A Community HU Song
On the evening of May 3, 2012, I attended a community HU song and book discussion. The event took place in a small back room of the Dunn Brothers coffee shop in Excelsior, a small town adjacent to Lake Minnetonka, about ten minutes from the ECK Temple. There were six of us present: Carine, Alice, James, Nancy, Linda, and myself. We sat around a wooden desk in a room at the back of the shop, in plushy desk chairs and tried to stay focused as the sound of open mic night penetrated the double glass doors separating us from the rest of the shop. Once everyone was settled, Carine, the Eckankar host with the French accent, led us in a short HU song. The HU lasted anywhere between ten to twenty minutes – once surrounded by those singing HU, it becomes easy to disappear into the sound. While everyone seemed to take their cues from Carine, they sang HU on their own terms: two attendees sang a quiet HU, almost inaudible to the rest of us, while others HU’d loudly. At the close of the HU, there was a brief minute of silence, after which, at the provocation of Carine, the attendees all said, “May the blessings be.”
After that, we launched into a book discussion of Harold Klemp’s text Autobiography of a Modern Prophet. It was Alice’s first time leading a book discussion, and she came prepared with a small notebook completely filled with notes and commentary, along with quotations she wanted to point out and sections she hoped to read. Alice asked each individual to read a section of the text out loud, sometimes waiting several seconds before posing a question and asking for responses to the text. Each ECKist had his or her own copy of the book, some with sections underlined, others with notes in the margin. Alongside these books, James’ water bottle featured the golden EK and Carine’s bookmark bore the phrase: “You are here for a reason.”
I used to think that anything painful wasn’t right. Joy can include pain. Life is very rich in many experiences. —Nancy
We discussed the text for about an hour and a half, after which the ECKists asked me if I had any questions. We chatted about my questions for another thirty minutes or so, going around the table so that everyone had a chance to share. After that time, it became necessary for folks to get home to make it home to catch their favorite TV show or take their dog out. These community gatherings happen once a month at various locales (coffee shops, libraries, community centers, and the like) all around the Twin Cities area.
Life is a garden and you get out of it what you choose. —Alice
Here are some other notable quotes from our conversation:
“We make mistakes to learn.” —Nancy
“[I thought] my life would be so beautiful, I’d be so wise. I didn’t know that in order for me to have more live, I’d have to go through a certain amount of pain. Polishing the stone—scraping off the layers. We don’t need saving, but the Mahanta is here to train us.” —Nancy
“All of life on this earth comes in contrasts. Richness and variety make us aware of what is good and true and beautiful.” —Nancy
“Why did we come to this plane? To learn about love. To love God and to love ourselves.”
—Alice“The choices [in life] are limitless, it’s how to perceive the choice that matters." —Alice
“We need to be vulnerable to accept something greater.” —Carine
“This book [Autobiography of a Modern Prophet] is a gift for us. The greatest gift he [Klemp] can give us.” —Linda
“Learning to give and to receive love…as a teacher, a parent, in gardening. I am already a Co-worker with God, but I keep learning how to be a better Co-worker with God.” —Nancy
“This is a journey. We’ve all been going on for millions of lifetimes." —Alice
“When we’re doing the best we can, we are displaying God qualities even though we may not be aware of it.” —Alice
“Recognize what you already know. Knowledge is different than understanding.” —Carine
