Aldea Spiritual Community

Enjoy Denise's meditation from the services on September 6, 2026.

Sylvia Skinner, one of the co-founders of Aldea, gave a great message about Aldea's history, vision, and the origins of our motto "Love Period" on Sunday August 30th. Unfortunately, the live recording of this talk didn't come out as planned, but Sylvia was able to recreate this message for our podcast listeners.
 
Enjoy! 
 
Quotes:
 
“To love is the profoundest act of religion, of religious faith, of religious devotion. It is only in a secondary sense an act of ethics or morality.”
— Howard Thurman, Mysticism and the Experience of Love
 
“What makes community possible is love.”— Parker Palmer
 
“Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”- Colossians 3:14
"Love is my Religion" - Ziggy Marley
"All you need is love" - The Beatles 

We closed out our series "Belonging, Becoming, Loving" with a reminder of the power of "becoming" - the process of transformation that is an essential part of the spiritual path. 
 
What if "becoming" isn't about feeling that we are constantly falling short, but remembering that we are always changing, evolving, and growing. From that perspective, community can be a safe and supportive place to move through life's shifts with love and grace.
 
Quotes:
 
“All that you touch you Change. All that you Change Changes you. The only lasting truth is Change. God is Change.”  - Octavia Butler
 
 
"It is the privilege of a lifetime to become who you are" - Carl Jung
 
 
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” — Margaret J. Wheatley

Enjoy Kathleen's meditation from the services on August 23, 2026.

Join us for the first part of our new series "Belonging, Becoming, Loving" as we reflect on one of the most important aspects of spiritual community and a fulfilled life: Belonging. 
 
Quotes: 
 
“Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.” — Brené Brown
 
“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.” — Michel de Montaigne
 
“There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability.”— M. Scott Peck
 
“To be is to inter-be.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

Enjoy Mary's meditation from the services on August 16, 2026.

For our Sunday message, we took a look at the newest adaptation of the classic myth "The Odyssey". What does this most recent adaptation bring to this ancient tale?
 
Check out the full message as we explore the Hero's Journey, the meaning of Ancient Greek words Xenia and Metanoia, and how this 2700 year old story has so much to show us about our current place in history and our own individual journeys of consciousness. 
 
Quotes:
 
“It has always been the prime function of mythology… to supply the symbols that carry the human spirit forward.” Joseph Campbell
 
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust
 
"Until he extends his circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." Albert Schweitzer
 
“The Myth of Redemptive Violence enshrines the belief that violence saves, that war brings peace, that might makes right.” Walter Wink
 
“Hatred is never appeased by hatred. By love alone is hatred appeased.” Dhammapada 
 
“History has to be rewritten in every generation, because although the past does not change, the present does; each generation asks new questions of the past and finds new areas of sympathy as it re-lives different aspects of the experiences of its predecessors.” Christopher Hill

Enjoy Robyn's meditation from the services on August 9, 2026.

As we conclude our Perennial series, we arrive at one final paradox:
What if the spiritual path can itself become another identity to defend?
Drawing from the Perennial Philosophy - the timeless wisdom found across the world’s spiritual traditions - we explore how the ego can quietly co-opt even our best intentions, transforming practices meant to free us into new forms of striving, certainty, and separation.
This message is an invitation to loosen our grip, laugh at ourselves a little more, and remember that awakening isn’t necessarily something we achieve...It’s something we continually return to.
 
Quotes:
 
“The ego wants to own even enlightenment.” — Anthony de Mello
 
“The ego is the mental construct that constantly tries to protect, defend, and build a version of ‘me.’” — Michael Singer
 
“As long as you are trying to become enlightened, you are reinforcing the one who wants to become enlightened…. The greatest trap on the spiritual path is to believe that you have arrived.” — Adyashanti
 
“There is a contradiction in wanting to be perfectly secure in a universe whose very nature is momentariness and fluidity…. If I want to be secure… I am wanting to be separate from life.” — Alan Watts, (The Wisdom of Insecurity)

For our meditation on August 2nd, Joseph Amormino gave a special presentation on Mudras and their benefits.