The Ashanti people, today primarily of the nation of Ghana, once built one of the leading empires of Western Africa. And in their stories about the world, how it works, and why it is so, one of the leading characters is Anansi, the spider. But the Ashanti tell the tale that once there was … Continue reading Br’er Rabbit and the View from Low and Outside
In the Shetland Islands, far off the northern coast of Scotland, the story is told of a widow names Mallie and her son. They lived together in a small, meager house, with only the burning peat – clumps of rich sod – in the fireplace to keep them warm through the harsh winters. Each year, … Continue reading Hope in Absurdity
As I begin my remarks this morning, I want to explain the guests I have up here on the pulpit with me. You may recognize them as Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar – the names given in popular tradition to the three wise men or three kings or three magi who figure in the story … Continue reading A Star Is Born
A holiday celebration – Christmas, or almost any other, really – is a natural time for assembling with family and friends, sharing the company of the people who are most important to us in the world. And good company calls for good food, which leads quite inevitably to one of the most important existential questions … Continue reading Christmas Eve “Just Desserts”
The town of Fudai sits on the north western coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu. Its economy is largely based on fishing – it depends, very thoroughly, on the sea. Fudai has less than 3,000 people in it, making it small enough that half a century ago the regional government tried to convince … Continue reading “Listening to the Experts”
Join us to celebrate the cycle of the natural world and the transition from gathering darkness to growing light. A brief, family-friendly service will be held at 4pm at Lynch Park at 55 Ober St. in Beverly (on the shoreline, near the volley-ball courts).
A child spends a sunny, summer day in the park. She runs and jumps, climbs trees, makes up games, forgets them, and makes new ones. She pokes and prods in the dirt, exploring, finding ants amidst the grass. And she spins, and spins, and spins, whirling and laughing, her face brighter even than the mid-day … Continue reading “The Miracle of Darkness”
The giant neotropical toad or cane toad is a decently large type of toad about five or so inches around. It’s poisonous, but not in any of the most worrisome sorts of ways. You’re fine as long as you don’t eat or lick one. Like pretty much all toads and frogs it eats insects, and … Continue reading “By Their Fruits Shall Ye Know Them”
In the tradition of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy – more commonly known among white people as the Iroquois – there is a practice sometimes called the Thanksgiving Address, or the Greetings and Thanks to the Natural World, but it is most literally and accurately called, “The Words That Come Before All Else.” It is a litany … Continue reading We Send Our Greetings and Our Thanks
