We gather as Unitarian Universalists, often around a lit chalice or food, and enjoy together the stories that celebrate our shared values. Long ago, people kept a fire burning in a hearth, sometimes all day and all night, to cook their food, eat together, tell stories, and stay warm.

Where do you gather to share food for the body and food for the spirit?

When homes were built of rocks, plants, and earth, and most food was gathered or grown, Earth-centered peoples made hearths of compacted earth or a ring of stones. Their rituals honored the spirit of life believed to be in all natural beings and things.

Make a Symbolic Hearth

• Fill a shallow dish (or aluminum pie tin) with earth or sand.
• Set a votive candle firmly.
• Circle the candle with stones.
• Place your hearth where family members gather.
• Light it to mark your time together and your connection with the earth and all its gifts.
• Choose a grace, or create a blessing to share.