Meet Rev. Lauren

Hi! I’m Reverend Lauren Spivey Levwood, an ordained Unitarian Universalist Minister and member of the Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association in full fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Whether you are a spiritual seeker or a lifelong UU, I am here to serve as a partner on your journey.

Officiant Services

I have a particular love for rites of passage, and am available to officiate: weddings, commitment ceremonies, naming ceremonies, baby blessings, mother/parent blessings, blessingways, memorial services, interments, and celebrations of life. I also offer one-on-one and group pastoral counseling for life transitions and spiritual exploration.

Spiritual Practices

As a religious naturalist, I am drawn to embodied and earth-based spiritual practices. I appreciate experiences of awe and wonder arising from music, art, dance, poetry, and the natural world.

As an eco-humanist, I view humanity as part of the interconnected web of all life. In order to heal and evolve as a species, we must awaken to the reality that we are planetary beings. Mending this web is our shared moral duty, and will in turn promote the resilience of our human species. Climate Justice recognizes the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized communities and is integral to this charge.

As a practitioner of organic multi religiosity, I am steeped in the mystical branches of many wisdom traditions: Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Sufism, Taoism, Paganism, and Earth-based traditions.

I am a Virginia-native, raised Southern Baptist in a country church that my family belonged to for generations. From this, I bring a comfort with Christianity that serves my ministry in the rural south.

Professional Life

I currently serve as the part-time minister of the Unitarian Universalists of the Blue Ridge, a small congregation nestled in the mountains of Sperryville, Virginia, near the Shenandoah National Park.

In addition, I am proud to be the Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, a grassroots and faith-based nonprofit organization working to foster “a world in which reverence, gratitude, and care for each other and for the living Earth are central to the lives of all people."

I also have experience as a hospital chaplain, serving during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital in Tallahassee, FL, at a 772-bed acute care and Level II trauma center, and later at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, VA, a 471-bed regional and Level II trauma center.

For over a decade, I worked in the fields of natural health and childbirth as a massage therapist, infant massage educator, birth and postpartum doula, and Birthing From Within mentor. From this, I bring a healer’s heart, respect for science, knowledge of anatomy and physiology, training in archetypical psychology, skills in process art, a trauma-informed lens, and a cultivated ability to listen deeply.

I am also a former professional modern dancer with expertise in dance education, improvisation, choreography, and somatics. This background contributes to skills in: stagecraft, performance, group facilitation, embodied spiritual practices, and cultivating direct experiences of awe and wonder.

As a young adult drawn to environmentalism, immediately after undergrad I worked as a teacher and administrative assistant at the Living Education Center for Ecology and the Arts (LEC), an alternative middle-high school in Charlottesville, VA. This formative experience at LEC inspires my current passion for grassroots organizing and my determination for the tough but valuable work of building beloved community.

Education

I hold a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for the Ministry, a Unitarian Universalist seminary located in Berkeley, CA (2020). As part of my studies, I attended Wake Forest University School of Divinity as a merit scholar (2017-2018). I also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Philosophy with a concentration in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in Modern Dance from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA (2002).

Personal

A unique part of journey includes living in two eco-spiritual communities: The Salt House and Roots & Branches. Both were contemplative and environmentally focused communities located in Oakland, CA.

Perhaps one of my greatest spiritual endeavors is parenthood. I am fortunate to be the single mother of a teenage daughter, Haya. We live in Stafford, VA, with our black cat, Comet.

Let’s Connect

As a seeker on the path, I am always open to making new connections and value opportunities to serve. If you feel drawn to do so, please reach out to connect. It would be an honor to serve you on the journey.