4.0: Sustaining Performance During Cold Weather

4.1: Ritual Tasks

Clothing and equipment malfunctions occur more often during cold weather. Simply wearing bulky cold-weather clothing restricts peripheral vision, movement, co-ordination and manual dexterity. In combination, these effects can adversely impact on the ability of Witches to satisfactorily perform various aspects of their ritual tasks.

Appreciating the problems

The properties of materials used to make the clothing and equipment are altered by low temperatures. Rubber, plastic, other manmade fabric and materials and even metal can become brittle and break more easily when cold. Zippers will freeze and break rendering garments unusable.
Moisture condensation is a common source of problems during cold-weather rites.
- Moisture from sweat or breathing can become trapped in clothing or sleeping bags, condense and degrade insulation.
- Condensation accumulates inside tents when they are occupied. This adds to the weight and makes it more difficult to pack and move them later.
Restricted visibility during cold-weather operations hampers many outdoor tasks and particularly compromises operation of vehicles.
- Cold eyeglasses, goggles, and scrying mirrors fog over easily when warm moist breath passes over them or when the wearer comes in from cold to warmed areas. If this condensation freezes, it is difficult to remove.
- Hoods, balaclavas and other cold-weather head gear can restrict vision, particularly peripheral vision.
- Depth perception is reduced when air temperature is below -20 C (0 F) and/or wind- speed is over 15 km/h (10 mph). Visual acuity is reduced when air temperature is below -30 C (-20 F) and/or wind-speed is over 30 km/h (20 mph.) These effects become particularly significant for viewing distances greater than 6 metres (20 feet).
- Fog, rain, and blowing snow further restrict visibility. Ice fog is an unusual condition which occurs when the air temperature is extremely low, typically about -40 C (-40 F), and moisture arises from burning of fuels in engines, stoves, firepits, and cauldrons or censers. The fog is produced when the moisture is trapped under a layer of cold air and wind is not present to disperse it.
Ritual pyrotechnics (and chemical lightsticks) may fail to function in extreme cold weather.
Metal can be dangerous to touch (contact frostbite) in extreme cold. Also, moisture will condense on cold metal exposed to heat. Unless removed, it will freeze upon being returned to the cold, and it can eventually lead to rusting. This is especially a problem with swords and knives.
Wearing gloves and mittens causes a significant loss of manual dexterity.
- Conventionally-sized ritual tools are difficult to operate when wearing gloves or mittens.
- The decreased dexterity might encourage individuals to remove these protective items while working. However, removing the gloves will allow the fingers to cool and reduce blood flow to the hands, which will, in turn, eventually degrade manual dexterity.
- Blowing warm breath into mittens or gloves can cause the hands to become even colder. Air from the lungs contains moisture which will condense on the hands and wet the inside of the handwear, contributing to further hand cooling.

Optimising Ability to Perform Ritual Tasks

Whenever possible, avoid using clothing and equipment not specifically designed or tested for use in cold weather. Do not force frozen or stuck parts to move when they are cold. Lubricate zippers with wax or graphite (from a candle or a carpenter's pencil).
Problems resulting from moisture trapped in clothing can be avoided.
- Minimise overdressing, and remove clothing layers upon entering heated areas from the outside.
- Dry clothing by hanging in the updraft of the tent to minimise condensation within the tent.
- Ensure tents and other shelters have adequate ventilation to prevent accumulation of moisture.
Compensate for decreased visibility by increasing vigilance and slowing down. Avoid having ritual participants wait near traffic areas during periods of low visibility. Use anti-fogging compounds on eyeglasses and goggles.
To avoid condensation on swords or other metallic ritual tools, they should not be brought inside warm areas, unless outside storage and security is not practical.
- If swords are brought inside, they should be covered and placed near the floor to minimise condensation.
- Clean and dry the sword after it warms and before returning to cold.
For tasks requiring manual dexterity, commercially-available light-weight polypropylene or silk glove liners can be worn beneath heavier gloves or mittens. The bulky outer glove can be removed to perform a task. Periodically, the outer glove can be replaced to allow the fingers to rewarm.
Many ritual tasks can be divided into shorter segments to allow rewarming breaks.
- Brief rewarming periods in a heated shelter or even time spent with the gloves replaced may maintain sufficient manual dexterity that the task can be completed.
- It may be necessary to complete a strenuous task (such as erecting a Maypole or building a snow temple) using a two-team approach, where one team works while the other rewarms themselves.
- Rituals should be planned to avoid extended periods of inactivity (e.g. waiting to be censed and asperged, or awaiting transportation) while people are outside in the cold.
With practice, people learn to compensate for the effects of gloves and other cold-weather clothing on manual dexterity, movement and performance of various tasks.

4.2: Leadership

The principles of coven and small-group ritual leadership are unaffected by the weather, but challenges for leaders, especially of very small groups, can be profound during cold-weather. To facilitate their group's collective magical intent, leaders must contend with not only with the requirements of raising and maintaining effective ritual power, but also the stress of the environment on their fellow participants and their equipment.

The preceding sections have focused on the effects of cold weather on a person's biological functioning. However, the stress of cold can also adversely affect attitudes and morale, and coven leaders must recognise and cope with these effects to maintain their coven's effectiveness.

Leadership Challenges During Cold-Weather Rites

Many people come from regions where winters are not severe, and few have experience in living outdoors during cold weather. Initially, these people may lack confidence in their ability to cope with and survive in cold weather.
The cold can seem inescapable. Even when people are able to stay warm, the effects of cold are felt in awkward cold-weather clothing, confinement to small shelters and problems with vehicles and equipment. These effects can lead to anger, frustration and depression, which can be intensified by fatigue, periods of isolation, and shortened daylight hours.
When conditions are extremely cold and people have been out for a long time, the need to stay warm tends to become the most important concern.
- People may appear confused or forget how to do things they are trained to do.
- Some people may attempt to shirk their fair share of collective chores in order to avoid the cold and stay warm.
The need to wear multiple layers of clothing or remain bundled in sleeping bags and blankets when it is cold, combined with extended periods of darkness can intensify the sense of isolation people often experience when they are away from home. Some people respond to these feelings by "huddling up" to keep warm, and withdrawing within themselves away from the coven. This can lead to mental sluggishness, increased susceptibility to cold injuries and degraded individual effectiveness and group cohesion.

Positive Leadership and the Right Attitude

Leaders are ultimately responsible for prevention of cold injuries within their covens.
- Susceptibility to cold injury varies considerably, and safe exposure times for different people exposed to the same cold-weather conditions also varies considerably.
- People who have recently arrived from warmer climates, who have little or no cold- weather experience, often sustain cold injuries.
- People with considerable cold-weather experience (often those in leadership positions) can become nonchalant or desensitised to the threat of cold injury. Leaders must be alert for carelessness even in woodsy people who are experienced in cold weather recreation.
Teach your people that when it is cold, tasks may be more difficult, but they are not impossible. This knowledge comes from confidence in their abilities to survive, work, and play during cold weather.
- Coven leaders can build this confidence in their people by having them practice tasks and survival skills outdoors in the cold, and by conducting cold-games.
- After several weeks of training and experience in cold weather, most Witches learn to cope fairly well.
- Leaders must be alert and avoid the common trap of allowing cold-weather rituals to become nothing more than a romp in the snow. If this occurs, Witches will become distracted from accomplishing the magical or devotional task at hand.
A positive "can do" attitude helps in coping with cold-weather problems. Leadership must be upbeat, confident, and emphasise personal example to demonstrate that cold conditions are bearable.
- Direct hands-on ritual work should be emphasised.
- Ensure that everyone pitches in and that subsistence work such as water-carrying and firewood-collection is equitably distributed among all unit members.
- Be alert for people who have withdrawn from the group. Leaders should keep talking to the people and encourage them to talk among themselves. Use the buddy system to maintain communication, and to watch for cold injuries.
- Keep Witches busy and physically active. Plan outdoor rituals carefully to avoid unnecessary periods where participants are left standing in the open.
- Make sure that hot food and beverages are regularly and abundantly available.
- Allow people more time to accomplish ritual and subsistence tasks and more discretion regarding how to accomplish them.
- As a leader, make good use of your own 'potty breaks' to take a moment to reflect on what you and your group are doing, and why.

4.3: Fatigue

People often travel long distances to attend Pagan or Craft festivals, or other social or religious gatherings. Fatigue may occur whenever the journey involved a long automobile ride (or bus or train) ride, or an airline passage across several time zones. Fatigue is a normal part of human functioning: our bodies let us know when we need to rest. But what can be done when there is no time to rest?

The problem of fatigue

Witches, like all other people, do more work, and do it better, and often enjoy it more, when they are well-rested. Witches who get enough rest are less likely to get sick while away from home, and if hurt they will heal more quickly. The ability to think clearly deteriorates more rapidly than bodily strength and endurance. Sleepy Witches sometimes can't think straight, plan rituals effectively, or work from a scripted text.

The onset of fatigue-induced performance problems is gradual and insidious. Vehicle drivers especially should take note: cognitive (thinking) skills begin to deteriorate after 18 to 24 hours of sustained alertness, and this deterioration sets in before you feel significantly tired. For every 24 hours without sleep, expect a performance loss of about 25%. To put it plainly: after four days and nights without sleep, you will be of no use to yourself or anyone else.

Monotonous or repetitive tasks are affected before tasks that require original thought and creative action. As mental performance declines, so do mood, morale, initiative and motivation. A tired Witch is often a bored and irritable Witch.

Symptoms of sleep loss are shown below; bear in mind that coven leaders and ritual support people (such as musicians and cooks), who must think about many things at once, and make complex decisions on the fly, are most vulnerable.

Be careful! When you are sleep-deprived, you will make more mistakes. You will find it more difficult to follow instructions, whether they concern rituals or housekeeping tasks. You will become more reckless, and you will find yourself caring less and less about the world around you.

Table 11: Symptoms of Sleep Loss

Extreme sleepiness; outright physical exhaustion.
Lapses in attention; inability to focus on the task at hand.
Irritability and impatience.
Lack of initiative; inability to make decisions.
Headaches.
Loss of appetite.
Susceptibility to accidents.
Decreased attention to self-care; poor personal hygiene.

If you are trying to stay awake for a long period of time, you will probably find that you have a greater desire to sleep between 2:30 and 5:00 in the afternoon and (much more intensely so) between 1:00 and 5:00 in the morning. If you stay awake all night, you will experience greatest deficits in attention, reasoning and physical performance between 1:00 and 5:00 in the morning.

You cannot train yourself, or anyone else, to live and work on less sleep. The need to sleep is not indicative of insufficient holiness, or of laziness, or of bad manners.

Dealing with the problem

Minimise jet lag. People who are about to make long journeys that cross several time zones should try to change their sleep/wake periods before travelling, so as to coincide with those of their destination.
- The best approach is to do this gradually over a week or so, and begin eating meals according to the time zone of the destination.
- Upon arrival, the travellers should resist the temptation to take daytime naps or to stay up beyond appropriate local bedtimes. This will help their bodies to adjust to the new time zone.
Witches who will be participating in (and moreso those who will be leading) night-time rituals, should consider sleeping at day and working at night for a few days before their journey.
- Work/rest schedules should adjusted to coincide with the time zone of the place where the night-time rites will be done. If this is not feasible owing to demands of employment, or to parental responsibilities, the Witch should make whatever adjustments he or she practically can.
- The greatest difficulty in this adjustment lies in obtaining good sleep during the day. Shift-workers know that daytime sleep is often intermittent and restless. Consider the use of earplugs, or a white noise generator such as a small fan, as a means of masking background noises.
Above all, minimise sleep loss. The best plan is to allow for, and encourage 6 to 8 hours of sleep per day. 4 to 5 hours of sleep will suffice, at some bearable level of performance impairment, over a period of 5 to 6 days - note that some authorities consider that this is only sustainable for 3 to 4 days.
- Encourage naps of one to two hours each. Even a 10 to 15-minute 'power nap' may help.
- Drivers of vehicles must get more sleep, as driving in winter conditions requires higher levels of alertness and awareness. Drivers may find a short pre- drive nap to be quite helpful. Try for a 30 minute nap, and allow 15 minutes to wake up fully after the nap and before driving the vehicle.
- The best sleep periods, given limited choices of nap-times, are between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning and between 4:00 and 7:00 in the afternoon.
- After 2 to 3 days without sleep, any decisions, ritual plans, judgements, etc. should be cross-checked by another competent person.
Coven leaders should plan for recovery from sleep loss.
- The only cure for sleep debt is sleep.
- Twelve full hours of rest, including at least 8 hours of sleep, are needed to fully recover from 36 to 48 hours of continual wakefulness.
- Coven leaders (and other ritual support people) who are carrying high responsibilities will need 24 hours of sleep and rest (including at least 15 hours' sleep) after 3 to 4 days without sleep during conditions of high workload.
- This recovery period is longer if longer 'stay-up' times were experienced. Two to three days or rest and light work, with at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night and light physical work during the day, will be needed after 3 to 4 days without sleep.

4.4: Preparation for Cold-Weather Outdoor Rites

Covens preparing for outdoor rites or camping trips in cold-weather regions must anticipate the effects of the environment on the functioning of the individual as well as the coven as a whole. Preparation should involve steps to minimise those effects.
Covens travelling to gatherings in cold-weather regions should conduct training for their members on basic winter skills and cold-weather survival.
- It is especially important that Witches practice wearing cold-weather clothing to ensure that the fit is correct and the individual knows how to wear the gear.
- Witches should practice performing collective and individual ritual tasks while wearing cold-weather clothing, since this gear restricts movement considerably
Outdoor rites need not be halted or cancelled when temperatures are cold. Rather than restrict outdoor activities at certain pre-selected temperatures, coven leaders should establish programs in which increasingly protective countermeasures (clothing, surveillance) are initiated as conditions become colder. Such programs build confidence in the coven's collective ability to function outdoors, regardless of weather. Appendix B shows recommended guidance for conducting, modifying, restricting or cancelling rites according to wind chill conditions.
Everyone must have an individual cold-weather survival kit (Appendix C) and all required cold-weather clothing and footwear in proper working condition.
In addition to helping Witches prepare to participate in outdoor rites and not only survive under cold-weather conditions but actually enjoy the experience, coven leaders should anticipate how weather conditions will affect the coven.
- Identify coven members who have previously experienced cold injuries. These people should receive instruction and guidance in cold-injury prevention, and should be monitored closely while working outdoors during cold weather.
- Establish a buddy system within the coven to increase coven cohesiveness and morale by minimising the sense of isolation that people experience during cold weather. A buddy system will also help to monitor for signs of cold injury among coven members.
- Sanitation and housekeeping procedures should be reviewed and modified as necessary if weather conditions are extreme. Aspects requiring particular re-emphasis include placement, maintenance and closure of latrines, water purification and sanitary food handling.
- Anticipate supply difficulties, and stockpile emergency stores of critical items such as blankets and candles. Develop storage and transportation procedures for food and water which prevent freezing, and determine measures for thawing frozen supplies. Set up procedures for keeping food hot until eaten.
- Establish standard safety operating procedures (SOPs) for personnel travelling by vehicle away from the campsite or ritual grounds. At a minimum, these SOPs should require all vehicle occupants to have their sleeping bag, extra clothing and individual survival kit with them whenever they leave the unit area. The SOPs should also designate what actions are to be taken in case the vehicle is disabled or the driver becomes lost.

Table 12: Cold-Weather Preparation

Individual Witches:

Learn to survive and perform ritual tasks in the cold.
Become physically fit.
Inspect-cold weather clothing and survival kit.
Practice wearing cold-weather clothing.

Covens:

Conduct cold-weather training.
Establish coven buddy system.
Identify susceptible people.
Reassess their customary ways of doing things.

Table 13: General Guidance for all Cold-Weather Rituals

Skin:: Exposed skin is more likely to develop frostbite. Covering skin lessens risk, provided that skin is kept dry. Avoid wet skin (common around the nose and mouth). Inspect hands, feet, face and ears frequently for signs of frostbite.
Clothing:: Witches must change into dry clothing at least daily and whenever clothing becomes wet, and must wash and dry feet and put on dry socks at least twice daily.
Nutrition:: 4500 to 6000 calories/day/Witch (more at higher altitudes or when very cold.)
Hydration:: 6 litres (quarts)/day/Witch. Warm, sweet, non-caffeinated drinks are preferable. Cocoa is ideal.
Makeup and Masks:: Conceal the skin, and therefore prevent detection of cold injuries. Not recommended below -12 C (10 F).
Responsibilities:: Witches are responsible for preventing their own individual cold injuries. Coven leaders are responsible for encouraging and checking the health and safety of their own people.

Table 14: Key Points about Cold-Weather Survival

Shelter from the elements is of paramount concern.
Eat and drink more food and water than normal.
Be prepared for sudden weather changes.
Avoid cold injuries by using a buddy system and frequent self-checks especially when individuals are not active or their chores require them to remove their gloves.
Immediately treat persons showing any sign or symptom of cold injury.
Sick, injured, and fatigued people are very susceptible to cold injuries.
Everyone should carry an individual cold-weather survival kit at all times.
Drivers and passengers should always have a sleeping bag and extra cold-weather clothing when travelling by vehicle away from the campsite or ritual grounds.

edited by: Brigantia Stone
updated: October 15, 1998; minor corrections 1998 November 12
document: WM216PT4
GWI: WM 21-6-0/4

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