About Corrina McFarlane
The Premise of My Ministry
A human life is animated, unprecedented, raw potential; a spark; never before seen and never again will be. How do our lives transpire as we allow ourselves to show up in our bravest beauty, from our sovereign, noble selves? It is no small thing that Arrives us to a place of new direction. In essence, it takes an epiphany of sorts, a ‘Blink’ moment; an intuitive hit, to power us into more of who we are.
When such a moment heralds a Wedding there is a further facet to the diamond; two people awake to each other, and the vision of a mind, spirit, body, soul Union for a Life Journey. To truly see and be seen by another; seen for who we are and loved and delighted in, such is an Arriving of great magnitude in a human life. Ordained as a wedding celebrant in 1991, I remain in awe at this phenomenon which does such a superb job of cracking us open!
The law of gravity, in which we all have been gravely schooled, bows unequivocally to the law of levity in the momentous lift to a new vista/perspective in the realization that THIS MOMENT HERE NOW, this person here now, is re-shaping our lives in wondrous ways.
* Corrina is a Universal Life Church Minister (ULC), ordained in 1991, first specifically to wed a young couple who wished to be wed to the tune of their own drum in a wilderness spot on Mount Tamalpais. Since that date Corrina has held the mantle for countless Couples, most especially for couples who are breaking the mold in some way; cross-creed, culturally unusual, astonishingly simple or unexpectedly grand…., midnight, dawn, High Days & Holidays…; outside the box!
Elise Ballard, author of Epiphany, notes that an epiphany is non-religious or religious (depending upon our beliefs and biases), but regardless of race, creed or color, is experienced as an unequivocally lucid Knowing;
* you know it to be true in an instant
* you trust it implicitly
* you act upon it and it enhances your life
The late Molly Ivins once said that all human institutions tend to ossify after a decade or so (and therefore it behooves us to ______________ fill in the blank!). Where and when organized religion is not responding to Life with Life, we are urged to delve deeper for the truths we can live by.
Note that ‘ossifying institutions’ could apply to anything from a Church to a Marriage, and here we are advised that Matrimony isn’t an end game but a High Adventure Challenge to stay present and stay real. Recognize this first glorious beginning as the touchstone it is; of the already phenomenal potential of this kindred spirit Meeting. It is only you who can breathe life into it anew through every blessed night and every waking day.
"We carve anew the tenets of a spouse to spouse
sweet holy matrimony born into the house
where all of who we are is welcomed in
Where gender meet heart body mind & soul...& skin..."
from THE MARRIAGE BASKET
About Corrina
During the 1980's Corrina was a Hospital Play Specialist for Save the Children Fund UK; Director of the pediatrics therapeutic play program in a London Teaching Hospital (Newham General), supporting pediatric patients (inevitably included siblings and parents) through trauma, rehabilitation, and sometimes terminal illness. Corrina became editor of the National Journal of Hospital Play Staff and was published also in Human Potential Magazine, UK.
During this period, under the mentorship of Dr. Rachel Pinney Corrina also added to her lexicon 'Special Hours' for children; 'Creative Listening' during a Special Hour means that a child literally 'has the stage'. As Dr. Pinney emphasized, no child is too young to understand what this means and the Hour will be rich with information, as well as inherently a forum for re-calibrating and resolution.
Corrina has been a podcaster 'Bodi Lane' for the award-winning World Without Oil Alternate Reality Game, a TV host/moderator for the fourth annual Santa Cruz Industrial Hemp Expo, moderator for presenters for several years at the annual Ecological Farming Conference at Asilomar, Pacific Grove. She has also served on the board of the Restorative Justice Program for first time offenders (nationally acclaimed Santa Cruz Probation Dept. initiative). She was born on Armistice Day (this year's birthday 11/11/11!) and is a founding member of WomenRise for Global Peace.
In the States, Corrina's poems, book reviews, and featured articles have appeared in Talking Leaves - (Journal of Evolving Ecological Culture), HopeDance (sustainable living), Patterns (Systems Thinking & Chaos Theory), and, in her local community; Connection Magazine (alternative lifestyles), Epicenter (sustainable living), & Growing Up in Santa Cruz (monthly publication for families).