Today, the 3rd of December has been declared a feast or saint’s day for Francis Xavier. He was one of the first Jesuits. And eventually a Catholic missionary to Japan. While fervently hostile to nonChristian religions, and with, if indirectly, some blood on his hands in that regard, I […]
A London art exhibition explores the psychological, symbolic, and supernatural connections between Surrealist artists like Leonora Carrington and the figure of the witch. Continue reading “Manifestations of the witch:” London Exhibition on Surrealism and Witchcraft connects women artists across the decades at The Wild Hunt.
The holiday season is a time of giving, warmth, and community spirit. At All Souls, we believe in making a tangible difference in the lives of those around us. This year, we are excited to announce the All Souls Community Food Bank's holiday initiative to support Women in Recovery. The post Join the All Souls Holiday Food Drive for Women in Recovery appeared first on BeyondBelief.
The fourth sermon in the "Lives of the Spirit" series focuses on the life and teachings of Howard Thurman. The post The common Good: Howard Thurman appeared first on Colin Bossen.
The older I get, the more losses I’m experiencing. Things I thought would last forever, aren’t. Progress I assumed would continue, isn’t. People I expected would outlive me, haven’t. Some of this is the reality of being 61. Some if it is the times we live in. Some of it is… more.
SERVICE PARTICIPANTS Rev. John Cullinan, Pastor Rev. Tina DeYoe, Director of Lifespan Religious Education Nylea Butler-Moore, Director of Music Elisa Enriquez, vocalist Renae Mitchell, Mike Begnaud, Patrick Webb, Galen Gisler, and Rick Bolton, AV techs WELCOME! New to our church community? Sign our guestbook and let us know if you’d like to get more connected. …<p> Advent for Everyone Read More »
“Don’t sweat it.” It is something people tell you. No worries, it’s OK. Don’t stress. But that isn’t always good advice. Sometimes you need to sweat, and not just when hiking. I ALWAYS sweat when hiking, even on cool days, which is partly why hydration is important even if you don’t feel particularly hot or […]
Some stories are lovingly passed down from generation to generation. They bring us connection to those who came before. What is a story that has been passed to you through generations?
We Gather Together is an Thanksgiving song originating with the Dutch is now widely sung in many American Protestant churches as an Advent hymn as well. Today in most Western Christian churches is the first Sunday of Advent, the four week liturgical season of anticipation of the birth of Christ. Although most Americans call the whole time from Thanksgiving to December 25 the Christmas Season, Christmas was the 12 day period from the Nativity to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. In churches only hymns of prophesy of a coming Savior, songs of Joseph and Mary on their journey to the City of David, and finally announcement carols on Christmas Eve were sung during Advent. Songs of celebration of the Birth come after. In most...
Please join us on Sunday (3 December 2023) at 11:00 AM for “Don’t Have To…” 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. Our service … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (3 December 2023)"
Each month we dedicate all of our non-pledge income to an organization doing the work that best embodies our Unitarian Universalist principles and values. For the month of December 2023, we choose North Louisiana Interfaith as we finish out 2023 with our fulfillment of our membership dues to North Louisiana Interfaith — one of the … Continue reading "North Louisiana Interfaith — December 2023 Give-Away-The-Plate Recipient"
For this Sunday (3 December 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). The lesson for this week is making a difference.
This class is an exploration of our eight Unitarian Universalist principles through artistic expression. On this Sunday (3 December 2023), we will explore the eighth principle (“working together to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions”). The All8 curriculum is the creation of Jil Novenski (Director … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (3 December 2023)"
Please join us on Sunday (3 December 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 — 3 December 2023"
Taste of Interfaith is happening on Sunday (3 December 2023) from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM — All are welcome! Taste of Interfaith is happening at Williams Memorial CME Temple (3301 St. Matthias Way, Shreveport LA 71119) Come and join with our Interfaith partners as we celebrate this year’s victories, welcome new member institutions, and … Continue reading "Taste of Interfaith (Sunday, 3 December 2023)"
Please join us next Wednesday (6 December 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is 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.
We walked through the Nelson Homestead at Woolman Hill Conference Center. This is where Wally and Juanita Nelson lived the last couple of decades of their lives — off the grid, growing their own food, refusing to pay taxes that funded the war machine of the United States. Carol remembers Wally and Jaunita Nelson coming … Continue reading "You don’t gotta"
Long or short, we enter this world alone, and usually, we leave alone. The comfort we give each other during our lifetime is what we hope will be extended to us during the actual process of dying, as well as the moments surrounding death. Continue reading Gratitude for Being a Death Midwife at The Wild Hunt.
December is, among many other things, Self Help month at the church. Self Help, Inc. was founded in 1969 by Bethlehem Lutheran Church, along with several other churches in town including our own. It was founded as a means to pool charitable resources and use them for assistance and outreach in our northern New Mexico …<p> Self Help Month Read More »
Every single time my family gathers, we tell stories about each other. Usually they are funny or silly. We like to heckle each other about things we did growing up, like the time I made biscuits for the first time. They were so hard my brothers used them as baseballs! I cried and cried that … Continue reading Funny Stories
White Christmas from the finale of the 1954 MGM film of the same name. It is a bit early to break out perhaps the most iconic of the classic Golden Age of American Secular Christmas songs, but last night my wife Kathy Brady-Murfin and I took in a production of the stage version of Irving Berlins ’s White Christmas by Theatre 121 at the Woodstock Opera House. It was at least the third production of a version of the film classic we have seen. It is a staple of both the professional and community holiday theater. It is both comfortable and an invitation to sing along. You probably know that the most played and beloved secular American Chris...
A short “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful Meditation. (A recorded version of the following piece can be heard at this link) —o0o— As many of you will be aware, this week, the COP28 climate summit has begun in the United Arab Emirates against the background of the depressing, but in so many ways not unexpected news that the President of this summit, Sultan Al Jaber, has abused his position to try to sign oil deals with other governments. Looking on this and earlier global summits can easily produce in many of us feelings of deep despair and even anger. It certainly does in me from time to time, And I think it is important to tell you that over the ...
That’s the tentative title for what might end up being a painting. I envision this writing scratched in paint or ink so that an under-layer of paint or ink shows through, but some kind of dry medium might also work, or maybe colored pencil over an ink wash–the layers are important. I have tried it […]
Please join us on Saturday (2 December 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 (2 December 2023)"
Alan U. Dalul hears about a local curiosities market in his city, and hesitates at the idea of signing up to vendor as a tarot reader and sigil creator. But despite his anxiety, he finds himself practicing magic in a whole new way - and with a whole new community. Continue reading Ready, Set, Goth! – My first Witches’ Market in a new country at The Wild Hunt.
One of the things to love about walnut is the rich shift in color and tone that results when a penetrating finish is applied. Compare the box shown with the unfinished box earlier in the day and you can see the richness that results. I have one or two more coats of finish to apply, but must wait hours between coats Another reason to prize walnut is shown in the top panel, selected for the curly figure that results from the wood having grown close to a major limb. The straight grained walnut surrounding it frame it nicely. Make, fix and create.
The third sermon in the series "Lives of the Spirit" was delivered by the Rev. D. Scott Cooper. It focuses on the life and philosophy of the founder of the Catholic Worker movement, Dorothy Day. The post Dorothy Day: Works of Mercy (Guest Blog Post by Rev. D. Scott Cooper) appeared first on Colin Bossen.
Sunday, December 3 Let the Mystery Be Our human brains are constantly seeking to quantify, measure, and categorize the world around us. Join us this Sunday, December 3, as Rev. Alice reflects on the value in simply living with the mysterious unknown. “I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery [ … ] The post Sunday, December 3 ~ Let the Mystery Be ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.
Our vision statement concludes with the words “We are a beacon of hope.” These are years when that beacon is particularly important. I note two major trends in this country, trends which may not be unrelated. Church membership is down markedly — a 2021 Gallup poll reported that adults who were church members were 70% …<p> We are a Beacon of Hope Read More »
During the holidays, I tend to reflect on the cycles of life … birth, death, and the in-between. Thinking about new babies coming into the world provokes thoughts of joy, imagination, idealism, hope, miracles, and mystery. Thinking about death provokes thoughts of sadness, depression, release, peace, and mystery. Why is it that both life and …<p> A Panoramic UU View of . . . Mystery Read More »
This month, we explore the theme of storytelling and the stories that shaped us. Each of us has stories that have helped us make sense of the world, develop our theology, and relate to others. What is an important story that has shaped you?
In 2016 Cat Templeton designed my current website. I've been trying to get better at keeping up with it. It looks as fresh and lovely, I think, as the day it was launched. Dougstowe.com Normally websites are out of date in a year or so. This one may last a decade or more. One thing I'll not change on it is the photo on the publications page t showing my books arranged on the top of my work bench. It shows 8 books. In the intervening years I've written several more that you can find on Amazon at this link: Just in time for holiday shopping. A book can be a great gift. As a gift to yourself it might guide you in making gifts for others. Shown on the same workbench today is a walnut stash box ready for final sanding and finish. Make,...
With the month of December, the darkness of our northern hemisphere tilting away from the sun continues. Shadows lengthen. The darkness deepens. Perhaps that is a good backdrop to this month’s theme, The Gift of Mystery. “Mystery” conjures a number … Continue reading →
Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles perform The Twelve Days of Christmas. December 1 is World AIDS Day. In honor of that we feature the Gay Men ’ s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA), the oldest, largest, and most prestigious Gay choral group in the United States. It was formed in 1979 at Plummer Park Community Center in Los Angeles, with 99 members . Its first public performance was at the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights that October and they also performed at n the first ever national LGBT concert at the Washington Memorial . World Aids Day 2023 commemorates its origins. As GMCLA continued to grow throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s the AIDS crisis did not spare ...
Perhaps you, like me, have seen this come across your social media feed: Sounds so cool, doesn’t it? Well, the United States is one of those 50 countries, and a depot of the Human Library has been underway for some time here in the SF Bay Area. A friend in the UK gave me a […]
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Love Resists teamed up earlier this month to host the first webinar (in a series of three) to educate people about the “Cop City” project underway in Atlanta and equip them to stop this destructive plan (and similar schemes elsewhere in the U.S.).
Witch bottles have been washing ashore along a 60-mile stretch of beach on the southern span of the Texas Gulf Coast. Continue reading Witch bottles wash ashore in Texas at The Wild Hunt.
Here is a list of everything that is currently in use to provide UUpdates.net as a service.Domain registration. Currently this is done through DirectNic, but any domain registrar will do.CloudFlare is used to provide IPv6 support, caching for images and in general improve site performance and protection. This is at the free level.Virtual Private Server through DatabaseMart. Like the others
It is possible to heal. It is possible to be whole once again. It is possible to atone for one’s sins. It is possible to reconcile with those we have wronged. As Unitarian Universalists, we hold out these possibilities as matters of theology and as challenges to us all. Move towards healing and reconciliation with … Continue reading Reconciliation
Johnny Mathis - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christm as There are many subsets in the category of the Golden Age of American Popular Christmas Song . One might be called the secular Advent songs—tunes that conjure up the growing excitement of the Holiday season invoking winter scenes, decorations, shopping, and general merriment. At their best they deftly mixed daubs of nostalgia, with a snappy, jazzy modernity. They could evoke the rustic past, but were most at home in bustling urban streets. Perhaps the most beloved of the genre was It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas written in 1951 by Meredith Willson then a prolific pop composer and the musical director of poplar radio programs like The Big Show hosted by...
Pagan clergy eat to a new legal challenge to a Missouri law banning nearly all abortions. Continue reading Religious leaders challenge Missouri abortion law at The Wild Hunt.
The Endowment Trust and Adult Religious Education are proud to present a speaker series covering living a healthy lifestyle, managing their finances, and planning for a long life. These presentations will be held on Sundays in January and February at noon. Please join us for these hybrid learning opportunities.
JD Stillwater I encouraged my students to question authority, especially my authority, because only rarely can we recognize our biases without help. Continue reading "Inviting the "Aha""
Inflicting trauma and abuse on another is surely a sin. And yet cycles of violence are perpetuated through generations. They can be disrupted, but they first have to be recognized, and then stopped. Repeat to yourself today: There is nothing I can do that makes me deserving of pain from another.
Recently, I sat outside on my meditation bench at the edge of the woods. The morning temperature was cool but not cold. I was enjoying the early morning light and a little reading with a cup of coffee. Suddenly, I … Continue reading →
This book is exactly what you would expect from someone who is a witch and an aromatherapist, and who also has a background in executive security. Amy Blackthorn knows the mundane and magical sides of protection and she shares her knowledge of both in this concise guide.
The Social Justice Action Team (SJAT) and Green Sanctuary Team are working together to stop raw sewage from polluting the Hans Groot Kill, the creek that runs along beside our building, and downstream into the Mohawk River. Our strategy is to employ the Six Circles of Social Justice to support City ... read more . The post Downstream Justice Project Update appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.
We will have regular Religious Education (RE) sessions for grades K-7, 8/9th grade OWL, and Senior High Youth. Here is the schedule: The nursery room opens at 10:15 and is available for children under 5 years old Everyone will assemble in the Great Hall for the initial part ... read more . The post Upcoming Religious Education programming for children and youth appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.
For the busy month of December, we are reading Call Us What We Carry (2021), a book of poetry by Amanda Gorman, the first ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States. Join us to share thoughts on your favorite poem! We welcome all newcomers ... read more . The post December’s BIPOC Book Group Discussion: Call Us What We Carry, by Amanda Gorman appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancels a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a row that erupted over the Parthenon Marbles. Continue reading PM Rishi Sunak cancels meeting with Greek counterpart in row over the Parthenon Marbles at The Wild Hunt.
I am ending my support for UUpdates.net. if anyone is interested in taking on any portion of this, please comment on this post. Please let me know what you are interested in. Domain name only, software, whatever.
The UUA is aware of the shooting of three Palestinian American students in Burlington, VT this past weekend. Our hearts and prayers are with the three students and we remain steadfast in our condemnation of the rising tide of violence and hateful acts across the country. Continue reading "UUA Statement Regarding Shooting in Burlington, Vermont"
A Q&A with Alicia Kennedy | My awareness of all the ways in which eating meat intersects with systems and outcomes that I don’t agree with unfolded gradually. It was a very instinctual, spiritual conviction that made giving up meat feel both enticing (at first) and necessary (at last), and then the more cerebral reasons for why I was drawn to it came into focus.
Do They Know it's Christmas video . Thirty-nine years ago, today on November 29,1984 , the single of Do They Know It ’ s Christmas was rushed into the stores and instantly became a phenomenon—shooting to #1 on the UK charts and staying there for a record shattering five weeks selling 3.7 million copies in Britain an 11.8 million copies worldwide in five years. Only four days earlier on November 25, 1984 a good cross section of the musical glitterati of the U . K . and Ireland assembled to record a song to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief at Sarm West Studios in London. They had assembled on short notice—many ...
The Wild Hunt remains one of the most widely read sources within modern Paganism. We remain together as reporters and columnists dedicated to a vision of journalism for and about our family of faiths and spiritual practices. We need your help. Continue reading Giving Tuesday 2023 at The Wild Hunt.
It’s November 27th! And with that, once again, the blessings of the saints Barlaam & Josaphat are upon us! This is flat out my favorite of all Christian holidays. And I like to remind people of the details of this original Christian Buddhist mashup. So, please forgive the repetition parts of […]
Wrap Me Up by Jimmy Fallon and Meghan Trainor. It is with no little regret that today’s Murfin Winter Holidays Music Festival entry comes from the relentlessly self-promoting and hyperkinetic talk show host Jimmie Fallon and pop diva Meghan Trainor. Fallon spent the last week shamelessly hyping their holiday collaboration on the Tonight Show, on his many other NBC projects, and wherever else he can get noticed. His self-proclaimed goal has been to knock Maria Carrey and the ubiquitous All I Want For Christmas is You for the top-spot on the seasonal charts. Last I heard the new release was #2 with a bullet. Any alt...
I believe that being a billionaire is immoral. I believe that there is no way to amass that much money without taking advantage of others, and that there is no reason to keep that much money except for greed. -Michael Tino (CLF) How have you been harmed by the greed of others?
At one time Froebel's classic gifts consisting of numbered sets of blocks, tiles and other interesting learning objects were made by artisans in small villages throughout Europe. Predating Maria Montessori by about 75 years, Froebel's gifts were among the earliest toys developed for early childhood developmental learning. While you can buy Froebel's gifts in a manufactured form, that they were also made by individual village craftsmen, suggested that I write a book, Making Classic Toys that Teach to guide you in making them yourself. That you can make them yourself, for your own children or grandchildren is really, for me, a big deal. You learn some basic woodworking. Your children or grandchildren learn also, and you receive greater pl...
About a year ago I fell in love with Don Miguel Ruiz the writer of the Four Agreements. Since then I’ve read (listened) to several of his books finding an understanding and kindred knowledge in his writing. I try very … Continue reading →
“Ordinary people and saints living together. Dragons and snakes all mixed up.” Blue Cliff Record From one angle Zen did proceed from the brow of Zeus. Like Athena, a goddess of intelligence and wisdom. It is here. This is it. Fully present. It has always been. What you see […]
Carol and I are staying at a retreat center in central Massachusetts for a couple of days. No internet, so I’m using my phone to post this. It’s very slow, so won’t be posting again for a couple of days.
In this weeks Pagan Community Notes, The Beaver Moon, The Troth is organizing an International Pagan Day of Prayer and Action for Peace, announcements, holiday events, announcements, and elephant babies. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of November 27, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.
True words aren’t charmingCharming words aren’t true.Good people aren’t contentious,Contentious people aren’t good.People who know aren’t learned,Learned people don’t know.Wise souls don’t hoard;The more they do for others the more they have,The more they give, the richer they are.The Way … Continue reading →
Save the date for 30 Days of Love 2024: January 15 - February 14, 2024 This annual event offers a month of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice. Each week, you can expect to receive several different kinds of offerings, each from a different voice within Unitarian Universalism. Within each weekly theme, which will connect with one of our intersectional justice priorities, we plan to offer prayers, blessings, grounding, and meditative practices, a story or time for all ages, as well as a reflection from one of Side With Love's program and field staff. To get an idea of what to expect or to enjoy some meditative breaks during your lunch this month, see last year's offerings at sidewithlove.o...
The Huron Carol Twas in the Moon of Winter Time performed by the Prairie Rose Rangers Today for Native American Heritage Month we share a First Nations Christmas Carol . The Huron Carol , also known as Twas in the Moon of Wintertime is a Canadian Christmas hymn . It is Canada’s oldest Christmas song , probably written in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf , a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people . The song’s original Huron title is Jesous Ahatonhia — Jesus , he is born . The melody is based on a traditional French folk song, Une Jeune Pucelle or A Young Maid . The Eng...
We break relationships with people when we define them as “other,” which is often the first step to defining them as “less.” We can celebrate differences without creating categories that marginalize people. Celebrate differences today in a way that builds relationship rather than breaks it.
Scientists have detected one of the most powerful cosmic rays ever observed. Named after the Japanese sun goddess Amaterasu, the particle rivals the famous "Oh-My-God" particle observed in 1991 - and appears to come from a blank area of the sky. Continue reading “Amaterasu” particle raises new mysteries from beyond the Milky Way at The Wild Hunt.
If you are beginning to shop for Christmas or any other seasonal holiday and are a maker or one of those who love working with your hands in the kitchen, garden, or workshop and you wish others might understand you better, this little book of mine may help you to explain yourself to others. Buy it as a gift to yourself, as I know you'll enjoy it. Give it as a gift to others as a way of enlisting friends in a revolution. If you buy it through this link, I receive a small bonus as an amazon affiliate. We have about 30 making days left before Christmas. Make, fix and create.
As days grow short and darkness comes early - and as shadows lengthen across our war torn and troubled world - where do we find realistic hope? Reverend Gary Kowalski offers a meditation on the power of unorganized goodness. Rev. Kowalski is an American author noted for his books on eco-spirituality, science, history, and animals. He is currently serving as minister for the UU Congregation in Taos, NM, and serves as a volunteer firefighter/emergency medical responder for Hondo Fire & Rescue.
The classic Thanksgiving turkey pic was taken again this year. It was a somewhat smaller turkey than last year, but I am a little bigger now even though I am wearing the same shirt pants and slippers. Only one oven mitt though. In the older picture, both the turkey and I were both significantly larger. […]
Increasingly, our congregations are finding themselves the targets of online harassment, phishing, doxxing, and other forms of digital hate – often as a result of the ways we are embodying UU values in the world. Unfortunately, many of our UU communities do not have the skills and the infrastructure to protect themselves from malicious digital targeting that is constantly evolving. Equality Labs' Digital Security For All Workshop is a dive into the world of digital security, and what that means for you and your organization. We will develop some common ground and shed light on types of attacks and security concerns that affect our communities, engaging with you at a strategic level as you plan for your organization. Register for this t...
Pride is necessary when one is taught by society to be ashamed of the beautiful, wonderful, whole parts of oneself. It is not sinful to learn that you are magnificent. What have you struggled to feel pride about?
Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday by Carole King Yesterday Kathy and I took in a performance of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Marriott Theater in Lincolnshire. Their shows always feature strong casts and in-the-round staging. We had a great time enjoying samples from the gifted singer/songwriter’s seemingly limitless catalog as well as music by her contemporaries in the Brel Building Era. King performing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In honor of the occasion, today we will feature a holiday song written not by King but by William Bell and Booker T. Jones from her 2011 Album A Christmas Carole . Everyday Will Be Like a Holi...
First Parish in Cohasset, where I work, has a meetinghouse built in 1747. When you come at it from the north and see it across Cohasset Common, it looks like the classic white New England church with a simple steeple: But the tower and the steeple weren’t added until 1799, over half a century after … Continue reading "Changes in a New England Meetinghouse"
Aside from mysterious nocturnal creatures and inner earth cults, there are also elves and dwarfs in the forest. There are dark holes in trees that are obviously the entrances to elf homes. There are ancient tree stumps clearly used by the elf-king to address his gathered followers during moonlight ceremonies. Continue reading An Urban Heathen in an Urban Forest at The Wild Hunt.
A recorded version of this piece can be heard at this link As many of you know I hugely admire the work of Imaoka Shin’ichirō because I think it offers us a model for how radically to reimagine the liberal, Unitarian tradition so that it can become a genuinely creative, free-spirituality suitable for our own era, something that Imaoka-sensei called jiyū shūkyō (自由宗教 free-religion). But I realise that to some people this can look as if I am introducing something alien into play, but a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke called, “Taube, die draußen blieb”, “Dove that ventured outside,” can help reveal that this is not true because, in fact, something is being returned to us, albeit subtly transformed and newly freighted. ...
Our American Thanksgiving has just passed. While it’s set for the third Thursday of November, I’ve noticed many people move the date around for their personal or family observances. I personally know some people who marked it out on Wednesday, and we here in Tujunga actually had our grand family gathering […]
Please join us on Sunday (26 November 2023) at 11:00 AM for “If Service is Our Prayer . . .” by Susan Yellott. We welcome the All Souls Board Vice President Susan Yellott to our pulpit to speak on her experiences working with asylum seekers from all over the world through Louisiana Advocates for Immigrants … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (26 November 2023)"
For this Sunday (26 November 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). The lesson for this week is exploring the idea of making a difference.
This class is an exploration of our eight Unitarian Universalist principles through artistic expression. On this Sunday (26 November 2023), we will explore the seventh principle (“respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part”). The All8 curriculum is the creation of Jil Novenski (Director of Religious Education — Community … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (26 November 2023)"
Our adult religious education class will not be meeting this Sunday (26 November 2023). Our class will resume next Sunday (3 December 2023) at 9:00 AM. This 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 … Continue reading "No Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education on 26 November 2023 — Class Resumes 3 December 2023"
Please join us next Wednesday (29 November 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is 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.
Please join us on Saturday (25 November 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 (25 November 2023)"
Arlo's original album cut of Alice's Restaurant . Those all-Christmas music radio stations are already churning out their short rotation of holiday hits. TV specials from highbrow to hip are on almost every night. There are plenty of ways for you to get your jolly Jones for Yuletide tunes satisfied. But if you are in the mood for a quiet moment each day with a steaming mug of coffee, cocoa, mulled something, or something stronger and more adult, Murfin’s Annual Winter Holidays Music Festival is for you! Murfin's Winter Holidays Music Festival is back! This is how it works: Every year beginning on the day after Than...
Here in the Northwest Boonies of the Chicago Metroplex we are having our first outbreak of cold weather and we are breaking out real winter coats for the first time. We expect our first measurable snow on Sunday—maybe two inches on the grass and self-shoveling on the driveway and sidewalks. Snow at the end of November is not unheard of in these parts, but tends to melt away quickly. We never have the kind of deep snow cover that would have allowed a sleigh ride to Grandfather’s for Thanksgiving. But things were different in the Little Ice Age that gripped North America during and after the American Revolution. That’s why the poem Lydia Maria Child published in 1844 and titled A Boy ’s Thanksgiving Day and was later s...
Photo by AllGo – An App For Plus Size People on Unsplash Maybe you enjoyed that extra piece of pie yesterday, or your mother-in-law’s famous Southern sweet potato casserole. Good for you. Here’s something you should know: your fat friends don’t want to hear you saying how you’re afraid you’re going to look like us. … Continue reading Love Your Whole Self
The Greenback Party logo was rather charming. On November 25, 1874 a new political party was born at a convention held in Indianapolis , Indiana. They called themselves the Independent Party . In some states they would first appear on the ballot as the National Party. But within months the new party was widely known as the Greenbacks as they grew at an astonishing rate challenging the entrenched Republican and Democratic Parties. The Party was formed out of frustration with both major parties as major eastern banking interests demanded that the Federal Government stop issuing paper money and return the issuance of currency to the banks. Federal paper money, popularly known as greenbacks, had been first issued under Secreta...
The truth is, being a Witch and having a daily spiritual practice in magic does not allow me to create my own situational blindness to what is happening within the borders of my own community and country or in the world that is really not so far away. I cannot remain connected and be oblivious at the same time. Continue reading Midnight Musings and the Round-Bellied Bowl at The Wild Hunt.
Keiji Nishitani died on this day, the 24th of November, in 1990. I noted this a few years ago. And thought it good to repeat. What follows is lightly edited from that earlier posting. If you’re unfamiliar with Professor Nishitani, and you are interested at all in Zen, I suggest you […]
All photos taken with a Fuji X100V using Øyvind Nordhagen’s Kodak Ektar 100 Recipe and Pekka Keskinen’s Double-X 400 vintage monochrome recipe Just click on a photo to enlarge it This morning I had to visit a couple of members of the Cambridge Unitarian congregation in Huntingdon. I’ve found that the best, and most pleasant, way to get from Cambridge to their house is to take the Guided Busway to St Ives with my Brompton in hand, and then to ride from St Ives along the path that runs beside the River Great Ouse. Of course, I had my camera with me so took a few shots along the way. This path runs through “The Thicket” and which, as Thicket Road, carries on to Houghton. This whole stretch of the ride was looking lovely, b...