After a year of searching, we officially signed a letter of employment with our new Music Director, Maria Germain. Maria will start on May 10th, with her first Sunday being May 15! Maria brings lots of experience, talent, enthusiasm, creativity, and a collaborative spirit. Many thanks to ... read more . The post Announcing UU Schenectady’s New Music Director! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

In a groundbreaking report, TWH speaks with Russian Pagans experiencing the invasion of Ukraine from the other side of the conflict. They describe their reactions to the invasion itself, as well as the intensifying climate of censorship and international sanctions, and how it affects their religious communities. Continue reading “No space for our religion” – Russian Pagans speak out about the invasion of Ukraine at The Wild Hunt.

During WWII, a friend of my father, Lovell Lawrence, Jr. was called in as a consultant to solve a problem with de-icing on the B-25 bomber. Mechanical engineers wanted to solve the problem mechanically, Electrical engineers wanted to solve the problem electrically, and hydraulic engineers wanted to solve the problem hydraulically. And so the problem engineers faced was one easy for Lovell Lawrence to solve. It required asking engineers of various kinds to step out of their disciplines to work together. Lovell Lawrence, known to my Dad and friends as "Bunny"settled things by telling the various engineers which portion of the project was theirs to do. Portions of it needed to be solved electrically, portions mechanically and portions hydra...

Given that the world is moving in directions I don’t like, how do I want to respond? How can I make things better for me and mine? I’m too old to wait and see. And even if I wasn’t, I’m in no mood to suffer any more and any longer than I have to.

“In an instant I’m eight years old again. I can smell the hot Café Bustelo percolating in the tiny pot on my grandmother’s stove while she plays cards with my grandfather and his childhood best friend from Argentina. Music starts to play while my aunts and uncle move the furniture so they can dance. In … Continue reading Music of Memory

  Carl Sandburg photo montage by Edward Steichen, 1936. W hatever current fashion has to say , Carl Sandburg remains one of my three all-time favorite American poets and a personal inspiration.   He always set his own course rejecting the obscurism of fashionable modernism, high flown rhetoric, or classical allusions in favor of plain , blunt speech .   Without even dipping into a handful of poems from his first great book, Chicago Poems that have been so widely anthologized that they are familiar to folks who don’t read poetry, here is a sample of his vigorous verse which stand on their merits without further introductions.                               Sandburg as a Chicago journalist in 1919. Always the Mob Jesu...

Ah, the introduced tree Californians love to hate. It grows fast, but aside from that, the plan of introducing it as a lumber tree can’t be said to have been very carefully thought out. It sheds long strips of bark that make terrific tinder in our fire-prone region, the very speed with which it grows […]

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, Supreme Court hears a case on religious rights, the 15th anniversary of the pentacle used by the Department of Veteran's Affairs, announcements, wolves, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of April 25, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Popular Woodworking has published an excerpt from my new book in their June issue. Subscribers should watch for it arriving in their mail very soon if it's not gotten to you already.  In the wood shop today at the Clear Spring School we began a new unit by exploring the relationship between the thumbs and the development of a system of measure. Tomorrow we'll go deeper in exploring the inch. How many know that the inch is actually derived from the width of a man's thumb? Or that  our own hands might be useful as a method of measure?  In class my student used their own thumbs to plan and measure the length of simple pivot lid wooden boxes. I want my students to become masters of measuring before the block is completed, and making small...

In the midst of Genocide Awareness Month, we consider the real meaning of the word genocide and demand accountability for perpetrators.

Sunday, May 1, 10:30 a.m. Annual Blessing of the Animals A Multigenerational Worship Service led by Rev. Alice Anacheka-Nasemann   Our animal companions are often cherished members of our families, bringing us deep love and connection as well as laughter and joy. This service will feature a blessing of the animals as we honor their importance   [ … ] The post Sunday, May 1 ~ Annual Blessing of the Animals ~10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

“So prepare now, for when we break one another’s hearts. Know what will carry you through that, and know who will carry you through that. Be ready. Hold on to this moment, and this memory, for that time in the future when you are ready to turn away.” -Liz James How has your heart been … Continue reading Commitment

Note the milk option choices at this school lunch table.  Food fight in five minutes.   Nothing brings out the grumpy in aging boomers like me than comparing our childhoods with kids today .   Of course, we notoriously grouse about them spending all their time on their phones and devices instead of interreacting or playing outside .   But of course, they have never been allowed to be the free range kids like us who could roam our neighborhoods and towns totally unsupervised , play happily on bone-breaking playgrounds , carry knives and even firearms , and bounce around in the back of pick-up trucks .   Waves kidnapping panics and scolding never-let-a-child-take-a-risk nags have wiped that all away.   Now kids can’t play in their ...

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "24 April 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "17 April 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "10 April 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "3 April 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

The Latin name for desert – willow is Chilopsis linearis. What I’m holding here is slightly different, a C. x tashkentsis (we think), but as it is one of only two trees in my yard, there was no way I was going to draw it from a photograph. Close enough. I also didn’t want to […]

  presented at the Unitarian Church of Quincy, Illinois April 24, 2022 Opening words: Eugene Debs Every robber or oppressor in history has wrapped himself in a cloak of patriotism or religion, or both. Wisdom story This is a story Jesus told, modernized a little. A king called some of his subjects to a meeting, and as they came in, the King’s people carefully directed some to one side of the room and some to the other. Then the King turned to the group on his right and said: “I wanted to bring you here to reward you for all the good things you’ve done for me.” Now, these were ordinary people who seldom had interactions with the King, so one of them said, “Your majesty, it’s wonderful that you’re pleased with us, but what h...

Becca Martin-Brown reviewed my new book in the Northwest Arkansas edition of today's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The paper to watch for is April 24, 2022. You can read the text of the article here:   https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/apr/24/woodworker-muses-on-how-to-craft-a-happy-meaningful-life-in-new-book/ Today I've been sanding and assembling small maple drawers, and planning for a new block to begin at school in the morning. Make, fix and create...

NASA announces a new mission to explore the distant planet Uranus. Continue reading NASA proposes a new mission to study Uranus at The Wild Hunt.

My utterly arrogant attempt to answer the terrible questions: What are we? Why are we here? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What is the meaning of it all?

Traveling through a storm can be dangerous. When there is a storm, especially a windy one, we either stay home or go someplace without a lot of trees for our hikes. Even a day after a storm can be tricky. The weather was calm and bright on Friday, but a large Bay tree had fallen […]

      Today is Orthodox Easter. Blessings on all those who observe the holy day. And I am in Toledo with the Great Heartland Zen Buddhist temple which just celebrated the dedication of its new temple building. A very interesting marker in our Western Zen communities, where if a building is owned it is […]

In Judaism, one of the traditional responses when someone dies is “may their memory be a blessing.” It is a reminder that remembrance is not a passive act–our memories of those who have gone before us should inspire us to live their goodness in the world. Whose memory is a blessing to you today? What … Continue reading May Their Memory Be a Blessing (Z”L)

Ukrainian volunteers inspect inspect damaged and abandoned Russian tanks.     The brutal war against Ukraine grinds relentlessly on and enters a new phase at the massive Russian offensive in the eastern Donbas region and missile attacks on Odessa in the Crimea and western cities that are both escape routes for refugees and receiving points and staging areas for influxes of Western arms and ammunition .  Ukraine resistance remains fierce and billions of Dollars’ worth of heavy weapons including artillery and anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile systems , and drones as well parts for helicopters and jet fighters are pouring into the country from the U.S. and NATO allies enraging a probably unstable Vladimir Putin . It is just the lates...

This is the underside of the leaf.

Please join us on Sunday (24 April 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Embracing the World” — a service in celebration of Earth Day 2022 featuring a Unitarian Universalist flower communion — with Rev. Barbara Jarrell. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (24 April 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (24 April 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 — 24 April 2022"

On this Sunday (24 April 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 (24 April 2022)"

Please join us next Tuesday (26 April 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.

Clio Ajana examines the CROWN Act, a bill currently before the US Congress that would prevent discrimination based on an individual's choice of hairstyle. Continue reading Opinion: The CROWN Act would prevent discrimination against Black hairstyles at The Wild Hunt.

In my home woodshop I've been attempting to finish old projects that have languished for some reason or another. These trial assembled drawers are for two small jewelry chests that I'd begun years ago.  They are made from maple and are made with simple  mortise and tenon joints. I'll show photos of the finished jewelry chests at a much later date. Another project is to finish a silk wood box made using round Vertex hinges. The walnut pull resting on top is left over from a much earlier project and will be fitted to the front of the lid Make, fix and create...

“We are a People of Memory. As inheritors of our ancestors’ legacy, we hold their stories tenderly. Gleaning wisdom from diverse journeys; united in hope for the future. Guide us to trust in love as we kindle this flame together.” -Kimberlee A. Tomczak Carlson What are you lighting a candle or chalice in memory of … Continue reading The Flame of Memory

Can I add media? let’s see

St. George in Myth. Today is the Feast Day of St. George as observed in England where he became the nation’s Patron Saint and is represented on the Union Jack by the upright red cross.   George is also venerated by Orthodox Christians and is the Patron Saint of Greece as well, which explains why so many restaurant owners are named George.   But the Eastern and Western versions of why George is such a popular saint are very different. Unlike some early popular saints there was apparently a historical George.    He was born around 256 A.D. probably in Palestine where his father, Gerontius, was a Patrician noble of Greek origin in the Roman Army occupying the province of Syria Palaestina.   The family was Christian .   George follow...

Please join us on Saturday (23 April 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 (23 April 2022)"

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— “I have seen in my solitude very clear things that are not true.”   So wrote the Spanish poet, Antonio Machado (1875–1939) and, I cite his proverb because, when I write my weekly “thought for the day” for you, I always find myself in solitude at my desk or, more often than not, lying atop the bed with a laptop propped up on my knees and a cup of tea by my side.  However, in at least two senses, I am not entirely alone in my solitude. Firstly, I am “with” the author of the words which form the proximate caus...

To part 1 Two ideas in the Passover festival are central: It is a celebration of freedom. Passover is known as “The Season of our Liberation.” It commemorates the escape from enslavement in Egypt. It is a call to hospitality. The two phrases that echo most loudly through the Passover Seder Haggadah are: (1) "In every generation let each one feel as if he or she came forth out of Egypt"; and (2) “Let any who are hungry come and eat.” These are interrelated and intertwined. The human psyche has three basic categories: ME, US, and THEM. Exodus tells about the liberation of an US. As a story initially and primarily told by Jewish people to Jewish people, it’s the story of how WE were enslaved. Physical needs for food, clothing, she...

"Creating a homestead from scratch is a long, slow process, especially for someone with very little practical experience as a gardener, zero experience with livestock and water management, and limited financial resources. At least it has been for me." Continue reading Column: Building Connections at Bear Path Cottage at The Wild Hunt.

A Q&A with Terry Galloway | It’s a Hallmark film of a movie and, as such, has every Deaf cliché you can think of, including how hot Deaf people are in bed—although I’m inclined to perpetuate that myth. “CODA,” written by a hearing person and adapted by another hearing person, made the Deaf family the nominal villains: backwards, unthinking, unfeeling, selfish bumpkins. Until, of course, their hearing, singing savior of a child makes them see the error of their dumb ole Deaf ways.

Well it is Earth Day again, so let’s start… Hmmm I have always found that so odd. We are going to begin now, but there are 365 days in a year and it’s now 2022… start already! This will be the 52nd Earth Day celebration, which brings awareness to all about environmental concerns. These issues […] The post Earth Day 2022: 52 years of awareness – let’s continue the effort… appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

The rights of the trans community and trans children are under attack, with a record number of anti-trans bills proposed in state legislatures across the country. Watch the testimony of the mother of a trans child fighting for the rights of trans families.

President Biden’s recent comments should prompt us to consider the word’s real meaning and demand accountability.

Earth holds memory surely as people. It is passed through generations and among species. Find a way to touch the Earth today and feel the memory stored in our mother planet.

Today is Earth Day which was first observed world-wide with giant marches and rallies on April 22, 1970.  It took the energy and activism of the peace movement and anti-Vietnam War protests and gave people a new purpose.  It has generally been credited with reorienting  somewhat stodgy and human-use focused conservationism into a dynamic ecology movement.  It is still widely celebrated and has become a kind of semi-official holiday.  But it has often been co-optedand is used both by polluting mega corporations and thumb-twiddling governments as green washing and providing support for band aid personal activities like recycling to avoid deeper changes which would cut profits, re-order economies, and fundamentally changehow we live ou...

Sunday, April 24, 10:30 a.m. For the Love of Truth Worship Service led by Guest Preacher Kate Ballas This Sunday, April 24, Guest Preacher Kate Ballas leads us as we explore the life and legacy of Edith Stein, an early 20th Century German philosopher of Jewish heritage whose search for Truth led her to convert to   [ … ] The post Sunday, April 24 ~ For the Love of Truth ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

With Earth Day tomorrow, TWH takes a look at some of the environmental events happening and some of the actions that offer hope for the future. Continue reading Earth Day 2022 – The state of things at The Wild Hunt.

  “The Supporting Children’s Mental Health Care Access Act and the Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act would increase access to mental health care services and provide direct funding to schools for mental health promotion and suicide prevention. These bills are bipartisan efforts, and they are gaining momentum. Let your elected representatives know you support them. It takes everyone to address this mental health crisis.” — Dr. Deanna Behrens, Pediatric Intensive Care     The Surgeon General has sounded read more... The post Action Alert: We Must Support Children’s Mental Health appeared first on Promise the Children.

On January 1, 1863, in celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation, Ralph Waldo Emerson read a poem to a Boston audience. In that poem, Emerson considered the then-current idea that slave-owners should be compensated for having their slaves taken away from them. To this ethically bankrupt notion, he replied: Pay ransom to the owner,And fill the … Continue reading "Emerson on reparations"

Jeff Milchen As threats to democracy grow, we’re determined to make 2022 the year love and justice regain the upper hand.

The kids at Clear Spring School set up the big Froebel blocks as a playfield and obstacle course as you can see. Every school should provide kids the opportunity to design their own playground experiences, including the structures themselves. Make, fix and create...

“You can brick up your heart as stout and tight and hard and cold and impregnable as you possibly can and down it comes in an instant, felled by a woman’s second glance, a child’s apple breath, the shatter of glass in the road, the words ‘I have something to tell you’… the brush of … Continue reading Walls

If your spiritual experiences – your UPG, your Unverified Personal Gnosis – involve someone else, either they’ll respond on their own, or you’re mistaking your desires for the message of a God or spirit.

Elizabeth Marino. Elizabeth Marino may have been born into a Puerto Rican family in Chicago but the circumstances of her unique childhood and upbringing made her more creature of her city than an ethnic writer.   Chicago was and is a town where neighborhoods can be little realms of their own and where travel between them often seems like it should require passports and stamped visas.   A keen memoirist she recalls that worldand as an adult dared to adventure even wider while honoringher roots. Marino was born to a Puerto Rican couple in Chicago’s old Hyde Park barrio and was raised in an Italian/German American family in the southwest Chicago suburbs, famed for musiciansand gangsters. She holds a Master of Art from the University of ...

So called because the edges of its leaves sometimes curl under. Here’s a view of a leaf’s underside.

Despite Russian attempts to control the narrative and suppress criticism of their war on Ukraine, the use of minority languages have allowed some to express their opposition and the truth of what is happening while avoiding censorship of the Russian State. Continue reading Minorities languages skirt censors to tell the truth about the war in Ukraine at The Wild Hunt.

By Daina Ramey Berry | Good afternoon, Chairman Green, Chairwoman Waters, Vice Chair Williams and members of the Committee. It is an honor to come before this body to share my testimony on the legacies of slavery and connections to financial institutions. I have been studying this history for thirty years and I appreciate the invitation.

Yesterday in addition to helping my students make boxes and turn on the lathe, I received my copy of Wooden Boat Magazine containing Joe Youcha's review of "The Wisdom of Our Hands." It is a good review. Joe wrote of the book— "I read it in two big gulps, and as I did, I identified with the book’s message so much that I began making a list of everyone I thought should read it. By the time I finished, that list included anyone studying at a craft school, all the people I work with, and all the people I’ve ever taught. I especially wish I could buy copies for all the people who taught me, and who are no longer here. I actually want to buy it for everyone I know." Joe Youcha, a graduate of Columbia University, but no stranger to handw...

At sundown, the fasts of Ramadan are broken with the meal of iftar, traditionally begun with the sweetness of dates. What is something you can do to add sweetness to your spiritual practice?  

My GI tract is wack But it be more wack If I didn’t watch the Things I eat and drink This knowledge it docent help Me to feel any better When I go number 2 And it drains me completely I feel I’d rather be Less aware of my body If I could go disassociate … Continue reading My GI Tract Is Wack

  With a tip-o’-the-hat to Hannah Eko who featured these talented Black poets and others last year in her Colorlines blog post here are some creative forces you should know.   Descriptive text by Eko. Camonghne Felix’s work a musical blend of the poetic and the political. A Cave Canem fellowand National Book Award finalist, she is also a former political strategist for the Ms. Foundation, speechwriter for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and was a strategic communications directorfor the Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. Her poetry wrestles with the complexities of Black womanhood, sexual assault, and the legacies of heartbreak. Badu Interviews Lamar Badu: This cyclone of good fortune.                   

For those who recall that aspirin is derived from willow bark, here we are: Salix taxifolia, as in salicylic acid. Ah, the teeny tiny veins of yewleaf willow. And of most of the leaves to come, I suspect. I’m not good at them yet, but this year will be an intensive course.

As more "rights of nature" lawsuits both within and outside of the U.S. are being filed, Florida may end up being one the proving grounds for the legal theory. Continue reading Green Policies and the battle in Florida at The Wild Hunt.

On Monday afternoon, we had a visit scheduled with the wonderful Unitarian Universalists who live at the Glen Eddy, a senior living community in Niskayuna. Wendy needed to be at the church building for the AV installation, so Lynn visited with the ten folks who ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – April 19th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Pacific Climate Warriors advocate for climate justice in the Pacific through powerful storytelling and organizing work.

Youth are a vital part of the solution for achieving climate justice. UUSC’s partnership aims to amplify and center their voices and facilitate their access to decision-making spaces.

How beautiful, fun, and special it was to have so many children in the Great Hall this past Sunday, to participate in the flower ritual, the Easter egg hunt, visiting with the Easter Bunny, and working on puzzles!  Watching the children spill out the back ... read more . The post RE This Week – April 19th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We hope you can attend at least one of these Earth Week events listed below! Friday, April 22 Climate Can’t Wait March and Rally in Albany. Co-sponsored by NY UU Justice (NYUUJ). – 11 am: Greet NYC to Albany bikers and start march at Jim DiNapoli Park, Broadway & ... read more . The post Earth Week Events! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The central practice of Ramadan is the daily fast, from sunrise to sunset. Fasting is used in many religious traditions as a practice of self-control, concentration, and as a reminder of the abundance that exists so often in our lives. How can you help your mind concentrate on something important today?

Let’s examine the consensus meaning of the Two of Swords at a deeper level than your typical little white book. And let’s explore wisdom of the Two of Swords in the context of living in these “interesting” and “unprecedented” times.

  Some how I got the reputationas THE poet of the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregationin McHenry ,Illinois largely on the strength of being pushy and obnoxious about putting myself forward on every occasion possible —worship services, special readings ,coffee houses, benefit events, vigils, and demonstrations .   If folks would stand or sit still long enough , I was sure to declaim original versein their faces.   It helped that 18 years ago Skinner House Books, a publishing arm of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) issued my little collection We Build Temples in the Heart from which a handful of poems have been regularly used in denominational services.   I also have the benefit of a platform on this blog whic...

The second tree in the “untoothed simple leaves” section of the field guide, like the first, is a spiny desert dweller that has barely any leaves at all. Finally I spotted one clinging to a twig in a photo that was clearly meant to showcase the thorns and the brilliant indigo flowers. But short-lived though […]

Today in woodshop I did an experiment in preparing an elm log for turning on the lathe. What I wanted to do was to simply take a slice off each side so that the short firewood-length log could be mounted on the lath chuck. Woodturning is nearly always experimental and of course that's part of its appeal. We wonder, "can I do that?" and "how?"And then are pleasantly surprised when things work out. Normally in cutting a log on the bandsaw, that it is round causes difficulties as it passes through the cut. If it twists even the slightest amount, the blade can bind and the flat surface desired will not result. What's needed is a way to hold it steady without twisting as it passes through the cut.  There are of course, more complicated proce...

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, Earth Day, meteor showers, music, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of April 18, 2022 – Earth Day edition at The Wild Hunt.

After discussion, participants move to a new table with different people and a different question. Someone at each table collected notes and below is a collective of those discussions. The post A Collective: World Cafe on Justice appeared first on BeyondBelief.

From April 2 to May 2, Muslims throughout the world are observing their holy month of Ramadan. This is a time for study, prayer, and deep introspection about one’s faith, a “cleansing of the soul,” as it has been called. What is something that you need to rekindle your faith in?

Gina Puorro . Gina Puorro describes herself this way:   “I am a student of magic, love, grief, intimacy, myth and story, ritual arts, and the wild and vast terrain that we call nature.   My writing is inspired by the exploration of good questions, by relating with my human and non-human kin, and by my pursuit of beauty and awe.   I hope to live with my heart open, my voice free, my mind curious, and my feet rooted in love.” She blogs and shares her poems at Gina M. Puorro Writer and Poet.   Her new book is The Wild Will Call You Back now available on Amazon.                                                 Puorro's new book of poetry and prose is available on Amazon. I Hear There’s a Bounty on My Womb...

It has mistakes, as always, but for me this is a successful drawing: when I get into the paper what I love about the subject: here, the tangle and depth of the twigs and thorns, and the light that filters through it.

In a new book, Steff V Scott, presiding officer of the Scottish Pagan Federation, lays out an argument for a connection between the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar and the Anglo-Saxon Eostre. Continue reading From Ishtar to Ēostre: a conversation with Steff V. Scott at The Wild Hunt.

as preached April 3, 2022 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston It is good to be back in the pulpit. It feels like I have been away for a long time. I have missed you. The last time I was supposed to offer you a sermon I came down with COVID. It was […]

In my Easter sermon for 2022 I challenge us to go beyond the idea that there is such a singular thing as the truth.

Today is a holy day in the Christian tradition. It’s Easter. This week is a holy week in the Jewish tradition. Passover began last Friday evening and lasts until next Saturday evening. And this month is a holy month in the Islamic tradition. It’s the month of Ramadan. We have three great traditions overlapping, and each tradition offers us a story, redolent with meaning and possibility whether we are adherents of the faith tradition from which it comes or not. At Community UU, our theme of the month for April is liberation, and our journey groups are exploring this issue, and looking at what sorts of things from which a person might need to be liberated. There have been and are groups that are oppressed, beaten down. Liberation is ab...

Why the Easter story matters, even to Unitarian Universalists.

Possum decides he’s going to tell the old story of Easter this year. His friends Rolf, Birago, Nicky, and Dr. Sharpie help him out. Click on the image above to view the video on Vimeo As usual, the script is below the fold. (The script has not been corrected against the actual video, and may … Continue reading "Possum tells the old story of Easter"

It rained Friday night. We needed it. And the sun came out on Saturday morning and welcomed me with a rainbow. A fitting image for both Passover and Easter I think. Liberation doesn’t come easy nor does resurrection. But the awe a rainbow inspires can bring us hope of both. I believe liberation is possible […]

I got a nice email this morning from a reader related to my new book, Wisdom of Our Hands. He said the book was "easy to read and enjoyable," those being two of the goals I'd set for myself. There are many books of note on the subject of the hands and crafts that rely on second and third hand information, leaving them somewhat abstract. My own goal was to make it personal, meaning that I would tell my own story as well as invite my readers to explore their own experiences to bring the message home.  I hope this simple strategy—moving from the concrete to the abstract helps my book to enter a popular market. Good sales are good, the message is important. Make, fix and create...

I have this belief that we are connected with each other in unseen ways, and if we are attempting to find clarity, those ways are gradually revealed. Sometimes suddenly that is the case. It's called enlightment.   There’s a phenomenon described in Nuclear Physics called “quantum entanglement” according to which, if two particles are introduced to each other and then thrust apart to the furthest reaches of the universe, what’s done to one is known to the other. Perhaps our own beings are too complex and too distracted to register and make conscious to ourselves the myriad connections between us. We spend endless hours spinning outwards  toward   greater  complexity without seeking that which lies within. Friedrich Froebel, th...

In the Western Christian calendar, today is Easter Sunday, the holiest day in the Christian year, and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. What is most holy to you?

  That wandering Spring holyday is back again and means so many different things through different eyes—the hope of humanity, the critical validation of a faith, a fable, a fraud, rebirth, disguisedfolk fertility customs, community, family tradition, bunnies and eggs for the children.   Maybe pick one from column A and two from column B with eggroll. Today we will look at Easter through three alternative eyes.   Poet and novelist Jim Harrison was an outlier—semi-reclusive , curmudgeonly , prone to profound melancholy and ecstatic joy in nature.   “Someone has to stay outside,” he told a friend and admirer.     Theresa Novack is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister, now a dedicated hiker in lovely and wild places with h...

    It’s Holy Saturday. Not very long ago a friend sent me a copy of the Deptford Trilogy. Jan and I actually went through a Robertson Davie’s orgy of reading many years ago, and I’d read all his fiction. But, it had been, well, possibly as many as twenty years ago, and I realized […]