Gerald Brousseau Gardner: Witchcraft In The Modern Western World
Gardner, Gerald B. (1884-1964)
Gerald Brousseau Gardner, an English hereditary Witch and allegedly responsible for reviving Witchcraft in the modern Western world, was born in Blundellands, near Liverpool, England, on June 13, 1884. His father served as a justice of the peace, being a member of a family in the timber trade business. The family was of Scottish descent, tracing its roots to a woman named Grissell Gardner who had been burned as a Witch in 1610 at Newburgh. Gardner's grandfather marred a woman who was supposedly a Witch and some of his distant relatives assumedly possessed psychical abilities. Gardner's family tree included as well mayors of Liverpool, and Alan Gardner, a naval commander and later vice admiral and peer, who later earned distinction as the commander-in-chief of the Channel Fleet who helped to prevent the invasion of Napoleon in 1807.
Gerald was the second of three sons, and suffered severely with asthma when young. To alleviate …show more content…
Crowley made Gardner an honorary member of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a magical order of which at one time Crowley held leadership. Crowley had once practiced Witchcraft, presumably in one of the Old George Pickingill's covens. There is speculation that Gardner asked Crowley information about Craft rituals, which he might incorporate into his own. According to Patricia C. Crowther, wife of Crowther, it is known that Gardner admired and was influenced by Crowley, but there is no evidence suggesting that Crowley gave him any specific Craft material.
Gardner desired to, but was kept from, publicly writing about the survival of Witchcraft, because at the time Witchcraft was still against English law. So his novel High Magic's Aid concerning Witchcraft was published in 1949, under the pseudonym Scire. The work included rituals which he had learned from his coven, and the worship of the Horned God, but the Goddess was not
Gerald Brousseau Gardner, an English hereditary Witch and allegedly responsible for reviving Witchcraft in the modern Western world, was born in Blundellands, near Liverpool, England, on June 13, 1884. His father served as a justice of the peace, being a member of a family in the timber trade business. The family was of Scottish descent, tracing its roots to a woman named Grissell Gardner who had been burned as a Witch in 1610 at Newburgh. Gardner's grandfather marred a woman who was supposedly a Witch and some of his distant relatives assumedly possessed psychical abilities. Gardner's family tree included as well mayors of Liverpool, and Alan Gardner, a naval commander and later vice admiral and peer, who later earned distinction as the commander-in-chief of the Channel Fleet who helped to prevent the invasion of Napoleon in 1807.
Gerald was the second of three sons, and suffered severely with asthma when young. To alleviate …show more content…
Crowley made Gardner an honorary member of the Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), a magical order of which at one time Crowley held leadership. Crowley had once practiced Witchcraft, presumably in one of the Old George Pickingill's covens. There is speculation that Gardner asked Crowley information about Craft rituals, which he might incorporate into his own. According to Patricia C. Crowther, wife of Crowther, it is known that Gardner admired and was influenced by Crowley, but there is no evidence suggesting that Crowley gave him any specific Craft material.
Gardner desired to, but was kept from, publicly writing about the survival of Witchcraft, because at the time Witchcraft was still against English law. So his novel High Magic's Aid concerning Witchcraft was published in 1949, under the pseudonym Scire. The work included rituals which he had learned from his coven, and the worship of the Horned God, but the Goddess was not