About Us
HISTORYTurning Circle has been meeting in the Columbia, MD area since Fall Equinox of September 2004. We noticed a lack of open, accessible Pagan groups in the Baltimore/Washington corridor, and wanted to change that! Turning Circle remains committed to serving the Pagan community by providing free, open Pagan events throughout the year.
CHARITIESTurning Circle also gives back to our larger community. Once a season, we gather money or goods for some charity that we feel helps our fellow creatures and planet Earth. Over the course of the year, we try to contribute to groups that satisfy our four criteria: 1) is local, 2) helps animals, 3) helps people, 4) supports the environment. Some of our past charities have included Mercy for Haiti, the Trevor Project, Heifer International, the Central Asia Institute, Cool Cats Adoption Center, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Maryland Food Bank to name a few.
PARENT GROUP- UUCCTurning Circle is affiliated with the
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia (UUCC). We affirm the seven UU principles focusing especially on the last principle: "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." We appreciate the support and space they give us, but you don't need to attend or belong to UUCC to come to Turning Circle.
THEOLOGYBeyond following the 7th UU principle of honoring the web of life, we have no central tenets or beliefs that all our members share. Some of our members worship one God or Goddess, some worship many Gods and Goddesses, and some focus on honoring the sacredness of nature. It's been said that Paganism is more about shared practices than any particular beliefs -- it's walking the walk of honoring Mother Earth that really counts.
MEETINGS
Our meetings include celebrations of the seasons of the solar year,
moon rituals, as well as a variety workshops and discussions on Pagan
topics. Various members and friends of Turning Circle design and lead
our circles, so each meeting can have a very different flavor. Since we are Eclectic Pagan and our
members follow a variety of paths, you may experience anything from a
Wiccan ritual, Druid high day, or Buddhist meditation, to a Shinto or ancient Babylonian
rite. We are always trying out new things, and anyone is welcome to jump in and suggest a topic, or lead a circle! Please bring food or drink to share for our potluck social time held after circles.
SPECIAL EVENTSWe try to
stay flexible and occasionally Turning Circle holds additional events --
social outings, services for UUCC, or Pagan Book Club discussion,
etc. Please keep an eye on our
Latest News page for these special
events!
COSTAll our events at OBIC are free and open
to the public, but we do accept small donations that we use for
supplies. We also give back a yearly donation to
UUCC , our parent organization, in thanks for their generous gift of our meeting space at OBIC.
Have any questions? Follow a link below and shoot us an email from the
Contact page!