Storm Faerywolf examines the concept of passion and its many effects in Witchcraft and Pagan practice. Continue reading Column: Passion And The Creative Value of Conflict at The Wild Hunt.

Sat, 09:22: Whole Foods seems caught in the #GreatResignation No express lanes but a long line to wait in! https://t.co/LM929xPrBn Sat, 10:34: RT @POTUS: Jill and I are saddened to hear two NYPD officers were shot last night — one fatally. We’re keeping them and their families in o…

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk known for popularizing the concept of “Engaged Buddhism,” has just died. (He died Jan. 22 in Vietnam, on the other side of the International Date Line, which was Jan. 21 here in the U.S.) He had been incapacitated by a stroke in 2014, and in 2018 finally received … Continue reading "In memoriam: Thich Nhat Hanh"

Get involved in the Article II Study Commission's work, participate in these resources and provide your feedback. Continue reading "Getting Involved with the Article II Study"

      Similar to Zen’s Ten Ox Herding pictures, Vajrayana Buddhism offers an illustration of the spiritual path using elephants. As with the Ox Herding pictures there are several different versions to the Elephant pictures. I stumbled upon a commentary by the Householder Dharma teacher Piya Tan Being Sin. I love the different angles […]

My father and I have an article in the most recent issue of KATALOG–Journal of Photography & VIdeo. “Life played out in images: The self-portraiture of Libuše Jarcovjáková” is our second piece for the publication. It is also a teaser for an exhibition of Jarcovjákova’s work that we’re planning for FotoFest 2022. KATALOG is a […]

Celebrating the Life of Barbara C. McLaughlin  Aug. 9, 1932 – June 12, 2021 Celebration of Life for Barbara McLaughlin Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady January 22, 2022      Gathering Music           ... read more . The post Order of Service appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

"Thus old Orion does his somersault/   across the heavens..." Today we blow the electron dust from the blog archives for two January entries with poems.  The first from this date way back in 2013 can be copied exactly as originally presented—the conditions described are virtually identical today. It’s the second really cold nightof the year here in McHenry County.  Still no snow on the ground but the weather guy on one channel says that if we cross our fingers and toes we could get a dusting tomorrow and the sleeveless weather babe on the competition sweeps her arms gracefully in front of the green screen and agrees. I stepped on the porch to crush some cans for recycling and took in the night sky.  There was a light thin and pat...

I believe the UUA’s “Copyright & Permissions for Hymn and Reading Use in UU Worship” may incorrectly lists two hymns as public domain or fair use. Jubilate Deo, hymn #393 — words and music are stated to be “fair use or public domain.” The words clearly are in the public domain. However, the music is … Continue reading "Two hymns not in the public domain"

The notion of “invitation” also draws me back to the biblical parables from my upbringing about welcoming the stranger and the church being open to all people. How do you make strangers feel welcome in your presence, and in institutions where you belong?

Please join us on Saturday (22 January 2022) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group is free and open to all. For more information, contact Larry … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (22 January 2022)"

Alan D.D. reviews the new Disney Villains Tarot Deck and Guidebook, written by Minerva Siegel and illustrated by Ellie Goldwine, from Insight Editions. Continue reading Review: Divining the future as a Disney villain at The Wild Hunt.

Alan D.D. reviews the new Disney Villains Tarot Deck and Guidebook, written by Minerva Siegel and illustrated by Ellie Goldwine, from Insight Editions. Continue reading Crítica: Adivinando el Futuro como un Villano de Disney at The Wild Hunt.

      The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism has announced that today, the 22nd of January, 2022 (in Vietnam) the  beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam. He was 95. Nguyễn Xuân Bao was born in Huế in central Vietnam. At sixteen he entered […]

The Unitarian Universalist Association, along with other investors and members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, recently co-filed a shareholder resolution with Chevron triggered by human rights abuses in Myanmar.... Continue reading "Responding to shareholder pressure, Chevron to exit Myanmar over human rights abuses"

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Observance of MLK Day, Witchual Workout, Scotland Witches, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of January 17, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

      Out in social media universe I saw a posting about Zen Christians from my old friend on the way Ken Ireland. He provided a list of Christian clergy who are authorized in formal Zen lineages. And in the middle of the pack, there I was. I wrote him a query and he […]

One of the main things that Dr. King dedicated his life to was making sure that everybody had the right to vote. This year, considering everything that’s happening in our country and our democracy, to celebrate and commemorate the legacy of Dr. King, I’ve called on our congregation to bring signs to the MLK Parade, calling for Voting Rights and against voter deterrence and suppression. That is the message of our church and the focus of some of our justice teams again this year. The post Voter Fraud vs. Voter Deterrence: A call for Voting Justice appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Note:   I have posted this in one form or another on or around the Martin Luther King Day Federal Holiday for 11 years.   Long time readers may be sick of it.   Some of those who were offended in earlier rounds have left the building in a huff—or come to see that maybe it was not so far off the mark after all.   The thing is, year by year, it becomes more relevant.   Today is the Federal Holiday celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. He was born on January 15, 1929 and was asasinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis , Tennessee.   It was a long, hard fought effort to create a federal holiday, following proclamations in several states.   President Ronald Reagan signed the legislation creating the holiday in 1983 and it was ...

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. How are you expressing and understanding your role in the mutual destiny of all people today?

A collection of 28 Cambodian artifacts, including what may be a famous statue of Ganesha, are returning home after being surrendered by Netscape founder James H. Clark. Continue reading Looted relics, including a monumental statue of Ganesha, to be returned to Cambodia at The Wild Hunt.

In this sermon in honor of MLK's birthday, I consider where we might find revolutionary love today.

Sometimes you just get lucky – like I did this week on the Tomales Point trail. The elk were posing and I was able to capture the above image. It doesn’t really do justice to how awe-inspiring it was. The elk were all over the area that day, not just gathered around one waterhole. The […]

Dr. King and the work of perseverance.

    It was today, the 16th of January in 1786, that the Virginia General Assembly adopted Thomas Jefferson’s Statute of Religious Freedom. Jefferson was a brilliant and troubled man. In my circles the troubled is mostly recalled in the moment. As it should be. There were some truly ugly aspects to whom the man was. And […]

I’ve noticed that sometimes when we talk about the 8th Principle, the whole idea of decolonizing our minds or actively challenging systems of oppression in ourselves and our institutions can seem super daunting. The way we have all been raised in white supremacy culture is a truly daunting issue, but it’s important to remember that […]

Thank you for your interest in my website and my work! If you would like to use a poem, blessing, or Time for All Ages posted on this site for a worship service/other professional UU use, the cost is $50 for one-time use. (This does not apply to the few pieces also posted here on […]

Retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler, a veteran of multiple wars and two-time Medal of Honor recipient was tapped to lead a Fascist coup against the United States Government and President Franklin Roosevelt  The coup backers picked the wrong man. In 1934 a shadowy figure approached a highly decorated retired Marine Corps Major General with a startling proposal.  The officer was offered the opportunityto lead a force of thousands of Veterans largely recruited from the ranks of the American Legion on a march onWashington intended to depose President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  As the “Man on the White Horse” the General would be installed as a figurehead dictator taking orders from a cabal of wealthy bankers and industriali...

Worshipping and working with deities from different pantheons isn’t as simple as filling your plate from different sections of the super buffet. It requires mindfulness and care, and a lot of work – sometimes double the work. But it can be done.

An invitation – whether it be to a party, or a new job, or even a chance to voice your opinion – means so much more when it is stated that “we want you.” Not a “Feel free to join us,” or “stop by if you can.” It’s a subtle difference but changes the whole … Continue reading Directness

Please join us on Sunday (16 January 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Free At Last?  Reflections on the Life and Legacy of Dr. King” by Dr. Jennifer Russell. Our service will be livestreamed on Facebook Live here. We will not be open for in-person worship service during the month of January 2022. Due to how … Continue reading "Online All-Ages Worship (16 January 2022)"

Please join us next Tuesday (18 January 2022) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch (please note the new day of the week for Zoom lunch). Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Please join us on Sunday (16 January 2022) 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 — 16 January 2022"

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"

“If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, it can’t possibly be a bird.” Keep that statement in mind. I will get back to it. There is a reason why, as old wags say, “a lie can travel halfway ‘round the world while the truth is still […] The post “It Can’t Possibly Be a Bird: Todd Eklof’s Ignorance of Covenantal Theology” appeared first on Dennis McCarty.

1 Text of Eklof’s sermon, “Correction: Ours Is a Liberal Religion, Not a ‘Covenantal’ One,” may be found at https://uuspokane.org/WP2/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CorrectionLiberalNotCovenantal.pdf It is worth nothing that, in the YouTube video of this sermon, Eklof repeatedly departs from the script and says things that are not in the text. The web addresses for the Fifth Principle Project’s […] The post “It Can’t Possibly Be a Bird: Todd Eklof’s Ignorance on Covenantal Theology” FOOTNOTES appeared first on Dennis McCarty.

"When I got some energy back, I sat down to tend my altars. The small chores of cleaning, sorting, and reorganizing took all of my attention. As I worked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the tattoo had changed something, had somehow shown that I was serious enough to have some credit." Luke Babb writes on the lessons and absences that made up their December holidays in 2021. Continue reading Column: Season of Light at The Wild Hunt.

    Today at our Saturday morning Empty Moon Zen gathering we were engaged in our once a month book discussion group. Currently we’re reading that classic text in our emerging Western Buddhism, When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödren. When discussing one of the points, Tom Wardle, one of our senior dharma teachers called […]

This Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, there is so much weighing on our hearts. Our nation is again in the grips of an enormous surge in Covid cases, overwhelming our hospitals and destabilizing schools, businesses, and more. Voting rights legislation is being held hostage yet again by elected leaders who refuse to protect us from election sabotage and voter suppression. Cultural battles are making their way into courtrooms, legislative sessions, and school board meetings, with opponents to abortion care, transgender rights, and honest conversation about race and white supremacy dominating the news and social media.  If ever there were a time our spirits needed nourishment, it is now. So in the midst of all that is hard, Side With Love i...

We had a great time on Thursday at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts as members of the staff and I made boxes. Shared experience in a common venture builds a sense of commonality, that we're all in this together, and even though each person in class was working on their own box, the journey through the process required taking turns at the saw and allowing for the needs of each other.  At one point I looked around the room at my students and each was holding their box as though it was a small child to whom they'd just given birth. That's directly a part of the nature of such things. In selecting woods for lids, the students would take a board and work out with each other which portion would become the lid of their box. If anyone out ...

  Note:   Today is the actual birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.   The public Holiday in his honor will be held next Monday, January 17.   I will have more to say about that then in my annual rant.   Today I a resurrecting a post in which Dr. King reminds us himself how truly revolutionary he was. When the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was being held in jail in Alabamain 1963 he received a letter signed by several well-known White self-proclaimed racial moderatesand liberal ministers who decried the unpleasantness and social disruption of the on-going campaign against racial discrimination in Birmingham.   Since he had unaccustomed time on his hands he took the time to patiently, even lovingly explainthe situation in A...

Willie May’s baseball glove 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— In 1974, the liberal, process-theologian, Bernard Loomer (1912–1985) told a story about his father. One day, after overhearing the young Loomer complain in the playground about the thinness of a baseball glove he’d inherited from his older brothers, his father asked him what the glove was for, a question to which the young Loomer replied, “To protect his hand.” Loomer’s father continued that, although he’d never played baseball himself, it seemed to him that one should be able to c...

I love when I get automatic invitations sent to my computer’s calendar. I am given the options of “accept,” “decline,” and “maybe.” In am invited to ponder that response and give the one that is most appropriate. What are you accepting, declining, and saying “maybe” to today?

Weekend Editor Eric O. Scott looks at a small news item surrounding a coal-fired power plant in Labadie, Missouri, and argues for why Pagans should pay attention to these local-scale stories about the environment. Continue reading Editorial: Don’t trust fossil fuel plants with the honor system at The Wild Hunt.

Please join us on Saturday (15 January 2022) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group is free and open to all. For more information, contact Larry … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (15 January 2022)"

Please join us on Saturday (15 January 2022) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM for our monthly building and grounds work day. There are tasks inside and out — as weather permits — for all ages and abilities. Wear your mask and stay safely distanced from each other as you work together to spruce up … Continue reading "Building and Grounds Work Day (15 January 2022)"

By Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma | Twenty-two years ago, when I first lived in Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu, I went to visit the home of a student at the college where I was teaching. Meenakshi Sundram lived on a narrow lane not far from the Meenakshi Temple in this venerable and beautiful South Indian city. His home was only a few rooms, but they filled with family, friends, and neighbors, all eager to greet the teacher from abroad who could somehow speak a little Tamil.

A navigator/explorer sets out with royal backing to find a passage to India, and comes nowhere near it. He disembarks far from his objective, sees brown-skinned people and cries, “Look! Indians!” From thence he is known as a great discoverer and the rest is a ball of twisted history.           Columbus discovered nothing. He wandered […]

The UUA is very pleased to announce the appointment of Shige Sakurai as Director of Equity, Belonging and Change. Shige succeeds Taquiena Boston in the role, who retired in December 2021 after over two decades of service on UUA staff. Continue reading "UUA Appoints Shige Sakurai as Director of Equity, Belonging and Change"

    Shodoka – Song of Realization Yoka-daishi (d.713) Excerpted from Buddhism and Zen Compiled, edited and translated by Nyogen Senzaki and Ruth Stout McCandless (New York: The Philosophical Library, 1953), pp. 32-72. The stanzas italicized were translated from a copy of the original by Nyogen Senzaki, and the commentary following the stanzas was from […]

In honor of MLK, we need to support the radical prophets of today.

On Monday an old college friend of mine took Susanna and me into Suffolk to visit Great Livermere Church and the adjacent mere. All three of us are aficionados of M. R. James’ ghost stories, one of which has its setting at Livermere — A Vignette . James grew up in this village where his father was Rector. Great Livermere is a wonderful and evocative site, hauntological through and through, and I hope these photos capture some of that atmosphere. Enjoy! All photos taken with a Fujifilm X100V Just click on a photo to enlarge

Jeff Milchen Voting rights bills being brought to a vote in the Senate.

Roger Santodomingo, Jeff Milchen This week, we introduce Jeff Milchen: kayaker, democracy activist, and new UU World columnist.

Yesterday I taught a one day box making class for the staff at ESSA. Seven staff members were able to attend and each made a box similar to the box shown.  I supplied ash for the box sides, walnut corner keys and a variety of woods that students could select from for making the lids. It's my belief that no one in the US should be allowed to graduate from high school without having had the opportunity to make something beautiful and useful from wood. A box, lovingly crafted, would hold memories for a lifetime. I thank the staff of the Eureka Springs School of the Arts for joining me in a day of box making. I can train others to share the same experience. My week of teaching at the Clear Spring School was disrupted by a serious spike in c...

For much of the Folsom concert, Cash set on a stool at the front of the stage, his feet propped up on a rail, as close to his audience of cons as he could get. Today is the anniversaryof the two greatest concerts you could never buy a ticket to.  On January 14, 1968 Johnny Cash, the Tennessee Three, June Carter, Carl Perkinsand The Statler Brothers played two shows at an unusual venue—California’s Folsom Prison. The shows were hastily arranged by Cash and executives at Columbia Records for the express purpose of making a live recording in front of an audience of inmates.  The idea was rooted in Cash’s 1955 Sun Records single Folsom Prison Blues .                           Johnny Cash as an Airman. Cash was insp...

A few days ago, I thought it would be exciting to see what a pine needle looks like under a microscope, and found some gorgeous photos of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) needles, in cross section, from the lab of a Czech scientist named Josef Reischig. (His authorship heirs donated 384 pictures under CC BY SA […]

Sunday, January 16, 10:30 a.m. The Women’s Pages: On Healthism, Appetite, and Domestic History An online service with Lay Speaker Elisa Abatsis Join us as we explore the history of recipes and domestic work, and how old recipe books sometimes clue us in to stories and histories that were not otherwise documented, specifically women’s stories.    [ … ] The post Sunday, January 16 ~ The Women’s Pages: On Healthism, Appetite, and Domestic History ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

Invitations can be surprises of kindness, caring, and compassion. An unexpected gift of invitation can lift someone’s entire day. Surprise someone with an act of kindness today.

I recently learned that the song “We Shall Overcome” is now in the public domain, due to a 2017 court ruling and a 2018 settlement. A lawyer tells the whole story in some detail here. The short version: In 2017, a federal court ruled that the tune, arrangement, and first verse of “We Shall Overcome” … Continue reading "We shall overcome burdensome copyright restrictions"

      George Fox died on this day, the 13th of January, 1691, 331 years ago. He was born into a Puritan family in Leicestershire, England sometime in July, 1624. His father a weaver and so the family was financially secure. He doesn’t seem to have been formally educated, although he was literate. George […]

New provisional proposals for reform of the law governing weddings may affect Pagan handfastings. Continue reading UK Law Commission findings have implications for handfasting at The Wild Hunt.

Music became both an entrance point and a thread to follow when it comes to my spirituality ... My Pagan station includes more upbeat and active music that reminds me of the joy and deep power of my spirituality. The post The Power of the Playlist appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

You can always forswear magic. You can always go running back to Christianity, or to atheism, or to whatever path tells you it’s all about you anyway. Just know that once you’ve seen the reality of spirits and of magic, you can never unsee it.

Kay Francis, a long, tall, elegant drink of water in an early Warner Bros./First National outing. She was regally tall—at 5 foot 9 inches the lankiest female star Hollywood’s Golden Age—with an impeccable sense of style.   The critics called her a clothes horse.   With large, expressive hazel eyesand dramatic dark hair she was never an ingénue, playing sophisticated society women, sharp businesswomen, and scheming villainesses while barely out her teens.   Her somewhat husky voice lacked the almost British mid-Atlantic accent used by many actresses in similar roles.   But a slight speech defect—a lisp which made her letters r and l sound like w—seemed to audiences to be upper class.   The voice, the height, the sense of s...

When I decided to draw a leaf every day, I had a particular kind of leaf in mind. A particular class of leaf, anyway: broad leaves. Some would be compound, sure, but I’d basically be drawing A leaf or A FEW leaves. Then I opened up the field guide and it began with needle-leaved trees. […]

Sometimes, an invitation to someone else to explain something really invites them to do emotional labor for you. Too often, that emotional labor is given without acknowledgement or compensation. Whose emotional labor are you relying upon today? How can you repay them for that investment in you?

Two recent excavations shed some light on Minoan and Mycenean cultures. Continue reading Mycenaean Tombs and Minoan Courtyards at The Wild Hunt.

In 2022, grassroots groups will be pivotal to rebuilding Haiti and achieving equity for Haitian people.

It’s a rough way to begin the new year, mourning an author and an intellectual powerhouse. Lani Guinier, legal scholar, champion for voting rights, and the first woman of color appointed to a tenured professorship at Harvard Law School, joined the ancestors on January 7. She was seventy-one. Although heartbroken about her passing, we remain honored to have published her work, including “The Tyranny of the Meritocracy,” which she wrote to provide a clear blueprint for creating collaborative education models to strengthen our democracy rather than privilege individual elites. May she rest in power.

Melissa Jeter Every time someone showed up for me, I learned that love is greater than skin deep. Continue reading "Love Is Showing Up"

Valley Nebraska, where my father's store was located, was famous apart from being on the edge of Omaha and trapped between the Union Pacific Railroad lines and the Platte River, that's been described as a mile wide and an inch deep, and that traversed the state of Nebraska from one end to the other.  Valley is also the home of Valmont Industries, originally Valley Manufacturing, one of the early manufacturers of the circular irrigation systems that are in use throughout the world.  Valmont, with an expanded product line remains a major employer. And so it was with many small towns in America. Small towns would grow from unique ideas that had a significant effect on the world at large. As an alternative, we could standardize education a...

                                           Chicago Seed cover--imagining ourselves as revolutionaries.    A few days after last year’s Capitol insurrection I wrote this. From the Sidelines of a Coup Time was long ago             that I imagined myself sometimes             on the barricades of some great General Strike             turning the world upside down             gleefully building that new society             on the ashes of the old. It was easy then to be a romantic revolutionary             to imagine portrayal on some heroic poster                splashed in red and black. Yet in fact I only marched, chanted     

It is a powerful thing to invite someone else to join you in community, in relationship. It is a powerful thing to be invited to join others. Reflect on your experiences of being asked to be a part of something. What did it feel like to be included?

As we write to you on this frigid January day, we are grateful for a heated home and bright sparkling sunshine. It is 9 degrees here, the warmest it has been all day. We know that not everyone in the capital region has a warm ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Jan. 11th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR, HOLIDAY:  On January 17, 2022, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday will mark the 27th anniversary of the National Day of Service. This day was established to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, and to encourage all Americans ... read more . The post RE This Week – Jan. 11th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The recent surge in cases of the COVID-19 from the Omicron variant creates new challenges for Pagan in NYC. Continue reading For New York’s Magical Community, Omicron a Mixed Bag at The Wild Hunt.

The Rev. Francis Allison, founder of the Corporation for Relief of Poor Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers. On January 11, 1759 the first life insurance company in the Colonies was founded in Philadelphia.  It was one of the few innovations in the City of Brotherly Love that Benjamin Franklin did not have his fingerprints on, probably because he was in London at the time serving as Pennsylvania’s Colonial agent.  It was left up to the Presbyterian Synod to create the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers.  It was what became known as a benevolent society—a corporation for the benefit of a specific group, usually religious, ethnic, or membership of fraternal organizat...

In no human culture is 60 considered young. At the same time, I feel kinda like I did when I was in my 30s and everyone was complaining about getting old: what’s the big deal?

How do we stay open to new experiences, especially when the world has made us weary? We are invited today to try something new–maybe a new book, or a new food, or maybe something more adventurous even. Try something new today.

Rev. Dr. Michael Tino preached this Sermon on December 5, 2021 in the Church of the Larger Fellowship’s Online Sanctuary Our Universalist ancestors believed that a powerful, radical love awaited them at death, a love so powerful as to be able to cleanse them of even their most vile sins, a love so radical as […]

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: "Nazi Druid" goes on trial, US DoD releases extremism guidelines, Vandals destroy petroglyph, Dogs may be the first nonhuman to detect language, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of January 10, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Valley Nebraska where my dad's store was located was typical of the situation all across the US as small towns were gradually being gobbled up by the expansion of larger cities. Shopping in Omaha offered a much wider variety of goods than what my father could offer in his store. He did take a lower than normal markup on many things and gave credit to many folks who could not have been afforded credit at the time.  Working in my dad's store put me in touch with people from all walks of life. Louis Siebenaler for example, operated an auto salvage at King Lake, Nebraska, an unincorporated town nearby. He and his son-in-law Coy would come in covered with grease from head to toe. Louis was a large man and Coy small, and it was always apparen...

(Or a depression pit, As my wife half-jokingly calls it, Hoping to remind me Not to get to comfortable, that I can’t stay too long) But the nice thing is If you tuck yourself in just right, If your toes are all covered and you’re properly warm and cozy and finally starting to calm down […]

 In 1963 my father and mother bought a small store in Valley Nebraska. My father, having worked for various corporations and as manager of a large hardware and sporting goods store in Omaha wanted a business of his own and a small inheritance from my great aunt Allene, gave my parents some funds to invest.  Valley Home Furnishings, as the store was called featured hardware on one side and a variety of other goods on the other, and I worked in the store with my dad on weekends and summers when I was in high school and summers during my 4 years of college. My mother was teaching kindergarten in Omaha, so my parents kept their home there and my father commuted each day for the 30 mile trip to and from Valley. Valley was sandwiched between...

Dr. Gregory Mobley, an ordained American Baptist minister and author, will be the guest speaker at the 35th annual Knippa Interfaith/Ecumenical Lecture Series at All Souls Unitarian Church, on Sunday, January 30 at 4 p.m. His talk, What the Baptist Minister Learned from the Rabbi: Reflection on Two Decades of Interfaith Dialogue, will be an in person event and will be streamed on All Souls' YouTube and Facebook channels. The post All Souls hosting the Knippa Lecture featuring Dr. Gregory Mobley. appeared first on BeyondBelief.

In January, I try to make two blog posts: one compiling the list of books I read over the previous year and the other listing my most popular blog posts. I usually start with the list of most popular blog posts. Here it is: Most Read Blog Posts of 2021 A Prayer for Democracy The […]

  THE COURAGE TO BE HUMAN January 9, 2022 Rev. Kit Ketcham In 1944, American soldier Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds found himself the senior officer at a Nazi prisoner of war camp.   He was ordered by the Nazi camp commander to identify all the Jewish soldiers in the camp.    Edmonds told his men “We’re not going to do that”. And 1275 American soldiers stood with him, refusing to identify the Jews among them.   The Nazi commander was furious.   “All of you can’t be Jewish!”   he screamed.   “We are all Jews here” Edmonds responded. “I’m commanding you to have your Jewish men step forward.   You will have your Jewish men step forward or I will shoot you on the spot.” Edmonds replied, “If you shoot, you’ll ha...

    The Five Remembrances & the Path of Heart Maurine Weinhardt Empty Moon Zen I am of the nature to grow old; there is no way to escape growing old.I am of the nature to have ill health; there is no way to escape having ill health. I am of the nature to die; […]

                                      Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat. Linda Lovelace was the first superstar of pornographic films who took them from tawdry peep shoes and dirty bookstores to feature films that played in movie houses across the country.   Her breakthrough Deep Throat showcased her mastery of the title maneuverand went on to be the first mass market video release launching the billion dollar industry of today.   Later she became an anti-porn crusader and Born Again Christian who exposed her exploitation in a memoir. Born as Linda Boreman on January 10, 1949 in The Bronx, New York her life was a template for the lives of all the abused and exploited young women trapped in prostitution , drug abuse ,...

This one has a sweet

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what it is to invite others fully into my experience (and to accept invitations into others’ experiences). Extending that kind of invitation can be a huge source of connection and witnessing — but also can feel really hard and vulnerable. How can you create safer containers for each … Continue reading Vulnerability

New research takes a turn and finds what archeologists suggest is the famous lost Temple of Hercules. Continue reading Archeologists claim they discovered the famed lost Temple of Hercules at The Wild Hunt.

      MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESA Meditation on Olympia Brown & Navigating Hard Times James Ishmael Ford A Sermon delivered at theFirst Unitarian Church of Los Angeles 9 January 2022 I come to you today with some bad news. But, not to worry unduly. I also have good news to share. And […]