• act as a grace: graces are the meeters and greeters who say hello and welcome people to a ritual, and sometimes ritually aspurge or cleanse them with water, incense, etc. as they enter the ritual room. Graces set the tone for the people arriving.
• dragon the ritual: dragons are people who stay outside the ritual but watch the event, and most importantly, act as a low-key security person during the event itself. At outdoor rituals, this can mean explaining to passersby what is going on, and preventing interruptions of the ritual. At indoor rituals, this involves being the doorperson who keeps watch outside the ritual room, and turning away those who arrive after the circle is cast.
• invoke a goddess or god: this role involves calling upon a deity to come and join us in the ritual. If you're new, it's best to start with other roles, and work up to this one once you feel ready.
• bring food or drink: you will be very popular when you bake bread, bring fruit and slice it before the ritual, or bring non-alcoholic juice or other snacks for people to eat after the ritual.
• sing: volunteers who are playing a number of other roles are often asked to learn the chants or songs ahead of time so they can help sustain those chants during a ritual.
• clean up: this glamorous but necessary role allows you to stick around after the ritual to talk with others while you help pack up altars, run a broom over the floor, empty trash, and ask who left behind a purple scarf or a pair of green socks. It's a surprisingly good way to meet others.
• drum before the ritual: it's often helpful to have people drumming together before rituals to get people into a ritual mood. Please ask in advance to see if this is a good idea, as sometimes the ritual planning team wants silence or a meditative tone before a ritual.
• play music/drum during the ritual: if you have strong playing skills on a doumbek, tar, bodhran, harp, didgeridoo, flute, or other instrument, please talk to one of the ritual organizers to discuss helping musically with future rituals.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER:
First, attend at least one of our public rituals so you get a feel for the flow of the event and get a chance to see some volunteers in action. Go to the mailing list signup sheet, and write down your phone number and email address (if you have one), stating clearly that you'd like to volunteer. Be sure to tell us if you're already on the email/mailing list so we don't add you twice.
Here's what will happen next:

1. The Volunteer Meeting
   About a month before the next ritual, a small team of core members of Hands of the Mother will meet and plan the basic outline of the ritual. Next, you'll receive an invitation via phone or email to attend a volunteer meeting. Volunteer meetings are typically held about two weeks before a public ritual. If you would like to volunteer at another time but cannot attend the meeting, no reply is needed. You'll be invited again. At this meeting, one or more planners will describe the intent of the ritual, will describe each part of the ritual to the group, and will teach songs and chants which will be used. Then there'll be a call for volunteers to fill a number of available roles. You can ask questions, get someone to help you prepare for a role, or even choose not to take a role. That's it. Volunteer meetings tend to be held at someone's house in Portland or Vancouver, and tend to run about 90 minutes in length. There's usually a little time to socialize afterwards. These meetings are a great way to get introduced to a dozen or more people in one fell swoop.
2. The Day of the Ritual
   On the day of the ritual, you'll be asked to show up between one and two hours before the ritual begins to set up and prepare. Before the doors open, everyone working on the ritual gathers to ground themselves and get ready to do the work of the ritual. Then the doors open, the people arrive, and you just need to pay close attention to what's going on so you're ready to do your part at the correct time. That's it!
3. Other things to know:
   If for any reason you cannot follow through with your part, be sure to contact someone on the planning team as soon as possible before the ritual so we can find someone to take your place.

JOIN THE VOLUNTEER LIST:

To join the volunteer list, email Vine.

Please note: All of the public rituals we do are clean and sober.
Thanks for your interest in volunteering!

page last updated 04/04/2006

by Matt

Web_Geek@portlandreclaiming.org

Scholarship Announcement 04/04/2006

WitchCamp Application 04/04/2006