Please join us as we stay connected and come together to honor the Earth, Gods, Ancestors, and Wheel of the Year. An up-to-date listing of events is always available at the Events page here as well as on the Events section of our Facebook page.
Saturday, August 6th, 7 PM
At the UUCF
Join Frederick CUUPS for an open, family-friendly Lughnasadh Ritual! Lughnasadh marks the beginning of harvest season and falls at the midway point between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. At this time, we take joy in the abundance of the world around us and celebrate our first harvests of summer bounty.
This year’s Lughnasadh ritual is particularly special. Over the course of the pandemic, many members of the community have undergone profound transformations. Those who are taking on a new name or stepping into a more authentic identity will be celebrated at this ritual. If you would like to be included in the Rite of Passage, please email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com.
After the ritual, a bonfire, drum circle, and snack/dessert potluck are on tap. Please bring percussion instruments if you’d like to drum (some instruments are available).
Please label any offerings to the potluck with the ingredients. This allows people with dietary restrictions and allergies to make safe choices for themselves. If the weather is good, this will be an outdoor ritual. In the event of rain, we take our spiritual practice indoors. $5 recommended donation, Facebook event here.
Friday, August 12th, 8 PM
At the UUCF Labyrinth
Update: Labyrinth Cleanup at 6 PM. Our Labyrinth cleanup was supposed to be Wednesday, but the weather tanked our plans. Instead, if you would like to help, please bring your string trimmer on Friday at 6. We’ll tidy up the labyrinth, take a break for dinner, and then enjoy the labyrinth walk together.
Come enjoy the beauty and peace of the Labyrinth by the light of the full moon! If the weather is good, this will be an outdoor, drumming walk. In the event of rain, we take our labyrinth practice indoors, into the Chapel and our canvas labyrinth.
The first half hour will be a quiet walk, the remainder drumming, so feel free to bring hand drums and other percussion instruments.
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 9 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.
Recommended donation of $5. Please help support Labyrinth Walks at the UUCF.
Friday, August 14th, 12 PM
At the UUCF Chapel
Join members of the Frederick CUUPS community for our monthly Earth Centered Spirituality Service. 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.” This month’s service will be led by Tamara.
Recommended donation of $5. Please either bring cash to the Earth Service or donate online.
To donate, visit http://www.frederickuu.org/about/Support_UUCF
Click: To Donate Click Here
Scroll down to Adult Spiritual Enrichment. Type in your donation amount, then write “FCUUPS” in the memo box. Facebook event here.
Monday, August 15th, 7 PM
On Zoom
Join Brielle for a celebration of queerness in ancient and modern Hellenism. It’s a cultural cliche that the Greeks were “really gay.” But the ancient world had a different set of binaries, and the stories of queer women and trans folks have often been sidelined. Part UPG, part history lesson, and part discussion, this workshop explores how we can empower our community by queering our understanding of the Sacred. Please email FrederickCUUPSKids(at)gmail(dot)com for the link to join our zoom session, thank you!
Recommended donation: $10
To make a donation for the class, go to: http://www.frederickuu.org/about/Support_UUCF
Click: To Donate Click Here
Scroll down to Adult Spiritual Enrichment. Type in your donation amount, then write “FC – Gods” in the memo box. Facebook event here.
Sunday, August 21st, 2 PM
At the UUCF
Join Frederick CUUPS Kids for the monthly meeting! We will meet to start working on our community badge. Frederick CUUPS is a large and wonderful community. We will discuss how important it is to have a community, even as a solitary practitioner. What roles do members of Frederick CUUPS fill in our CUUPS community, our UUCF community, our residential communities? What can we do to participate in the community? After our discussion we will walk the labyrinth. Kids are asked to participate in one of two labyrinth cleanups 8/10 or 9/7 to work towards their badge. Other options to earn the badge are trash collection or assisting with a ritual set up. Adults are encouraged to stay for ages 7 and up, 6 and younger will need a grown up with them. Parents of older kids are welcome to stay and gather in their own community elsewhere on the property if interested.
FCUUPS Kids offers scouting from a pagan perspective. As we move forward, we will create our own badges and learn about the many paths that make up our community. We will follow all COVID guidelines set by UUCF and Frederick county regarding masking and indoor/outdoor activities. FCUUPS kids is fully inclusive for k-highschool.
Mondays at 7 PM, August 22nd – November 28th
At the UUCF
Join us in learning the language of the Norse Sagas and Eddas, known as Old Norse or Old Icelandic. We will read runic inscriptions as well as fragments of the sagas and Eddas. Learn the original pronunciation and grammar with exercises and practice every week.
The text needed for this class series is Viking Language 1: Learn Old Norse, Runes, and Icelandic Sagas (Viking Language Series) by Jesse L. Byock. It is available in both hardcopy and kindle edition here.
Notes on pronunciation and cognates are here
Recommended donation of $5.
To make a donation for the class, go to:
http://www.frederickuu.org/about/Support_UUCF
Click: To Donate Click Here
Scroll down to Adult Spiritual Enrichment. Type in your donation amount, then write “FC – Old Norse” in the memo box. Facebook event here.
The Last Saturday of the Month at 4 PM
At the UUCF
The gods await you in the afterlife with open arms, but what will you leave behind? How will you prepare? Grave Concerns is an informal forum in which people are welcome to have these conversations. Grave Concerns meets the last Saturday of the month at 4 PM. Upcoming sessions:
August 27th, September 24th, October 29th, November 26th, December 31st
Demystifying and removing barriers and fears from end of life preparation is the goal for these chats. Resources for End of Life planning will be on hand. Light refreshments will be available in the style of an afternoon tea. Wear your best pointy hats and join us for Grave Conversations.
Recommended donation: $5
To make a donation for Grave Concerns, go to: http://www.frederickuu.org/about/Support_UUCF
Click: To Donate Click Here
Scroll down to Adult Spiritual Enrichment. Type in your donation amount, then write “FC – Grave” in the memo box. Facebook event here.
frederickcuups.com 