Scott Cunningham
Encyclopedia
Scott Douglas Cunningham (June 27, 1956 – March 28, 1993) was a U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer. Cunningham is the author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of several books on 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 various other alternative religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
subjects.
His work Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, is one of the most successful books on Wicca ever published; he was a friend of notable occultists and Wiccans such as Raymond Buckland
Raymond Buckland
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...
, and was a member of the Serpent Stone Family, and received his Third Degree Initiation as a member of that coven.
Personal life
Scott Cunningham was born at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal OakRoyal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the second son of Chester Grant Cunningham and Rose Marie Wilhoit Cunningham.
The Cunningham family moved to San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the fall of 1959. The family moved there because of Rose Marie's health problems. The doctors in Royal Oak declared the mild climate in San Diego ideal for her. Outside of many trips to Hawaii, Cunningham lived in San Diego until his death.
Cunningham had one older brother, Greg, and a younger sister, Christine.
When he was in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
he became associated with a girl whom he knew to deal in the occult and covens. This classmate introduced him to Wicca and trained him in Wiccan spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
. He studied creative writing at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
, where he enrolled in 1978. After two years in the program, however, he had more published works than several of his professors, and dropped out of the university to write full time. During this period he had as a roommate magical author Donald Michael Kraig
Donald Michael Kraig
Donald Michael Kraig is an American occult author and practitioner of ceremonial magic. Kraig has published six books, including his 1988 introduction to ceremonial magic, Modern Magick...
and often socialized with witchcraft author Raymond Buckland
Raymond Buckland
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...
, who was also living in San Diego at the time. In 1980 Cunningham began initiate training under Raven Grimassi
Raven Grimassi
Raven Grimassi is the pen name of an Italian-American author, publishing on the topics of Neo-paganism and witchcraft. He is perhaps best known for his popularization of Stregheria, a neopagan revival of "Italian witchcraft"....
and remained as a first-degree initiate until 1982 when he left the tradition in favor of a self-styled form of Wicca.
In 1983, Scott Cunningham was diagnosed with lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
, which he successfully battled. In 1990, while on a speaking tour in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, he suddenly fell ill and was diagnosed with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related cryptococcal meningitis. He suffered from several infections and died in March 1993. He was 36.
Religious beliefs
Cunningham practiced a fairly basic interpretation of Wicca, often worshipping alone, though his book series for solitaries describes several instances in which he worshipped with friends and teachers.He also believed that 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."...
, which had been a closed tradition since the 1950s, should become more open to newcomers.
Cunningham was also drawn to Huna and a range of new age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
movements and concepts that influenced and coloured his spirituality.
Books
- 1980 - Shadow of Love (fiction)
- 1982 - Magical Herbalism: The Secret of the Wise (ISBN 0-87542-120-2)
- 1983 - Earth Power: Techniques of Natural Magic (ISBN 0-87542-121-0)
- 1985 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (ISBN 0-87542-122-9)
- 1987 - The Magical Household (ISBN 0-87542-124-5)
- 1987 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic (ISBN 0-87542-126-1)
- 1988 - The Truth About Witchcraft Today (ISBN 0-87542-127-X)
- 1988 - Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (ISBN 0-87542-118-0)
- 1989 - The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews (ISBN 0-87542-128-8)
- 1989 - Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent (ISBN 0-87542-129-6)
- 1991 - Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: More Techniques of Natural Magic (ISBN 0-87542-131-8)
- 1991 - The Magic in Food (ISBN 0-87542-130-X)
- 1993 - Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (ISBN 0-7387-0226-9)
- 1993 - Divination For Beginners (ISBN 0-7387-0384-2)
- 1993 - Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (ISBN 0-87542-184-9)
- 1993 - Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects (ISBN 0-87542-185-7)
- 1993 - The Truth About Herb Magic (ISBN 0-87542-132-6)
- 1994 - The Truth About Witchcraft (ISBN 0-87542-357-4)
- 1995 - Hawaiian Magic and Spirituality (ISBN 1-56718-199-6)
- 1997 - Pocket Guide to Fortune Telling (ISBN 0-89594-875-3)
- 1999 - Dreaming the Divine: Techniques for Sacred Sleep (ISBN 1-56718-192-9)
- 2009 - Cunningham's Book of Shadows: The Path of An American Traditionalist (ISBN 0-73871-914-5) – A rediscovered manuscript written by Cunningham in the late 1970s or early 1980s.
Art by Robin Wood
Several of Scott's books include black and white drawings and (in some editions) cover art by the Wiccan artist Robin WoodRobin Wood (artist)
Robin Wood is an American artist specializing in game art and fantasy. She is best known for her portraits of characters from Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, the Robin Wood Tarot Deck and the cover art for several of Scott Cunningham's books on neo-Paganism.- Biography :Robin Wood...
. Among these books are Magical Herbalism, Earth Power, and Earth, Air, Fire, Water.
Film references
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
by using Scott's book, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. This film was released on DVD by Vanguard Cinema in August 2008.
External links
- Scott Cunningham at Llewellyn WorldwideLlewellyn WorldwideLlewellyn Worldwide is a New Age publisher, currently based in Woodbury, Minnesota, a suburb of St. Paul. Llewellyn's mission is to "serve the trade and consumers worldwide with options and tools for exploring new worlds of mind & spirit, thereby aiding in the quests of expanded human potential,...
(his publisher)