Hi, my name is Dhrigam. I'm a psychotherapist and the bulk of the work I do is in the field of complex trauma and gender diversity. I myself identify as a non-binary transgender man and today I'm going to be talking with my colleague Pam. I'm Pam. I'm a psychotherapist as well. I'm also a Head of Research with Blue Knock Foundation. I work with complex trauma clients. I'm especially interested in dissociation and I have a client I'm really looking forward to discussing with Dhrigam and I know he's got a client he's going to talk about with me and I'm really looking forward to conversation we're going to have. So I hope you find our discussion useful. Hey Dhrigam. Hey Pam, how are you doing? Yeah, good. Oh, good.  I've got a client I wanted to talk about with you. I think I kind of know what I'd like to do. It's just a first session kind of scenario but it's quite complex so great to have a chat if that's okay. Yeah, no, I enjoy that. Yeah, thanks. I know you know the brief details but just quickly recapping. It's Leanne. She's 28. She's with her husband who, she came with her husband actually. She's seen a lot of therapists and she said none of them were any good. So that's one of the presentations you're immediately on your mettle a bit. And I've got a letter from her GP which has information from the treating psychiatrist that she had a very violent background of fatherly when she was three. She lived with her mother but there was sexual abuse from the mother's boyfriends and she was thrown out of the house after her first overdose at the age of 16 and has lived on the street trading sex for food until she met Rob. And it seems to be quite a close good relationship with Rob but she's very up and down sometimes doing sex. She's very distressed and starts screaming. Rob doesn't know what to do. He's very concerned.   I know from the letter from the treating psychiatrist that there's quite a lot of information that she's lost time. Sometimes apparently she's gone shopping and she's even bought clothes that she doesn't remember buying, doesn't identify with them as hers and has also been lost in different places without knowing how she got there. So I'm immediately thinking oh there's obviously some dissociative stuff happening here. The diagnosis is borderline personality disorder with suicidality. So I just want you to get your thoughts but my thoughts immediately because I think this is quite high stakes. None of the therapy is really good. She's very ambivalent about coming but of course she has come back to therapy and I imagine she's quite frightened or just think you know what's going on. I don't think it would be so scary wouldn't it? Absolutely, absolutely. And the borderline personality diagnosis which is often confused with DID you know now we don't know that it's DID. I certainly wouldn't be saying to her it could be DID but I've flagged you know the lost time not identifying with things that she's bought doesn't remember those hers and getting lost. It could well be. So it doesn't seem to me on the face of it that that may be an accurate diagnosis. I don't know yet but I just want to say. I agree yeah I agree and look it's you know I sort of harkened back to Bessel van der Kolk talking about if we can't get the diagnosis straight then how on earth can we provide an accurate treatment you know or an accurate plan for therapy going forward if we if we're not even being accurate about what's going on for her and I agree with you there's big big red flags for dissociation. Yeah and because therapists often aren't aware of dissociation as we know because we don't work in this field no wonder she's suspicious and uncomfortable if it is as we're saying likely dissociative and that hasn't actually been picked up and it's immediately been put in the BPD basket and obviously in the overlap of symptoms and mood swings and so on but of course there are differences with BPD and one of them is if it was DID but it'd be more likely to be the case that you know the client wouldn't be remembering and owning and recognising you know what have happened. My understanding is BPD people often can't identify with how they were in different states I might not be happy about it but it's kind of like me up and down you know when you can look at that but DID there's often a real you know discontinuity genuinely not knowing that part of themselves so if there's any of that there which it looks like it could be and that hasn't been picked up by previous therapists and she's been put in the BPD basket no wonder she's kind of you know a bit spooked a bit resentful a bit unhappy about therapy so I'd want to really I want to see what you think really you know move away from that diagnostic lens in what I say and very much assure her that I'm kind of client centered and that I'm not diagnosis driven and but I was wondering what you thought because at the same time I've got this information from the treating psychiatrist and I believe she knows that I've got the letter you know via the GP and although we always like to make up our own minds about people are not going what's been said before especially if we think it may be problematic I thought there's really valuable information in that letter that she probably would know I know for me to actually put out to her you know from what I hear you know you're experiencing this and experiencing that and you know this could be and kind of get into a general you know exploratory tentative alliance building conversation about making sense of what she's yeah would you would you flag that with her I mean it's very early days but would you even start making some you know because you're trying it's obviously very frightening and so would you be trying to give some information or share some information about it makes sense to me if this is happening for you because it's often something that does happen when people have experienced overwhelming things in the past or would you be making that well actually yeah yeah no I would with her and I do really good question thanks for I wouldn't necessarily make that link with everybody but in this case with Leanne I feel very I think it's quite high stakes she's very pissed off with previous therapist she's experiencing severe symptomatology that doesn't seem to be any clear framework she's been given so I would without saying your DID when I don't know she is I definitely want to say to her look I notice you've got a BPD diagnosis I don't know you know let's talk about your experience but if anything on the basis of what I you know your doctors said I would suggest there was you know if there was any kind of disorder it'd be more dissociative I don't know if I'd use the word this sort of but I'd certainly introduce dissociation because that may be a totally alien concept to her and as she just said it could be very reassuring to make sense that she's not crazy yes it's scary yes we know we need to address it but it makes sense that you would be experiencing what you are if it is dissociative rather than you know another diagnosis yeah and you could check that stuff out with her you know so it says here that you've lost time tell me a bit about that and you know dissociation would cover that experience and if you link it to it's actually resilience actually that your amazing being has figured out a way to compartmentalize stuff that might have been too much absolutely I thought that was a gifted opportunity to talk about how privileged dissociation is like when it first emerges it's very protective it's this extraordinary capacity like you said you know I'm distressed yeah but as with all things if we have to use something decisively over a long period and we haven't been able to address the underlying stuff that becomes the issue so we're wanting to be reassuring her that this absolutely makes sense but also recognizing the impacts of having on her life and how we might start to so yeah do you what do you think I was thinking that would hopefully reassure her get some buy-in that she hasn't been put in a problematic basket and she's not going crazy but also yeah recognizing and that she hoping with head yeah yeah that she makes sense that's what you're talking to is that speaking to it she makes sense she's not some crazy person she's not just a diagnosis she's a being who makes sense yeah absolutely and given how we know that you know I noticed the suicidality that's in the in the treating to it later I mean it may be suicidality it may be self-harm without suicidality because we know that's often confused especially not recognized as dissociative as a coping strategy so it's a good opportunity I thought maybe to explore with her and I think I would want to explore what's going on with that you know because often we know that we know because we work in the field but self-harm is often about self-regulation and people actually do it to feel better not to necessarily you know try to genuinely kill themselves I'd want to explore what was what was motivating that there may be suicide but I you know it may well be self-regulatory and I think part of it do you think I'm thinking she would even be relieved at one level to have these out there and address absolutely you know and that it's not a it's not like you know this terrible thing oh my goodness you're self-harm and it's like okay look this is happening and there's often a reason that it happens and it often serves the function for people around regulation let's explore what it might be for you is it something that helps you feel relief is it something that takes the pressure off is it something that brings you back into your body because a lot of people who is associated use it to bring themselves back yeah yeah absolutely absolutely and again the information that's been provided that again I'm you know I'm pretty sure she knows that I know so I can you know draw on that and you know she does you know has had very early situations of abuse and sexual abuse so what we're saying before about you know the coping strategy the dissociative you know the way of part of the self-being protective and if things happen at a young age not being able to address them so it is absolutely protective and make sense that the child will kind of I'm not just really tentative about how far I get back into early life but wanting to what we're saying you know give a sense of how the coping strategies that are causing problems now were protective initially so she doesn't have a sense of herself as crazy and totally adequate to oh no this all makes sense we can address it does this seem like this is what your experience is I'm really hoping to do yeah client-centered and some gentle psychic around dissociative symptoms because I doubt she's had that so I'd probably want to do you know how we need to distinguish between mild moderate and severe dissociation because we all many of us see dissociation as a continuum and you know de-personalization and feeling a bit disconnected or those kind of things we all have that to a degree exactly it's very normal we all do it you know and yes of course the more that we're trying to compartmentalize or move away from something or avoid something then the more extreme it might get but we even do it in our daily life when we're feeling tired or overwhelmed we switch off we shut down it's a normal thing yeah absolutely yeah and I think you know now you go because it's you know the first session and it's very you know you're working to build that therapeutic alliance as you say would you do anything in the first session around regulation like how would you approach that with her I think my main thing thanks for helping me to you know workshop the ideas with you I I I may be able to you know gently kind of suggest some self-regulate but I think my main thing in the first session would be to normalize her symptoms in the context of a dissociative lens because it seems pretty clear in light of that information about lost time and not knowing where she is buying the clothes and not remembering and I feel like if she could come away from that session with a sense that I'm not going crazy and you know I'm there's a bit of understanding here and maybe this makes sense that she may actually commit to because this wouldn't be obviously a you know half of half a dozen sessions and given the long journey she's had of not having good experiences in therapy I feel like the buy-in would be the normalizing you know gentle kind of self I don't like you know so I get I used to sounds like a teachy kind of thing I think gentle information around association which she doesn't seem to have had before could be the buy-in I feel like I need without minimizing how serious it is I'm not spooking her either but at her going away with a sense of okay maybe this kind of makes sense maybe I could start to you know address this rather than feeling that she's in the too hard basket or bounced around on the time yeah and also some hope like sending her off you know with some hope that there's that it makes sense and there's actually things that one can do and there's things that one can learn and there is there is a path forward absolutely yeah yeah yeah she needs I mean she does obviously need a lot of safety building which would be that would be a big piece of work wouldn't it like people often say you know oh well how long do you do phase one for with someone like Leanne there's a big piece of work to do around safety there's probably a lot of developmental trauma in there because she's had that since such a young age she's she's been in a really unstable environment a very frightening environment so you could be working with someone like her for a long time in phase one couldn't you look absolutely and if it is the idea which we you know not sure yet but if it is obviously the self-regulatory stuff is more complex because depending on what self state the person being a normal kind of soothing activity for one state may not be the case for another so I guess that's another reason why I'd be a bit reticent about suggesting strategies in the first I probably want to engage Rob a bit do you think to go I mean it's good that he's in the room and he could be kind of enlisted quote-unquote to be support he probably knows and notices things and it may be already doing things that are helpful or not helpful so I think maybe what do you reckon I'd be kind of wanting to draw him out and obviously she feels safe enough that you know he's with her in the session and really bringing him in as part of it in terms of what's going on outside of session and what could help in the meantime before our second session I'd probably want to set it up that I expect to see her again you know that kind of thing yeah and maybe Rob could be brought in as a support around that as well how would you work with something like because if he's there sometimes you know people she might like what if she brought up something like yeah we're not having sex because blah blah blah and it's right there like how do you work with containment because I think that's something people therapists and others really struggle with when there's disclosure or it's something's clopped in the room too early so to speak yeah around that yeah absolutely um and I notice that you know the information apparently she's not having said and Rob maybe you know upset about that or is there something wrong with me so I guess I'm hoping that kind of normalizing of the symptoms quote unquote and giving some kind of framework by which what they're going through as a couple would make sense you know so hopefully because it all makes and that it's not personally about Rob unless he say it's not about you but that makes sense in terms of coping with distress that there may be you know issues around that and there are things we can do like like you said there's ways of addressing this because it's very difficult for partners and I probably want to suggest that you know he gets some support from self or maybe not because he may think he's the problem and and there may be a dynamic in the relationship I don't know maybe there are problems it probably are but that's a really good point like if not having sex is an issue in itself and that comes up directly in session that would have to be addressed too because that may be the main concern yeah yeah and it might be you look there's you know that that's an issue between the two of you maybe that's relationship counseling but it's obvious there's a lot for if Leanne wants to continue therapeutically that's going to be very different you know that's a very different journey than their journey together mmm and I think you know you and I've talked about these things before and it's really people often over identify with you know they come in whether it was an immediate issue is and it's like all of us we often don't make a connection between a painful experience we're having in the here and now to what's gone before so I'm hoping it might be helpful for both Leanne and Rob to be able to if the section not having sex anymore is the issue in the room at the time or that comes up to be able to kind of get a sense of well you know that kind of is understandable that that that could be happening given you know and rather than it you know there's no realm of reason or the relationship's not working or there's something wrong with with either of them that that makes sense that it would you know there may be a protective aspect to feeling very exposed and triggered around it but again that that makes sense in context but these things that you know down the track that you know can be addressed so it's a really good point that about dealing with what's in the room because I've got all these ideas but maybe what comes up immediately is we're not having sex anymore and why I can't even know but I think that that that framework of under the dissociative lean if that hasn't been raised with either of them I suspect it hasn't hopefully that will immediately take down some of the temperature of what the hell yeah yeah I had a question as well I had a question Pam around because I work a lot with the parts approach like Jameena Fisher would approach it or yeah the internal family systems model and I had a question around with actual dissociation would you use that same kind of approach like to bring out say resources or resilience or the fact that there's yeah there's a part that might want to leave as in suicidality but there's also a part that comes therapy like would you use that approach anyway even when it is something like dissociation? Yeah I would and I think the beauty of the part stuff and you know on a van to people who work in complex trauma say this to the beauty of the part stuff is that we can use that framework with any client like we just said we've just segwayed haven't we like there's always the part of me that is the part of me that's I'm like this situation not in the other now obviously if it's the idea that the parts are more separated there's often less co-consciousness you know it's a different degree of separation of parts but the model of parts itself I agree is incredibly helpful and I would probably absolutely get into that quite early so it would hopefully be a bit reassuring for both Leanne and Rob that can be very different at different times potentially I would want to you know normalise we are all different in different situations and sometimes if you know there's been very distressing situations in the past that can be more you know that the shifts can be perhaps more rapid or more extreme or it makes sense that there may be forgetfulness so I think it segways really well from the part that we all have to getting into the parts of the idea which are more rigid and and more separate but he's a kind of normalising way of talking because we can talk like that to all our clients exactly yeah yeah I agree and you know it's there's a part that's freaking out during sex you know it's not that Leanne the whole of Leanne you know it's finding ways to okay yep this is happening and there's probably a reason that's happening that makes a lot of sense and maybe we don't need to get to that reason yet or even approach that yet but it's enough to know that it makes sense yeah and you mentioned Janina Fisher and that's really helpful if you've reminded me I'm Janina Fisher is really strong on this isn't she she wants to move away from the language of I with to encourage the client and ourselves to start using parts language so getting back to your point you know thanks it's really helping to clarify as I speak with you rather than you know her going with strategies which I don't think would work very well if she can lead that first session in starting to think about parts you know if she finds herself doing something or role-play it's the part of me that oh part of me this rather than this assumption of a coherent self and I which with severe dissociative stuff people just don't experience that so the language is not helping so I definitely be using parts language in that way and hopefully that would be a bit reassuring that Leanne has a sense that that's understood that a lot's going on inside that she doesn't make sense of and that she doesn't identify with all the time either because there's various parts in different directions yeah and even and then introducing that concept that sometimes a part can actually take over to the degree that we don't remember where we were yep yep absolutely and there may be parts that jump up that actually are very functioning as well like when I don't know yet enough about her life but a part that takes over to get her through situations that kept really well so like we say we don't want to pathologize the part you know some of them are probably stepping up and doing really good and it's only the ones that are causing difficulties that are you know that she's focusing on so all of the parts she has a purpose and yeah yep and she has a very strong or survival part or part that have got her through which is extraordinary you know she had a part that was able to get away and actually survive on the streets and found ways to do that I mean there's a lot of resilience in that story yeah that's great yeah I think I definitely want to validate that too do you find dragon it's always a dance between strengths based and recognizing what people are still up against so I'd want to actually validate what how she survived and how it's really good but also indicating that you know it is a struggle it is difficult as well and saying it's the parts you the parts that are really getting on with life that you know and doing well and extra cutting from difficult to really validate in that because she's probably down in herself for what's not going well but also empathize with the bits that are still difficult but that you know makes sense in light of dissociative stuff which as we saying she probably hasn't had any discussion or connection around so yeah yeah I think it's an important point too isn't it because we tend to get these catchphrases like strengths based in in our service provision and yes it's great we because we know we want to bring out there's going to be a resilience narrative in there as well but we can't diminish the very real struggles in people's lives you know we don't want to just focus on them yeah yeah I feel really strongly about that there's a lot of people who look to be and are in many ways resilient but according to external criteria are you in a job you know relationships should be data and people can young people can jump out of it's really strength but can completely miss what is the subjective quality of life of the person and because I see a lot of dissociative costs I really try to clue the surface presentation can be immaculate you know we see that often that we would dissociative clients and it's not safe often to present differently so if we just say oh you're doing really a resilience and you're in your job but what's it actually like to be you know what's the experience of being oneself so celebrating the strengths but also recognizing the challenges yeah yeah yeah yeah well that's really helpful thanks Drogon yeah look very interesting is that yeah sounds like you you know you've got good ground work set good places to connect with her and it's all it's all going to be around that connection isn't it because she's had not very good experiences of therapists before so it's going to be you know getting getting that connection and probably very very transparent not being the expert she'd probably react to that I suppose if she's had a lot of that before so really forming the alliance where we're doing this together yes I've got stuff to offer but so does she she's going to know more about her experience than we could ever know yeah no no no but Leah like you said if it's often you've got time to segue into the relational connection but I feel that needs to be there from the get-go we've had so many bad experiences and trying to kind of yeah in power sense that it makes sense and we can work on this yeah rather than taking a long time into it it's really important that and then yes if she's seen as a client in a person and her experience rather than the labels and so on so yeah so thanks for that dragon that's brilliant no worries thanks okay go well yeah all righty thanks okay okay bye bye


The key problem of the branch of mathematics called combinatorics is how many ways can a set of choices be made? For example, how many different outfits can I select for my wardrobe? How many different routes are there between points A and B? How many different winning hands are there in the game of poker? In order to solve problems like these, imagine answering a sequence of questions. The answers you give to the questions form a permutation. More generally, if you can't switch answers around, or if switching answers around gives you something different, you have a permutation. For example, what do you want for breakfast, lunch, and to wear? And maybe you answer eggs, tacos, and a clown suit. Since switching the answers around gives us something that is different, it's different if you have eggs or tacos for breakfast, and in some cases you can't switch the answer, you certainly couldn't eat a clown suit for lunch, then we have a permutation. Or we could ask a question like, what are the digits of your telephone number? And maybe we have an answer like 555-1212. If we switch these digits around, we get a different telephone number, and so we have a permutation. Who's going to be at the party? Well, maybe it's Ann, Bob, Charlie, and Doug. But if we switch our answers around, say Charlie, Bob, Doug, and Ann, it's still the same group of people, and so this is not a permutation. Or let's take a real world example. A restaurant offers a following meal deal. You can choose nontree, a side, and a drink. Is this a permutation meal or a combination meal? Well chances are, most ordinary people will call this a combination meal. But mathematicians are not ordinary people. So let's think about this. We'll pick an entree, how about fried chicken, a side dish, how about sliced apples, and a drink, mango lassi. Now can we switch our answers around, and the answer is no, we can't switch our answers. Sliced apples will always be a side, never a drink or an entree. And since we can't switch the answers around at all, this is a permutation. So suppose two people are selected to go to a conference. Is this a permutation or a combination? If we pick Agnes and Bob, it's the same as if we pick Bob and Agnes. And so this is a combination. Two people are to be picked, one for a president and the other for a treasurer. Is this a permutation or a combination? So if we pick Agnes for president and Bob for treasurer, it's different than if we pick Agnes for treasurer and Bob for president. So while we can switch our choices around, switching produces a different result, and so this is a permutation. So now we have some way of distinguishing between permutations and combinations. Let's see if we can determine how many we have. And this is all based on what's known as the fundamental counting principle. Suppose we have two choices we can make. If we have m ways we can make the first choice and n ways we can make the second choice, then there are m times n ways to make the two choices. Equivalently, we say there are m times n permutations. So let's go back to that meal permutation. So you can make a meal by choosing one of five entrees, one of 12 sides, and one of seven drinks. How many different meals are possible? So it's helpful to think of writing down our choices as answers. So we have to know what we choose as an entre, as a side, and as a drink. And again, since we can't move our choices, we have a permutation and so we can apply the fundamental counting principle. So for entrees, we have five possibilities. For sides, we have 12 possibilities. And for drinks, we have seven possibilities. And so the fundamental counting principle says that the number of ways we can make a choice of entre, side, and drink is the product 5 times 12 times 7, 420.


Welcome back to our Mythic Championship, the grandest stage for competitive Magic the Gathering. We join our final two competitors as they are halfway through the final game of their final match. Kev, what do you think about today's competitors? Well, what a question. There's a lot of history between these two. It's complicated. It's a rivalry that has indeed been built through the years. Let's tune in now to get a look at what our players are doing. It looks like we've got quite the game here, folks. Kevin, what do you make of this board state? Honestly, I'm a little worried about these two. I'm just seeing a lot of aggro on both sides. Well, one of them is going to have to lean into control eventually. You can't both be on the beat down if you hope to win. Oh, believe me, they can both be the beat down. So, an angrath has just cast a violent outburst, which is cascaded into an ancient grudge. What do you make of that, Kev? I had to talk to him about this. He can't just go around breaking Nadine's stuff. But wait, it looks like Nadine is tapping Mana for a response? Yes, yes, she's going to condescend him for two. And Nadine knows that Angrath can't stand being talked down to. Come on, guys. Angrath passes the turn, but you can bet we will see that ancient grudge get brought up again soon. Nadine fetches an end step, so we'll see some shuffling. My, we've got a heated battle today, wouldn't you say, Kev? Yeah, this little moment of calm, this is going to be a make-or-break for them. If they can't get it together and clear their heads a little bit, it's going to get really, really bad. This happened before, like, doesn't it? That's right. Let's not forget about the storied camaraderie and history of competition between these two players. It truly is inspiring. Yeah, no, that's not anything like what I was talking about. And we're back to the action. It seems that Nadine has built up her board with a bronze bombshell. What a literal ticking bomb. Yeah, no, she's got, like, two rounds before she just snaps. And Angrath looks like he's going for the throat! What, what, what? No, he can't do that. You're absolutely right. He cannot. Great, let's put a stop to it then. That's because go for the throat cannot target artifacts and bronze bombshell. She's an artifact. Let's get our floor judge in there. What floor judge? We don't have a floor judge. We sure do. He enrolled in and graduated from Judge Academy this very morning, so you know he's the real deal. Hey, that's bribery. No, Kevin, the media team is saying that was a jace the mind sculptor. Bribery costs three and two blue. Totally different card. And it seems that the judges ruled that we are too far along to back up, so that play will stay valid. Ooh, a tough break for Nadine. Nope, yeah, that's gonna do it. Nadine's gonna flip. I gotta get down there. A great idea. Let's go down to the floor to see what our players think about this controversial ruling. This is some bull- I mean, judge's ruling, judge's ruling. Kev, can't argue with the judge's ruling. That judge is your brother. He plays Yu-Gi-Oh! Oh, that's an unsportsmanship major and minor. We're seeing a savage beating on the field. Oh, but it's followed by a masterful role reversal. Anne Grath is fighting back with tooth and nail, but without entwine, he isn't going to be able to stop Nadine's stranglehold. If this choke continues, we just might see, yes, yes, indeed, a murder. Thank you, folks, for joining us for a mythic championship. Someone does the dishes. All the way from scenic Kevin's kitchen table. Be sure to tune in next week while we- oh, who am I kidding? I'm just gonna stream arena. Thanks for watching, everybody. This is the Professor from Tolarian Community College. It's a channel entirely dedicated to Magic the Gathering. If you're interested in Magic the Gathering content or playing the game or anything like that, head on over to his channel. He's got some great videos breaking down, like, lots of, like, the basic concepts and everything. Thanks for having me. It's really been a dream come true to be on here. Like, seriously, dream come true. Thank you. We'll have any. Thank you. Thanks.


some pure algebraic object structure which appeared quite recently, it's called stability structure in the triangulated category, I'll say a few words. In the triangulated category it's due to Tom Bridgeland, around quite some time ago, maybe around 2001, something like this. And it's very mysterious object which can be thought as analog of Keller class or Ample class for very general framework of triangulated categories. And it has very nice properties but it's very hard to construct and I will explain that the best hope is through differential geometry, variation principle, convexity and all this. So the subject close to Jean-Pierre Hart. Yeah, so the definition is kind of simple but first of all I will just remind you about the triangulated categories. Example of triangulated categories is something which we technically consider, let's say bounded coherent sheaths on some algebraic variety and consider complexes of sheaths with compact support. Now bounded it means that commulgia only infinitely many degrees and compact supported commulgia are coherent sheaths in this compact support. Or you can consider modules of some algebra and consider complexes of modules, think like this and get triangulated category, triangulated category C. And to say what is stability condition you need two things. First you need some kind of churn class for each object of your category should define several numerical invariance. And I'll say that just suppose you get a map to homomorphism to find a joint free abelian group, some coefficients of some components of churn class. And then that's your fix once for a while and then there's something which you can change, which will be kind of like your Keller class. First you get a map from the n to C, so it's eventually you get a map to C from K group. And a class of stable objects, stable object with slope theta. It's just a collection of isomorphism class of objects, S is from stable and C is real number. And with the following there are several properties. If you get stable object, sorry? Zn. Not Q. Not Q, no, no, Zn, yeah. Like churn classes. Like churn classes, yeah.  Or you consider maps to some finite joint abelian group and kill our torsion. Yeah, so for any stable object, if you apply to, first make churn class and then apply Z, you get complex number. It should be nonzero number and with argument equal to theta. And then if you shift by one, the argument will be shifted by pi. And then any object of your category should be decomposed in this stable or simple object. So for any object F, shift, change the grading by one. And then this churn class will change by minus this number and the argument you add pi. Yeah, okay. And then for any object, there exists the analog of kind of filtration which in triangulate category just a sequence of morphisms. Any morphism in the sense of monomorphisms such that consider quotients and called EI. They all belong to CS CTI and arguments are decreasing. So in the case of quotient, complex quotient shifts, yeah. It's very complicated. Even in case of quotient shifts, it's extremely hard and high dimensions to construct any example of such a guy. Yeah, so it's slightly related to killer positivity, but it's a very delicate story. Yeah, so people constructed in dimensions really recently, but it's a record. I think in dimension four it's very, very hard to construct such a thing. And there are many nice things about the stability conditions that the main theorem of bridging is that if in the appropriate conditions, assumptions, if you vary a little bit the central charge z, you uniquely vary stability conditions. So they form a complex manifold. They form a complex manifold from any category and manifold with kind of vector space structure. It's cone in a vector space. And so it has many wonderful properties, but as I said, it's very hard to construct them. Yeah, so and there are, I'll explain kind of two frameworks where we can hope to construct them. So the first framework is some easy situation when one can construct this stability thing. It's kind of quiver like situation. There's really no trouble to make this stability condition, which is the following. What will be, suppose we get some algebra, associative algebra over any field. And I assume it's actually finitely generated. And I assume that in this algebra I have a collection of projectors, commuting projectors. So PI squared is equal to PI. Some PI is equal to 1. And PI Pj is equal to 0 for I non-equal to J. Yeah, so essentially one can consider the quiver because one can, and if algebra is finitely generated, you can make, choose generators. And algebra will be passed algebra of some quiver or some quiver. Maybe modally finitely many relations, vertices of quiver labeled for 1 to k. Now, so we'll have such algebra, but this algebra is, and this algebra should be kind of enhanced to some, usually H0 of some differential graded algebra. And I assume that all cohomology of the thing is equal to 0. So I made some kind of resolution at something in degree minus 1, minus 2, and so on. Yeah, so we have this algebra. And then one can immediately construct a category and plenty of stability conditions. What will be the category? In fact, maybe this case should be equal to n. What is the category? The category should be, in a sense, GG modules appropriately localized over this DG algebra, this finite dimensional commulger, total commulger. This form a certain triangulated category. The k group, if you, the k group of this category C is the same as k group of category of finite dimensional A modules. So this category has something called heat heart, which is a billion category, which is this representation of this algebra. And which maps to Zn. Because if you consider any representation, you can see the maps to dimension of finite dimensionals. It should get such a collection of finite dimensional spaces and look at the vector of dimensions. And these dimensions are non-negative, if you consider orbit representation of this algebra. And now you choose arbitrary any map, such as base vectors, some number Zi, whose imaginary part is positive. You just pick arbitrary numbers in the upper half plane, you get the homomorphism. And then all object in your a billion category will be a positive linear combination of some numbers in the upper half plane in a space. And then you define what a stable object, object we don't have sub-object with a larger slope. So you immediately get such things and you can see the shift of such things called the semi-stable object. So you get the upper half plane to power n, maps to the space of stability of this category. And the gen class. So you get the domain and one can also, there is a very nice game called tilting. Very often one can make another algebra, another dg algebra. You can make another dg algebra such as this category, which gives the category c tilde. And the category c tilde will be equivalent to category c. So you describe the same category in different algebraic ways. And this space of stability conditions, these two kind of products of upper half plane will be attached to each other that have common boundaries. So you can go from one to another, you get different algebraic descriptions, but you continue to this algebraic manifold. And what to do for tilting, there are kind of left and right tilting, the formula is like this. So this algebraic projectors, we can see it's kind of, dg category is finitely many objects. This will be just different, back-graded components will be homes between different objects. You get some object EI. And suppose you choose some generators, choose generators, which are of algebra which called maybe i a alpha, some collection of generators. And assume that arrows in this quiver. And a alpha is equal to some projector for some ij, depending on alpha. And assume that you get certain object and choose i0, set it, there's no generator, there's no generator a alpha which is equal to pi0, a alpha pi0. There's no loop at vertex i0. In this case, one can make new collection of this dg modules. You just define EI tilde is equal to EI from i non-equal to i0. And EI0 tilde will be kind of two-step complex. EI0 in degree plus one. And you take direct sum over EI over all i non-equal to i0 and all arrows from i to i0 in this quiver. And then consider universal map. Yeah, and then very easy check shows that if you consider endomorphism of this direct sum of EI tilde, it gets some, again, new dg algebra. It's a homology in positive degree of this guy's, again, vanish, and then we can continue the game. Yeah, so there's some kind of combinatorial game if you go from one algebra to another algebra with the same term, related category. And stabilities are continued up to another. Okay, so what I explained to you, it's pure algebra. But already we want to start with some differential geometry. To start differential geometry you should go to from arbitrary field. Let's say field is complex numbers. And then one can describe what are stable objects in completely different way without just going to axiomatics and so on. What not stable object but what's called polystable objects, which are direct sum of stable object with the same slope, of slope theta. And the description is the following. It will be unitary classes of star representation of the following thing. If you consider pi, you can see the representation of the algebra in finite dimensional Hilbert space of the same algebra. Yeah, the representation of algebra in finite dimensional Hilbert space. Let's call it V. So each projectors are orthogonal, so it's a direct sum. And then the following condition holds. I remember I choose some generators. I consider some of commutators, A hat by hat. Get some self-adjoint operator. And then should be equal to imaginary part, exponent minus square root minus 1 theta. Zi, the complex numbers, times projectors. And take some from 1 to n. So this equation, actually this Alistar King discovered it many years ago. And where it comes from, it's come from the relation with geometric invariance theory. The stable object is exactly the same stable things in terms of Manford theory of geometric invariance. Then we get Hamiltonian reduction and we get this thing. And this is actually very beautiful. In fact, it will be a complex analytic algebraic variety. Maybe singular, the space of such equivalence classes. It will be coarse modular space. But we describe it in terms of Hermitian geometry and it will carry certain calorimetric. And if you choose different generators, get different calorimetric on the same manifold. So this choice of generators can be sort of a choice of non-commutative calorimetric. It gives you calorimetric on all modular spaces simultaneously. And yeah, it's a very interesting question here that this thing you can sort of as a representation of some star algebra. Consider formally complex Hermitian conjugate variables. And you see that you get different c star algebras to your associative algebra. And they have the same representation theory. So it means that c c star algebra, maybe it's a finite dimension of the representation theory. But it's maybe some certain completion should be equivalent. It would be very nice to have canonical c star algebra associated to associative algebra. But it's one thing. And you see that we get some kind of differential geometry here. Okay, that's one thing, but it's a very simple story applied to this quiver. And it's very far from the situation of interest, like coherent shifts and so on. In fact, it has something to do with coherent shifts, those kind of remark. I explain everything about finite dimension representation, but one can try to formally do infinite dimension representations. And let's take algebra, it will be just, let's say, polynomials in d variables. Maximus, excuse me, instanton modelized space as an example. Yeah, for instantons you can get the same description. Yeah. But now let's consider algebra of polynomials. And module will be a or ideal finite co-dimension. Kind of functions vanishing with some multiplicity at some points. Which is not vector bundle, it's coherent shifts. But the claim one can write this equation in a certain sense. Your projector will be only one, just identity. Yes, so you can formally write this thing. And you write equation, the generators, they will be, actually this is my A alpha, it will be generator with algebra. And you write equation, so you get some unbounded operator in Hilbert space. And you write this equation is equal to, let's say... You always find dimension in the space, why... No, no, no, it's infinite dimensional. And now it's infinite. Yeah, imagine kind of complete the space of function of this kernel exponent minus the square root. You can see the entire functions with appropriate growth. And you take times identity. You write this equation. And it has some solution. For example, if you go to one case of one variable, you can see the polynomial variable just labeled by 1, 0, 1, 2, 3. And then you get a negation and a creation operator whose commutator is 1. Yeah, so you consider xn squared will be n factorial. And consider multiplication by x. In our joint, you get exactly representation of this algebraic commutator will be exactly 1. And then we can ask the question how to regularize it at infinity. If you consider that good behavior at infinity will be such as commutator of x a hat xj will be identity operator plus some kind of small kind of trace 1, trace class or whatever. Yeah, consider something at which infinity looks like identity. And then actually it was Nikita Nikrasov who invented these things about 10 years ago. The big conjecture is that if you consider, for example, shift of ideals of finitely many points, it will be stable object because it couldn't have really good sub bundles, should have canonical pre-heal bit structure when you get this equation. Mathematicians never studied it. It's a very difficult question. And then if you can go to some limit, you put some constant here and go to the limit. Then you get the limit to get a young mill equation, a Hermitian Young Mill equation of Donaldson. But now if you have advantages, it works for coherence shifts, not for vector bundles. And that should be right point of view in relation with coherent geometry. Okay, that's one word. But physics suggests something completely different. All this axiomytical region come from Mike Douglas and eventually from Mirosimetry. But physics suggests completely different class of examples, not the squivers. But let me say, maybe I should remove. Sir? Bring it down. Yeah, maybe I just... Yeah, what is the second framework? That's actually from... It's about d-brains. So you start with Calabi-Yau variety. It has... It's of arbitrary dimension. It has scalar form and has top-degree holomorphic form and satisfying... It could be not necessary compact. Then the category which you associate to it is... Actually, it's a category not over complex numbers, but over formal power series in one variable. It's a category which depends on parameter one can think. It's not one category. And this is called Foucaille category, which consists of some Lagrangian objects. Now, maybe I'll give you just this definition. We'll say what are morphisms? What is it? But what will be stable objects? And the conjecture, kind of center conjecture is the subject. This category has very canonical stability conditions. It will be the main source of stability condition from geometry. This C has canonical stability condition. The object of this category, it's very complicated things. Everyone should solve some abstractions here, but one can consider kind of limiting object when t goes to 0. Limits as t goes to 0 of stable objects are the following creatures. I'll just explain this answer. First of all, objects are, it's a pair, L, rho. L is, let's say, oriented, I'll fix theta. I wonder what it says, it's a theta stable object. It's oriented Lagrangian sub-variety. I don't say it's sub-manifold. It's actually could be singular with singularities in co-dimension 2. And axis is symplectic manifold? Axis is symplectic manifold. Yeah, it's a Calabria, it's a symplectic manifold. It's purely a real object. Then, what happens in good acts? Nobody knows, but I expect that I'll put some conditions. No, no, no, here it's absolutely essential to have singularities. But of special kind? Of special kind, yeah. No, no, no, not any singularity, yeah. Yeah, but I think here actually I don't have to specify. I will say, I didn't finish the description. So there are several things here. First of all, this X, L is compact, yeah. L is special of slope theta. What does it mean? It means that if you restrict this D0 form to L, yeah, calibrated, yeah. Two kind of L minus singularities, outside of singularities. Then it will be, belongs to, again, argument of this thing. Tt is parameter of stability, yeah. Yeah, tt is the parameter of stability, yeah. Times some positive density. But one that, I mean, if it's special argongin, it's going to be calibrated, so it's absolutely minimizing locally. So the singularities are always cogenting, at least, too. Yeah, co-dimension of at least two, yeah. Yes, yes, yeah, but yeah. This singularity can appear for the singular argongin. Yeah, it's very special singularity, definitely, yeah. And rho is irreducible representation of fundamental group of the L minus singularities to some J L and C of local system. Such a determinant of this thing belongs to U1. And the last thing which is very mysterious, L is spin, yeah. Which is, come from some question of orientability in Foucaille category. And, but I think it's actually, means it should have some dear, dear operator should play some role, but nobody knows how to do it. And the right homology class, it's actually not homology, but class in case theory. Because it's spin manifold. Yeah, and Z of L will be integral, will be rank of the local system multiplied by integral of this D0 form which will be. But you claim they always exist. Sorry? You claim they always exist. They may not exist. Okay, but then the category will be zero. No, the claim, this form is exactly the least of stable objects. Yeah, and if we believe in mirror symmetry, Foucaille category is equal to coherent shifts on some other varieties. That will be, the category is very non-trivial. Definitely, yeah. Yeah, so that's... So this endless mirror symmetry, the stability condition on one side corresponds to this. Of course, yeah, it should be the kind of the only feasible way to construct stability condition on this category of coherent shifts here at the end of the day. Yeah, but here, of course, we say that it's Calabio variety. I think this Calabio, it's too rigid condition. What one really need? One need one one form Foucaille category differently. But omega in zero, one can replace by complex valued closed N form. Closed D form of middle degree. This sum non-degenerous condition should be kind of, should not vanish on all real aggressions of space. And it's very soft condition. It should be real, now everything is real. But form is complex valued. I'm complex valued, but you can't forget complex structure, okay? Yeah, it shouldn't have complex structures. That will be... Because the picture, that one should kind of minimize some... One can put the same condition for non-necessary complex form. Just forget about remaining metric. No, but then do you know meaning of special agrarian? No, no, no, it means that this... I think it's equal to... But the equilibrium property will be different. No, no, no, no. No, the story is the following. It will be still the same story, because one can always integrate... No, no, no, it will be no metric. There will be no metric on the space. It will... But you get a formula, it's just called omega's form. You can always integrate absolute value of omega with Lagrangian manifold. And you call it area. And this area minimizing will be special Lagrangian. Just because it will be kind of some of complex numbers with different slopes and better angle and quality. Yeah, so it's without metric, but one can also write kind of area functional and minimizing... And this thing will be minimizing this area functional. Okay. Because I believe that in this region or dimension the only possibility for this is to re-brain and work special Lagrangian. No, if you start with remaining metric, but if you measure area of things by some different means, not by remaining metric, but something else... She may have... Yes, yes, absolutely. No, exactly this definition of consider form which is not vanishing on any... But still we can point to the kind of variable structure. It's just a function, minimize which is not area, but it's supposed to function. Yeah, it's supposed to function which looks essentially like area plus... And we absolutely minimizing because of this form. Yes. And through the right example... Yeah, of course you just vary a little bit here. Yeah. But itself you see that the equation maybe I've never solved before. The question of the resolution is kind of... Yeah, but you don't have to... Explicit representative, it's not relative. Like Kellen matrix you can change for in geometry the same stable bundles like explained for quivers you get different equations that give the same solutions. And here should be the same picture that you change a little bit. Omega's you get different equations. No, it may be no solution. No, no, no. No, it's elliptic equations of index zero. It's completely... The reason is... No, no, no, calibrated for Lagrangian manifold has index zero. The reason is the following because if you have Lagrangian manifold and now deformed is by exact Hamiltonian transformation. So deformed at L plus graph of differential of some function. So what you can see, you can see the functions on L, model a constant which will be deformation space. And what you have, you get an argument of the things and argument should be constant. Argument is a function again with average value equal to zero. So you get map from space of one dimension to the space of the same dimension should really index zero. This equation for being calibrated. If you consider deformation... And even if you get a large families because you consider non... If it's not one connected, then consider... first-come-old, then consider non-exact deformation. So you get really modular spaces of such things. And it's very important to put this local system. Altogether, the smaller space of this... maybe could not reduce but polis direct sum of reducible of such type. The claim that the model space of such things will be compact. One can imagine some kind of compactness for minimal manifolds. But now what's about local system? Local system can depend parameter and go to infinity. But in fact, secretly, if you get a local system, you can always have, because it's reducible, can have harmonic metric on the system. Get canonical, suppose it's collabial, you have harmonic metric. And then when harmonic metric... when local system goes to infinity, then harmonic metric will be very, very fast and then you get kind of real Higgs field. When a row goes to infinity, you get real fixed field. And which can be thought as a point-wise, you get familiar of commuting Hermitian operators. And the spectrum will be... which can be interpreted as kind of multivaluate... you can analog of spectral cursals, multivaluate real harmonic one form on L. This limit of... when representation goes to infinity, you get multivaluate harmonic one form. And this multivalent harmonic one form will be deformation as a special Lagrange and multivaluate as kind of multiple cover of the things. So limit of representation will be kind of limit of multi... coincide with limit of multiple covers from other side and the whole thing will have no boundary. Yeah, okay. Yeah, so that's kind of very vague picture and I think I'm not an analyst, so I cannot really judge how hard it is. But it looks to be true. But now we have kind of two different situations and what else can happen? And in fact, I want to say that there could be a possibility of mixture of these two situations. Just the reason is roughly the following. In general, Kaffon-Philsier predicts you that you have a category and stability. But no geometry. Just category and stability. And that's what Kaffon-Philsier says. And to have a geometric description should go to some limit. And if you go to some limit, you get some target space, but it should be maybe not the whole target space. Some part of your theory will be degenerate, something will be not degenerate.  And then, and X is just Caler manifold. You can see the such kind of like elliptic vibrations and so on. Like K3 surface degenerate to projective line with very small elliptic curves. And if you want to describe what is Foucaille category on Y, you can try to see what are stable, what are special aggressions. And then you get some kind of the following situation. We're just exchanging. Kind of mixed situation is the following. At least some example of it. You get let's say Caler manifold. And then you get constructible shift of triangulated categories. So it means essentially kind of local system of triangulated categories with maybe some jumps. Here you can think about categories CX. You can think about Foucaille, if you get Calabi fibrations, generic fibers again Calabi Yaw, you can see the Foucaille categories of fiber. And because the Caler class doesn't change, you get local system of Foucaille categories of fiber. And then the stability, then each category will have a stability. The X, which maps from K group of this category, just it's a bit funny coincidence to the fiber of canonical bundle at point X. It should be top degree of Cartesian bundle at point X. So it will be stability where it's not complex numbers, but in one dimensional vector space, which actually makes sense. You can multiply stability by constant. So it shouldn't be any complex line here. And this should be holomorphically dependent, holomorphically dependent on point. What happens again in this baby example, you integrate holomorphic volume form, a long Lagrangian varieties of fiber, get volume form, holomorphic volume form on the base, depending on this choice. And stable objects will be the following. Now we get singular Lagrangian manifolds, which now have singularity of co-dimension 1. And it gets singular Lagrangian in X, which is union of some kind of l-beta. I will explain in what sense are special. Yeah, that's really funny. On each l-beta, you get a locally constant family of stable objects. In this category. But now if I apply zx to bx, you get holomorphic volume form near l-b. And then this thing should be special with slope city with respect to this holomorphic form, with respect to this. So argument, this thing should be equal to theta. Yeah, so you get some bizarre question. And then in singularity co-dimension 1, we will have something like three branches, typically coming to each other. And then you should get here at this point exact triangle in triangulated category, which is main structure. Yeah, so get this mixed things. And you can imagine these fibers, you can describe algebraically using quivers. Kind of very simple game. But then you get these things. And it looks it's a kind of natural framework to define four categories, even for this not constant shift of stupid categories. So it's going to point, but any category and the whole thing should be lived together. This is a very simple example, which I finish. This x will be a complex curve. And what will be category? Yeah, the categories, you can see there's something called preprojective algebra associated with some dinking diagram. You have arrows, some kind of dual arrows, like for the square a n. You get some arrows and get dual arrows and some of commutator, but not complex conjugate, will be equal to zero. You get this will be relation to this algebra. Then you double it to make star to this star equation. So you get this category where stability is very simple and stable object correspond to the following things. Stability correspond to collection of points in a complex plane and stable objects are possible intervals connecting this thing. And then one can make things together and get what's something called spectral networks. This mixed stable object are very beautiful things which I discovered by several people and also by Gaiot and Murnetsky. On a complex curve, you can see the multivalued holomorphic one form. Again, it's called spectral curve, multivalued holomorphic one form. There's finally many values in some verification. And then you can see the kind of three valent graphs for each graph. You get two indices, two values of this form. And on this form, the argument of alpha i minus alpha j will be equal to theta. And then you get indices i, j, j, k when they meet each other and you get some kind of three valent graphs. Yeah, because Lagrangian manifold is a graph in two dimensions and then you get some kind of nice conditions, some gradient lines. And just on the surface. Just graph-grown on the surface, one can draw computer program and see how this things. And this is a central object in WKB methods one can study asymptotic situations. So it's a very beautiful geometric object. They're not jades, this is not metric. Or it's gradient if considered holomorphic one form and considered, rotate by angle theta and consider level set of real part. Yeah, so that's beautiful objects. And this is stable object in some three-dimensional kalabia category. Yeah, so there's some kind of high-dimensional six-vein coating, simple language here. Okay, thank you. Any questions? Sorry? Why do you call it stability structure? It's not me, it's Bridgend. I know, but what is this thing? It's a bit strange name, yes. No, it's called stability even. Stability condition. You call it stability condition which is... Stability condition, yeah, I don't know. It's a condition, yeah. To hold something, some structure condition I found it's a bit odd, yeah. Maybe it's because it took it as a definition then I thought... Yeah. It's not like stability polarization, you say, no? It's like polarization, yeah. It's a lot of polarization, yeah. But is all static with the bubbles on curves? Stability condition and part of your system? Yes, yes, yeah, of course, yeah, it's... Yeah, but... Curve, in a sense, analog of quivers, but go to high dimensions, it's really hard, yeah. This example related to kitchen systems and then this one? Yes, yes, yeah, it's... So these graphs are... These pattern numbers, yeah. In fact, this stable overcurrent of three-dimensional kalabia category. Any more questions? Yeah, I think we thank you very much.


Everybody forced to rip in a box of 21 22 revolution basketball Chinese new year. Thanks Matthew for the order It's from Matthew C. Sorry. Thanks Matthew for the order. Good luck Yeah, we had boxes and stock rips quite a bit Whenever we get Whenever we get stuff in stock, you know, we add it Yeah, so anything today it could ship out tomorrow. I really don't know I would expect it to ship Wednesday It's from today Should get to it tomorrow.  Well, I added those to rip it instead of ship it because they requested it like that We don't do it all the time, but Duarte rookie Chinese New Year John Collins I'm gonna pull one of those greens There's a Collins sexton Chinese New Year Dave you on Mitchell rookie Chinese New Year, but we adjust stock as we need to basically thought of a Mitchell Chinese New Year It's like if there's more demand for shipping than ripping then we'll do that For the most part some products are only one or the other We don't ship everything and we don't rip every product as well. So it just depends Caster Edwards Aaron Gordon Chinese New Year a rookie Miles McBride now Isaiah Jackson a drew holiday Chris Paul Own a Chinese New Year Got rookie Drake Brown the third Kauai Leonard Nice four of eight hollow gold. I thought that was a gold Four of eight on the Kauai That's awesome. Congrats on that. It's a scary team once he starts to ramp up his minutes down in a bantam a Fred van Vleet And nice a Josh and giddy Chinese New Year as well. Good box. Thank you again Matthew We will get these cards out to you shortly


from right after the Civil War to right before the Civil War. Let's see what will happen. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Gacken, is that a call? All right. Hmm. Please join me in a moment of centering silence to enter fully into worship together. In our in-gathering hymn, the words for which we're printed in your order of service. Welcome to the First Mutary in Society of Madison. This is a community where curious seekers gather together to explore spiritual, ethereal, and social issues in an accepting and nurturing environment. Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we try and seek to be a force for good in the world. My name is Sam Bates, and on behalf of the congregation, I would like to extend a special welcome to visitors today. We are welcoming congregations, so whoever you are and wherever you happen to be on your life's journey, we celebrate your presence among us here. Newcomers are encouraged to say for our fellowship hour after the service and to visit the library, which is directly across from the center doors of this auditorium. Bring your drinks and your questions. Members of our staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you. You may also look for persons in holding teal, stoneware, coffee mugs. These are FUS members knowledgeable about our faith community and who would love to visit with you. Experience guides are generally available to give a building tour after each service, and I know we have one today. So if you'd like to learn more about our sustainably designed edition or our national landmark meeting house, please meet near the large glass windows on the left side of the auditorium. We welcome children to stay for the duration of the service. However, because it's difficult for some to hear in this lively acoustical environment, our child haven over in the back corner there and commons are excellent places to retire if a child needs to talk or move around. The service can still be seen and heard well from those places. And speaking of noise, this would be a good time to turn off any electronic devices that might cause a disturbance. Now I'd like to acknowledge those individuals who help our service run smoothly. Today on Sound, we have Mark Schultz. Sorry, can't read this. Our lay minister is Ann Smiley. Goss Woodward is our creator. We have three ushers, Ron Cook, Patricia Becker, and Edwards Apollo. And in hospitality, Rick DeVito and Jean Hills are providing our coffee. Please note the announcements on the red floors insert in your order of service, which describe upcoming events in the society and provide more information about today's activities. Again, welcome. We hope that today's service will stimulate your mind, touch your heart, and stir your spirit. We're glad you're here. Let us gather together as a community of seekers to honor the interdependence of life, to respect the dignity of all, and to honor the land we walk humbly upon. Friends, as we gather together this weekend before Columbus Day, reimagined here in Dane County as Indigenous Peoples' Day, let us acknowledge that we walk upon the traditional territories of the Ho-Chunk, Mamacheta, Ojibwe, and Bodewadmi, the original nations of Wisconsin, who continue to cry out for justice and self-determination. We are blessed with a space and an opportunity to strive to live out our common principles, to bring justice, equity, and compassion into our daily lives, to resist all that threatens the earth and her people, and to live out our dream of a world community of peace, liberty, and justice for all. Let these thoughts carry us forward as we journey and worship together. Blessed be. And now I invite you to rise in body or in spirit and join me in today's chalice lighting, the words for which are printed in your order of service. Divine spark from sacred dark, symbol of our holy intent. Illuminate this hour. And now let us turn to our neighbors and exchange a few words of friendly greetings. Ladies and gentlemen, please come forward for the message for all ages.  Find a comfy place to sit. Good morning. So the adults and I are going to be talking a little bit today about heaven, and I'm wondering if any of you have ever heard about heaven. Have you heard about heaven before? No, I'm wondering if the things that you've heard about heaven might be similar to some of the things that I heard about heaven when I was growing up, things that might be a little bit different than what we talk about here in our church. So one of the things that I used to hear about heaven was that heaven was a far away place that maybe isn't in this world, but in another world, and maybe even a place that's perfect and a place that we can't get to in this life but have to maybe wait for another life. Have any of you ever heard something kind of like that about heaven? Yeah. So in our church, though, we sometimes talk about heaven in a different way, don't we, about something that we can build here in this world together if we really want to. So the story that I'm going to be telling you now is about that. So I want you to listen really carefully, all right? So this story is called I Wish Tonight, and was written by Lois Rock and illustrated by Anne Wilson. The evening sky darkens, the stars will shine bright, but which is the first star that I'll see tonight? I wish that I may, oh, I wish that I might have everything that I wish for tonight. I wish for a silver moon sailing on high through the shape-shifting oceans of clouds in the sky, a warm, gentle breeze that will sing and will sigh in the tall, swaying tree tops as it passes by. I wish for a bed with a sail and an ore that will float on shadows so dark on the floor as the wind fills the sails to the sky it will soar and take me up high to a faraway shore. In the land of beyond, all my dreams will come true. I'll do all the things that I so want to do. I'll have great adventures the whole day through, so I'll wish for my friends to be there too. All the things that we need will be ours just for free, with enough for my friends, oh, and their friends and me. We'll pick what we want just like fruit from a tree. Everyone in the world will come nearer to see. We'll tell them that nothing can be bought or sold in the land that I wish for, no one will need gold. We'll pick lovely presents for young and for old so no one goes hungry and no one is cold. Then one to another we'll say, let's be friends and let's make a great plan that together we'll mend anything that is broken and carefully tend everything in the world. Keep it safe to the end. Soon no one will know where the wastelands have been. The trees will grow tall and the deserts turn green. The air will blow clear and the rain will fall clean. And in shimmering streams silver fish will be seen. I'll go down to the shore in the gold evening light and climb back in my boat, sail off in the night while the skies turn to dark and the stars shine so bright and I'll wish for a world where what's wrong is put right. And then in the morning I'll wake with the sun. My dream won't be over, my dream's just begun. A dream full of goodness and laughter and fun for me, for the world, and for everyone. So does that sound like a place that maybe you'd like to live? A place where everyone is taken care of? Yeah, it does sound? So this is a story about being able to dream about a better world and then being able to come together and try to make it true. It sounds like a poem, it is a poem, and a story at the same time. So the adults are going to sing you out to your classes now. So I thank you for listening to my story. Have a good class. I'm Dan Fermansky, who is the former campaign director of the Unitarian Universalist Association Standing on the Side of Love Campaign. This is titled, Why Honoring Indigenous People's Day Matters. For many reasons I love Dane County, Wisconsin, home of my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Some people reduce Dane County to just a bastion of liberals. Well, those liberals in Dane County replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day a while back. But so has South Dakota, which honors Native American Day. Several California cities, and my employer, the Unitarian Universalist Association, honor Indigenous People's Day as well. Many people think this is political correctness gone too far or oversensitivity. I'm not even curious what Fox News has a symptom of our country's fundamental denial. It means lifting up a man who sent the first slaves across the Atlantic. More slaves, about 5,000 than any other individual, according to historian after historian. It means honoring a man who kidnapped Indigenous Americans to take back with him to Spain with several dying along the way. It means holding up as an example a man who demanded food, gold, and spun cotton from Indigenous Americans and used punishments, like cutting off their ears and noses and hands, to make sure the goods were received. It means celebrating someone who instituted policies of rewarding his lieutenants with Indigenous women to rape. As educator and historian, James W. Lohan writes in his book, Lies, My Teacher Told Me. All these gruesome facts are available in primary source materials, letters by Columbus and other members of his expeditions, and in the work of Las Casas, the first great historian of the Americas, who relied on primary materials and helped preserve them. I'm not saying we can't be glad that we live in the United States of America. I often am, especially after time in a state or national park, or while reading about the curbed freedoms of speech or assembly in other countries, or while realizing that I have access to clean hot water every day. But honoring Christopher Columbus, though he was skilled as an explorer, as some sort of national hero, just makes me sad. Each time we hollow Christopher Columbus over Indigenous people, or Rick Santorum over a gay soldier in Afghanistan, or Sheriff Joe Arpaio over a migrant, I believe our moral amnesia is flaring up. For many of us, commemorating Indigenous People's Day over Columbus Day is one way to show that we understand the symptoms of the lies that have been embedded in our country's collective consciousness. Let's face it, we live in a country where children grew up playing cowboys and Indians. Saying our country is in denial about our story, our roots, our history, doesn't make us unpatriotic, ungrateful, unaware of the staggering beauty of our land, our freedoms, and of so many people in our nation, including people who may not agree with us most of the time. But we can't authentically move forward if we don't truly know the ground we are on and where we have been. Honoring Indigenous People's Day is one important way to do that.  Our deeply ailing nation is full of people who think that constitutional rights should be abrogated in favor of their God beliefs over others' God beliefs or non-God beliefs. It is full of individuals who have convinced themselves that undocumented people, the poorest, most hard-working people in our country, are somehow taking something away from them, and that if immigrants end up being abused by border detention, it's their own fault. Wherever we are on this long Indigenous People's Weekend, let us think, let us pray, however we may choose, let us speak, commit, act, and above all, let us love. Years ago, at Star King School for the Ministry, my partner Smoky and I took a class together on Clarence Jurden's Book of Sermons, Cotton Patch Parables of Liberation. A Greek scholar, farmer, and anti-racist activist, Clarence Jurden was known for two things. He translated Scripture into the language of his time and place, and he founded Koinonia Farm, an interracial community serving in Jurden's words as a demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God. The year was 1942, and the place was America's Georgia, deep in the segregated South. To get a sense of how Jurden interpreted Scripture, please listen closely to his translation of Matthew 1344. The Kingdom of God is like a man plowing in a field. He discovers a treasure, a box. He's plowing with his old ox there. All of a sudden, he hits something and thinks it's a rock or a stump, yet he sees it glitter like metal. He quickly throws his plow aside, scratches around, and finds it's a treasure box. What does he do? Well, he might say, you know, this is a wonderful discovery I've got. I think I'll go to school and write a PhD dissertation on treasure hunting. But that isn't what he does. In his great excitement, this guy has the ability to decide on a clear-cut, decisive course of action. He says, I'm going to sell all I got and buy that field. I first read Jurden's words in January of 2013, and I've seen them lived for real back in 2011. If you're willing, I'd like to take you back to that time with me just briefly. It's late October at the Occupy Encampment in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm sure you've heard about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Maybe you were even an occupier yourself once and spent some time camping in the shadows of big city skyscrapers. What happened to me that day could easily have happened to any of you in any Occupy Encampment in the United States or even the world.  Off to your right, the food tent is serving people bowls of vegan chili made by the local Food Not Bombs group.  All around you and your fellow protesters are boxes and tote bags and backpacks filled with spare clothing and shoes for the camp's homeless, flyers for the upcoming march, sign-making materials and first aid supplies. The camp is messy, yes, but it's alive. Yes, you've been living rough since you and the other protesters first pitched your tents and took up the call to occupy everywhere. But gradually the camp has come to be a sort of home for you and these other protesters, even the ones you disagree with, are your family. Life in the camp has come to be almost normal, quiet, comfortable, unchallenging. Then a lone voice starts chanting from across the camp, we are unstoppable, another world is possible. It's a familiar chant in an unfamiliar voice. You and your friends stand up to see who's making all the noise.  He has a wild look to him, eyes, bloodshot, his hair sticking up every which way. You can tell that he has come from a long way away to be there with you. He walks right up to you and your friends and starts telling you a story you can barely believe. He tells you he sold his house, just up and sold it and donated most of his wealth to the movement. He tells you he's going to live in camp with you now, going to help bring that possible world he was talking about to life. Now, you may have been roughing it in camp for months and facing police batons every couple of days, but this man, you decide, has clearly lost his marbles. You may not be doing as well in life as you would like, but there's a good chance you have a home or a car, a job or a bank account, a cell phone or a laptop, or any other kind of security. You need these things to get by in life and you're not about to give them up for the movement or anything else.  This man gave up everything over the mere possibility of a better world. And that's just nuts, you think. But what if another world is possible? When you truly know that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, maybe you'll do anything, risk anything to take it in hand. Take the Kingdom of Heaven in hand. I always get a little bit nervous when talking to Unitarian Universalists about the Kingdom of Heaven. We have, I think, many legitimate concerns with that term. The Kingdom part can make us think of something very hierarchical, very authoritarian, very patriarchal. There is not much room in that kind of Kingdom for democracy, self-determination and egalitarianism. That's why I sometimes like it better when people talk about the Kingdom instead of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven is a loving family of equals. But then there's the Heaven part of the Kingdom of Heaven. The word Heaven can make us think of something very exclusive, something far too perfect to ever be obtainable, something very otherworldly. That's why I like Clarence Jordan's take on Matthew 1344 so much. The Kingdom of God is like a man plowing in a field. He discovers a treasure, a box. Heaven is not distant treasure buried far away on some pirate's island. Heaven is not mystical treasure locked up in some dragon's cave. Heaven is not otherworldly treasure tucked away in some afterlife. Instead, Heaven is people like the plowman, is work like farming, is discovery like digging, is life like life in this world. Heaven is precious treasure, but treasure buried in the fresh turned soil of a familiar field. Heaven is right here with us in this good earth within reach. Yet if Heaven is so close that we can touch it, why don't we live in it? Why have Heaven is close enough for us to take it in hand? Have we not just plucked it up like a flower without any effort at all? Clarence Jordan had some wisdom to share on that matter as well.  He said, we want to hold on to our little trinkets. We want to hold on to our status. Oh yeah, we can't give up our status. We can't be fools for Christ. We can't give up our house. But the person in Jesus' parable, the plowman in Jordan's paraphrasing of that parable, and the occupier I met back in Phoenix all gave up that house. They had a vision of a world that offered a better life than they were living, and they gave up the things they believed prevented them from entering into that life. They saw perhaps the bonds of beloved community. They saw perhaps the ultimate reality of our oneness, our interdependence with one another in our planet. They saw perhaps one world community that we can choose on this planet in this life. They knew what stood between them and that life. They knew what they needed to give up in their own lives in order to help bring that better world into being. And then they made great personal sacrifices to enter into that life. Only I wonder how personal those sacrifices really were. I wonder how individualistic and enormous our own sacrifices really need to be to make a better future for everyone. Do we really need to become renunciates? Literally giving up our homes and taking to the streets? Or is there an alternative to great personal sacrifice? I think we here in this congregation have also seen a glimpse of heaven. And I do not think that we see that vision alone as isolated individuals. We are a community that births, cradles, and nurtures a shared vision. We are a community that tries to realize that vision in the wider world. Every time we show up for justice-making, whether at Pride, at Moses events, or any other social justice activity, we strive together to live the truth that we have seen. That we are all one community, people, and planet on a common journey. Justice Clarence Jordan's interracial coinonia farm was a demonstration plot for the kingdom of heaven. So too is this congregation, every time we strive to live our values in community. And that is more powerful and effective than trying to do it all alone, for every community is more than the sum of its individual parts. But, but, but, but, but, we have as a community, have we really taken fully the kingdom of heaven in hand? Have we fully beheld the treasure? Have we even dug up the field yet?  We've got to move some dirt and some rocks out of the way together and as individual people. And let me tell you, there are a lot of rocks and a lot of hard-packed soil between us and that treasure. Rocks and dirt that get in the way when we try to get a peek at the promised land. Some rocks look like fear, the thousand fears that keep us complacent and in our place, so that we never glimpse uncomfortable truths. Fear of the kind of changes we will have to make in our lives and in our congregation if we really want to live the truth of our oneness with one another and our interdependence with our blue and green planet. Fear of losing our friends, our livelihoods and maybe our very lives if we begin to question our way of life and the systems of oppression, exploitation and unsustainable growth that uphold it. There's the fear of pain, of embarrassment, of the unknown we encounter when we even begin to experiment with alternatives to the status quo. And there's the fear that we won't survive if we put the roofs over our heads and the food on our tables on the line to pursue our highest values. Until we can trust in one another and in life to be kind to us and provide us with the basic things we need to survive, our fear of abandoning safety and security will prevent us from ever fully seeing heaven. Digging deeper, there are the heavy stones we use to erect walls between ourselves and each other, not walls of stacked limestone like the stone haulers used to build our meeting house as a welcoming haven for all people. But walls we human beings build to keep one another out of the kingdom of heaven because we have different educational levels, different skin colors, different politics or music preferences, different theologies because we do not all fit neatly in a gender binary because we are not rich enough, not able bodied enough, not American enough, not born with the right papers. Walls we build to keep others out of heaven, walls we build that instead keep us out of heaven because heaven is a beloved community, not a gated community. Until we break through the soil, break through the fear, shatter the walls between us, we will never see more than tiny glimmers of the life-giving world that awaits us within reach but just out of sight. There's a whole lot to muck through as we dig down deep to find the kingdom, but as we dig we start to see little glimpses of heaven, glimmers and sparkles of some precious gem. Perhaps we see a hint of shining emerald in the mud now and then during times of healing or forgiveness, peace or justice. In those moments, even if only briefly, beloved community manifests among us, we've probably all seen and felt those moments, but it never seems to last, does it? Soon the stones of hurting, anger and injustice tumble down once again, burying us, bruising us, burying heaven anew. We get swept away by the chaos of our daily lives, by the havoc of attending to the complex tasks of simple survival. Yet as we take up our shovels and dig through the dirt to uncover heaven, we come to realize that our very way of life and our determination to cling to that way of life are actually what are coming between us and the treasure that is heaven on earth. To a limited degree, we all get this. That's why we recycle and compost, even when it's not always convenient. That's why we educate ourselves about justice and sustainability, even when we're busy with other things, other concerns. That's why we rewrite old hymns and address the divine by a variety of names. We know that even the language we use as we move through life matters. Like many religious communities, we're pursuing, even building heaven on earth. We really are. But like many religious communities, and certainly like our wider community, we're not completely there yet. We've done a lot, both within and without our walls, and our congregation in the world are better for it. But despite all that we have accomplished, there is still suffering in our bruised and brutal world. There's more that's required of us, all of us, not just those here in this room, but all over the world to manifest heaven on earth. First, we've got to dig up the field. We've got to take inventory of our lives and culture, not only the parts that are life-denying, but also the parts that are life-giving. Second, we've got to behold the treasure. We've got to open our hearts and minds to a vision of a better world and then let that vision drive the way we live our lives. And finally, we've got to sell everything we own and buy the field. We've got to make concrete changes in our lives. We've got to reinvest our personal and material resources in this good earth and our human family. Now, many of us are probably thinking, but Sasha, I like my life. Sure, my life's not perfect, but it's mine, and it's working for me. I don't want to give up my job, my home, my relationships, my wealth, my safety for a vision of beloved community. And yikes, you know what? I don't want to either. I don't want to either, especially not all alone. And we don't have to. It's a lot to ask, and we don't have to. We can continue to live the lives we always have, and we'll still find joy and meaning in our personal lives and can still help make the world a better place in small and large ways. But if we do find ourselves being seized, truly seized in body, mind, and heart by a vision of heaven on earth, then I think we are capable of more, far more than we ever imagined possible. In many ways, I think Jesus had more faith in his fellow human beings than we have ever had in his vision and teachings. He believed that he and other human beings coming together in community could really manifest heaven on earth right here on this planet. He told us, frankly, what joining in that work would mean, believing we would be willing and able to do what we must. Jesus didn't sugarcoat anything. He said that joining him in the work of making heaven on earth meant doing hard things like losing our lives in order to find new life. He said that joining him in that work meant selling all we own and reinvesting in our highest aspirations. Sure, we don't have to live in the kingdom if we don't want to, but if we do want the whole world to live as one beloved community where we are not alienated from one another, the earth, or the divine resources that sustain and transform life, then we can't go on living our lives the way we've always lived them and inherit the kingdom too. In places like Ferguson, people are beaten, tasered, or shot to death so that others can enjoy the safety that comes with police departments. People whose ancestors were slaughtered so that some of our ancestors could steal their lands are still being oppressed and disrespected today as sports teams and Halloween costumes are named after them and their water is stolen and their lands destroyed. Coastal cities are seeing unprecedented rates of flooding and species are going extinct at accelerating rates because our addiction to fossil fuels is heating our planet. The earth is plundered of its rare minerals and people overseas are horribly exploited and abused by their employers so that we can have cell phones and cars. And I do not speak today as someone who is somehow uninvolved in all of this. I may have volunteered as a legal observer and marched against police brutality but I have also called the police on people. I may speak out for the rights of indigenous people but I have lived most of my life in a city that survived primarily by depriving indigenous people of their water and polluting their land. I may not drive a Hummer but I also don't drive a Prius or take public transportation. I drive a fuel guzzling car. I may have cell phone coverage through Crato Wireless a company that supports many of my values but I still have a cell phone. Like many of us here though I make small changes in my life to try to minimize the harm I've helped cause my lifestyle is still subsidized by oppression and I know I'm not alone because we are all caught in this web together. This is not the kingdom. This is not the kingdom. We cannot live our lives the way we always have and live in the kingdom too. We have to give up lives that depend upon oppression, exploitation and environmental devastation in order to take the kingdom in hand. That's hard but it's worth it. We've seen glimmers of the kingdom of heaven gratitude, community, reciprocity, hospitality, care of the earth. We've seen them. We've seen them even through the dirt and rocks that stand between us and the fullness of the kingdom. Those glimmers of beloved community that is the kingdom of heaven are our seeds hidden all around us, between us, in the earth, in our minds and hearts. Now imagine what can spring forth from those shining seeds. When we clear the rocks of fear and alienation out of the way heaven will spread forth from those seeds like wildfire or like weeds. After all, Jesus did give us another metaphor to describe heaven. If we imagine the kingdom as a mustard seed, as a weedy plant instead of treasure then we'll see the raw potential for a better world is already among us. But it needs to be cultivated, which as Michael reminded us last week is what going to church is all about, self-culture in community. We don't have to do it alone and we shouldn't have to do it alone. We've got to come together to water that seed, put a little sunshine on it and let it grow. Then it'll expand to fill the world. Love will rush into every corner and justice will roll down like waters. Racism and classism and heterosexism and every hatred and fear will fall away. We'll care for the earth for its own sake because we recognize its worth and beauty. We'll know what a sunset in a pollution-free world looks like and warfare will be unimaginable. Everyone will know what it feels like to be cared for and safe. We'll be whole because we'll be together. We'll be together with one another, the earth and the divine. That world of ever-expanding love and justice can be our home. The shining seeds of radical love and justice are already scattered all around us, blessing us every day. When we're not too busy juggling our other lives, we notice those little treasures. When we're not too busy clinging to our other lives, we can use our hands to care for those seeds. When we're not too busy with our other lives, when we let go of everything that stands between us and heaven, those seeds will take root. Our real lives will begin. Those seeds will explode into a garden, a garden big enough to shelter and feed everyone. But if we are to enter into that garden, we have to enter into it together. We have to give up lives that tell us that we are separate. We have to take up lives that affirm that we are one community with fates that are intertwined, sharing the burdens that no one need give up everything in order to have new life. And that means we have some work to do, some digging, soul work, community work, justice work. The work will not be easy, but when the walls we have built come tumbling down, making room for the kingdom to come pouring in, the reward will be worth it. Jesus died thousands of years ago, his mission unfulfilled. But his invitation to create heaven on earth lives on. That invitation to let go of our old lives and accept new life in a new world remains open. Let us accept that invitation with commitment, courage, and joy. Let us occupy heaven together. And now I invite you to share in this morning's offering. Today's collection goes to support Move and Out, Inc., which develops community integrated housing and owns and manages scattered site homes for people with disabilities. Please give generously. Thank you for your generosity. We come together not as strangers, but as a congregation of friends and family to share our joys and concerns with those who love and care for us. Some of us are hurting, pained by sorrows and burdens of our own or the trials faced by loved ones. Some of us are filled with joy for the blessings that come into our lives through our own hard work or random, delightful chance. These concerns and these joys should not be borne alone. Today we have one joy to share. Henry Hart and Jan Thompson and all of us congratulate Bill Cronin on receipt of the Robert Marshall Award for his good work of preservation of the American wilderness. I don't know if he's still here, but let's give him a round of applause for that. Thank you, Bill, for your service and your hard work. We will now have a moment of silence for prayer, meditation, rest, or reflection as we lift up the joys and concerns of our community, spoken and unspoken. May all these joys and concerns be enfolded in the warmth of this community and may that warmth extend in sympathy and compassion to all who are hurting in our wider world. Blessed be. Before we move into our closing hymn, I'd like to make a brief announcement. That moment you have all been waiting for has arrived. Your ministers have finally chosen our Select to Connect event. We will be hosting a family campfire storytelling and sing-along, hopefully outside if it's still nice enough, but inside if the weather is too cold. Either way, there will be a fire, campfire cooked food, some of our favorite stories, and Michael will lead a sing-along on his guitar. Remember that sign-up weekend for all Select to Connect events is next weekend, so be sure to bring your calendars along then. If you'd like to host an event, you still have time until noon tomorrow to get your event into Sally and Becky. And now for our closing hymn, please rise and turn to number 226 in your hymn. Freedom.  If you have found comfort, go and share it with others. If you have dreamed dreams, help one another that they may come true. If you have no one love, give some back to a bruised and hurting world. Go in peace and please be seated for the choral postlude.