Author Archives: John

About John

I grew up in Tennessee with the woods right outside my back door. Wandering through them gave me a sense of connection to Nature and to a certain Forest God. I'm a Druid in the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), a member of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), a member of Denton CUUPS, and a former Vice President of CUUPS Continental. I've been writing, speaking, teaching, and leading public rituals since 2003. My books The Path of Paganism (2017) and Paganism In Depth (2019) are published by Llewellyn Worldwide.

CUUPS Officer Elections

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At our Fall Social Gathering and 2016 Planning Meeting last Sunday, Denton CUUPS elected officers for the 2015-16 chapter year which begins on November 1.

John Beckett was re-elected Coordinating Officer, Bonnie Davidson was re-elected Events Coordinator, and Cynthia Talbot was re-elected Treasurer.

Linda Masten was elected Membership Officer, resuming a position she held two years ago. Wren Kelly and Roq Hodge will share the Education Officer slot. In addition to coordinating CUUPS classes and monitoring community announcements for educational opportunities, Roq and Wren will look for ways to expand our community outreach and our social media presence.

We also approved our 2016 calendar – it’s available on our Circles and Service page.

Labyrinth Prep

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We build our spiral labyrinth with tea candles and baby food jars.  All but a few of the jars haven’t been used since the last labyrinth four years ago, and they’ve been sitting in old cardboard boxes in a not-too-secure storage shed all that time.  They were dirty.

Samhain 2015 prep 01So we brought them home, cleaned them out, and washed them.  They’re not clean enough to put food in, but they’ll be bright and clear with a new candle in them, and there are no dry leaves or dead bugs to catch on fire when we light them.

Samhain 2015 prep 04There was an unintended blood sacrifice.  The metal base of the old tea candles is sharp if you catch it at the right angle… and I did.

See you all at Samhain on Saturday, October 31!

Samhain 2015 prep 05

Samhain – The Spiral Labyrinth

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Saturday, October 31
gathering begins at 7:00 PM
ritual begins promptly at 7:30 PM

Please join the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans on Saturday, October 31 as we celebrate Samhain, the final harvest festival of the year.   We will gather at DUUF at 7:00 pm and begin promptly at 7:30 pm.

This is Samhain, the season of the Thinning of the Veil, when the ordinary world and the world of the Gods and Ancestors draw close, and perhaps, overlap. As you walk the Spiral Labyrinth, we encourage you to listen. Listen for your beloved ancestors and listen for the Gods and Goddesses of our ancestors.

In case of inclement weather, the Spiral Labyrinth will be set up in Miller Hall.

Please bring a picture or other memento for our Altar of the Ancestors. Please bring an item of food or drink to share after the ceremony.  Donations of a dollar or three to help defray expenses will be appreciated but are not required.

Children who can participate maturely and respectfully are welcome to join in.  We will have childcare for younger children.

For more information, please contact John Beckett at JohnFranc@aol.com or 972-948-9211

Samhain-2011

Gleichentag

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The Autumn Equinox
Saturday September 12, 2015
Gathering begins at 7:00 PM
Ritual begins promptly at 7:30 PM

Please join Denton CUUPS for our Autumn Equinox celebration of the Norse festival of Gleichentag. The day when light and dark are equal and the celebration of the second harvest of the grain was a time to take stock of the year, to gather together and share food and drink with each other, the landvettir, ancestor spirits, and the gods of the harvest time. We will be holding a feast as part of the ritual, or as the Norse would have commonly called their High Day rites, a symbul or blot, where we will share food and drink amongst those here, and with all those who come in peace to join us for feasting and song.

The first part of the celebration will be outside (weather permitting, which it usually is this time of year) and the ritual feast will be inside in the RE wing. Please bring a dish to share if you wish, and a favorite poem, reading or song if you want to honor you ancestors, spirits, or deities aloud.

Children 10 and older who can participate respectfully are welcome to attend with a parent/guardian. We will have childcare available for younger children.

For questions or information, please contact Cyn Talbot at Amalleigh@msn.com, or John Beckett at 972-948-9211 or JohnFranc@aol.com

cornfield McKinney August 2014 b

Hermaea: A Rite of Hermes

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Saturday, August 8
at the Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
1111 Cordell Street – Denton, TX 76201
gathering begins at 7:00 PM, ritual begins promptly at 7:30 PM

Please join us for our celebration of the Hermaea, our reimagining of an ancient Hellenic festival in honor of Hermes, God of Travelers and Messenger of the Gods. We will tell a story of Hermes, make offerings, draw omens, and contemplate our own travels through life.

Please bring an item of food or drink for the social hour afterwards. This ritual is suitable for children 10 and up. We will have childcare available for younger children.

For more information, please contact John Beckett at JohnFranc@aol.com or 972-948-9211.

pouring offering high res

Preparing the Way of the Gods

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Later this month, polytheists from all over North America will gather in Olympia, Washington for Many Gods West, a celebration of ancient, continuous, and revived polytheist and animist traditions.

Denton CUUPS Coordinating Officer John Beckett will be presenting at this conference, but those of us in North Texas have a chance to hear his presentation first.  John will be presenting “Preparing the Way of the Gods” at the Denton UU Fellowship at 1:00 on Saturday, July 18 and everyone is invited.

Preparing the Way of the Gods

As Paganism and polytheism continue to grow, many of us feel the need for infrastructure and institutions.  We want temples, groves of oaks, paid clergy, and many of the things we see in the “big religions.”  On the other hand, some of us want nothing to do with anything that even resembles mainstream religion.

How do we make sure what we build serves our needs and the needs of those who come after us?  How do we prepare the Way of the Gods?

The presentation will run about an hour and there will be a discussion period afterward.

Everyone is welcome.  For more information, contact John Beckett at JohnFranc@aol.com

Neteru SS 2015

Egyptian Summer Solstice

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Saturday, June 20
gathering begins at 7:00 PM, ritual begins promptly at 7:30 PM
at the Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
1111 Cordell Street
Denton, TX 76201

Chaos rules the land,
disorder and strife have overtaken our lives,
and has for days and years and lifetimes.
— the Westcar Papyrus, 1700 BCE

As it was before, so it is again.  The ancient Egyptians had rituals to rebuild the temples and to re-establish the ways of Ma’at, the Goddess of Truth and Justice.  For our 12th annual Egyptian Summer Solstice, we will adapt these rituals to our place and time.

We will honor the Neteru, the Gods and Goddesses of ancient Egypt.  And we will commit ourselves to live in harmony with the land, with the blessed dead, and with the ways of Ma’at.

Please bring an item of food or drink to share after the ceremony. Donations of 2-3 dollars to help offset expenses will be appreciated but are not required.

For more information, please contact John Beckett at JohnFranc@aol.com or 972-948-9211.

Egyptian Summer Solstice 2015

Beltane

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Miss our Beltane ritual?  A recap is on John Beckett’s blog:  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2015/05/beltane-an-inclusive-ritual-that-works.html

And pictures are on our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.893270694055004.1073741845.169263913122356&type=3

Our next ritual is our Egyptian Summer Solstice on June 20.  Here’s what we did last year:  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2014/06/egyptian-summer-solstice-4.html

Beltane 2015 15