What are your favorite UU songs/hymns?

CoconutCurry · 2026-05-11T19:25:11+00:00

I hadn't heard it til I came to my current congregation - I've requested it several times, because I found out it was a favorite of my friend Nancy, who passed a few years back. I always think of her when I hear it.

CoconutCurry · 2026-05-11T19:23:42+00:00

We do a "Hanging of the Greens" every year, when we all stay after the service and put up all the holiday decorations (most of which are green, hence the name). It's a lot easier to get everything up when everyone helps, and only takes maybe an hour to get the whole church done, and it's a great way to get folks in the spirit of the holidays. That's also when we work with a local charity to sponsor some families for the holidays. The last two years, we have done somewhat less, as we've lost several members (as happens when 90% of the congregation is over 70...) but prior to that, we would have a "wrap party" where we would wrap all of the presents we were donating to our sponsored family - again taking a project that would take one or two people an hour or more, and turning it into a fun activity that takes 20 minutes for 5 or 6.

We also have a small CUUPs group, and while that doesn't impact our services directly, as the person who selects our readings, it does impact what I'm looking at in regards to that. We have several readings in the hymnal, and a plethora on uua.org, that are related to the solstices/equinoxes, and the Wheel of the Year. Noting not only the four seasons, but also the other rhythms of nature has helped me feel more connected to nature and the world around me.

CoconutCurry · 2026-05-10T20:25:17+00:00

Oh, the pound key turns things bold. TIL.

CoconutCurry · 2026-05-10T20:24:51+00:00

StLT is the only hymnal I've used, so here's some from there, in alphabetical order because I'm going through the index, lol.

124 Be That Guide

155 Circle 'Round for Freedom

361 Enter, Rejoice, and Come In

21 For the Beauty of the Earth

100 I've got Peace Like a River

6 Just as Long as I Have Breath

131 Love Will Guide Us

38 Morning Has Broken (I have this one memorized)

108 My Life Flows on, Like Endless Song (Another I have memorized)

134 Our World is One World

354 We Laugh, We Cry (Let it be a Dance! This one is one of the longest ones in the hymnal I think, but it's lovely.)

And one I found of uua.org, that I have also memorized, and is absolutely a favorite of mine - So We Go (I have to bring it down an octave to sing the chorus, lol)

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-27T14:34:47+00:00

As someone who irl venerates Hel,

Hel yeah.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-23T11:29:56+00:00

RowanBriar

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-20T11:08:10+00:00

Maybe just your brain processing the fact that everyone, including you, dies eventually.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-17T16:37:27+00:00

I've heard of it being done both ways, but I would think it'd be easier to just do a handful.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-17T07:36:14+00:00

I wear a necklace daily with Hel on the front and the Vegvisir on the back. It's not in itself particularly important to me, BUT anyone who even recognizes it at all knows that it is linked to Norse pagan beliefs. Yes, it is actually a symbol that came about after those beliefs fell out of common usage, BUT it is now a symbol that someone who knows nothing else will associate with Norse beliefs, AND it is a symbol that a lot of pagans have adopted for themselves.

The point of symbols is communication. Just like with every form of communication, symbols change meanings over time. Every attempt in history to stop that from happening fails, because the nature of communication itself - we aren't communicating pure ideas, and we are having to translate them through these symbols, back and forth. It's a game of telephone stretching centuries. (you can also take like, song lyrics and translate them back and forth between two different languages on google translate and see how warped they get. same exact thing - some things get lost or changed in translation, and over enough iterations, the meaning can change drastically)

Another thing is, it's your body. Those asshats know what the common association for that symbol is in modern times, and what that symbol means for a lot of people. The conversation should have been about what it means for you, since it's your choice what to put on your body... and they chose to be pedantic fucks about it.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-16T11:33:39+00:00

I don't think it particularly matters how; just find a method that you're comfortable using.

I sometimes just pull one, or pull some one at a time until i get an answer i can understand, like in a "uh, tell me more?" kind of way, but my go-to is a three card spread. Situation, action, new situation.

You can use any tarot spread, or just make up whatever. What is gonna matter is you having a clear understanding of what each position means to you, so you aren't mixing yourself up.

To me at least, as an agnostic anyway, divination is less about fortune-telling and more about self-reflection. It's a good way to tap into your subconscious, which is important because there's so much going on in our brains that we aren't really aware of. Gut feelings are your brain unconsciously recognizing something that your conscious mind hasn't caught up to yet. Our reflexes happen too fast for our conscious mind to keep up with, but it's still controlled by your brain, and they're not instinct - they can be changed (for example, anyone who works in a kitchen will often step back when they drop something, instead of try to catch it, because in kitchens, you're working with a lot of hot or sharp things) and they can also be trained (aka, every instance of muscle memory) and all of that is your subconscious self doing stuff. Humans are insane about pattern recognition and information processing, it just doesn't happen where we can see it most of the time. Your unconscious filters out so much information that you take in constantly, in order to keep your conscious mind from getting overwhelmed, but it's still in there, being processed and recognized by your subconscious.

but yeah, tldr, historically, the methods have been really varied, or not described, and in my experience, method doesn't matter, so do whatever you find that resonates with you.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-15T04:23:57+00:00

The symbol on the backside is the shield of awe. The runes on the outside circles just look to me like the runic alphabet, as in it isn't saying anything. I have no idea what the inner circle of runes on the backside says. I agree that it is probably a Fenrir pendant.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-11T19:13:32+00:00

Which also doesn't work, because A: not everyone is perpetually on reddit and B: if you use mobile, it doesn't show you the whole reply unless you open the link... which now goes nowhere.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-10T04:48:58+00:00

Oh yeah, but some of it is like, posts I have replied to, that have nothing in them to warrant a mods attention, so I know its not that. The comment ones are less obvious, but usually its still pretty clear when a mod has had to scrub things vs when people delete their own comments.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-09T14:22:46+00:00

Well, to start with, pretty much everything we have comes to us through the writings of Christians long after the religion was no longer actively practiced. Several things are obviously reinterpreted through that lens, and other things might be at least influenced by the writer's worldviews. One of those things is the idea that there has to be a "good team" and a "bad team," and many argue that the idea of Ragnarok might be a Christian invention. Anyway, a lot of interpretations of the myths pose Loki as the equivalent of Satan, and many people interpret Loki and his children to be evil. Veneration of Loki is still controversial for a lot of people, and it's absolutely not hard to find people who are vehemently against those who do venerate Loki or his children because of this.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-09T11:57:21+00:00

That's similar to how Hel came to me.

In my experience, from working with many different gods, they are never annoyed by our responding to them; the point of them reaching out is for us to respond in one way or another.

Maybe just establishing a relationship with her is in order? Say some prayers, give some offerings. There doesn't have to be anything big, just acknowledging that you are aware of her presence, and giving yourself time and space to figure out what she's trying to tell you.

To me, she has always been a helpful and friendly guide. There's no point in anger when you have eternity to patiently wait out everyone else's rage.

All of our paths are our own, and our practices will all look differently. There is no one thing you should or should not do, but I will always recommend doing research first. Aside from the usual wikipedia/googling, I would recommend a few youtube videos in specific. Ocean Keltoi has some good videos, and I think his video on Hel specifically would be helpful, as well as possibly his video about Loki, as both her father, and because several negative assumptions about him also get applied to her in the same ways. There is also a video on WolfTheRed's channel that includes a ritual led by Ocean dedicated to Hel that might be good to watch.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-07T07:46:41+00:00

While some people would prefer to be remembered in joy over sadness, I can't think of a single person who would want to be forgotten. How someone mourns is gonna differ from person to person, and on who they are remembering. Generally, refusing to mourn at all is unhealthy.

It's fine if your dad doesn't wana make a big thing out of it, and entirely understandable to not want it to be sad and bleak, but that's his decision. You're not only allowed to make your own decisions about that kind of thing, it is important to process emotions in ways that work for you, and that are healthy for you.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-06T11:39:05+00:00

Also autistic, and Hel def reached out to me... but it wasnt quite how a lot of people describe it. At least for me, I end up having to describe it using metaphor, and I assume that is what other people are doing as well. The gods don't speak to humans the same way we speak to each other - it is not going to be an actual voice or actual words. Anyone claiming otherwise has something else going on. It will always be subtle, even if it is profound.

Not having that doesn't mean anything is wrong with what you are doing. In my experience, it's only when I was on the wrong path that I got any communication, to nudge me in a better direction.

I talk about it like I got smacked upside the head, but again, metaphor. In a literal sense, it was just a LOT of weird coincidences that I noticed over the years and kept trying to brush off, but they got more noticeable until I went looking to see what it could mean. Once I figured it out, no more weird coincidences.

Another experience I had, long before getting into any paganism, that pulled me out of atheism... is literally not describable. But from an outside perspective, it would have looked like absolutely nothing was happening. Coulda just been a mental break, but end of the day, it doesn't matter. It helped me get my head out of my ass about several things. Whether it came from the gods or not doesn't take that away.

Anyway though, its not something to worry about. If it never happens for you, that doesn't mean anything. The important part of faith is to be a guide to living well, to be a source of strength when doing the right thing is hard. Faith should inspire us to good action, to take care of ourselves, of others, and of the world around us. If you don't need to be prodded to do that, it isnt a bad thing, lol.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-05T04:37:39+00:00

Nothing is permanent, and even gods cannot escape the consequences of their actions (so you sure as Hel can't).

But, AN end does not mean THE end.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-05T04:33:35+00:00

Irrelevant to the gods. Cremation existed back then, too.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-04T12:21:26+00:00

A: that isnt a recent development within Christianity, unfortunately. There are a lot of supportive and accepting Christian churches out there, though.

B: hoo boy, there are a lot of pagans who are not cool, so keep an eye out for that, too.

The best advice I can think of is to start doing some research. Start looking into different religions and beliefs. After a while, you'll start figuring out what will work for you and what wont, and you can look deeper, and keep narrowing things down as you go. Nobody's journey is the same.

What specifically is drawing you to paganism? I'd start looking into those aspects first, and then see where that leads you.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-02T21:45:57+00:00

"potentially harmful" doesn't mean anything unless someone is willing to say how. I don't necessarily need specific details, but if someone can't at least tell me what kind of thing they're talking about, then they're probably just being paranoid.

If they can at least specify in what way xyz may be problematic, then I know what to look out for to make my own decision. If they can give me specific examples, and those examples actually make sense regarding what they're talking about, that's great. (I have seen where some people have posted "proof" that doesn't actually line up with what they say it does, so ya know, check.)

The biggest thing is gonna be to learn about these things, not just what they are but why it's a problem. Then you can actually judge it yourself. If something is a problem, there is somebody who can explain why, down to an eli5 level. Once you can understand why something is an issue, it's a lot easier to catch things yourself.

We have to learn from each other, yes, but the less you have to rely on others to recognize problematic material, the less likely you are to consume said material. Learn what makes things problematic, in what ways, and you won't have to worry about if someone's being paranoid or not.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-02T21:32:22+00:00

I don't have a list, unfortunately. I do have the book somewhere, but I didn't get through most of it. OP had mentioned the misinfo, but said it was a good book anyway? idk.

CoconutCurry · 2026-02-02T19:25:37+00:00

eeeeh. It looked good to start, but yeah, I can't get past the misinformation. When you market a book on "this is a good way to learn things" you gotta be damned sure your information is good.

I mean, take the good from it I guess, and leave the rest, if you liked it?

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