A Fool's Journey and Consensus

A Fool’s Journey and Consensus

A Fool’s Journey asks you to become part of a group as part of your experience at our retreat. We realize even though we have explained it at prior retreats we have needed to do a better, more detailed, job of it so I hope this helps.

Why you become part of a group (Group? What group!?!) and what it means to you … and us!

Why – We ask you to be a part of a group for the duration of the retreat. Your group will be participating in the evening rituals by creating and doing the invocation for your particular direction/element/quality as part of creating sacred space. Based on past years, you may or may not have anyone in your group with priest/essing experience. Being a member of your group will give you the opportunity to practice priest/ess skills, deepen your understanding or experience with a direction/element/quality and let it flavor your time at the retreat. For us, A Fool's Journey teachers/organizers, it's a wonderful opportunity to watch how you join together with each other, and with us, each day to share the magic and joy.

How – When you arrive at Four Springs you will be greeted and asked to pull a card from the Minor Arcana and will represent an element/direction (air/east, fire/south, west/water, north/earth). In my head (and now I guess it’s out in the open!) I liken this to the Sorting Hat placing you into your House for the weekend. (Yes, I’m afraid I’m known for relating things to movie references)

After thinking about some comments I’ve heard from the last couple of retreats it occurred to me recently that we have taken it for granted that these groups would gather, work by consensus, to come up with their contribution to the ritual. The part that was missing was consensus.

All of us who put on A Fool’s Journey have a common background with Reclaiming-tradition witchcraft. When you’re in a ritual planning cell, or in a coven, we work by consensus. Also, when one person is speaking everyone else listens until that person is done speaking. If you’re planning a ritual or something other than “check-in” you can raise your hand and then take turns speaking. You strive to not speak over each other. This is a place where everyone gets to be heard. In groups there is usually someone who has strong ideas and is willing to share them and usually someone who might have ideas but isn’t comfortable speaking up in a group especially if they’re new to the craft, or in the case of Fool’s Journey, with all these people you probably have just met.

Planning by consensus isn’t easy but it helps everyone get heard. Pay attention to who hasn’t spoken. Make sure they get heard. It’s all too easy for those who like/are able to speak up to almost railroad their ideas shutting out the quieter contributors.

I was one of the quiet ones. Even today I’m more quiet in my comments than others. When I started learning & took “Elements of Magic” I was absolutely terrified of “check-in”. Check-in is used to speak (classes will usually have a format for each class) about your week, or how you’re feeling, how an assignment went and no one else is allowed to speak or comment. If you’re not used to speaking, or being heard, it can be quite the challenge having everyone patiently, earnestly listening to what you have to say.

Here’s what I suggest as a format for your group to use –

Gather together and ground, or just become present with each other (breathing is great for this)
Do a brief check-in on how you’re doing – nervous, unsure, excited, etc
Review what the intention is for the evening ritual (Check the Grid)
Do a round of brainstorming – what is your element/direction? What is associated with it? Do people in your group have ritual experience? Are there any with no experience?
Consensus – all in your group need to agree on what is planned or you go back to the drawing board to refine the plan
Once you come up with a plan then you can get to the fun stuff … like what to wear, what items would you need, etc.

This format encourages everyone to participate in making it happen, empowers you, and spreads the load out so it’s not just on 1 or 2 people. If you leave it to a select few, feelings can be hurt which in turn can alienate those in your group.

There are some links on the Reclaiming website that have more information on consensus process. I recommend you check them out.

Panthera

I’m a leader, even if no one follows
(from High Priestess Year)

RECOMMENDED READING

Agendas/Meeting Procedures by Brook Schoenfield ('95)

http://reclaiming.org/resources/consensus/brook.html

Consensus Decision-Making from INVERT

http://reclaiming.org/resources/consensus/invert.html

Meeting Facilitation --The No-Magic Method by Berit Lackey of the Movement for a New Society
http://reclaiming.org/resources/consensus/blakey.html

Structure of a Ritual
http://reclaiming.org/about/witchfaq/ritual-structure.html