In Part 1 we discussed what typical expectations were on a teacher who chose to teach the Craft. In this part, I'd like to touch on the role of the student in this equation.
"When the student is ready,..." There is quite a mystical, magickal match-up system that is undergone in the Universe when a student is matched with a teacher. It really is all based upon the readiness of the student too. Most people, when they start on this path, become voracious readers. They will read everything and anything that is related to their path with little thought to the quality of the content that they are ingesting. There are a few things that you the student can do in order to prepare yourself for the teacher to come and come to you quicker!
Read whatever you can get your hands on is a good start but this should contain a caveat...not everything you read is good information. In any given year approximately 230,000 books are published. Llewellyn, a major pagan publisher, will publish thousands of these books around subject matter that is of interest to earth based practitioners. With the rise of self-publishing, add a couple thousand more to that list. One good way to spend your money wisely is to talk to the people around you. Chances are you didn't come to this path without running in to some Pagan folks, perhaps at a bookstore, metaphysical store or some other place. Ask them what books they would recommend for a beginner in this field of study. If you are lucky, they will steer you towards books that have exercises for you to do while you are reading the book. If you get a book like that, DO THE EXERCISES! And don't do them just once either, do them over and over again until you get the desired results. It is seldom that a new student will get the desired result right off the bat so its important that you continue practicing.
Meditate everyday and start keeping a meditation journal. Meditation isn't all that hard to do but it is something that must be done every day. Even a 15 minute meditation is going to benefit you. If you want to meet totem animals or spirit guides, it is during your meditations that they will make an appearance. So why the big deal about meditation? Well first and foremost, it quiets your mind so that you can hear the messages from the Divine. People are VERY anxious to talk but they don't like to be quiet and listen. Secondly, there are very real physical reactions that take place within your body when you meditate. Blood pressure drops, stress and anxiety level off and best of all, you get a chance to hear the divine speak.. Lastly, you are developing places in your mind that you can retreat to when the going gets rough in your life...your "Happy place" as it were.
Determine how you like to learn (do you like handouts and lectures? do you prefer hands on experiences?) How you like to learn will help you determine the type of teacher that will help you along this path in the way that is best for you. Trust me when I say that there are a TON of bad teachers out there and it will sometimes feel like they all live in your town but they don't. The axiom holds true and stands the test of time which is why you hear it repeated so often.
Just a couple of really important things left to address and we will be through! First, there are unscrupulous teachers out there that are nothing more than predators. Predators prey on people who are vulnerable because they are easy targets. Many people come to the Craft because they are broken in some way. If you come upon an instructor that requires money or sex in exchange for teaching you, run the other way as fast as you can. No legitimate teacher of the Craft will require either one of these things. Having said that, you will find covens that practice sacred sexuality (The Great Rite) but I have only seen it done by committed couples (married, handfasted, etc.) within the group and always in their private space, never in view of the public. Sexuality is an important aspect of the Craft but it is something that is always consensual, respectful and private. With regard to money, some traditions teach that no money shall cross the palm of the instructor less the power of the magick be lost. More and more you are seeing teachers request small donations to help cover the cost of the materials they are using to teach you. $5 to $10 a month for these expenses are not unreasonable and if you can't afford that, consider bartering something with your teacher. They may want their lawn mowed once a month or may need help putting up herbs they have dried.
After having done all these things, now you must sit and wait for your perfect teacher to show up. Don't worry...they will appear. When they do make sure that you ask yourself if they are the right teacher for you. If you don't feel that they are the right one, it's ok to say "thank you for your time but I don't think you are the right one for me". A good teacher will not take it personally and a great teacher will even help you find someone who works with your learning style.
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