T. came over last night. T. is one of the group we pal around with fairly regularly. T. is studying Isian under B., while R. studies it under K., who is B's high preistess. *sigh* one day, I'm going to start assigning handles to these people. It would make it so much easier. Or use their real names. There's a thought...

So anyway, T. came over to study the Ninth Wave class he'd missed when he was breaking up with Jennifer (Non-cast members get referred to by their first name).

Afterwards, we talked about how his training is going and he told me they would be getting their first degrees at Mabon (next month). It would be a group skyclad ceremony.

Now, R. was out at K's at the time, so I had time to sit and stew on this for a bit. R. has been studying for over 4 years. She has studied hard, and well, and has served as a priestess for sabbats in the Odyssian tradition. T. and the rest of B's coven (all of whom, I might add, are there because they followed R.) have been studying for less than 3 years. Some have been studying for less than 2. And they are about to get the 1st degrees, while R's is nowhere in sight.

When R. got home, she basically confirmed the same thing (although it would be candlemas, not mabon) and was clearly pissed about it also.

We both wrote emails to K. We checked each other's and then sent them, and went to bed. Here's part of mine:

"My wife's happiness and in this case, her fair treatment is, however, my business. Since I will be receiving my 1st in the Correllian within the next few weeks (we all have our agendas :> ), it would be comforting to know that R. will be receiving her 1st soon also, and, specifically, that she will be receiving her 1st ahead of those in B's coven that have had less training than she has. Please feel free to re-read the previous sentence. I am not casting asparagus on anyone at this point, I love S., D., T. and G. dearly, but they would be the first to agree that R. has had more formal training than they have, and it would be unseemly and inappropriate for her to be treated like some kind of sacrificial lamb, when all she did was bring your tradition a group of people eager to learn. They followed her to you, and consequently to B."

I worked hard to make the email respectful while making it totally clear that this is make or break time.

And it is. R is done. I am done. Neither of us believes that there is any more occult knowledge to be had beyond the occasional esoteric snippet, and even K has said that to me (by accident - she let it slip late in the evening one night).

So we were up late last night. And R. is in a wierd mood today. I think a part of it comes from her not liking when I telecommute. I'm not sure why that it, exactly. I know I get a lot more done when I do. Part of it also, I think is fear of the unknown. What will K. say? What will happen to R's training? Will the ninth wave go forward, or are we done with that too?

And the final icing on the cake of all this is my own Correllian training. Having finally broken down and gotten a mentor, it turns out to be another one of our students that passed their first degree about a month ago. Grrr.. Is there anyone on this fucking planet that actually knows any goddamn thing about ANYTHING? I have yet to find anyone who can provide me with knowledge, training or friggin insights that I don't already possess and its starting to PISS ME OFF!!!

I wonder where this whole thing will end up. At least I have R., and Aphrodite and Dionysus. And J., and Xena and Bella and Delilah. And my health.

Ho hum....