A New Year Begins!

The board of Frederick CUUPS wishes you and yours a gentle, centered entry into the new calendar year.  To help support a new solar cycle, every year we offer the New Year’s Day Purification Ritual.  It is one of our most beautiful and most highly attended rituals every year.  On Wednesday, January 1st, Sacred Space will be held from 5 to 8 pm in the Sanctuary of the UUCF.

Attendees are invited to move through the Elements, releasing the shadows of 2019 as they go. Elemental Guides will be available at each Quarter to offer a way to move into the energy of a new year. End your Purification journey with a time of meditation to receive any messages for the new year.

This ritual is an opportunity to move through Sacred Space. As such, there is no set start and finish time–it does not have a formal ritual structure. Your journey will be self-guided. We will hold the space open from 5 to 8 pm, and you should expect to spend somewhere between a half hour to an hour on your journey.

Please remember that this is a very popular ritual. There is a single path to follow, so at ‘peak’ times (generally around 7 pm), there can be a line. Please plan to arrive early or after the ‘peak’ and please be patient with the process of the people around you.

All are welcome to attend.  This ritual is held in silence and includes written prompts.  As a result, we recommend this ritual for ages 12 and up. Child care is available for younger children.

 Masquerade Ball Ticket Giveaway!

Saturday, January 18th, 7 pm – Midnight

The 4th Annual Midwinter Night’s Dream Masquerade Ball is coming up!  Our annual fundraiser supports all Frederick CUUPS events as well as the annual Frederick Pagan Pride Day.  We offer an incredible night of dancing to music by the Dapper DJ’s, a Winter Faery Market featuring incredible vendors, a performance by Tribal Belly Dance Troupe Amandari, a costume contest and so much more.  In honor of the New Year, we are offering a ticket giveaway.  Hop onto Facebook and visit this post to enter to win.  Not sure what to wear?  Here are some photos from last year to inspire you.  Tickets are on sale now.  Get yours here.

Other Upcoming Events

Friday, January 10th, 7 – 8:30 pm
Indoor Full Moon Labyrinth Walk & Donation Energy Healing

Come enjoy the beauty and peace of the Labyrinth by the light of the full moon! Everyone is welcome. During the cooler months, we take our Labyrinth practice indoors, and will be walking the Rainbow Seed Labyrinth, a canvas Classical-pattern Labyrinth. Please remember clean socks or slippers to walk the Labyrinth in.

If you haven’t walked a Labyrinth before, there is no ceremony or ritual. A Labyrinth Walk is safe, open Sacred Space for personal exploration. Please plan to arrive by 8 pm to allow enough time for your walk. For an in-depth article on Labyrinths and what to expect at one of our open walks, visit this link: https://pinkpaganpriestess.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/an-introduction-to-labyrinth-walking/

Donation energy healing will be available. Divination practice is welcome – please feel free to bring your preferred divinatory tool (runes, tarot, ogham, etc) to practice/trade readings. Or, just stop by for a reading!

Recommended donation of $5. Please help support Labyrinth Walks at the UUCF.

Sunday, January 12th, 10:30 – 11:30 AM
January Earth Centered Spirituality Service

Our Earth-centered Spirituality Group meets on the 2nd Sunday of each month in the Chapel. During the cooler months, we meet at 10:30 am. This time provides an opportunity to focus on the Sixth Source of Unitarian Universalism: “Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.”

Sunday, January 25th, 7 – 10 pm
Legends Lodge Tavern

Join us for an evening of myth and community at Legends Lodge! The Lodge is a place to gather with friends for the sharing of stories from our faith paths. You’re welcome to come to listen or to share! If you would like to tell a story, please plan to share a myth or tale from your tradition (ancient and contemporary myths welcome), a song or poem, or simply speak about what a specific Deity means to you. Please plan to speak for no more than 10 minutes. This event is Bring-Your-Own-Beverages-And-Snacks (yes, mead is welcome). Recommended donation of $5. Also, if you have large floor cushions or pillows and don’t mind them being used, please bring them along. We make a big cushy nest as one of the seating options (along with tables and chairs).

Blackfeather Mystery School ~ Rook Course 2020

The Blackfeather Mystery School is a full-spectrum training in Empowered Witchcraft developed by mystic witch Irene Glasse and shaman Jake Hackney. The 2020 series is the Rook level, an intermediate training. This training is focused specifically on developing relationships with the Ancestors, Gods and Spirits, Shamanic healing techniques, Pagan Pastoral Counseling, Shadow Work, Journeywork and Remediation (Hex/Curse Breaking, Ancestral Paradox healing, Space Clearing, etc). This Mystery School is a synthesis and outgrowth of more than 20 years in the art and practice of witchcraft and threads the needle between the structure of Traditional Witchcraft and the freedom of Mysticism. A basic grounding in witchcraft and meditation/journeywork is recommended. More advanced practitioners may find the course helpful in terms of filling ‘gaps’ in their skill sets. This series is drop-in-able.

This is the inaugural run of this training level, so it is donation-based. Recommended donation of $10/session. Blackfeather Mystery School meets on the first and third Thursdays of the month starting in February of 2020.