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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.pagan,alt.magick From: tyagi@houseofkaos.abyss.com (nagasiva) Subject: CUUPs: Roles in public ritual Date: 20 Nov 1995 13:09:49 -0800 [from alt.religion.wicca: mkkuhner@phylo.genetics.washington.edu (Mary Kuhner)] These are ideas my CUUPs chapter has worked out about roles in public ritual. They probably won't apply directly to coven ritual, but might provide some insight. We do two types of rituals: participant planned ones, in which the group gathers an hour before the ritual and plans it on the spot, and scripted ones, with rehearsals and prepared lines. They require somewhat different organizational tactics. We generally have 8-15 people at participant-planned rituals and 25-50 at scripted ones. For participant planned rituals, we've identified three necessary roles: facilitator, guardian and energy watcher. Facilitator and energy watcher can be the same person, but the guardian should be separate. The facilitator leads the planning session: insuring that everyone is heard, bringing out ideas and responses, helping clarify the final form of the ritual by outlining it, and making sure that everyone is in agreement. This is a job for a good people person. It requires attention to bringing out the views of everyone present, and not just organizing a ritual that suits the facilitator. At the same time, the facilitator has to watch out for impractical or stupid plans and point them out. ("You know, we only have an hour and a half: I don't think everyone can tell a story in that amount of time.") S/he also acts as an advocate for the shy and uncertain. ("Joe, is this really okay with you?") The guardian deals with problems, both during planning and during the ritual itself. Problems can be external--the guardian is the one who answers the door if someone knocks, deals with interruptions, asks trespassers to leave, etc. They can also be internal--the guardian watches out for overturned candles, people getting dragged around in dances, lack of real agreement during planning, etc. The guardian should not be expected to do anything else, such as lead a meditation or dance, because then no one will be available to deal with crises. This is a job for someone who can be firm and forcible. We give the guardian two responsibilities in the ritual itself. At the beginning, they ask whether there is peace on the circle--and if the answer is No, they deal with whatever problem is brought up. They also often cast the circle, since its protection is part of the guardian's role, and will cut people in or out of the circle if they need to leave. The energy watcher monitors the progress of the ritual, and helps time its transitions. In a very small group this is not necessary, but in a larger one the ritual will go much more smoothly if someone is in charge of determining when dances will end, when everyone has had a turn to speak, etc. The facilitator can also be energy watcher, but this gives them a tremendous amount of influence, and we've found it better to divide up the responsibility. You can have several energy watchers, each for a given part of the ritual. The ritual structure should take them into account ("Mary will be at the head of the Spiral Dance, and she'll decide when to ground it.") This is a role for someone who is sensitive to the flow of energy in a ritual, and self-confident enough to make decisions for the group. We see at least five roles in large, scripted rituals: guardian, director, energy watcher, greeter, toolkeeper. In larger rituals the role of the guardian is much the same as in small ones, though it may help to have two or more--one to watch for outside problems (especially if the ritual is outdoors or in a public place) and one to watch for inside problems. This is especially important if the ritual digs into emotional issues. People often burst into tears at Samhain rituals, and may need someone to comfort them, talk to them, or take them out if they can't cope. In a large ritual it is *vital* that the guardian have no other responsibilities--often they do not participate at all, but simply guard the edge of the circle. The director is the person who deals with scripts, rehearsals, and getting all the parts of the ritual to pull together. They decide who is taking each role (often by consensus, but theirs is the deciding voice if necessary), which part to rehearse next, how to deal with suggested changes to the script, etc. It's better, though often not possible, if the director avoids taking any major role in the ritual. We've tried having two or more people in this role, but I'm not convinced that it helps. In our group the director is often the script writer as well, but not always. S/he must at least have a good understanding of the purpose and flow of the ritual. The energy watcher or energy focus functions much like an energy watcher in a small ritual, but may need to take a more active role--a large group is naturally less focussed than a small one, and may need to be directed more firmly. For example, in a large Spiral Dance we often give the lead dancer a rattle, so that s/he can loudly signal the end. It's natural in a large ritual for the Priest or Priestess to be energy watcher since attention will focus on them anyway. Two or more people can toss control of the group energy back and forth, but it's simpler to have a single person. If there is more than one, you will need to pay careful attention to transitions. We wrote a Yule ritual in which the early part is controlled by three Crones who are trying to keep the people in darkness. Halfway through a Fool comes out to ask the people to light candles. We found that the Crones had no hope of keeping control once the Fool came out (she had a strong personality) so everyone rushed for a candle at once, which was not the effect we wanted. The greeter is in charge of welcoming newcomers and giving everyone necessary information about the ritual. You can ask the director to do this, but if there's a rehearsal or last-minute prep going on it won't get done, which is bad. In public rituals it is better to err on the side of giving too much information, rather than too little. In particular, anything that newcomers are being asked to do should be explained to them. A greeter can teach the chants in advance, tell the story of any myth being used, introduce gods and goddesses, and explain what is expected of participants. She can also watch out (along with the guardian) for issues like food or incense allergies, physical limitations of participants, etc. The toolkeeper keeps track of all the physical stuff needed to do the ritual. You can try having everyone bring his/her own gear, but you run the risk of lacking some essential component (vivid memories here of the Beltane where we discovered we didn't have water or matches, and had an odd number of Maypole ribbons....) The director often ends up doing this, but if the supplies required are extensive it's often useful to find someone else for the task instead. Another role which is similar, and can be combined, is the person (called "maiden" in traditional covens, but can be of either gender) who deals with tools in the ritual--holds a candle for the Priestess, gets the charcoal lit and the altar set up, makes sure there is alcohol in the cauldron, etc. It is often better not to ask the central ritualists to do this. Settling these roles early in the planning of each ritual, and insuring that all of them are covered, has made our rituals go much more smoothly. Guardians are particularly easy to forget, and particularly important to remember. The first time you encounter a heckler, or set something on fire, or have the phone ring mid-ritual, you'll see why. One final bit of experience: if your ritual involves invoking a god or goddess into a ritualist, do not ask that person to deal with any mundane problems (tools, guardianship, etc.) Have someone else clearly named to do so, and leave the Priest/ess free to deal with the divine energies. I recall a Samhain ritual in which a chant went on, and on, and on (it was supposed to end when the cauldron fire did, but there was too much alcohol in the cauldron and it seemed interminable). We had one person who was supposed to be both guardian and an invoked role (Guide of the Underworld). I asked her afterwards why she didn't do anything to end the chant: she said "There's no time in the Underworld, so it didn't occur to me that there was a problem." This is a fine mindset for worship, but a terrible one for practicality.... Mary Kuhner mkkuhner@genetics.washington.edu -- I do not receive posts from the following systems because they tolerate abuse of Usenet: interramp.com psi.com scruz.net If you wish me to see your message anyway please use email.
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