Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

[Medusa]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Hmm out of curiosity, for those of you who do not believe in getting paid for services...what is your occupation and how do you personally get paid?

I'm having a very difficult time trying to get this.

[JamesByrne]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Im a business student now but I had a career in financial services, specifically risk and china fraud.

[Medusa]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Im a business student now but I had a career in financial services, specifically risk and china fraud.

Oh, what exactly was the work with China Fraud? That sounds interesting.

[Jennii]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Hmm out of curiosity, for those of you who do not believe in getting paid for services...what is your occupation and how do you personally get paid?

I'm having a very difficult time trying to get this.

I'm a stay at home mom and I don't get paid for my occupation lol When my husband retires we'll be starting up our own farm though and I plan on growing and selling Herbs.

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

I'm a stay at home mom and I don't get paid for my occupation lol When my husband retires we'll be starting up our own farm though and I plan on growing and selling Herbs.

Out of curiosity, and nothing unkind intended, Jennii, how would you feel if people said that herbs can grow wild and you shouldn't make money out of selling them, that they should be available for free?

[Jennii]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Out of curiosity, and nothing unkind intended, Jennii, how would you feel if people said that herbs can grow wild and you shouldn't make money out of selling them, that they should be available for free?

They are welcome to harvest their own herbs elsewhere but it costs me money and physical labor to grow them so I can't just hand my herbs out for free....at least not at first. Any spiritual knowledge that I acquire throughout my life, I'd share openly and willingly with anyone that's willing to listen haha. But that's just my own view on the subject. Everyone's got to make a living somehow and I understand that...just isn't my 'thing'.

[Medusa]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

I'm a stay at home mom and I don't get paid for my occupation lol When my husband retires we'll be starting up our own farm though and I plan on growing and selling Herbs.

You really think you get absolutely no compensation? I'm sure you being a good wife and mother means someone is bringing home some bacon for you to eat. They probably wouldn't if you were a crap mommy.

[thalassa]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Out of curiosity...

For those that are against payment for spiritual teaching...how many of you have researched, developed, written and taught your own class, including course material and assembling supplies for projects and hands on work?

Because...I have. Either as my job or as part of my job. And its alot of effing work and often money. You don't just show up and talk to people about the crap you know. At least not if you want to look and sound professional and not like some half-assed, unorganized dimwit. Hell, even my blog (which I share for free) is alot of effing work--several hours a day...and while I'm happy to that for free, if I were teaching the same content in a workshop or class, including materials and having to revise everything for a different format, and for renting a space, and for my time and travel....damn right I'd expect enough compensation to cover my expenses.

[Jennii]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

You really think you get absolutely no compensation? I'm sure you being a good wife and mother means someone is bringing home some bacon for you to eat. They probably wouldn't if you were a crap mommy.

That. and lots of great sex I can't complain!

[Tylluan Penry]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Out of curiosity...

For those that are against payment for spiritual teaching...how many of you have researched, developed, written and taught your own class, including course material and assembling supplies for projects and hands on work?

Because...I have. Either as my job or as part of my job. And its alot of effing work and often money. You don't just show up and talk to people about the crap you know. At least not if you want to look and sound professional and not like some half-assed, unorganized dimwit. Hell, even my blog (which I share for free) is alot of effing work--several hours a day...and while I'm happy to that for free, if I were teaching the same content in a workshop or class, including materials and having to revise everything for a different format, and for renting a space, and for my time and travel....damn right I'd expect enough compensation to cover my expenses.

And this is the point I was making back on post no #33 on this thread. Books, websites, equipment (podcasts don't just emerge from thin air) prizes.... it all costs me money.

What I charge for is my time in doing all this - and believe me it doesn't even work out at the minimum wage. Writing books, teaching etc is no different from any other kind of work. I don't promise to get you to some higher plane just because you read what I've written. I provide the information - you can read it, work on it, throw it in the bin. That's your choice.

I already do a lot of work completely gratis. For people who see nothing wrong in charging for their own work to criticise people like me is.... a bit rich.

[JamesByrne]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Out of curiosity...

For those that are against payment for spiritual teaching...how many of you have researched, developed, written and taught your own class, including course material and assembling supplies for projects and hands on work?

If you value what you do thats fine, but theres more measures of value in the world then units of money. And lets be honest there are so many deeply negative issues to charging for spiritual instruction that the comparative pittance youd make from it is no compensation to you.

I havent done that but I have done this. Its not a class on neopaganism but we did organise free Irish language lessons, ran 100s language packs thats books and cds at our expense, located, transcribed and got permission to use the best translations of medieval Irish literature, organised a campeign to protect our heritage/sacred sites, promoted traditional music and folk metal and spent 1000s on fundraisers for a legal case against the state when a motorway was planned for an area that had been sacred to our people for 1000s years. In the process we helped fuel our cultures revival and as a mark of recignition the leader of our country took time to bash what we were doing in the media and all the hippy neopagans still fume and rant when they hear the name Na Craobh Crua.

http://homepage.eircom.net/~seabhacaille/Craobh_Crua/baile.html

Im not a recon and none of the people involved were recons even though some do have qualifications in medieval irish and celtic studies. That thing where doing basic research is called 'reconning' is quaint but its nonsense. Just so everyones clear.

[Gardenia]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

They are welcome to harvest their own herbs elsewhere but it costs me money and physical labor to grow them so I can't just hand my herbs out for free....at least not at first.

I think this also translates to running a class, in some cases. There may be costs associated with renting a space, materials used, travel expenses, time and effort put in to creating the class, and so on. Some people may be financially well off enough to be able to cover the costs and provide such classes for free, and that's great of them... but others may not be able to that, and either way I don't think anyone should be expected to. Just like we wouldn't expect someone to sit down, take the time to research and write a book, go through the effort to get it published, and then just hand it out for free. If they want to (or want to do something like keep a blog), that's awesome, but should it be expected? I don't think so.

[Denarius]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

there are so many deeply negative issues to charging for spiritual instruction

Like...? No really, a few examples would be nice. A list of simple examples, actually organised into a list mind you, would really help.

So far it just seems like you think money is a bad thing, and won't explain why. I don't see how teaching about paganism is any different than teaching about poetry. Aside from the subject that is.

[JamesByrne]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

Oh, what exactly was the work with China Fraud? That sounds interesting.

Theres a huge market for bone china but only a few patterns are legally recignised as 'China patterns' everything else cant be called bone china it has to be called offal ceramics.

:P

Genuinely it was stuff like copyright. A free market economy can bring lots of good things to a country like greater gender equality and a higher standard of living for the poorest in society but when a country like China opens up trade with the west their govt do it because they want money not because they want change or to share western concepts like copyright and intellectual property. Prior to the beijing olympics the Chinese govt knew about copyright but never enforced legislation because they had an international market for what wed call fake brands. There are 5 legally defined grades of copies and huge amounts of people employed in the industry so any western financial network suddenly became a huge source for copyright infringement and they had to indemnify themselves against it by started depts specifically tailored to dealing with the issues of dealing with a chinese market.

I was lucky to be in on the ground floor and it hasnt lifted far off there yet. Copyright is less of an issue since the beijing olympics the chinese govt really wanted to show how western they were and they cleaned up lots of the unpallatable stuff but that was only 1 issue of 1000s.

[JamesByrne]

Re: Do you think its right to charge to teach about neopaganism?

I replied to you about it already Den.

... Id just say its a very bad idea because it retards the relationships necessary, creates the circumstances that allow charlatans to scam people out of their money and could lend itself to spirituality being availble only to people who can afford it if neopaganism ever rivalled abrahamic religions...

My personal spiritual reasons are I believe some thiings are above the mundane and to try and make a living off them belittles those things, everyone who dedicates themselves to them and all the people who benefit from them. Its not carpentry. Even jesus didnt start chockin out holy milking stools, sacred bannisters or very significant bed side tables.