As a student of Jason's who has gone through the whole course and worked it: it is, hands down, absolutely worth it. The course is all about successfully applying magic to material ends while also developing oneself personally and spiritually. I don't know what the deal is with someone calling him a 'black magician', but that's honestly kind of gauche and not accurate, but I'd rather let Jason speak for himself.
When I started the course on New Year's 2011, I was coming from a 13-year background in Wicca, Ceremonial Magick, and Chaos Magick. After taking the course and working its techniques and methods, I've done more effective magic since then than I ever did with my previous background. It really clears away a lot of learned occult bullshit if you allow it to. I managed to make changes in my life that have covered the cost of the course several times over. And I'm not the only student of the course to have done so.
As for paying for the course, I'm not even going to argue with the "we shouldn't have to pay" mindset. Old hat, been regurgitated a thousand times, not worth my time to address beyond this. I have found Jason flexible about payment, which he readily states.
Just a few points about negatives regarding the course: - Jason can be difficult to contact or get a response from at times. I guess it's something he's working on, but with important questions, I've always found him responsive. - Sometimes the group does seem a little like groupies. I admit I'm a Jason Miller fanboy, but I don't always agree with him, and neither do the other students. So it's not like we're a bunch of sycophants about Jason. The material has worked great for us and caused us to be passionate about it. - The students in the SS facebook group are honestly the most well-behaved facebook group I've ever seen. Even in vehement disagreements, we're more civil than 90% of the occult-oriented facebook groups I've been in. - In the group, Jason regularly advertises further courses, talks, etc. Sometimes it almost seems like a gimmick for further money, except for one thing: In my experience, he always delivers on the content. To date, my least worthwhile experience (but still worthwhile) was his talk on healing. But they're not all going to be knock-your-socks-off mind-blowing. - If you hate meditation, be prepared to hear about meditation. Many of us students have reaped many benefits from meditation because of this course, so it is a topic of discussion. - SS doesn't stick to the usual philosophies about magic (karma, ego, single-model focus, etc). If you find the "middle path" in things frustrating, the course might not be for you. But personally, I love it.