Tonight our annual Mad Hatter's Ball will be held at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs. It is a fund raiser for the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, now celebrating its 25th year. You can view and bid on auction items through this link: https://www.silentauctionpro.com/bidonlinegrid.php?groupId=3567 The event is sold out, but you can still bid. And you will likely be impressed by the creativity in our community. Yesterday I inlaid 43 boxes, so hinging and assembly comes next. Make, fix and create...

Holidays in my family are some of the best memories I have. We didn’t have many traditions, but one thing my aunt did every year was celebrate Christmas from another country that our ancestors were from. We would study the … Continue reading →

“They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” -Isaiah 61:4 (RSV) How are you connected to the devastations of many generations ago?

Readers contacted us with concerns about a rise in the term "Burn the Witch" and we looked into the term's use on the internet, by musicians, and game companies. Continue reading Readers raise concerns about the term, “Burn the Witch” at The Wild Hunt.

This installment of the Lives of the Spirit series focuses on the queer Chicana writer Gloria Anzaldúa and her concept of spiritual mestizaje. The post Borderlands: Gloria AnzaldúA appeared first on Colin Bossen.

            (A dharma talk delivered at the North Carolina Zen Center sesshin on the 19th of October, 2023.)   A couple of weeks ago I was privileged to attend the first in person gathering since covid of the now venerable American Zen Teachers Association. The meeting was held at Great […]

Raising 4 children in our home meant Christmas was a hectic time of gift secrecy, nonstop cooking and decorations everywhere. I always put up a traditional tree filled with the wonky ornaments my children made in grade school, ornaments given … Continue reading →

Our very far-back ancestors didn’t write their history, but they left us clues about what their lives may have entailed. People see these paintings and argue about what they mean, but they are amazing and beautiful whatever their interpretation. This beauty has survived for some 40,000 years. Leave something beautiful and mysterious behind today.

New research offers clues about the original colors used in the Parthenon and its statuary. Continue reading Marble of a Different Color: New Discoveries on the Parthenon Sculptures at The Wild Hunt.

How to Shake Up a Church Adapted from Meg Muckenhoupt and Dan Harper  It is the middle of October and the local Unitarian Universalist (UU) Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) is in a spooky mood! They want to have some fun in the season of remembering our dead. They begin to ponder: should we organise […] The post How to Shake Up a Church first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post How to Shake Up a Church appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.

By Jonathan Rosenblum | “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we will act accordingly.” Those were the chilling words of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in the wake of the murderous Hamas attack on Oct 7 that killed more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Carol and I got the latest COVID booster on Monday evening. By mid morning on Tuesday, I had a headache. Carol texted me saying, “So tired.” After my last meeting ended at 2:30, I went home. We spent the day on the couch, went to bed at 8:30, and slept twelve hours. This morning we’re … Continue reading "Booster"

Sometimes we need someone to witness the pain in holy stillness. Continue reading "Loved without Words"

How far back do love stories go? In my family they go back to 1875, the story of Charles Bella Gyorke, my third great Grandfather, is a story passed down through generations.  Charles Gyorke (name later changed to George) from … Continue reading →

The great tornado strikes London in in 1091.  That's William the Conqueror's castle, better known to us as the Tower of London in the upper left.  The sturdy building avoided a direct hit and still stands. I don’t know how the people of London , England bear up under the sorrow of the anniversaries of two deadly disasters every October 17.   Yet they bravely soldier on.   Their slogan is “Keep Calm and Carry On [Sargent, Nurse, Etc.]” For the first of these unfortunate occurrences , we have to reach back all the way to October 17, 1091.   No that isn’t a typo.   On that date the first tornado ever recorded in the British Isles—and one of damn few since—stuck and destroyed the heart of London.   And it was a dilly, too....

Sometimes, in our rush to embrace new ways of doing things, we leave behind old ways that still work. Sometimes those old ways work better than the new ways we have taken on. Have you discovered an “old way” of  doing something that works for you?

The UUA joins the chorus of voices urging a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, the admittance of humanitarian aid, and the restoration of power and water to Gaza to prevent the further loss of life. Continue reading "UUA Statement on the Humanitarian Catastrophe in Gaza and Israel"

A photo essay The only thing a professional hair stylist has ever done to my hair is cut it . . . until today.

The video of the 250th anniversary service (delayed three years for the pandemic) of Murray’s landing in America, held at Universalist National Memorial Church on October 7, 2023 may be seen here. (Facebook)

Taken with a Fuji X-T2 and a Pentax SMC Takumar 50mm f1.4 using Luis Costa’s Kodak Tri-X Push recipe Just click on the photo to enlarge it  

By Rashid Khalidi | Why is the study of the failure to achieve Palestinian statehood important? It is important, first, because Palestinian history has significance in its own right. It is a hidden history, one that is obscured, at least in the West, by the riveting and tragic narrative of modern Jewish history. Where it is recognized at all, it tends to serve as an appendage or feeble counterpoint to that powerful story. Palestine is a small country—and the Palestinians even today number perhaps only 9 or 10 million people—and yet the people and the land of Palestine loom large in world affairs beyond all consideration of their size. Their drama has been a central one.

Pagan authors have been impacted by the rise of AI generated Pagan content. Continue reading Pagan authors impacted by AI services like ChatGPT at The Wild Hunt.

We’ll have regular sessions of RE for grades K-7 and 7/8 OWL. Senior High Youth does not meet this week Everyone in grades K-7 will gather in for the first part of the service in the Great Hall. After the story in the service, the elementary aged ... read more . The post Religious Education this Sunday, Oct 22 appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

In solidarity with Hispanic Heritage month (September 15-October 15), we read and honor a Dominican-American author, Junot Diaz, with The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner. Join us for a book discussion on this award-winning novel on October 30th at 6pm. We welcome all ... read more . The post BIPOC Book Group Discussion Monday, October 30th, 6-7 pm appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We are hiring a “Floating” Religious Education teacher to work every Sunday and serve in the nursery or as a sub or extra hand wherever they are needed. Here’s the description. Please pass this along to anyone ... read more . The post We are Hiring appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Sunday, October 22 The Gift of Heritage The Unitarian Church of Marlborough & Hudson invites you into a time of spiritual reflection with our Soul Matters Sharing Circle . Once a month, in lieu of a formal worship service, we will gather to create safe, sacred space together, in a sharing circle format, so we may   [ … ] The post Sunday Worship: October 22 ~ The Gift of Heritage ~ 10:30-Noon appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

We were thrilled to accept a symbolic. Giant check for $500 from our old friends and supporters from Crystal Lake/Ridgefield Presbyterian Church at a Compassion for Campers event organized by Blossom  Broussard (seen on left.). The help was extremely timely as we are nearing yet another funding crisis. Note— This   post is based on my remarks yesterday at a McHenry County College Event   sponsored by the Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) and coordinated by Blossom Broussard, a young member of Tree of Life Congregation.   It presents an opportunity to explain the Compassion for Campers program and introduce it to those who might not be aware of our work. Compassion for Campers , the organization that supplies camping gear, surviva...

For two years I have been trying to get dual citizenship. On my last visit home to New York I found a treasure stack of immigration information from Ellis Island and my paternal grandfather’s naturalization process. Because he filed AFTER … Continue reading →

An old car, a quilt handed down through the generations, a great-grandmother’s cedar chest, a steamer trunk that held belongings while crossing the Atlantic. Sometimes, objects in our midst hold memories that are worth saving. What objects hold good memory for you?

I received a long email today from a research group called “Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations.” The email began: “Dear Pastor, Greetings! This past spring, you or your church completed a survey for the national study entitled Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations.  At that time you were willing to be contacted for follow-up questions. In … Continue reading "Poll"

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, new pagan gold foils found in Norway, send us your ancestor altar pics, sounds of the universe and more community events and announcements. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of October 16, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

New bill dividing Congress could harm communities in migration.

This week we’ve had a flock of dozens of white-throated sparrows in our back yard and the field and trees next to it. I love their little striped heads and loud chirping. They are drawn by the water of the pond, and I’ve seen them drinking and bathing there. It is such a blessing to […]

Elaine McArdle A beloved folk song is now a children’s book, updated to remove binary language.

I love my genealogy and have done the ancestry dna test to see where my ancestors are from. The science behind it just fascinates me and I could talk forever on the subject.  I am definitively European with my majority … Continue reading →

  For those of us who grew up in North America, the Monarch was the most recognizable of all butterflies.   Large and brilliantly marked with a rich orange/gold and black pattern they could be seen by the millions twice a year in their migrations between Canada and a single Mexican forest region.   Their metamorphosis from a milkweed munching caterpillar spinning their cocoons to emergence as a regal flyer was a staple of grade school science curricula.   But all of that is under a dire threat as populations collapse with the rapid alterations in their critical Mexican nesting grounds due to global climate change and threat to their essential milkweed due to dramatic climate change all along their long migration routes .   All monar...

Because the post reproduced below (first published by me on 6th May 2015) seems to be drawing a few extra readers at the moment, I thought I’d repost it at the top of my blog, restore a couple of dead links and also add a short interview with Klaas Hendrikse who, alas, died in June 2018. I last wrote about him and the continuing value of his work to me in my own free-religious ministry in the following post and podcast published on 29th June 2022: God does not exist . . . but God may happen —o0o— Klaas Hendrikse — ‘de atheïstische dominee’ — the atheist pastor For many reasons (not least of all that found at this link) I’m revisiting something of the Dutch Protestant minister, Klaas Hendrikse’s thinking and work. In t...

Ritual can be a powerful way to honor one’s ancestors–in blood or in spirit. We join with others to create meaning from our connection to the ancestors. What kinds of rituals do you (or might you) do to honor your ancestors?

I spent the weekend down in Santa Cruz at a retreat for local Unitarian Universalist Ministers. The last time I attended one of these retreats was before the pandemic. I was registered to go last March but got COVID instead and had to cancel. (The pandemic is not over!) This time I made it. There […]

Weekend editor Eric O. Scott take a look at the new 50th-anniversay release of The Wicker Man and share new perspective of the classic folk horror film. Continue reading Classics of Pagan Cinema: The Wicker Man at The Wild Hunt.

Back in 2020, in the depths of the pandemic, I began assembling a collection of copyright-free hymns. (Remember when we were all figuring out navigate copyright laws with online worship services?) I uploaded PDFs of the hymns to Google Drive, and made the folder publicly accessible. It was clumsy, and probably very few people actually … Continue reading "New online resource"

I got interested in the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) after reading Jeff Wilson’s book Dixie Dharma: Inside a Buddhist Temple in the American South. Ekoji Temple, the one Wilson writes about in this book, was founded by Rev. Takashi Kenryu Tsuji in the 1980s. Tsuji had retired as a bishop of BCA, and Ekoji … Continue reading "Pure Land"

We humans are nostalgic creatures. We love to remember the "good old days." But sometimes, we walk a dangerous path when we put the past on a pedestal. Part 2 of our sermon series on HERITAGE.

The Windgate Center of Art+Design at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock has announced a job opening for the furniture studio instructor. There is no better way to learn than to teach, and the job comes with full access to the furniture design studio.  My hopes are that they attract some good candidates for the tenure track position. https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UASYS/job/Little-Rock/Assistant-Professor-of-Art-Furniture-Design-Woodworking---9-MONTH_R0046989?q=R0046989&hiringCompany=720b21cbdf2401e26b5b1759c4019006&fbclid=IwAR2iy4cssJAnld6yUXk8v-vb1EsT4BDirc1OJnEjakvnl9ZoimKwwRmzsmM The woodworking studio is excellent and the job offers an opportunity to collaborate with others in art and design education.  Make, fix...

          The Japanese Zen community marks today, the 15th of October, as the anniversary of the day in the year 606, when Jianzhi Sengcan returned to that mystery from which all of us come and, as with that ancient venerable, to which all of us return. In our Zen traditions Sengcan […]

The Apache war chief known as Victorio went by many names.  The one we remember him by was given to him by his most hated enemies--the Mexicans.  He probably never used it for himself. The Apache leader Victorio may not be as well-known as his contemporaries Cochise and Geronimo, largely because when he conducted his most famous campaigns against the U . S . and Mexican Armies in sparsely populated and inhospitable regions on both sides of the border while the attention of the nation was riveted on the larger wars with the Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes on the northern plains.   But he was a wily and dangerous warrior who ran circles around the troops that pursued him for years.   Until fate caught up with him. Victorio’s origin...

All of us are ancestors-in-training. The ways we live our lives ripple out from us, and those ripples will last long after we are gone. We each have an opportunity to live in ways that help others remember us well. What kind of ancestor would you like to be?

Please join us on Sunday (15 October 2023) at 11:00 AM for “With Love at the Center” by Susan Caldwell (All Souls Director of Religious Education). Susan is in the pulpit this morning — exploring the proposed changes to our Unitarian Universalist principles and sources. In light of recent events, we will also have a … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (15 October 2023)"

For this Sunday (15 October 2023), our children (Pre-K thru Grade 5) will be using a program adapted from Moral Tales (a Tapestry of Faith curriculum by Alice Anacheka Nasemann and Elisa Davy Pearmain). This class continues with “In Another’s Shoes” — exploring the concept of empathy and the importance of seeing from multiple perspectives.

This class is an exploration of our eight Unitarian Universalist principles through artistic expression. On this Sunday (15 October 2023), we will explore the third principle — “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.” The All8 curriculum is the creation of Jil Novenski (Director of Religious Education — Community Unitarian … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (15 October 2023)"

Please join us on Sunday (15 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. We will continue reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance and Repair … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 15 October 2023"

The October 2023 building and grounds work day has moved to 21 October 2023 from 1000 AM to 200 PM. We usually have the monthly building and grounds work day on the second Saturday of each month.  However, we had a wedding on the second Saturday of October 2023. If you aren’t going to Baton … Continue reading "Monthly Building and Grounds Work Day Moving to 21 October 2023"

Please join us next Wednesday (18 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.

It’s no secret at this point that everyone wants to have sex with the devil. This is such a non-statement that it is, at this point, much harder to find a depiction where the devil is anything less than a caricature of the most erotically charged image available to the imagination of the creator. There’s just one problem: nobody can tell me who the devil is.  Continue reading Sympathy for “The Devil” at The Wild Hunt.

          This is the season I totally don’t understand. It purports to be a celebration—if competition to scare polite society may be called a happy time.           Costumes tell much about people. Young women often prefer hooker attire—a shameless plug if ever there were one–and guys hanker to play mobsters who, by the way, have […]

Captain Chuck Yeager with his Bell X-1 rocket plane Glamorous Glennis in 1947. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager   became the most famous aviator since Charles Lindburgh when word was finally leaked that he had broken the sound barrier in a Bell X1 rocket plane dropped from a B-29 on October 14, 1947.   Yeager was already a noted World War II fighter pilot ace who was credited with 13 downed German planes in 63 missions over Europe in P-51 Mustangs.   Yeager had gained one victory before he was shot down over France in his first aircraft on March 5, 1944, on his eighth mission.   He escaped to Spain on March 30, 1944, with the help of the French Resistance and returned to England on May 15, 1944.   After D-Day he received the personal ...

Calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh A short  “ thought for the day” was 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 and of itself the current conflict unfolding in Israel/Gaza is utterly horrific, and all of us remain deeply shocked by the murderous actions of Hamas and the now ongoing brutal siege [and, as I publish this, the threatened invasion] of Gaza by Israel. There is much I could say that might help us better understand how this dreadful moment has been arrived at, but I will not do any of that here. All I will do with regard to this is to encourage you properly to inform yourself about the...

Since learning about the vast impact of human trafficking–25 million people are estimated to be trafficked each year–I’ve made it one of my major social justice issues. I preached about it, of course; brought a guest to the pulpit to do the same; started an annual tradition of selling fair-trade (i.e., slavery-free) mini chocolate bars […]

The grave of Isaac van Deusen (1704-1796) in Great Barrington, Massachusetts Last year, I went with my family and parents-in-law to visit the graves of long-departed ancestors of my father-in-law. We calculated that Isaac van Deusen, a Dutch colonist in western Massachusetts, is my child’s seventh great-grandfather, nine generations removed from her (and seven from … Continue reading Seven Generations

Please join us on Saturday (14 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 (14 October 2023)"

When people ask “why do you want to become a Witch right now?”, I hesitate on answering. There are technically two truths to that answer. One is not sexy. The other is embarrassing. Continue reading I Spent Most of My “Witching Year” Feeling Like a Failure at The Wild Hunt.

Main St. Eureka Springs is sponsoring artist studio tours this weekend. Information can be found at this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-studios-eureka-springs-tickets-716123172687 The event offers a great time to see artists' studios and buy their work. In my own shop this weekend, I'm assembling boxes to prepare them for sanding and finish. Make, fix and create...

Bring your whole crew! Saturday, November 4, 2023

By David Delmar Sentíes | The way we access good tech jobs in this country is essentially a pay-to-play model: you need to spend a lot of money to make a lot of money. If you don’t have the opportunity to graduate from college, you’re shut out of many of those jobs. And that’s it. There die our hopes for an equitable tech workforce. There’s not a DEI workshop in the world that can change that, and we need to stop pretending that there is. Equity cannot be achieved by coloring inside the lines of a system that is inherently inequitable.

I started playing the violin at 11 years old. It was quite by accident, destiny or fate, however you interpret these sorts of things. We were having a birthday party for my cousin at my paternal grandparents’ house, when Granddaddy … Continue reading →

Sunday, October 15 Holding On, Letting Go Led by Rev. Alice Anacheka-Nasemann   In a changing world, how do we carry heritage forward with us? What do we hold onto? What do we let go of? Our theme this month is Heritage . Join us this Sunday as Rev. Alice reflects on heritage through the lens   [ … ] The post Sunday Worship: October 15 ~ Holding On, Letting Go ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

On October 13, 2016 a lot of us woke up to the startling news from Stockholm that Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature which in recent years has been noted for mostly honoring writers from the Third World and emerging voices .   The last American to win the most prestigious award in the world was novelist Toni Morrison in 1993.   Although Dylan’s name had been publicly proposed it was a stunning surprise when the Swedish Academy made the announcement—the first ever to an artist whose principal body of work was song lyrics . The citation for the award declared that Dylan earned the prize “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” One member of the selection panel compared his wo...

A piece of American culture, for those who have never participated before. You will need —  your pumpkin (I bought one for $6, but prices vary) – larger pumpkins are easier to carve. Mine is about 12 inches or 30 cm diameter. (A little bigger is a lot heavier.) —  old newspaper to work on —   a kitchen knife with a long sturdy blade to cut the lid, and a large strong spoon to scoop the seeds and pulp from inside and to thin the walls (1 inch or 2.5cm is ideal). Hold the spoon by its bowl to get better control while scooping, and avoid bending the handle! —  a serrated pumpkin saw for cutting through the flesh and skin. You can find them at at CVS, Target, or a grocery store (individually or as part of a set) for approximate...

When I was a kid, my grandpa used to take me to JFK airport in New York City to watch the big planes take off and land. I remember the sound of the arrivals and departures board clicking as it updated. I was brought back to this pleasant memory recently when a friend posted a … Continue reading Happy Memories

I always read a lot for pure pleasure, and that continues during my sabbatical. I just read the three Anthony Horowitz mysteries that begin with The Word Is Murder, for example. Lots of Donna Leon during our time in Europe. I reread a couple of Terry Pratchetts. As a sabbatical activity, though, I’m also reading […]

A quick round up of Stonehenge news from October. Continue reading Stonehenge update: October 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

By Christian Coleman | So much has happened for Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States” in the ten years since it was originally published. It won the American Book Award. It made the New York Times Best Sellers list in 2021. Filmmaker Raoul Peck used it as source material for his HBO docuseries “Exterminate All the Brutes.” The young adult version adapted by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese came out in 2019. Since then, the YA adaptation has earned the honor of becoming a banned book in Texas.

This OpEd in the New York Times spells out clearly why shop classes and home economics are still of value in American education.To Prepare Kids for the Future, Bring Back Shop and Home Ec  As I usually state: Make, fix and create...

Rev. Karen Van Fossan recounts her experience supporting the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's activism against the Dakota Access Pipeline in her new memoir, "A Fire at the Center: Solidarity, Whiteness, and Becoming a Water Protector", published by UUA imprint, Skinner House Books. Continue reading "New Book from Skinner House, A Fire at the Center, Looks at Dakota Access Pipeline Water Protection Efforts Led by Indigenous Activists: Memoir by Rev. Karen Van Fossan Highlights Response by Religious Communities, Challenges Notions of Whiteness"

In 1960, when The Reverend John and Barbara Wolf came to All Souls so that he could become the new Senior Minister of the church, it was a package deal. Barbara did much of what our nine different Care Teams do today. She visited the sick and brought meals and kept tabs on who was in the hospital. Barbara was a driving force behind the memorial garden of the church and helped with our Life Decisions team negotiating prices for cremations for our members with the funeral homes. Together they ministered to the members (and the ministers) of All Souls for over 60 years. The post Honoring, Celebrating, And Remembering the Life of Barbara Wolf appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Religion New Service interviews Laura E. Anderson, a psychologist who has written a new book, When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion. In the interview Anderson makes the obvious point that the cure for religious trauma might not be renouncing all religion: “[Religion News Service:] Why might it … Continue reading "Healing from religious trauma"

My mom was born in Puerto Rico in the year of 1941. She came to New York in 1957. The biggest challenge for her at the time was learning English.  She then moved to Texas in 1958. My parents eloped … Continue reading →

              In Iran and within the Persian diaspora today, the 12th of October, is Hafiz Day. And a very good day to think of this remarkable Persian poet. While in the west he remains in the shadow of the wondrous Rumi, in the Middle East, especially in Iran, Hafiz […]

I endured a testosterone driven puberty One that nearly irrecoverably broke me But somehow I came out and Tolled the world I’m transgender female So now to lessen my dysphoria Further lessen my crippling gender dysphoria And bring my more gender congruence Bring my even more gender congruence Soon I’ll undergo a breast augmentation

There are many Festivals of Light celebrated by religions and cultures around the world including Christmas , Chanukah , and Winter Solstice observances familiar in the West .   But none are more colorful or enjoyed with such gleeful abandon a Diwali, the Hindu festival of the victory of light over darkness , good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.   In most of the Northern Hemisphere the five day holiday begins this year today, October 7, and reaches its peak on Sunday, the third day of the celebration.   The large Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom , South Africa , the Caribbean , Canada , Fiji , the United States and elsewhere has spread observances across the globe. Typically, during the celebration, temples, homes, shops...

For many years, I heard about the idea of connection to ancestors and thought of it in theoretical terms — always with a little distance, never quite believing that direct connection could be possible. I wasn’t sure that connecting to ancestors was even for me, as a white person (weren’t my ancestors the bad ones?), … Continue reading Lifeline

A floating temple to the Chinese sea goddess Tin Hau, also known as Mazu, has been moved to a permanent location and will undergo an extensive renovation. Continue reading Sea Goddess’s floating temple gets new home at The Wild Hunt.

I thought it was time for a roundup of what-all I’ve been doing with this lovely spacious sabbatical time. I like having a lot of projects going–it’s one thing I love about congregation-based ministry–so I’ll give several brief updates. One thing I wanted to do was keep practicing my Spanish. Of the four basic language […]

  I live in an arts community, where so many of us are focused on beauty, (and attempting to sell our representations of it)  and yet I think that part of the beauty in things lies in their usefulness.  Beauty is  a reflection of the whole thing… how it’s made, the motivation of the maker, the responsible use of materials in the making, reflecting how it will serve in the simple practicalities of life, as well as  the ability to recycle or repurpose at end life. I find a particular value in making objects for use, not to just to be looked at, so if a few of my things have been worn out and discarded or recycled, that's a good thing . I’m reminded of an interview years ago with Yo Yo Ma about his visit to a village in China. He...

Laura Solomon Embodying all of me is the best way I know to love the world. Continue reading "Unlearning the Rules"

My Pop was born in Texas in the year 1938. He was a first generation born in The USA of Mexican parents. He was the only son of six children.  He never talked about his childhood to me. I never … Continue reading →

Why would a fat old breeder like me celebrate National Coming Out Day?   Because like almost everyone, I have known and loved Gay , lesbian , and transexual folk my entire life—even when I did not know or was not supposed to know the “truth” about them.   Because I was bullied and tormented in school—queer bait was a particular taunt aimed at a bookish kid who didn’t fit in—and saw worse.   Because one of my closest friends in the tight knit and open circle of young Wobblies in Chicago in the early ‘70’s was afraid to come out even to us—although we all knew it.   We all had to pretend.   He was the first person I knew who died from AIDS. Because I have lived for more 30 years in a conservative county where Gays, l...

When I need to do a hard thing, before I start I take a few minutes to center myself and think about the love and support that surrounds me. My family. My friends. My ancestors. Depending on what I’m gearing up to do, different ancestors come to mind. Sometimes it’s ancestors whom I knew – … Continue reading Cheering Me On

Catching up on taiko ~ Treehouse retreat ~ Advice for the Spiritually Perplexed and Vexed Even on sabbatical, I have a schedule of things that happen every week. I Zoom with my mom on Mondays. I cook dinner on Tuesdays and Saturdays. I have a grad school class on Monday afternoon. I usually do art […]

An American tourist has been arrested for breaking two Pagan statues at the Israel Museum Continue reading Two Ancient Pagan statues broken at the Israel Museum at The Wild Hunt.

What a wonderful turnout we had for Wonderful Wednesday and for worship on a holiday weekend! We continue to expand the circle of belonging! And… we also grieve the horrifying conflict in Gaza. We share these words from our friend and colleague the Rev. David Miller, who is ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Oct. 10th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

We’ll have regular sessions of RE for grades K-7 and Senior High Youth Everyone will gather in for the first part of the service in the Great Hall. After the story in the service, the elementary aged children will go to their classrooms: the 4th-7th graders (the ... read more . The post Religious Education on Sunday Oct. 15th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Thanks for the ways that you care for one another and our neighbors by allowing those with mobility challenges and/or young kids to have spaces in the parking lot, or directly in front, and making sure to leave driveways completely clear when parking on the ... read more . The post Care in Parking appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

My family didn’t pass down many generations-old traditions, but the few I can think of are allbased around food. First, when I was growing up, it was always important to my family to eattogether. I ate breakfast in the kitchen … Continue reading →

                                     Carol Alfus reading her poetry at an earlier Tree of Life Open Mic. Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation , 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry, will host another of its popular Open Mic and Coffee Houses on Saturday, October 14 from 7 to 9 pm.   It is a showcase for all sorts of performers including musicians in all genres, poets and spoken word artists, magicians, and novelty acts. Open Mic Host, Lisa Campagnolo. Organizer and host, Lisa Campagnolo, is issuing a call for acts to sign up.   Performers can sign up on the spot for one of the open 12 slots. Each act should be no longer than a firm 8 minutes.   Larger acts will receive ample additional time.   To reserve...

Where I live, today is still, unfortunately, celebrated as Columbus Day, a holiday intended to honor Italian-American heritage, but instead honoring colonization and the dehumanization of the Indigenous peoples of North America. As an Italian-American, it pains me that my people celebrate the wrong ancestor. I long for a celebration of the vibrant culture of … Continue reading The Wrong Ancestor

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Honoring Indigenous People's Day, Taíno revival, events, and happenings. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of October 9, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.