Not a native. The names say it all: Atlas cedar, from the Atlas mountain range in Algeria and Morocco, and Cedrus atlanticus for the same reason. But it has been planted along the Pacific coast of the US. It is said that we have a Mediterranean climate, so maybe the Atlas cedars planted as ornamentals […]

Dayton gathering will call for Biden Administration to shut down detention centers, end deportations, and release all people in immigration detention.

Martha Kirby Capo shared her thoughts and experiences from her recent visit to New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Continue reading Capo in New Orleans: Thoughts on Mardi Gras at The Wild Hunt.

By Keisha N. Blain | In 1957, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech on the power of voting. King argued that access to the ballot would allow Black Americans to remake society without having to wait for federal support. He argued that voting was a solution for the many challenges Black Americans faced. King’s speech also addressed the 1954 Brown Decision. In the aftermath of Brown, local school districts and politicians continued to resist the attempts to desegregate schools nationwide.

Note— Back in 2012 by calendar happenstance George Washington’s Birthday and Ash Wednesday coincided.   As regular denizens of this refuge for flying electrons knows that sort of thing often inexplicably moves me to commit poetry.   This year his birthday has passed, but today is Ash Wednesday—close enough for hand grenades, horseshoes, and Patrick poetry I say. Since the entirely spurious story of the Vision at Valley Forge was reportedly made in 1859 reminiscences by 99-year-old Anthony Sherman, who was supposedly present with Continental Army at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777 and overheard Washington tell an officer that an angel had revealed a prophetic vision of America to him.   There is no other confirmation of th...

Quinn Gormley Happy kids are safer kids, because happy kids have adults they can ask for help. Continue reading "Asking for Help"

Today, throughout the world, Christians celebrate Ash Wednesday. With the blessing of ashes upon their foreheads, they are reminded of human mortality and the need for reconciliation and repentance. And yet, the notion that we all come from dust and will one day return to it is also a profound statement of interdependence: our origins … Continue reading Dust to Dust

The search for a good photo of subalpine larch needles led me to this article by Michael Kauffmann, an ecologist whose CV reveals a body of research on conifers of the western North American continent. These particular needles are so short that I thought I was looking at newly emerged leaves–baby needles–but Kauffmann says something […]

The President’s speech had its uplifting moments—but we need bold follow-through to advance human rights.

This month we explore polarities, two things that are both needed, and that exist in tension with one another, such as activity and rest, or an inhale and an exhale. We can’t really choose just one. A paradox is a statement that seems absurd at ... read more . The post March Theme – Paradoxes and Polarities appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

This month, as we explore March’s theme of polarities and paradoxes, we recognize that congregations need both tradition and innovation. We need the comfort and familiarity that comes with rituals of tradition and we need to be able to respond to an ever-changing world with creativity and ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – March 1st appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Upcoming RE Classes: K-6 Experiences with the Web of Life: These nature lovers will meet again Sunday morning, 3/6, from 9:30-10:15. A couple of activities for the children to do before our 3/6 class were emailed last week and will also be included in this week’s parent email. ... read more . The post RE This Week – March 1st appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

BIPOC Book Discussion – Monday, March 28, at 6:30pm Read on with us in the next book — The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw — and join the book discussion led by Tom Comparin on Monday, March 28, at 6:30 pm. A book of short ... read more . The post March book discussion: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Sponsored by Schenectady Clergy Against Hate, the Trinity Presbyterian Church in Scotia, & Congregation Agudat Achim in Niskayuna. Thursday, April 7th, 5:15 – 8:30pm on Zoom For more information, to register, the link and to order food, CLICK HERE The post Interfaith Seder – Save the date: April 7th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

A new global magical working designed to end Putin's reign of terror and protect the Ukrainian people is set to take place tomorrow. Continue reading Occult practitioners prepare for global ritual to aid Ukraine at The Wild Hunt.

American society has acculturated us to ideas about how our bodies should look and function. Continue reading "Sermon of the Month March 2022"

CUC Statement on A Call for Peace and Compassion – March 1st, 2022 – As Canadian Unitarian Universalists (UUs), we are deeply concerned about the state of unrest, aggression, and violence in the world. “It is understandable to feel saddened, outraged, or helpless as we read or watch the news,” says Anne Barker, President of […] The post CUC Releases Statement On A Call for Peace and Compassion appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

        One of my favorite not exactly religious holidays is upon us! Today, Tuesday, is the day before my liturgically minded Christian friends observe Ash Wednesday, and launch into their long “fast.” (Scare quotes because, hey, its not really a fast, is it?) Fat Tuesday, I gather, in French is Mardi Gras. […]

Bruce Knotts If Russia abstained—as Article 27 of the UN Charter requires—the resolution would have passed.

Note— In 2020 Mardis Gras went on in New Orleans just as the Coronavirus pandemic was picking up steam.   The predictable outcome was a massive outbreak which also spread the disease to the communities from which reveling tourists returned.   Last year the Big Easy like most Carnival celebrating cities, was a virtual ghost town.   This year it is pretty much back to businessas usual and the pent-up energy might make things wilder than usual. Revelers are crowding the French Quarter again in New Orleans. There are a downsidesto having been raised vaguely Protestant and residing in sometimes inhospitable northern climes.  Perhaps the biggest is regardingwith wistful envy the liberating extravagance of Carnival and Mardi Gras.   It i...

“We covenant to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.” (UUA Seventh Principle) What does interdependence mean to you?

Too many people look for religious and spiritual authenticity in the past. There are reasons why they do that, but in the end, either we will find our authenticity in the present, or we will not find it at all.

Wikipedia summarizes a few points this way: “With its thick bark, nonflammable foliage and protective cones, the species is very fire resistant. In the late 20th century, after wildfires had been suppressed for almost a century, larches at Seeley Lake and Glacier National Park were endangered by major fires enabled by fuel ladder; normally smaller […]

Carol is a local bike activist, and she’s been working with MoveSanMateo to promote bike lanes in North Central, our old neighborhood in San Mateo (which we got priced out of when our landlord sold the building we lived in). So when she heard that bo2focused was organizing a bike ride in North Central, the … Continue reading "Carol encounters Bike life"

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, more groups respond to the Russian attack on Ukraine, Cherry Hill announcements, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of February 28, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Jessi Sadaka Today we grieve for disabled people who have been murdered by the same people who should have loved and supported them: their family members. For me, a broader pain accompanies this grief, about how strong ableism is and how deeply it is engrained throughout our society. Continue reading "A Disability Day of Mourning Reflection: March 1 is Disability Day of Mourning"

Although we would be staying at a renewal center in the middle of the desert, those of us who enrolled at the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction were advised to pack our laptop computers, since we had some assignments to … Continue reading →

My involvement is but one way to spread the All Souls love and community family spirit. It has given me the desire to share this marvelous community to a wider audience searching for a home where you don’t have to leave your sense of reason in the parking lot. The post Centennial Awards: Rick Gardner appeared first on BeyondBelief.

                         Matthew Henson, Polar explorer in his warm Inuit furs in1910. Matthew Henson at age 21 in 1887 was hired by U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Second Lieutenant Robert E. Peary as a personal valet.   But from the beginning the young Black manwas much more than a servant who laid out his master’s clothesin the morning and polished his shoes.   He quickly became an all-around aideand eventually a virtual partner in polar explorations that spanned 23 years.   Henson was born on August 8, 1866 on his parents farm east of the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland.   They had been free people of colorbefore the Civil War. The family were victims of attacksby the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist g...

My new book, "the Wisdom of Our Hands," has received a glowing review on WoodworkingNetwork.com   https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/opinion/book-review-wisdom-our-hands  It is an incredibly thoughtful review written by editor, Will Sampson. Woodworkers in general have a deep appreciation of what the hands provide to learning. Perhaps we can lead the way to a renewal of American education. Thanks, Bob, for alerting me to the publication of the review. Make, fix and create...

Still a needle-leaved conifer, you understand. But it sheds its needles all at once, the way most broadleaved trees do. I love those little starbursts of needles.

“I have learned to trust those who are witnesses rather than gurus, those who express their confusion as well as their knowledge, and those who share their suffering along with their joy.” -David Rankin Practice being a whole, authentic person with someone you trust.

TWH continues its coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We speak with Yuliia Ivanytska, a Ukrainian craftswoman, about the war's impact on her life and business, and with a Witch in nearby Romania about the refugee situation. More statements from Pagan organizations, including Circle Sanctuary, Cherry Hill Seminary, and Pagan Police UK, are also included. Continue reading “Oh, this is a real war”: reports from Ukraine and Romania, Pagan orgs send support at The Wild Hunt.

The consent of the governed is a phrase that I remember from my old political science classes. According to Wikipedia, it's defined as follows:  In political philosophy, the phrase consent of the governed refers to the idea that a government's legitimacy and moral right to use state power is justified and lawful only when consented to by the people or society over which that political power is exercised. This theory of consent is historically contrasted to the divine right of kings and had often been invoked against the legitimacy of colonialism. Article 21 of the United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government". We can compare and contrast ...

We did a 12 miler this week, with a 1824 elevation gain. It was mainly on the Sky trail at Point Reyes. It WAS a workout and my feet and body were tired afterward, but it was so beautiful. What was particularly awe-inspiring is that the area had been almost completely burned two years ago. […]

as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, February 27, 2022 My sermon this morning is inspired by the person who won the right to “Name the Sermon” in last year’s auction. When I asked them what they would like me to preach about their answer was both simple and capacious: self-help. I […]

Perhaps in a perfect world power would be so evenly distributed that it could neither be abused nor corrupt anyone. But we do not live in such a world. Someone has to exercise power – why not you?

On radical compassion, and how it can traverse even the deepest divides.

Ten years ago this morning south Floridians woke to a news story about an unarmed Black youth who was shot and killed by someone claiming to be involved in a neighborhood watch in Sanford, Florida the night before.   The story could easily have endedthere.   Many similar tales from around the country barely made that level of notice. But in the next few days evidencearose that Trayvon Martin might have been stalked and virtually executed by wannabe hero George Zimmerman.   Despite this local police and prosecutors accepted Zimmerman’s claimsto have acted in self-defense.   Although it was never officially invoked, newspaperarticles cited Florida’s recently enacted and controversial Stand Your Ground Law as justification for the s...

I've decided to write down the principles of the work that I do in Cardiff. These are not necessarily in order of importance but simply the order that they have occurred to me. The work, that I feel called by God to do in Cardiff, is a kind of pioneer ministry, community ministry, spirit-led activism. It works by a number of practices and principles that I have developed, borrowed from others,

      The Anglican tradition marks today as a feast for the poet and Anglican priest George Herbert. He was born on the 3rd of April, 1593 to a prominent family in Montgomery, Wales. His mother was a friend of and patron to John Donne, as well as other writers, poets, and artists. He […]

“A smile shared and savored A child’s squeal of delight as she dances in the daisies and daffodils The quiet joy of gathered community This, this is the spirit of life and love that we call forth now… May this spirit infuse our hearts, fill our souls, and carry us forward like a wave on … Continue reading Like a Wave

"In sports, music, and martial arts, the unbinding of the mind as it focuses upon a specific task is paired with a shutting down of other mental faculties. Senses are simply turned off in a subjectively very real way. Linear thinking evaporates as the Odinnic moment expands. "Rather than mindfulness, this is a process of unmindfulness." Continue reading Column: In Defense of Unmindfulness at The Wild Hunt.

  Special U.N. envoy Ralph Bunche receives his Nobel Prize for brokering a peace between Israel and its neighboring Arab states. Note—The invasion of Ukraine by Russia—the first mass cross-border war in Europe in nearly 80 years—make one wonder if the impossible diplomat who brokered peace between intractable enemies Israel and its Arab neighbors and other thorny conflicts could somehow have helped head off this one. On September 22, 1950 the world was surprised when an American diplomat on loan to the United Nations was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.   It was not that his achievement was unworthy—brokering the thorny negotiations that led to an armistice agreement between Israel and the Arab States ending a bloody war that beg...

Please join us on Sunday (27 February 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Resonance ” with Rev. Barbara Jarrell along with friends Barbara Deger, Jennifer Russell, Susan Caldwell, and more. Please join us in the sanctuary at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able to do so. Our service … Continue reading "Online All-Ages Worship (27 February 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (27 February 2022) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. This Sunday’s topic is “Faith and Reason:  Pema Chödrön Talks with Bill Moyers.” Last Sunday (20 February 2022), we watched Part 1 of a Bill Moyers interview with American Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön (author of The … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 27 February 2022"

We will continue to watch the local COVID numbers.  We feel encouraged by the dropping Omicron COVID case rates. We are not resuming regular classes for children and youth at this time because our classrooms are too small to be safe for unvaccinated children. We also want some time to be together and nurture each … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Updates"

Please join us next Tuesday (1 March 2022) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch (please note the new day of the week for Zoom lunch). Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Pagans, Witches, and polytheists begin to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading Pagans respond to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine at The Wild Hunt.

They used to say that politics ends at the water's edge, which meant that when faced with crises that are international in scope, folks would suspend criticism of leadership to present a united stance. That is no longer the case, as some Republicans and talking heads on one of our major networks attempt to use the crisis in Ukraine to sew discord among us and undermine our leadership in the international response. What can I say, but shame, shame, we know your names and will deal with you later. In the meantime, a friend of mine has been selected to make the keynote address to the Hand Society, on the subject, "the Soul of a Craftsman." He asked me to offer a few reflections on the subject. I don’t know that all buy the idea that there...

    Maurine Stuart died on this day, the 26th of February, 1990. One of our founding mother’s of an emerging Western Zen. Very much worth remembering. I wrote of her in my book Zen Master Who: Maurine Stuart, one of the first female Zen masters in America, was also one of the first to […]

John of Patmos watches the descent of New Jerusalem from God in a 14th-century tapestry A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation  (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— Those of you who know me well know I am very interested in ghosts — not because I believe them to be actual, existing entities, but because a critical, historical, sociological study of them can help reveal what powerful ideas, hopes and desires haunt any given culture. As I have often noted over the twenty-two years I’ve been your minister, it seems to me that many of the ghosts which haunt us today are theological ones that we have...

John Adams said “I must study war so my sons may study mathematics, so their children may study poetry and music.” But some people think no one should study poetry and music, and so they attack them with words, with laws, and sometimes with guns and tanks.

It looks like it comes from another world, but it is from this one. These are the first leaves of the Douglas-fir. Strictly speaking, they are cotyledons. A cotyledon (kä-tə-ˈlē-dᵊn) is a leaf produced by the embryo of the plant, the one that emerges from the earth already formed and ready to photosynthesize until the […]

My dog does not contain her excitement, she relishes in the simple pleasures, and her truest joy comes from just being around her people. Let your truest joy out today. Share it with others.

Please join us on Saturday (26 February 2022) 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 (26 February 2022)"

"The last days of winter are unfolding as they should, with snow, ice, and cold temperatures starting to become balanced by days of warmer weather and increasing daylight. Sensing the nearness of spring, part of me wants to put on my fastest sneakers and gleefully run down the path to greet her. But the wheel turns as it turns, and I know I cannot hurry the seasons." Continue reading Column: The Coming Spring at The Wild Hunt.

There is pain and outrage in our hearts because Texas Governor Greg Abbott has escalated the attacks on transgender people living in his state, especially trans youth, by equating medical care with child abuse. Continue reading "Diversity of Sexuality and Gender is a Gift"

By Solomon Jones | The pain of that night was still fresh in Tracy’s mind when I interviewed him in 2015, three years after George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon. Tracy also remembered the good times he’d shared with his son, and he freely shared all he could recall. Tracy, a truck driver who grew up in the impoverished city of East St. Louis before moving to Miami in his early twenties, lit up when he talked about Trayvon.

As centuries of human history have shown, whenever the State prioritizes its own ideology and interests over the agency and self-determination of the people, violence is inevitable.

Sunday, February 27, 10:30 a.m. An Online Service with Rev. Lynda Sutherland, First Parish Northboro   We all yearn for peace. But what does that mean? This week we join our friends at First Parish Northboro to explore our 6th Principle, “The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all”   Virtual Social   [ … ] The post Sunday, February 27 ~ Widening the Circle: A House of Peace ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

A new study from Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) looks into religious affiliations of QAnon devotees. QAnon devotees believe that governments, media outlets, and world finances are in the control of pedophiles who worship Satan. They also believe that there’s some kind of big convulsion coming that will get rid of all the powerful elites, … Continue reading "Wait, what?!"

Classroom teacher and public intellectual Jose Vilson has a post on his blog on “the work we must do” in public education. After pointing out that our guiding principle should be “educating for an informed democracy,” he provides good advice on how to respond to the misguided critics of critical race theory: “We can say … Continue reading "Teaching and critical race theory"

  Hiram Revels is sworn in as a U.S. Senator from Mississippi. On February 25, 1870 Hiram Revels was seated as a United States Senator from Mississippi.  Two things made the event unusual.  First, Revels was Black.  Second, he was elected by the Reconstruction legislature of the state to finish the term that Jefferson Davis had vacated to take up the Presidency of the Confederacy.  Seating him was anything but routine.  Democrats rose to argue that because the Dred Scott Decision held that no Black man could be a citizen, that there were no Black citizens prior to the adoption of the 14th Amendment in 1860.  The Constitution required a Senator be a citizen for six years and they argued that Revels had only been one for two.  The ...

In Riga, Latvia, the Soviets built a highly controversial "Victory Monument" to honor their defeat of Nazi Germany. The Latvians call it the "Moscow Finger," as it juts 76 meters in the air and serves them as a reminder of years of Soviet imposed trauma that followed WWII. The Latvian people hate that thing. There have been efforts over the years to have it demolished, even though about 25% of Latvian citizens are of Russian origin and use the Russian language. Folks generally want to get along with each other. It has been kept standing on a slim margin. I suspect that now they will actually get around to tearing the thing down. The Latvian people must be reeling as they watch the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As are others in Estonia and...

The needles at the very end of a twig resemble a sea anemone.

I was so tired that I fell right into bed, planning to post this in the morning. But morning was busy and I forgot all day. So here is yesterday’s tree, immediately before I draw today’s. Something I find endlessly fascinating about nature is the way things are patterned but never quite completely regular. What […]

We must find places to restore “our deep knowing that we have to take care of ourselves and each other with love and joy if we are to soulfully survive the world’s mayhem.” -Heather Rion Starr What is your place of refuge amidst mayhem? How is your joy restored?

Researchers examining an accidental recording of a dying patient's brain suggests that memories may indeed be activated just before death. Continue reading A new study suggests life really does flash before your eyes right before death at The Wild Hunt.

Chimps certainly communicate a lot, mostly with signs though they can be taught to use a few symbols. They certainly don’t have the human facility for complex symbol use including abstract nouns, and past tense and future tense verbs – not to mention conditional perfect or future subjunctive or modal verbs. But remember what Talleyrand, the 18th century French clergyman and diplomat, told us about language. Talleyrand said:“God gave humans language so they could conceal their thoughts from one another.”In fact, we got so good at hiding our thoughts and intentions from one another that it became useful to have indicators of our feelings that are hard to fake. We might find ourselves smiling, giggling, or crying when we don't want ...

Rose Singleton “Using Art as Advocacy” was a webinar hosted on February 17, 2022 by the UU@UN (Unitarian Universalist Association’s office at the United Nations). This event showed how art can be used to build community and inspire change in chaotic times. Art can result in profound social change when used... Continue reading "Event Recap: Using Art as Advocacy"

      Elena Cassandra Tarabotti was born in Castello, Venice, on this day, the 24th of February in 1604. At eleven Elena entered the Benedictine cloister at Sant’Anna in Venice, taking the religious name Arcangela. This was involuntary, she was placed in the convent by her father because he believed she was unmarriagable. Apparently […]

Behind drummers the NAACP's James Weldon Johnson and W.E.B, Du Bois, center, lead the Silent Parade in New York City in 1917.    On July 28, 1917 the Silent Parade in New York City was an orderly but mute demonstration by as many as 10,000 African-Americans in protest to the continued brutal onslaught of lynching across the Jim Crow South and border states as well as the anti-Black pogrom that killed as many as 200 and displaced thousands in East St Louis, Illinois that May.  It may be obscure today, but it was one of the most significant events in the creation of a modern, Black led civil rights movement and the direct ancestor of the Black Lives Matter movement. I was vaguely aware of the Silent Parade and have mentioned it in passi...

About 3 1/2 years ago my wife and I visited in Helsinki, Estonia and Latvia, and it is with great sadness that we witness the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ugliness of Russian dominion over neighbors is tragic. The pattern among oligarchs is to strip assets from their own people and to then launder their ill-gotten gains and invest them abroad for their further enrichment, so we hope that sanctions will have some affect. In Latvia we visited the KGB museum in a building that actually served as the headquarters of the KGB, the network of Soviet secret Police that were used to bring the Latvian populace under Russian control. Their remembrance of KGB horrors remains vivid. And we can know Putin by knowing the KGB. The KGB provided the p...

What does it mean to be called by a God? What does it look like, sound like, feel like? How do you know if it’s a God calling you or if you’re just imagining the whole thing? Mainly, what’s going to change in your life?

The time I spend caring for small children is a very sacred practice of joy for me. My 3-yr-old friends have such pure and authentic joy over some of the simplest parts of life (buses! books! cuddles!) and being with / honoring their joy is deeply sustaining. Find joy connecting in meaningful ways with a … Continue reading Joy of Children

      It was on this day, the 23rd of February, in 1455 Johannes Gutenberg published his wonderful Bible. Or, at least its the best date we’ve come up with to mark the occasion… Of course pretty much everyone knows that it wasn’t the first time a book was printed, or printed with movable […]

Our news editor reflects on a perceived silence on social issues at this year's Winter Games in China. Continue reading The Winter Olympics that weren’t at The Wild Hunt.

Friends Scott, Jay and John are doing a kickstarter campaign to assist them in furthering their Kindergarten documentary series. I made a contribution because it's a vital view into the workings of childhood and might assist in a much needed reform of education. You can contribute here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/froebel/garden-of-children-documentary-series-on-education The video series shows some of our students and contains interviews with over 100 educational experts pointing the way toward meaningful reform of education. You can find trailers on youtube or view this extended trailer for a small rental fee here: https://www.froebelusa.com/offers/HhkL8RDX/checkout Make, fix and create.  Assist others in learning likewise.

February in Maine, and it is 60 degree weather today. It isn’t really supposed to be like this. We went to Kettle Cove, where dozens of people were out at the beach. A few even went into the water in their swim suits–but not us. Margy was inspired to collect some seaweed for the garden. […]

By Guilaine Kinouani | Racism causes harm. Harm to the body. And harm to the mind. Yet it was only in November 2020 that the American Medical Association recognized racism as an urgent threat to public health. Thankfully, many of us did not wait for this penny to drop to tackle its impact. For about fifteen years, I have been working therapeutically with people of color, supporting almost exclusively Black people distressed by racism and experiencing racial trauma.

Congregational program connects immigrants with host congregations.

Bruce Knotts Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reminds us that peace, justice, and human rights are linked and interdependent.

The Spring 2022 edition of American Craft Magazine, p. 18 has a review of my new book as shown. The text reads as follows:  "Educator and craftsman Doug Stowe has long been exploring what it means to be a maker. In a collection of thoughtful, self-reflective essays, Stowe delves into the important lessons that working with our hands can teach us and the deeper meaning that brings to our lives." Make, fix and create... Assist others in living likewise. 

The stories we tell matter. And each telling of history—all the varied stories of our human pasts—are invariably biased. No matter how informed, well-intentioned and open the historian, their perspectives are always constrained by their understanding and experience. History is never neutral. All stories, including all histories, are unavoidably told from some particular person’s—or group’s—point […]

This Landmark book for young adults and a Classic Comic Book both fired my boyhood hero worship of Theodore Roosevelt.  The cover illustration turned out to be inaccurate.  Roosevelt was wearing his blue field shirt not his khaki officer's tunic and completed the charge on foot after he lost his horse.  But it did show one Black trooper in the lower right of the picture--more credit than Buffalo Soldiers usually got. When I was a kid, Theodore Roosevelt was my hero.  I know, incredibly dorky.  But Teddy had been a fat, bookish kid with glasses, sort of like me, who grew up to have an exciting life.  For a couple of years or so in my pre-teens I took to pinning the brim of my cowboy hat to the crown on one side with a U.S. Army insi...

Anonymous Praise be for our connection. Help us to learn from each other. Continue reading "Connecting Across Differences"

I’ve learned that the white streaks on many conifer needles are, on close examination, actually close clusters of little white dots or patches. So what are they? Collectively, they’re called stomatal bloom. Each is the wax that lines a stoma, or opening in the surface of the leaf. Stomata allow the exchange of gases between […]

“For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.” —Luke 1.44 Is there someone whose voice greeting you makes you instantly feel joy?

In Sunday’s service we heard a story about a small act of love, and were invited to do one small thing. This month’s theme of Purpose, feels BIG, and in this story, we were reminded that small can be just what we need. So, today ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Feb. 22nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.