Please join us on Saturday (6 November 2021) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group is free and open to all. For more information, contact Larry … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (6 November 2021)"

Please join us on Saturday (6 November 2021) from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM for our monthly building and grounds work day. Join us as we get our church home — inside and out — ready for reopening.

Part Four of a history I’m writing, telling the story of Unitarians in Palo Alto from the founding of the town in 1891 up to the dissolution of the old Unitarian Church of Palo Alto in 1934. If you want the footnotes, you’ll have to wait until the print version of this history comes out … Continue reading "Unitarians in Palo Alto, 1915-1920"

I invite you to join us on Saturday November 6 for a Open House at the glass and iron studio of Suzanne Reed. I'll be selling books and boxes. The address is 1242 CR 102 and the time from 1 to 4 PM. Make, fix and create...

Lyonel Perabo's daily walk to his child's kindergarten takes him through his hometown's cemetery, a place to reflect on history and what has been passed down to us. Continue reading Column: Wisdom from the Graves at The Wild Hunt.

Sometimes when I’m talking to someone who has just been through a major life disaster, they will say, “Well, ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ right?” They find it comforting to think that life will turn out all right in the end. When I’m doing pastoral counseling, my job is mostly to listen, and … Continue reading "What doesn’t kill you…."

Someone said that the New Moon in Scorpio has an energy for revealing secrets. During yesterday’s New Moon, a secret emerged in my search for my ancestor Marie Madeleine. I found a marriage record for Anastasie Matshiskueuit, with parents listed as Jean Pierre Utshinitsiu and the deceased Veronique Kaskaneshtshish. These last two were listed as […]

Yesterday I had an interview with Ozark Public Broadcasting for their program OzarksWatch. It was great to be able to share our wonderful Eureka Springs School of the Arts as the location for the broadcast which will air in February or March. Shown in the photo are host Dr. Jim Baker, and producers Jason Ferber and Brent Slane. Either Jason or Brent will return in December to take video of my box making class in action. I hope this increases awareness of our great school. ESSA-art.org Make, fix and create...

A Rutgers student later painted this imagined view of the first official college football game. According to historians of American sports the first official college football season got underway on November 6, 1869 when teams from Rutgers College, now Rutgers University, and the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, got together on the Rutgers campus for a rough and tumble game of football which was sanctionedand approved by both colleges.   It was a short season.   The next game was played by the same teams at Princeton one week later.   Season over.   Just two teams and two games. The Queensmen of Rutgers won the first game by a score of 6-4 but the New Jersey Tigers came back in the re-matchto win 8-0.   The anal reten...

    The Gateless Barrier (sometimes Gateless Gate) (無門關 Wúménguān; Japanese: 無門関 Mumonkan) was first published on this day, the 5th of November, in 1228. And with that seven hundred and ninety-three years of admonition, invitation, and general all around Zen hilarity ensues… The Gateless Barrier is an anthology of forty-eight koans, those brief and […]

When centering myself I work to connect to the natural world around me using different senses as anchor points. What is a place in the natural world that makes you feel connected?

Sunday, November 7, 10:30 a.m. In My Day: Reflections on the Way Things Used to Be Returning to our Sanctuary for a multigenerational service with Rev. Alice Anacheka-Nasemann   What was life like before computers, cell phones, FaceBook, or Instagram? What changed in your life with the sexual revolution, the civil rights movement, the events of   [ … ] The post *IN PERSON* Sunday, November 7 ~ In My Day: Reflections on the Way Things Used to Be ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

This Sunday (7 November 2021) at 11:00 AM, All Souls will have our first in-person worship in the sanctuary since  March 2020. We are asking for your cooperation. Masks are required of all attendees (age 4 and up) when we are indoors.  Children younger than age 4 are encouraged to wear masks if they are … Continue reading "Worship in Person Resumes This Sunday (7 November 2021)"

This year's Parliament of the World's Religions with Phyllis Curott as the program chair was particularly historic for modern Witches and Pagans. Continue reading Historic Parliament of World’s Religions at The Wild Hunt.

  There are many Festivals of Light celebrated by religions and cultures around the world including Christmas, Chanukah, and Winter Solstice observances familiar in the West.   But none are more colorful or enjoyed with such gleeful abandon a Diwali, the Hindu festival of the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.   In most of the Northern Hemisphere the five day holiday began this year on November 4, although some Indian states and Hindu diaspora communities start on November 5.   In the Southern Hemisphere it is observed in the Spring. During the celebration, temples, homes, shops, and work places are brightly illuminated.   In most of India the climax of the festival occurs on the third day ...

Playing this game with myself again. I drew 100 rectangles on a page of my notebook, dated them, and because I hate to leave a blank spot, will now feel a little self-imposed pressure to do art every single day for the next 100 days. This is known as channeling my compulsive tendencies for a […]

We know what's wrong with education in America, but what are we willing to fix? The answer, of course, is "Not much." “The division into subjects and periods encourages a segmented rather than an integrated view of knowledge. Consequently, what students are asked to relate to in schooling becomes increasingly artificial, cut off from the human experiences subject matter is supposed to reflect.” (John Goodlad, A Place Called School, McGraw-Hill, 1984, p.266) It should  be noted that kids are not as dumb as typical schooling assumes they might be. They are not empty vessels ready to fill with whatever beliefs and facts we can pour into them. Instead, because they are smart, they realize the differences between what we try to cram in a...

  A popular image of Guy Fawkes assembling barrels of gun power for his plot against Parliament and King James I.   Tonight is Bonfire Night across the Puddle,traditionally a rowdy celebration of the day Guy Fawkes got caught trying to blow upParliament on November 5, 1605.  Originally celebrated on the first anniversary as an official Thanksgiving Day for delivering the King and Parliament from the Catholic plotters, it became an annual official holiday until that statuswas finally dropped in 1859 because of the virulent anti-Catholic toneof the celebration.  Traditionally effigies of Fawkes were burned on bonfires.  Later fireworks also became popular along with considerable public revelry and occasional outbreaks of vandalismai...

Some are called by the Gods. Some are claimed. Some are deluding themselves. The existence of the third group in no way refutes the reality of the first two. It simply reminds us of the necessity for discernment, deeper thinking, and more nuanced discourse.

    In 1904 George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon and an enthusiastic Egyptologist employed the archeologist Howard Carter to supervise a major excavation in Thebes. They proved an able team. In 1914 the earl received the concession to excavate the Valley of the Kings. The war disrupted their work. But not even counting this disruption […]

When I feel off kilter, I use breathing to center myself. I take intentional breaths, slow breaths, deep breaths to regroup and recenter. Take a few, slow, intentional breaths–as deep as your body will allow you to breathe comfortably. Notice how your body responds to those breaths. Make time for breathing today.

Our words can be used to heal and to harm. We might intend one outcome and yet the impact is something else. For election season and as we may start gathering with family over the holidays, we may feel a large chasm between what we ... read more . The post November Theme – Building Bridges appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Dear UUSS~ It is a beautiful and chilly November day…. and the large maple tree that we can see from our office has turned from green to bright yellow in the past week. We hope that there is beauty in your day, as well. Big thanks ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Nov. 2nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Upcoming RE Classes: Remember to turn your clocks back Saturday night! K-6 Experiences with the Web of Life: These nature lovers will meet again this Sunday morning, 11/7, from 9:30-10:15. Read All About It! Check out Thank You, Earth, by April Pulley Sayre. Winner of the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature. This ... read more . The post RE This Week – Nov. 2nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Speaker: BJ Rosenfeld, award-winning author and internationally recognized family relationship coach Even the best communicators can benefit from improving their communications skills. Before BJ Rosenfeld discovered the secret to staying connected, she almost lost all connection with her adult son. Through trial and error, she found the strategies ... read more . The post EBWA Program – November 18th, “Communication for Unshakeable Relationships” appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The Hudson Mohawk Cluster of UU Congregations will host its second annual online, multigenerational, multi-congregational Trivia Night at Friday, January 7th, from 7-8:30pm. Back by popular demand will be the music round of “name that UU hymn,” and a photo round. New this year, a trivia preparation ... read more . The post Save the Date! – January 7th Multigenerational Trivia Night appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

By Christian Coleman | You know who ranks supreme on our list of national treasures? Poet, educator, and activist Sonia Sanchez! Know this if you haven’t known it already. Ms. Sanchez has just won another lifetime achievement award, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize. Two years ago, she won the Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Award. The Gish Prize is given each year to “a highly accomplished artist from any discipline who has pushed the boundaries of an art form, contributed to social change, and paved the way for the next generation.” This has Ms. Sanchez written all over it.

Two Witches have embarked on a new journey in publishing to provide a platform that seeks to improve access for minority and under-served writing communities. Continue reading New Witch-owned publishing company focuses on underrepresented voices at The Wild Hunt.

Your questions answered about the 26th annual UN Conference of the Parties

I am a college student, but more urgently, I am a young Unitarian Universalist working to save my future.

Elaine McArdle People v. Fossil Fuels Demands Biden Stop New Projects

The colorful fishing port of Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland has lots of pubs to lure lovers of Irish music . My wife Kathy, the luckiest human on Earth, won a trip to Irelandat a drawing last week during Irish Books, Arts & Music (IBAM) festival at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago! Previously she has won $30,000 on a lottery scratch off a few years ago, a big flat screen TV, a quality original oil painting, innumerable rafflesand 50-50 drawings.  And she stays ahead playing scratch offs spending no more than 20 or 30 a week.  I win jack shit.  Our sea-side "cottage" is much larger and more modern that the Murfin Estate stateside. This time the prize was a week at a “cottage” on the sea just outside of Dingle—a beauti...

A friend sent me an interesting link to Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guidonian_hand on the Guidonian Hand. Used in Medieval music, the Guidonian hand was a mnemonic device used to assist singers in learning to sight-sing. From Wikipedia: "Some form of the device may have been used by Guido of Arezzo, a medieval music theorist who wrote a number of treatises, including one instructing singers in sightreading. The hand occurs in some manuscripts before Guido's time as a tool to find the semitone; it does not have the depicted form until the 12th century." Most of us have heard of the idea of tying a string around a finger to help us to remember something we might forget. The Guidonian Hand suggests the potential for our hands ...

Shaya French If this year is a "lost" year, then I am bound to live a lost life. Continue reading "Not Lost, Just Different"

    Today, the 3rd of November, the Anglican communion honors Richard Hooker, priest and theologian in its calendar of feasts. He was a central figure in the establishment of Anglicanism as a via media, a middle way between Catholicism and Protestantism. Hooker was also a beautiful writer. He articulated a “threefold cord not quickly […]

Note — Just five years ago yesterday as the U.S. was about to slide into disaster, the thrilling victory of the Chicago Cubs in the World Series ending a 108 year drought lifted my heart and generations of the most faithful fans in baseball.  Since then, were have endured tough times and this past season a promising team stacked by beloved players, most of them veterans of the 2016 triumph sputtered out mid-season and were dealt away in a fire sale.  Heart breaking.  But there were glimmers of hope among the replacements and Cubs fans are every ready to hope for next year.  This is the blog entry I posted the morning of the day after the game. The morning after everything changed.  Barrels of ink have already been spilled.  More ...

Having my experience centered feels like my community is actively acknowledging my potential. What is your experience of being centered by others? What is your experience of being marginalized? How can you center others today?

A Texas statehouse representative seeks the removal of over 800 books from public school libraries in his state. Continue reading Texas lawmaker investigates 850 books he says makes students uncomfortable at The Wild Hunt.

Today is Election Day - another chance for us to live into our deep beliefs about the power of the democratic process to create a world in which all people are free and thriving.    Voting is a collective act of discernment and imagination. When we cast our ballots for candidates that reflect our values and laws and ordinances that move us closer to the world we want to live in, we are taking sacred action together. So please--if you have the ability to vote, make sure you get to the polls today. (And if you don’t know how to find your polling place, click here .)    As both early voting and today’s ballots are counted in municipal and state elections around the country, our communities will be directly shaping the future of our ...

King's Chapel and James Freeman, part 2 The Anglican/Episcopalian congregation, King’s Chapel, in Boston, faced a clergy shortage after American independence, so, in 1782, they called congregationalist James Freeman, then 23 years old and fresh out of Harvard. Under Freeman’s influence the congregation revised their Book of Common Prayer to delete references to the Trinity. When the congregation sought to have Freeman ordained, however, the Anglican bishops refused. King’s Chapel chose to take a page from the polity of their neighboring congregationalist churches, and, in 1787, ordained James Freeman themselves – a power which, under congregational polity, is in the hands of congregations, not of bishops or church hierarchy. King...

King's Chapel and James Freeman, part 1 Remember Thomas Emlyn? Emlyn was featured in episodes 42 and 43. He was the first British preacher to definitely describe himself with the word Unitarian. Years after his death, reprints of Emlyn’s book, “An Humble Inquiry into the Scripture Account of Jesus Christ” made their way to America’s shores where they aided and abetted the growing liberalism. In 1757, a group of New Hampshire churches, influenced by Emlyn’s arguments, revised their catechism to delete all references to the trinity. Then an Episcopal Congregation – the oldest Episcopal Congregation in New England – went Unitarian. King’s Chapel in Boston had been established in 1686 as an Anglican Church. In 1782, facing a ...

Charles Chauncy, Universalist, and Jonathan Mayhew, Unitarian Charles Chauncy rejected such Calvinist doctrines as total depravity and predestination. Chauncy was also a universalist. Chauncy completed his major theological work, The Mystery Hid from Ages and Generations , in 1765, but for 20 years could not bring himself to publish it. Finally, late in life, anonymously, he published his book: 400 pages of biblical support for universal salvation, that God wills and ensures the salvation of all humanity. Charles Chauncy is understood by most scholars to have had an Arian Christology. Quick review of Christology. In the first three centuries after Jesus’ death, Christian churches understood Jesus in a variety of ways. In particular, th...

Charles Chauncy Charles Chauncy served the prominent First Church of Boston for 60 years: 35 as assistant minister and another 25 as senior minister. His support of the American Revolution in sermons and pamphlets led him to be called "theologian of the American Revolution". Born into the elite Puritan merchant class that ruled Boston, Chauncy came to oppose the Great Awakening and spoke out against religious enthusiasm stirred up by revival preachers. 1. Despite his Puritan heritage, Chauncy rejected Calvin’s doctrine of total depravity, and argued that human beings have God-given "natural powers" that were meant to be nurtured toward "an actual likeness to God in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness". 2. Chauncy and other more...

The last time I did a major update of my main website was around 2009. It was looking pretty old and creaky. So I did a complete redesign, and it’s now responsive and html5 compliant. On the content side, I added some significant new content, including an essay on change management in congregations. I did … Continue reading "Website update"

Joe Manchin is doing everything he can to undermine effective legislation to address the climate crisis and stop any sort of expansion of the social safety net. Like a lot of people, I have been feeling a lot of anger and despair over his power to dictate the Democratic Party’s legislative agenda at a time […]

The IWW relied on street meetings like this one in New York state to organize workers.  When Spokane, Washington authorities tried to shut them down in 1909 they sparked a legendary Free Speech Fight. I didn’t start out to be probably the greatest landmark battle for free speech and free assembly in Americanhistory.   It grew out of the practical, if militant concerns of a labor union trying to establish itselfin an all important local industry—the lumber trade of the Pacific Northwest. But on November 2, 1909 the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) launched a Free Speech Fight in the streets of Spokane , Washington.   Before the first day was out 103 workers trying to mount a literal wooden soap box on Stevens Street had been h...

I had plans to do something magical, spiritual, religious, and very important to me – and I had to postpone it. This was a hard thing for me to do.

    Mu: A Love Letter Tom Wardle Empty Moon Zen The Gateless Gate, Case One: Zhaozhou’s Dog A student of the way asked Zhaozhou (Joshu), “Has the dog Buddha nature or not?”Zhaozhou said, “Mu.” The Verse  Dog, Buddha nature—The full presentation of the whole;With a bit of “has” or “has not”Body is lost, life […]

Prayer beads serve as a focus for meditation. Much more than a mnemonic aid to prayer, prayer beads engage the senses to create a state of mindfulness. Find something to hold onto today, the touch of which helps remind you to return to your center.

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, announcements of rituals and events, as well as crossings of the Veil. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of November 1, 2021 at The Wild Hunt.

Susanna and I spent a lovely morning and early afternoon in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and, for your enjoyment, I include here a few photographs.  Just click on a photo to enlarge it All were taken with a Fuji X100V and are straight out of camera jpegs