--On 18 August 2006 20:22 -0700 Caroline Tully <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Oh, that's interesting. I would have thought that there'd be lots and
> lots of Wiccan lines willing to initiate.
In Bristol, as far as I know, there are three genuine Wiccan covens (mostly
Gardnerian but with some crossover into Alexandrian). All three are
currently closed to new trainees; two because of illness, and one (ours)
because we've trained two batches of people and need a rest, and because
the size of the average living-room doesn't accommodate more than 8 for a
Wiccan ritual (you can fit more in for a Druid ritual, but that's because
there's less movement in a Druid ritual, and no athames being waved around).
> The thing is, with a group like the O.T.O., its not like there are no
> rules for joining, or that anyone who can come up with the bucks can
> join, but membership doesn't rest on fitting into an intimate coven
> situation - although some O.T.O. groups are probably more intimate than
> others. Potential members do need to be sponsored by two other members,
> and if you affiliate with a particular group you'd need to be reasonably
> likely to be able to get on with the other members. But even if you don't
> get on with other members, you can still be initiated into the O.T.O.
> system (provided you get sponsorship) and simply not join any of the
> groups within the larger structure.
similar to the Druid system (of OBOD anyway).
> I know people are incredulous that the O.T.O would cost money, but the
> ancient Mystery Religions like the Eleusinian Mysteries weren't exactly
> cheap - or free for that matter! I just look at it that way. And call me
> cynical but I'm sure that although money may not exchange hands in Wiccan
> covens, there'd be 'payment' in something, whether that's fitting into a
> hierarchy and making the higher degree members feel good, supporting a
> prima donna HPS by being an audience.... (I'm just thinking if very bad
> examples there - not that other groups including O.T.O wouldn't also have
> such *human* goings on....)
>
> ~Caroline.
There's a difference between charging for learning materials, and charging
for time. In Wicca it would be considered legitimate to ask for
reimbursement for photocopying if all of it was done by one person (in our
coven we just email each other rituals and print them out ourselves). But
some of these New Age types charge megabucks for their *time*. I don't
charge for time spent training, because I get a lot out of it.
Yvonne
¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º
http://www.yvonneaburrow.org.uk/
http://nemeton.blogspot.com/
http://vogelbeere.livejournal.com/
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