Charging for the Craft

[Luna]

Not everyone who practices witchcraft is a woman, fyi. And many of us have issues with familial-like relationships being forced on us by people we don't know.

 
Dearest Morag, my sincere apologies, I should not have just entered Sisters. My omission was not meant to offend anyone, and I certainly never intended to force familial-like relationships on anyone.  Luna.

[SunflowerP]

As for my beliefs about passing on the ways, I am referring to my Pagan beliefs. I believe Wicca is new compared to Paganism.

 
While GaiaDianne expressed it in terms of Wicca (because that's one of the most common forms in which it comes up) it's equally accurate expressed in terms of paganism:  paganism is not an ancient religion, because paganism is not a single religion (or even a set of related ones).  There are many ancient religions that have been described as "pagan", with widely divergent beliefs.

Sunflower

[RedHawk]

And with that being said, I don't see a problem with the metaphysical and occult stores SUPPLYING said Craft supplies. After all, the consumer will be the one to use those tools for their own purposes, not the retailers.

 
I watched a video about some women in Hong Kong that did rituals and asked for payment. One of them, had to be in her seventies, seem to get the first customer. Of course she could of been there for a couple of hours. You would never see anything like that being down out in the open. The Christians would be on them like nobodies business.

[Emma Eldritch]

I watched a video about some women in Hong Kong that did rituals and asked for payment. One of them, had to be in her seventies, seem to get the first customer. Of course she could of been there for a couple of hours. You would never see anything like that being down out in the open. The Christians would be on them like nobodies business.

 
Uh, what?

[RabbitInTheMoon]

I'm curious as to what one describes as charging people for The Craft.

In my personal opinion, I think it's a shame to want to use something as pure and sacred as our Craft for monetary gain.

 
I can understand how charging for your work might seem like it cheapens what you're doing. However, we are performing a service and I don't see the problem with being compensated for such. Obviously, if I were doing a spell or a card reading for a friend, I'd never dream of charging them for it. But I'm in the process of setting up a small business doing minor spells and card readings for strangers, and I see no issue with asking for a small donation for my time, energy, and supplies.

[RedHawk]

Uh, what?

 
What I was meaning was that you would never see what was in that video happening in America. Your extreme form of Christianity would be denouncing it and stuff. Here's the link, so that you can be amazed.



I really like seeing other cultures out there and what their doing.

[Jack]

What I was meaning was that you would never see what was in that video happening in America. Your extreme form of Christianity would be denouncing it and stuff. Here's the link, so that you can be amazed.



I really like seeing other cultures out there and what their doing.

 
Yep, in America they would likely be working out of a storefront or home because a lot of cities have really detailed laws about setting up on sidewalks and the like. Someone with a smaller set-up, like a tarot reader, is more likely to be able to manage on the sidewalk.

[Neteruhemta RaShuGeb]

What I was meaning was that you would never see what was in that video happening in America. Your extreme form of Christianity would be denouncing it and stuff. Here's the link, so that you can be amazed.



I really like seeing other cultures out there and what their doing.

 
For the record, I don't have an extreme form of Christianity, and as Jack just said above, there are rules for places at times, especially sidewalks.

[Emma Eldritch]

What I was meaning was that you would never see what was in that video happening in America. Your extreme form of Christianity would be denouncing it and stuff. Here's the link, so that you can be amazed.



I really like seeing other cultures out there and what their doing.

 
I agree that it's cool to see what the norm is in other countries, but you can't take something out of context and say, "that would never happen here." Because, well, no, of course not - different culture and history.

Religious fundamentalists denounce everything, so I can't say I'd be much bothered by them screaming about a little street ritual common in another country. And you know... yeah, some of them scream and protest, but it's not like they actually get to shut down stuff all the time. I can't speak for where you're from, but I grew up in a city that was both the middle of the Bible Belt and also a place with a huge Sikh population. You didn't see the two trying to slam one another in public. Where I live now, we have a large Chinese population, and there are most certainly some public religious or magical rituals done during the New Year. I've seen palm and tarot readers working on the street countless times.

So. I'm not saying the link isn't cool - it is, and thanks for sharing it! - just that I don't think I understand why it seems to make you think of Big Bad Christians out to get people.