In this week's Pagan Community Notes, we remember Rachel Pollack, the Parliament of World Religion repudiates Doctrine of Discovery, announcements, and more news Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of April 10, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

April 9, 2023 was a perfectly gorgeous Easter Sunday, and our Sanctuary and Emerson Hall were filled to overflowing. We had two energizing services with our choirs performing both the sacred and the secular versions of Hallelujah, the first by Handel and the second by Leonard Cohen. Our cherub, children’s and youth choirs performed as well. The 10 am service was followed by communion in the Sanctuary, and Easter egg hunts in the Memorial Garden and front lawn. Families gathered between services to enjoy the weather and reconnect with friends. It was wonderful to see so many of you, and […] The post Easter Sunday at All Souls: Photos appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain, Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain; Love lives again, that with the dead has been: Love is come again like wheat that springeth green. When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain, Your touch can call us back to life again, Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been: Love is come again like wheat arising green. --John McLeod Campbell Crum When we are all despairing: when the world is full of grief; when we see no way ahead, and hope has gone away;       Roll back the stone. Although we fear change; although we are not ready; although we’d rather weep and run away:       Roll back the stone. Because we’re coming with the women; because we hope where hop...

Sometimes I feel like I’ve imagined my whole worldview into being. I believe in and care deeply about the animacy of the world — meaning that I see many forms of life as having agency and personhood, even if that personhood is very different from my own, and beyond my full understanding. The white, colonial … Continue reading True

Charles Coe UU World asked two deeply-involved religious educators to share their perspectives on on the future of the curriculum.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti at his City Lights Bookstore in North Beach. Leave it to Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the Dean of beat poets, who died two years ago just a month shy of his 102nd birthday to capture a post-Easter take on mortality.  Never one to shy away from ambivalence, his deep well of moral outrage at a brutal modern world is counterpoint to the sunny optimism of What a Wonderful World , the Vietnam Era Louis Armstrong hit. The World is a Beautiful Place                  The world is a beautiful place                                                            to be born into if you don’t mind happiness                              

I see disaster everywhere; I also […] see generosity and resistance everywhere. Rebecca Solnit Sometimes, I confess, I see disaster everywhere. I get discouraged and depressed by what I perceive as destructive ideologies and events around me. I also get … Continue reading →

The Gods I serve and who occasionally allow me to experience them directly have forbidden me from spending too much time in the Otherworld, much less staying there. I’m allowed to taste it. Occasionally. I can’t forget that taste. And I can’t stop wanting it.

Someone I know was worried when I said I hadn’t bought Carol an Easter gift. I immediately felt guilty. Is that what one is supposed to do these days? It turns out this is in fact a growing cultural trend. Religion News Service asked recently: “Is Easter the new Christmas?” They reported that there are … Continue reading "Easter as a cultural holiday"

TWH's editor-in-chief, Manny Tejeda Moreno, speaks with several self-described Christian Witches about the challenges of practicing magick in a Christian context. Continue reading “I can be both”: an Easter conversation with Christian Witches at The Wild Hunt.

as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, April 9, 2023 When I was in my early twenties, I used to take part in a lot of mass mobilizations. It was an era of giant puppets and papier-mâché. On the streets of Seattle, Chicago, or, say, Washington, DC, it was not uncommon to […] The post The Blessed Fool appeared first on Colin Bossen.

              DYING & RISINGA Zen Reflection on Easter James Ishmael Ford   For the last half of my professional ministerial life, I served in some venerable New England parishes. Spiritually we were pretty much generic contemporary Unitarian Universalists. That is, we shared a naturalist and humanist bent. And issues […]

Join UUs and James Carroll after service for this week's topic: Artificial Intelligence 101.

I was speaking this week about why I’m writing and how. My therapist says it is reclaiming something that was…</p> The post What Am I Doing Here? appeared first on Taking Up Space.

For Easter, a story of Jesus' last wishes for his loved ones...including us.

The holiest day in the Christian calendar is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, celebrated on Easter Sunday. The inspiration of this miracle is to make the necessary teachings of Jesus live in the world–it inspired his followers to keep on going when they least wanted to. How can you imagine something necessary in … Continue reading Easter

Well, it is Easter and therefore it is a good time for a resurrection. It is handy that it comes in the springtime. This year it is after a winter of heavy rain, so the wildflowers are out in abundance. Yes, I do know it is still snowing in other places. And it is OK […]

 https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/discover/inspired-to-make/would-works/meet-shirley This is volume 2 of a series from LeeValley.com Make, fix and create...

At the moment I’m away on leave and so, for the first time (I think) in my twenty-three years of ministry, haven’t led a service on Easter Sunday. So, just in case anyone drops by here looking for an Easter Sunday themed piece, here’s mine from last year: L’chaim! — to life!: A religion without God and an ethics without absolutes—A short Easter Sunday reflection   

  Not everyone buys the traditional Easter story hook, line, and sinker and others are unsure what it really means. It’s Easter morning and I hope it is lovely where you are .   If you came here today expecting lofty contemplations of a stone rolled away and an empty tomb, of redemption and hallelujah! you are bound for disappointment .   Likewise, if you are a Unitarian Universalist who squirms uncomfortably in the pews waiting for your sensitivities to be assaulted or a pagan longing for a hymn to Oester you will likewise be crestfallen.   Not this year .   Maybe another time . Today we celebrate the quirky, sidelong glances at the Spring festival in short pieces by some well-known poets .   Each is fresh and exciting and deman...

If you’re interested in early American sacred music (as I am), you might be interested in a new website being developed by Nym Cooke, a well known scholar and practitioner in the field. A friend forwarded me Cooke’s introductory email, which says in part: “I invite you to explore a new website, Early American Sacred … Continue reading "New website for early American sacred music"

My room became a Wunderkammer of sorts, filled with strange and magical items right alongside cheap pieces of mass-produced plastic that made me laugh and reminded me of my friends. The ways in which I saw the gods grew into a visual language, a series of physical metaphors grounded in my everyday experience and sprawling across my living space. Like all languages, it began to create its own meaning. Continue reading Offerings at The Wild Hunt.

The nose knows. This morning Rosie discovered the bat house we made at school last year and that we hung on our barn. After adding anti-rodent devices under the hoods of our truck and car, she's stopped obsessing about squirrels in the engine compartment and turned her attention to bats. Don't we wish our politicians could be so smart? The lot of them appear to be missing common sense and the ability to gain an accurate view of themselves.... some think that they can take gifts from rich and powerful friends and that no one will see there are strings attached. Some think that expelling two black legislators while thinking they will not be immediately recognized as racist. How in the world can folks be so self-delusional? Brace yourself. ...

Please join us on Sunday (2 April 2023) at 11:00 AM for “The Sun’s Returning (Spring holiday service with Rev. Barbara Jarrell and members of the All Souls Choir). Join us this Easter Sunday as we celebrate new life returning in this sacred season — the new life promised by the coming of spring, the … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (9 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 have a lesson and activity focused … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Classes — 9 April 2023"

Our adult religious education class is taking this Sunday off. The class will not meet on Easter Sunday (9 April 2023). We will resume at 9:00 AM on Sunday, 16 April 2023. We will be trying a dual-platform class and will welcome participants in person in the social hall and also via Zoom.

Please join us next Tuesday (11 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.

Going through old files, I found this reflection poem from 2014. It feels even more fitting for today, especially living as I do in the "realm" of chronic illness. I cannot control how much energy I will have each day, and rarely can I take action that might have an influence in the world outside […]

​”It is always miraculous to see a dream take shape and form.  Dreams in themselves are made of the chiffon of [people’s] hopes, desires and aspirings.  There may be no limit to their fabulous unfolding, rich in all the magic of the fantastic.” -Howard Thurman Dream, hope, desire, aspire today.

All photos taken with a Fuji X-T2 using Kevin Mullins’ Padilla recipe Just click on a photo to enlarge it  Stonea Camp, Wimblington, is an Iron Age Hill Fort situated just a few miles from March. It’s not only the lowest hill fort in Britain (lying at only 6 ft 7 in. above sea-level), but it may also be the site of a significant battle in 47 CE between the Romans and the Iceni tribe because the site corresponds to that mentioned by Tacitus who tells us how the Romans troops overwhelmed the local fighters who were “imprisoned by their own defences.” If this is the case, and it’s not proven absolutely so far, then Stonea Camp would be the first place in Britain to enter into the historical record! You can read a pdf report on th...

Some of the things that pop up regularly on my Facebook page are posted from Big Think which popularizes advanced scientific research and speculation for the reasonably literate lay person.   Most often I glance at the summary but delve into the articles from time to time.   Frankly, most sail over my head.   Sometimes articles contradict each other as scientists advance different hypotheses.   An awful lot leaves me mystified. I am no scientist, philosopher, or theologian—some of the most speculative stuff seems to demand that, too.   I am a humanities major who dropped out of college and spent most of my working life as a blue collar worker, janitor, and gas station clerk—manifestly incompetent to understand much of what I re...

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>