CRAFT FOR SALE? By Alicia
1995/2012
Introduction
When I originally wrote
this opinion piece the whole New Age money machine was just getting
into gear.
Sad to say not much has
changed. I make absolutely no apology for having high ideals and
trying to stick to them. After thirty years in the Craft I’ve never
regretted having high standards, but I have been done over,
spiritually speaking, after relaxing these standards. No one is
perfect, but don’t let your eagerness to belong blind you to the
many shady operators still lying in wait for the credulous.
And if you do fall foul of
an unpleasant experience don’t give up and think we are all tarred
with the same brush. The universe will put you in the way of what you
need, but it’s up to you to develop the first and most important of
all the magical virtues – discrimination.
I put pen to paper once
again with a deep sense of foreboding. In the way that I was taught
witchcraft, straight and old fashioned as it was, you did not sell
what you were taught,
just as you did not pay to
learn it. This was a fundamental bottom line so basic that the
idea of money never
entered into it. Trust, love, a personal dedication to the service of
the Old Ones – all these things were demanded and freely given, but
money? Hardly!
If witchcraft, and its
less demanding sister neo-paganism, are ever to be taken seriously by
the general public and move out of being seen as lunatic fringe
cults, into the realm
of a legitimate minority
religion or practice (as it must if we are ever to be safe again)
then a lot of people who
presently gain large remuneration from the desires of unwise and
eager seekers had best have a really good think about their motives.
“Prosperity
Consciousness” – what a disgusting concept this has become when
applied to the buying and selling of spiritual guidance or
development – a truly obscene practice.
Solid work, by many
dedicated witches and pagans, has been done over many years to
provide a base for the
consolidation of all that is good and spiritually sustaining in our
Path.
This is now in danger of
being grossly undermined and contaminated by the poisonous
greed of commercialism.
I am quite nauseated by
the glossy flyers that advertise “ A weekend workshop in Genuine
Shamanism”. O please, spare me! Or we can choose from any one of
dozens of combinations of
crystal-head pseudo-philosophy, or ill-understood Native pathways that have been pruned and
sanitized for suburban consumption. Or perhaps you would prefer a quick course in
do-it-yourself witchcraft that can have you running your own coven in
six months (with 28 initiates) – always provided you can cough up
the necessary cash. It’s like a nightmare
supermarket, something for everyone and always with a hefty price ticket.
Just remember the Mystery
is not now and never has been for sale, neither is the key to the
Otherworld. Those people who seek to avoid commitment by turning the
learning experience into a business transaction are exactly those who
are grossly unsuitable for entry into the Craft.
Being a Witch is something
that occupies your whole life. It is that thing by which you approach
the universe, full of joy, wonder and desire. It is a brilliant,
passionate, wonderful spiritual Path, a love affair with the
Universe. It is emphatically not expensive weekend workshops, tacky,
glossy brochures or questionable DVD’s.
A witch should live with
joy and dignity in the world, doing clean, honest work, teaching
those students the Gods send to her, loving our Mother Earth and
serving Her in the best way possible. I was taught to aspire to a
life of constant learning and the deep satisfaction that comes from
doing a worthwhile task as well as you can.
And those relationships
that develop between teacher and student, between initiate and
initiator should be like shining stars of experience – not the
grubby, commercial, limited production-line feed-out of bought and
paid for rituals.
I have heard it argued
that if this truly deplorable avenue of buying the Craft was not
available then many people who want knowledge would be unable to get
it. Well, if that’s true, then so be it. But of course it’s a
huge lie and a ten cent photocopy on A4 paper, covered in a sensible
booklist, would more than adequately cover most information that is
to be found in print. As these so-called teachers well know, as it is
usually their own source of income. Which is why good booklists are
conspicuously absent from most so-called and very expensive
witchcraft courses.
The Craft is a Mystery
Religion. It is not suitable in any way to mass appeal nor was it
ever meant to be. It is a religion without congregation, where
priestesses and priests celebrate the Sacred Year in intensely joyful
and secret rituals, far from prying eyes. Neo-paganism is much more
suitable for a greater number of people and is far easier to approach
– there are heaps of books available. It, too, approaches the
Mystery but is much less demanding of time and commitment.
Nobody whom seeks need
remain in ignorance. Compared to even twenty years ago the amount of
information available in print is overwhelming. There are public
gatherings which can be found, and, as always, there is nothing to
prevent people who feel the need of fellowship from forming their own
groups for study and ritual.
If our religion is to
survive and continue as a force for balance and harmony in the world,
we must reject the temptation of monolithic organizations and the
pursuit of money. Our self-declared rivals and enemies have this area
very well covered. If we try to play the game by their rules we shall
surely lose – relegated to the lunatic fringe as we would deserve.
Our strength is our diversity, our ability to bring joy into the
world, our Will to serve the Mother - not our own egos and pockets.
Think well siblings, Wise
and Blessed Be.
