Frater POS in response to my last post stated that a lot of the reasons for denying entry were BS (I am paraphrasing here); I then asked him to please give examples. His response turned out to be longer than a brief comment, so he posted the answer on his blog: Doing Magick. I must admit that I have heard some of these reasons used also, and I agree that they are BS.
Click here to go to Frater POS' blog: Doing Magick.
Showing posts with label application. Show all posts
Showing posts with label application. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Are you accepting applications
The other day, I posted on Facebook the fact that I had finished cobbling together a pamphlet for advertising purposes together for the lodge. And I was promptly asked by someone if Bast Temple was accepting applications.
The question surprised me.
Outside of a few Rosicrucian organizations that have strict membership limits, I do not know an Order that is not always open to applications. Even Orders that have "officially" closed their membership tend to still keep their eyes open for new members; the same goes for covens.
The general rule of thumb is that all lodges and Orders are always open to new appliciants.
Having said that, I must point out that just because a group is accepting applications, it does not mean that you will be found to be a suitable candidate for membership. For example, I cannot imagine for an instant that I would be allowed into any of the three other Golden Dawn groups that are here in Denver. Even if Bast Temple closed shop, it is unlikely that any of them would consider me a suitable member. For one thing, I am too opinionated for all of their tastes (and that is just the first problem that they would have with me).
In order to be allowed into a lodge and/or Order, you have to meet the qualifications for entry. These vary from group to group. You also have to be able to get the people who decide on who to let in to actually do so. With some groups, this is easier to do than with others.
In Bast Temple, it boils down to whether or not you get along with the current active members; whether we think that you can hack the workload; and whether or not you alarm us by being morally and/or sanity impaired. Bast Temple does not let everyone in, and we are definitely not suitable for everyone. But it is not a real problem; after all, there is an EOGD, a TGD, and one other Golden Dawn group here in Denver---there are plenty of options for someone who is interested working Golden Dawn in a group setting.
The question surprised me.
Outside of a few Rosicrucian organizations that have strict membership limits, I do not know an Order that is not always open to applications. Even Orders that have "officially" closed their membership tend to still keep their eyes open for new members; the same goes for covens.
The general rule of thumb is that all lodges and Orders are always open to new appliciants.
Having said that, I must point out that just because a group is accepting applications, it does not mean that you will be found to be a suitable candidate for membership. For example, I cannot imagine for an instant that I would be allowed into any of the three other Golden Dawn groups that are here in Denver. Even if Bast Temple closed shop, it is unlikely that any of them would consider me a suitable member. For one thing, I am too opinionated for all of their tastes (and that is just the first problem that they would have with me).
In order to be allowed into a lodge and/or Order, you have to meet the qualifications for entry. These vary from group to group. You also have to be able to get the people who decide on who to let in to actually do so. With some groups, this is easier to do than with others.
In Bast Temple, it boils down to whether or not you get along with the current active members; whether we think that you can hack the workload; and whether or not you alarm us by being morally and/or sanity impaired. Bast Temple does not let everyone in, and we are definitely not suitable for everyone. But it is not a real problem; after all, there is an EOGD, a TGD, and one other Golden Dawn group here in Denver---there are plenty of options for someone who is interested working Golden Dawn in a group setting.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Who's needs are more important?
Last night at the Open Full Moon ritual, I encountered one of those strange ethical dilemmas that make me think for hours on end...without coming to a satifactory conclusion. You know the type. In this case, I was easedropping...I am a writer and I cannot help doing so...plus I just got done talking to this person about Golden Dawn.
Without going into details, the bottom line in this case is a conflict of needs. One person's needs are in direct conflict with another person's needs. This brings up the whole "How do you figure out who's needs are more important?" dilemma.
In this case, there would be no way to be able to have both people as members. One of them has to lose...that is how much of a conflict there is.
Fortunately for me, I do not have to really worry about this dilemma. There is a Trump in play here. One of the people is already a member; the other person is only an applicant.
It may not be fair, but the needs of a current member outweighs the needs of a potential member. It does not matter how valuable the applicant could be; it does not matter what they bring to the table; the Trump stands. It does not matter how useless the current member is; it does not matter what they don't bring to the table; the Trump stands.
Of course, this may not be true of all lodges. This may just be a reflection of the lodge culture that I came up the ranks in. Maybe in a system where only the Co-Chiefs have any say in the matter, the more valuable person would win.
(Please note that this applicant may or may not be more valuable than the current member; it does not matter; the Trump still stands either way. I have my own opinion who is the more valuable person, but that does not matter; the Trump controls what will happen in this decision. It could be my own needs involved, and it would not matter; the Trump would still be in play.)
Bottom line is that lodges are supposed to serve their membership. It is not the potential membership that they work for, but rather those who are already in the fold.
Now some people will call this unfair. After all, this Trump is enforced by the voting process of the lodge which is controlled by the current active membership of the lodge...enlightened self-interest would so kick in here. This is just one of the more darker aspects of how lodge culture works.
Someone can scream all they like that the system should serve the needs of everyone. But it doesn't and probably can't. We are bound by no law that says our membership should be open to everyone...and in this case, I am glad of that because there would be no way to meet the special needs of both parties. Sad, but true.
Without going into details, the bottom line in this case is a conflict of needs. One person's needs are in direct conflict with another person's needs. This brings up the whole "How do you figure out who's needs are more important?" dilemma.
In this case, there would be no way to be able to have both people as members. One of them has to lose...that is how much of a conflict there is.
Fortunately for me, I do not have to really worry about this dilemma. There is a Trump in play here. One of the people is already a member; the other person is only an applicant.
It may not be fair, but the needs of a current member outweighs the needs of a potential member. It does not matter how valuable the applicant could be; it does not matter what they bring to the table; the Trump stands. It does not matter how useless the current member is; it does not matter what they don't bring to the table; the Trump stands.
Of course, this may not be true of all lodges. This may just be a reflection of the lodge culture that I came up the ranks in. Maybe in a system where only the Co-Chiefs have any say in the matter, the more valuable person would win.
(Please note that this applicant may or may not be more valuable than the current member; it does not matter; the Trump still stands either way. I have my own opinion who is the more valuable person, but that does not matter; the Trump controls what will happen in this decision. It could be my own needs involved, and it would not matter; the Trump would still be in play.)
Bottom line is that lodges are supposed to serve their membership. It is not the potential membership that they work for, but rather those who are already in the fold.
Now some people will call this unfair. After all, this Trump is enforced by the voting process of the lodge which is controlled by the current active membership of the lodge...enlightened self-interest would so kick in here. This is just one of the more darker aspects of how lodge culture works.
Someone can scream all they like that the system should serve the needs of everyone. But it doesn't and probably can't. We are bound by no law that says our membership should be open to everyone...and in this case, I am glad of that because there would be no way to meet the special needs of both parties. Sad, but true.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Blog entry link: Application Declaration
Here is a link to an interesting blog entry that provides a look at the application declaration (I understand X, Y and Z are secret).
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