Shinto is the indigenous “religion” of Japan. It is not a “full” religion in that it has no written scriptures and is not a way to explain the world. Shinto teaches ethical practices but has no commandments. Shinto: Way of the Spirits was originally presented by Allen Reed for White Oak Grove CUUPS September 2, 2018. ©2018 Allen Reed
A flame within a chalice, first deigned by Hans Deutsch in 1941, is a primary symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith tradition. Many of our congregations kindle a flaming chalice in gatherings and worships and feature the chalice symbol prominently. What does this have to do with the greek Goddess of Home and Hearth? Continue reading “Hestia Symbolism in the Unitarian Universalist Association”
“I know that I hung
on a wind-battered tree
nine long nights,
pierced by a spear
and given to Odin,
myself to myself,
on that tree
whose roots grow in a place
no one has ever seen.
No one gave me food,
No one gave me drink.
At the end I peered down,
I took the runes—
screaming, I took them—
and then I fell.”
(Havamal verses 138 – 139, “The Poetic Edda” translated by Jackson
Crawford)
If you’re trying to learn Witchcraft—or anything really—a base of know Potion, brew, philter, bath, infusion, sachet, charm or mojo bag, Witch’s bottles and jars—there are so many different kinds of things Witches seem to make, aren’t there? Well, they don’t call it “The Craft” for nothing. Witchcraft and spells often involve actually crafting and enchanting different types of items. Continue reading “Magical Concoctions,Brews and Teas”
Join us on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 12 PM – 3 PM for our April discussion as guest speaker Jan helps us to explore the Feminine Face of God (Divine Feminine through the ages). Continue reading “Feminine Face of God – April Discussion”
Hestia, was the daughter of Cronus, Titan of the Harvest, and Rhea, Mother of Gods. Part of the first generation of Olympians, she was the sister to Zeus, Hera, Demeter, Hades, Poseidon. Hestia is the first and last, oldest and youngest, of the children of Cronus. First born of the siblings, she was the first to be swallowed by Cronus in his attempt to circumvent prophecy and not have his throne usurped by his children. A Homeric Hymn from 700BC tells us that as the first to be devoured by Cronus, she was also the last to be yielded up again.
Cultures throughout the world have expressed in their philosophies and mysticism the use of the elements to express the ideas of body, mind and soul. In the western world the elements most commonly used are Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Aphrodite has two birth stories, with the most commonly believed story is that from Hesiod’s Theogony, that she was born when Cronus cut off Ouranus’s genitals and threw them into the sea. So potent was the sky father that a great sea foam arose and from the sea foam Aphrodite was born and was carried to shore a on a scallop shell, fully formed and radiating beauty. In the Illiad however, Homer it is mentions that Aphrodite’s parents were Zeus and Dione.
