Wiccan Witchcraft History

There is a common belies that modern witchcraft is the result of an unbroken tradition of passing secret magical knowledge down through the generations, either by blood or by initiation, and often by both. This belief, while appealing for obvious reasons, is, to put it politely, poppycock.

Were there self-professed Witches in the Western world prior to the Gardnerian coming out party in the middle of the century? Absolutely. Folklore was enjoying a boom, Frazer's The Golden Bough (three editions of various sizes from 1890 to 1915) was being widely devoured, and Theosophy, Spiritualism, the Society for Psychical Research, and dozens of esoteric societies and orders were thriving.

It's hard to imagine that in such a climate no one was embracing a form of Witchcraft. On top of that, the tradition of cunning men and women (often old-school Witches by any other name) was still hanging in there. There may well have been numerous examples of what would today be called Family Traditions (or Famtrads, if you go to far too many SF conventions), though there's regrettably little evidence for these.

What has not been established, though, is whether there was a Witchcraft movement, a network of Witches bound by a reasonably uniform collection of traditional practices and beliefs. Some authors, Gardner among them, have been deeply attached to the idea of such a network, but proportionately ineffectual at establishing its reality.

Advocates of this Murray-ish take on the Craft (such as those who credit the rather ill-reputed cunning man George Pickingill with everything from the rulership of nine Covens to being where Crowley nicked his best magical moves) still fly the flag, but since all attempts to substantiate such claims invariably lead to (a) impenetrable oaths of secrecy and (b) severe migraines, they have trouble getting anyone much to salute. Of course, a lack of proof is often accompanied by a lack of refutation, but all we have then are matters of faith.

The good news for the status of Witchcraft and Wicca, however, is that this couldn't really matter less. Darwin might have called the Biblical account of our origins into question, but he certainly didn't make a little girl's Bat Mitzvah any less meaningful or Salisbury Cathedral any less inspiring. Magic is not reliant on history but on the state of the spirit.

Drop in to capital's grisly new tourist trap - Scotsman

Drop in to capital's grisly new tourist trap Scotsman, United Kingdom - Oct 23, 2008 He also denounced his sister as a witch. The authorities sidestepped the issue of witchcraft, but they were declared guilty of incest and foul fornication ...

Movie Review: Silhouette City - Blogcritics.org

Movie Review: Silhouette City Blogcritics.org, OH - Nov 1, 2008 Beginning with the survivalist sect called The Covenant, The Sword & The Arm of the Lord and ending with the advancement of the Christian Right, ...

Cleric tasks Akwa Ibom on spiritual liberation - Daily Champion

Cleric tasks Akwa Ibom on spiritual liberation Daily Champion, Nigeria - Oct 23, 2008 Our fathers were sold out to idolatry and witchcraft. If all will let go what has made God angry, Akwa Ibom will be free. They made covenant with water ...

Capsule Reviews - Cleveland Free Times

Capsule Reviews Cleveland Free Times, OH - Oct 29, 2008 (Gallucci) Burn Witch Burn (Britain, 1962) - A university professor discovers his wife is practicing witchcraft in this British thriller. ...

It’s 3am And Kenya’s Obama Has Cursed McCain And Palin - Anorak.co.uk (satire)

It’s 3am And Kenya’s Obama Has Cursed McCain And Palin Anorak.co.uk (satire), UK - Oct 31, 2008 Some renounced their devilish practices of blood covenant by killing sheep, goats, humans to be inducted into the tribe or to get a wife or to get revenge. ...