Our “Intro to Sewing” class is officially full, and registration is now closed—what a joyful start! We welcomed 14 enthusiastic students and were thrilled to offer one full scholarship and two half scholarships.
At orientation, students dove right in by exploring different sewing machine models through paper sewing (no thread), getting hands-on with the tools in a basic sewing kit, and creating sample pages of sewing papers and fabrics we’ll be studying together. We’re excited to learn new sewing skills and grow creatively as a community!
If you have extra sewing notions, fabric, bedding, or clothing, please consider donating them at the Alliance Thrift Store collection bin so students can explore a wide variety of fabric textures in their sewing exercises. For more information, contact Cat R. at mysticgrove@orlandouu.org.
Young adults at sewing class making fabric sample pages for their sewing binders.
If you’ve been curious about the magical world of herbs, now’s your chance to join us! Our popular “Exploring Herbs” series continues this spring, and even if you missed the earlier sessions, you can still attend the final set of six classes.
In this hands-on series, you’ll learn about the energetics and uses of culinary herbs, enjoy cooking and tasting activities, and connect with fellow herb enthusiasts. Each class runs from 11 AM to 1 PM, offering a delightful mid-morning escape into the world of herbal wisdom.
BOOK
Our course is based on The Alchemy of Herbs by Rosalee de la Forêt.
We also have 1 full scholarship and two half scholarships available on a first-come, first-served basis. Registered students are prioritized for materials and activities. “Drop In” students welcome with the understanding that supplies may run out if we did not know you were coming.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
You can pay online, by check, or in person.
Visit http://www.orlandouu.org, click DONATE, and note “Mystic Grove Herb Class” in the memo line.
Mail checks to: First Unitarian Church of Orlando 1901 E. Robinson St Orlando, FL 32803 Include “Mystic Grove Herb Class” in the memo line.
Front Office: Checks can also be dropped off at the church office (Mon–Fri, 7:30 AM – 1:00 PM) or brought to the first class. Call 407-898-3621 for details.
Whether you’re a seasoned herbalist or just beginning your journey, this series is a chance to explore, taste, and celebrate the magic of herbs. Don’t wait—register today and join the adventure!
Learn the basics of sewing in this hands-on class series designed for true beginners and returning sewists. Using How to Use Your Sewing Machineby Alison McNicol as our guide, students aged MS to adult will gain confidence operating a sewing machine and complete several fun projects along the way.
Jan 10 (Optional): Sewing Kit and Sewing Machine Buying Help & Setup
Feb 14 Lesson 1: Machine Parts & Sewing on Paper (No Thread)
Mar 14 Lesson 2: Sewing With Thread – Felt Waves & Stitch Sampler
Apr 11 Lesson 3: Cotton Drawstring Bag
May 9 Lesson 4: Skirt or Pants for a Doll
June 13 Lesson 5: Skirt or Pajama Pants for You (Patterns & Cutting Fabric)
July 11 Lesson 6: Skirt or Pajama Pants for You (Sewing)
Aug 8 Lesson 7: Class Party, Zippers, Velcro, and Technique Cards
WHERE
Gore Hall at
First Unitarian Church of Orland 1901 E. Robinson St. Orlando, FL 32803
COST
Tuition is $70 for the series or $10 per class. Optional $5 extra toward the scholarship fund. There is 1 full scholarship and two half scholarships available on a first come, first serve basis. Email mysticgrove@orlandouu.org for more info about scholarships.
Due to the nature of the class, “drop in” students are welcome to observe, but we may not have enough supplies or sewing machines for guests to participate. Registration is strongly encouraged.
PAYING ONLINE
You can use your card and pay or donate online at the main church website. Go to www.orlandouu.org and click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. When you fill the donation line in, please put “Mystic Grove Sewing Class” in the memo line.
PAYING BY CHECK
You can mail checks made out to “First Unitarian Church of Orlando” with “Mystic Grove Herb Class” in the memo line. You can mail them to
First Unitarian Church of Orlando 1901 E. Robinson St Orlando, FL 32803
FRONT OFFICE
You can also bring your check to first class or to the front office during office hours and leave it with the church administrator. The church office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 1:00pm. You can reach front office at 407-898-3621.
Join us all year at this “drop in and family friendly” class on 4th Wednesdays starting on Sept 27, 2023 at 6:45 PM EST as we explore middle eastern patterns. Bring any drum, box, or bucket or borrow ours. Come for the whole series or just the topics you like best.
Students will learn how to hold the drum properly, how to play basic strokes, and perform various exercises. Step by step. From slow to fast. We will learn to play basic Arabic rhythms.
Class is FREE. Donations welcome.
SCHEDULE
We meet on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 6:45 – 7:45 PM.
Registration is OPEN for part 2 Lessons 7-11 in our “Exploring Culinary Herbs class.”
Even if you missed part 1 Lessons 1-6, come learn about the energetics and uses of culinary herbs. Class includes hands on activities, cooking, and fellowship from 11 AM to 1 PM!
BOOK AND NOTES
Source text is “The Alchemy of Herbs” by Rosalee de la Forêt.
Tuition is $25 for the second series or $5 per class for “drop in” students. Optional $5 extra toward the scholarship fund.
There is 1 full scholarship and two half scholarships available on a first come, first serve basis. Email mysticgrove@orlandouu.org for more info about scholarships.
Due to the nature of the class, we will serve “series students” first and then “drop in” students until supplies run out.
PAYING ONLINE
You can use your card and pay or donate online at the main church website. Go to www.orlandouu.org and click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. When you fill the donation line in, please put “Mystic Grove Herb Class” in the memo line.
PAYING BY CHECK
You can mail checks made out to “First Unitarian Church of Orlando” with “Mystic Grove Herb Class” in the memo line. You can mail them to
First Unitarian Church of Orlando
1901 E. Robinson St
Orlando, FL 32803
FRONT OFFICE
You can also bring your check to first class or to the front office during office hours and leave it with the church administrator. The church office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 1:00pm. You can reach front office at 407-898-3621.
Series of 10 online classes starts on Feb 26, 2021
7 PM – 9 PM EST
This course introduces the practices, beliefs, and history of modern pagan spirituality. Participants in this rudimentary class will create and maintain a student altar as we explore basic altar set up and ritual tools, the wheel of the year, deity, the four elements, and more. We also touch on different pagan paths and examine how modern paganism fits with Unitarian Universalist principles.
If you are a newbie seeker on the pagan path, the class can help you find confidence in your journey and ideas for future study.
If you are an experienced pagan, the class can help you refresh your practice, share your experience with others, and help you determine if you wish to teach
If you are UU, the class expands your world religions knowledge while helping you to understand your Pagan friends, coworkers, and family members better
SYLLABUS
Lesson 1 Feb 26, 2021
Orientation
Introduction to Class
(7 PM EST – 9:30 PM EST – this class only due to orientation)
Lesson 2 Mar 26, 2021
The Power and Practice of Ritual
Lesson 3 April 23, 2021
The Circle – Creating Sacred Space
Lesson 4 May 28, 2021
The Elements
Lesson 5 Jun 25, 2021
The Goddess and God
Lesson 6 July 23, 2021
The Feminine and Masculine
Lesson 7 Aug 27, 2021
The Wheel of the Year
Lesson 8 Sept 24, 2021
Magic and Spellcraft
Lesson 9 Oct 22, 2021
The Moon And Divination
Lesson 10 Nov 19, 2021
Where Do We Go From Here?
Note Date Change due to Thanksgiving!
FACEBOOK STUDY GROUP
You can join the Paganism 101 Facebook Study group at
This 6 session book group meets on 3rd Sundays. We will be reading and discussing selections from “Pagan and Earth-Centered Voices in Unitarian Universalism.” It is drop-in friendly and free of cost. Donations always welcome toward the MG scholarship fund. This benefits students who wish to take our tuition classes but need financial assistance.
Each month on 3rd Sunday we gather in Room 1 after coffee hour and read the selection of the month out loud and discuss. While you don’t need a book to drop-in and check it out, your experience will be enriched if you do get your own text.
TOPICS
Volunteer teachers takes turns facilitating a session where 2 selections are read and discussed. Email us if you would like to co-host and share your two favorite selections from the book.
“Cultural Sharing and Misappropriation” by Carol Bodeau
“Designing Ritual for All” by Maggie Beaumont
HOW THE BOOK CAME TO BE
In early 2014, the board of CUUPS shared about a potential book project with Skinner House Press on Pagan Voices within the Unitarian Universalist Association. After much conversation, and weighing the options, Rev. Shirley Ranck and Jerrie Hilderbrand agreed to take it on and work on it together.
The result is a compilation of essays from people who followed Pagan and Earth-Centered traditions and/or thinking of many kinds.
“Similar to the other theologies honored in UU sources and principles, Paganism and Earth-Centered voices were as diverse as humanity. We are not a once size fits all. There is no dogma or one way being the right way. We challenge the Pagan who comes to us with a fixed way of thinking.”
At the end of each 6 month block, the students did their final projects. They were to create little god or goddess peg dolls or art works. You can view the photo gallery here.
For those taking the Moon Circle class in person, or wanting to follow along from home, here are this month’s links.
HOMEWORK
Homework is “pick your level.” You are not expected to do all of these things. These are ideas to help you decided what YOU want to study more.
For final projects, will you create a peg doll of a personal deity or one you studied this term.
Thinking
Questions:
This month we study “Amaterasu: Illumination”
Reflect on these questions:
When Amaterasu hid in the cave, all sunlight was gone and the world was dark. In winter, the distractions of leaves on the trees, grass growing, and flowers blooming are removed.The starkness of winter offers a certain clarity. Do you find it is a time for reflection and reassessing your life? (Resolutions?)
Do you seek warmth and light spiritually as well as physically at this time of year? Is being with others more necessary?
Are you able to grasp the promise of spring, buried deep in the cold ground, or is it too far removed right now?
When people talk about the soul, or the spirit, it is often with a sense of something which is both mysterious and elusive.Most of us prefer something fairly straightforward. When do you feel most in touch with yourself spiritually?
What makes something spiritual? Do you have to do something or be a special way to be spiritual?
What is your “sacred?”Describe an experience, a moment, a place, or a person that you have recognized as holding the quality of the sacred.
When you come out of your “winter hibernation” or “winter cave” — what things are you looking forward to?
For those taking the Moon Circle class in person, or wanting to follow along from home, here are this month’s links.
HOMEWORK
Homework is “pick your level.” You are not expected to do all of these things. These are ideas to help you decided what YOU want to study more.
For final projects, will you create a peg doll of a personal deity or one you studied this term.
Thinking
Questions:
This month we study “Hestia: Hearth and Home”
Reflect on these questions:
What does “home” mean for you? Is it a place or places, present or past? Perhaps the experience and meaning of home for you is more connected with persons than with place.
Or is home a state of mind, a place you can access anywhere you are, even in solitude?
Has the meaning, the actuality, or the experience of “home” changed for you over time? If so, how?
What do you need to feel you are “at home?”
Have you ever felt homesick or comforted someone who was homesick? Describe what it was like.
How do you practice hospitality in your life?
When has hospitality been extended to you and how has it made a difference in the quality of your existence?
Hospitality is more than just making a nice table setting for someone; what gives hospitality it’s religious dimension?
(Book published by Skinner House Press. Image © Kishgraphics)
The Mystic Grove 