Wiccan Traditions GARDNERIAN WICCA
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A retired British civil servant named Gerald B. Gardner is the
'Grandfather', at the very least, of almost all Neo-Wicca. He was
initiated into a coven of Witches in the New Forest region of England
in 1939 by a High Priestess named 'Old Dorothy' Clutterbuck. In 1949
he wrote a novel [*High Magic's Aid*] about medieval Witchcraft in
which quite a bit of the Craft as practiced by that coven was used. In
1951 the last of the English laws against Witchcraft were repealed
(primarily due to the pressure of Spiritualists) and Gardner published
*Witchcraft Today*, which set forth a version of the rituals and
traditions of that coven. There is an enormous amount of disagreement
about virtually every statement I have made in this paragraph.
>Gardnerism is both a tradition and a family, and lineage is a family
tree. The High Priestess rules the coven, and the principles of love
and trust preside. We follow our handed down book more carefully than
many others, but we are free to add and improvise, as long as we
preserve the original.
>We work skyclad, practice binding and scourging, are hierarchal and
secretive, therefore we are controversial. We're also controversial
because we were first - the first craft tradition in the U. S. and
descended from the man largely responsible for starting the craft
revival. So, we're called 'the snobs of the craft', but I think we're
as much fun as anyone else; our parties as good, our jokes as bad'
>A Gardnerian can trace his/her lineage matrilineally back to a High
Priestess who worked with Gerald. For virtually all American
Gardnerians, that means his last HPS, Monique Wilson. Monique
initiated the Bucklands and Rosemary Buckland initiated Theas, so far
as anyone knows, the only one of Rosemary's Thirds who passed the
initiation on - which is why she has been called (but doesn't call
herself) 'Witch Queen of America. '>[the foregoing quotes provided by
Deborah Lipp Bonewits, a Gardnerian Third Degree High Priestess as
well as an ADF Druidess. ]
*Each Gardnerian coven is autonomous and is headed by a High Priestess
who can turn to her queen (the High Priestess who trained her) for
counsel and advice. This maintains the lineage and creates a pool of
experienced and knowledgeable leaders and teachers.
*Reincarnation and the Wiccan Rede [An it harm none do what you will]
are basic tenants of the tradition. Covens are as much as possible
composed of male/female pairs for balance. Most working is
accomplished with the energy raised by the interaction of the Lord and
Lady as represented by the couples in the coven by dancing, chanting,
etc.
*Like many Wiccan traditions, Gardnerians have three degrees. An
American Gardnerian must be of the 3rd degree before she can become a
HPS. The HPS/HP are responsible for conducting services (circles),
training their conveners, and preserving and passing on Gardnerian
Craft. *[This material quoted from Converging Paths Newsletter, Kyril,
Brita, & Hugh authors. ]
A lot of the controversy surrounding Gardnerianism questions the
sources of the rituals and other materials, particularly those
appearing in print. It is true that Gardner presented these materials
as if they were directly from his New Forest tradition. It is clear,
however, that whatever materials the coven may have had when he was
initiated, Gerald made a lot of changes and added a great deal.
Literary sources of the published Book of Shadows include Blake,
Kipling, Yeats and Crowley. Much of the published material was written
by Doreen Valiente, a member of the coven for a time and later founder
of her own groups and author of many excellent books on the Craft.
Gardnerian Witches without doubt do have many materials which have not
appeared in print, however, their emphasis on secrecy has made them a
punchline in the Wiccan social world. How many Gardnerians does it
take to change a light bulb? That's a secret! Their High Priestess
will usually be called 'Lady' Soandso and High Priest, 'Lord
Whatisname'. [This is far more true in the U. S. than it is in
England. |
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