Sometimes, we are asked to sacrifice for a cause beyond ourselves, something that will make our society better for everyone. When have you been asked to sacrifice for a cause?

A unique water basin has been discovered in Turkey near the ancient Greek city of Klazomenai. Continue reading Unique 2,500-year-old ritual wash basin discovered in Turkey at The Wild Hunt.

The International Day of Non-Violence reminds us of our power to withhold cooperation in the face of injustice.

A sermon about the nature of the sacred and the secular offered during the Jewish High Holidays.

Thoughts on the quiet courage of giving to the world from our deepest selves.

Redwood trees are amazing. New trees grow from the stumps of ones that have died. It takes years though, decades and more. Change is never easy. I know that, don’t you? L’Chaim Average weight this week is up 1.5 pounds for a total loss of 150.7.

          Today, the 2nd of October is Gandhi Jayanti in India. It is one of three national holidays in the country. The United Nations has also marked out today as International Day of Non-Violence. All this turning on the Indian spiritual and political leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was born on […]

Christian nationalism combines the worst of Christian fundamentalism with the worst of right-wing politics. It is truly a dangerous thing and it’s winning elections in some places. We must cede no ground and leave no one behind.

Industrial pioneer Aaron Lufkin Dennison. Ordinarily the relocation of a factory from one town to another would hardly be the fodder for all but the most arcaneand specialized of almanac-like features.  But on this date in 1854 Aaron Lufkin Dennisonmoved his four year old watch making business to new facilities in Waltham, Massachusetts, setting the stage for a revolution in industrial production first known as the American System of Watch of Watch Manufacturing.  The principles of precision made interchangeable parts, use of specialty machine tools, and consistent calibration measured by highly accurate instruments were soon applied to other industries ushering in a new phase of the industrial revolution that created the machines that...

This month, we will explore the theme of sacrifice. When it is healthy, and when it is not. When it is harmful theology, and when it is relational and life-affirming. When have you made a sacrifice that was healthy and healing for you?

Each day that we breathe air, we make a choice as to how we show up in our lives for ourselves, for our various traditions, for our neighbors, and for our world. The art of showing up is the art of living. Continue reading Column: The Art of Showing Up 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 October Action Alert: We Must Support Children’s Mental Health appeared first on Promise the Children.

I am happy to be starting a new experimental adventure. After four years away following my retirement, I am venturing back into involvement with my former congregation, Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church. In our faith community, a retiring minister traditionally stays away for a few years, to make room for a new minister to bond […]

A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation  (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— In a couple of weeks, in the community where I am the minister, there will take place a “life of the church” meeting in which members of the congregation have the opportunity to explore together the various things that a liberal, free religious congregation might want and be able to do in the coming years. Years that, without question, will be hard and challenging in many, many ways. As individual members of the congregation decide whether or not to attend, I realise it’s important to acknowledge that there is always ...

A well used copy of  The Poky Little Puppy , the best selling of the 12 original  Little Golden Books. Today’s responsible parents are required by law to provide educational, psychologically vetted, and age appropriate books for their tykes, preferably penned by a celebrity and sensitively illustrated by a renowned artist.    The book must be an over-sized hard cover festooned with award medallions and must be purchased at specialized children’s book boutique for at least $22.95 plus tax.  The parents will read this book to the designated tot 1.2 times before it is carefully placed on colorful shelves with scores of other books in a display meant to impress other parents and visiting in-laws wit...

“Those of us who call ourselves religious Humanists have a strong reverence for life. Many of us experience a deep sense of awe before the mystery of life and death, those powers greater than ourselves. We share a respect for science and reason, and we are willing to live with ambiguity to live without definitive … Continue reading Ambiguity

Please join us this Sunday (2 October 2022) at 11:00 AM for our annual Blessing of the Animals worship service with Jennifer Russell and Eva Kate Peck. Bring your ready-for-prime-time pets (either on a leash, carrier, or other appropriate container) to join us in the sanctuary to celebrate our shared home in the interdependent web … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (2 October 2022)"

Join us Saturday (29 October 2022) from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM for a Halloween Trunk or Treat celebration! Decorate your car — and yourself! Bring some candy or something kid-friendly and fun to give away, and if you want, a game or craft for the children to do at your car. Children will trick … Continue reading "Trunk or Treat (29 October 2022)"

Please join our adult religious education class on Sunday (2 October 2022) at 9:00 AM for a screening of the documentary film Slave State followed by a Q and A session with Slave State author Curtis Davis.  Our adult class will be meeting via Zoom. This is a documentary film inspired by the book Slave … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — Slave State Documentary Screening (2 October 2022)"

No Children and Youth Religious Education Classes this Sunday (2 October 2022) — we will be together in the sanctuary for the Blessing of the Animals worship service.

Each month we dedicate all of our non-pledge income to an organization doing the work that best embodies our Unitarian Universalist principles and values. For the month of October 2022, we choose the League of Women Voters of Caddo-Bossier — a member organization of the League of Women Voters at the state and national levels. … Continue reading "League of Women Voters of Caddo-Bossier — October 2022 Give-Away-The-Plate Recipient"

TWH commemorates International Blasphemy Day, a holiday meant to educate the public about blasphemy laws and freedom of expression. Continue reading A day of blasphemy at The Wild Hunt.

The work of supporting immigrants aligns with every principle of the UU faith

Staff Writer Donate to the UUA's Disaster Relief Fund today to aid affected congregations.

For a number of years now, I have wanted to read an essay (“From Religious Freedom to Free Religion”) written in 1983 by the remarkable and influential figure in the development of progressive and liberal religion in Japan, Shinichiro Imaoke (1881-1988).  George M. Williams, in his recent book about Imaoke (which I have just ordered but not yet received), describes him as “a Bodhisattva-Kami-Christian-Unitarian-sage — the Emerson of Japan. Each of these religious perspectives or evaluations saw him as their highest conception of humanity: Buddhist, Shinto, Christian, or religious radical.” Then, last month, I finally saw a secondhand copy of the book was available in which the essay is found and so I duly bought it. At the b...

Staff Writer After years without a building, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta has held the grand opening of its new campus.

I'm in Indiana for a class in box making and came down with a case of covid-19 mid-week. Fortunately, by Wednesday, we'd proceeded far enough in the class that my students have been able to carry on without me.   My assistants took on responsibility for oversight and remaining lessons. I am grateful for such help, but worried that if I've gotten covid-19, others from my class may also. Fortunately, and thanks to my vaccination status, my case is rather mild, requiring isolation and a few over-the-counter medications as well as isolation. I'll return home on Monday. I stopped by school yesterday after class to pack up my things. A few students were still at work and insisted that even without me, the class has been one of their favorites...

  James Dean reaching the heights of stardom in 1955 while making just his third feature film. It has been 67 years since James Dean died in a wreck of his sports car on a country highway near Cholame, California on September 30, 1955.  He was just 24 years old.  At the time of his death, he had shot to fame on the strength of one already released film— East of Eden —and had two more completed projects in the can, including the role that would define a generation.  On this slender body of work rests the fame that has eclipsed most of his contemporaries and endured as a legend.  Today he is a cultural icon that remains undiminished by time.  Generations of adolescents, whether they know it or not, do what John Mellencamp describ...

It seems that when we consider the idea of belonging our first inclination is to think of belonging through our relationships with one another. This is certainly an important aspect of the human yearning for belonging. And, what if just … Continue reading →

Prayer for the Week of October 3, 2022 - A Prayer for Farmworkers Wisdom, may we take time to thank those who plant, grow, care for, harvest, and nurture the food we eat, the farmworkers who may not be owners of the land they work, who might be paid by...

About a month ago I was sitting in the sanctuary readying myself for the weekly worship run through. Looking over the script up in the Tech Booth, I immediately see the headline for that week’s sermon — daydreaming. I thought that sounded very interesting to me and wondered where it was going. I didn’t have […] The post Daydreaming, astral travel, planning ahead — they’re all related appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

I always knew that fairy tales were simply made-up stories and I never believed in the tooth fairy or Easter bunny. I  tried   to convince myself that Father Christmas was real. I had glimpsed a rotund figure clad in red in my bedroom one Christmas Eve when I was five or so, but I knew that my grandmother, who was staying with us that night, had a red dressing gown. Dev, the man who later became my grandmother's second husband, was able to pull a shilling out from behind my ear. I wasn't fooled. Even though I didn't know how it was done, I knew it was just a trick. Around the time of my seventh birthday I spent a while in hospital and as a consequence a friend persuaded her mother to buy me a book,  Cherry Ames at Hilton Hospita l. It...

Yes, Love blesses me, Even as the sources and symbols of my pain look on. Love blesses me from its infinite well, And I turn and notice… that goodness and kindness and grace, follow me everywhere, everywhere I go. -from “Psalm 23 for this moment,” by Kevin Tarsa Read the rest here. How can you … Continue reading Infinite Love

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 "25 September 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 "18 September 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 "11 September 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 "4 September 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

By Alicia Kennedy | The day after category 1 Hurricane Fiona had left the entire archipelago of Puerto Rico with no power, caused destructive flooding, and generally unleashed catastrophe in most places, tourists were back to normal in Old San Juan. My husband and I biked throughout the metro area to take stock of the damage and hear just how many generators were running—the hum and smell of burning diesel were constant—and when we returned, we saw the photo shoots continuing as planned: Women in their best dresses with full faces of makeup, flip-flops on their feet and Instagram-ready heels in hand; men attempting to keep up, carrying heavy cameras or maybe just a selfie stick. Bars were full because what else were we going to do? B...

Black cats make up a large portion of the animals in shelters and rescues that are frequently hard to find homes for. Binx's Home for Black Cats is dedicated to helping to change that and improve the overall image of the black cat. Continue reading Finding a home for black cats at The Wild Hunt.

Lord Alfred Douglas and Robert Sherard were not the only members of Oscar Wilde’s circle to be featured in the pages of spiritualist publications. So I thought I would share a few snippets found in the archive. Maurice Salis-Schwabe’s mother, Mary, was an associate of the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research and wrote […]

      Today within the Christian liturgical calendar is Michaelmas. Or, and actually my preferred name, for the holy day, today, is the Feast of the Saints Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. Or, maybe you would prefer the shorter while still more accurate version, today is the Feast of the Archangels. It’s an important […]

  Stories of Courage A Multigenerational Storytelling Service with Rev. Alice Anacheka-Nasemann   Join us as Rev. Alice introduces the October worship theme of Courage with storytelling and reflection. This service is suitable for all ages and children are especially welcome! Childcare is available in our nursery wing for babies and very young children.  We are   [ … ] The post Sunday, October 2, 2022 ~ Stories of Courage ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

I’m not one to belong to groups. I didn’t have a want or need to belong to one. My Covenant Croup is the exception. I’m in a covenant group at UUCG. I have been part of this group for over … Continue reading →

      Today within the Christian liturgical calendar is Michaelmas. Or, and actually my preferred name, for the holy day, today, is the Feast of the Saints Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. Or, maybe you would prefer the shorter while still more accurate version, today is the Feast of the Archangels. It’s an important […]

  This idealized print celebrates a decree by Napoleon extending emancipation to all of the lands conquered by the Empire. France became the first nation in the modern era to grant its Jews emancipation under the law—full equality of citizenship rights and the removal of all traditional encumbrances that had been historically placed on the community—on September 28, 1791 by Emperor Napoleon I .   The edict was in line with the liberating thought of the Enlightenment, and the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen which guaranteed freedom of religion and free exercise of worship .   The new edict when further both in its specificity and in provisionsthat recognized the freedom of the Jewish community, as well as i...

As those of us in relationship with Judaism mark the High Holy Days, our hearts fill with hope and fear, turning and settling, mystery and agency, accountability and acceptance. -from “Call to Gather for the High Holy Days (Days of Awe),” by Leah Ongiri To what do you hold yourself accountable?

Heather McDuffee I wasn’t really “born this way.” I grew this way. Continue reading "Be-coming Out"

In addition to logging and wildfires, the forests of giant redwoods are also facing increasing threats from tree poachers. Continue reading Tree Poaching Threatens Redwoods and Other Old Growth Trees at The Wild Hunt.

Every Body Is Sacred! Join Side With Love for the official launch of our latest organizing campaign, UPLIFT Action! This virtual event will be held on Thursday, October 13th at 5pm PT / 6pm MT / 7pm CT / 8pm MT. Register at https://bit.ly/UpliftActionLaunchParty. We'll be honoring the sacred importance of bodily autonomy with several of our partners and Unitarian Universalists from around the country who are faithfully organizing for LGBTQIA+, Gender, and Reproductive Justice. Come be a part of this special event where we proclaim "Every Body is Sacred!" and celebrate the inherent worth and dignity of every person and launch ourselves into action!

A deep commitment to justice helped shut down one of the most notorious detention centers in the United States.

I have a part inside of me that understands that every other human and I belong to each other. Granted, that part of me understands that this is a lofty notion, and so it often remains quiet . Other parts … Continue reading →

The International Association for the Preservation of Spiritualist and Occult Periodicals archives its collection at the Internet Archive. One of the surprising discoveries is a 1937 article by Catholic convert Lord Alfred Douglas in a publication called Modern Mystic. “Lord Alfred Douglas, who contributes an article to this issue,” wrote the editor, “is perhaps the […]

A Mormon news site published a series of essays from leaders of religiously affiliated colleges and universities titled “Dare to Be Different.” I support the right of religious groups to operate their own schools. But they have to choose what comes first.

          By some forms of reckoning it was on this day, the 28th of September in the year 551 before our common era, that the sage Kǒng Fūzǐ, “Master Kǒng,” or commonly 孔子; Kǒngzǐ, or to most of us, Confucius was born. I am not regular in noting this day as it rolls […]

Thomas Crapper & Co. toilets are still in common use in the United Kingdom. As a blogger who covers historical events and personages both great and small, it is my sad duty to occasionally disabuse you of your most cherished illusions. Like this one:  The standard flush toilet was invented by Sir Thomas Crapper in the Britain in the 19th Century, lending his name to human solid waste disposal, the waste itself, and anything else that stinksfor any reason because it was emblazoned on his products. Wrong on two or three major counts but containing the kernel of truth. On the other hand, the self-appointed myth busters who claim that the whole thing is a lie and that there never was a Thomas Crapper are also wrong. Thomas Crapper, plumber ...

On Saturday, Pope Francis spoke to a gathering of one thousand people under the age of 35. He said, in part: “‘The first market economy was born in the 13th century in Europe through daily contact with Franciscan Friars, who were friends of the first merchants. That economy certainly created wealth but it did not … Continue reading "People who no longer like capitalism"

My young adult daughter was visiting for a couple of weeks. She loves our dog. She would be mid sentence, or mid task, and catch a glimpse of our dog, and she would stop and smile and say “look how cute”. I might have walked by several times and not have noticed, but she would … Continue reading Presence

A recent ruling in Texas and preventative HIV medical treatment could have impacts that Pagans should be aware of. Continue reading Recent ruling undermines religious freedom and the ACA at The Wild Hunt.

As part of our mission-centered policy-based governance, each year the new Board of Trustees has a retreat to consider the year to come. They work on getting to know one another, choosing an Annual Focus of Ministry, Open Questions for the congregation, work projects from ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Sept. 27th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

RE classes began this past Sunday! It was such a joy to look around the Great Hall and see so many Children and Youth, and then to see them transition to their classrooms for the in-person start of another RE year! It was a good ... read more . The post Religious Education News – Sept. 27th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Join UU Schenectady member and mindfulness Buddhist practitioner, Tamara Geveci, for six sessions of shared in-person meditation and mindfulness practice. All are welcome for any or all of the Fall sessions in the Emerson Room (or maybe outside if the weather allows). This will be ... read more . The post Mid-day Meditations – Six Tuesdays from 3-4 pm appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

If you are new to this faith or this congregation, or if you’d just like to learn more about both, then come to Getting To Know UU! This is a 3-session course featuring learning and conversations with Rev. Wendy, Rev. Lynn, UU history expert Ernie ... read more . The post Learn more about UU & UUSS! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

In October, we will read the 1985 classic The Color Purple, written by Alice Walker, which won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Topic: BIPOC Book Discussion on ‘The Color Purple’ Time: October 24, 2022 06:30 PM Contact Kat Wolfram with questions, or ... read more . The post BIPOC Book Group Discussion October 24 at 6:30 pm appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

By Bev Rivero | To everyone’s delight, beloved ABC comedy, “Abbott Elementary,” has returned for its second season! The award-winning show has earned fans across every demographic and pulls off being sweet while still being grounded in the reality faced by staff and parents navigating the public school system.

        “Never did I hear such language from a human being. Without one moment’s intermission, she would talk from an hour to an hour and a half, holding her audience spellbound.” A reporter’s description cited in Christianity Today Aimee Semple McPherson died on this day, the 27th of September, in 1944. The […]

Most of my life I belonged to everyone else but myself . I was molded to put my needs on the back burner to take care of everyone else. I couldn’t live my life.  My mother suffers from borderline personality … Continue reading →

Almost all of this 1880 Championship team was back for another romp to the crown a year later.  Cap Anson front and center.  My beloved Chicago Cubs have been terrible this year after a management fire sale of stars and an announced rebuilding.  They remain 21½ behind their old rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals and in third place in the National League Central despite a recent meaningless winning streak.  But the team’s dedicated fan base continues to plunk down money and show up at Wrigley Field.  Sure, they didn’t sell out every game this year, but the stands are normally fuller than many teams in tight playoff races. The team also continues to be the biggest visiting team draw in baseball as the vast Chicago diaspora turns out...

Join us at our first ever Trunk-or-Treat on October 29 in the lower parking lot!

“The Book of Life is open before us. It tells stories of sadness and happiness, despair and hope, stagnation and change, and a peaceful stillness that transcends both. May you be written in the Book of Life. May you write your own name there, in shining ink stirred together from the tears of the past … Continue reading The Book of Life

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, US Congress has more Indigenous representation than before, M. Macha Nightmare receives croning, Pagan Pride announcements, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of September 25, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Juglans elaeopyren, Texan Walnut in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden Taken with a Fuji X-T2, straight out of camera Just click on a photo to enlarge it

Join us this Wednesday, September 28 for dinner, chapel and FREE classes! Dinner begins at 5:30 with chapel and music at 6:30 and classes at 7. You do not need to attend chapel to take part in our classes. The post Wednesday Connections Classes Return This Week appeared first on BeyondBelief.

I am in Franklin Indiana to teach at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking and am looking forward to a great week making boxes with friends, both new and old.  While I'm here Marc Adams and his wife Suzie will be headed to Boston where he'll make an address to the American Society for Surgery to the Hand at their annual conference.  While I'm here, my cousin Mary Lou will be visiting my wife in Eureka Springs.  I'm reminded that things tend to move in fascinating ways, circles mostly.  I'm here, Mary Lou is there at home in my place. Her husband, Michael, my dear friend, is no longer with us, but had arranged with a friend of his, Rose Ann Reser, to translate for me, an essay by Alfredo Bosi, from Portuguese, Os Trabahos de Mao, The w...

                                        Bessie Smith, Empress of the Blues. On September 26, 1937 Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues, was critically injured in an auto accident on a dark highway between Memphis, Tennessee and Clarksdale, Mississippi.  She died of her injuries hours later at a segregated hospital in Clarksdale for Blacks only. Most people take as gospel the story that she died because she was refused admission to a hospital for Whites only.  But it turns out not to be true, at least in the exact form that has assumed the status of legend. The story seems to have originated with John Hammond, the legendary record producer, critic, and talent scout who was instrumental in promoting careers of l...

Our sense of belonging is often tied to our five senses. Things that I see belong to me and my experience, and so, in a way, I belong to them. I know what a rose looks like, a mountain, a … Continue reading →

        The Lord is good to meAnd so I thank the LordFor giving me the things I needThe sun and rain and the apple seedYes, He’s been good to me. John Chapman was born on this day, the 26th of September, 1774. Several different dates are given for his death. I’m going […]

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 "28 August 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 "21 August 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 "14 August 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

“The Days of Awe begin with us tonight. May the next ten days be days of reflection, introspection, and peace. May we prepare ourselves for the changes in the year to come.” -Debra Haffner Spend some time introspection about the past year.

  SEARCHING FOR GRACE Rev. Kit Ketcham, PUUF, Sept. 25, 2022            As I’ve met with the four coffee klatch groups this past month, I’ve noted the heavy, heavy load that accompanies trauma, hearing about trauma in others, and dreading the impact of the next traumatic moment.          At our Water Ceremony on Sept. 11, we had asked each participant to name a trauma that, for them, had been life-changing, unexpected, and shocking.  When Meredith and I read the cards at the end of the ceremony, we were both in awe of the heavy load each person there was bearing.            Not just in their own lives but also in the awareness of the load their friends and neighbors were experiencing.  Right now, we are a...

TWH provides an update on its coverage of a new Chinese law that intends to crack down on unapproved religious sects, referred to by the Chinese Communist Party as xie jiao. Continue reading New Chinese broadcast rules ban dissent and religion at The Wild Hunt.

A sermon reflecting on the exhibition "Libuše Jarcovjáková: The Photographer as Dissident."

    Tonight, the 25th of September, 2022, starts Rosh Hashanah this evening with sunset. Celebrations and observances will continue on for ten days, culminating in Yom Kippur. In the Jewish calendar these are High Holy Days, the “Days of Awe.” This Rosh Hashanah is a New Year and marks the year 5783 in the […]

Crow has decided that it's safe to migrate once again. But, before she leaves, she has a few worries she wants to talk over. Join us as we give a warm send-off to Tina DeYoe as she heads off on her ministerial internship.

I only got two hikes in this week because of various meetings and a doctor’s appointment. My health is good – given my advancing age at least- and I got my flu shot and my arm still aches some after 23 days. It is worth it though. I am waiting on my omicron enhanced COVID […]

The man Ornette Coleman called the greatest tenor player in the world, Pharoah Sanders, has died at age 81. He may have been the greatest tenor player in the world, but I tend to think of Pharoah Sanders as the master of spiritual jazz. His extended musical meditation on peace, called “Hum Allah Hum Allah … Continue reading "Pharoah Sanders"

Building relationships with your local nature spirits isn’t complicated, but neither is it easy. It requires demonstrating good hospitality and responsible living, consistently, over a long period of time.

Back in the days when I was in school one of the little factoids that I learned that stuck with me was that the first newspaper in the Colonies was Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick which was issued on September 25, 1690 in Boston. What I was not told in school was that within days of first appearing and before any second edition could be printed, it was suppressed by the Governor and Council of theMassachusetts Bay Colony.  This 20th Century illustration show a boy peddling newspapers on the street which are eagerly being picked up by readers.  No one know if Editor Benjamin Harris employed news boys.  More likely he or apprentices from Richard Price's printing shop circulated them to water-front coffee houses and taver...

Lately, my life is small, as if I am looking on to life happening nearby, just like these frogs looking out over the edge of the pond. So many big things going on in the world, much frightening, some inspiring, but all of it feels somehow at a distance. I haven’t had a lot of […]

We all have an innate desire to be loved, but that moment of realizing that love is a mutual experience can be one of awe. The surprise, the joy, and the care are special moments that make love real and worth risking heartache over and over again. -JeKaren Olaoya (CLF) When have you found awe … Continue reading Risking Heartache

Despite all their violently macho bravado, even the gods have empathy. Continue reading Column: Bloody Dreams and Blue Giants at The Wild Hunt.

We're looking for donations that encourage experiences with other congregants, gift cards, and homemade treats.

  Selected from MOSTLY SITTING HAIKU from a Chapbook published in 1978 By Allen Ginsberg The short poems (here) range from purest haiku through wry senryu to several which are simply poems, outside any genre save that of Coleridge’s ‘the best words in the best order.’ They are mostly about sitting, not in the studied […]

Please join us this Sunday (25 September 2022) at 11:00 AM for “What Do You Mean, ‘Happy New Year?'” with Rev. Barbara Jarrell and Barbara Deger. This is a service honoring Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (25 September 2022)"

On 2 October 2022 at 11:00 AM, we will have our annual Blessing of the Animals worship service. All of our animal friends are invited to join us in the sanctuary for a special service celebrating our shared home in the interdependent web of all existence. Bring your furry, feathered, scaled, or finned friends — … Continue reading "Next Week — Blessing of the Animals (2 October 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (25 September 2022) at 9:00 AM for “WhUU Dat (yeah, we did that . . . join us anyway)” via Zoom and facilitated by Susan Caldwell and Barbara Deger. This Sunday we will continue our exploration of Unitarian Universalist theology by taking time to explore how we express ourselves when … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 25 September 2022"