After the 9 April 2023 Easter worship service, we will have an Easter egg hunt for toddlers through 5th grade.  Our middle and high school youth will hide the eggs that morning and get special “bonus” for helping with the egg hiding. Before Easter Sunday, please bring a dozen filled plastic eggs to the office. … Continue reading "Easter Egg Hunt (9 April 2023)"

Our monthly building and grounds work day will happen on Saturday (8 April 2023) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. We will have tasks available for all ages and abilities — inside and out. This is a great way to get to know others in your All Souls community while working side by side.  Please … Continue reading "Building and Grounds Work Day (Saturday, 8 April 2023)"

Please join us on Saturday (8 April 2023) 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. Please note that this group is still meeting via Zoom.  You will need … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (8 April 2023)"

I’m trying something new. For some years now, this blog has used a WordPress plugin called “CaptchaBank.” This plugin forced you to solve an arithmetic problem before you could comment (and I have had to solve an arithmetic problem before I could login). It was a great plugin that kept the spammers at bay. And … Continue reading "New approach to defeating evil spammers"

Lyonel Perabo speaks with Jack Hudson, chair of Asatru UK, about the British organization's plans for new festivals and potentially acquiring land permanently. Continue reading Asatru UK Gears up for Growth at The Wild Hunt.

UUSC takes a moment to sit with a Haiti partner organization to discuss access to healthcare for women in Haiti.

Susan Frederick-Gray UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray responds to the recent vote of the TN House of Representatives to expel State Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson because of their actions supporting gun safety advocates. Continue reading "From the UUA President: Tennessee Teaches Us We Cannot Normalize Authoritarianism. We Must Protect Democracy."

When I started to think about career options in my first year of college, I knew I wanted to do something in the world of books and I knew I wanted, within that, to work somewhere that recognized the inherent political power of publishing and that was committed to using that power in a way that was both disruptive and purposeful. I also knew—or thought I knew at the time—that I wanted to be in New York.

My brother had an imaginary friend named Low.  One day, when Low and my brother were talking to my Mom, my brother asked my Mom to hold Low.  My Mom obliged, but then continued with the laundry. My brother screeched, “Mom!  You’re getting Low all wet.”  I love that my brother had a friend that … Continue reading Friends

Arthur Hirsch How one congregation is learning to live into its antiracist commitments.

Modern war--the innocent are only in the way. The ongoing brutal war in Ukraine is only the most visible of dozens of armed conflicts across the globe—insurrections, rebellions, civil war, tribal battles, intractable conflicts spanning decades if not centuries.  Nuclear sabers are being rattled by Russia, China, North Korea, Israel, and, yes, even the United States.  The nagging Cassandras at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists have reset the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds to midnight—the closest to oblivion it has ever been.  Peace is not only not in hand, it seems increasingly impossible. Margaret Atwood in the 1970's. Even back in the 1970’s Canadian Margaret Atwood despaired.  The feminist poet, novelist, cultural critic i...

Hanging on our bathroom wall upstairs…. Soul Matters has this to say about resistance.  “Let’s start with the complexity. Sometimes resistance involves bravely picking up a picket sign; other times it asks us to courageously put down our masks and … Continue reading →

A Prayer For Dreaming the World Made Whole: Community Shelter, Refuge, and Home of the Displaced and Dispossessed, the Exiled and the Ones Who Shall Not and Have Not Been Relocated, invite us to dream a world and then work each to create it, to converse together and try stuff...

        Every Day is the Good Day: A Zen Meditation on Good Friday James Ishmael Ford Yunmen, asked, “I do not ask you about the fifteenth of month. Come. Tell me about after the fifteenth. He then gave his own response, “Every day is a good day.” Blue Cliff Record, Case 6 […]

At First Parish in Cohasset, where I serve as minister, 10-15% of our Sunday congregation each week attends online. This percentage is probably typical of most Unitarian Universalist congregations. A recent study shows that in Black churches, the percentage is much higher. As reported by Religion News Service (RNS): “According to the Pew Research Center, … Continue reading "Worshipping online"

by Dorianne Laux It’s autumn, and we’re getting rid  of books, getting ready to retire,  to move some place smaller, more  manageable. We’re living in reverse,  age-proofing the new house, nothing  on the floors to trip over, no hindrances  to the slowed mechanisms of our bodies,  a small table for two. Our world is  shrinking, our closets mostly empty,  gone the tight skirts and dancing shoes,  the bells and whistles. Now, when  someone comes to visit and admires  our complete works of Shakespeare,  the hawk feather in the open dictionary,  the iron angel on a shelf, we say  take them. This is the most important  time of all, the age of divestment,  knowing what we leave behind is  like the fragrance of blossomin...

The focus talk was made up of contributions from WomenExplore participants describing women who had inspired them.  Click here to hear what they had to say. Main lecture:  Muna Killingback Muna Killingback joined the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy with many years of experience advocating for and writing about women's and human rights, peace, and social and economic justice issues.  At CWPPP, she works with the  Gender, Leadership, and Public Policy graduate programs , oversees communications, and assists with fund development. Formerly at the  Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters  at UMass Boston, she had previously served as Executive Director of the Cambridge-based nonprofit organization,...

The Pan-African Parliament released and adopted new human rights guidelines to eliminate witchcraft accusations and stop attacks on that can lead to torture and death in many parts of the content and the world. Continue reading Pan-African Parliament Guidelines seek an end to witchcraft accusations at The Wild Hunt.

A Q&A with Catherine Tung | This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time! Editors all have bucket lists of books they want to publish, and near the top of my list has been a book that introduces the rich world of kink to a general audience without sensationalizing, othering, or distorting the material. When I arrived at Beacon three years ago, my senior colleagues encouraged me to brainstorm ideas for new lists that I could develop. I started with the idea of a kink book, and the idea of a sexuality list flowed naturally from there.

UUSC partner’s work to encourage a climate change opinion heralds increased meaningful responses to climate change across the world.

A few months after I first joined a Unitarian Universalist congregation, I was invited to celebrate the Christian holiday of Maundy Thursday. At the worship, we were led in a ritual of washing each others’ feet, as Jesus had washed the feet of his disciples the day before his execution by the state. This simple … Continue reading Washing Feet

There’s more to genocide than the loss of life.

Lambs blood on the lintel--a sign to God's avenging angels to pass over the homes of Jews as the firstborn sons of Egypt are slain. Last night at sundown Passover or Pesach began when Jews around the world gather around  ritual tables to remember and give thanks for the events that lead to the ultimate freedom of the Hebrew people and a Promise Land of their own.  That came at a terrible price for their oppressors—a pain that they thank God for inflicting.  It is an uplifting night, a hopeful night, but also a terrible one. The story of Passover and the Exodus from Egypt is a saga of freedom that not only gave comfort and hope to Jews through centuries of persecution but inspired others who were enslaved and oppressed.  Blacks held...

To stand back,  remain standing anywhere;  to stand still, halt, stop, stay;  to stay behind, remain, continue Resistance is one of those words that is not originally English. English brought the word “resistance” into usage from Latin through French in … Continue reading →

Zen, Maundy Thursday, and the Mysteries of Memory and Communion James Ishmael Ford Today is Maundy Thursday, sometimes called Holy Thursday. In the Christian tradition this is the day that two of the central three rituals directly associated with Jesus’ ministry are specially commemorated. The one not noted here was also not initiated by Jesus, […]

My small dovetails jewelry chests are ready now to sand and assemble prior to making the drawers. One is walnut, one is cherry and one is bring made from ash. I never make anything this complex and challenging without making a few mistakes. But that's part of being human, isn't it? The walnut stretcher near the bottom of the box is intended to do the job of holding the sides and top square, while also being hidden from view by the bottom drawer. Make, fix, forgive and create. 

Taylor Swift’s Eras World Tour called out on Twitter and TikTok as promoting Satanism & Witchcraft On Stage. Continue reading Taylor Swift accused of Witchcraft in Eras Tour at The Wild Hunt.

Two people have reached out to me in the last few weeks to ask about the origins of the name of our little Capisic brook. They accurately assumed that it was a Wabanaki name, as are many waterways in what is now Maine, and wondered about its original meaning. I have wondered that too, though […]

April 9, 2023 ~ 10:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Service Exploring the Empty Tomb   Did Jesus simply swoon? Was someone else crucified in his stead? Join us this Sunday, April 9, as Rev. Alice explores alternate views of just what happened on the cross — and the implications these would have for a Christian theology based   [ … ] The post April 9, 2023 ~ Easter Sunday Service: Exploring the Empty Tomb ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

This is the tenth and last of the lectures in Paul Dean’s 1832 A Course of Lectures in Defence of the Final Restoration, an homage to celebrate the Universalist minister’s 240th birthday. The numbers in brackets are the beginning of the page in the original. LECTURE X. PROOFS OF THE FINAL RESTORATION. EPHESIANS, I. 9,10. … Continue reading "Paul Dean’s Lectures: the tenth and final lecture"

Staff Writer General Assembly delegates will elect a new faith leader this June.

Elaine McArdle With the Community Church of New York's All-8 Workshop, young people are exploring the Principles in ways that touch both their creativity and their identities.

Jeff Milchen The campaign helped reach more than two million potential voters before midterms.

Sonja L. Cohen Delegates at GA 2023 will help shape the future of the faith.

Charles Wright. Yet another contemplation of poetry by a former American Poet Lauriat.  Charles Wright, born in Pickwick Dam, Tennessee in 1935 rose from those rustic roots to becoming a prolific and highly regarded poet.  He absorbed Southern literature, especially William Faulkner, as a youth.  After graduation from Davidson College in 1957, he began writing poetry influenced by Dante while serving in Army Intelligence in Italy. Wright’s interests and style evolved several times over his long career which included 31 collections.  Along the way he won the National Book Award in 1983 for Country Music: Selected Early Poems , the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize from the Academy of American Poets for the collection Chickamauga , the Pu...

Jewish families around the world begin their observance of Pesach (Passover) tonight. At their seder meals, they will retell the story of the liberation of the ancient Jewish people from slavery and their long time in the desert before reaching the promised land. Through the 40 years in the desert, Moses, Aaron, and other leaders … Continue reading Exodus and Imagination

Myke Johnson It’s complicated, sorting out where Jesus fits into my life as a witch. But he hasn’t gone away. Continue reading "Radical Loving"

Resist the notion that your beginnings are not of substance. They are the framework of your life. Whatever you take from, grow from, spit out, keep or leave from your beginning to who you are now  matters. Everything has made … Continue reading →

Post-ritual hangovers happen after rituals that raise a lot of energy or that involve the strong presence of a God or other spirit, especially if the ritual involves journeying or ecstatic experiences. Here’s what it’s like for me, and how I deal with it.

This Twitter thread tells about one of my favorite bookstores anywhere: Renaissance Books in the Milwaukee International Airport (MKE). It’s unbelievable to find a used bookstore in an airport. On top of which, they stock a deeply eccentric collection of books, as noted by the author of the Twitter thread. I particularly appreciate their wide … Continue reading "The bookstore that should not exist"

…I walked up the hill, picking my barefoot way through the limestone gravel. By the time I arrived at the…</p> The post Gifts of A Goddess, part 2 appeared first on Taking Up Space.

Taken with a Fuji X-T2 using my own Provia recipe Just click on a photo to enlarge it

New research on animal intelligence suggests that opposable thumbs might be necessary to fool animals with sleight-of-hand techniques. Continue reading Monkeys and sleight-of-hand magic at The Wild Hunt.

First, a HUGE thank you to the fabulous Team Joy who organized last Saturday’s party… it was so fun!! Thank you, thank you to the Stewardship Team, the many volunteers, the musicians, dance, meditation and yoga facilitators, face painters, therapy dogs and their people, child ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – April 4th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

It’s a Multigen Service in the Great Hall starting at 10:30! There will not be Religious Education classes or Coming of Age classes on April 9th, as all children and youth are welcome to be a part of this multigenerational service. The nursery will be available. After ... read more . The post For the Faith Development of the Children this Sunday, April 9 appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Green Sanctuary invites you to join the Earth Day festivities at the Schenectady March for Climate, Sat. April 22 at noon in front of City Hall. There will be live music, dancers, exhibits, speakers, and a 0.8 mile march. For details see here: https://citymarchforclimate.wordpress.com/ The post Join Green Sanctuary at Schenectady Earth Day! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We’re changing up a bit this month as we read a multigenerational book, The People Could Fly: American Folktales by Virginia Hamilton. We will gather by zoom on Monday, April 24, for a book discussion. Leah Purcell, our Interim Director of Lifespan Religious Education, has agreed to incorporate the ... read more . The post April’s BIPOC Book discussion is Multigenerational! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

As you know, all cats have their origins in Egypt, and as you might know, the ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun.  It makes sense then, that cats also worship the sun, being good Egyptians.  It has been a dark winter.  Humans have a hard time living in darkness and cats don’t much like it either.  … Continue reading "Ermengarde’s Hymn Of Praise"

Twenty years ago at the big Pagan campground where I became a priestess (we’ll call it the Old Place), a…</p> The post Gifts of A Goddess, part 1 appeared first on Taking Up Space.

By Sonia Sanchez | Dear Martin, Great God, what a morning, Martin! The sun is rolling in from faraway places. I watch it reaching out, circling these bare trees like some reverent lover, I have been standing still listening to the morning, and I hear your voice crouched near hills, rising from the mountain tops, breaking the circle of dawn. You would have been 54 today.

This is the ninth of the lectures in Paul Dean’s 1832 A Course of Lectures in Defence of the Final Restoration, an homage to celebrate the Universalist minister’s 240th birthday. The numbers in brackets are the beginning of the page in the original. LECTURE IX. PROOFS OF THE FINAL RESTORATION. ST. MATTHEW V. 44, 45. … Continue reading "Paul Dean’s Lectures: the ninth lecture"

Marking the third anniversary of the COVID lockdown, I'm using this blog to reflect on this time and to point towards the audio archive Doorstep Revolution, a project I was part of putting together as part of Gentle/Radical.In the third episode is different from others as it features only one person, Derek, speaking from his allotment. It's a slow, gentle, conversation, to the background of the

When I was a kid, adults often said I had a “wild” imagination. At the time, the phrase seemed a bit condescending – an emphasis on childishness, something that needed to or would be tamed as I grew up. As I reflect now, I find that wildness sacred, just as childhood is sacred. The wildness … Continue reading Wildness

Elaine McArdle ‘This is participatory theology. It is inclusive and alive. I am hopeful that we will, together, forge a new statement for these times.’ 

Martin Luther King lays on the balcony of Memphis's Lorraine Motel moments after he was shot as aids point to where they believe the shot that killed him was fired. Except for the month of April, this blog is generally in the business of history.  But in this month dedicated to poetry, things that matter can get short shrift.  Take today.  It is the 55th anniversary of a gut-wrenching occasion that left a scar on the nation and on many of our hearts. It was on April 4, 1968 that the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was gunned down as he stood on the balcony of a Memphis motel.  He was in the city to complete some unfinished business—a march in support of striking garbage collectors, a follow up to an earlier march where violence had br...

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: UK petition to recognize handfasting, Miami Seaquarium to release Lolita, community announcements, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of April 3, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

I saw my first butterfly of the season — a Mourning Cloak — while out walking yesterday afternoon.

This bowl was the best of 6 I made in a one day pottery class at ESSA. I left it to be sold in a fund raising auction, or as a gift to our director... her choice. The others, having turned out not quite so nice have been passed along as dog bowls. You get to a point in life when enough is enough, but we never outlast our need to create. I made this simple illustration of the scaffolding required for a revolution. Make, fix and create....

This is the eighth of the lectures in Paul Dean’s 1832 A Course of Lectures in Defence of the Final Restoration, an homage to celebrate the Universalist minister’s 240th birthday. The numbers in brackets are the beginning of the page in the original. LECTURE VIII. PROOFS OF THE FINAL RESTORATION II. CORINTHIANS, I. 20. “FOR … Continue reading "Paul Dean’s Lectures: the eighth lecture"

For 30+years, PIE volunteers at Jackson/Unity Learning Academy, have been reading and biking buddies, field trip chaperones, incentive store clerks and servers of monthly dinners when they also help distribute groceries to families. The post Salute to Pie Volunteers appeared first on BeyondBelief.

I was disappointed to see the 1927 issues of the Christian Leader (the Universalist denominational magazine) unavailable at the Hathi Trust site. They fell into the public domain on January 1, but since they had been misdated as 1930, they were not available. A small (but nicely worded) email of complaint to the people at … Continue reading "Sometimes a complaint works!"

A Gentle Reminder from Godde: Go where you are called,for too shall I be there.Be not afraid of the roador the lack of one –I will move mountains for you.Consider it already done.Child, breathe. Perhapsyou are not meant to know.For now, just simply be. And so it is.Blessed Be.

Rowan Lynam Revisions to Our Whole Lives prioritize ensuring that everyone locates themselves in the materials. </p>

I have been ruminating a lot about imagination and how it is part of liberation work. One of the most imaginative and creative books I read was Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals. Even the title of the book sparks imagination and wonder. Weaving lessons from whales and dolphins to the … Continue reading Finding Inspiration

      Had a hard time entering the text of the sermon, so am posting this link to the recording of the service: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-tFUveBfFs&ab_channel=PacificUUFellowship

 This video from Lee Valley is wonderful.  https://vimeo.com/810678294/9e796d6b76

Amanda Gorman at the 2023 Grammy Awards where she took home a trophy for spoken word. Amanda Gorman , now just 25 years old, has staked her claim as the voice and conscience of her generation.  The former national Youth Poet Lauriat and wonder kinder burst onto the stage in her bright yellow dress reading a poem for Joe Bidens inauguration.  She has since produced new poetry collections and children’s books as well as making her mark as a fashion icon. Her verse is unabashedly topical and frequently hopeful even when confronting uncomfortable issues like racism.  But even she was driven to near despair after the Uvalde School shooting in Texas where nineteen students and two teachers were executed while seventeen others were injured...

This morning, the members of First Parish in Cohasset voted to call me as their next settled minister. We followed a non-standard path to this vote, and did not follow the UUA’s suggested contract-to-call procedure. Actually, somehow the lay leaders and I both missed the fact that there was a recommended process. After we had … Continue reading "Non-standard process"

Danish runologists have interpreted a bracteate from the Vindelev Hoard as the oldest known inscription that mentions the god Odin. Continue reading Earliest known runic inscription of Odin found on amulet in Danish gold hoard at The Wild Hunt.

Back in 1981, I wrote a poem that meant so much to me at the time–an expression of the spiritual path I was attempting to follow as a social change activist. It is interesting to me to read it today–do I still agree with it or not? Since that time, I have been involved in […]

WE LAUGH, WE CRY: the role of the Holy Fool Rev. Kit Ketcham April 2, 2023 Say, didja hear this one? A Unitarian Universalist family moved into a new neighborhood. Their little girl finds a new playmate living next door and they are happily getting to know each other. One day, the playmate says, “We’re Episcopalians, what are you?” The UU child thinks hard for a moment, puzzling over this question and finally says, “I’m not sure, but I think we’re American Association of University Women”. Or what about these one-liners” You may be a Unitarian Universalist if: You are unsure about the gender of God Or you think the trinity is “reduce, reuse, and recycle” Or you consider them the “ten suggestions” instead of ...

This is the seventh of the lectures in Paul Dean’s 1832 A Course of Lectures in Defence of the Final Restoration, an homage to celebrate the Universalist minister’s 240th birthday. The numbers in brackets are the beginning of the page in the original. Lecture VII. PROOFS OF THE FINAL RESTORATION. “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD … Continue reading "Paul Dean’s Lectures: the seventh lecture"

                        HOW TO PREPARE AND DELIVER A (ZEN) DHARMA TALK James Ishmael Ford “So the hymn comes to a close with an unsteady amen, and the organist gestures the choir to sit down. Fresh from breakfast with his wife and children and a quick […]

Human actions have thrown our environmental systems off kilter. What is needed to rebalance and center the rhythms and patterns that sustain life on our planet? Would changing our understanding of ourselves as a small part of a complex whole connected to the rest of life on our planet help? Rev. Gail Lindsay Marriner has been the minister at UU Santa Fe since 2011 and has enjoyed every minute of it! Before coming to New Mexico, she served congregations in the greater Boston area, Houston, Texas and Duluth, Minnesota. Her present distractions include harvesting Swiss Chard and Miner’s lettuce in greenhouse and learning how to throw pots.

Cloudy sky and dark mountains reflected in a quiet lake with green grass in the foreground. There are always clouds over head it seems, and more mountains to climb. I finally tested negative for Covid half way through the week and am feeling much better. I am still not 100% yet. Is anyone ever really […]

April has been named National Woodworking Month, so if you've not done it, now's the great time to start. In celebration I've been hand-cutting dovetails, and in just under two weeks will teach box making classes at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.  Put April 17-19 on your calendars. April 17 I'll do an evening presentation on the Wisdom of our hands, a subject that affects us all, whether celebrants of National Woodworking Month or not. On Saturday I'll teach a box making class open to drop-ins or full day participants. It will be demonstration only. On Sunday, a few students will join me for a hands-on class. For that, registration is required. The photo shows a walnut jewelry box in the making. It also shows that hand cut d...

As an artist, I often prickle at the way imagination is talked about in our culture. It’s often framed as if, besides children, it’s only uniquely talented adults (artists, writers, etc.) who get to have imagination — as if it’s something that’s either inherent to you and easy to access, or that you don’t have … Continue reading Creativity

Billy Collins reading in 2008.  His performances are always packed. Billy Collins is a contemporary American poet best known for his easy accessibility and actually being able to sell his popular collections.  Dubbed “the most popular poet in America” by Bruce Weber in the New York Times , he served two terms as the U.S. Poet Laureate, from 2001-2003.  Poetry and poets are often themes of his verse.  This particular effort is perfect for National Poetry Month and echoes some of my own feelings. The Effort Would anyone care to join me in flicking a few pebbles in the direction of teachers who are fond of asking the question: “What is the poet trying to say?” as if Thomas Hardy and Emily Dickinson had struggled but ultimately f...

On the one hand, I’m not a big fan of the proposed revision to Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) bylaws. On the other hand, the current UUA “Seven Principles” sound old and fusty, like they were written forty years ago (oh wait, they were written forty years ago). I’m the opposite of … Continue reading "Controversy"

TWH's Editor-in-Chief, Manny Tejeda Moreno, sits down with three of the much-hyped chatbots - ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing Chat - to find out what artificial intelligence thinks of Witchcraft and Heathenism. Continue reading What does AI think of us? at The Wild Hunt.

NOT KILLINGA Consideration of Zen’s First Grave Precept James Ishmael Ford Death and with it, killing is a great conundrum. Half of the conundrum of life and death. The fact of it. And how we engage it. Even, actually, how we think about it. One of the axioms of our Zen way is that everything, […]

Please join us for the 3PM showing of “Everything, Everywhere, all at Once” at our local theater with a spaghetti dinner in the Fellowship Hall to follow. Buy your ticket online or at the theater. Pasta and sauce will be provided. Bring a dessert, bread, salad or bottle of wine to share. RSVP to Barb …<p> Sala and Spaghetti Dinner Read More »

This is the sixth of the lectures in Paul Dean’s 1832 A Course of Lectures in Defence of the Final Restoration, an homage to celebrate the Universalist minister’s 240th birthday. The numbers in brackets are the beginning of the page in the original. LECTURE VI. PROOFS OF THE FINAL RESTORATION. ISAIAH VII. 3. “AND ONE … Continue reading "Paul Dean’s Lectures: the sixth lecture"

Today in the wood shop I've finished cutting the pins for small dovetailed jewelry chests and am ready to transfer the marks to the sides from the tops, so that the tails can be cut.  These are mitered dovetails so that on the front and back edges of  the chests, the joints will appear cleaner. To accentuate the dovetails, they'll stand proud of the surfaces by 1/8 in. to offer a decorative effect. It's been a couple years or more since I last made hand cut dovetail joints. But the skills come back. Make, fix and create... Assist others in learning lifewise.

“We have an obligation to imagine. It is easy to pretend that nobody can change anything, that society is huge and the individual is less than nothing. But the truth is individuals make the future, and they do it by imagining that things can be different”-Neil Gaiman How have you imagined something into reality?

  It’s National Poetry Month Again!  If you have been visiting here for a while, you know what that means—it’s our 12th annual round-up of daily doses of verse!  If you are new, here’s the scoop.  Every day the month I will feature poets and their poems.  I aim to be as broad and inclusive as possible to style, subject, period, gender, race, and neglected voices.  I don’t want just a parade of the usual dead white men, but a lot of them did write some damn fine poetry, so they have their place here too.  As always, selections follow my own tastes and whims.  Yours may be different.  But I am open to—eager for—suggestions, especially for contemporary writers.  I do not subscribe to dozens ...

Vulnerability was the Soul Matters theme the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair New Jersey focused on this month. My congregation has been following the themes for a few years now and they really make you reflect and work on the issues. In 2023, one would think that for us, as people in general, vulnerability would […] The post Vulnerability and Paganism — many still hide in the broom closet appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

Please join us on Sunday (2 April 2023) at 11:00 AM for “Companions for the Journey — Reflections by James Peck, Gail Burt, and Ernie Cowger. 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 … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (2 April 2023)"

Easter Worship Service and Egg Hunt (9 April 2023) Announcement of Special Congregational Meeting (16 April 2023) 2023 Pledge Drive — We Need Your Pledge Now

Children and youth will attend the worship service for the first 15-20 minutes and then are dismissed to their classes. We are now discussing peace, social justice, and the interdependent web and these ideas connect to our Unitarian Universalist faith. Elementary class with Ash McLain and Kevin Henry will designing a friendship banner that will … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Classes — 2 April 2023"

Our adult religious education class is taking two Sundays off. The class will not meet this Sunday (2 April 2023) or on Easter Sunday (9 April 2023). We will resume 9:00 AM on Sunday, 16 April 2023. We will be trying a dual-platform service and will welcome participants in person in the social hall and … Continue reading "Adult Religious Education Taking a Break (2 and 9 April 2023)"

As a follow up to my recent post on Unitarian groups in the U.S., I thought I’d look at a few religious groups that promote or support the doctrine of universal salvation. There are a great many Universalists out there, some of whom belong to a few small Universalist denominations, though many individual Universalists remain … Continue reading "Universalist groups in the U.S."

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 April 2023, we choose Highland Center Ministries. As a member congregation of Highland Center Ministries, we designate that organization as our Give Away the Plate recipient twice … Continue reading "Highland Center Ministries — April 2023 Give-Away-The-Plate Recipient"

Please join us next Tuesday (4 April 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is going dual-platform — join us from home using Zoom or in person in the social hall. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.