What role do you play in circle?
Last week we talked about working alone and working groups and just what combination of those that we do. This week I want to look at what role we play within those circles. Are we an organizer, a supporter, a participant, or a bystander? Each of those types play an important role within the community as a whole and without each of them it would be a very different community. To get the ball rolling I’ll offer up my some definition of each.
Organizer – This is the person who is out in the front of everyone. They are the ones who get the ball rolling planning the circles and making sure everyone knows about them. It doesn’t matter how big of a group you are working with each and every group will have someone(s) like this. You’ll get a lot out of the experience but in many ways your focus is the experience of everyone else.
Supporter – These are the people who are closest behind the organizer, actively encouraging everyone to take part. But there role goes beyond that as well, they also encourage the Organizer maybe by taking some of the weight off their shoulders and taking on some of the tasks that go along with the planning.
Participant – This is the largest group in any circle they come out and take part in the events. They might help out if something needs doing at the sight of the event or they might not it will depend on how they feel and if something is asked of them. As a participant you are they for your experience anything beyond that really is a bonus. That being said they no doubt want everyone to get something out of the circle and they won’t do something to put there own experience ahead of an others.
Bystander – They might someone who is very new to the community and is checking it out for the first time or they might be a friend or family member of someone in circle. Perhaps they are a solitary who comes out to community events for the sake of friendship and community
In some ways each of these categories could be seen as evolutionary steps through Pagan communities. Steps that we might never take but that are there for us to take should we so decide. Have I gotten the definitions right in your opinion? Are there categories that I might have missed? Is it possible for someone to be in each of the categories at the same time?
Most importantly each of the categories have to interact with one another and how they interact can be the most important factor for growth of any sort within a community at large. So take a minute and put yourself in each of those roles and think about how you would interact with the rest of them from that position. For example as the organizer what do you say to the bystander who just stood there through your circle? Maybe you are the participant who might have or might not have gotten something out of the cycle you were just in, and you see the organizer what do you say to them if anything.
I’m usually a supporter/participant. Oh, and I bring food.
I participate in group ritual, at most, once or twice a year now. But in the past when I was part of a practicing group we all did our best to fill every roll at one time or another. Naturally some of us were better at certain things than others but it was always stressed by our HPS that everyone take an active role in whatever task we set before us, sometimes even serving in capacities that we weren’t necessarily comfortable with so that the overall well-being of the coven was nurtured and strengthened.
When I was practicing in a Coven, I found that each member should be one of each at least once to promote a more diverse experience. Our coven was very informal yet formal and who was “what” often depended upon our moods at the time of our meeting. It was almost always organic and true, never forced.
.-= inannasstar´s last blog ..Wisdom Wednesdays – Worry =-.
I have been in all of those roles, though my career as a bystander was very short lived (that was a very long time ago). These days, I am mostly solitary.
When I was practicing in a Coven, I found that each member should be one of each at least once to promote a more diverse experience. Our coven was very informal yet formal and who was “what” often depended upon our moods at the time of our meeting. It was almost always organic and true, never forced.
Gonna say I have my fingers in all 4 of those pies you mention depending on the day
Putting aside my solitary practice (which by definition puts you in the first three categories), in the small working group I’m a part of we all take turns filling in each of the three roles, more or less in sequence. Kind of necessary for a group of 4 people, and frankly I would have it no other way. It works very well. Otherwise, I am generally either a participant in the off-case where I attend a public ritual, a bystander otherwise.
– M