A sound bath can help ground you deeply when meditation is not enough

Last updated on: December 1, 2022 at 3:43 am By Ann Trip

Recently, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey’s Mental Health Task Force held a Creative Arts Wellness Day. This was perfect timing for me. For the past two months my mom has been in the hospital and rehab interchangeably. The task force held three workshops — Sound Rejuvenation, Fiber Fun and Soulful Collage simultaneously. I chose the Sound Rejuvenation which was a sound bath led by Scarlet Gorton, MDiv and MSW. Gorton is a sound practitioner who works with... Read more

Don’t let Fear control you — conquer and destroy it

Last updated on: October 31, 2022 at 3:58 am By Ann Trip

Fear is a word we all are all accustomed to in some degree or another. For me, it is something I know far too well. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey’s recent service “Courage to Grow” dealt with fear. The whole month the congregation focused on courage as part of the Soul Matters program. The skit based on the Buddhist tale – “The Way out of Fear,” had a student warrior battle with fear. The Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael,... Read more

Daydreaming, astral travel, planning ahead — they’re all related

Last updated on: September 30, 2022 at 4:34 am By Ann Trip

About a month ago I was sitting in the sanctuary readying myself for the weekly worship run through. Looking over the script up in the Tech Booth, I immediately see the headline for that week’s sermon — daydreaming. I thought that sounded very interesting to me and wondered where it was going. I didn’t have time to read it, nor do I particularly like reading the sermon beforehand. Unfortunately, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey had a tragedy... Read more

My Pagan view of the deities — what God is and what they are not

Last updated on: August 31, 2022 at 12:38 am By Ann Trip

A recent Sunday morning, the Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael, senior co-minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, NJ had us thinking. He asked, “What would you say God is? What would you say God is not?” in his similarly titled sermon. There were many different responses to these questions and all like-minded and agreeable to a point. However, there were no Pagan responses that I heard in person or have yet seen online. I was running the live stream, other... Read more

Change happens — let it roll — go with the ebb and flow

Last updated on: July 30, 2022 at 5:54 pm By Ann Trip

The only constant is change. This is true with everything that we do in life. The Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael, senior co-minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, NJ reminded me of that. She wrote in our summer gazette about the way things in the congregation are changing, partly due to the pandemic. One example is our virtual-only participants — some from outside of New Jersey. However, other adaptations and growth include our soon to be new music intern and... Read more

Celebrate our blessings and then take a stand

Last updated on: July 8, 2022 at 1:40 am By Ann Trip

What a month… June had its ups and it had its downs for all of us. Following the Soul Matter’s monthly themes this month the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey focused on “celebrating blessings.” Since the Supreme Court’s terrible decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, many people, especially women, are not feeling so blessed. In addition, there is talk on outlawing contraceptives and then same sex marriages and other LGTBQIA+ rights. Florida already has the “Don’t Say Gay”... Read more

Threshold Magick for Troubled Times

Last updated on: June 15, 2022 at 3:47 am By Irene Glasse

When the world gets scary, the comfort of home becomes even more important. We need places where we can let our guard down – where the hypervigilance so many of us adopted during the pandemic can ease a little bit. For a lot of us, relaxing has become difficult. Devices that keep us connected to the 24 hour news cycle constantly ping with new stimuli. The social media worlds that bring us so much joy also bring stress and sadness... Read more

There is beauty in ritual without the glitz and glamour

Last updated on: May 29, 2022 at 2:22 am By Ann Trip

This month the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, New Jersey, where I attend, is focusing on the theme of beauty. Beauty is everywhere, especially in nature. The Rev. Scott Sammler-Michael said in his sermon that entire industries criticize how we look. He said they tell lies that we need certain make-up, surgery, or some new diet to begin to approach “beauty.” This made me think about our rituals and how we are always looking for the perfect items to make... Read more

Earth Day 2022: 52 years of awareness – let’s continue the effort…

Last updated on: April 23, 2022 at 3:37 am By Ann Trip

Well it is Earth Day again, so let’s start… Hmmm I have always found that so odd. We are going to begin now, but there are 365 days in a year and it’s now 2022… start already! This will be the 52nd Earth Day celebration, which brings awareness to all about environmental concerns. These issues have been around far longer than we would care to recognize. Think how long we knew that single-use plastic is not good for the environment.... Read more

Spring is here! Plant seeds to work on your physical & mental gardens

Last updated on: March 23, 2022 at 3:17 am By Ann Trip

Spring conventionally arrived on Sunday, March 20. Yes, as Pagans, we held rituals and welcomed Ostara, or if you are Druid as I am – Alban Eilir. This is only the beginning though. Seeds, just like the spells we create, take more than uttering words. There is work involved, lots of work. Spring is a time for renewal, a rebirth in many ways. Life begins again all around us. The leaf buds begin sprouting, pollen is active, and we allergy... Read more