about Kisma Stepanich
PHRANQULYN
along,
especially as she is the author of some horrendous garbage being passed
off as "authentic paganism".
Phranqulyn
# # # # # # # # # # #
Subject: Kisma Stepanich
From: gr...@eire.com
Date: Mon, 23 August 1999 06:21 PM EDT
Message-id: <37C1C96C...@eire.com>
As a former student and coven member, of Kisma Stepanich (a.k.a. Kisma
Reidling) I feel that I must say something for the benefit of the Pagan
community at large. I encourage you to seek the truth for yourself, it's
what Kisma is most afraid of.
Many of her other former students have also written statements and
letters that show how she runs a coven is based on "cult" brainwashing
techniques. (see Isaac Bonewitz's Cult Danger Evaluation Frame) For
instance, students are restricted from contacts outside the group, (told
who they may or may not remain friends with) and also from contact
inside the group (she doesn't want them to compare notes with each other
or talk about her when she isn't there) so all situations are managed by
her.
Like a tin-plated dictator with delusions of Goddesshood (and with a
really nasty temper), she uses public humiliation coupled with
saccharin-sweet compliments, and then more humiliation, she keeps people
off-balance so they don't know where they stand and must turn to her
(and only her) for guidance. Family commitments and health issues take
second place to all group/coven activities, and woe be to you if you
question her. She charges monthly coven tithes as well as admission to
each moon gathering, and sabbat. A mandatory part of the training for
all students is attendance at ALL her outside classes at locations other
than her home, (local bookstores, meeting halls) about $70 to $90 each.
And there is a $50 charge for initiation, which MUST be re-newed (and
paid for) each year.
Kisma was a member of Southern California CoG (Covenant of the Goddess).
She is no longer a member because of many ethical violation complaints
filed with CoG, but before steps of action could be taken, Kisma merely
failed to renew her membership. (because she didn't want to have to
answer to the charges that would have resulted in lot of negative
attention in the larger Pagan/Wiccan community when the truth came
out) Her offenses included; lying to CoG about her original
qualifications for membership, lying about her connections to CoG, and
charging fees for initiation. She has claimed that she and Janet and
Stewart Farrar are of the same lineage, and this is simply not true as
the Farrars will attest to. In the first coven she ever worked with, (in
Southern California) she only reached the level of a first degree. The
"family chart" which she passes around is made-up by her. Any advanced
training Kisma may have received seems to have come from the
correspondence courses offered by Fellowship of Isis. She has made
claims both in public and in private that she alone is Lady Olivia's
chosen successor.
Furthermore, Kisma is an obvious plagiarist, she has written barely two
sentences of her books by herself. Also, she has been sued for
plagiarism on both her "Gaia Tradition" and "Faery Wicca" books, (and
one of the authors won against her and Llewellyn) and cheated artists
who worked for her out of royalties and agreed upon payments.
In essence, Kisma always has reasons and justifications for her every
word and action,
(she will no doubt try -or get one of her lackeys to- explain away
everything I've said here, or she'll say that she feels sorry for me or
that I'm jealous of her -what a laugh!) she's a consummate con-artist,
and brilliant at lying, plagiarism, and manipulation. She has never had
an original thought about anything other than how to make money off of
poor hapless seekers of Witchcraft. She is vicious, ruthless, without
scruples and should thus be avoided completely. She has threatened me
and my family with physical violence and magical retribution, should I
make this information public, so I am using an alias.
Below are addresses to confirm what I have said
Covenant of the Goddess (CoG)
P.O. Box 1226
Berkeley, CA 94701
e-mail:in...@cog.org
Janet and Stewart Farrar
e-mail:jsfa...@iol.ie
Llewellyn Worldwide (make them tell you, they don't want this
information available)
84 South Wabasha St.,
P.O. Box 64383, St. Paul, MN 55164
phone: 1-651-291-1970
e-mail: bo...@llewellyn.com
======================================= MODERATOR'S COMMENT:
Approved because this is a public figure; I expect all future posts either in defense or as reinforcement to be factual & to avoid ad hominem arguements - including avoiding repetition of those I noted in this article. - BB, Gale
Sean MacUisdin
>
> I originally found this on Alt.Pagan.Magick. I felt this shoud be passed
> along,
> especially as she is the author of some horrendous garbage being passed
> off as "authentic paganism".
>
> Phranqulyn
According to whom is she the author of some 'horrendous garbage' being
passed off as authentic paganism, and who is defining 'authentic
paganism'?
Air muir 's air tir,
Sean of Clan Uisdin
-------------------
If anyone is looking for Sean of Clan Uisdin, he can be found in the
bathtub mulling over his thoughts wi' a dram o' Glen Ord.
Remove 'mac' to reply. ()
[]
[]
<------>
||
||
"Cha till, cha till, ||
Cha till MacCriomain; ||
An cogadh no sith ||
Cha till e tuille. ||
Le airgiod no nì ||
Cha till MacCriomain; ||
Cha till e gu brath ||
Gu là na cruinne." ||
||
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PHRANQULYN
Sorry, should've prefaced the "h...g.."
comment w/ "IMHO"
>and who is defining 'authentic
>paganism'?
Well, from her _Faery_Wicca_ books,
she would have the reader believe she is passing down some "authentic" trad....
Could we get real? Calling the HPS & HP
the " Banshee & Leprechaun"? The remainder of her opus is suspect as well,
the kind of thing that has given Llewellyn
Press a bad name as a publishing house,
along with works such as _The_21_Lessons_of_Hogwash_
...errr.. I mean ' _Merlin_'
BTW, the quotation marks around
"Authentic Paganism" were meant to denote irony for the humor impaired.....
Mid...@yahoo.com
consider the following:
FAERY WICCA BOOK ONE by Kisma Stepanich
pg. 203 - par 8
"Fearn is connected with the spirit known as Far Darrig (Red Man).
According to legend, these beings are reputed to help human beings to
escape from the Otherworld. But the Far Darrig is also a prankster, and
in wintertime will ask permission to warm himself by the fire. Bad luck
will dog anyone foolhardy enough to refuse"
MAGICKAL ALPHABETS by Nigel Pennick
pg. 132 - par3
"Fearn is connected with the spirit known as the "Fear Dearg"
(anglicized as Far Darrig), the 'Red Man' (the Irish word fear or fir
means a man). According to legend, these beings are reputed to help
human beings to escape from the Otherworld. But, like many Irish
Sprites, the Fear Dearg is also a prankster, and in wintertime will ask
permission to warm himself by the fire. Bad luck will dog anyone
foolhardy enough to refuse."
And it's not just this author that she's plagiarized either; Janet &
Stewart Farrar, R.J. Stewart, Robert Graves, Courtney Davis, Ross
Nichols, WB Yeats, Caitlin Matthews, and Seamus MacManus just to name a
small portion.
In my opinion, anyone with this little respect for the time and effort
REAL authors put into their work should be utterly and totally boycotted
- I can't believe that Llewellyn is publishing this!
On the wings of the Lady,
Middice
> According to whom is she the author of some 'horrendous garbage' being
> passed off as authentic paganism, and who is defining 'authentic
> paganism'?
>
Matt Dragonfly Drury
believe, which I call "The Revenge") - referring to herb gathering and
working. In there, one finds that one needs a morta_L_ and pestle to grind
herbs. :)
Matt Dragonfly Drury
away)
Gale
> Isn't what you just posted a violation of copyright? :P :) (Running far
> away)
No. Fair use. A brief excerpt quoted for the purpose of review is *not* a
violation of copyright. To copy a poem, an illustration, a chart, a
chapter, or even several pages (the present law is rather tight in terms of
how much) would be a violation of copyright. A brief excerpt --
particularly if copied for the sole purpose of review of or commentary on
the work {{as this clearly is}} --- is quite legal and proper.
--
Blessed Be,
Gale
http://www.capstonebeads.com/Magick.html (Tarot)
modstaff, alt.religion.wicca.moderated
shipping assistant: Capstone Jewelry Co. (we sell beads & semi-precious
stones)
http://www.capstonebeads.com
EsoterraMoon
particular) the best method of grinding herbs ;-)
Esoterra Moon
Within the Earth and Moon
Esoter...@aol.com
Dale
>A brief excerpt --
>particularly if copied for the sole purpose of review of or commentary on
>the work {{as this clearly is}} --- is quite legal and proper.
Also, the person even cited where the quotes were taken from.
--
Dale - Liverpool, England
Life is like being on top of the World...just as it topples over!
Do not mail me with 'abuse', use my name instead.
Sean MacUisdin
> >and who is defining 'authentic
> >paganism'?
>
> Well, from her _Faery_Wicca_ books,
> she would have the reader believe she is passing down some "authentic" trad....
> Could we get real? Calling the HPS & HP
> the " Banshee & Leprechaun"? The remainder of her opus is suspect as well,
In what way?
> the kind of thing that has given Llewellyn
> Press a bad name as a publishing house,
> along with works such as _The_21_Lessons_of_Hogwash_
> ...errr.. I mean ' _Merlin_'
>
> BTW, the quotation marks around
> "Authentic Paganism" were meant to denote irony for the humor impaired.....
Well if you were making a joke, then we should not take you criticism
seriously, correct?
Air muir 's air tir,
Sean of Clan Uisdin
-------------------
If anyone is looking for Sean of Clan Uisdin, he can be found in the
bathtub mulling over his thoughts wi' a dram o' Glen Ord.
Remove 'mac' to reply.
()
[]
[]
[]
<------>
[]
[]
Tha Gleann Garadh ceannsgalach
connspannach cruaidh,
chumadh ri luchd aimhreit
a' chonnspaid ud suas;
'n am tharraig gu sanntach
nan lann as an truaill
mholainn do luchd gamhlais
'san am ud bhith uaibh;
bidh ceum cridheil air reing trithear -
cha ghleidh bruidhinn buaidh --
aig buidheann mhor cheannard
nach teann mo chuid uam.
[]
[]
[]
[]
\/
Mid...@yahoo.com
exerpts from other books which are NOT credited in the bibliography.
On the wings of the Lady,
Middice
>
> No. Fair use. A brief excerpt quoted for the purpose of review is *not* a
> violation of copyright. To copy a poem, an illustration, a chart, a
> chapter, or even several pages (the present law is rather tight in terms of
> how much) would be a violation of copyright. A brief excerpt --
> particularly if copied for the sole purpose of review of or commentary on
> the work {{as this clearly is}} --- is quite legal and proper.
>
Gale
> That's all fine and good, except that THE WHOLE BOOK is a series of
> exerpts from other books which are NOT credited in the bibliography.
Huh???
Look - I'm not interested in your argument regarding the book. I posted a brief
explanation that it *is* your legal right to post brief excerpts in the fashion
you used in your post. Do not make any claim that I either attacked or defended
that book or its author, because I said *nothing* regarding the book, nor do I
intend to.
Sean MacUisdin
> Well, from her _Faery_Wicca_ books,
> she would have the reader believe she is passing down some "authentic" trad....
> Could we get real? Calling the HPS & HP
> the " Banshee & Leprechaun"? The remainder of her opus is suspect as well,
> the kind of thing that has given Llewellyn
> Press a bad name as a publishing house,
Out of curiosity, on what source do you base your conclusions that her
information is wrong? It seems to me that wicca/paganism/witchcraft have
yet to fall under any form of orthodoxy or fundamentalism, hence,
anything goes, does it not?
You have repeatedly slammed her writings (plagiarized they may be) but
you have not explained to us the inherent fallacy in her theories.
Furthermore, if you are saying much of her work has been plagiarized,
what are you saying about all of the authors' work in which she has
borrowed from? Are they also piling on the garbage for the gullible?
Matt Dragonfly Drury
mortal and pestle, or a blender, according to her.
Her FW series is along the lines of required initial reading within the
Faery tradition as practiced in central Florida, but with a major disclaimer
that what is said there should be taken with a 50 pound block of brine
salt - very much a "for informational purposes only" context.
Good advice for most books which are out there (excepting the ones by
Cunningham and Starhawk, of course, of course).
Matt Dragonfly Drury
It was a joke. Hence the :P and :) marks directly following the comment.
Matt
Sabra
Sean MacUisdin wrote:
> Out of curiosity, on what source do you base your conclusions that her
> information is wrong? It seems to me that wicca/paganism/witchcraft have
> yet to fall under any form of orthodoxy or fundamentalism, hence,
> anything goes, does it not?
Well, I don't agree with her stance on homosexuality. She thinks it's inherently
wrong. Of course that's not really a Pagan thing, just her opinion, though she does
present it in her books as being less Divine and balanced. And yeah, she does
basically claim that her "Faery Tradition" has been passed down for generations and
is not something relatively new.
I wonder if the author who sued her was Z. Budapest? I noticed, in the "Gaia
Tradition" that all of her holy days listings are word for word copied from
"Grandmother of Time" with no admissions or deletions.
That being said, I did kind of like "Gaia Tradion" and "Sister Moon Lodge". I
never take any New Age authors at their word when it comes to historical facts but
often I find a few interesting points or ideas amoungst the silliness. And both
those books aren't presented as "traditional" anyway. But "Faery Wicca" really
didn't do much for me at all - certainly not enough to spend $20 on the sequel.
Gale
> Gale,
>
> It was a joke. Hence the :P and :) marks directly following the comment.
I saw those, Matt, so don't be concerned that I thought you some sort of
idiot. Some jokes sometimes elicit serious answers -- and copyright law gets
so complex (and I'm no expert, just a former librarian) that a cursory
mention of some of the standards is sometimes appropriate.
Now, let's get back to the "mortal and pestle": "I'll grind his bones to
make my bread." ;-)
Da...@planetmail.com
>
> I wonder if the author who sued her was Z. Budapest?
No, It was R.J. Stewart and he won.
Sean MacUisdin
I
> never take any New Age authors at their word when it comes to historical facts but
> often I find a few interesting points or ideas amoungst the silliness.
nor there.
And both
> those books aren't presented as "traditional" anyway. But "Faery Wicca" really
> didn't do much for me at all - certainly not enough to spend $20 on the sequel.
I concur by both visual and radar.
--
Da...@planetmail.com
"My Conversations with Kisma"
http://www.ravenfamily.org/sam/kisma/index.html
Very interesting I thought.
Danae