Gaia’s Temple

Mama Bear with Rev. Judith Laxer ​ May 11, 2025   1:30 pm Pacific ​ Shoreline UU Church: 14724 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155 ​ With Vocalists Jennifer Bolles and Pamela Gerke  with  Kathy Sestrap on piano Happy Mother's Day! One way the unconditional love of the Mother is expressed is in Her fierce protection of what She holds most precious. She will do all She can to keep the vulnerable safe, to shield Her Beloveds from harm, to provide shelter and comfort when danger lies in wait. Let's find this  profound love within ourselves and strengthen it in the sacred act of protection.

Be the One! with Rev. Judith Laxer ​ April 13, 2025   1:30 pm Pacific ​ Shoreline UU Church: 14724 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155 ​ With Vocalist and songwriter Paul Henderson, and Kathy Sestrap on piano No one need tell us what is right and what is not. We know these things innately. Our actions in the world reflect our deepest values. How will respond to these troubled times? What actions will we take to demonstrate what we love and need to protect? Join us as we dismantle our apathy and light the fires of transformation.

There is a temple space deep within each of us that we can develop and devote ourselves to as sovereign space. Nothing external can touch or alter its sacredness and peace. Now is the time to find and familiarize ourselves with it, and recognize ourselves as those who tend the temple of the heart and soul. soul.

The Pleasure Principle! with Rev. Judith Laxer ​We are hard wired to seek pleasure. Yet there is much in our culture that tells us to delay or deny pleasure, that we are  undeserving. In difficult times, creating pleasurable experiences is a valuable way to cope and necessary for our health and well-being. What happens to us when we center pleasure day to day? Feb. 9, 2025   2 pm Pacific Featuring Pamela Gerke in musical leadership with Kathy Sestrap on piano Revjudith@gaiastemple.org

Courage Required! with Rev. Judith Laxer ​Jan. 12th, 2025   2 pm Pacific Courage beats in the heart of the Goddess, courage is found in the heart of the matter, and courage is found in our hearts. There are challenges ahead for Mother Earth and all Her children. As we enter the new year, how will we find and strengthen our courage so that we can be the best stewards of the future? Join us for this important contemplation. Featuring Vocalist Aureole Lighten with Joe O'Malley on Guitar and Kathy Sestrap on piano

The Light in the Darkness! with Rev. Judith Laxer Featuring Vocalists Pamela Gerke, Kimberly Agbayani, Joyce Allison, Carrie Cameron, Roxanne Duniway, and Janelle Leonard, with Kathy Sestrap on piano. Winter brings necessary darkness intended for rest to support future renewal. And sometimes, life brings metaphoric darkness that is difficult to bear, bringing fear and stress. As the Yin Yang symbol shows us, in the center of light, there is darkness, and in the center of darkness, there is light. Join us to contemplate the light that we are no matter how dark it seems. Revjudith@gaiastemple.org  

The Answer with Rev. Judith Laxer Featuring Vocalists: Aureole Lighten and Roxy Duniway with Kathy Sestrap on piano To say that we are living in uncertain times is an understatement. And no matter how much we may want to know for sure how things will play out, we simply can't. All we can know is how we want to meet each moment, and remember that the answer to what happens next is what we do right now.   RevJudith@gaiastemple.org   Shoreline UU Church: 14724 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155  

The Veil! with Rev. Judith Laxer   Featuring Vocalist: Natalie Chaparro with  Aron Wilson on guitar and Kathy Sestrap on piano Oh, that enticing veil between the worlds! As Samhain draws near, we encounter the gossamer obscurity that keeps the living from the dead. Join us as we marvel at how such a fragile form is mighty enough to hold these worlds apart.   October 13, 2024   2 pm Pacific Shoreline UU Church: 14724 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155

Welcome Autumn! with Rev. Judith Laxer September 8, 2024   2 pm Pacific Featuring Vocalist: Christian Hoffman with Kathy Sestrap on piano Autumn slides in replacing Summer on the Wheel of the Year. It is time to gather, harvest, begin to pull in, all with an eye for the coming time of fallow. What are we harvesting in season and what are the blessings our harvest brings?  

The Golden Rule of Engagement! With Rev. Judith Laxer, vocalist Aureole Lighten, and Kathy Sestrap on piano.   The Golden Rule of Engagement requires us to empathize with others, including those who may be very different from us, and to demonstrate respect in our interactions. Now is a good time to harvest this understanding and to fortify our society on this specific spiritual nourishment.   August 11, 2024   2 pm Pacific Shoreline UU Church: 14724 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155

Bless the Kiddos! July 14, 2024   2 pm Pacific Shoreline UU Church: 14724 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155 ​ Featuring Vocalist: Elizabeth Sanders with Kathy Sestrap on piano Today we bless our youth! All the children we have or know and care for as well as the child who still resides deep within our selves. Join us to reawaken the wonder and presence and unabashed love that kiddos freely give! Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org  

          Bless the Papas! with Rev. Corinna Frenzl June 16, 2024   2 pm Pacific Shoreline UU Church: 14724 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155 ​ Featuring Vocalists: Cassandra Robertson with Kathy Sestrap on piano The Divine Masculine of Pagan Spirituality is one of strength and protection, but also tenderness, allowing love to guide His actions. This month we honor our beautiful men, who embody the archetype of Father for the highest good. Gentlemen, whether you have biological children or not, please come and let us bestow our blessings and gratitude upon you!   Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

Featuring Vocalists: Kimberly Agbayani, Roxanne Duniway, Pamela Gerke and Robin Ozerkis.  With Kathy Sestrap on piano and Brooke Greiner, Susan MacKensie, Sally Pendras and Alouise Urness on drums. Bless the Mamas! What better place to be than Gaia's Temple to worship the Divine Feminine on Mothers Day? Mothering is a verb and a Mother is anyone who has nurtured, supported and loved you into being. Join us as we gather to feel our gratitude for and bless the Mamas in our lives! Bring the women in your life who match this description so they can be properly honored. Ladies, come and get your rose!   Blessed Be, Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

Cease Fire!   Featuring Vocalist Nedra Gaskill, with Kathy Sestrap on Piano. The element of Fire brings powerful transformation. Fire must be tended to keep it from growing dangerous. We already know how to fan the flames. Have we forgotten how to put them out? What does it take to cease fire?   Rev Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org  

  Exalt the Women! Featuring Vocalist and Song writer Aureole Lighten, with Kathy Sestrap on Piano. Regardless of their ethnicity, age, faith, looks, or economic status, women everywhere ought to be exalted. Especially on the weekend of International Women's Day! Join us as we consider how we uphold and empower the feminine when we offer up the ache of women to be healed! ​ We trust everyone to choose for themselves whether continuing to wear a mask is necessary, keeping in mind that we still want to do our best to protect our collective health by being especially careful in the space. If you feel any possible Covid-related symptoms, or believe you have been exposed, please make sure you test negative before attending.   Thank you! Rev Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

Take A Leap!   It's Leap Year, that rare, catch up occurrence that helps us move forward. This month, conditions are right for us to take a leap forward in our evolution and on our spiritual path. What is the challenge that keeps you tethered? Time to free yourself and take a leap!

A Great Transformation! ​ Featuring Aureole Lighten and Joe O'Malley, with Drummers Cynthia Ewers, Brooke Greiner, Sally Pendras, Susan MacKenzie and Kathy Sestrap on piano.   It's common to enter a new year wanting to begin again. Sometimes all we need is a re-commitment to something already precious to our hearts and souls. Times like these, when the entire world is in agreement that a new year has begun, is when we can use the momentum of the collective and renew our commitment to the highest good of all. In other words, the perfect time for a great transformation. Rev Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

The Soul of Winter Winter's aesthetic may be stark but it is no less beautiful. The depth and quiet of this dark time brings necessary rest. When we hold the season with reverence for what it is, and not disparage it for what it isn't, we meet the soul of winter. Join us as we worship Her season of restoration as we prepare for Yule!   Rev Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org  

The Blessings to Count!  Featuring Vocalist Joyce Allison, with Kathy Sestrap on Piano. As we journey deeper into Mother Nature's time of dormancy, there is much to be grateful for. Gratitude is the practice that lifts our hearts and expands our capacity to love. Join us to reflect on how our blessings support this time on the life cycle.  Blessings, Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

  The Wisdom of the Crone!    Featuring Vocalist Aureole Lighten, with Kathy Sestrap on Piano.   The Crone aspect of the Goddess is one of the wisdom of lived experience. She is the wisdom keeper, the reliable truth teller, the compassionate presence. As the veil between the worlds grows thin in season, our worship turns toward the wisdom the Goddess as Elder and Guide.

  Featuring: Joyce Allison, and Kathy Sestrap on Piano ​There is something particularly poignant about what the month of September brings. Continued harvest. A point of balance. A letting go. At the Autumnal Equinox we cross the threshold into the dark half of the year. This change is necessary for what we gather in season and also in what we release. As the nights begin to grow longer than the days, how might we reorient to this part of the life cycle spiritually? Join us for our 23th Anniversary service!   Rev Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

Featuring: Chanteuse Celia, and Kathy Sestrap on Piano ​When the grains are first harvested in season, we know it's time to take stock. Ensuring an abundant future means examining our present practices. How might these practices become devotional, soulful? What must we do, and what must we cease, for the sacred? Rev Judith revjudith@gaiastemple.org

At Liberty! July 9, 2023   2 pm Pacific Shoreline UU Church: 1st Ave. NE  Seattle, WA 98155 Featuring: Teresa Tudury and Kathy Sestrap on Piano   This month, as we celebrate the birthday of our country, freedom is up for examination! While we all know what it means to be free, we might not know that our freedom depends, not only on the laws of the nation in which we live, but our personal mindset with rules of it's own. Join us to contemplate how freeing ourselves from limited thinking, upholds the ideal of freedom and justice for all. Thank you for listening, Rev Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org  

      A Fathers Love As Father's Day approaches, we turn our thoughts to the men who provided the place-holder for the masculine in our lives. What kind of fathers did we have, what kind of fathers are we, what kind of fathering is needed now. Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

Mothering the World!! Regardless of our age, we all need the comfort of sweet maternal love. We also know that we must be what we wish to see in the world. As we celebrate Mother's Day in Gaia's Temple, we will contemplate the kind of mothering we can  bring and offer to the Earth and thereby to all who dwell upon Her. Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org  

The Mysteries of Egypt For the Ancient Egyptians, the afterlife was of the utmost importance. So many questions are asked- and remain unanswered- about Ancient Egypt. Her mysteries abound! Join us as Priestess Yeshe Mathews from the Goddess Temple of Mt. Shasta shares some of the mysteries of Isis, and Rev. Judith shares some stories of her recent pilgrimage there.   Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaistemple.org

As we step into the light half of the year, Nature is calling us to remember and awaken. Join us as we look to the resurrection story of Isis and Osiris to align ourselves with the gifts of this season.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer 6869 Woodlawn Ave NE #112, Seattle, WA 98115 206-529-8085

  Love Makes It Possible!   The signature of this time on the Wheel of the Year is potential. Mother Nature is awakening from Her long Winter's nap, and new life is stirring, rising to the surface of Her body. What is awakening in us in season? When we ally with Her to maximize our potential, our manifestations shift from possible to probable.   Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

Armistice!   It takes courage to be peace, to call a truce, to enact armistice. To lean into our faith enough that we feel safe. We are not practiced at this, and we need to be. Join us to explore what it means to devote ourselves to peace, to be peace makers, to risk laying down our arms and our armor to create peace on earth.   Rev. Judith Laxer   www.gaiastemple.org

Reunion!   Join us for joyous reunion and re-connection with the elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit as the year draws to a close!   Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

Soulful! When we think about wholeness, we consider that it must be body, mind and soul; the physical, the mental and the spiritual. In this season of giving thanks for the bounty of Mother Earth, what does it mean to live soulfully?   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

The Key! The stories we hear about our Ancestors hold the key to the legacy we inherit from them. Once we receive an inheritance, we get to choose what to do with it. What will you do with your Ancestral inheritance?   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer

Crossing the Threshold! Thresholds mark the transition from one situation to another, from one realm to another, from one way of being to another. Transitions require courage. Courage is found within, and courage is shared in community. As the threshold of Autumn beckons, how will we cross into the deeper mysteries?   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

A Force for Good! Valarie Kaur of Revolutionary Love asks us 'What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb but the darkness of the womb?' Following the beauty of this metaphor, then we might ask ourselves not only when is the right time in our labor to push, but how can we use that force for good? Featuring Aureole Lighten   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

Take A Breath! Our body's natural inclination is to hold our breath and brace for impact in troubled times. In doing so, we deprive ourselves of oxygen, and lose inspiration. Literally. The change we seek in the outer world begins with every breath we take. Join us and take a breath.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer

          Time to exercise our imaginations! To remember our powerful ability to imagine life anew and differently. To reclaim the magick at the core of imagination and use it to create a safe and loving world for everyone.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

  Listen Like A Mother! Featuring vocalists: Kimberly Agbayani, Pamela Gerke, Aureole Lighten and Elizabeth Zinda A loving mother listens deeply. She is listening to be present, to learn, to gather information for understanding, to know how to respond and what to do. We all want to be heard, but the greater question is, how well do we listen? Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer  

Furious for Good Rage, an appropriate emotional response to injustice, is also an arrow pointing us toward needed changes. Rather than let our anger devolve into violence, or keep us paralyzed with frustration, how can we use our rage as fuel for peaceful and effective action? Featuring Tema Gochberg and Aureole Lighten.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer revjudith@gaiastemple.org

The Nature of Opposition!   It's not a question of if we will find ourselves in a fight, it's a question of when. And more importantly, the question is how do we want to fight? How can we be strategic, and remain steadfast in our stance against harm?   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

  Good Grief!   Grief is a companion to life. Grief is the price of love. Grief has no timeline, there is no speeding it up, and most assuredly, it doesn't end. And we are stronger when we grieve together. Join us as we continue on our journey learning Revolutionary Love. It's time for Good Grief.   Featuring Amber Darland and music by Shawna Carol and Aureole Lighten   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer

Revolutionary Love! Featuring Vocalist Aureole Lighten What the world needs now is love, sweet love! But not merely love like a rush of emotion. Love that is sweet, ongoing labor. I am deeply inspired by Valarie Kaur's work, and Revolutionary Love will be the over-arching theme for 2022 in Gaia's Temple. As the new year begins, prepare for a revolution of the heart.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org  

Time to Dream! The depth of Winter is the time to dream up the future we want to live into. Before Yule brings the return of the light, what beautiful dreams can we conjure in the dark?   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

The River of Life! Featuring Teresa Tudury The River of Life carries us further into November and Winter's stark beauty. We lift our hearts in gratitude for Mother Nature's bounty and we count our many blessings. Sometimes those blessings disguise themselves as hardship, sometimes they arrive unwelcome, sometimes our blessings are undetectable. But all of them comprise the deep waters that become the river of our lives. Join us to contemplate how to more fully enjoy the ride.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer

Ancestral Healing!   There is more to the skeletons in the closet than just secrets we don't yet know. There are stories that live in our blood, trauma held in our souls, wounds held in our psyches that come down our Ancestral line.   When we do the work to heal, we not only liberate ourselves, but those who came before us and those who will come after.   Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

A Promise Kept! The Wheel turns bringing the Autumnal Equinox and the time of Persephone's descent. She keeps Her promise. How will we keep ours?   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org  

A Harvest Begins Summer's fruition has arrived, and it's time to gather. To sort through while looking ahead. Whether we are assessing our gardens or our lives, what work is still necessary to ensure our future health, to remain faithful that we will fully recover from these difficult times? Join us to consider the spiritual power we find in our deep connection to the nature of Nature.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

The Freedom to Heal! Healing is not only necessary for living well, its a way to understand who we are, a way to evolve, a pathway to love. The healing we need is the healing we give ourselves. And we are always free to do it.     Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

    The Radiance of Love Featuring: Robert Wade, Sari Breznau, and Stef Frenzle As the Sun reaches His solar peak, He radiates His strong light. What changes do we need to make to emulate this Sun, to shine our strength and compassion in a world that needs our light? Join us as we celebrate loving masculinity and an early Father's Day! Rev. Judith Laxer   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org

Love Your Mother! We all know and feel the unconditional love of Mother Earth. On Mother's Day, let's engage in the reciprocity that elevates our relationship to Her to one of attention and respect.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer 206-529-8085 www.gaiastemple.org

  Along with music and art, the Hindu Goddess Saraswati gifts us with knowledge, speech, wisdom and learning. Critical thinking skills are essential for discernment, for good citizenship, and for living our highest and spiritual best.   Gaia's Temple c/o Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org revjudith@gaiastemple.org

Artemis the Untamed! Artemis protects the wilderness and the wild who live there. She herself remains untamed. A Goddess of the Hunt, the slim, first crescent of the new moon is said to be Her bow. Her gifts are passion and courage to protect the vulnerable and thereby change the world.   Rev. Judith Laxer www.gaiastemple.org revjudith@gaiastemple.org