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White Oak Grove CUUPS

Exploring Pagan Traditions in Rockford, IL

Month

September 2021

Raise your voice!

Are you interested in helping to shape the policies and events of White Oak Grove CUUPs? The best way to do this is to become a voting member! And we have a special deal for you – no dues through Samhain 2022! Becoming a voting member is easy – just fill out the form and either mail it to the Church address on the form or scan it in and email it to whiteoakgrovecuups at gmail.com.

White Oak Grove CUUPS Membership Application

I would like to become/remain an active member of White Oak Grove CUUPS, Inc. I understand that as an active member of CUUPS, Inc., I will be able to vote on matters of policy in our group and run for Board positions. Through October 31, 2022, all local chapter dues are waived.

This is:

  • A New Membership                               
  • A Membership Renewal

Membership Type

Please select one:

GENERAL MEMBER / Youth Under Age 16 – anyone who expresses an interest in gathering with and or communicating with the members of the White Oak Grove CUUPS chapter.

VOTING MEMBER – for White Oak Grove CUUPS and are members of CUUPS National and/or a member of a UU congregation.

VOTING YOUTH MEMBER – Youth ages of 16-18, If they should wish to have to have a vote, must maintain membership in White Oak Grove and have a parent/ guardian who is also a voting member.

In place of dues for 2021/2022, donations will be happily accepted.

Total: $ ___________________

Confidentiality Information: At no time does CUUPS, Inc. sell or promote the use of the Members List for commercial purposes. This list is used for membership purposes only and CUUPS, Inc. business only. To ensure this, we are offering three levels of confidentiality.

Please select one:

  • Level 1

Your name, address, e-mail address and telephone will only be available to the current voting members of the White Oak Grove CUUPs, UU Rockford Board of Trustees and their Agents.

  • Level 2

Your name, address, e-mail address and telephone will be available on request to other CUUPS members for networking and other CUUPS related business.

  • Level 3

Your name, address, email address and telephone are available to anyone inquiring about UU Paganism and local contacts.

Contact Information:

Name:

______________________________________________________________________

Address

______________________________________________________________________

City ________________________ State/ Province _______________

ZIP Code ______________

Email Address __________________________________________

Telephone    ( _________ ) ________________________

UU Congregation you attend: __________________________________________

as _______Member _______Friend

CUUPS National Membership Number ___________________________

Donation/ Payment Options (U.S. funds only, please.) (You may email inquiries about this form to whiteoakgrovecuups@gmail.com) Make your check out to The Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford, and reference White Oak Grove CUUPs in the memo line. PayPal options are also available through the UU Rockford website.

Complete and print this form and mail to:

White Oak Grove CUUPs, c/o Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford,

4848 Turner Street Rockford, IL 61107

whiteoakgrovecuups@gmail.com

https://whiteoakgrovecuups.com/

www.facebook.com/groups/whiteoakgrovecuups

For White Oak Grove CUUPs use only –

Application received _________________________

Renewal notice sent _________________________

Renewal date ______________________________

Revised September 2021

Apples and Samhain

Fall is a wonderful time! The trees are changing color – and apples abound! But did you know that apples are also a symbol of Samhain? They have been used for centuries in divination.

There are many apple games played at Samhain which grew out of the belief in the Apple as a sacred and magical fruit. The Apple is a symbol of life and immortality. In Celtic tradition, apples were buried at Samhain as food for those souls who are waiting to be reborn. The Apple, cut crosswise, reveals the five pointed star, or pentacle at its core, a symbol of the Goddess.

Cut an apple crossways, creating top and bottom halves. Your cut should reveal the rough shape of a pentagram laid out by the seeds.
Count the total number of visible seeds on the surfaces of the halves. This is the number you have divined. Use your favorite system of number magick/numerology to analyze the meaning of your divination. For example, the number two often represents partnerships, five is often understood to mean balance and protection, nine can be seen as abundance, and ten may mean completion and closure.
When finished, you may offer the apple to your deity of choice or consume it as you feel appropriate.

Apples have always been popular tools for foretelling the future. There are a number of traditional methods in folklore for seeing who one’s lover might be.

  • Peel the apple, keeping the peel in one long piece. When the peel comes off, drop it on the floor. The letter it forms is the first initial of your true love’s name.
  • Wait until midnight and cut an apple into nine pieces. Take the pieces into a dark room with a mirror (either hanging on the wall or a hand-held one will do). At midnight, begin eating the pieces of apple while looking into the mirror. When you get to the ninth piece, throw it over your shoulder. The face of your lover should appear in the mirror.
  • If a girl has more than one potential lover, peel an apple and pull out the seeds. Place a wet seed on your cheek for each boyfriend. The last one left stuck to the skin represents the suitor who is the true love.
  • (Wigington, Patti. “The Magical Energy of Apples.” Learn Religions, Feb. 8, 2021, learnreligions.com/the-magical-energy-of-apples-2562299.)

Family Friendly Samhain Party!!!

October 23 from 12:30 to 3pm

Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford, 4848 Turner Street

All the things we love about the Samhain parties in the past – now with more masking! Potluck, raffle, games! Wear a costume – or not! For all ages! Masks are required for all attendees.

Family Friendly Samhain Ritual

An afternoon with our Beloved Dead…

Sunday October 3, 2021 from 12:30 to 3pm

Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockford, 4848 Turner Street

We will, in a brief, family centered ritual, celebrate those we have loved and lost. Bring mementos or photos of your beloved dead for the altar. Please note – Masks are required for all attendees!

Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources

The 7 Principles

(Adopted in 1960, the Principles, Purposes and Sources are incorporated in the Bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association)

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person

Justice, equity and compassion in human relations

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large

The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part

Six Sources

Unitarian Universalists emphasize the responsibility of the individual as well as the community for achieving spiritual growth and development. The complete statement of the Unitarian Universalist covenant describes the Six Sources upon which current practice is based:[49]

Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;

Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;

Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;

Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;

Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.

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