Thank you to all the volunteers who made this fabulous event happen, including Amy Baldwin, Stephanie Brown, Caroline Clark, Robert and Max Claus, Roberto and Sami Hernandez, Lisa Hettler-Smith, Nicole Hvala, Carol Jones, Kent Keltner, Jon Selover, Lynda Sereno, the San Jose Women's Club, and the board of SASV - Dominic Borg, Paul Escobar, Gordon Smith, Rick Thomas, and Hester Wagner.

Program Credits:

Secular Solstice Concept - Raymond Arnold

Join us January 10 to celebrate life together. As ever, we've got foot-stomping pop songs played by a live band, great speakers, and a delicious potluck lunch. Childcare is provided.

Our guest is TED Talk veteran Robert Wright, the best-selling author of "Nonzero," "The Moral Animal" and "The Evolution of God."

A Secular Celebration

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Planet Earth is tilting and winter solstice is here! Join us to bid farewell to the longest night of the year and welcome back the sun at an enchanting solstice celebration in Silicon Valley.

As candles are lit and extinguished, the revels will follow the rhythm of moving from darkness to light.

The evening Includes a no-host bar and reception, buffet dinner, secular ceremony filled with plenty of storytelling, singing, a raffle and dancing to close out the evening. The band, Robonzo's Bolero, will perform. We'll sing familiar favorites like "Here Comes the Sun" and "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" and new solstice songs written just for the occasion.

Eat, drink, and be merry! We are changing up for December... let's get to know each other and share some tasty food. Bring the whole family, wear your ugliest holiday sweater, and join us for a fabulous potluck. Bring 12 servings of a main dish, side dish, or a dessert (vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free are always appreciated). No time to cook? Pitch in with soft drinks, utensils, plates, or a package of napkins.

Our guest this month is cellist Freya Seeburger. Since moving to California in 2010, cellist Freya Seeburger has been an active performer in both classical ensembles and rock bands. She has recorded and performed with independent rock, hip hop, and classical groups including Van Dyke Parks, the Awesöme Orchestra Collective, Grammy nominated artist Tanya Donelly, and The Coup (as a member of Classical Revolution).

Most people enjoy giving of themselves, but did you know it is scientifically proven to be beneficial to your life? Living better by helping often! Come out to our next assembly on October 18 (on the third Sunday just this time) and learn about why we should give of ourselves more regularly.

Steve Kurtaugh will be speaking about what he has learned from his work at Ano Nuevo and other volunteer causes. We have childcare and fun activities for the kids and a thriving community. Join us!

From the main Facebook Page:

The Sunday Assembly
For their awesome #HelpOften events, super great social media and brilliant range of events for their community, our Assembly of the Month is Sunday Assembly Silicon Valley! Congrats team!

OK, admit it. You cried a little when you watched Dead Poet Society. Have you ever been inspired by a poem? Living better can be accomplished through the wisdom of the written word. This month, our featured speaker is Nils Peterson who will share his life-long wisdom with us on “How to live in the world well -- with advice from the poets."

In the spirit of helping often, Sejal H Patel will speak on The Distance Between Us and Justice.

How far away are we from justice?

That question carries many meanings. We can think about time. How much time it will take before events like wrongful convictions and civil rights violations won't happen anymore? We can think about distance.

Life here in Silicon Valley is geographically far away from places like Selma, Baltimore, and Charleston. We can feel grateful, guilty perhaps but grateful, that what we are reading about in the news is not happening to us. We care about injustice, but we can't do much about it.

Or can we? This talk will explore our proximity to justice - how close we are to it, and what we can do to resist what has been a stubborn undercurrent of our democracy since its inception.