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If there are no PSR meetings in your area, why not start one? Meeting space is available in some open-minded churches (Unitarian would be a good place to start) and treatment centers. For a new group, initial startup responsibilities include finding a meeting space, handling contributions and rent, printing formats, putting together the habiliments (ritual candles, holders, etc), maintaining the coffee supply and machine, keeping a current phone list for members, and more. If you want to start a meeting, thank you! The only way PSR can reach other recovering pagans is with your help.
You may also consider the following measures: 1) Posting flyers in the local new age/occult bookstores, bead shops, music stores 2) Submit a listing in the local entertainment/culture/alternative papers. 3) Find meeting space in a substance abuse facility, and ask to be listed in their meetings schedule. 4) Establish a presence at pagan events by volunteering to do a workshop on pagan recovery and/or getting a vending table to distribute information . If you explain the non-profit nature of PSR you may get a break on the table, or they may even waive the fee altogether. Asking is free.
Regardless of what program, whether using the PSR steps or another please let us know about your meeting so we can list it on this site
Pagan Sanctum Recovery
For other vital meeting materials, see Downloads. To get in touch with the Gods and Goddesses of our choice, Pagan Sanctum Recovery has a simple ritual at the beginning of each meeting. Since PSR is first and foremost a recovery meeting, we allow free access throughout our allotted time. We do not cast a full circle, which would assume an understanding of the protocol of entering and leaving a sacred space that not all recoverees will have. We invite ritual design submissions, and encourage inclusion of all traditions.
A large altar cloth, any color or design. A candle snuffer Lighter (or matches, as preferred) Bell or chime (optional)
Deity (large white)
I. Getting Ready It’s a good idea to get in a half hour early to start coffee and set up the altar. Before the meeting, the Chair asks persons to: 1)prime candles (make sure they'll light) II. Call Meeting to Order and Preamble Call the meeting by ringing the chime softly (or loudly, if needed) and begin:
My name is ____________ and I am an/a ___________ in recovery. Pagan Sanctum Recovery is an independent, non-profit organization devoted to the healing of pagans and the pagan-aware. A desire to recover is the only requisite to join. Our mission is to protect, encourage and aid each other in our overall recovery from substance, behavioral, mental, and emotional disorders. PSR embraces pagan beliefs, vocabulary, and ideologies as it focuses on the continued spiritual and physical recovery of its members. We offer a spiritual alternative for today’s growing number of individuals embracing Goddess religions and other pre-Christian faiths, including Wicca, Witchcraft, Asatru, Odinism, Shamanism, Druidism, Native American paths, and many others. Buddhists and Hindus in recovery may also find something to relate to, as some of our spiritual concepts derive from these eastern religions. According to our seventh tradition PSR funds its own meeting space, literature and supplies through its own contributions. As we pass the basket donate what you can, if you can. Pagan Sanctum Recovery welcomes all who want to recover from an addiction or behavior disorder, regardless of beliefs, including newcomers, the questioning, and the curious. We help all who come to us in need, and humbly offer secular support to others in recovery, regardless of their religious, spiritual, or 12 Step program affiliation. PSR is not meant to replace other 12-step programs, but to serve as a spiritual supplement for those needing to share their recovery-through-faith with others on similar paths. While we do not have to accept another's religious concepts as our own, we must respect them during the meeting. Are there any recovery or pagan related announcements? (They need not be PSR specific)
We have a dark past,
For those who care to, join me in a moment of grounding and meditation as I welcome our Gods and Goddesses, Spirits and Elementals to our circle and meeting. Remember that the deities we honor are personal, and appear to each of us individually as they will. Chair calls the Quarters (or Quadrants, Cardinal Points, or Watchtowers, if you prefer) as assistant lights the candles: North (Green Candle) Hail, Guardians of the North, Spirits of Earth, So mote it be. East (Yellow Candle) Hail, Guardians of the East, Spirits of Air, So mote it be. South (Red Candle) Hail, Guardians of the South, Spirits of Fire, So mote it be. West (Blue Candle) Hail, Guardians of the West, Spirits of Water, So mote it be.
God and Goddess, Lord and Lady, All: So mote it be (Lighting small white inner divine candle,) With love we light the living flame All: So mote it be
Blessed life, Blessed love, All: So mote it be V. Reading the Thirteen Steps of Pagan Sanctum Recovery
1) Realization We realized that our spiritual, physical and mental disorders have totally defeated us, and that it is time to reclaim our lives.
2) Acknowledgement We acknowledged that our combined disorders have been sustaining our illusions of control, and that through meditation, honest introspection and help from others we can overcome this barrier and rediscover our Inner Divine Power.
3) Recognition We recognized that our disorders have severed the bond between our Inner and Outer Divine Powers, as we define them, impairing our ability to function, heal and live in peace and serenity.
4) Reunion We abandoned our will to the reunion of our Divine Powers.
5) Surrender We surrendered completely our body, mind and spirit to our Divine Union, seeking a new directing force for our lives. 6) Examination We examined our character thoroughly and made a list of our attributes, both positive and negative.
7) Responsibility We shared our examination with another person, accepting full responsibility for our actions, blaming none.
8) Invitation With humility and respect we invited our Divine Union to remove our destructive traits.
9) Accountability We made a list of all persons we have harmed, and accepted the need to make amends to them all.
10) Amends We made direct amends to these persons when possible, unless this would cause harm or make a difficult situation worse.
11) Maintenance We maintained our spiritual balance through daily character examination, and continued to make amends for our wrongs whenever necessary.
12) Connection We reinforced the bond between our Inner and Outer Divine Powers through meditation, magick and ritual, and allowed this renewed connection to guide us in our daily living.
13) Continuation As the direct result of our spiritual rebirth, we practiced these concepts on a daily basis. We continue the circle of healing by helping others in recovery, regardless of their spiritual beliefs. We keep it only by giving it away. (While the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous inspired the steps and traditions of Pagan Sanctum Recovery, they are not an adaptation. Rather, they were created specifically for this group, and should not be construed otherwise. A.A. is a program concerned only with recovery from alcoholism, and is not in any way affiliated with this group. A.A. kindly asked us to post this disclaimer).
Pagan Sanctum Recovery presents stones for various lengths of recovery time. Does anyone have multiple years to celebrate? Ten years? (Rose quartz ) Five years? (Ocean Jasper) 18 Months? (Blue Tiger’s eye) One year? (Snowflake Obsidian) For remaining months, go to chart. Pass the stones around the group to charge with positive, healing group energy, and chant the following:
VII. Introductions and requested topic Let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves. Does anyone have a topic they would like to discuss? Suggestions:
Does anyone have a burning desire to share? If not, please join me in quiet contemplation as I thank our Deities, Spirits and Elementals for their attendance. Assistant snuffs each candle in reverse order, as called. Spirits of the North, East, South, and West, We bid you hail and farewell. We thank you Lord and Lady, We bid you hail and farewell. We close this meeting with thanks, Deity, we thank you for accepting our spirit,
Deity, Merry Meet, Merry Part,
The Directions, Colors and Elements: What do they have to do with recovery? Calling the quarters is an ancient ritual common to many pre-Christian religious practices, and we have presented here a generic version that should fit seamlessly with most traditions. The purpose is to invite the various elementals (a spirit that favors one of the four elements, and its related color), and to incorporate their specialized strengths into the safety zone we are creating. The Four Elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, are universal. Nearly all pagan traditions recognize and use them extensively in their practice, with little difference in their innate meaning and powers. But the corresponding colors and directions vary from tradition to tradition, so try not to get hung up on differences in what you may already use/know in your own practice. Adaptation is one of the greatest strengths of pagans (or we would have died out long ago).
The color Green is associated with physical wealth and success, and the element Earth refers directly to our physical bodies, so it is natural that the two come together to form the attributes for the Northern direction. Focus on this color, element and direction when there is a need for prosperity (while bearing in mind that "wealth" can come in the form of something other than money and material gain.)
This is the correspondence of wisdom, knowledge, peace and serenity. The sun and moon rise in the direction East, which represents rebirth and beginnings
Blue is the color of all healing, spiritual, mental, and physical, so it is especially important in recovery. While grounding, focus on the concept that we are physically composed of mostly water; this will make the connection between you and the Earth easier to establish and maintain, and allow you to divert excess or unwanted energy/feelings to where it can be safely neutralized.
It is important to thank the visiting spirits and deities for their attendance; they appreciate knowing they are appreciated. It is equally important to let them all know when your ritual/meeting is over, to avoid the problem of having your spiritual guests remain after the meeting has ended, and possibly make mischief for others in the same space. As part of a well-rounded program of recovery, recoverees should pick up after themselves after a meeting: coffee cups, books, ashtrays, and spirits summoned from beyond.
Evaluation on an Individual Basis (EIB) For the benefit of all, please remember that we are all entitled to our chosen path, and we should respect other faiths even if we don’t agree with or identify with them. Do not evaluate the individual on what one may have "heard about" their religious practices. These notions often prove to be wrong, as many of us on the other side of the fence have discovered. Instead, examine the deeds and words of the individuals themselves, not the rumors and gossip that can burn through the pagan community like wildfire. We ask this to help prevent the same prejudice all of us have experienced at one time or another. We have found that the Suggested Meeting Format and other materials are easier to handle in booklet form (5.5 by 8.5 inches). A long-reach stapler is necessary to bind the pages, and can be found at any office supply for less than $15.
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