Note:   The exceptionally brutal murder of young Matthew Shepard 25 years ago triggered a national debate and a movement that led to the adoption of hate crime laws across the country.   Many considered it a game changer.   In subsequent years public acceptance of homosexuality and homosexuals steadily grew as did legal protections against discrimination and stunning victories including the legal recognition of same gender marriage rights.   Many thought that the bad old days of queer bashing for sport and the like were gone for good.   But as in so many other areas the Trump era was a Band-Aid that rips off a scab on a bleeding wound when removed.   Nationally as well as they can be tracked violent assaults and murders of Gay m...

My great-great grandfather, Samuel Hanscom, fought in the Civil War, and was held as a prisoner of war in the south.  I do not have any details about Samuel’s capture, but I do know that over 400,000 people were sent to prisoner of war camps during the Civil War; and almost 13,000 people died in … Continue reading Sacrifice and Trauma

After all, isn’t contemporary Paganism somewhat akin to this very church? A relic from ages past that fell or nearly fell out of used, only to be rediscovered and refitted in order to conform to both the needs of a new age, and the idea we modern men have of a sacred past? Continue reading The Stone-Barrow and the Stave-Church at The Wild Hunt.

Staff Writer A video interview with longtime UUA General Assembly photographer Nancy Pierce

One facet of very localized climate justice work is through our Green Sanctuary 2030 program and we invite all UU congregations to join us - either once or as part of your Green Sanctuary process.  Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice anchors to the reality that we need to reduce emissions dramatically by 2030 if we are to avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change.  The Green Sanctuary process provides a framework for congregations to adopt a justice-centered, comprehensive approach that can support congregations to hit Net Zero.  Our community meetings provide shared learning and mutual supports for UUs transforming their congregations through climate justice.  So, while we all know we need to reduce emission...

“Disability Justice builds on the disability rights movement, taking a more comprehensive approach to help secure rights for disabled people by recognizing the intersectionality of disabled people who belong to additional marginalized communities. Disability justice is a framework that acknowledges the intersection of oppression, and centers the ways that disabled people experience the world through systems that are not built for us, especially the twice, thrice and more oppressed among us.” - Rev. Amanda Schuber, Side With Love Disability Justice Associate Welcome our new staff! We are excited to welcome two new colleagues to the UUA, both of whom are holding accessibility and disability justice in their portfolios. At Side With Lov...

Please join us on Saturday (7 October 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. 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 … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (7 October 2023)"

Part three in a series examining the work and impact of UUSC’s partners in Eastern Europe.

Staff Writer The Fall/Winter 2023 issue of UU World explores stories of spiritual journeys and practices, pathways for connecting with others, and actions for creating justice in the greater world. We invite you to use the following questions for reflection, or to spark a guided conversation in your own congregation or small group.

  The popular image of the Captain comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Courtship of Miles Standish.  In this 19th Century illustration of the narrative poem the disappointed suitor/soldier escorts the wedding procession of John Alden and Pricilla Mullins. Thanks to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow he is one of the few original settlers of Plymouth Plantation who most people know by name.   The Courtship of Miles Standish, Longfellow’s long poem , was among the most beloved verse of the 19th Century and snatches of it were recited by school children who learned it by rote .   While seldom read these days many still know the central story of how a shy, tongue-tied soldier asked his best friend John Alden to speak to the object of h...

Peace Is This Moment Without Judgment by Dorothy Hunt ​Do you think peace requires an end to war?Or tigers eating only vegetables?Does peace require an absence fromyour boss, your spouse, yourself?…Do you think peace will come some other place than … Continue reading →

I’m slowly making my way through a 19,000 word article on Confucian quiet-sitting — “A Study of Cheng Yi’s Quiet-Sitting Meditation and Other Contemplative Practices in the Confucian Context” by Bin Song, Mandala Texts (2023), 1-46 (https://doi.org/10.57010/NCGZ4591. Accessed October 6, 2023.) Not only is it a fascinating article, it might have a real-world effect on … Continue reading "Confucian quiet-sitting"

For many people, thinking about ancestors is painful because our ancestors did real and lasting harm while they were alive. For some of us, that harm lives on in family systems that must be carefully dismantled. And for some of us, truth-telling about the harm our ancestors did is the beginning of a long pathway … Continue reading Reconciling Harm

A Pagan shop in rural Pennsylvania gets a police chief visit about offering divination services that are illegal in that state. Continue reading Pagan Shop gets Police Chief warning about PA “Fortune-Telling” laws at The Wild Hunt.

October 5, 2023.  My post about the Finnish Quakers and their small numbers received some welcome private comment and I want to put this back on the top of my list. Last month, I proposed ten kinds of resources that might already exist to help very small churches. A commenter suggested an eleventh. I’d like … Continue reading "Correcting resources for very small churches"

Sunday, October 8 Welcome the Mystery Led by Rev. Stephen Shick We are raised to seek facts and revere knowledge. We believe knowing will bring us security and a degree of certainty. Mystery, on the other hand, can be filled with uncertainty and beyond the reach of knowledge. This Sunday we’ll explore the liberating paradox that   [ … ] The post Sunday, October 8 ~ Welcome the Mystery ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

My Dad called me recently to share that my Aunt Janice, one of his two sisters, hadpassed away. This news was sudden and jarring, mostly because I was expecting newslike this to be about my uncle (Janice’s husband), who lives … Continue reading →

Angélica Canlas Castro I am so proud of my trans daughter, and I am ecstatic for the world to see and experience what the embodiment of revolutionary love looks like.

UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt appoints Adrienne K. Walker to become the Association’s new general counsel. She replaces Thomas Bean of Verrill Dana, who is retiring. Bean had been the UUA’s general counsel since 2011. Continue reading "Adrienne Walker is Appointed the UUA’s New General Counsel"

Back in April I had the great pleasure and honour to play bass with Chris Ingham (piano and voice), Paul Higgs (trumpet) and George Double (drums) on a second CD of Hoagy Carmichael’s songs. The first CD, recorded in 2014, was very well received and reviewed (see for example this review in the Observer). Well, the second CD is out now and, I’m pleased to say, also seems to be being well received, as this review in the London Jazz Times will reveal. If the reviews intrigue or even excite you, then you can buy CDs or downloads directly from Chris Ingham’s website: https://www.chrisingham.co.uk/hoagy Left to right: Me, Chris Ingham, George Double, Paul Higgs Recording the CD

Gary Whited is one of my favourite contemporary poets and, on a few occasions, I have chosen to centre my Sunday address on one of his poems [see HERE for example]. In recent years, I have also been lucky to get to know him personally, firstly via email and, later via Zoom. Anyway, in our last conversation, I was excited to learn that his new book will shortly be published, and he’s just sent me the flyer for that event. I realise most of you won’t be anywhere near this book launch in Cambridge, MA (not Cambridge, UK!), but you might be persuaded to purchase a copy of the book. Having seen an earlier draft, I can recommend it wholeheartedly along with, naturally, Gary’s first book,“Having Listened.”

Tomorrow I'll head to Worcester, MA to meet my grand daughter Sylvie for the first time. In the shop today I've finished assembling blocks of inlay, so I can inlay box lids when I return. Have you ever wondered how decisions are made, and how necessary change begins to take place? I've been watching the news and the complete chaos in the House of Representatives. I called my congressman this morning to express my concerns that our representatives need to awaken to the necessity of  working together, for the benefit of all.  Philosopher William James shared some wisdom on the subject in his 1890 book, Principles of Psychology, as follows:  "We know what it is to get out of bed on a freezing morning in a room without a fire, and how the...

Sammy Castro-McCauley , Isa Castro-McCauley Brothers reflect on their love and support for their trans sister.

Angelle Eve Castro Every day I wake up, and I’m more myself than ever before.

                                            Jenny Lind in an 1861 daguerreotype taken in New York City age 31. Before 1850 when showman P. T. Barnum brought   the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind to these shores for a legendary and triumphant tour, the young United States had celebrities, but no stars in the sense of a performing artist of such renown as to be a household word to millions who might never see her in person. Entertainment itself was suspect as a gateway to sin and sloth in much of the country, especially if indulged in by the lower classes who should not be tempted from their 10-12 hours a day, six days a week labor for their employees and a Sabbath dedicated to pointing out to them what sinful, undes...

The pieces of a quilt are carefully sewn together, making patterns and designs that no piece alone can capture. Each of us is also a patchwork of experiences, lessons, and more. Each of us has been carefully pieced together, hopefully with love in every stitch. What piece of you can you celebrate today?

Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy just joined TikTok to the dismay of WitchTok. Curses follow. Continue reading Ramaswamy joins TikTok and promptly cursed at The Wild Hunt.

Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much. Ralph Waldo Emerson My mother and I parted … Continue reading →

Ripples of Creativity Have you noticed how creative ideas and events inspire other innovations? And the more you pay attention, the more you see? We have! And we’re excited to make it an intentional practice that spreads the joy far and wide.  Ripples of Creativity, the second section of the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Call & […] The post Ripples of Creativity first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post Ripples of Creativity appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

Cory Doctorow wrote a lengthy blog post on how evil Google has become. I already knew that Google search results have declined in quality over the past few years. But I didn’t realize how bad it’s gotten. Here’s how Doctorow describes it: “When you send a query to Google, it expands that query with terms … Continue reading "Google is even more evil than I knew"

Sarita Gonzales , Candice Bautista-Biddle , Martha Bautista-Biddle , Chris Long Four Unitarian Universalists reflect on what brought them to the faith—and what keeps them coming back.

                                Thunder Rolling Down the Valley--Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce in1877. On October 5, 1877 Hinmuuttu-yalatlat —Thunder Rolling Down the Valley—surrendered the battered and exhausted survivors of his Willowa band to U.S. Army troops under the command of General Nelson A. Miles in the Bear Paw Mountains of the Montana Territory, less than 40 miles south of the Canadian border .  Known to his pursuers as Chief Joseph, the 37 year old had helped lead his band on an epic 1,600 mile fighting retreat across modern Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana in hopes of finding refuge and safety in the land of “The Grandmother Queen.” Young Joseph , as he would come to be called was...

Melissa Jeter Spirit and Breath, create an openness that violence has constricted. Continue reading "Healing Begins with Breath in the Body"

The poster boy for tortured genius novelists, Thomas Wolfe hemorrhaged gorgeous prose, lush descriptive passages, and sharp characterizations that others hammered into readable books. It was 1966.   With typical ambition Elaine Zelznick, the young drama teacher and theater director at Niles West High School in Skokie , Illinois had selected a noted Broadway serious drama as the class play.   Look Homeward , Angel was a bittersweet but lyrical evocation of life in an early 20th Century small Southern city as seen through the eyes of a sensitive young man coming of age.   Ketti Frings adapted the well-known novel.   The play earned six Tony Award nominations and the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for Drama . The leading role of Eugene Gant natura...

Today in the wood shop I'll be making inlay for boxes using a variety of Arkansas hardwoods. The process starts with play with blocks, carefully cutting them to uniform size and arranging them in a pattern  of alternating colors and species that can then be glued into a long block. The woods used here are ash, sassafras, cherry, maple and walnut. This is to prepare for making inlaid box lids. Make, fix and create..

          Today, the 4th of October, is celebrated as the feast of St Francis throughout the Western Christian churches. Many years ago I ran across a book describing a visit to Japan sometime before the second world war. I don’t recall a lot about it. Except, that is, for one thing. […]

The ancestors who shape our lives are not all related to us. Many are spiritual ancestors, whose teachings and guidance live on in us. Who are your spiritual ancestors?

Back in 2015, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) developed a WordPress theme for congregational websites. It was one of the best things the UUA has done in the past 25 years, because the theme made it super easy to build an excellent website in just a few hours. Unfortunately, the UUA WordPress theme hasn’t been … Continue reading "Redesign"

The Department of Justice releases a warning about a violent online group with ties to Paganism. Continue reading The arrest of a 23-year-old has led the FBI to a cult with links to Satanism and Paganism at The Wild Hunt.

As human beings, most of us share a need to belong. When and where have you felt a real sense of belonging? This month we’ll explore what it means to belong in community, to the Earth, and with one another. How might we practice radical ... read more . The post October Theme: A Circle of Belonging appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Sometimes we can offer a warm welcome and a place to belong, and it will just be needed for a little bit. This past Sunday, as our service centered on creating a bolder welcome, a family visited for the first time. They were traveling, and ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Oct 3rd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

This Sunday, October 8th is our first Faithful Funday. Everyone will gather in for the first part of the service in the Great Hall and then children in grades kindergarten through 7th grade will go across the street to Waters House. Childcare for infants through Pre-school ... read more . The post Religious Education News – week of Sunday Oct. 8 appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Oct: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Juno Diaz, 2007. Nov: There, There by Tommy Orange, 2019. Dec: Call Us What We Carry: Poems by Amanda Gorman, 2021. (Dates of monthly discussions and Zoom link to be announced) The post Upcoming Reads in the BIPOC Authors Reading & Discussion group: appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

“Solidarity is not a scarce resource in a zero-sum game. It is not an equation that divides; rather, it is one that multiplies.” — Saidiya Hartman Feminist leaders in Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, and Central and North Asia (CEECCNA) are calling for global solidarity in the face of an overlooked humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh—a […]

Dear Reader, I was angry.  I was so angry that adrienne maree brown, in a course on radical permission, was…</p> The post Fat Anger and adrienne maree brown Pt. 2 appeared first on Taking Up Space.

I admire adrienne maree brown.  Emergent Strategy and brown’s organizing principles of small is all, fractals, joy and liberation, and…</p> The post Fat Anger and adrienne maree brown Pt. 1 appeared first on Taking Up Space.

Our first grandchild, Sylvie, was born yesterday. She's beautiful and likely to be as smart as her mom and dad. All are tired but in good health, for which we're grateful. Just imagine what those perfect hands will create. Make, fix and create...

Jeff Milchen Massive complex would train area police, firefighters, and emergency responders

Heritage has at its core the word inheritance, an allotted portion. For each of us, this includes the chromosomal inheritance of our biology. This means my hazel eyes and Welsh fair skin were allotted to me by my parents. More … Continue reading →

                           Miles Coverdale, maker of Bibles. On this day in 1535 the first complete printed English translation of the Bible into was published.   Because its translator Miles Coverdale had been on the lam in Europe for some years due to religious turmoil at home, the book was printed on the continent.   For many years the exact printer and his location were in dispute but has fairly recently been established to be Merten de Keyser in Antwerp .   The book was evidently financed by leading Low Countries Reformers. Coverdale himself was born in Yorkshire around 1488.   He was ordained a priest in Norwich, a hotbed of religious fervor.   In 1514 he joined the scholarly convent of Austin friars at Cambrid...

“Our history is always with us. Across organisms offspring receive a maternal inheritance, DNA: strands of instructions, twisted together and reaching into the future” -from “Mitochondrial Gift, by Julián Jamaica Soto What are the genetic gifts you carry from your ancestors?

One of the things I’ve been doing with my sabbatical is putting foundations under a castle in the air I’ve had in mind for several months: an advice column focused on religion and spirituality. If you’d like it to arrive in your inbox every Tuesday morning, subscribe for free by clicking on the link below. […]

Part two in a series examining the work and impact of UUSC’s partners in Eastern Europe.

In this week's Pagan community Notes: Welcome to October! The Covenant of the Goddess releases an anti-racism statement, Aquarian Tabernacle Church (ATC) comments on its Accreditation Program of Wicca (APW), events, happenings and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of October 2, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

                      On Wednesday morning, the 27th of September, Jan drove me to the Burbank airport where I flew north to San Jose, changed planes, then continued on to Portland. There I was picked up by my friend, colleague in UU world, and in the Zen […]

All Souls Unitarian Church's senior minister Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar sat down with the hosts of The Christian and the Atheist podcast to talk about All Souls Unitarian Church, Unitarian Universalism, and the message beyond love beyond belief. The post Finding Common Ground: The Christian and the Atheist Podcast Welcomes Rev. Marlin Lavanhar appeared first on BeyondBelief.

My article about making big Froebel blocks for the Clear Spring School campus is going to appear in the next issue of Make Magazine. In addition to plans for making the blocks, discussion of their history and use, and great photos of CSS kids at play, the article presents links for extra reading, including this one from 99%invisible.org about the effects of Froebel's kindergarten on the arts. The link is here: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/froebels-gifts/ The article in 99%invisible is a good introduction to what Kindergarten once was. And as I point out in my own article, history is important for two reasons. One is to avoid tragic circumstances from the past. The other is the possibility of restoring those very good things th...

Alexandra Varney McDonald As religious traditions across the country report dwindling memberships, Unitarian Universalism continues to attract new congregants.

Sara LaWall Unitarian Universalists must push back against anti-trans legislation.

Jessica Sapalio Housing, medical care, legal needs, and more offered through Congregational Accompaniment Project for Asylum-Seekers.

Heritage. Inheritance. Heir. These words in one way or another are about the flow of life, energy, and meaning into our lives from others who have gone before us. Too often, these words are reduced to sums of money. This … Continue reading →

Otto O’Connor It’s the terrible things that put the beauty in sharp relief.

Elaine McArdle Unitarian Universalists across the country are mobilizing to defend rights.

Jacqueline Brett What does it mean to shift the focus from the needs of the dominant culture and to consider the needs of all who are in the room?

Staff Writer Unitarian Universalists are using social media to help amplify their voices on justice issues.

Jeff Milchen The UUA's Side With Love team offers a variety of tools to help with public communication in the name of justice.

  Note —A version of this post first appeared in 2016. Did you know October 2 is the International Day of Non-Violence ?   Neither did I until stumbled on the information during my daily scrounging for something—any damn thing—to write about.   My first thought was that it is such a good idea that it is no wonder it is obscure. It’s one of those United Nations observances.   Right away that makes it deeply suspect here in good ol’ U . S . A . where a huge chunk of the population is still convinced that UN black helicopters supported by the minions Barak Hussein Obama are poised to swoop down and rip the guns from the hands of patriots .   But other UN holidays get better press even here—International Women ’ s Day , In...

This month, we will be thinking about the spiritual and physical gifts given to us by our ancestors. We invoke the cloud of beneficial ancestors to surround us with their love. Who are the beneficial ancestors whose love surrounds you today?

In 1977, Ursula K. LeGuin wrote an introduction for her anti-war novel The Word for World Is Forest — a novel which she had begun writing in 1968. In the 1977 introduction, she said: “1968 was a bitter year for those who opposed the [Vietnam] war. The lies an hypocrises doubled; so did the killing. … Continue reading "Still going on"

Dior highlights a witchy wardrobe in their Spring collection during Parish Fashion Week while Russo includes Pagan elements in their designs during Copenhagen Fashion Week. Continue reading Occult fashion is a trend: Dior, Russo get Witchy and Pagan at The Wild Hunt.

I think that perhaps the single most important thing to try to do for you today, as an expression of my profound thanks to all of you for being here with me on this very special occasion, is to give you a sense of why, back in June of this year (2023), I asked my friend, meditation teacher, and ministerial colleague, Miki Nakura-sensei, whether I could receive a dharma name in a Kikyoshiki ceremony in which I would publicly commit to the Jōdo Shinshū path, living within Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow. To tell the whole story properly would take way too long, but I think I can tell you something helpful in a reasonably brief fashion. Looking back through my life — which is, remember, deeply rooted in the liberal, Free Christian tradition...

A sermon celebrating the launch of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston's 2023 capital campaign. The post Renew, Rebuild, Rejoice! appeared first on Colin Bossen.

We're on baby watch with our first grandchild coming in just a few days or less. When the stress level goes up, and in order to keep active and unworried about a thing, I resort to my manufacturing mode. I turn my attention toward the well-practiced, tried and true making of inlaid boxes.  Years ago, I imagined myself making inlaid boxes into my 80's and here I am, turning 75 next month. I still have some productive years to go so I'll extend my imagining of continued box making into my 90's. By then I'll be old and cute and folks will clamor, "Make one for me, please!"  I've made thousands of these boxes in batches of about 50 or  so at a time, and the fact that I have orders and holes in my inventory, means that the world still has ...

Our Soul Matters theme for October is HERITAGE. We begin with a look at a few of the major strands of our UU inheritance.

Poison Oak is very common in this part of California. If you hike very much at all, you will see it beside many different trails. It is green in the summer, but as fall nears the leaves turn red. Really quite beautiful in some ways, but not something to stand in the middle of for […]

                    Annie Wood was born on this day, the 1st of October, in 1847. Under another name she would eventually gain fame as a journalist, and later a theosophist as well as a tireless worker for social justice, including working for Irish self-rule, and eventually a […]

  In 1919 Black sharecroppers in Arkansas who dared to start a union were attacked by posies and mobs.  Some of those rounded up were lynched, others were hunted down and shot.  Hundreds died. 1919 was a hell of a year in America.   In the wake of World War I long pent up tensions boiled to the surface from coast to coast.   The decades long open class war between the employing class and workers who demanded justice and equity through their labor unions which had been on partial abatement during war effort, reignited with a vengeance.   Bloody strikes erupted across the country—in the steel industry of the Northeast and Midwest; Chicago streetcar operators ; harbor workers , tailors , tobacco workers, painters , streetcar operato...

Please join us on Sunday (1 October 2023) at 11:00 AM for our annual “Blessing of the Animals” worship with Jennifer Russell and Jackson Peck. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (1 October 2023)"

Please join us next Wednesday (4 October 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.

Because the Blessing of the Animals worship service is a celebration for all ages, there will be no children or youth religious education classes for this Sunday (1 October 2023). Both children and youth religious education classes will return on Sunday (8 October 2023).

Please join us on Sunday (1 October 2023) for our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also on Zoom. On this Sunday we begin reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 1 October 2023"

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 2023, we choose North Louisiana Interfaith — an organization of institutions working together to make life better for citizens of Northwest Louisiana. All Souls is proud … Continue reading "North Louisiana Interfaith — October 2023 Give-Away-The-Plate Recipient"

“The Earth Is My Mother,” no. 1073 in the Unitarian Universalist hymnal Singing the Journey, turns out to be one of those problematic songs. The first problem is — who wrote it? In Singing the Journey, it’s attributed to “Native American, from Songs for Earthlings, ed. Julie Forest Middleton, copyright 1998 Emerald Earth Publishing.” Let’s … Continue reading "Another problematic hymn"

  We have been taught, again and again, that resources are endless and things are disposable. We have been taught by our violent, extractive, capitalist system to throw things away when they are broken. Instead, let us turn our attention to fixing things that are broken, to creating things of durability, and to learning how … Continue reading Fixing Things

My current, main Universalist documents sites, UniversalistChristian.net is back up. I fixed some bad formatting and have added a last-edited marker on the front page. There are still typos great and small. I know about some, but and report (including any broken links) are welcome. But getting more documents up or linked will be a … Continue reading "UniversalistChristian.net updated"

          Jalaladin Muhammad Balkhi, the wondrous Jalaladin Rumi was born on this day, the 30th of September, in 1207. I write about him every once in a while. Here, for instance, I devoted a whole dharma talk to him, for instance. In 2007 he got a lot of press as “America’s […]

Please join us on Saturday (30 September 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. 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 … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (30 September 2023)"

Guernica , 1937 by Pablo Picasso. A very large painting arrived in London on September 30, 1938, the very day British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement with the Axis Powers.   It had previously been exhibited at the 1937 Paris International Exhibition (World’s Fair) in the exhibit of the Spanish Republic .   It had created a sensation and was soon sent on a world tour to raise support for the Republican cause in the devastating Civil War wracking that country.   This is the story of that painting which became perhaps the artistic symbol of an entire bloody century. On April 26, 1937 aircraft of the German Condor Legion and supporting Italian forces unleashed a two hour aerial bombardment of the Spanish B...

There’s no standard set of rules for ritual since everyone does them differently.  However, sometimes there are things that just don’t add up. These are some of my Pagan pet peeves. I’m sure I have more. Although there is no wrong way to hold rituals, format, quarters, correspondences and deities should make sense too. There […] The post Pagan Pet Peeves — things that make me go eck appeared first on Nature's Sacred Journey.

What does it mean to forgive someone who has made amends, who has apologized, who has repented for the ways they have hurt you? Who do you practice forgiveness for? What are the boundaries and limits of forgiveness? How do we move ahead together in love? What does forgiveness mean to you?

Scientists have discovered a fragment of a new Indo-European language preserved in the ancient Hittite capital of Boğazköy-Hattusha. Continue reading Previously unknown Indo-European language discovered in Turkey at The Wild Hunt.

Church decline in the West is a real if unwelcome phenomenon. We may not be able to have Christian life with the same cultural, political or financial force as we once did, but Jesus promised to be with us where two or three are gathered in his name. (Matthew 18:20) It would be lacking in … Continue reading "Wise words from Finland"

This month, we have been focusing on the gift of welcome. The writers here have shared with us many dimensions of that gift. Words. The words we speak to one another do matter, and how we choose to speak to … Continue reading →

As we perform the enchantment of mythicization on our world, we lift people, places, and things from the mundane to the meaningful. The trivial becomes tremendous and the ephemeral becomes enduring. Myth, regardless of veracity, can have more power than any truth. This power is not always used for positive ends. Continue reading Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, and the Wizard in the Forest at The Wild Hunt.

“When was the last time you changed your mind about something?”   For many of us who’ve been working on environmental issues, we’ve become experts on particular things, and - truth be told - it’s a lot easier to stick with what we know than to stop, reflect, and reorient ourselves to new understandings.  However, this is exactly what we are called to do if we are to center justice in our climate work.  Over my years as a climate advocate, organic farmer, and faith-based organizer, I’ve had to reorient and reorient and reorient again because I keep learning.  That’s a good thing!   As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”  The more I learned about t...

Conflict is inevitable. What plan do you have to engage? Let’s get together and explore ways to transform harm and restore relationships in our congregations with Wendy Weirick, a Restorative Circles Facilitator. You’ve met her as a Side With Love Zoom host who has held the Green Sanctuary and Climate Justice gatherings with tender care as we lean into this work. Now, she invites us in to share one of her passions, conflict at the community level. View the training Download the slides