Greetings, all!

Here's a list of medical supplies that I consider important to have in one's home...

An asterisk (*) denotes herbal-related suggestions; a pound sign (#) denotes magical-related suggestions:

--rubbing alcohol
--hydrogen peroxide
* witchhazel
--liquid antibiotic soap
--sterile water
--electrolyte solution (like "Pediolyte", or some sports drinks)
--epsom salts

This is how I schedule Guardians, and Guardians-in-training (GIT)... plus some other information regarding GITs...

1) I get a finalized list of those full-fledged ("official") Guardians that will be attending an upcoming event.

2) I send out a letter asking each full-fledged Guardian shift scheduling questions so I can tailor the schedule (as much as possible) to accomodate those attending Guardians.

What is a Guardian?...

Most pragmatically, a Guardian is someone who offers safety and/or security-related services to the pagan community. Not all Guardians operate in an "official" capacity -- our community is full of "silent Guardians"; folks who don't officially work as a Guardian, per se, but who always keep their eyes, ears, and senses open and who willingly assist the "official" Guardians whenever there is a need. However, there is a real need in our community for "official" Guardians, and we are always looking for interested members of the community.

What does a Guardian do?...

It varies between Event Coordinators, Guardian Coordinators, and even specific events. In reference to the events hosted by Wade Berlin (PhoenixFestivals) and coordinated by either Glyndwyr or myself, a Guardian is someone who agrees to work a set schedule (normally 8 hours per day), for the duration of the event -- and we operate on a 24 hour schedule; three 8 hour schedules per day. If there are enough Guardians, and the circumstances of the event allow, generally each Guardian is given one day off during the event, to allow for some R & R and to reduce "burn-out"; however, each Guardian understands that he/she is "on-call" 24 hours a day and any emergency supersedes scheduled off-time.

So, what do we do during our 8 hour shifts? Walk. A lot. Look. Listen. Talk with people. Pay attention to all the details of what is going on around us and the community.

The first Wards I ever set (1994) were at a Phoenixfestivals event, when Bob Heath grabbed me to be on of the four Ward Keepers. As I said before, there are different types of Wards, with different types of functions.... this particular type of Ward utilizes four people, one for each of the four directions, and requires that the individual not only link with that physical direction, but also be able to link with the other three participants. How this translates is that, if danger or problems are manifesting in a particular direction, the person "standing" in that direction is normally triggered first -- the other three then generally pick up the vibes through their connection with each other.

There are three types of Wards that I have experience with -- Protection Wards, Perimeter Wards, and Energy Wards. There may be a whole slew of Ward types out there, but these are the only ones I have worked with.

Answer: "Guardians...

--each Guardian is scheduled to work one 8-hour shift per day. There are three shifts per day; 8am-4pm, 4pm - Midnight, Midnight to 8am. Generally, there are two Guardians scheduled per shift to ensure complete coverage of the site and to act as "back-up" to one another, should the need arise...

--when not officially "on-shift", each Guardian is expected to be "on-call" the remaining 16 hours per day, in the event of an emergency... as a result, all Guardians must be legally sober at all times during an event, even when officially "off-shift"...

It occurs to me that there may be members of our community who may be interested in becoming a Guardian, but don't know how to go about becoming one... Well, here ya go!

1) Work as many Safety Volunteer shifts as you can, to be certain that this is a line of full-time volunteer service that you will be interested in and committed to... (I am NOT suggesting that you work more than your 4 hour total community service requirement, but rather that you work ALL of those 4 hours, at every event you attend, as a Safety Volunteer)

What exactly do Guardians DO?

I have been asked this question many times as I walk around a festival site. It has also caused me many hours of personal reflection. One answer that has come to mind is that we are ?distributors of common sense to those in need of it.? Upon reflection, although this may be an accurate description at times, it really doesn?t describe the multi-faceted description of the job.

Guardian Kit - Suggested Contents

A short list of the basic items that should be in a Guardian Pack. It is just the bare bones. There are many, many other items that can come in very handy at an event, but the following list should contain the most commonly used items.

· Flashlight w/Extra batteries & bulbs (minimags are an excellent choice)
· Notepad and pen/pencil
· Two or three medium sized ziplok type plastic bags
· Leatherman type tool, or at least a sharp pen knife
· Small first aid kit (two pair of latex gloves; four alcohol wipes; four Band-Aids; four 4x4 sterile gauze pads; small roll of 1/2" cloth medical tape; small tube of triple antibiotic cream; CPR micro-mask; tube of 50 sbf sunblock; tweezers)
· Bottle of water (min. 8oz)
· Fanny pack or other supply-carrying pouch