All Posts By

Debbie Philp

Mar 05
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The Spirituality of Wildlife Rehabilitation

By Blog, Spiritual Ecology
I was invited to do a question-and-answer session with the Compassion Consortium’s Animal Chaplaincy students on wildlife rehabilitation from a spiritual perspective. I shared that, honestly, I don’t know any wildlife rehabilitators, or at least any who stick with it, who aren’t spiritual about it in some way. There are some who start for their own egos, but they tend…
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Jan 26
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A Different Kind of Hope

By Blog, Spiritual Ecology
As Imbolc season approaches, I have been thinking about hope, my theme for the ceremony and the days that follow. I will be honest, hope, as I usually engage with it, is difficult to find and, when I do, seems lacking in any meaning. That kind of hope feels like nothing more than wishful thinking. The news is full of…
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Jan 16
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The Unloved

By Inspirational Talks
Presented January 12, 2025, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls in Queensbury, New York, the weekend after I received my basic venomous snake handling certification. The talk was inspired by rattlesnakes, snapping turtles, opossums, and love. I wasn’t here last Sunday. Instead, I was in Atlanta, putting snakes into bags, then into buckets. You may have just said…
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Dec 31
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Outrage Fatigue

By Blog, Spiritual Ecology
It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m done being outraged. 2024 has been hard on my physical, mental, and emotional health, and the U.S. election was a contributing factor, but not the only one. There were a whole lot of other humans doing things I wish they wouldn’t, or not doing things I wish they would, and, frankly, I’m tired. I…
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Dec 30
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The Radical Non-Action of Saying No

By Blog, Spiritual Ecology
How do you review a year? If I was going to review 2024 as if it was a book, I think I would write “thumbs down,” “this plot is ridiculous,” “author jammed so much into this story that it doesn’t make sense,” or something like that. Yet, here I am, leafing through the pages of my planner and thinking, “How…
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Nov 02
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Fog, Fear and Phantoms

By Inspirational Talks
Presented at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls in Queensbury, New York, on October 27, 2024. This Halloween-themed talk was inspired by morning fog that rolled in while I was on my paddleboard. At summer’s end, I was out on the lake on my paddle board early one morning, when a thick fog rolled in. My vision was limited…
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Oct 22
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Autumn’s Glory Religious Wedding

By Handfastings, Interfaith and Nature-Based
The Bride and Groom were raised Catholic but were no longer practicing. They wanted a ceremony that would reflect their families’ beliefs while feeling special to them. The couple shared their personal vows during a first look and made somewhat customized “standard” vows within the included handfasting ceremony. Trees in autumn colors were a lovely backdrop in the outdoor venue.…
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Sep 25
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Equinox Handfasting

By A Magical Rite, Handfastings
A couple who practices earth-based spirituality chose the Autumn Equinox to tie the knot in a ceremony dedicated to balance and harmony in their relationship. The venue’s wall of windows made the woods beyond the backdrop for the ceremony, which included a unity candle ritual. It was a small gathering of less than fifty guests. The three handfasting cords were…
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Aug 20
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The Story of John Barleycorn

By Inspirational Talks
Presented at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls in Queensbury, New York, on August 18, 2024. This Lughnasadh-themed talk follows the reading of "John Barleycorn Must Die" by Scottish poet Robert Burns, written in 1782. It is just one version of a folk song with English origins. You’ve probably figured out by now that the character, John Barleycorn, represents…
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