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Witchcraft Research Association
The Witchcraft Research Association was a British organisation formed in 1964 in an attempt to unite and study the various claims that had emerged of surviving remnants of the so-called Witch-Cult, such as those of Gerald Gardner, Robert Cochrane, Sybil Leek, Charles Cardell and Raymond Howard. It had been set up by Gerard Noel, with the help of several other interested witches. Presidency was first held by Sybil Leek, but after she was forced to emigrate to the United States after suffering persecution and being evicted from her home, it was taken over by Doreen Valiente, who had herself already been involved in several strands of neopagan witchcraft, including Gardnerian Wicca, Cochrane's Craft and the Coven of Atho. The WRA began publishing a magazine entitled ''Pentagram'', the first issue of which came out in August 1964. History Formation In February 1964 Sybil Leek announced the formation of the Witchcraft Research Association, with herself as its first president. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Witch-Cult
The witch-cult hypothesis is a discredited theory that states the witch trials of the Early Modern period were an attempt to suppress a pre-Christian, pagan religion that had survived the Christianisation of Europe. According to its proponents, the witch cult revolved around worshiping a Horned God of fertility, the underworld, the hunt and the hunted, whose Christian persecutors identified with the Devil, and whose followers participated in nocturnal rites at the witches' Sabbath. The theory was pioneered by two German scholars, Karl Ernst Jarcke and Franz Josef Mone, in the early nineteenth century, and was adopted by French historian Jules Michelet, American feminist Matilda Joslyn Gage, and American folklorist Charles Leland later that century. The hypothesis received its most prominent exposition when it was adopted by a British Egyptologist, Margaret Murray, who presented her version of it in ''The Witch-Cult in Western Europe'' (1921), before further expounding it in books ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Cochrane (witch)
Robert Cochrane (26 January 1931 – 3 July 1966), who was born as Roy Bowers, was an English occultist who founded the tradition of Witchcraft known as The Clan of Tubal Cain. Born in a working-class family in West London, he became interested in occultism after attending a Society for Psychical Research lecture, taking a particular interest in witchcraft. He founded one coven, but it soon collapsed. He began to claim to have been born to a hereditary family of witches whose practices stretched back to at least the 17th century; these statements have later been dismissed. He subsequently went on to found a tradition known as The Clan of Tubal Cain, through which he propagated his Craft. In 1966, he committed suicide. Cochrane continues to be seen as a key inspirational figure in the traditional witchcraft movement. Ever since his death, a number of Neopagan and magical groups have continued to adhere to his teachings. Early life As noted by Michael Howard, "factual detai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flag Of Texas
The flag of Texas is the official flag of the U.S. state of Texas. It is well known for its prominent single white star which gives the flag its commonly-used name: "Lone Star Flag". This lone star, in turn, gives rise to the state's nickname: "The Lone Star State". The flag, flown at homes and businesses statewide, is highly popular among Texans and is treated with a great degree of reverence and esteem within Texas. Along with the flag of Hawaii, it is one of two state flags to have previously served as a national flag of an independent country. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U.S. state, territorial, and Canadian provincial flags and ranked the Texas flag second, behind Flag of New Mexico, New Mexico. Flag design The state flag is officially described by law as: History and adoption Legislation authorizing the flag was introduced in the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 28, 1838, by Senator Wil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ley Lines
Ley lines () are straight alignments drawn between various historic structures and prominent landmarks. The idea was developed in early 20th-century Europe, with ley line believers arguing that these alignments were recognised by ancient societies that deliberately erected structures along them. Since the 1960s, members of the Earth Mysteries movement and other Western esotericism, esoteric traditions have commonly believed that such ley lines demarcate "Energy (esotericism), earth energies" and serve as guides for alien spacecraft. Archaeologists and scientists regard ley lines as an example of pseudoarchaeology and pseudoscience. The idea of "leys" as straight tracks across the landscape was put forward by the English antiquary, antiquarian Alfred Watkins in the 1920s, particularly in his book ''The Old Straight Track''. He argued that straight lines could be drawn between various historic structures and that these represented trade routes created by ancient British societies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Bearwalker Wilson
Joseph Bearwalker Wilson (1942–2004) was a shaman and witch, founder of the 1734 Tradition of witchcraft, the Toteg Tribe, Metista, and a founding member of the Covenant of the Goddess. Wilson was born December 11, 1942 and raised just inside the city limits of St. Johns in Clinton County, Michigan. He grew up with some Christian influence, but developed an early interest in the occult and in fully utilizing the powers of the mind, which he felt were barely tapped. During his early adult life he studied comparative religion, or more specifically, encouraged his teaching: "what they all have in common must be close to the truth." He died August 4, 2004 from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Air Force career and spirituality Wilson joined the Air Force in September 1961, and in autumn 1962 he met another airman called Sean who introduced him to ritual practices designed to bring mental focus. Sean's wife also taught Wilson the use of roots and herbs to perfo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chas S
Chas is a Municipal Corporation in the Chas subdivision of the Bokaro district in the state of Jharkhand, India. It is often referred to as a suburb of Bokaro Steel City, though it predates the steel plant. Chas is one of the fastest-growing urban regions in Jharkhand and was ranked as the cleanest city of Eastern India and the 19th cleanest city of India in 2018, according to Swachh Survekshan. History Once a small grain trading hub of the region, Chas became notable during the Second World War when the British government used it as a base to supply soldiers fighting in the eastern front against the Japanese. In the 1960s, the Government of India decided to establish the Bokaro Steel Plant nearby, which enhanced the economic activity of the region. Geography Location Chas is located at . It has an average elevation of 210 metres (688 feet). The municipality is situated on the banks of Garga river. Chas is located at the junction of National Highway 23 and Nati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fate (magazine)
''Fate'' is a U.S. magazine about paranormal phenomena. ''Fate'' was co-founded in 1948 by Raymond A. Palmer (editor of ''Amazing Stories'') and Curtis Fuller. ''Fate'' magazine is the longest-running magazine devoted to the paranormal. Promoted as "the world's leading magazine of the paranormal", it has published expert opinions and personal experiences relating to UFOs, psychic abilities, ghosts and hauntings, cryptozoology, alternative medicine, divination methods, belief in the survival of personality after death, Fortean phenomena, predictive dreams, mental telepathy, archaeology, warnings of death, and other paranormal topics. Though ''Fate'' is aimed at a popular audience and tends to emphasize personal anecdotes about the paranormal, American writer and frequent ''Fate'' contributor Jerome Clark says the magazine features a substantial amount of serious research and investigation, and occasional debunking of dubious claims. Subjects of such debunking articles have incl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wicca (etymology)
In Modern English, the term ''Wicca'' () refers to Wicca, the religion of contemporary Pagan Witchcraft. It is used within the Pagan community under competing definitions. One refers to the entirety of the Pagan Witchcraft movement, while the other refers explicitly to traditions included in what is now called British Traditional Wicca. Although pronounced differently, the term ''Wicca'' is a modern derivation of the Old English word ''ƿiċċa'', which referred to sorcerers in Anglo-Saxon England and has yielded the modern English word ''witch''. In the early 1950s, English Wiccan Gerald Gardner, founder of the Gardnerian tradition, referred to the Pagan Witchcraft community as ''the Wica''. He claimed to have learned the term during his initiation into the New Forest coven in 1939. By the late 1950s, Gardner's rival Charles Cardell, founder of his own tradition, had begun referring to the religion's followers as ''Wiccens'', and possibly used ''Wicca'' in reference to the re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints ( hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. One theory holds that many Halloween traditions were influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain, which are believed to have pagan roots. Some go further and suggest that Samhain may have been Christianized as All Hallow's Day, along with its eve, by the early Church. Other academics believe Halloween began solely as a Christian holiday, being the vigil of All Hallow's Day. Celebrated in Ireland and Scotland for centuries, Irish and Scottish immigrants took many Halloween customs to North America in the 19th century,Brunvand, Jan (editor). ''Ame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pagan Studies
Pagan studies is the multidisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of modern paganism, a broad assortment of modern religious movements, which are typically influenced by or claiming to be derived from the various pagan beliefs of premodern Europe. Carpenter 1996. p. 40. Pagan studies embrace a variety of different scholarly approaches to studying such religions, drawing from history, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, folkloristics, theology and other religious studies. Background The earliest academic studies of contemporary paganism were published between 1970 and 1980 by scholars like Margot Adler, Marcello Truzzi and Tanya Luhrmann, although it would not be until the 1990s that the actual pagan studies discipline properly developed, pioneered by academics such as Graham Harvey and Chas S. Clifton. Increasing academic interest in Paganism has been attributed to the new religious movement's increasing public visibility, as it began interacting with the interfaith m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bricket Wood Coven
The Bricket Wood coven, or Hertfordshire coven Page 289 is a coven of Gardnerian Wicca, Gardnerian witches founded in the 1940s by Gerald Gardner. It is notable for being the first coven in the Gardnerian line, though having its supposed origins in the pre-Gardnerian New Forest coven. The coven formed after Gardner bought the Fiveacres Country Club, a naturist club in the village of Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, southern England, and met within the club's grounds. It played a significant part in the history of the neopagan religion of Wicca. Many important and influential figures in Wicca were once members of the coven, including Edith Woodford-Grimes, Dafo, Doreen Valiente, Jack Bracelin, Frederic Lamond (Wiccan), Fred Lamond, Dayonis and Lois Bourne. The coven is still active today, though it maintains secrecy and its history was only known up until the 1970s. Chapter 11 and 12 There have been misleading and fraudulent online claims by people claiming to be running (and thus adm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley is an informally-defined sub-region of South East England, centred on the River Thames west of London, with Oxford as a major centre. Its boundaries vary with context. The area is a major tourist destination and economic hub, includes part of the M4 corridor, and is sometimes referred to as England's Silicon Valley due to the concentration of high-technology companies. The area east of Reading is defined by Natural England as the Thames Valley National Character Area, while Thames Valley Police cover the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. Geography As a National Character Area, the Thames Valley is bounded to the west by Reading, fanning out roughly in a wedge shape towards the fringes of London. It contains 38 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and significant amounts of broadleaf forest, including Burnham Beeches, Windsor Great Park and Richmond Park. Economy The Thames Valley is a technology hub centred around Reading, consider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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