UUFBR CUUPs (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans)
The group goal is to study how the 6th Source and 7th principle of Unitarian Universalism can find richer expression at our Fellowship: 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.
Great American CleanUp - Sunday, April 21, 2024
Join UUs in participating in the Great American Cleanup on Sunday, April 21st at 12 noon. Sign up to volunteer in University Woodlands Park, 2501 St. Andrews Blvd. (off Glades Rd.) and the area surrounding the fellowship grounds to pick up litter and loose trash.
🛐 Enjoy the service, then enjoy Nature as we put the UU 7th Principle into practice: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Here’s the way our Tapestry of Faith children’s programs describes it: We believe in caring for our planet Earth, the home we share with all living things. Our Pagan Study Group puts the Principle into practice by hosting cleanups of University Woodlands Park and playground, and parking lot of UUFBR.
🗑️ Together, we can make our community cleaner and greener.
Moonlight Maze Walk and Drumming
Monday, January 22, 2024 at 6 PM NOTE: THIS REPLACES THE JANUARY 15TH IN-PERSON MEETING!
Monday, February 19, 2024 at 6 PM
Monday, March 19, 2024 at 7 PM
Monday, April 15, 2024 at 7 PM CANCELLED
“”Drumming is the simplest thing that we can do to bring us together,” said Babatunde Olatunji. You are warmly invited to join us in energy of a rhythmic beat and meditative motion at the UUFBR labyrinth at sunset and under the light of moon (weather permitting). We are joined by the South Florida Drum Circles, so feel free to bring hand drums and other percussion instruments of choice. We will have a brief opening ritual, where the Pagan Study Group will call the quarters. Then, have fun! The drums and the drummers vary in size, type and sound, yet their music merges into one magical combination of unity
Please BYOB (bring your own picnic blanket or beach chair).
There is no ceremony to walking the labyrinth. People dance and twirl on the labyrinth path, clap hands, sing and chant. Simply center yourself as you journey to the center of the labyrinth. Start moving along the path toward the center, one after another with space in between each to allow for time at the fire pit. You pace yourself on the path in safe, open space for personal exploration.
Moonlight Maze Walks and Drumming at UUFBR are free (donations are gratefully accepted. Donations of $5 are recognized with a gift of UUFBR’s meditation CD Breathe Again).
Beltane: Celebrating May Day on Sunday, May 5, 2024
The maypole dance is a ceremonial folk dance performed as a part of May Day festivities. Around a tall pole garlanded with greenery or flowers, and hung with long ribbons woven into complex patterns by the dancers, such dances are survivals of ancient dances around a living tree as part of spring rites to ensure fertility.
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boca Raton (and the South Florida Bryn Mawr Club) invites you and your family to join us on the Sunday service closest to the first of May (AKA Beltane) and continue the tradition. The dance spans centuries and continents, with costumes and controversies.
Mira Shoshanah getting ready for Maypole festivities.
What you need to know:
- We welcome you to attend our 10:30 AM UU worship service, or arrive at 11:30 AM for our coffee service.
- Potluck brunch with strawberries, cream, and champagne starts around 11:45 AM.
- Traditional dance around the Maypole around 12:15 PM.
- Music: Traditional English air To the Maypole accompanied by percussion – bring your own percussion or use our drums and bells.
- Dress: Traditional white or floral dress. Garlands and floral boutonnieres suggested.
To participate, please RSVP to Alison Rognas at listing what goodies you’ll bring for the potluck brunch and the names of those attending.
May Day also goes by the name of Beltane. Beltane is a Pagan holiday, and one of the eight Sabbats. It falls about halfway between the spring equinox (Ostara) and the coming summer solstice (Litha). The holiday celebrates spring at its peak, and the coming summer. This festival is commemorated with bonfires, maypoles and dancing. Ceremonies honor the May Queen and the Green Man, and rituals are performed to protect crops and cattle, produce and people, to encourage growth and fertility.
Midsummer Celebration (Friday, June 21, 2024 — 8 PM Outdoor Rite)
Celebrate the seasons change! A Nature-centered night of pagan Litha traditions with Singing, S’Mores and a Sunset Labyrinth Walk lit by candlelight luminaria.
“Ostara: Celebrating the Spring Equinox”
with the Pagan Study Group
Alison Rognas leads this service on Sunday, March 17, 2024
Let the spirit of rebirth and renewal wash over you this Sunday as we gather to honor Ostara, the Spring Equinox. 🌷🌱
The UUFBR Pagan Study Group will guide us in an earthy celebration of the return of light and life through ancient rituals.
You will experience the spiritual power of attuning to nature’s cycles and participate in a sacred seed planting ceremony.
Winter Solstice Celebration (December 21, 2024)
🎄⛄️ Join us for a magical, musical night as we honor the winter solstice together. Let the solstice songs transport you, the stories enchant you, and the stillness center you to celebrate the Yuletide season. Come one, come all and celebrate the longest night of the year with communal joy, meaning, and wonder. As melodies fill the sanctuary, candles flicker – kindling connections new yet familiar. We gather to raise our voices and honor the return of light. ❄️🕯️
GROW YOUR INTUITIVE GIFTS
UUFBR Pagan Study Group thanks Erin Lee, medium and author of “Psychic Development: An Intermediate Guide”. Erin taught an introductory class on how to “Grow Your Intuitive Gifts” in November. We had a great turnout for those who are seek knowledge as they continue to develop and grow in their abilities. Watch a rebroadcast of the workshop from the UUFBR Instagram livestream, and discover more about your psychic and intuitive talents.
Samhain Service 2023: The UUFBR CUUPs group cordially invites you to “Your Third Death” (Sunday, October 29, 2023)
☀️ The Pagan Study Group lead the Samhain service Sun., Oct. 29th at the UU Fellowship of Boca Raton. To honor our ancestors who have passed on, as well as the spirits of this land, participants were asked to bring a photo or memento of a loved one who has passed on, human or animal. This time provided 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.” Email with any questions.
🧙♀️🎃🧙 October 31st is a cross-quarter day, about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. Samhain, one of the eight Wiccan sabbats observed during the year, is usually celebrated from October 31st to November 1st. Samhain is a pagan festival that originated from Celtic spiritual traditions, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, which the Celts associated with death (the Gaelic word “Samhain” translates to “summer’s end”). The Celts believed that on this day, the boundaries between the living and the dead are thought to be especially thin. Samhain is part of the origin of modern Halloween.
Mabon - The Feast of Ingathering
Baking bread and breaking bread together signifies more than just sharing food. It can also be an act of love and reconciliation. It pays homage to a bountiful harvest season and also brings together the flavors of the equinox in a way that’s deeply connected to our pagan practice.
Our hard workers scored a home run in removing forty pounds of trash, including a discarded baseball plate. The top five items* are as follows:
- Cigarette butts
- Food wrappers
- Beverage bottles and caps
- Plastic bags
- Plates (paper, plastic, and foam)
As the rainfall reminded us, litter from inland areas washes downstream. So if we can, let’s prevent University Woodlands park and playground from possibly polluting the ocean with marine debris. Thank you volunteers for tackling neighborhood garbage and help making a trash-free seashore!
