Doreen Valiente (1922 - 1999) was a co-creator of Wicca, together with Gerald Gardner. 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) is a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... A Neo-Pagan pentacle (circumscribed): a symbol used by many Wiccans. ... // Life Gerald Brosseau Gardner (June 13, 1884 - February 13, 1964) was a British civil servant, amateur anthropologist, writer, and occultist who published some of the definitive texts for modern Wicca, which he was instrumental in founding. ...

Born Doreen Dominy, the daughter of Christian parents, the young Doreen was convinced from an early age that she possessed the power to use magic. Valiente was the name of Doreen's second husband. Magick is an alternate spelling of magic, coined by Aleister Crowley to differentiate the true science of the Magi from all its counterfeits. In the broadest sense, magick is any act designed to cause intentional change -- for example, changing the channel on your television set. ...

Shortly after Gardner made public his claims to have been initiated into a surviving witch cult, he was joined by Valiente, who collaborated with him in the creation of rituals. Valiente also wrote a number of poems for the use of Wiccans. Faced with challenges from sceptics Valiente attempted, with some success, to provide evidence for Gardner's claims concerning his intitiation, notably by identifying Dorothy Clutterbuck, the old witch who was supposed to have performed the initiation. This article is part of the Witchcraft series. ... Dorothy Clutterbuck (January 19, 1880–January 12, 1951) , also known as Old Dorothy, was a well-to-do woman who lived near Christchurch, England, whom Gerald Gardner claimed had initiated him into witchcraft. ...

Valiente broke with Gardner, though never completely, and became the de facto leader of the Wiccan movement after his death. She was active in her promotion of modern witchcraft and neo-paganism, being particularly keen to emphasise that the movement was not related to satanism. Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... Satanism is a religious, semi-religious and/or philosophical movement whose adherents recognize Satan as an archetype, pre-cosmic force, or some aspect of human nature. ...

Dr Leo Ruickbie examines her life and contribution to Wicca in his Witchcraft Out of the Shadows. According to Dr Ruickbie, Valiente was the 'Mother of Modern Witchcraft', playing a crucial role in re-writing much of Gardner's original ritual material.

Bibliography

Ruickbie, Leo, Witchcraft Out of the Shadows. Robert Hale, 2004. ISBN 0709075677.