Recently, someone asked me:
Should Wiccan clergy and teachers be paid?
Let's look at one aspect of this question...
Never Pay For Training
There is an old taboo in Wicca against charging for training that I, for one, would like to see aggressively re-asserted. It is unjustified and unethical to use your students to generate or supplement one's income as a teacher, and can lead to the further degradation of the Craft.
The taboo comes from old Craft laws against taking money for practicing magick, namely:
(Note: No general "anti-Christian" smear is intended here...the practices of the "priests of the Christians" mentioned here are the same ones that pissed off Martin Luther)
Never accept money for the use of the art, for money ever smeareth the taker. 'Tis sorcerors and conjurers and the priests of the Christians who ever accept money for the use of their arts. And they sell pardons to let men ascape from their sins. Be not as these. If you accept no money, you will be free from temptation to use the art for evil causes.
It's fairly self-explanitory...if you practice magick for money, then you might be tempted to do unethical magick just because someone's willing to pay highly for it (and people looking for a "Witch for hire" are often willing to do just that).
The reason that this prohibition was extended towards the teaching of the Craft was for similar reasons. When something becomes a monetary source, then there is always the temptation to bend or break certain rules to increase one's revenues. It becomes all too tempting to accept student who might not be right for your particular style of Wicca, or for the Craft in general, if they're able to pay.
The same goes for advancing students once they're in the training program. if one of my students doesn't do the work, then they don't advance...they don't gain initiation, they don't advance in the degrees, etc. Anyone wanting an "instant Witch" course is in for a rude awakening, let me tell you! This way, when someone is an initiate (or 2nd degree, etc) in my coven/Tradition, they know that they've achieved something, and will do us proud out in the community. Believe me, only a small percentage of those who are interested actually stick it out. The lazy ones? Well, they tend to weed themselves out. If these students were the source, or a signifigant supplement to, one's income however, then the temptation becomes strong to "go easy on them", so one doesn't lose their money.
Were the idea of charging for training to become widely acceptable, then the already alarmingly low training standards present in the community would become watered down even more. We've already seen this in the realm of Pagan publishing, where easy "how to" books have been so simplified that they've begun to "simplify" the heart and soul right out of Witchcraft.
Take my recent posting of the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess. My wife (and HPS) was amazed at just how many people had never seen it before, when we consider that one of the foundational myths of the entire Craft (and it is, too)! I, however, knew differently...I've kept up on the newer books a bit more (though I don't have the time or funds to do it enough), and knew that the Legend of the Descent dropped out of the "pop" Wiccan literature some years ago.
It's bad enough that our books, which are the prime source of training for a great many Wiccans and Pagans today, have been "simplified" to appeal to more people to the point of losing a lot. We cannot allow this to happen to in-person training! And yet, if someone sets themselves up to be a "teacher for pay", then this will happen. It's simple market forces...the more people one 's "product" appeals to, the more "product" gets sold, the more money one makes. And while it would be nice to think that we Witches are "above" such mundane temptations, well...we're only human. All it takes is for one huckster to start making obscene amounts of money through less-than-ethical means, and the temptation grows.
What's worse, the people who are taught by these "degree mills" can then go on to set up their own busisness covens, and the half-assed knowledge spreads.
So, no charging for training. This is all-inclusive, by the way, so no charging for "Wicca 101" classes that aren't part of a coven program, either. I know of one store owner (who's store is no longer open, thank goodness) who used to charge $10 per class for "Wicca 101" classes out of his store. He tried justifying the cost by saying that he had to "pay for the utilities to be on" during his classes. I called BS right away. After all, I doubt that he turned off the heat in the middle of winter (which is when this particular round of classes was held) when the store was closed...his pipes would have frozen! And I doubt a couple of hours of electricity and turning the thermostadt up cost him $120 (which is what he made from each class...it had 12 people paying $10 each)! Over the 10-class course, he made a tidy $1,200. Looking at the information he gave his students, they could have gotten everything he had to offer from one or two decent books on the subject. For $100, they should have gotten a hell of a lot more.
Warning, I'm About To Go Off On A Bit Of A Rant Here
Basically, the things that it's OK to charge for are things like books, video tapes and DVDs...tangible things. Products, things that can be held in one's hand, put on a shelf, pulled down weeks, months, or years later to referenced again and again. Thus, no charging for training also means things like "Witchschool" are crossing the line. Now, I know that there are some on here that are members of this website, and quite enthusiastic ones at that, but I have good reasons for having a strong aversion towards their approach. Allow me to quote their website:
WitchSchool.com offers as it's first basic service a First Degree Wicca Course. This is a 13-lesson system covering a broad range of skills and philosophies of modern Wicca. This is complimented by the Mentor program, a way to find and receive help by trained and dedicated volunteers who offer direct and personal assistance. This is from individuals from all over the world, a truly global campus, who want to study and teach as much as you want to learn.(emphasis added)
Let's look at what they're offering...a "mentor program"..."direct and personal assistance"...and, most absurdidly, a Degree program! These are all things that covens offer, and should not have a price tag attatched! (note: I know their first degree program is free, but I've been in sales before...this is just a technique to get someone into a product so they'll pay to get more) Let me tell you this...no distance-learning program, whether online or through the mail, can give someone a first degree in the Craft! No correspondence course can ever replace one-on-one teaching. The whole thing reeks of a diploma mill.
Also, they advertise themselves as being a place where people can "truly learn about the Magical and Wiccan world", and then only offer information on one Tradition. Granted, it's good that they don't try to put themselves out as being a place that can make you "any traditon you like", but I think the more honest statement would be that they can help you to "truly learn about the Correllian Wiccan Tradition".
What gets me about the whole enterprise is that they're putting themselves out as something that's impossible...an online school that can replace the training that one can get in a coven. And people, confused about the mire of poor and shoddy instructional materials clogging the Wiccan publishing world today, and yet longing for more clear and stubstantial instruction in the ways of the Wicca, could mistakenly believe that they've received an actual degree-level training regimen...all for $40 a year!
Now, I'm not that "up" on the Correllian Tradition...I do not know if this sort of thing is considered OK amongst the larger part of the Trad, or if this is a renegade enterprise. I also haven't looked over the Witchschool materials available to be able to give an honest assesment on the quality of their training and materials. However, I can say one thing...never pay for training. You will not get what you're paying for, and will only feel cheated in the end.
And we, as a community, should not tolerate those who would offer our sacred Craft up for dollar signs. I've already gone over the risks to our Craft above. Of course, that means that the experienced amongst us will have to step up to do some free "mentoring" to help guide those lost in the shuffle, but our faith as a whole will be stronger for it.
Blessed Be,
Taliesin