In our December newsletter we have:
Yule Traditions * Do The Math * Lord of the Rings Parties * Harry Potter Party Pictures * Discworld Fan Party at WorldCon in 2002 * Hello, I Must Be Going * Director Sought for 2002 Ball * Position Now Filled for Chair, Decorating Committee * Events of Interest * No, Really, You Shouldn’t Have * WhoVille - The people at Full Circle * Barbie Redeax * Pagan Doers *
YULE TRADITIONS:
Many Pagans are creating and recreating their own Yule Traditions these days. Some of the questions that surround this holiday are these:
* What part of the Christmas Tradition harks back to the Old Ways?
* How do we find out about these traditions?
* How do we reclaim and/or modify these traditions so that they are right for ourselves and our families?
* What is the spiritual, social and nature based meanings behind all of these?
* What new traditions do we wish to establish and how do we do that?
For those of you who are interested, here are some books and some websites that might help you celebrate Yule in your own special and meaningful way:
On the Pagan Bookshelf we have:
“The Winter Solstice: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas” by John Matthews.
"When Santa Was A Shaman: The Ancient Origins of Santa
Claus and the
Christmas Tree" by Tony Van Renterghem
"Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth" by Dorothy Morriso.
"The Solstice Evergreen: The History, Folklore and Origins of the
Christmas
Tree" by Sheryl Ann Karas.
"Celebrate the Solstice: Honoring the Earth's Seasonal Rhythms through
Festival and Ceremony" by Richard Heinberg.
These websites offer valuable information on the Winter
Holidays:
Archaeoastronomy – The Stars and Ancient Cultures
http://www.wam.umd.edu/~tlaloc/archastro/cfaar_as.html
The study of the astronomical practices, celestial lore, mythologies, religions and world-views of all ancient cultures is called archaeoastronomy. This is a good web page on the subject from the Department of Archaeoastronomy at the University of Maryland.
Astronomy and the Winter Solstice:
http://www.treasure-troves.com/astro/WinterSolstice.html
Circle Sanctuary’s Yule Page:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/pholidays/WinterSolstice.html
This includes Yule information and ideas for celebrating the season.
Crafting a Perfect Holiday – Making your own Yule gifts:
http://altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa110800b.htm?terms=Crafts+for+Yule+and+Solstice
Pagan Yule Carols:
http://members.tripod.com/~Willow_Firesong/YulCarls/index.html
The Winter Solstice – From the Learning Network
http://www.familyeducation.com/topic/front/0,1156,1-4205,00.html
(this is a great site for Parents and Teachers, in particular)
The Winter Solstice: The Unconquered Sun
http://www.shambhala.org/arts/fest/unconquered.html
Winter Solstice and Christmas
http://ccil.org/~kmiles/dln/12-95/decsol.html
This site talks about the changes that the early Christian Church made to this holiday. It’s a good, very basic overview for those who are interested.
You Call It Christmas – We Call it Yule – From The Witches Voice:
http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/yule.html
This is one of the best articles I’ve found on the subject of Pagans and Yule.
Yule Recipes:
http://www.celticcrow.com/ncraft/yulerec.html
Places to Go:
One of the best kept secrets in Silicon Valley involves the solstice. I saw this in the Metro paper and I give it to you folks who live in “The Valley of Heart’s Delight” as a Yule Gift:
“Solstice: At Sunrise:
A very small cluster of people gather at El Paso de Los Sueños/Gateway to Dreams, the pyramidal sculpture by artist Gene Flores on the corner of Mathilda Avenue and El Camino. They have brought offerings for a Winter Solstice ceremony -- small items representing hopes and wishes for the coming seasons. At dawn the sun rises directly between the two bronze wedges strategically placed for the effect to be realized with minimum aperture on this date, maximum on summer solstice. For one brief moment, centuries of science fade away as watchers in the city that high-tech built experience one of the first mysteries to spark human imagination: the changing seasons. Corner of Mathilda Avenue and El Camino Real, Sunnyvale”
Finally, for you Thrifty Pagans: Costco has the best prices for pine wreaths and garlands.
DISWORLD PARTY AT 2002 WORLDCON:
On a personal note, I recently received word from both Terry Pratchett and the Chair of the WorldCon Committee that I will be allowed to organize and host a Discworld Fan Party at the 2002 WorldCon in San Jose. At present, Terry does plan to be there (he attends most WorldCons) so this should be great fun.
The party will be given by the Seamstresses Guild of Ankh Morpork (“Not a needle among ‘em”). The ladies will be wearing costumes from the Early Victorian Period. The room will be decorated like a House of Ill Repute from that same period.
Anyone interested in helping me decorate, plan, and organize this shindig and anyone wishing to appear as one of our Seamstress Guild Members, should contact me at witsend@ix.netcom.com (Please note: this is my busy season at work, so I may not be able to reply until after the holidays – please be patient with me).
For more information on the WorldCon itself, go to http://www.conjose.org/
Those of you who are interested in Terry Pratchett’s work will enjoy this site:
Please note: This is not a Full Circle Event, although Full Circle folk are very welcome to attend and are invited to help. This particular party is being organized and hosted by my husband and myself in Terry’s honor.
Terry’s latest Discworld book is now out. It is titled “The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents”.
Full Circle will be hosting the Pagan Meet at this same WorldCon. More info on that meet will be forthcoming.
DIRECTOR SOUGHT FOR OF 2001 WITCHES BALL:
Full Circle is currently looking for a super-responsible, detail oriented, capable, fun loving and creative person to work as our Witches Ball Director in 2002. This is a volunteer position with a very high profile. It requires someone who has excellent supervisory skills and who is good at communicating and networking with others. For more information about this position, please contact Monica at Monica@dragonhouse.com
DECORATING CHAIRS POSITION IS NOW FILLED:
I am delighted to announce that Molly of Hearthstone Circle has accepted the position as Chair of our Decorating Committee for the 2002 Witches Ball. Anyone interested in serving on this committee should contact her at
Near Solstice, Full Circle will make it’s yearly donation to the Humane Society. We are pleased to announce that this year’s donation will be close to $1,800 dollars. This is very close to the size of last year’s donation. That is amazing considering that the Witches Ball cost over 10 times what last year’s ball cost. We are very grateful to our members for their generosity and support – we could not do this without you.
We will also be sending out the $250.00 check to Deborah Noel, our Gaia’s Guardian Award Winner. This is the cash prize that goes with our Gaia’s Guardian Award in 2001: http://www.fullcircleevents.org/ball2001/award.shtml
That check goes out this week.
Another $100.00 was donated earlier in the year to The Witches Voice http://www.witchvox.com.
75 toys were donated via our members to children living in Battered Women’s Shelters around the Bay Area as a result of our March Hares program early this year. The cost of purchasing and shipping these toys was covered by our members and does not factor into the budget.
We have put aside another $2,000 as seed money for next year’s Ball.
Basic accounting for 2002 is as follows:
Money Taken in from The Witches Ball: $17,645
(this includes tickets, Vendor Tables, etc.)
Cost of renting the Scottish Rite Center: $10,050
Required Insurance: $585
Dj $500
(He usually costs $1,000 but he donated half of his fee)
Decorations - $1,500
(80% of all items purchased are reusable from year to year)
Administration & PR expenses: $418.44
(Website, flyers, etc.)
Deposit on Hall for next year: $2,000
Taxes (paid in 2000 & estimated for2001 - $2,297.60
(We’re not a non-profit yet, so we have to pay State, Federal and Sales Taxes on all money received)
This leaves us about $2,900.06 left over. From this, we have taken the money for the Gaia’s Guardian Award and the Humane Society Donation and we have paid Miscellaneous Expenses for the year (such as Truck rentals, office supplies etc.)
A more detailed account of our budget is being prepared by our Treasurer. This is available in our office beginning on 1/15 and can be viewed by any of our members by appointment.
LORD OF THE RINGS PARTIES:
This Bulletin Board is for those of you who are hosting or organizing parties to see the movie "The Lord of the Rings". It is also for those who are hoping to see the movie with a group. If you are looking for a movie party, post something here and you might find that other movies parties in your area are being formed.
We hope that you all enjoy the movie and the
parties that follow. You can access it
via the link above or from the Events Page on our website at http://www.fullcircleevents.org
HARRY POTTER PARTY PICTURES:
You meet the nicest people at Hearthstone parties. My thanks to the interesting folks who gathered together to enjoy the movie and to Molly, who hosted the party for adults and children afterwards.
Molly had us choose “Houses” (I was in Hufflepuff) and we answered Harry Potter questions to win points for our house. There were Harry Potter coloring pages for the kids, special treats for Wizards and prizes and entertainment for all. A lovely day, indeed and a very fine group of people.
If you go to this page, you’ll see the lovely decorations Molly put up for the party. Take note of Snape’s Potions lab and of the handmade banners on the walls.
http://www.hearthstonecircle.org/California/photos/photoalbum.html
HELLO, I MUST BE GOING:
The excellent Lavender Dragon Bookstore in Menlo Park is closing it’s doors in January. Currently, all items in the store are 50% off. The fixtures will be for sale in January and Owl is looking for a good home for the Mother Drum. The Owners are going on to great things, but first they’ll take a little time off to rest and relax. Our since thanks go to out to them for their support of our community these last 6 years and we wish them the very best in the future. You can find more information at http://www.lavenderdragon.com
On another note, the much loved Inner Journey store has moved. They are no longer in Mountain View. Their new location is in Los Gatos. Stop in and say “hi” as you do your seasonal shopping. You can read about their new store at http://www.inner-journey.com/
You can find other gift shops and bookstores in your area by going to the California Shops page at The Witches Voice: http://www.witchvox.net/wotw/home/california.html
Please try and support your local, independent store owners. These are the people who support our community by offering workshops, classes, readers, networking and useful information.
EVENTS OF INTEREST:
(Please note: Events that occurred in the early part of
December were listed in the November newsletter)
November 24 – December 23rd – The Great Dickens Christmas Faire – At the San Francisco Cow Palace Exhibition Halls
The flyer says: Enjoy a Victorian Christmas Card come to
life. Visit http://www.dickensfair.com for more
information.
Dec 6 – 15th – Christmas Teas in the Old Farmhouse – Woodside
Advanced reservations are required - visit http://www.yerbabuenanursery.com/
for more information.
Dec. 13th – Stories at Yule, St. Lucia and Winter Solstice – Oakland
Their flyer says: Hear and share stories of the season. Bring food and drink to share. A short ritual is included. For more information, contact Ancient Ways at 510-653-3244 or www.ancientways.com
Dec. 14th – Woman’s Solstice Song Circle – Montclair Women’s Club in Oakland
The flyer says: All Women's Voices Welcome! Requested Donation: $18 in advance (paid by Thursday before the event), $23 at the door. For pre-registration or work exchange/scholarships, c all 510-525-7082.
Dec. 14-16th – Christmas Revels – Oakland
This year the theme is Celtic. Visit http://www.calrevels.org/ for more information.
Dec. 14th –
Concern by Stephen Kent, Master of
Didgeridoo, 8pm at the Clarion Music
Center in S.F.
The flyer says: Tickets for the event are $15. Address is: 816 Sacramento St, ph. (415)391-1317 for more information.
Dec 15th – Yule Gathering – Menlo Park
Yule presented by South Bay Circles
For more information, call Bianca at (408) 265-5180, or e-mail Bill: wabaldwin@aol.com
Dec. 15th – Victorian Caroling - Silicon Valley –
Visit http://www.hearthstonecircle.org for more information.
Dec 15th – Yule Ritual – Grand Terrace
Visit http://www.touchstonelc.org for more information.
Dec. 15th – Masque of the Goddess – Willits
Visit http://www.rainewalker.com for more information
Dec 15th – Yule Pot Luck Gathering – Sonoma
Hosted by the Sonoma County Pagan Network.
E-mail info (info@scpagans.net).
Dec 15th - Celebrate the Season with Broceliande
– Palo Alto Uniterian Church.
Their flyer says: 505 E. Charleston Rd., Palo Alto - 8 pm * $12/$10 suggested
donation This is a release concert for our Winter CD, "Sir
Christèmas." We'll be
serving wassail, and other surprises await!
Dec. 15-17th – Early Music Concerts – various locations around the Bay Area.
Visit http://www.sfems.org/ for more information.
Dec. 16th – Winter Solstice Goddess Craft Faire – Santa Rosa
The Flyer says: Call 887-8473 for more information
Dec. 16th – Yule Ritual and Feast - Oakland
Their flyer says: Turn the Wheel and celebrate Yule with the NROOGD tradition at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland For more information, contact r@freyasfolk.org or Rachael at 415-928-8509.
December 16 - Yule with Sacramento Co-Traditional Circles - Sacramento
Their flyer says: For more information, contact Clarisse at 916-737-7733 or sctcrocks@yahoo.com.
Dec 20th – Yule Celebration – San Francisco
Their flyer says:
Join Reclaiming in a Yule celebration at 3:00PM (Ritual at 4:00PM)
between Sloat Blvd. and Taraval Street in San Francisco. Bring wood for the
fire, food and juice to share, and a towel if you plan to plunge.
Also, dress warmly! For more information, contact http://www.reclaiming.org/
Dec. 23rd - Yule Theatrical Ritual – Santa Cruz
Visit website for more information: http://www.communityseed.org/
Dec. 28th – Pagan Internet Conference – Cyberspace
Their flyer says: You are invited and most welcome to The Fourth Pagan Internet Conference (PIC). This is a non-profit free event held online, in Cyberspace, and features outstanding pagan writers, HP/HPS, and website/organization founders. Some past speakers have been: Z Budapest, Barbara Ardinger, Donald Michael Kraig, Karri Allrich, M. Macha NightMare, Sirona Knight, Timothy Roderick, Eileen Holland, and more. Certificate of PIC attendance is available upon request. For more information, please visit http://paganweb.net.
Dec. 28th – Yule Ritual – San Jose (Women Only)
Contact: lunacirca@yahoo.com
for more info.
Dec 30th – Moot Gathering – Santa Cruz
Their flyer says: The Monterey Bay Pagans Moot gathers for
chat and fellowship on the last Sunday of the month at alternating locations
from Santa Cruz to
Monterey and points between. Families are welcome. For more information
please contact Constance@moonchild.zzn.com
Jan 12th – Pagan Black Light Bowling – Santa Clara
Visit our Bowling page at http://www.fullcircleevents.org for more information.
January 28-March 25 – Winter’s Tales – Cupertino
The flyer says: Join Nick Roberts for a series of workshop
discussions
on Winter's Tales: Beowulf, Gawain and the Green Night and The Wife of Bath
at the UCSC extension located at 10420 Bubb Rd in Cupertino from
6:30-9:30pm. Winter's tales, one
Medieval and two Renaissance, all blend an overlay of Christian ideology with a
pagan thirst for life's extremes. For more information contact 831-427-6695, maza@ucsc-extension.edu, or visit www.ecsc-extension.edu. The course
number for this class is EDP 013W61.
Feb 15 – 18th
Their flyer says: February 15-18, 2002 – A Pagan gathering of workshops, lectures rituals and vendors. This event will be held at the Double Tree Hotel in San Jose. First discount ends September 15th. For more information, contact Ancient Ways at 510-653-3244 or www.ancientways.com
August 29 - September 2, 2002 - PAGAN MEET AT WORLDCON
- The World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention will take place in San Jose
in 2002
(http://www.conjose.org). Many Sci Fi and
Fantasy fans and writers are Pagan,
and while a Christian Meet is held at WorldCon every year, there has never
been a Pagan Meet. This year, Full Circle Events will host the first ever
Pagan Meet at a WorldCon. Watch http://www.fullcircleevents.org for
upcoming
info.
Ongoing Events:
Tuesdays: Pagan Support Group – Silicon Valley
Visit our Spiral Steps page at http://www.fullcircleevents.org for more information.
Wednesdays: Hrafnar Circle's hosts Winternights, a feast for
the gods and
our male ancestors, on the second Wednesday of every month in Berkeley,
starting at 7:30 PM. Open to both men and women, many events are potluck,
and. For more information, contact
Diana L. Paxson, Box 552, Berkeley,
CA 94705, or greyhavn@earthlink.net
Sundays: Drumming Circle – Fremont
Contact firedrumcircle@hotmail.com or call 510-366-5067.
Sundays – Drumming Circles at Dolphin Dream in Walnut Creek
Their flyer says: Bring your drums and rattles or use theirs
to beat away the stresses of the outside world and find that place within
where the heartbeat dwells. Attendance is free. Contact 925-933-2342 for more
information.
More information on these and other events, please visit:
Bay Area Pagan Assemblies: http://www.batnet.com/bapagan/bapa.html
Full Circle Events: http://www.fullcircleevents.org
The Index: http://www.cyprian.org/Index/
The Witches Voice: http://www.witchvox.com
(Go to their California Events Page. )
NO, REALLY, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE:
This next item comes in from Shawn in Concord. It’s for those of you who have a caffeine addict on your gift list. I’m willing to bet that they don’t have this:
http://www.sallys-place.com/beverages/coffee/kopi_luwak.htm
WHOVILLE – THE PEOPLE AT FULL CIRCLE:
As we draw closer to Yule, I find myself longing for the peace and quiet of the Winter Season. As much as I love holidays and parties, I also love the time between Yule and Imbolc because then I have some free time to meditate, go hiking, enjoy my studies and store up my energy for the coming year.
The Full Circle Altar is quiet, as well. Just before the Witches Ball this altar is covered with candles, stones, statues, totems and other items that the Council members have put there. These things remind us of our priorities and they are there to give us strength to do the jobs we’ve taken on. After the Ball, I take it down so that it, too, can get some rest. All that stands there now is a small candle or two and a plant that likes the sun from the nearby window. One of the office cats sleeps in the basket nearby. Both the altar and the cat look pretty peaceful. I’m looking forward to some of that peace in the very near future, as are my colleagues at FCE.
Next January, we will meet again to plan the coming year. It’s going to be a good one, I think. There are many people who worked with us last year who will be rejoining us again in 2002. While I can’t list them all, I’d like you to know who a few of them are and what they might be up to next year.
As many of you know, The Witches Ball is Monica’s brainchild. She has served as the Director for the last two years and it’s time for her to hand that position on to someone else. Therefore, she is currently spending her time between now and March looking for a suitable replacement. Any candidates she finds will be voted on by the Council as a whole and they will serve as the Ball’s Director between March and October of 2002. Whoever is awarded this position will have Monica as his/her Second in Command and they will have the benefit of Monica’s (and the Council’s) expertise. This person will have an easier time of it then we did, as many of the procedures, contacts, Committee Chairs and protocols for the Ball are now in place. Ah, but finding such a person is not as easy as it seems, so we’ve asked Monica to make this her Number One Priority during the closing of this year and the beginning of the next. She is also going to work on the Ultimate Witch’s Ball Book, which is a huge FAQ for the ball. This Book contains everything our new Director and Committee Chairs will need to know before they begin work. Monica intends to go back to school next year to begin work on her Master’s degree in anthropology. This is something we, as her friends, all want to support and we wish her all the best with her studies. Monica is a founding member of Full Circle. She will continue to serve on the Council and help us shape Full Circle’s future as we move into our 3rd year.
Meanwhile, Azeraeis, our Treasurer, is working on a degree and raising a family, as well. Azeraeis is on our Council and he also serves as Chairperson for the Board of Directors of BAPA. He has agreed to serve again as the Vendor Coordinator for the Ball next year. He and I have been working on the budget for 2001 and we will get together in January to begin work on our non-profit paperwork. We’ve had so much other work to do this last year that we were never able to get to that and it’s now something we need to make a priority. Once we have that written and approved by the Council, we’ll move on to set the initial budget for 2002 and begin working on the paperwork for the Full Circle taxes for last year. Azeraeis is helped by his partner, Scoutghost, who is a genius at networking and a splendid ReSourcerous for both BAPA and Full Circle.
Corvid, our Chief Bard, is working on several ideas of his own, all of which involve Pagan music and musicians. He is in charge of music for the Ball and he coordinates everything with our wonderful Dj, Chuck. Corvid is pondering what events he wants to direct and support for us next year. I’ll be interested to see what he comes up with. He also plays guitar in two different bands and is one of our Council members. Like all of us here at Full Circle, he has a full schedule and some interesting choices to make as he plans the year ahead.
Anne Hill is currently working on her Ph.D. in religious studies and running her business, which is called Serpentine Music. Anne and her family live in the Santa Rosa area so we don’t’ get to see her as much as we all would like. Happily for us, she will remain on board with us as our Consultant on music and family issues. As always, Anne and I will have our Vendor booths side by side at PantheaCon. Come by and say “hi” to us if you are there. (Fair Warning Anne: Corvid recently said the words “Pagan Music Festival” to me at dinner the other night. He may be calling you next year for some advice. ) Anne was recently featured in the new book, “Modern Pagans” and she is one of the author’s of “Circle Round and Sing” which is a great book for Pagan families and music lovers.
Captain Lightening, our Web Wizard, has some new and ambitious plans for the website. We’ve been talking to Fritz at the Witches Voice about some of the things he does over there and we might modify some of Fritz’s ideas to serve our community here in California. We hope to begin serious work on the site again in February and March.
Robert, our Chief of Security, has lined up the FLARE team for next year’s ball. Robert is also active in the SCA and in the Science Fiction and Fantasy community. He is also going to consult with us about the possibility of a camping trip or two next year. Stay tuned.
Owlwind and Raven, our Nature Guru’s will be with us again next year, as will Fernalia, our Good Humor Witch. Krystal, a gifted “Finder” of books, and other needful things is one of our Senior Volunteers. She will be with us and will also have help from my good buddy, Jim. He is one of our techno-wizards and our resident Food God. Meanwhile, Dj will continue to organize the Spiral Steps meetings in Silicon Valley and Lee Ann will offer her support as our Ticket Goddess and consult on Pagan family issues. (She is also helping me to plan the Discworld party). Michael, the Owner of San Jose Books and our Drumming Shaman, is also on hand to give us the benefit of his advice and expertise. Michael was instrumental in helping Full Circle get started and we could not have done MUSE camp or the first Witches Ball without him.
We will also be working closely with Molly and Uncle Jon at Hearthstone Circle. Molly, as you know, will Chair the Decorating Team. Jon will help us again with lights and theatre construction. Both work full time, raise their young son and run their own Pagan Teaching Group in San Jose. You know what they say, “Those who can do are out there doing”. Yeah, verily.
We are also talking to my good friend Kasey about starting a branch of Full Circle in Marin County. Kasey is a professional writer and a mom and she used to run a wonderful women’s book group in Palo Alto, when she lived in Silicon Valley.
These folks add a lot of fun and creativity to our various events and I look forward to working with them again in the coming year.
Many of the people mentioned above will be attending and/or offering workshops at PantheaCon in February – we hope to see you there.
Those of you who remember my essay in August on The Goddess Barbie (such easy sillyness seems a world away now, doesn’t it?) might get a kick out of this:
http://www.barbiecollectibles.com/showcase/index.asp
There is now an Irish Princess Barbie http://www.barbiecollectibles.com/showcase/product.asp?product_id=1001612
An Egyptian Princess Barbie: http://www.barbiecollectibles.com/showcase/product.asp?product_id=1001601
And a Indian Princess Barbie:
http://www.barbiecollectibles.com/showcase/product.asp?product_id=1001020
and a BeWitched Barbie (with broomstick, hat and heart locket)
http://www.barbiecollectibles.com/showcase/product.asp?product_id=1001607
most of these dolls come in light and in dark skinned versions. Here is a good example of a lovely, African American doll:
This season I’ve send some camping Barbies and Animal Rescue Barbies to the children of some of my friends. I’ve been lucky enough to find some georgous Asian, Hispanic and African Amercian barbies, too, so now their blond Barbies can live a bit more in the real world.
The thing I love most about Barbie is that she doesn’t do housework. That’s a deliberate choice on the part of the designers in the early 50’s. You will never, ever see Barbie with a vaccuum cleaner.
You will see her with a tatoo:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011116/od/barbie_dc_1.html
and here she is used to teach girls about math and science:
http://www2.oregonscientific.com/barbie/
I’m hosting a Yule Party tonight. This is what I’ll be wearing:
Enjoy,
There has been a lot of talk in our community lately about what our Pagan Leaders do for us (and in some cases, to us). But I’m not going to speak on that subject, because the folks here at Full Circle are not Leaders, we’re Doers.
Doers make things happen and their actions light the way for those that wish to follow their example. Full Circle lights the way by organizing events for the Earth Wise Community as a whole. Those who want to join us, do so. Those who want to get more deeply involved show up and get to work. Our volunteers have a say in what we do and how we do it. Those who simply want to attend our events, do that. The latter vote with their feet and with their pocketbooks and we think that’s fair.
What we do here at Full Circle is done at a grass roots level. We work in and for the community. You have a chance to meet and talk to any of us whenever you attend or work on one of our events. You also have the power to help Full Circle grow and to make a difference in your community.
I occasionally hear stories that paint Full Circle as some huge organization with deep pockets and a vast network of volunteers. The stories are born, in part, because we do complex events, like MUSE Camp and The Witches Ball, rather well. Would that these stories were true. The money that funds Full Circle came from Michael and me in our first year (with Michael putting in the $5,000 that made MUSE Camp possible). Azeraeis and I put in the funds for our second year. Our volunteers are few but they are highly organized, extremely competent and very dedicated.
Full Circle was started by two women with a vision of a Pagan Event Group that was non-denominational and community based. We were committed to networking and to charity work and we wanted this organization to reflect that. We also wanted to create a group that was family friendly but offered adult only events, as well. Finally, we wanted to do Inter-faith work because we wanted to meet people of like mind who cared for Mamma Gaia and respected Earth Wise Spirituality. And so we begin the work of creating Full Circle. We were later joined by some marvelous men who have helped us make this vision a reality.
The Council members put in a lot of volunteer time for Full Circle. This is added to the time we spend at our jobs and with our families. Our Web Builder also labors long hours for Full Circle and he’s not even Pagan. Since he’s married to me, I make sure that he has some compensations for the work he does. Trust me, folks, if this wasn’t a labor of love we couldn’t afford him. We couldn’t afford any of them. In the words of John Kennedy, “We choose to do this, not because it is easy, but because it is hard”. It is, in our eyes, worth doing.
We’ve been lucky enough to find others who share the vision and, equally important, they are people who share our work ethic. While we would never ask our volunteers to work the insane kinds of hours we put in (we’re twisted, we freely admit it) we do ask them to follow through on the things they commit to do. We been wonderfully surprised at the results. We always knew in our hearts that responsible pagans were out there and they’ve proved that to us. We also knew that the other kind were out there, and sure enough, they’ve taken on projects only to flake out and let us down. Thankfully, that has happened only a few times and we’ve always been able to regroup, so it has never hurt the quality of our events. But it has happened and when it does, the burden on us becomes even greater. Even dedicated people can get hit by what our Chief of Operations calls “The Cosmic Twinkie Truck”. For this reason, we always train two people for any one position, just in case. It is not unlike the apprentice programs you’ll find in the various guilds or in the martial arts. By training up those who will replace us, we insure that our people won’t burn out and that our work will go on after we’re gone. Otherwise, we’ll have nurtured nothing more then a Cult of Personality and, splendid as we are, that’s not what we’re about.
We’ve been careful to share some authority and responsibility here at Full Circle. We do that by working with our volunteers over time. We get to know their skills and their areas of interest. When they have shown us that they are committed and capable, then we ask if they’d like to do more. If they say “yes”, then they are given more responsibility. We try and give them work to do that excites them because people with a passion can move mountains. At the same time, we make sure that the folks who do the dull jobs get first pick when something fun comes around. In this way, we find the Doers; the people who have the time, commitment, skills and resources to make things happen. For example, Acting Chairs from two of last year’s events were asked to join the Council this year. Some of last years’ volunteers were asked to act as Chairs of Committees in 2001. Some members have now become very active volunteers on certain committees. Members of other Pagan groups have since signed up to work on special projects with us for next year. We believe that by doing this work in an organized fashion we are building something of value for all Pagans.
We’re blessed here and we know it. The people we’ve needed have always and miraculously appeared and they’ve done a stellar job. As for the few people who’ve let us down … well, what can you do? Flaky people are everywhere, not just in the Pagan community. They are the reason why non-profit groups tend to be somewhat wary of new volunteers. We’ve all been disappointed too many times to take anyone on at face value. Don’t let that worry you though, you will find a welcome here. We don’t pre-judge anyone but we do pay close attention. What you say is not as important as what you do and how well you play with others. If you let us down, we’ll simply bless you and let you go and we’ll get on with the work we have on hand..
Some people come to us and want to give us their power. To this we say “Thanks, but no thanks”. None of us want to be Gurus. We believe that being Pagan means accepting responsibility for yourself, your actions and for the quality of your life. We believe that it means claiming your own power and not giving it over to someone else. Ideally, it also means that you use your power to better the world you live in. That’s what Pagan Doers do.
Occasionally, we’ll have someone approach us who wants to pad their “Pagan Resume” and they think that our group might be a good way to do that. These people often want to start at the top and they are disappointed to find that we don’t care very much for titles around here. You may be Lord Duck-a-Muck or a 5th Generation Atlantian or even an Elf-friend. That’s fine; this is California, after all, but when you’re here among us, you’re just one of the gang.
For this and other reasons, I ask our people to read books on subjects such as Active Listening, Dealing with Difficult People, Codependency & Dysfunctional Families, Group Dynamics, Stress & Anger Management and Effective Management Techniques. We then sit with our volunteers and work out ways of dealing with certain situations. “Praise people very publicly,” we say and “and correct mistakes privately”. “Don’t spread gossip”. “Listen more then you talk”. “Remember”, we say, “to place principals before personalities.”, “Fight fair when you disagree and treat each other with respect.” Not everyone has these tools placed in their tool box during childhood. Some of us have to add them in as adults. I know many Pagans who can claim to have 50 books on ritual techniques in their library but they don’t own a single book on conflict resolution. I believe this is one reason why so many Pagan groups don’t last.
We’re an eclectic bunch, we Pagans, so that means we need to listen to as many different voices as possible if we want to serve our community. We have people in positions of responsibility who are Gay, Lesbian, Straight and Bi-sexual. Some of our folks are in monogamous relationships, some live the single life and some are in poly-amorous households. Some have children and some do not. Overall, they encompass a wide range of Paths and Traditions. Their backgrounds, ages and life experience vary widely. We do inter-faith work, as I’ve said, and I’m proud to say that we have Jewish folks, Buddhists, New Age Thinkers, Christians and Secular Humanists working right along side us. Some of these people attend our events, some are involved in groups we sponsor, some serve in Operations and some work on various committees. All are valued for their greatness of heart and for their many skills.
When we do use a title such as “Leader” we have a Wyrd way of defining it. A “Leader” at Full Circle is the one you see doing the donkey work. This comes as a shock to some people. We’ve had folks approach us who want to have all the “fun” of leading, that is, they want to pick and choose all the interesting tasks for themselves and they want to have other people do the dull and boring jobs. Other types think that leading means telling other people what to do and doing nothing at all themselves. Here at Full Circle we think differently. We think that being in charge of something means that you do the most work of anyone in your group. It means you’re the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. You do whatever needs doing. If that means you clean the toilets before an event, then so be it. Don’t laugh, I’ve done that. The closest I’ve ever gotten to holding a Staff of Office is that toilet brush. Ah, well.
Often people come to us and say “You should do THIS!”. (“And with what army?” I think to myself). What I reply to them, though, is this: “That’s a great idea! Now, how are you going to make that happen?”. I even have a form for them to fill out. (Oh, yes I do! How to you think I’ve survived this long?). It asks for details, schedules, budgets, fund raising ideas and a list of likely volunteers for said project. 99 people out of 100 shake their heads and walk away. But sometimes that one special one person approaches us and says “I’d like to see this happen and here’s what I can do to help”. That person usually ends up on a Committee. And then, Goddess help them, because they are now a Pagan Doer.
My sincere thanks to all the Pagan Doers who made last year such a success and to you, our friends and members, who gave us your trust and support.
Wishing you a blessed and peaceful Yule,
Sia
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