The Flaming Chalice

For a more detailed account of the Unitarian Service Committee's creation of the flaming chalice symbol during World War II, read the story, "Circles of Light," adapted from a story in A Lamp in Every Corner: A Unitarian Universalist Storybook by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2004). A religious educator in Maryland, Grohsmeyer offers 21 stories that communicate about Unitarian Universalism in a lively way for learners of all ages, along with suggestions for the novice storyteller.

A pamphlet by Dan Hotchkiss, available from the Unitarian Universalist Association online bookstore, tells the history of the flaming chalice symbol.

For information about the sacred circle as a symbol in faith traditions other than Unitarian Universalism, check these links:

A website about Tibetan Buddhism and the mandala symbol

A description of circles at the Drexel University "Math Forum" website

The Call by David Spangler (New York: Riverhead Books, 1996) may be a good read for you to explore your own Unitarian Universalist identity. This short book about the intellectual, spiritual, and emotional values that inform our personal choices may illuminate your relationship with your Unitarian Universalist faith home and deepen your understanding of why you have chosen and continue to choose it.