I recently watched the new Avatar movie, Way of Water. Just as the prequel it was action packed and had more than one message in it. But it had me questioning my true welcoming spirit. Just as in the previous … Continue reading →
Four Sandhill Cranes have been frequenting Arcadia Audubon Sanctuary in Holyoke. We don’t see Sandhill Cranes in Massachusetts all that often. But I had a long talk with a woman staffing the visitor center at the sanctuary, and she said these four seem to have been around all summer, and there’s some who think they … Continue reading "Cranes"
“The redwood is one of the few conifers that sprout from the stump and roots, and it declares itself willing to begin immediately to repair the damage of the lumberman and also that of the forest-burner.” -John Muir How can you be inspired by the regenerative forces of nature?
I use models for what is "old enough" to consider seriously in my practice based on instinct and a vague understanding of the world "historiography," picking up and discarding things from 1000, 1300, or 1800 as either "older than anything else I’ve found" or "too new" - all while the modern Witchcraft movement can be meaningfully traced to the 1940s. Continue reading Horology at The Wild Hunt.
What do you do when your head tells you there is only the natural world but your heart – and perhaps, your experiences – tell you there’s more? My preference is to hold my beliefs loosely, but while I hold them, to explore them as though they’re absolutely true.
I saw a huge form, rounded and shadowy, and shaped like an egg… Its outer layer consisted of an atmosphere of bright fire with a kind of dark membrane beneath it… From the outer atmosphere of fire, a wind blew storms. And from the dark membrane beneath, another membrane […]
Whoever you are ... Whatever You Believe ... This week, we look at the heart of the big UU experiment - a welcome into religious community that transcends individual belief.
We are each given the gift of individuality. Some are given a greater gift of seeing beyond it. I learned this morning of the death of a good friend... a talented woodworker, a student in my classes, a supporter of the Clear Spring School's woodworking program, a loving father, grandfather and husband. His physical presence will be missed. In my friend's honor I share my dad's favorite poem, that I also found in a mimeographed book of poems collected for manual arts teachers. Isn't it strange that princes and kings, And clowns that caper in sawdust rings All share this common destiny: Each is given a set of rules, A lump of stone and bag of tools, That each may carve ere life has flown A stumbling block or stepping stone. — Anonymous...
Sometimes when you have been working hard, it shows. I was tired and sweaty after climbing a hill. The whole hike was almost 11 miles with a 1450 elevation gain. We were only a third of the way done when this picture was taken, but we’d just done the steepest section. If I look a […]
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek On September 17, 1683 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek wrote a letter to the Royal Society in London describing animalcules—tiny one celled animals invisible to the naked eye now known as protozoa. In doing so he inadvertently founded a new branch of science—microbiology . Leeuwenhoek was an unlikely scientist. At the time most scientific investigation was the sole providence of gentlemen who had the education, leisure time for investigation, and the fortune to support the cost of their work. He was neither a gentleman nor particularly well educated. He came from a family of tradesmen or what the English called skilled mechanics. His father was a basket maker a...
Please join us on Sunday (17 September 2023) at 11:00 AM for Artist Sunday 2023 featuring the creative performance and visual artists from among the members and friends of All Souls We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service. Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (17 September 2023)"
Because the Artist Sunday worship service is a celebration for all ages, there will be no children or youth religious cducation classes for this Sunday (17 September 2023). Both children and youth religious education classes will return on Sunday, 24 September 2023.
Our adult religious education class will be taking a break this Sunday (17 September 2023) due to the Artist Sunday worship service celebrating the arts. This class will resume next Sunday (24 September 2023). Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education Taking a Break on 17 September 2023"
Please join us next Wednesday (20 September 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.
Levels are such interesting tools–I have always loved that a simple bubble inside a tube of liquid can help us keep surfaces from tilting and make things line up with each other. Sometimes, I wish that our lives came with a simple tool to let us know when we’ve tipped too far in one direction. … Continue reading Finding Level
Storm Faerywolf honors the memory of Scott Cunningham and discusses the new biography, "Scott Cunningham - The Path Taken", by Christine Cunningham Ashworth from Weiser Books. Continue reading Scott Cunningham of the Rainbow Dead at The Wild Hunt.
After a five day class at ESSA building small cabinets, I plan to spend the day putting things away, cleaning the shop, and responding to my editor on questions regarding my new book. I got a question from a reader concerning a process in my book 25 Beautiful Boxes, which is a compilation of projects drawn from my first two books, written over 20 years ago. I'll need to go back and try to refresh my memory as to what he's talking about. He wrote, that as a novice woodworker, he was trying to build the project in chapter 20, and had questions about a particular joint. In a way that's like starting Moby Dick at chapter 89, except that fiction does not require chapter by chapter growth, the way a how-to book may. I try to order my chapters ...
We think of writing as line after line, margin to margin, the kind of prose that fills today’s newspapers, books and this column. But first came poetry–in song, rhythm and the engaging forms of rhyme. Early shamans used it as oral history to relate daily life and its dangers. Poetry not only […]
What’s a blogger to do? Today is the real Mexican Independence Day and it is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and the first of the High Holy Days. These are both occasions I normally mark with blog entries. Should I repeat my almost annual entry on the Grito de Delores and Father Hidalgo and why Cinco de Mayo is an upstart pretender, a mere local celebration which became a marketing and drinking festival in the U . S . ? Or should I explain today the significance and rituals of Rosh Hashanah and the peculiarities of the Jewish lunar calendar ? Oh, wait, I did that yesterday. Sometimes when events like this collide or bush closely enough on the calendar, I have been known to commit poetry. See Purim/International Women ...
A short “ thought for the day” was offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful Meditation. (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— In my piece today, I’m going to continue to walk through the Japanese twentieth-century advocate of a creative, free religion or spirituality, Imaoka Shin’ichiro’s “Creed of Life,” by taking together statements 3, 4, and 5 about what he later calls a “universal cooperative society” [The previous piece, looking at his 1st and 2nd statements can be found at this link.] But in order to do this in a fashion that might help his words seem to you at all persuasive and worthy of adopting either as your ow...
Please join us on Saturday (16 September 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (16 September 2023)"
However, when it comes to Witchcraft practice, it’s not just the language that matters. It’s the techniques we use, the tools we get, the points of view we work with, and even the people we meet and learn from. Being in Venezuela forced me to work with limited resources, sometimes even limited information, but since I came to the United States, a door opened for more of all of this. Continue reading A Multicultural Witch’s Practice 101 at The Wild Hunt.
Sin embargo, cuando se trata de la práctica de la brujería, no sólo importa el idioma. Son las técnicas que utilizas, las herramientas que obtienes, los puntos de vista con los que trabajas, incluso las personas que conoces y de las que aprendes. Estar en Venezuela me obligó a trabajar con recursos limitados, a veces incluso información, pero desde que llegué aquí se abrió una puerta para más de todo esto. Continue reading Introducción a la práctica de un brujo multicultural at The Wild Hunt.
ETSY.com is having a sale in which any order over $25 can receive a $5.00 discount on my products, or the products of other makers.The discount comes from ETSY not the merchant. The discount code is Get5 My shop is located here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DougStowe My students and I had a great class building small cabinets at ESSA as you can see. Make, fix and create... assist others in learning likewise.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated as the birthday of the Universe, and begins the Days of Awe, a time when Jewish people are expected to repair relationships with people and with G-d by atoning for things they’ve done wrong. Make something right and new today.
I was brought up as a Baptist. I was not an every Sunday Baptist but I was an only on holidays Baptist. Religion was basically left up to me. As a child, I had no interest in religion. As a … Continue reading →
Tonight is the first evening of Rosh Hashanah which begins at sundown. For Jews it is Yom Teruah, the Day of Shouting (or Blasting) which marks the first of the High Holy Days as well as the start of the New Year. It falls on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year that began with Passover in the spring and represents the first of the civic year. This year it ushers in 5784 on the Hebrew calendar. It is a joyous celebration filled with the hope of a brand new year and is celebrated at synagogue services highlighted by the blowing of the shofar, a hollowed-out ram’s horn, as proscribed in Leviticus to “raise a noise” on Yom Teruah. It is also it is also a symbolic wake-up call, stirring J...
The only complete Neolithic cursus to be found in the British Isles to date has been located in Isle of Arran in Northwest Scotland in the Firth of Clyde Continue reading Neolithic cursus discovered on the Isle of Arran. at The Wild Hunt.
My students in my small cabinet making class all have doors, so tomorrow we will finish assembly and plan on putting on hinges and hardware. The photo shows an example. Make, fix and create... assist others in learning likewise.
When my daughter is really upset, a drink of cold water helps her calm her body and deal with complicated emotions. The coldness is like pushing a “reset” button. For others, this physical reset involves a cup of tea, or a bite of something crunchy. -Michael Tino (CLF) What helps you physically reset yourself?
Sunday, September 17, 10:30 a.m. The Gift of Welcome The Unitarian Church of Marlborough & Hudson invites you into a time of spiritual reflection with our Soul Matters Sharing Circle . Once a month, in lieu of a formal worship service, we will gather to create safe, sacred space together, in a sharing circle format, so [ … ] The post Sunday, September 17 ~ The Gift of WELCOME ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.
Nourish Your Body & Spirit at Dinner Church! Join us for Dinner Church on Wednesday, September 27 . All are welcome to this family-friendly opportunity to share food for the spirit as we enjoy time together in community. We’ll have build-your-own burrito bowls (suggested donation $15 to cover the cost of the meal, $20 to help [ … ] The post Wednesday, September 27 ~ Dinner Church! ~ 6:00-8:00 p.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.
It was a beautiful December day in Harlingen, Texas. We left early in the morning for a day trip to the ocean. I had been dreaming of this day for months. I’d had a difficult year and this was my … Continue reading →
The other day I came across a wonderful little essay “The Minimum Working Hypothesis,” It was Aldous Huxley’s attempt at providing a core to his belief in a perennial wisdom. It triggered a wave of thoughts for me. And in particular how much I owe to him and two of his […]
The Bombardment of Fort McHenry--the bombs bursting in air. On September 14, 1814 a young Baltimore attorney, Francis Scott Key, dashed off a long poem, The Defense of Fort McHenry after his release from a British warship on which he was detained during the bombardment of the fort in the War of 1812. It was published to considerable acclaim in the Patriot on September 20. Street broadsides were soon circulating with the instruction to sing the words to the tune of a popular drinking song, To Anacreon in Heaven . In later decades all but the first verse would become largely forgotten and the song would become known as The Star Spangled Banner. Key had accompanied American Prisoner Exchange Agent Colonel John Stuart Skinner to ...
The Asatru Folk Assembly (AFA) announced and cancelled an event at Stonehenge after swift opposition by the Heathen and Pagan community. Continue reading AFA plans for Stonehenge event vigorously repelled at The Wild Hunt.
Many holes in fabric can be repaired by people with sewing expertise. I am not one of those people. The repairs I make are obvious and usually a little crooked–they make plain that the fabric once had a hole. Sometimes, I think that repairs in the fabric of our lives are like that–there will always … Continue reading Holes in the Fabric
A Q&A with Amanda Montei | I’ll say that in both creative and academic circles, the subject of motherhood is often seen as niche and unserious, and personal struggles with caregiving and domestic work are as well. I’ve experienced some pretty outright sexism over the years, but also so many subtle dismissals of my work and my intellect as a mother writing about motherhood, or even just “women’s issues.” Alongside the very real struggle of securing affordable childcare.
Introducing the Responsibility Covenant A Tool for Inclusive Organizations In 2021, the Canadian Unitarian Council–the national organization where we work–adopted a new guiding principle. This principle affirmed our commitment to “individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions.” We were already on a path […] The post Introducing the Responsibility Covenant first appeared on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada. The post Introducing the Responsibility Covenant appeared first on Canadian Unitarian Council Conseil unitarien du Canada.
Today in my making small cabinets class at ESSA we are ready to begin making doors. I woke up early this morning to go through the process of making bridle joint doors, for both glass and raised panels, as my students will be making both. I am so lucky to have practiced such things over the years and to have skills to share and to have found a market for these skills. My book on designing boxes is moving through the assembly process. A cover is being designed, marketing materials are being developed, the words and photos are going through the usual editorial processes, an illustrator has been chosen, and there again I'm lucky to have skills to share and a great team to help me share them. This will be my fourteenth how-to book, not i...
Many years ago, our congregation began a deep conversation around what it means to be a welcoming congregation and what it means to be “radically welcoming.” That phrase, radically welcoming, caused us some pause–as well it should have. To this … Continue reading →
I encourage you to avoid AI-created spiritual education. It’s not hard to spot, but sometimes you have to do a little investigation. If you’re an author or teacher I encourage you to offer what AI can’t: your own experiences, own your thinking, and the lineages of which you’re a part.
Niles West High School in the 1960s. I was a senior that fall at Niles Township West High School in 1966. It was a good year for me. I was finding myself. After arriving from Cheyenne, where I was something of a pariah as a bookish kid, the year before, I had discovered that at least in some circles my interests were valued and shared. I had friends. I was active in drama and was cast in good parts. I had my own allegedly humorous column The Wind from the West in the school newspaper and my short stories and poems had been published in the literary journal Apotheosis . I competed in Forensics. Outside of school I was part of a circle of kids from all three schools in the district who were interested in things like ci...
Reading: From Prentis Hemphill, On Boundaries For me, there is a big love [that exists regardless of me]. [Which means,] there are people I have boundaries with that I’m like, “I don’t know if I love you but there’s a big … Continue reading →
Back in the 2008 and 2012 presidential election cycles, this blog encouraged people to vote for Cthulhu for president. According to an old MIT webpage : “Cthulhu is a large green being which resembles a human with the head of a squid, huge bat-wings, and long talons (true, that doesn’t really resemble a human, but … Continue reading "Elder God Party in 2024"
Our experiments in early August to make natural dyes using pine cones or invasive plants weren’t very successful. Subsequently, Carol did a lot of research and experimenting. When we held Ecojustice Camp in mid-August, she was able to produce some pretty good colors using natural dyes. The most successful colors came from turmeric powder (bright … Continue reading "Natural dyes update"
I am so pleased with the plans we have for our scheduled sessions of religious education for children and youth this year. The children, youth, and their teachers will be using stories, art, service, and learning to help the children and youth develop their UU ... read more . The post The congregation is the curriculum appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.
Green Sanctuary reports that a few bus tickets are still available from Schenectady to the Sunday, 9/17, NYC March to the UN Climate Ambition Summit. The bus will leave at 8:00AM on the 17th from the Union College parking lot at Seward and Nott St. ... read more . The post Green Sanctuary – Actions to End Fossil Fuels! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.
A Christian pastor and his "men" promoted religious aggression with a megaphone at the Hamilton Pagan Pride Day. Our guest correspondent Yvonne Aburrow witnessed the events. Continue reading A rude interruption: Christian pastor crashes Pagan Pride at The Wild Hunt.
Sometimes, amidst all that is swirling around us, our spiritual practices fall to the side of our lives. In those moments, we give ourselves the grace to come back to the things that have helped us connect with something larger than ourselves, without guilt or apology. When have you had to come back to a … Continue reading Repairing Practice
This morning we had pancakes for breakfast, topped with almond yogurt, berries, nectarines, and maple syrup. Putting yogurt on pancakes came from one of Lynn’s daycare kids, and we are so glad that we were inspired to try it! We have a shared morning poetry ... read more . The post Co-ministers Colloquy – Sept. 12th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.
This essay by Aldous Huxley was first published as “The Minimum Working Hypothesis” in Vedanta for the Western World edited by Christopher Isherwood (George Allen & Unwin, London, 1948, pp 33-35. The book notes it also appears as part of Sebastian’s notebook in Huxley’s philosophical novel, Time Must Have a Stop. […]
I think about life and it seems like I am always waiting for something. Waiting is one thing that I do well. I’ve spent my whole life doing it. I should be good at it. It all started when I … Continue reading →
I want to write here. To you, and not just to myself. I’ve wanted to write. I’ve wanted and wanted…</p> The post What I Write When I’m not Writing appeared first on Taking Up Space.
It is exactly 50 years since September 11, 1973, when the United States government helped topple and kill the democratically elected president of Chile, Salvador Allende, in order to install a dictator more to its liking. In his 17-year rule, Augusto Pinochet had over 3,000 of his countryfolk murdered and tens of thousands more tortured, […]
Maurice Chevalier , despite the aristocratic connotations of his last name, made in inauspicious bow in Paris on September 12, 1888, the son of a house painter, considered a low trade, and a Franco-Belgian beauty. He grew up little more than a street urchin with little formal schooling. By 1901, at the age of 13 he was singing for tips in a café which eventually led to small parts in theatrical productions. But through his teens he supported himself mostly with a parade of jobs—carpenter ’ s apprentice, electrician, printer, and doll painter. In the first a series of relationships with important women, the handsome young man attracted the attention of Fréhel, a leading star of the Paris stage in 1909. Like him she had come...
Today we had day one of my class Building Small Cabinets. To make things interesting the students determined the sizses of the cabinets that would be most useful in their homes. All the students chose cherry as their wood of choice though some may add accents of white oak to offer contrast. This was also the first day in using our new Harvey Dust Collector. That was a resounding success. At low speed it handled the table saws and jointer, and at a decibel level that allowed conversation. With various tools running it was hard to tell by sound whether the dust collector was turned on or not. As an added bonus, it is low profile so we now have a clear view of the table saw from all sides. That allows for closer observation of student safet...
In this week's Pagan Community Notes, Everglades Moon Local Council releases a welcome and inclusion statement, Pagan Pride events well underway, community events and other announcements as well as the success story of the Takahē bird. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of September 11, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.
At our neighborhood’s Fiesta on the Hill yesterday, I saw a man wearing this t-shirt, and I loved it. He didn’t remember where he got it, only that it benefited a Texas group working for trans rights, and sure enough, I found it easily online, where the profits benefit Equality Texas. I neither need another t-shirt nor […]
Jan & I have now seen two episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We both have enjoyed them very much. We thought of it sort of as the original Star Trek, but done better. I’m pleased to note that at Rotten Tomatoes, the pros give it a […]
Welcome to my home, please ignore the mess, it is well lived in. I tell this to everyone that enters my home because, well, I’m embarrassed by the clutter that always seems to gather in the corners, then spill out … Continue reading →
Mary Oliver in 1964 . Mary Oliver , who was born this day on September 10, 1935 in Maple Heights , Ohio , a semi-rural suburb of Cleveland, was the rare contemporary American poet who was both widely read and critically acclaimed. She was the bestselling American poet whose books are still bought and read by people who do not read poetry. But she has also won the Pulitzer Prize , National Book Award , numerous other honors, and academic recognition despite never completing a bachelor ’ s degree. Her work celebrates and explores nature, often as an empowering force of the feminine. She has mastered, if she did not invent, feminist neo-transcendentalism
Jim Beasley started volunteering with the Boys Scouts and a simple charge: “Get home with the same number you left with.” Not so different from volunteering with a bike club. Beasley helped start All Souls’ first Bike Club at McClain 7th Grade Academy in 2014—the same year Humble Sons Bike Company started a club at Emerson Elementary. The paths—or bike lanes—would continue to cross. All Souls continued sponsoring Bike Club at McLain until the school closed in 2019. Then the church began providing volunteers for clubs at Unity, Gilcrease (now John Hope Franklin) and Monroe Middle School as clubs started […] The post It’s Time for Bike Club! appeared first on BeyondBelief.
Yes, I definitely enjoy this medium more than the acrylics I used for the first version. I’m not sure whether that’s because I prefer a stick of pigment to a brush, or oils to acrylics, or both, I’d have to try brush painting with oils to find out. I have oil paints, but it’s been […]
Every once in a while, someone asks me if they can get notified by email when I post something on this blog. There are several solid email notification solutions for WordPress that charge a fee — but I can’t justify spending any more than I already do on this website. And all the email notification … Continue reading "Email notifications"
A scandal at the British Museum has led to a curator being fired for the theft of potentially thousands of objects and the resignation of the museum's director. Weekend Editor Eric O. Scott argues it should lead to rethinking the structure of large institutions like the British Museum. Continue reading Editorial: Theft and woe at the British Museum should lead to change at The Wild Hunt.
The September 10 forum talk features Richard Skolnik, a Yale instructor in Global Health with decades of related worldwide experience. It will focus on the fact that "the health of anyone, anywhere is the health of everyone, everywhere.” Richard will pay particular attention to the health, social, economic, and ethical reasons why global health is so important, and use examples from COVID to highlight why we should care even more now about global health than before. He will also offer suggestions about the measures that concerned people can take to try to ensure that more people, in more countries, have a chance to be as healthy as possible.
It’s easy to get confused sometimes about our own relative importance. I mean we ARE the center of our individual lives – at least if we are not excessively codependent on someone else. And what we do matters, for ourselves and other people, both near and far. Like in wave theory, the ripples from our […]
The living way is like a well: You can constantly use it, and yet it never dries up.It is the eternal boundlessness;Birthing the infinite worlds. It is hidden from sight and yet always present.I have no idea who gave it birth.It is older than God. Tao Te Ching, Chapter 4 (my […]
Roger Connor of the Troy Trojans hits the first big league grand slam in 1880. In the early years of Major League Baseball home runs were hard to come by. Ball parks were small, but the ball was dead—much softer with a less elastic core than modern balls. Bats were heavy slowing down bat speed. Pitchers had yet to perfect a 90 mile per hour fast ball. It took a dead eye, prodigious strength, a bit of luck, and usually a tail wind to get a ball over the fences. Instead of waiting for big innings where sluggers clear the bases, as in the modern game, it was small ball—singles, doubles, stolen bases, daring slides with sharpened spikes high, plus a lot of walks and hit ...
Weekend Editor Eric O. Scott looks back at Kennedy vs. Bremerton, a U.S. Supreme Court case that eviscerated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and was proven this week to be based on a lie. Continue reading Editorial: Coach Kennedy’s lies are business as usual at the U.S. Supreme Court at The Wild Hunt.
NEW PROGRAM! Creating “Wholistic” Wellness Facilitator: Cynthia Menard (she/her), Director of Education Unitarian Church of Marlboro & Hudson Need an energy boost? Dealing with chronic symptoms that never quite resolve? Looking to tune up your overall level of wellness? Join me for this series of three 90-minute workshops designed to help you build a regular wellness [ … ] The post New Program: Creating “Wholistic” Wellness appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.
Friday FUUN: New this year, Rev. Alice is introducing Friday FUUN — monthly community building activities for anyone looking for something to do on a weekday afternoon. Folks of all ages and genders are invited to join us for tea in the Knight Room on Friday, Sept. 15 from 1:00-3:00 pm. This kickoff event will feature [ … ] The post September 15 ~ Friday FUUN! ~1:00-3:00 p.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.
Me, I’m endlessly fascinated by the monks and nuns we now call the Desert Fathers and Mothers. They represent a movement that began in the third century in what we think of today as Israel and Palestine, Syria, Arabia, and most of all in the Egyptian desert. They first captured my […]
The Cambridge Unitarian Church, September 2023 A short “ thought for the day” was offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful Meditation. (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— Last week I introduced you to the “Creed of Life” written by Imaoka Shin’ichirō, the Japanese advocate of free-religion or, if you prefer, a “creative, free spirituality.” I suggested that the congregation in Cambridge where I am the minister should seriously consider informally adopting it as its own highly diverse community’s centre of gravity to help it continue its journey towards the creation of a meaningful, contemporary, creative, free spirituality....
Note —Re-posting an almost annual blog post. There is no escaping it. A scab is pulled off a barely healed wound. Opportunists and con men scramble to once again jump to wrong conclusions, scapegoat strawmen, and bend the occasion to serve their ambitions and blood lust. I dread it every year. But it will not leave me or, I suspect, any of us alone. But as horrible as those images etched indelibly in my mind are, is it wrong to say that I miss the days just after? Remember? For a little while Americans loved each other, found comfort in each other’s arms. Divisions melted. We were united by grief, and yes, even some righteous anger. Even the world mourned for us. Some of us even dared hope that the sense of...
Please join us on Sunday (10 September 2023) at 11:00 AM for “What We Carry ” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. Members of the All Souls Choir will sing. This service will also include a “blessing of the backpacks.” Everyone — children, youth, and adults — are welcome to bring their backpacks, briefcases, musical instrument cases, … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (10 September 2023)"
Please join us after the 11:00 AM worship this Sunday (10 September 2023) for our second Sunday potluck with live music featuring Bob Jordan, Gail Burt, and Jean Kelly. Bring a dish to pass — or just show up because we usually have plenty of food — join us for an afternoon of good food, … Continue reading "Second Sunday Potluck with Live Music (10 September 2023)"
Artist Sunday is our annual celebration of the arts — songs, instrumental music, poem, prose, dance, and more. This service is a celebration of the great diversity of creative expression among our All Souls members and friends. Artist Sunday will also include a visual art show and sale in the Religious Education wing. To learn … Continue reading "Artist Sunday Coming Soon — 17 September 2023"
For this Sunday (10 September 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 children will use stories as a way of learning to make choices in accordance with their Unitarian Universalist beliefs and … Continue reading "Pre-K thru Grade 5 Children’s Religious Education (10 September 2023)"
For this Sunday (10 September 2023), our middle and high school youth will experience our 8 principles through artistic expression. of their choosing — photography, other visual art media, or creative writing. Their works will be featured in an exhibition at the end of the curriculum. The All8 curriculum is the creation of Jil Novenski … Continue reading "Middle and High School Youth Religious Education (10 September 2023)"
Please join us on Sunday (10 September 2023) for our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also on Zoom. On this Sunday we begin reading the UUA Common Read for 2023 — On Repentance … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 10 September 2023"
We will have our monthly building and ground work day on Saturday (9 September 2023) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. We will have tasks for all ages and abilities — indoor and outside.
Please join us next Wednesday (13 September 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.
Please join us on Saturday (9 September 2023) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This group will be meeting via Zoom and not in person. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (9 September 2023)"
The State of Florida adopts the use of the Classic Learning Test, a preferred exam of conservative politicians used predominantly by Christian institutions, for admissions to public colleges and universities Continue reading Florida approves a college entrance exam favored by some Evangelical Christians at The Wild Hunt.
Our bodies, all different and with different abilities, sometimes need attention and repair. Medical attention, body and energy therapies, mental health work, devices that make things more accessible, and spiritual practices can all help us attend to the necessary repair of our bodies. How can you attend to the repair of your body today?
Having opened my mail to a headline that made me literally cry out, “Oh, god, no!,” I just sent this to my Congresswoman. Dear Ms. Pelosi, I am extremely distressed that you are running for re-election. We have effectively been deprived of one of our senators for several years; Kentucky is now in the same […]
The Congregational Consulting Group blog has a new post by David Brubaker titled “Social Movements and Congregational Responses”: “Congregations [in the U.S.] often experience conflict in response to social movements in the world around them. Since World War II, movements regarding civil rights, the war in Vietnam, the ordination of women, and human sexuality—each vitally … Continue reading "“Social Movements and Congregational Responses”"
One of the benefits of being an editor for these reflections is that I get to see what everyone is writing before they are published. Earlier this week, Jenn Yi wrote something that really struck deeply within me. In Jenn’s … Continue reading →
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