Please join us on Saturday (18 March 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 (18 March 2023)"

One of my leisure-time projects for this year has been learning a bit of ukulele. So I’ve been watching a lot of videos of young ukulele players. And it suddenly occurred to me that many of the best young ukulele players are racially very diverse: Abe Lagrimas, Jr., Taimane Tauiliili Bobby Gardner, Rio Saito, Honoka … Continue reading "Random observation"

Alan D. D. comparte sus experiencias recientes con ataques de pánico y la tirada de tarot que creó para trabajar junto con la terapia para superarlos. Continue reading Tarot: Las Lágrimas de La Llorona at The Wild Hunt.

Alan D.D. shares his recent experiences with panic attacks and the tarot spread he created to work alongside therapy to work through them. Continue reading The Tears of La Llorona – a tarot spread for mental health at The Wild Hunt.

        Ah, the 17th of March. A day when most of the citizens of the good old US discover they’re Irish. Not a terrible thing. Not at all. But there’s an under appreciated saint due to having to share the date with super saint, Patrick. I first became aware of her because of, […]

A reader had asked to see this box open, perhaps to see more about how it was made. The sides are joined with a hidden spline joint, and the parts of the lid are joined the same way... small pieces of wood fitted between parts, but that are not visible on the outside of the box. The hidden splines in the lid could be compared to the use of biscuits. To cut the grooves for the hidden splines, I use the jig shown. Make, fix and create... Assist others in learning lifewise.  

“With another St. Patrick’s Day having come and gone, I ponder the calamities and the strengths of my heritage. To do other than persist would be to dishonor those who have gone before. Too many things matter for me to give up. Life is too precious for me to say die. If desperate action is … Continue reading Heritage

Prayer for Dreaming A World Made Whole with Housing Justice Lover of the Birds who have their nests, Lover of the Foxes who have their dens, Lover of the Octopus who has its crevices in the sea, help us dream of a world where we have housing justice, where all...

There was this guy who lived a long time ago.  He was not very fancy, probably not formally educated, but he made people think. Sometimes, he made people angry because he required them to think. You may have heard of … Continue reading →

19th Century American greeting and souvenir cards blended sentimentality and symbols of Irish nationalism especially the harp, shamrocks, and the once banned green.  Modern cards mostly feature leering and/or drunken leprechauns. Note :   For those of you unaware, this is my natal anniversary.   Turn 74 today.   Bet you wondered how I got the name.   Anyway, I am rerunning a yearly classic. Meanwhile to the Irish and wan-a-be-Irish, enjoy the day.   Have fun, but try not to live down to some unfortunate stereotypes.    And for Christ’s sake don’t drink the damn green beer, an abomination and insult to the soul!   Have a dram of Jameson’s with a Guinness back for me! Today is the Feast of St. Patrick, originally a low-key r...

At this morning’s meeting of the South Shore UU ministers, one of the topics we discussed was elder abuse. It turns out that in Massachusetts are not mandated by law to report elder abuse, though we are mandated reporters of child abuse. We do have the option of reporting elder abuse, though people who are … Continue reading "Learning experience"

According to a recent Pew survey, Americans perceive Jews more favorably than any other religion: 35% have a very or somewhat favorable view of Jews, 58% have no opinion, and 6% have an unfavorable opinion. That’s a 28 point “balance of opinion” between favorable and unfavorable. Mainline Protestants ranked second, with a 20 point balance … Continue reading "Perceptions of religious affiliations"

The UUA Nominating Committee submitted the following slate of nominations for elected boards, committees, and commissions, which will be part of the larger election at General Assembly 2023. Continue reading "Nominations for Election at General Assembly 2023"

Click here for Poetry Reading with all three contributors. Ival Stratford Kovner        Trail Train Stop NY State AppalachiANNA on the 75th birthday of the Appalachian Trail The trail will be 86 on 8/12/12.  Youngest female recently finished -age 15. A 76 year old  female had 300 miles to go! Karen Sheahan was a flight attendant for 35 years and brings a global view. Lindsa Vallee's poetry told the story of a self-sown seed that grew to the  height of her second floor porch and remained strong even after its leaves  had dried up and its drooping head was bursting with seeds that Two corellas share a sunflower head Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle , a writer and teacher, was formerly the Associate Director of the Mind/Body Clinic and a Tea...

The Museum of Magic, Fortune-telling & Witchcraft recently opened in Edinburgh and has a focus on raising "awareness of Scotland’s rich heritage of magic." Continue reading New museum of magic opens in Edinburgh at The Wild Hunt.

Whip out that #OscarsSoMale hashtag. This year, the Academy snubbed such filmmakers as Gina Prince-Bythewood, Maria Schrader, Sarah Polley, and Charlotte Wells as Best Director nominees. In “The Wrong Kind of Women,” Naomi McDougall Jones writes that this snubbery—read: discrimination—owes itself to “the film industry’s fetishization of the male ‘genius’ auteur filmmaker.” Must the patriarchy be so basic? At least Sarah Polley took home a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for her film “Women Talking.”

As we mark the third anniversary of the COVID lockdown, it seems like a good time to do some reflection on the last three years, and this season of pandemic. As we all know this was like nothing else any of us had ever experienced, but I just want to reflect more locally on Riverside, and draw your attention to the audio archive Doorstep Revolution, a project I was part of putting together as

 This is a letter I received from former president Jimmy Carter. He is a man of courage and conviction. He's also shared my own passion for woodworking.  As one of my most admired presidents,  I had sent him a copy of my book,  The Complete Illustrated Guide, Box Making,  and notice about an article coming at that time in  Fine Woodworking Magazine.  All the holes at the top of the letter are from it being pinned to my bulletin board for the last 19 years. Aside from a shared interest in woodworking, I can cite about a hundred reasons why I hold Jimmy Carter in high esteem, as others do as well. During the run up to the presidential election that  Reagan won and Carter lost, emissaries from Reagan sent a cake to the Ayatollah, ur...

 A good friend of mine passed away. Hank Kaminski was one of my early friends when I moved to Eureka Springs, and his wife JoAnn was the person I met who told me about this place and suggested I consider Eureka Springs as a place to work as I was ready to move on from doing pottery at Memphis State.  Hank's life and achievements are discussed at the Arkansas Department of Heritage website. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/blog/dah/2020/07/23/sculptor-hank-kaminsky-named-2018-arkansas-living-treasure  I was honored to have been a panel member selecting Hank as an Arkansas Living Treasure.  I explained to the panel that I would recuse myself from voting because Hank was like a brother to me, but the panel voted unanimously and at the ...

I have a tree that is next to my mailbox and close to the road. It was just a tree to me. It actually did not fit in the plan that I had for my yard. The lower branches would … Continue reading →

“We face a challenge to democracy: a challenge that calls us to hope in moments of despair, a challenge that asks us to persist in the faith that we can and must make a difference.” -Pat Uribe-Lichty How do you persist in the faith that you can make a difference?

The Scarlet Letter  by Hugues Merlem 1861. Hester Prynne and daughter Pearl are in the foreground and Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth can be seen dimly in the background at left. On March 16, 1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne’sThe Scarlet Letter , widely regarded as the first great American novel was issued by Ticknor,Reed & Fields, the publisher of choice for the New England transcendentalist literary elite.  Nathanial Hathorne was born in 1804 in Salem , Massachusetts , a member of an old family that, much to his chagrin and embracement, included one of the judges of the Salem Witch Trials .   He later added a w to the spelling of the family name in a vain attempt to disguise the connection.  After his sea captain father died wh...

I’ve been reading Universalist history for decades, but the details of the Restorationist Controversy (UUDB.org) escaped me. I know the broad strokes, the theological points, the key players and the slogans, mostly from Richard Eddy, but the social, economic and ecclesiologial dimensions weren’t clear until I read Peter Hughes’s two (2000, 2002) essays in The … Continue reading "A pivot to Paul Dean"

A temple to the Sumerian god, Ninĝirsu has been uncovered in the ancient city of Girsu in Iraq. Continue reading Archeologists announce discovery of 4,500 year-old Temple to Ninĝirsu at The Wild Hunt.

On my Sunday afternoon walk, I came across a small tree covered with little gray catkins just coming out on some of the twigs. We always called these Pussy Willows, presumably because the trees look like willow trees (Salix sp.), and the small emerging flower clusters, true to their name, look like small furry cats. … Continue reading "Signs of spring"

Sunday, March 19 Vulnerability and Healing Since October, Rev. Alice has been enrolled an intensive course introducing the Soma Soul® mind-body approach to healing. Join us this Sunday, March 19, as she shares what she is learning about healing through authentic, vulnerable connection.  All Are Welcome ~ Childcare Provided          [ … ] The post Sunday Worship: March 19 ~ Vulnerability and Healing ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

Please join us for a special Spiritualist Sunday Service with Rev. Nancy Smith at the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson,10:30 a.m., on March 26.  This service is FREE and open to the public. After the service at 1:00 p.m., Rev. Nancy will do a demonstration of mediumship and spirit drawings. Please join us for this   [ … ] The post Sunday, March 26 ~ Spiritualist Service/Mediumship Demonstration ~ 10:30 a.m./1:00 p.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

Erika Hewitt What’s your most memorable story about getting lost? What do you remember about finding your way home? Continue reading "Blaze by Blaze"

International Women’s Day has just passed, and in the US it’s Women’s History Month. Let us pause today to celebrate women–all women. The erasure of any women from this celebration–trans women, queer women, women of color, disabled women–does an injustice to all people. Who is a woman you would like to celebrate today?

I grew up at a time and in a culture filled with hard binaries: everything was either right or wrong; good or bad; heaven or hell; black or white; man or woman; American or foreign. The list could be expanded. … Continue reading →

For all that it’s important to pay attention to what’s going on in this world, we ignore what’s going on in the Otherworld at our peril. The battle to reshape our world is picking up again. And we need to pay attention.

  General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing leads his Punitive Expeditionary Force across the Rio Grande and into Mexico. A fool’s errand.  That’s what General John J. “Blackjack” Pershing was sent on by President Woodrow Wilson.  On March 15, 1916 the General rode off at the head of about 12,000 troops of the Punitive Expeditionary Force on a mission to find and destroy Pancho Villa and his rebel army in Mexico.  Doroteo Arango , alias Francisco “Pancho” Villa, was born in 1877 in San Juan del Rio, the State of Durango in Northern Mexico.  He was an outlaw by 16 and the head of his own gang of  banditos  shortly after.  Because he frequently clashed with the forces of the hated dictator Por...

This Sunday’s Faith Development programming for children and youth will be a Children’s Chapel, an activity for children in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade. Before you head into the worship service, drop off your children in the Kindergarten-3 rd Grade Room next to the dining room. ... read more . The post Religious Education on March 19th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The first vaccine to be approved for use on insects in the U.S. offers hope in stemming the spread of the disease, American foulbrood (AFB), a bacterial infection that is almost always fatal to bees. Continue reading USDA approves the world’s first insect vaccine for honeybees at The Wild Hunt.

By Kristen Joiner | “So, you’ve been a feminist and worked in human rights your whole career?” Judy Heumann asked me the first time we met to discuss the possibility of writing her memoir. “Right.” “And you never knew disability was a civil rights issue?” Since I’d already owned up to this, I nodded again. “So, what makes you think you can write my story?”

I mentioned that I had a short clip in the Love Unrelenting documentary by Stephen HAuse, but what makes me go back is the short (2~3 minute) clips on particular subjects that he puts out regularly. I highly recommend you subscribe and watch them.

The steady footing of the ballet dancer is captivating. Their grace is astonishing. How many years of preparation did it take to achieve this mastery? How many weeks trudging off to the studio before school? How persistent they must have been in those early days when it seemed too hard to continue! -Lori Stone (CLF)  … Continue reading Dancers

Have you ever noticed a tiny struggling plant growing in the crack of a sidewalk? Do you wonder at its resilience? When I was a child we played a game of jumping over cracks in the pavement to avoid “breaking … Continue reading →

  The United State Supreme Court surprised everyone by upholding the Adamson Act in the face of a looming and crippling national railroad strike just weeks before the U.S. entered World War I. One of the enduring myths about the U . S . Supreme Court is that in its lofty supposed impartiality it is aboveand immune from popular pressure, politics, or protest.   Of course, since it first asserted its right to rule on the Constitutionality of laws enacted by Congress and executive actions of the President as a Federalist thumb-in-the-eye to Thomas Jefferson , decisions by the court have often been nearly nakedly political. Over most of its history the Court was in the continuous hands of the most conservative elements of society and natur...

(I did, and therein hangs a tale in Massachusetts. Read on what was said to my fellow citizens. You may wish to do the same where you live).           There’s a sad, sorry history of our coming to these shores. Some strive to face and correct the injustices covered by such truth; others may care […]

          Hello, Valentines. Each February, storefronts are sick with every color of red and within are the obligatory flaming crimson cards and all the candy that’s bad for us. It’s also Black History month and, aye, there’s the rub.           Love for people on the basis of their common humanity takes a back seat to […]

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, Hekate event, Vatican artifacts, Announcmeent and more news! Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of March 13, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

We have several exciting services coming up in the next few months. To kick things off, Rev. Tamara Lebak returns to the All Souls pulpit on March 19 with “Feel Together.” The following Sunday, March 26 is Heritage Sunday, when All Souls will celebrate its 102nd birthday! We’ll have choir performances in both services, with a reception in Emerson Hall. Bring a friend! Services will be in person and online. Two opportunities to be inspired by the Youth of All Souls! Coming of Age SundaySunday, April 2 | 10 am ServiceThroughout the year in their Coming of Age program, our […] The post Exciting Services Coming Up! appeared first on BeyondBelief.

  One of the strongest tools our nation has in combating hunger is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as food stamps). Unfortunately, this vital program is under attack, threatening the food security of millions of families. – Moms Rising     Promise the Children stands with MomsRising in speaking out to protect SNAP and the millions of people that depend on this vital program to feed their families. Tell Congress to strengthen SNAP ASAP – send a read more... The post March Action Alert: Tell Congress to Strengthen SNAP! appeared first on Promise the Children.

I will be preaching next on April 30, May 21 and June 25 at Universalist National Memorial Church, Washington, D.C.

I wonder how many times in our lives someone communicated to us this message: “There’s something wrong with you!”  Of course, the message is never delivered just like that. The “something” is likely defined more specifically, and then the charge … Continue reading →

Don’t forget that breaks to catch your breath, to assess how far you’ve come, to readjust your path are part of the process. Your persistence allows for you to rest when you need it, because life is a journey. There is no end goal more important than you arriving whole and free.  -JeKaren Olaoya (CLF) … Continue reading Breaks

                                        Jack Kerouac hanging out. In 1957 Viking Press published a book that may be one of the most significant American cultural artifactsof the 20th Century— On the Road by Jack Kerouac .   It has been compared to Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass— a fresh look at America though entirely self-conscious eyes and presented in a revolutionary literary form.  It was hailed as “the Bible of the Beat Generation.”  But Truman Capote haughtily dismissed it—“That’s not writing, that's typing.” Jack Kerouac was born to French Canadianparents in the old mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts on March 12, 1922.  The working class family spoke Joual , a roughdialect of Québéc...

I realized that I have pretty much abandoned Mastodon. That’s the non-commercial social media site that has been touted as a replacement for Twitter, after Elon Musk took over Twitter and turned it into a cesspool of hate speech. Not that I adopted Mastodon as a replacement for Twitter. I just wanted to find a … Continue reading "The fate of social media"

  COVENANT, NOT CREED March 12, 2023 PUUF, Rev. Kit Ketcham   How many of you grew up in a religious environment where you recited a set of statements that you were expected to believe, things about God and Jesus, salvation, and other weighty expectations, particularly if you were a little kid at the time, growing up in a Christian household. Do you remember the names of any of the various creeds that you learned or recited in a church service?  Creeds are statements of theological belief and they can be pretty demanding. Take the Apostles Creed, for example, which is often included in traditional church services: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,  

Come find out more in a Forum presented by Liz May Martineau. Liz will give a short history of how the project was started, when it will be opened to the public, and what you can do to help.

No, I wasn’t hit by a falling tree this week, although I saw a lot of evidence of trees that had fallen earlier across the trails. I try not to hike in wind storms or heavy rain, and so I reduce the odds of being felled by a tree, but it could still happen. When […]

I spent the past two days at ESSA building this table from white oak and a small cabinet from basswood. Both will be featured in Popular Woodworking magazine at some future date. The big dog is Rosie, checking out the aroma of freshly sawn and sanded white oak.  The table is designed using torsion rods to hold all the parts in relationship and to provide structural stability. Despite being relatively light and airy, the table is very rigid and strong. As far as I know the design and the use of torsion rods in this way is original from my own work. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an inventor. I guess I am one. Make, fix and create. Learn while you're at it.

Weekend Editor Eric O. Scott examines the current assault on transgender rights and calls for the Pagan community to show support to our queer siblings. Continue reading Editorial: Trans people are under attack. What are Pagans going to do about it? at The Wild Hunt.

This Sunday will be a "Question Box" sermon. Write your questions down at the top of the service, and I'll answer as many as I can during sermon time.

St Francis Xavier Meets a Zen Master James Ishmael Ford It was on this day, the 12th of March, in 1622 that the Roman church declared Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier saints. They were two of the seven men who took the founding vows creating the Jesuit order in 1534. Xavier spent some years […]

I read recently about how important it is for young children (and all of us) to learn the feeling of futility — to know what it is to try something over and over and for it to not work, because it simply can’t. It’s only when we feel futility around changing something external to us … Continue reading Futility

“Someone else is getting something I’m not and I’m mad about it.” Envy is a vice that adds to the misery of the envious and does nothing to make things better for anyone.

We don't know what old Indian allegedly said it but versions of this have been floating around for decades mocking Daylight Savings Time.  Gotta admit whoever said it, he had a point. If your forgot to re-set your clocks last night, you are probably already late for church or at least late retrieving the Sunday paper from the stoop.  It happens every year, no matter how many announcements are made on the TV news, radio, newspapers, and now by cute Facebook memes.  And some of the folks who did fiddle with their time pieces got it wrong—is it spring forward, fall backor the other way around? It’s vexing.  And some think, foolish.  Take to oft quoted bit of folk wisdom usually ascribed to some Native American sage—Daylight Savin...

One of my favorite Youtube videos is titled “Guess: JAKE or Young KID? — Ukulele Challenge.” If you know anything about the current ukulele scene, you’ll immediately figure out that “Jake” refers to Jake Shimabukuro, a ukulele virtuoso who is probably best known for his ukulele versions of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Bohemian … Continue reading "Jake or young kid"

12 weeks of instructions in the philosophy and practice of Yang Style Taiji 24 Forms, Taiji Qigong 18 Forms, & The Eight Brocades. When: Saturday mornings from  9:00 – 10:00 a.m. beginning 2/11/2023 Where: Fellowship Hall, Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, 1738 North Sage St., Los Alamos Who: Adults and children age 12 and up who …<p> Taiji as Spiritual Practice Read More »

  Zen Comes West: Recalling Zen Master Soen Nakagawa James Ishmael Ford It was on this day, the 11th of March, in 1984 that Rinzai Zen master Soen Nakagawa died at Ryutakuji monastery in Japan. It’s been a while since I’ve noted the day and this remarkable figure at the foundation of Zen come West. […]

“May your strength persist like carbon, Which has enabled all life our solar system knows, Has known, or will ever know— From diplodocuses to dandelions; From blue–green algae to blue whales; And from the katydids that cling to branches and chirrup through the night, To the kale that clings to life aboard the International Space … Continue reading Carbon

Photo of Paul Wienpahl in his Zen Diary (1970) A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— Last week I brought before you the dilemma that faces any genuinely liberal, inquiring and free religion, namely: that even as, at key moments in its practice, it must be philosophically pragmatic — encouraging it’s adherents regularly to ask the question of whether or not this religion’s beliefs and practices remain helpful and can continue to be held with a clean heart because there is enough evidence either to support them or, at least, to not rule them out of court as p...

  Raoul Walsh behind the camera as young director. Raoul Walsh , the director in an eye patch long before John Ford or Nicholas Ray, had a long career in films spanning the pioneering years of D. W. Griffith in the silents to wide screen Technicolor epics of the mid-‘60s.   He specialized in action pictures—gritty crime dramas, westerns, war movies .   Meaty parts for women—with a few notable exceptions—were rare and his friend Jack Pickford (elder brother of Mary) told him that “Your idea of light comedy is to burn down a whorehouse.”   In the process he made some of the most memorable films in Hollywood historynever to win Oscars. Walsh was born on March 11, 1887 in New York City to a comfortably middle class lace curta...

Please join us on Sunday (12 March 2023) at 11:00 AM for “There Will Your Heart Be” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. 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 able to do so. … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (12 March 2023)"

17 March 2023 St. Patrick’s Day Party 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 — Exploration of “Friends and Enemies” (especially … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Classes — 12 March 2023"

Please join us on Sunday (12 March 2023) as we continue our new series in our our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is still meeting via Zoom. We have several persons in the adult religious education class who are new to our faith tradition and others who would … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 12 March 2023"

Please join us next Tuesday (14 March 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.

Friends, The Mountain Desert District will soon merge with 3 other districts to become the Pacific Western Region for real. Before the merger, the MDD has $30,000 to distribute as Chalice Lighter grants. The number and amounts of grants will be determined by the applications received. To apply for a

I don’t take estrogen just to alleviate my gender dysphoria I also take it to help increase my gender congruence I don’t just wanna feel not bad about my gender I also wanna feel it in a way that’s euphoric I wanna get to a place where my gender it’s It’s become one less thing … Continue reading I Don’t Take Estrogen Just To Alleviate My Gender Dysphoria

We are inundated with bad news and a self-perpetuating negative spin. If we’re not ever mindful, it can be easy to fall into the trap of pessimism and disenchantment. We face challenges that can feel insurmountable, but active optimism is an antidote. Re-enchantment is an antidote. Rewilding is an antidote. Continue reading Recalling the Body: a Rite for Spring at The Wild Hunt.

By Naomi McDougall Jones | For female directors fortunate enough to be working, they can expect the average production budget for their film to be smaller than those of their male peers. Film budgets shrink by 20 percent when a woman has the starring role due to untrue but enduring industry “common knowledge” that “no one wants to see films about women.” Since female directors are more likely to either choose or be given films with female leading characters, they disproportionately suffer from these smaller budgets that are assigned to such films.

While I wish I had something pretty or pithy to observe about spring in the Northern Hemisphere, I’m mostly thinking about the amount of live programming blossoming right in front of us. Through partnership with congregations, individual UUs, and our UU State Action Networks, we’re all able to “take shifts for the revolution,” as Rev. Ashley Horan says. I see the evidence of that daily in the stories and updates from around the country of UUs and other people of faith and conscience who are fighting for our trans beloved and who are fiercely resisting legislative attacks on climate, decriminalization, and trans children and families. (If you haven’t yet, read the beautiful op-ed by Rev. Sara LaWall from Boise Unitarian Universa...

        Remembering Harriet Tubman, the Woman Called Moses Araminta Ross was born a slave somewhere around 1820 in Maryland. One of vastly too many. Her life, as was the norm for the enslaved, was brutal. At one time when one of her owners threw a heavy weight at another slave while she […]

A Star Trek musical is in the works. Called “Khan!!! The Musical!: A Parody Trek-tacular,” it will premiere Off-Broadway in early May. The premise? Data the android, while learning about human culture, finds out about Broadway musicals, and programs his own holographic musical. Which features things like Vulcan tap dancing… and “mutant space-chickens.” They lost … Continue reading "Not ready for prime time"

I recently saw the movie “The Jesus Revolution”. I was dubious about seeing it given my animist, polytheist, and UU orientation. It is about the “Jesus Freaks” in the late 60’s, of which, I was kind of one, myself! I … Continue reading →

A Prayer for Dreaming A World Made Whole By Food Justice - Week of March 12, 2023 Lover of Dreaming, dream with us a world made whole with food justice, where no one hungers and no one thirsts from lack of access to quality food and clean water, where we...

If I had to choose a theme in life, it would be persistence. What is the other option? I have found that I am at times curious where my path will lead and therefore I keep going, even when I am in the  midst of pain and despair. Persistence is how I know I want … Continue reading Centering Love

  Transfer of Louisiana  by Ford P. Kaiser for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition--The St. Louis World's Fair--in 1904. On March 10, 1804 the final official transfer of vast lands stretching north from the mouth of the Mississippi River and far into the interior of North America was conducted at St . Louis.   A small French Army detachmentbrought down the Tricolors and a not much larger contingent of U . S . Army regulars ran up the Stars and Stripes in the muddy streets of the settlement.   A few score civilians, mostly French with a sprinkling of early bird American land speculators, trappers, and Native Americans watched.   After shaking hands all around, everyone went to celebratewith plenty of good stiff drinks.   With that the...

  —collected by Paula Chandoha Article, The Marginalian, Robin Wall Kimmerer https://mailchi.mp/ themarginalian/moss?e= 8d49b76b80  The Marginalian is a source of articles on well being and culture with strong emphasis on art and literature. https://www.themarginalian. org/2015/05/13/gathering-moss- robin-wall-kimmerer/?mc_cid= 8b42268e4c&mc_eid=749c58947a   On the the birth of ecology: https://www.themarginalian. org/2022/02/04/universe-in- verse-bloom/  Climate Change:  Interesting piece   https://www.farmaid.org/ issues/soil-water-climate/ farmers-and-climate-change- myths-vs-facts/ Abortion rights in the USA: https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2023/mar/02/destruction- us-abortion-laws-human-rights- violation-un? Spiritual we...

TWH spoke with Erik Lacharity about the Heathen Confederation of Canada as it approaches its two year anniversary since its founding in March of 2021. Continue reading Inclusive Heathenry in Canada at The Wild Hunt.

A brief history of WomenExplore: In 1973 Brita Stendahl started the Theological Opportunities Program as a way of giving the wives (and other interested women) a taste of what their husbands were experiencing at HDS.  She was assisted by a small advisory committee of women.  Many of the women who attended TOP went on to divinity school, not necessarily at Harvard, in their own right. In 1978 Elizabeth Dodson Gray took over as "Coordinator" (her title) and radically transformed the program. At first she opened up the Advisory Committee to any woman who had attended TOP.  Liz developed a feminist method of taking the issues that were on the minds of the women in the Advisory Committee and developing a series of ten topics under a commo...

A Zen Unitarian Take on the History of Christianity Zen teacher and Unitarian Universalist minister James Ishmael Ford provides a romp through the history of Christianity. He is the author of five books on aspects of the Zen tradition. His sixth book, an exploration of the arc of the spiritual life, is due from Shambhala […]

Yesterday, going through old files on my laptop, I found a letter from October 1994 that I never sent–so really, more of a letter to myself. It described how my Innu ancestors would interrupt my daily life with their insistence on being recognized and acknowledged. I hadn’t thought about that for a long time, and […]

When I was young, being vulnerable was not what you wanted to be. It meant weakness. It meant that everyone had to tiptoe around you and that you couldn’t do anything for yourself. You always needed help.  That is something … Continue reading →

Sometimes we get by through sheer will, through persisting despite the odds against us. Sometimes, we need to hang on and inch ourselves forward until we are somewhere better. What do you need in order to hang on through today?

This map shows Land Districts and Offices in charge of selling Western land--a primary income source for the Federal government which helped keep taxes and tariffs low.  Some land agents, however, were corrupt and scandals common.  Individual speculators and organized stock companies borrowed money to buy vast tracts of land in the hopes of selling at inflated prices to settlers.  But most settlers could not afford the asking prices, the speculators and companies often could not pay their loans.  The result was financial failure and instability on one hand and a huge pent-up demand for cheaper land.  The Land Act of 1820 was meant to address both problems. The Land Act of 1820 is a nearly forgotten piece of legislation passed by Con...

Recently, I got introduced to two new ways of thinking. First, I’ve been taking ukulele lessons. My teacher gave me a transcription of part of the Largo movement of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. As I play through that, it feels like my brain is being rewired. (“Rewired” is actually not the correct way to describe whatever … Continue reading "Different way of thinking"

TWH assesses what progress has been made since the last International Women's Day. Continue reading International Women’s Day: The state of progress at The Wild Hunt.