More Information on UU Women's Spirit

As you all know from my Go Fund Me campaign, I am trying to raise money to attend the Unitarian Universalist Women’s Spirit retreat.  This great event has been around for a long time, helping many women from all walks of life and backgrounds to come together in fellowship and community, and to celebrate and honor the inherent power and beauty of the Divine Feminine.

One of my friends has been trying to get me to attend this event for years.  There is an event hosted in both the spring and the fall, and for one reason or another I’ve never been able to go.  I’ve never had the money, I didn’t have the time because of work or school, or I had some other scheduling conflict.  This is literally the first year that I’ve been unable to attend.  Even though I’m currently employed, upon registering for the event I was not.  I’m very lucky that my boss is kind enough to give me the time off for this and other things that are important in my life.  I may not be working my dream social work job, but this job is fulfilling other needs in my life, which is a blessing.

The purpose of UU Women’s Spirit is “to create, conduct, and support activities that encourage and empower women to explore their religious and spiritual origins, experiences, and beliefs. Pursuing, nurturing, and affirming creativity and diversity are major emphases.”  I’m really excited to be able to participate in an event like this, and I’m sure the retreat will have a lot to offer me.  I’m really looking forward to meeting and connecting with all of these lovely ladies, and I’m hoping to build some relationships that will last a long time.  I’m confident that this retreat will help me grow and develop, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity.

My first year social work internship was at a UU church, though, and it was a lovely experience.  It was actually through my time as an intern at a UU church that I came to join PVS (Prisoner Visitation and Support.) 

The UUs are doing a lot of great things, particularly in the areas of local social justice on the national scene, the UUs do a lot with their CUUPS programing, Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans.  UU churches are often how people get plugged into their local Pagan community, and having a physical church or Fellowship to provide a Pagan safe space can be really important to people.  My first North Carolina Pagan event was at a CUUPS group, and that event connected me to lasting friendships that have changed my life and have proved to be incredibly meaningful throughout the years.

So, as you can see, I’m very much looking forward to the UU Women’s Spirit retreat.  I’m thinking about taking a drum workshop to help me learn to play my tambourine, which I use in devotional work to the Goddess Cybele.  I’m not very good at the tambourine at all, so I’m looking forward to some formal tambourine instruction!

I’m still waiting to hear back from UU Women’s Spirit to see if I quality for the $190 scholarship to help pay for one part of the two-part weekend.  Fingers crossed!  And I look forward to when I do have a full-time social work job and I’m able to contribute to the scholarship fund to help someone else who needs help.  Many people have been very kind with their contributions and I look forward to the day that I am able to pay it forward, and in the meantime, I am inspired to help out in the ways that I am able.

Again, thank you all!  You are blessings to my life, and I appreciate your love and your support.  I am infinitely blessed, and I hope that the blessings return to you three times three times three!

Bless!