Rosa Parks' mug shot in Birmingham.  I echoed this frequently cited quote in slightly different wording, in my poem. Rosa Parks died on October 24, 2005 in Detroit , Michigan at the age of 93.   She is revered as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement for sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott by refusing to give her seat to a white man.   A young minister named Martin Luther King , Jr . was selected to lead the long campaign that led to one of the first great victories in for the Civil Rights Movement in the South. After her death that year, she was widely celebrated including the then unheard of honor for a woman and private citizen who never held high civil or military office of being laid in state in the Rotunda of the United St...

The word Samhain (pronounced Sow-Inn) is a special time of the year where the veil between worlds is the thinnest, the world we are in, the world of faeries, and the world of the dead blend together as one. Many … Continue reading →

“For those who came before us, we offer gratitude and thanks. May their memories be a blessing. May we feel surrounded by their love. As we go forth from this time and place, let us be inspired by their courage, their wisdom, and their dreams. Let us honor them by doing the work of living … Continue reading Inspiration

I don’t have control over death, as much as I like to include it in my practice. No Witch does. Continue reading Trying to Bargain with Death at The Wild Hunt.

Part 3 of The Gift of Heritage: In our faith tradition, we've inherited the promises of the generations that came before. What's our role in making good on those promises? And what are we promising the generations that follow?

I didn’t get much hiking done this week between eye appointments and attending an online conference for retired UU ministers and their partners. It has been a week of thinking about ministry, and about beginnings and endings. I gave away some of my robes and stoles a few weeks ago to people still serving. Retired […]

Writing in the New York Times, Stephen King says: “There is no solution to the gun problem, and little more to write, because Americans are addicted to firearms…. Americans love guns, and appear willing to pay the price in blood.” Stephen King is a master of the horror genre. Of all his output, this is … Continue reading "Horror"

The Fall of the House of Usher is brilliant. It sets Edgar Allan Poe’s stories in our time, but remains faithful to them both in message and in atmosphere. It’s scary and entertaining, and it provides some of most apt social commentary I’ve seen in years.

        The Japanese Zen master and critical figure in introducing Zen to the west, Soyen Shaku (釈 宗演) died on this day, the 29th of October, in 1919. He was born Tsunejiro Ichinose, in 1859. His older brother wanted to ordain, but was unable to due to family obligations. At twelve young […]

Sometimes, thinking about our ancestors is a source of grief. Because we miss people no longer living, or because we feel a profound sense of separation from them. There are many ways to live with and express grief, and we can learn from each other as we do this. How do you express your grief … Continue reading Grief

Maybe it’s not such a great idea to turn to writers from 1,000, or 2,000, or 3,000 years before the United Nations publicly published the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for teachings on the universality of human rights. Continue reading Ásatrú and Human Rights at The Wild Hunt.

Please join us on Sunday (29 October 2023) at 11:00 AM for “As a Matter of Fact” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. Rev. Barbara is back in the pulpit this Sunday. Members of the All Souls choir will sing and Rev. Barbara will introduce a new song. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (29 October 2023)"

For this Sunday (29 October 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 lesson for this week is “Give and Ye Shall Receive” on the theme of generosity (based on a story from … Continue reading "Pre-K thru Grade 5 Children’s Religious Education (29 October 2023)"

This class is an exploration of our eight Unitarian Universalist principles through artistic expression. On this Sunday (29 October 2023), we will explore the fourth principle (“the free and responsible search for truth and meaning”). The All8 curriculum is the creation of Jil Novenski (Director of Religious Education — Community Unitarian Universalist Church of New … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (29 October 2023)"

Please join us on Sunday (29 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. We will continue reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance and Repair … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 29 October 2023"

Every year, All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church presents the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award to an individual or organization in the wider community who best exemplifies the principles and values of Unitarian Universalism and liberal religion. For 2023, All Souls is proud to present this award to Madison Poche (Executive Director of the The Highland Center) … Continue reading "Madison Poche — 2023 Ralph Waldo Emerson Award Recipient"

George Cole & Susan Shaw in The Kite, 1948 A short  “ thought for the day” was offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation.  (A recorded version of the following piece may appear here at some point . . .)   —o0o— During August, whilst working on translations of essays by the twentieth-century Japanese Unitarian and advocate of a creative, free-spirituality or religion, Imaoka Shin’ichirō (1881-1988), I came across a short speech called, “Know Thyself,” given in 1978 to the first-year students of the Seisoku High School (正則学院) where he was Principal. At one point in it, he asked his students a rhetorical question: “Have you ever experienced flying a kite?

                    Reginald Horace Blyth was born on the 3rd of December, in 1898. He was the only child of Henrietta and Horace Blyth, a railway clerk. During the first world war Blyth was a pacifist and in 1916 he was sentenced to prison. When the war […]

 This week's Maine victims--ordinary working folks out for an evening. This week the worst mass shooting of 2023 scarred Lewiston, Main leaving at latest count 18 dead, many more wounded and a community shattered.   Last night the body of the killer was finally found after nearly three days of searching and two days of an area-wide shelter in place order.   This time the shooter, a 40 year old Army Reservist armed with an assault weapon,   had a documented history of mental illness and recent hospitalization after threatening to shoot up his Army Base.   Under Maine’s loose gun laws, he was allowed to retain his firearms.   That may or may not change now.   Unlike other recent mass murders there doesn’t appear to be a hate cri...

Tuesday, October 17, 2023, the EPA removed 21 species from theEndangered Species List because they are now extinct.The stated purpose of the list is to help conserve the species that are on it,to bring attention to the fact of their … Continue reading →

Different cultures have different ways of being in relationship with the ancestors. Sometimes, what is emphasized is an ongoing relationship. Sometimes, it’s memory. What are your cultural traditions and teachings regarding ancestors?

The first webinar in Side With Love’s series toward Clean Energy as a Human Right: Visionary Approaches to Federal Clean Energy Funding, was offered October 25, 2023. While congregations are excitedly learning about federal clean energy funding, how can make sure we're prioritizing justice in our actions? How can put our faith into action to ensure those most impacted by climate disruption benefit the most? Featuring Just Solutions, Emerald Cities Collaborative, and Rewiring America , this webinar covered how your congregation can put your faith into action to advance visionary approaches to clean energy funding with justice at the center. View the recording View the slides This event was co-sponsored by Side With Love, Interfaith Powe...

Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF – A Druid Fellowship) invites you to a Samhain ritual on Saturday (28 October 2023) at 3:00 PM in the grove in front of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church. The members of Thistle Grove invite one and all to this celebration of Samhain (pronounced SAH-wen) marking the turning of the year … Continue reading "Samhain Ritual (28 October 2023)"

Join us next Saturday (28 October 2023) from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for our annual Trunk or Treat celebration. Decorate your car and bring treats and/or a game, craft, or activity for children who come trick-or-treating to your car. For this year, we are excited to have the Lip Service Trio playing for us. … Continue reading "Trunk or Treat (28 October 2023) — Now with Lip Service Performing Live"

Please join us on Saturday (28 October 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 (28 October 2023)"

          RECORDANDO A ROSITA LA REMACHADORA Y Otros Pensamientos Que Surgen por el Día de Igualdad de las Mujeres James Ishmael Ford (Women’s Equality Day & That Image of Rosie the Riveter traducido por Miguel Acevedo)   Ayer, 26 de agosto, marca un día de gran impacto en la historia estadounidense. […]

The Asian Museum of Art in San Francisco has a polychromed wood sculpture of Aizen Myo-o, the Japanese name for the esoteric Buddhist deity of love and passion. His original Sanskirt name is Ragaraja. I have very little understanding of esoteric Buddhism, so rather than get some details wrong, here’s a 1916 description of Aizen … Continue reading "Aizen myo-o"

My father began asking me to go home sometime in August. He started with subtle hints – the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, random old music, and snapshots of shared memories. But I should mention that no embodied being in my home drinks coffee, and my dad left this realm 16 years ago. Continue reading The Ghosts of Home at The Wild Hunt.

I found the original lego that I'd printed to test whether or not my sketchup illustration instructions (precisely followed) would print a lego accurately enough to fit a real lego. The blue one is an official lego block The clear one is one that I printed using PLA filament on a MakerBot in 2015. It is satisfying that they fit so well. Make, fix and create...

By Aviva Chomsky | Few predicted that the peace accords and neoliberal reforms of the 1990s would lead to a flood of out-migration in the following decades, as flight would increasingly become the last resort of people desperate to survive, and ties to the United States made it the obvious destination. Migration has been an inherent aspect of all human history, including Central American history.

The horrible dangers of Kindergarten, led  to it being outlawed by the Kaiser in 1851, as was later noted in  KINDERGARTEN EDUCATION,  a pamphlet from the US Department of the Interior  By  ALMIRA  M.  WINCHESTER, 1919 No other phase of education · is more completely democratic and American  than  the kindergarten.  In  this respect the prophecy  of  the founder has been fulfilled  that in  America, the new world where new life was and is unfolding, the new education of the human race would take firm root.  In  Germany, the geographical birthplace of the kindergarten, little more than the outer form and the name is discoverable; the essence is missing. The kindergarten is not at home in Germany. The edict  of  the Pru...

Dylan Thomas in a characteristic pose before a bookstore reading. A few years ago, I noticed that Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath shared a birthday, October 27—1914 in Wales for him, 1932 in Boston for her.   They had little in common except that they wrote poetry—although poetry very different in form, theme, style, and substance—and died young each in a kind of pitiful squalor.   Each had crossed the ocean and died in the other’s country, a nice cosmic balance. That year—2012—their common birthday also coincided with a new moon and where I was, at least, a howling storm of darkness.   Sylvia Plath in a similar venue battling her invisible demons. You know me.   I am a sucker for cosmic coincidence.   So, I scribbled a po...

Miki and me in the Cambridge Unitarian Church, Sept. 2023 At the end of September 2023 my friend, dharma-friend, and meditation teacher, Miki Nakura, visited Cambridge both to lead a Seiza (静坐 — literally, “quiet sitting”) meditation session at the Cambridge Unitarian Church and to conduct my Kikyoshiki service. For those who are puzzled about why this style of meditation was being taught in a Unitarian setting, it’s helpful to know that Seiza meditation was the preferred form of meditation practised by the Japanese Unitarian movement thanks to the great twentieth-century advocate of free-religion (自由宗教 jiyū shūkyō), Imaoka Shin’ichirō-sensei (1881-1988). Imaoka-sensei knew and studied with Okada-sensei personal...

I received a contributor copy today of Make Magazine, volume 87, their November 2023 issue. It includes my article about making super-sized Froebel blocks representing gifts 3 and 4. And introduces readers to a bit of Froebel's philosophy of learning. The article introduces the maker community to the wonders of Kindergarten, some perhaps for the first time since Kindergarten is no longer what it once was. If you like making cool things involving chips, wiring, solder, 3D printing and LEDs, you are probably already familiar with Make Magazine. The company sponsors Maker Faires across the US and around the world. The book stand is one I made for an article in Woodwork Magazine years ago. Make, fix and create....

Of all the things I remember most about mom, it is her hands. She had strong hands, I remember the crease and lines. As a child I would hold her hand and trace the lines of her veins down to … Continue reading →

“Some people are your relatives but others are your ancestors, and you choose the ones you want to have as ancestors. You create yourself out of those values.” -Ralph Ellison What are the values you have created yourself out of? Where did they come from?

I really love Halloween, and in my neighborhood, it’s the occasion for the year’s best block party. Most of the businesses on the commercial street, Cortland Avenue, stay open late and post someone out front to give out candy or, in the case of The Good Life grocery store, apples. Some turn their spaces into […]

We site down for a conversation with Coby Michael and his work, and what set hm on the poison path. Continue reading Walking the poison path: An interview with Coby Michael at The Wild Hunt.

Pro-choice groups will be protesting anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs), or “fake clinics,” this Saturday morning, October 28, 2023, from 10 am to 12 pm, near Focus Women’s Center in McHenry, Illinois, 409 N. Front Street, Route 31. “If you’re pregnant and want accessibility to all your options, including abortion care, don’t go there!” said Dee Darling, President of McHenry County NOW. “It’s time we expose these fake clinics in our county—they’ll do anything to stop you from getting the abortion you may need and want.   Instead, you can find safe and confidential referrals to verified healthcare providers at ineedana.com or plannedparenthood.org.”                               ...

I won’t ramble on about my upbringing, but it’s not a secret that I was abused. I feel there are many children of the 80’s that inherited trauma from being raised with the saying “it’s just how it was back … Continue reading →

“My ancestors include Monahwee, who was one of the leaders in the Red Stick War, which was the largest Indian uprising in history, and Osceola, who refused to sign a treaty with the United States.” -Joy Harjo How might your ancestors have participated in resistance against oppression?

Nancy Ann (Nellor) McDonald, a community leader and civil rights advocate, died Tuesday, October 24, 2023, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 87. The post Celebrating the Life of Nancy McDonald appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Sabbatical Activity No. Umpty-Ump is, of course, making art. I’ve been doing art almost every day, which is a major accomplishment. A lot of what I’ve been working on is nothing I want to show yet: more explorations of the Tower of Babel and several themes that cluster around it. I’m working on one right […]

Our correspondent Liz Williams shares a list of Samhain an Halloween events happening in the UK this coming week. Continue reading Samhain Events Round-up: UK 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

A Q&A with Bill Ong Hing | I have seen children as young as two separated at the border from their families. When I interviewed these traumatized children in border patrol detention, I was ashamed of our what our nation does in the name of border enforcement. When I said goodbye to a fifty-year-old undocumented man at his home the night before he was deported, it was impossible for me to explain the rationale behind the removal of a twenty-five-year resident with no criminal problems to his US citizen children for whom he had served as soccer coach, homework tutor, insurance provider, driver to after-school programs, and loving father.

Yesterday I learned that the planned publication date for my new book, Designing Boxes , is April 16. In my shop I'm finishing some work that I'd put aside for various reasons. With the completion of the book, I have lots of clean up to attend to, and finishing of unfinished work is part of that. Make, fix and create...

Jeff Milchen Many states are exploiting the opportunity created by the U.S. Supreme Court having gutted the Voting Rights Act. Unitarian Universalists believe democracy must be both accessible and equitable.

 My experience at the CUC Young Adult Retreat I was floating in water so clear I could see the bottom. I sat on a paddleboard and relaxed on the pond. Dragonflies danced around me. There was occasional splashing from fish leaping out of the water, and there was laughter in the distance. I felt […] The post My experience at the CUC Young Adult Retreat first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post My experience at the CUC Young Adult Retreat appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

Christin Green I believe that we are all "life drummers" just waiting to join in the rhythm. Continue reading "Life Drummers"

“Welcome, welcome emigrante, welcome, welcome to my home……” BuffySainte-Marie, 1965. Earworm, me, 2023. As a child of early and recent immigrants, I have wondered about thewelcome they received when they arrived in this country. The welcome ofthe 19th century immigrants … Continue reading →

The Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry, Illinois cordially invites the McHenry County community to celebrate and early Halloween event this Friday , October 27 from 6 to 9 pm .   The festivities start off a 6 with a Trunk or Treat for children of all ages.   Members and friends will array their car trunks with appropriate spooky decorations and have lots of goodies to distribute .   There will be a vote for the best vehicle . Tree of Life Witches Dance in 2022. At 7 pm there will be a dance party with instructions so all can join the annual Dance of the Witches ( And Warlocks .)   Costumes and brooms are encouraged but not required. Around 8 pm folks will gather around a campfire .   B...

“But for the sacrifices made by some of your ancestors, you would not be here; they have paid for you. So, when you enter a challenging situation, bring them on the stage with you; let their distant voices add timbre and strength to your words. For it is your job to pay for those who … Continue reading Sacrifices of our Ancestors

Our correspondent Sean McShee attended a forum on ”Earth Democracy and the Rights of Nature" that covered many Gaia-centric interfaith perspectives. Continue reading A forum on Rights of Nature and Earth Democracy at The Wild Hunt.

SJAT will be hosting a table at the back of the Great Hall before and after services for the next few Sundays to share more about the Downstream Justice project and how you can get involved. We will gather after service on November 5th to walk along the ... read more . The post Social Justice Action Team News: Downstream Justice Project Kick Off appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Over the past month we’ve been exploring October’s theme: A Circle of Belonging. We have named and used several resources and wanted to share a couple of them with you, as we’ve had a few requests. This past Sunday, Wendy shared a powerful reading from ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Oct. 24th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Children and youth will attend the service with their families. Everyone is invited to bring a picture or memento of a loved one to honor at an altar during the service. The nursery opens for children under age 5 at 10:15. No RE sessions, 8/9 OWL, or ... read more . The post Religious Education on Sunday Oct. 29th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Sunday, October 29 Samhain Service: Heritage of Love Led by Rev. Alice Anacheka-Nasemann   Samhain, translated from Old Irish as “Summer’s End,” is a pagan festival marking the end of harvest season. With life falling back in preparation for the winter, the Gaels believed that the border between this world and the other world became thin   [ … ] The post Sunday, October 29 ~ Samhain Service: Heritage of Love ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

This Skill Up is led by Rev. Ashley Horan, our Organizing Strategy Director. We often talk about partnership and solidarity in organizing, and the crucial role of showing up well in crucial moments. But how do we know which potentially risky asks we're actually ready to say "yes" to -- and follow through with? We discussed a framework for having congregational conversations about risk, including expanding our courage as communities with significant power and resources. Our Skill Ups are a monthly training series to help build organizing capacity across our congregations and communities. We are grounded in our UU calling to be lifelong learners and organizing traditions' call to share what we know for our movements to grow. View on Vimeo ...

 I added five new listings on Etsy today. They can be found in my shop at  https://www.etsy.com/shop/DougStowe Among them is this one-of-a-kind box made of mahogany. It has a textured lid, is made with hidden spline joints visible only when the lift-off lid is opened. Make, fix and create...

We know we need to get to Net Zero and fast, but how? The People's Church of Kalamazoo has made a commitment to cut their emissions to achieve Net Zero by 2030. We joined Tom Hackley from People's Church to learn how their Green Sanctuary Team is working to meet this ambitious and critical goal! View on Vimeo View the slide deck Video of Oct 2023 Green Sanctuary webinar

There has been a huge movement of reskilling and rediscovering old skills. Foraging has been a skill that is as old as the human race. Being ancestors of hunters and gathers it’s somewhat natural for our species to forage. It … Continue reading →

Parts to fix my Grizzly 6 x 48 in. belt sander will arrive this morning. In preparation, I've taken the sander apart to the point that it can be reassembled with the new parts in place... at a savings of over $500.00 and a savings to our local community and the global environment as well.  Imagine a world in which things could be made to last, and repaired as necessary. We don't live in that world, but one in which complex devices are made to blow each other up. I'm reminded of the American bombing in Viet Nam.  We would drop cluster bombs on villages to kill the Viet Cong... each bomb costing thousands of dollars, when if we were to drop Kubota tractors as an alternative to bombs we'd have saved millions of dollars and made friends in...

A street encounter between acquaintances.  What will they discover? In 2020 Facebooks memory dredged up a status post from way back in 2010.   I had completely forgotten about it but after years of ever increasing American polarization and its attendant personal trauma I found it more relevant than ever.   From it I created found verse—making a poem simply by breaking up the lines exactly as originally written.   I have discovered a few of these over the years.   At least they are short and sweet and don’t drone on forever.                                                                  The late William Carey's sketch of the Old Poet reading. An Encounter Discovered in a Facebook status fr...

Sarah Pirtle sings, “all the people that I meet have a heartbeat.” Your beating heart connects you to all of the people of the Earth. all of the people who ever were and all of the people who ever will be. Honor your connection to all beings today.

Back in 2004, Brian Donahue, an environmental historian, noted: “Beginning in the seventeenth century England was able to rationalize the production of its own countryside partly by genuine improvements, partly be replacing scarce firewood with boundless coal, and partly by drawing on its new colonies and on trade with the wider world, whether cattle from … Continue reading "Ecological consequences"

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, a statue thought to be a water nymph turns out to be Aphrodite, upcoming Samhain events, tree sounds, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of October 23, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

We ignore fate at our peril. At the same time, we do ourselves no favors if we assume our entire lives are controlled by others and we can do nothing to make them better. Or worse, if we use fate as an excuse for doing things that are easy but unhelpful.

Discover how your pledge to All Souls shapes our community and the world. Be part of 'Sharing Courageous Love' in 2024 and beyond. The post Sharing Courageous Love: A Pledge To Give appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Dad and I listened on the car radio when President Kennedy addressed the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis and his eye ball to eyeball showdown with the Soviets. Note— 61 years ago this week the Cuban Missile Crisis riveted and terrified the American public, including a 13 year old in Cheyenne. This is my recycled memoir of that. I was in my father ’ s car.   I believe it was his official State of Wyoming 1962 Chevrolet station wagon.   We had the radio on.   Dad was doing me a favor.   He was a man of infinite patience that way.   We had just visited the Quonset hut that served as the official headquarters of Wyoming Civil Defense .   I had in my lap a box stuffed full of literature on how to build a bomb shelter, plan an ...

Today, the 23rd of October 2023, is the 75th Anniversary of the first service of Imaoka Shin’ichirō-sensei’s (1881-1988) Tokyo Kiitsu Kyōkai (東京帰一教会) , which was often translated as the Tokyo Unitarian Church (see picture to the right). Alas, the Tokyo community did not survive Imaoka-sensei’s death, aged 106, in 1988. However, thanks to the dedicated work and commitment of Professor George M. Williams, Imaoka-sensei’s belief that it was possible for there to exist a genuine creative, free-religion or spirituality (“jiyū shūkyō” 自由宗教)  has not died but has been passed on to people such as me.  It is not an exaggeration to say that discovering Imaoka-sensei’s vision and work through George has save...

It’s October in the South.  We will soon be free from days full of sunshine and comfortable temperatures.  My gardening will come to a halt…. just as soon as I finish transplanting daffodils, sifting my compost, and putting my garlic … Continue reading →

I love old photographs. Above my desk are the wedding photos of both sets of my grandparents. On my bookcase are photos of my family members in every decade since the 1940s. There is something about those soft black-and-white photos, some gently watercolored, that brings me comfort. -Michael Tino (CLF) Who would you love to … Continue reading Old Photos

The Craft is one of the only movies that shows, not in montage or in dream sequence, not in hints or in glimpses through a not-quite-closed-door, how Witches cast a circle, consecrate their spaces, and bring one another into the space between worlds. Continue reading Classics of Pagan Cinema: The Craft at The Wild Hunt.

Join UUs and James Carroll for our Biblical Scholarship Class the 4th Sunday of the month.

Yesterday, being international repair day  https://openrepair.org/international-repair-day/  and all, my Grizzly 6 x 48 in. belt and disk sander started making a loud thumping sound. I managed to get 44 boxes through their first sanding before the sound became completely unbearable. My choice became buying a new sander to replace my 30 plus year old machine or fixing the one I have. The difference in cost of one vs. the other is enormous, and fortunately Grizzly still has parts for my old machine. How often in this horrid age of planned obsolescence is that still the case? The repair of the machine, after parts arrive in two days, will take less time than taking a new machine out of the box and bolting the parts together as they come o...

Well, it isn’t COVID as I tested 3 times and have remained negative. I guess I forgot that bad colds can be pretty miserable. At least I think it is a cold. Could be partly a reaction to the flu shot and COVID booster I got on Monday. Who knows? Just thankful for generic NyQuil […]

What can help release people from the jaws, the tyranny, the coercion of superstitions of all kinds, giving humanity a better chance of surviving and thriving along with the rest of Earth’s biosphere? We will consider an answer.

Less than an hour after Colorado Rangers shot up the IWW hall in Walsenburg killing two Mexican members, these miners gathered to protect it from renewed attack. On October 18 the Great Colorado Coal Strike of 1927 began.   Despite being one of the most important and dramatic industrial struggles of the 20th Century chances are that you never heard of it even if you are fairly well versed in labor history. That’s because it doesn’t fit tidily into the grand narrative that has been constructed for labor history which says that the great period of industrial upheaval which began roughly about the time of the Great Railway Strike of 1877 ended in the wave of patriotism caused by America’s entry into World War I and the glittering era...

Shared in my October 22nd sermon “Lessons from My Depression,” I kept a daily log during my episode of depression in order to track what was happening. I used a simple blank book and logged each day: What time I woke up What my exercise was (aiming for 30 minutes …

In many cultures, it is thought that this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere is when the veil between this world and the world of the dead is at its thinnest. Many people celebrate this thinness by communicating with ancestors. What would you say to your ancestors if you could communicate with them?

Please join us on Sunday (22 October 2023) at 11:00 AM for “Unitarian Universalism and the Future of Louisiana” featuring the ministry staff and members of Our Louisiana congregations. This worship service will be streamed live from the Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You can watch the live video at 9:00 AM in the … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (22 October 2023)"

For this Sunday (22 October 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). At this writing, the children will either have class as usual while the adults watch the recording of the Baton Rouge … Continue reading "Pre-K thru Grade 5 Children’s Religious Education (22 October 2023)"

Our middle and high school youth will join us in the social hall for viewing the statewide Unitarian Universalist worship service in Baton Rouge. The All8 Youth Arts Workshop will continue next Sunday (29 October 2023) but youth are welcome to use available art supplies in the social hall this week to work on projects … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (22 October 2023)"

There is no adult religious education class this Sunday (22 October 2023). Join us for the worship service in Baton Rouge from the Louisiana  Statewide Unitarian Universalist Retreat online Sunday at 9:00 AM. Next Sunday (29 October 2023), we will continue reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi … Continue reading "No Adult Religious Education Class This Week (22 October 2023)"

Please join us on Thursday (2 November 2023) from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM for the Community Lighthouse launch at Morning Star Baptist Church (5340 Jewella Avenue, Shreveport LA) This is the first launch of the  two pilot locations for the Community Lighthouse and our block-by-block strategy to build resilient neighborhoods. Fill out a registration … Continue reading "Community Lighthouse Launch (2 November 2023)"

Join us next Saturday (28 October 2023) from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for our annual Trunk or Treat celebration. Decorate your car and bring treats and/or a game, craft, or activity for children who come trick-or-treating to your car. All ages are welcome to join the fun.

Please join us next Wednesday (25 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.

Please join us to celebrate the ordination of Tina DeYoe into UU Ministry!

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— In the dark and darkening days we find ourselves entering ever more deeply into — both geopolitically, environmentally and in terms of the season — a perennial question arises for a small community such as this one which is attempting to offer the world a contemporary, creative, “free-spirituality” or “free-religion,” what the twentieth-century Japanese Unitarian, Imaoka Shin’ichirō-sensei (1881-1988) called “jiyū shūkyō” (自由宗教). The question is: what of immediate benefit can be found b...

Today is international repair day, celebrating the idea that things should be fixable by the end user, and that we and the things we own should not be held hostage by the companies that manufacture stuff. The idea of course, is that if something can be fixed and is useful, it should be fixed rather than disposed of and replaced.  Fixing things not only extends the life of the things we think are important to us, it also builds confidence and competence in society at large, and by doing so, extracts us from slavery to stuff and the folks who supply it. It also alleviates some of the burden borne by our landscape, which currently suffers from abuse. Make, fix and create...

            (A dharma talk delivered on October 21st, 2023, during sesshin at the North Carolina Zen Center.) About five years ago I was contacted by people who ran a spiritual tour group. While they visited several locations around the world, they specialized in trips to Bhutan. They were planning their […]

Places can hold our memories in special ways. Some of us have special places where we can feel our ancestors close–our physical or our spiritual ancestors. Sometimes that’s a place we shared with them, other times it is a place that reminds us of some characteristic of theirs. Where do you go that you feel … Continue reading Sense of Place