Seattle CUUPS
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Up From AshesOr How I Ended Up on the Board of Directors for Seattle CUUPSBy Eileen Hawkins Once upon a time, oh about a year and a half ago, I wandered into my first Seattle CUUPS ritual. I went early, because of my agoraphobia, to get used to the place, and to see if I and my service dog would be welcome. I was almost immediately greeted, and my dog Friday was also welcomed. Seattle CUUPS has been my spiritual home since the Ostara before last. I clearly remember the ritual, which had to do with the balance of light and dark chocolate. I was hooked. Then came Yule, and the announcement that CUUPS would be taking January off, and no Imbolc ritual was planned. A business meeting was planned for February to decide if the group would continue or disband. I went to that meeting to say that I felt it was important to me for the group to continue. A handful of others agreed, and we soldiered on, taking on the responsibilities of running the group. Now, it's not easy doing ritual with only five core people. We had to scale back, no full moon rituals, and very simple rituals that only a few people could run for the Sabbats. We had to scale back on expenses, and only send out calendars by email to most people. Sometimes only the core group showed up for the Sabbats. So be it. We went on. So what had happened in the other group? I don't truly know, I wasn't a part of it. There are some parts I have deduced in my time on the board of directors, so I will list them here as an object lesson, both to this group, and to anyone else that could benefit from our experience. 1. A certain element in the group had been allowed to get away with some bad behavior for a long time because the group felt they were shorthanded. I have had jobs in management, and know from experience that tolerating bad behavior is counter-productive. The bad actors had left by February, but the group is still suffering reprecussions from these incidents. And we've developed zero tolerance for that particular behavior. 2. The group did not function as a whole. Everybody had their little piece, and they hung on to it. One had total control of the website, one had the mailing list to themselves, often they printed calendars, and did mailing with their own money. This was a nice gesture, and saved the group money, but it didn't do anything to form a cohesive whole. Although I have been doing the mailing list lately, there is a copy of it on disc and on paper that is available to the group. If I drop dead tomorrow, the group can go on. We sit down and write our rituals together at the business meetings. At least two people can access the website. We have a little work party at the business meetings to get the mailing out. We are a group. 3. The group's rituals were very time consuming in that they were elaborate and required a lot of rehearsal. This can be very draining, particularly at this time of year, and at Yule, because everyone is so busy shopping, cooking, attending parties, etc. Now, I love ritual drama and pagentry as much as the next person, and it has it's place, but it is also important to recognize the limitations on time people have in this busy world. That's why this year's Yule feast is being planned to be fun, and easy-squeezy for everybody. One thing we didn't know in February is that it seems to be a time of upheaval in the world, and in the Pagan community. Groups, lists, and newspapers have changed hands. Some have gone to ground, either preferring to go private, or just ceasing to exist. This is not only happening in Seattle, but from some of the weblists I am on, it seems to be happening around the world. If I was not a Pagan, I might be alarmed at this upheaval. People who live in linear time are. But being a Pagan and having a concept that all things are circular, I know that some things die to feed the new things that grow. Although we may have inherited the same name as the group, and some people from the group that existed at this time last year, that group no longer exists, and this new one is working on our growth. October 9, 2004 My gal Friday, unofficial mascot of Seattle CUUPS
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