partnerships, so do join the Facebook and LinkedIn Inclusive Chaplains Network groups and share your activities and insights!
CCI in the South West
In terms of innovative collaborative projects here in Exeter, I am currently in discussion with staff at the University of Exeter (where I am one of the chaplains) about running reflective gatherings on campus, having run many similar events in community, hospital and educational settings. I am also currently running reflective gatherings and spiritual wellbeing groups in NHS mental health settings.
See below for more information on reflective gatherings…
Reflective Gatherings on Campus
In 2023, I hope to launch a series of inclusive reflective gatherings at the University of Exeter, inviting all students and staff from nonreligious and religious backgrounds.
They will take place somewhere central on Streatham Campus (exact location tbc) and participants will be invited to contribute in various creative ways to the gatherings. Each gathering will have an inclusive theme e.g. courage, hope, loss, nature, peace, identity, friendship and many, many more!
A typical format is as follows:
- Songs/music along the theme as people come in, to create a reflective atmosphere and focus
- Opening words to welcome people and introduce the theme
- Lighting of a candle, walking of a labyrinth or other ritual
- Poem along the theme
- Brief reflections on the theme
- Short meditation / mindfulness activity
- Discussing / sharing of experiences and thoughts along the theme
- Another poem or prose reading along the theme
- Closing words (can include a humanistic/universalist prayer)
- More singing / music
I have run these gatherings regularly as an NHS chaplain in mental health (on psychiatric wards) and it will be fascinating to see whether they will prove helpful for students and staff who want to reflect on their values, beliefs, goals and other aspects of their spiritual lives in the company of others. The aim is to think more deeply, enrich culture, promote wellness, increase ethical engagement and form deeper connections.
While the gatherings have an inclusive, humanistic/nonreligious framework, religious students and staff are nonetheless welcome to share prayers/poetry from their traditions when relevant to our themes in a way that demonstrates awareness and respect for the diversity among those present. I always endeavour to manage these gatherings in a way that gives equal space for different and diverse voices to be heard.
Students and staff can email me their suggested contributions in advance and I will include people on a first come first serve basis wherever possible after making sure a range of voices will be heard.
The humanistic/nonreligious framework is one which emphasises and promotes reasonableness, empathy, compassion, creativity, equality, diversity, inclusion, care for the earth and universal human dignity and human rights.
I look forward to welcoming you!
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Inclusive Chaplains Network
The Inclusive Chaplains Network is a group for professional and voluntary chaplains and chaplaincy partners* who are committed to opening up and transforming chaplaincy into a fully inclusive multi-faith/belief service supported by inclusive chaplaincy partners in the wider community.
This vision includes proactively reaching out to and welcoming chaplains and chaplaincy partners from all faith and belief traditions, ethnicities, genders, cultures, sexual orientations and social backgrounds, and making it possible for those with relevant knowledge, talents and skills from all philosophical/nonreligious and religious traditions to join the profession on an equal standing.
This group is committed to more appropriately and more richly serving the needs of an increasingly diverse population, and in doing so, to realise a vision for inclusive, creative, evidence-based, openminded and openhearted pastoral, spiritual and religious care across all the settings in which chaplains work and in the wider community beyond.
*Chaplaincy partners are belief/faith representatives and professionals in the wider community who support chaplaincy in various ways, especially with regard to meeting the pastoral and spiritual needs of people once they are discharged from (or otherwise leave) chaplaincy care into the wider community.
Some questions for us to consider in this group…
- How can we promote inclusive pastoral, spiritual and religious care more effectively and creatively in our institutional settings?
- How can we promote inclusive pastoral, spiritual and religious care more effectively within our faith/belief organisations and networks?
- How can we convince chaplains (especially Chaplaincy Team Leads) who are reluctant to be inclusive or who actively discriminate against nonreligious and minority faith chaplains, of the benefits of opening up?
- How can chaplains form more effective connections with chaplaincy partners so we can achieve continuity of pastoral, spiritual and religious care throughout the life-course?
- How can we reach out to and support faith/belief communities which do not have structures in place for fielding chaplains and who perhaps do not yet know how they can contribute?
- How can we address issues of unequal funding for chaplains from different traditions (where chaplains are funded or part-funded by their faith/belief organisations rather than the institutions they work or volunteer in), due to some traditions having more resources and privileges than others for historical and outdated reasons?
- How can we address funding issues in general in chaplaincy brought about by the lack of a fully inclusive, evidence-based and progressive vision, and the consequently increasing irrelevance and marginalisation of many chaplaincies within secular institutions?
- How can we help with the professionalisation of chaplaincy so that young people from all faith/belief backgrounds can see this as a viable and rewarding career option?
- How can we foster open and respectful inter-faith/worldview dialogue within our own teams and community partnerships so that we can build relationships of trust and work more effectively together?
- How can we rise above our faith/belief labels to unite in common values and goals, while nonetheless celebrating our diverse stories, cultures and traditions?
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Secular Liturgies Network
We are a professional network of academics, creatives, and Humanist/Progressive community leaders.
Our mission is to enrich societies with secular ethics and reflective practices, informed by the latest research, and expressed in original creative, scholarly and journalistic publications and events. Our work has strong themes of well-being, sustainability, cultural enrichment and community building.
We are also a think-tank, publisher, creative hub and events pioneer.
The SLN&F publishes original creative works of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction, incisive journalistic articles including interview-style articles with experts and practitioners in relevant fields, and original research papers, which are shorter and more widely engaging than traditional academic publications.
We are committed to both creative excellence and the highest standards in peer-reviewed research.
Founding Editor
Dr Anastasia E. Somerville-Wong
I am the very first Humanist Chaplain at the University of Exeter and am also a Humanist Chaplain at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. I am Founding Editor of the Secular Liturgies Network and Forum, and am also a historian and social scientist with a PhD in Historical Theology from the University of Aberdeen and an MA (Hons) in Philosophy and Politics from the University of Edinburgh. I am also an Assessment Specialist (Examiner in History) for the University of Cambridge.
I am currently researching the impact of human belief and unbelief on our wellbeing, in terms of religious, non-religious and political world-views. I am also interested in marginalised histories and heritages and in the development of secular ethics, reflective practices, ritual, Humanist ‘ministries’ (such as chaplaincy, celebrancy and pastoral care), and comparative religion and philosophy. I am researching the emergence of progressive religious reform movements, and the development of secular, Humanist and multi-faith/universalist models of community. My paper entitled ‘Secular Liturgies’, was published in Secular Studies (Volume 1, Issue 2, October 2019), an international peer-reviewed journal (Brill).
I am an experienced Pastoral Carer and Mentor, and as Humanist Chaplain, I am sponsored and accredited by the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network and Humanists UK, which is a membership organisation of the Network for Pastoral, Spiritual and Religious Care in Health. Since obtaining my PhD in 2010, I have worked as a researcher at the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, and as an Associate Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen. On 13th July 2018, I launched the Secular Liturgies Creative Writing Project, now called the Secular Liturgies Network and Forum. It is a culmination of all my previous work, inspired by my love of writing, my experience as a published writer of liturgies and poetry, and my knowledge of history, theology, philosophy and comparative religion. I bring a combination of four approaches, the scholarly, the journalistic, the creative and the pastoral to the work of the SLN&F.
Any questions about the SLN&F or about nonreligious pastoral support? Email me at ana_wong@outlook.com
The External Advisory Board
Members of the External Advisory Board consider and advise on the SLN/Fs research, engagement, recruitment and communications strategies, providing advice and comments on projects between meetings, as appropriate. They participate in the evaluation of SLN/F activities, outputs and impacts, and where possible, in SLN/F events.
Dr David Sergeant
David is a lecturer in English (post-1850), in the School of Humanities and Performing Arts (Faculty of Arts and Humanities) at the University of Plymouth in the UK. Click on the link below for more information on his research:
https://web-dr.tis.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/david-sergeant
David leads the AHRC funded ‘Imagining Alternatives: Feasts for the Future’ project, which explores how communal meals might act as one way of bringing elements of a ‘utopian’ future (such as those imagined by writers since the late nineteenth century), into our shared present. See https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/feasts-for-the-future
Rev. Dr. Claire MacDonald
Claire is an artist and arts educator, a Professorial Fellow at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (London) and a Thinker in Residence at the Live Arts Development Agency (London). She trained as a Unitarian minister at Harris Manchester College Oxford and is the minister with Lewisham Unitarians in south London. Claire’s interests lie in creating conversational space across communities. Active as a performance writer and critic, two plays from her recent collection Utopia are currently in production in Europe, in Italy and the Czech Republic. She volunteers with Simple Gifts, a Unitarian food and story sharing project based in The Garrett Centre, where LADA has just relocated. Claire holds a PhD from the University of East Anglia in critical and creative writing and is completing an MA in Abrahamic Faiths with a thesis on fashion and performance across faiths called ‘What to Wear and why it Matters: Clergywomen and Dress.’
A Vision for the Future
The British Social Attitudes Surveys show that religious affiliation has declined steeply in the UK, and continues to do so. Fifty percent of British people no longer identify with a religious faith, and many who do, are non-practising. The percentage of 18-24 year olds with no religious affiliation is significantly higher, at sixty-four percent. Furthermore, a proportion of those who still identify with a religion will be liberals and progressives. In Europe as a whole, we are certainly moving into a post-religious age, and many other nations are undergoing a similar transition, with the world’s nonreligious now the third largest group of humans, exceeded in numbers only by Christians and Muslims. (See reports by the National Centre for Social Research and the Pew Research Center, which are freely available online)
While traditional religion is losing ground, other forms of dogma and superstition are on the rise. However, secular ethics and reflective practices, which are based on a rational approach to knowledge and which reject dogma and superstition, have the potential to fill the void left by the decline of organised religion. In 2018, I launched the Secular Liturgies Network and Forum, to bring people together from many different secular, humanist and progressive backgrounds, to explore common ground when it comes to developing, and creatively expressing, a non-dogmatic or secular spirituality.
I am particularly keen to develop and experiment with reflective practices, which have the potential to enrich secular life and culture. My focus in this regard, is on secular liturgical creative writings, and carefully choreographed liturgical events. These events include readings of original work, rituals, cultural heritage (ideas, objects and exhibitions), a variety of art forms, and readings from existing literature, philosophy and so forth. They are organised around the following Nine Themes:
- Critical Thinking – truth, evidence, research, excellent science, responsibility
- Good Life – character, empathy, wisdom, courage, virtue, kindness, compassion
- Good Society – social justice, human rights, individual freedom, equality, democracy
- Sustainability – our place in nature, green lifestyles, religious naturalism, biophilia
- Health and Well-being – reflection, meditation, mindfulness, socialisation
- Big Culture – cultural exchange, diversity, comparative philosophy/religion
- Community – companionship, relationships, humour, fun, friendship
- Life-Cycles – birth and coming of age celebrations, weddings, funerals
- Seasons – annual and seasonal events following a secular calendar
Reflective Practices
Much that is good in spirituality and religion, and which can be transferred into a secular context, is to do with rituals that facilitate reflective practice. These rituals include liturgical communal services/gatherings, scheduled/habitual contemplation of one’s actions and of life and the universe (philosophy!), mindfulness meditations, rites of passage, lifecycle and seasonal events, pilgrimages and so forth. Producing creative art works is also a form of reflective practice, since our creations reflect our experience, impressions and understandings of the world.
Prayer can also be seen as form of reflective practice rather than as an actual conversation with a supernatural being. The person who prays has to put into words and a new context (sometimes a public context) their feelings and thoughts about the things they have heard about and experienced. In the process, they reflect on this information and experience in a way that can change their attitudes and behaviours over time. Certain forms of public prayer, such as call and response, can therefore be secular in content and used in nonreligious and inter-faith contexts.
Critical thinking and other reflective practices are the means by which human beings can pursue truth, goodness or virtue. They are the means by which we can more deeply and more regularly experience wonderment, love and self-transcendence. They enable us to cultivate empathy and compassion for other living beings. Reflective practices demand honesty, freedom, tolerance and equality, values which actually run counter to the religious power structures that have been dominant for so long. They also lead to us rediscover and better appreciate our place in nature, an emphasis, which contrasts with the efforts of traditional religion to set humanity apart from its natural origins and even to set us apart from the needs and pleasures of our own physical bodies.
Defining Secular Liturgies
Secular liturgies are writings, and other liturgical expressions, such as rituals, meditations and art forms, which are read (or take place) at secular private or public gatherings. They explore, celebrate and convey the secular values of compassion, truth, freedom, equality, courage, tolerance and responsibility. They also seek to capture and communicate, in creative ways, the latest information and research that can help us to advance well-being and alleviate suffering. I hope that they will make secular cultures more resilient in difficult times, and inspire us to meet our global challenges.
The Network’s definition of liturgy is very broad. It includes, more obviously, writings and readings, which are morally and/or intellectually instructive. However, it also includes words and activities, which are indirectly helpful to us, for example, by creating spaces for reflection or socialisation, or by defining rituals, which can instil healthy habits, practical wisdom, critical thinking and so forth. A story, a poem, a dance, the process of painting a picture, a journey, a piece of music, a period of silence, and even the shipping forecast- these may all be described as liturgy!
In addition to liturgies written for secular events, I am also keen to explore the possibility of integrating liturgy, and what I call ‘liturgical moments’, into everyday life. Liturgies often define the values, goals and cultural identity of groups, from the tattoos and graffiti of youth subcultures, to the word-art one finds in the homes and workplaces of the aspirational classes. Therefore, we will be exploring how elements of our secular liturgies and events on the Nine Themes may be creatively incorporated into our home, working and leisure environments.
Secular liturgies and liturgical events can help us to live out, both individually and communally, a fidelity to truth and kindness, even when truth and kindness demand that we revise our assumptions or put aside our self-interest. They can facilitate a greater appreciation of the natural world (and of our place within it), and encourage a vigorous engagement with secular ethics. They can also induce experiences of self-transcendence through techniques such as mindfulness, experiences which are not only pleasurable and health-giving in themselves but which can also lead to positive changes in our thinking and behaviour. Liturgical events can help us to cultivate empathy through self-understanding and the sharing of stories. They can build relationships and community through regular socialisation at a meaningful depth.
A Diverse Network
One of the distinctive features of this movement is its diversity. The Network brings together those who would not normally work together, because although they have much in common in terms of shared values and goals, they have very different backgrounds, cultures, heritages and identities.
Related to this, is another distinctive feature, which I am calling our ‘big culture’ approach. By a ‘big culture’ approach, I mean that we seek to sift the golden nuggets of wisdom from the world’s philosophical and religious traditions, in terms of both their thinking and practice, and apply it in the process of creating our secular liturgies and liturgical events. This requires a critical process of determining which parts of our inherited cultures (the literature, the objects, the rituals and traditions) conform to our secular values and goals, and which must be consigned to the past. I am of the view that while the ‘bath water’ needs to go, the ‘baby’ should not be thrown away with it, as the saying goes! Though of course, we need to keep the bath water in a museum somewhere, as a reminder of how far we have come!
Our Secular Liturgies community consists of humanists, atheists, agnostics, free-thinkers, sceptics, the nonreligious, the ‘spiritual but not religious’, Unitarians, British Quakers, liberals from other denominations, and members of progressive religious reform movements, such as Progressive Christianity, Humanistic Judaism, Secular Buddhism and others. Together, not only can we learn so much more about other cultural perspectives but we can also gain a far better perspective on our own cultures.
A Call for Creative Contributions
Join us in this exciting and experimental process of writing secular liturgy and choreographing innovative liturgical events along the Nine Themes.
Send us your secular liturgical extracts, poetry, short stories, personal accounts and other creative nonfiction, short dramatic scripts/extracts, short films, art-works, music and cultural heritage content/objects.
Submit articles relating cutting-edge academic research in areas relevant to the SLN&F.
Share your suggestions for readings, from novels, poetry, works of philosophy and other literature.
Contribute ideas for activities that may be integrated into secular liturgical events e.g.meditations, community feasts, tea ceremonies, dance routines, multimedia, art exhibitions, songs and other musical compositions.
The SLN publishes shorter peer-reviewed articles by researchers and academics, which communicate new and established research findings in ways that are accessible to a diverse readership. We are looking for work in all relevant fields, including reflective practice, secular ethics, pastoral care, medical humanities, secular studies, behavioural science, psychology and the contemporary relevance/application of ancient philosophy, religious studies and comparative religion. We are also interested in historical and anthropological explorations of ethics and ritual, and relevant articles in architecture on, for example, place and ritual. Whatever your discipline, if you can make a good case for the relevance of your research to our themes and objectives, please do get in touch.
Please send your submissions to Anastasia at ana_wong@outlook.com
Secular Liturgy: an example
While we use the term ‘secular liturgy’ in a broad sense, and sometimes in a metaphorical one, we do also welcome contributions of actual liturgical material and will collect these scripts and make them available to the general public for life cycle, annual and other events.
Below is an extract from my own liturgical writing, just to give you an idea of the variety of forms it can take. The following ‘vows’ can be used at coming of age celebrations, or at ceremonies for the re-affirmation of vows, or they could simply be spoken as part of a liturgy for regular communal use.
The Twelve Vows for Life
- I shall be faithful to the principles of liberty, equality and sustainability.
- I shall take time to rest and contemplate the beauty of the Earth and its inhabitants.
- I shall study the brave, noble and kindly acts of my fellow humans, both my peers and my predecessors, and take inspiration from them.
- I shall honour my family with gratitude and loving-kindness, and I shall be a comfort to my friends, knowing the richness that brings.
- I shall be forgiving and compassionate towards others, since all of us are flawed, fellow-sufferers in a troubled world, dependent upon one another for our survival and flourishing. I shall do so from gratitude, since so many have been generous towards me.
- I shall be compassionate towards other animals and the Earth, for they too sustain and enrich my life.
- I shall work to bring justice, healing and peace to humanity and the Earth, and I shall refrain from doing harm.
- I shall endeavour to pursue noble goals with diligence and care, so that I may make a valuable contribution to the world, and so that I may set a courageous example for others.
- I shall speak kindly of others and truthfully of myself.
- I shall respect the person and possessions of others, being honest in all my dealings.
- I shall always seek the truth, by studying the evidence, listening to others, and taking time to come to my conclusions and judgments. I shall not ignore evidence I do not like, or seek out or invent evidence, which appears to confirm my own assumptions, or which advances my own interests, and which is a deliberate attempt to mislead others.
- I shall be content with what I have, rejoicing in the success of others, while working hard to better myself.
A Secular ‘Prayer’ for Healing
(inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals)
As fellow sufferers in a troubled world, we come together in solidarity, with all who long for good health, for peace, for forgiveness, for comfort, for love, for reunion, for kindness, and for hope.
For those who long for the healing of their bodies, we work to create cultures and environments that are conducive to our physical health and well-being, and we work to alleviate all pain and suffering.
For those who long for the healing of their thoughts and emotions, we work to create cultures and environments that are conducive to healthy, peaceful minds, and we work to provide services to assist people in their recovery from mental illness.
For those who long for the healing of their relationships, we work to restore healthy relationships through mediation, forgiveness and reconciliation.
For the victims of religious and political oppression, armed conflict, crime, torture and exploitation, we work to achieve liberty and human rights for all. We uphold the rule of law and universal access to justice. We work for inclusive and peaceful societies, and for effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. We seek lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity, by reducing the flow of illicit arms, by bringing developing countries into the centre of institutions of global governance, and by strengthening global partnerships for justice, peace and sustainable development.
For those consumed by poverty and hunger, we work to achieve a fair distribution of wealth and equal opportunities for all, for greater co-operation between nations, for sustainable agriculture, optimal nutrition and a living wage for all.
For those without access to knowledge, we work to ensure that every child has a high quality and equitable education, regardless of gender and place of birth, and we endeavour to provide lifelong learning opportunities for all.
For all who are unemployed or unhappily employed, we work for an inclusive and sustainable economy, for full productive employment and decent work for all, and for an end to forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. We work to build a resilient infrastructure, and to ensure an inclusive and sustainable industrialisation that fosters innovation.
For those subject to discrimination, stereotyping and stigmatisation, we work to build societies without prejudice, where no one is judged according to a single facet of their identity, such as the colour of their skin, their gender, their faith or their sexuality.
For seas ravaged by pollution and plundering, we work to conserve our oceans, seas and marine resources, and to use them intelligently for sustainable development.
For lands ravaged by pollution and plundering, we work to protect and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and the sustainable management of forests, to combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and bring an end to the loss of biodiversity.
For the climate and ecosystems which have been altered by humankind, we work to restore clean, diverse environments, and to provide reliable, sustainable, clean and affordable energy for all. We work to build inclusive, safe and resilient human settlements and cities, with sustainable consumption and production, and designed with our well-being as the priority.
Moment of Silence
And finally,
We strive to grow in empathy and understanding, in kindness and compassion, in patience and a slowness to judge. We seek to know the truth and to find it in others.
(This one can also be a Call and Response, with the sections read by different people and the last part in bold spoken in unison by a ‘congregation’.)
© Anastasia E. Somerville-Wong
Academics and practitioners from across many disciplines are contributing to the movement on the website and blog: https://secularliturgies.wordpress.com/
You can follow our progress and posts on our Facebook Page, and you are welcome to participate in the more informal discussions on our Facebook Forum:
The Page: https://www.facebook.com/secularliturgies/
The Forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1961198670570251/
…and our twitter page can be found at at:
Copyright
To cite an article on this blog/website, you are legally obliged to include the name of the blog the post has been published on, the title of the specific post you’re citing, the date the post was published, the author of the post, the publisher of the blog site (where it is different from the name of the blog site), and the URL or direct link to the post.
An example of how to cite a guest article on this blog/website:
Ray, Roger. “A Common Story with Uncommon Results”, Secular Liturgies Network and Forum, 10th December 2018, https://secularliturgies.wordpress.com/2018/12/10/a-common-story-with-uncommon-results-by-rev-dr-roger-ray/
An example of how to cite other material on this blog/ website:
Somerville-Wong, Anastasia. “Welcome to the Secular Liturgies Network and Forum”, Secular Liturgies Network and Forum, 6th January 2019, https://secularliturgies.wordpress.com/about/
If you are contributing liturgical materials:
Your contributions of original material are protected by the copyright law of the country in which you created them. In the UK, copyright protection is automatic on the point of creation of something tangible such as text, video, audio track etc. Getting permissions can be a hindrance to the dissemination, re-use and re-mix of material, so many creatives now use Creative Commons Licences for their works, which allow for an optimal balance between sharing and ownership.
Do check out the Creative Commons website for more information:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
The Humanist and Progressive Fellowship (Archived)
The Humanist and Progressive Fellowship (HPF) is the primary activity of the Humanist Chaplaincy at the University of Exeter of which I am Founding Chaplain (see Humanist Chaplaincy). The Fellowship offers non-religious, and Humanist students and staff (including honorary staff) and those of progressive faith, opportunities to explore their spirituality, get to know like-minded people and discuss a variety of ethical, cultural and philosophical subjects. This group also functions as an interdisciplinary network and thinktank.
Other activities such as walks, reflective practices, workshops/talks by guest speakers and the occasional evening/weekend event are also in the planning. To join the email list and hear about our meetings and events, contact Anastasia (Humanist Chaplain) at a.somerville-wong@exeter.ac.uk. I also have a university profile at UoE Humanist Chaplain.
I am keen on interfaith/inter-worldview work and have a close affinity with many people at the progressive and humanistic end of a wide variety of faiths. These include Humanistic Jews, Philosophical/Secular Buddhists, and Non-Theist/Post-Theist/Progressive Christians from many denominations including the Unitarians, Quakers and Unitarian/Quaker Universalists. I will be welcoming students and staff from all progressive faith backgrounds.
Progressives often tell me they have much more in common with one another and with Humanists than with those at the orthodox or conservative end of their own faiths. There is a real need for an interfaith/inter-worldview and multi-cultural group like this, which is specifically for Humanists, Progressives and the non-religious. The Fellowship also welcomes free-thinkers, sceptics, religious naturalists, secularists and others with a similar outlook.
What we all have in common is a rational approach to knowledge and the desire to live an ethical and spiritually fulfilling life. Humanism is often used an umbrella term for the various movements which share the same values and goals.
“A humanist is someone whose knowledge is based on reason and empirical evidence (or science), who lives an ethical life based on empathy and compassion, and who strives to build a kinder, fairer and more reasonable society.”
Dr Anastasia E. Somerville-Wong
The HPF explores and discusses many subjects that are relevant to us all, such as the global challenges we face, including climate change, pollution, mass extinction, the ongoing threat of nuclear conflict and matters concerning the regulation of artificial intelligence and bio-engineering technologies. We are also concerned with social injustices such as poverty and wealth inequality, gender inequality and modern slavery, corrupt governments, and the persistence of bigotry, systemic racism and human rights abuses. We also explore humanistic and progressive histories and philosophies, comparative religion and philosophy more generally (including inter-faith dialogue), contemporary ethical debates on university campuses, reflective practices, secular ritual and ceremony, life philosophies, modern philosophical movements (e.g. Modern Stoicism, School of Life etc.), progressive/non-theist/post-theistic faith movements, spiritual art/architecture/culture, values and social cohesion, community building, belief and well-being, humanistic ‘ministries’, bibliotherapy and social prescribing, biophilia, environmental art and much, much more…
I am creating a local pool of speakers, workshop/session leaders and fellow moderators/representatives. My first act was to appoint an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) representative for the group, who attends the University’s Faith and Belief Equality Group and University Inclusion Group alongside me. There will also be external/visiting speakers and guest participants.
Are you a member of the University of Exeter community? Would you be happy to contribute in any of these ways? Please do share this with others in the university community who may be interested.
Contact me at ana_wong@outlook.com to go on the member’s email list. You will then receive occasional emails with news and details of our events.
Reaching Out
I am looking to form a wider Humanist and Progressive Fellowship in Exeter, which will join the university group for various meetings and activities.
In order to build this community, I am looking to collaborate with diverse creative, cultural and ethical groups, and also with progressive faith and belief groups such as the Unitarians, Humanists, Quakers, Secular Buddhists, Humanistic Jews and others.
Shared Reading/Poetry
HPF activities are often in collaboration with other groups. One such activity is the shared reading/poetry group, which I run in collaboration with my Quaker and Anglican colleagues in the Multifaith Chaplaincy. Here’s the information:
CALLING ALL UNIVERSITY OF EXETER STAFF AND STUDENTS!!!
I run the University of Exeter Shared Reading Group: An interfaith/belief group for students and staff, which meets to share and reflect on readings from a wide range of literature and poetry, organised around topical issues of the day.
We are distinctly a chaplaincy group (as opposed to a literature and creative writing group), only in that we have a spiritual and reflective focus in the broadest and most inclusive sense, and explore themes that have important ethical, cultural and wellness dimensions. Participants read their contributions aloud (those that would like to) in an inspiring indoor/outdoor space, and there are moments of silence to reflect upon them, followed by discussion at the end over coffee. Some participants contribute works they themselves have created, but reading your own work is entirely optional. All will hopefully find this group nourishing and therapeutic!
I would love for this initiative to be international, both in terms of including our international staff and students, and in terms of the literature and creative works that are shared.
If you would like to be involved or know students or staff who would, please do contact me on here or email me at A.Somerville-Wong@exeter.ac.uk.
Secular Liturgies 