In the Northern Hemisphere, we rest in sacred, healing darkness on the longest night of the year today. In the Southern Hemisphere, we celebrate in vibrant, warming light. How can you honor both darkness and light today?

We had a great tiny box making class this last weekend at ESSA with each student making several small boxes available for Christmas giving. Each tiny box is evidence of learning. Among the boxes we made are bandsaw boxes, bentwood boxes, mitered boxes, and super tiny boxes in which the interior space is hollowed out by the saw. We have only four making days before Christmas. My  tiny boxes book is available as a Kindle edition just in case you are running out of time. https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Boxes-skill-building-box-projects/dp/1631864475/ Make,  fix and create... Assist others in learning lifewise.

Even if you are doing your drawings on the computer, your hands will be engaged. This short video on the importance of drawing should be viewed by every educator, even those involved in history, social studies and literature.  All drawing, as it involves visual and spatial skills, provides enhancement for science and math. https://www.edutopia.org/video/sketchnotes-concept-map-comprehension Please share. Make, fix and create... We've only 4 making days left before Christmas. Don't know what to make? LeeValley.com has several of my books to choose from. Select $40 worth to get free shipping.

A Christian hymn written in 1934 begins with these words.  The writer wonders, as he wanders underneath an open sky how it is that Jesus the Savior came to die.  The hymn continues for four verses repeating a theme that … Continue reading →

When someone – or Someone – is gracious to us, the appropriate response is gratitude. And so I want to give thanks to the Gods whose presence and blessings have meant so much to me this year.

First, a Reflection from Rev. Sean Neil Barron “Rebellions Are Built on Hope” Gretchen said she was preaching on Rebellion, our conversation was something like this: “The simple gift this week is rebellion.”  “So, you are preaching about Star Wars.” … Continue reading →

      “The autumn breeze of a single night of love is better than a hundred thousand years of sitting meditation.” Ikkyu (translated by John Stevens) Ikkyu Sojun is one of my favorite figures in the history of Zen. He died on this day, the 21st of November, in 1481. He was eighty-seven years old. […]

                                                       A Winer's Carol by Tori Amos. In the United States the exact moment of the Winter Solsticeas defined by scientists—when the Sun is shining farthest to the south directly over the Tropic of Capricorn—occurs at 3:47 pm Central Standard Time today.  You can figure out its arrival in your neck of the woods. The fact is that last night was the longest night of the year and today the sky will begin to grow lightearlier each day. This Winter Solstice mandala incorporates traditional pagan symbols--the Druidic Oak as the Tree of Life festooned with ever green holly and features the glow of a full moon between its branches. In most so-called pagan tradi...

I will be co-officiating the Christmas morning service at Universalist National Memorial Church this year. It will be a smaller and simpler than usual Sunday service. For example, a responsive reading replaces an anthem, the announcements are up front and there’s no offering.  A litany adds more voices. The sermon, as yet unwritten, will be … Continue reading "Christmas Service at Universalist National Memorial Church"

Taken with a Fuji X100V, straight out of camera using Marcel Fraijs’s “Acros Dark” recipe. Just click on the photo to enlarge it. On Tuesday morning I went on a very slow wander around Cambridge and, as I passed the front of Trinity College, I saw one of the gardeners lovingly tending Newton’s apple tree, the “Flower of Kent” tree originally grafted from that which grows at Newton’s childhood home of Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire. The light was lovely as was the care of the gardener . . .

TWH welcomes back Erick Dupree, who reflects on the meaning of the solstice with a group of Pagan creators including Travis Holp, Juliet Diaz, Fio Gede Parma, Claire Goodchild, and Rev. Dominick Guerriero. Continue reading Pagan Voices: Welcoming the Solstice at The Wild Hunt.

Making Room at the Inn This time of year we are surrounded by stories of hope, miracles, and family; stories that bring meaning to the season for people of many different cultural and religious backgrounds. The Christmas story has become pervasive in mainstream American culture and it also subtly carries messages that are beautifully subversive. […]

“I wish you rest today. I wish you a deep knowing that exhaustion is not a normal way of living. You are enough. You can rest. You must resist anything that doesn’t center your divinity as a human being. You are worthy of care.” -Tricia Hersey, from the introduction to Rest Is Resitance How do … Continue reading Worthy

                                             Silver Bells (City Sidewalks)  sung by Bob Hope, Marilyn Maxwell, and William Frawley in  The Lemon Drop Kid . After two years of isolation due to the Corona Virus pandemic, the streets and stores are busy again.   But nothing like the bustle pictured in the motion picture debut of the holiday tune Silver Bells (City Sidewalks . )   Folks have become too used to the convenience online shopping and rapid gift delivery.   The shopping malls that largely usurpeddowntown shopping districts in the late 20th Century are still nearly ghost towns with most of their department store anchors closed.   Even the bells are rarer—here in McHenry County we are bereft of Sal...

UU singer-songwriter Peter Mayer has a song about scientists making discoveries, only to be squashed by the powers that be. Galileo proclaims the earth is round. Darwin postulates his theory of evolution. As curious minds question them, they answer, “Do … Continue reading →

I came across this photograph a few days ago, and wanted to share it with some background information, but the more I looked into it, the deeper the story got, so think of this as the first part of an open ended series. This photograph was taken on October 4, 1900 at the Universalist church … Continue reading "The Kansas Convention Church, 1900"

      John Steinbeck, American novelist, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, and one of my signal early spiritual guides died on this day,  the 20th of December in 1968. Since his death Steinbeck’s fortunes have fallen and risen, sometimes lauded, sometimes dismissed, perhaps demonstrating his complexity. Steinbeck is of course the author Grapes […]

Judge Heather A. Welch, of the Marion Superior Court, Indiana, has issued a preliminary injunction against Indiana’s new anti-abortion law, SEA 1. The state of Indiana had previously passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which strengthens protections for the freedom to practice religion. Following the passage of SEA 1, Hoosier Jews for Choice and several … Continue reading "When does personhood begin?"

‘Twas the night before Christmas at the UU in town,The chalice was lit and the church gathered ‘round.The coffee was brewed and the cookies were made,everyone waiting patiently for the next day The sanctuary sparkled with shimmer and shineAnd it didn’t quite matter if they started on time.The music was joyful and the energy lightBecause […]

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: December solstice events, Ardantane features in local publication, the After School Satan Club, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of December 18, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

It’s a dark time in the western hemisphere. Literally. There was only 9 hours and 43 minutes of sunlight on December 17. The days have become shorter and the nights longer since June. In ancient times, at this point in the season, people were terrified that the sun was dying. They didn’t understand what was happening, and they invented elaborate rituals to try to reignite the sun. Rituals of the Sun In China, the emperor would ascend the Temple of Heaven in Beijing and offer burnt sacrifices as an intermediary between heaven and earth, to keep the sun from burning […] The post Light in the Darkness appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Every movement starts with a moment. Join us as we reflect on how far on the building blocks of 2022.

Imagine two of the world’s most notorious swindlers in the middle of dry country in Kansas, singing Christian hymns accompanied by their author on an organ. Indeed, this happened. Rudolf Stallmann aka Baron von Koenig and Maurice Salis-Schwabe traveled across America as part of a group of potential railroad investors. Their plan was to use […]

                                                                                Light One Candle  by Peter Yarrow performed by Peter, Paul & Mary. For the Second night of Chanukah, let’s hear one from a largely secular and leftist Jew like so many of my friends.  Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary wrote the song in 1982 as a pacifist response to the Lebanon War which was reflected in the lyrics: Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice justice and freedom demand, Light one candle for the wisdom to know when the peacemaker’s time is at hand. It also connected the Maccabean rebellion against the Seleucid Greek Empire from 140 to 63 BCE as a war of national liberation like contemporar...

Deanna Johnson, Impact Storyteller de UUSC, conversa con Luis Enrique González, director ejecutivo de FM4 Paso Libre, coparte de UUSC.

The holiday of Chanukah celebrates a miracle in ancient times, when oil sufficient only for one night burned for eight, and allowed the re-consecration of the Temple to be completed. This ritual was vital to the survival of the religion of Judaism. What would a miracle allow modern society to accomplish?

I had a very successful 3 day class at ESSA, making tiny boxes. Six students made an average of about 8 boxes each of four different kinds. We started out making tiny tiner (Norwegian bentwood boxes of a very small size. Then we made bandsawn boxes and mitered boxes from shaped moldings cut on the router table. We finished with very tiny boxes with hinged lids.  Keeping the flow of materials and processes going kept me so busy I took no photos of the work as it progressed. I plan to take a slow, easy day to recover. The photo shows lid stock I made during the class for very tiny hinged lid boxes... waiting to be put away. Make, fix and create... Assist others in learning lifewise.

Public life in this country continues to be increasingly difficult. As a nation of people and many communities, we are divided deeply. Binary thinking in the worst way has taken us over.  This side or that side. Facts or fake. … Continue reading →

                                                                                The Anniversary Waltz  sung by Vera Lynn. We interrupt the seasonal songs of Winter Holidays Music Festival for a more private celebration if you don’t mind.  Forty one years ago, on a below zero December 19, 1981 at Chicago’s St. Francis Xavier Church on the North Side Kathy Brady-Larsen, a young widow, consented to marry beneath her.  The groom was a scruffy no-account with dim prospectsnamed Patrick Murfin. That summer we had renewed an old acquaintance at Consumer’s Tap on Lincoln Avenue.  We had a nodding acquaintance a decade earlier while I was on the staff of the Chicago Seed and she was a 17 y...

I always thought of Gil Scot-Heron as the godfather of rap. But Ted Brooks and the Jubalaires antedated him by a couple of decades. The Jubalaires formed as the Royal Harmony Singers in the late 1930s. Coming out of the Southern gospel tradition of Jubilee-style quartets, the Jubalaires went north to New York City. By … Continue reading "The first rapper"

Sunday, December 18, 3:00 – 5:00 pm, Santa Visit Our beloved Santa will visit us again this year. He would love to hear your wishes for Christmas.

As Argentina and France dueled on the soccer pitch in today's World Cup Finals, a group of Argentinean Witches have taken it upon themselves to work magic on behalf of their side. Continue reading Argentina wins the World Cup – thank the Witches at The Wild Hunt.

Throughout 2022, but in particular in the aftermath of the midterm election, I’ve been circulating thoughts in my head about the term the culture war and how I would approach it from a sociological lens. There are a couple of considerations that I want to address, in particular when the term has arisen in various … Continue reading "On “the culture war”"

A story for the Christmas season.

Hiking is like living in a metaphor. I have gone on 151 hikes so far this year. The sun has shone and the clouds have sent me coded messages. I have walked through mud and sand, scrambled over rocks, gone up steep trails and inched around drop-offs that terrified me. I have also enjoyed a […]

Almost Winter Solstice here! We got our first snow the other day, just a few inches, but enough to brighten the ground. It is good. It seems the long cold nights are infiltrating my spirit, and I feel weary. As I get older, it is harder to rejoice in the season of winter–ice has tripped […]

                                                            The Hanukkah Dance-- Lyrics by Woody Guthrie performed by Nefresh Mountain. Note —Our second holiday two-fer! It is the first night of Chanukah.  The innovative folk and roots duo Nefresh Mountain—Doni Zasloff and Eric Lindberg and friends—has recorded two original Chanukah songs by Woody Guthrie. They were composed in 1942 while Woody was living in Coney Island and learning Jewish culture and traditions from his mother-in-law and Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. He was also spending a lot of time playing for neighborhood children. The songs were resurrected from Woody’s vast archives by his daughter Nora Guthrie and arranged by Lindber...

Today is the first day of Chanukah, when Jewish people all around the world will begin lighting their chanukiahs (special menorahs for this holiday) at sunset. Families will gather around menorahs set in windows for this ancient ritual that lasts eight nights. How have you gathered to honor the past?

The experiences of our old religions leave a mark, sometimes metaphorically and sometimes spiritually. Those marks fade over time, and for most of us that’s sufficient. But if you need to speed up that process, debaptism can be helpful.

                                                             O Come, O Come Emmanuel  sung by Enya with Latin lyrics. Today is the Fourth and Final Sunday of Advent and time to share the most famous of all Advent hymns, O Come, O Come Emmanuel which also has some of the oldest roots.  As a boy it always perplexed me—who the hell was this Emmanuel, what did he have to do with Christmas, and how did Israel become involved? It turns out that Emmanuel—from Hebrew meaning “God is With Us” is mentioned almost in passing in the Old Testament book of Book of Isaiah in connection with prophecies about a war between the Kingdom of Judea and an Assyrian Empire with it’s vasal the Kingdom of Israel in ...

Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association Bylaws lays out our principles and purposes, and also the sources from which our “living tradition” draws religious and ethical inspiration. That phrase, “living tradition,” reflects a salient feature of both the Unitarian and Universalist sides of our religious expression. We do not invest eternal authority in some […] The post The REAL Genealogy of the Seven Principles appeared first on Dennis McCarty.

  For anyone who might find it useful, this is a (non-exhaustive) list of Unitarian and Universalist statements of belief and principle, affirmed over the centuries by the two branches of our tradition. This should serve as a resource for a more accurate, honest discussion of proposed changes in the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Bylaws. 1790—Philadelphia […] The post The REAL Genealogy of the Seven Principles (APPENDIX) appeared first on Dennis McCarty.

I was one of those people that loved Twitter. Oh, sure it had its problems, as they all do. But for the most part I found it to be not only the most informative and easy to navigate, but also the most fun. Then Elon Musk came. Continue reading Opinion: It Feels Too Musky in Here – or Why I Left Twitter at The Wild Hunt.

Please join us this Sunday (18 December 2022) at 11:00 AM for “The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate” (based on the story by Janice Cohn and Bill Farnsworth) presented by the children, youth, and adults of All Souls. This is a Hanukkah story about a time when a town came together during the … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (18 December 2022)"

There is no children’s religious education class today.  And there is no middle school / high school religious education class today. Our children and youth will be staying in the worship service for an intergenerational worship service.

Please join us on Sunday (18 December 2022) as we continue our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM.  Our adult religious education class is still meeting via Zoom. We are discussing the first full chapter of the book God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by Mirabai Starr. … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 18 December 2022"

Please join us next Tuesday (20 December 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.

Please join us on Christmas Eve (Saturday, 24 December 2022) at 6:30 PM for our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship Service. This is a candlelight service including a reading of the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, lighting candles in the darkness, silence, meditation, and carols. All ages are welcome.

  Tomorrow night the first candle of the Chanukah  Menorah will be lit.  Today is the first Day of the Roman celebration Saturnalia.     Tomorrow the First Night of Chanukah coincides with the Fourth Sunday of Advent.   Next Wednesday, December 21 marks the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and of course Christmas follows on the 25th. The First Night of Chanukah is 25 Kislev in the year 5777 in the Hebrew Calendar. The date on many calendars will say December 18, but don’t let that fool you—by tradition the observance begins a sundown the evening before.   The festival will run for eight nights until December 26 or 2 Tevet .   But don’t look for it on these exact dates again anytime soon.   Because the Hebrew Cale...

When I was little, I remember learning about the practice of la siesta in Spain and I was astonished. Even as a kid, I wondered how many adults actually took their mid afternoon break and if they were as happy about their break time as I was about recess at school. -Lecretia Williams (CLF) How … Continue reading Siesta

The Feast of Saturnalia--A Roman Slave's Carol is a festive tune from the Asholean Latin Inscriptions project and members of Oxford University Faculty of Classics.  Today marks the first day of Saturnalia, the famously lascivious Roman harvest and solstice festival.  It was first celebrated on this date—accounting for a couple of changes of calendars—in 496 BC.  Saturnalia was the Roman feast of Saturn, the god of Harvest, a dies festus , a legal holiday when no public business could be conducted.  At various points during the Republicand Empire festivities extended over seven, three, and finally five days. For a long time, all I knew about Saturnalia was that when I was in Cheyenne East High School the Latin Club nerds plastered...

Alan D.D. reviews Rachel Patterson's "Animal Magic," part of Moon Books's Pagan Portals series. Continue reading Review: Rachel Patterson’s Animal Magic – Working with Spirit Animal Guides at The Wild Hunt.

Following current CDC recommendations and in response to rising cases of Covid, the flu and the RSV virus in MA, UCMH is updating our Covid policies. We now Recommend that people wear masks while at worship or other UCMH programs. Although  masking will remain a personal choice, we encourage you to mask up to help us   [ … ] The post December 16, 2022 ~ Updated Covid-19 Protocols appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

All right. 2022 has been cute—in a We-Lumbered-Through-Yet-Another-Plague-Year kind of way—but now it’s giving shabby and dogged. That’s right. Time to sashay away and to do so with some grace and dignity. But before then, we need to give it up for our authors and staff who blessed Beacon Broadside with their words and insight.

Join us on January 13 at 6 pm for a Karaoke Party!

For our communities to thrive in a fossil-free dream world, we must have robust, equitable clean energy systems that center justice and the lived experiences of those on the front lines of climate change. Focusing on clean energy as a human right elevates just and equitable clean energy strategies like energy justice, energy democracy, community solar, energy efficiency, and more. As many of our congregations are gearing up to apply for Federal funding for clean energy projects, it’s important that we embrace a visionary and prophetic approach that ensures a clean energy future for all - no sacrifice zones! Stay tuned in 2023 as we dig into these issues to help UUs decarbonize our communities, not just our sanctuaries! UU Ministry For ...

In honor of International Migrants Day on December 18, UUSC interviewed Patrice Lawrence, executive director of UUSC partner the UndocuBlack Network (UBN). In her time at UBN, she is steadily leading the charge on what currently and formerly undocumented Black immigrants need by making their demands clear on a local and national level. Patrice is […]

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is pleased to announce they have hired Joy Berry as the Children and Families Faith Development Specialist, starting January 23. The position has been re-established as part of the Lifespan Faith Engagement (LFE) team to fully integrate the needs of... Continue reading "UUA Hires Joy Berry as Children and Families Faith Development Specialist "

Please join us on Saturday (17 December 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 (17 December 2022)"

“Stillness is our primal becoming: how we live up to ourselves. Makes the most; shapes action. A beating heart rests every chance it gets.” -Atena Danner, from her poem “Divine Right to Rest,” in Incantations for Rest Find some time to be still today.

Compassion for Campers , the organization which supplied urgently needed cold weather survival gear, other supplies, personal hygiene items, and non-perishable food to the McHenry County unhoused and housing insecure, will offer its last distribution for 2022 today at Willow Crystal Lake, 100 South Main Street from 10am to 2am at Community Resource Day.   Snow finally dusts the ground and temperatures will plunge over the days leading to Christmas. Homeless for Christmas.  You can help. To sustainthis critical service next year, please consider making a generous donationto Compassion for Campers while making your end of the tax year qualifying donations.   Gifts can be made by sending a check made out to Tree of Life UU Congregation, ...

Today I start a three day class making Tiny Boxes with 6 students at ESSA. It promises to be a fun class. Nearly all the students in this class have been in my earlier classes, so it should be a great deal of fun... hanging out with friends and making stuff. I'm grateful for the opportunity, and thank ESSA for providing it. We have 9 making days before Christmas. Make, fix and create... 

Over a year ago, I received the nudging from Spirit to set aside enough time on Saturday mornings to go out and sit on the edge of the woods behind our house and just be, just listen, just be present … Continue reading →

Prayer for the Week of December 19, 2022 - Prayer for the Earth Wisdom, as we turn toward the solstices, those halfway points between equinoxes, the deepening of winter or summer, depending on the hemisphere in which we live, may we pay extra attention to our climate choices and how...

                                                         Pedir Posadas,  a traditional Mexican Posadas song with Spanish lyrics. Today is the first day of the traditional Mexican celebration of Las Posadas, a novenario or novena—an extended nine daydevotional prayer observed between December 16 and Christmas EveDecember 24.   The more than 400 year-old custom has spread to other Latin American nations and to the Mexican diasporain the United States. A neighborhood Posada procession in a painting by  Carmen Lomas Garza in the National  Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. Las Posadas derives from the Spanish word posada for a lodging, or inn and during the nine-day period during Advent it re-enactsthe ...

I was talking with one of the elders in our congregation this afternoon. Somehow, we got to talking about classical music. She happened to know a great deal about opera, and asked me if I knew Ileana Cotrubas. I didn’t. She played me a short recording. Now, I tend to prefer mezzo-sopranos to sopranos, and … Continue reading "Voices"

Adrianne Blanks, a relative newcomer to the Asheville area, releases a new Pagan version of a beloved holiday carol. Continue reading “The words didn’t really fit what I believed:” New seasonal music release reclaims Pagan roots at The Wild Hunt.

  A positive change in attitudes concerning sexuality occurred in the opening years of the twenty-first century.  In the year 2000, the little state of Vermont became the first in the country to sanction civil unions - the legal equivalent of marriage – for same sex couples.  Fifteen years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that under the Fourteenth Amendment Americans everywhere have a right to marry the person they love.  And now, this month, Congress passed a Respect for Marriage Act guaranteeing (just in case the Supremes change their mind) that the law of the land remains in place.   A generation ago, moralists warned that homosexual unions would mean social breakdown and the end of the traditional family.  Instead, the In...

UUSC Impact Storyteller Deanna Johnson sits down with Luis Enrique Gonzalez, Executive Director of UUSC partner FM4 Paso Libre.

A Japanese hidden Christian wall scroll depicting Mary holding the young Jesus, with two saints looking on (Shimano-yakata Museum, Ikitsuki) (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— Remaining with the theme I have unexpectedly found myself pursing with you throughout this season (see HERE and HERE), namely, uncovering things within the Advent and Christmas myths that are obscured from our view, this week I’d like to offer you a story about the birth of Jesus that was long obscured from us. It comes from the Kakure Kirishitan community, the so called “Hidden Christians” of Japan who went into hiding following the ban on Christianity imposed by the Tokugawa shogunate at the start of the 17th ce...

Side With Love is thrilled to announce 30 Days of Love 2023! Our annual month of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice, 30 Days of Love will go from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 16) through Valentine’s Day (February 14). This year’s 30 Days of Love is a gift to our whole community: a love letter, a warm hug, a spiritual balm for all of the individuals, families, religious professionals, partners and communities that embody our values and work for justice and liberation year round. Each week will feature a spiritual theme overlapping with one of Side With Love’s intersectional justice priorities, and we'll share an array of offerings to help nourish your spirit and give gratitu...

Rest is many things, only some of them “logical.” As someone who lived mostly in my head for much of my life, I had a hard time grasping the rationale of rest; there was always so much to do, and life was so short! I wanted to pack all I could into every moment. Rest … Continue reading Illogical

Researching the confidence tricksters and spies in Maurice Schwabe’s orbit required extreme patience and a lot of record keeping. I had my own version of those boards in the crime films where the cops post photos of suspects and tie them together with pieces of yarn. I created dossiers in a program called Scrivener listing […]

I did not have the opportunity to go to college. I had to work to take care of my family. I do wonder what my life would have been like if I had.  My dream career was to be an … Continue reading →

    Some Apocryphal Psalms in Syriac William Wright I was rummaging around looking for something else when I stumbled upon the small factoid that the Syriac Orthodox Church has, depending on how you count it, four or five Psalms in addition to the generally understood list of 150 collected in Protestant and Catholic churches. […]

                                                                        Simon and Garfunkel's A Hazy Shade of Winter . It’s a mystery. Why do some non-holiday winter songs get included in Christmas music playlists and others don’t?   Is it because they aren’t perky with a catchy hook, full of romance, or a clever novelty tune?   Take, for example, Simon and Garfunkel’s A Hazy Shade of Winter . The 1966 single sleeve for A Hazy Shade of Winter . Despite being the second biggest hit off the duo’s landmark 1968 album Bookends peaking at # 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 after Mrs. Robinson which reached #1, you won’t find the song on Yule radio.   Maybe it’s because it is a rather gloo...

Susan Frederick-Gray Dr. Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, shares a blessing for the holiday season in the final year of her administration.

The controversy over the proposed A303 tunnel continues with costs for the project rising and little agreement on exactly how the project should proceed. Continue reading The latest on the Stonehenge Tunnel at The Wild Hunt.

Sunday, December 18, 10:30 a.m.  “The Light Keeper’s Box” ~ Solstice Pageant Shared Sunday Worship Service at First Parish UU, Northboro This Sunday, UCMH joins with our friends at First Parish Northboro to celebrate the beauty of the season as we approach the shortest day of the year, a time filled with magic and mystery. At   [ … ] The post Sunday Worship: December 18 ~ Joint Service at First Parish Northboro ~ Solstice Pageant ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

    As it happens it was on this day, the 14th of December in 1782 that the Montgolfier brothers made their first test flight of a hot air balloon. The balloon floated a little over a mile before coming to ground. Surprised onlookers destroyed the remains of the balloon. As it happens, it was […]

Tania Márquez Every time we open ourselves to one another, we become more human. Continue reading "Leading Las Posadas"

I hate naps. I always wake up feeling awful. My mouth is dry, my body feels achy, and I somehow feel more tired than when I went to sleep. But, I rest in other ways. I rest by recharging with loved ones. I rest by watching my favorite TV show. I rest by closing my … Continue reading Recharging

Starlight Starbright First start I see tonight I may, I might, wish upon that start so bright.  And when the sun tells me the day’s begun. I’ll turn to see my miracle appear to me.  The journey’s hard, the night … Continue reading →

The Winter Solstice is more than a single point in time. It’s a season, one with multiple liminal zones where anything can happen. Make good use of it – if you can.

      TWENTY-THREE ZEN BOOKSEssential Reading on the Intimate Way James Ishmael Ford Rolling out, rolling back, how many scrolls of sutras does it recite?It dies here; it is born there;it has several kinds of chapters and verses Keizan Jokin When I first started practicing Zen it seemed possible to read pretty much everything […]

The trend around the world to return to plundered artifacts to their countries of origin continues to gain momentum despite some countries and their institutions exhibiting reluctance to repatriate some artifacts. Continue reading Repatriation of plundered artifacts continues at The Wild Hunt.

Sometimes joy can come from small simple things, like a favorite ornament, Grandma’s latke recipe, time to put together a puzzle, sitting quietly in the dark, or a walk in the snow. One of Lynn’s little joys each December is seeing Edna the Solstice turtle, and ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Dec. 13th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

It’s our multigenerational Solstice Service at 10:30 in the Great Hall. This is big energy service with elements geared towards children and youth of all ages: imagery, music, and storytelling. Both the adult choir and the children’s choir will sing. Afterwards there will be snacks ... read more . The post This Week in Religious Education – Dec. 13th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

    TWENTY-FOUR ZEN BOOKSEssential Reading on the Intimate Way James Ishmael Ford When I first started practicing Zen it would be possible read pretty much everything on offer in a week or two. Today, every year more books are appearing than can be read. So some sorting becomes necessary. And with that people offer […]

The UUA supports the recently-passed Respect for Marriage Act and also emphasizes the need to go further in protecting the full rights of people across the spectrum of gender and sexuality. Continue reading "UUA Supports Strengthening Legal Foundation for LGBTQIA+ Marriages While Calling for Greater Protections: Respect for Marriage Act, Signed by President Biden, Will Provide Basic Legal Recognition for Marriage Regardless of Future Supreme Court Decisions"

All taken with a Fuji X100V and are straight out of camera. For the colour photos I used Øyvind Nordhagen’s “OWH Daylight” recipe and, for the black and white shot, Marcel Fraijs’s “Acros Dark” recipe. Just click on a photo to enlarge it.     

Once when I described myself as “lazy” someone said, “Whose word is that? Is that your word?” And I realized it wasn’t my word. My words would be rested, thoughtful, cozy, rejuvenated. -Marin Smith (CLF) What other good words can replace the negative language we sometimes use about ourselves when choosing to rest?

Today I'm finishing the installation of Brusso hinges in boxes made for an article in Popular Woodworking magazine. To cut the mortises for the hinges to fit I demonstrated my "flipping story stick" technique on the router table. It is gratifying when it comes out perfect, as shown in the photo. Yes, it takes practice. Do it a few times and you get better at it. The wood is ash. The hidden spline corners have contrasting walnut splines that are only visible when the box is opened. The splines, with grain running in the same direction as the grain in the sides provides a joint that can last centuries if the box is valued by its owners. Make, fix and create... Assist others in learning likewise.

A friend, Tim, brought a great book to my attention and sent me a youtube link to an interesting presentation by British author Raymond Tallis. His 2003 book, The Hands: A Philosophical Inquiry into Being Human was one I’d never read. The video is worth watching.  https://youtu.be/gsfP4Miwpfw A point that should be made about my book, the Wisdom of Our Hands , is how it differs from previous explorations in the same field.  Where books like Tallis’s (also Frank Wilson’s the Hand , and Sennett’s t he Craftsman) explore from a philosophical and scientific angle, mine explores from a foundation of personal experience and thereby attempts to illustrate the same points from a more personal (and hopefully accessible) perspective. It ...