Trying to get back to normal

A quick update on me.  I’ve had a small stroke, with very little permanent damage thanks to the quick actions of my family, and two more heart surgeries.  I am much weaker and tend to tire very easily.  I have some memory loss.  I apologize in advance if I’m repeating myself.  I’m walking almost every day and have a hot tub I can jump into which has helped amazingly.  It’s also relaxing.

Another “exercise” I’m going to try to keep up is working on the computer.  For the most part lately I’ve only been playing simple games and reading the mail that comes across.

For the past couple of years I’ve been trying to publish contact information for the local Pagan groups.  It’s time to start updating that again soon.  Before I do that I’d like to explain more about it in case anyone has questions.

Why I want to produce the Pagan Resource Guide

I first started doing research on the guide when Gaelyn from the Phoenix Council made a call for the leaders of the groups in the area to get together and share information, a post to Yahoo groups in which he mentioned that he knew of two groups and wondered if there were any others.  I spent weeks searching the internet and found 13 groups, some brand new that were created because the guide was coming out, some small and almost defunct. I also included stores and online shops in the first edition. 

My plan was simple.  Just organize information that was passed along to me by the leadership of these groups, and put it in the guide.  The rules were simple.  If it had anything to do with Paganism it was in, as long as the owner/leader gave me an email that said it was ok, or told me in person.

Later I tried to do a calendar to list the events that any of the groups were doing. 

I ran into one of the unwritten Pagan Laws;

Organizing Pagans is like herding cats

And this is why I wanted to create and share the guide.  I would like to know about every event going on because I like to get to as many as I can.  Unfortunately following all of the groups, and their activities it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on when.

Five years ago, when everything was discussed on the yahoo groups, it was easy to keep track of everything that was going on.  With the new shiny internet innovations like facebook, myspace, ning sites, etc… We have spread out and now information is much harder to get together.

One solution might be for people to copy some of the more important events, and post them to the Yahoo boards

Please spread announcements as far and wide as you can. 

If you send any announcements to me, I’ll be glad to pass them along to other groups.

Hospital how to

Keep a copy of your medical history with you at all times, include surgeries and events that will affect your treatment.

Make a list of Medications you take on a daily basis.  include herbal stuff and any over the counter stuff  you take.

Make a copy of your important phone numbers, and designate a spokesperson.  * this is important for Pagans.  You need to be able to depend on people who will not exaggerate.  For example I recently had an angioplasty done, from my point of view it’s like a large roto rooter snake being inserted in you *family friendly* I’m not exactly clear on what they did,  The darn doctor would not listen to me, and wouldn’t turn the monitor so I could see it.  he kept mumbling something about giving me more morphine and more versid. 

Now where was I …. oh yeah contingency and emergency plans.  My hobby years as a Ham Radio operator and my years of working at a health care facility run by the State of New York taught me a lot about having plans for every possible problem.

The first time I ever saw an emergency plan put into action was when we had a dryer fire on our unit.  We had practiced fire drills on a monthly basis, and knew exactly what to do.  we were at minimum staffing because it was a holiday (new years day).  Yet we managed to evacuate 24 patients to our gymnasium and get them fed and occupied while our support staff cleaned up 30,000 gallons of water, removed and replaced all of the furniture and essentially replaced everything we needed on the unit in less than three hours.  We were able to move everybody back in and get them to bed by 10PM.  The facility, the support staff, and our unit received recognition from the Governor because of our actions.  I was on the review team for the incident and all members of that team agreed that it wasn’t just the actions that evening that prevented injury and further damage, but the effort all of the staff put into each and every drill.

So it isn’t just about having a plan, but practicing it, looking at the problems, as well as the working parts of the plans, and figuring out how to use a plan for something it was never intended. 

We used the plans in Ham radio tests at least twice a year.  Now upstate NY can reasonably expect to have blizzards, tornadoes floods and plans were made available to all those interested that covered such events.

Sometimes I’m not the nicest guy on the block.  The first time I was asked to create a disaster scenario, I made the primary incident an Earthquake.  Our guys were very quick to adapt to this scenario, because they had practiced.

 

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Freedom

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Hi, I’m Mike and I publish the Pagan Resource Guide.  The Guide is a simple listing provided to anyone who wants it listing Groups, Covens, Circles and Groves along with Stores and Websites that might be of interest to Pagans living in and around Pasco County Florida.

The rules are simple.  Anyone, or any group that wishes to be listed is welcome, as long as I have express permission from the leader or owner.  I have come across several groups that I have contacted that did not wish to be publicized for one reason or another.  That is why I am very careful to get permission before I publish each edition.

Today Twenty groups are listed in the Guide, and about half that many sit on another list, that is not published.  Some of these unlisted groups are covens who have reached the number of people that they feel is appropriate, and do not wish to have anyone new.  A few of these do keep in contact with me to make sure they are aware of community events.

Some groups have no desire to be a part of the “community” and have told me politely they want no further contact.  Some have not been so polite.

As a part of my research for the Guide I attend as many public events as I possibly can.  I also try to meet and talk to as many people at these events as I can.  I try to be polite and encourage any activities and ideas.  I try to let people know when they might be scheduling something on the same day as another group so they can make appropriate decision.

Sometimes these conversations involve future speculative ideas or past failures.  I often offer my experiences and try to encourage anything that might work.  I deal with many people, and because I suck at remembering names, I try to keep an up to date database of all I have met.  That database lists over 150 people who I have met locally at different events.

I also try to help out with the various activities as I can.  This doesn’t mean I prefer one group over another, I just like to go where I”m needed. 

I am also a member of about 40 different groups, as a courtesy, so I can try to make sure I catch upcoming events.  I also ask that each group have at least one of their members join the Resource Guide Yahoo group to help keep the Calendar updated, and make announcements.  So far, not so much.

Some people have come to me at these gatherings to discuss new ideas, dreams of the future, or to vent their frustrations about one thing or another.  I often throw in a joke or two to keep the conversation light.  I tend to consider these conversations private even though someone else might overhear a portion of them. 

This has happened several times over the last few years and caused problems for me on more than one occasion.  I hope you will all understand that sometimes I am put in a precarious situation where I know something, yet do not have the speakers permission to pass it along.

 

580 words –25 in a quote =555

More on my life in Ham Radio

When I throw myself into anything, hobby ,job , etc.  I tend to go whole hog or nothing.  Any new interest sends me quickly to gather books, magazines, internet research, and most especially local groups of people who share my newfound interest.  I have done this since I joined the Atari Computer users group in NY.  Now that was an amazing computer for it’s time.  64K of ram and a clock speed of something like 1.5k.  Many programs could be purchased on cartridges and plugged into the top.  Startup time was almost 0, you could turn it on and start typing in a word processor immediately.  The only thing that was slow was the cassette tape drive.  Saving a 2 page letter could take ten of fifteen minutes.  But then you had it available to edit if you wanted.

The same thing happened when I threw myself into HAM radio.  When I became emergency coordinator, I was handed notes, policies and everything that had happened since the first coordinator had started in the early 70’s.  Everything that had been tried whether it failed or succeeded was in that notebook.  Handwritten or typed on a manual typewriter. 

I quickly used the computer to update information, checking to make sure everything was correct and proper when I got another call from the Weather Service.  They were closing the surrounding area offices and making Binghamton responsible for two and a half times more counties.  We would now be responsible for giving them storm data from anywhere within the 240 nautical mile range of our brand new radar system.

We now covered two states, several emergency districts and nobody was happy.  Least of all us! We were used to going up to the office and manning the radio for two to four hours, now a slow moving storm system could take eight to sixteen hours to pass through. 

We had to toss out the old manuals, get new equipment to increase our range an create a whole new way of passing the reports along   Our short range radios were good for about 60 miles , so outlying counties had to relay their information.  We often had to relay information twice to get it back to Binghamton.

Like Pagans, Ham radio operators are decentralized, usually operating at a county level, So many people were upset with the plan that I put forth.  Eventually they accepted the plan, helped smooth out the bugs, most of them anyway. And Binghamton’s plan became a model for many other Skywarn systems in the nation.  The manual I wrote nearly twenty years ago is still in use today, only the names and frequencies have been updated.

My First official Warp entry

My email and yahoo name come from the fact that for over twenty years I have been an amateur radio operator.  I was introduced to Ham radio by a neighbor when I was videotaping shows while I was working second shift.   I studied the book, learned and practiced Morse Code at 5 words per minute, and passed my test on the first try.  I did this because I wanted to talk to people all over the world.  Like anything else there is pressure to move up within a society, and I soon started studying for my “general” class license.  This would allow me to use up to two kilowatts of power and give me more frequencies to do it in.  I studied Morse code at 13 words per minute for over six months to pass this test along with another written exam.  I joined the two local radio clubs (déjà vu anyone).  To learn more about radio craft. 

Emergency services always interested me, so when it came time to sign up for volunteering at the National Weather Service office, I jumped at the chance.  I was still fully intent on just having fun talking all over the world.  I was shocked the first time I was called up for a severe thunderstorm warning, and found myself sitting at a radio I had never seen before with a forecaster standing over me asking if I could get information from a county 50 miles away.

Fortunately our emergency coordinator had written all of the instructions on index cards and I got right to work.  Four hours later the storms had passed through 7 counties.  The Meteorologist in Charge called me into his office and thanked me for showing up and staying so long.  He told me it had been a few years since they had been able to get information in the afternoon because most of the volunteers worked the day shift.  He then gave me a tour of the entire weather station including the 1947 surplus radar they used. 

I was then invited into the emergency services group that consisted of people from all over New York and Pennsylvania.  I then became very active in that area of communications and was appointed an assistant coordinator within a few months.  

One of my first jobs was to write new procedures for using the radio at the Weather Service so that anyone who had a license could walk in and be able to help track storms.

2 years later I was appointed Emergency Coordinator for the County.

 

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Did we forget our Dream?

First of all Happy Mother’s day.

Long ago now, the question was raised.  What do you want to see in the Pagan future?  The people answered; More of what we are doing now, different types of events and gatherings, and a Pagan sanctuary.

Today we have so many activities and events that it becomes nearly impossible to track them all.  Large and small events occur, and are known about throughout the community.  Communication is getting better and even short notice events like Wednesdays healing circle are well attended. 

Old and new ideas abound as we wander from one shiny to the next.  Even our view of time has expanded into planning events up to a year in advance.  Many people have worked very had to make our community dreams come true.

Do we really remember what those dreams are?  We gather to celebrate and give thanks.  We gather for bread and wine.  We gather for socialization and music.  We gather to make plans for the next event or gathering.

I enjoy all of these activities and am thankful for them.  Yet we still hold our gatherings in public venues, parks and private homes.  Each gathering has a borrowed feel to it.  When will we have a sanctuary of our own?  When will it no longer be necessary for someone to stand outside of a circle to protect it?  When will there be enough parking and room and seating and bathrooms for all of us?

Having lost several friends and family to summerland over the past few years, and having a grandchild last year gives me an odd view of the circle of life.  One especially disturbing view is that I have no place to lay my body when I am done with it.  Will my beloved wife be forced to keep it on a mantle, dusting it and hoping the cats won’t knock it over?  What about my granddaughter?  Where will she attend rituals and gatherings?  Will she be kicked out of a park because is closes just as her day is beginning.  What resources will she have as a teenager through the most turbulent times of her life.  When I am gone will she be able to visit me?

What about the emergencies and Urgent happenings that are sure to come up?  How much easier could we make handling them?  When and where will we have our own permanent Sanctuary?  A place for handfastings and rituals.  Meetings and a Library.  Camping and cabins.  Fire pits and and a 50 foot maypole. 

Where will Cassie come to be with me when I’m gone.

Zombie Attack

Or the return from FPG

Last night Matt and I attended a healing circle for Thundar, Thor, Gaelyn and Others in the community.  It was a nice experience and we met  few new people, and saw some that we had not seen in a long time.  The fact that there were 4 Police cars and a fire truck in the parking lot had nothing to do with our gathering. Honest.  Anyway we did have a good time.

Today I spent several hours on the Resource Guide newsletter, firing off emails here and there, and doing some general cleanup on the computer.  For those of you that were to bored or tired this week here’s an update on what’s happening;

Tuesday Java Jam

Wed Healing Circle

Thursday Coffee night

Friday Bessom Buddies?

Saturday Apothecary Grand opening at Magickal Mayhem

Ashes Field Trip to CUUPS and Campout plus meeting

Druid Ritual

Hecate’s Wheel Performing in Palm Harbor

I’m sure that there are other things going on as well.

 

I’ve also added a page here on the blog of the resource guide.  I’m trying to keep up with everything so please bear with me.

I’ve heard a few stories about FPG, many of them funny or touching.  What always amazes me is the diversity of perception of events that go on at an event like that.  All I really know is that it sounds like a lot of fun, and Interesting.  My hat’s off to the leadership and management of such a large event.  Thinking of our own large event coming up floating in the back of my mind.

Event planning is an enormous job.  From a simple picnic to a full blown camp out we have been having an amazing amount of fun at all of our gatherings.  All of these events require some planning and organization to go off well, and often the organizers get very little credit for the work that they do.  They do get complaints, comments and the old shoulda, coulda, woulda stuff that sure if somebody had thought of it before the event would have made things much better.

Someday (soon I hope) we will have a sanctuary filled with all of the necessary items for every type of gathering.  There will be enough chairs, candles, tables, lighting, internet access, and Restrooms.

In the meantime please try to bring enough of the necessary items that you and yours will need for any event you attend, and remember that other people will forget things.

Communicating in a modern Pagan world

Last night at Java Jam I had an interesting couple of conversations.  They centered around the fact that not everyone is computer literate, or do not (currently) have access to Internet.  Even with the internet and the skills to use it to find Pagan Community events, it can be tough to keep track everything that is going on, where it is happening, or even details on how the event is going to be handled.

If you don’t have internet access, how can you find out what is going on?  One way is to stop at Magickal Mayhem and check the many flyers Jancine has graciously posted.  Another way is to go to the regularly scheduled events like Java Jam and Coffee night.  Announcements are almost always made about upcoming events.  Attending the regular meetings is also a good way to find out what is going on.  Other than that, it’s really hard to keep up with all of the events and activities that happen in the area.

Why does everyone want more people to come to the events?  We are growing naturally and beginning to outgrow venues every time we turn around.  Java Jam last night was pretty full, yet everyone had a good time.  As we continue to grow more problems will arise, and it will be harder for us to find a good place large enough to meet.  It seems silly for us to want to grow and be more public about our gatherings.

On the other hand most of us remember when it was hard, if not impossible to find any Pagan Networking in this area.  Fears and prejudice were prevalent and even if you found a group, you would have to be accepted into it first.  Many of us want to make sure that if you have an interest in Paganism, you at least have a chance to meet some people of the same interest.

So how do we communicate our activities with those not on the internet?  A newsletter has been suggested, but many of the people already have enough to do without adding extra jobs on top of them.  And newsletters would be costly. 

Another reason that we so desperately need a better type of communication is for emergencies and contingencies that plague our little corner of the plywood state.  With Hurricane season bearing down on us while we are in the middle of a fairly bad brush fire season. we have a responsibility to at least know what is happening to those in our community who are most at risk.

Even the Pagan Resource Guide has started to become an overwhelming task for one person.  Volunteers are needed across the board in all groups and as we continue to grow this need will also grow.

Take a look around and see what niche you might be willing to fill.

It’s been a long quiet week here in New Port Richey

In addition to so many having fun up at FPG, We had a passing (Lady Urania), a feeling of general malaise, and a large lack of funds.  We did not make it to any activities this week and therefore will assume that nothing of consequence happened.

Instead Today I will look at the future and what it may bring.  As we have seen in the last year we can really put it together when we have a little incentive and can do it very quickly if we have to.

When we have a large gathering I look around and see a vast sea of talent in so many different areas that it is hard to imagine that there could be anything we cannot do.  I have seen us put a wedding and a handfasting together so quickly peoples heads spun around.  Getting a  Yule card put up around Orange Lake (Go Pegans).  Are just a few of our accomplishments. 

Some of the Projects that are started, but coming along slowly are

1. Pagan Clergy Project to provide comfort in hospitals, jails and other institutions.
2. A Community Choir (People who are good at organizing things like this need to contact me)
3. Contingency plans for emergencies, and “surprise events”.
4. More community drums.
5. A land Sanctuary.
6. Careful coordination between Group Activities (coming along nicely)
7. Open and Clear Communication between as many Pagans as possible.

We are a thousand times better off than we were a year ago, and I expect us to be a thousand times better off next year.  Our record and reputation are improving All of the time.  I have heard this from many sources. 

One new project I hope to get off the ground this year is to put a public face on Paganism.  Pagan Pride Day will help with that.  From there I hope to see us doing more public events and getting out amongst the muggles. I know that will preclude some of our still broom closeted Community, but I am sure that there will be plenty of activities for them also.

For the newcomer, whether just moving into our area, or a resident who has just discovered their Pagan roots, there is now a wide variety of groups and activities to join or attend.  The choices are better simply because there are so many of them.  There is also the prevailing attitude that it is perfectly acceptable for anyone to start something new, and that they will generally get a lot of support from the community.

Family

I’ll try to get to a couple of challenges in this one. First of all Family, which has many meanings to me. My immediate family including my wife are the closest people to me. If you have met me, or even seen me at gatherings, you know how much I love them and want the best for them. My Parents and siblings have always had a distant closeness. Only my brother David has been there for me when I needed him through the years. Other Than David I have little contact with the rest of my family. This has nothing to do with our being Pagan, we just aren’t that close and don’t feel the need to be.

Diane’s family has been terribly cruel to her all of her life. I tried to earn the respect of her father for twenty years, only to discover that I did not respect him. When her brother graduated high school (barely), he was given a brand new pick up truck. Diane who was already working got a used pacer. He is an elder in a Methodist church, which we attended for years. For six months after her mother passed, Diane would cook a full meal for us, plus enough for two plates to take up to her father and brother, because they had no idea how to cook for themselves. Two years later her father remarried an evangelical “preacher” who refuses to go to church and has spent every penny he had made of thirty years of being a contractor. I could easily go on for hours about the cruelty he has heaped on her, but the final straw was the withholding of any information about her adoption. We now believe that she was probably kidnapped at birth and sold on the black market.

My ancestral family is another story. Over many years I have studied my genealogy, and found some very interesting facts. I am a lineal descendant of the first Kerr’s in Scotland shortly after the battle of Hastings in 1066. The chief of Clan Kerr is Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, MP, although he is entitled by peerage to sit in the house of Lords, instead has run successfully in the house of commons and refuses to use the title “M’lord” because as a lawyer he would not want to cause confusion between himself and the sitting judge..

My favorite family is the Pagan friends I have gathered in the past few years. Those who have helped me and been there for me when I needed it, for myself and my family. But even more appreciated are the friends who have allowed me the honor of repaying, or paying forward with the chance to help when we can.