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.

Belief in Witchcraft Widespread in Africa

A new Gallup poll found that belief in magic is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with over half of respondents saying they personally believe in witchcraft. Studies in 18 countries show belief varies widely (ranging from 15 percent in Uganda to 95 percent in the Ivory Coast), but on average 55 percent of people polled believe in witchcraft.

Nigerian governor says abuse of child 'witches' exaggerated

A Nigerian governor said on Monday that reports of child abuse associated with witchcraft in his state are greatly exaggerated.

CJ Wilson Is Macbeth for Wilma Theatre in Philly; Casting Announced

CJ Wilson and Jacqueline Antaramian will play Macbeth and his Lady, respectively, in Wilma Theater's season-opener, Shakepeare's Macbeth, in Philadelphia.

One in five Americans are idiots

By now we've all heard about the recent Pew poll that indicated a growing number of Americans believe, against all available evidence, that President Obama is not a Christian, but is instead a (gasp!) Muslim. Or that he's a "secret Muslim," whatever that is.

The rescued, accused witches of Nigeria

Some pastors in Southeast Nigeria claim illness and poverty are caused by witches who bring terrible misfortune to those around them.