COP27 concluded earlier this month, and while it accomplished reaching an agreement on "loss and damage," how the plan will calculate those issues remains complicated. Continue reading U.N. Climate Change Conference makes a breakthrough agreement at The Wild Hunt.

Sometimes you just have to be cute, especially if you are a part of the rainbow group at the Clear Spring School. To clarify,  I'd just instructed the students in my Kindergarten class to take an easier approach to sawing by allowing the saw to do the work. One must pay attention to getting the saw started on the right line and with attention to one's own body and its smooth motion, the saw does the work.  Done right, there's time to be cute, even when there are several cuts to be made. We were making Froebel block sets number 4. La-de-da... Make, fix and create

Sunday, December 4, 10:30 a.m. Our Own Seven Wonders   Are you enraptured by snails, fascinated by a scientific discovery, or filled with awe by a particular place? Out of all of the marvels in the world, who got to choose the seven wonders? And why are there only seven, anyway? Join us on December 4   [ … ] The post Sunday, December 4 ~ Our Own Seven Wonders ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

“You do not need to be already perfect—or even half-way—to belong in this circle where grace meets us where we are but does not leave us as it found us” -Gretchen Haley (inspired by Anne Lamott) How have you experienced grace in community? “No es necesario que ya seas perfecto, ni siquiera que estés a … Continue reading Grace

      I’ve just learned that Sister Elaine MacInnis, Catholic nun and Zen master died yesterday, November 29th, 2022. If I did the calculations correctly, she was 99 years old. A number of years ago I served on the membership committee of the American Zen Teachers Association. It had been formed largely out of […]

Perry Como had the first hit version of It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Meredith Willson. There are many subsets in the category of the Golden Age of American Popular Christmas Song .   One might be called the secular Advent songs—tunes that conjure up the growing excitement of the Holiday season invoking winter scenes, decorations, shopping, and general merriment.   At their best they deftly mixed daubs of nostalgia, with a snappy, jazzy modernity.   They could evoke the rustic past but were most at home in bustling urban streets.                                         Meredith Willson in his radio days. Perhaps the most beloved of the genre was It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ...

The new Christmas movie this season, Spirited, starring Will Farrell, Ryan Reynolds, and Octavia Spencer, is a new musical comedy take on the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. At the core of every version of this story is the question, … Continue reading →

“Wednesday” isn’t “The Addams Family” – if you expect “all together ooky” you’re going to be disappointed. But if you like dark fantasy about someone who has her act together in ways I could only dream about when I was 16, give it a try.

      I’ve just learned that Sister Elaine McInnis, Catholic nun and Zen master died yesterday, November 29th, 2023. If I did the calculations correctly, she was 99 years old. A number of years ago I served on the membership committee of the American Zen Teachers Association. It had been formed largely out of […]

Taken with a Fujifilm X100V   Just click on the photo to enlarge it   Straight out of camera (though cropped to 4:3) using Øyvind Nordhagen’s “OWH Night” recipe   It’s Advent once again and, as we have done for many, many years now, on the first Sunday of the season we put up our Herrnhut Star in the window of The Manse next door to the Cambridge Unitarian Church. As this photo (taken on Monday evening) shows, because of the double glazing and because we have a round mirror with a convex mirror in the middle, the star is repeated many times across our small front room. Walking into the room of an evening it’s like walking into a little solar system . . .

On November 2, the evergreen tree that will grace the west lawn of the White House at U.S. capitol was harvested from Pisgah Forest. Tonight, Ruby, the red spruce was lit up for the first time. Continue reading The People’s Tree at The Wild Hunt.

It’s almost December! And with it comes the whole wide range of expectations, spoken and not, along with the panoply of emotions tied to the past and even the future. Depending on our own life’s experience, we might have the blues, express more of a ... read more . The post December Theme: Risking Joy appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

As we breathe deeply on a chilly gray day, we share a poem for resilience from our retired colleague, the Rev. Mark Belletini: Late Fall Less light. A time of rest for eyes weary of bright lights competing for our attention. Less light. A time to focus carefully on things that the ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – November 29th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

There will be regular sessions of RE this week for all the groups – K-3rdgrade; 4th-6th grade; and Coming of Age. And the Nursery will be open too. For December 11th, I’d like to plan a holiday crafts workshop for RE, but I need volunteers to make ... read more . The post This Sunday in Religious Education – Dec. 4th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The BIPOC authors Discussion group will gather online on Tuesday December 20th at 6 pm for a discussion of Native American Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s book An American Sunrise. Come join UUSS as we transition into the new year with a discussion of this book of ... read more . The post An American Sunrise, poems by Joy Harjo appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Staff Writer New president to be elected at General Assembly 2023.

Side With Love is partnering with Interfaith Power and Light (IPL) and the Energy and Environmental Study Institute (EESI) to host a briefing to learn about the benefits included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that can help houses of worship do energy work on their facilities.  The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the most sweeping clean energy and climate legislation in history. With clean energy tax credits for wind and solar, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, heat pumps, and more, the IRA sets a course to reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 44% by 2030, while saving thousands of lives, creating millions of good-paying clean energy jobs, investing in environmental justice, and reducing energy bills for working families acr...

Once again, I’ll say that I’m critical of the present Article II, and since at least 2005 I’ve been advocating revision. And while I criticized the current draft revision in a previous post, I think the revision is headed in the right direction — towards a complete rewrite. But. In a conversation on Mastodon, Peter … Continue reading "UUA politics: Article II revision, pt. 2"

In “The Power of Myth” , 1991 Joseph Cambell says:  “ People says that what we’re all seeking a meaning for life. I think that what we’re really seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences … Continue reading →

“In this community, we hold hope close. We don’t always know what comes next, but that cannot dissuade us. We don’t always know just what to do, but that will not mean that we are lost in the wilderness.” -Ninán Soto How do you hold hope close? “En esta comunidad, mantenemos la esperanza cerca. No … Continue reading Hope

It’s long past time for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to revise the Principles and Purposes section of the UUA Bylaws. The first post on this blog — way back in 2005, when this blog was hosted on AOL — was a critique of the seven principles. So I’m glad that the Article II Commission … Continue reading "UUA politics: article 2 revision"

A Canadian Christmas hymn based on a French folk song with original lyrics written by St. John de Brebeuf, SJ, sung by the Canadian Tenors. Also called Twas in the Moon of Wintertime . Yesterday for Native American Heritage Month we shared a traditional Lakota Winter Song .    Today we turn to a First Nations Christmas Carol .   The Huron Carol , also known as Twas in the Moon of Wintertime is a Canadian Christmas hymn . It is Canada’s oldest Christmas song ), probably written in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf , a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people .     The song's original Huron title is Jesous Ahatonhia — Jesus , he is born . The melody is b...

      William Ellery Channing was born on this day, the 29th of November in 1780, in Newport, Rhode Island. I try to acknowledge this every year. I count him as one of my more important spiritual influences, in a very real sense he was a spiritual ancestor. I was working at Wahrenbrock’s Book […]

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Congress holds hearings to fulfill its promise to the Cherokee Nation, Mauna Loa Erupts, offerings found at "holiest shrine" of the Aztec empire, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of November 28, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Voting is Power (ViP) engages and empowers potential voters at All Souls, in Tulsa, and in communities across the country that are impacted by voter suppression. The ViP group serves as a broad gathering place for all who are interested in at least one area of voting rights and who want to learn more, and our committee structure also allows for more detailed planning in groups for those with narrower focus. ViP’s 2022 Impact Registered/Updated 194 Voters Presence at 25 registration events in partnership with: Food on the Move Gilcrease Hills Baptist Church Terence Crutcher Foundation Woody Guthrie Center Delta […] The post Voting is Power: Impact in 2022 appeared first on BeyondBelief.

 I found it interesting to read in the New York Times that dumpster diving has become such a big deal. Companies like CVS and Walgreens have so much returned merchandise that gets thrown away each day, that folks go dumpster diving out back to get free stuff, or to illustrate the wastefulness of American consumer culture. In the meantime, China's strict clampdown on Covid-19 and the protests against their authoritarian rule will likely cause supply chain issues, meaning we'll likely have less stuff. Perhaps in a world overwhelmed with stuff, it will be OK to have less of it. This is the season for buying lots and lots of stuff. Some of it we buy thinking that it would be great for holiday giving, and then we give it hoping to impress fo...

“May our doors be so open it is drafty inside, and people sometimes shout because noises without come also within.” -Nancy Shaffer How can you open a door in your community today? “Que nuestras puertas estén tan abiertas que haya corrientes de aire por dentro, y que la gente a veces tenga que gritar porque … Continue reading Open Doors

Our daughter has maintained a connection  on social media with the mentor of her sorority pledge chapter at UGA from 2012 who is now the director of youth and young adults at a Presbertyerian Church – Margie Quinn. She received … Continue reading →

                                                                      A Cheyenne Winter Song with art. It is still Native American Heritage Month, so it is appropriate for us to turn to the seasonal music of Native American and First Nations peoples.  Many, of course, are Christian—Roman Catholic from lands claimed by the French and Spanish as well as converts from U.S. missionaries like the Salish and Kootenai Tribes  (Flat Heads) in western Montana;  Protestants like the Lenape (Delaware) converted by the Moravians and others and many Cherokee and related tribes originating in the South East;  pockets converted by other denominations during the Reservation Era;  some Russian Orthodox in ...

          I give you the end of a golden string; Only wind it into a ball, It will lead you in at Heaven’s gate, Built in Jerusalem’s wall.  William Blake was born on this day, the 28th of November in 1757, in Soho, in Westminster, in London. His family were Dissenters […]

Over the past couple of weeks we have been reflecting on resilience, and the ways that we can increase resilience in ourselves and one another. Today, we consider resilience practices for communities and families and ways that we have witnessed some of these at UUSS. Reach ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Nov. 22nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Thanks for the warm welcome I received from those of you who were able to attend the service last week. I’m excited to work with you during this interim period in your RE leadership. As Rev Lynn and Rev Wendy wrote last week, I have ... read more . The post Happy to be your Interim Director of Lifespan Religious Education! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Whatever type of loss you’ve suffered, or when that loss was, there’s no right or wrong way to grieve. The Caring Team is offering an online monthly open group to offer support in times of grief. We’ll meet next on Monday, November 28th, from 7-8 ... read more . The post Grief Group appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

On Wednesday, December 14, 2022 the Dining for Dollars committee is sponsoring the seventeenth annual Dining for Dollars fundraiser. Thank you Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady for the space and their continued support. This year we are supporting: The MoonCatcher Project – and ... read more . The post Dining For Dollars Lasagna Dinner Fundraiser appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

  GRATITUDE FOR COMMUNITY PUUF, NOV. 27, 2022   Last Sunday evening, I sat nervously in my car, parked on Duane next to Astoria’s Garden of Surging Waves, thinking about the Colorado Springs massacre the night before when a crazed shooter had mowed down those dancing and celebrating at Club Q, killing five and wounding many others before a former military man wrestled his gun away and a drag queen stomped him with her high heels. My “name-sister” Christina Mae Ketcham, sponsor of the vigil to commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance and the many lives cruelly taken, had requested police presence for our vigil, but I hadn’t caught sight of anyone in uniform at that moment, so I waited till 7 o’clock and then made my way to t...

Weekend editor Eric O. Scott reviews two tarot decks from David Wilson, Rust Belt Arcana and the new Great Lakes Tarot. Continue reading Review: Rust Belt Arcana and Great Lakes Tarot at The Wild Hunt.

      A FEAST FOR SAINTS BARLAAM & JOSAPHATA Meditation on Syncretisms of Several Varieties James Ishmael Ford There is a tradition. It tells us one of Jesus’ apostles, Thomas, who we know as the Doubter, carried the message of Jesus all the way to India. There he found responsive hearts on the Malabar […]

April M. Brown is the new Southwestern Regional Director of the Archeological Conservancy. April graduated magna cum laude from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, a concentration in Archaeology, and a minor in Geographic Information Science. Her honors research focused on documenting rock art sites in the Jemez Mountains using drones and spatial analysis tools. Many in the congregation will recognize April as part of the Orth-Rose clan. The Archaeological Conservancy is a national non-profit organization based in Albuquerque that acquires and preserves cultural sites across America. The Conservancy was founded in 1980 by a small group of archeologists and preservationists, led by a physicist, determi...

Thanksgiving is kind of a weird holiday. We want to express gratitude for family and friends, for all the blessings that life can offer and then we celebrated by overeating. It is hard not to though. In 2018, I measured everything I ate on Thanksgiving, a tablespoon of gravy, 4 ounces of white meat turkey, […]

“Much of our human struggle is with what we do not know or understand. It is often difficult not to want answers—or even more difficult, not to think we have them already. May we experience what we do not know not as an individual failure but as an invitation to community.” -Linda M. Hansen How … Continue reading Questions

When I arrived at First Parish in Cohasset in August, I started watching for newcomers. Of course, I didn’t know most of the people, but each Sunday I would ask the long-time members if there were any newcomers. We had no newcomers in August. One in September. None in October. Then two so far in … Continue reading "Marketing for congregations"

In 1972 Roy Reed wrote an article for the New York Times that should be read by others today. Hippies and Gerald L. K. Smith Make Eureka Springs a Model of Co-existence. It concerns the coexistence in our dear little town between the emerging class of hippies and longhairs, and the national cult leader known by many to be "the minister of hate". I was re-interested in Gerald L. K. Smith  by listening  to Rachel Maddow's podcast Ultra which explores an earlier time of extremism, authoritarianism and insurrection. Roy Reed suggested  that  our town should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. I moved here in 1975 and I owe a great deal to this lovely place. In my woodshop I've built a new workbench to hold tools and in my sleep at nigh...

                                     We Gather Together   by the First Untied Methodist Church of Houston, Texas choir. It looks like the annual Murfin Winter Holiday Music Festival comes just in the nick of time this year—after two years of Coronavirus isolation everyone seems ready to burst out with a little old time Christmas/Holiday spirit and celebration. Significantly some folks have been playing Holiday music for weeks now and the usual No-Christmas-music-‘til-after-Thanksgiving militants are even cutting them some unexpected slack. If you have been Jonesing for some festive tunes, this is the place. The Annual Murfin Winter Holidays Music Festival works like this.   Every year on the First Sunday of ...

Does Apollo care about me? I’ve never poured the first offering for Him, never called to Him in prayer. I’m not a Hellenist or a Greek-inspired Pagan. Does Apollo even know who I am? I don’t know, and I don’t know how I could know. But I think He does.

"By adopting the tried and true American marketing language of freedom and free speech, they rally ready troops who giddily cheer them on, even when (or especially when) they’re shutting down accounts of those who criticize them." Continue reading Generation X and Technology: From Dumb Terminals to Death Threats at The Wild Hunt.

Please join us this Sunday (27 November 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Sharp Relief” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able to do so. Our service will … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (27 November 2022)"

This Sunday (27 November 2022) — “Understanding the Bible” Adapted for this age group from a curriculum based on the book by John Buehrens (Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, and Religious Liberals). This week — Session 2 — “Beginnings” We will look at one of the creation stories from the Book of … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (27 November 2022)"

This Sunday (27 November 2022) — “Joseph and His Brothers” Children and youth are with us in the sanctuary for the first 20 minutes and then are dismissed to their classes. The elementary class (Pre-K through Grade 5) continues their season of focus on our Jewish and Christian heritage looking at the story of Joseph … Continue reading "Children’s Religious Education (20 November 2022)"

There is no adult religious education class scheduled for this Sunday (27 November 2022). Sleep in a little and eat pie for breakfast before service. You can rejoin us when the class resumes next Sunday (4 December 2022) at 9:00 AM via Zoom.

Please join us next Tuesday (29 November 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.

I'm about to sign a contract with Taunton Press for my 15th book. This one is tentatively titled "Designing Boxes," and will explore box making as a means of fulfillment, artistic creativity and personal growth. To prepare, I'm working on an outline and table of contents, as well as doing some reorganization in the wood shop. In the meantime I'm also thinking about Otto Salomon's Educational Sloyd and the impact it once had.  When Salomon set up his school in Nääs, and to which thousands of teachers traveled from around the world to learn the ins and outs of the Sloyd method for teaching crafts to kids, part of his plan was to provide teachers with a philosophical and psychological basis for their teaching experience. He did this trou...

I’ve been going through old boxes from my past, and am currently working on the time I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from 1979 to 1983. It was such a different time–not many photos, for example. But I found this one in a clipping from a women’s periodical, attached to an article I wrote about […]

“If another is adrift, may our voices be the calling of community.” -Matthew Rosin How have you been called back into community when you have been adrift? “Si otro está a la deriva, que nuestras voces sean el llamado a la comunidad”. -Mateo Rosin ¿Cuando has estado a la deriva, cómo te han llamado de … Continue reading Adrift

  MY UNDERSTANDING:   an epiphany on Nov. 26, 2022. God is not a being.   " God" is the word used for the powers of the universe, visible in natural law. "Jesus" represents a human being with human powers, subject to natural law and capable of understanding the powers of the universe as revealed in natural law.  Jesus, as well as others, has given humans insight into how best to live. The "Holy Spirit" is spiritual power, available to all beings through natural law and giving meaning to the powers of the universe.

                                     Dr. Mary Walker with her Medal of Honor and Civil War uniform. Mary Edwards Walker was a dark haired slender slip of a woman with a defiant don’t-take-no-for-an-answer attitude and a penchant for men’s clothing when she presented herself to the Army and demanded to be put to work as a surgeon not long after the Civil War erupted with the barrage of Fort Sumner in April 1861.  The shocked and astonished Army had absolutely no idea what to do with her.  The best they could offer her was a chance to serve as a volunteer civilian nurse at no pay.  Better than nothing, she thought, and took the chance vowing that she would prove herself as the equal of any man.      Walker...

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— The Advent stories draw their characters from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. They are: Mary and Joseph (Jesus’ parents to be); Elizabeth and Zechariah (John the Baptist’s parents to be); the Angel Gabriel; the shepherds; the Magians or Zoroastrian priests; and King Herod. Due to fact that he’s not yet been born, Jesus doesn’t appear in the Advent stories, however, one unborn baby does appear, well, sort of . . . To remind you, here’s the story which is found in the Gospel of Luke 1:39-45: “And during those days ...

Please join us on Saturday (26 November 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. Please note that this group is still meeting via Zoom.  You will need … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (26 November 2022)"

Guest columnist Amethysta Herrick shares the story of her relationship with the ebb and flow of the Moon, and how it has changed as she began hormone therapy. Continue reading Column: Hormone Therapy and the Moon at The Wild Hunt.

Someone on Mastodon wondered what it would be like if Muppet characters took the place of a human actors in a romantic movie. Then she came up with a series of movie stills to show what it might have looked like. So I began to think about my favorite movie, Casablanca, and how a Muppet … Continue reading "Casablanca with Link Hogthrob"

A community that celebrates and honors differences also celebrates and honors the heritage that each member comes with. Our ancestors, our culture, the things that have been handed down to us through the generations. All can be worthy of celebration. What is part of your heritage that you would like to celebrate? Una comunidad que … Continue reading Heritage

      The Motley Bodhisattva by John Ching Hsiung Wu (I was taken with this anecdote in John Wu’s Golden Age of Zen. It offers a taste of the teacher Fudaishi. He is credited with the invention (some articles make sure we understand this is highly unlikely) of a library table for ease of […]

Dad was Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce which would have been responsible for this sign greeting circa 1950. Note : My memoir of a distant place and time has become a post-Thanksgiving tradition here. It was 1953. My father was the secretary of the Chamber of Commerce in Cañon City, Colorado.   We rented a big old stone ranch house just outside of town.   Kit Carson was reputed to have signed a treaty with the Utes underneath a massive old cottonwood in the back yard.   B e hind the tree was a big screen house and beyond that the barn, assorted sheds and outbuildings, the caretaker’s cottage and the s pring house built into the s ide of hill with its entry way of cut sod. The day after Thanksgiving the men from town—the merc...

Prayer for Dreaming Together - Week of November 28, 2022 Gracious Goodness, let us dream together of a world healed with our care, our daily devotions to repairing damage, our turning again and again with dreams in which every person, every being, every place, every culture matters. May we dream...

Life is constantly changing. Many times we know when the change will happen and many times we don’t. I guess that is life, always keeping us on our toes.  In the mornings, I will usually be seated on the swing … Continue reading →

      The Motley Bodhisattva by John Ching Hsiung Wu The Bodhisattva Shan-hui, better known as Fu Ta-shih, born in 497, was one of the most extraordinary figures in Buddhism and an important precursor of the School of Zen. Once he was invited by Emperor Wu of Liang (who reigned from 502 to 549) […]

UUSC partner works vigilantly to support women and girls at risk of violence in Honduras.

Sunday, November 27, 10:30 a.m. “Soul Matters” Sharing Circle 10:30am – Noon Unitarian Church of Marlborough & Hudson 80 Main St., Hudson, MA Cost: Free; donations welcome The Unitarian Church of Marlborough & Hudson invites you into a time of spiritual reflection with our newly-created Soul Matters Monthly Spirit Circle. Once a month, in lieu of   [ … ] The post Sunday, November 27 ~ Soul Matters Sharing Circle ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

Greetings of gratitude from TWH. Continue reading Thanksgiving 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

For some, being a part of a religious community is vital to their growth and development. For others, it is difficult to imagine. You deserve to find a community of faith that accepts and loves all of who you are. What would your ideal faith community be like? Para algunos, ser parte de una comunidad … Continue reading Community of Faith

For some, the annual angst over Thanksgiving is upon us.  For years Native American proteststhat the holiday represents European colonialism, American racism, cultural erasure, and actual genocide have begun to registerwith many of the rest of the current inhabitants of this country.  It is hard to deny that our First Nations, as the Canadians call their aboriginal peoples, have an excellent point.  The people we call Pilgrimsrepresented the tip of the spear of a virtual invasion.  Despite their reliance on the wisdomand assistance of the natives to survive their first brutal yearat Plymouth and the shared harvest feast they reportedly had, in less than a generation the settlers were engaged in brutal warfare to annihilate or displac...

This summer I shared a reflection from our daughter, Hannah about a migrating momma bird who settled in her back yard to give birth and wings to her offspring. Over the course of that month, she and Blake bonded with … Continue reading →

The Thanksgiving holiday reminds us that the history of this nation is rooted in colonialism, genocide, and a fundamental denial of human rights. But there's plenty of hope for a better future.

The World Cup in Qatar holds significant challenges for visitors from western countries, especially when it comes to any religious discipline, like Paganism or Witchcraft, that are not recognized or worse, criminalized, by the Qatari government. Continue reading The World Cup host: What Pagans should know about the do’s and don’ts of Qatar at The Wild Hunt.

A Q&A with Alexandra Lytton Regalado | For a long time, it was either the camera or the pen. If I managed to express myself visually, there was no need to describe it in writing. But now, I use both processes to dig deeper, although I haven’t been able to combine the two just yet; each medium still stands on its own. I carry around my obsessions, my questions, and when something nips at my attention, I spend a lot of time trying to unravel what it is about that image that has me hooked.

cristy cardinal Queer joy is resistance. Continue reading "Long May They Wave"

          When I lived in the Zen monastery in Oakland, I served on the jisha team responsible among other things for hosting guests. So, no surprise when the roshi told me we were getting a VIP visitor. His name was Samuel Lewis, and while he was mostly known as a Sufi […]

I struggle with an “I” mentality and have made many fruitless attempts at achieving or overcoming things on my own, only to realize that utilizing others and accepting help is the true answer.  You could even go as far as to say incorporating communities into one’s life is a survival instinct.  -David Johnson (CLF) How … Continue reading Survival

I used my new design cross-cut/miter sled on Saturday with a class in Wichita, and it worked great. In fact, I used making it as a demonstration for the class. Having only one runner allows it to be moved from one miter gauge track to the other and so as a quick introduction to the use of a sled it seems to be a winner.  I would still opt for the reliability of a two runner sled for my regular shop work, but this will be something to demonstrate to get box makers started. The adjustable sled runner that I had featured on the FineWoodworking website was a help. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2022/10/05/adjustable-sled-runners Making the sled less deep front to back allowed me to use an adjustable stop to control movement of the sled on ...

I stood at the edge of the woods behind my house watching the squirrels, several sets, racing across mountains of leaves and up and down a dozen trees. Their noise ruffling of the leaves grabbed my attention as soon as … Continue reading →

The ancient cornucopia has become a symbol of harvest plenty and blessings for American Thanksgiving. Note —This year the annual Clan Thanksgiving gathering will not be held at the Murfin Estate in Crystal Lake, but at my church, the Tree of Life UU Congregation in McHenry.   There are just getting to be too many of us to squeeze into the small front room even with furniture piled in bedrooms.   But many if not most of Murfin’s Thanksgiving Rules will still be in force. I have posted my Murfin’s Thanksgiving Rules before, but on Thanksgivingitself when everyone is too busy with preparations, entertaining, dinner, and cleaning up to read them.   I have been scolded for this.   “Damn it, Murfin!   Why didn’t you post this wh...

Some people in Scotland have started a Radical Bird Club. Here is part of their manifesto: “RBC strives to be inclusive* to adults** of any age, class, sexuality, race & ability. you don’t even have to know anything about birds. it’s just walking, talking, observing, listening & being with other people who want to appreciate … Continue reading "Radical Bird Club"

  Taken with a Fujifilm X100V Just click on the photo to enlarge it On rainy days like this I never fail to start singing the Beatle song Rain to myself. It always helps . . . Taken on New Square, Cambridge on Monday 21st November 2022 . . . straight out of camera using the Acros Dark recipe by Marcel Fraij. Rain (Lennon & McCartney) If the rain comes they run and hide their heads They might as well be dead If the rain comes, if the rain comes When the sun shines they slip into the shade (when the sun shines down) And sip their lemonade (when the sun shines down) When the sun shines, when the sun shines Rain, I don’t mind Shine, the weather’s fine I can show you that when it starts to rain (when the rain comes down) Everything’s ...

Some members of the local Christian community in Tuscumbia are opposed to a Yule festival, and expressed views against freedom of religion. Continue reading Tuscumbia “Festival of Yule” opposed by Christians at The Wild Hunt.

By Ruth Behar | When I called myself a vulnerable observer twenty-five years ago, most other scholars looked at me askance. The word “vulnerable” wasn’t on everyone’s lips then, so it always took a moment for colleagues to realize that it could be used in a positive way as something to be embraced rather than avoided at all costs. But since the 1990s, the word “vulnerable” has gone through a boom in the English language. We hear the word daily, referring to people, the environment, the planet.

“Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free.” -Starhawk, from Dreaming the Dark: Magic, Sex, and Politics Who holds you when you falter? “La comunidad significa … Continue reading Strength

Youtube has a policy on monetization from advertising that requires 4,000 hours of watching before payments are made to the contents creator. My own channel statistics are well under that minimum, so the advertising dollars are made by youtube and not by me. https://www.youtube.com/mr+Doug+Stowe  Please help me to cross the threshold by watching my videos and sharing them with others. The videos include woodworking with kids as well as the full contents of my three DVD's, Rustic Furniture Basics, Basic Box Making, and Building Small Cabinets. If you are a woodworker, watch. If you know a woodworker, share. Ten minutes here or ten minutes there can add up and your time will not be wasted. Make, fix and create.

New Yorkers gobbled up hastily printed extra editions as they gathered in shock on the city streets. November 22 .  For the members of a couple of generations, at least, I don’t have to say or write anything else.  You know.  The date and the event are etched in your mind.  If you were sentient in 1963 the moment when you heard the news is so solidly etched in your memory that you can recall every detail—the cast of the light through the window, the muffled sobs or wails, even the smell of that autumn day 58 years ago. November 22, 1963 was, of course, the day President John F. Kennedy was shot while passing the Texas School Book Depository Building in Dallas, Texas in an open car wi...

The more we allow ourselves to accept what is happening all around us,The more we can experience the ecstatic state of blissThat comes from feeling it all, being one with it all, no judgement,  no thought,just pure presence with it all Allowing … Continue reading →

2022 American Thanksgiving Prayer Beloved, may we give thanks in every day, and be reasons for others to give thanks. May we know collective secular holidays for what they are, and embrace needed rest, needed connections, needed generous joy, and needed space from demanding expectations. May we learn how to...

Some Christians insist that the Earth is unique and the only place where “intelligent” life can exist, because to think otherwise would upset their theology. Meanwhile, Paganism has no problem incorporating people from other worlds – and their Gods.

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, some Alabamans object to Yule festival as "Satanic," new discovery in Egypt, an update on Oak Flat, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of November 21, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Young Waldo William Emerson, distinguished minister of Boston’s First Church, drew his congregation with him into Unitarianism. So Ralph Waldo, born in 1803, the fourth of William’s eight children, grew up in a climate that prized learning, and culture – and became, himself, a Unitarian minister. William died when Waldo was age 8, and the family was plunged into poverty. His Aunt Mary, William’s sister, was Waldo’s dominant influence. She taught him aphorisms he would teach his children: "Lift your aims." "Always do what you are afraid to do." "Despise trifles." "Turn up your nose at glory, honor, and money." "Oh, blessed, blessed poverty." She introduced Waldo to Hindu scriptures and Neoplatonism, and her openness to natural r...

Lóre Stevens Food can be an avenue in the struggle against climate change and for climate justice.

The holiday season has arrived! Make plans to engage in your favorite holiday traditions at All Souls, or try something new this year. Here’s what’s coming up: December Events Tree Trimming & Hanging of the Greens & Lighting of theLabyrinthSunday, December 4 | 4-6 pmCome together for a soup dinner and ornament-making, tree trimming, and caroling and our newest holiday tradition: the lighting of the labyrinth! Please bring cookies for sharing. Holiday Choir ConcertSunday, December 11 | 4 pmJoin us for an incredible concert of holiday music, featuring All Souls choirs, from our tiniest voices through adults—Cherub Choir, Children’s Choir, Youth Choir, […] The post December Holidays at All Souls appeared first on BeyondBelief.

UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray responds to the devastating news of a shooting in Colorado that was a targeted act of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community. Continue reading "From the UUA President: Our LGBTQIA+ Siblings are Sacred, Whole and Divine"

Emerson Re-defines Us “Channing’s Baltimore Sermon, Emerson’s Divinity School Address, and Parker’s South Boston Sermon have long been accepted as the three great classic utterances of American Unitarianism.” (Conrad Wright, Three Prophets of Religious Liberalism )All three were widely controversial – and widely influential. William Ellery Channing’s Baltimore Sermon, “Unitarian Christianity,” in 1819 was the manifesto that launched and defined Unitarianism as a new denomination. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Divinity School Address in 1838 spoke for a new generation. Channing had defined us, and Emerson re-defined us. Invited to address the graduating class of Harvard’s Divinity School, Emerson, then 35 years old, delivere...