Celebrating its 13th Anniversary, the Sorcerer’s Handbook of Merlyn Stone returns to the public after thousands of copies have reached circulation! This underground cult classic was originally written by Joshua Free in the 1990′s under the name “Merlyn Stone” while still a teenager! Just a few of the many topics explored are ritual spellcraft, candle magick, ceremonial high magick, tarot divination, the magick of the Golden Dawn, the complete Enochian arts and yes, even the Necronomicon! What follows is an excerpt from The Sorcerer’s Handbook providing a brief and concise history of the modern witchcraft revival in the Wicca tradition.

“It was not until 1951 that the Anti-Witchcraft & Magick Acts were appealed and the public practice of magick was no longer punishable by imprisonment or death. Magickal organizations and secret societies had previously existed seeking to perfect ceremonial magick (such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn) and figures like Aleister Crowley has already been consider-ed “witches.” An intensive revival interest in the witchcraft tradition was occurring in the late 19th Century independent of the ceremonial elitists, claiming a more rural peasant-orientation to mysticism, including a return to such paradigms as the gypsy folk traditions and “old wives’ tales.” (from The Sorcerer’s Handbook of Merlyn Stone)

“Three influential literary works appeared in 1890, which set the stage for the wiccan, neodruidic and neo-pagan movements of the 20th Century. The Golden Bough, written by Sir. James Frazer, is a monumental treatise classifying diverse folk and pagan traditions and customs, particularly those concerning Nature. The work became very influential among neo-druids, not so much from the opinions and interpretations, but because of the vast amount of folklore condensed within.”

“MacGregor Mathers translated the notorious grimoire, the Keys of Solomon. Most of the initial interest was limited to fellow members of the Golden Dawn (GD), but it later became a strong influence on Wicca.”

“Finally, Charles Leland, a historian of the gypsy and Strega traditions, published Aradia: Gospel of the Witches, presented as a secret oral tradition that led underground witches since the 14th Century.”

“In 1921, an anthropologist and Egyptologist named Margaret Murray, author of The Witchcult in Western Europe, reinvestigated the works mentioned above. This is what sparked Gerald Gardner’s revival of witchcraft in the form of “Wicca,” drawn from an old Anglo- Saxon root meaning “wise” or “wild.” The tradition, and the Book of Shadows used to found it, received input by two other figures seldom credited with any part of the founding of Wicca: Aleister Crowley and Ross Nichols.”

“The tradition borrows the ritual magick of ceremonialism, the correspondences of occult philosophy (The Keys of Solomon and The Magus). It draws from native Gypsy and Strega traditions of Eastern Europe and its Old Ways, coupled with Celtic, Druidic and Norse mysticism from Western Europe.”

“Neodruidism and most magickal organizations and secret societies were predominantly solar (Sun) oriented, whereas Wicca aligned its system to the Moon with an emphasis on the “goddess,” a focus that is not found extensively in Medieval and Renaissance magickal styles. Gardner’s tradition (also called “Gardnerian Wicca”) also promoted skyclad work within covens.”

“In the 1960s, Alexander Sanders (“Alexandrian Wicca”) became a self-proclaimed “King of the Witches,” leading an alternate wiccan tradition that placed a heavier emphasis on ceremonial magick and grimoire use.”

“Many of the facets of the overall system are quite old, but those who subscribe to the New Age eclectic tradition of the wiccan outline are practicing a system that was consolidated less then 100 years ago. It has also given rise to 1,000 derived traditions that are obviously younger. The lure of the magickal tradition, the ability to possess books of magick and don the wizard’s cap has captivated curious minds for centuries and true seekers have found this lifestyle by one means or another.”

“The great archetype of magick is universal, but also open to interpretation by a cultural consciousness and the individual psyche. The overwhelming inclination to pass manuscripts or ritual texts off as “older” than they are is an abundant concern in all forms of mysticism. It is, however, counterproductive to personal magickal development to get caught up in the whirlwind of origin and authenticity debates. Oral traditions and even personal (or family) systems have always operated in a mysterious manner and become even more cryptic when first transcribed into the written word.”

“Witchcraft has been misinterpreted, according to the New Age, as merely a feminine alternative to “masculine wizardry.” In Wicca, gender dualism is recognized. It would have to be, especially given that all of the prominent figures throughout the decades (Gerald Gardner, Isaac Bonewits, Alex Sanders, Raymond Buckland, Scott Cunningham, etc.) have been male! The covens, however, appear to be led by a High Priestess, who is considered spiritually superior to any priest. Some Dianic forms of Wicca are open to females only.”

“A significant increase of interest in Wicca emerged in the mid-1990s as a result of the motion picture, The Craft, which exclusively depicted young girls practicing magick. What is peculiar about this fad-appeal to Wicca is that the movie did not really depict Wicca at all so much as a Hollywood presentation of ceremonial and ritualized high magick. The “fictitious” grimoire used in the movie, The Invocation of the Spirit, was actually a copy of Waite’s Book of Ceremonial Magick (although the lightning-storm drawing does not appear in it, nor do any of the rituals the girls practiced).”

In the 21st Century, “Wicca” has become a household catchall term for many aspects of the New Age. What is actually practiced today is minimally based on the work of “Gardnerian” or “Alexandrian” interpretations. Some aspects of neodruidism overlap into the varying wiccan traditions and elements from all systems of magick, whether primitive shamanism or the Sacred Book of Magick of Abramelin the Mage, seem to be fair game. While some practitioners fault others for not knowing “their” version of the mystic practices, too many variations exist to qualify one or another as a “purer” strain.” (Blog post is from The Sorcerer’s Handbook of Merlyn Stone)