One question Pagans ask themselves is should they have a teacher or not. For those who decide that they want a teacher it can be hard to find someone willing to train them. They have to decide if they are bent, bound, and determined that they have a teacher they can physically meet with or are they content with a teacher that they correspond with online. The sad truth is that not all teachers should be teachers and there are things you should take into consideration when evaluating your teacher.
1.To pay or not to pay. This is a hot button topic in the community. There are those that feel that spiritual teachers should never charge for their teachings. On the other hand they are using their valuable time to teach and they may even have expenses involved in teaching. Generally, it’s okay to pay a teacher for a class or course as long as their fees are reasonable.
2.A teacher should be open minded. They are presenting you with one way to practice but they should be open to you doing research on your own and allow for your practice to evolve in its own way. They should not try to make you a cookie cutter of them.
3.Provide a safe environment. You should always feel safe when working with your teacher. There should never be a time when you feel unsafe and if you do you need to trust your instincts and get yourself out of the situation. This means you should always be safe physically, mentally, and sexually.
4.Guage your teacher’s knowledge. How long someone has been practicing Paganism doesn’t always equate to how knowledgeable they are. There are those who have walked the path for a long time but haven’t really learned a lot and don’t have a lot of knowledge to pass on.
5.Does (s)he have their ego in check. Your teacher should be grounded in reality. If your teacher is making fantastical claims about their “powers” and expects you to worship them unquestioningly run.
