Sycamore Circle: A Study Group for Pittsburgh Druids

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I might as well come out and admit it--ever since Jeff moved out here to Pittsburgh, I've been secretly plotting. Until now, I've been primarily a solitary practitioner, cultivating my own Druidry as time, energy and interest guided me, but over the past year or so I've also noticed a growing desire in myself to seek out spiritual community as well. This blog has been one forum for that sense of community, but there are limits to internet media. Discussion, challenge, inspiration and even comfort are here in abundance, but I long for people with whom I can practice, who can share with me a real living Druidic spirituality--people who will walk with me in the forests and share a drink with me over conversations about ritual and magic and the gods. And so, ever since Jeff moved to Pittsburgh, I've been reveling in the company of another real-life Druid, sharing times of meditation and prayer with him, walking through the forest with him, and plotting. If there were more of us, more inquisitive, contemplative types, more folks who loved music and poetry and art as inherent aspects of their spiritual lives, just a few more people who understood the potential power of authentic, organic ritual and saw in the natural world the beauty and rhythms that those rituals echo and invoke remake... if there were more of us, perhaps we could have a Grove.

Well, we're not there yet. But together, Jeff and I have taken the first step and officially announced the formation of an informal study group called Sycamore Circle (the group can be found on facebook, and perhaps eventually we'll have some other webpage for it as well). At the moment, the study group is not affiliated with any larger Druidic Order or organization, though it will be largely informed by our experiences in Revival Druidry and the slightly anarchistic mud-and-blood approach of Emma Restall Orr and The Druid Network. When I first conceived of the idea back in February 2008, I wrote a brief description of the group as "embodying a tradition of inclusiveness, for those with interests in: art, music, poetry and other sacred expressions of Awen; regular meditation and contact with nature as essential aspects of the spiritual life; scholarly study and intellectual integrity; exploring experiences of Spirit and encouraging personal growth and community evolution..." (If any of my readers live in or near the Pittsburgh/Allegheny County area, I invite you to explore the group page on fb or contact me for more information.)

Back at the end of August, Jeff and I began to set aside times during each month as "meetings," in order to establish a routine into which we might be able to introduce new members. We've been following TDN's Perennial Course in Living Druidry for the past month, holding informal meetings in the local park on the evenings of new and full moons, and occasionally times between, and these have already become very special and sometimes intense times for me, and I think for Jeff as well, as they've sparked experiences of the sacred and moments of connection as well as fascinating discussions that spill over into our mundane lives. True, with just the two of us, we make more of a line than a circle, more of a Sycamore Twig. But it's a start, a way of getting our feet wet.

Then, just this past week, two people from my work noticed the group announcement on facebook and approached me with some vague, hesitant interest. I was surprised, and a bit embarrassed, frankly. When I'd posted the announcement, I'd thought perhaps we'd eventually get a few strangers, people already involved in Pagandom in one way or another and who were looking for a local group... I never expected interest from anyone I already knew. I'm not sure why this caught me off guard, but I suspect it was just that it helped to bring home the reality of the thing, the very real potential that soon I would have to start navigating the complicated world of Group Politics (cue doomsday music). I've heard a lot of scary things about Witch Wars and Pagan Standard Time and other generally petty, irresponsible and power-hungry behavior from adults who should really know better. I want to strive to avoid these things, to cultivate a group atmosphere based on trust and mutual respect as well as shared interests and community practice. But I'm not usually a big group-joiner, let alone a group leader. So it's going to be a challenge.

Pondering Group Dynamics

My brief moment of panic has led to some deep thought and long discussions with Jeff over the past week about what we hope this study group will become, what we're looking for and looking to avoid. This discussion was helped along by a post to a Druid message forum recently that included questions about group politics and preferences. Some of the issues brought up were:

Size and Boundaries: A difficult issue for me as an introvert, as I often find large groups of people intimidating, not to mention clumsy to manage. Small groups can provide a sense of intimacy and trust, while large groups can too easily give rise to social pressures to play-act one's Druidry to impress others or go along with the majority. On the other hand, large groups can build momentum and embrace a larger diversity of talents, interests and personality types, ensuring that the group won't falter after a single falling-out between two people or the retirement of key active members. The question of how porous and open the boundaries of such a group can or should be is another challenge. I have joined larger Orders precisely because their espoused openness and tolerance appealed to me, only to discover that within such groups natural cliques sometimes form that can be just as disheartening and alienating, if not more so, for going unrecognized or unacknowledged by official group policy. On the other hand, a firmer boundary which asks newcomers to study the group's established focus and dynamics before they can enter as full members may be more honest and forthright, as well as protecting against the group being hijacked by those prone to egoism or melodrama, but it can also place real limits on membership that may not always serve the community and might leave some people out in the cold.

The Nature of Leadership: Another thorny issue, and I think probably the one that will cause me the most trouble, philosophically-speaking. My natural antiauthoritarian leanings, compounded by my strong (sometimes too strong) self-will, naturally leads me to dislike most forms of authority, while my introverted nature means that I rarely like to take on leadership roles myself. I'm much more inclined to forms of shared responsibility among equals, with respect for those who have areas of expertise and experience, and appreciation for the enthusiasm and creativity that the neophyte can bring. However, it seems pretty clear that plenty of Pagan groups fall apart or stall out precisely because of an impractical or overly-idealistic commitment to a false democratic "equality"-as-sameness that squashes down some and demands too much of others. My approach to leadership is more a pragmatic one, in which those "in charge" function more as managers than dictators and work primarily to give group members the freedom and opportunities to take on what roles they would, where their passions and interests guide them. There is a very real need for good leaders in the Pagan community, people who have the skills and talents it takes to manage the mundane practicalities of a group as well as inspire its members to participate and contribute and make it their own.

Member Relations and Mentoring: The means by which new members may be introduced into the group is another challenge, and one that I feel needs to be flexible depending on how the group grows and evolves over time. It's also probably the most pressing at the moment. Creating an environment of trust and respect that will encourage exploration, growth and openness among its members is essential, but part of me feels that conceiving of such an environment as one in which "we're all friends" is a bit impractical and leads to problems of its own. Friendship-based member relations can open the door to interpersonal conflicts that distract from the purpose of the group and can end up undermining or sabotaging personal and community growth, especially if new members feel they won't be as valued if they cannot establish themselves as part of the core circle of friends. When members instead understand their relationship with other members as a "working relationship," I've found that this sets natural boundaries that help to minimize bickering and melodrama, but I wonder if it also requires that members be motivated largely by personal interests and less by social needs, and if this is perhaps an unfair requirement or one that can render the group a mere convenience or superfluity (Hermits of the World United, so to speak). One-on-one mentoring is a potentially invaluable process that can introduce new members as well as give established members the opportunity to teach (and to continue to learn and refine) from their own experience. On the other hand, I haven't seen many mentoring programs set up in larger organizations that work effectively, often because only a few members pursue mentoring and end up taking on too many students.

Other questions regarding particular topics and practices, how group meetings are run, how often the group meets, and so on, are also essential, of course. But I feel as though, if we don't first think carefully about some of the above issues, these other concerns don't make much difference.

In a post next week, I'm going to outline a "vision" for this new group, a personal exploration of what I hope Sycamore Circle can become. In the meantime, I would really appreciate feedback on some of these topics. What are your experiences in groups (Pagan and otherwise)? What were some of their rewards, things that kept you coming back or really helped to shape your spiritual path? What were some things you wished were different, that you found distracting or frustrating or detrimental? What, in your experience and understanding, is the role a group should play in the spiritual life, and how does it relate to the idea of spiritual community, and to solitary practice? Inquiring minds want to know!