Oldscout448

In April 2018 I posted about getting a Scouters paycheck when I watched one of 'my' boys, as Meteu, drape an ordeal sash over his younger brothers shoulder, as his older brother,the head eleongomat, looked on, smiling. I just watched the same middle brother ( who is the best ceremonalist I've ever seen) welcome his younger brother into the circle of the Vigil, in our very secluded ceremony ring, as once again the older brother stood by trying to look serious, but the smile kept breaking thru. Some scouts who were past members of our ceremories team, drove or flew hundreds of miles to be there. This time, as guide, I had the privilege of sashing the new Vigil, Who's name means roughly Proven Worthy. Darn smoke must have gotten in my eyes. Had to keep wiping 'em. This check I'll keep until my last day.

Just wait until the peach cobbler is ready.

Snowed in after the Ordeal! I wanna hear this tale. Pull up a log to our virtual camp fire and pour yourself some coffee.

To my mind the most alarming thing is that this SM seems to lack a basic understanding of how a troop ( a collection of patrols) should be run. Except for obvious safety reasons and the most egregious and uncontested violations of the scout law, a SM does not remove patrol leaders. The patrol elected him, the patrol can elect someone else if they so desire it. In my troop it required a 2/3 majority because we realized that not every decision a PL makes is going to be a popular one. Even if it is the right one. In 20 years I think only two PLs were removed in such a fashion.

The short answer is No, you have every reason to be upset. So should every other patrol leader in the troop and the scouts in your sons patrol. This may not be be due to personal dislike, sadly some scoutmasters view advancement in rank as the primary gauge of their success and will manipulate things to achieve that goal.

That kinda depends on what you consider to be "olden times" I think it was a SMC until '73 then it became a PGAC. I'm not sure when it switched back.

"Over the line cultural appropriation" ok, I'll bite. Exactly who has given themselves authority to draw that magical line? Some Berkeley professor who babbles about the critical importance of tolerance and diverse points of view while demanding that everyone accept and kowtow to his "personal reality"? It's about time, no it's past time, that such people are told the shut the hell up, we don't care what they think. Every native American I've asked ( Huron, Cree, Cherokee, Sioux, Iroquois etc) has had no problem with the OA ceremonies, if they are done in a manner that shows respect and dignity to the Indian people. Some actually did ceremonies with me in years past. " not everyone agrees with that view". If we are demanding an organization that has a 100% approval rating we are going to be in for a long and disappointing wait. Frankly, I would rather see the Order disbanded with some semblance of dignity than made into some pseudo moralistic " woke" entity that cheapens its memory. If BSA needs a new type of honor society, fine. Let them find a new name for it.

Speaking of deal breakers, for most of the team members it was the loss of being a part of something special, with a long proud history and traditions. Regalia was a big part of that. I think it started way back in about 40 years ago when the pre get rewritten and the Ordeal changed from being a test of willing candidates to a make believe self help weekend. One that no one was allowed to fail. Because "hazing". The complete rewrite of the Brotherhood ceremony with the loss of the Brotherhood Obligation which an average 15 year old could easily understand, for some philosophical rambling (however much I may agree with it) was a major contributor as well. The major changes to the beginning and ending of the Ordeal ceremony were the last straw for a lot of our best ceremony guys. For my part it's the complete indifference of the chapter and lodge adult leadership to making the Ordeal a meaningful, significant event in the scouts life. They seem to be determined to do things in whatever way is the easiest. The Friday night ceremony was set up right next to the parking lot so the candidates, and members, didn't have to walk another 100 yards. Rather than have the candidates sleep alone they all got crammed together on the lodge deck for the night. Because it was easier to keep an eye on them that way. I could go on and on. I've spent many hours staring into campfires pondering these things, reviewing on my mind the things I promised on my honor as a Scout in the Obligations of the Ordeal, Brotherhood, and Vigil. I've done my best to keep them but it's no longer possible to " observe and preserve the traditions of the Order" given the current environment which seems to be actively moving away from them. So I'm faced with the choice of keeping my oaths or staying in the organization.

not unlike loosing a good friend after a long illness. There is sadness, a feeling of loss but also a sense of relief.

Walking.

You are fortunate indeed! The last time I can remember seeing our SE was at a spring Lodge Fellowship in 2017. Haven't seen a DE at a day camp, ordeal, or camporee in even longer. Glad to hear it's not this bad everywhere.

Which is why our district has gone outlaw for the last 15 years. Our patches don't have anything that National has registered, but they've big, colorful there's always enough for all the scouts and we pay less. In fact I we stopped holding District camporees because Council takes 15% off the top for 'services' . Not sure what these services actually are. But it did lead to quite a few Godfather jokes. Instead 15 or 20 troops just happen to go camping at the same place on the same weekend. What a coincidence!

This hits home, we don't really have big parties but no one has joined the ceremony team in three and a half years. Currently there only only two left next spring Ordeal only one. I feel like a passenger in a car who has warned the driver over and over that we are running out of gas. Now that the car has come to a spluttering halt on the side of the highway, the driver expects me to magically fix it somehow. So he can keep on driving and ignoring me. All that's left for me to do is open my door and start walking.

Actually I was in the ring working raking, chopping, setting things up with the two retired ceremonialists who came and the three brave guys who volunteered because they saw a need, from 8:30 am -3:50 pm. The B'hood ceremony started at 4:00

It's 1:30am, in 14 hours I head out to an joint Ordeal for four local chapters. The ceremonies will have to be done by people who have never done them before, never practiced together, or even alone because no one knows who has what part. I will have at best 2-3 hours to work with them before the pre starts. I am honestly dreading this. But until December 31st I'm still the ceremonies advisor for one of the chapters and so I have a duty to do what little I can, even if my chapter no longer has a team. Prayers would be much appreciated my brothers. Walititin Mikemossin Wunachuk