Elections have consequences. Progress is not an incident, but the cumulative impact of our commitment to justice. Right now, we are witnessing one amazing and crucial consequence of the 2020 election, the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jack­son to the US Supreme Court.  But we know our work is not done. In both Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing and in state legislatures across the country, hateful ideology and rhetoric are used as a political tool to win points or gain power at the expense of marginalized communities. We see reproductive rights under assault and attempts to systematically strip away voting rights. Our 2022 midterm election will have consequences. It is our work to support and build power in our communities to m...

Amy Banks WomenExplore March 17, 2022 Amy Banks, our speaker, gave both the Focus and the Lecture.  In the focus talk she told us about a very personal experience which is addressed in her book, “Fighting Time," coauthored with Isaac Knapper. Additionally she has authored Wired to Connect , Four Ways to Click , and Mental Health for Women (Coauthor). Several of her lectures are available on YouTube.  Raised in Orono, ME, Dr. Banks is a psychiatrist in Lexington, MA and a Founding Scholar at the International Center for Growth in Connection (ICGC) and a Senior Scholar at the Wellesley Centers for Women.  As Amy told us in the opening of her focus, her father was killed in front of the Hyatt Regency in 1979, while at a conference in N...

Sunlight is used by plants to create food from carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. Sunlight warms our bodies and helps us make Vitamin D. As the days in the Northern Hemisphere lengthen, let us all, everywhere, appreciate the warmth of sunlight. How does the natural world provide you comfort and sustenance?

      It was on this day, the 23rd of March, 1889, forty admirers of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, took hands and pledge themselves as his followers as the promised messiah and Mahdi. This moment is considered the inauguration of the Ahmadiyya Muslim movement. Ghulam Ahmad was born into an affluent Mughal family on […]

Spring conventionally arrived on Sunday, March 20. Yes, as Pagans, we held rituals and welcomed Ostara, or if you are Druid as I am – Alban Eilir. This is only the beginning though. Seeds, just like the spells we create, take more than uttering words. There is work involved, lots of work. Spring is a […] The post Spring is here! Plant seeds to work on your physical & mental gardens appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

In February the IPCC released their summary report for policy makers on what the stark impacts of climate change and what must be done to mitigate those impacts. Continue reading New report on climate change at The Wild Hunt.

UUSC advocates helped push Biden administration to formally acknowledge the Rohingya genocide.

  A Story   There are many stories.   Some offer wisdom.   Some offer different perspectives.   Some makes us wonder.   Here is a story from Andhra Pradesh in Southern India called “A Pig’s Life.” One day, a guru foresaw in a flash of vision what he would be in his next life. So he called his favorite disciple and asked him what he would do for his guru in return for all he had received. The disciple said he would do whatever his guru asked him to do. Having received this promise, the guru said, "Then this is what I'd like you to do for me. I've just learned that when I die, which will be very soon, I'm going to be reborn as a pig. Do you see that sow eating garbage there in the yard? I'm going to be reborn as the fourth pigl...

 Mardi Gras has been celebrated in one form or fashion in New Orleans for over 300 years.   That, my friends, is a lot of celebrating.   Over the years this carnival has become more elaborate, with more crowds and Krewes—Krewes are the groups that put on each of the parades.   The Krewes were more generous and socially conscious with their throws—the things thrown from the floats.   This year, one parade, Iris, threw branded coffee, red beans and jambalaya mixes, soap, tooth brushes, all of which were made locally.   The king of the Hermes parade threw roughly 100 strands of real pearls, each valued at something-like $1500.   To say that Mardi Gras is a celebration of excess would be an understatement.             

  A Story This is a Middle Eastern story. Down the street and around seven corners, a man and woman were married.             They loved one another.   But very soon after the marriage, the woman was sorry to discover that her husband often came home in a foul mood.   One thing or another happened during the day that made him grumpy or angry.   He carried this burden home with him and was not at all shy about sharing it with her.             "This cannot go on," thought the woman.   She contemplated what to do until finally one day she said, "Husband of mine, I know that your work is difficult and causes you grief some days.   And I've noticed that on those days you come home angry."             Her...

This past Sunday’s Special Collection was for the UU Service Committee’s emergency relief fund for a Ukraine Response. If you missed the opportunity to contribute, and would like to, please do so by Saturday, March 26th. We know the UUSC will do excellent and necessary things ... read more . The post Supporting Ukrainian Refugees appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We have a few patches of bulbs that we have planted in our front yard. While we have seen crocuses beginning to bloom on our morning walks, ours had yet to emerge until this week. Each day there are more green shoots, with their promise ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – March 22nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

  I think we probably can all agree that most of us tend to view the world through our own personal lens, or window as Raimon Panikkar would call it.   Today I want to explore what might change for us when we deeply attend to another person as they tell us what the world looks like through their own lens/window?   I choose to use the word lens rather than window, because the lens metaphor reminds me that often I choose what I focus on, while the window metaphor feels a little too passive.   At least for me, it is easy to forget, as Panikkar reminds us, that I am only seeing only one perspective, that one worldview I've focused on through my lens.   After all, a lens sharpens the details of what I have chosen to focus on.   But what...

Religious Education Classes have resumed meeting IN PERSON. The schedule for upcoming weeks is below the announcements about the K/1/2 OWL program, the 5/6/7 OWL program, and the 11/12 OWL program. K/1/2 OWL (Our Whole Lives sexuality education) – Parent-Child Orientation 4/10! – Classes will begin 4/24. This ... read more . The post RE This Week – March 22nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

This month we explore polarities, two things that are both needed, and that exist in tension with one another, such as activity and rest, or an inhale and an exhale. We can’t really choose just one. A paradox is a statement that seems absurd at ... read more . The post March Theme – Paradoxes and Polarities appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

  The worship theme this month is "Widening the Circle." As I reflected on the theme, I thought, "Before we decide how to widen the circle, shouldn't we think about what the heck our circle is?"   And consider which circle we are even talking about.   Are we talking about a circle of concern, in other words, who we are concerned about?   Are we talking about the people here in this congregation or the people who are marginalized, being treated as "less than" by others in our white supremacist culture?   Are we talking about our circle of ideas/values/beliefs?   Many Unitarian Universalists are considering whether to change the Principles and Sources document so that it better reflects who Unitarian Universalists are in the 21st cen...

The numbers here are ok via CovidActNow. And there is a new variant that so far isn’t impacting locally. We have been utilizing masks and distancing in the Great Hall to continue to prioritize the well-being of the most vulnerable among us including those who ... read more . The post COVID Prevention/Response Update March 22nd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

I don't know about you, but I need to let go of exhaustion and worry about Covid.   I am really done with Covid.   That does not mean I am going to stop wearing a mask, washing my hands, being aware of distancing in public settings.   It just means I am acutely aware of the limited mental and emotional resources I have due to two years of Covid.   I am aware of the sadness, anxiety, and social consequences of Covid.   I continue to limit some of my activities, keep my proof of vaccination with me, and double mask in some situations.               I am in a spiritual place where it is hard for me to even consider what I might learn from my life during Covid.   Part of me doesn't care what I might learn, I just want move ...

I want to start with this poem called "Every Note" by Rev. Aaron Miller.    Rev. Aaron is the pastor of   Metropolitan Community Church in Hartford, Connecticut, a Welcoming and Affirming Community.   Rev. Aaron is a political activist who is dedicated to working for the advancement of LGBTQI justice and equality.   As a transgender clergy person, he is passionately committed to human and civil rights and creating safe and welcoming spaces in our faith communities for all people. Like a note in a song, we are each essential. A beat cannot be skipped without interrupting the song’s rhythm and cadence. Would we say one note is wrong, unnecessary or has less value than another... when the song is so beautiful that it touches our hear...

  This month's (November) worship service theme is Holding History.   And so I have been pondering our country's recent history and how to hold it within me pondering how this congregation might hold our recent history and how those beyond these walls are holding it as well.   This past year and a half have been unlike any other that many, if not all of us, have ever experienced, with Covid and its many resurgences, and political and social divisiveness, with violence and bigotry in the headlines almost every day.   I have been spending time thinking about how I, and we as a society, might create meaning of these past couple years.               So, with regard to this, I want to construct a framework that we might use to...

  There are many stories of Mother Matrina, a nun in the Early Christian Church and a prominent saint in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches.   Here is one:             A young doctor came to see Mother Matrina. "Mother," they said, "I cannot bear all the suffering I see or hear about every day.   It is just too much for me.   I cannot understand why God allows such suffering to exist in the world!"             "There is no way for us to understand the existence of suffering," she replied.   "We must learn just to bear it, with as much courage and love as we can find.   This is the only 'answer' to the problem of suffering we can find."             "But this does not ...

            As we all know, we live in a very divided world.   Divided on ideologies, beliefs, political affiliations.   I use the word divided because I see a lot of people either saying or in some way communicating an us vs. them message – whether it be about vaccines, abortions, voting rights, or so many other things—the message is you are wrong and I am right. Even within Unitarian Universalism, there is division.           During a conversation with Unitarian Universalist ministers this week, we talked about Covid and vaccine mandates, wondering about the Unitarian Universalist Association Covid guidelines.   One guideline says: As a community that values inclusion and collective care, we don’t want to cr...

  Readings The first reading is from the Christian Gospel of John 20: 24–25; this scene occurs after Jesus’s death, when he has appeared to the apostles. 24 But Thomas …one of the twelve [apostles], was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” The Second Reading is from the Leaping Loon blog by Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Leslie Mills. Today, in common vernacular a Doubting Thomas is someone who will refuse to believe something without direct, physical, personal evidence; in other words, a skeptic. Thomas h...

I am a couple of days late posting as we went up to the north coast, Gualala, for a few days. I travel lighter now in a lot of ways, but one is that I no longer carry a laptop or a scale. The drive wasn’t long in miles but highway 1 is very curvy […]

Frank Leslie's Illustrated carried this "sketch of Grandma Swain voting based on eye witness accounts bit there were no other women in line when Louisa Ann Swain asked officials to open the polls early while she was out and about running errands.  I believe I have mentioned before my considerable pride that my home stateof Wyoming was the first jurisdiction in the United States to give women free and equal suffrage with men in all elections.   This was accomplished in 1869 when the sparsely populated U.S. Territory was still largely raw frontier.   A fair amount has been written on pioneer women office holders like Esther Hobart Morris, a Justice of the Peace in South Pass or Bailiff Mary Atkinson* in Laramie, both in 1870.   Less we...

Growth is beautiful and necessary, and it is sometimes hard. Growth requires us to push outside of our comfort zones and experience something new. How have you been made uncomfortable by growth?

At some point there are no more books, no more classes, no more teachers. There’s just the open sea and the stars and the wind. There’s only learning by doing.

. . . which isn’t a cedar. At least, it’s not of the genus Cedrus. Quite a few conifers not in that genus get called cedars anyway, and this is one of them. It is a member of the genus Chamaecyparis, making it a cypress, though there too, the common name of “cypress” and the […]

Phoenix Phyre festival was shut by authorities, the Artemis Spacecraft, Kūlgrinda sings support for Ukraine and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of March 21, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

In the early twentieth century, a tradition began of celebrating March 8th as International Women’s Day—an annual invitation to celebrate women’s contributions to events in history and contemporary society. In the early 1980s, this tradition expanded within the U.S. to Women’s History Week, and a few years later, to all of March as Women’s History […]

In our Centennial year, All Souls is honoring members of our church who have contributed greatly to shape how our congregation and community care for each other. Each Sunday, we've featured an honoree, highlighting their service and their meaningful experiences. The post Centennial Awards on Heritage Sunday appeared first on BeyondBelief.

God loves you

 This is my guest editorial from today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette newspaper.

To part 1 Talent + Effort Merit, or deservingness, is a product of two factors: talent, ability, natural gifts on the one hand and effort, hard work, training on the other. We'll look at the talent side, and then at the effort side. First, let us ask: from where did the talent come? Some of it came from genes – that’s luck. Some of it came from childhood experiences. But growing up in the right sort of environment to bring out a given ability is not something the individual made happen. That’s also luck. The other factor – effort, hard work, motivation, training -- isn’t always possible to separate from native talent. But whether you have the opportunities for training, have good coaches available, and training facilities, have...

Pocahontas imagined as a Powhatan "princess" with facial features based on her from life 1616 English portrait. On March 21, 1617 Rebecca Rolfe, the 22 year old wifeof John died, probably of smallpox or pneumonia, in Englandleaving behind an infant son, Thomas.  This incident, while tragic was so common that it would hardly be remembered today except for Rebecca’s maiden name—Pocahontas.   She was born about 1598 in what is now Virginia, the daughter of Wahunsunacah, principal chief of a network of Algonquian speaking tribesand known by the ceremonial title of Powhatan.  Her birth name was Matoaka.   A Powhatan girl like "Little Wanton"  from a contemporary drawing by a Virginia settler. Pocahontas,the name by which she was in...

The smallest shoots of growth remind us of the cycles of life and provide hope for something beautiful yet to come. What conditions do you need to manifest something new?

    Thomas Cranmer, theologian, controversialist, one time Archbishop of Canterbury, was tied to a stake and burned to death on this day, the 21st of March, in 1556. Cranmer, one time toady to a king, a priest and prelate, brilliant writer and complicated thinker, the principal architect of a reformed Catholicism in England. With […]

The dearest wish of the human heart is to matter, and few things matter more than an active concern for the welfare of others. The post Centennial Awards: George Krumme appeared first on BeyondBelief.

I love the overall pattern of these needles en masse: the way the twigs bend in waves and curls. I struggle to portray big-picture patterns like that, so I tried using broad strokes, literally. And at a distance I think it approximates the movement of this tree. Here’s the reference photo–which I couldn’t look at […]

Equinox blessings from The Wild Hunt! Continue reading Equinox Blessings! at The Wild Hunt.

To part 2 PREFACE The mechanically moral universe thesis says the universe rewards virtue and punishes wickedness. If virtue goes in, you get reward out; wickedness in, punishment out – as if the universe were a great moral machine, a cosmic meritocracy. Wisdom from the Hebrew Bible has for thousands of years guided readers away from the mechanically moral universe thesis and reminded us that life is not all about who deserves what. First, from the book of Ecclesiastes , chapter 9: “Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and chance happen to them all.”Second, the Book of Job . This reading is...

Some people put their faith in Jesus, some in God, some in the teachings of the Buddha or Mohammed or science. All of these can be challenging, but really, I think we UUs have the greatest challenge – we are called to put our faith in humankind despite all the ever present evidence that humans can be destructive, greedy, short sighted and cruel. The theme this month is renewing faith. In this service we will explore what it might mean to renew our faith in humankind ... Rev. Gail Marriner celebrated her tenth anniversary at UU Santa fe last fall and the 26th anniversary of her ordination. Its been a good quarter of a century. At present she is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Newbery Awards by reading all 100 Newbery Award winn...

No authentic portrait of Anne Bradshaw exists.  Puritan women were generally not considered important enough for the expense of a painting.  She is usually depicted as a generic Puritan woman of her era.  We know that she was dark haired, small, and plagued by ill health and the toll of eight childbirths.  Her attractive face was scarred by small pox. It is easy to identify the essential founder of American literature if you put preconceived notions aside.   Despite a near glut of over educated clergy and highly literate laymen, the first poetic voice to emerge from the struggling colonies in New England and first published poet to rise from the stony soilwas a sickly young woman, the motherof eight, who was discouraged in every way...

Rex Nelson is truly a friend of the creative arts and has done a great review of my new book in yesterday's edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/mar/19/working-with-our-hands/ Make, fix and create...

We're inching toward the release date for The Wisdom of  Our Hands, Tuesday March 22. Yesterday it was mentioned in a podcast from the Arkansas Times and discussed by editor Lindsey Millar with whom I had a Q and A interview last week.  Many fine things are being said about the book, and I'll share a few links, while also attempting to keep my ego in check. Yesterday Amazon had it listed as #1 in "new project books," and while that may seem cool, it's not a "new project book" and its wider ranking among books being sold is currently higher than 30 Thousand. And that too is  likely a blip on the high side due to the ad placed in the Fine Woodworking newsletter. In the meantime, our hands deserve all the attention they get and I partic...

Seeds represent the possible. Within each seed is all of the information necessary to make an entirely new plant. As seeds scatter they spread possibility and life with them. Nurture something possible today.

Earlier sunrises in winter. Later sunsets in summer. No clock shifting. You can have any two, but you can’t have all three. But what if instead we shifted our schedules seasonally and regionally?

Please join us on Sunday (20 March 2022) at 11:00 AM for “A Word of Wisdom” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able to do so. Our … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (20 March 2022)"

On this Sunday (20 March 2022), children and youth religious education classes will resume in person and will happen during our 11:00 AM worship service. We will resume our pre-COVID practice where the children and youth will join us in the sanctuary for the first 15-20 minutes and then we will sing them out to … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education (20 March 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (20 March 2022) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. This Sunday we begin our work through the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. As the author says, “This is not a book you read, this is a book you do” and we … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 20 March 2022"

Please join us next Tuesday (22 March 2022) 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.

    Eugen Herrigel was born on this day the 20th of March, in 1884. In 1953, his book Zen in der Kunst des Bogenschießens was published as Zen in the Art of Archery. It was one of the first English language books in general distribution that touched on Zen. And it was wildly successful. […]

It’s Saturday night. This is all a hardworking minister can do.

Brunch with friends, purchase of season appropriate gnomes and clearing the labyrinth garden has sealed my readiness for Spring.  Now back to my regularly scheduled Works in Progress. Word count. Word count. Need some mysterious skies to distract and inspire me.

Nofra-Uaa draws from the natural world and expresses a religious experience not confined by establishments, traditions, or dogma, but instead draws from the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, and the body itself, to describe a religious state devoid of shame or spiritual fascism. Continue reading Review: Ptahmassu Nofra-Uaa’s Divine Icons and Sacred Verses at The Wild Hunt.

    Christian Zen is something wonderful. Although what it is precisely is a bit slippery. Mostly it turns on Christians having found Zen meditation useful in their spiritual lives. But sometimes it gets weirder and much more interesting. There are now a rather large handful of Christians of a professional sort, clergy and monastics, […]

If you have preordered my new book on Amazon it will be delivered this Tuesday, March 22. It officially goes on sale on that date and we'll hold a local book signing to benefit the Eureka Springs Library on April 3, not very many day away.  The Wisdom of Our Hands was advertised in the Fine Woodworking newsletter this morning that goes out to thousands of woodworkers around the world and the ad will also be placed in the next print edition of the magazine. You can also order direct from Linden Publishing. I have been working on an essay explaining the cultural values of working with our hands that I hope will be published in the New Atlantis. Make, fix and create...

The Feast of St. Joseph, or the Festa Di San Giuseppe in Italy where it is a very big deal, is celebrated in honor of Joseph the Carpenter, husband to Mary and human father of Jesus. St. Joseph’s Day is celebrated annually on March 19.   Joseph, the husband of Mary—does that make him Jesus’s stepfather?—is the Patron Saint of Poland, of carpenters, workers of all kinds, and of assorted other things.   In many Latincountries it is also the occasion to celebrate fathers. A San Guuseppe street procession in Sicily. Joseph is particularly revered in Sicily where he is credited with bringing an end to a droughtand famine in the Middle Ages.   Devotion to him spread through southern Italy and was brought to the United States by immi...

One of the simplest forms of mutual aid is the penny bowl that can be found next to many cash registers. If you have spare change after a purchase, you are invited to leave some. If you need some extra to make your own purchase, you are free to take it. No questions asked. No … Continue reading Need a Penny?

I enjoyed spending several days on this (and I think I blanked out entirely yesterday!) but it’s good to declare it done–something that’s often hard for me. Presenting a very small, young, short-lived part of a tree that grows to be very tall and old, a Coast Redwood.

Alan D.D. explores a legend of co-dependency and depression, the story of La Loca de Ejido. Continue reading Column: La Loca de Ejido – A Tale of Dependency, Depression, and Healing at The Wild Hunt.

Alan D.D. explora la historia de La Loca de Ejido, una leyenda de codependencia y depresión. Continue reading Columna: La Loca de Ejido: Dependencia, Muerte, y Demencia at The Wild Hunt.

As we confront the urgent threats to peace, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and more, let’s appreciate and celebrate the landmark nomination of Judge Ktanji Jackson, which grassroots activists helped create, and draw needed inspiration for essential struggles to come.

A Q&A with Margaret Peacock and Erik L. Peterson | Erik started collecting sources from China, including social media posts, in January 2020. Margaret had her own set of documents about how the US government was shaping the narrative surrounding the spread of the disease. And we had all this sitting on our computers. Between the two of us, we were worried (1) that we would lose sources, (2) that we would overlap what we were collecting and make each other’s work redundant, and (3) that we would be too siloed in what sources we located.

    I was talking with a friend and she mentioned a teacher I’ve heard of once or twice. An American who kicked around the spiritual scene, had some sort of awakening, and is now on what some call the “guru circuit.” Second hand what she teachers doesn’t sound off to me. My friend was […]

Fannie Farmer with her famous level cup and student Martha Hayes Ludden.  Farmer is seated due to her partial disability due to a stroke. On January 7, 1896 a book that revolutionized American kitchen and changed the lives of women was published for the first time. The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book was compiled and written by the school’s 41 year old director, Fannie Farmer.   It was comprehensivein scope, and well organized.   Packed with detailed , step-by-step directionsand specific measurements of ingredients, it allowed home cooks—both hired help and homemakers—to create consistent meals that turned out the same every time.   Not only was it an immediate best seller, but Farmer kept it up to date through 21 more editions...

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— Last week, a friend drew my attention to the Harvard University social scientist, Joan Donovan’s “5 Key Principles of Misinformation”. They are as follows:  Information is fast and cheap.  Knowledge is slow and expensive.  Search and social media circumvents social institutions by mixing up information and knowledge.  Everything open will be exploited for fun, politics, and profit.  In an active crisis, there is no real-time knowledge, only real-time information.  This struck me as a helpful list, especially as ...

Today is Holi, the Hindu festival of colors and of spring. In this festival, participants throw colorful powders into the air, signifying the vibrant new life around them and their commitment to a fresh future. What is a way you can let vibrant color into your life today?

Currently, there are approximately 150 anti-transgender bills moving through state legislatures across the country. From banning participation in sports to so-called "bathroom bills," to legislation that criminalizes providing life-saving gender-affirming health care, these bills are deadly for trans and nonbinary people of all ages. Held March 15, 2022, this training featured Sam Ames, Director of Advocacy & Government Affairs for The Trevor Project; Rev. Erin Walter from Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry; and Rev. Lisa Garcia-Sampson from UU Justice Ministry on North Carolina, in addition to Side With Love staff Rev. Ashley Horan, Rev. Michael Crumpler, Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, and Adrian Ballou. Recommended Actions from the tra...

The recent draft of a legally binding international agreement to end plastic waste produced by the Fifth U. N. Environmental Assembly centered on addressing the full lifecycle of plastic as a means to an end. Continue reading UN Environmental Assembly Resolution to End Plastic Pollution at The Wild Hunt.

I have long been interested in the development of Enso Village. If you’re not familiar with it, the San Francisco Zen Center in partnership with Kendal Corp (a Quaker-based nonprofit senior living community developer) has been deeply involved in creating what can be called a new paradigm for aging – a Zen-Inspired Senior Living Community. […]

This vintage St. Patrick's Day greeting card is emblematic of the adoption and popularization of the holiday in the U.S.  In reality the acceptance by Yankee Uncle Sam--presumably Protestant--of Catholic "bog trotters" was far from smooth or cordial.   Note :   For those of you unaware, this is my natal anniversary. I Turn 73 today.   Bet you wondered how I got the name.   Anyway, I am rerunning a version of an oft run classic. Meanwhile to the Irish and wan-a-be-Irish, enjoy the day.   Have fun but try not to live down to some unfortunate stereotypes.    And for Christ’s sake don’t drink the damn green beer, an abomination and insult to the soul!   Have a dram of Jameson’s with a Guinness back for me! Today is the Feast ...

                Queen  Esther and the King. Note —It is a special two-fer Thursday.   This year the Jewish festival of Purim and Saint Patrick’s Day coincide to say nothing of my 73rd orbital anniversary.   Usually such convergences would inspire poetry, but nothing new oozed out this time.   Instead we will feature versions of two chestnuts for the occasion. Jewish holiday Purim is observed today.   It is one of my favorites of all religious celebrations.   As a Rabbi who spoke at the Peace and Unity Prayer Vigil at Islamic Foundation North in Waukegan a few years ago said. “Purim is a holy day when we are commanded to have fun.”   To familiarize folks with her story and the joyous festival which commemorates h...

“I need you, you need me. We’re all a part of God’s body. Stand with me, agree with me. We’re all a part of God’s body. It is His will that every need be supplied. You are important to me, I need you to survive. You are important to me, I need you to survive.” … Continue reading I Need You To Survive

“I feel called to Cernunnos – how do I get started?” There is no one right way. But this is what I’ve done, and what I’ve seen others do that worked for them.

My uncle Bob died late last month. I’ve been thinking about him a lot. I talked to my younger sister about him, even wound up talking to some cousins I haven’t talked to in a long time. Thinking back about parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great-grandparents. All the things I don’t know, … Continue reading "Thinking back"

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

Sunday, March 20, 10:30 a.m. A Stream of Living Souls An In Person Worship Service with Rev. Alice Anacheka-Nasemann   We are part of a stream of living souls who have found a religious home at the Unitarian Church of Marlborough & Hudson. Join us in person this Sunday for a worship service led by Rev.   [ … ] The post Sunday, March 20 ~ A Stream of Living Souls ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

An interview with Nøkken And The Grim at Austin Witchfest highlights the connection of band member, Fehérló Gortva’s connection Hungary and the war in Ukraine. Continue reading Nøkken + The Grim at Austin Witchfest at The Wild Hunt.

Meaningful Ways to Support Ukraine – March 11, 2022 – As we witness the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine unfold, we, at the Canadian Unitarian Council, reaffirm our commitment to creating a more peaceful, just, and equitable world. We find our strength in community and are reminded of these words from Mark Morrison-Reed in Singing the […] The post Meaningful Ways to Support Ukraine appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

Christine Slocum White supremacy culture tells me that I’m only "good" if I’m perfect, treating all falls as hard stops. Continue reading "Learning How to Fail"

Rachel Corrie as a student at Evergreen State College in her hometown of Olympia, Washington. It was 19 years ago today on March 16, 2003 that Rachel Corrie , a 23 year old American volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) was killed by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) armored bulldozer as it attempted to destroy the home of a Palestinian doctor in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza.  The Palestiniansshe died protecting are under even greater siege today with village after village targeted for leveling to make way for new settlements. Eyewitness members of her ISM team say that Corrie, wearing a bright orange jacket, was clearly visible to the driver of the bulldozer before she fell off the mound of earth it was pushing up a...

“I do not wish to breathe another breath if it is not shared with others. The breath of life is not mine alone. I brought myself to be with you, hoping that by inhaling the compassion, the courage, the hope found here, I can exhale the fear, the selfishness, the separateness I keep so close … Continue reading The Breath of Life

My daughter said, “Why is it so pink?” I responded that pink was part of the actual background color, and that I was exaggerating that but would be mottling it (as I have now done, above). I said I was trying to show how there was a glow around the needles. She affirmed that there’s […]

Find more information on UUA elections. Continue reading "Unitarian Universalist Association Elections"

nomination slate for UUA board and committee volunteer positions to be elected at GA 2022 Continue reading "Nominations for Election at General Assembly 2022"

As this year’s Stewardship season has begun, we have been thinking of the generous, creative, courageous, and gracious ancestors who have shaped this congregation with their presence and participation. We remember. We remember with gratitude. We remember with gratitude and humility. Their stories are in the walls, ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – March 15th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Senior Youth Group has resumed meeting IN-PERSON! Such a delight! This past Sunday, our Senior Youth resumed in-person meetings! Our Waters House Youth Room once again rang out with laughter and good conversation. Comparisons of how much each one has grown and/or changed since they last saw each other ... read more . The post RE This Week – March 15th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

This month we explore polarities, two things that are both needed, and that exist in tension with one another, such as activity and rest, or an inhale and an exhale. We can’t really choose just one. A paradox is a statement that seems absurd at ... read more . The post March Theme – Paradoxes and Polarities appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

CovidActNow still has Schenectady County in medium, which is excellent news. Each week more folks are attending in-person. Last Sunday, lots of folks were visiting and chatting and some of us went to the dining room for choir rehearsal! Some of us have been visiting or ... read more . The post COVID Update March 15th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The next discussion of readings by Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) authors will be held Monday, March 28, at 6:30 pm on Zoom. Tom Comparin will facilitate the discussion of this book of short stories that has won the PEN/Faulkner Award, the $20,000 Story Prize, and ... read more . The post Book Discussion: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

A Q&A with Jonathan Rosenblum | That’s a really good question, Matt. To the examples you gave, I would also add the fight to eliminate student debt. The Joe Biden administration is resuming mandatory debt payments for millions of workers in this country, which is going to be economically devastating. The Biden administration has also ended the eviction moratorium protecting people from eviction, millions and millions of working class people are now in jeopardy of losing their homes.

(Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) As we continue to watch Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brutally unfold it is, perhaps, inevitable that many people are seeing historical parallels with the run-up to the Second World War. So, for example, some people are saying that the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 could be seen as a parallel to the German invasion of the Sudetenland in 1938, and the current Russian invasion of Ukraine as a parallel to the German invasion of Poland in 1939. It’s clearly tempting to make such claims but I’m not entirely sure the parallels are real. However, having said that, I do find myself generally agreeing with a point of view attributed to Mark Twain, namely that “hist...

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, Sturgeon apologizes, Paganicon returns, more announcements and news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of March 14, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.