Llewellyn had written to this website owner before, and had gotten no response. Now, scores of angry authors, publishers, and readers were suddenly sending her messages, including a Llewellyn author I know quite well, Deborah Blake, who was unaccountably sweet with her. Deborah forwarded me the website owner’s response – which was the first we had ever heard from her, in her own words! At that point I also responded to her, directed her to my blog post so she could understand our concerns, and our permissions manager followed up with yet another email explaining her legally precarious situation, and what was within the bounds of the law, and what was not. (Aside from the books which she had removed by then.)

And then, tonight this woman had the nerve to post a long-winded comment to my blog, trying to justify her actions. I did not approve it because I did not want it to pass by without commentary, nor did I want to drive any more traffic (positive or negative) to her website.

I will continue to refrain from publishing her name here, but here is her entire post (scout’s honor!), with my comments interspersed. If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is that if you don’t understand copyright law, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Don’t post it if you’re in doubt. If you don’t understand the law, ask somebody. And once it’s been explained to you, don’t cry about it. Just make the changes and move on. Anyway, here goes…and by the way, [sic] to all. I haven’t copy edited her at all.

Ever copied a spell or ritual into your BOS? You’re in violation of copyright. Ever copy and paste a spell or prayer to your computer for a ritual? Oops, you’re in violation of copyright. Did you print off that article to share with your coven? Copyright violation! Did you read and send a spell to a friend? Join a yahoo group that sends out spells? Copyright violations everywhere!

And here we have fundamental flaw number one. If you’re copying a spell into your own Book of Shadows for your own purposes, that’s fine. If you’re photocopying a couple pages of a book, that’s fine. (Although at FedEx Kinko’s, they won’t photocopy things for you anymore if you’re not the copyright owner. That’s how serious this is.) But I fail to see how copying a page or a spell for your own personal use is in ANY way synonymous or even comparable to the wholesale ripping off of entire books.

You know what, I agree, authors should be paid for their work and a copyright is a good thing. I apologize to all I may have harmed for all my copyright violations.

If you think that authors should be paid for their work and copyright is a good thing, then we’re done here. Yet apparently, we’re not done, because this woman does not truly believe the words she just wrote. Read on…

You see, just so everyone here is on the same page, I have a sneaking suspicion it’s my website currently being lamblasted here.

A sneaking suspicion? I emailed you the link myself! Apparently one can never be too obvious with this woman.

If you want to visit my website, do so quickly, since it’s coming down within the month. There are probably a 1000 or so pages, so act quickly if you’re looking for information.

I respect copyright – so quick! Download as much of my pirated stuff as possible before I’m yanked off the air!

The reason it’s coming down is simple. I screwed up with the copyrights. Not the modern books, that’s new. But Llewellyn asked me to remove something before. I thought I had done as they requested, but it turned out, I didn’t. I made the changes to the right page, but the wrong file and I didn’t check it. My site is huge and not database driven, each page something I have to manually go into and change. Me and me alone. Also, I was on two computers, using different files. I know better, it was bad website management. It was a mistake. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. By taking the site down, I’m making sure of it. While we’re on the subject of Llewellyn, lets give them some credit for being reasonably flexible.

This is interesting. She thought she had done as we requested, which was to remove 32 copyrighted books from her website. Yet they were still there a month later. Oopsy? That doesn’t cut it. You have two computers? Who cares. You have a huge site that is fully manual? That’s your own fault for posting so many ripped off pieces of work from other authors, NONE of which are in your own words.

I also think its a sad loss of something that helped a whole lot of people. In my opinion, the idea of Wiccan education suffered a great loss.

This is where she starts acting like the Helen Keller or the Mother Teresa of Pagan education. Like her website is going to teach thousands of bright young Wiccans… because why? We’re underground? The knowledge is simply not available or accessible anywhere else? There aren’t intelligent, well-rounded, ethical teachers all over the internet who write lessons in their own words, without copying and pasting other people’s works?

I was willing to make the changes needed. I was willing to make the compromises.

Then why didn’t she?

But, I realized, I couldn’t make the promise it wouldn’t happen again. How could I? And, quite frankly, I have no intention of reliving the nightmare I’ve found myself in.

She couldn’t promise she wouldn’t accidentally upload entire, pirated books again. And by the way, I have no sympathy for this whole nightmare. She had been warned before.

You wouldn’t believe the names I’ve been called via email and on blogs. I don’t make a single dime off the website, so driving or not driving traffic makes no difference to me. I do pay a significant amount of money out of my own pocket for a site of that size. This firestorm is just not worth it to me to maintain the website.

You know who else pays money out of their own pockets for websites? Authors.

I wrote a letter, which I sent to a wide variety of folks, including the authors and publishers who felt they were harmed by my actions. Some accepted my heartfelt apology for my mistake. Some read the letter and offered genuinely useful suggestions and information, allowing me to understand copyright law and my options in something that approximated English.

If our previous communications with you were not in English, I do apologize. As far as I’m aware that’s the only language our permissions manager speaks, but I could be wrong. If you’d needed further explanation or clarification, let me refer you to the “reply” button of your email service.

Letter begins:

Thank you for your email. I always appreciate hearing the opinions of my readers and others. I certainly can see your point and I respect it. The webpage you are referring to has been removed.

Please allow me to explain my thoughts on the subject briefly.

First, I do hope you took the opportunity to review the remainder of the website as a whole. You will notice that there are many, many articles written over the span of several decades. All of them, wherever possible, provide author credit, link backs to where I got the information and copyright information when attached to an article. It has never been my intention to claim credit for that which I did not create.

The issue is not simply about giving credit. It’s more than obvious that you did not write all this material, and for that, I can honestly thank you. I can’t even begin to tell you how many websites a simple Scott Cunningham or Dorothy Morrison spell will show up on, with no attribution given whatsoever. However, just because you’re giving attribution does not make it legal. This is why there is a copyright disclaimer in the front of each and every book that says you must have permission from the publisher for further reproduction, internet included. That part is in plain English.

This is what a copyright notice looks like. It's in English.

Secondly, you might have also noticed that some of these links are no longer viable. I have lost a great deal of information simply by keeping a favorites link and going back to find important information gone because the site is no longer maintained. That’s why I always download and link.

Thirdly you may not be aware of the sincere difficulties those of us who are both solitary AND living in a deeply religious area, such as Lynchburg , VA for myself, function under. I didn’t buy books, or jewelry or magazines or anything else because I didn’t dare. I have been shot at, physically and verbally threatened and I live daily with the knowledge that were my family to find out my religion, I would be banned from seeing them and from contact with my cousins, who I love very much. It is quite difficult to learn about my religion under those circumstances.

We at Llewellyn, and our authors, are more than aware of the dangers and difficulties of living a closeted Pagan life in a small town, rural community, or part of the country that doesn’t care for our kind, and I am truly sorry for your trials and tribulations. That’s why we even published a book called The Small-Town Pagan’s Survival Guide. That book offers a wealth of ideas on how to practice your faith under the radar, or how to share it with others. The author of that book, may she rest in peace, even bought a complete altar set-up at a WalMart just to prove her point that one can practice Paganism anywhere. Even if you are in the sticks, you have internet in the privacy of your home. On the internet you can order books and your neighbors will be none the wiser when it shows up on your doorstep in a brown box. You can even download books – legally. Where and how you live is no excuse for pirating.

Fourth, when in college, I still look back in wincing pain as I remember days of ramen noodles and five solid weeks of KFC chicken because my friend next door was a manager and brought home all the chicken at the end of the day for us to eat. Ugh. Book purchases outside of textbooks were a ridiculous idea. Please note that I am not saying that copyright violations are an acceptable excuse, I am raising a point. How shall I educate the poor, the disenfranchised, without the books?

Please just stop. Just because you ate Ramen and KFC does not make you Mother Teresa. It does not confer a mantle of holiness upon your shoulders that frees you to distribute copyrighted materials to poor, disenfranchised people for the rest of your life. It doesn’t! How shall you educate them? In your own words, my dear! Please refer back to my original post and give a special reading to comment # 15 from Donald Michael Kraig. To wit, “Help set information free by writing the information in your own words. Show your originality and creativity.” If you’ve been a practicing Wiccan for all these years and still can’t manage to write your own ritual to share with your students, then I truly feel sorry for both you and them.

Fifth, when I finally moved to Northern VA and married an open minded man, I attended my first coven groups. We sang many wonderful songs. The HPS of the evening possessed only a few crude mimeograph copies of the lyrics, not even the musical copy. I kept those two pages for many years, but time killed my memory and I did not know how to sing them. I could not teach my coven to sing them. At long last, I learned that the lyrics came from Starhawk’s lovely albums, still available, and A Circle of Women, which was no longer published. This is among the many reasons I am so adamant about knowing and remembering who created it. There are so many things lost to us now because our American Wiccan founders, the early singers and writers, could not pass the information widely enough to survive.

Thank goodness we are now living in the information age and this kind of thing will become a rare occurrence. But you are not responsible for enshrining that information yourself. Just because you want to hold onto something does not mean you also have to post it freely on your website so everyone can download it.

My final point is this. My actions are based strictly on my own experiences as a Wiccan of 20 years. I firmly believe in the Wiccan Rede. I did not intend to harm anyone, I give you my word. Under NO circumstances did I intend to steal from anyone.

Which still doesn’t explain why all the files weren’t removed immediately upon first notification…

My intent was and remains the goal of education for Wiccans today and to teach Wiccans of the future their past as it revolves around us and those who preceded us. Today I own a library containing many of the books I posted, and many more I have not. My coven members have always had access to it; indeed, anyone interested is welcome to what is on my shelves. But unfortunately, that is only for those local to me.

Fortunately she is not the only Wiccan in America. There are others, all over the country and the world, that are willing to help teach newcomers, to lend them some books from their personal collections, to offer them a helping hand. And, fortunately, there are plenty of respectable websites offering free and legal content as well.

I am sure you understand the points I am making. So I will ask the question of you that I am asking of everyone this evening. It has no easy answer. If those like Starhawk, Gerald Gardner and many many others had not recognized the value of educating others BROADLY, around the world, about our religion, how would Wicca grow?

Wait… she did NOT just compare herself to Starhawk and Gardner, did she?!

How will it grow into the future? Uniquely lacking a gathering place, unsafe to announce our religion aloud even here in America , I ask you once again. How shall I educate without the books? Surely somewhere, there is compromise.

How shall she educate without the books? No one is asking her to. All we are asking is fair pay for our work – and I say that on behalf of authors, publishers, and booksellers as well. She might also like to talk with other Wiccan teachers around the country who are managing to do the Great Work just fine without distributing files without authorization.

Letter ends.

I’ll post my letter here in the hopes of generating some sort of useful discussion. After all, the problem is much larger than is being appreciated right at this moment.

What ARE you going to do with all the blogs and covens walking around with articles and spells written down, saved on hard drives etc.?

Good point. There is nothing we can do about people with our books, articles, annuals, spells, recipes, chants, etc. kept on their hard drive, or written in their Book of Shadows, lovingly copied from a well-used book. And I’m OK with that, and probably most authors would be, too. But what we can do is stop websites from the wholesale theft of our copyrighted materials. These are not books that are lost to the sands of time – these are books anyone can legally download through Kindle, Nook, Sony, Apple, etc…or ordered in the print form if it has not yet been digitized. It’s not the end of the world. This is not just a tidbit or two… it is serious business. I hope she can recognize that by now, but I think the point is lost on her.

How will you eliminate the thousands of bit torrents with these books in them? The many websites like mine?

The conflicting information, such as one producer saying POST NOTHING while another says its ok for me to keep a version for me personally, on my hard drive, just not to give it out? Llewellyn themselves says it’s ok to post up to 250 words before getting their permission. Is that per spell? Per page? Per website? How do you plan to shut individuals like me down when the many various people involved in the problem can’t even explain the copyright law to me in the same way?

Another good point. All publishers have different limits as to what they’ll permit. A conscientious web operator would find out what those limits are and try to stick to them. A halfway intelligent web operator who made a mistake would abide by those limits after having been reprimanded once or twice. And anyone who has any measure of sustained concentration would eventually be able to decipher Llewellyn’s 250-word rule, which was sent to her again today. This is what our permissions manager emailed to her and copied me on:

“You can use up to 250 words (except for spells) from any one of our books at any one time without further permission, with proper attribution of the work: title, author, publisher, and a link to purchase the book at Llewellyn.com. You may post 250 words from up to six books at a time, but total posted at any one time must not exceed six titles. You must remove material from a title already posted to keep the total at six”.

Why would she ever think that was “per spell?” Especially when the next line of this email was “Posting of spells is not allowed. Posting information from our annuals is not allowed without permission.”

How hard to do you think you’ll yell at Barnes and Noble for their Nook, which allows people to LEND out books for which one person paid, but the Lendee did not? Where’s the line here?

The line is that Barnes and Noble paid us money for that. And that we are perfectly aware of the lending functionality of their devices. It is not the same as posting it for a million people to download all at once. Again, please return to my previous post and see the myth “It’s the same as borrowing a book from a library, or from a friend.”

And don’t give me that “go to the library” crap. Most small town libraries don’t carry books like these. Most small bookstores are going out of buisness. My occult store did. Borders is out of buisness. Have you tried recently to review Barnes and Nobles selection of WICCAN books? Barely more than a shelf not even a bookshelf. In my small hometown, do I plan on reading Wiccan books in the BN Cafe out in the open while I take notes? Are you KIDDING? But their Christian stuff takes up five bookshelves. I counted.

I don’t care, because obviously you’re connected to the Internet. Bookstores live there too, you know.

Everything I had on my website I got online first.

So? As the saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right.

I didn’t type or scan anything. Just copy, paste or download. That’s not intended as an excuse, it’s a fact. A symptom of the real problem. In the world of E everything, you no longer control your copyrights.

Actually, we do. And as long as people respected them, which you claim you do, we’d have no problem. Since you don’t, we send takedown notices and take legal action instead. We do control our copyrights, even though it is becoming increasingly difficult. Make no mistake of that.

I guess one of the reasons I have even bothered to post twice now about piracy (which is very old news) is that I have a sincere hope that at least our niche, spiritual community, unlike the masses of nameless Internet surfers downloading Nickelback, will see the value, ethics, and repercussions involved in this situation, and rise above others. I hope that Pagans, Wiccans and magicians of all stripes will fully support our small and fledgling community. I hope that Pagans, Wiccans, and magicians actually have superior ethics to others, guided by the Rede and the threefold law of karmic return. That is really the whole reason I am writing this post.

It’s not possible. Like sex, the kitty is out out of the burlap.

Ha ha hahahahahaha hahah haahahaha hahahah! Gasp. And meow.

You got me. You shut me down. I would have prefered you educated me, but only one of the many authors/publishers offered that. I’m grateful to them. But I’m one person.

You would have preferred we educated you? How about you take responsibility for your own actions and educate yourself? How about you ask questions the next time a publisher tells you to take down material and you somehow can’t get that request through your head? I’m sorry, but my patience is wearing thin now. It’s not our responsibility to educate you, although with my previous post I sincerely hope I’ve educated many, or at least made them pause to think about the consequences of their actions.

After all this, someday, you might meet me again. You might not. But rest assured, should you be suffering under the belief that I haven’t learned my lesson about posting copyrights, I HAVE.

WELL THANK GODS.

In fact, I know I made more mistakes than just the mistake of copyright infringement here. I’ll be sure to learn from them all. The insults from people who don’t know me and weren’t an author or publisher to whom my apologies were deserved felt breathtaking in their cruelty and crudeness. The kindness of strangers who supported me, or forgave me after I apologized for wronging them, will always be cherished.

I apologize for the criticisms and insults you’ve received from complete strangers. I’ve received quite a few myself today, just by standing up for authors’ rights. Some people truly feel we have no right to charge for this knowledge. Knowledge is free. But the end product of years of toil is not free. Learn from it, and pass on the knowledge in your own words if you’re brave enough to do so. If the best you can do is pass on the words of the masters, then give them due respect by expecting yourself and your students to pay them for their efforts.

Thank you.

First, the background: people loves to steal our books. Libraries and bookstores have claimed for years that some of their most frequently stolen stock are the religious books – anything from the Bible to those on witchcraft and magic. Whether this comes from a belief that all sacred knowledge should be free, a desire to hold onto a book containing so much wisdom (or so many exercises that can’t all be gotten through in the three-week lending period!), or, in the case of witchcraft books, concern that others in their small community might find out that the reader has an interest in these topics, and thus be “outed,” it’s always seemed a little strange anyway. If you’re specifically looking for a book on spirituality, doesn’t that imply that you’re trying to make yourself a better person? In that case, why start off on the wrong foot by stealing a book?

With this pattern having been in place for years, it should shock no one that in the digital age this would quickly translate over to stealing spirituality ebooks in any form. The music industry has wrestled with illegal downloads for years – we all know there are file sharing programs and sites that easily circumvent established means of distribution.

This is what a copyright notice looks like, stupid pirater.

The website I was sent multiple times today is a repeat offender. I won’t post a link here because I don’t want to drive traffic to her site. Let’s just say that she has a nifty little disclaimer about how she got all these PDFs of ebooks off the internet (presumably absolving herself of responsibility, having not scanned them in herself) and that as far as she knows they are not violating anyone’s copyright. And if she is in error, to please let her know. (I guess there was something about the COPYRIGHT PAGE of each of our books that she failed to understand.)

Llewellyn, Red Wheel/Weiser, and other publishers have notified this person, by writing to the email address listed on the website, several times. And yet that notice is still up, and our books are still there for illegal downloading. So today (after the very first email I received) we sent a DCMA takedown notice to her ISP, and hopefully those pages of her website will be removed soon. [Update: it looks like it's working. I'll check again from home, and again tomorrow.]

But since I kept hearing about it all day, regardless of our invisible-to-the-outside-world actions (which are things we deal with every day, incidentally), I wanted to post a few thoughts for you all to consider and hopefully discuss.

MYTHS ABOUT PIRATED BOOKS

“It doesn’t cost them anything to make an ebook, so why should I pay for it?”

This one I’ve also heard for legal, paid downloads, except in that case it goes “It doesn’t cost them anything to make an ebook, so why should I pay a normal book price for it? It should cost only $1.99/[insert your own price here]. I mean, I even had to buy a device to read it in the first place.”

Here’s the thing. First of all, an author wrote that book. They spent hundreds of hours researching, writing, editing, proofing, revising, communicating with their publisher, and in many cases, teaching, lecturing, writing a blog, marketing, etc. in order to have their good name in the field, in order for their manuscript to be desirable for publication. So that’s one person that should be paid for their effort.

Secondly, multiple people are involved in publishing a good book:

• the editor who carefully selects, acquires, contracts and develops it (that’s me, in this case),
• the editors who copy edit and proof it (the production editor, layout designer, and proofreader),
• the marketing team that writes the back cover copy, web copy, catalog copy, and so on,
• the cover designer who created a cover,
• the publicity team that sends out a press release, galley, or review copy to your favorite Pagan podcaster,
• the accounting staff who send out the royalty checks and pay our bills,
• the IT department that converts our book files to ePub formats and keeps our websites and servers running.

These are all fixed costs, whether the book comes out in print or digital (unless the author is self-published, in which case he or she can have more control over the pricing of the book and also gets to keep more of the profit). If you add a print release (not digital-only) then you can add the sales staff, customer service, and the warehouse crew. Basically the only thing you’re taking out of the entire equation by downloading an ebook is the cost of paper, printing, and distribution (trucking, shipping, etc.), and the people who make sure the physical copies get sent to the customers, whether those are bookstores or people. So are you still so convinced that your ebook should only cost a dollar? Or nothing?

“It’s the same as borrowing a book from a library, or from a friend.”

Um, except for the fact that the library bought a copy of the book, or your friend bought a copy of the book. (Even libraries that now do digital lending.) And that they have a finite number of copies (physical or digital) that they are able to lend out at any given time – not a file that can be downloaded over and over again in the blink of an eye by complete strangers all over the world.

Let me put it this way – surely you would lend $10 to a friend in need. But would you put up your PayPal account details on the internet for the world to see with a note that says “hey, feel free to borrow ten bucks”? If you did, I’m guessing you’d go broke immediately, unless you have some very deep pockets.

“But publishers have very deep pockets.”

Maybe some do – but I’ve never worked for a publisher that does. We’re talking about Pagan books here. It’s a niche. We hope to sell 5,000 copies if the book is to be successful. (And, not to shake your confidence in the system or anything, but some of our books only sell hundreds of copies and we don’t make a dime.) We are not selling Harry Potter here! We are not flying our authors around on world tours or taking them out for three-martini lunches! Being an independent, midsized publisher in a small field is not a license to print money.

Here is a great quote to illustrate the situation, written by Colin Robinson, who formerly worked for a large New York publisher:

Books have always been a low-profit item and in recent years margins have been shrinking even further. Publishers now regularly give bookshops a 50 per cent or even a 55 per cent discount on the retail price. The distributor that warehouses and delivers the book will typically take 10 per cent of what remains, or more if you are a small publisher; 15 per cent goes on production (printing, paper, typesetting). Add another 10 per cent for the author’s royalties and the publisher is left with 10 per cent to cover promotion costs, rent and office expenses, wages – and profit. No wonder it’s called the gentleman’s profession.

“But authors have deep pockets.”

While you wait for me to stop laughing, did you notice the author’s royalty in the quote above? It’s not much, and it can actually be even less depending on the genre, the format of publishing, and a variety of other factors. Authors don’t have deep pockets either – they cannot afford to give you their book for free. If they could, they would! (And some actually have, just as many musicians are now releasing their music and letting their fans decide what to pay for it.)

Most authors support themselves with full-time jobs in addition to writing and enriching their communities. The very few who don’t work a “day job” have to tour and teach constantly to make a salary to live off of. Some even sell potions, spells, or courses on the internet to add a little income. And yet they still provide plenty of free content on their websites, blogs, facebook pages and other media. They are more than willing to share – up to a point. If they approach a publisher to publish their book, it means, by default, that they want to get paid for it. It has value. So do them a favor and buy their book if you appreciate their work and want to make sure that they continue to write for, communicate with, and teach the community in the future.

“But it’s all over the internet anyway…”

Go ahead and read all the free blog posts you want. Learn about Wicca by putting together information from ten different websites. Go ahead and search for that certain spell you need on Google. Not sure what to do for next month’s full moon? Just type it into the search box. Go onto the Internet Sacred Text Archive or Patheos and learn about the world’s religions. These are all perfectly valid ways to get information. There are TONS of free resources on the internet – ones that are given freely by their creators. (Perhaps because they have ad revenue they can rely on. Perhaps they just do it out of the goodness of their heart.) So why do people even feel the need to download whole books in the first place? By wanting to download a book more than you want to read a website or blog (etc.), you are admitting that it has a certain value that is greater than what you can browse for free. The sum is greater than its parts. So please, pay for it.

“But I’m poor, I can’t afford to buy these books myself…”

See the above list of free resources. And visit your local library.

“But I wasn’t even sure I would like it, so why pay money on it?”

In today’s book-buying world, that is no longer an excuse. You can get previews of just about any books online, either at Amazon, GoogleBooks, or the publisher’s own website. You can browse reviews from other readers on GoodReads or other retailers’ websites. You can visit the author’s website or blog and see if you like their writing style or agree with their ideas. You can ask your facebook friends if they ever read the book and would recommend it.

“Information should be free!”

I totally agree, to a point. Information is what permeates the very fabric of the universe; information is as basic and integral to life itself as light, and so far no one is charging for light. Information is heady and exciting. Hermes/Mercury, the god of communication, is also the god of tricksters and thieves, so it’s not unreasonable to expect he’d be encouraging illegal downloads.

However, he is also god of merchants – trading, bartering, and yes, paying for goods and services. If you step back and look at the big picture, information is just a type of energy. And energy is never static, it must be exchanged. Money is also a form of energy – it’s how our minutes and hours of toiling away at something we might not always like get converted into poker chips we can trade in for things we like better. Therefore, it’s not only acceptable to use the energy of money in exchange for the energy of information – it’s divine. Like the universe itself, you are keeping energy in balance, in motion, in an unbroken chain, just as it likes.

Thanks for listening to my rant today. Please, feel free to discuss in the comments… I’m curious to hear your opinions and thoughts on this matter.

Occult traditions are filled with initiations. Some of the more famous initiations into groups can be found in books such as Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft or The Golden Dawn. These tend to be for initiation into both a tradition and a group. Self-Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition includes initiation rituals into the tradition but not into any specific group.

I remember when I was sharing an apartment with Scott Cunningham that he obtained an advertisement from a teacher of Wicca who promised that when you finished his course you would get an identification card that would allow you into any Wiccan coven or ritual. We laughed at that because no coven (and we actually contacted several in order to check) had heard of this teacher or would have honored his ID card.

Initiation into a group and tradition can be a life-changing experience. It gives you no powers, it only gives you the right to begin (the word “initiation” comes from the Latin word initium meaning ”entrance” or “beginning”) studying with a group. There are actually three ways to experience initiation, and I would contend that a complete occult education within a group structure requires that you experience all three at least once. Here are the three:

Experience One: As a candidate being initiated

This is what most people think of as the initiation experience. Usually, it involves some sort of hazing ranging from as simple as being blindfolded and pushed or shoved, to the threat of lethal violence (as in some Masonic initiations) or some form of minor or strident violence such as flogging. Being able to withstand this shows that you will keep the secrets of the group and are worthy of membership into the group or next level within the group.

Next, you are usually given some sort of information. This is often symbolic, as during the circumambulations in Golden Dawn groups where you stop to have metaphoric secrets given to you, or re-enactments of myths such as the Decent of the Goddess Ishtar (Inana).

One of the things this does is grant you membership into an “in” group. If someone else is a member, you may have secret words or actions that identify him or her as one of “us” as compared to those who are not part of the group. This convention was used in the Harry Potter books where those not initiated through the grades at Hogwarts were “Muggles.”

For the individual being initiated, the goal, really, is to start a change leading to what the Golden Dawn called being “more than human.” This change doesn’t occur so much on the physical plane as it does on the astral plane, what can appropriately be called an “astral initiation.” As a result, some groups offer “astral initiations.” But there is a difference between having your own astral initiation and being given an astral initiation by a group. Traditionally, the true astral initiation occurs either during a physical initiation or is triggered by the physical initiation, occurring later, perhaps during meditation or trancework (or even while observing another initiation). Groups that offer astral initiations usually do so in order to spread their group as widely as possible (which makes it available to those who might otherwise not be able to have a physical initiation), or, regrettably, simply as a way of getting money for the group. Most of the people I’ve met who talk about their astral initiations, in my opinion, received nothing of value. Those who become quality magicians and occultists do so because of their own studies, often distant from what the group offers, rather than from the group itself.

Even assuming that groups offering astral initiations are presenting something of value, there is still a difference between doing something by yourself and being part of a group rite. The physical, emotional, and psychological experience of an in-person initiation is different from astral initiations.

Experience Two: As an observer of an initiation

Sitting as an observer of an initiation ritual is not only a unique experience, it is also vital to the success of the rite. Not only will you be able to see what is going on from a different angle, you’ll also be able to see what is happening outside the vision of the person being initiated. This brings new insights and appreciations for what is going on, experiences that cannot be had by the initiate. It also allows you to send your energy to enhance the ritual. Depending upon the quality of the initiating team and their ability to use the energy, the more initiated observers the better.

I suggest observing initiations from different parts of a circle or temple or lodge. The experience, for me, is always different. I also find that there is a different experience for the observers depending upon the experience, background, personality and energy of each person being initiated .

Experience Three: As part of the team performing the initiation

Finally, performing a rite as an officer of the team doing the initiation is also a unique magickal experience. To do your best as part of the team means you are taking on the power, energy, and persona of what you are representing as one of the team. If you are a guardian of the circle, guard! In a Golden Dawn initiation you might take on the powers and energies of (“assuming the God form” of) Osiris. In a Wiccan initiation you might take on the being of The God or The Goddess through the rites of Drawing Down the Sun or Drawing Down the Moon.

Just as you’ll get a different experience as an observer from different positions around the circle or temple, you’ll also get different experiences depending upon the role you play as part of the initiation team.  I suggest that people try to experience each of the positions in the initiation crew so you get the full impact of every aspect of the initiation.

Even during the same ritual, the three experiences are different…and valuable. In psychological terms, the experience is either associated (experienced through your own eyes) or dissociated (experienced observing the person being initiated). Both psychological experiences are powerful. Their value is more than just to the candidate for initiation. It is also of value to the initiation team, the observers, and the organization into which the candidate is being initiated.

What do you think?
Have you participated in initiations as initiate, initiator, or observer?
What is your experience of these different aspects of initiation?

First, I would like to thank everyone who showed up for my workshops at Ancient Ways in Oakland, CA, this last weekend. I’d also like to thank shop owner Glenn Turner for her hospitality and friendship, as well as nods to Marilee, Michael, and everyone else at the shop. If you’re in the S.F. bay area, I would encourage you to visit the shop, if only to say “Hello.” I’d also like to thank the couple who came in all the way from San Jose on their “date night” to attend a workshop. And speaking of San Jose, the 18th annual PantheaCon convention, run by Glenn and a group of wonderful, dedicated workers and volunteers, is being held February 17–20, 2012. It’s one of the biggest metaphysically-oriented festival in the world and completely takes over the DoubleTree Hotel by the airport. Already, the hotel is completely booked, but don’t let that stop you from registering and attending. Here is a LINK with information for nearby hotels and motels. I’m planning on being there and giving a workshop or two (and maybe something unusual and special). I hope to see you there!

A Bit More History

Dion Fortune wrote that there is no room for authority in occultism. By that she meant that you should look to your own experience rather than the approval of supposed authorities. Crowley’s Book of the Law says the same thing: “Success is your proof.” So I try to avoid talking too much about who I am and my own history except when it illuminates some sort of point or concept I’m trying to share. Spiritual development is not about me, it’s about you. On my website, www.modernmagick.com, I only give a brief biography that is good for people who happen to visit the site. It’s sort of my curriculum vitae. But I think there is a bit more that may interest readers of this blog, and I’d like to share it for a reason that you’ll see.

I have been having paranormal experiences since I was about six years old. Obviously, I didn’t know it was a paranormal experience back then and only understood it many years later. By the time I was in junior high school (now often called “middle school”) I was taking trainings in skills that would prepare my mind for magickal development. This included advanced memory training and speed reading. While in high school I was instinctively performing magickal rituals, although I didn’t know that’s what they were. By the time I was in college I was deeply involved in the study of UFO phenomena, ESP, the paranormal, and in mastering the Tarot.

I studied. I practiced. I communicated. I joined. I was one of the members of AMORC in San Diego who signed the documents that resulted in their local group becoming a full-fledged “Lodge.” I joined group after group, learning what they had to share. I was initiated into numerous Wiccan and Witchcraft traditions. Quite frankly, I don’t remember all of the groups I’ve been initiated into (either through an honorary initiation or as a result of doing work with that group) because so many groups come and go. I haven’t publicized any of this because I take my vows to those organizations seriously.

I have been asked, point blank, “Are you a member of the Golden Dawn?” Although some Golden Dawn groups have changed their vows, most, as part of their first initiation, have you vow that you will not reveal who the members of the group are or where they meet. So if I were to answer that question “yes,” I’d be breaking my vows. If I answered that question “no,” I’d be lying.

I won’t lie and I won’t break my vows. So I do not answer that question other than to say this:

I have been involved with several groups that have claimed to be either “the” Golden Dawn or are following the Golden Dawn’s tradition. I have been involved with several groups that are Thelemic. I’ve been involved with chaos magick groups. I’ve ben part of Goetic groups. I’ve been part of Tarot-oriented groups. However early after the publication of Modern Magick I recognized that I would need to be fair and neutral in discussing occult and spiritual topics. Therefore, I divorced myself over time from having any sort of ritual or non-ritual role with any and all groups. For well over a decade, I have not held any office of any kind in any Western magickal order, including any group that claims to be a Golden Dawn group. Although I have been asked numerous times to found Pagan groups, I have not done so (although I’ve advised and been a member of such groups) and I have not held any position of any kind in any Wiccan, Witchcraft, Pagan or similar organization. I have stepped in and helped out at some individual rituals.

Therefore, I do not represent any Western magickal group or order.
I am not a “de facto” spokesperson for any Western occult group.
I do believe any group that wants to present their position honestly should do so themselves.

Any person who claims otherwise about me is simply not telling the truth.

So What Am I a Member Of?

As I wrote, because of my vows, I do not claim membership in any specific Western magickal group. I am a member of the Oberon Zell-Ravenheart-led organization, The Grey Council, and, as such, have advised on some of his books and The Grey School of Wizardry. I have been initiated into several Tantric organizations. I did have authorization to start such a group and did so many years ago while I was living in San Diego. That local group folded soon after I left. I am authorized to be a spokesperson for another Tantric group, however for the past several years new members have not been accepted so my representation has basically been to give out introductory information and tell people that membership is currently closed.

So now you know about me. I have been and currently am a member of numerous groups including ones associated with the Golden Dawn tradition. I do not hold any sort of office in any of them. I do not represent any of them. I don’t break my vows. I don’t lie. I do openly share what I’ve learned and know works for me and many others with the goal of helping people to improve their lives, help others, and become self-empowered while becoming strong mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Call in Saturday Night

You can hear me being interviewed and communicate directly with me this coming Saturday, August 13. I’m scheduled to appear with Steve McManus on his Forbidden America blogtalk internet radio show. You can find out about Steve on this LINK. You can find out about his show, HERE. And read about my upcoming appearance by clicking on this LINK. The show is on at 11:00 p.m. Eastern (8:00 p.m. Pacific). The phone number is 1-661-449-9322.

Just a quick post today, because I want people to spread the word about this.

This weekend I had an amazing time at Paganicon getting together with like-minded people in a safe and educational environment. At times like these I really feel like being Pagan is no big deal; it’s just another spiritual path that has all sorts of adherents, and we can all get together and talk about important things. But this morning back in the office, reality rudely awakened me once more to the fact that some people just don’t get it. That’s fine, but it’s a problem when those people then harass you and cause you to lose your job.

This article gives a compelling picture of  a group of people highly uncomfortable with having to work side by side with a Wiccan. We see the kinds of sneers and slights she had to endure; her complaints about harassment went unheeded, while a woman afraid that she’d be the target of a hex was escorted to her car for protection. It seems clear from the emails referenced in this article that this woman’s coworkers and supervisors at TSA were all working in unison to get her fired from her job.

I really wouldn’t expect more from an agency like TSA, because even though they’re a government agency and should be following the letter of the law… well, they don’t seem to have any regard for the 4th amendment of the Constitution, so why should they care about the 1st? However I am disappointed with the judge’s ruling in this case and truly hope that the woman is able to hire a lawyer for her appeal, because it’s possible she was just in too deep and not able to present a conclusive case to the judge that proves without a shadow of a doubt that she was fired because of her religious beliefs. Unfortunately, “as a Wiccan, I don’t believe in coincidences” just isn’t going to cut it in a court of law.

Hello Llewellyn Blog Readers!

I have been asked to be a guest blogger, so I am writing on my newest book, Practical Protection Magick: Guarding & Reclaiming Your Power. While protection magick is a hot topic, it can also be a controversial one. Why? Because some folks buy into the whole idea that protection magick and psychic self- defense is only for the self-deluded or paranoid. To which I strongly disagree.

We have done such a good publicity job over the past twenty years telling the general public that Witches never cast spells that could cause harm, that it has backfired on us. Why, magick and witchcraft is all white light and hot tubs, midwives and herbalism, pink sparkles and faery dust…. and you know what? That is simply not true.

Magick is a neutral force. It is honestly up to the individual spell caster how their spells will manifest. This outcome will be decided ultimately by the spell caster’s intentions. Not everyone out there is casting spells for “the good of all, with harm to none.” Jealousy, envy, hatred, and malice can be added into the mix. So it is time to be grown ups, face reality, and to stop pretending.

However, there is no need to be fearful of protection magick—but you do need to be street-smart and aware. Thinking you may never have to defend yourself on a psychic and/or magickal level is about as foolish as believing that you will never be the victim of a crime—just because you yourself would never do such a thing. The goal here is not to instill fear; it is instead to attain awareness. Not only is it is your right, it is also your duty to posses the skills required for psychic self defense and protection magick.

It’s time to be honest about this topic of protection magick, and to look at it from a neutral place. With candor, integrity, and a even bit of humor thrown in. Want to know how to diagnose a hex, crossed condition, or a curse? Do you know what the differences of those three conditions are? Do you think it would be a good idea to understand and be able to identify your own psychic strengths? Want to learn how to set healthy boundaries and possess the magickal and psychic skills required to handle trouble makers in a coven or those pesky emotional and psychic vampires? How about a new collection of protective spells, charms, and rituals for just about any type of self defense magick under the sun?

Well, I’ve got you covered. With Practical Protection Magick, not only will you learn something new on the topics of psychic self-defense and protection magick, you’ll actually enjoy the learning process and become a smarter, more savvy, and wiser Witch along the way.

For me? I’ll be spending a lot more time with Tarot books, as well as trying to find the time and energy to pursue a “home schooling masters degree,” as a friend of mine put it. What she does is look up university courses in subjects she’s interested in; most professors put the syllabus, including reading list and sometimes even homework, on their courses’ websites. Then, she simply follows along, does the reading, and pretends she’s in class with the rest of them. True, no one will earn a real graduate degree this way, but if you’re a lifelong learner, it’s definitely a lot cheaper than enrolling in school – especially if it’s a degree (or just a topic) that does not hold any strong career potential for you, but is just a raging interest you have.  So I’d like to try that for Sumerology.

What will be falling by the wayside? I’ll probably give up reading all the young adult books that our imprint Flux publishes. Some of them are really interesting, but I think I’m done reliving (and reimagining) my high school years and I don’t have a high school aged relative yet that I can “screen” the books for. So ultimately they are just a time-sucker.

Now then, to mark the change in the Gregorian calendar (don’t forget to write 2011 on your checks from now on!) I would like to put the question to you, dear readers – what are you looking for in 2011? What books do you think will help your progress, or are you pursuing an interest that does not lend itself to book learning? Are you shifting gears, deciding to read more romance novels, or buckling down to hit the textbooks? Also, I’ll happily field any requests for recommendations if I can be of help. And if you are looking for a book that hasn’t even been written yet, so much the better. They don’t call me an acquiring editor for nothing!

"I'm you...only smugger."

I thought I could let the whole Christine O’Donnell dabble-gate blow over without comment. But then the candidate from Delaware released a new political ad in which she says, “I am not a witch. I’m nothing you’ve heard. I’m you.”

Oh, dear Christine, you are so not me. Unlike you, I believe in evolution, I don’t believe that scientists created mice with human brains (human brain cells do not a human brain make), I don’t believe that masturbation constitutes adultery, I do not believe all homosexuals suffer from mental illness, I think women should be able to continue serving in the military…goodness, the list goes on and on. And let’s not even get into the hard core political questions behind the Tea Partiers in general. But none of that has to do with religion, or whether you’re a witch or not. Why do you have to keep putting that in the spotlight?

The way that O’Donnell has played this whole thing has been disrespectful of Pagans and Wiccans from the very start. When she first said she “dabbled into witchcraft” (uh, preposition much?) on Politically Incorrect in the ‘90s, she confused Witchcraft with Satanism. (And seriously, what self-respecting Satanist would even have a picnic on an altar?) Then when those old comments saw the light of day during her current campaign, she defended herself by saying, “How many of you didn’t hang out with questionable folks in high school?” Because certainly any teenagers who start spiritually seeking – or even outright rebelling against their parents’ religion – are “questionable folks.” (I would say “questioning” instead.) Then she followed it up with a joke: “There’s been no witchcraft since. If there was, Karl Rove would be a supporter now.” Ha ha.

And now this. This whole, “I am not a witch. I am you” line of reasoning casts witchcraft into the negative column – something that no everyday person would ever want to be. Something that no one would ever admit to even if they were. And this is the final insult to plenty of Wiccans who now feel forced to speak up to defend their beliefs – indeed, to defend their right to follow any religion they please without it being trotted out in political debates and scandals.

This whole thing reminds me of how hard Barack Obama had to fight during his campaign to stress he was a Christian, not a Muslim. And how hard he’s still fighting, when his religion should have nothing to do with how he runs the country. It depresses me to no end that Americans have this idea that if you’re not Christian, there’s no way you could be voted (or remain) President of our land.

Here are some links to YouTube videos by Witches responding to O’Donnell’s annoying “I am not a witch” ad. If you see any more – or upload one of your own – please post the link in the comments section so we can have a great collection!

Star Foster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOjmZWeCBo4

Peter Dybing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbKZvo7ijxY

The Pagan Mom Blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9laxaPBZyKY 

Kei Dallmer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRMt6jNPDSY

Rebecca Chow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjsDD_DDsd0

Sara, a.k.a. Mabonwy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12g6vTgJJIM

One of the things I’ve noticed is that people seem willing to extend rights to others when we live in less stressful times, but as things become more stressful, people look for scapegoats as the cause of their problems. One of the traditional scapegoats has been other religions and people from other religions.

Of course, we’ll look at post WWI Germany and their eventual institutionalized scapegoating of Jews (as well as occultists, gays, the Romany, and many others). But from the first quarter of the 19th century there was strong opposition to the Catholic religion in the U.S. Even in the “Cipher Manuscripts” that founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (the first occult order to allow both men and women to join) the instructions said that Catholics should not be allowed: “Avoid Roman Catholics but with pity.”

In 1980, a book entitled Michelle Remembers was published. The book was totally absurd and laughable, but among people who wanted to believe, it started what has been called the “Satanic Panic” which cost hundreds of millions of dollars, ruined hundreds lives and destroyed numerous families. For the previous three decades, Witches and Wiccans had tried to present a simple message to people of other faiths: “We’re not Satanists. We don’t even believe in Satan.”*  As part of the Panic, people were, once again, equating the two. It took years, but the Satanic Panic has mostly died down and what little remains of it has gone underground. Or at least it had…

“Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more”

This is a quote from Henry V act III by Shakespeare, and I fear that it may need to become a rallying cry for more public Witches and Pagans yet again. For those few of you who haven’t heard about it, the winner of the Republican Primary for Senator in the state of Delaware, Christine O’Donnell, made a statement in 1999 that when she had been in high school,

I dabbled into witchcraft. I hung around people who were doing these things. I’m not making this stuff up. I know what they told me they do. One of my first dates with a witch was on a satanic altar and I didn’t know it. I mean, there was a little blood there and stuff like that.

She said that she had “dabbled” in Witchcraft but never joined a coven, and later added, “How many of you didn’t hang out with questionable folks in high school?”

Let me say that this post is not meant to be political. People in Delaware will have to vote for senator and determine on their own whom to support. What I do want to discuss is the repercussion from her statements.

First, I seriously doubt that Ms. O’Donnell “dabbled” at all. If she had she would have known that Witches don’t have dates on Satanic altars! It’s possible that some kids, as a result of seeing a movie, were enacting something they thought was Witchcraft, but at best were play acting. Perhaps her date was using it in an attempt to seduce her.

Second, it is outright religious discrimination to equate Witches with “questionable folks.” That would be like saying all Catholics are “questioniable folks.” I would suggest that magickal people should stand up for religious rights and reject this false statement.

Third, I agree with the concept put forward in Rev. Donald Lewis-Highcorrall’s Vlog where he states that we should encourage people to look at various religions and not simply follow the religion into which they were born. However, I must respectfully disagree with his claim that she was dabbling in “Satanic Witchcraft.” The reason for my disagreement is the time frame. This supposed event would have taken place over two decades ago. It is only recently that a small number of people are claiming to be “Satanic Witches,” and I seriously doubt they would include putting their partner on an altar as part of a high school date: would you do that before the movie and after Micky Dee’s or after?

Fourth, by making light of this religious discrimination, the media can use it to marginalize the beliefs of Witches and magickal people of all sorts. When the topic came up on the TV show, The View, Barbara Walters “jokingly” referred to all of the women on the show as Witches, asking why they wouldn’t shut up. The implication being that all Witches and all women are talkative and uninformed and should merely be quiet. Sorry, I won’t shut up.**

Finally, I find myself in agreement with Selena Fox, who said that we should use this as “a teaching moment.” Specifically, we should teach that the main body of Witches aren’t Satanists, just as most Christians aren’t radical fundamentalists and most Moslems aren’t suicide-minded terrorists. We should teach that we are in favor of religious freedom. We should teach that Witches are normal people who simply have a different religion, and that there are millions of us.

What would you take this opportunity to teach?

*I have to point out that Anton LeVey published a book in 1971 entitled The Compleat Witch that presented something he called “Witchcraft” as a form of Satanism. As I imagine LeVey intended, the title of the book instantly became controversial among the nascent number of Wiccans and Witches. The book was later republished with the title The Satanic Witch. Other books falsely claiming links between Witchcraft and Satanism were written by people trying to spread their own anti-Satanic/anti-Witchcraft religion or just copying earlier misrepresentations.

**I consider myself a “JAP-T,” a Jewish-American-Pagan-Tantric.

Update 2: The fallout from my interview on Coat-to-Coast AM with George Noory has been amazing. I’ve been deluged with email comments and questions, especially from people who also visited my website. I apologize for any tardy responses to you and thank you for your support and understanding.

Update 3: This is it! I have the final proofs to the new 3rd edition of Modern Magick. I’m working on them to make sure that the end result is the best it can possibly be. Next: off to the printer.

Update 4: This weekend I’ll be attending the Los Angeles Harvest Festival and giving two workshops, one on the different styles of magick that the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn actually practiced and the other on how to really charge and open your chakras.

A Secret Order Revealed!

An Amazing Classic Book Revised, Expanded, and Reissued

A revolution happened over 40 years ago. Wicca and Witchcraft was beginning to grow. Like wildfire. For high magicians, though, the story was quite different. A few people had very idiosyncratic groups. A few people were trying to get the Golden Dawn going again, but for most people Regardie’s book, the key to the Order, was difficult to follow. The O.T.O. was small, but beginning to grow. Magicians knew about that Order, but didn’t really know too much of how it worked. Instructions for the Order, appearing in The Blue Equinox, wouldn’t be reprinted for another half decade. Many ceremonial magicians were working rather blindly, wishing for something more concrete.

In 1969, a book with the audacious title, The Complete Magick Curriculum of the Secret Order G.’.B.’.G.’. by Louis T. Culling, first appeared. I say “audacious” because this “complete” book was a mere 130 pages. Crowley had written tens of thousands of pages, Regardie’s book on The Golden Dawn was almost 850 pages. How could such a small book about an unknown Order be complete?

Culling joined this Order by answering an advertisement that offered a “shortcut to initiation.” He quickly became the head of the local group in San Diego. The Order closed, by prearranged plan, in 1936, and Culling waited four decades to report on what they had done. The book was complete, but only if you had an expansive knowledge of occultism. Because of this, the book, filled with amazing information, eventually went out of print. As of this writing, copies of that rare volume now sell for up to $200.00.

Over a year ago, I talked with the President of Llewellyn, Carl Weschcke, about this book. It would be great to reprint, I suggested, IF everything in it was fully explained both in a historical context and so that people could use the techniques. I didn’t know at the time that Mr. Weschcke was planning to do exactly that.

I can think of nobody better to expand and explain this classic book of magick. He knew Culling and has an incredible knowledge of magick and occultism from a historical, theoretical, and most importantly, a practical basis. That original book was complete because the G.B.G. was founded upon the revolutionary premise that High Magick can be distilled to a few powerful and efficient steps.

So finally, a new edition of this book is back in print. The notes, additions, explanations and information from Mr. Weschcke, plus the new, more convenient size, have resulted in making this book almost three times its original length. The clarifications and new information are nothing short of amazing.

The truth is, I haven’t finished this book yet. However, I do have the original and I’m already impressed with what I’ve read. I’ll have more to say in a future blog post.

When Regardie originally published the teachings of the Golden Dawn in the late 1930s, most of the group was moribund and many gave up, essentially ending that manifestation of the G.D. The book, however, kept the knowledge alive and allowed for its rebirth and current flowering. This book started a revolution 40 years ago by reporting what Culling had experienced and done, but the Order had been closed for decades. With all of the additions by Weschcke, I would not be surprised to discover a rebirth of this important but briefly-lived magickal order. If you do not have the original book—and even if you do—I would encourage all people interested in ceremonial or high magick to study this book. You can discover more about it HERE.