{"id":8968,"date":"2013-10-01T01:10:20","date_gmt":"2013-10-01T06:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=9275"},"modified":"2013-09-23T16:04:08","modified_gmt":"2013-09-23T21:04:08","slug":"a-year-and-a-day-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2013\/10\/01\/a-year-and-a-day-5\/","title":{"rendered":"A Year and a Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Famous Witches, Wiccans and Pagans<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gerald Gardner was one of the first to take witchcraft \u2018out of the broom closet\u2019.\u00a0 Since then, many witches have followed in his footsteps by publishing books and discussing publicly the beliefs, rituals and practices of Wicca.\u00a0 These famous witches and pagans helped to bring Wicca out of obscurity, and allowed mainstream culture to gain insight into this secretive and selective group.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gerald Gardner<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gerald Gardner is known as the \u2018father of modern Wicca\u2019.\u00a0 A British public servant, he spent much of his time abroad and was influenced by a variety of cultures and esoteric teachings.\u00a0 He claimed to have been initiated into a coven of witches which had survived since antiquity, and fearful that the tradition would die out, he decided to make the practices public.\u00a0 The novel High Magic\u2019s Aid<\/em> was published in 1949, and once the witchcraft laws were repealed in England in 1951, he published Witchcraft Today<\/em> and The Meaning of Witchcraft<\/em>.\u00a0 These books, and Gardner\u2019s flair for publicity, created a sect of witchcraft which is known as the Gardnerian tradition.\u00a0 Gardner worked closely with occultist Aleister Crowley, as well as initiating Doreen Valiente and Raymond Buckland into the Craft.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Doreen Valiente<\/strong><\/p>\n

Initiated into Wicca by Gerald Gardner himself, Doreen Valiente is thought to have been instrumental in forming the Gardnerian tradition of witchcraft.\u00a0 She is credited with writing the Charge of the Goddess, which is used in many traditions of Wicca, as well as penning much of Gardner\u2019s original Book of Shadows.\u00a0 She wrote Witchcraft for Tomorrow<\/em>, which discusses the historical context of various rituals and practices used in Wicca today.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Raymond Buckland<\/strong><\/p>\n

A student of Gerald Gardner, Raymond Buckland was initiated into the Gardnerian tradition in 1963 and is credited with bringing Gardnerian Wicca to America.\u00a0 Buckland went on to found the Seax-Wicca tradition based on the Saxon and Norse cultures, focusing on the deities Woden and Freya.\u00a0 His \u2018big blue book\u2019, The<\/em> Complete Book of Witchcraft<\/em>, was hugely popular and influential due to its eclectic flavour and easy to use workbook structure.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alex Sanders<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alex Sanders was an initiated witch and ceremonial magician who founded the Alexandrian tradition of Wicca in the 1960s.\u00a0 While very similar to Gardnerian Wicca, the Alexandrian tradition focused more on ceremonial magic.\u00a0 Alex Sanders, who called himself the \u2018King of the Witches\u2019, brought his tradition to America and initiated both Janet and Stewart Farrar.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Janet and Stewart Farrar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Janet and Stewart Farrar were both initiated into the coven of Alex Sanders in 1970, later moving on to form their own Alexandrian coven.\u00a0 They wrote The Witches\u2019 Bible<\/em>, a combination of earlier books Eight Sabbats for Witches<\/em> and The Witches Way<\/em>.\u00a0 Their books have been described as a mix of Gardnerian and Celtic traditions and are popular with British Traditional witches.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Starhawk<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starhawk (Miriam Simos) is an environmental activist and ecofeminist.\u00a0 She published The Spiral Dance<\/em> in 1979, the same year as Margot Adler\u2019s Drawing Down the Moon, <\/em>which discusses the divine feminine and is thought to have sparked the Goddess movement in America.\u00a0 Starhawk received training in the Feri tradition of witchcraft and later co-founded the Reclaiming tradition, which mixed spirituality and magic with political activism.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scott Cunningham<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scott Cunningham was one of the first authors to write specifically for the eclectic solitary witch, which he did so in popular books such as Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner<\/em> and Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner<\/em>.\u00a0 Both books are a staple of \u2018Wicca 101\u2019 reading lists, introducing neophytes to Wicca, witchcraft and magic.\u00a0 Scott Cunningham also wrote several other popular books such as The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews, Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic<\/em>, and Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

The Complete Idiot\u2019s Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft (3rd Ed) by D. Zimmermann and K. Gleason (2006)<\/p>\n

Wicca For Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice by Thea Sabin (2006)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PaganWiccan About.com \u2013 Top 10 Authors You Need To Read http:\/\/paganwiccan.about.com\/od\/wiccanpaganhistory\/tp\/authors.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PaganWiccan About.com \u2013 Thirteen Books Every Wiccan Should Read<\/p>\n

http:\/\/paganwiccan.about.com\/od\/recommendedreading\/tp\/Starter_Kit.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_Wicca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Famous Witches, Wiccans and Pagans   Gerald Gardner was one of the first to take witchcraft \u2018out of the broom closet\u2019.\u00a0 Since then, many witches have followed in his footsteps by publishing books and discussing publicly the beliefs, rituals and practices of Wicca.\u00a0 These famous witches and pagans helped to bring Wicca out of obscurity, and allowed mainstream culture to gain insight into this secretive and selective group.   Gerald Gardner Gerald Gardner is known as the \u2018father of modern Wicca\u2019.\u00a0 A British public servant, he spent much of his time abroad and was influenced by a variety of cultures and esoteric teachings.\u00a0 He claimed to have been initiated into a coven of witches which had survived since antiquity, and fearful that the tradition would die out, he decided to make the practices public.\u00a0 The novel High Magic\u2019s Aid was published in 1949, and once the witchcraft laws were repealed in England in 1951, he published Witchcraft Today and The Meaning of Witchcraft.\u00a0 These books, and Gardner\u2019s flair for publicity, created a sect of witchcraft which is known as the Gardnerian tradition.\u00a0 Gardner worked closely with occultist Aleister Crowley, as well as initiating Doreen Valiente and Raymond Buckland into the Craft. \u00a0 Doreen Valiente Initiated into Wicca by Gerald Gardner himself, Doreen Valiente is thought to have been instrumental in forming the Gardnerian tradition of witchcraft.\u00a0 She is credited with writing the Charge of the Goddess, which is used in many traditions of Wicca, as well as penning much of Gardner\u2019s original Book of Shadows.\u00a0 She wrote Witchcraft for Tomorrow, which discusses the historical context of various rituals and practices used in Wicca today.   Raymond Buckland A student of Gerald Gardner, Raymond Buckland was initiated into the Gardnerian tradition in 1963 and is credited with bringing Gardnerian Wicca to America.\u00a0 Buckland went on to found the Seax-Wicca tradition based on the Saxon and Norse cultures, focusing on the deities Woden and Freya.\u00a0 His \u2018big blue book\u2019, The Complete Book of Witchcraft, was hugely popular and influential due to its eclectic flavour and easy to use workbook structure. \u00a0 Alex Sanders Alex Sanders was an initiated witch and ceremonial magician who founded the Alexandrian tradition of Wicca in the 1960s.\u00a0 While very similar to Gardnerian Wicca, the Alexandrian tradition focused more on ceremonial magic.\u00a0 Alex Sanders, who called himself the \u2018King of the Witches\u2019, brought his tradition to America and initiated both Janet and Stewart Farrar.   Janet and Stewart Farrar Janet and Stewart Farrar were both initiated into the coven of Alex Sanders in 1970, later moving on to form their own Alexandrian coven.\u00a0 They wrote The Witches\u2019 Bible, a combination of earlier books Eight Sabbats for Witches and The Witches Way.\u00a0 Their books have been described as a mix of Gardnerian and Celtic traditions and are popular with British Traditional witches.   Starhawk Starhawk (Miriam Simos) is an environmental activist and ecofeminist.\u00a0 She published The Spiral Dance in 1979, the same year as Margot Adler\u2019s Drawing Down the Moon, which discusses the divine feminine and is thought to have sparked the Goddess movement in America.\u00a0 Starhawk received training in the Feri tradition of witchcraft and later co-founded the Reclaiming tradition, which mixed spirituality and magic with political activism.   Scott Cunningham Scott Cunningham was one of the first authors to write specifically for the eclectic solitary witch, which he did so in popular books such as Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.\u00a0 Both books are a staple of \u2018Wicca 101\u2019 reading lists, introducing neophytes to Wicca, witchcraft and magic.\u00a0 Scott Cunningham also wrote several other popular books such as The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews, Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic, and Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic.     Sources: The Complete Idiot\u2019s Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft (3rd Ed) by D. Zimmermann and K. Gleason (2006) Wicca For Beginners: Fundamentals of Philosophy and Practice by Thea Sabin (2006)   PaganWiccan About.com \u2013 Top 10 Authors You Need To Read http:\/\/paganwiccan.about.com\/od\/wiccanpaganhistory\/tp\/authors.htm   PaganWiccan About.com \u2013 Thirteen Books Every Wiccan Should Read http:\/\/paganwiccan.about.com\/od\/recommendedreading\/tp\/Starter_Kit.htm   http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/History_of_Wicca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8968\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}