Voluntold

Scratching my head, I'm remembering the origins of the term "voluntold". I'm thinking that Phoenix is actually the person who coined the term in the last coven I HPSed (that's High Priestessed for those folks not in the know). I have a way of looking at a person when I'm asking for volunteers to do a coven duty, or other assignment, and then that person feels motivated to step up to the plate. This became known as "voluntold".

I don't mean to be bossy. It's just that 20 years of priestessing, often times in public service, has left its mark. Raising 2 boys to adulthood and having a background in dog training, along with teaching dog training classes, can't be lightly put aside, either. The dog training classes took place before the days of clicker training, rewards and The Monks of New Skete. This was in the day of corrections and the alpha male roll over for agressive dogs. As a teacher, I learned to be a real alpha bitch.

Voluntelling, FYI, for those other priestesses out there, does have its advantages. Despite cowan (this means non-witch) claims to the contrary, I have found that folks relish being told what to do. I have been at my most disappointing, to my students, that is, when I tell them to figure it out for themselves. They HATE some of my teaching methods, especially my specialty of asking questions then actually expecting them to do the work of coming up with the answers, themselves. They'd much rather I tell them what to do, give them a formula, lay it out for them....you get the picture.

I've been told by some of my sister priestesses that I'd be much more effective if I'd do a Drawing Down of the Poohbah. Drawing Down is a particular type of ceremony where a priest or priestess channels Deity. I know, there are plenty of sceptics in the world and I include myself in the sceptic camp. I'm not asking for believers or converts here. What's a Poohbah, one might ask? This is a variety of individual who puffs up in public, knows it ALL, and lets everyone know that they know it ALL, in no uncertain terms.

Many folks don't want a peer, they want a boss. They want a Mistress type priestess who takes charge and has them bowing and scraping. They want you to see all, know all, hold the mysteries and dangle the mysteries/knowledge like a carrot on a stick. When they misbehave they'd like the, just mentioned, stick applied to their slacking behinds. Well, crap, I should have figured this stuff out 20 years ago. I could have been a petty tyrant and had my students kissing my behind instead of bitching.

Figure that one out, you've been voluntold!