Spiritual Training
"Tribal Values, Social and Relationship Focuses" This is an absolute requirement of each member in the Tribe. Spiritual training is required of each tribe member. The spiritual training PEC teaches is designed to develop one's spiritual abilities, and give them the grounding and foundations to work with all societies in the tribe. The core Shamanic training and broad training in the underlying magical principles of each system is necessary if one is a Council Member. It is absolutely required if one is to become an Elder. Each society that is a spiritual society in the tribe is required to support the basic PEC social and tribal mandatory values. Each PEC tribal member must participate in a spiritual practice. Even Atheists who practice Ethical Humanism can be considered doing spiritual practice. It must have a traditional educational and working methodology.
Spiritual development isn't the only function of the tribe. However, it is indeed a core part of the culture of it.
Intra Tribal support and development
As a council of leaders is developed along with the infrastructure and growth of the Tribal resouces, it needs to be soundly managed. The answers along with the how and why we help each other, manage resources, cultivate leaders, cultivate a cultural context where as a group every individual is supported. Included are day to day activities, like moving, building and renovation projects, babysitting, education, and eventually financial and medical support. This involves time, commitment, work and the holding of a vision of what we all can accomplish.
We also need to support the social milestones in all of our familie's lives. Birth, graduation, coming of age, marriage, divorce, and funerals are just the beginning.
We have adopted the 8 Sabbats of the Pagan Calendar, for the Social Gatherings of the Tribe. There are interwoven spiritual themes; however, the gatherings will be more focused on the secular and seasonal shifts we all experience, and reuniting as a tribe, and setting our sight on the next season of activity.
Each Society can have gatherings for any number of purposes. How about craft get togethers (quilting bees), hunting, bowling, dancing, etcetera? Just imagine a community where there is a one stop shopping for all of social needs. ( And be the shining example the draws the best from the public to grow the tribe.) There are so many things we all can do for ourselves that would be cheaper than paying someone else. We can barter services, learn skills others have, and mentor those who are going into these types of vocations. Also, as a tribe, we have council members and Elders that provide mediation, arbitration, and in unfortunate situations reprimand tribal members.
Develop Spiritual and Secular Societies for mutual support
Each Society created is a door to the outside community. A society, guild, fraternity, sorority, church, circle, coven, autoshop, farm, are all part of the tribe, and each member of the tribe belong to any number of societies, is a door to the outside world. The societies that support the tribe should represent the best of our culture, the best of ourselves, and what we need to share with the world.
Societies that keep to themselves disintegrate. Over time their relevance to the world and their methodologies don't change. No person, group or Tribe exists as an island in a large, corporate, multi-national world. Cultures are difficult to embrace and scare off people, because of the frame of reference and the comfort of a culture that they are in.
Social groups are the doors to the world, where they can peek in, see something that is valuable in participating in, and can sample the culture of the Tribe in acceptable chunks. We have to have an outreach in a way that is inclusive. PEC as a tribe is being designed to be a model for the rest of the world, hopefully for a world that is better for all of us. We need friends in the world.