Events

Yoga at the UUCF

One of the best ways we can stay resilient and healthy is to exercise and cultivate mindfulness.The UUCF offers several yoga classes with teacher Lauren Koch:

• Mondays at 1 PM: Yoga for Advancing Beginners. Attendees should have some familiarity with yoga and be able to take foundational poses. Mat recommended.
• Tuesdays at 11 AM: Accessible Flow Yoga. Mat/blocks recommended.
• 2nd Thursday of the month at 7 PM (June session is on the 5th): Restorative Candlelit Yoga & Sound Immersion. Mat/pillow recommended.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters! We suggest a donation of $10 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select frequency, and add the note “Lauren – yoga”

New Moon Labyrinth Walk
Sunday, June 22nd, 7 PM
At the UUCF

Join us to enter a new lunar cycle by walking the labyrinth in reflection and contemplation. Our new moon walks focus on releasing what no longer serves and opening to the cycle ahead. The first half hour will be a quiet walk, the remainder accompanied by singing bowls and gentle chimes.

Blankets, cushions or mats as well as writing implements and divination tools are encouraged for additional meditation.
Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters!

We suggest a donation of $5 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “Labyrinth”

The Reckoning of Time: Heathen Seasonal Cycles
Monday, June 23rd, 7 PM
With Trey Moonwood on Zoom

All cultures mark the passage of time in unique ways. While many pagans are familiar with the Celtic-inspired “Wheel of the Year,” Heathens often observe a different set of holidays, with different associations. In this workshop, we will discuss the pan-Germanic importance of lunar calendars, the traditional division of the Heathen year into two seasons, and what common and uncommon holidays your Heathen friends may observe.

This class is being held on Zoom. Please email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters! We suggest a donation of $15 if you would like to contribute financially. Please donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select frequency, and add the note “FC – Trey”

Trey Moonwood
Trey (they/them) is a queer witch and seeress in the Heathen tradition. They founded the Chase Hill kindred in Vermont in 2010 and served as their leader until 2023. Trey teaches Heathen lore, practice, and magic through workshops at local and regional events in New England, as well as online through their Patreon, Spell of the Seeress. Trey is also a writer and has published a collection of poems called The Gorgon Verses: Poems for a Queer Mythology. Patreon.com/SpelloftheSeeress

Queer Rites of Passage in Magickal Practice
Wednesday, June 25th, 7 PM
With Enfys Book at the UUCF

Join Frederick CUUPS and guest presenter Enfys Book for this transformative workshop! Queer people undergo many unique rites of passage in our journeys to become our authentic selves, from coming out to taking our first dose of hormones to celebrating chosen family. How can we honor these important milestones with a magickal ritual in a way that’s personal, profound, powerful, and affirming? In this workshop, we’ll look at techniques and ideas for potent rite of passage rituals for a wide variety of queer magickal practitioners, and end with a guided meditation for participants to find more ideas to craft their own rituals. Please bring writing supplies.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters!

We suggest a donation of $10 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FC-Queer Rites”

Enfys J. Book (they/them) is ​​the author of the Gold COVR award-winning Queer Qabala, co-author (with Ivo Dominguez, Jr.) of Sagittarius Witch, and author of the forthcoming Queer Rites: A Magickal Grimoire to Honor Your Milestones with Pride (Llewellyn, 2025). They are the High Priest of the Fellowship of the Ancient White Stag coven near Washington, D.C. Enfys has taught classes on magickal practice around the world. They are also the creator of majorarqueerna.com, a website devoted to queer magickal practice, and host a podcast called “4 Quick Q’s: Book Talk with Enfys,” where they interview pagan authors using questions determined by a roll of the dice.

The Dragons’ Scales
Meeting Regularly
At the UUCF

Do you love to chant and sing with a group? Join The Dragons’ Scales! Our singing group learns and offers the chants at many of our gatherings and rituals, plus it’s just a lot of fun. Dragon’s Scales rehearsals are in the Sanctuary unless otherwise noted.

Upcoming Dragon’s Scales rehearsals are:

• Monday, 6/16 – 7 PM
• Sunday, 6/29 – 1 PM

Online Book Club
First Tuesday of the month at 6:30 PM
On Zoom with Val

Do you enjoy reading? Would you like to have a light discussion about what you read? Come check out the online book club! Each month we’ll pick a book to read and have an online gathering to discuss. It’s a lightly structured social get-together using the book to raise topics of discussion and share stories. Our general theme for 2025 is resilience and growth through a pagan lens!

Email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link.

Our current book is Psychic Witch by Mat Auryn.

Hellenic Paganism Fellowship Lunch & Discussion
Saturday, July 5th, 12 PM
At the UUCF with Suz and Rose

Join the Hellenic Pagans of Hellenion and Frederick CUUPS for a potluck lunch and discussion! This fellowship event will provide necessary information to those curious about the path and create community for local Hellenic Pagans with an established practice. All are welcome, regardless of path, age, or experience level. 

Hellenion is an open and inclusive polytheist organization that honors the Gods of ancient Greece in a historically-informed style. Contact Rose Eleusis (gabrielapabon(at)gmail.com) or Suz (ridetbred(at)gmail.com) with any questions about our local chapter, the Potomac Valley Palladium.

Bring a love of the Classics and a potluck dish to share.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters!

We suggest a donation of $10 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FCUUPS”

Sunday D&D Community Campaigns
First and Third Sundays, 1 PM
At the UUCF

Grab your dice (or use ours!) and join the Frederick CUUPS community for an adventure! All you’ll need is your phone or tablet, some writing supplies, and snacks if you’d like. D&D Campaigns meet the first and third Sunday of the month at 1 PM. We could use some help setting up – please arrive at 12:45 if you can assist our program leader with setting up the rooms. Recommended for ages 10+, but be sure to check availability! Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters! We suggest a donation of $10 to help support our program and its awesome DMs.

Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FC- D and D”

Shadow Work Circle
2nd Tuesdays at 7 PM
At the UUCF

Join Renee and others who are doing their own Shadow Work in a safe space for sharing and learning from each other. The Shadow Work Circle meets once a month in a facilitated but not heavily structured meeting. Come prepared to discuss your own work or just to listen and be in community.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters!

We suggest a donation of $5 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FC-SHADOW”

Crystals 101 Workshop
Wednesday, July 9th, 7 PM
At the UUCF and on Zoom with Starfire

Crystals have been cherished throughout history by cultures, religions, and empires as sacred magical tools. These versatile and beautiful stones are used for healing, spells, rituals, and crafting charms, making them a fun and accessible way to enhance your magical practice.

In this workshop, we’ll explore the basics of working with healing crystals, including:
~ Understanding different types and shapes of crystals
~ Using crystals in magical and divination practices
~ A brief introduction to crystal correspondences
~ Crystal grids and sacred geometry

Perfect for beginners and enthusiasts alike, this workshop provides a foundation for incorporating crystals into your spiritual practice!

Email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link if you’d like to attend virtually.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters! We suggest a donation of $10 – $15 to help support Frederick CUUPS. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FCUUPS”

Earth Centered Spirituality Service
Second Sunday of the month at 1 PM
At the UUCF

Join members of the Frederick CUUPS community for our monthly Earth Centered Spirituality Service. This time provides an opportunity to focus on our Unitarian Universalist value of Interdependence: “We honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it.”

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters!

We suggest a donation of $5 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FCUUPS”

Open Blót for Loki with Elk Ridge Kindred
Sunday, July 13th, 3 PM
At the UUCF

Join Elk Ridge Kindred for a blót (pronounced blōt), which is a traditional way of toasting and honoring Deity and our ancestors. Our July blót honors Loki, queer icon, transformative fire, and trickster deity.

Elk Ridge Kindred is a small local group who practice the Norse traditions of Heathenry. While open to the public, blóts require supplies, so we are asking that people make reservations by emailing ElkRidgeKindred(at)gmail(dot)com if you wish to attend.
Please bring your own horn or ritual cup, donations of mead/other libations are welcome.

Elk Ridge Kindred practices #inclusiveheathenry and seeks to foster openness and inclusivity both individually and through our religious practices.

Monthly Moon Circle
3rd Tuesday of the month, 6 PM
At the UUCF

Do you find yourself drawn to the moon? Join Amethyst and others in creating an FCUUPS Moon Circle! 2024 will be focused on exploring ‘Lunar Alchemy’ by Shaheen Miro. Discover how to integrate a moon practice into your daily life as well as strengthen your relationship with your most magical self. 

Designed for moon-minded individuals! No prior experience necessary. Writing implement and notebook suggested.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters! 

We suggest a donation of $5 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FCUUPS”

Queer Rite of Personal Sovereignty and Blessing
Wednesday, July 16th, 7 PM
At the UUCF with Enfys Book

Join guest author and teacher Enfys Book for a profoundly transformative ceremony.

Understanding our identity, the core of our sense of self, is one of the most intimate and sacred experiences of our existence on this plane. In this ritual, we all step forward to claim our personal sovereignty. Those who have recently stepped into their own personal power by claiming their true gender, name, sexuality, pronouns, etc. will be invited to have their identity affirmed and hailed by those present and, if desired, be blessed.

We suggest a donation of $10 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FC – ENFYS”

Open Seidr Ritual
Saturday, July 19th, 7 PM
At the UUCF

Seidr is a Norse-inspired divinatory practice wherein participants can ask questions of our ancestors, deities, land spirits, and other beings. Participants take a guided journey to the entrance to Hel (the realm of the dead), then one person (the seer) crosses into Hel to relay answers. Do you have a question for your ancestors, or for the gods? Join us for this very special ritual.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters!

We suggest a donation of $5 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FC-Seidr”

The Sun & The Night Ship: Early Heathen Cosmology
Monday, July 21st, 7 PM
On Zoom

Archaeology suggests a fascinating story of Germanic belief in the power of the sun – from a primary object of worship in the Bronze Age, to a revival of the sun and ship imagery in the early Iron Age, to an almost complete loss of those symbols in the 6th century. Yet, hints in the late Eddic and saga sources suggest a surviving chain of subtle solar symbolism reaching back thousands of years. We will explore evidence for early Heathen sun worship, possible causes for its disappearance, and questions that arise for the modern practitioner.

This class is being held on Zoom. Please email FCUUPS(at)gmail(dot)com for the Zoom link.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters! We suggest a donation of $15 if you would like to contribute financially. Please donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select frequency, and add the note “FC – Trey”

Trey Moonwood
Trey (they/them) is a queer witch and seeress in the Heathen tradition. They founded the Chase Hill kindred in Vermont in 2010 and served as their leader until 2023. Trey teaches Heathen lore, practice, and magic through workshops at local and regional events in New England, as well as online through their Patreon, Spell of the Seeress. Trey is also a writer and has published a collection of poems called The Gorgon Verses: Poems for a Queer Mythology.

Navigating Divisive Conversations Workshop
Tuesday, July 22nd, 6 PM
On Zoom

Join Frederick CUUPS and guest presenter Rev. Carrie Graham for this timely training! This workshop is designed for anyone grappling with how to be a bridge builder in their life, in what may be a divisive environment otherwise. The tools learned in this workshop can be applied wherever one has relationships: work, family, friends, faith communities and beyond. In this session, we will make sure to look at what tools we can help in navigating differences within -and not just across- communities. This may include interfacing a variety of perspectives and/or processing styles. The facilitator will seek to contextualize the goals of present participants. Please join us for this timely work. 

Registration is required, donation and fully sponsored passes available.

Presenter Bio: Rev. Carrie Graham has facilitated dialogues for 18 years. She founded The Church Lab in 2013, which is dedicated to innovative work in making spiritual growth and fruitful spaces for existential questions accessible to all. TCL activities center around dialogue work that strengthens us as peacemakers in our daily lives, and provides vehicles for collective spiritual growth. As polarization has increased within and across our communities over the last several years, Graham has offered as many workshops and trainings as possible to people hoping to find ways to be bridge builders in their day-to-day lives.

Agnostic Pagan Discussion Circle
Fourth Sundays at 10:30 AM (11:30 AM June – August)
At the UUCF with Renee

Foster a connection with others in the community that share in agnostic or energy based practice. Join Renee as we gather for a guided discussion based around being a practicing pagan without a theistic based belief system. Topics covered will include: ancestry and heritage, rituals without deities, symbolism and archetypes, and exploring non-theistic worldviews.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters! We suggest a donation of $5 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select frequency, and add the note “FCUUPS”

Junk Journaling
Sundays, 5/4, 8/17, 11/2 at 1:30 PM
At the UUCF with Lauren

Join us for a one-of-a-kind Junk Journaling experience! Dive into a world of creativity, connection, and community with this exciting quarterly event. Hosted in collaboration with Craft Club at Barnstone Gallery, The Keeper of the Old Ways: Creative Alchemy Labs, and FCUUPS, these 4-hour sessions provide space for creativity in community. Designed for crafters, artists, and curious minds.

What is Junk Journaling?

Junk journaling is a creative and eco-friendly way to repurpose everyday items—such as old books, scraps of paper, fabric, photos, and more—into beautiful, personalized journals full of self-expression and experiences. It’s all about taking time to find the magic in the mundane by alchemizing the “junk” you find throughout your day to day into something beautiful and expressive. Whether you’re jotting down thoughts, sketching, or documenting your life’s journey, a junk journal is a reflection of your unique style and story.

While some doodles, fodder, ephemera, and mixed media materials will be available to share – please bring any crafting supplies you would like to use while Junk Journaling, to trade, or to donate.

Donation Recommended: $15 – $30

What to Bring: An open heart and a sense of curiosity – Craft supplies to use including your junk journal or feel free to create collages on loose mixed media paper, share, trade, or donate.

This event is donation-only, ensuring that everyone can participate regardless of financial status. Your contributions helps to keep our creative community thriving!

So gather your “junk,” bring your creative spirit, and join us for a few hours of pure artistic joy. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create!

Open Blót for Hel with Elk Ridge Kindred
Sunday, September 14th, 3 PM
At the UUCF

Join Elk Ridge Kindred for a blót (pronounced blōt), which is a traditional way of toasting and honoring Deity and our ancestors. Our September blót honors Hel, Underworld ruler and deity of the broken, the sick, the dying, and the dead.

Elk Ridge Kindred is a small local group who practice the Norse traditions of Heathenry. While open to the public, blóts require supplies, so we are asking that people make reservations by emailing ElkRidgeKindred(at)gmail(dot)com if you wish to attend.
Please bring your own horn or ritual cup, donations of mead/other libations are welcome.

Elk Ridge Kindred practices #inclusiveheathenry and seeks to foster openness and inclusivity both individually and through our religious practices.

Open Blót for Frigg with Elk Ridge Kindred
Sunday, November 9th, 3 PM
At the UUCF

Join Elk Ridge Kindred for a blót (pronounced blōt), which is a traditional way of toasting and honoring Deity and our ancestors. Our November blót honors Frigg, Keeper of the Keys, seer, and wise one.

Elk Ridge Kindred is a small local group who practice the Norse traditions of Heathenry. While open to the public, blóts require supplies, so we are asking that people make reservations by emailing ElkRidgeKindred(at)gmail(dot)com if you wish to attend.
Please bring your own horn or ritual cup, donations of mead/other libations are welcome.

Elk Ridge Kindred practices #inclusiveheathenry and seeks to foster openness and inclusivity both individually and through our religious practices.

A Holly Jolly Country Dionysia
Tuesday, December 30th, 7 PM
At the UUCF

Join the Potomac Valley Palladium Demos of Hellenion for a winter gathering in honor of Dionysos, the performing arts, and all things festive! In ancient times, the people of Athens marked the darkest days of the year with the Country Dionysia, a three-day theater festival. We’re reviving that tradition with a traditional invocation of Dionysos and a not-so-traditional Open Mic Night! Bring a dish to share, a board game, performances of all kinds (song, instruments, monologues, storytelling, stand-up), or just show up and enjoy the revels! This dry event (sorry, Dio) will be aimed at fun and fellowship for all ages, so bring everyone for a truly festive event.

The Potomac Valley Palladium is the Mid-Atlantic chapter of Hellenion, an inclusive Hellenic Reconstructionist organization. We welcome all who come in love and service of the Theoi (Gods), regardless of race, ability, gender, sexuality, belief, or national origin.

Donations are appreciated, but never required. Your presence is what truly matters!

We suggest a donation of $5 if you would like to contribute financially. Please bring cash or donate online at https://tinyurl.com/FCUUPS. Write in your donation amount, select “once”, and add the note “FCUUPS”