Spirited (11 page)

Teens, as minors, are often unintentionally left to their own devices because of legal restrictions preventing them from joining covens, other Pagan organisations, and study groups. I am not implying that the majority of older Pagans in our community reject the new surge of interested youths, and indeed it is only a minority that do. However, I have personally encountered several older Pagans who initially dismissed me as fluffy and superficial based solely on my age. Assumptions based on age and appearances are rooted in discrimination. Generally, Pagans make an effort to remain objective and nonjudgemental when it comes to interacting with other people; however, being Pagan does not instantly make one a saint. We are all human.

Teen Pagan Network is a concept. The various support groups bearing the title are not necessarily interlinked or even aware of each other. Teen Pagan Network is a source of compassion and friendship fostered by peers who are familiar with the trials and tribulations of the
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-day teen and who have likely been affected by the trend of categorising teens as ignorant and childish. Many adult Pagans admit that they do not understand why teens need separate groups and specific focus, and they are quite welcome to that confusion. It has to be made clear that it is not a purposeful rejection of the adults that causes teens to create and organise their own groups, but it is the need to mix with others of the same age. Teen Pagan Network helps teens gain a greater sense of self-esteem and introduces beginners and the curious to Paganism in a comfortable and open environment. Below you will find advice on how to kick-start your own Teen Pagan Network.

Creating Your Own Teen Pagan Network

Before you jump into the scheduling and running of meets, you need to understand what you are getting yourself into by creating a Teen Pagan Network. First of all, a TPN is a localised concept, meaning you will have no support or connection with the other groups in your state or country, unless of course you arrange for that. You will be on your own, perhaps with a few other key individuals, and expected to have a good foundation of knowledge in Paganism. After all, teens will be contacting you to ask questions, and you'll need to be able to answer them with a certain level of expertise and experience.
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By organising a TPN, you need to be aware that you are taking on a serious role as teacher, leader, and role model to other teen Pagans. You need to be secure within yourself to take on such a responsibility.

Once you fully understand what you are getting yourself into, the next thing you need to do is to sit down and record your ideas. If you are co-founding your TPN with others, this is a time to showcase your collaborative teamwork skills.

Begin by structuring a framework for your meets. By this, I mean decide where and when you will hold your meets. It might be a good idea to develop a mission statement to formalise your group. When you get to the stage of creating a website or mailing list for your group, you could include your mission statement on the main page. A mission statement is your group's central objectives and convictions—i.e., what you want to achieve through a Teen Pagan Network. Something like:

Teen Pagan Network seeks to familiarise young Pagans with the workings of the wider Pagan community and to develop a support unit for Pagan teens who may be experiencing hardships and loneliness.

If you are taking on the organisational role, you also need to consider your own qualities and whether you can cope with the weight of forming and coordinating a TPN. If you decide that you are capable of facilitating the meets, you are also taking on a degree of leadership. If you lend your name and details as the key contact in your advertising, you are the visual beacon to those who come across your advertisement. Therefore, make sure you can prioritise with your other commitments.

If you feel that organising a TPN solely on your own may be a little too much for you, then I suggest that you network with other volunteers and schedule several preliminary meetings to flesh out your group's framework. This includes a working mission statement, meet details, and advertising. With other willing delegates to help shoulder the load, you can delegate specific roles and jobs to each individual to ensure that everything is done within a short period of time.

The next step in kickstarting your TPN is advertising. This is not as hard as it sounds, believe me! The simplest technique of advertising is with posters and flyers. Suss out the whereabouts of local community noticeboards and start there. Libraries, bookstores, university and high-school campuses, youth hang-outs, alternative music stores, health-food stores, and New Age or Pagan specialty retailers are recommended places.

There is the very high possibility that your posters will be removed by narrow-minded individuals (it's happened to me!); unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way around this. You will find that the places I have mentioned above are going to be the most receptive when it comes to having Pagan posters on their premises.

You can also post your meet's details on Pagan websites. Look for sites hosted by local Pagans first and inquire about posting your meet's details. Most Pagan sites have a link to local meets and groups. WitchVox (www.witchvox.com) is another great place to advertise!

Once people are aware that your group exists, word-of-mouth becomes a viable method of advertising. When I was running a TPN several years ago, I bumped into a couple of people who found out about it through members. It's certainly satisfying when all that hard work pays off and things happen naturally. Patience and devotion are definite prerequisites for any TPN founder. If no one responds to your advertisements in the first couple of weeks or months, don't give up! It took me several months before I attracted any attention through advertising. If you suspect that someone has been sabotaging your posters, then you need to voice your concerns to the owner of the store and inquire whether you are still welcome to advertise there. If you are given the all clear, then put up another poster, and check up on it every now and then to make sure it's still up.

When people begin to inquire about the meets, you need to make sure you deal with each and every person individually and with equal conviction. Basically, it's a good idea to personally reply to each person's e-mail or message and to tell them a bit about yourself and about how the group runs. Once you feel you have attracted a good number of willing attendees, it's time to schedule your first meet.

The first meet is certainly an adrenaline-rushing event. All your preliminary organising has paid off, and you can revel in the utter pleasure of being with others of like mind to share experiences, issues, and questions. Make sure that everyone is clear on the location and time of the meet and what to bring, etc. I usually recommend that people bring along a friend, Pagan or otherwise, and a snack. I also encourage people to bring books, magazines, and other interesting odds and ends. For some time, I brought along an activity box, which was filled to the brim with glitter, pens, paper, incense, candles, ribbon, herbs, and an array of other stuff so that we always had something to do.

To ensure that the other teens can find you when the day of the meet comes, organise that the group each wear a specific colour or carry a flower. I've had people turn up to the correct park but not the correct side. To ensure that you are not missed, it is sometimes essential to be “obvious.” I am not suggesting you need to do cartwheels, shouting “Hail and welcome!” but that you need to stand out in some way. I've been known to dress up the old oak tree in red ribbon!

Once everyone has congregated, you need to be able to dismiss any awkwardness by making sure you do not convey the same energy. After all, a TPN is useless unless you've got everyone participating in the event. Greet everyone collectively, introduce yourself, and then get down to it; make sure it's not too formal or you'll scare people off! Organise everyone into a comfortable circle and then get the ball rolling on introductions. Give everyone their own time and space to formulate what they are going to say. You need to make sure that you are not too overwhelming or fake when it comes to talking and sharing. Keep things real. A laid-back, energising meet is preferable to an overly structured one.

After the introductions, the fun stuff begins. Things lead where they must naturally, so don't push too hard. When I ran a TPN in my hometown, I usually let people do what they wanted to do while I simultaneously kept the peace. I brought along specific activities attuned to the seasons to reinforce the spiritual element of the meets. For example, during an autumn meet, I brought along a large piece of yellow paper and a bag full of autumn leaves to make a collage. At that meet, there were ten people, and while I had two girls enraptured in gluing leaves in various patterns over the paper, the others were having an in-depth discussion about how each individual perceives Paganism.

There's also the chance that there will be beginners and newbies attending your meets, and you may have to answer several questions concerning Pagan spirituality, which may lead to further discussions among the more experienced members of the group. Make sure you've got everyone involved and clarify that anyone can voice their opinion at any time.

If you feel that you are capable of it, holding rituals in connection with the month's season can help reinforce the spiritual element of the meets. It's also a great way of introducing some of the beginners to Pagan ritual and how it works (See Open Circle, next page). I've held several rituals in conjunction with a TPN at the sabbats and esbats, and I have also led the group through various energy and meditation exercises to encourage people to follow up on them on their own.

When it comes to saying goodbye, announce the date of the next meet and encourage people to get active in terms of spreading the word. I suggest that you hand out a list of the upcoming meets and dates to everyone and include your contact details so that if there are any queries, you are able to help out.

Once your group has developed into a successful support network, it's time to upgrade your services. Constructing a website for your group to access online is not simple; it requires computer know-how and Internet expertise, of which I have none! However, when I ran a TPN, I did have a website, and since I moved elsewhere, the managerial role has been passed on, and the membership is over a hundred! I used MSN Groups to assist in creating an online haven for Pagan teens in my area. If you are a member of MySpace or Facebook, then you've got all you need to construct your site, as the method is simple and stress-free.

So now you're online and your group is up and going. From there, it's just a question of getting old and graduating from teenhood. When the time comes, pass on the reins to a younger member of the group so that the TPN does not end with you. You can remain an honorary member and perhaps give advice from afar, but technically you aren't supposed to attend the meets. I'm sure it's permissible from time to time; however, in your absence, you are reinforcing the very reason for a TPN—to allow teen Pagans to experience the realities of a working community in a comfortable surrounding with people of the same age.

Open Circle

An open circle is one of the most exciting events you can attend. They offer the chance to experience the beauty and power of group work. It takes a lot of devotion to organise and lead an open circle, as the individual is expected to act as the priest/ess and direct the group's energy toward the goal. If you are interested in organising an open circle in your area, then this section is essential reading material.

If you are thinking of holding your own open circle then you need to consider whether you have the experience to lead others through ritual. You need to understand the intricacies of Pagan ritual. If you feel you have what it takes, the next thing you need to consider is the ritual's form and the end it will serve. It's recommended that your first open circle take place on a sabbat or esbat. Once you have decided on the timing of your open circle, you will need to do some study of your own. Search through books and the Internet for the specific sabbat or esbat ritual you are going to perform. Look over several variations and compare. You can use one of the rituals you've found, adapt it, or script an original.

When I organise open circles, I write the rituals from scratch or simply follow mental guidelines instilled in me from my training. If you opt to write your own ritual, then you need to take into account that it will need to be comprehensible and appropriate. The key point to remember is that ultimately all ritual serves the purpose of connecting us with the divine.

If you are celebrating a sabbat, make sure you involve something of seasonal significance instead of falling prey to the pomp and ceremony of dramatic tones. I once attended a Mabon circle in which a Druid priestess officiated. We cast the circle and called the quarters following the Wiccan style. Once it got to the bulk of the ritual, though, I was left at a loss for words, as the ritual seemed devoid of vitality and “meat.” In essence, we had taken half an hour to cast the circle, five minutes to acknowledge Mabon, and another half an hour to open the circle. I've always made a point of including seasonally relevant activities and symbolism to honour the sabbat and to attune to the cycle.

You also need to decide where to hold your open circle. I'm sure that you don't want total strangers wandering around your backyard. My coven usually holds open circles in a public park. If you are in contact with any local Pagan organisations, perhaps you could give them a call and ask if you could hold the ritual on their property.