SilverVixen, If you ever met Silver Ravenwolf you would not call her a fluffy bunny. I know her well, Her seminary is now established in over 35 states, Canada, and Europe. It was rated as the best Wiccan Seminary in the states , and it's people are very well trained Clergy. Only 40% of the applicants graduate, and believe me they are not even close to your definitions of a weak Wiccan. You of course may think and say what you want, but I think we should all be past the time that we insult Elders. Silvers books are still some of the best books for newbies on the market, and her latest books deal heavily in Quantum Physics. Hardly fluffy.
I think this is a good article relating to Ms Trayer's work. I've read the book mentioned in the article, and can assure you that it's just as bad as it's made out to be.
When one is a leader and takes chances you get all kinds of articles written both pro and con. I have found that most of the negatives regarding Silver's works have been written by people who have flunked out of her Seminary, or kicked out may be a better term. Silver Ravenwolf does not suffer fools. She has purpossely stayed at home these past 6 years raising her Kids, but Finally, maybe this year... she will once again go on tour and she can defend herself against anyone who has a problem with her. It is funny, anytime I have seen her teach a seminar it is sold out, packed with people who just want to learn, and she is the best Wiccan teacher I have seen in America.We have been trying to get her to Michigan, as I know many Covens, and Wiccan stores have been asking for her, She is the best.
Below is a link on fluffy bunnies that I found hilarious to read. I hope anyone who takes the time to read it enjoys it as much as I did.
http://wicca.cnbeyer.com/fluffy.shtml
A link on Silver Ravenwolf which explains why many many people don't believe her words and tell others not to trust her books or any of her writings. (This is also quite hilarious as well.)
And for everyone who tells you not to trust her works, I can find hundreds of people who not only trust her words and her works but respect her as an early Elder of Wicca in America. Everyone should make up their own minds who they read and/or follow, but I don't think character assasination does Paganism any good. We need ALL our leaders. There are hundreds of her students who love Silver, and thousands who love her books. I have great respect for all her efforts, and I know for a fact she is one Elder that did not get on the money train when she could have. Quite frankly, I think we need our leaders, and even though they should not be immune from criticism, they should not be ridiculed.
Ok let me say this so that no one misunderstands. I personally do not believe silver ravenwolf is a fluffy bunny. the above definition is not mine it's from URBAN DICTIONARY. They are not my personal beliefs.
I think silver ravenwolf is a little generalized in some of her works but she is a good place to start for those who are new. She's a wonderful woman who has practiced for years and takes her time to share her knowledge. The article above as i said is from www.urbandictionary.com which I mentioned in the second sentence of the first 2 lines.
I wouldn't call her a fluffy bunny either exactly. More that she is wrong (do to her generalizations and switching terms) and slightly fluffy on many things she does.
Alot of the things she says are off, and they do cause confusion. This is why I prefer to send new people to Scott Cunningham for Wiccan topics. He is less confusing to those who are new.
For instance many of those who read her books are lead to believe that all witches should follow the ways of Wicca, however that is not true. That I would call quite off about her. That and her histories in her books are off as well.
I've never met the woman, so I can't really say whether she is fluffy or not. I was simply stating that she is categorized by multiple people as fluffy because of the way her writings are.
And like I said, I simply do not recommend her. If you are new, and wish to look up information on Wicca, I'd personally go to SilverVixen on here, Scott Cunningham's books, or Thea Sabin's books. Those three I recommend because I know that they know what they are talking about and that they explain things in an easy and less confusing way.
I would also like to add that while there may be hundreds following a certain person it does not make the leader right.
Hitler would be a good example of this (no I am not saying Silver Ravenwolf is Hitler, I'm just making a comparison between them because they both gather followers).
But thank you for misunderstanding what I was attempting to get at.
Thank you for your thoughts. But Silver does not want followers, about five years ago she totally dismantled her seminary because she thought to many people were following her instead of learning things for themselves. The seminary is up and running and stronger then ever with important lessons learned by everyone. I do know Silver, she is a friend, and is as far from being a fluffy bunny as one can be. She is one very tough lady, and a great Witch. Her early books are simple because she was writing for a newbie audience, some of her latest stuff is more sophisticated. But... it is in her seminary that the real stuff is taught, it is hard to get into, hard to stay in because of all the challenges, and dificult to graduate. No student of Silver's seminary would ever confuse her with a fluffy bunny. I also teach young aspiring Clergy, and I use all kinds of people including Cunningham, Curett, Valiente, Cuhulain, and Ravenwolf.
I can assure you that most who have written negative comments about Ravenwolf's books have READ THEM and have more than a remedial understanding of Neo-Wicca, Witchcraft and history. That is why her books fall under such scrutiny. Can you honestly say that the websites like "Why We Despise Silver Ravenwolf?" and "Tarnished Silver: Why I don't Recommend Silver Ravenwolf" are wrong? They properly site each reference from her own books and point out why they are either historically wrong, biased against Christianity or blatant pandering. Anyone who defends those books need to pick up some real history books and avoid the new aged section for a while. I don't have to know her to know her books are horrible for beginners or anyone else for that matter. Who she is personally is irrelevant because who she portrays herself to the community is what is being discussed.
I can't say I would be all too delighted with anyone who has attended her "seminary" because if it teaches the same slanted (and blatantly wrong) history those people aren't worth the paper their certificate was written on.
