Note —A version of this post first appeared in 2016. Did you know October 2 is the International Day of Non-Violence ?   Neither did I until stumbled on the information during my daily scrounging for something—any damn thing—to write about.   My first thought was that it is such a good idea that it is no wonder it is obscure. It’s one of those United Nations observances.   Right away that makes it deeply suspect here in good ol’ U . S . A . where a huge chunk of the population is still convinced that UN black helicopters supported by the minions Barak Hussein Obama are poised to swoop down and rip the guns from the hands of patriots .   But other UN holidays get better press even here—International Women ’ s Day , In...

This month, we will be thinking about the spiritual and physical gifts given to us by our ancestors. We invoke the cloud of beneficial ancestors to surround us with their love. Who are the beneficial ancestors whose love surrounds you today?

In 1977, Ursula K. LeGuin wrote an introduction for her anti-war novel The Word for World Is Forest — a novel which she had begun writing in 1968. In the 1977 introduction, she said: “1968 was a bitter year for those who opposed the [Vietnam] war. The lies an hypocrises doubled; so did the killing. … Continue reading "Still going on"

Dior highlights a witchy wardrobe in their Spring collection during Parish Fashion Week while Russo includes Pagan elements in their designs during Copenhagen Fashion Week. Continue reading Occult fashion is a trend: Dior, Russo get Witchy and Pagan at The Wild Hunt.

I think that perhaps the single most important thing to try to do for you today, as an expression of my profound thanks to all of you for being here with me on this very special occasion, is to give you a sense of why, back in June of this year (2023), I asked my friend, meditation teacher, and ministerial colleague, Miki Nakura-sensei, whether I could receive a dharma name in a Kikyoshiki ceremony in which I would publicly commit to the Jōdo Shinshū path, living within Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow. To tell the whole story properly would take way too long, but I think I can tell you something helpful in a reasonably brief fashion. Looking back through my life — which is, remember, deeply rooted in the liberal, Free Christian tradition...

A sermon celebrating the launch of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston's 2023 capital campaign. The post Renew, Rebuild, Rejoice! appeared first on Colin Bossen.

We're on baby watch with our first grandchild coming in just a few days or less. When the stress level goes up, and in order to keep active and unworried about a thing, I resort to my manufacturing mode. I turn my attention toward the well-practiced, tried and true making of inlaid boxes.  Years ago, I imagined myself making inlaid boxes into my 80's and here I am, turning 75 next month. I still have some productive years to go so I'll extend my imagining of continued box making into my 90's. By then I'll be old and cute and folks will clamor, "Make one for me, please!"  I've made thousands of these boxes in batches of about 50 or  so at a time, and the fact that I have orders and holes in my inventory, means that the world still has ...

Our Soul Matters theme for October is HERITAGE. We begin with a look at a few of the major strands of our UU inheritance.

Poison Oak is very common in this part of California. If you hike very much at all, you will see it beside many different trails. It is green in the summer, but as fall nears the leaves turn red. Really quite beautiful in some ways, but not something to stand in the middle of for […]

                    Annie Wood was born on this day, the 1st of October, in 1847. Under another name she would eventually gain fame as a journalist, and later a theosophist as well as a tireless worker for social justice, including working for Irish self-rule, and eventually a […]

  In 1919 Black sharecroppers in Arkansas who dared to start a union were attacked by posies and mobs.  Some of those rounded up were lynched, others were hunted down and shot.  Hundreds died. 1919 was a hell of a year in America.   In the wake of World War I long pent up tensions boiled to the surface from coast to coast.   The decades long open class war between the employing class and workers who demanded justice and equity through their labor unions which had been on partial abatement during war effort, reignited with a vengeance.   Bloody strikes erupted across the country—in the steel industry of the Northeast and Midwest; Chicago streetcar operators ; harbor workers , tailors , tobacco workers, painters , streetcar operato...

Please join us on Sunday (1 October 2023) at 11:00 AM for our annual “Blessing of the Animals” worship with Jennifer Russell and Jackson Peck. 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 … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (1 October 2023)"

Please join us next Wednesday (4 October 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is going dual-platform — join us from home using Zoom or in person in the social hall. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Because the Blessing of the Animals worship service is a celebration for all ages, there will be no children or youth religious education classes for this Sunday (1 October 2023). Both children and youth religious education classes will return on Sunday (8 October 2023).

Please join us on Sunday (1 October 2023) for our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also on Zoom. On this Sunday we begin reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 1 October 2023"

Each month we dedicate all of our non-pledge income to an organization doing the work that best embodies our Unitarian Universalist principles and values. For the month of October 2023, we choose North Louisiana Interfaith — an organization of institutions working together to make life better for citizens of Northwest Louisiana. All Souls is proud … Continue reading "North Louisiana Interfaith — October 2023 Give-Away-The-Plate Recipient"

“The Earth Is My Mother,” no. 1073 in the Unitarian Universalist hymnal Singing the Journey, turns out to be one of those problematic songs. The first problem is — who wrote it? In Singing the Journey, it’s attributed to “Native American, from Songs for Earthlings, ed. Julie Forest Middleton, copyright 1998 Emerald Earth Publishing.” Let’s … Continue reading "Another problematic hymn"

  We have been taught, again and again, that resources are endless and things are disposable. We have been taught by our violent, extractive, capitalist system to throw things away when they are broken. Instead, let us turn our attention to fixing things that are broken, to creating things of durability, and to learning how … Continue reading Fixing Things

My current, main Universalist documents sites, UniversalistChristian.net is back up. I fixed some bad formatting and have added a last-edited marker on the front page. There are still typos great and small. I know about some, but and report (including any broken links) are welcome. But getting more documents up or linked will be a … Continue reading "UniversalistChristian.net updated"

          Jalaladin Muhammad Balkhi, the wondrous Jalaladin Rumi was born on this day, the 30th of September, in 1207. I write about him every once in a while. Here, for instance, I devoted a whole dharma talk to him, for instance. In 2007 he got a lot of press as “America’s […]

Please join us on Saturday (30 September 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. 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 … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (30 September 2023)"

Guernica , 1937 by Pablo Picasso. A very large painting arrived in London on September 30, 1938, the very day British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement with the Axis Powers.   It had previously been exhibited at the 1937 Paris International Exhibition (World’s Fair) in the exhibit of the Spanish Republic .   It had created a sensation and was soon sent on a world tour to raise support for the Republican cause in the devastating Civil War wracking that country.   This is the story of that painting which became perhaps the artistic symbol of an entire bloody century. On April 26, 1937 aircraft of the German Condor Legion and supporting Italian forces unleashed a two hour aerial bombardment of the Spanish B...

There’s no standard set of rules for ritual since everyone does them differently.  However, sometimes there are things that just don’t add up. These are some of my Pagan pet peeves. I’m sure I have more. Although there is no wrong way to hold rituals, format, quarters, correspondences and deities should make sense too. There […] The post Pagan Pet Peeves — things that make me go eck appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

What does it mean to forgive someone who has made amends, who has apologized, who has repented for the ways they have hurt you? Who do you practice forgiveness for? What are the boundaries and limits of forgiveness? How do we move ahead together in love? What does forgiveness mean to you?

Scientists have discovered a fragment of a new Indo-European language preserved in the ancient Hittite capital of Boğazköy-Hattusha. Continue reading Previously unknown Indo-European language discovered in Turkey at The Wild Hunt.

Church decline in the West is a real if unwelcome phenomenon. We may not be able to have Christian life with the same cultural, political or financial force as we once did, but Jesus promised to be with us where two or three are gathered in his name. (Matthew 18:20) It would be lacking in … Continue reading "Wise words from Finland"

This month, we have been focusing on the gift of welcome. The writers here have shared with us many dimensions of that gift. Words. The words we speak to one another do matter, and how we choose to speak to … Continue reading →

As we perform the enchantment of mythicization on our world, we lift people, places, and things from the mundane to the meaningful. The trivial becomes tremendous and the ephemeral becomes enduring. Myth, regardless of veracity, can have more power than any truth. This power is not always used for positive ends. Continue reading Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, and the Wizard in the Forest at The Wild Hunt.

“When was the last time you changed your mind about something?”   For many of us who’ve been working on environmental issues, we’ve become experts on particular things, and - truth be told - it’s a lot easier to stick with what we know than to stop, reflect, and reorient ourselves to new understandings.  However, this is exactly what we are called to do if we are to center justice in our climate work.  Over my years as a climate advocate, organic farmer, and faith-based organizer, I’ve had to reorient and reorient and reorient again because I keep learning.  That’s a good thing!   As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”  The more I learned about t...

Conflict is inevitable. What plan do you have to engage? Let’s get together and explore ways to transform harm and restore relationships in our congregations with Wendy Weirick, a Restorative Circles Facilitator. You’ve met her as a Side With Love Zoom host who has held the Green Sanctuary and Climate Justice gatherings with tender care as we lean into this work. Now, she invites us in to share one of her passions, conflict at the community level. View the training Download the slides

            Satya Narayana Goenka died on this day, the 29th of September, 2013, at his Mumabi home. He was survived by his wife Elaichi Devi Goenka, six sons, and a generation of Vipassana meditation practitioners. It is probably not possible to overstate his importance at the foundation of the modern […]

An atheist asked why religious people “feel the need to advertise their belief?” with jewelry and clothing. There are many reasons – most of which have nothing to do with advertising. And the question itself is loaded.

Mid-17th Century London, London bridge on the right. On September 29, 1650 Henry Robinson, a noted religious dissenter, philosopher, writer , merchant, and sometimes government official, opened the Office of Addresses and Encounters, a brand new and unusual business on Threadneedle Street in London . At the office, for a modest fee of sixpence individuals and businesses could record their addresses, what services they could offer, and list what needs they might have .   The poor could use the service without charge.   Employers could offer jobs, and seekers find them.   Real estate including country houses was offered but lodgers could also find accommodations.     Hard to find merchandise was matched with buyers.   It is said that...

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;     you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach,     the restorer of streets to live in. -Isaiah 58:12 (NRSVUE) How are you called to repair what is broken in society?

Our correspondent, Elyse Welles, reflects on how relationship with the land fortifies her during extreme weather. Continue reading Living through Extreme Weather: Finding Empowerment through Relationships with the Land at The Wild Hunt.

  I have been at my work for some time now, and some of it has travelled far from home. A woman contacted me, asking "Is this your work?" and included two photos of a mirror and frame I'd made and sold in 1984. The frame is cherry and inlaid with a variety of Arkansas hardwoods. I etched the mirror using a sandblasting technique to give it a bit of extra value. It is nice to see that it was  well cared for a number of years before being turned in for resale at a Goodwill Store in Ohio. I commented that it seemed well cared for, and the buyer assured me that she would care for it as well. Who knows how long it will last? Today I went over a pre-release article on making giant Froebel blocks I wrote and photographed for Make Magazine. It...

My mother called me “tender hearted.” At times, I would cry for prolonged periods, and she would tell me to stop before I got a headache. She was right, as mothers sometimes are. I was tender hearted, and crying too … Continue reading →

Alexander Flemming in his Laboratory at St. Mary's Hospital, London. On September 28, 1924 Dr . Alexander Fleming, a Scottish physician and researcher, stumbled on one of the most significant accidental discoveries in scientific history—and was smart enough to understand what it meant.   Fleming was born to middling farmers on August 6, 1881 at Lochfield, a farm near Darvel in Ayrshire, Scotland .   Although he got excellent marks in school, and small scholarships allowed him to enroll at the Royal Polytechnic Institution for studies in biology, he was unable to continue his education and worked as a shipping clerk for some years before a small inheritance allowed him to enroll in medical school at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington,...

The Union of Reform Judaism (URJ) is in the middle of a restorative justice effort around various forms of misconduct. They released a message for Yom Kippur this year talking about how they will “make amends for the harms endured by victims/survivors” who have experienced “bullying, harassment, discrimination, sexual misconduct, abuse, and more” in URJ … Continue reading "Why we should follow the URJ’s lead"

I’ve build some of my sites, including hymnsofthespirit.org, universalistchristian.net (documents) and universalistchristian.org (original writing and perhaps more) using the Jekyll static site generator, but I’ve let them go so long that I’m having a hard time refreshing and adding to them. Did Jekyll change, or did I just forget how to use it? Either way, … Continue reading "Requests open for UniversalistChristian.net"

“When we have broader conversations about reparations or what it looks like to repair—particularly the harms that have been done to indigenous communities, black communities, other communities of color—I believe that love means thinking about the resources that enable life. So what does reparation look like at the intersection of communities of color and healthcare, … Continue reading Reparations

A panel of experts and several international organizations recommend meditation, yoga, and mindfulness as additional tools to help fight high blood pressure. Continue reading Expert panel updates blood pressure treatment guidelines to include meditation and mindfulness at The Wild Hunt.

Truth and reconciliation again? How to move out of shame and into accountability Introduction September 30th is known across Turtle Island as Orange Shirt Day, or Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It’s a complicated day commemorating the nation’s legacy of residential schools. Since our initial expression of commitment to Truth and Reconciliation in […] The post Truth and reconciliation again? How to move out of shame and into accountability first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post Truth and reconciliation again? How to move out of shame and into accountability appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

Emotions are hard; they hurt and sometimes linger for years and years causing deeper pain and anguish. Sometimes emotions are soft and joyous and fleeting. If we could only hold onto the joyous emotions as well as we hold onto … Continue reading →

NOTE: UCMH is traveling this Sunday to the First Parish Church of Stow & Acton,  located on the common at the intersection of Rts. 117 & 62, 353 Great Road, Stow, MA  **Worship starts at 10:00 am, with a drop-in choir at 9:00 am. All are welcome to come sing with Joe!       “PARTNERSHIP ON   [ … ] The post Sunday Worship: October 1 ~ “Partnership On The Journey” ~ 10:00 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

The contrast between different ways of dealing with sin in modern Shinto ritual and Buddhist preaching receives remarkable illustration in the sermons of Tada Kanai, of the Shin Shu Sect (the True Sect of the Pure Land), translated with admirable sympathy by the Rev. Arthur Lloyd under the title “The Praises of Amida.”  The characteristic features of this sect were described in this Journal by Mr Troup (Jan. 1906) ; it is only necessary to recall the conception on which its teaching is founded, that faith in the Buddha of Infinite Light and Life is the sole requisite for the believer’s salvation. In these sermons the preacher avails himself of all the resources of literature, ancient and modern, to awaken the careless to a sense o...

Julica Hermann de la Fuente Our bodies are so wise, and they hold so much information. Continue reading "Our Bodies Already Know"

  The wreck of the Fast Mail not only inspired the song, but this dramatic painting by rationalist master Thomas Hart Benton. There seems to be something about a train wreck that inspires a song.   Just about everybody knows Casey Jones .   Just two years after the disaster that inspired that tune , the Southern Railroad express known as the Fast Mail came barreling down a steep grade at a high rate of speed and overshot a tight radius turn right before a trestle sending the engine and train to a spectacular fiery crash at the bottom of a steep ravine . Within 24 hours a witness/rescuer at the scene had penned a ballad set to the melody of a popular fiddle tune, The Ship That Never Returned , the same tune used later for Charley on th...

Taken with a Fuji X100V using Anders Lindborg and John Sevigny’s Kodak T-Max P3200 recipe Just click on the photo to enlarge it  

It is possible to make beauty from brokenness. What results from the repair of our cracked and shattered places need not be anything like it was before they broke. Shattered pieces of tile are gathered into gorgeous mosaics. Our souls can be like that, too. Create some beauty today.

    Jan and I were at a gigantic annual booksale in Santa Barbara. We go there every year. This time was difficult as we are in the midst of dramatically shrinking our personal library. But. Well. There we were. I was halfheartedly poking through the books when I saw the title Christ the Eternal […]

a major decision by Brazil's Supreme Court enshrines Indigenous land rights. Continue reading Brazil’s Indigenous People win landmark victory at The Wild Hunt.

As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm that inspiration can come from the laughter of a child, the beauty of a forest, some of life’s challenges, meaningful conversations, an experience of the Holy, traditions in our family, music, and/or in the lines of a poem. What inspires ... read more . The post September Theme: Sources of Inspiration appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

As ministers, we have the gift of witnessing beautiful, brave, and tender moments in the people’s lives. Just in the past week we’ve been present as visitors attended a worship service or religious education class for the first time; a woman who grew up in ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Sept. 26th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We’ll have regular sessions of Religious Education (RE) Everyone, except the 8th/9th grade OWL participants will gather in for the first part of the service in the Great Hall. After the blessing, the elementary aged children will go to their classrooms: the 4th-7th graders (the Windows and ... read more . The post Sunday 10/1 in Religious Education appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

This week, the Oakroom Artists will install a group show which will grace the walls at UUSS through November 19th. Though the Oakroom Artists have had exhibitions of their art at UUSS since 1991, this will be their first show here since the buildings were closed ... read more . The post Oakroom Artists Group Show appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

In a Senate subcommittee meeting this last week, Senator Kennedy from Louisiana got a chance to grill a labor expert on the effects of the covid pandemic on children and child care. He insisted that there's no money in the budget to do the things necessary to keep our children safe. The expert assured him that if we were to raise taxes, there would be plenty of money, and that our budgetary problems are the result of 40 years of budget cuts resulting from the failed philosophy of trickle down economics.  https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/25/2195417/-Watch-a-Republican-senator-get-owned-on-child-care-funding Wishful thinking assumes that given the opportunity to make more money, rich folks, instead of becoming lazy and self-satisfi...

The Parthenon was originally brightly painted. Sitting on top of the Acropolis, the stony high point of Athens, the Parthenon in all of its ruined glory is one of the most famous structures in the world, an icon of classic antiquity, and for the Greeks, the symbol of their cultural glory.   But its current condition is not just the result of centuries of wear and tear or even of the earthquakes that shake the eastern Mediterranean.   Here’s what happened. The Parthenon we know today was the second—some believe the third—temple structure on that hill.   The first was begun shortly after the Battle of Marathon about 490 BCE.   It was a sanctuary for Athena Parthenos, the Virgin Athena.   It replaced even older temple structures ...

There’s a word that has more depth than feeling homesick, more meaningful than nostalgia and is more unique than longing… it’s a Welsh word that is not easily translatable to English that combines all three of these feelings into one … Continue reading →

“This is the season of repair. A time to reflect on how we might endure when life tears at us. We are held by the great Book of Life, in which it is written that we will inevitably face deprivation and discomfort. Longing and forgiveness.  Each among us must contemplate our own place in it … Continue reading Book of Life

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Pietas petitions Italian government for further recognition, Dievturbi in Latvia received recognition to officiate weddings, events, happenings and the Dumbo Octopus. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of September 25, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

Last week I created a webpage of Readings for Memorial Services. As a companion project, I’ve created a webpage of Readings for Weddings. At the moemnt there are more than 25 readings (or links to readings) there, including several readings by UU authors. And I have plans to add more wedding readings to it Real … Continue reading "Readings for weddings"

It was March of 2022. I was about to finish my one year of breast cancer treatment. I decided that I was going to give myself a gift. I wanted a little poochie. I started to look on the Gwinnett … Continue reading →

In 1778, James Boswell recorded a conversation between Dr. Samuel Johnson, then aged 68, and a man with whom he had been at college, one Oliver Edwards, then aged 65. One of these exchanges, included by Boswell in his Life of Johnson, interested me: “Edwards. ‘I wish I had continued at College.’ Johnson. ‘Why do … Continue reading "Other professions"

This poem has appeared on this blog at least many times for Yom Kippur.   I guess that this makes it an official tradition. It was inspired not only by my genuine admiration for the Holy Day, but by an ongoing controversy in my own Unitarian Universalist faith.  For many years UUs have gone blithely on incorporating snatches of prayers, ritual, and tradition from other religions into our own worship.  We do it mostly in good faith claiming “The Living Tradition which we share draws from many sources…” But lately we have taken grief from Native Americans for adopting willy-nilly rituals and prayers which we don’t fully understand and take out of context, many of which, frankly, turned out to be New Age touchy-feely faux traditi...

          (A sermon by James Ishmael Ford, delivered at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena, on the 24th of September, 2023) *** One day while walking quietly together, out of the silence the Buddha’s attendant Ananda declared, “Teacher, to have companions and comrades on the great way is so amazing! […]

Yom Kippur, the most sacred holy day to Jewish people, begins at sundown tonight. It is the last day of the Days of Awe, in which people are asked to atone for their sins. We offer you today this prayer from Joanna Lubkin. You may wish to light a candle or a chalice as you … Continue reading Day of Atonement

(CW: a blister is pictured in this post. I know that freaks some people out.) As reported earlier, I have been taking a taiko class on Sunday mornings. Taiko are the Japanese drums usually played in an ensemble; “taiko” means “big drum” in Japanese. If you’ve never seen it, here’s a group from the same […]

"The poet wrings a forever from Death, the only lover he will ever have who can really promise him that." Meg Elison reviews Jean Cocteau's 1950 classic ORPHEUS as part of our Classics of Pagan Cinema series. Continue reading Classics of Pagan Cinema: Orphée at The Wild Hunt.

This is a vessel I made as a potter in 1976. Make, fix and create... Assist others in learning likewise.

The second sermon in the series "Lives of the Spirit" focuses on the life and teaching of Abraham Joshua Heschel. The post Divine Pathos: Abraham Joshua Heschel appeared first on Colin Bossen.

I. How do we grow ethically? “With a bit of muddle and some hard testing,” as Louise said. Our mission here in this church is not a “mission accomplished” kind of mission. The job is never completed. For the second and third ones – serving justly and loving radically – it’s conceivable that we might reach a plateau. I rather suspect that we haven’t, but it’s conceivable that we could. And then our job would be just to keep on serving justly and loving radically. When it comes to growing, though, there’s no plateau. If your growth plateaus, you’re not growing anymore. Our mission directs us to, no matter what level of ethical or spiritual development we might have reached, keep on growing still further. Forever. When...

Welcome to my fantasy…a friend took the photo I used on this blog last week and ran it through some clever program and came up with this. I no longer look tired, but like a badass character in a fantasy adventure who clearly conquers much more than relatively small mountains. I loved the image, and […]

There was a serious motorcycle accident on hwy 23 North last night in a spot that has had many other accidents in the past. Today the roar of motorcycles will likely be that of bikers headed home, and I hope their journeys are safe. Many of us  who live here look forward to quieter times. I'm working with my editor at Taunton Press to tie up the various loose ends of my new book, Designing Boxes .  How-to books are different than fiction.  What I do and portray is real, and the object is that readers be enabled to do what I do. The editorial process, involving text editing, photo editing and careful layout requires a team to get the best results. How-to writers do not have the luxury of just making stuff up and careful editing can len...

                                  A 1950's era National Park Service poster promoted visits to Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming. My old home state of Wyoming has a lot of memorable, iconic sights—the Yellowstone geyser Old Faithful, the front range of the Grand Tetons , Independence Rock on the old Oregon Trail .  But nothing is more unusual or more recognized than the formation that looks like a giant tree stump rising high above the winding Belle Fouche River in a remote corner of the state—Devils Tower. After 10 years of futile efforts by the Wyoming Congressional delegation to have a much larger area including the formation declared a National Park o n September 24, 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt,...

Please join us on Sunday (24 September 2023) at 11:00 AM for “You Have to Open Your Hand First”by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. In this season of the Jewish High Holy Days, we celebrate the sweetness of a new year and release to be found in atonement and starting anew. We will have our ritual of … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (24 September 2023)"

For this Sunday (24 September 2023), our children (Pre-K thru Grade 5) will be using a program adapted from Moral Tales (a Tapestry of Faith curriculum by Alice Anacheka Nasemann and Elisa Davy Pearmain). The class resumes this week with “Faithful Choices: Hearing the Inner Voice” — an exploration of the power of our conscience … Continue reading "Pre-K thru Grade 5 Children’s Religious Education (24 September 2023)"

This class is an exploration of our eight Unitarian Universalist principles through artistic expression. Each week the group will explore and discuss one of our principles in depth and have an opportunity to engage in artistic expression of the ideas that emerge. The All8 curriculum is the creation of Jil Novenski (Director of Religious Education … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (24 September 2023)"

Please join us on Sunday (24 September 2023) for our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also on Zoom. On this Sunday we begin reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 24 September 2023"

Join us 20-22 October 2023 as we travel to join our Louisiana Unitarian Universalist friends at the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge for a statewide retreat. We will worship together, sing together, stay in the homes of UCBR members, and experience workshops and activities to restore our souls. If you are planning to go, please … Continue reading "Louisiana Unitarian Universalists Statewide Retreat (20-22 October 2023)"

Please join us next Wednesday (27 September 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is going dual-platform — join us from home using Zoom or in person in the social hall. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

The Little Red Wolf is a story that reminds me of this: that stories change, that people change, and while we need to respect and keep our traditions and culture alive, it doesn’t mean they can be an excuse for harm or put others in danger. Continue reading Review: The Little Red Wolf at The Wild Hunt.

Making amends to those we have hurt is often difficult. We need to figure out how to repair the brokenness without putting the labor (emotional or otherwise) on the person who has been harmed. We have to figure out what might make things right, and just do it, with no guarantee of success. When has … Continue reading Making Amends

Here Eureka Springs today I'm sitting on my front porch with Rosie. The rumble of motorcycles from the highway below our home is steady, pierced only by the occasional sirens of ambulances. Fortunately most of the injuries are relatively minor and from which bikers will recover to ride next year. I've heard that some local businesses are closed here due to the belligerence of some of our guests. Those who truly love this place will learn to schedule their visits when the swarms of motorcyclists are not here. And I remind myself that many of the bikers are nice, like the couple that stood in front of me at the Post Office. They were shipping home several packages of stuff they''ed purchased in our local galleries... art, no doubt. We cons...

Since beginning to blog, I have loved taking photos of creatures and plants. It is like a third eye that helps me to see the beauty all around me. Sometimes it helps me to look more closely, later. Like with the frogs in our pond–I think these three might be bullfrogs, because of the ridge […]

  A short  “ thought for the day” was 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— Today, I’m going to finish walking through the Japanese twentieth-century advocate of a creative, free religion or spirituality, Imaoka Shin’ichiro’s “Creed of Life,” by taking together his final three statements of faith, 6, 7, and 8. My previous three pieces, being an introduction and two further pieces on statements 1 and 2, and then 3, 4, and 5, can be found at these links: Introduction: A gentle call to adopt Imaoka Shin’ichirō’s creative, free spirituality found in his “Creed of Life” St...

Victoria Claflin Woodhull at the height of her fame. Note— In the 149 years since Victoria Claflin Woodhull became the first woman nominated for president only one woman—Hillary Clinton—earned the nomination of a major political party and despite her fame, long political resume, and declared status as a prohibitive favorite but lost—albeit by Electoral College smoke and mirrors—to a grafter and transparent idiot.   Victoria Claflin Woodhull , born in Ohio on September 23, 1838 . was nominated for President of the United States on April 10, 1872 almost 50 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in all of the United States.   Woodhull stood apart from other leaders of the Suffrage movement by...

Please join us on Saturday (23 September 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. 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 … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (23 September 2023)"

“May our hearts become large enough to recognize our own shortcomings in the ways we have treated others. May our hearts become large enough to extend sympathy to those who have hurt us. May our hearts become large enough to hold the complexity of the human spirit.” -Lane-Mairead Campbell How can you extend sympathy to … Continue reading Letting Go of Resentment

I did an afternoon presentation yesterday in the U of A Sculpture studio yesterday afternoon, and today I did an all day box-making demonstration. We made two boxes, one with a hinged lid, another with a lift off lid.  Then I made another partial box to demonstrate the making of a mitered finger joint box. Then one of the students asked if I could demonstrate making a bandsawn box. Taking a piece of spalted maple left over from a demonstration by artist Robyn Horn, I quickly designed and made a bandsawn box. I also made a sled, and led an exploration of the principles and elements of design. These were two good days and now I get to refocus on the edits for my new book, and spend time with Rosie on the front porch. The photo shows my yo...