Newsgroups: alt.pagan
From: crf8a@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Chris French)
Subject: From The Frost's School of Wicca...
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 1994 23:55:45 GMT

     Gavin and Yvonne Frost, as many of you already know, have been
running one of the largest correspondence schools in Wicca in the US,
for several decades now.  However, it seems as though whenever I
mention the fact that I am happily enrolled, immediately it evokes a
response similar to "I'm against their stance on taking money for
Craft teaching."  As well, those of you who have studied Adler's
excellent work, "Drawing Down the Moon," will recall the dissension
between the Frosts and "mainstream" Wicca "leaders" who feel the
Frosts are monotheistic and thus should not call themselves Witches.
As I progressed through the course, I began to see that the interview
was a bit misleading, in my opinion, from what the Frosts actually
taught, so I asked them if they would like to offer a statement of
clarification of the two above points.  Below, then is a two part
response, a reply from Yvonne Frost, which addresses these two
fundamental areas of conflict.

     I will forward any (rational) comments to the Frosts; if you send
a private e-mail message, please state clearly whether or not you
would like it to be forwarded.

[With respect to accepting money for instruction in the Craft,
by Yvonne Frost]
     The original idea behind not taking money for Craft work was
generated by Gerald Gardner so that the people in Britain could avoid
being indicted under the Fraudulent Mediums Act.  Many Witches around
the country take money for the tasks that they perform: counseling,
tarot readings, production of craft items.  We think there is no
reason why a qualified Witch counselor should not accept the same or
similar fees as a psychologist.  In the past the School has traded
courses for work and for other things of value such as food.  We still
continue to do this.  We also have a scholarship program for people
who are incarcerated and for others who have no funds.  On average we
give away about ten scholarships to needy people each year.  It is a
sad commentary on people's attitudes that the scholarships we give
away result in very few qualified students; it seems that people value
only those things for which they have to pay.  We will be most happy
to give away courses free when the US postal service starts giving us
free mailing privileges and the makers of such things as paper and
printer's ink provide them free to our press.  Meantime, we would like
to add that we live under a Vow of Poverty.  We don't drive a modern
Lamborghini or have a studio full of electronic gold-plated computers
and cameras.  Anyone who would like to try living under the vow of
poverty we have committed to, is welcome to try.  It isn't easy.  It
is only generous donations outside the course fees which get us by,
together with a lot of self-denial.

[With respect to being labelled monotheistic, by Yvonne Frost]
     On the subject of the Ultimate Deity: who can tell what It is?
We think of It as perhaps an underlying Force in the universe, without
gender identification and without any human attributes--especially we
do not see that It has anger or love.  We think of It as one might
think of a monotheistic deity.  We acknowledge the various forces
embodied in the gods and goddesses of any pantheon and even in gods
and goddesses that people are making new, such as Squat the Goddess of
Parking Meters.  We have no objection to anyone putting energy into
(worshipping) any deity form, and in this way we are polytheistic.  So
you can think of us, if you like, as polytheistic monotheists, trying
to HARM NONE.  We recognize that to re-balance the world we need a
great deal of energy directed into the female aspect of the Life
Force; that energy is probably best inserted into the balance by the
heavy emphasis and use of female deities.  Four thousand years of
monotheistic male domination will take a long time to redress.  Until
everyone realizes that the Craft is a natural religion, a religion of
nature and not of books, we will still need to emphasize keeping the
balance.

Blessed be, Yvonne of Croatoan
--
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