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.

Gleichentag: The Autumn Equinox

Gleichentag: The Autumn Equinox

Saturday September 13, 2014
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. Childcare will be provided for younger children if requested by September 9.

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

Herakleia

Herakleia
Saturday, August 2
gathering begins at 7:00 PM
ritual begins promptly at 7:30 PM

Please join us for our celebration of the Herakleia, a ritual honoring the life and death of Herakles, otherwise known as Hercules. We will hear his story and honor him. We will also honor Hera and Athena, two goddesses who played vital roles in his ascension to godhood.

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.

Children 10 and older who can participate maturely and be respectful of the sacred nature of this circle are welcome. We will offer childcare for younger children if requested by Tuesday, July 29.

For more information, please contact Conor Warren at conorwarren@my.unt.edu or 940-300-2875

Herakles and Athena

Winter Finding moved up 1 week

Due to scheduling conflicts, our Winter Finding circle has been moved up 1 week, from September 20 to September 13.

This will be our second celebration of Winter Finding, an observance of the Fall Equinox which honors our Norse, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon ancestors and the deities they worshipped.

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Meeting Your Neighbors

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Before the first 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 and however you conceive of 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 Summer, the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans will hold a short-term class titled “Meeting Your Neighbors – Interacting With the Spirits of the Land.” We’ll cover ways to introduce yourself to the land spirits, ways to listen to them, and ways to put your experiences of them into action to care for the Land, the Sky, and the Sea.

These classes will be held at Cynthia’s house in Denton. We’ll meet from 2:00 PM till 5:00 PM on three Sunday afternoons:

June 8
June 29
July 13

All are welcome who will approach our neighbors with honor and respect.

Egyptian Summer Solstice

Saturday, June 21
gathering begins at 7:00 PM
ritual begins promptly at 7:30 PM

For the 11th consecutive year Denton CUUPS will present a Summer Solstice ritual dedicated to the Neteru, the Gods and Goddesses of ancient Egypt.  Our ritual is a modern adaptation of ancient Egyptian practices, drawn from the Pyramid Texts, the Book of the Dead, and other sacred writings. Expect a spirit of absolute reverence and awe for the Divine, and to walk away with a unique Pagan experience like no other.

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.

Children 10 and older who can participate maturely and be respectful of the sacred nature of this circle are welcome.  We will offer childcare for younger children if requested by Tuesday, June 18.

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Adopt-a-Spot Cleanup Postponed

The weather is unfavorable for outdoor activities today.  We might be able to get the cleanup done, or we might not, or – the big concern – we might get started and then have severe weather pop up suddenly.

We’ll reschedule for 12:45 PM on Sunday, May 4.  This is the Sunday after our Beltane circle – seeing as how it’s after noon, being out late the night before shouldn’t be a problem.

Beltane – May 3

Denton CUUPS Beltane: The Four Hallows of the Tuatha De Danann
Saturday, May 3
Gather at 7:00 PM, start promptly at 7:30

Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
1111 Cordell Street, Denton, TX 76201

The Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans invites you to join us for our Beltane circle.  We will begin with our traditional Maypole dance, then explore The Four Hallows of the Tuatha De Danann.

When the Tuatha De Danann – the children of the Goddess Danu – invaded Ireland, they brought with them the Four Hallows, four items of Otherworldly origin.  They are The Sword of Nuada – no one ever escaped from it once it was drawn, and no one could resist it; The Spear of Lugh – no battle was ever sustained against it, or against the warrior who carried it; The Cauldron of the Dagda – no company ever went away from it unsatisfied; and The Lia Fail – the stone that would cry out in the presences of the true King.

Though the Hallows are represented by objects, they are more than things.  Our ritual will explore their essence and how we can work with them to learn and grow, and to do the work of the Gods in our world.

Our circle will be outdoors unless it is raining – please dress for the weather.

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.

Children 10 and older who can participate maturely and respectfully are welcome to join in.  Childcare for younger children will be available if requested by Tuesday, April 29.

Magical Theory and Practice

Magic: the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.

The classic definition of magic has stood for a hundred years because it accurately describes what magic does.  But how does magic work?  Some say it works through the intercession of gods and spirits.  Some say it works through the manipulation of unseen forces.  And others say it works through psychological programming.

In 2014, the Denton Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans will explore the nature of magic in a series of classes.  We’ll cover the theory of magic, the laws that describe how it works, and the structure of magical workings.  We’ll cover both high magic (the refinement of the soul) and low magic (spells that get stuff done).

Our primary text will be Real Magic by Isaac Bonewits.

Classes will meet in the RE Wing on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  Meeting dates are:

January 15
January 29
February 12
February 26
March 12
April 2

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

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