Gavin Frost
Encyclopedia
Gavin Frost B.Sc., PhD, D.D., born in Aldridge
, Staffordshire, England, is an occult author, a Wiccan Priest, a doctor of Physics and Mathematics, and a prominent member of the American Wicca
n community. In 1952, Gavin graduated from King's College London
with honours, gaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, and after completing his post doctoral thesis with the Department of Atomic Energy in Cumbria, he received a Doctorate in Physics & Mathematics http://www.controverscial.com/Gavin%20and%20Yvonne%20Frost.htm. He founded the Church and School of Wicca
with his wife Yvonne Frost
in 1968, and he is currently the Archbishop of the Church of Wicca and a director of the School of Wicca. He and his wife have written several books on magic, Wicca, and related subjects such as The Magic Power of Witchcraft.
He has appeared on national television's Phil Donahue Show, PM Magazine
, Tom Snyder
's Tomorrow Show and others, at many events serving the Neo-Pagan community such as Stones Rising, Sirius Rising
, Pagan Pride Day
, and the Starwood Festival
, and in newspaper and magazine articles across the United States.
and moved to Hatfield
near London and took a research position with the de Havilland
Aircraft Corporation investigating the effects of long wave infrared radiation on missiles. His
next position was with Canadair
in Montreal
, first working on the Canadian missile program, then joining their Training and Simulation group, a position that allowed him to travel around the world. After moving to California, Frost became the senior project engineer working on the military F-104 radar
systems.
; the stone circle
site in Boskednan
, Cornwall. After his initiation, his position with the de Havilland Aircraft Corporation
placed him in the vicinity of Salisbury Plain
, where he investigated the ancient monoliths of Stonehenge
and the people who built them, furthering his interest in ancient peoples and the origins of the Old Religion. While with Canadair
, a trip to Chile
gave him the opportunity to spend four days in a remote village exploring their religious beliefs and experiencing first-hand the powers of healing as practised by their shamans. While working in California, a trip to Milan, Italy allowed him to do some research into the truths and fiction that surrounds Charles G. Leland’s Aradia: Gospel of the Witches
. In 1966 he relocated to Munich
, Germany as a company representative, and became fascinated in the subject of German sorcery. He joined a group of Zauberers (Zauberer – German for magician, sorcerer, wizard) operating in der Bayrischen Naehe just south of Munich, and became an initiate and qualified to receive and don their Saffron Robe. The Frosts founded the Church and School of Wicca in 1968, which became the first Federally recognised Wiccan church in 1972. It first operated in Missouri
, then in North Carolina
, and is now centred in West Virginia
. The Frosts stepped down as active leaders of the Church in 1980, but continue as clergy and as heads of the School of Wicca to this day.
Aldridge
Aldridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, England. Historically it was part of the county of Staffordshire, but in 1974 it was incorporated into the Walsall borough as well as the West Midlands county.- History :...
, Staffordshire, England, is an occult author, a Wiccan Priest, a doctor of Physics and Mathematics, and a prominent member of the American Wicca
Wicca
Wicca , is a modern Pagan religious movement. Developing in England in the first half of the 20th century, Wicca was popularised in the 1950s and early 1960s by a Wiccan High Priest named Gerald Gardner, who at the time called it the "witch cult" and "witchcraft," and its adherents "the Wica."...
n community. In 1952, Gavin graduated from King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
with honours, gaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, and after completing his post doctoral thesis with the Department of Atomic Energy in Cumbria, he received a Doctorate in Physics & Mathematics http://www.controverscial.com/Gavin%20and%20Yvonne%20Frost.htm. He founded the Church and School of Wicca
Church and School of Wicca
The Church and School of Wicca was founded by Gavin Frost and Yvonne Frost in 1968. It was the first federally recognized Church of the religion known as Wicca in the United States. It is well known for its correspondence courses on the Frosts' unique interpretation of Wicca...
with his wife Yvonne Frost
Yvonne Frost
Yvonne Frost is a Wiccan author, lecturer, and practitioner from Los Angeles. Together with her husband Gavin Frost, she founded the Church and School of Wicca in 1968. She has co-written many books with him, and appeared on the Phil Donahue Show, PM Magazine, and Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show...
in 1968, and he is currently the Archbishop of the Church of Wicca and a director of the School of Wicca. He and his wife have written several books on magic, Wicca, and related subjects such as The Magic Power of Witchcraft.
He has appeared on national television's Phil Donahue Show, PM Magazine
PM Magazine
PM/Evening Magazine was a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States...
, Tom Snyder
Tom Snyder
Thomas James "Tom" Snyder was an American television personality, news anchor and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows The Tomorrow Show, on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and The Late Late Show, on the CBS Television Network in the 1990s...
's Tomorrow Show and others, at many events serving the Neo-Pagan community such as Stones Rising, Sirius Rising
Brushwood Folklore Center
Brushwood Folklore Center L.L.C. is a family-operated spiritual center that runs events such as festivals, concerts and seminars, and hosts such events held by other organizations. It is a campground which accepts day passes, night passes, and seasonal camping sites. The facility is located in...
, Pagan Pride Day
Pagan Pride Day
Pagan Pride is a movement among the American Neopagan community to provide a positive public image of Neopagans and Neopaganism.Local Pagan Pride groups sponsor "Pagan Pride Day" festivals, usually in public locations such as city parks or university campuses...
, and the Starwood Festival
Starwood Festival
The Starwood Festival is a seven-day Neo-Pagan, New Age, multi-cultural and world music festival presented in mid- to late July. Approximately 1,500 people attend including staff, speakers and entertainers. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects...
, and in newspaper and magazine articles across the United States.
Professional career in the aerospace industry
After he received his Doctorate, Frost left CumbriaCumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
and moved to Hatfield
Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Hatfield is a town and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England in the borough of Welwyn Hatfield. It has a population of 29,616, and is of Saxon origin. Hatfield House, the home of the Marquess of Salisbury, is the nucleus of the old town...
near London and took a research position with the de Havilland
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
Aircraft Corporation investigating the effects of long wave infrared radiation on missiles. His
next position was with Canadair
Canadair
Canadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was a subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers, then a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, first working on the Canadian missile program, then joining their Training and Simulation group, a position that allowed him to travel around the world. After moving to California, Frost became the senior project engineer working on the military F-104 radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
systems.
History with Witchcraft
Frost claims that he was initiated in 1951 at The Nine MaidensBoskednan stone circle
Boskednan stone circle is a partially restored prehistoric stone circle near Boskednan, around 4 miles northeast of the town of Penzance in Cornwall, United Kingdom...
; the stone circle
Stone circle
A stone circle is a monument of standing stones arranged in a circle. Such monuments have been constructed across the world throughout history for many different reasons....
site in Boskednan
Boskednan
Boskednan is a hamlet in west Cornwall, United Kingdom....
, Cornwall. After his initiation, his position with the de Havilland Aircraft Corporation
De Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
placed him in the vicinity of Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
, where he investigated the ancient monoliths of Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
and the people who built them, furthering his interest in ancient peoples and the origins of the Old Religion. While with Canadair
Canadair
Canadair Ltd. was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was a subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers, then a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
, a trip to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
gave him the opportunity to spend four days in a remote village exploring their religious beliefs and experiencing first-hand the powers of healing as practised by their shamans. While working in California, a trip to Milan, Italy allowed him to do some research into the truths and fiction that surrounds Charles G. Leland’s Aradia: Gospel of the Witches
Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches
Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches is a book composed by the American folklorist Charles Leland that was published in 1899. It contains what he believed was the religious text of a group of pagan witches in Tuscany, Italy that documented their beliefs and rituals, although various historians and...
. In 1966 he relocated to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany as a company representative, and became fascinated in the subject of German sorcery. He joined a group of Zauberers (Zauberer – German for magician, sorcerer, wizard) operating in der Bayrischen Naehe just south of Munich, and became an initiate and qualified to receive and don their Saffron Robe. The Frosts founded the Church and School of Wicca in 1968, which became the first Federally recognised Wiccan church in 1972. It first operated in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, then in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and is now centred in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. The Frosts stepped down as active leaders of the Church in 1980, but continue as clergy and as heads of the School of Wicca to this day.
External links
- Biography from the Church and School of Wicca
- Interview with Pagan News
- The Way of the Witch Article on the Church and School of Wicca in Renaissance MagazineRenaissance MagazineRenaissance Magazine is a glossy American magazine published every other month. Each issue comprises approximately 90 pages, and includes articles about the contemporary renaissance faire experience, medieval and renaissance history, castles, heraldry, cooking, and interviews with key individuals...
- Gavin and Yvonne website