This video teaches the chants for and information about the 2023 Frederick CUUPS Imbolc ritual on Saturday, February 4th, at 7 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick.
Things to bring:
A respiratory mask (N95 or similar)
A 6 inch or so long stick – this stick will not go back home with you
Indoor Full Moon Labyrinth Walk Friday, February 3rd, 7 PM At the UUCF
Come enjoy the beauty and peace of the Labyrinth by the light of the full moon! The labyrinth will be illuminated from 7 – 9 pm. 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 7:30 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/…/an…/
Divination practice is welcome – please feel free to bring your preferred divinatory tool (runes, tarot, ogham, etc) to practice/trade readings. The FCUUPS Library will be open for browsing. Recommended donation of $5. Please help support Labyrinth Walks at the UUCF.
Open Imbolc Ritual Saturday, February 4th, 7 PM At the UUCF
Join Frederick CUUPS for an open, family-friendly Imbolc Ritual! In the deepest cold of winter, we come together to celebrate! Imbolc, after all, marks our turn toward the springtime and holds the promise of warmth, light, and life yet to come.
Together, we will create and share the magic of fuel and fire, looking within to nurture and kindle the light and warmth that will see us through to spring. How can each of us cultivate our internal flame even during dark times? How can we see and celebrate the light within others? How can that fire energize the way we move through the world?
Our ritual is inspired by the winter crone Cailleach, who gathers wood on Imbolc to fuel her fire through the remaining winter. At our Imbolc ritual, too, will each of us.
If you would like to, please bring a small stick (around 6″ in length) for the ritual. You will not be taking it home with you, so please choose a stick that does not have a good deal of emotional attachment. We will also have sticks for people to use.
ようこそ！ to the Japanese 101 class! Japanese is an East Asian language spoken primarily in Japan. You may have seen or heard it in the U.S. among any Japanese friends, at Buddhist temples, at your favorite Japanese restaurant or grocery store, or in a movie or anime. In addition to the basics of the language, there will be a basic introduction to Japanese history, geography, cultural elements, and some of the most quintessential Japanese literature and folklore, such as stories from the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Momotarō, and Bunbuku Chagama. These will help you place your language learning into context and tie them all together into a more holistic beginner’s understanding of Japan and the Japanese language.
This course assumes zero prior knowledge of Japanese language, history, geography, or culture but is also refresher friendly. If students complete the 101 course and have interest in learning more, there may be a 102 course.
There will be optional informal field trips/meet-ups at the Japanese Sakura Matsuri in DC and an Obon Dance Festival in Fairfax Station (both on Saturdays), as well as to a couple of smaller outings such as to Asian grocery stores or Japanese restaurants peppered throughout the course. (Specific dates & locations for all optional field trips/meet-ups will be in your course syllabus.)
We’ll be using the textbook Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese, SECOND Edition. You should be able to find it used for around $16 on Abe Books website.
This course meets Monday nights at 7:00 pm at the Frederick UU building in Room 125. Each class meeting will also be on Zoom and recorded. The Zoom link will be included in your Eventbrite ticket confirmation email. Recommended donation is $2/class meeting or $50 for the whole course (there is a half price sliding scale option for folks who would have financial difficulty paying the full course fee). We will NOT take late joiners for this class, as Japanese is VERY different from English, and joining late would leave you behind.
Welsh Language Course Wednesdays at 7 PM starting February 8th At the UUCF and on Zoom
Croeso! to the Survival Welsh Language class! Welsh is a Celtic language spoken in the nations of Wales and Patagonia, and you’ll find it here and there anywhere Welsh people have been! Welsh is a living language. About 12% of the Welsh population speaks Welsh every day. In addition to the basics of the language, there will be a basic introduction to Welsh history and geography, to both traditional and modern cultural elements, and to some of the most quintessential Welsh literature and folklore, such as the Mabinogi, Hanes Taliesin, and the Welsh origins of King Arthur. These will help you place your language learning into a more holistic beginner’s understanding of Wales and the Welsh language. It will also tie in elements commonly referenced in Pagan, Druidic, and Witchcraft contexts.
This course assumes zero prior knowledge of Welsh language, history, geography, or culture.
There will be optional informal field trips/meet-ups at a Welsh language practice group in DC as well as a couple of Celtic culture festivals peppered throughout the course. (All field trips occur on Saturdays. Specific dates & locations will be in your course syllabus.)
We’ll be using the textbook Cwrs Mynediad: Fersiwn y De, Cwrs Dechreuol i Oedolion Sy’n Dysgu Cymraeg (A Beginners’ Course for Adults Learning Welsh: South Wales Version).
You should be able to find it online for around $16 used, or new for $30 or so. Just search for Cwrs Mynediad and make sure it’s the South Wales version.
This course meets Wednesday nights (Welsh Wednesdays!) at 7:00 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick building in Room 125. Each class meeting will also be on Zoom and recorded (the Zoom link will be in your Eventbrite course registration). Recommended donation is $2/class meeting or $40 for the whole course (there is a half price sliding scale option for folks who would have difficulty paying the full course fee). We will not take late joiners after Day 2 (15 February) because language classes build on one another, and joining too late can leave you behind. Email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for more information.
How did our ancestors seek knowledge from their departed loved ones, learn what to prepare for in the coming seasons, or gain advice on personal choices? They joined together in ritual with their community. They asked the Spaekona or Spaemadhr to come, receive their questions and return vision and wisdom. The rite drew the community together and connected the folk to the spirits, the land, and the mighty ones.
Join Becky Sheehan, Scott Mohnkern, and members of the Potomac Seidr Guild Öndvegisulur for a 6 week Beginning Spae/Seidhr Series at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick in Frederick, MD. This series will take place Saturdays February 11th, 18th, and 25th, and March 4th, 11th, and 18th from 1 to 5 PM.
This course teaches the basic skills to serve communities today as our ancestors practicing this art of old served. Spae Training is suited to individuals with spirit journey experience and a desire to serve their communities. This style of Spae, also known as Oracular Seidhr, is based on the method recovered from the lore and recreated by Diana Paxson. It was first practiced and further developed by Diana and other members of the Heathen Kindred and community Hrafnar in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Class content will cover the history of Spae in lore and contemporary practice, the purposes of Spae in modern practice, skill-building discussions and exercises, rite structure discussion and design, and hands on experience of different roles within a Spae ritual.
Non-Heathens are welcome to attend. This style of Oracular Seidhr can be tailored to different spiritual paths and pantheons.
The Potomac Seidr Guild Öndvegisulur are the special guests of Frederick CUUPS.
“Potomac Seidr Guild Öndvegisúlur is dedicated to serving our community through rituals that connect us to the ancestors, spirits, and gods. We are heathens, pagans, polytheists, and witches who practice oracular seidr work rooted in heathen tradition. Everyone who is seeking a spiritual connection to the gods and community is welcome to attend our rituals. We denounce racism and white supremacy, and we are LGBT and queer welcoming. We stand with Declaration 127; expressions of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, abuse, and other forms of oppression are not welcome in our space.”
Earth Centered Spirituality Service Sunday, February 12th, 12 PM At the UUCF
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.”
Recommended donation of $5. Please either bring cash to the Earth Service or donate online.
Scroll down to Adult Spiritual Enrichment. Type in your donation amount, then write “FCUUPS” in the memo box
Reclaiming the Gift of Sacred Movement Second Sunday of the month at 1:30 PM At the UUCF
Join Renee for a deep dive into learning to love and appreciate what our changing bodies can do. The Sacred Movement series meets the second Sunday of the month at 1:30 PM.
Welcoming to all, focused on the differently-abled, aging, or traumatized body. We’ll start with a discussion of how to get out of the boxes we paint ourselves into, remove the ideas of what a dancer or sacred movement “should” look like and discuss the power movement has for healing and energy building. The second half of the class we’ll put that into practice as we experiment with movement and what that looks and feels like for us as individuals.
Renee was once a classically trained dancer with dreams of choreographing on Broadway. Several disabling events compounded to remove that dream and leave her with a body she no longer loved or recognized. After leaving an abusive marriage, she started to feel drawn back to her love of dance but felt she no longer could move in the way she once did. Experimentation in what she could do led to relearning, reclaiming and loving her body for all it has done for her. Unfortunately she quickly learned that yoga and dance classes in the area that advertised “being for everyone” did not mean her. She then made it her mission to become RYT certified in trauma-informed yoga for disabilities. She combines her knowledge of dance with her certification in yoga to create a unique and confidence building experience that truly is for EVERY body.
$10 Recommended Donation
Shadow Work Circle Second Tuesday of the month at 7 PM At the UUCF
Join Renee and others who are doing their own Shadow Work in a safe space for sharing and learning from each other. The Shadow Work Circle meets once a month in a facilitated but not heavily structured meeting. Come prepared to discuss your own work or just to listen and be in community.
Recommended donation of $5/session.
Stitch-N-Witch: Crafting and Conversation Mondays from 5 – 7 2/20, 3/20, 4/17 At the UUCF
Grab your yarn and knitting needles, your crochet hooks or embroidery, your paints or markers or WHATEVER you like to craft with and join the Stitch-n-Witch. Hosted by Eira at the UUCF, this group meets monthly for crafting and conversation.
Got some crafting supplies you know you’re not going to use? The Stitch-n-Witch also offers space for craft supply swapping.
Recommended donation of $5.
Chair and Accessible Yoga Thursdays at 2 PM Starting 2/23 At the UUCF Chapel
Join us for chair and adaptive yoga that is truly accessible to every body. Open to teens and adults that are looking to grow a yoga and meditation practice but find traditional classes uncomfortable or out of reach. Variations will be offered from the mat or a chair to allow you to gain the most from your practice. This is a great class for those recovering from an injury or seeking to improve balance, strength and flexibility. Some blocks, straps and mats will be provided, but please bring your own if you have them. Nae is certified in adaptive and trauma informed yoga and has completed her 200hr RYT certification.
With a full weekend of rituals and services behind us, and the Masquerade Ball on the horizon, we’re canceling the Legends Lodge to give our Do-ers a little more recuperation time 🙂
frederickcuups.com 