The Reverend Leslie Weatherhead
Dr Leslie Weatherhead in 1936
Religion	Christianity
Church	City Temple, London (1936–1960)
Personal
Nationality	English
Born	Leslie Dixon Weatherhead 14 October 1893 London, England
Died	5 January 1976 (aged 82)
Senior posting
Period in office	1955–1956
Predecessor	W. Russel Shearer
Successor	Harold Crawford Walters

Leslie Dixon Weatherhead (14 October 1893 – 5 January 1976) was an English Christian theologian in the liberal Protestant tradition. Weatherhead was noted for his preaching ministry at City Temple in London and for his books, including The Will of God, The Christian Agnostic, and Psychology, Religion, and Healing.

Life

Weatherhead was born in London in 1893. He trained for the Methodist Ministry at Richmond Theological College, in south-west London. The First World War cut short his training, and he became Methodist Minister at Farnham, Surrey, in September 1915. After serving in India, Manchester, and Leeds, Weatherhead was called to be Minister of the City Temple, a Congregational Church on Holborn Viaduct in London. He served there from 1936 until his retirement in 1960. From 1930 till 1939, Weatherhead was a member of Dr Frank Buchman‘s Oxford Group and wrote several books reflecting the group’s values, including Discipleship and The Will of God. He often symbolised the “head” of the Oxford Group London.

His book This is the Victory was first printed in 1940 (preface dated November 1940) and reprinted in March 1942. In the period of time between these two editions, the City Temple was “gutted by fire from incendiary bombs dropped from enemy aeroplanes”. He was able to continue his ministry thanks to the nearby St Sepulchre-without-Newgate church. After the war, Weatherhead raised the funds to rebuild the City Temple, largely from John D. Rockefeller. The City Temple stands to this day and is now a congregation of the United Reformed Church.

Weatherhead served as President of the Methodist conference in 1953. The re-built City Temple was opened in the presence of the Queen Mother in 1958. In 1960, Weatherhead retired to live at Bexhill-on-Sea. He died in 1976.

The three books of his sermons which Weatherhead considered his best were That Immortal Sea, Over His Own Signature and Key Next Door.^[1]

Three biographies of Leslie Weatherhead have appeared: in 1960, for young people, Dr. Leslie Weatherhead of the City Temple by Christopher Maitland; in 1975 Leslie Weatherhead: A Personal Portrait by his son A. Kingsley Weatherhead, a professor of English; and most recently in 1999 Doctor of Souls: Leslie D. Weatherhead 1893–1976 by John C. Travell.

More at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Weatherhead

A while back, Mike posted a quotation from Schickelgrubr, to which I appended a comment promising (threatening?) to post a quotation from Karl Marx. I finally managed to track that quotation down and post it below. Here’s another choice quotation from one of the founders of communism:

«Ce qu’il y a de certain c’est que moi, je ne suis pas Marxiste.»

(“If anything is certain, it is that I myself am not a Marxist.”)

Wikiquote notes this statement as “quoted and translated by Engels (in an 1882 letter to Eduard Bernstein) about the peculiar Marxism which arose in France 1882.”

As to the exact nature of said “peculiar Marxism”, according to my cursory research, the French socialist leaders Jules Guesde and Paul Lafargue (the latter of whom also happened to be Marx’s son-in-law) were claiming to represent Marxist principles, but Marx considered their activities to be mere phrase-mongering which, among other things, ignored the importance of efforts at reform.   For more information, check out Wikipedia’s entry on Marxism, especially under the subheading “Classical Marxism” (which also has its own Wikipedia entry here), or click on the links to Guesde and Lafargue above.

•

Some further thoughts:

To be fair to poor Marx, the context in which the above statement was made is such that a kind of “implied clause” is often inserted, to make it read: “what is certain to me is that [, if they are Marxists, then] I am not [a] Marxist”.

Still, however the above statement by Marx is explained or interpreted, it strongly implies that, even during his own lifetime (he died in 1883), the school of thought Marx was so instrumental in starting that it was was named after him had already strayed very far from its original intent.

One last thing that grabbed my attention: Lafargue, aside from being Marx’s son-in-law, is the author of a book called Le Droit de la Paresse (The Right to be Lazy), about which more here.

The Passions of the Mind

Rotunda

“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
-Excerpted from a letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, September 23, 1800.

Southwest Portico

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men. We…solemnly publish and declare, that these colonies are and of a right ought to be free and independent states…and for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honour.”
-Excerpted from the Declaration of Independence, 1776.

Northwest Portico

“Almighty God hath created the mind free. All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens…are a departure from the plan of the holy Author of our religion…No man shall be compelled to frequent or support religious worship or ministry or shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but all men shall be free to profess and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion. I know but one code of morality for men whether acting singly or collectively.”
-Excerpted from A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, drafted in 1777. First introduced in the Virginia General Assembly in 1779, after he had become Governor. Passed by the Virginia Assembly in 1786, while Jefferson was serving as Minister to France. The last sentence is excerpted from a letter to James Madison, August 28, 1789, as he was returning to America to assume his position as Secretary of State.

Northeast Portico

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever. Commerce between master and slave is despotism. Nothing is more certainly written in the book of fate than that these people are to be free. Establish the law for educating the common people. This it is the business of the state to effect and on a general plan.”
-Excerpted from multiple sources: “A Summary View of the Rights of British America,” “Notes on the State of Virginia,” “The Autobiography,” letter to George Wythe (1790), letter to George Washington (1786).

Southeast Portico:

“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as a civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.”
-Excerpted from a letter to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816.

Wendy Cicchetti

The Pisces New Moon invites us to renew our relationship with the invisible and reconnect with the deepest truth of who we are — infinite, eternal, and divine. Pisces is the last sign of the zodiac, where we dissolve back into the ocean of consciousness and return to source. The Pisces season washes clean the closing astrological year, a time for rest, healing, reflection, and spiritual replenishment.

Pisces is mutable water, and this New Moon supports soul-level shifts that help us to realign with the flow of life. When we let go of resistance and judgment and bring forth our compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance, we have a starting point for creating miracles. This is a time to prepare our bodies and psyches for the equinox rebirth, when the Sun goes into Aries on March 20 and starts a new astrological cycle.

We access the power of this New Moon by taking a time-out from habitual busyness and relaxing into a state of simply being. The Pisces-ruled realms of sleep, dreams, meditation, downtime, playtime, and creativity have been undervalued and deprioritized, often seen as frivolous or a waste of time.

But recent research, as cited in Greg McKeown’s Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, has shown that these “nonessentials” actually enhance our creativity and productivity. They also improve brain function and, not surprisingly, result in happier, more fulfilling lives. Inviting reconnection with our soul-level priorities, McKeown asks: “What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance? What if instead we celebrated how much time we had spent listening, pondering, meditating, and enjoying time with the most important people in our lives?”

The New Moon conjoins Chiron, the Wounded Healer who guides us through our deepest pain to access our greatest gifts. Chiron in Pisces, since 2010–11, has triggered the core wound of feeling separate from source, which can show up as addiction, escapism, and powerlessness.

As we heal from the illusion of separation and move further into Piscean unity consciousness, we recognize that spirit and matter are not separate; rather, we are a physical expression or extension of source energy. Chiron is closing out its tour through the Fishes and will move into Aries on April 17.

This Chiron-infused New Moon is an opportunity to reflect on our healing journey over the past seven years and anchor the shifts we’ve made. We can also forgive ourselves for the shifts we have not made, practicing unconditional love and acceptance. Chiron will retrograde back into Pisces on September 25, and will be in Aries again from February 2019 until 2027.

Mars at the last degree of Sagittarius squares the New Moon and Chiron, potentially stirring up restlessness and impatience. We might be tempted into conflict that arises from a sense of righteousness or judgment. The Chirotic Pisces New Moon points to a path of healing by moving beyond dualistic thinking of right and wrong, and opening our hearts to a love that is big enough to hold all truths.

Jupiter, traditional ruler of both Sagittarius and Pisces, is now retrograde in Scorpio, urging us to look within ourselves to get to the root of any external conflict. Jupiter retrograde (March 8 to July 10) is a time to re-examine our deeply held values and beliefs, and to focus on the inner growth required for outer transformation. Jupiter forms a harmonious trine to the Sun, Moon, and Chiron, amplifying the imaginative powers of the New Moon and inviting us to dream big and visualize our dreams coming true.

Saturn is strong at the next Full Moon (March 31), bringing tests and challenges, along with great potential to bring our intentions into physical reality. Our best preparation now is rest, playtime, and dreamtime so that we can expand into a state of awareness that supports our highest growth.

This article is from the Mountain Astrologer, written by Emily Trinkaus

PLAN YOUR OWN NEW MOON CEREMONY. Give yourself some quiet time in meditation to see where you need to seed new ways of becoming. List these areas within your life you want to change. What areas do you want to break free from the norm and become more productive and discerning? The NEW MOON is the time to manifest the personal attributes you want to cultivate as well as the tangible things you want to bring to you. Possible phrasing: I now manifest ____ into my life. I am now _______ . Remember, think, envision and feel with as much emotion as possible, as though you already have what you want. Thoughts are things and the brain manifests exactly what you show it in the form of thoughts, visuals and emotions. The Buddha said, and I am paraphrasing, “We are the sum total of our thoughts up to today. ” If we want to be different then we must change our thoughts. “If you always do what you’ve always done then you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” CONSCIOUS CHANGE is the key.