Spell Books and Spell Kits: for Matt Deos

For some time I've been promising Matt Deos a shout-out.  Matt, a Houngan Asogwe made by Boston/Jacmel Mambo Maude Evans, is not afraid to share his opinion on Vodou. We have butted heads on a number of occasions, but I've never questioned his devotion to the faith, his passion for the lwa or his knowledge.  (He has some great info on introductory ancestor work and sevis lwa here).  However, disagreement doth ever fuel the blogosphere. And so I thought I'd address one of his longstanding complaints here.  If I have misunderstood or misstated his position, I trust he will step in and correct me.

Matt dislikes Voodoo/Vodou/etc. "spell books" and "spell kits." He (and quite a few others in the various African Traditional Religious communities) think that spell books and kits are disrespectful.  They see them as attempts to profit from their religion by cheapening and commercializing the spirits and their sacred rites. Not only is it disrespectful, it's a waste of time and money, since these mass-produced products don't work. As Matt puts it:

A truth: information is useless unless it is given the proper way. That’s a core piece of Vodou… those pretty veve? UTTERLY USELESS unless they are handed to you by your teachers in your House. (seriously… veve differ, and each House/lineage has the veve that correspond to the spirits of the House. Veve are also useless unless made the proper way… so those sites and books that tell you to tape up a photocopy? TOTAL BULLSHIT. Its not real, its not a part of the tradition, and its not going to help you to use it… but of course, the book isnt gonna tell you that...

None of this ‘service kit for sale’ crap, none of this calling on random lwa who you dont even know if you have a relationship with… the buried rule here is that ANY lwa can do anything for you. Read that again. Get out of the mindset of each having ‘powers’ or ‘portfolios’ where only one spirit can perform a task for you, or the idea that each only has specific uses. Its not real. Any lwa can do anything for you… serve the ones you have. Get the reading, and skip out on the online or written accounts or kits (always for sale, funny that) that will teach you how to serve a specific spirit; you dont need it, and in essence its fraud.

I can't deny that many people come to these traditions with an attitude of entitlement. Neither can I deny that there are some atrocious Vodou books and websites out there, or that many of Vodou's most visible leaders serve primarily as public embarrassments.   But with all that being said, I still think there is something to be said for spell books and spell kits.

(Disclaimer: I have skin in this game, having penned Vodou Love Magic and Vodou Money Magic).

While spell books are less common in Haitian Vodou than in many other traditions, that may primarily be due to the country's low literacy rates.  It is not difficult to find spell books in English, Spanish and Portuguese which promise aid in love, money, gambling and various other earthly concerns. Spell kits are certainly found in another Kongo-influenced tradition, American Hoodoo.  In my forthcoming New Orleans Voodoo Handbook, I provide a recipe from the Cracker Jack Drugstore's 1930's era pamphlet Black and White Magic of Marie Laveau - a recipe which required ingredients sold by said drugstore.  So far as I can see, a "Peaceful Home spell kit" would differ from these instructions only by virtue of convenient packaging.

sprinkle every room of your house with “Peace Water” and burn the “John the Conqueror Incense” mixed with the “Helping Hand Incense.” Sprinkle some “Jinks Removing Salt” all around the outside of your house. Apply to your body daily the “Peace Powder” and anoint your head and clothes with “Bend Over Drops.” Burn for one hour each day or night the “Peace Candle” until you have burned three of them.

The person who purchases a spell kit is evidencing faith. They have put their money on the table and asked a lwa, orisha, saint, god, etc. to step into the picture. They have expressed a willingness to see magic in all its beauty and terror: they have dared to ask for the miraculous. That is an enormously courageous step in a society which denies the existence of magic and the miraculous and which mocks those who believe otherwise.

The spell kit (or the properly written spell) establishes commerce with the spirit.  An offering is made. This can be as simple as a candle and a prayer.  It can be an elaborate ritual involving expensive items offered at specific times at inaccessible places. Whatever it is, it establishes commerce between the supplicant and the spirit. It creates a sacred exchange: something is given in expectation something will be received.  It also establishes boundaries: you are giving the spirit a candle, a glass of wine and some flowers in lieu of offering an eternal pledge of fealty.

A spell book or kit may provide a good learning opportunity. If your petitions fall on deaf ears, you're out a comparatively small sum of money and time. If your spell works, on the other hand, you have established an important connection have seen real evidence of magic and the spirit world.  I have seen many people who became involved in Vodou after purchasing a spell kit.  Whether or not their lost love returned or their promotion came to pass, the candles and oils had a major positive effect on their lives.

I don't think that willy-nilly purchase of spell kits is the most effective way to approach the lwa. I would definitely recommend a reading from a competent practitioner and training with an actual functioning société.  Approaching random spirits with no guidance can be time-wasting at best and actively dangerous at worst.  But I have also found that the spirits will come where they will, and will use any available doorway.  If you seek the lwa, rest assured they will find you.

Boundaries, Charlatans and Free Magic: still MORE about Money and Spirituality

On his excellent blog Rune Soup, Gordon has posted a thought-provoking piece on The Five Laws of Occult Economics: Why We Suck at Money.  I am only going to respond to one of the many salient points he made, but would urge you to read the article and learn from it.

In the section, "Price moves to the marginal cost of production," Gordon points out:

Books. Anything you write I can find for free. Legally. Because it costs nothing to produce and price moves to the marginal cost of production. So, if the cost of producing occult texts is free, what does that tell you about your ability to make money from it? You’re going to need to precisely locate the value of your text in my life. Are you a world famous race car driver? Did you discover Atlantis? Did you impregnate the daughter of the former governor of Alaska? Because if you are just some guy then this is not your golden ticket.

Being an Elder (?!). You want me to pay you money so you can talk at me? But that fat guy in the velvet cape on the other side of the festival is giving it away for free. I’ll have to think about it.

Having some experience on the subject, I can categorically state that there are indeed costs involved with producing a book.  Even a channeled transmission requires the time and effort to transcribe it, proofread for grammatical and spelling errors, typeset it (or code it to HTML for the web) and publish it online or offline.  When you're talking about writing an annotated text on a topic you have to add in the cost of research, which is significant both in terms of time and money. Scholarly journals and peer-reviewed books from academic publishers ain't cheap, nor do they generally make for easy reading.

Nor can just anyone write a coherent, useful and readable book (or website, or, for that matter, blog post) on a topic occult or otherwise. Writing is a skill which requires a certain facility with language, an interest in studying the subjects of which you write, and the ability to make them interesting and clear to your prospective audience. 

As far as the fat guy in the velvet cape goes, I'd say this is a perfect example of "free is often worth exactly what you paid for it."  There are thousands of free Pagan websites out there. Most of them have spinning pentagrams, tinny .wav files of bad music, damn-near-illegible fonts on sparkly backgrounds and content which was cut-and-pasted from other equally atrocious sites.  Sure, you can get to "Lady Dymwitte's And It Harme Nunne Site for thee Olde Religione" without spending anything. But how much use (in other words, how much value) will you get from it?

Pagan businesses might do well to focus on serious occultists who want something more than what they can get from a Google search and who already know what the fat guy in the velvet cape has to teach them how the Pumpkin-Eating Druids called the Quarters to the great goddess Isis-Astarte-Diana-Hecate-Demeter-Kali-Inanna.   (In other words, they realize he's full of something which isn't likely to be mistaken for unconditional love, light and wisdom any time soon). 

On other forums I've seen several people express concern about charlatans taking advantage of well-meaning innocents. I agree that there's definitely a risk of people playing variants of the old "you must bring me nine $100 bills to lift this horrible family curse" scam in the name of Wicca. But there are plenty of ways you can take advantage of people other than lightening their wallets.  I'm sure we've all run into "High Priests" whose primary interest in the Craft revolves around skyclad women who want to perform the Great Rite.  And then there are the folks who get into the religion for the power trip: just because you're not getting paid for your services doesn't mean you aren't getting something out of your teacher-student relationship.

Which brings us to a post that Frater POS made in his blog (although he has since modified his stance a bit):

RO posted something about teachers wanting to be taken care of in the pagan community. F*** them. If they got into spirituality to be paid by adoring acolytes then frankly they have little of value to teach.

"Being paid" and having "adoring acolytes" are two separate things. As I noted above, there are lots of bad reasons for someone setting up shop as a teacher. Money is just one of them: the desire to have acolytes who see you as powerful (or who will have sex with you, or at least let you see them naked) can be equally corrosive.

In fact, I might argue that "client/employer" is a healthier role for all concerned than "acolyte/devotee"  I have had a few fans try and draft me into service as their guru and spiritual leader. They figured I, like Jesus, could heal their ills if only they worshiped me hard enough.  Unfortunately, I have no aptitude for turning water into wine or feeding multitudes with loaves and fishes: neither do I have Mary Magdalene's personal e-mail address. And given the way things worked out for JC, I really have no interest in taking over his job anyway.

The exchange of money for services helps set boundaries and establish an appropriate relationship with a client. When you purchase a reading from me, I am your employee, not your savior. You know what you can expect - an honest divination given to the best of my abilities, and even some follow-up work to see how my suggestions are working out for you. You are not entitled to my infinite compassion, unconditional love and tireless labors on your behalf. I am obligated to treat your case seriously and read the cards honestly. I am not obligated to treat all of your problems as my problems, or to neglect my needs in order to take care of yours.

I think this is healthier for everyone concerned. It reinforces to the client that they are going to have to do their own work to solve their problems. It reinforces to the reader that their role and their abilities are limited. And it helps us avoid that ugly situation wherein we put someone on a pedestal only to knock them down when they don't live up to our unrealistic expectations. (Been there, done that, and from both ends of the equation too). One of the nicest things about being a professional is the ability and right to maintain a professional distance.

You Guessed it ... even MORE on Paying for Spirituality (for Alexandra)

Since my last post inspired a fair bit of commentary, I thought I would respond to some of those comments in separate postings. First I wanted to address Alexandra's comment that

i do expect *my* elders to be better equiped for the future than what a lot of Pagan Elders nowadays display, that is, to actually have retirement plans, to care for their health in the best way possible, to save their money for rainy days. In short, to be responsible for their lives. I, for one, think that its self absorbed to think that anyone has to carry you *general you* around because you provided something, specially when that something already comes with a price tag.

I agree that many Pagans (including quite a few Pagan elders) are appallingly bad with money. I think that part of the problem stems from the 1960s/hippie era idea that money is inherently evil. Many of the big players in the transformation of British Wicca into American Neopaganism were hippies and countercultural types. Their distaste for "the Establishment" and big business was reflected in their general distrust of any kind of financial transaction: they felt that everything worthwhile should be freely given and freely offered. And of course if you disrespect money you shouldn't be surprised to find that money disrespects you back.

Perhaps one of the best thing Pagan elders and elders-to-be can do for themselves and the community is recognize the value of their work and set appropriate boundaries. If that means that more elders start charging money for classes, then so be it.  If it means saying "I have to support myself with a day job and hence you will have to work around my schedule for teaching and other needs," then that is fine too. And if it means slapping some folks upside the head for their sense of entitlement and their idea that "information should be free" (meaning your knowledge should be given to me with no cost or obligation on my part), then it's about time somebody did it.

Expecting that you are going to devote your life to the Craft freely and in exchange people will look after your needs freely is obviously not a workable model. Perhaps a better model is "you will pay me what I am worth for my services, or at the very least you will contribute your share of the cost of running this group." I think that once we get past that sense of entitlement and that distaste for all things financial (on both sides) many of these problems will take care of themselves.  My friend Galina has commented on the "doggedly downwardly mobile Pagan aesthetic."  We all - elders AND acolytes - need to recognize that what we are doing is valuable. There is no shame in demanding a tangible exchange for goods and services. (Alexandra suggested several non-monetary possibilities in her original comment, such as "Helping out around the house, doing chores and errands, helping in what i can in my line of work and so on.") There is shame in expecting things to be given to you on a silver platter.

Still more on Responsibility for Elders: Who are our Elders?

On Alchemical College, Soror MX noted that around 90% of her spiritual work is solitary. She may have purchased some books and attended a few lessons, but she has not established a serious life-changing relationship with any Pagan "elder." While she did acknowledge that there were people who had touched her life in profound ways, they were not necessarily part of a Pagan, Wiccan or magical community.

This is a very important point. More than Judaism, Christianity or Islam, Neopaganism is a "religion of the book." Many, perhaps most, Pagans are learning their religion primarily or exclusively from books, websites and online forums. If they are lucky, they may meet fellow Pagans face-to-face at occasional festivals, but the vast majority of their spiritual journey is a solitary one. They don't feel the need to support the elders in their Pagan community because they are not part of any Pagan community.

Once upon a time Pagan bookstores and magical supply shops served as a meeting place for magically inclined types. If you wanted an uncommon herb or some particularly rare volume -- which, in the 1970s and 80s, included things like the Farrar's Witches' Bible and Crowley's Book of the Law -- you had to go to a specialty store. There you could meet others who shared your interests: you might even be able to use their back room for rituals or join the owner's coven if you were deemed worthy.  Thanks to Amazon, eBay and other online stores, many of these shops have been driven out of business. That is not to criticize the Web or online business: the automobile forced many buggy makers and horse traders to seek alternate lines of work. But it is impossible to ignore the way that meatspace magical communities have become harder to find as web-based communities have exploded, or to claim that a list moderator has the same kind of presence in a student's life as a face-to-face teacher.

Adding to this confusion is the Neopagan idea that "you can be your own high priest/ess." Within British Traditional Witchcraft (and other initiatory systems), attaining a degree required a certain amount of time, study and practice: it cemented your place within the community as a leader whose opinion could be trusted. Within non-initiatory strains of Neopaganism, anyone who wants to claim the title can become "Lord Sapphiredragon Twitchbottom" or "High Priestess Crystal Breakswind."

Quite a few of these self-proclaimed Grand Mucky-Mucks will happily assert their right to be treated as Elders, or at the very least claim that their opinion is just as valid and important as anyone else's. Sure, Priestess Y has been practicing the Craft since before Lord Twitchbottom was a Grand High Zygote and Priest X has written more books on the tradition than HPs Breakswind has read, but authority is for fascists. If your spiritual beliefs are true for you, then by gum they're true. After all, Priest X wasn't in Pre-Christian Celtic Europe, so how does he know the Druids didn't make pumpkin pie and potato casserole to celebrate the Revealing of the Threefold Law?

So how do you determine who the true Elders are in a world where everyone can be a High Priest/ess?  I have some thoughts (and wrote an article on this question for newWitch a while back) but I'd be interested in hearing what others have to say.

In an upcoming post I want to address an important point which Alexandra and a few others have raised: how much responsibility should Elders (once we figure out who they are) take for their own well-being? I'd be foolish to deny that many spiritually minded folks have a lousy grasp of economics. There are many Pagan elders whose writings I admire but whom I would not entrust with large sums of money.  Rufus Opus has posted some interesting thoughts on the subject in his blog and I would encourage anyone interested in the topic to check his post out.

Yep, we got even MORE on Paying for Spirituality: from Mysticwicks

On the MysticWicks forum, one of my blog readers asked: 

Or are you going to tell us, Kenaz Filan, that those Voudou initiators are all oh so honorable that they will never promiss something that is not on their hands to give? Will you tell us that none of those students you speak of in your blog that feel defrauded couldn't, at any point in, fallen prey to some initiator who didnt disclose the truth of inititiation in the hopes that some dumb westerner that believes that money buys all would get some thousands of dollars?

I do not know the student in question or the Mambo who initiated him. But I do know the Houngan who vouched for said Mambo and I trust his judgment that she is an ethical practitioner who gave her student an initiation according to the regleman. (Within Haiti this is called temwen or "testimony").

Obviously there are people in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country who will perform an "initiation" ceremony for you in exchange for several thousand dollars. Some of them will feel obligated to give you a correct initiation, while others will be happy to give you what is called an "American asson." As with anything else, caution is advised.  Here are some issues I raise with students who ask me about making kanzo:

First, most people do not need a Kanzo ceremony. You need to be initiated as a Vodou priest/ess if and only if you intend to officiate at community ceremonies. If you are a solitary practitioner or if you are not interested in working as a clergyperson, an initiation is useless to you at best. At worst it obligates you to responsibilities you may not be prepared to fulfill.

The vast majority of people who are serving the lwa on their own don't need any ceremony at all. Their lwa will likely be satisfied with a simple candle on occasion and an occasional gift of food, rum or some pretty item appropriate for the spirit. Of those whose lwa demand more, most need nothing more than a lavé tet (ceremonial headwashing) or a maryaj lwa (marriage to the spirits). These ceremonies are considerably cheaper and less onerous in terms of time, materials and responsibilities. They will serve the purpose without the obligations and expenses that are incurred by the initiation ceremony.

If you are convinced you want/need to be a Vodou priest/ess, attend a few fets (Vodou ceremonies) at your prospective initiator's house. These fets are generally attended by other initiates made by your Papa/Mama Kanzo to be and by initiates from other houses. This will let you see up close and personal whether Vodou is a path you want to follow. It will let you see how your Mambo or Houngan is regarded in the community and how the lwa are served: it will also give you a chance to speak to the lwa and see what their plans are for you.

Vodou is a community religion: while you can serve your lwa as an individual, initiation marks you as a member of that community. If you take steps toward joining that community before you write a check for the ceremony - if you actually take time to know the people who are going to initiate you - you are far less likely to get ripped off.

As I have said elsewhere, an average société is lucky to break even on a kanzo. They do the ceremony because they want the house to continue growing, and are selective about whom they initiate. Gaining their trust and convincing them that you are a good fit for their group takes time and effort. If anyone offers to initiate you after an exchange of one or two e-mails, or tries to hard-sell you into purchasing a seat on their next initiation tour, chances are that you are getting taken for a ride.

And of course I have to end with the inevitable disclaimer: the initiation is only as good as the initiate. If you get a correct initiation according to the regleman and treat it as the first step in your life as a Vodou priest/ess, you are likely to see major life changes and spiritual and personal growth. If you treat it like another trophy on your spiritual mantle, you're likely to get an expensive beaded rattle that you can place next to the Tibetan bone trumpet you bought during last year's trip to Nepal and the Ayahuasca bowl you bought the year before that.

Still More on Paying for Spirituality: a conversation on Alchemical College

Here's an exchange between yrs. truly  and a poster on the Yahoo group Alchemical College which I think some might find interesting.  Soror MX took offense to my earlier post, stating "i don't think it's appropriate for you or anyone else to lecture me on where i should be helping."

My response follows: in the original posting I used the name on her e-mail address. She has since expressed that she wishes me to use her magical name "Soror MX" in any further responses to her. Accordingly, I've removed her given name but have left everything else intact.

* * * * *

For me the question is not, "Did the community cause Isaac's problems?" The question is "what is the community going to do about Isaac's problems -- and, by extension, the problems other Pagan elders are facing?

i see this as more of a societal issue than a pagan one. i'd like to see all elders a bit better supported by family and community, not just pagan ones.

If we are going to be a "pagan community" then we need to act like a pagan community, and part of that involves taking care of our members in need. I agree with you that our social safety net is woefully inadequate. That's the reason we need to start creating our own safety nets.

why assume i'm not?

but again, my focus is more on folks in my immediate family and community who need help. all of us have limited resources and have to make hard decisions about where to expend 'em. i don't think it's appropriate for you or anyone else to lecture me on where i should be helping.

When I posted this message, I didn't believe the words "Soror MX doesn't care about Pagan elders" or "Soror MX doesn't do enough for her community" appeared anywhere in what I wrote.   I'm puzzled as to why you would think a posting that went to a group with 1,000+ members was a lecture aimed specifically at you.  I suppose I could have included the disclaimer "I am using 'you' as the rhetorical you, not you, Soror MX, nor any of the other individual members of alchemical_college." Hopefully this message will clear up that misunderstanding: I've tried to make the distinction clearer in my response below.

I believe the Feri tradition involves classes for which payment is expected, and I know that RJ Stewart and Orion Foxwood (who follow a different Faery tradition) charge for their classes,

sure. there are all sorts of different traditions with different rules. most (at least as far as i've seen) have a different system of charges for their *own* (generally initiates) than for the general public, but that's also very individual. everyone will decide for themselves what they feel is worth paying for. what i disagree with is the notion that all elders from all traditions should be supported by everyone else.

Seeing as how I never said that, and in fact was rather specific in saying that "you should support YOUR elders," I am not sure where we disagree. And again, this is a rhetorical you, although I do think that you, Soror MX, should support the elders in your traditions. (It's nothing personal, as I think everyone reading this list, myself included, should do the same)

I don't see that as a problem because the fees charged are reasonable (if your spiritual development isn't worth the cost of a month's lattes at Starbucks, then why should you or the teacher waste each other's time?)

no need to get snotty, sir. this is a discussion, no?

In the case of the people I mentioned, the cost of their classes is approximately the same as the cost of a month's lattes at Starbucks. If you (rhetorical you, not you, Soror MX) don't feel that the teaching you are receiving is worth a month of lattes, then obviously the class would be a waste of your time. And what's more, it would be a waste of the teacher's time: if you don't feel their class is worth a month of lattes, chances are you (rhetorical you again) aren't going to be willing to put in the time to do the homework and actually put what you learn in the class.  It wasn't intended as snotty, just a simple statement of fact.

As far as fees go, I know that I do readings and classes on a sliding scale and am happy to accept barter in lieu of cash. I'm pretty sure that most of the other people I work with would be happy to make arrangements for interested people who are truly in need. It's not about getting rich: it's about a fair exchange for services rendered. And if you don't think that spiritual teaching is a service, then why are you (rhetorical you) spending your time doing that when you could be doing something more productive?

I should add that in my case I assume that when I am paid for my services I have a responsibility to give the best services possible. That means I have to teach the class to the best of my abilities, and give the clearest and most honest reading I can (not always easy when you have a client who doesn't want to hear what the cards have to say... and believe me, there are PLENTY of those to go around).

The difference between an honest worker and a charlatan, IMO, is that charlatans take your money and feel no obligation to give you what you paid for.

The point was not that you need to support Isaac Bonewits: the point was that we need to start supporting those elders whose teachings have touched our lives. If Isaac's work isn't that important to your personal or spiritual development, then by all means support someone else. But don't assume that you are entitled to the Wisdom of the Ages just because you are sincere and curious, and that you bear no obligation to those who choose to share their wisdom with you.

again with the 'tude. why do you feel you're entitled to lecture? i HAVE supported isaac. i've bought and paid for his books and i've spent money attending events he's put on. that doesn't entitle me to the wisdom of the ages (nor was it provided to me) and it doesn't entitle isaac to a retirement on my dime.

I find it interesting that out of the 1,000+ members on this list, you (Soror MX, not rhetorical you) seem to be the only one who read this as a personal attack. I also find it interesting that you keep focusing on Isaac Bonewits when I have said repeatedly that Isaac is only one elder out of many who have dedicated their lives to the Pagan community and who might deserve help in their time of need.  There's no need to defend your unwillingness to support Isaac. The issue was never about Isaac but about pagan elders in general, and the sense of entitlement which leads to the "you will teach us for free, you will counsel us for free, and you will devote your life to our spiritual development with no hope of any recompense." I am not sure why you are having such a hard time with that larger topic rather than the subtopic "does Isaac Bonewits deserve support from Soror MX?"

Once upon a time poets and philosophers were supported by wealthy patrons who allowed them to do their thinking and teaching without worrying about their material needs. Today they're expected to sell their wares in the marketplace -- and that means that they have to tailor their work to what the market will bear.

when poets and philosophers (and mages) are supported by wealthy patrons, their Work is also heavily biased in the direction of the interest of the wealthy patrons (hello, virgil!). it's a system that is still in place and still works, and has its pros and cons like anything else.

No system is perfect and of course patronage means that you are going to produce what your patron wants. But at least patrons recognized the value of what they were getting and were willing to exchange something for it. And the marketplace is a patron just as much as the Lord of Windemere or the Emperor: if you have to rely on ten thousand readers instead of a few devotees, you're going to have to tailor your work to suit those 10,000.

Whatever other flaws he may have had, Karl Marx was on to something when he said that human behavior could be explained in economic terms.

the only folks getting rich off teaching mysticism are the charlatans. the truly Wise are quietly getting on with life, some accumulating wealth and some not, but the wisdom they pass on is seldom attached to a price tag.

No, but the rent they pay is attached to a price tag, as is the food they eat, the medical care they receive and the car they drive to the classes they teach.  And I am naive enough to think that it's a mitzvah to help the truly Wise to carry out their work by supporting them in whatever way you can, to whatever degree you can. In fact, I might even say it's a moral obligation to do so. I am sorry if that makes you (both rhetorical you and you, Soror MX) uncomfortable. But it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

If we're not interested in supporting a dedicated clergy, or even offering any kind of assistance to our fellow Pagans in need, then we are going to find our best and brightest have a limited amount of time to dedicate to the Craft. Their spiritual life will by necessity be reduced to a hobby, and we're going to get less of their teaching, writing, and counseling as a result.

the best and the brightest have never been easily accessible. like the rest of us, they live their lives dedicated to their craft no matter how well it pays....or they choose not to. if financial constraints force a witch, mage or master to practice their Craft as a hobby, they're not someone i want to learn from anyway.

Then you'll be learning the Craft from people who are either independently wealthy or who are willing to live in poverty to share their teachings with you.  And I think that the community (including you, Soror MX) will be poorer for that.

Paying for Initiations, Paying for Services, Paying for Spirituality

A question recently arose on the Yahoo group Witch Essentials about paying for initiations. Gaia, the moderator, is a Wiccan priestess and noted that in Wicca charging money for initiations is strictly forbidden. I pointed out that initiation into Vodou is extremely labor and resource-intensive. Drummers must be hired for several nights, and large quantities of herbs, liquor, animals, flowers and other supplies must be procured. Several people will need to be near the djevo (initiatory chamber) throughout the week-long ceremony.  Holding this for free would soon bankrupt the house:  as it is, most houses in my experience are lucky to break even after a kanzo ceremony.  While I don't know the specifics of Wiccan initiation, I've been led to believe that the process is considerably less costly in terms of time and material requirements.

My understanding is that Gardner's proscriptions against charging for services were rooted in his concerns about England's Witchcraft law. At that time Britain was just getting over a Spiritualism craze, which had ended with quite a few "mediums" cheating little old widows out of their pensions and the like. The authorities assumed anyone who was identifying as a witch was doing so to bilk the gullible. By prohibiting witches from making money off the Craft, Gardner hoped to separate himself from the seedy con artists. (It also helped that most of Gardner's coven came from a social class where they didn't need to make a living selling charms and spells: he was a retired civil servant and solidly middle-class, unlike the hedge witches and cunning men of the day).

After reading through reams of advertisements for Ascended Master Vacations, Sacred Peruvian Quartz Crystal Magic Wands, Mongolian Spiritual Herb Baths and the like, I can definitely see some merit to ol' Gerald's proscription.  I am well aware that the Kanzo ceremony could easily become yet another vacation opportunity for someone seeking to add to their collection of "life-changing spiritual experiences." Instead of a sign that one is committed to the lwa, a kanzo could become a sign that you had sufficient disposable income and accrued vacation time. And there are plenty of spiritual con artists who will happily fleece the sheep for anything they can get.  I've talked to plenty of people who have lost thousands of dollars trying to bring back a lost love. I've even run into a few who were convinced I had to be a fraud because I didn't want large sums of money to do the work!

But I've also seen the "Witches do not charge for services" degenerate into "no Witch should charge ME for acting as my 24/7 on-call teacher, counselor and spiritual leader" and then to "no deity has the right to expect any kind of sacrifice from me."   Along the way the universe is transformed from a place of glory and terror into a great training-school that exists solely to lead the mystic to Enlightenment. The deities become what Raven Kaldera has called "the great Barbie dolls who give you stuff." And many capable, enthusiastic Pagan clergyfolk burn out and withdraw from the community after their starry-eyed idealism runs headlong into their students' sense of entitlement.

There are two great lessons to be found in the runes Fehu and Gebu: the payment for services rendered and the gift which is given in anticipation of future favors. Both runes are (like all the runes) primal forces which shape our world, our society and our lives and both are intimately connected with rights and responsibilities.  Fehu teaches us that very worker is owed a proper wage: Gebo teaches that every worthwhile gift comes with obligations attached.  Those who don't understand that should meditate on the laws of Thermodynamics, which teach us that every action must have an equal and opposite reaction.

That exchange does not have to involve a set fee given in exchange for your degree. You can pay your initiator and your coven back by contributing your time and your wisdom to the Craft. ("Ask not what Wicca can do for you, but what you can do for Wicca").  And you can remember the debt you owe when your initiator falls on hard times. As Isaac Bonewits, who has weathered several financial storms and health issues, said:

Neopaganism cannot survive as a movement if 99% of us remain takers most of the time and only 1% are givers. I have been delighted to meet some of that 1%, but we need to increase that percentage dramatically over the next several years, or some of Pagandom’s best known elders are going to be living—and possibly dying—on the streets...

The gods who sustain you, and the teachers who initiate you, have given you a tremendous gift. It is fitting for you to recognize that and to respond accordingly. Gardner said that your initiators and high priestesses can't ask you for money: common courtesy says that they should not have to do so. If we want to be harbingers of a New Age and founders of a new magical community, we are going to have to accept our responsibilities to our community and to those who work to build and sustain it.