This wood carving of the Unitarian Universalist Chalice truly becomes an act of sculpting the wood! The Chalice is shaped with grinder to get the initial cup shape, the sanding is intense to clean it up, finish the shaping and bring the grain of the wood out.
SIZE:This listing includes size variations. The Standard carving with an 11 inch diameter, the Miniature of 5.5 inches, and the Double sized based on a 22 inch circle . If you require different sizes, we can accommodate with limitations. The Standard size is as large as we can get from one board, anything from an 11 inch diameter down to 6 inch would fall under the standard size. On the Miniature variation, it is as small we can go without losing the double ring.
While always a lovely addition to Unitarian home or church decor, the Flaming Chalice can also be customized with wood burning on the back as a gift to a departing pastor or retiring staff member. Please contact us for customizing!
MEANING: Originally drawn by Austrian artist Hans Deutsch in 1941, The Flaming Chalice is the official symbol of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and has become a focal point for worship in Unitarian Universalist Churches throughout the world.
The flaming chalice combines two archetypes—a drinking vessel and a flame—and as a religious symbol has different meanings to different beholders. Sharing, generosity, sustenance, and love are some of the meanings symbolized by a chalice, while a flame can symbolize witness, sacrifice, testing, courage, and illumination.
It is a very interesting story of how and why Hans designed these symbol...for the full story go to www.uua.org/publications/pamphlets/introductions/151248.shtml
Unitarian Universalism affirms and promotes seven Principles, grounded in the humanistic teachings of the world's religions. Our spirituality is unbounded, drawing from scripture and science, nature and philosophy, personal experience and ancient tradition as described in our six Sources.
THE CARVING: Our carvings are single pieces of western red cedar, designed and carved to be wall hangings. Each carving begins as a 1 X 12 inch cedar board. While we use power tools (Scroll Saw, Rotary shaft Tool, handheld detail sanders etc.), we use no laser’s, CNC machines or computer operated cutting machines. All work is done with our hands and eyes…
We cut the 2 dimensional blanks with scroll and jig saws (double-sized custom orders have to be cut with jigsaw). Carving is done with rotary shaft tools and disc grinders. The 80 grit sanding is the final phase of the carving process, removing the nicks and gouges from the carving tools, and finishes the shaping of the weave. The next 2 sandings with 120 then 220 grit finishes the smoothing and polishing. They are finished with Clear Danish Oil to seal the piece, bringing out the grain and the color.
