Orange Coast UU CUUPS

Pagan Pride Day!

2010-09-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Los Angeles/Orange County Pagan Pride Day is September 26 at Whittier Narrows Regional Park in South El Monte, CA. Click here for directions.

The programming includes a full day of rituals from a variety of Pagan traditions, a large slate of workshops, concerts throughout the day, and lots of opportunities to get your Pagan shopping done. Plus, it's a great chance to meet fellow Pagans from all around the Southern California area!

Come on out to El Monte and show your Pagan Pride on September 26!

Mabon is coming!

2010-09-05T17:04:00.000-07:00

Orange Coast CUUPs will hold its Mabon/Fall Equinox celebration on Sunday, September 19. The ritual will be at Victoria Park, across the street from OCUUC. Arrive at 1:00 for a 1:30 start. Bring a picnic lunch and a dessert to share with your friends!

Mabon is the second harvest festival. At this time we celebrate the work we have done over the year, and give thanks for the blessings we have received from our work. The seeds we planted in spring are truly bearing fruit, and we express our gratitude for their bounty. Come and celebrate the gifts of Fall!

Lammas Feast

2010-08-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Orange Coast CUUPs celebrated Lammas in true harvest style: by feasting on the bounty of the Earth.

The OCUUC Young Adults joined us for a fun afternoon of food and conversation at Souplantation. Sometimes the simplest rituals are the best - and we didn't even have to walk clockwise around the salad bar!

Into this Solstice Night...

2010-06-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Orange Coast CUUPs celebrated midsummer with Shakespeare, fairy wings, and ladybugs. From our beautiful hilltop location overlooking the coast, we joined together in a ritual to bless the earth and celebrate the coming of summer.

First, our fairies put on their wings.

Then they helped us bring in the summer through dance and song.

We blessed ladybugs and released them all over the OCUUC property to bring their gifts to our sacred space. May these tiny insects, part of the web of existence, bring us a season of life, love, health, and joy.

Into this Solstice night we dance...

Midsummer is coming!

2010-05-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Lord what fools these mortals be!

Our Midsummer celebration is just around the corner. Come and join us at 7:00 p.m. on June 19 as we celebrate the longest day of the year - the day of the sun's greatest strength and the night of Shakespeare's mischievous fairies.

The sparkle of those Midsummer fairies will be with us on this magical night. The ritual will be at the church, on the grass outside the Gillan Classroom Building. Wear comfortable, colorful clothing and bring a dish to share for the potluck afterward.

This will be a fun and family friendly event. Come and celebrate the strength of the sun, the growing bounty of the earth, and the love of life! Titania and Oberon are waiting.

Beltane, Baby!

2010-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Beltane ritual and picnic was fun and frisky. Christine invited Aphrodite and Pan to join us, so love and merriment were in the air.

Clover and I were crowned Queen and King of May, so we got into the spirit of the season.

We had a scarf dance - like duck, duck, goose but more fun for kids of all ages.

Then we did the limbo - under a broom. What else would Pagans limbo under? Bill showed off his talent at tandem limbo. Have you ever tried going the limbo while holding a toddler? Hats off.

On to a game of the very aptly named "weenie in a bottle." Once again, Bill showed off his skill.

And then, of course, there was the Maypole dance. It was a little chaotic, but then is Maypole dancing ever clean? It's not about how pretty it is, it's about having fun in the springtime. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

And a good time was had by all!

Beltane 2010

2010-04-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

Beltane 2010

Please plan to join us on Sunday, May 2 for this years Beltaine / May Day celebration at Vista Park in Costa Mesa, across the street from the OCUUC church on Victoria starting at 1pm.

More details will soon follow.

Spring Equinox Recap

2010-04-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks all of you who were able to join us for our Spring Equinox ritual that was held on Sunday, April 21st. With pleasant weather, we said goodbye to winter and welcomed spring to our area of Orange County. This ritual was attended by current CUUPS members, OCUUC members and guests for their first time at a ritual.

Thoughts, Ideas and Suggestions for Our New Blog

2010-03-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

Thank you for taking a look at our great new blog! We want your thoughts on what you would like to see and share on this work in progress. We invite you to leave is a comment, or many comments!

Blessed Be!!!!

Ostara Festival

2010-03-07T17:42:00.001-08:00

Join CUUPs for a celebration of the beginning of spring! The Spring Equinox marks the day when the dark and light of spring are in equal balance. It heralds the end of winter and the beginning of spring’s new growth. It’s a great day to be outside! Come and celebrate with us after services on Sunday March 21, right across the street from OCUUC. Please arrive at 12:45 for a 1:00pm ritual. Instead of our usual potluck, we will be meeting for lunch directly following ritual at Ruby's in South Coast Plaza, in order to support the all church fundraiser.

Please RSVP to Christine Hernandez at cuups@ocuuc.org.

What are the Eight Festivals?

2010-03-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

What are the Eight Festivals?
Orange Coast CUUPs joins many modern Pagans in celebrating a seasonal calendar of festivals known as “The Wheel of the Year.” The Wheel recognizes the ever-cycling seasons of nature and contains eight celebrations:

3. Ostara (Spring Equinox; on or around March 21): The equinox is the first day of Spring, when the day catches up and reaches equal strength with the night. On this day we plant the seeds we wish to grow in our lives.

Join CUUPs for a celebration of the beginning of spring! The Spring Equinox marks the day when the dark and light of spring are in equal balance. It heralds the end of winter and the beginning of spring’s new growth. It’s a great day to be outside! Come and celebrate with us after services on Sunday March 21, right across the street from OCUUC. Please arrive at 1:00 for a 1:30 ritual. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the ritual.

Welcome!

2010-03-07T17:35:00.000-08:00

Celebrating "The Interdependent Web of Existence"

The seventh UU principle is “respect for the interdependent web of existence, of which we are a part.” For Pagans, that principle resonates strongly. As Unitarian Universalists, we believe in all seven of the principles. We work with our fellow UUs for the respect and dignity of every person, a just, free, and peaceful world, democracy, a free search for truth, and the responsible search for truth and spiritual growth.

As Pagans, we have found our “truth and meaning” in the UU principle of the interdependent web of existence. We look to nature for spiritual growth. We celebrate the natural cycles of the seasons, honoring the spiritual meaning of each one in turn.

To do this, we organize rituals and festivities for each of the eight seasonal festivals. All of these rituals are open to the public. It helps if reservations are made, and donations for our events are always accepted. Join us for any of our upcoming celebrations!