From: gunter@stat.ncsu.edu (Dave Gunter)
Subject: Re: Pagan bickering
Date: 23 Jun 1994 14:00:04 GMT

lab@biostat.mc.duke.edu (Lance A. Brown) writes:
> I am a member of a public pagan group that does open rituals on the
> 8 Sabbat days.  Each ritual has a facilitator who is charged with
> making sure the ritual happens.  The facilitator usually has a base
> idea or theme and holds planning meetings (run by consensus) where
> other people in the group help plan the ritual.

> This has worked quite well for us for almost 3 years now.  I think
> the key is providing an opportunity for people to have their say
> about the ritual plan.  If they don't show up for the planning
> meetings and then don't like the ritual when it is performed that is
> their very own tough cookies. :-)

While I see the merit of giving people the opportunity to have input
into the ritual plan, my concern (which you have heard from me before
:-) is that this can lead to "over-planning".  The few rituals that I
attended with your group felt, IMHO, more like a stage production and
less like a ritual.  I think that overplanning directly affects
spontaneity in ritual.

The group I work with tends to form an idea for a ritual - and then
get people to do the various parts (ie quarters and such).  We tend to
work from a loose outline, but with a specific purpose in mind.

Dave