The December 3rd Family Legends Lodge at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick has been cancelled due to organizer illness (mask up, y’all – there are a lot of cold/flu viruses floating around). Our next Legends Lodge is Friday, January 13th.

One of the best ways we can stay resilient and healthy is to exercise and cultivate mindfulness. These donation classes with E-RYT 200 Irene Glasse are open to individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (two weeks past their last vaccination/booster). At this time, masks are optional. An Advancing Beginners class is most accessible to people who have some basic familiarity with yoga and are able to comfortably take low lunge (lunge with one foot forward and the back knee touching the mat), tabletop, warrior two and other foundational yoga poses. Previous classes can be viewed here.

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.

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. Facebook event here.

“Speak now, seeress, ’till said thou hast. Answer the asker ’till all he knows. . .” says the leader.

Seidr is a Norse-inspired divinatory practice wherein participants can ask questions of our ancestors, our gods and goddesses, and other beings. Participants take a guided journey to the entrance to Hel (the realm of the dead), then one person (the Seidr Kona or Madr) crosses into Hel to relay answers.

Recommended donation of $10. Facebook event here.

The Potomac Seidr Guild Ondvegisulur are the special guests of Frederick CUUPS and will be offering this ritual to the community.

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.

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.

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.

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. Facebook event here.

Join Renee and others who are doing their own Shadow Work this winter in a safe space for sharing and learning from each other. We will meet once a month over the dark time of the year in a facilitated but not heavily structured meeting. Come prepared to discuss your own work or just to listen and be in community.

If you are new to shadow work and would like to learn more, Renee is also offering a 2 part beginners workshop on November 9 & 16 at The Center. Sound. Mind. Body. in Frederick. Information on the workshop is available on Renee’s website Wellnessreforged.com.

Recommended donation of $5/session. Facebook event here.

Blackfeather Mystery School is a full-spectrum training in Empowered Witchcraft developed by mystic witch Irene Glasse and spiritworker Caine Dreamwalker. The 2022 in-person series is Raven level, an advanced training. Prerequisites include experience journeying and cultivating spirit allies, a good understanding of the fundamentals of witchcraft and experience with spellcraft, and a willingness to practice class content outside the classroom.

Raven training is focused specifically on developing healing skills including soul retrieval and extractions; clergy work including ritual arts, conflict resolution, and pastoral counseling; advanced divination and more.

To sign up, please subscribe to the mailing list at this form.

This is the inaugural run of this training level, so it is donation-based. Recommended donation of $10/session. Blackfeather Mystery School meets in person at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick on the third Thursday of the month and on Zoom the fourth Thursday of the month at 7 PM starting in September of 2022. This series is drop-in-able for advanced practitioners interested in a particular area of study.

To make a donation for class, either bring cash to the in-person sessions or 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 “Blackfeather” in the memo box.

Join Frederick CUUPS for an open, family-friendly Yule Ritual and Used Magical Gift exchange! This year’s Yule ritual includes a Toasting section. Please bring a ceremonial cup or horn (or just whatever cup you have available) and a beverage you would like to use for toasting with you. We will also be burning a Yule Log, so remember to bring a coat if it’s a cold night. Most of the ritual will occur indoors but the Yule Log portion will take places just outside the building. Masks are recommended for this gathering – COVID rates are rising in our region, and our health care systems are already taxed with the RSV and seasonal flu waves hitting right now.

For the Used Magical Gift exchange, many of us own a previously-loved but now underused magical tool. This holiday season, Frederick CUUPS would like to invite you to participate in a Magical Gift Exchange that helps our treasures find new owners.

To participate, bring your wrapped previously-owned magical tool (no books please, physical items only – no services) with you to the ritual. There will be tables set up in the Atrium at the UUCF.

Please tell the attendant whether your gift should go onto the $10 – $30 value or over $30 value table. Drop off your present and pick a new-to-you present up from the same table you contributed to before you go.

We will also have a Free To A Good Home table available. Any objects placed there *must* be collected by their owners if they are not claimed.

Please feel welcome to include a note with your gift if you’d like the next owner to know anything about the magical tool inside the wrapping (origin, history, etc). If your magical tool is specific to one particular Path in paganism, please label it so it goes to a fitting home (i.e. deity figurines, divinatory tools that are Path-specific.) If you have any questions, please email fcuups (at) gmail (dot) com

Learn the Chants in the video below:

Enter 2023 from a centered place of peace. Release the energies of the last year, and set a harmonious tone for the year to come. Sacred Space will be held from 6 to 8 pm in the Sanctuary of the UUCF.

Attendees are invited to move through the Elements, releasing the shadows of 2022 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 reflection and 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 6 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. Silence is held for the duration of the ritual, so please use your judgement about appropriateness for children. A Children’s Ritual is available at the same time that is not dependent on silence The Children’s Ritual is drop-off only, and will conclude at 8 pm, so please make sure to arrive by 7 at the very latest if you wish to take advantage of the Children’s Ritual.

Recommended donation of $5. Facebook event here.

November is here, and we’re offering a ton of activities to help support connection as well as inward spiral work for this cooler, darker month. Our Legends Lodge (story and myth sharing) returns this month, FCUUPS Kids (our Pagan scouting program) offers a couple activities, and a Shadow Work circle is now forming. We hope to see you soon! An up-to-date listing of events is always available at www.FrederickCUUPS.com as well as on the Events section of our Facebook page. Scroll down to see everything on the calendar this month!

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.

One of the best ways we can stay resilient and healthy is to exercise and cultivate mindfulness. These donation classes with E-RYT 200 Irene Glasse are open to individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19 (two weeks past their last vaccination/booster). At this time, masks are optional. An Advancing Beginners class is most accessible to people who have some basic familiarity with yoga and are able to comfortably take low lunge (lunge with one foot forward and the back knee touching the mat), tabletop, warrior two and other foundational yoga poses. Previous classes can be viewed here.

Join Renee and others who are doing their own Shadow Work this winter in a safe space for sharing and learning from each other. We will meet once a month over the dark time of the year in a facilitated but not heavily structured meeting. Come prepared to discuss your own work or just to listen and be in community.

If you are new to shadow work and would like to learn more, Renee is also offering a 2 part beginners workshop on November 9 & 16 at The Center. Sound. Mind. Body. in Frederick. Information on the workshop is available on Renee’s website Wellnessreforged.com.

Recommended donation of $5/session. Facebook event here.

Join FCUUPS Kids for a family potluck (sign up genius will be available soon to avoid a whole meal of cookies ) and games.

We will all eat together. After the potluck, the children will move to their own space with childcare provided by donation. They are welcome to bring their own games to share and come in their PJs for a fun night with friends.

Grown ups are encouraged to bring a card or board game to share. Depending on the number of players and games available, we’ll determine what to play once we get there. We’ll have the space to have multiple games going at once if we have enough players.

BYOB is welcome in moderation. Please remember this is an all ages family event.

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.

Facebook event here.

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.

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.

Join Renee for a deep dive into learning to love and appreciate what our changing bodies can do. 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. Facebook event here.

Blackfeather Mystery School is a full-spectrum training in Empowered Witchcraft developed by mystic witch Irene Glasse and spiritworker Caine Dreamwalker. The 2022 in-person series is Raven level, an advanced training. Prerequisites include experience journeying and cultivating spirit allies, a good understanding of the fundamentals of witchcraft and experience with spellcraft, and a willingness to practice class content outside the classroom.

Raven training is focused specifically on developing healing skills including soul retrieval and extractions; clergy work including ritual arts, conflict resolution, and pastoral counseling; advanced divination and more.

To sign up, please subscribe to the mailing list at this form.

This is the inaugural run of this training level, so it is donation-based. Recommended donation of $10/session. Blackfeather Mystery School meets in person at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick on the third Thursday of the month and on Zoom the fourth Thursday of the month at 7 PM starting in September of 2022. This series is drop-in-able for advanced practitioners interested in a particular area of study.

To make a donation for class, either bring cash to the in-person sessions or 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 “Blackfeather” in the memo box.

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. Please plan to share a myth or story from your tradition (ancient and contemporary myths welcome), a song or poem, or simply speak about what a specific Deity means to you. You’re also welcome to simply listen and enjoy the stories. 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’re hoping to make a big cushy nest as one of the seating options (along with tables and chairs).

Join Frederick CUUPS Kids for the monthly meeting! Our second elemental badge will be air. We will explore how to call the element, its associated direction and properties in practice. We will continue to grow our book of shadows by learning ways to use Air in our own practices, divination and energy work. 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. Facebook event here.

The cycle of the seasons is nearing another turning point – the end of the Witches Year, and the beginning of the next one. October is here! We are offering Samhain themed activities all month long from a Meeting the Ancestors gathering with Frederick CUUPS Kids (our Pagan scouting program), to a Samhain focused Earth Centered Spirituality Service, to our Samhain ritual on October 22nd. We hope to see you soon! An up-to-date listing of events is always available at www.FrederickCUUPS.com as well as on the Events section of our Facebook page. Scroll down to see everything on the calendar this month!

With the turn of the wheel closer to Samhain we will spend this meeting working towards our ancestors badge. Discussion will include the various types of ancestors we have. Children will be encouraged to research an ancestor of any type and bring something representing that ancestor to our upcoming ritual. We will also discuss the upcoming ritual and how different people in our community practice on Samhain. 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. Facebook event here.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

Blackfeather Mystery School is a full-spectrum training in Empowered Witchcraft developed by mystic witch Irene Glasse and spiritworker Caine Dreamwalker. The 2022 in-person series is Raven level, an advanced training. Prerequisites include experience journeying and cultivating spirit allies, a good understanding of the fundamentals of witchcraft and experience with spellcraft, and a willingness to practice class content outside the classroom.

Raven training is focused specifically on developing healing skills including soul retrieval and extractions; clergy work including ritual arts, conflict resolution, and pastoral counseling; advanced divination and more.

To sign up, please subscribe to the mailing list at this form.

This is the inaugural run of this training level, so it is donation-based. Recommended donation of $10/session. Blackfeather Mystery School meets in person at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick on the third Thursday of the month and on Zoom the fourth Thursday of the month at 7 PM starting in September of 2022. This series is drop-in-able for advanced practitioners interested in a particular area of study.

To make a donation for class, either bring cash to the in-person sessions or 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 “Blackfeather” in the memo box.

Join Frederick CUUPS for an open outdoor Samhain Ritual! Samhain falls at the time of year when the light noticeably fades. We honor death as a part of the sacred circle of life and honor our loved ones who have crossed the Veil.

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 group ritual structure. Your journey will take you around the grounds of the UUCF. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy shoes – the path will be uneven in places. We will hold the space open from 7:30 to 9 pm, and you should expect to spend somewhere between a half hour to an hour on your journey. Please arrive no later than 8:30 to begin your journey.

Participants each need to bring one small bag with them – a drawstring fabric pouch large enough to hold a handful of coins is recommended.

Parents, please remember that grief is a part of Samhain – this ritual is recommended for ages 12 and up. Please consider whether your child will be comfortable exploring the emotions of loss and grief.

Traditional dress for Samhain is harvest colors or dark colors (mourning dress).
Recommended donation $5, Facebook event here.

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:

October 29th (Zoom meeting – email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for the link), 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.

Update: 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 5:30/6 (whenever you can arrive – Irene and Ash will be there at 5:30). We’ll tidy up the labyrinth, take a break for dinner, and then enjoy the labyrinth walk together

Our September outdoor Labyrinth walk is Friday, September 9th, which means it’s time to tidy up the Labyrinth! If you would like to help, please join us. This service to the community is not glamorous, but it is absolutely vital. With four volunteers, it only takes an hour to do.

Remember to wear clothes you can get dirty in and sunblock/bug spray if you need it

The most effective way to clear the stones of the Labyrinth is with a string trimmer. If you have one you can bring along, that would be awesome. We also have a few that are available for use. Spades and shears can also be useful for tidying the beds in the Labyrinth courtyard and clearing dirt where it’s piled up on the stones of the Labyrinth. Facebook event here.

Labyrinth Cleanup Rescheduled: Our Labyrinth cleanup was supposed to be on tonight, 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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Our July outdoor Labyrinth walk is Friday, July 15th, which means it’s time to tidy up the Labyrinth! If you would like to help, please join us. This service to the community is not glamorous, but it is absolutely vital. With four volunteers, it only takes an hour to do.

Remember to wear clothes you can get dirty in and sunblock/bug spray if you need it

The most effective way to clear the stones of the Labyrinth is with a string trimmer. If you have one you can bring along, that would be awesome. We also have a few that are available for use. Spades and shears can also be useful for tidying the beds in the Labyrinth courtyard and clearing dirt where it’s piled up on the stones of the Labyrinth. Facebook event here.

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: https://pinkpaganpriestess.wordpress.com/…/an…/…

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

If you have a bow collecting dust in your closet and you have wanted to get started on this fun and useful hobby, join us for basic instruction and kit set up of your recurve , longbow, or selfbow. After a short set up period where you will learn how to tune and care for your bow and make it truly yours (and other knowledge like safety and range etiquette) it will be time for fun on a range. Learn proper draw form and aiming as well as range safety and care for your equipment after shooting. You will also learn how to choose the correct arrows for your bow and what all the numbers you will see mean in this fun and rewarding hobby. This class will cover some history as well as archery techniques from a few different cultures.

Please bring a bow (long, recurve or self), 6 arrows, a bracer to protect your arm, and a glove or tab to protect your fingers.

This class is being taught by 4 time and current archery champion of the Maryland Renaissance Festival, Tamara Curry.

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 – Archery” in the memo box. Facebook event here.

Join Frederick CUUPS Kids for the monthly meeting! The topic for July will be determined at the campout in May. We’ll cast our opening circle and join together to work on our first selected badge. More information to come! Facebook event here.

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.

June Events with Frederick CUUPS

Summer is here at last! This month, Frederick CUUPS offers a fusion of online and in-person activities at our Congregation in Western Maryland. Please join us as we stay connected and come together to honor the Earth, Gods, Ancestors, and Wheel of the Year. Please email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for Zoom links.
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.

Join us for the Witching Hour, every first Sunday of the month at 4pm! This is an informal social time to enjoy a beverage of your choice, process the previous week, crack a dirty joke or two, and build relationships. We believe cultivating community care is an important facet of us not just surviving, but thriving in the times we live in. All are welcome in the spirit of hospitality. Hosted by Ursa Sylvest and Frederick CUUPS. The Witching Hour is currently on Zoom, Please email fcuups(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link.

Facebook event here.

Our June outdoor Labyrinth walk is Friday, June 10th, which means it’s time to tidy up the Labyrinth! If you would like to help, please join us. This service to the community is not glamorous, but it is absolutely vital. With four volunteers, it only takes an hour to do.

Remember to wear clothes you can get dirty in and sunblock/bug spray if you need it

The most effective way to clear the stones of the Labyrinth is with a string trimmer. If you have one you can bring along, that would be awesome. We also have a few that are available for use. Spades and shears can also be useful for tidying the beds in the Labyrinth courtyard and clearing dirt where it’s piled up on the stones of the Labyrinth.

The beauty of paganism, especially modern paganism, is that there is freedom in how and what you practice. For most of us, that’s why we find ourselves on this path. In our age of technology, there are countless traditions and practices at our fingertips. But knowing how to be respectful and navigating what is appropriation vs appreciation can be tricky. In this class, we will explore what it means to be an eclectic practitioner without damaging, erasing, or stealing from vulnerable communities. This class is open to beginner and advanced witches alike. As with all Frederick CUUPS events, this is an inclusive space for all LGBTQ+, BIPOC and allies.

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 – Ethical” in the memo box.

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: https://pinkpaganpriestess.wordpress.com/…/an…/…

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

Join Frederick CUUPS for an open, family-friendly Litha Ritual! On the longest day of the year, with the Sun at its highest point in the sky, Pagans rejoice in the Sun’s life-giving warmth and ability to make things grow.

This year’s Litha ritual is a celebration of the Sun and community! Participants are invited to bring a ritual cup and beverage they’d like to drink (water and disposable cups will be on hand as well) to toast the Solar deities. Please feel free to bring an invocation or toast to share if you’d like to.

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.

Facebook event here.

Beltaine season is here! This month, Frederick CUUPS offers a fusion of online and in-person activities at our Congregation in Western Maryland. Please join us as we stay connected and come together to honor the Earth, Gods, Ancestors, and Wheel of the Year. Please email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for Zoom links.

FCUUPS Kids is back! We’ve missed you!

Join us for our kick-off meeting Saturday, April 30, 6:30-8:00 PM at the UUCF. We will have a campfire and s’mores. This is a family event: a grownup for each family must stay to help supervise around the fire and meet with Robyn and Renee to talk about plans going forward.

Please email Naewimer(at)gmail(dot)com with any dietary restrictions so we can plan ahead for our s’mores. Feel free to bring your own roasting stick for marshmallows, beverages, and seating. The kick off event is social ~ a way for us all to come back together again before starting up with regular meetings.

Recommended donation of $5 per participant

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. A campout on the UUCF grounds is in the works for May and many more exciting events to come are being developed. We strongly encourage and ask for grown up involvement and assistance at meetings, though it is not required. 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. Facebook event here.

Join us for the Witching Hour, every first Sunday of the month at 4pm! This is an informal social time to enjoy a beverage of your choice, process the previous week, crack a dirty joke or two, and build relationships. We believe cultivating community care is an important facet of us not just surviving, but thriving in the times we live in. All are welcome in the spirit of hospitality. Hosted by Ursa Sylvest and Frederick CUUPS. The Witching Hour is currently on Zoom, Please email fcuups(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link.

Facebook event here.

Join Frederick CUUPS for an open, family-friendly Beltane Ritual! Beltane, or May Day, is the day for dancing around maypoles in honor of the fertility of the Earth made possible by the increased warmth of the Sun.

This year, we’re tapping into the Fire Festival aspect of Beltaine. In historic practice, two bone-fires (fires that included bones) were laid and cattle and livestock were driven through them for protection. The humans went through as well – for protection and health, but also to prevent theft from the Good Folk. 

Prior to coming to the Beltaine celebration, people would extinguish all the fires of home, and would then bring back a burning brand from the Beltaine fires to relight their hearth fires. We invite you to turn off all the lights in your homes before coming to the ritual – we will send a (not on fire) representation home with you to refresh your own ‘hearth fire’ in the manner of your choosing.

Hand percussion is welcome! We’d like to have a strong drum bench for the Maypole dance. Please dress in fiery colors if you’d like to as well.

This High Holiday marks the return of our post-ritual snack/dessert potlucks as well. If you would like to contribute something to the potluck, please clearly LABEL it with the ingredients. We do not need the recipe, but we do need to know what’s in each offering so those with dietary restrictions and allergies can make safe choices.

If the weather is good, this will be an outdoor ritual. In the event of rain, we take our spiritual practice indoors.

Facebook event here.

Learn the chant we will be using with Irene!

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.

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.

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: https://pinkpaganpriestess.wordpress.com/…/an…/…

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

For LGBTQIAP+ people, certain “traditional” aspects of various magickal practices may feel somewhat alienating. When spiritual groups and texts lean on myth cycles and ritual aspects focused on fertility and virility and use heteronormative symbolism, it becomes difficult for us to see ourselves in the magick. In this interactive workshop, learn how myth cycles and ritual components can be adapted and viewed through a queer lens to be more all-inclusive and empower everyone, particularly people who are too often marginalized in our society. Facebook event here.

This workshop will be in person at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick and on Zoom, email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link.

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 – QMP” in the memo box.

Bio: Enfys Book is a high priestx (3rd degree) of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel. They have taught many classes on Tarot, Qabala, and queering one’s magical practice, including “Qabala’s Queer Connections” for Frederick CUUPS in 2022, “The Genderqueer Tree of Life” workshop at the 2019 Sacred Space Conference, and “Queering Your Magickal Practice” at Frederick Pagan Pride Day 2019. As a nonbinary, bisexual pagan, Enfys employs a queer lens to break down limiting binaries in magickal theory and practice, and advocate for bi-, trans-, non-binary/genderqueer-, queer-, and asexual-visibility and inclusion.They are also the creator of majorarqueerna.com, a website devoted to queer magickal practice with a focus on Qabala; and the author of “Queer Qabala: Nonbinary, Genderqueer, Omnisexual Mysticism and Magick”, to be published by Llewellyn in June 2022.

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. 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. Facebook event here.

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.

The Wheel turns and warm weather is on the horizon! We are offering a fusion of online and in-person activities at our Congregation in Western Maryland this month. Please join us as we stay connected and come together to honor the Earth, Gods, Ancestors, and Wheel of the Year. Please email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for Zoom links.

Volunteer Opportunities

Library Team: Our congregation is home to the Margot Adler Library, an incredible collection of over 2000 metaphysical texts and over 200 tarot decks. Unfortunately, shortly after our head librarian and his team of stalwart volunteers got all the books sorted, a pipe burst at the UUCF, impacting rooms 124 and 125 where the library lives. Our beautiful, organized library was quickly hustled to a room that did NOT have water pouring out of the ceiling. The books are back on the shelves now, but are not on the correct shelves.  The Library team needs folks who are willing to come to the UUCF to help reshelve books. Library hours are on Mondays from 6 – 8:30 (or so) PM.  Even with just a few people, a LOT can get done in a couple hours.  We want to start building activities around the library (like a reading circle/book club), but can’t do that until the books are once again in the right places. Please email uucflibrary(at)gmail(dot)com if you’d like to help out.

Pagan Pride Day

Barring changes to the pandemic, this year’s Frederick Pagan Pride Day will be on Saturday, September 17th. If you are interested in being on the planning and staffing committee, please email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com

Join us for the Witching Hour, every 1st and 3rd Sunday at 4pm! This is an informal social time to enjoy a beverage of your choice, process the previous week, crack a dirty joke or two, and build relationships. We believe cultivating community care is an important facet of us not just surviving, but thriving in the times we live in. All are welcome in the spirit of hospitality. Hosted by Ursa Sylvest and Frederick CUUPS. The Witching Hour is currently on Zoom, Please email fcuups(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link.

Facebook event here.

Our April outdoor Labyrinth walk is Friday, April 15th, which means it’s time to tidy up the Labyrinth! If you would like to help, please join us. This service to the community is not glamorous, but it is absolutely vital. With four volunteers, it only takes an hour to do.

Remember to wear clothes you can get dirty in and sunblock/bug spray if you need it

The most effective way to clear the stones of the Labyrinth is with a string trimmer. If you have one you can bring along, that would be awesome. We also have a few that are available for use. Spades and shears can also be useful for tidying the beds in the Labyrinth courtyard and clearing dirt where it’s piled up on the stones of the Labyrinth. Facebook event here.

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.

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.

FCUUPS Kids is back! We’ve missed you!

Join us for our kick-off meeting Saturday, April 30, 6:30-8:00 PM at the UUCF. We will have a campfire and s’mores. This is a family event: a grownup for each family must stay to help supervise around the fire and meet with Robyn and Renee to talk about plans going forward.

Please email Naewimer(at)gmail(dot)com with any dietary restrictions so we can plan ahead for our s’mores. Feel free to bring your own roasting stick for marshmallows, beverages, and seating. The kick off event is social ~ a way for us all to come back together again before starting up with regular meetings.

Recommended donation of $5 per participant

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. A campout on the UUCF grounds is in the works for May and many more exciting events to come are being developed. We strongly encourage and ask for grown up involvement and assistance at meetings, though it is not required. 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. Facebook event here.