Rev. Samuel Siegel, Omnist ULC Ordained Minister

09/15/2025

I have had a bit of time to reflect over the events happening for quite a while now, but specifically the past week.

It's perfectly fine to agree to disagree.
It's perfectly fine to have a civil discourse.
It's perfectly fine to not get along with everyone.
It's perfectly fine to not agree with other's beliefs.

It is absolutely NOT OK to kill for someone speaking out
It is absolutely NOT OK to ridicule those in mourning.
It is absolutely NOT OK to claim free speech for yourself and deny the opposition.
It is absolutely NOT OK to commit acts of violence against the innocent or those who disagree with you.

It's very simple... BE KIND to one another.

And if you cannot be kind, walk away and reflect on your own feelings as to why you can't.

04/23/2024

Not sure why my page had to be reactivated, but I apologize for any inconvenience.

02/09/2024

If any of my friends are in the Clinical Psychology Field licensed in Pennsylvania and are looking to make a job change I know of a firm looking for Licensed Therapists (LPC or LCSW). PM ME or go visit www.arbolcounseling.com

Amber is the Assistant Director there, and they too are looking for people... Seems to be a theme going on these days...

At Árbol Professional Counseling, we specialize in treating adolescents, adults, and couples. Our approach is multidisciplinary including psychodynamic modalities, existential therapy and cognitive therapy. Start your journey to better mental health.

09/28/2022

Today's affirmation cards that were pulled tell us to Let go and relax, listen to the rhythm of life, and be strong in your truth as you move through the day...

09/27/2022

These are today's affirmation cards I pulled out of my Whispering Woods deck by Jessica LE.

This actually fits in perfectly well with the "be the tree" philosophy I practice and teach.

So, today, remember to
Go with the flow, learn everything that comes your way, and remember your beginnings and just how far you've come in life...

09/27/2022

I took a few days to concentrate on me... Not that I had anything going on, I just wanted to spend some time for self care and reflection. Always an important thing in our daily lives.

This past weekend I visited the oneness festival in Doylestown where I took part in a few new agey healings. As I am more of a spiritual soul than a religious one, I looked at the day as it was, a learning experience.

I looked at an angelic healing, took part in another energy healing which helped to unblock one of my chakras, even bought a couple new decks of divination cards, one deck of woodland themed affirmation cards, and a deck of Cthulhu dark arts tarot cards (of which the artwork on them is amazing).

I know some of you will look at this and whisper the question of "heathen?" To which my answer is "Are we all not considered someone's heathen?" And ask "What exactly is a heathen?" As the answer is always an opinion of someone who believes differently...

Remember, as an Omnist I have varied beliefs and a respect for all of them, including the ones I myself do not believe in or practice. But that doesn't mean we should discount them or not bother to educate ourselves with them. Spiritual and religious beliefs are not a universal truth for all, but are paths we must decide for ourselves. What is right for one is not necessarily right for another. So truly love thy neighbors and learn from them to find the common bonds we do share. It's perfectly ok to believe differently.

As the old saying goes, "judge not lest ye be judged." and we do not have the right to tell another what's right for them. After all, we were given free will for a reason, and we should all know what the difference between right and wrong is. We are judged based upon our actions, how we treat each other, and how truthful we are to ourselves... That is between us and our beliefs, not us and what others think, unless it's the rule of law, then we should probably follow the law... There are always exceptions, but let's face it. The duality of man is not for the faint of heart.

09/24/2022

Today I figured I would stretch my legs a bit and get out into the community to see what's going on. Apparently in Doylestown today there is an event called "A festival of Oneness" which supports 4 spiritual centers in Doylestown and appears to be all-inclusive to multiple faiths which we know is right up my alley.

So, if you decide to go today it's $40/ticket at the door, and should you see me, please come and say hi!

Info:

Workshops • Presentations • Readings & Healings • Live Music & Outside Events • Vendors • Food Buy Tickets Now & Save! Saturday, September 24, 202210am-9pm* 320 Edison-Furlong Road, Doylestown, PA Tickets are Only $35 Online$40 at the door Be a Vendor Volunteer Be a Presenter Be a Sponsor ...

08/19/2022

Yesterday I was visited by two sisters of the Mormon faith. Knowing little about the Morman faith I was intrigued by a Facebook marketplace ad for a free copy of the Book of Morman. Knowing I would be visited by missionaries I welcomed the chance to learn something new.

I was pleasantly surprised to be met by two very polite young ladies dressed conservatively. I however was not dressed at my best as I was still doing household work when they showed. And so we sat outside to enjoy the beautiful day and some conversation about their faith as well as my own knowledge of faiths.

I greeted them politely, introduced myself, and asked them what they knew of Omnists. I was not at all surprised they had no idea what an Omnist was, and they did their church (LDS) a credit by drawing comparisons. Their knowledge of scripture was impeccable, and we were able to have a very enjoyable conversation about various religions.

08/16/2022

Thoughts of fall have started to hit me. The weather is cooling down and that pre-autumn feel is starting to get heavy in the air. I absolutely love this time of year. Full of changes, and it is amazing to me how many little rituals we all share, some spiritual, some not. It all equates to the same thing historically.

It also amuses and saddens me how many people get things a tad wrong this time of year as well. For those, I pray that they learn tolerance, compassion, love, kindness, and wisdom. These things cost nothing, and whether or not you believe in the power of prayer or spirit, or religion is irrelevant. Be kind, UNWIND. Slow down. Take in these last days of summer, it'll soon be cold enough for us all to complain about that. Till then, let's all chill a little and enjoy the rest of the warmth before things get harsh for us.

Share some recipes, learn to do food preservation, hunt, and gather in the ways you see fit... Teach these skills, and share your rituals of the fall and the harvest. Build your community. We all will need that more in the coming months for cheering up as well as our own survival.

08/15/2022

The other day I harvested some of the corn, fruits, and vegetables from our garden. It's a small garden, but definitely worthwhile to mention here. See, our faith and beliefs are similar to a garden.
They take a bit of knowledge on certain aspects, a bit of hard work, and even a bit of sacrifice to make it all worthwhile for these things to grow and able for us to harvest to where it will do some good.

Whatever your beliefs are, whether you believe in the almighty, the old ways, or even just yourself you must first know yourself. You must get in there and find those core beliefs which you hold dear and consider true for yourself. You must nurture your beliefs and yourself, you must support yourself and your beliefs in healthy ways for them to grow. You must make mistakes, and you will make plenty of them. You must forgive yourself for your mistakes and don't quit. You must water during droughts, protect from the elements, and weather the droughts and storms. You will be given advice from many sources, and you must find the right advice for your own self, purposes, and that which rings true in your heart.

Nurturing one's own faith and beliefs requires toiling in your own fields, exhaustive research on yourself, as well as what you want out of life. We are all different and come from various backgrounds. There is NO ONE PERFECT WAY. All we can do is be true to ourselves, know what we want, learn what we can, and do the best we can. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed.

In the end, we get what we put into it. There are no shortcuts or easy ways. Same as planting a garden and being able to reap the benefits of a good harvest. It takes work, sacrifice, getting down in the soil and getting dirty, making mistakes, nurturing, reading, knowing what to plant, what solid works, how to feed, taking advice... I think you get the idea...

Always, always, always be kind, remember that there are multiple ways to get crops (or faith and beliefs) to grow, what may be right for you, may not necessarily be right for another.

Just some food for thought.

08/12/2022

Loss is never easy for those of us who are looked at to be a support for those in need. It's harder when its your own family that's experienced an overdose of loss. The passing of two close family friends and my stepmother in such a short amount of time this week. For some prayers help, for others it's talking through the emotional struggle, for others yet it's faith that's tested in hard times.

Those of us who are looked at to have the answers from some sacred piece of knowledge or religious aspect are touched by the loss in similar ways as the families and loved ones it happens to. Today, I was unable to make my stepmother's funeral, and so I promised my father I would recite the Shema and the mourners Kaddish (my father's side is Jewish) and after I did so I had to take a moment to reflect on what loss means and how funerals are not really for the dead. They are for those of us who are left behind while our loved ones go to wherever their faith and beliefs allow.

My personal views are a bit more utilitarian where that is concerned, but for the most part we all agree that a person's life is judged by their actions in life, their shared beliefs by others on whether or not they were a good person, and our own thoughts on potential for an afterlife or heaven.

Whatever you believe the universal truth is the energy which makes up our "soul," which is the piece of us that is electrically charged and makes up our consciousness leaves out bodies to return towards where it came from. Our body remains an empty shell to go back to the earth and slowly turn back into the elements in which make it up.

Some believe in the spiritual significance of the passing of energy going home is to be at peace, some believe that energy is conscious and left to remain disembodied due to whatever emotional baggage or unfinished business this "ghosts" or "spirits." For atheists, the body does and energy does and goes where it does and goes. Agnostics seek proof, and each religious and spiritual belief have their own interpretation.

The second part of that universal truth I mentioned earlier is that of loss. Whether you got along with the person, loved them, had a strong disliking for them, whatever the case, there is loss. Loss, no matter what, is not a happy feeling. It's sad, even if you disliked the person. Loss is what leads to grieving. We each do that in our own unique ways. Some ways are healthier than others, I could spend years writing sermons and psychological do's and don't papers on those in my own life. But no matter who is grieving, we are all feeling. We all know this, there's nothing special about this knowledge, it downright sucks.

So, while we go through this sucky part of life, while life is already chock full of negativity I would ask each of you to remember this while grieving, or healing, or getting back to a normal life after loss. That loss doesn't go away. Anyone who says different is selling something. We each get used to it in our own way, and so we remember the healing and hang on to that, till we're reminded of the loss again. No, that's not what I want you to remember in this case. Be aware of it, yes.

What I want you to remember is this. No matter your belief, no matter your thoughts on the deceased or even those experiencing loss. BE KIND TO THEM. Kindness is universal, you don't even have to believe in any religion to be kind to one another. You don't even have to like the person to be kind. Being kind costs us nothing, and it is something we universally crave, especially in times of loss.

Just some food for thought...