Saturday, August 27, 2011

Isadore Raven Avalon/Black Raven Coven Book Pulled by Lulu.com

'MAGICK FOR THE NEW WITCH & WICCAN - New seekers of the Mysteries on the Path of the Wise' pulled for plagiarism.
The 'coven book' which Raven Avalon claimed was authored by herself, & edited by Bram Darkraven, was today removed by Lulu.com from it's sales lineup due to plagiarism. Rightful authors of stolen material contacted Lulu.com with proof that their work had been stolen and Lulu responded immediately.

Cached page showing the books listed; current page showing them removed.


Chops strongly encourages these real authors to also contact AmazonPlagiarism claims are handled through this email address: copyright@amazon.com.

For a real-life example of the simple email process, see here, where an author has posted their email exchange with Amazon after dealing with another repeat scammer/thief.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Isadore Raven Avalon/Black Raven Coven Is Rochelle Moore aka Zara Alcott


Comparing the 'Black Raven Coven' books and Rochelle Moore's books; they are virtually identical. Chops believes this puts to rest any further questions; Black Raven Coven is Rochelle's 2011 money-making iteration on social networking sites following her plagiarism bust last year. Same Facebook group urls, same books, same everything.

All that would remain is for Rochelle/Siobhan/Raven/Zara to explain why she went from a Christo-Wiccan to a hereditary witch practicing thousands of years old witchcraft descended from her ancestors the Druids to a third-degree Gardnerian witch with 45 years of practice and seminars. Chops won't be holding it's breath.

The book examinations: identical passages are in red. Large files, click to expand each image.

Page one




Page Two

Page Three

Page Four

Page Five


Chops stands by it's original assertion that Black Raven Coven is Rochelle Moore, back under a new persona (Raven, and many phoney admin alts), recycling her older Moore works under a different name and premise this year after the plagiarism bust of last year - to continue to make money off the pagan community.

EDIT Update:



Now that it has been established that Isobelle Raven Avalon and Black Raven Coven are indeed Rochelle (Siobhan Mary Whelan) Moore, Chops knew much of what she is attempting to sell as her own work would be plagiarized from other authors - and they would all be online. Indeed that is the case. In a brief examination of just one small part of the book 'Magic For The New Witch and Wiccan', one finds the following: (Raven/Rochelle's book quotes are in grey, the plagiarized originals are in blue. Red denotes the word or two that Rochelle added or changed). Naturally, none of the stolen works are cited or attributed.
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-from Raven Avalons (Rochelle Moore) Magic For The New Witch and Wiccan
INTRODUCTION: NEW TO THIS?
You would not be reading this were you not already a Seeker, trying to find your Way. Your search, the inner work it involves, the dedication, are what matter, not if your Path leads finally to being a Witch or Wicca. Walk in the light and you will never go astray. The journey to Magick starts with an inner voyage.
Magick will take you further, teach you how to penetrate the veils and layers of reality. Magick deals in ultimate truths. This journey, should you decide to undertake it, is a never-ending one. We all have things we can still learn about ourselves and about Magick, no matter how long we have been studying.
.......................................................

Where she stole the above content from:
You would not be reading this were you not already a Seeker, trying to find your Way. Your search (and the inner work it involves) are what matter, not if your Path leads finally to Wicca or somewhere else.
Walk in the light and you will never go astray. The journey to magick starts with an inner voyage, the journey to Self.
Magick will take you further, teach you how to penetrate the veils and layers of reality. Magick deals in ultimate truths. This journey, should you decide to undertake it, is a never-ending one. We all have things we can still learn about ourselves and about magick, no matter how long we have been studying.
-- from The Wicca Handbook by Eileen Holland. http://www.wattpad.com/520723-the-wicca-handbook-by-eileen-holland-introduction
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Raven/Rochelles book:

Witches do not exactly "believe in" anything. They just know it to be there. Witches are great individualists and while all Wiccans are Pagans, not all Pagans are Witches. Witchcraft is a type of Paganism.
Pagans all believe in the same things but Witches work spells and Magick whilst Pagans who are not Witches do not. This will become more clear as we move through this book.
The terms Black or White Magick really have no meaning. Magick in itself is a neutral force. It is how you use it that determines whether it is for good or bad. However, Witches bear in mind the message given in the Wiccan Rede and the Threefold rule; "What you do will return to you threefold"; hence, it is not advisable to actually work any harmful Magick.
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Where she stole the above content from:
Witches do not exactly "believe in" anything. They just know it to be there. Witches are great individualists. While all wiccans are pagans, not all pagans are witches. Witchcraft is a type of paganism.
Pagans all believe in the same things but witches work spells and magic whilst pagans who are not witches do not.The terms Black or White magic really have no meaning. Magic is a neutral force. It is how you use it which determines wether it is for good or bad. However, witches bear in mind the message given in the wiccan rede and the Threefold rule. ((What you do will return to you threefold)). It is very unadvisable to actually work any harmful magic.
Source: written by: Bekka   http://members.tripod.com/~Kith_Kinesthae/calling/intro.html
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Raven/Rochelles book:
The term Pagan is from the Latin "Paganus", an adjective originally meaning "rural", "rustic" or "of the country." As a noun, “Paganus” was used to mean "country dweller, villager”. The semantic development of post-classical Latin Paganus in the sense "non-Christian, heathen" is unclear. The dating of this is controversial, but the 4th century seems most plausible. An earlier example has been suggested in Tertullian De Corona Militis xi, "Apud hunc [sc. Christum] tam miles est paganus fidelis quam paganus est miles infidelis," but here the word Paganus may be interpreted in the sense "civilian" rather than "heathen".
From its earliest beginnings, Christianity spread much more rapidly in major urban areas (like Antioch, Alexandria, Corinth, Rome) than in the countryside (in fact, the early church was almost entirely urban), and soon the word for "country dweller" became synonymous with someone who was "not a Christian," giving rise to the modern meaning of "Pagan."
............................................................................
Where she stole the above content from:
The term pagan is from the Latin paganus, an adjective originally meaning "rural", "rustic" or "of the country." As a noun, paganus was used to mean "country dweller, villager."[7] The semantic development of post-classical Latin paganus in the sense "non-Christian, heathen" is unclear. The dating of this sense is controversial, but the 4th century seems most plausible. An earlier example has been suggested in Tertullian De Corona Militis xi, "Apud hunc [sc. Christum] tam miles est paganus fidelis quam paganus est miles infidelis," but here the word paganus may be interpreted in the sense "civilian" rather than "heathen".
From its earliest beginnings, Christianity spread much more quickly in major urban areas (like Antioch, Alexandria, Carthage, Corinth, Rome) than in the countryside (in fact, the early church was almost entirely urban[citation needed]), and soon the word for "country dweller" became synonymous with someone who was "not a Christian," giving rise to the modern meaning of "pagan."
Source: Wikipedia   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism

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Raven/Rochelles book:
There are many branches of Paganism e.g.:
Celtic (Druid), a reconstruction of the faith practiced by the Celts before the
Christianization of areas such as Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe.
Eclectic Pagan; a term that describes people who take from many different faiths and combine them into one, Egyptian (Kemetic), is a reconstruction of the faith practiced by the ancient Egyptians and
Heathenism, (Asatru), a reconstruction of the faith practiced by the Norse people before the onset of the Christianization of Scandinavia.

............................................................................
Where she stole the above content from:
 Celtic (Druid), a reconstruction of the faith practiced by the Celts before the Christianization of areas such as Ireland, Britain, and Gaul
Eclectic Pagan, a term that describes people who take from many different faiths and combine them into one.
Egyptian (Kemetic), a reconstruction of the faith practiced by the ancient Egyptians.
Heathenism (Asatru), a reconstruction of the faith practiced by the Norse people before the Christianization of Scandinavia.
Source: Adam Bean, Paganism & Wicca FAQ - from the Facebook group Paganism & Wicca
https://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=53173&post=1246143&uid=2204731498
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Raven/Rochelles book:
 As time progressed and Christianity spread, those same country folk were often the last strongholds clinging to their old religions.
Thus, "Pagan" came to mean people who didn't worship the God of Abraham


............................................................................
Where she stole the above content from:
 As time progressed and Christianity spread, those same country folk were often the last holdouts clinging to their old religions.
Thus, “Pagan” came to mean people who didn’t worship the god of Abraham.
Source: Patti Wigington, ‘Wicca, Witchcraft or Paganism?’ About.com author
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/wiccaandpaganismbasics/a/WWPDiffs.htm
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Raven/Rochelles book:
Hedge-witchery, or Hedge-craft, is a kind of combination of Witchcraft and Shamanism. This Path is based on the Traditional Witchcraft and Cunning Folk traditions of Europe from ancient to modern times.
The word "Hedgewitch" may come from the Saxon word for Witch, Haegtessa, which translates to "hedge-rider". The Old Norse lay Havamal refers to "hedge-riders, witching aloft.
For the Hedge-witch, "the Hedge" is a metaphor for the line drawn between this world and the next; between reality and dream, between the Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds. 

In short, the Hedge is what many Pagans refer to as the Veil. 
Hedge Witches use herbs and shamanic techniques, such as drumming and meditation, to induce altered states of consciousness.
They work with familiar spirits, their ancestral dead, plant and animal Totems to assist in their Otherworld work.

............................................................................
Where she stole the above content from:
 Hedgewitchy or Hedgecraft, is a kind of combination of Witchcraft and Shamanism. This Path is based on the Traditional Witchcraft and Cunning Folk traditions of Europe from ancient to modern times.
“Hedgewitch” most likely comes from the Saxon word haegtessa, which translates to “hedge-rider”. The Old Norse lay Havamal refers to “hedge-riders, witching aloft”.
For the Hedgewitch, “the Hedge” is a metaphor for the line drawn between this world and the next; between reality and dream, between the Upper, Middle, and Lower Worlds.
Treating “the Hedge” an another word for what pagans commonly call the Veil.
Hedgewitches use herbs and herbal concoctions known as flying ointments, as well as shamanic techniques such as drumming and meditation, to induce altered states of consciousness. They work with familiar spirits, their ancestral dead, plant and animal Totems and the like, to assist in their Otherworld work.
Source: Written by Juniper
http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2008/07/what-is-hedgecraft/
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Raven/Rochelles book:
A Hedge Witch would have learned their trade or Craft by word of mouth. More than likely they would have learned it from a family member or the former village Witch and is an eclectic path.
............................................................................
Where she stole the above content from:

A hedge witch would have learned their trade or craft by word of mouth. More than likely they would have learned it from a family member or the former village witch.
Source: Written by: GreenWitch
http://www.angelfire.com/folk/greenwitch/sacred.html
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Raven/Rochelles book:
Animism is derived from the Latin word "anima” meaning “breath or soul" and the belief of Animism is probably one of man's oldest beliefs in the world. This Tradition believe that a soul or spirit exists in every object, even if it was inanimate. 
............................................................................
Where she stole the above content from:
The term animism is derived from the Latin word anima meaning breath or soul. The belief of animism is probably one of man's oldest beliefs, with its origin most likely dating to the Paleolithic age. From its earliest beginnings it was a belief that a soul or spirit existed in every object, even if it was inanimate.
Source: ‘Animism’ written by Alan G. Hefner and Virgilio Guimaraes for PaganSpace.net
http://www.paganspace.net/group/animism--
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To anyone being fleeced by this woman, return your books and demand a refund. All salient material in Raven/Rochelles book is available for free online; to include Rochelle Moore's Gather and Associated Content sites.Do not continue to be fooled by this poser pretending to be a 'high priestess.' For shame.

EDIT Update:


Raven says the matter is settled; she has posted a photo that clearly proves she is not Rochelle/Siobhan:

click to enlarge

Except...it's another photo she took from an online website and added her name to:

click to enlarge

Well, that just settles everything, doesn't it.  ;)



On Visiting Facebook, and continued plagiarism

Following several requests for Chops to make an appearance on Facebook in the last week or two, and especially in the comment section here; Chops created a profile and page on Facebook. We posted in two groups that we were there, and directed anyone to our personal page who wished to speak directly to Chops.

We asked that discussions remain civil and factual, one issue at a time.

The next morning, Jacqueline Bowser claimed to have received a private message, and blamed Chops for it. Even after the person who sent the message publicly spoke up in Bowsers group and stated that she was the author of the message, Bowser continued to portray anger and blame Chops. She claimed she would not speak to Chops because of this message that Chops had nothing to do with. One can only assume that she never expected Chops to come to FB, and had to fabricate a reason to avoid speaking with us. This casts a significant pall on her previous claims of victimhood, in the comments here.

Two days after Chops arrived at FB, Bram Darkraven, admin of Isadore Raven Avalon's/Rochelle Moore's Black Raven Coven, posted to the Chops wall. After Chops responded to him, he deleted the entire conversation.

click to enlarge
Chops feels these actions more or less speak for themselves. It becomes increasingly apparent that none of the people actively involved in the Siobhan/Rochelle Moore/Raven Avalon/Black Raven Coven issues can refute a single claim on this blog. They have every opportunity, and continue to hide, obfuscate, and blame the whistleblowers.

Having been caught out as being Rochelle/Siobhans page, they are now planning on changing to another group page to break the Moore association, apparently:




The basic facts remain:

Raven's coven group page on FB is Rochelle Moore's Witches and Wiccans of Facebook; the title was changed in February when 'Raven' and the coven suddenly appeared online. The coven claims no knowledge of who Rochelle Moore is, yet coven admins who appeared online with Raven and the coven in Feb, linked to Moore's books on their Gather and Twitter pages (now removed.) and used two Moore book covers as coven logos.


On Facebook later, Raven again uses the two Rochelle (Siobhan) Moores book covers as personal and coven logos. When questioned, suspected alt Aidana Silvermist claims Rochelle gave Raven permission to use them. The artist who owned the rights to one cover was contacted, and confirmed that she was told this, and Raven then had to pay the artist a fee to continue to use the art. Coven still claims not to know who Rochelle is.

Raven Avalon appropriated two copyrighted internet photos from their owners, in one case even removing the artists watermark, before claiming both were of herself, photographed and painted by a friend.
The real artist painter confirmed her work was stolen and altered.
Following this exposure, Raven went on the attack, using her alts and group members to harass the whistleblowers. The coven posted Rochelle Moore's old Hate List from 2009/2010, and encouraged all members to report the people on the list and get them banned from Facebook. (Side by side lists can be seen in the previous post).

click to enlarge


The Goblin Hunter alt is created, Coven admins join him/her on all his profiles and pages, and s/he repeatedly creates numerous groups, spamming the Hate List and calling for everyone on the list (130+ Facebook pagans) to be Reported and banned. Most profiles and groups are removed by Facebook for Hate Speech.

click to enlarge


Raven Avalon continues to plagiarize. On her coven group info, it initially copied Ravensgrove Coven's information. This was changed, and the current info is palgiarized from uncredited web sources (see image below), yet signed by Raven herself. One wonders why a self-declared third-degree Gardnerian high priestess, who claims to have been teaching and running seminars for years, cannot write a simple introduction paragraph for her own coven statement.

large image, click to enlarge


At this point, the coven members are still continuing to deny their involvement and promotion of the Hate List with attacks, obfuscations, denials and twisted tales. They continue to deny that Raven is Rochelle Moore. They cannot offer even a single explanation as to why their coven is Moore's group page - (among other things.) Raven still refuses to provide any credentials or verification to back her teaching and 3rd-degree Gardnerian high priestess claims, her location, and even her supposed "coven of 20 years." Offers to meet in her supposed Wiltshire location, in a public place, with well-known public figures of the UK pagan leadership are ignored. Any legitimate teacher would be willing to provide their credentials.
Rather ironically, Black Raven Coven has The Seekers Bill of Rights posted as a document:
"1. "The Right to Verify Credentials: Seekers shall not be obstructed from contacting persons who can substantiate or disavow the claims made by a group or teacher. In the case of elders who were inspired to create a new tradition, the seeker has a right to know the circumstances surrounding the inception of that tradition."
I suppose it's to lend a feeling of credibility to the group, and the newbies are afraid to ask.

Those who have read the 'coven books' report that they are a simplistic rehash of basic material found for free all over the internet. The coven 'Book of Shadows' is only 200+ pages, yet covers 60 topics; meaning each topic averages two pages each, front and back. Chops has not reviewed the book, but has had numerous confirmations of the above statements. The Coven charged for the books and also for lessons; they deny this but Chops has screenshots of the pages on this, and unless they have removed it, the post by Llewellyn David explaining the charges for lessons and to send them to an anonymous Paypal email remains in the coven Discussions.

Enough. The connection with Rochelle Moore following last years plagiarism (and re-self-publishing as Zara Alcott) remains quite clear. Chops warns Dear Readers once more about scammers trying to separate pagans from their money. Steer clear, and please pass the word to newbies, especially.