On Finding an Apprentice in the Craft
by Valerie Walker
reprinted from CNL Brigid 91
As anyone who has
endeavored to teach the Craft will testify, it is easy to find apprentices
to the Craft, but it is not easy to keep them. Many will come in with
great enthusiasm, which wanes rapidly when things get difficult or do
not meet preconceived notions of what being a Witch is all about. Many
will look to their teacher as guru or mother figure and be disappointed;
these usually find what they are looking for in some other cult or some
more power-oriented teacher. But the proper balance between willingness
to learn and over-eagerness to give away the responsibiIity for one's
own life is a difficult one to maintain.
Much of this is the
burden of the teacher. The teacher of the Craft must keep a proper distance
from his/her students, in order that they maintain respect for what is
being taught and that they can avoid being caught up in personal psychological
traps and trips. But the posture of the inscrutable Guru, up on a pedestal
with worshipping chelas at his feet, is not one that it is right for a
Witch to maintain. Ours is a barefoot religion, and our feet are planted
on the Earth. No one of us, no matter of what rank, is any more valuable
as a human being than the least-knowledgeable studentº at least as far
as the Gods are concerned. Even if we do not practice skyclad, each one
is naked before the Goddess, and it does not suit us to put on airs.
The student, however,
is not to be absolved of all responsibility. Indeed, the most important
part of the teachings that a Witch can impart is to treasure and preserve
one's own independence. Personal energy is what makes Magick happen, and
a soul drained of energy by a misguided attempt to self-sacrifice or by
giving in to the vampiric machinations of a manipulative leader will not
be able to produce the energy needed for survival as an individual, let
alone that necessary for performing work.
So the task of a teacher
is made doubly difficult in the process of selecting students. There are
many half-baked "spiritual" people around with vague aspirations
toward Higher Things. These usually carry a load of unsubstantiated assertions
with them that serve as rules for their lives: vitamin therapy, diet,
psychic experiences, all sorts of New Age bits and pieces are mixed in
with pop psychology, est, and the sayings of five or six recognized gurus.
These are the people who will tell you at the drop of a hat what you were
doing in a previous lifetime, or what color your aura is today; and they
would just LOVE to learn a little about the Craft. STAY AWAY FROM THEM.
To try and teach them something as down-to-earth as Goddess religion is
an exercise in utility. They have already been inoculated against anything
down-to-earth, and are immune.
Then there are the
seekers after Magickal Power who have heard that the Craft is dangerous,
and are attracted for that reason. They would just love to turn someone
into a frog, compel the objects of their desire to their sexual lusts,
and so on and on. (Remarkable how similar these fantasies are: most quasi-Satanists
are very unoriginal ) Obviously these are people to stay away from as
well, because if they ever do figure out how to to work a spell, it will
undoubtedly bring bad results to everyone within a fifty-yard radius.
Who, then, is a likely
prospect? He or she will have to seek you out and persist, rather than
having to be found and cajoled into learning. You will test the student
at every opportunity with little mindfuck jokes; if s/he is shocked and
appalled, forget it, but if, after thinking it over, s/he can laugh, you
have a potential Witch on your hands. The student will be prompt, willing
to practice what s/he has learned (invocations, consecrations, etc.) in
public if need be, enthusiastic, willing to listen, willing to ask questions,
willing to figure things out alone if need be. Above all, the apprentice
Witch must enjoy life on this earthly plane and appreciate the blessings
of the Goddess in material and spiritual ways, and be able to cope with
life as an independent human being. S/he must be healthy in body and mind,
and strong in will, with a sense of being directed from within by the
Gods and a sense of humor which informs all his/her thoughts and actions.
How does a teacher
go about finding this paragon? If there is one in the vicinity, the Goddess
will bring you together. While you wait, cast spells to attract his/ her
attention, much as you would to find your true love. Let it be known that
you are available to teach the right person (or persons if you are so
lucky). Learn how to weed through the others--it's good practice in the
Craft to learn to size up people and be able to refuse them kindly but
firmly. You may have to take on a few and make some mistakes, but even
mistakes are useful. Just drop them in the Cauldron and go on. Don't be
discouraged; it takes infinite patience to make things grow. You will
have to bear this spiritual pregnancy longer than a physical oneÒit takes
a year and a day at very least for an apprentice to attain White Cord,
and sometimes longer, and a baby only takes nine months.
You will have to stand
in many relationships to your apprentices: in terms of the Craft, you
will be Maiden, Mother and Crone to them. As Maiden, you wiil be comrade
and co-warrior/Magickal companion and trusted friend. As Mother, you will
nurture their growth in the Craft and, at length, sever their ties of
dependence to you, but always keep their welfare in mind. As Crone, you
will give them tests which are real in their results, and you will criticize
them objectively; as Crone, too, you will pass on your own Magickal art
and status, training your own replacements. The relationship of Witch
and apprentice is not one to be entered lightly; it is not one to be obscured
by sexual or financial dealings; and it is a responsibility placed on
both parties to last their lives long that they try as far as human beings
may to maintain perfect love and perfect trust.