sophiaserpentia | (no subject)

I came back from my trip to Austin last night, and when I called Dee from the airport, she was crying so heavily I was afraid someone had passed away while I was in flight.

Instead she tells me that a controversy has erupted because beer was brought to a meeting.

Beer. Was brought. To a meeting.

It was not the first time I have witnessed this group drive my wife to the point of tears. In fact, this has been a disturbingly common occurrence since November.

Some might say that perhaps she just has a way of taking things too personally. Regardless, the fact is that she never wanted the position in the first place; she accepted the responsibility because she was asked by several of you to take the position.

Nothing is worth the level of stress I have seen Dee and James face on the behalf of this group. As a final kick in the teeth, it often feels like the reward the group's leaders have gotten for many hours of work on the group's behalf has been constant sniping.

As things stand now, I do not imagine why anyone would be willing to step forward to take the reigns of this group in November, when the current leadership's term ends. I would certainly not recommend the position to anyone, and I would absolutely refuse it myself.

In fact,

I hereby resign as Communications Officer of the Circle of Crescent City Pagans. I will continue to maintain the website and e-list until August 1 or until it is clear who will take over the duties of this position, whichever comes first.

Sincerely,
Tony Roberti

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(sigh)
another UU-related beauracracy self-destructs, again.
can we truly be surprised at this?

To be fair, I'm not sure how much of my travails with the local CUUPS chapter are the result of it's connection to the UU church or UUism in general. That the UU church places some very un-pagan restrictions on the group has caused some stress but it is hardly the source of the group's recent hemorrhages.

Coming home from a wonderful trip to find my wife in tears was just the final straw for me, where this group is concerned. I've held my nose and pressed on for what I thought was the group's interest for months now, and I'm tired of seeing this behavior.

I was willing to maintain the obligations on the behalf of my friends, but no longer.

This frees me up a bit to focus on other projects I have neglected for far too long.

I know I am generalizing here. But in my experience, I have never known a group calling itself pagan to be able to work long term unless the group were able to manifest their own space & rules, such that they did not have to follow the rules of a governing body outside the pagan group itself -- which, in my observation, includes (but is not limited to)
a) skyclad or (at the very least optional skyclad) ritual
b) a place for an open fire (not fireplace or brazier) under the night sky for the main seasonal rituals
c) openness of the group to loving intimacy being as much a part of the social dynamic as politics, hopefully more so.

Now, I am sure there are groups which do not meet my observations which have been around a long time, but I am not sure I would term them *working* pagan groups.

As a sign that ye be really free,
naked in my rights shall ye ever be.

You know... this is why I don't like things affiliated with them. There is a sort of "pretend tolerance" which doesn't extend to anything pagans do that is distinctly different from modern Christianity. I.E., pagans are okay - as long as they act just like WASPy Baptisits.
The atmosphere that time I went to the drum circle which had been cancelled without notification and the reaction we got from the person refusing to allow us into the church - horror struck, angry face and finger pointing - really just cemented for me why I don't like big mainstream groups of any kind. (Yeah, say it - FREAK! FREAK!)

I have come to understand that New Orleans is the worst place to have any sort of group. Sooner or later, politics and personal prejudices corrupt their intent. There is always an inequality in the amount of work to be done verses the number of people willing to do it. And there are always a few people who will use their position to further their own personal agendas.

Which is why I've retired for the most part from local things. To my eternal sorrow.

While I was in Austin I attended social functions held by the poly and bi social groups there. People I spoke to at these events were flabbergasted to hear there were no parallel organizations in New Orleans.

Baton Rouge has a poly social group, but not New Orleans.

The problem isn't lack of effort, but simple exasperation. The first problem is getting people to come to your events. Once you get them to come, the second problem is constant griping and infighting. As far as I can tell these are unwritten requirements no matter what you do.