Prairie Circle
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Growing our spirit, supporting community, nurturing the environment.
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Visit Us
Please join us for Sunday service.
9:15 AM
At the Byron Colby Barn
1561 Jones Point Road
Grayslake, IL 60030
Learn More
Find out more about Unitarian Universalist beliefs, history, diversity, and worship by visiting the Unitarian Universalist Association at the following link:
The Flaming Chalice
Our Symbol: The Flaming Chalice
A flame within a chalice (a wide-lipped stemmed cup) represents the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and is a symbol of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) faith.
"At the opening of Unitarian Universalist worship services, many congregations light a flame inside a chalice. This flaming chalice has become a well-known symbol of our denomination. It unites our members in worship and symbolizes the spirit of our work." -Dan Hotchkiss
Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, first brought together the chalice and the flame as a Unitarian symbol during his work with the Unitarian Service Committee during World War II. To Deutsch, the image had connotations of sacrifice and love. Unitarian Universalists today have many different interpretations of the image. To many, the cup represents religious community, while the flame represents ideas including the sacrificial flame, the flame of the spirit, and more.
The flaming chalice image has changed many times over the past 65 years. There is no single interpretation of today's flaming chalice symbol. Modern chalice designs often incorporate two overlapping circles which, for many people, represent our Unitarian and Universalist heritages. Other images include additional elements, some of which are merely decorative and others which are very meaningful.
From www.uua.org.
Prairie Circle's Flaming Chalice
PCUUC's Flaming Chalice is represented by the cup holding the seed head / flame, as seen at the bottom of this page.
The flame represents the light of truth we seek, and the Indian Grass seed head as the flame speaks to us from multiple dimensions:
- From the Prairie, the land of which we are all a part;
- From the Fire - Prairies need fire to be healthy, vital ecosystems. This grass grows as we do from earth, air, fire, and water;
- From the Seed, which represents germination, promise, hope, and the wonder that they contain an unseen whole that will emerge.
