Time

The Pagan Experience - Wk 2- May 11 – Time – How do you measure time? How do you make use of linear time in sacred space? How do you call forth the space of timelessness in your physical life? How do you integrate the two for your magickal/spiritual work?

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

In this age of the smartphone, I no longer wear a watch. Even before the smartphone, I haven't always worn one. Oh, I remember having a swatch back in the day. And I have a bit of a fascination with diving timepieces. Though thinking back, I was most fascinated with the idea of knowing what time it was in the different areas dear to my heart. And of course, the phases of the moon. But really, my goal in life is to live in such a way that I don't have to know what time it is.

My happiest times are timeless. When I am lucky enough to have the time to go backpacking, my sense of time is in harmony with nature. I get up when it becomes light, I eat when I'm hungry, I rest  when I'm tired, and I make camp when there are two fists of sun left in the sky. When it gets dark, I make a fire. Sometimes I go to bed early, and other times, I stay up to watch the stars and spin out speculative ideas, dreams, plans and other such malarkey.

My real life at this point is quite scheduled. Each year, as I build my business, it becomes more and more regimented. The two weekdays that used to be my "free time" have even been encroached upon. In fact, this year, I'm working to reign my schedule back in. I need to spend my time on the most productive work activities and leave myself ample unstructured time. This unstructured time is rarely spent in idleness; mostly, it ends up being used for business administration, neglected housework, writing or artwork. 

Meditation and Yoga are what allow me to do the things that I do. The practice of meditation, especially, acts as a reset button for the nervous system. It breaks the stress cycle by giving us the experience of timelessness. I think it also works because we are withdrawing our senses from the outside world, but that's my own theory. 

This year, I'm also going to start turning off and putting away my phone. I've always been a believer in setting healthy boundaries. Keeping defined office hours has always been a goal of mine. The reality, though, is that I have gotten sucked in to our instant gratification, always on, instant response culture. I've been known to work all night, to stay up late and get up early to work. This has definitely been to my detriment. I've been battling fatigue and burnout for some time now, and I'm taking action to correct this situation. This weekend, for example, I have put a moratorium on work and social media. 

So timelessness in my daily life is meditation, keeping office hours, limiting screen time and spending plenty of time outdoors. 

In ritual…this is an interesting question. I've never given any thought to how I use time in ritual. Generally, I focus more on what needs to happen in sacred space, rather than how long it takes. My experience has been that it all works out. When I enter ritual headspace, things flow in the timeless time of the Gods. I don't think about it, or plan it. 

I do like to celebrate full moons and sabbats close to their astronomical time. I think there is a special magic in celebrating the moment AT the moment. That's one of my goals for my spiritual practice, actually. I want to arrange my life in such a way that I *can* celebrate celestial events at their actual times, up to and including the ones that happen at inconvenient times like dawn or in the middle of the night. 

Accomplishing this form of observance will entail:

• Advance planning - what will I observe, and when does it happen? (atlas or calendar, website, app)
• Take all Sabbat days off from work (I'd like to take full moons too, but…I do have to work at some point)
• Schedule a late morning after night observances

So here we have a high priestess who is most comfortable in the timelessness of nature, who paradoxically also is interested in observing the exact moments of celestial events. One foot in each world, so to speak. That actually does make sense for me.

I'm a half-breed in so many ways. A starry-eyed mystic with a logical, organized mind. An artist and poet who firmly believes in the scientific method. A lover of nature who thrives on endless unmeasured days who wants to study the movement of the heavens by night. Fitting.

That is my magic - I have one foot in each world. I can drop into the timeless mind of ritual consciousness, and I also have a day planner.

What a Geek - Coven Administration is fun!

Founding my coven, Clan of the Wildlings, has been an exciting and awesome experience on many levels. One of them warms the cockles of my geeky heart: administration. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. There is a High Priestess out there in the world who digs the organizational details.

And why not? Building a website, creating a Facebook page, designing business cards…these are just a different form of magic. With each keystroke, our clan gains more reality. With each moment of focus, the manifestation of my vision grows. Just that would be magical enough to be worthwhile.

But for my geeky heart, organization has another function: clarity. I like things to be clear, in all areas of my life. In matters of spirit, doubly so. All members of the clan need to know what they are getting into and what is happening - for the highest good of us all.

To that end, I created what I have called a foundational document. I got the idea from my time in the corporate world, plus some research here on the interwebs. This document contains the bare bones of the coven's structure, mission, holidays, etc.

Here are is a list of the headings, for your reference:

• Leadership
• Members
• Officers
• Covenstead
• Sub-groups (similar to the different paths within Druidry, for example - arts, healing, war, clergy, etc)
• Legal Status (are you a non-profit?)
• Legal rituals (weddings)
• Age Limit
• Documents (list of core organizational docs)
• Degrees
• Dress Code
• Mission Statement
• Vision Statement
• Membership Qualifications
• Membership Process
• Leaving the Group
• Attendance Requirements
• Holidays
• Temple (I'd like to build one someday)

In addition to the foundational document, I made a few other documents to start the clan in an orderly fashion:

• Seekers Questionnaire
• Member's Oath
• Code of Ethics
• 13 Goals of a Witch
• Ritual Etiquette

But the thing that may have the most geekily excited? The Clan Records document. It's in Excel format (look away, traditionalists!), one tab per topic:

• Log - in which we record dates, ritual names, attendees, and notes about each event.
• Expenses (receipts filed in our group BOS)
• Income - donations, fundraising, etc (we do not have regular dues)
• Roster - list of members, contact info, birthdays, allergies

All of these documents are available to all members at all times. Having worked as a project manager in another life, one thing I feel very strongly about is organizational transparency. While we as Pagans are part of a mystery tradition, which has secrets by its very nature…the way that the coven is run does not have to be one. In my opinion, groups are stronger when everyone knows what is going on and what is expected of each member. It builds a culture of trust and accountability. I strive to be the kind of leader that people follow not because I hold power over them, but because they trust and respect me.

If you're interested in this new paradigm of leadership and of organizational transparency, click on the links in the above paragraph. I love honoring ancient wisdom in my spirituality. I look often to ancestors, including those of blood, intellect and spirit. But I also use the modern knowledge that I have gained in my life. Organization, good administration, transparency, fair leadership…all of these things support a healthy coven. The mission of my group is to nurture a balance of body, mind and spirit. Using my geek skills is one way in which I do that - for the highest good of all, with harm to none.

Blessed be!