April Homework

In your journey in finding a coven or a Pagan organization to join what are some of the things you personally are looking for in a group. What are the things you watch out for. Please write a summary on each.

• I'm looking for a group of generally like (but open) minded folks who are diverse, yet traveling a similar-ish non-mainstream spiritual path.  I think I'd be merrily on my solitary way, except for Jaina speaking so highly of the inclusiveness of this group, and thinking it would be nice to travel this path with some like-minded folks for a while.  I'm also looking for a group that allows me a significant amount of autonomy in my practices as [working, parent] put my "me" time to where I can fit it in between that whole working, homework, school events, extracurricular activities, etc stuff.  I also really like online communities -- the whole sense of Indra's net connecting bells or jewels that ring/shine all over an extended geographic community.
• What I watch out for -- "True Believers"- anyone whose way is The Way.  Like one of Indra's jewels, I believe we all facet/reflect/refract the Universe's experience in a unique way.  What works for one sometimes works for others, but it can't be an assumed "universal" experience because we're all coming to each experience with our own histories, cultures, interests, and connections to the Universe. I watch for other intolerances as well.  As I get older, my yellow flags of caution have played out often enough to be red flags that I'm taking any flagging of slow down/caution as srsly caution, and needs substantial justification rather than 'that's interesting, I'll have to keep an eye on it..."

Fun Question! Yet a serious one. If you would form your own/new coven today. What will be the focus of the coven and why?

•  I think if I were to form my own/new coven, it might try to look very similar to what CAYA looks like in terms of inclusive diversity of paths, tied to my answers to Chapter 4 questions.  It's possible that coordinating disparate geographic locations for ritual might play into that somehow as well...

I would like you to take time and think about your ideal coven meeting place. Will it be in a forest? Or at a friends house? Or every place just seems right. Please share your thoughts of your ideal meeting stop.

• My favorite gatherings have been fairly spontaneous outdoors events.  There is something very comfortable and connecting about being outside.  I find inside not to be quite as connected, perhaps a stronger influence of "civilized" that makes it more difficult for me in a social, "civil" setting to access that part of me which is pretty gleefully feral.  That said, I'm pretty comfortable online as well.