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.

Govt to set up special court for children sacrifice suspects - Daily Monitor

Govt to set up special court for children sacrifice suspects Daily Monitor, Uganda - 14 hours ago Ethics and Integrity minister, Dr James Nsaba Buturo, blamed the government for encouraging witchcraft which is practicing child sacrifice to some extent.

Uganda Government News: Government to up efforts to promoter morals - Wavah Broadcasting Company, Uganda

Uganda Government News: Government to up efforts to promoter morals Wavah Broadcasting Company, Uganda, Uganda - Jan 1, 2009 ... of Ethics and Integrity, Dr. James Nsaba Buturo says 2008 has seen the ugly side of human behavior coming to the fore with many incidents of witchcraft, ...

Matembe doubts prosecution of child sacrifice culprits - New Vision

Matembe doubts prosecution of child sacrifice culprits New Vision, Uganda - Dec 15, 2008 Matembe says many Ugandans have now turned to witchcraft and child sacrifice with hope of acquiring Wealth. She, however doubts if the culprits will be ...

'2008 was a challenge for Uganda' - Sunday Vision

'2008 was a challenge for Uganda' Sunday Vision, Uganda - Dec 27, 2008 Giving a “social audit” for 2008, the minister said promoters of homosexuality, pornography, witchcraft and other vices have been on the offensive, ...

Religion in schools to go God-free - The Age

Religion in schools to go God-free The Age, Australia - Dec 13, 2008 What about witchcraft or Satanism? "If you accredit humanism, then those things would have an equal claim to be taught in schools. ...