Gardnerian Wicca is a tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca. Gardnerian Wicca is named after Gerald Gardner (1884-1964), a British civil servant and scholar of magic, among other topics. He knew and worked with many famous occultists, not the least of which was Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). After his retirement Gardner moved to Christchurch near the New Forest on the south coast of England, where he says he met a group of people who had preserved certain traditional practices. As an amateur folklorist, Gardner was fascinated, and set about reconstructing what he described as an ancient, ancestral religion whose remnants he had come upon. He apparently had little ritual material to work with and had to create a good deal of it himself. The word pagan is derived from the Latin Paganus, meaning of or from the country. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The cover of Witchcraft Today, in which Gardner made the disputed claim to have encountered religious witchcraft survivals in England. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Look up magic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an occultist, mystic, hedonist and sexual revolutionary. ... Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River For other uses, see New Forest (disambiguation). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001... Folkloristics is the formal academic study of folklore and mythology. ...

Gardner seems not to have been confident writing original poetry, and instead borrowed and wove together appropriate material from other artists and occultists, most notably Crowley, Charles Godfrey Leland's Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, the Key of Solomon as published by S.L. MacGregor Mathers, Freemasonry ritual, and Rudyard Kipling, Queen Victoria's Poet Laureate. One of Gardner's High Priestesses, Doreen Valiente (1922-1999) wrote much of the most well-known poetry, including the much-quoted Charge of the Goddess. Charles Godfrey Leland (1824–1903) was an American humorist and folklorist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and educated at Princeton University, and in Europe. ... Cover from a 1990 printing of Aradia. ... The Key of Solomon is a grimoire or book on magick attributed to King Solomon (as several others were). ... Samuel Liddel MacGregor Mathers, in Egyptian costume, performs a ritual of Isis in the rites of the Golden Dawn. ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling (December 30, 1865 – January 18, 1936) was a British author and poet, born in India. ... Doreen Valiente (1922 - 1999) was a co-creator of Wicca, together with Gerald Gardner. ... The Charge of the Goddess is a traditional inspirational text sometimes used in Neopaganism and Wicca. ...

The core group grew slowly and in utter secrecy as Witchcraft was illegal in Britain at the time. When the Witchcraft Laws were replaced, in 1951, by the Fraudulent Mediums Act, Gerald Gardner went public, initially somewhat cautiously, but during the late 1950's and early 1960's (up until his death in 1964) even courting the attentions of the tabloid press, to the consternation of some of the other members of the tradition. Nevertheless, the increased publicity seems to have allowed Gardnerian Wicca to grow much more rapidly. 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ...

The oldest known Gardnerian Wiccan coven is the North London coven, which originally met in the Witch's Cottage near the Five Acres naturist club in Bricket's Wood near London; it has operated continuously for over 50 years, since shortly after the end of World War II, and has included many leading lights of Gardnerian Wicca including Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Lois Bourne, and Jack Bracelin. North London is that part of London which is north of the River Thames. ... Naturists find going without clothing both enjoyable and relaxing. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... The cover of Witchcraft Today, in which Gardner made the disputed claim to have encountered religious witchcraft survivals in England. ... Doreen Valiente (1922 - 1999) was a co-creator of Wicca, together with Gerald Gardner. ... Lois Bourne was a member of the North London coven, the first Wiccan coven in history. ...

The most well known covens of the original Gardnerian lineage are: New Forest, Bricket Wood, Rainbow Wood, Isle of Man, Oak Tree, Sparrow, Isis Urania and Druid Oak.

Some American neopagans regard Gardnerian Wicca as a "fundamentalist" path,^{[citation needed]} in that, at least as often practiced in America, it demands fairly strict adherence to the procedures and principles laid down by Gardner, as well as stringent requirements for initiation. As practiced in England, on the other hand, Gardnerian Wicca is often regarded as a mainstream Wiccan tradition,^{[citation needed]} albeit an old-school one, and as less formal than Alexandrian Wicca. In addition, American Hard Gards consider any non-initiates not true "Wiccans" and equivalent to Fluffy Bunnies.^{[citation needed]} They also see Alexandrians in a bad light because they claim that it was based on a stolen Book of Shadows.^{[citation needed]} With regard to "their" Lord and Lady, non-initiates do not know their "secret names" and therefore cannot worship them properly. In this way, only they, the initiates, are "known" and acknowledged by the true Wiccan God and Goddess. Coming from the Latin, initiation implies a beginning. ... Alexandrian Wicca is a tradition of the Neopagan religion of Wicca, founded by Alex Sanders (also known as King of the Witches) who, with his wife Maxine Sanders, established the tradition in the 1960s. ... The term fluffy bunny, or the variant fluff bunny, is used within Neopaganism as a humorous and derogatory label for someone who demonstrates a tendency to express his or her spiritual (usually Neopagan) beliefs in a New Age or sweetness and light manner. ... The Book of Shadows is a traditional book of Wicca, containing the core rituals, practices, and wisdom of a Wiccan tradition. ...

External links

• "So, are you Gardnerian?"
• Gerald Gardner - The History of Wicca
• The Gardnerian Book of Shadows
• The Gardnerian Tradition