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.

Beltane – Saturday May 2

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Denton CUUPS Beltane Circle

Saturday, May 2
Gathering begins at 7:00 PM
Ritual begins promptly at 7:30 PM

In the ancient Celtic lands, Beltane marked the end of Winter and the beginning of Summer. Here in North Texas, it’s our celebration of Spring in all its lusty fullness.

Please join us as we celebrate the season and honor the Gods, ancestors, and spirits of the land. We’ll dance the Maypole to weave good fortune for the coming season, and we’ll dance the Spiral Dance to energize our intentions and work our Will, as we work to protect the Land from those who would exploit it.

This will be an outdoor, family-friendly circle.

Gathering begins at 7:00 PM and the ritual begins promptly at 7:30. We’ll be outdoors for the entire ritual unless it’s raining.

Please bring an item of food or drink to share after the ceremony. As always, a donation of a dollar or three to help defray costs are appreciated, but not required.

See you there!

Beltane flyer 2015

Imbolc

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Nine the gifts of Brighid Bright
Nine the fire of Brighid’s Night
Nine the forges and directions named
Nine the fires of blessings gained.

Saturday, January 31
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

The halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox has been known by many names, including Candlemas, Brighid’s Day and Groundhog Day.  We call it Imbolc, a time of rebirth and rejuvenation. It is a time to awaken from our Winter slumber, and like the burrowing animals, emerge from the darkness and sniff the air made fresh with snow.

Come join the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans as we honor Brighid and Lugh, and as we welcome the waxing light and the first signs of Spring.

This ritual is suitable for all ages.  Childcare for small children can be arranged if requested by January 24.

Please bring an item of food or drink to share after the ceremony.  Donations of a dollar or three to defray costs are welcome but not required.

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

Imbolc flyer 2015

Communicating With Your Neighbors

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  • Communicating With Your Neighbors – Land Spirits and UU Pagans
  • at the Denton UU Fellowship
  • three class meetings:
    • Saturday, January 10
    • Saturday, January 24
    • Sunday February 15
  • 2:00 to 5:00 PM

Before Europeans came to Texas and before the First Nations arrived, they were here.  Some call them fae, some call them vaettir, some call them land spirits or just the spirits of this place.  Some see them mythically and some see them mystically, but in our age of hypermaterialism most don’t see them at all.

Whatever you call them, they are our neighbors and it is polite to be neighborly towards them.  It’s also wise – we share the land with them and we have a common interest in honoring and protecting the land.  This will be a three-session experience-oriented class in communicating with the land spirits.

There is no charge for this class, but donations are requested.  This class is “family friendly” and is appropriate for older children.  We are unable to provide childcare for younger children at this event.

04.19.14 04 darker

An Introduction to Modern Pagan Religion

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  • Introduction to Modern Pagan Religion
  • Saturday, January 17, 1:00 to 5:00
  • at the Denton UU Fellowship

Are you curious about modern Pagan religion?  Would you like to hear about it from people who’ve been practicing it for years?  Are you on a Wiccan, Druid, or another Pagan spiritual path and would like some live instruction to complement your reading and other solitary practice?  Have you outgrown the many Wicca 101 books but are unsure how to move on?

This will be our 5th time holding this popular class.  We’ll cover the beliefs and practices of our ancient ancestors, the origins of Wicca and other modern Pagan religions, basic spiritual concepts and how different Pagans understand them, the role of Nature in our beliefs and practices, and the essentials of personal spiritual practice.

flyer for Paganism class 2014

Yule – The Winter Solstice

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Denton CUUPS Yule Circle
Saturday, December 20
Gathering begins at 7:00 PM – Ritual begins promptly at 7:30

Please join the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans as we celebrate Yule, the Winter Solstice. Gathering begins at 7:00 PM and the ritual begins promptly at 7:30. On this longest night, we turn our minds to the waning of the dark and the rebirth of the Sun. As we celebrate this season of tradition with new beginnings, new hopes and new dreams, take a moment out of the cold and dreary winter to embrace the possibilities of the year to come.

Children 10 and older who can participate respectfully are welcome to attend with a parent/guardian. Childcare WILL be provided for younger children.

Please bring a dish to share for the potluck after the ceremony. Donations of a dollar or three to defray costs are welcome but not required

For questions or information, please contact John Beckett at JohnFranc@aol.com.

Come experience the mystery of the Winter Solstice!

Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
1111 Cordell Street
Denton, TX 76201

DIRECTIONS: From I-35, exit US-380 (University Drive) eastbound. Go approximately 1.8 miles east on University, then turn right (south) onto Fulton Street. Go three blocks, turn right (west) on Cordell. DUUF is on the left, on the southwest corner of Fulton and Cordell – our illuminated sign is on the corner.

Yule flyer 2014

2015 CUUPS Calendar

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Last Sunday we held our annual planning meeting and set the calendar for 2015.  Most of our events will be held at DUUF and they’ve now been loaded on the DUUF building usage calendar, meaning they’re firm.

Our calendar is now available on this website.  Rituals and service projects are here:

http://www.dentoncuups.org/calendar/

Classes and special events are here:

http://www.dentoncuups.org/classes-and-special-events/

We do our best to keep you informed via our e-mail list and on Facebook, but please remember you can always find the current calendar on the website.

thanks,

John Beckett
Coordinating Officer
Denton CUUPS

CUUPS Revisioning Survey

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CUUPS-logo-largeThe Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans is beginning an intensive process of revisioning and we need your help.

Our goal is to produce a mission and vision statement that will set the high-level direction for CUUPS and for building a shared sense of identity and purpose. We want to include all our stakeholders: CUUPS members, UU-friendly Pagans, and Pagan-friendly UUs – if you have an opinion on what CUUPS is and what it should be, we want to hear from you.

The first survey is open now and we encourage you to complete it:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CUUPS_Revisioning_1

This first survey focuses on demographics and identity. It is designed to find out who we are, how we see ourselves, how we relate to CUUPS, other Paganisms, and UUism, and what we think/believe about various concepts that frequently come up in Pagan conversations.

The question of what we do will be the focus of the second survey.

We want to identify our common principles and values. Who are we? What do we do? What is UU Paganism as it’s actually practiced? Is there something unique that can be called UU Paganism? Our foundation will be built on who and what we are, here and now, warts and all.

Then we’ll talk about who and what we want to become. What do we keep? What do we change? And perhaps most importantly, what do we want CUUPS to be and do strongly enough to commit to doing the work necessary to create it?

More details about the revisioning process can be found on the CUUPS webpage:

http://www.cuups.org/about/revisioningfaq.html

Please share the survey with anyone who would have an opinion on Paganism within Unitarian Universalism.