As usual in my world, things are coming in groups. Lately I've been hearing a lot about initiations. Most of what I'm hearing indicates to me that folks have lost sight of what initiations are supposed to mean. Among those folks are the people who are doing the initiating.

Somehow, somewhere a good many witches and Pagans got the idea that, after many months, perhaps even years, some authority figure confers upon a struggling unworthy the honor of becoming one of the in-crowd. At some point, after becoming suitably worthy, this person has the privilege of subjecting others to abuse until they, too, are deemed suitable for becoming a member of the in-crowd. Failure to tote and fetch, the bad taste to express an independent opinion, or some other real or imagined infraction negates all time at task, and the initiation never comes. No ticket to the in-crowd, no right to abuse others.