Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas sung my Judy Garland to Margaret O'Brien in  Meet Me in St.Louis . We are closing in on the big day and haven’t honored some of the greatest secular songs from the Golden Age of American Christmas Music.  In particular we have been remiss in failing to share the greatest performance of a modern Holidaysong ever.  Period. No arguments.  The crown goes to Judy Garland singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas to Margaret O’Brien in the 1944 film classic Meet Me in St. Louis. As the Coronavirus pandemic resurgesand rages yet again, the throat catching melancholy of Garland’s performanceis more resonate than ever. In some ways the role of the second daughter Esther of the comfortably midd...

The baby carried by Mary in the Christian Scripture is more than just a baby. Within her is growing hope for the world. Within her is growing a new way of human relations. What is growing in you?

Peter Kasin, the coordinator of the monthly sea chantey singing from San Francisco Maritime Historical Park, sent out a holiday greeting filled with fish puns. I love fish puns. Even though they give some people a haddock, and other people carp about them, and still others say that puns are crappie — I love fish … Continue reading "Fishy carols"

As we approach the end of a challenging year, we reflect on some of the ways our advocates have worked to advance human rights around the world.

A round-up of archeological finds from ancient pagan sites in Cyprus and eastward to the Persian Gulf. Continue reading Finds from the ancient Mediterranean and Eastward at The Wild Hunt.

Prof.lumacorno, CC BY-SA 4.0Medium’s tags make it easy to know what people are happy to talk about. The tag for racism has been used 65,000 times, and race has been used 25,000 times, but the tag for class has only been used 3,900 times, and classism has been used less than 400 times. On Medium, writers are more than six times willing to talk about race than class, and 170 times more willing to

      I’m a life long student of the koan way. It has given me the contours of the formal part of my interior life. And, I remain endlessly grateful. I’m also interested in how we might find koans outside of the formal canon, the received cases enshrined in the great anthologies and within […]

Laura Shay May we continue to find ways to connect while keeping safe this holiday season. Continue reading "A Village of Strangers"

My new book, "The Wisdom of our Hands" has been reviewed and recommended by Booklist, a review service maintained by the American Library Association as an aid to librarians selecting books for their collections.  https://www.booklistonline.com They say in part, "This book will appeal to readers who wish to learn more about woodworking and crafting, but from a broader perspective, anyone looking for a way to reconnect with the Earth would do well to read Stowe's wisdom."  The full review will go live on their website on January 13, 2022. Foreword Reviews will review the Wisdom of Our Hands in their March/April print magazine. Forewordreviews.com Make, fix and create...

                                                                        Bessie Smith-- At the Christmas Ball . Tired of sweet , sentimental , silly , juvenile , or holy holiday music ?   Yearn for something different , grittier , and more raucous ?   We’ve got just the pill for what ails you courtesy of Bessie Smith who as always was ready to party down .   At the Christmas Ball may be the first blues Christmas track ever laid down.   The Empress of the Blues was just 31 years old and two years into her tenure on Columbia Records on November 18, 1925 when she cut a recording in New York City. Bessie Smith in flapper finery in the mid-1920's. She was already the most popular female singer o...

“Let parents sense and share with their children the glory and mystery of everyday things.” -Sophia Lyon Fahs How can you share a sense of wonder with someone else today?

Would you like to have your words or art woven through worship and other UUSS activities? Using the theme, “Connected Through Love, We Nurture the Flame,” as inspiration, you are invited to write a poem, chalice lighting, chalice flame releasing, prayer, meditation, create visual art, ... read more . The post Calling all Poets, Writers, and Artists! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Montclair Film, CC BY 2.0In How Racism Relies on Arbitrary Hierarchies, Ibram X. Kendi does what the smartest identitarians do: he mixes interesting facts with mistaken beliefs. The most mistaken is this:“It is one of the ironies of antiracism that we must identify racially in order to identify the racial privileges and dangers of being in our bodies.” —Ibram X. KendiThat comes from his belief

We have been appreciating the incredible array of light and darkness this week… the colors of the sunrises and sunsets, the bright glow of the full moon, the grey-white skies when it is overcast, and the long nights as Winter begins. With all this, there ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Dec. 21st appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

TONIGHT — CHILDREN’S WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION! UUSS youngin’s and their families are invited to join Director of Lifespan Religious Education Robin Ahearn Tuesday evening, 12/21, 6-6:30, for an online Children’s Winter Solstice Celebration! Contact Kristin Cleveland, UUSS Congregational Life Coordinator, for the Zoom link. UPCOMING RE CLASSES: RE ... read more . The post RE This Week – Dec. 21st appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Please join us for a four-part Adult Faith Development class titled: Transcendentalism Then and Now, led by Rev. John Buehrens. Hosted virtually at First Unitarian Rochester and sponsored by the St. Lawrence Chapter of the UU Minister’s Association. Background reading (optional) for the course is Rev. ... read more . The post Transcendentalism: Then and Now appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The next book the BIPOC reading group has chosen is The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas, which we will discuss on Monday, January 24, at 6:30 pm. If you’d like to read this on your computer, here is a link to a PDF of it:  ... read more . The post Discussion of Angie Thomas’ book The Hate U Give appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

      Do not go gentle into that good night,Old age should burn and rave and close of day;Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning theyDo not go gentle into that good night.Good men, the last wave […]

Solstice blessings from The Wild Hunt Continue reading Solstice Blessings from The Wild Hunt at The Wild Hunt.

After the longest night, the shortest day dawns with beauty in the sky, and draws me outside into the cold and colors of morning. Snow is covering the ground at last, which has brightened up these last few dark days. Margy and I are learning to play backgammon for holiday fun during the isolation of […]

When I was a child, I would spend part of my summers visiting with my mother’s family in the mountains of Lebanon. I remember sitting out back of the house we shared with our aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins - drinking tea and playing card games with mismatched decks. Some of my clearest memories are from our nights spent outside, because it was then I noticed things that I hadn’t quite picked up on before. The scent of the jasmine blooming around the front yard. The flicker and flight of the bats that lived in the mountains. The persistent, if not foreboding, sound of mosquitoes on the hunt for a meal around our heads.  There were reflections of life around me that, were it not for the darkness of night, I might never have ...

Our Gods are not divine helicopter parents – I’ve heard one consistent message throughout this whole period: just keep moving. As we close down a difficult 2021 and get ready for an uncertain 2022, I think it’s important to share these words with everyone.

                                                       Yule   by Lisa Thiel. In the United States the exact moment of the Winter Solstice as defined by scientists—when the Sun is shining farthest to the south directly over the Tropic of Capricorn—occurs at 9:59 am 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 light earlier each day. In most pagan traditions around the Northern Hemisphere there were two ways to celebrate the Solstice.   Some lit fires in the darkest night to summon the return of the Sun .   Others gathered at dawn to in some way capture the...

The darkness and closeness to ancestors that this time of year and its rituals bring has always felt like a relationship with mystery to me. Spend some time in healing darkness today.

Our beloved winter tradition returns! Join us for our traditional spiral walk to celebrate solstice and welcome the return of the light. Cocoa and hot cider will be served afterwards.

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Newgrange, Scottish Parliament to exonerate those accused of witchcraft, Yule goats, and seasonal "news." Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of December 20, 2021 – Yule Edition at The Wild Hunt.

Let us breathe deeply to nourish and light our candles within. Then let us share our gentle glow with others in need of rekindling. The post In the Time of Darkness appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

Friday, December 24, 7:00 pm ·  Candlelight Christmas Eve Service with Acclaimed Harpist, Felice Pomeranz Join us on Zoom to celebrate the spirit of Christmas in a family worship service that honors the life and teachings of Jesus.  Sing your favorite Christmas carols, enjoy beautiful harp music, and experience the beauty and peace of our annual   [ … ] The post Sunday, December 24 ~ Christmas Eve Candlelight Service ~ 7:00 p.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

      I see that Katharina Von Bora, also known as Katharina Luther died on this day, the 20th of December in 1552. She can be thought of as the first clerical wife of the “modern” period. Or, more properly I guess, the most prominent of a new class of person, the ministerial spouse. […]

In the past I've mentioned that joy can provide a means through which we can observe and measure student and school success. I proposed a Beaufort-like scale to observe and measure joy. But joy is not just a happy thing. It fits in balance with effort and manageable frustration. In the last 1970s I had product carts printed (Thanks Jacquie Froelich) to be given along with the sale of my boxes. In the text I noted that frustration was an inevitable part of the process of growth, and that without the balance it provides the moments of joy we find are without context. How much sweeter is success when it arrives through serious effort than when it's delivered without. So schooling is not just a process of passing a child from one happy day t...

To part 1 Early on in A Christmas Carol , when Scrooge has the encounter with Marley's ghost, Scrooge asks the ghost: "Why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?" Marley replies, "It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death." The moral is clear: we must "walk abroad" among each other. We must "go forth" with our lives and not hole up by our lonesomes. We are given but this one brief lifespan, and we must spend it sharing of ourselves – entering into relationships – being a part of other people’s lives and having them be a part of ours. We must go forth – life c...

To part 2 Charles Dickens was born in 1812. His 210th birthday is coming up in February (get your presents early). He was a Unitarian. In saying that, let me acknowledge that he was baptized and reared in the Church of England and was a nominal Anglican for most of his life. From young adulthood, however, he was averse to evangelical zeal, doctrinal disputation and sectarianism. Nor did he like High Church Anglicanism. He would probably have first come into contact with Unitarianism while working as a reporter, which job he had from age 17 into his 20s. His reporting work brought him into association with contributers to radical journals such as the Unitarian minister William Johnson Fox, and John Forster, a Unitarian who became a lifelo...

                                             Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer sung by Gene Autry.   The Rankin/Bass stop action animation TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer which first aired on CBS Television in 55 years ago in 1964 was just the latest iteration of what then seemed almost like a timeless holiday folk tale.   And it would not be the last.   Rudolph has had more lives than any cat. Versions of the show have been aired annually ever since making it the longest running Christmas TV special in history. Rudolph first saw light as commercial come-on.   One that proved so wildly popular that he took on a life of his own .                          Original author Robert L. ...

“Universal mystery, Guide us away from the desire to Shine light in all the corners. Teach us to embrace the night, For without the darkness, We never see the stars.” -Jennifer Gracen Look at the stars tonight and ponder your connection to the universal mystery.

Christine Slocum The safety I once perceived was because I did not have the complete perspective.

Scrooge famously said: “If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart!” The omicron strain of COVID-19 is acting like Scrooge. If you go wish your family ‘Merry Christmas’ in … Continue reading "Scrooge would have loved omicron"

Lyonel Perabo reviews the first volume of Odin Helgheim's comics series "Ragnarok," which has just been released in an English translation. Continue reading Review: Ragnarok by Odin Helgheim at The Wild Hunt.

      EPIPHANIES & THEOPHANIES A Meditation on the Way to Christmas James Ishmael Ford 19 December 2021 First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles Text And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their […]

I was cleaning in the wood shop today and ran across a bit of memorabilia from about 1980. At the time I was making display cases for various shops around town, many of which are still in use. I thought briefly of branding them as "Stowe Cases" and attempting to market them outside of town. Not all ideas are good ones, and to market them outside of town would have taken me away from crafting other things.  The brass plaque was intended to be a branding device, setting my own work apart from others on the market and it was engraved by Jim MaGee, whose shop in downtown Eureka Springs has a number of display cases I made. Make, fix and create...

Sometimes there is water on the trail. Sometimes there is mud, a creek to cross, or a fallen tree to climb over. Especially after a storm, it is hard to predict what you might find. Wear waterproof boots and dress warmly. On a loop hike, it is hard to turn around, so you just need […]

Rev. John shares a new short story for the holidays.

                                                       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 connected to a war between the Kingdom of Judea and an Assyrian Empire with it’s vessel the Kingdom of Israel in 73...

Sometimes we experience meaning. Sometimes we discover it, perhaps in places we never thought to look. And other times we create meaning as an act of will.

The closed door is a mystery. Until it is opened we do not know what exists on the other side. What doorways–real or metaphorical–can you open today?

Please join us on Sunday (19 December 2021) at 11:00 AM for Peace on Earth with Susan Caldwell (All Souls Director of Religious Education) with members and friends of All Souls. On this fourth Sunday of Advent, we light the candle for peace in our world, in our homes, and in our hearts (and have … Continue reading "In-Person and Online All-Ages Worship (19 December 2021)"

Please join us for our annual Christmas Eve candlelight worship service on Friday (24 December 2021) at 6:30 PM. We will be live and in-person in the sanctuary and also on Facebook Live for this worship service. We are back in the sanctuary this year with carols, candles, and a reading of the Christmas Story … Continue reading "Christmas Eve Candle Light Service (Friday, 24 December 2021)"

Please join us on Sunday (19 December 2021) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. We are discussing episodes of the podcast Learning How to See with Rev. Brian McLaren, Father Richard Rohr, and Rev. Jacqui Lewis. They are discussing the 13 kinds of bias that Rev. Barbara mentioned recently in … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 19 December 2021"

We will continue to watch the local COVID numbers.  We feel encouraged by the cooling weather and the possibility of comfortable outdoor activities. We are not resuming regular classes for children and youth at this time because our classrooms are too small to be safe for unvaccinated children, and because we want some time to … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Updates"

Please join us next Wednesday (22 December 2021) 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.

"As soon as this month is over, when it's barely midnight and January has only just begun, many Venezuelans take a suitcase and run as far as they can, seeing how far they can travel in the new year. What we didn’t know was that even those of us who did not run would leave the country, and we wouldn’t have a return date." Continue reading Column: December Suitcases at The Wild Hunt.

"...tan pronto como se acabe el mes, cuando empiece enero, apenas sea medianoche, muchos toman una maleta y salen corriendo tan lejos como puedan, esperando poder viajar en ese nuevo año. Lo que no sabíamos era que incluso los que no corrimos saldríamos del país, y no tendríamos una fecha de regreso." Continue reading Columna: Las Maletas de Diciembre at The Wild Hunt.

A climate catastrophe sometimes shows up as the fragile beauty of a wild pansy blooming in mid-December in Maine. I took a photo this morning, before the snow arrived this afternoon, our likely first plowable snow of the season. Very late for us. The unseasonably warm days feel bright and pleasant, nothing dangerous. But I […]

Identitarians think race and gender are the best signs of privilege, so they only mention religion when there’s been a religious hate crime. They don’t realize that just as you must know about Sunni and Shi’a Muslims to understand privilege in Muslim countries, you must know the differences in all religions in multicultural countries. Hearing that someone is white won't tell you if that person is

With indications that Roe v Wade may be overturned, and knowing that abortion and reproductive care have long been inaccessible to many communities, our faith compels us to take action for reproductive rights, health, and justice. Many of you and your congregations are already taking courageous action and speaking prophetically; more are needed in this shared work, now and in the future.  Side With Love and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association are partnering to support all religious professionals in grounding more deeply in a theology of Reproductive Justice, including providing resources for leading worship. Together, we invite all religious professionals to:  1.) Participate in "Our Calling to Reproductive Justice: A W...

An article in the New Yorker asks, What's so great about the great books?  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/12/20/whats-so-great-about-great-books-courses-roosevelt-montas-rescuing-socrates  How you feel about that subject might hinge on what you see the purpose of eduction being. Is it to provide a career, or to provide a sense of your own humanity?  My daughter went to Columbia University mentioned in the article and as a freshman and sophomore was required to take the Core Curriculum as were other liberal arts majors. The idea is that all would be required to read and discuss a number of books considered important to our civilization. The Core Curriculum is considered to be a sacred part of the Columbia experience and was to...

Detail of The Holy Family by Andrea Sacchi (1599-1661) A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation  (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— The Oxen (1915) Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock. “Now they are all on their knees,” An elder said as we sat in a flock By the embers in hearthside ease. We pictured the meek mild creatures where They dwelt in their strawy pen, Nor did it occur to one of us there To doubt they were kneeling then. So fair a fancy few would weave In these years! Yet I feel, If someone said on Christmas Eve, “Come; see the oxen kneel, In the lonely b...

                                                                      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 years ago, on a below zero December 18, 1981 at Chicago’s St. Francis Xavier Church on the North Side Kathy Brady-Larsen, a young widow, consented to marrybeneath her.   The groom was a scruffy no-account with dim prospects named 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 year old Seed str...

      Today, in Tarkastad, Eastern Cape, South Africa, the 18th of December, 1946, Bantu Stephen Biko was born. He would become one of the heroes of the anti apartheid movement, a leader of the Black Consciousness Movement. In 1977 he was arrested and then beaten to death by state security officers. Tributes, images, […]

I realise that for many people who read this blog, the theological tradition within which I have been formed, and which still provides me with my basic philosophical grounding and orientation, is baffling. So, for those interested, here is a brief essay by Ed Simon which offers a brilliant and clear overview of the world that has shaped, and continues to shape, the theological/philosophical reflections I offer you week by week. https://aeon.co/essays/how-to-fulfil-the-need-for-transcendence-after-the-death-of-god

Solving a mystery is fulfilling. I’m not talking about big mysteries, but little everyday mysteries. Where did I put that? How can I do that? It feels good to work hard, sometimes alone and sometimes with others, to figure it out. Solve a little mystery today. Take satisfaction from your accomplishment.

Please join us on Saturday (18 December 2021) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group is free and open to all. For more information, contact Larry … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (18 December 2021)"

Storm Faerywolf covers the proliferation of spammers impersonating occultists on Instagram. Continue reading Opinion: Instascam – Fraud and the Online Occult Community at The Wild Hunt.

Staff Writer Over 120 Unitarian Universalists participate in Poor People’s Campaign Moral March

Yule or Alban Arthan meaning “Light of Arthur” or “Light of Winter” in my Druid path is Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 10:58 a.m. ET. It is the shortest day of the year and known to the mundane as the Winter Solstice. It is so deep in Pagan tradition that one can openly practice without anyone […] The post Celebrating Yule while living in a Christian home appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

      These days a couple of times a month I’m visiting an old colleague who now resides in a nursing home. He suffers from something called vascular Parkinson’s. It resembles Parkinson’s but is actually caused by a swarm of strokes. My understanding is that his cognitive functions are largely intact, although he cannot focus […]

This is it. The final hurrah for 2021! Yes, we’re ending in the phase of Omicron rising, but many of our titles were selected for a number of best-of lists and holiday gift guides for the year. So many! Let’s raise a glass to our authors to congratulate them! And guess what? Our holiday sale is in full swing!

As described by John G. Neihardt in "When the Tree Flowered," as parents of the indigenous people of the northern plains were providing for their children's survival, the grandparents were doing the things that assured cultural survival. They were the teachers, through story telling and the making of things.  For instance, a boy's first bow would be made for him by a loving grandfather who would then coach him in the making of his next bow. The grandmother's hands were busily engaged in making beaded moccasins and clothing for their grandchildren in whom they took great pride and while the children watched.  Children would learn all important things through the tutelage and demonstrations provided by the grandparent's generation. Compa...

                                                                      Jingle Bells by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, 1941. Earlier this week was the 75th anniversary of the disappearance and presumed death of Major Glenn Miller somewhere over the English Channel on a foggy night.  Miller, the most famousand popular of all big band leaders was then in command of the Army Air Force Band in Europe.  He left England on December 14 in a small single engine plane to join the Band in Paris to rehearse and prepare for a special Christmas broadcast on Armed Forces Radio.  The public first heard of his disappearance when his assistant Tech. Sgt Jerry Gray conducted the band for the concert. Major  Gle...

It is sometimes the hard mystery of attempting to understand “why?”  Why did that happen, or why did they pass that law? Mystery is the why we don’t always get to know. What is something you would like to know the “why” of? How do you embrace the mystery of not knowing that?

My woodshop is a mess with over 20 boxes nearing completion. These are all one-of-a-kind boxes as they were originally left-overs from having taught students various box making techniques. If I can get them finished they can be sold. If they can be finished they can be moved out of my woodshop to make room for the making of other things. And if I can get these boxes out of the way, I can give the shop the deep cleaning it deserves. A friend, Kim Brand called suggesting that perhaps the best audience for my Wisdom of our hands philosophy will be found among folks in the grandparent generation. Those that grew up playing with paper, scissors and string may have noticed that their grandchildren are glued to their digital devices, and they, ...

COP26 was a prime opportunity to make real progress on addressing climate change—but little progress was made.

Did you make a commitment to a spiritual group that you’re no longer a part of? Were religious commitments made for you? Are others telling you their bonds are forever? These ties can be broken – if you have the power and the will do it.

      Arthur Charles Clarke was born in Somerset, England, on this day, the 16th of December, 1917. From his teenaged years he was fascinated with science and science fiction. After the Second World War, where he rose from the enlisted ranks to a commission as a flight lieutenant. After the war he attended […]

                                                                                                                                       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 Eve December 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 Posa...

Throughout my life I have encountered variations of the question “Do you believe in ____?” Whether it be ghosts, Santa, fairies, whatever. My answer has almost always been something like “I believe that there are things that we cannot understand.” I have always felt strongly that forces exist that we cannot necessarily perceive, and they … Continue reading Belief

A round-up of Winter Solstice and Yule seasonal celebrations in the U.K. Continue reading Winter seasonal events in the U.K. at The Wild Hunt.

  Hokyozanmai Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi Translated by 増永霊鳳 Masunaga Reihō (1902-1981) First published in The Sōtō Approach to Zen, Layman Buddhist Society Press (Zaike bukkyo kyokai), Tokyo, 1958, pp. 188-192. Introduction Tung-shan Liang-chieh (807-869) wrote the Hōkyōzanmai (Pao-ching san-mei) in verse style. Made up of four-character lines, it contains a total of 94 lines and 376 […]

Our annual Solstice by Candlelight is being paired up with our monthly Full Moon rituals for an evening of celebrating the returning light! Join us on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 pm for a reflective candlelit ritual in Union Hall. Masks are required and social distancing will be practiced. RSVP required to ensure a safe, socially   [ … ] The post *In Person* Solstice/Full Moon Ritual ~ December 19, 7:30 p.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

  Sunday, December 19 Holiday Lawsuit: A Multigenerational Circle of Churches Solstice Pageant   The Winter Solstice sues Christmas for appropriating its holidays and traditions in this lighthearted and informative readers’ theater play by Maria Houck. Join us for this multi-church worship service featuring a solstice pageant prepared by the new Circle Religious Education Collaborative, including   [ … ] The post Sunday, December 19 ~ Holiday Lawsuit! ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

One of my books has fallen off a cliff in terms of sales, and it's one that I think deserves greater attention due to it having to do with the teaching philosophy of Friedrich Froebel's Kindergarten, a thing that should be of interest to every teacher and every parent in America.  The purpose of my book Making Classic Toys that Teach is to offer instruction to parents and teachers in the making of Froebel's Gifts. Froebel's gifts were designed to lead the child into creative engagement, integrated with an ever expanding understanding of self within the matrix of life.  The book covers both  hand-tool and power tool approaches and also covers the three ways in which the gifts were used— To create forms of beauty, to create forms of k...

I’ve missed a few days of my #100DaysOfArt, but mostly have stuck to it. One completed drawing:

Jake Morrill For me, “surrendering everything tenderly” brings an awareness of grace. Continue reading "The Grace within a Pecan Pie"

                                                       Silver Bells sung by Stevie Wonder in 1967. The pages are flying off the calendar like in those old movies as we near Christmas.   It’s time to consider the most urban of the secular advent songs from the Golden Age of American holiday music.   Like It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas and other songs it captures the vibrancy, bustle, color, and excitement of the season but sets it on the crowded streets of a big city.   Other songs captured nostalgia for by-gone Christmases, country villages, and sleigh rides but Silver Bells , sometimes called City Sidewalks , was set squarely in the modern post-World War II era. Songwriting team Ray E...

A good mystery book can be a blessing. It’s a brief break in my daily life and makes my brain think in different ways. Sometimes I love knowing ‘whodunit’ and sometimes I just go with the flow of the book. Similar to life. When do you go with the flow of the mystery?

A poem for December: The morning quiet invites me into the day. The cardinal calls out in the chill, and the air echoes with           possibility. In this beauty, I rise, in reverence. May your days also include beauty, even if fleeting, and moments of reverence and gratitude. Need an idea for some ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Dec. 14th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

HOLIDAY STORY TIME: You and your children are invited to join Director of Lifespan Religious Education Robin Ahearn for Holiday Story Time Tuesday, 12/14, from 6-6:30 pm. UPCOMING RE CLASSES: Regular RE classes are on hiatus for a few weeks. All ages are welcome to attend Sunday and Christmas ... read more . The post RE This Week – Dec. 14th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Join UUs from all of the congregations in the Hudson Mohawk Cluster for the 2nd annual Online, Multigenerational, Multi-congregational Trivia Night on Friday, January 7th, from 7-8:30pm. Back by popular demand will be the music round of “name that UU hymn,” plus a pop culture photo round. ... read more . The post Save the Date! Trivia Night on January 7th – 7-8:30pm appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The UUSS Board of Trustees will be hosting two Congregational Conversations at the beginning of the new year. The first will be via Zoom on Tuesday January 11th at 7pm. The second will (hopefully) be in person after church on Sunday February 13th at 12pm. There is ... read more . The post Upcoming Congregational Conversations appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The possible astrological impact and influence of the coming shift of lunar nodes from Gemini and Sagittarius to Taurus and Scorpio. Continue reading The astrology of lunar nodes at The Wild Hunt.

      Juan de Yepes y Alverez was born into a Converso family near the town of Avila on the 24th of June, 1542. He died in the Discalced Carmelite monastery in Ubeda today, the 14th of December in 1591. We generally know him as John of the Cross, or more properly St John […]

Hello, Mr. Kringle  performed by Kay Kyser & his Orchestra with vocals by Ginny Simms, Harry Babbitt, Sully Mason, Ish-Kabibble. Christmas is the season for novelty songs .  There are hundreds, probably thousands, of them.  A few become perennials —think I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus , Santa Baby , or Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer —but most are ephemeral and quickly forgotten no matter how famous or popular the performer doing one is.  Take Hello, Mr. Kris Kringle by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra from 1939.  Kyser was probably the most popular band leader on radio that year and a budding movie phenomenon who prominently featured singers and members of his band in his recordings and Kollege of Musical Knowledge broadcasts, ...

A few years ago, I started working on a book of songs and carols for winter holidays, pitched for medium voices (most Christmas carols are pitched for sopranos and tenors), arranged on simple lead sheets. I had to abandon the project because life got in the way. Someday maybe I’ll finish the book, but in … Continue reading "Winter holiday songs"

I apologize for the brief blog outage. My indefatigable web host moved this website onto a more secure server with additional hardening against attackers, and some minor glitches happened. That’s the price we pay for website security these days. (Some day maybe I’ll convert this entire site to static HTML, which would reduce energy consumption … Continue reading "Outage"

Sometimes we are afraid of the unknown, of the mysterious. Sometimes admitting–or even facing–those fears is a healthy part of overcoming them. What unknown makes you afraid? How can you face that today?

Om this week's Pagan Community Notes, Caverly sentenced, Thor's Oak Kindred releases statement supporting Indigenous People's Day, the Gemenid meteors, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of December 13, 2021 at The Wild Hunt.