Cell members going to Dandelion 2010:
Barbara, Pavini, Bird, Glimmer, Song, Ross, Kate, Jude, Rain, possibly: Riyana, Jason, Gambit
On Sunday, August 22, we had a conference call to discuss and celebrate our contingent at Dandelion. the notes are below:
Pre-Dandelion ConFerence Call Sun Aug 22
Check in and Casting the circle: Julie(facilitating), Kate(taking notes),
Pavini, Barbara, Glimmer, Bird, Song
Witchcamp council meets online, shares info and resources between
representatives from each Reclaiming camps. There is a moratorium on new
members into the council and thus new camps, we should be prepared to deal
with this.
FAWC has rotated representatives each year with mentor/mentee
relationships.
We consensed on choosing two interim reps for WCC for now through the
Dandelion gathering, they may be asked to present camp story esp. explain
Catalyst process. Song and Pavini offered to be the interim reps. Glimmer
will send their names and e-mail addresses to the Council, so that they can
get on the list. We acknowledged that some folks were not on this call but
decided it was important to get folks on the email list representing us
ASAP. This can be revisited at the next call on Sept 1st.
We also consensed to revisit our representation in the larger group after
Dandelion possibly at the next all-camp call Tues Sept 14th.
BIRCH is a council of reps from Reclaiming groups that meets at Dandelion
Dandelion is an informal gathering comprised of optional offerings. groups
of 5 or more have a rep, anyone can attend
We consensed to choose BIRCH reps ‘on the fly’ this can be discussed at the
next call.
Holding our Fears
folks were invited to share their fears and ask for what they need.
Responding to Andy
Struggling with being part of a couple and part of a community
let’s do more of this on the next call.
Telling our camp story … will get the story text soon from Meddle, Bird and
Rain. To what extent should we stick to the story of our transformation and
how can we be in solidarity with each other? We consensed to have this
conversation on the next call, hopefully folks can read the story and think
on this question before the call.
Glimmer will send to the list the Process for being a Reclaiming Camp
Rideshare and Carpooling Conversation can happen online and at the next call
Next call Sept 1st
Agenda to include:
- Camp Story — telling and representing it
- Responding to Andy, in the event he brings this to the BIRCH meeting or to an informal WCC meeting
- Holding space for acknowledging Fears and getting / giving support
- Logistical support to get to and from Dandelion
September 1 Call Notes
on the call: rain, Barbara, Ross, Song, Glimmer, Seraphina, Jason, Riyana
Agenda
- Storytelling
- Responding to Andy
- Logistics
Storytelling: do we want to have some solidarity in the way we tell our story of camp? How can we hold the boldness of our community boundary and the delicacy of our interactions with Andy as a member of our community?
Consensus
At Dandelion and Beyond, we will hold an awareness of how we are speaking — as organizers or as individuals. As Organizers, we will speak in solidarity with the narrative of the public disclosure. As individuals, we will take liberty with personal expression in "my" experience. Wearing either hat, we will stay grounded in the original intention of the Catalyst WG to be compassionate and to not replicate the patterns of dominant culture.
Who might need support? and What might that support look like?
Folks spoke to nervousness or fear of getting tangled up in a word play battle with Andy or feeling paralyzed or emotionally raw.
Support may look like asking help from others, having lots of conversations with any of us in this group.
Also offered was a powerful reminder that we are witches and can read energy — we can read it in each other and in the air. We can be attentive to this and have intention to check in with each other as well as having solidarity in intention to hold us. Its "gonna be ok with all of us there together — like family."
*Interesting Questions raised through this conversation?*
Can I, as priestess of a ritual offering, set a boundary to disallow an individual to participate?
What are the responsibilities of me / us as priestess(es) to others in the space we are priestessing?
Are we empowered to set a personal boundary in a community space when it removes a person from the community / communal space?
What are the ethics and philosophies of Reclaiming on these questions?
Comments from these questions:
- there is a difference between politicking institutional boundaries and the personal empowerment that we always have to set a boundary.
- i / we want to avoid warning people or other groups about a person(s)
from there: —- What is the relationship between us, our process, this gathering and this conversation? should we contact the Dandelion organizers about the Catalyst process?
*Consensus* rain will contact a Dandelion organizer as a rep for ourcamp to talk about the Catalyst process.
Public Disclosure
— Ross will facilitate online discussion and consensus on the public disclosure letter and two paragraph blurb, as well as widening the circle of people who would have access to the public disclosure.
Proposal: Send the public disclosure letter to the Witchcamp Council list, make paper copies available to the Witchcamp Council reps at Dandelion, and make paper copies available for any other individuals attending the Witchcamp Council's open forum at Dandelion.
Originally, in the Catalyst letter, we declared we would send the public disclosure to Witchcamp Council, Fawc Social list, Starhawk.
On our last Cell conference call, we agreed to post the entire public disclosure to our website.
Last thoughts:
our camp will have a HUGE presence at Dandelion this year, so we have a great opportunity to influence the broader Reclaiming community!! Hell yeah!!
Maybe we can offer something…
- open space about camp
- host a ritual of some sort — themes: living in this time, earth ecocide (Gulf), transformational inspiration as part of magic
- ritual intention and organizing
check out with appreciations and love…
