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Jacci Sutton
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Pagan Leadership Conferences/Summits
March, 2001 ...Bloomington, Indiana...A Pagan Leadership Summit was held which has sent ripples of interest throughout our
Community.
OK, some of those ripples are more
like crushing waves, but "stirring the pot" has never been a practice
this community
avoids!
Although there have been many
comments
about the Summit, I had not personally heard much
about the meat and potatoes of the Agenda. So when I was invited
to the Regional Pagan Leadership Conference in Virginia Beach, Virginia in August, I decided to see for myself
just what all the uproar was about. From
the list of attendees, I knew some
of the folks and figured I'd at least get a chance to visit with old friends,
and meet some I had only heard of through the Pagan Grapevine!
A nine-hour drive, a quick check in at my
hotel, and then a rush to get to the Conference Center for registration, did not put me
in a pleasant frame of mind. But warm
welcomes, and enthusiastic hosts, soon revived my
spirits, and the opening presentation by Dr. Frederick Lubich, "The
Return of the Divine Feminine", was interesting and
entertaining. Dr. Lubich is a Professor of German
and Chair of the Foreign Languages and Literature Department
of Old Dominion University. The Foreign Language Department
of Old Dominion University was a co-sponsor of the Regional Pagan
Leadership Conference. From
there, we all met at a local restaurant where the traditional Pagan issues
were addressed ... FOOD, and TALK! Knowing we had a busy
schedule the next day, we reluctantly said "good night" and headed
back to our hotel.
Saturday morning
we regrouped at the Conference Center, and the format
was explained. There would be four groups, (AHA! Now I knew why
there were different colored badges!) and each group would have a
facilitator and two recorders. It was explained that people who were from
the same location, or organization, were being split up into
different groups rather than keeping us together. That would insure that
each Working Group would have cross representation. OK ... that sounded
good too! The Facilitator would keep us on track, and the recorders would
RECORD! As topics were addressed, they would be written down, and tracked
so that we could all consider each other's viewpoints. No speeches!
Concise statements or comments
addressing Community
Concerns. Pinpoint the issues, and we would then discuss them,
and determine the commonalties,
and the relevance of each issue.
The first session led us to considering the
question "What are the Pagan community's
highest priority needs in the next few years?" Time
went fast. The hosts provided runners
who supplied us with water, coffee, or any need which could be met
so that we could concentrate on the issues. Oh my!
Talk about Herding Cats! <G> ... But it worked, and by lunch break, we
all felt that we had begun to work together. Lunch was provided in the main
Conference room, so there was little chance of slipping out! And the
Conference resumed at the appointed time!
(OK, another shock to the Pagan Standard Timetable!)
For the next hour and a half, we were asked to
review the recorded issues from
the first session, and then consider the question ... "How can we best meet
those identified needs?". Before answering that question, the
recorded notes were condensed by grouping the various statements
under common
headings. For instance, there may
have been a number of comments
regarding financial concerns. How to fund raise
for specific goals. How to support Pagan functionary projects, or
Clergy. How to support Pagan artists and merchants.
How to provide lobbyists for political agendas. All of these
concerns were placed under the broad banner of "Financial
Issues". Other concerns fell under the banners of Politics, Ethics,
Clergy Credentialling ... and a host of other categories.
A short break, and we were back at the tables
considering the final question ... "How can we coordinate our efforts to meet
our needs"? We now became
a brainstorming focus group, and ideas were flowing fast and
furious. We were making our "Wish List", but we were also looking at
ways to achieve the dreams. We all knew that time
was running out, and we had a deadline to meet.
The setting was conducive to channeling our thoughts and energies, and we all
wanted to have a concise, definitive result for all this effort! And we
knew that the next day, we'd be comparing
our group's results with those of the other groups. Had we come
up with something new? Had we considered all the possibilities?
Had we done our homework?
That evening, there was a social gathering for
all, and it was a time to relax and let our hair down. Snacks and drinks,
and time to talk over issues brought up in the various workshops made
for an interesting time. As people drifted from
one group to another, it was easy to see how the workshops had generated
specific ideas and topics for further discussion as like-minded
individuals found their common grounds. "Schmoozing"
is the term we use in the business world!
The final session on Sunday morning
brought all of the condensed versions together so that each group could express
their findings, and their solutions. What a surprise! All of the
groups had addressed much of the same
concerns! Yes, there were some minor
variations, but we had all reached very similar
conclusions as we focused on the Pagan community
at large, and from so many varied perspectives. In this session, we were once
again with our local community
members. We were coming
back together to compare notes, and look at what we had all agreed were primary
concerns. Now we were asked to consider ways in which each of our local
communities
could begin to implement some of the suggested solutions ... or address some
of the identified concerns. Now we were being asked to commit
ourselves to community
building. New we were being asked to accept responsibility to achieve the
goals we ourselves had considered and recommended.
Wow! Heady stuff indeed!
Now, it's time
for each of us to contemplate just what did happen over this concentrated
weekend. What did we accomplish?
How does it effect us? How will it effect the community?
And what do we each need to know about this format
for developmental action?
First, let me
preface my remarks by stating that I am
very familiar with the format
used in these Conferences. They are standard organizational plans to motivate
and create focus groups by most
organizations, regardless of their base premise.
From Religious organizations, Profit, and Non-profit organizations,
to the run of the mill Pyramid
Scheme ... these techniques are universally applied. Get a
group of people together who have a common
interest. Motivate them
by getting their input, and then directing that input toward a focused agenda
... and then, get a commitment
toward accomplishing that goal. In the Sales Community,
we call it "going for the Close". Is it a manipulative
format? Of course it is! Does it work! Yep, it
sure does, when you've got the format
down right. So here folks, we have our own version of the Pagan Amway
movement! Does this sound harsh? Well, maybe
so, but I left the Conference with more
questions than answers. So I'll share my
areas of concern and toss it back to the community
at large to find your own answers.
I was left with a feeling of unease.
Although many of the ideas were anticipated, I wondered where the
focus was on who we were as a group of Pagans. Where was the ideology
behind the organizational suggestions? Where were the concerns for our
Ethics? Where was the mention
of our Religious aspects? Where was the focus as to our
pathways? None of these issues, although I was assured they were
addressed in the groups other than the one I was assigned to, made
it to the "Final Cut Version of Concerns and Actions". So I
went on a search for more info as to the discussions raised in the Indiana Summit. And lo and behold, there was a specific reference to
the Pagan Community
spirituality ...
(the following paragraphs were copied directly
from the Summit notes posted on the PEN Website)
"Identity
Develop a stronger sense of Pagan identity.
Witches define themselves by saying "We're not Satanists."
Non-Wiccans and -Witches define themselves
by saying "We're not Witches." Some
Witches define themselves by saying "We're not Wiccans" and vice
versa. We need to define ourselves by what we are, maintain
our faith identities and traditions, yet understand that we have a meta-level
identity as Pagans. (Some discussion on terminology:
pagan, Pagan, neo-Pagan, Paleo-Pagan, etc.) Contemporary
Paganism is an interfaith movement!
[This issue arose in the morning
sessions but was tabled for the remainder
of the Summit as being outside our focus. We encourage worship
organizations to provide definitions for their path and encourage meta-level
identity as Pagans.]
Definitions/Descriptions
How do we define ourselves to each other? How do
we describe our faith traditions? Who decides who's in and who's out? What
should be done about those who call themselves
Pagan but participate in coercive activities?
[This issue arose in the morning
sessions but was tabled for the remainder
of the Summit as being outside our focus. We encourage worship
organizations to provide definitions for their path and encourage meta-level
identity as Pagans.]"
So I asked myself,
"How does this fit?" We're talking about getting Pagans
together to build a community,
yet we decide we can't address the IDENTITY of our constituency? Nor can
we address the DEFINITIONS/DESCRIPTIONS of those who comprise
our community?
What's up with that? .... Then I compared
the notes from the Summit, and the Conference again, and found that in the focusing,
and compressing of the notes from
the first session, all references to spirituality and practices had been lost
in the translation. What came
down to the major focus was financial, and logistical
structures. Was this by accident? When Pagans get together,
do we really NOT want to discuss beliefs, and spiritual matters,
and ethics? Oh no, tell me
it isn't so!
Was the similarity
of results between the two events just a coincidence? Were the
facilitators of the second event influenced by the facilitators of the first
event? Was there a specific motivation
to direct attention away from
Spiritual matters and focus solely on the business end of organizing
the Pagan community?
Are facilitators for these meetings
prepared by being advised of specific goals? Are facilitators selected
because of their awareness of this type of structure? Is part of the methodology
for organizing the Pagan community
a "Target Marketing" concept? And finally, WHO is doing the
targeting? What is the game
plan? Whose game are we supposed to play?
The impetus
seems to be on creating a series of Regional coalitions.
As the PEN website describes the "movement",
it would focus on the individual, then the local community,
then Regional, National, and finally International. OK ... good plan ...
but we all know the reality of these pyramid
programs. Preserving the organization becomes
the goal, rather than supporting the individual. And at that point, I'd
still consider throwing my energy into the communal
pot if it was to support the concept of spirituality and diversity.
However, a business plan is a business plan ... and I'm
really curious as to what business I've been asked to pledge my
support.
So here I am,
with my sharpened pencil, waiting to find the answers ....
WHO? WHAT? WHEN?
WHERE? ... and most important, WHY?
BB … Owl
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