now, there’s a different activity called *mobilizing.* mobilizing is directed at people who are *already* involved. when there’s contract bargaining, for instance, we’ll have a mobilization committee whose job is to get people who are already union members more involved in union activities.

ergo, when i hear ‘organizing,’ i think proselytization, but i wonder if what we’re talking about here is more like mobilization. i’ve been involved in both, and have a little experience in these matters.

I’ll start the ball rolling on the benefits of organizing:

- cross-pollination of ideas (extremely important)
- people coming together with a positive influence on one another
- great discussions
- meeting excellent role models and highly knowledgeable resources
- interacting with and teaching other people makes you smarter and better at communicating
- companionship with people on a similar path with shared goals
- social networking for on- and off-topic purposes
- FUN!

I’m sure there are lots more. Who’s got some ideas? I think this is a great topic. We’ve definitely outlined the negative aspects pretty well already, and sometimes it’s hard to see as clearly positive elements - but they are definitely there!

people just can’t seem to resist the urge to organize

Which to me indicates a trait that very well is a part of the big puzzle.
Now what could be useful about organizing?

Personally, I’ve always preferred salons. They’re a way for people who have a common interest to meet and discuss that interest, make connections, et al, but there’s no “organization,” it’s open ended. The salon topic drives the discussion, moderation prevents it becoming a haven for bleepers or what-have-you.

Anything more organized is IMO, dangerous- that’s when you get politics, personalities, hierarchies, when people start preferring the ‘charming’ over the spiritually knowledgable, etc. The trouble with any esoteric gathering is that there are always people who want to lead, and people who want to be led -I’ve seen a lot of people with personality take leadership or teaching roles they weren’t ready for, etc. There never seems to be any meeting of the minds once a hierarchy is established, and the conversation, feedback, etc all just go to shit.

if it’s just to create a massive network of groups & individuals with the goal of making info available & discussing occult/spiritual concepts, then it’s pretty much already going on. all it’s lacking is a name & a cool logo.

if it’s to get people together communally to support one anothers’ “worship,” i’ll provide a link once again to casa, the cascadia alternative spirituality association, a local group of pagans & gnostics whose eventual goal is to share in an alternative spiritual community and to have a single location that can be used as ritual space by a bunch of different traditions: http://www.casanw.org/

if it’s to ‘get the word out’ (evangelize), then it’s missing a structure, a central hub of sorts & dedicated structural organization. the most effective groups have organized ‘missionaries’ in each area of interest; perhaps a missionary organization would be of interest to those who are into this idea. they could model themselves on the mormons or the jehovah’s witnesses who are annoying but extremely successful.

if one wants to avoid discussing spirituality like the da vinci code and ‘what the bleep,’ then you’re gonna have to find people who are, or exclude people who do want to talk about those things. either way, you’re still looking at more structure– who gets to decide what gets discussed? who gets to decide who deals w/the purple-haired channeler who wants to rap about ramtha? you’re also looking at things like a mission statement & bylaws, applications to local govts for non-profit status, taxation on any income taken in by the org (or applications for tax exempt status). or, you could do it sans such things and the risks that implies. you’d have to have a bylaws committee, or at least an informal group of people that basically established & enforced the structure, and *you’d have to get them to agree on stuff.*

or, it could be something that’s a combination of all of the above. either way, i know from lots of experience, having worked for two labor unions who are wholeheartedly concerned with organizing and mobilizing, that this kind of thing can be *extremely difficult and frustrating.*

it’s a really really really slippery slope . . . .