Sorry that I didn't get this posted yesterday -- we had a bunch of people over to the house most of the day, and I had flowers to plant. "How to Herd Cats" is beginning a little sub-series on organizational structure. The first example is monofocal structure: an organization with one leader.

• What situations have you seen where one person was in charge? How well did that work?


• What are some advantages and disadvantages of having a single leader?


• What kind of organizations do best with just one leader? What kind would do better with a different structure?


• Do you think that monofocal organization is a good idea for Pagan groups?

Tags: daily spell, paganism, topic discussion
Current Mood: busy

Today's installment of "How to Herd Cats: Essays on Pagan Leadership" covers the opposite side of the coin: "Followship." Almost all the literature about power dynamics is focused on leadership. People often forget that good leaders need good followers. So let's explore that...

Do you think of yourself as a leader, a follower, or some of both? Why?

What do you consider the personal qualities of a good follower?

What are some of the skills of a good follower?

Can followship be taught or learned, or is it innate?

Do followers deserve respect? Why or why not?

How does the wider Pagan community view followers?

What does it mean for a follower to bestow their service on a leader?

Tags: daily spell, paganism
Current Mood: busy

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart, Headmaster of the Grey School of Wizardry, posted this today and asked that it be shared.

Last night, the eve of Beltaine, was Walpurgisnacht--the opposite hinge of the year from Hallowe'en, the eve of Samhain. These are the points in the year where the veil between the worlds is thinnest, and souls may most readily pass from one realm to the other.

Appropriately, Cora Anderson, widow of renowned Wizard Victor Anderson, and co-founder of the Feri Tradition, chose last night to pass over into the Summerland to join her beloved husband of 60 or so years, who passed over in 2001. Cora was 93 years old, and Beltaine was their wedding anniversary.

The list of their Feri trainees and initiates is long and illustrious, including Gwydion Pendderwen, Starhawk, Francesca DeGrandis, Alison Harlow, Thorne Coyle, Eldri Littlewolf, my own Morning Glory, and many others. Indeed, a full list (which I hope someone will compile) practically reads as a "Who's Who" of some of the most prominent figures in the magickal community!

Cora passed over in the hospital about 1:00 AM, surrounded by a number of her closest friends and initiates. She was definitely ready to go, and her timing could not have been more perfect.

Blessed Be, Cora. See you next time around!

BB-OZ, HM

Tags: magic, moment of silence, paganism
Current Mood: pensive

Today's topic in "How to Herd Cats: Essays on Pagan Leadership" is "The Social Contract." This is what lies between leaders and followers, and among the many people who make up a society. It's a set of rules -- some overt, some covert -- that we live by. We may call it a constitution, a set of bylaws, something else, or nothing if we don't think of it consciously. When a new group forms, so does a new social contract. So it's a good idea to make sure that it says what the members really mean.

• What do you think a social contract is for?



• What are some social contracts that apply to groups you inhabit? What are some points the contracts cover? What don't they cover?



• What are some things you consider essential for a social contract to ensure or forbid?



• Have you ever participated in negotiating a social contract? If so, how well did that work out?



• Have you ever observed misunderstandings because of an incomplete social contract, or because people disagreed over what the social contract entailed? If so, what happened (omitting details that might cause harm)?

Tags: community, daily spell, paganism
Current Mood: busy

Today's installment of "How to Herd Cats: Essays on Pagan Leadership" is #2 "Leadership." In order to enjoy respectable and effective leadership, we need to understand how it works and what we want. Unexamined leadership is rarely positive. So let's consider ...

1) What is a Pagan leader?

2) What kinds of things do people want a Pagan leader to do?

3) What are some personality traits that suit someone for leadership roles in the Pagan community?

4) What are some skills that a Pagan leader needs?

Tags: community, daily spell, paganism, writing
Current Mood: busy

Yesterday my new column "How to Herd Cats: Essays on Pagan Leadership" launched in The Daily Spell, beginning with "Becoming a Leader." One of my announcements has led to a lively (and somewhat salty) debate on pagan.

Previously some of you have requested topical discussions, magic, and Paganism in general for coverage here. Community is another fairly popular theme. One thing we could do would be to hold a weekly exploration of the column topic.

Poll #1171768 How to Herd Cats Discussion
Open to: Friends, results viewable to: All

Would you like to have weekly discussions of Pagan leadership topics here?

Tags: blogging, community, daily spell, paganism
Current Mood: busy

I am delighted to announce the launch of my new column, "How to Herd Cats: Essays on Pagan Leadership," appearing Mondays in The Daily Spell. The first installment, "Becoming a Leader," appears in the April 14 issue and explores how one becomes a leader.

I also have a review column, "Book Reviews from Hypatia's Hoard," currently appearing daily. The Daily Spell is posted Monday through Friday, and contains other interesting material including information on herbs, energy manipulation, Pagan community news, and other columns and features.

Feedback is welcome.

Tags: daily spell, paganism, reading, writing
Current Mood: accomplished

I have been interviewed! Read the results in the Elodrym Community Tome. The interview covers such topics as blogging, roleplaying, memetic engineering, magic, Paganism, the Grey School of Wizardry, alchemy, writing, publishing, and ritual design.

See also three of my poems in the "Poetry" section:
"Seven Feathers"
"Bringing Beltane"
"The Bad Hair Fairy"

One of these, "Bringing Beltane," came from one of my Poetry Fishbowl sessions.

Tags: magic, paganism, poetry, writing
Current Mood: busy

I found the inner workings of this quiz intriguing.

I'm into Harry Potter or some other mainstream trend.

I'm sure the muggles would be horrified to hear Harry Potter described as "mainstream." But it is, and it made me laugh.

This quiz also impressed me by spitting out a tiebreaker question:

I am really into Dungeons and Dragons or Magic the Gathering.
I like vampire novels quite a bit, and I have a soft spot for plush bats/skull candles.

I found this on the journal of gothikfaerie ... we were two of the earliest people discussing Gothic Paganism, in the mid-90s. Now you can buy books on it. Some of them are even good.

What subcategory of Goth best fits you? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Fantasy Goth You are a Fantasy Goth. You may or may not actually be a goth, but "normal" folks see you as one of those weird kids, and you are probably considered a geek by quite a few. Click on my name to take my other tests if you liked this one. Fantasy Goth 79% Romantic Goth 79% Anything-Goes Goth 46% Old-school Goth 46% Ethereal Goth 42% Understanding Outsider 42% Confused Outsider 33% Perky Goff 33% Death Rocker 29% Cyber-goth 29% Industrial/Rivet-Head 21%

Tags: paganism, personal, survey
Current Mood: busy

estaratshirai has posted a lovely review of my book Composing Magic on her blog. Many thanks!

Tags: composing magic, grey school of wizardry, magic, paganism, writing
Current Mood: touched

We've spent the last two days planting stuff and we're still not done. Ah, but it's good to get outside again and work in the live black earth! I love the smell of fresh-turned soil in spring when all is moist and growing again. This is my religion, this twist of community and nature and creativity.

Phoenix and Cheryl have been coming out to help. Yesterday we got most of the new honeysuckles planted along the south hedge, and finished that today, so there are 12 more of them out there. The oldest ones are now head-high on me and starting to do their job of visual screening. Last year's batch should reach that height this growing season; they're already leafing out. The hedge roses are just starting to bud, along with the miscellaneous other things in the hedge. We also planted 3 purple-leaf bush plums and 3 bush cherries. Also on the list of things to be done is cutting loose the suckers from the earlier plantings of hedge roses and replanting them elsewhere. Do it right and it's a cheap way of propagating bushes. And what do you know, there's lemon balm volunteering somewhere in the line, because while we were digging, there came an incredible burst of lemon scent.

Elsewhere we planted a pair of pawpaw trees. They're bare-root and don't like being transplanted that way, but I've never been able to afford potted ones. I tend to plant lots of small cheap trees and shrubs on the premise that some will live; only occasionally do I buy something large and expensive. It works pretty well; some of the earlier plantings are big enough to bloom and fruit now. The first rosehips matured last summer. We also got two of the four Russian olive trees planted along the west fence.

That leaves 2 Russian olives and 2 hazelnuts, plus the surprise rosebush that the nursery stuck in the bag. (If you order a lot of stuff, often they tuck in something from overstock.) Tomorrow it's supposed to rain, and most of the rest of the week too. We might get a clear day on Wednesday, then again, maybe not till the weekend or early next week.

The hedge in general looks much better, though. Most of the plants are leafing out already. We pulled loose all the tall dead spears of fieldweeds, heaped them into the firepit -- twice -- and burned them. Our fire elemental, Drake, is a long sinuous dragon. He was happy to wake up and devour the brush. When there's a huge heap of burning ashes, you can see him moving around in it as the glow ripples and shifts, like a cat under a blanket.

Overhead, the first crescent of the moon hung high and white in the twilight sky. The breeze was sharp and cool, smelling of mud and feathers and crushed greenery. Breath of spring, light of new life.

Yeah ... some days, life is good.

Tags: gardening, nature, paganism
Current Mood: busy

wyrmwwd posted an interesting piece today, about the god Ogma, with the text of "The Song of Wandering Aengus" at the end. Celtic mavens may enjoy this.

Tags: paganism, poetry
Current Mood: busy