Sunday Services: 11:00 am949 West 49th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 2T1Office: 604-261-7204 |  |
At our October 21 Labyrinth event, Mary will help you take cuttings of several different kinds of sage (golden, pineapple, regular and purple) to start your own sage garden.
You’ll be able to sample sage tea.
Click here for how to make your own–it’s easy.
Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.― William Shakespeare, Sonnets
― Kahlil Gibran
September offers many opportunities for our members and friends to participate in circle dance, ritual and labyrinth walking.
Start off the month off with our 1st Tuesday Earth Spirit Circle which will feature picking herbs for tea and sharing our stories about tea. (Tuesday, September 4 6-7pm).
Sacred Circle Dance returns after a semi-hiatus over the summer. The regular 1st Tuesday and 2nd Mondays will start up again (and this year, we’ll stick to the 2nd Monday schedule even on holidays in October and November.) As well, Mairy and Mary enjoyed introducing new folk to circle dance over the summer, so are going to continue to offer a gentle circle dance every 4th Monday 7 – 8:30 pm. These gatherings are especially for those who are new to circle dance or want some extra practice. We practice four dances each time and we repeat each dance three times. So it’s easy on the brain and the body.
In September and October, we’re planning outdoor Sunday afternoon events on the labyrinth with herbal tea and various activities. Come on Sunday September 16th and celebrate the autumnal equinox with us. These events are family-friendly. Bring your kids if you like.
Last but not least, the first session of Paganism 101 will be on Tuesday, September 28th. Louise Bunn who co-wrote the curriculum will be the lead facilitator.
We always appreciate offers of help from spontaneous help with putting the chairs or such back in place or being part of a planning team to put together a ritual. Contact us if you’re interested by email or in person.
In a Globe and Mail article in 2000, Unitarianism was described as a “Pick and Choose” religion. Some people liked that descriptions; others not. Taking that theme, we invite you to “pick and choose” herbs from our labyrinth garden to make your own special blend of herbal tea. Here are some possible ingredients from the labyrinth and garden grounds. Sandy and Mary would love to talk with you more about this and introduce you to our gardens.
From: http://balconygardenweb.com/best-tea-herbs-to-make-tea-herb-garden/
These are the ones we have available:
Maybe you’ve never thought to make lavender tea but its floral taste is amazing. A delicious cup of herbal tea you can make from lavender flowers that is sweet and fragrant in taste and is perfect for calming your mind, particularly recommended to reduce tension and alleviate headache.
Lavender grows well in full sun, in well drained soil.
Also read : How to Grow Lavender Plants
Lemon verbena leaves are used to make tea. Consumption of its tea improves digestion, joint pain and helps in asthma.
Refreshing and sour, this lemon flavored plant is easy to grow. It needs full sun to thrive and doesn’t tolerate severe winters. Below 14 F (-10 C) the plant dies. It’s more suitable for subtropical and tropical climate, although you can grow lemon verbena in cold climate, but in containers.
Mint is a most favorite tea herb and popular among herbal tea lovers, it’s also one of the easiest plants to grow. Mint tea fights with digestive disorders, abdominal pain and stomach cramps. Besides this, it stimulates the appetite, reduces flatulence and is very refreshing in flavor. Mint is very robust plant and can even get out of hand in the garden if you don’t care to stop it. It grows in moist soil in full to partial sun.
We have several kinds including apple mint, peppermint and pineapple mint. And if you’d like some to take home, we will happily share a cutting or two.
Also read: How to Control Invasive Plants
Lemon balm plant is closely related to mint, but has a distinct lemon flavor. It gives flavor to herbal teas and ice creams and appears to be a useful fragrant herb in the kitchens.
Lemon balm grows well in dry soil and partial shade. If grown outside it dies in winter but regrow again in spring. Lemon balm spreads vigorously if grown in garden beds so it’s better to grow it in a confined space or in a container.
Ginger tea is popular, especially n (South and East Asia. Its roots and leaves can be used to make tea. Use of ginger tea is praised in ancient Chinese medicines and Ayurveda, it’s an antioxidant and contains antibacterial properties. It cures diseases like cold, flu, nausea and improves digestion and appetite.
Ginger is such an easy to grow and forget it plant that you’ll definitely like to grow. It is hardy in USDA zones 9 – 12 and grows best in filtered sunlight and moist soil in a spot that is less windy.
Thyme is an effective herbal tea ingredient that calms stomach problems and sore throat. Use its leaves to prepare tea, if there are flowers, add them too.
Thyme grows well in full sun but also tolerate partial sun and is an ideal herb that is very low maintenance.
We have a couple of varieties. Thyme corresponds to the West Direction so look in that direction.
Beautiful daisy like flowers that smells mildly fruity like an apple, chamomile is a useful medicinal tea herb. It’s traditionally used to induce calm and sleep. You can prepare its tea with small white and yellow flowers rather than the leaves. There are two kinds of chamomile (German and Roman), Roman chamomile offers strong flavored tea.
Chamomile likes sandy soil and lots of sun and it needs a lot of water during the summer. It’s hardy under USDA Zones 4 – 9.
Jasmine flowers are suitable to make tea, for this you need to pick some fresh flowers. Dry and mix them with green tea, you can also steep them alone to make jasmine tea.
Jasmine vine thrives in full sun and needs a trellis or a support to climb. It’s not suitable for harsh winter climates, so if you want to grow it, grow it in container that can be moved inside.
Stevia leaves are sweet and can be steeped to make tea. It’s a safe and natural sweetener, used in place of sugar in an infusion and good for diabetics.
Stevia grows in USDA Zones 9 to 11, it doesn’t tolerate cold. Still, you can grow it in more colder zones in a pot so that it can be brought inside when winter comes.
This culinary herb has a fruity and sour flavor with a hint of mint. Marjoram tea cures various digestion and stomach problems including poor appetite, liver disease, gallstones, intestinal gas, and stomach cramps.
It grows well in full sun but can tolerate light shade, it needs loose and well drained soil.
Commonly used for cooking, cilantro is also suitable for tea. Its tea resembles aroma similar to Lady Gray tea. Mix honey in it to soothe the acidity and constipation. It also clears toxins from the body and prevents indigestion.
It grows in both the sun and partial shade and is an ideal herb for pots. Cilantro grows diversely as annual herb in almost any climate, it can be grown under USDA Zones 3 – 11.
We have some that is going to seed, i.e. coriander. Here’s a recipe for coriander tea. You need to grind the seeds.
Rosemary tea improves digestion, promotes cognitive function and acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body from heart disease and cancer. Rosemary plant prefers full sun, light and well drained soil.
At the south entrance to the labyrinth we have a rosemary plant. You can snip some to take home any time.
Fennel seeds are used to prepare its tea. Fennel tea is very beneficial for digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, bloating and flatulence. Fennel grows in USDA zones 4 to 10 in moist and fertile soil in full to partial sun.
You can also snip the leaves to add to tea.
It is a very effective remedy against nervous disorders: insomnia, depression, anxiety etc. However, it also has some side effects.
It grows very easily without special care. It can be grown on the ground or in pots.
To learn how to grow St John’s wort read this.
The antiseptic tonic of sage enables to provide an effective remedy for ailments as varied as: mouth ulcer and sore throat. Sage tea also helps in depression and Alzheimer. Take 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves and 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves and steep it for 3 – 5 minutes in boiling water. Strain it and mix honey in it for taste. Your sage tea is ready.
It can be grown either in the ground or in pots. If grown in pots it’s important to water sage regularly.
We have golden sage, “ordinary” sage and pineapple sage. We’ll be adding purple sage soon.
Often referred as wild pansy, it’s a common European flower that grows wild as a short lived perennial. Viola tricolor is known for its medicinal properties. It contains flavonoids, saponins, anthocyanins, carotenoids that helps in fighting myriads of human diseases like cancer, various skin diseases, allergies and sore throat. You can use whole plant to make tea.
Also called as heartsease, viola tricolor grows in partial shade in slightly acidic to neutral soil. It’s hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
Basil especially holy basil or ‘tulsi’ is best to make basil tea, you can also add honey and ginger in it. Other varieties of basil are also used. Basil is stress reliever and if used with honey and ginger it helps in asthma and cough, cold and influenza. Consumption of basil tea lowers the blood sugar level and helps in heart diseases. Basil tea is also a good cure of mouth problems and bad breath.
Holy Basil loves warm exhibition, it’s a tropical plant, hardy in USDA Zones 10, 11 and grows best when temperature stays around 70 – 86 F (20 – 30 C).
Mildly sedative and calming, catnip tea is excellent treat after an exhausting day. It helps in digestive disorder like diarrhea, relieves headache and insomnia and if you’re going through nicotine withdrawal, it alleviates the stress. Both the leaves and flowers are used to prepare tea.
If you know how to save your catnip plant from cats for your use growing it is easy. It’s hardy in USDA Zones 3 – 8 and prefers well drained soil that is sandy, although catnip grows in variety of soil types. Keep your plant in full to partial sun.
Lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is used to make herbal tea, in soups and other dishes. This lemony scented tea herb also repels pests like white flies away from garden.
Grow lemongrass in warm and sunny spot and do regular watering. Lemongrass is hardy in USDA Zones 9 – 11, however if you like to grow it in colder climate you can grow it in a pot and bring that indoors or in a greenhouse in winter.
We invite anyone who has herb plants to share, to add them to the labyrinth. We especially would like more thyme and succulent or drought-resistant groundcovers for the courtyard labyrinth — hens and chicks etc.
Here’s a video showing you how to grow herbs in a jar of water.
Pride in Vancouver happens right smack in the middle of the summer. So although we at UCV are very proud of the fact we were officially certified as a Welcoming congregation for BGLTQ folk way back in 1995, we sometimes forget about planning to celebrate Pride Week. Last year when we did a vision survey, one of the comments struck me as significant: How would anyone visiting know about our positive support of queer issues?
We have a tasteful certificate hung in the sanctuary, but even if you notice it, it’s pretty subtle. Unless you’re already in the know, you wouldn’t know that “Welcoming Congregation” status had anything to do with awareness and support of diverse genders and sexual orientations.
Recently the Board supported an initiative to work with the other three Metro Vancouver congregations to recertify as Welcoming Congregations and share ideas and commitment around celebrating Pride.
We’ll be submitting an application to the West Bequest for financial support to produce and print a brochure and inviting speakers on educational topics into our congregations. To this end, we plan a couple of gatherings to share our own stories and discuss ways in which UCV can move forward.
Our UCV group is just getting started, but I’m pleased to say that along with myself, Mary Bennett, Martha Saunders and Leonie Armstrong have joined our team. If you’d like to be involved or have comments or suggestions, please send to me for forwarding to the team.
Because, as mentioned, the term “Welcoming Congregation” doesn’t mean much to any one who hasn’t already been involved in the Unitarian religion, we are considering a new and more explicit name for our team. Many schools and universities use the term Gay-Straight Alliance, but since “gay” often has a more specific meaning than the umbrella term “queer”, I found on wikipedia that some “GSA” groups are now using the term “Genders and Sexualities Alliance” and one (Christian) school in Alberta–probably others–use Gender and Sexuality Acceptance.
We will be doing some preparatory work over the fall, and expect to offer some workshops and presentations in 2019.
Please do contact me with your suggestions or questions.
posted by Mary Bennett
Among the activities the kids did who attended our first annual Hogwarts’ Summer Camp was a course in Herbology. All four houses made an echinacea tincture using plants from our garden, apple cider vinegar and mason jars. It’s “cooking” as we speak.
They also learned about medicinal “magical” uses of many of the herbs, flowers, and “weeds” in the garden. They made a salve from plantain leaves and calendula flowers using olive oil and beeswax.
Huge success overall. From the first day on, the kids were planning the second annual camp!
Those of us who tend a veggie plot on the north side of Hewett Hall are enjoying the produce–and enjoying sharing the abundance with others.
Two of our young families took over a plot (38″ square). Here are Jeonga, Goan and Haram with their first vegetable garden. They’re amazed at what’s come up including the tomato plant they didn’t plant! I love introducing people to gardening.
Photos: Mary Bennett with Goan and Haram in front of their plot.
Jeonga, Goan and Haram all pointing to their favorite vegetable
There is (at least) one more plot available for one of our families. Just send me a note or approach me on Sunday about it if your family would like to garden at UCV. It’s not too late to plant spinach–and some plants bought as starters!
You can do it–we can help.
Invite to a CUUWA Event
Monday, August 20th at noon
The Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women’s Association (CUUWA) is sponsoring a free online presentation, and we’re all invited!
Presented by Catherine Strickland, a Non Violent Communication (NVC) practitioner, this session will apply the NVC lens to privilege in its broadest sense, covering the ways in which we create power-over dynamics and systemic oppression. After her presentation, the group will be open for discussion among participants.
Contact Catherine with questions. To join the presentation via Zoom, go HERE a few minutes before the presentation with your device’s sound turned on.
Here are some resources if you want to do some (optional) reading in advance
Yesterday I’d harvested a lot of leaf lettuce–some to give away and some to make a salad for the annual Environment team potluck and yearly planning.
I’d created a bowl full and put out with some parsley and green onions and zucchini for people to take.
Just as I was getting ready to go into the sanctuary for the service, Pat came out and said: Mary, there are no flowers at the front of the church. Can I take the lettuce?
I thought it was one of the most beautiful displays ever!
It’s fun to play in the gardens.
The next gardeners work party is Wed. Aug 22. Join us 10-12 noon and then for a potluck including harvested veggies.
After the service, I then approached Wanda who had just joined the Connect and Engage team and was getting an orientation and gave her a zucchini: We give a zucchini to anyone who joins a committee for the first time, I joked.
There’s more hens and chicks and lavender in the inner courtyard. The garden path is bursting forth with Rudbeckia/black-eyes Susans (which I could have picked if anyone had asked for flower;. but they didn’t–they asked for lettuce!)
Patrick Dubois is a Juno-nominated performer/composer and member (and former Treasurer) of UCV who has provided music for several services including the annual Fire Communion in late December/early January.
Thank you to Caede for hosting her birthday party along with an art fundraiser for Developmental Disabilities Association. Kim Almond who coordinates the program and three of the artists were in attendance and enjoyed showing off their art to us.
So far we’ve raised almost $200. Most of the art is for sale, including the raku fish in the Fireside Room ($35 each) that many people have remarked on.
Caede is collecting donations till mid August.
As people came in they were stamped with “creativity is contagious–pass it on”, a quotation attibuted to Albert Einstein, who probably believed it whether or not he actually said those words. (It’s doubtful according to Google.)
Lots of great food–including mostly vegan and/or gluten-free to be hospitable to “restrictive eaters.” Caede identified different areas of the tables so that restrictive eaters could easily find what they needed.
A lot more “pride rocks” were painted and placed in the inner courtyard.Still room for more and Caede’s inspired to get some big ones and paint for the 49th & Oak corner to show our support.
Vivian took these photo showing people enjoying themselves.
And Daisy and Gemma (and Serena) especially enjoyed the bubbles!
Here’s the invitation that went out:
Everyone Welcome
Art Fundrai$er for the Developmental Disabilities Association
Join Caede, co-Chair of the Arts Committee, Fri July 20th 2018, 4-9 pm
Celebrate Caede’s special birthday and support one of her favorite charities
Take in the art exhibition, speak with Kim Almond, Art Coordinator for the DDA, purchase a piece of art, make a tax-deductible donation, create chalk art, walk the labyrinth, paint rainbow rocks, forage the garden for veggies, select an art oracle card and learn more about the artist
Your creativity and participation is encouraged
Bring a potluck dish to share for the dinner @ 5:30 pm
* dairy-free, low fodmap (includes Gluten-Free), vegan and veggie dishes appreciated
Caede Email: pungente_1@hotmail.com
More about Developmental Disabilities Association here: https://www.develop.bc.ca/
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