In this week's Pagan Community Notes, Cernunnos status draws complaints, Sesame Street's Wicked Witch footage found, a protest about the Parthenon Marbles, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of June 20, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

I have a book signing and reading event on Saturday June 25 at the Two Friends Books Store at 11 AM. Beat the heat, browse books, and give me a chance to explain how the hands bring things together for better lives and richer communities.  The map and address will help you find your way andTwo Friends Book Store is a place you will enjoy having discovered. Make, fix and create... Assist others in learning likewise.

Please join us next Tuesday (21 June 2022) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Although the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, has been marked and celebrated across cultures since pre-historic times, it is today celebrated mostly—understandably—in the most northern climes.  A day on or near the Solstice is still a widely celebrated public holiday—Midsummer’s Day—in most of Scandinavia, the Baltic nations and in Quebec.  It is a widely observed unofficial celebration in Ireland and northern England and in several other countries. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere it is the Winter Solstice and celebrated with many of the traditions imported by Europeans for that occasion . At dusk on Midsummer's Eve young women neo-pagans launch miniature rafts with burning candles in Baltic areas like Estoni...

Oxford is a quintessential walking city. It is made for foot traffic and bicycles, not cars or even public transit. My morning commute to Harris Manchester College consists of a thirty minute walk through a series of meadows. Along the way, I am passed by numerous bicyclists. There’s a playground, manicured lawns and gardens, several […]

We got up early, and kept working from six thirty to twelve thirty. We put a few last items in the moving container, tied the canoe on the car, did some more last minute cleaning, loaded up the car, argued about little things, did a walk-through of the house with Kathy the cemetery superintendent and … Continue reading "San Mateo to Fernley, Nev."

The flame in our chalice, “is our promise that in our smallness and our short time on this Earth, that we live intently and deeply, with love for one another, with honesty and integrity…..” -Shawn Trapp What does the flame in our chalice signify to you?

June solstice blessing from The Wild Hunt! Blessed Litha, Blessed Midsummer, Blessed Yule, and Happy 23.44° North Latitude! Continue reading June Solstice Blessings from The Wild Hunt at The Wild Hunt.

Celebrate Juneteenth & Black Excellence by diving into books by Black authors, check out Black-owned and operated media, supporting businesses and some of the best food Tulsa has to offer! The post Celebrating Juneteenth appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Two weeks ago, I had terrible cramping in my lower abdomen. Over a few days, it gradually localized to the lower left of my abdomen, particularly when I had to poop. My medical practitioner did some blood tests, and found high inflammation, but not infection, and scheduled a CT scan. They determined that I was […]

The Green Man, or Oak King, pagan ruler of Midsummer. Yesterday was Father’s Day .  Tomorrow the Summer Solstice which will be at 4:13 am Central Daylight Time.  On this interim day we will revisit Sucha calendar coincidence when both fell on the same day seven years ago and moved me to the commission of poetry like a prune juice and X-Lax smoothie facilitates an explosive bowl movement. Depending on your outlook the results may be equally as messy and disgusting. Some ancient peoples marked the Solstice occasion with such astonishing precision involving monoliths, mounds, and monuments that it has enabled a basic cable cottage industry of pseudo-science documentaries speculating about aliens.  But for many others, the precise date ...

Criss-crossed by shadows, this bonplandiana leaf, of all the ones I saw online, said “draw me.”

The day before a road trip is usually busy. When you’re taking a road trip to move across the continent, the day before a road trip is especially busy. Tomorrow we start driving to Massachusetts. We spent the day packing up the last of our belongings into moving containers. In the morning, we felt a … Continue reading "San Mateo"

The human right to migrate is one that should be protected, both nationally and internationally.

“For all who had to set boundaries in order to keep your mind intact, may your own mind be your blessing. Its integrity, its edginess, its willingness to wonder and to know. May you know your own mind as God’s blessing.” -Rev Meg Riley How have boundaries helped you maintain your integrity of mind and … Continue reading Edges

The Chinese government has instituted a number of new measures intended to curb the practice of folk religions, such as worship of figures like Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, and Nong Zhigao, a culture hero who resembles Robin Hood. Continue reading New government measures curtail folk religion in China at The Wild Hunt.

 I checked pricing on two of my books on Amazon and learned that they've jacked the price up over the suggested retail. I don't know the reasons for it as most publishers find Amazon's strategies to be inexplicable. In the meantime, LeeValley.com has my  Guide to Woodworking with Kids,   Making Classic Toys that Teach , and my new book  The Wisdom of our Hands  available for immediate shipping. These are the links: https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/books-and-dvds/111950-the-guide-to-woodworking-with-kids https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/books-and-dvds/75487-making-classic-toys-that-teach and https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/books-and-dvds/114136-the-wisdom-of-our-hands-crafting-a-life There are times wh...

A service commemorating Los Alamos Pride Week.

Please join us on Sunday (19 June 2022) at 11:00 AM for “In the Shadow of Bloody Caddo:  Reflections on Reconstruction in Northwest Louisiana” by Frank Severic (graduate research assistant at the Northwest Louisiana Archives at LSU-Shreveport). In light of the antiracism work we are doing and in light of the current trend to try … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (19 June 2022)"

The 9:00 AM adult religious education class will be taking a break for three Sundays (19 June 2022, 26 June 2022, and 3 July 2022). We will come back together on 10 July 2022 for check-in and to talk about where we go from here — please bring your ideas.

  Note —To learn more about Juneteenth join Gloria Van Hof for her Zoom presentation Monday, June 20 from 7 to 8:30 pm Monday, June 20, 2022.   The presentation is free to the public but voluntary contributions to Compassion for Campers, the program the supplies survival needs to the McHenry County unhoused population, are encouraged. To Register visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwud--sqz0iHN1Hm6JD3axuBYswtc-GIZvi Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862.   Word spread through the slave grapevine quickly in much of the Confederacy and, as Lincoln had hoped, many slaves abandoned their plantations and sought the safety of Union forces wherever they could.   Not only did this cripple t...

We live in a society dominated by monotheism in general and Protestant Christianity in particular. It’s important that we understand these questions on our own terms and not default to the foundational assumptions of those who wiped out our ancestors’ religions.

    Robert Aitken was born on this day, the 19th of June, in Philadelphia, in 1917. Soon after the family moved to Hawai’i. He is remembered as one of the first Westerners to be recognized as a Zen master. As it happens I’ve referenced him by name 139 times on my Monkey Mind blog. […]

This willow goes by many names: Pacific willow in my field guide, but also red, whiplash, and shining willow (the translation of the scientific name). What I’ve drawn here is not a leaf, strictly speaking, but a stipule: a little quasi-leaf that grows at the junction of a twig and the stem of a leaf. […]

“We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.” -Robert Jones, Jr. (“Son of Baldwin”) How does integrity matter when you disagree with someone?

We may be living under a dark cloud that threatens to rain on our parade, but our symbol is the rainbow. Though it will be hard work, will endure as we have always done. And when the clouds part we will shine in all of our colors, bigots be damned. Continue reading Opinion: The Storm Cloud and the Rainbow at The Wild Hunt.

There are hazards everywhere. Still not sure what happened but after a hike this week this happened to my right eye. Dust? A bug or bug bite? Who knows? It hurt a lot though. The eye doc I saw for it didn’t know what it was either but he did prescribe an ointment and said […]

      Frithjof Schuon was born in Basel, Switzerland, on this day, the 18th of June, in 1907. His mother was a francophone Alsatian while his father was German Swiss. His father, Paul was a concert violinist, and the family was a center of music, literature, and spirituality. The Schuon’s were progressive Catholics. From […]

Although today most Dad's eschew neck ties, they remain an iconic symbol of the day. Note —Tomorrow is Father’s Day in the U.S.  But this year it is also Juneteenth to which we will be giving attention.  So here is our holiday post on the eve. I may have mentioned before that Father’s Day is the redheaded stepchild of holidays.  It gets less respect than Rodney Dangerfield and is widely perceived for what it is—a tiny participation trophy to the gold plated loving cupthat is Mothers’ Day.  And that’s alright with most Dads who would rather just sleep in, thank you, and pass of the fuss. Once neckties were the gift of choice, but since few Dads regularly use them anymore, sales have concentrated on novelty coffee mugs, t-s...

      Frithjof Schuon was born in Basel, Switzerland, on this day, the 18th of June, in 1907. His mother was a francophone Alsatian while his father was German Swiss. His father, Paul was a concert violinist, and the family was a center of music, literature, and spirituality. The Schuon’s were progressive Catholics. From […]

João Zeferino da Costa (1840–1916) The widow’s mite 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— In order properly to address any particular problem we are experiencing it’s necessary first to see, and then name what it actually is in the most appropriate fashion possible.  If we see some problem and inappropriately name it, then the problem may not be addressed as well as it might, and the original transgression of using an inappropriate name will then simply help to create a further proliferation of words that only serves to make the original transgression o...

Drawing six leaves takes six times as long, but sometimes I just can’t resist the shape of a whole twig of them falling like this. And I’m on vacation. Tomorrow we go to the Art Institute of Chicago, the home of so many works of art that I have seen only in tiny little reproductions […]

Sacred promises we make to one another can become a covenant. A covenant is only as good as the integrity of the people entering into it–and their willingness to engage in repair when the covenant is broken. How do you repair covenant when it is broken?

  Who do you admire?  I have a friend named Kevan who plays guitar.  In the summertime, we get together and strum, occasionally writing new tunes for the instrument.  What I admire about Kevan is his focus and concentration.  His lifelong career was in law enforcement, special weapons and tactics.  Because he is fluent in Spanish, he still sometimes teaches "Spanish for Cops" to make a little money even in retirement.  But his real ambition, at this stage of life, is to be a street musician, a busker.  He wants to sit on the corner and play the blues for tips.   Kevan is totally devoted to this dream.  He has a strict practice routine.  He attends music camps for songwriting.  He studies music theory.  Whereas I have all ki...

I have a class with ESSA tomorrow making spoon carving knives. We'll use both the wood shop and the metals studio to do it with 8 students. In the meantime I've been practicing and learning with sketchup, to create new box designs. This box is a pen and ink box to hold both a bottle of ink and two pens. There's a compartment below the pen tray for additional necessaries. Make, fix and create... Assist others in learning likewise.

Studying Witchcraft taught me that I am my own temple, my own deity, my guardian, my healer, my savior, that the elements live in me, and that I’m part of a planet that vibrates with every beat of my heart. Whether through Witchcraft or any other spiritual path, if each person learned the same thing, it would be easier to accept the differences that make the world such a fascinating place instead of seeing them as a danger, a social cancer. Continue reading Column: Honoring the Temples of Diversity at The Wild Hunt.

Estudiar brujería me enseñó que yo soy mi propio templo, mi propia deidad, mi guardián, mi sanador, salvador, que los elementos viven en mí, y que soy parte de un planeta que vibra con cada latido de mi corazón. Sea por medio de la brujería o cualquier otro camino espiritual, si cada persona aprendiera lo mismo, sería más fácil aceptar las diferencias que hacen del mundo un lugar tan fascinante en vez de verlas como un peligro, un cáncer social. Continue reading Columna: Honrando los Templos de la Diversidad at The Wild Hunt.

        Today, the 17th of June, is celebrated in the Anglican communion as a feast for St Botwulf of Thorney. His feast is celebrated by other Western Christian communions as well, although on other dates. Details of his life are at best sketchy, most of what we know comes from the Anglo-Saxon […]

Please join us on Saturday (18 June 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 (18 June 2022)"

I am spending the first two weeks of my archival research time at Harris Manchester College. It is part of the University of Oxford. It was originally founded as an institution to train Unitarian ministers, but as the fortunes of British Unitarianism have declined so has its connection with the movement. Right now, there are […]

Prayer for the Week of June 19, 2022 Beloved, may I have the courage of the ancestors who said “no more” to injustice and resisted the wheels of power rolling over them. May I have the resilience of ancestors who whispered “we will create a way” when there was no...

Colonial Militia under Col. John Stark repelled the first British assault against their hastily thrown up defenses on the left of Breed's Hill. The Battle of Bunker Hill is so famous that the most historically illiterate Americans—and there are a lot of them—have at least heard of it and can probably figure out that it was fought during the Revolutionary War.  Many may recall from High School or an old Peabody and Sherman cartoon that an orderwas issued—“Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.”  Whatever that meant.  And most will assume it was a great American victory for George Washington.  Almost all of that would be wrong or misunderstood.  The real story is more complex and interesting. By mid-June 1775 ...

Honesty is a core part if integrity. It is also squishy for some people–do we always have to tell the whole truth in order to be honest? What are the limits of honesty for you?

Llewellyn Worldwide takes the lion's share of winners at this year's Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Awards. Continue reading Coalition of Visionary Resources Awards winners announced at The Wild Hunt.

Independence Day is really on June 19, not July 4.

Community leader, researcher, author, lecturer, and historian Gloria Van Hof will offer Juneteenth:  A Day of Jubilee , on Monday, June 20from 7 to 8:30 pm via Zoom.  The presentationis free to the public but voluntary contributions to Compassion for Campers, the program the supplies survival needs to the McHenry County unhoused population,are encouraged. Van Hof said, “ For decades, Juneteenth was the best kept secret south of the Mason Dixon Line. Only a small number of people knew about the holiday and most of them were from the South.  You will learn how the true story of Juneteenth became an American story and an international celebration.” She grew up in the South and is the great-great granddaughter of slaves, and will tel...

This is a weeping willow leaf, and its scientific name is Salix babylonica. That has to be a reference to the beginning of Psalm 137, right?: “By the waters of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.” The willow may weep, but it’s hard to be sad when you’re looking at one, or […]

Long-time friend JB (no, not that JB, this JB) just reminded me that on June 17, 1972, 50 years ago this Saturday, undercover police arrived at the Watergate Complex to investigate a possible break-in. The police arrested five guys wiretapping and burglarizing the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee there. These five hapless idiots actually … Continue reading "Happy Watergate Day"

The first of the three core values of the United States Air Force is “integrity first.” Senior Master Sgt. Paul Yecke writes of this, “None of us are born with integrity, nor can we obtain integrity with a few well-placed words or actions. Integrity is the never-ending pursuit of honesty.” How can integrity become a … Continue reading “Integrity First”

        A student of the intimate way asked Zhaozhou, “Why did Bodhidharma come from the West? Zhaozhou replied, “The Cypress Tree in the Garden. Gateless Gate, case 37 I cannot say what a treat it was when I was offered the chance to review a new book from a California based publisher, […]

By Eboo Patel | Do you remember the first demonstration that your mother and I took you to? It was the fifty-year commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s march through the South Side neighborhood of Marquette Park. Do you know what King endured that day? Five thousand people lined the streets of the neighborhood to scream racist slurs and throw bottles and bricks at King and a few hundred peaceful marchers.

Sunday, June 19, 10:30 a.m. Coming Down the Mountain Led by Guest Preacher Francesca Cipriani   We will hear the story of a young woman who hunts an unusual and powerful being with her grandmother. We will explore what this story can teach us about what we need from others and what we must do on our   [ … ] The post Sunday, June 19 ~ Coming Down the Mountain ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

Climate forced displacement is on the news every day.  Most recently, the fires in New Mexico have displaced up to 18,000 people in the largest wildfire in the state’s history.  The Hermit’s Peak and Canyon Calf fires are only about 65% contained; the true impacts are hard to gauge, and it will take years to recover.    Climate disasters will challenge every community.  How can UUs prepare?  How can we center justice in our response?  How can our congregations be beacons of hope in these trying times?   Here are two things you can do right now:   Check out the recording of Fostering Local Climate Resilience through Disaster Response and Community Care, featuring Rev. Karen Hutt from the UU Trauma Response Ministry; Halcyo...

Nathan Ryan We have a holy obligation to bring about paradise on this earth; each generation helps us do that. Continue reading "Our Great Calling"

Jail Brakers , the program that offers support and services to the familiesof incarcerated individuals, and the experts at Prairie State Legal Services are offering a special sealing and expungement of cannabis records and convictions presentation at Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenrythis Saturday June 18 from 5 to 7 pm. After the State of Illinois legalized recreational use of cannabis—marijuana—the Legislature passed an automatic expungement of the recordsof those convicted of simple possession of small amountsof the drug.  Many others, however, convicted of possession of larger quantities and/or saleand distribution are required to actively petition to have their records removed.  ...

Bless the fathers, made by choice, adoption, marriage, neighborhood, extended kinship, and blood Bless the fathers, however they are gendered, the ones who nurture gardens of wonder and hard work The ones who nurture families of enoughness and generous laughter The ones who are still figuring this whole fatherhood thing...

Devotional artwork is a tangible reminder of the spiritual presence of our Gods. It gives us a clear focus for meditation, contemplation, and worship. This new statue of the Morrigan is a meaningful, powerful, and beautiful depiction of the Great Queen.

When the world gets scary, the comfort of home becomes even more important. We need places where we can let our guard down – where the hypervigilance so many of us adopted during the pandemic can ease a little bit. For a lot of us, relaxing has become difficult. Devices that keep us connected to […] The post Threshold Magick for Troubled Times appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

Part of maintaining personal integrity is keeping the promises we make to others. Sometimes, this is a challenge. When have you felt challenged to keep a promise?  

        At this moment in my life, I suffer from an abundance of offers of free books. Well, not actually free. The cost is a promise to review it. Mostly I decline these offers. The truth is the stack of books I want to read for my purposes is dangerously high. And […]

Imagine you walk each day from the backdoor to the outhouse, and keep the path well worn. Grass and loose stones are knocked unceremoniously from the path by the movement of your feet, and weeds are kept clear by the same effect. If you've been away from home for the summer you'll have found the weeds grown up in your absence and the journey to and from may take greater effort. You may need a weed-whacker to restore the path. But when the weeds are cut back, there again you'll find your well-worn path. The same applies in the use of tools as repeated use builds neural pathways to and from the brain. Let the tool fall into disuse for a time and when you pick it up again, it may feel a bit awkward at first, but the comfort of the grip will...

Taken with a Fujifilm X100F Just click on the photo to enlarge it   One of the places I most often find myself walking to (in all seasons of the year) is Grantchester, and the most pleasant (and iconic) route there is that which takes you by the River Cam through Grantchester Meadows. In my very early teens, and long before I knew Grantchester Meadows first-hand, it was already part of my own inner landscape thanks to Roger Water’s song of the same name found on Pink Floyd’s 1969 LP, Ummagumma.  In consequence, Grantchester Meadows has been part of me for most of my life.  Now, although no swan is mentioned in the lyric (which I reproduce below), at 4 min. 15 seconds the sound of a honking swan can be heard followed by that oh so ...

Development for both filming and the proposed building of a law enforcement training facility threats the forest that remains in DeKalb county and south of Atlanta Continue reading The effort to save Atlanta’s Forests at The Wild Hunt.

It’s raining men, and not the ones The Weather Girls sang about. They’re raining on Pride parades with violent intent. A U-Haul truckful of members from the white supremacist group, Patriot Front, was arrested before they could disrupt a Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Proud Boys stormed a Drag Queen story hour at a library in San Lorenzo, CA. Baptist ministers in Idaho and Texas went viral for calling on the government to execute gay people. Cancel all the hallelujahs for them.

A year of living, so much blooming or in bud We give thanks this day. We give thanks to our high school Bridgers, Duncan and Blake and their families who led a moving service last Sunday. We give thanks to everyone who enjoyed the flowers of the Flower ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – June 14th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Congratulations to our bridging seniors, Blake Bender and Duncan Brown, who were celebrated at this past Sunday’s service! And, congratulations to all our graduating high school seniors as you transition out of youth and into young adulthood! Know that you will always have a home and people ... read more . The post Religious Education News – June 14th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

  Note:   We’ve been here before but slightly updated to account for recent catastrophe and on-going embarrassments. In case you hadn’t noticed today is officially Flag Day , a demi-holiday easily overlooked.  It is celebratedby displaying the American Flag.  Veterans groups often organize solemn flag disposal ceremonies .   No other country on Earth makes quite the fetish of its flag as does the United States.  The word idolatry comes to mind.  At its worst it elevatesthe symbol—the Flag—over the substance—the democratic values espoused in the Declaration of Independence and protected by the Constitution.  It is an absolute truism that those who wrap themselves most in the Flag—and these days that is not just a figur...

Having gone into such delicate detail with the previous drawing, I tried to do the opposite with the interesting light on this leaf. How quick and rough can the marks be and still get the shadow across? I’m not so good at quick and rough, and immediately started refining. An old story, and not only […]

–I spent a lot of time with this drawing yesterday! We had a terrific four-hour campus vision workshop at UUCPA, and I drew during a lot of it. With all that time, I sank into delicious detail. Will I go back to it and do more? Maybe, maybe not. One thing is clear: these leaves, […]

I preached from this sermon manuscript for the Universalist National Memorial Church, on June 12, 2022 using lessons from the Revised Common Lectionary: Romans 5: 1-5  and John 16: 12-15. Each time I preach in this church, I thank Pastor Gatton for inviting me and you for welcoming me. This isn’t just a bit of … Continue reading "Sermon: “The Right Use of the Spirit”"

Each of us should be allowed to maintain our integrity in ways that matter to us. Each of us is entitled to consent–and each of us is asked to respect the consent of others as they maintain their integrity. How do you respect the integrity of others?

Statue of Samantha from Bewitched vandalized, arson attempt at TST, Crossings of the Veil and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of June 13, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Tens of thousands joined the March for Our Lives event in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.  Their voices were magnified by more than 450 local event in 45 states including the one in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Saturdaymore than 50,000 people attended the March for Our Lives flagship event in Washington, D.C.   Many thousands more marched in big cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.   And in every cornerof the country there were local events in cities including gun crime ridden urban neighborhoods, towns, villages, and suburbs.   If there is a War on Guns it was a broad front offensive against the NRA, gun manufactures and importers, and bought-and-paid-for politicians.   And the local skirmish in McHenry County played out along a stretch o...

Just recently, I lost a significant person in my life. Even though we were not related, nor were we very close friends, he was no less consequential in my life. On June 1st in Tulsa, Oklahoma we lost a brilliant and excellent surgeon in the person of Dr. Preston Phillips. The post Grieving for Tulsa’s Loss appeared first on BeyondBelief.

    I’ve just noticed that the Episcopal Church observes today, the 13th of June, as a feast, of sorts, for Gilbert Keith Chesterton. He is perhaps best known as G. K. Chesterton, critic, biographer, novelist & Christian apologist. According to Wikipedia his “friendly enemy” George Bernard Shaw spoke of Chesterton as “a man of […]

For a very long time, I did not feel like the words I used to describe my identity had integrity with who I really was. It turned out that I needed to learn new words, and then I needed to give myself permission to describe myself in new ways. -Michael Tino (CLF) What are the … Continue reading Identity

Though Monday was officially the start of my sabbatical, I arrived in London on Friday. I have mixed feelings about being here. I am grateful for and excited about starting my sabbatical. At the same time, it seems that in the last week a number of folks in the church have come down with COVID. […]

The din had been loud inside the house, but outside, I felt like I was being buffeted by it, surrounded on all sides by argument. I felt a guilty weight in the pit of my stomach. I knew what the sound was now. I looked up and without any joy found what I expected to find. There were exactly two black crows sitting in the branches of my tree, facing my house, yelling at me. “What do you want?” I sighed. But I knew.  Continue reading Column: Hanging Garden at The Wild Hunt.

In the early days of May 2022, the U.S. experienced another mass shooting motivated by an ideology called “replacement theory.” How and when did this theory emerge? How has this idea affected persons of color? How can our awareness of this harmful ideology foster our work as compassionate humans? This talk will touch on these questions and others in an attempt to come to grips with difficult events in our history and our present moment.

I have been reviewing two soon-to-be published excerpts from my book, Wisdom of Our Hands . One will be in Quercus Magazine in the UK (also distributed in the US) and the other in  Woodworker West . Each focuses on different sections of the book.  I learned this morning that my  Wisdom of Our Hands  book is in its second printing. That's a good sign that the message within it is gaining traction. This coming week will be my last as director of the woodworking program at the Clear Spring School. And so I hope to step into a broader but continued role as an advocate for hands-on learning.  Also this coming week, my Guide to Woodworking with Kids will be back in the warehouse and ready for sales with a reprint being complete. On Saturd...

REFLECTION ON CHANGES IN ME Rev. Kit Ketcham, PRIDE 2022 Pacific UU Fellowship, June 12, 2022             Talking about sexual orientation and gender identity was a huge NoNo when I was a school counselor in Colorado back in the 80’s and 90’s.   I was so naïve that it took a long time for me to realize that there was something really wrong about that.             The change in me began when my college friend Fern came out to me after a suicide attempt.   It began to grow when I attended an in-service put on by PFLAG, an in-service designed for counselors in our district, where I saw that the president of the local chapter was the mother of two of my students.            It took another leap forward when a gutsy 9...

This was my second week on staying upright on the trails, but it has been hot this and I have really enjoyed swimming more than hiking this week. Plus, falling in water doesn’t hurt. With 3 days on the trails each week, and often 4 in our pool, life is quite good – at least […]

As we approach the Summer Solstice, let’s look at some of the ways modern Pagans celebrate this holy day.

Intensely  private Mildred and Richard Loving posed uncomfortably for the press as their case moved through the courts with intense media interest.  Note:  It’s Woodstock Pride Fest today where the LGBTQ community, family members, supporters, and the curious celebrate in McHenry County which not so many years ago was so conservative and hostile that few dared to publicly come out.  Much progress has been made over the last decades including the final victory for Marriage Equality in Illinois a few years ago.  But there are storm clouds on the horizon.  Transgender and genderfluid youth who came out boldly at the first Pride Fest in 2019 find themselves increasingly targeted by proposed legislation demanding school restrooms be op...

      Emptiness: A Practical Guide for MeditatorsGUY ARMSTRONG Somerville, Mass.: Wisdom Publications, 2017. 307 pp., paper, $17.95. Introduction to Zen Koans: Learning the Language of DragonsJAMES ISHMAEL FORD Wisdom Publications, 2018. 248 pp., paper, $17.95. Reviewed by Dhananjay Joshi Of course the bird we see and hear exists. It exists, but what I […]

Please join us on Sunday (12 June 2022) at 11:00 AM for “The Light at the End of the Tunnel” — an Affirmation Sunday Service honoring our high school graduate Andrew Lawrence and a recent college graduate. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All … Continue reading "Affirmation Sunday All-Ages Worship (12 June 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (12 June 2022) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. This Sunday we continue our work through the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. As the author says, “This is not a book you read, this is a book you do” and we … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 12 June 2022"

Please join us next Tuesday (14 June 2022) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Living with integrity can bring a fulfillment that is not always available to people in a society that teaches us that we are broken or wrong. Looking back on our lives, we can witness places where we felt the fulfillment of integrity, and we can seek to recreate them as the new day begins. How … Continue reading At The End of the Day

In our new Pilgrimages series, TWH's editor-in-chief, Manny Tejeda-Moreno, explores the famous Temple of Diana Nemorensis in Nemi, Italy. Continue reading Pilgrimages: a visit to the Temple of Diana at The Wild Hunt.