Unfortunately, Witch School can not continue its current operations in Hoopeston, IL. If it were to try, with a increasingly hostile City Council Members and a Daily Press that openly discriminates, it will not be able to assure the comfort and possibly safety of the workers or visiting students. With many legal but openly hostile actions, Witch School is facing a fight that is draining us all.
- We will close the headquarters in Hoopeston and not relocate.
- We will stop selling all merchandise and memberships.
- We will not accept any more new free students.
- The site will be then be open ONLY to lifetime and supporting members, and it will remain up perpetually to fulfill our promise of lifetime education.
- All basic members will no longer be able to access the site.
Our public education will nor longer be able to be handled as we will not have the staff to handle it. We will be forced to end the public education component of our site despite the need for our basic courses. Witch School will become a closed campus online except for lifetime and subscription students.
The good news is that Rev. Don Lewis and Witch School has made a deal with a major publisher that will make copies of the book available in Book form and new eBook forms soon. Updated, and will include even more illustrations of the wonderful art that Don tells the Wiccan story with. There is even a rumor that a deluxe edition will be made available as well. Whoever becomes the new owners, will be able to work with Don to produce these works and possibly share in the future royalties.
Rev. Don Lewis has done everything he can to make his material publicly accessible, and those temples in good standing may continue and are actually encouraged to use the writings as needed. Don wants and had made a gift of his teachings to the community and, unfortunately, there are now groups who are violating his rights and not recognizing his unique contribution. As of April 4th, 2007 anyone who is creating copies of the book for sale, other than Witch School itself is actually stealing and plagiarizing Rev. Don Lewis material. Any school that is teaching Correllian material without recognizing Don himself as the source, and without his direct written permission is violating the law. So those who are making illegal copies, and sadly Don's material have been pirated by many groups and individuals, will be soon facing legal action.
Further SciFi is still developing a series and own the right to create a Witch School Television show. This contract will be transferred to the new ownership and be required to fulfill the requirements as well. Witch School will also receive payments from SciFi/NBC if the series actually makes it to television. This is very simple and will only increase Rev. Don Lewis ability to teach Wicca to a ever increasing number of people who are desperately seeking to learn the world saving ways of the Wiccan faith.
Also, under the editorship of Debbe Tompkins, the Daily Spell has expanded, and under Don's management, it will soon be made available daily to all students. We are looking at this in little more than three weeks away, and it will become the most distributed "e-zine" in the entire Pagan World with over 100,000 subscribers, a dream we have held for years.
Despite the sale, we will not sell the names of our members, and we refuse to reveal any personal information. We promised this and we will continue to keep our promises. And any new owners will be forced to the same confidentiality.
Together, we have created a world wide education system that is very unique and very powerful. Recently, Rev. Don Lewis has made major improvements with his team of programmers any future owner would be getting a great system with great people. If someone can afford to move the HQ fully online or to a new location, then it can continue to prosper, but it can not continue in Hoopeston nor with its current understaffed and overworked management system. Witch School can be of great service to the community in ways and it can bring a return to any owner.
Blessings
Ed Hubbard
Chairman, Witch School
<<
Sadly, when it comes down to it, they were all about the money. From a distance, they managed a veneer of sincerity, but anyone I have known who has actually made it out to Hoopeston had commented about the filth in the building, the lack of personal hygeine, and the downright unfriendliness of most of the people working there, UNLESS they thought they would get money from you. Guess it bit them on the butts finally.
ReplyDeleteI'll agree to that one full heartedly. I visited once...even called ahead to make sure someone would be there-WENT OUT OF MY WAY to make it a stop on my visit to my home-town, only to get there and NOT ONE PERSON spoke to me to say Hi or anything else. I walked in, looked at what little they had, looked at the "student" busily typing away at the computer so much so they never acknowledged my entrance through the door...walked out to never visit again. VERY DISSAPOINTING considering I drove almost three hours out of my way-for a little bit of nothing. The inside was not all that organized and the place smelled funny. They claimed to have owned the book store next door...but it was closed when I was there. Thanks for visiting Gem.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. This was a capitalist venture, not a public service. We went from "come to the pagan colony that is Hoopeston" to being forced out by the locals... Apart from the few die hard, small town christians who didn't want the school there no one in Hoopeston paid much notice. I know, I grew up there and still have family living there.
ReplyDelete