On the topic of Lodge/Guild rules, I came across the writings of the founder of a Folkish Heathen Kindred that had a lot of success finding and recruiting ordinary people as members. The founder himself is/was a police officer and you can see in his writing, his overall approach is very practical and pragmatic. http://www.heathengods.com/learning/heathen_tribes.pdf
As you can see the governing structure is a lot like a Lodge. There's three main officers, (1) Chieftain, (2) Godhi, (3) Thyle. The first is the group's leader, the second is its spiritual expert, and the third is responsible for making sure members follow the rules (Thew) and keep their oaths. In practice, the Chieftain serves the role as both a Presiding Officer of a fraternal group and fulfills the function a Protestant pastor would in a church community. I think this type of Heathen organization is tapping into some elements that are deeply embeded in American culture. IMHO this sort of thing greatly helps in the area of personal authenticity.
This Kindred apparently went strong for at least five years; not sure if its still around today. The main web site looks like an artifact from 1999 (personally, I love the 90s D&D aesthetic). But still, at the end of the day, its growth was very much hampered by the limited appeal that is Germanic pagan reconstructionism, particularly this group's Viking/Asatru focus. Having said all of that, I think the group's organizational structure could be easily adapted to other types of groups. The "Holy Guild" just might be the way to go. I think after the lower astral finally clears up, it might be safe once again to form meatspace groups.
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http://www.heathengods.com/learning/heathen_tribes.pdf
As you can see the governing structure is a lot like a Lodge. There's three main officers, (1) Chieftain, (2) Godhi, (3) Thyle. The first is the group's leader, the second is its spiritual expert, and the third is responsible for making sure members follow the rules (Thew) and keep their oaths. In practice, the Chieftain serves the role as both a Presiding Officer of a fraternal group and fulfills the function a Protestant pastor would in a church community. I think this type of Heathen organization is tapping into some elements that are deeply embeded in American culture. IMHO this sort of thing greatly helps in the area of personal authenticity.
This Kindred apparently went strong for at least five years; not sure if its still around today. The main web site looks like an artifact from 1999 (personally, I love the 90s D&D aesthetic). But still, at the end of the day, its growth was very much hampered by the limited appeal that is Germanic pagan reconstructionism, particularly this group's Viking/Asatru focus. Having said all of that, I think the group's organizational structure could be easily adapted to other types of groups. The "Holy Guild" just might be the way to go. I think after the lower astral finally clears up, it might be safe once again to form meatspace groups.