We especially need people who can write intelligently and clearly, in an entertaining way on the following topics:

• Land Management
• Green Technology
• Green Living
• Sustainable Architecture
• DIY topics
• Spiritual aspects of working with the Land
• Real Estate (especially inexpensive ways of acquiring it)
• Tax information for Pagan Churches, especially Tax Exempt info.

If you are interested, please email Land@PaganSanctuary.org for more details.

You are driving North down a country highway, leaving the city and seeking sanctuary to refresh and recharge.

Not too far from civilization, but far enough, there is a turn off from the main road.  Taking that left turn onto the well graded gravel driveway, you first come to a gate, just outside of view from the main road.  The gate is composed of an arch between stonework pillars and a pair of massive, ironwork gates.  which are open to welcome visitors.  Extending into the forest to either side of the gates, fence work marks the border.  Colorful flags flutter from the high arch.  Some are full, Tibetan prayer flags while others are simple, colored streamers.  Wild birds can be heard over the light breeze.

Passing through the arch, the atmosphere of magic and sanctity gently takes over.  There is a parking lot to the left, with ample space to leave your mechanical contraption.  Parking, you continue on foot.

Across the driveway is a house.  It is a small, cozy, cottage like affair of two levels with a barn attached to the far corner and a garden and fields surrounding.  On the far side of the paddock, you can make out a small orchard of fruit trees.

The driveway ends in a clearing.  Immediately to your left is a mead hall in classic Norse/Saxon style.  It is about 30 by 60 feet, constructed of post and beam construction.  In here, people gather, eat, socialize, and celebrate in foul weather.  Its location near the parking lot makes it convenient even for the mobility challenged.

Further around, on the south side is a bonfire ring, about 30 feet across, with a well maintained fire pit in the center and packed sand around to welcome the feet of dozens of dancers and drummers and others.

In the center of this clearing is a public ritual space, a labyrinth, almost a series of concentric circles with a be-ribboned May Pole in the center, its crown high above with flower garlands from last May and colorful, interlaced ribbons reaching almost to the ground.

On the North side of the clearing, at the edge of the forest, is a tall, castle like tower of grey stone.  Just below the catwalk can be seen Savonius wind turbines which generate some of the electricity for the Sanctuary.  The roof is composed almost entirely of solar panels.  At the top are antennas for wireless Internet access and WiFi for visitors.  Inside the tower are rooms for visitors and batteries to store electricity gathered from sun and wind.

Looking back to the western side of the clearing is a hedgerow with berries and flowers.  A wide path cuts through northward to an open field.

The large, sunny, open field is perfect for tents and other activities, and during festivals, is filled with visitors and vendors and workshops.

On the South side of the field is a large, Greek style temple.  Four, white pillars adorn the front, and they run seven deep.  The sides and back are surrounded with roses and other flowers.  Silk cloths in a kaleidoscope of colors hang inside, fluttering in the easy breeze.  This is the Temple of Aphrodite, who’s life-size statue, patterned after Boticcelli’s “Birth of Venus” adorns the far end, just beyond a low alter.  Scattered inside are cushions and beanbags.  Sweet incense comes from a brazier on the alter.

On the far side of the field, in the West and facing the rising sun in the East, is another Greek style temple, smaller, more austere.  It is a reproduction of the Temple of Athena Nike.  Inside, a statue of the goddess, helm lifted, shield and spear at her feet, is a reproduction of the statue from The Acropolis.  Padded and blunted training weapons and armor grace the walls.

Further around on the North side of the field, close to the tree line is a round gazebo.  Inside is a statue of Diana of Versailles, in honor of the goddess to whom this temple is dedicated.

In the woods, between the Temple of Diana and the tower, is a smaller clearing which can be reached only be a well guarded, hidden path.  A stream can be heard trickling near by.  In this clearing, only about 20 feet across, is an three inch wide, nine foot alabaster ring, set in the ground.  In the center is a plain, unadorned stone alter and club moss grows all around.  A feeling of magickal power emanates from here.

Following the hidden path back, past the tower, and into the first clearing, you walk up to the main ritual circle, carrying with you the positive feelings, good thoughts, and clear memories of this whole sanctuary.  Within the circle, near the May Pole is a cauldron on a low cooking fire.  It simmers and smells of sanctity and power, yet has a refreshing, renewing, and invigorating influence.  As you cross into the circle, all your positive thoughts and happy memories of this place now coalesce into a handful of herbs within your hands.  Take a pinch of them to take home with you and place the rest into the cauldron to manifest as reality.

In this cauldron simmers a brew of manifestation.  It will simmer as long as it needs in order to do the work, and then will be poured out all over this sanctuary to make it happen.

Stay as long as you like.  Walk around and really take in the sights.  Walk the paths again if you like, but always add to the cauldron before you leave.  Take some of what you gain here with you.  Come back when you need a rest or refreshment and soon, very soon, you will be able to come here physically.

When you are done, walk back to your car and leave by the gate.  Turn on to the main road and find your way home, refreshed and happy that you are helping make this sanctuary manifest.

We spent about an hour and a half discussing the project, out hope, dreams, and plans for it and basically getting acquainted.  For next time he’ll be looking into the legalities of land use by religious organizations and I’ll be looking into the legalities of becoming a religious non-profit, the exact type we will be, etc. as well as how to try and get others involved.

At this time, I’d like to schedule our next meeting.  As the last one was the second Tuesday of January, I’d like to propose that we meed on the first or second Tuesdays of a month – that is, the first Tuesday unless it happens to be a holiday in which case, we’ll meet the second Tuesday.

Any thoughts on this?  Is this a particularly good or bad day for those who would like to be involved?  Please let me know.  Leave a comment here or email me at brian at pagan sanctuary dot org.

Current Mood:  hopeful

With 2009, I would like to get things rolling here at PaganSanctuary.org and It looks like it’s going to be a good one.  Jupiter enters Aquarius on January 5th and I have a feeling that this will be bringing better news for the world.  This site is up and running and the forums are beginning to be active.  We’re beginning our first step to make this huge project work, and that means organizing into a real non-profit corporation.  I know it sounds daunting, and this very project sounds pretty daunting, in fact.  I am convinced, however, that if we take it step by step, we can make something wonderful.

So far, there are three of us who have volunteered to work on this.  We need at least five.  I’d like to see us form a council of 7, 9, or 13 to run the show.  That doesn’t mean that othere won’t be welcome – we need all the help we can get.  Even if you don’t want to be an active member of the council or board of directors, you can still help us out a great deal.  Talk to your friends about this site.  Spread the word that we’re doing something special that will benefit the entire community – and the gods.  Visualize with me our completed outcome – a network of places where we can worship, pray, retreat from the mundane world, and organize community events and yes, even party.  Visualize a place where you can help build temples to the gods we worship, where we can commune with our gods and the spirits of the land and of our ancestors.

There are already a scant few such places – you might have heard of them and you might have visited a few of them – and they could use our help, too.  Just in New England, I know of Cauldron Farm and A Sacred Place, and both can use volunteers for regular maintenance, improving roads and trails, cutting fire wood, and more.  These places are sacred to us and far too few.  Imagine, if you will, building the Pagan Sanctuary into a network of volunteers to help these sites out and build more.  Each of the existing Sanctuaries has its own small group of people doing a great job of keeping them alive, but imagine if we had a larger community.  More hands make easier work.  And that is exactly what I hope to do with this.

So pass the word around.  Visualize what we could become.  Help out when and where you can and we CAN do this.  One step at a time, we can do it.  With your help, we can do it better.

Can this be done as a non-profit?  Absolutely.  The concept is fully in line with both the IRS requirements for a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization as well as a New Hampshire Non-Profit Corporation (which includes IRS requirements as an option).  We could fall into the requirements under any number of the following:

• An Association of Churches (Religious Exemption)
• Advancement of Religion (Educational Exemption)
• Public Discussion Group (Educational Exemption)
• Ecumenical Organization (Possible Religious Exemption)

The first step in creating a Non-Profit Corporation is to gather an initial Board of Directors who will help guide the organization.  In the past, for other projects, this has been a huge hurdle. Many people I have spoken with have offered to help out, but when it came down to run the show, no one volunteered.  For some it was that they feared (didn’t understand) the paperwork involved.  For others, they feared the responsibility.  I’d like to insure everyone that the paperwork, though sometimes complex, is not insurmountable.  The red tape is not that hard to explain, and when you realize it was put there for a good reason and figure out that reason, it begins to make sense.  I’ve met lawyers who weren’t as smart as you folks.  Just because it isn’t your area of expertise doesn’t mean you can’t pick it up pretty easily.

As for the fear of responsibility, I can understand that.  We all have our fears and the best way to deal with them is to face them head on: to learn about them and to overcome them.  Caution is good.  But being controlled or paralyzed by your fear is unhealthy.

That said, I would like at this time to invite people to join me in creating the Board of Directors so we can get this project incorporated.  Your responsibilities would be to attend quarterly meetings where you would vote on key decisions involving the corporation.  You may decide to take an active role in running the day to day affairs or you may decide to designate an Executive Director for that task.  This is one of the key decisions the Board needs to make.  Initially, you would be invilved in crafting the Corporation’s Bylaws and policies.  We can seek outside help from one of the consultants who knows this in-depth or we could figure it out ourselves.  The State of New Hampshire requires at least 5 people to be on the Board of Directors.  I am, of course, willing to take the lead and be one of those 5 or more people.  I’d also be willing to step aside form the Board and serve as Executive Director if you prefer, but legally I cannot do this alone, and I think it should be done.

Who will join me?  Will you join me in this great task?  Do you have questions you need answered first?

We can, of course, have more than 5 people.  Technically, we can have as many more as we want, but a Board meeting of 500 could get complicated.  What say you for a “Council of Seven”?  Nine?  Thirteen?

Please comment below.