How were invitees
selected?I began with the OurFreedom e-mail list,
a group of leaders and key individuals in the national movement who have
worked together on many national-level projects over the last three to
four years. My intention was to start with this group, which has had a
track record of successful online cooperation, and widen the circle to
include other nationally-focused organizations and individuals.

My criteria for attendees was that
they be representatives of an organization which has a national focus
or a national audience or that they be individuals who somehow reach a
national audience. I also added some people who represented smaller traditions
which are often overlooked in the larger community.

When I Ūrst proposed the idea of
the Summit, I received close to 200 suggestions for others to invite.
From those suggestions, I added to the list those whose names came up
repeatedly or those who represented a key constituency. I am particularly
indebted to M. Macha NightMare for her many excellent suggestions. The
invitation list included over 100 individuals. My goal was to have primarily
activists in attendance, with representatives of some worship groups and
some Pagan media as well in order to provide balance. It was not my intention
to include regionally- or locally-focused groups, since the Summit was
intended specifically to address national needs. All in all, those in
attendance represented most segments of the national Pagan community.

Also, since I organized the Summit primarily
by myself, I felt I had to place an upper limit on the number of people
to invite in order to keep the event manageable. It has never been my
intention to give some sort of status of "real leadership" to
invitees, or in any way to denigrate the work of others. I do not support
any statements made to that effect by anyone. This event was a starting
point, put together primarily by one person with limited resources. I
give my full support to other events within the community which work to
achieve our common goals.

It has always been my goal that attendees
share their Summit experiences with other members of their organizations
and encourage the development of similar strategizing sessions in the
regional and local spheres. What we began with this first Summit can have
tremendous impact on our community, and we share a commitment to ensuring
those working at the local and regional levels are included in the process.
Back to top

Why a "summit"?Rather than a conference or festival where
information ispresented through workshops, a "summit" is a series
of working meetings directed towards specific goals. All attendees participate,
rather than in a workshop structure where there is a single presenter
and a passive audience. Summits happen regularly in the mainstream political
arena and give government officials a chance to delve into issues in greater
depth than mere "state visits" allow.

Many of the people invited to the Summit
have worked together repeatedly on national-level projects, but had never
all been in the same room at the same time. I wanted to move beyond online
discussion (always limited) and into greater depth. I also wanted to move
beyond "reacting" to challenges to religious freedom and begin
proactive strategizing. This is only possible through focused meeting
and discussion.Back to top

Why the focus on
national organizations?The Summit is very much a reflection of
my personal skill set and interests. My skills lie in developing consensus
in the national sphere, not in the regional, local, or international spheres.

In my view, the Pagan movement is
comprised of a series of concentric circles or spheres. At the center
of the spheres is the individual Pagan. Enclosing the individual is the
local sphere. Enclosing the local sphere is the regional sphere. Enclosing
the regional sphere is the national sphere. Enclosing the national sphere
is the international sphere. Each sphere is vital for the whole to function
well.

The spheres are also a continuum
for ritual and administrative focus. At the individual level, the focus
is entirely spiritual. There is no need for administration of any kind.
The local sphere is also almost entirely spiritually-focused, though administration
is needed for the development of ritual groups or for local education
or service activities. At the regional level, there is more of a focus
on administration (publications, festivals, e-mail lists, conferences,
etc). Ritual needs are less because rituals are less frequent for this
large body of people. The same idea continues in the national and international
spheres, which are almost entirely administrative and organizational (interfaith
dialogue, public education efforts, national and international leadership
conferences, networking and resource-sharing, etc).

For the Pagan movement to function effectively
as a whole in all these spheres, meeting both spiritual and administrative/organizational
needs, we need to identify and leverage our resources in each sphere.
Each person within Paganism has something to offer in one or more of these
spheres. If each of us does her/his part, we will have a truly vibrant
and sustainable Pagan movement. Communication (symbolized by the purple
arrows) must move through all spheres (from individuals to the international
sphere and back again) and exist within each sphere in order for the system
to work effectively.

What I have to offer the movement
are my organizational and leadership skills, particularly in coalition-building
within Paganism and strategic planning for interfacing with the mainstream
culture. Rather than try to reach all people in all ways, I focus on doing
my small piece for the greater good of the community as a whole. It is
my hope that others whose skills lie in other areas will offer their gifts
to the community in order to better us all.Back to top

Why an invitation-only
event?There are two reasons: one was to limit
the size of the event to something I could comfortably organize by myself
(since I do not have a group of local volunteers standing by to help),
and the other was to be able to keep the focus on the national sphere.
My intention was to broaden the circle of OurFreedom list members without
diluting the trust and cohesion we have worked for so long to build. My
hope is that others will build on the "summit" concept so that
representatives of organizations in every sphere will be able to participate.Back to top

Do you intend
to impose doctrine on Pagans?There was no discussion of beliefs or theology
in the Summit. There was never any intention to discuss doctrinal issues
or in any way issue statements concerning definitions or Pagan beliefs.
The focus of the Summit was on Pagan infrastructure issues (leadership,
funding, solidarity, conflict resolution) and on our relations with the
mainstream culture (media, government, interfaith dialogue, public service
in secular culture), not on issues of belief. Our goal is to organize
around shared values and goals, not shared beliefs. The Summit was an
example of how we can preserve the integrity of our distinct faith traditions
while working collectively toward shared goals. We encourage organizations
to provide members with definitions of their particular faith as well
as identity on the meta-level as Pagans.Back to top

Will there be another
Summit?I have no plans to organize another national
Summit, though I may do so if events warrant. It is also possible that
others will organize another national Summit. I plan to compose a "Guide
to Organizing and Hosting Summits" which will be available on this
site for anyone who wants tips on creating her/his own.

There will certainly be local and regional
summits, some of which are now in the planning stages. If you are interested
in creating such an event, I encourage you to review the "Guide to
Organizing and Hosting Summits" when it becomes available on this
site.Back to top

Where do we go
from here?The answer to that question lies largely
with individuals. Summit attendees have committed to sharing the insights
of the Summit with the larger Pagan community through festivals/conferences,
publications, and the Internet. There are a variety of projects
planned to build on ideas generated at the Summit. I expect the "ripple
effect" of the Summit to be substantial. It has certainly made a
profound difference in my understanding of leadership and has "raised
the bar" for what standards I expect Pagan organizations to have.
We feel very hopeful that this small step will have far-reaching implications
for a stronger, more vibrant Pagan community.Back to top