Raymond Buckland
Encyclopedia
Raymond Buckland whose craft name is Robat, is an English American
writer on the subject of Wicca
and the occult
, and a significant figure in the history of Wicca
, of which he is a High Priest in both the Gardnerian and Seax traditions.
According to his written works, primarily Witchcraft from the Inside, published in 1971, he was the first person in the United States
to openly admit to being a practitioner of Wicca
, and he introduced the lineage of Gardnerian Wicca
to the United States in 1964, after having been initiated by Monique Wilson in Britain
the previous year. He later formed his own tradition dubbed Seax-Wica
which focuses on the symbolism of Anglo-Saxon paganism.
on 31 August 1934, to Eileen and Stanley Buckland. Buckland was of mixed ethnicity; his mother was English
, but his father was Roma. He was raised in the Anglican Church but developed an interest in Spiritualism and the occult
at about age 12, after encountering it from a Spiritualist uncle.
When World War II
broke out in 1939, the family moved to Nottingham
, where Buckland attended Nottingham High School
. It was here that he became involved in amateur dramatic productions.
He went on to be educated at King's College School
. In 1955 he married Rosemary Moss. From 1957 to 1959, he served in the Royal Air Force
, and then went on to work in a London publishing company for four years, before he and his wife emigrated to the United States
in 1962, where they lived on Long Island
, New York
.
Whilst living in the United States, Buckland worked for British Airways
, which allowed him to constantly travel back and forth between the US and UK.
and Witchcraft Today
by Gerald Gardner
, which gave him an insight into the Witchcraft religion, or Wicca
as it is now more commonly known.
To find out more information, Buckland started corresponding with Gerald Gardner in the Isle of Man
. The two became friends, and had several telephone conversations, which led to Buckland becoming Gardner's spokesman in America.
, where, in Perth
, they were initiated into the craft by the High Priestess Monique Wilson. Gardner attended the ceremony, but did not perform it himself. Gardner died shortly after, having never met Buckland again.
known as the Long Island Coven. The group followed the Gardnerian Wicca
lineage which the couple had been initiated into. They tried to keep their identities secret at first, due to concern about unwanted and negative attention, however journalist Lisa Hoffman
of the New York Sunday News published a news story on them without permission.
In 1973, Raymond and Rosemary separated, and they both left the Long Island Coven, handing over the role of High Priest and High Priestess to people whose craft names were Theos and Phoenix.
. It started off as a by-appointment-only policy museum in his own basement. After his collection of artifacts grew he moved the museum to a 19th century house in Bay Shore. The museum received some media attention, and a documentary was produced about it.
In 1973, Raymond and Rosemary separated. Buckland moved his museum to Weirs Beach in New Hampshire
. In 1978, he moved to Virginia
, disbanded the museum, and put all his artifacts in storage.
In 2008, the artifacts of the Museum were entrusted to the care of The Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church (CPWC), based in New Orleans, LA and led by Arch Priestess Rev. Velvet Rieth. CPWC plans to raise funds to display the artifacts once more, either in a New Orleans area building, and/or as a traveling exhibit in select US cities.
, using the pseudonym Tony Earll (an anagram for 'not really'). By 1973 he was earning enough money with his books that he could take over running of his museum full time. He has published a book almost every year since.
so decided to form his own Wiccan tradition, which was Seax-Wica
. Seax-Wica was based upon symbolism taken from Anglo-Saxon paganism. He published everything about the movement in The Tree: Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft. He then began a correspondence course to teach people about Seax-Wica, which grew to having around a thousand members.
, Ohio
, where he continued to write, and work as a solitary Wiccan.
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English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
writer on the subject of 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."...
and the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
, and a significant figure in the history of Wicca
History of Wicca
The history of Wicca documents the rise of the Neopagan religion of Wicca and related witchcraft-based Neopagan religions. Wicca originated in the early twentieth century, when it first developed amongst several secretive covens in England who were basing their religious beliefs and practices upon...
, of which he is a High Priest in both the Gardnerian and Seax traditions.
According to his written works, primarily Witchcraft from the Inside, published in 1971, he was the first person in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to openly admit to being a practitioner of 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."...
, and he introduced the lineage of Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
to the United States in 1964, after having been initiated by Monique Wilson in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the previous year. He later formed his own tradition dubbed Seax-Wica
Seax-Wica
Seax-Wica is a tradition, or denomination, of the neopagan religion of Wicca which is largely inspired by the iconography of the historical Anglo-Saxon paganism, though, unlike Theodism, it is not a reconstruction of the early mediaeval religion itself....
which focuses on the symbolism of Anglo-Saxon paganism.
Life in Britain, 1934-1962
Buckland was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 31 August 1934, to Eileen and Stanley Buckland. Buckland was of mixed ethnicity; his mother was English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, but his father was Roma. He was raised in the Anglican Church but developed an interest in Spiritualism and the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
at about age 12, after encountering it from a Spiritualist uncle.
When World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
broke out in 1939, the family moved to Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, where Buckland attended Nottingham High School
Nottingham High School
Nottingham High School is a British boys' independent school situated about a mile north of Nottingham city centre. It has around 900 pupils from ages 11 to 18 and there is the adjoining Nottingham High Junior School catering for younger boys and, from September 2008, the Lovell House...
. It was here that he became involved in amateur dramatic productions.
He went on to be educated at King's College School
King's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
. In 1955 he married Rosemary Moss. From 1957 to 1959, he served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, and then went on to work in a London publishing company for four years, before he and his wife emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1962, where they lived on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Whilst living in the United States, Buckland worked for British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, which allowed him to constantly travel back and forth between the US and UK.
Learning about the craft, 1962
In the US, Buckland soon read the books The Witch-cult in Western Europe by Margaret MurrayMargaret Murray
Margaret Alice Murray was a prominent British Egyptologist and anthropologist. Primarily known for her work in Egyptology, which was "the core of her academic career," she is also known for her propagation of the Witch-cult hypothesis, the theory that the witch trials in the Early Modern period of...
and Witchcraft Today
Witchcraft Today
In the book Gardner also repeats the claim, which had originated with Matilda Joslyn Gage, that 9 million victims were killed in the European witch-hunts." Current scholarly estimates of the number of people executed for witchcraft during this time period vary between about 40,000 and 100,000.The...
by Gerald Gardner
Gerald Gardner
Gerald Brousseau Gardner , who sometimes used the craft name Scire, was an influential English Wiccan, as well as an amateur anthropologist and archaeologist, writer, weaponry expert and occultist. He was instrumental in bringing the Neopagan religion of Wicca to public attention in Britain and...
, which gave him an insight into the Witchcraft religion, or 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."...
as it is now more commonly known.
To find out more information, Buckland started corresponding with Gerald Gardner in the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. The two became friends, and had several telephone conversations, which led to Buckland becoming Gardner's spokesman in America.
Initiation, 1963
Both Buckland and his wife Rosemary travelled to ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where, in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, they were initiated into the craft by the High Priestess Monique Wilson. Gardner attended the ceremony, but did not perform it himself. Gardner died shortly after, having never met Buckland again.
Long Island Coven, 1963-1973
The Bucklands returned home to the United States where they founded a covenCoven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
known as the Long Island Coven. The group followed the Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
lineage which the couple had been initiated into. They tried to keep their identities secret at first, due to concern about unwanted and negative attention, however journalist Lisa Hoffman
Lisa Hoffman
Lisa Hoffman is the American founder and president of Lisa Hoffman Beauty.-Early life and academic career:...
of the New York Sunday News published a news story on them without permission.
In 1973, Raymond and Rosemary separated, and they both left the Long Island Coven, handing over the role of High Priest and High Priestess to people whose craft names were Theos and Phoenix.
First Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in the United States, 1968-
In 1968 Buckland formed the First Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in the United States, as influenced by Gardner's Museum of Witchcraft and MagicMuseum of Witchcraft
Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall, England is a museum dedicated to witchcraft and has the largest collection of witchcraft and Wiccan related artifacts in the world...
. It started off as a by-appointment-only policy museum in his own basement. After his collection of artifacts grew he moved the museum to a 19th century house in Bay Shore. The museum received some media attention, and a documentary was produced about it.
In 1973, Raymond and Rosemary separated. Buckland moved his museum to Weirs Beach in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. In 1978, he moved to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, disbanded the museum, and put all his artifacts in storage.
In 2008, the artifacts of the Museum were entrusted to the care of The Covenant of the Pentacle Wiccan Church (CPWC), based in New Orleans, LA and led by Arch Priestess Rev. Velvet Rieth. CPWC plans to raise funds to display the artifacts once more, either in a New Orleans area building, and/or as a traveling exhibit in select US cities.
Books, 1969-2008
In 1969 Buckland published his first book - A Pocket Guide to the Supernatural. He followed this with in 1970 with Witchcraft Ancient and Modern and Practical Candleburning Rituals, as well as a novel called Mu Revealed, a spoof on the works of James ChurchwardJames Churchward
James Churchward is best known as a British born occult writer. However, he was also a patented inventor, engineer, and expert fisherman....
, using the pseudonym Tony Earll (an anagram for 'not really'). By 1973 he was earning enough money with his books that he could take over running of his museum full time. He has published a book almost every year since.
Seax-Wica, 1974-1982
In 1974 Raymond married Joan Helen Taylor. He became fed up with the quarreling within Gardnerian WiccaGardnerian Wicca
Gardnerian Wicca, or Gardnerian Witchcraft, is a mystery cult tradition or denomination in the neopagan religion of Wicca, whose members can trace initiatory descent from Gerald Gardner. The tradition is itself named after Gardner , a British civil servant and scholar of magic...
so decided to form his own Wiccan tradition, which was Seax-Wica
Seax-Wica
Seax-Wica is a tradition, or denomination, of the neopagan religion of Wicca which is largely inspired by the iconography of the historical Anglo-Saxon paganism, though, unlike Theodism, it is not a reconstruction of the early mediaeval religion itself....
. Seax-Wica was based upon symbolism taken from Anglo-Saxon paganism. He published everything about the movement in The Tree: Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft. He then began a correspondence course to teach people about Seax-Wica, which grew to having around a thousand members.
Solitary life, 1992-contemporary
In 1992 Buckland and his wife moved to a farm in Holmes CountyHolmes County
Holmes County is the name of three counties in the United States:* Holmes County, Florida* Holmes County, Mississippi* Holmes County, Ohio...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where he continued to write, and work as a solitary Wiccan.
External links
- Raymond Buckland's Official Website
- Llewellyn Publications author page
- Biography at Controverscial.com
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