Eugene Covenant of UU Pagans

Summer Solstice and Flower Ceremony

2010-06-29T13:46:00.001-07:00

This year for Summer Solstice, CUUPs helped the UUCE perform Sunday service. They combined a CUUPs quarter calling with the UUCE traditional Flower Ceremony. Every member of the congregation bought a flower for the ceremony. CUUPs called the directions and helped with the service. After service, CUUPs helped perform the Flower Ceremony by handing out flowers to every member of the congregation. Everyone left with a different flower than they came with. CUUPs received many praises from members of the church.

Inviting the Fey

2010-04-22T17:50:00.000-07:00

On April 20th, Jodi and I took a trip to Lloyd Knox Park to invite the Fey to join us for the Emerald Valley Beltane to be held there on May 15th.

It was planned as a CUUPs potluck to go up during the day, to honor and invite the Fey of the area to attend the Emerald Valley Beltane. Unfortunately the weather was bad, so only one other CUUPs member showed up at the meeting place in Eugene. In spite of that, Jodi and I decided to go up anyway.

We had bought milk and honey as offerings for the Fey, and so we took those with us. When we got there, we enjoyed a picnic lunch that we had brought, before going around to various places that called to us. We left offerings of milk and honey at the bases of the large trees surrounding the shelter that we will be using, as well as those around the large clearing that we will be using that day.

After doing that, since it was raining, we decided to come home. Pictures are posted on the new photo gallery site.

New UUCE Church Blessing

2010-04-22T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Eugene has a new home!
The UUCE has outgrown its current home on 40th and Donald, and so a new building is needed. With that in mind, the UUCE finalized the purchase of the Scottish Rite Temple on 13th and Chambers in Eugene in late March, with the intention of making our new church home.

It was decided that the old energy from the previous occupants needed to be cleared out, and the Spirit of UUCE invited into the new building. With that in mind, CUUPs, as well as a couple of other groups from the UUCE, had a meeting and put together a cleansing and blessing ceremony. Everyone was invited to attend.

We had about 15 in attendance for the clearing, with 35 in attendance for the blessing ceremony. To start off, we went through every room of the new building, opening all the doors and cupboards, repeating a banishing chant in each room, while ringing bells, shaking rattles, and beating drums, to drive out the old energy. Even the loft and the area under the stage were not left out. Then, once everyone else had shown up at the appointed time, it was time to cast the circle, and do the water blessing.

One of our CUUPs members marked the circle with a very large sword. She also drew the invoking pentacle once each quarter was called at the appropriate areas outside of the building. While she was marking the circle, the rest of us followed behind her, beating drums, shaking rattles, and ringing bells to raise energy.

Once the circle was cast, we all went back into the entryway of the building, and sat in a circle around the alter. One of our UUCE members started the water blessing ceremony by pouring a small amount of water that she had brought into a large bowl, while saying what she wished for the new building. Then she took a small amount of salt from a dish on the alter and dropped it into the large bowl with the water, to purify the water. Then we were all invited to come up and do the same with water that we had either brought with us from home, or with the blessed water that the UUCE had provided for the occasion. Things wished included Joy, Learning, Reason, Love, Respect, Laughter, Fun, and Tolerance. It was a very laughter-filled ceremony.

Once that was done, the water was ladled out into smaller dishes, which were passed out to attendees, along with sprigs of lavender and rosemary. The instructions were given to go into every room in the building and sprinkle water around, while closing doors, cupboards and drawers that had been left open. Each water bearer had others with them making joyful noise to welcome the Spirit of UUCE into the building.

When the whole building had been covered, we gathered in one of the largest rooms, and closed the ceremony with a song and a chant, followed by fellowship over some refreshments.

New pages are up!

2010-04-22T04:58:00.000-07:00

We have two new web pages up, thanks to Rozaylia and her business, GIS and Beyond!
We now have two new web pages up. One page is our public photo gallery, which includes a calendar of CUUPs events. From this page, members can also access the second page, which includes private photos.

The reason for the separation, is that not all members are comfortable with their faces being shown in public pictures, for various personal reasons. We respect that, and have created a photo gallery just for those photos that show faces. To receive access to this page, you must be a member of the UUCE CUUPs group.

We hope you enjoy the new additions!

March Full Moon Ritual

2010-04-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

Every month, CUUPs holds a full moon ritual. This month it was lead by our Chairperson, Elan, and was referred to as a "kindergarten ritual" since we were getting in touch with our inner child through crafts.

At the full moon ritual for March, we had 6 people in attendance. Prior to the night of the ritual, our Chairperson, Elan, had sent out a request via the CUUPs listserv that any attendees bring pictures of certain animals for a project to be completed that night.

After setting the circle on the night of the ritual, Elan brought out a folding poster board, and invited us all to get in touch with our inner child by doing a craft. The craft was to choose pictures of the different animals, cut them out, and glue them to the poster board. The board would then be brought to CUUPs events. The animals were chosen because they were found to be power animals during the journeying at Ostara. Represented among the menagarie were flamingos, owls, otters, sharks, wolves, white peacocks, and orcas, all on a background of the Willamette River.

We all had a good laugh at the account of one of the journeys. Apparently, one of the members was led by Otter to Beaver, but when Beaver was asked if he would be a power animal for CUUPs, he refused, citing that because this group was located in Eugene, he had better not.

After a very productive evening making the montage, we closed circle at around 9pm, and went our separate ways. As always, though the circle may be open, it is never broken, for even as we part, we hope to meet again.

Ostara Ritual at Belknap Hot Springs

2010-04-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ostara celebrates the Spring Equinox. This year CUUPs decided to do some traveling for our celebration on that day.

We all met at Elan’s apartment at 9:30 AM, on March 20th. After discussing carpooling arrangements, and directing those who would be late over the telephone, we headed out to Belknap Hot Springs.
On the way, we stopped to visit the site for Emerald Valley Beltane. We spent about 30 minutes looking over the site and offering comments and suggestions. We spent more time than we had planned there due to a miss-communication between Elan and the drivers, but once we got everything worked out, we set out on our way.

We arrived at Belknap Hot Springs at 12 PM and discussed what we wanted to do first. Consensus said that we wanted to have lunch first, so we proceeded to set up an area for all of us to eat around. Two picnic tables were placed together and food spread out so we could eat.

Our late comers arrived just as we finished lunch. As we put things away, they ate. After lunch was concluded and everything put away we decided to hike to the ritual space first, and then swim in the pool later.

The ritual took place in a location called the Circular Garden. Everyone placed items that were sacred to them around a circular fountain. Elan provided colored eggs that were placed around the items on this alter. Everyone stood around the fountain/alter and held hands. The spirits of the east, south, west and north were called to join the circle as well as many gods and goddesses named and unnamed. A candle was lit after the calling of spirits, gods and goddesses, for the spirit of community. Blessings were shared all around the circle, and we sang Happy Birthday to Elan whose birthday fell on Ostara this year.

Water and cupcake communion was then performed where each member of the circle drank from the water and said to the next person in the circle “Drink Deep.” The next member replied with “Never Thirst.” Then each member gave a blessing to the next and fed them a piece of cupcake.

Next, Elan suggested a part of the ritual where we each paired with a member that we did not know very well and stare into each others eyes for around a minute.

Elan then provided us with a colored egg tradition followed by her family. We tossed the eggs into the fountain and then later into the river. The eggs serve as a reminder to the fairies to come and help everything bud and bloom.

Finally the circle was closed by putting out the candles and inviting the spirits, gods and goddesses to go or stay as they chose and for community to please remain.

Then everyone hiked back to the pool and spent the rest of the afternoon having a swim. During the time in the pool, those who were willing, journeyed to find power animals for CUUPs.