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a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
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a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
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To: alt.magick.marketplace
From: grace@eire.com
Subject: Kisma Stepanich
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 23:29:34 +0100
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:info@cog.org
Janet and Stewart Farrar
e-mail:jsfarrar@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: bobbi@llewellyn.com
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