We will continue to watch the local COVID numbers.  We feel encouraged by the dropping Omicron COVID case rates. 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. We also want some time to be together and nurture each … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Updates"

Please join us next Tuesday (1 March 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.

Pagans, Witches, and polytheists begin to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading Pagans respond to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine at The Wild Hunt.

They used to say that politics ends at the water's edge, which meant that when faced with crises that are international in scope, folks would suspend criticism of leadership to present a united stance. That is no longer the case, as some Republicans and talking heads on one of our major networks attempt to use the crisis in Ukraine to sew discord among us and undermine our leadership in the international response. What can I say, but shame, shame, we know your names and will deal with you later. In the meantime, a friend of mine has been selected to make the keynote address to the Hand Society, on the subject, "the Soul of a Craftsman." He asked me to offer a few reflections on the subject. I don’t know that all buy the idea that there...

    Maurine Stuart died on this day, the 26th of February, 1990. One of our founding mother’s of an emerging Western Zen. Very much worth remembering. I wrote of her in my book Zen Master Who: Maurine Stuart, one of the first female Zen masters in America, was also one of the first to […]

John of Patmos watches the descent of New Jerusalem from God in a 14th-century tapestry 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— Those of you who know me well know I am very interested in ghosts — not because I believe them to be actual, existing entities, but because a critical, historical, sociological study of them can help reveal what powerful ideas, hopes and desires haunt any given culture. As I have often noted over the twenty-two years I’ve been your minister, it seems to me that many of the ghosts which haunt us today are theological ones that we have...

John Adams said “I must study war so my sons may study mathematics, so their children may study poetry and music.” But some people think no one should study poetry and music, and so they attack them with words, with laws, and sometimes with guns and tanks.

It looks like it comes from another world, but it is from this one. These are the first leaves of the Douglas-fir. Strictly speaking, they are cotyledons. A cotyledon (kä-tə-ˈlē-dᵊn) is a leaf produced by the embryo of the plant, the one that emerges from the earth already formed and ready to photosynthesize until the […]

My dog does not contain her excitement, she relishes in the simple pleasures, and her truest joy comes from just being around her people. Let your truest joy out today. Share it with others.

Please join us on Saturday (26 February 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 (26 February 2022)"

"The last days of winter are unfolding as they should, with snow, ice, and cold temperatures starting to become balanced by days of warmer weather and increasing daylight. Sensing the nearness of spring, part of me wants to put on my fastest sneakers and gleefully run down the path to greet her. But the wheel turns as it turns, and I know I cannot hurry the seasons." Continue reading Column: The Coming Spring at The Wild Hunt.

There is pain and outrage in our hearts because Texas Governor Greg Abbott has escalated the attacks on transgender people living in his state, especially trans youth, by equating medical care with child abuse. Continue reading "Diversity of Sexuality and Gender is a Gift"

By Solomon Jones | The pain of that night was still fresh in Tracy’s mind when I interviewed him in 2015, three years after George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon. Tracy also remembered the good times he’d shared with his son, and he freely shared all he could recall. Tracy, a truck driver who grew up in the impoverished city of East St. Louis before moving to Miami in his early twenties, lit up when he talked about Trayvon.

As centuries of human history have shown, whenever the State prioritizes its own ideology and interests over the agency and self-determination of the people, violence is inevitable.

Sunday, February 27, 10:30 a.m. An Online Service with Rev. Lynda Sutherland, First Parish Northboro   We all yearn for peace. But what does that mean? This week we join our friends at First Parish Northboro to explore our 6th Principle, “The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all”   Virtual Social   [ … ] The post Sunday, February 27 ~ Widening the Circle: A House of Peace ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

A new study from Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) looks into religious affiliations of QAnon devotees. QAnon devotees believe that governments, media outlets, and world finances are in the control of pedophiles who worship Satan. They also believe that there’s some kind of big convulsion coming that will get rid of all the powerful elites, … Continue reading "Wait, what?!"

Classroom teacher and public intellectual Jose Vilson has a post on his blog on “the work we must do” in public education. After pointing out that our guiding principle should be “educating for an informed democracy,” he provides good advice on how to respond to the misguided critics of critical race theory: “We can say … Continue reading "Teaching and critical race theory"

  Hiram Revels is sworn in as a U.S. Senator from Mississippi. On February 25, 1870 Hiram Revels was seated as a United States Senator from Mississippi.  Two things made the event unusual.  First, Revels was Black.  Second, he was elected by the Reconstruction legislature of the state to finish the term that Jefferson Davis had vacated to take up the Presidency of the Confederacy.  Seating him was anything but routine.  Democrats rose to argue that because the Dred Scott Decision held that no Black man could be a citizen, that there were no Black citizens prior to the adoption of the 14th Amendment in 1860.  The Constitution required a Senator be a citizen for six years and they argued that Revels had only been one for two.  The ...

In Riga, Latvia, the Soviets built a highly controversial "Victory Monument" to honor their defeat of Nazi Germany. The Latvians call it the "Moscow Finger," as it juts 76 meters in the air and serves them as a reminder of years of Soviet imposed trauma that followed WWII. The Latvian people hate that thing. There have been efforts over the years to have it demolished, even though about 25% of Latvian citizens are of Russian origin and use the Russian language. Folks generally want to get along with each other. It has been kept standing on a slim margin. I suspect that now they will actually get around to tearing the thing down. The Latvian people must be reeling as they watch the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As are others in Estonia and...

The needles at the very end of a twig resemble a sea anemone.

I was so tired that I fell right into bed, planning to post this in the morning. But morning was busy and I forgot all day. So here is yesterday’s tree, immediately before I draw today’s. Something I find endlessly fascinating about nature is the way things are patterned but never quite completely regular. What […]

We must find places to restore “our deep knowing that we have to take care of ourselves and each other with love and joy if we are to soulfully survive the world’s mayhem.” -Heather Rion Starr What is your place of refuge amidst mayhem? How is your joy restored?

Researchers examining an accidental recording of a dying patient's brain suggests that memories may indeed be activated just before death. Continue reading A new study suggests life really does flash before your eyes right before death at The Wild Hunt.

Chimps certainly communicate a lot, mostly with signs though they can be taught to use a few symbols. They certainly don’t have the human facility for complex symbol use including abstract nouns, and past tense and future tense verbs – not to mention conditional perfect or future subjunctive or modal verbs. But remember what Talleyrand, the 18th century French clergyman and diplomat, told us about language. Talleyrand said:“God gave humans language so they could conceal their thoughts from one another.”In fact, we got so good at hiding our thoughts and intentions from one another that it became useful to have indicators of our feelings that are hard to fake. We might find ourselves smiling, giggling, or crying when we don't want ...

Rose Singleton “Using Art as Advocacy” was a webinar hosted on February 17, 2022 by the UU@UN (Unitarian Universalist Association’s office at the United Nations). This event showed how art can be used to build community and inspire change in chaotic times. Art can result in profound social change when used... Continue reading "Event Recap: Using Art as Advocacy"

      Elena Cassandra Tarabotti was born in Castello, Venice, on this day, the 24th of February in 1604. At eleven Elena entered the Benedictine cloister at Sant’Anna in Venice, taking the religious name Arcangela. This was involuntary, she was placed in the convent by her father because he believed she was unmarriagable. Apparently […]

Behind drummers the NAACP's James Weldon Johnson and W.E.B, Du Bois, center, lead the Silent Parade in New York City in 1917.    On July 28, 1917 the Silent Parade in New York City was an orderly but mute demonstration by as many as 10,000 African-Americans in protest to the continued brutal onslaught of lynching across the Jim Crow South and border states as well as the anti-Black pogrom that killed as many as 200 and displaced thousands in East St Louis, Illinois that May.  It may be obscure today, but it was one of the most significant events in the creation of a modern, Black led civil rights movement and the direct ancestor of the Black Lives Matter movement. I was vaguely aware of the Silent Parade and have mentioned it in passi...

About 3 1/2 years ago my wife and I visited in Helsinki, Estonia and Latvia, and it is with great sadness that we witness the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ugliness of Russian dominion over neighbors is tragic. The pattern among oligarchs is to strip assets from their own people and to then launder their ill-gotten gains and invest them abroad for their further enrichment, so we hope that sanctions will have some affect. In Latvia we visited the KGB museum in a building that actually served as the headquarters of the KGB, the network of Soviet secret Police that were used to bring the Latvian populace under Russian control. Their remembrance of KGB horrors remains vivid. And we can know Putin by knowing the KGB. The KGB provided the p...

What does it mean to be called by a God? What does it look like, sound like, feel like? How do you know if it’s a God calling you or if you’re just imagining the whole thing? Mainly, what’s going to change in your life?

The time I spend caring for small children is a very sacred practice of joy for me. My 3-yr-old friends have such pure and authentic joy over some of the simplest parts of life (buses! books! cuddles!) and being with / honoring their joy is deeply sustaining. Find joy connecting in meaningful ways with a … Continue reading Joy of Children

      It was on this day, the 23rd of February, in 1455 Johannes Gutenberg published his wonderful Bible. Or, at least its the best date we’ve come up with to mark the occasion… Of course pretty much everyone knows that it wasn’t the first time a book was printed, or printed with movable […]

Our news editor reflects on a perceived silence on social issues at this year's Winter Games in China. Continue reading The Winter Olympics that weren’t at The Wild Hunt.

Friends Scott, Jay and John are doing a kickstarter campaign to assist them in furthering their Kindergarten documentary series. I made a contribution because it's a vital view into the workings of childhood and might assist in a much needed reform of education. You can contribute here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/froebel/garden-of-children-documentary-series-on-education The video series shows some of our students and contains interviews with over 100 educational experts pointing the way toward meaningful reform of education. You can find trailers on youtube or view this extended trailer for a small rental fee here: https://www.froebelusa.com/offers/HhkL8RDX/checkout Make, fix and create.  Assist others in learning likewise.

February in Maine, and it is 60 degree weather today. It isn’t really supposed to be like this. We went to Kettle Cove, where dozens of people were out at the beach. A few even went into the water in their swim suits–but not us. Margy was inspired to collect some seaweed for the garden. […]

By Guilaine Kinouani | Racism causes harm. Harm to the body. And harm to the mind. Yet it was only in November 2020 that the American Medical Association recognized racism as an urgent threat to public health. Thankfully, many of us did not wait for this penny to drop to tackle its impact. For about fifteen years, I have been working therapeutically with people of color, supporting almost exclusively Black people distressed by racism and experiencing racial trauma.

Congregational program connects immigrants with host congregations.

Bruce Knotts Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reminds us that peace, justice, and human rights are linked and interdependent.

The Spring 2022 edition of American Craft Magazine, p. 18 has a review of my new book as shown. The text reads as follows:  "Educator and craftsman Doug Stowe has long been exploring what it means to be a maker. In a collection of thoughtful, self-reflective essays, Stowe delves into the important lessons that working with our hands can teach us and the deeper meaning that brings to our lives." Make, fix and create... Assist others in living likewise. 

The stories we tell matter. And each telling of history—all the varied stories of our human pasts—are invariably biased. No matter how informed, well-intentioned and open the historian, their perspectives are always constrained by their understanding and experience. History is never neutral. All stories, including all histories, are unavoidably told from some particular person’s—or group’s—point […]

This Landmark book for young adults and a Classic Comic Book both fired my boyhood hero worship of Theodore Roosevelt.  The cover illustration turned out to be inaccurate.  Roosevelt was wearing his blue field shirt not his khaki officer's tunic and completed the charge on foot after he lost his horse.  But it did show one Black trooper in the lower right of the picture--more credit than Buffalo Soldiers usually got. When I was a kid, Theodore Roosevelt was my hero.  I know, incredibly dorky.  But Teddy had been a fat, bookish kid with glasses, sort of like me, who grew up to have an exciting life.  For a couple of years or so in my pre-teens I took to pinning the brim of my cowboy hat to the crown on one side with a U.S. Army insi...

Anonymous Praise be for our connection. Help us to learn from each other. Continue reading "Connecting Across Differences"

I’ve learned that the white streaks on many conifer needles are, on close examination, actually close clusters of little white dots or patches. So what are they? Collectively, they’re called stomatal bloom. Each is the wax that lines a stoma, or opening in the surface of the leaf. Stomata allow the exchange of gases between […]

“For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.” —Luke 1.44 Is there someone whose voice greeting you makes you instantly feel joy?

In Sunday’s service we heard a story about a small act of love, and were invited to do one small thing. This month’s theme of Purpose, feels BIG, and in this story, we were reminded that small can be just what we need. So, today ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Feb. 22nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Upcoming RE Classes: K-6 Experiences with the Web of Live: These nature lovers will meet again Sunday morning, 3/6, from 9:30-10:15. 4/4:  K-6th Celebrating Spring–6-6:45 pm! Movement and stories to share. 7/8 The Fifth Dimension: Their next meeting is Sunday morning, 3/6, from 9:15-10:15. Game Night!: 2/24: 7th-12th Grade Game Night- from 7-8:30 pm! We’ll be ... read more . The post RE This Week – Feb. 22nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We are pleased to announce the annual call for applications for grants from UU Schenectady’s Social Justice Action Fund. We will offer grants between $2,500 and $5,500 for social justice initiatives and activities working towards bringing about systemic change. Applications are due by April 30, ... read more . The post UUSS Social Justice Action Fund appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

A report released by NOAA this month offers a revision in the rise of sea levels and how various areas are expected to be affected. Continue reading New report: sea levels will rise, but not uniformly at The Wild Hunt.

                                             Lewis Latimer, light bulb pioneer in 1882. Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Boston on December 4, 1848.   How that came to be is an epic story in its own right. His father, George W. Latimer, the son of a White man and enslaved mother, and his wife Rebecca fled from slavery in Virginia by ship.   Traveling north via Baltimore and Philadelphia with prices on their heads and pursued by slave catchers, the young couple arrived in Boston on October 8, 1842.   By mischance Latimer was spotted by a Virginian who recognized him as the slave clerk in James Gray ’ s Norfolk shop.   He was immediately arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 to be held until his mas...

Too many of us think James Carville spoke the eternal truth in 1992 when he said “it’s the economy, stupid.” But there were no unemployed coal miners in the January 6 insurrection. When people show you who they are, believe them.

And now I know what subalpine means: in the foothills or lower slopes of mountains, below the treeline. Which seems to imply that alpine trees grow above the treeline. This dendrology stuff is complicated. Anyway, tree research can wait. This took a long time because each needle was outlined or shadowed by another. It was […]

“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it.” -From “Don’t Hesitate,” by Mary Oliver This poem is one of my favorite framings of joy. Particularly within my experience of grief, it can be so hard to access and sustain joy — feeling permission to give into it and claim even … Continue reading Don’t Hesitate

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, The Baltimore Sun apologizes, Cherry Hill Seminary announces profess of the year, Crossings, a research participant call, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of February 21, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Emerge, deepen and transform is 2022’s focus for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey, where I attend. Although, they probably are thinking along the effects of the pandemic, including how congregational life is transforming in general. This is something my elders always encourage in their students. Two friends at different times the other […] The post Spring is coming!  Emerge from your shell and transform appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

Let us begin with a recitation of the litany of "us": 13.8 billion years ago the universe began. 4.6 billion years ago, in the last third of the universe’s lifespan, our sun formed, and within about 60 million years, the Earth. 3.5 billion years ago, a billion years after our Earth formed, life on Earth began. 2 billion years ago, after a billion and a half years of prokaryotic life, eukaryotes (cells with a distinct nucleus) appeared when symbiotically linked prokaryotic cells fused into one organism. 800 million years ago, some eukaryotes developed into the first animal. 535 million years ago, within the last 4 percent of the age of the universe, some animals developed into the first vertebrates. 200 million years ago, some vertebrat...

    Malcolm X was assassinated on this day, the 21st of February in 1965. I consider him one of the signal figures in the spiritual history of the United States. I’ve written here about him before. Although it’s been. while. Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19th, 1925. He was the […]

                                        William Wells Brown in 1847 at the time of the publication of his first book of memoirs. His life was as compelling as any character her ever created—up from illiterate slavery to international celebrity as a pioneering Black author and leading abolitionist.   In his day William Wells Brown was nearly as famed as Fredrick Douglassbut today is barely a footnote in American literary and social justice history.     This post aims help fix that. Brown was born in 1814 or ’15 near Lexington, Kentucky in the racially complex circumstances common to slavery.   His motherElizabeth had both African and Native American ancestry, and she was held in bondage by Dr. John Young.

“Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me.” -Three Dog Night Bring joy to someone else today. Share some joy.

  HOPE HAS HUMAN HANDS Rev. Kit Ketcham, Feb. 20, 2022          In the late 40’s, early 50’s, there was a song which, when it came on the radio, would make my dad  groan and move as if to turn it off, muttering “that darn song, it’s so sticky!”, and my mother and I would cry out, “no, we want to hear it!”  It was a sentimental song and its words could even be said to be a bit schmaltzy.  And when you heard it just now, you might have even hummed along with it!          In those days, hope--to me--meant miracles; it meant a sort of Pollyanna-ish optimism that “everything will be fine in the morning”.  It meant that no matter how desperate the financial situation ...

TWH reports from the Hexes and Hearts Ball, which was held on February 12th in Arlington, Texas. Continue reading Hexes and Hearts Witch’s Ball gives back to the community at The Wild Hunt.

Personal tragedy and four years of the burdens of war visibly aged Abraham Lincoln as shown in his final portrait taken by Alexander Gardner day before his death. Note— It has been since Tuesday that the last entry in this series appeared. Both personal scheduling problems and the complexity of the story has resulted in the delay.  But we finally take up the story Lincoln was elected President of the United States.  In this conclusion he faces his immediate crisis, and we examine how he used issues of race and slavery to advance he proclaimed war objective of preserving the Union and how his views evolved. If Lincoln held any real hope that his pledges not to interfere with slavery in states where it was established, and his protesta...

    THUNDER AND LIGHTNINGFrederick Douglass’ Liberation Theology James Ishmael Ford A sermon delivered at theFirst Unitarian Church of Los Angeles February 20th, 2022 “If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want […]

as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, February 20, 2022 “Did you ever talk to Brother Malcolm? Did you ever touch him or have him smile at you? Did you ever really listen to him?,” I begin my sermon with these words from Ossie Davis for a simple reason. Tomorrow marks the […]

Thanks to several of you for kind words over the last few weeks. These have encouraged me do my best to "get back on the horse" and reactivate this blog and my Universalist Christian Initative project. I suppose the pandemic (and before that the culture wars in my denomination) took its toll. As I look … Continue reading "Getting back on the horse"

I'm sorry it's late (and perhaps not so useful) but here is the updated Sunday-only calendar for 2022. Or rather, a link to where I keep it. https://www.revscottwells.com/2008/08/26/the-sunday-only-calendar/ Let we know if your browser gives you a security warning when you download it.

Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you." What does it mean to build families and, ultimately, a world, which grants every child inherent rights and does not treat them as the property of their parents? Tara Adams will explore this idea through her experiences as both a parent of three and a social worker working with families.

The Pandemic has significantly limited our lives in so many ways. But being outside improves our own mental and physical health and makes our Church more welcoming – think of all the wonderful time members have been enjoying being outside – including even Christmas Eve! The post Tending our Garden appeared first on BeyondBelief.

I did pretty good this week and managed to celebrate yet another birthday yesterday. 72 seems like a lot of years, quite a few more than I expected to see when I was young. This year we were able to actually eat out in a restaurant with all of our adult children and then have […]

I’m a serious writer who writes about serious matters, but even I know there’s a need for fun in our lives. And while serious stuff can be fun, magic is fun in and of itself.

A.k.a. “Christmas tree.” The needles are closely packed and mostly grow upwards. Another one whose leaves are liveliest en masse, but I can’t always draw a whole twig’s worth.

Sometimes, when we are filled with joy, it overflows from us as tears. Those moments of most profound joy can look to others like moments of sadness. When have you felt joy so profound that you burst into tears?

Storm Faerywolf showcases the Divine Diversity 2 tarot deck from Joe Phillips, which features representation of a wide variety of ethnicities, sexualities, cultures, and body types. Continue reading Column: Delving into Divine Diversity at The Wild Hunt.

Please join us on Sunday (20 February 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Sanctuary” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. Please join us in the sanctuary at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able to do so. Our service will also be livestreamed on Facebook Live here if you cannot attend … Continue reading "Online All-Ages Worship (20 February 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (13 February 2022) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. This Sunday’s topic is “Faith and Reason:  Pema Chödrön Talks with Bill Moyers.” For this Sunday (20 February 2022) and next Sunday (27 February 2022), we will watch Part 1 and Part 2 of a Bill … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 20 February 2022"

We will continue to watch the local COVID numbers.  We feel encouraged by the dropping Omicron COVID case rates. 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. We also want some time to be together and nurture each … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Updates"

Please join us next Tuesday (22 February 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.

Goat on a goat path (Photo: Guilhem Vellut) 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— Because, for a few weeks, the liberal religious, Unitarian community to whom I minister is back in its hall where it met for worship between 1923 and 1927, I’m taking the opportunity to look at some of its liberal roots. One root idea alive at the time was that the Unitarian movement was a “progressive” one which could also be called, quite unproblematically, “a religion of the Open Road” (Alfred Hall in Aspects of Modern Unitarianism , ed. S. H. Mellone, Lindsey Press, ...

As whole human beings, we experience both joys and sorrows. We bring both our joys and sorrows to our communities to be witnessed and appreciated. What are the joys and sorrows you are bearing today?

Will you look at this California red fir? I just about wept looking at it: for the beauty of those curving needles, as graceful as dancers; from the desire to spend lots of time with them and try to put some of that beauty on paper; and from exhaustion. I don’t know why I should […]

Please join us on Saturday (19 February 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 (19 February 2022)"

Alan D.D. introduces the legend of Caribay, a Venezuelan figure whose actions brought snow to the peaks of the Andes. Continue reading Column: Caribay, the Venezuelan Pandora at The Wild Hunt.

Alan D. D. nos presenta la leyenda de Caribay, una figura venezolana cuyas acciones trajeron nieve a los picos de los Andes. Continue reading Columna: Caribay, la Pandora Venezolana at The Wild Hunt.

Emptiness is Suchness Masao Abe First published in the Eastern Buddhist & later reprinted in the anthology of Kyoto School reflections, the Buddha Eye, as well as elsewhere. There are reasons for its popularity. What makes this essay so important to me is how it expresses the fullness of the evolution of Buddhist thinking about emptiness, here […]

All too often, the perceived value of an object is based on market demand rather than on the qualities the making of it offers the maker. The photo above is an example of my mother's craft work from when she was a teen. The quality of her work may not have been at the level of work done by her mother or grandmother, but as stated by Otto Salomon, the value of the student's work is not in the work, but in the student. To make such an object imparts qualities to the maker... a fact neglected in modern American education. The making of such objects is part of the process of development of character and intelligence, and as we have become a nation of consumers rather than makers, we have grown more and more out of touch. The piece shown abov...

Native but rare. The “weeping spruce” grows near the treeline in the Siskiyou Mountains, and the droop of its branches protects them from breaking under the heavy snows of these high elevations (3300-7500′).

“Joy can get complicated. Our lives grow convoluted. So often, when joy comes to us, it is accompanied by other emotions that seem to be in conflict but somehow enter our lives all mixed together: joy and sorrow and gratitude and grief and… Yet when I think about joy being complicated, I am not thinking … Continue reading Complicated

Within the past couple of hours, Religion News Service has posted an article titled “Reform movement publishes extensive report on sexual misconduct in its youth programs.” The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) commissioned an outside law firm to investigate sexual misconduct in their movement’s youth programs and summer camps over the past half century. Then … Continue reading "The UUA really needs to do this"

Long-time McHenry County resident and community leader Gloria Van Hof of Crystal Lake has announced her candidacyfor County Board District 2 in the April Democratic Primary election.   Her campaign kick-off event will be held this Sunday, from 1 to 3 pm at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, 8515 Redtail Drive, Lakewood. The event will feature food and refreshments, a cash bar, and original original stories by Emmy Award-winning storyteller, Jim May. Campaign donations are welcome and signatureson Gloria’s and other Democrats’ nominating petitions will be collected.   Mask and proof of Covid-19 vaccinationare required. When she was known as Gloria Urch she was my co-host for several years for the Diversity Day Festival on Woodstock Square. I...

The practice of leaving clooties at sacred sites has generated considerable debate amongst Pagans after a site in Scotland was recently cleared of all the items left at the site. Continue reading The great cloutie debate: U.K. Pagans weigh in on the practice at The Wild Hunt.

A copy of my new book arrived today. The release date through Amazon.com and other outlets is planned for March 22, 2022, and we have a book signing planned for Eureka Springs on April 3. Yesterday I did an interview with Foreword Reviews that will be posted online near the time of the book's release. Make, fix and create...