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Rating:  Summary: A pretty good history of the modern Craft revival Review: Kelly's book is a pretty well researched history of neo-pagan Gardnerian witchcraft. He documents and discusses Gerald Gardner's creation of Wicca in the 1950s. The contributions of several other people are also credited. The one drawback is that he blurs all his data to support his premise that Gardner (and friends) invented the Wicca as a whole new religion. Kelly hypothesizes that Gardner, Dorothy Clutterbuck, and some other friends formed their first coven in 1939 as a new creation. He insists that there was no prior witchcraft from which they drew workings, beliefs, morality or rituals. Every part of Gardnerian Wicca documents that do not appear to have come from an identifiable source he credits to Gardner himself. Overlooks the fact that there was a witch museum before Gardner took it over. The reader may be tempted to ask, if Gardner invented it all what was in the museum before Gardner? Kelly stretches logic to deny possible connections to prior magical or pagan sources. If you want a book on the development and progression of Gardnerian Wicca during the 1950s, this is a good source. If you're looking for hard evidence about Gardner's sources and prior connections this is probably not your book.
Rating:  Summary: A pretty good history of the modern Craft revival Review: Kelly's book is a pretty well researched history of neo-pagan Gardnerian witchcraft. He documents and discusses Gerald Gardner's creation of Wicca in the 1950s. The contributions of several other people are also credited. The one drawback is that he blurs all his data to support his premise that Gardner (and friends) invented the Wicca as a whole new religion. Kelly hypothesizes that Gardner, Dorothy Clutterbuck, and some other friends formed their first coven in 1939 as a new creation. He insists that there was no prior witchcraft from which they drew workings, beliefs, morality or rituals. Every part of Gardnerian Wicca documents that do not appear to have come from an identifiable source he credits to Gardner himself. Overlooks the fact that there was a witch museum before Gardner took it over. The reader may be tempted to ask, if Gardner invented it all what was in the museum before Gardner? Kelly stretches logic to deny possible connections to prior magical or pagan sources. If you want a book on the development and progression of Gardnerian Wicca during the 1950s, this is a good source. If you're looking for hard evidence about Gardner's sources and prior connections this is probably not your book.
Rating:  Summary: An unfortunate beginning to a history of Wicca Review: Kelly's work has perhaps one useful function; as a test of an ability to read critically. Further critique beyond that provided by Frew is probably unnecessary; his detailed examination of Kelly's errors in logic, the unnecessary anti-Catholic commentary and lack of familiarity with academic standards are clear and concise. These points added to the mysteriously-disappearing "Weschcke documents" that Kelly uses as his source material make this an inauspicious beginning to a textual examination of a new religious movement. Fortunately the work by Heselton and Hutton demonstrates that there is room to expand the inquiry into historical research.
Rating:  Summary: Debunking the Craft of Wicca Review: Q: How many Alexandrian Witches does it take to change a light bulb?A: Wait while we go see what Gardner's Book of Shadows says. In Wicca, many people have been exposed to "ancient" and "hereditary" traditions while the ink in the spellbook was still drying--often on materials that had been lifted from another craft or magical tradition. Much of the Craft today, in its diverse forms, owes its existence to the original work of Gerald Gardner. Aidan Kelly takes a critical look at the source material for Gerald Gardner's teachings about the craft. This is an excellent textual criticism of the Gardnerian materials. I cannot fault him for his work with "original" documents. I doubt we will ever learn more about when things were written, and from where they were lifted, than Dr. Kelly has presented in his book. One of the most interesting evolutions is that of the Charge of the Goddess. On p. 52 he presents Gardner's original, a redacted bit of Leland & Crowley. It reads like a hack. This was its state between 1949 & 1953. On p. 114 he presents the Charge, essentially as we know it today, after Doreen Valiente (see my review of her The Rebirth of Witchcraft) had helped him rewrite it. On p. 162 he presents a verse form of of the Charge from 1961, a quintain adaptation of Dorreen's quatrain form (not included). Kelly argues that nothing in the Craft pre-existed Gardner. He attempts to explain the creation of the Craft as Gerald's way of manipulating strong women into spanking him for sexual gratification. While I find his critical analysis compelling, his theory about Gardner's sexuality seems to be a long reach. This book is required reading for anybody interested in the history of the Craft. If nothing else it helps decrease the number of times Wannabe Witch utters "Yes, our traditions go back for =THOUSANDS= of years..." While the Goddess may have been worshipped since time immemorial, Kelly makes a good case that She has only been worshipped in this particular Wiccan way since the late 1930's at best. (If you enjoyed this review please leave me positive feedback. You can see my other reviews by clicking on the link to "more about me." Thanks!)
Rating:  Summary: Debunking the Craft of Wicca Review: Q: How many Alexandrian Witches does it take to change a light bulb? A: Wait while we go see what Gardner's Book of Shadows says. In Wicca, many people have been exposed to "ancient" and "hereditary" traditions while the ink in the spellbook was still drying--often on materials that had been lifted from another craft or magical tradition. Much of the Craft today, in its diverse forms, owes its existence to the original work of Gerald Gardner. Aidan Kelly takes a critical look at the source material for Gerald Gardner's teachings about the craft. This is an excellent textual criticism of the Gardnerian materials. I cannot fault him for his work with "original" documents. I doubt we will ever learn more about when things were written, and from where they were lifted, than Dr. Kelly has presented in his book. One of the most interesting evolutions is that of the Charge of the Goddess. On p. 52 he presents Gardner's original, a redacted bit of Leland & Crowley. It reads like a hack. This was its state between 1949 & 1953. On p. 114 he presents the Charge, essentially as we know it today, after Doreen Valiente (see my review of her The Rebirth of Witchcraft) had helped him rewrite it. On p. 162 he presents a verse form of of the Charge from 1961, a quintain adaptation of Dorreen's quatrain form (not included). Kelly argues that nothing in the Craft pre-existed Gardner. He attempts to explain the creation of the Craft as Gerald's way of manipulating strong women into spanking him for sexual gratification. While I find his critical analysis compelling, his theory about Gardner's sexuality seems to be a long reach. This book is required reading for anybody interested in the history of the Craft. If nothing else it helps decrease the number of times Wannabe Witch utters "Yes, our traditions go back for =THOUSANDS= of years..." While the Goddess may have been worshipped since time immemorial, Kelly makes a good case that She has only been worshipped in this particular Wiccan way since the late 1930's at best. (If you enjoyed this review please leave me positive feedback. You can see my other reviews by clicking on the link to "more about me." Thanks!)
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