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Last Call for CUUPS Convo

Last Call for CUUPS Convo

Last updated on: August 26, 2016 at 4:55 am by David Pollard

Last Call for CUUPS Convo 2016-08-26T04:55:14+00:00 David Pollard

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First Church Unitarian in Salem, MA.

It’s finally here – the 2016 CUUPS Convocation starts this (Fri. August 26) afternoon at First Church Unitarian in Salem Massachusetts. You can find the program book here.

Registration is still OPEN! You can either Register Online. Or you can register at the event. It is $125 for the full weekend, or $65 for Saturday only.

Here are our featured guests for the weekend:

Shirley Ranck – UU Minister, Author of Cakes for the Queen of Heaven Byron Ballard – NC Appalachian village witch, Author of Staubs and

Ditchwater & Asfidity and Mad-Stones

John Beckett – Druid from Texas, Author of Blog Under the Ancient Oaks

Amy Beltaine – UU Minister from Oregon. Supports UU seminarians & ministers interested in Earth-Relating Spirituality.

Gypsy Ravish – Song Writer & Singer from Salem, Recordings include Enchantress & Spirit Nation

Karragan Griffth & Jimahl DiFiosa – Inspiration for With Love From Salem Stephen Burton – Member Beaufort, SC UU & Ancient Sea Island Continuum

Debra GIlbert – Secretary & Member of the CUUPS Board of Trustees. A CUUPS chapter coordinator.

Jim Norris – Member of the Herb Society of America and the New Bedford & Middleboro, MA CUUPS.

Nikki LaMothe – craftperson at Coven’s Cottage in Salem Tony Beal – Storyteller

Friday Events

2-8pm Registration – Entrance Foyer
Grab Dinner on you own before the evening activities

7-8pm Welcome & Opening Ritual – Garden or Sanctuary

8-9pm Presenters Round Table (Subject TBD) – Basement Room

9-10pm Workshop or Exploring the City

Saturday Events

8:30-9:15am Keynote / Byron Ballard / Can You Blessed Be?
We use this phrase as a salutation or exclamation but how would life be different if we thought of it as a dance, like the tango? Imagine going through your daily life dropping a blessing here and there—to the check-out person at the grocery store or the busy neighbor on the other side of the fence. Join Byron Ballard for an exploration of this ancient dance and discover the deeper meaning in your own complicated life. – Basement Room

– Basement Room

9:30-10:30am Workshops

Daily Spiritual Practice for Pagans / John Beckett How do we go about living as Pagans on a daily basis in a world that makes ever-increasing demands on our time and whose values are frequently at odds with our own? It can be done – it just takes practice. This workshop will discuss universal spiritual practice techniques, how to practice them in a Pagan context, and how to begin or expand a daily spiritual practice of your own.

In this workshop presentation, information on serving those who are Pagan and incarcerated will be discussed. How is CUUPS serving inmates and those being released? What are some of the statistics and best practices? Why is this sacred work important?

CUUPS & Prison Ministry: A Call to Assist and Heal / Stephen Burton & Colleagues

– Cleveland Room

10:45-11:45am Workshops

So You Want to Be A Witch? / Gypsy Ravish Come for an informal candlelight discus- sion about Witchcraft, Wicca and what it is to be a Witch in today’s world. We will look at the high standards, integrity and wisdom needed. More than a fashion statement, and cult of personality. A mystery tradition for our inner and outer worlds and the evolution of hu- manity and our planet. – Cleveland Room

Herbal Intention Bundle Workshop / Nikki LaMothe For centuries, herbs have been used for magical purposes and in rituals. In this hands on workshop, you will choose your herbs and craft your own Intention Herbal Bundle for use in your home or magical space. You are invited to bring your bundles to the Community Meal & Ritual on Saturday evening.

– Basement Room

Earth-Relating Clergy Round-Table: Authenticity & Identity in the UUMA / Amy Beltaine A gathering of UU Clergy (and soon-to-be clergy). Come share experiences and provide support for one-another’s journeys. – Sanctuary or Downstairs Class Room

11:45 – 12:45 pm Workshops

Reclaiming Our Ancient Heritage of Peace / Rev. Shirley Ranck Pictures & archeologi- cal information about peaceful civilizations in the very ancient world; discussion questions concerning the possibilities for peace today. – Cleveland Room

Old Wild Magic of the Motherlands / Byron Ballard Byron’s latest research involves trac- ing her Appalachian folk magic practice to its roots in the British Isles. The charms, spells and talismans that crossed with those ragged immigrants from Scotland, Yorkshire, Cornwall and Cumbria are little known and very interesting. Weather workings, healing charms, curses & blessings–all handed down to us from a by-gone age. – Basement Room

12:45 – 1:45 pm Lunch (See the map and listings in the Salem Visitor Guide.)

Pick-up Meal Contributions A good time to bring your contributions to the evening’s meal to the kitchen. See the list of area markets and libation locations. Steve’s Market and Milk and Honey are both about a block and a half from the church.

2:00 – 2:40 pm Keynote Speaker / John Beckett / Mission and Vision: What Your Chapter, Church & Members Can Learn from the 2014 CUUPS Surveys – Basement Room

The 2014 Revisioning surveys gathered data from over 300 CUUPS members,

Pagan-friendly UUs, and UU-friendly Pagans. This keynote presentation will discuss some unexpected results and how we can use them to make our chapters more welcoming to potential members, more relevant in our communities, and more meaningful to us all.
– Basement Room

2:45-3:45 pm Workshops

For over a year, Jerrie & Shirley have been working on a book of this name in collaboration with Skinner House Press. We will share that journey and share the breakthrough the book is, how it came together, and the challenges we faced. – Basement Room

UU Pagan & Earth Centered Voices of UUism / Jerrie Hildebrand & Shirley Ranck

A look at how to be in right relationship with your CUUPS group, and how your congrega- tion can benefit from the richness of the Earth-Relating and Pagan paths. All who identify as clergy are invited to join the conversation – Cleveland Room

Ministry with Earth-Relating/Pagan Congregants & Community / Rev. Amy Beltaine

The Pagan Classroom / Debra Gilbert Have you ever heard the saying, “when the student is ready, the teacher will come”? This workshop outlines of how to create a successful learning experience that involves seekers, those new to earth based spirituality and those who are experienced practitioners, all in the same classroom. I will give possible topic selections, tools on how to engage your students and my personal reflections of what has and has not worked. A great workshop for Religious Educators! – Basement Class Room

4:00-5:00 pm Workshops

The Spirit-Haunted Landscape: the Spirits of the Land & of Our Ancestors / Byron Ballard Is there a Faery at the bottom of your garden? A djinn in the chicken house? Does the time between the Autumn Equinox and Samhain see your home filled with the discarnate spirits of your too-helpful Ancestors? Byron Ballard will review some techniques for working with these familiar spirits in the Appalachian tradition. – Basement Room

The Witches Herb Garden, The Legends & Lore of Herbs / Jim Norris Jim has been
a member of the Herb Society of America over 40 years. The study of herbs has been his avocation & for his theme herb garden, he chose the Witches’ Herb Garden. He lectures for local garden clubs in Southeastern MA. and last herb lecture was at the Blarney Castle at their Poison Garden in 2015 in Ireland. – Cleveland Room

Storytelling as a Spiritual Practice / Tony Beal This workshop will consist of a brief lec- ture on my personal experience of using Storytelling as a means to cope with life’s prob- lems, inspire those around us, and even as a conduit for raising energy. We will discuss multiple topics. Bring notebooks. – Basement Class Room

5:15-6:00 pm Keynote / Shirley Ranck / Thea/ology of the Chambered Nautilus A look at one of the beautiful treasures of the ocean and the metaphor it may be for a thea/ology of the 21st century. – Basement Room

6:00pm-6:30 pm BREAK Bring your contributions to the evening’s meal to the kitchen.

6:30-8:00 pm Community Meal & Ritual / Movie – Basement Room
– Pasta Bar (Veggie Noodles, Rice Noodles, Plain Noodles)
– Sauces (Marinara, Meat, Pesto, Asian)
– Community Salad (Bring something to add to the salad)
– Breads
– Assorted Cookies & Fruit
– Coffee, Ice Tea, Water, Lemonade (Bring drinks. Wine & Beer is fine)

Ceili / Bardic Circle – Bring instruments, your voices, songs and chants, stories and poems of your region to share.

8:00-9:30 pm Movie & Discussion / With Love From Salem
Gypsy Ravish, Producers Karagan Griffith & Jimahl DiFiosa.

Sunday Events

9:00 – 10:00 am CUUPS Round Table with the Board – Basement Room

10:30 – 11:30 am Theme & Sermon – Walking Together An ancient prophet once asked, “Can two walk to- gether except they be agreed?” Some thoughts on how that question still haunts us today, and what we might do about it to welcome diversity in to our worlds.– Garden / Sanctuary

11:30 am – 12:00 pm Fellowship Gathering – Cleveland Room

12:15 – 12:45 pm Closing Community Ritual & Farewell – Garden

1:00 pm Self-Tour the Witch City, Shopping or Head Home

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