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Some thoughts for MoonDancer as she starts a CUUPS Chapter: Thinking about CUUPS activities, what appeals most to Pagan folk is an open sabbat ritual with fire. So you learn how to lead these events and how to share leadership. Control of a CUUPS group must remain with those who are members of this UU congregation. They hold the key to the door. But you need the others to bring life and "juice" to the rituals. The more people attending a ritual, the more theater it requires. What you do alone will not work with eight other people. What works with eight, will not work with 28, and so on. The bigger the circle, the longer it takes to do anything. Also, leading a big ritual is like calling a square dance. You need to give many directions from the High Altar to get the others doing what you want. Cleanup is really important. If you mess up the UU property, you will not be welcome to come back. Those who would distract from cleanup, are a problem. It is best if only Pagan congregation members deal with the non-Pagan congregation members. Outsiders can fail to respect the reality that they are guests. A Study Group is a great way to build a community from which to draw players for your sabbat rituals. You don't have to run an intense Wicca 101 class. Invite a different topic each week and ask others to lead the presentation. Recruit Pagan folk from the greater community. In an open ritual, people expect to see, hear, and participate. If they can't see or hear, they loose interest and start talking among themselves. If they are expected to just stand and watch a show, they get bored and don't come back. Thus you provide opportunities for people to process, march around, light things, say things, and otherwise act out. From our Study Group, we learn who is actually able to do what they say, like show up and not lose their script. Thus we select core people plus we have a "chorus" of those working in groups and who can be easily replaced. We feel we owe our participants an effective ritual. So I encourage you to delegate and thus avoid burnout. In Fort Lauderdale, we have seven High Priestesses, each of who claims one of our sabbats and makes it happen. You will occasionally encounter a toxic person. All communities have them. Your role as a leader is to run them off before they can destroy the group. Welcome to leadership. We have many past rituals on our website at www.MoonPathCUUPS.org/rituals/ plus Study Group ideas at www.MoonPathCUUPS.org/sgroup.htm. Remember that the teacher learns more than the student. CUUPS is open to all who will respect its community. I see people move on to closed groups or covens, and that is a personal choice.
I draw great pleasure from working with other elders and in helping
newbies on their next step. Most of all, enjoy your journey.
--Spelcastor |