Context is everything

May 15, 2013 By 2 Comments
Inner workings by puimun

The inner work and the outward sign Viewed outside the context of their meaning and purpose, rituals can often look silly. When I first saw a CUUPs ritual online, I thought, why are they lighting a candle in a chalice? This was because I was viewing the ritual through a Wiccan lens, and in Wicca, a chalice represents water, and is used for drinking consecrated wine. Whereas if you view the lighting of a chalice through the lens of Unitarian and UU symbolism, it makes perfect sense. The … [Read more...]

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Tradition

April 20, 2013 By 3 Comments
Tree with birds, by Mary Hart

Tradition is something that grows and evolves. It is not set in stone, but is more like a discourse; if you start with a particular set of premises, ideas and values, you will get further ideas and practices that are consistent with the initial set of ideas. Religious traditions evolve according to social, cultural, and political circumstances. For example, a Catholic community in India had the tradition of having a procession in honour of the Virgin Mary. It was a particular honour to carry a … [Read more...]

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Maps and signposts on the journey

January 5, 2013 By 6 Comments
Signpost on Robin Hood Road near Whatstandwell, Derbyshire by Eamon Curry

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular … [Read more...]

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