Greetings to all Full Circle friends and members,
In this March Edition of our newsletter, we have:
Ancient Batteries? * Pagan Seminary Offers On-line Classes * The Lego Tarot * Help The Breast Cancer Site * Spring Trivia * Journey North Website – Tracking Spring * New Tolkien CD * “People Like Me”: A World Music & Dance Festival for Kids * An Ostara Tale from Scoutghost * Spring Equinox Celebrations for Kids & Adults * Northern California Healers Directory * A Letter to America from the Columbia Crew Families * Teach the Children * Events of Interest * Best Laid Plans & The Witches’ Ball
ANCIENT BATTERIES?
BBC
reporter Arran Frood investigates what could have been the very first batteries
and how these important archaeological and technological artifacts are now at
risk from the impending war in Iraq. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2804257.stm.
PAGAN SEMINARY OFFERS ON-LINE CLASSES:
Cherry Hill Seminary in Vermont offers professional Pagan Ministerial training via on-line courses. Coursework includes classes in counseling, ethics, the study of world religions (from a Pagan perspective), and Celtic Studies. Check out their on-line classes at http://www.cherryhillseminary.org.
Our thanks to M. Macha Nightmare for this information.
THE LEGO TAROT:
Just when you thought you’d seen them all: http://www.reasonablyclever.com/tarot/index.html.
Our thanks to Maggi for sending this link.
HELP THE BREAST CANCER SITE:
The
Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their
site each day to meet their quota required for donating at least
one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman.
It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on "donating a
mammogram" for free (pink window in the middle). This doesn't cost you a
thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to
donate mammogram, in exchange for advertising.
Here's the web site. Please pass it
along to people you know.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com.
Our thanks to Trisha for this information.
OK…why do we call it “Spring”? ………………Give
up?
Answer: The Spring Equinox signals the day
the Sun springs above the Equator in the North and daytime begins to
exceed nighttime, while the Autumnal Equinox is the day the sun falls
below the equator (from a northern perspective) and dark again dominates.
The Weather Almanac and the Wheel of the Year http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2003/alm03jan.htm.
Here’s another fun piece of Spring trivia:
According to the Power Places website, “…recent research suggests the Sphinx
was actually built as a monument to mark sunrise on the Spring Equinox, during
the Age of Leo, around 10,500 BC. The Sphinx's lion body is thought to be a
mirror for the constellation of Leo (the Lion) in the sky.” http://www.powerplaces.com/equinoxegypt.html
THE JOURNEY NORTH WEBSITE – TRACKING
SPRING
This is an incredible website for lovers of
nature. Help track Spring across the
Northern Hemisphere: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/spring2003/species/index.html
NEW TOLKIEN CD:
A
Danish folk-classical group, the Tolkien Ensemble, is poised for international
success with their latest CD of songs and poems adapted from Tolkien's epic
trilogy.
http://cphpost.periskop.dk/default.asp?id=28564
The ensemble's work adapting the songs and poems has received the stamp of approval from Tolkien's executors, and has already attracted an avid following among Tolkien fans.
The texts, sung in English and Elvish, feature the talents of 13 soloists, including English-Danish expatriate actor Tom McEwan as Pippin the Hobbit, together with Kurt Ravn, Poul Dissing, and British character actor Christopher Lee, who appears as Saruman in the "Lord of the Rings" films.
PEOPLE LIKE ME:
A fun and fantastic performance of world dance and music for kids. Check the website for performances in and around the Bay area:
http://www.worldartswest.org/plm/
(Pssst! It’s educational…but don’t tell them that).
About People Like Me 2003: "Object Odyssey" presents an
insatiably curious character created by renowned object manipulators Lunatique
Fantastique. Adventures abound in this one-hour exploration of
world dance and music, in which Eddie the Explorer encounters lost artifacts,
searching for their cultural roots. As these objects come to life and team up
with Eddie in their quest for their origins, they uncover the beauty and
importance of the dances they participate in, and their own significance as
facilitators of human expression in the dances of the world.
We meet a Chinese Ribbon, dancing with
renowned Taiwanese dancer Chih Ting Shih. Zimbabwean
leg rattles are brought to life with Madzimai Mbira,
and the Brazilian ensemble Aguas da Bahia is reunited
with the sticks integral to the energetic "Maculele." Argentinean
master dancer Pampa Cortés discovers his percussive
"boleadoras," while a pair of New Zealand "poi" search for KaUaTuahine.
A North African water gourd dances with Mahea Uchiyama, and Axis
Dance Theater assembles a dancing wheelchair.
Children and adults alike will love joining
Eddie on his exciting excursion to help ordinary (and extraordinary) objects
find the meaning of life through the miracle of dance and music. Discover the
power, beauty, and diversity of the expression of the human spirit, through the
eyes of the objects that help to unleash it all over the world.
AN OSTARA TALE FROM SCOUTGHOST:
It was long ago, and it was the time of winter. Snow covered
the ground and the chill in the air made this a harsh and unforgiving time to
be about. Whiteness everywhere. The world slept...
A little girl had strayed from her home (a very bad thing, but such as children
are wont to do) and she found herself wandering about in the woods; alone. She
was cold and tired, and afraid. In despair, she dropped down in the snow and
began to cry. She cried for her home. She cried for her mother and father. She
cried for her life.
Then she saw it - a bird - a frozen bird - lying, dying in the snow. She jumped
up and rushed to take the bird into her arms. She held it close to herself;
wrapping it tightly in her arms. She tried to warm the bird and thaw it's
frozen wings, but it was too cold and life was quickly leaving the bird's body
along with its warmth. She was beside herself! She thought only of the bird
now, not seeing that she, herself would soon be in the same situation that this
small bird was in now.
She cried out for help! "Help! Help, this bird to live", she cried.
"Goddess Eostara, please help this bird!".
Now, Eostara was one busy Being about this time. Under normal circumstances the
Goddess of Spring and Warmth would have dismissed this cry for help and
continued about Her more important business. But it piqued Her interest that
this girl was calling on Her to help a bird instead of herself. She decided to
investigate and perhaps lend a helping hand.
Eostara came to the girl. She floated over the snowy landscape. In Her wake
flowers bloomed and sweet-scented blossoms burst open as colors blazed into
view. Spring followed in Her path and the sound of laughter and gentle breezes
could be heard on Her breath. She was glorious to behold. Rebirth and new life
radiated about Her. The girl was astounded.
She jumped up and thrust the bird at Eostara. "Save it!", she cried.
"Make it well!". Using the demanding tone that only a child would
have the nerve to use in the presence of a Goddess.
Eostara took no mind of the girl's inappropriate behavior. She knew of her
intent and her motives. The girl was sincere... the girl was unselfish.... the
girl was so very young.....
Eostara reached out Her hand and touched the bird with one delicate finger.
Light flowed through Her, warming the bird. It's eyes opened suddenly. It's
foot twitched. It hopped out of the girl's hand and began to flop about madly
in the snow. The girl squealed with delight. "You saved it! You saved
it!". She danced about in the
snow, overjoyed. But wait --
"Hey..." the girl said after watching the bird for a while. "Its
wings are still frozen to its body. It can't fly! You didn't do it right!"
Oh my. Now, Eostara surely wasn't used to this kind of response when She had
just performed a minor miracle. But with Her infinite patience (which by now
was wearing thin) intact, She gave the bird one last effort, another chance at
survival. She reached over to the hopping bird and touched it again gently with
Her hand, turning it into a bunny. "There!", she said to the girl,
"Now it has no need of its wings".
And as the now totally confused bunny hopped off into the brush, Eostara
drifted away to perform other tasks of sunshine and light (as far away as
possible from this girl). The girl was delighted at the sight of the bunny
scrambling into the snow-covered brush. "All better", she smiled. She
suddenly knew the way home...
Now, all this was fine for Eostara and the girl, but what of the bunny?
Well, now, this is one totally confused little animal here. This rabbit still
has a habit of laying eggs! And to this day, when the snow begins to melt, and
the flowers begin to bloom, and the air is filled with the sweet scent of
blossoms and warmth, the bunny begins to lay its eggs. Oh, and these aren't
ordinary eggs either. These eggs tell of color! Of Spring! Of Eostara and her
gift of renewed life and release from winter's chill. They are tokens of
recognition and gratitude to the Goddess Eostara for the gift of Spring.
Note: Some children today maintain the tradition of building nests in the
fields for the Spring bunny to lay its eggs into. Twigs and grass make an
inviting nest for such a creature to deposit its brightly colored eggs. I like
it.
My love and gratitude to my circle-mate and good friend Walt, for his telling
of this…ahem…hoppy tail…
Scoutghost
SPRING EQUINOX CELEBRATIONS FOR KIDS AND ADULTS:
The vernal equinox
celebrates the balance of light and dark. At this equinox, a shift takes place
from the earth energy of winter to the airiness of spring. From the cold
darkness of earth and stone and the roots of trees, sap begins to rise; the
breeze begins to warm and soothe us; and the skies become thickly inhabited
once again.
No talk of spring
is complete without mention of its central image; that of the seed that dies,
falls into the dark ground, and is reborn as the sprout, the seedling. Here are
a few Ostara activities, including the ritualized action of planting intention:
PLANT YOUR
BEAN RUNES
Choose a rune, or two or three, that most closely sums up what it is you wish
to grow in your life. Called the I Ching of the Vikings, runes were originally
used for divination. To learn about individual runes and their meanings, click here.
Prepare a pot of
soil by stirring it with your finger, visualizing your good energy entering
into the soil. Smooth the surface of the soil and then make shallow holes for
the beans, about the depth of a pencil eraser. Hold the beans in your hand and
breathe into them, infusing them with your hopes. Plant them in the shape of
the rune, visualizing concrete things you intend to do during the next few
weeks to make your wish become reality. Then water them well, cover the pot
with plastic wrap, and put it on top of the refrigerator (the warmth will help
the sprouting process).
In a couple of
days, check to see if anything has come up. If the soil is dry, water it. Soon
your rune will sprout. After the danger of frost is past, you can plant it in
your garden. If for some reason your rune fails to sprout, you may want to
rethink your goals and try a different rune, or try the same one again.
HONORING THE
BIRDS
On Ostara, you might want to clean the hair out of the family hairbrushes and
put it out for the birds to use as nesting material. When you do, send loving
thoughts to the birds that will use your hair to make their homes.
Adapted from Celebrating the Great Mother: A Handbook of Earth Honoring Activities for Parents & Children, by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw.
Review: This handbook
of Earth-honoring activities for parents and children provides a
family-oriented approach to the rituals of celebration, giving parents and
adults insights into the spiritual experiences which will inspire kids and help
them to understand holiday meanings. Techniques ranging from visualization to
Tarot play are developed with kids in mind.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HEALER’S DIRECTORY:
The Northern California Healing Arts Directory features Holistic
Healers, Alternative Medicine and Complementary Health Care Practitioners, a
Wide Range of Healing and Holistic Services, Natural Products including Whole
Foods and Green Products and Healing Activities such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and
Qigong.
http://byregion.net/NorthernCalifornia--Healers/
A LETTER TO AMERICA FROM THE COLUMBIA CREW’S FAMILIES:
Editor’s Note: Many people do
not know that astronauts cannot get life insurance due to the extremely
dangerous nature of their work. As a
result, several charities have been set up to help support the children and
families of the Columbia Astronauts.
The families of the Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-107)
crew have requested NASA to release the
following letter to
the media and public.
"The families of the Space
Shuttle Columbia crew are deeply
grateful for the generous outpouring of
support and affection
we have received from around the world
over the past three
weeks.
"Many people have asked how they
can honor the STS-107 crew
and assist our families during this
difficult time. There are
several charitable funds that have been
established on our
behalf. Information about these funds
can be found at:
www.columbiashuttlefund.com
For more information about NASA or the
Space Shuttle Columbia
investigation on the Internet, visit: http://www.nasa.gov
TEACH THE CHILDREN:
Whether (as Molly
Ivans says) you think we should kill the snake or leave the snake alone, this
is disturbing:
This toy, called Command Center, is on sale at E-toys. JC Penny has removed theirs after receiving protests:
http://www.etoys.com/genProduct.html/PID/1815079/ctid/17/ls/default
A better picture can found here:
http://www.antiwar.com/comment/jcpenney.html
An SCA friend remarked on seeing this: “Where is the blood and the body parts? Are they sold separately?”
Meanwhile, this little holiday offering can offend both Pagans and Christian equally:
“U.S. retailers like Kmart and Walgreen's have stocked their
shelves with baskets in which the traditional chocolate rabbit centerpiece has
been
displaced by plastic military action figures.”
A picture and the complete article can be found at Wren’s Nest on The Witches’ Voice at http://www.witchvox.com.
My thanks to Jim and Wren for these links.
EVENTS OF INTEREST:
When we introduced our new Full Circle Northern California Interactive On-line Community Calendar * last month we thought it would prove to be popular. Little did we know…
Scoutghost reports that there are currently 110 listings in the Dated Events section and 54 listings in the On-going Events section, with more listings coming in from the community every week.
The
FCE Calendar lists a number of Ostara
& Spring Equinox Celebrations planned for this month. These events take place all over Northern
California. Check out the calendar for
one near you.
Other events of interest for March include:
·
A Tarot Tea Party
·
A Hawaiian Luau
·
A Native American Powwow
·
Wildflower Walks
·
A class on Essential Oils
·
The Elf Hill Event
·
Earth’s Treasurers Gem & Jewelry Show
·
A Tide pooling Excursion
·
RJ Stewart Workshop
·
A benefit race for the Marine Mammal Sanctuary
·
A Pagan Mardi Gras
The FCE Calendar includes information on:
Events • Circles • Workshops • Gatherings • Bardics • Classes • Groups • Festivals * Public Rituals * Dances * Drum Circles * Conferences * Nature Walks * Family Events & Circles * Arts & Crafts * Vision Quests & more.
To see these and other events of interest or to list your own event, please see the FCE Calendar.
Questions? Comments?
Please contact our Networking Coordinator at ScoutGhst@aol.com.
BEST LAID PLANS AND THE WITCHES’ BALL:
My barn,
having burned
to the ground,
Two weeks ago today I was up to my ears in work for the Witches’ Ball and trying to run my own business at the same time. I was worried about money & staffing for both ventures and feeling stressed. Still, no matter how busy I was, work was going to have to wait.
February 21st was the second anniversary of the death of my older sister from breast cancer. She was 47. I am now the same age she was when she was first diagnosed. Something like that makes you wonder if you have your priorities in order.
I planned to call both my brother-in-law and my parents on that day. I also wanted to meditate and do a ritual. The rest of the day I would spend in silence, working in the garden and remembering the good times1.
I began preparations for my ritual the night before. My partner was out for the evening with some of his friends and I had the house all to myself. I was sitting at my hearthstone on Thursday the 20th, writing and petting whatever cat ambled over when the phone rang. It was Hawk, our Witch’s’ Ball Director, calling to tell me that certain changes had come up in her life this year and that she was overwhelmed with work and needed to resign her position at FCE. Hawk is one of those super-responsible can-do-anything types, so if she was feeling overwhelmed, I knew it must be serious. I believed that this was right decision for her and I told her so. We chatted a bit, agreed to discuss all this further at the up-coming Council meeting and hung up.
I went back to the hearth, sat down, stared into the fire and thought…”Well… now what? I like and trust this woman and I had loved working with her last year. She had done an outstanding job under challenging circumstances. I’ve worked in non-profit groups for over 25 years now and I can tell you that volunteers with her people skills and organizational capabilities don’t come along every day. This was, I’ll admit, a huge blow.
To make matters even more interesting, the Chair of our Decorating Committee had announced that her husband had gotten a job in Idaho and that she would be moving there in July. So that was two experienced, talented and well liked people gone from our midst in only a month.
I began to worry more and more about the up-coming year. Reliable, committed volunteers are hard enough to come by in good times. But in bad economic times people naturally tend to circle the wagons and take care of their own. Every non-profit in the U.S. is hurting as a result.
Here at FCE we were short on our beloved “regular” volunteers (those we can trust to show up and do a good job). To make matters worse, we were now dangerously short of “organizing volunteers”.
Organizing volunteers are the Holy Grail of non-profit organizations. Only one person out of a hundred has the unique skill set as well as the desire, commitment, people skills, and time available to chair a committee effectively, let alone serve as Director and/or Council members. Oh, these people are out there, believe me2. Those who can, do, and those who were doing were already overbooked. The chance of getting good people on board at this late a date was slim to gods laughing.
Most people don’t realize that it takes a year’s worth of planning and hard work to do our Witches’ Ball. Halls have to be rented 12 – 15 months in advance, and so we have to guess at attendance every year. We also put in hundreds of hours of volunteer time. Thousands of decisions have to be made, because we try and improve the ball every time. That’s a lot of work for one event and we’ve done several events each year. We also build kickass websites and we produce a monthly newsletter. Take a look at our Events list for 2000 – 2002 and you’ll see what I mean3.
So, here we were with two experienced people gone or moving out of town. Two more of our Senior Staff were leaving to concentrate on graduate school, while the rest of us were exhausted. Even assuming we could find someone right for the job(s), they would still need to be trained to our way of doing things. Training takes time and effort. Every hall, group, store or camp that has ever worked with us tells us that we are the nicest and the best organized group they have ever worked with. You don’t get that level of quality without a great deal of time spent in communicating with, training and listening to your volunteer staff. Every year we try to do a better job than the year before, and every year we’ve succeeded.
One of the great ironies of our community is that dysfunctional groups can last forever. They simply burn their people out with overwork, stress, arguing and infighting and then go on to get new ones. The new people come in, bright-eyed, eager, and good hearted and they have no idea what they are stepping into. They eventually leave feeling bitter and angry with that group and disillusioned at the community in general. FCE doesn't work that way. We insist on things like accountability, responsibility, and kindness and because we all have a wicked sense of humor, we are able to support one another as friends and colleagues. (This is Priest and Priestess work we do here, after all). Are we perfect? No. Have there been tensions among us? Well, sure – we’re only human. But we do our best to work out any conflicts with respect. Furthermore, we believe in empowering others and in sharing responsibility. Our more experienced staff members often act as mentors to the new ones. All of this means that the work we do in Full Circle is mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually challenging.
We’ve been lucky because we attract people who are willing to do their emotional homework and who recognize the need for healthy boundaries. Most of the original volunteers (those who worked on our MUSE Camp and the first Witches’ Ball) are still with us, but we few are all profoundly tired from four years of active service. I do not exaggerate when I say that between the demands of my business and Full Circle, I haven’t had a weekend free from work in over 4 years. The second wave of volunteers (those who came in to help in 2001 and 2002) are also tired. The Senior Staff needed more help this year, but where was this help going to come from?
Meanwhile, it looks like the country’s going to war.
As I thought through all this, my mood became darker and darker. Sadly, attendance at least year’s ball had been less than the year before. Over 600 people attended in 2001 compared to approximately 450 in 2002 (This, in a hall built to hold over 800). Looking back on it, we could see why.
In 2000, we rented the Lucy Stern Center in Palo Alto for our first ball. As far as we could tell no one had thrown a Witches’ Ball in Northern California in almost twenty years. By the day of the ball 72 people had bought tickets. Everything had to be planned from scratch and we had no money for advertising. We figured we’d be lucky if 90 people came. 300 people showed up, and with 50 staff and 6 Vendors, we had over 370 people involved. The evening was great fun and the crowd had an incredible spirit. (My favorite moment was the presentation of the Gaia’s Guardian Award). We also learned a few things. And we gave $2,000 to the Humane Society.
The 2001 Witches’ Ball took place a month and a half after Sept 11th. We had taken the Scottish Rite Center in San Jose (The Lucy Stern wasn’t available on the date we needed). The Scottish Rite center holds 600 people and has a 3 level dance floor, a great vendor space, and lots of parking. It costs $9k to rent.
The economy was worsening, but was not nearly as bad as it is now. After all the shock and sorrow, people wanted something life affirming and fun to go to. They wanted community and connection. We gave them that. Everyone was kind and helpful. The evening was wonderful, the crowd was gorgeous, the Dj played all the right music and the decorations were lovely. Many people we didn’t even know came early to help set up and stayed late to help break down. We raised almost $2,500 for the Humane Society, after expenses. The whole event felt blessed and we all went away enthusiastic and happy.
2002 was a horse of a different color. The economy tanked, businesses failed, and thousands of people were laid-off every month. Finding new jobs was hard and a general sense of unease entered into the community. Meanwhile, hundreds of our regular supporters had either moved away or were out of work. So, we left the (very expensive) Scottish Rite Center and took the San Jose Civic Center in downtown San Jose. “At last!", we thought, “a place we can afford and where we can grow over time. Ticket prices can stay the same, and we’ll have more money for the Humane Society. Yeah!” Somewhere, the Tricksters were laughing.
Purely by chance, both the Ball and SiliCon were scheduled on the same weekend. This comedy of errors cost us the presence of some of our beloved FLARE staff (who were committed to working SiliCon) and some attendees. Fewer people could afford to come in from out-of-state and fewer drove here from LA and San Francisco.
The social calendar that year was pretty crowded. WorldCon was in San Jose that September and many people spent their money there. Meanwhile, a group in Sacramento had decided to hold their own Witches’ Ball in October. A different group in Santa Cruz had held another charity ball that August. As a result, fewer people came in from the capital or from the coast to attend our event. (Please note: Both groups had our very best wishes and we promoted both of these events in our newsletter. We think it’s wonderful that other groups have been inspired by our success and that they want to put on events like a Witches’ ball, especially when they include donations to charities from the funds they collect.)
Also, the San Jose Civic has an interesting clause in their contract. It says that they can add on extra staff as they see fit. A month before the event was due to occur, they added in extra Ushers & Lighting Technicians. Two days before the event, they insisted that we add on an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). Take a look at our budget, and you’ll see what all of this cost. Meanwhile, the San Jose PD, fearing demonstrations against the Witches in their midst, wanted us to pay for 5 policeman to guard us (That's $35 an hour per officer, for 6 hours each). Our contacts at the Civic Center made them see sense and we ended up paying for two.
(To view the final budget for the 2002 Witches Ball, please see this link.)
To sum up: People were depressed, money was tight, other events were going on, and we had fewer volunteers than usual and more need of them because we had a larger hall.
Despite all of that, the evening was a success; our attendees had a great time, the hall looked wonderful, the vendors made money (although not as much as last year), the raffle went very well and the Dj did a very eclectic dance mix while taking requests. The costumes worn by our attendees were amazing. The entertainers and the photographer did a great job. All of the volunteers worked their butts off to make things run smoothly. I still can’t believe how few people managed to make the hall look great and still manage run the ball so well.
The Humane Society was thrilled and happy for the third year in a row. (They love us). Our community and our group can be proud of what we accomplished that night. But as we loaded the last of the decorations in the truck at 2 am, I looked and watched our gang as they rubbed their tired feet and joked with one another before giving hugs and saying goodbye. They were exhausted, not just from that night, but from the stress of the entire year. I knew then that we had to find a way to make this easier on all of us.
In January, the Council met and decided to re-envision the ball, this time on a smaller scale; one more suited to the realities we now faced. It would be, we decided a simpler, easier year. It was then that we began to search (ye gods, yet again!) for the right hall.
While Monica and Hawk looked at halls, I made some phone calls. I discovered that the Black and White ball had a lower than expected attendance last year and had canceled their ball for this year. Most regular events around the Bay Area had fewer attendees than normal, as did WorldCon (the World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention).
All this made me worry. Money was tight and getting tighter, would the community even come to a charity event this year? Tickets for the ball are $20.00 in May and that the price goes up gradually all year long. Tickets at the door are only $40.00, which is inexpensive for a charity event. If you want a lower price, you need only plan ahead and buy your tickets in advance. This is something we shout from the rooftops every year. Since most people drop this kind of money on a CD or a night out without thinking about it, we feel it isn’t to much to ask when it comes to helping our companion animals.
Truth be told, I saw people at the ball last year who had lost their jobs and were hard up for funds. Some people deliberately buy their tickets at the door every year so as to give us as much money as possible. The staff works the ball and buys their tickets, as do the volunteers. The FLARE people pay for the privilege to guard us all night and help load the trucks at the end of the evening. They even added more donation money for the Humane Society. After 3 years of doing this, we’ve discovered that the way people view the ticket prices depends on whether or not they “get it” that this is a charity event, put on by a volunteer group who pay for it out of their own pockets. Most people get it.
But 2003 had me worried; this year everyone was really hurting and I began to wonder if we could go forward. Lower attendance had meant we didn’t have enough seed money to host the ball again on that large a scale. Two of our FLARE members had pledged us $2,000 for this year’s expenses (are these great guys or what?) I was tempted to accept their offer, but should I? Yes, we had ended in the black last year, despite all the last minute expenses the Civic Center threw at us, but what if we lost money this year? Could we pay them back?
I thought about all that as I sat at my hearth that evening. Then I blessed it, and let it go. I had other things to think about.
Friday passed and then the weekend. I made a lot of phone calls, talked to my partner and took counseling with my friend Anne, a Pagan Priestess I respect. I also meditated on the needs of Full Circle and tried to see a way towards Highest Good for all. Monday came around and with it, the Council meeting. As usual, there was a lot of laughter and soul searching. At the end of two hours, I looked around the room and I realized that these good people would do it if we asked them to. They were tired and worried and worn, but they would do it and they would do a damn good job of it. I hope you can appreciate that. This same little band has walked through fire and storm for this community and they were willing to do it all again. At that moment, I realized that I couldn’t ask it of them. Nor, to be fair, could I ask it of my partner or myself. Not this year. So I recommended to the Council that we not do the ball this year and with sadness and some relief, they all agreed. The vote was unanimous, the decision difficult and freeing for all of us. There were hugs all around (especially for Hawk and Debra, who we all love and will miss) and one or two tears.
We are going to take a break. There will be no Witches’ Ball in 2003. But fear not, the San Jose Women’s Club is rented for Saturday, October 23rd, 2004. Our famous Dj, Chuck (from the 2001 ball) is booked, as well. The SJ Women’s Club holds 400 people. It’s inexpensive to rent (approximately $2,000), it’s nice inside and the area is safe. The site is accessible by wheelchair. The parking is terrible, and you’ll have to park down the street and walk a few blocks to the ball. Our staff will escort you back to your car upon request.
We expect that you’ll handle these small inconveniences with your usual style and grace.
We have potential candidates for some key positions and will be searching for others. We are simplifying the ball (fewer stores offering tickets, little or no decorations, a less expensive hall, a simpler version of the website, etc.) If we can make it simple enough, we may (I say “may”) offer a Beltane Ball as well. Frankly, this depends on the volunteers we find. Only the future will tell.
I write all this in such detail because I have hopes that a discussion about our process and the reasoning behind our decision might be of use to some of the other organizers out there. I am a teacher, first and last, and I will be happy if people to learn from our mistakes, as well as from our successes.
On behalf of all of us here at Full Circle, I would like to say “Thank you” again to all those attendees, volunteers, entertainers and FLARE folks who’ve supported us over the years. Your loyalty and your generous support made this charity ball a wonderful success for three years running. You folks got what we were trying to do, which is to make an event which was more than just a party, but a point of public Pagan Pride; one which helped animals in need. We, as a tribe, can be a force for good in the world. You believed this and you made it happen. You inspire us, you make us proud and you make us want to continue our work in the community.
And what of our brave little band? Well, most of them have gone on to simplify their schedules even further and they are concentrating on spending more time with their families and friends this year. All of us are going to take some more time to reconnect with our spirit. You can read what many of them are up to at the end of this essay4.
I have done what I think my sister would have wanted me to do; I have taken a year off to play. Oh, I still have a business to run, but I’ve started singing again and I’m taking art lessons this year. I have a camp-out & creative retreat planned with a good friend of mine and I am going to Spiral Steps meetings (http://www.spiralsteps.org) to try and get some more perspective for the future. Last weekend, I worked on my bird garden and spent time with friends. Certain of those friends have just had babies; 4 newborns in the last two months, so I’ve got some babysitting to do (which I love). Ody and I will take some time to find some new dog parks and he may make his first trip to the beach – he’ll like that. My partner and I are going to spend some quiet time together here at home. I’m looking forward to that most of all.
I went to the Green Carnation Ball just last weekend (http://www.peers.org), and I had a great time. It was a real pleasure to go to a well-organized event full of beautiful, friendly people, especially since I didn’t have to plan it or work on any part of it. I also hear that Community Seed out in Santa Cruz does a nice hike. There are lots of great events in the community, nowadays. Please give them your support.
The FCE newsletter will go on this year, as will the summer picnic. We might do some more bowling if enough of the Full Circle team still want to. The Pagan community calendar is very full, as you can see. More events are offered in Northern California than have ever appeared here before. It is our joy to celebrate these. My best wishes go to all the organizers out there. We wish you much success.
Wishing you all a year of peace, prosperity and rest.
All good things,
Sia
http://www.fullcircleevents.org
“Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Create the Future”
http://www.witchvox.com/passages/aeron.html
If you have lost a loved one, you may find that writing a remembrance to them can be very healing. My thanks go out to Wren and Fritz for making this section of the Witches Voice available for our people.