Rev. Shari Woodbury
@shari-woodbury.bsky.social
Nature lover, mama bear, Unitarian Universalist minister
Interested in innovation in worship? Check it out.
Worship Innovation in Perspective
On innovation in worship, and why it matters for the mission -- and future -- of Unitarian Universalist congregations.
www.shariwoodbury.com
December 6, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Interested in innovation in worship? Check it out.
My journey of learning about high control groups recently took me back -- in person, last month -- to the meditation center I was deeply involved in as a young adult. I recount and reflect on this pilgrimage of healing in a 2-part series, starting with this one.
Revisiting the Site of Spiritual Trauma
I returned 20 years later, to the site of spiritual trauma -- a pilgrimage of grief, connection, and healing.
www.shariwoodbury.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:41 PM
My journey of learning about high control groups recently took me back -- in person, last month -- to the meditation center I was deeply involved in as a young adult. I recount and reflect on this pilgrimage of healing in a 2-part series, starting with this one.
Circles of Intimacy and Ultimacy: Why does small group ministry matter, & what works today? by Rev. Shari Woodbury
www.shariwoodbury.com/roots--wings...
www.shariwoodbury.com/roots--wings...
Circles of Intimacy and Ultimacy
“By their groups you shall know them,” wrote noted UU theologian James Luther Adams (JLA). [1] He was talking about congregations, civic clubs, reform movements, political groups – all...
www.shariwoodbury.com
August 27, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Circles of Intimacy and Ultimacy: Why does small group ministry matter, & what works today? by Rev. Shari Woodbury
www.shariwoodbury.com/roots--wings...
www.shariwoodbury.com/roots--wings...
A new Savvy Seeker article on attachment and high control dynamics. What's love got to do with it? I review disorganized attachment as it operates in cults, applying the concept to my old meditation group. medium.com/savvy-seeker...
What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Attachment and High Control Dynamics
medium.com
August 26, 2025 at 12:20 AM
A new Savvy Seeker article on attachment and high control dynamics. What's love got to do with it? I review disorganized attachment as it operates in cults, applying the concept to my old meditation group. medium.com/savvy-seeker...
New from yours truly - On inspiration, spirituality, deconstruction, agency, and claiming what I keep. (also available via the Savvy Seeker blog on my ministry site, shariwoodbury dot com) medium.com/savvy-seeker...
They Can’t Take That Away from Me
Parsing My Passages, Holding to the Constant
medium.com
August 17, 2025 at 10:07 PM
New from yours truly - On inspiration, spirituality, deconstruction, agency, and claiming what I keep. (also available via the Savvy Seeker blog on my ministry site, shariwoodbury dot com) medium.com/savvy-seeker...
A new blog post for progressive seminarians and others out there in discernment: Why Choose Church?
I share why I chose (and continue to choose) congregational ministry, and share some context for this moment. Comments welcome from colleagues ad others.
I share why I chose (and continue to choose) congregational ministry, and share some context for this moment. Comments welcome from colleagues ad others.
Why Choose Church
“If you can do anything else, you should.” This advice is commonly given by veteran clergy to people considering the vocation of congregational ministry. No one said it to me, but I have...
www.shariwoodbury.com
July 18, 2025 at 10:06 PM
A new blog post for progressive seminarians and others out there in discernment: Why Choose Church?
I share why I chose (and continue to choose) congregational ministry, and share some context for this moment. Comments welcome from colleagues ad others.
I share why I chose (and continue to choose) congregational ministry, and share some context for this moment. Comments welcome from colleagues ad others.
From a colleague in CA. Hard to imagine things getting that out of hand in Omaha, but better safe than sorry.
Hey friends —
If you’re planning to attend the No Kings protests (or any other public action), take a deep breath and read this carefully. Protesting is a sacred form of community expression and resistance. It can also be risky
abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/06/show...
If you’re planning to attend the No Kings protests (or any other public action), take a deep breath and read this carefully. Protesting is a sacred form of community expression and resistance. It can also be risky
abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/06/show...
Showing up Safely: Practical Protest Info
Guide to protest safety from ACLU, Reclaiming, and activists: tips on gear, phones, buddy systems, knowing your rights, and showing up with love.
abeltaine.blogspot.com
June 12, 2025 at 2:00 AM
From a colleague in CA. Hard to imagine things getting that out of hand in Omaha, but better safe than sorry.
Surprised myself today by starting a new blog, Roots & Wings. It is for church nerds (UU or otherwise) and anyone else who is interested in the future of organized religion.
You can check out the first post to get a better sense of why I'm writing and the kinds of topics likely to be explored.
You can check out the first post to get a better sense of why I'm writing and the kinds of topics likely to be explored.
Introducing: Roots & Wings
In a few weeks, I start a sabbatical from my role as a congregational minister. Today, as I journaled on a postponed day off, I felt a strong pull towards an idea I've had in the back of my mind for.....
www.shariwoodbury.com
June 12, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Surprised myself today by starting a new blog, Roots & Wings. It is for church nerds (UU or otherwise) and anyone else who is interested in the future of organized religion.
You can check out the first post to get a better sense of why I'm writing and the kinds of topics likely to be explored.
You can check out the first post to get a better sense of why I'm writing and the kinds of topics likely to be explored.
Hot off the press: Exploring 6 factors that lead people in Western nations to engage with Eastern religious traditions. Here's the Medium link; I'll put a link to the same article on my ministry web site in the first comment below. medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
Why Do Westerners Turn to the East?
Parsing the Appeal
medium.com
March 25, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Hot off the press: Exploring 6 factors that lead people in Western nations to engage with Eastern religious traditions. Here's the Medium link; I'll put a link to the same article on my ministry web site in the first comment below. medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
New post up, revisiting a piece of writing I just rediscovered, about a pivotal moment in my year at the ashram. Here's the Medium link. I'll put the link to my ministry site blog in the first comment. medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
Burying My Songbird
A Turning Point Revisited
medium.com
March 24, 2025 at 2:26 AM
New post up, revisiting a piece of writing I just rediscovered, about a pivotal moment in my year at the ashram. Here's the Medium link. I'll put the link to my ministry site blog in the first comment. medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
How is a cult like an onion? I illustrate with my old meditation group, in this piece exploring the structure of a high control group. www.shariwoodbury.com/savvyseeker/...
Layers of Illusion: How A Cult Is Like an Onion
You know how Star Trek officers can craftily infiltrate new planets and cultures when their mission calls for it? Costumes native to the realm, non-alien features that are hidden or surgically...
www.shariwoodbury.com
March 11, 2025 at 12:51 AM
How is a cult like an onion? I illustrate with my old meditation group, in this piece exploring the structure of a high control group. www.shariwoodbury.com/savvyseeker/...
My blog posts on high control groups (aka cults), adverse effects of meditation, and savvy seeking -- including my personal cult experience -- are now online at www.shariwoodbury.com/savvyseeker They'll stay on Medium too, but the need to create an account (albeit free) was a barrier to some.
January 30, 2025 at 5:20 AM
My blog posts on high control groups (aka cults), adverse effects of meditation, and savvy seeking -- including my personal cult experience -- are now online at www.shariwoodbury.com/savvyseeker They'll stay on Medium too, but the need to create an account (albeit free) was a barrier to some.
If you'd like to grant me a birthday wish, please read and respond to this piece, just up. Thank you! medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
One Year On
Reflecting on a Year of Writing Online
medium.com
January 14, 2025 at 10:57 PM
If you'd like to grant me a birthday wish, please read and respond to this piece, just up. Thank you! medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
Reposted by Rev. Shari Woodbury
LEAVING A HIGH CONTROL GROUP: Motives and Methods of Getting Out
A similar number of people are likely involved with culty groups each year as the number of people who experience a stroke.
Once engulfed, how — and why — does a person get out? That's what I explore in this post.
A similar number of people are likely involved with culty groups each year as the number of people who experience a stroke.
Once engulfed, how — and why — does a person get out? That's what I explore in this post.
Leaving A High Control Group
Motives and Methods of Getting Out
medium.com
January 8, 2025 at 3:10 AM
LEAVING A HIGH CONTROL GROUP: Motives and Methods of Getting Out
A similar number of people are likely involved with culty groups each year as the number of people who experience a stroke.
Once engulfed, how — and why — does a person get out? That's what I explore in this post.
A similar number of people are likely involved with culty groups each year as the number of people who experience a stroke.
Once engulfed, how — and why — does a person get out? That's what I explore in this post.
My first BlueSky post.
Want to know what high control group (sometimes called cult) is? Want to evaluate whether a group you or a loved one has ties to might be such a group? That's the focus of this piece.
medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
Want to know what high control group (sometimes called cult) is? Want to evaluate whether a group you or a loved one has ties to might be such a group? That's the focus of this piece.
medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
What Is A High Control Group?
How to Spot Cults and Other Controlling Collectives
medium.com
December 27, 2024 at 4:22 AM
My first BlueSky post.
Want to know what high control group (sometimes called cult) is? Want to evaluate whether a group you or a loved one has ties to might be such a group? That's the focus of this piece.
medium.com/@shariwoodbu...
Want to know what high control group (sometimes called cult) is? Want to evaluate whether a group you or a loved one has ties to might be such a group? That's the focus of this piece.
medium.com/@shariwoodbu...