Paying the Priestess (Margot Adler)

[icymist]

Paying the Priestess

What amount--if any--should be charged for pagan educational programs and rituals?

There are many jokes within the Wiccan community. For example: How many witches does it take to change a lightbulb? Answer: It depends what you want to change it into. But perhaps the funniest Wiccan joke I ever heard is this:

What's the difference between Wiccan and New Age? Answer: one decimal point.

If you haven't spent a lot of time around New Agers or Wiccans, you may not get this joke. But if you have ever forked over hundreds of dollars for a seminar at a growth center and then, a few months later, went to a Wiccan event where all you did was bring the candles or the wine, you start laughing.

Every religion has to struggle with the issue of money. Should money be charged for instruction? Is it good to have a paid clergy? What price--if any--should be charged for educational programs or ceremonies? If your religion requires initiation rituals as part of the process of becoming a member of the clergy, as does Santeria, Voudoun, and much of Wicca, is charging for those ceremonies appropriate? Is there a problem when you make your "living" from your religion? What are the benefits and pitfalls of doing that?

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