Within the world of agriculture, there is a vital part of crop growing known as letting land “lie fallow.” To fallow a piece of earth is to leave it deliberately unsown – to let it rest. This time of rest allows more fertility to gather in the soil, guaranteeing a better crop later. It is…
Category: Nature
When my spouse and I first got together, they hated winter. An early career spent outdoors in the worst of the weather caused a strong aversion to everything related to the months of the inward spiral. Seven years on, they’ve shifted their viewpoint to a grudging tolerance for the season and genuine enjoyment of some…
Sometime during summer, I go a little dormant. The high heat and humidity where I live in the mid-Atlantic weighs heavily on me. I begin to drift, to slip into the doldrums. I tend to slide out of my patterns of practice and choose checking out rather than dialing in. I go through the motions…
August can be tough in Maryland. The high heat and lack of rain (in some years) means that backyard gardeners like me often struggle to keep our vegetable and fruit beds happy. Air conditioners work overtime, and tempers can be a bit more volatile. When I’m nearing a high frustration point with the umpteenth 90-degree…
I recently accepted an invitation to become part of the writing rotation for the The Frederick News-Post ‘s ‘Words of Faith’ section – a column written by local leaders of various spiritual paths in the Frederick area. This is my first contribution to the column. Bright summer is upon us, and the change of seasons…
Like many Unitarian Universalists, the braid of my spirituality is made up of many strands. For me, one strand of belief originates in the far north – Scandinavia, Norway, and Iceland. I find the old myths and folklore compelling and resonant, touching a deep thread of spirit within me. One of the things I love…
Here in the mid-Atlantic, the winter birdsong is giving way to spring singers. There’s a rush of excitement in the air as returning species arrive and mate-seeking and nest-building begin. Birds have been referred to as the messengers of the gods in many different cultures. This connection of our winged companions to the Divine Ones…
One of the fun intersections in my life is the overlap of witchcraft and gardening. There is something powerfully satisfying about growing my own food. Equally, there is something powerfully magickal about working directly with the land spirits I live with. Those two streams combine to make one of the quietest but most profound sources…
This short sermon was offered for the December 13th, 2020, streaming service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Full text below. I sometimes joke that paganism is an unusually intense form of environmentalism. One of the common threads that comes up when talking to other pagans is that we were pretty feral as children. …
This sermon was for the August 2nd, 2020, service of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Sermon text below: My day begins in the garden right now. I hand water my vegetables, fruit, and flowers with water from rain barrels. There are more efficient ways to water a garden, but I’ve discovered that hand watering…