Why Not WitchSchool? Part 2
Why Not WitchSchool? A Student's Perspective
Part 2

Quantity and Quality

The preceding sections have discussed why I do not agree with many of the ideas espoused by the Correllian tradition. This next section offers some examples of why I do not feel that the material provided through WitchSchool.com is of sufficient quality for me to recommend it.

Without stepping into the major discussion about whether initiation and/or lineage is a requirement to be Wiccan, most Wiccans would agree that there are certain core beliefs that must be part of Wicca. Among these, two of the most significant are the belief in the God and Goddess and the belief in the Rede as some form of ethical guideline. On the other hand, when asked what Wicca is, Hubbard had a very different viewpoint:

"Let me explain what Wicca is, okay? Wicca is the belief in three important things: One, the immortality and the reincarnation of the soul. . . .Two, we believe directly that nature is a part of us and we're a part of nature, and three, I am God, you are God, thou art God."(27)

If the primary spokesperson for the tradition is not able to succinctly and accurately explain what Wicca is on a Pagan-friendly radio show, what does that indicate about the other material that might come out?

Topics Covered for the First Degree

The first degree program is written to be a sampler in new age and Neopagan concepts. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, the material provided does not go any more in-depth (and in some cases less so) than a typical 101 book on the market. The course provides samples of information without any real depth. Sadly, the material does not include suggested reading for further study.

The twelve lessons (and some examples of the material emphasized in each) are: Magic (e.g., working with the Higher Self); Cosmology (e.g., the Vangelo della Streghe); Personal Power (e.g., the Wheel of the Year); The Altar (e.g., tools); The Airts (e.g., quarter correspondences); The Circle of Art (e.g., a script of a circle casting); Invocation (e.g., choosing and caring for your patron deity); Garb (e.g., a discussion of the Correllian system of robes); Symbols, Omens, and Divination (e.g., basic color and number correspondences); Basic Energy Work (e.g., charkas); Herbs, Oils, and Incense (e.g., lists of plants); and Stones and Crystals (e.g., lists of stones and crystals). Each lesson also includes a small paragraph about the "god of the month" and a "spell of the month."(28)

Topics Covered for the Second Degree

As with the first degree program, the second degree program is written like a sampler of additional topics. This time, there seems to be no emphasis on Wicca itself, but an extremely diverse selection of metaphysical topics from around the world.

The twelve lessons (and some examples of the material provided in each) are: Tarot (e.g., a basic explanation of what each card represents in a standard Rider-Waite-inspired deck); Physiognomy (e.g., divination by physical features and palm reading); Astrology (e.g., basic meanings of items on a chart); Magical Alphabets (e.g., gematria, the meanings of hieroglyphics, runes, ogham, Theban, and the Correllian alphabet); Numerology (e.g., the meanings of the numbers 0 through 10); Death, Spirits, and Spirit Guides (e.g., what different people believe happens to you when you die); Sex Magic (e.g., basic tantra and astral sex); Magical Calendars (e.g., the meanings of the different years according to the Chinese calendar and Aztec calendar) ; Advanced Chakra and Energy Working (e.g., temporal charkas); Ley Lines (e.g., the magick of geometric shapes); the Ba Gua (Pu Kua) (e.g., the Yi Jing); and Group Dynamics (e.g., the roles of leadership for shrine offices).(29) At only 149 pages, the second degree book, in my opinion, is not able to do any of these topics justice. Also, the material seems to lack cohesiveness, and reads like a series of pamphlets put together instead of a clergy training program that results in an individual able to run a small branch of the larger denomination.

Samples of Mistakes and Misleading Information

As a writer, I am aware of how easy it is for errors to creep into written material. Given the dynamic format of the WitchSchool teachings, it should be reasonable that, over the course of the school's existence, errors would have been corrected. Nevertheless, here are some examples of the outright mistakes and misleading information that brings into question the material at large.

One consistent error that seems to appear throughout the course material is the idea that Wicca is an ancient religion. From references from "The ancient rule of Wicca is 'Do As You Will, But Harm None'"(30) to the idea that the Vangelo della Streghe teaches about how Maddalena worked "to let the people know more about the ancient Aradian Wiccan traditions,"(31) there is an erroneous emphasis that Wicca is an ancient religion.

Another issue that I have with the material is the desire to push Correllianism as a Wiccan tradition while implying that Gardnerian Wicca is not Traditional Wicca. According to the first degree material, quarter color correspondences are as follows:

"Gardnerian Wicca: Air- yellow, Fire- red, Water- blue, Earth-green
Traditional Wicca: Air- red, Fire- white, Water- gray, earth- black"(32)

The implication of this statement is clear--it is the Correllian belief that Gardnerian Wicca is not Traditional Wicca.

According to the introduction for the first degree lesson on herbalism, "this lesson includes a list of plants which can be used to do the things described in this lesson." Among the "plants" listed are ambergris, civit [sic], and musk. In addition, some of the herbs listed would be dangerous to breathe the fumes of when burned, but the only cautions listed are "if you are not familiar with it as food, DO NOT EAT IT" and that wintergreen should not be used internally.(33) On the other hand, they do state that to dress a candle, "you take an appropriate essential oil. . . and put a little in the palm of your left hand. Now rub your two hands together so that they are coated with the oil." (34) As anyone who works with essential oils will readily testify, it is not always safe to put most essential oils in direct contact with the skin without first cutting the oil.

Another personal pet peeve, although one that seems to have crept into modern paganism is the misuse of the term pentagram (a five-pointed star) to describe a pentacle (a circumscribed pentagram). According to the Correllians, "The Pentagram is a five-pointed star in a circle."(35) Although this is a common error, it is one that could have been easily fixed.

Much of the material in the first degree book seems to have been tossed in to sound impressive, but, as a result, some of the material is grossly inadequate. Take, for instance, the Correllian definition of a black hole: "In science a Black Hole is a void in space which sucks up and destroys matter."(36) As any science student can tell you, black holes do not destroy matter.

Another aspect that I personally find troubling is the idea of deity is always merely a mechanism for personal happiness. In their own words, “Deity does not judge you or persecute you –Deity will only ever wish to help you. . .Deity wishes you only growth and happiness, in whatever Personal form you picture Deity.”(37) This runs counter to many deities from around the world who are deities of judgment (Ma'at immediately comes to mind), who do not truly care about human happiness or unhappiness, but focus solely on cosmic justice.

At other times, the material they present puts across an image that (hopefully) is simply written poorly (a problem in itself), but if it is what they do mean to say, the message is troubling. Take, for example, the Correllian discussion of robes: "People wear robes for several reasons. 1) They look cool." Later on in that same section, they say that this reason is "probably the best reason for wearing robes." (38) Although they do suggest that part of the reason why looking cool is important is to be a key to the Higher Self to feel magickal, the implication is clear--it is absolutely important to look "witchy" if you want to be a witch.

Given the broad scope of topics that a typical lesson touches upon, it is unlikely that any individual can be certain of all the issues and inaccuracies. For instance, I've only heard of Thor in reference to the Norse pantheon, but the Correllian material states:

"THOR -Originally called Thunar, or 'Thunder,' Thor is the Germanic God of storms ad fertility."(39)

It would take a wide range of experts to fully identify all of the errors in the material presented in the first degree book alone, however a newcomer to paganism (the demographic that this school seeks to educate) would likely be unable to pick out the questionable material and would accept it all as fact.

In addition, unlike most published books, the Correllian material does not have a bibliography or other list of references provided with many of the lessons. This implies that all of the material included is original, when it is very clear to anyone who has ever read more than one introductory book on Wicca or paganism that the material is similar to every other introductory book out there (albeit with some questionable interpretations and phrasings throughout).

Source Material--Does Correllianism Offer Anything Unique?

Overall, the material does provide an overview consistent with many new age schools of thought and a "sampler style" of teaching where many topics are touched on, but none are covered in depth. The style of the material provided resembles that of Silver Ravenwolf's To Ride a Silver Broomstick, (40) and many of the topics are understandably similar, however in my opinion, Ravenwolf's book goes into more detail on many of the topics discussed. (And in my opinion, there are many other 101-level books that would provide better instruction than that book.)

Providing soundbite-quality schooling does allow individuals with a dabbling interest or minors who are attempting to hide their studies from their parents to get an idea of what topics may interest them. However, I feel that serious students would be disappointed by the lack of depth to the material provided in much of the free and pay courses.

For the second degree material, much of the information is easily available in books specialized on the particular topics covered, although an individual may have to do some preliminary research to find books on those specific topics. For instance, the chapter on Physiognomy contains a small discussion on divination by moles on the body, a topic that is not easy to find, however The Zingara Fortune Teller, published in 1901 and republished in 1979(41) contains much of the same material in considerably greater depth.

To summarize, the material provided in the Correllian first and second degree manuals is no different than that which can be read in one or many books available at your local library or bookstore (with the exception of topics that are Correllian-specific, such as robes and the Correllian alphabet, which are completely meaningless outside of a Correllian setting). It is a sampling of many new age topics, and nothing more, however if that is what a seeker is searching for, this may be what that seeker desires.

References:

27. Haunts and Flaunts, July 2005 (radio show no longer available through FearlessRadio.com)
28. Lewis-Highcorrell, Don. Correllian Wicca: Lessons for the First Degree, Hoopeston, IL: Correllian Tradition (2005).
29. Lewis-Highcorrell, Donald. Wicca 201: Correllian Wicca Lessons for the Second Degree, Illinois: WitchSchool.com (2003).
30. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 9. Copy available online at http://groups.msn.com/tarotlaydeespowergems/tarotlaydeespage.msnw
31. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 21.
32. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 59.
33. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 134-138.
34. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 47.
35. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 61.
36. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 69.
37. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 85.
38. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 94.
39. Lewis-Highcorrell, Lessons for the First Degree, 103.
40. Ravenwolf, Silver. To Ride a Silver Broomstick. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn (1994).
41. A Gipsy Queen. Zingara Fortune Teller. Philadelphia: David McKay (1901). Reprinted in 1979 by The House of White Birches, Inc.

Note: This is part two of a three-part essay. This essay and the other two sections are under a Creative Commons license as listed below. The essay may be reprinted without written permission from the author as long as the essay, references, and this notice are provided free of charge. All material quoted herein falls under Fair Use. Copies of the Correllian materials cited here can be purchased through the WitchSchool.com site. To maintain the integrity of the quoted material, all typographical errors in the quoted material have been faithfully reproduced. Special thanks to my anonymous source, a member of the Correllian clergy in good standing, for providing copies of the written materials cited in this document. About oaths: According to Don Lewis, Chancellor and First Priest of the Correllian Tradition, “We have always felt that spiritual information is to be shared.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5lu5bxEpM0) Thus, presentation of any of the material does not violate any oaths of secrecy, and I have never taken any oaths to the Correllian tradition at any time.


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