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Episode 171: Gerald Gardner
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Welcome back, Witches! This week, we’re stepping into the world of Gerald Gardner—the man often credited as the father of modern Witchcraft. 🌙✨ We’re breaking down his life, his influence, and the controversies that still spark conversation today. From his role in shaping contemporary witchcraft to the myths and mysteries that surround him, this episode dives into the legacy he left behind. 📜🕯️ Whether you’re curious about Gardner himself or the roots of modern witchcraft, we’ll take you through the key moments and ideas that made him such a pivotal figure. So get in, Loser—we’re tracing the history and magic woven through Gardner’s story. ✨🔮🌿
We would be forever thankful if you left our podcast a 5-Star review. If you really loved the show and want more Get in Loser content, check out our Patreon, Supercast, & Buy Me a Coffee links below. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @GetinWitches, on TikTok @weredoingwitchcraft, or email us at weredoingwitchcraft@gmail.com. You can support our show through our links below.
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Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio- The Witch
References:
- Gerald Gardner. The Bricket Wood Coven. https://www.bricketwoodcoven.co.uk/gerald-gardner
- Witchcraft Acts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft_Acts
- Patti Wigington (2019). Biography of Gerald Gardner and the Gardnerian Wicca Tradition. Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-gardnerian-wicca-2562910
- Glenn Sunshine (2020). Gerald Gardner and the Origins of Wicca: Emerging Worldviews 21. Breakpoint. https://breakpoint.org/gerald-gardner-and-the-origins-of-wicca-emerging-worldviews-21/
- Blake Stillwell (2023). The Coven of Witches that Fought the Nazis during WWII. Military.com. https://www.military.com/history/coven-of-witches-fought-nazis-during-world-war-ii.html
- Sam Kemp (2021). The New Forest Coven: Exploring the hiding place of English Occultism. Far Out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-new-forest-coven-exploring-the-hiding-place-of-english-occultism/
- Anna Korn (1999). The Gardnerian Tradition. Gardnerian Gathering. https://www.cog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/The-Gardnerian-Tradition.pdf
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Transcript
Introduction & Podcast Focus
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you feel drawn to learn more about witchcraft and the occult but feel lost on where to start? Then welcome to Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft, a podcast all about what it means to be a witch and where to get started on your journey.
00:00:12
Speaker
Join us as we navigate through various witchy topics and share what we've learned about the
Exploring Gerald Gardner
00:00:16
Speaker
craft. So get in witches as we explore the life and contributions of Gerald Gartner.
Coffee Talk & Subscriber Shoutout
00:00:35
Speaker
I made this coffee and I don't know what it is. I think I'm just spoiled because Mike makes me coffee every morning before I go to work. And sometimes it's a little iced coffee situation. Sometimes like it's a hot, like a brewed coffee situation.
00:00:51
Speaker
don't know. I can never get it to taste as good as how he makes it. So i kind of want him up and make him make me coffee. I always tell Anthony that I need him to make it the way that he makes it. And he's just like, you're just saying that.
00:01:07
Speaker
It tastes better when someone else makes it for you. I swear. it does. It does. Yeah. i because it's so late here. It's not like that late.
00:01:19
Speaker
It's 1030. Yeah. But I got my ass kicked today and it was 900 degrees. So I'm just tired. I made myself a espresso coffee tonic for um right before we started recording so that I could wake up a little bit. And now I have a feeling it's going to kick in and I'm going to be like, I guess I'll read until 3 a.m.
00:01:41
Speaker
But I was literally falling asleep. I was like sitting in the chair, just like falling asleep. While I was like waiting for the time to pass for it to be like morning time for you. And I was like, I'm going to have to take an espresso shot or something.
00:01:55
Speaker
What do you even like, what is that espresso tonic thing? What do you put in it? um Tonic water and a shot of espresso. And then I like to add a little bit of cherry syrup.
00:02:08
Speaker
um Do you remember the little coffee shop in Belleville who when it was Balance? Yes. yeah So when it was Balance, one of the baristas there, i was like, I went in for something and she was like, do you want to try something that I'm experimenting with? And I was like, absolutely.
00:02:25
Speaker
And she made me a cherry coffee tonic. Obsessed. It's the only iced coffee I like. I feel like I would hate that. It sounds awful. It sounds so bad. But like every time like introduce someone to it, they're like pleasantly surprised.
00:02:43
Speaker
Yeah. Well, i don't know what it is about the tonic and the espresso. But if you're listening to this and you're like, I'm going fucking try and make this at home. You totally can. But what you have to do or you're going to have a fucking mess is you're going to have to put your syrup, and the tonic water in your cup first and stir it really good to get a little bit of the fizz out before you pour the espresso in. Because if you don't do that, and I learned this the hard way, ask me how I know i had to clean up espresso from all over my kitchen because it shoots out like a fucking volcano if you pour it in without unfizzing it a little bit. Yeah.
00:03:22
Speaker
When the espresso hits the tonic, if you don't mix it up a little to get some of the bubbles out, it will literally like explode. What an amazing soundtrack, though. I've done that before.
00:03:34
Speaker
I feel like we have to do it, though, I can see. I'm just joking. But um yeah, so when I do come visit you in Germany, I would like one. Please, thank you. Yeah, I love them. I make them all the time.
00:03:48
Speaker
ah You know, when she told me what it was, i was like, this is going to be disgusting. And then I was like, wow, that's actually very delightful. I mean, enough that I bought everything. I mean, I bought tonic water and cherry syrup so I can make them at home.
00:04:01
Speaker
So like, is it kind of like an Americano, but like. Fizzy. Yeah, fizzy. Mm-hmm. Fizzy. And then um it does look a little weird. So that the reaction between the tonic and the espresso is it foams up at the top kind of like ah an ice cream float, like a root beer float. yeah, yeah. You know how it gets that like thick weird foam on the top? That weird, yeah. Mm-hmm. So it does that.
00:04:25
Speaker
and then you can add any – you can just have it without syrup. But don't know. I really love the cherry syrup in it. It's so good.
00:04:33
Speaker
Interesting. I'm intrigued. so It's delightful. I'll have to try it. Yeah. Yeah. i had So I had one today. All of that to say, I had one today right before we started recording.
00:04:46
Speaker
It's 1030 now, which means I'm probably going to be up reading until like three o'clock in the morning. That or I'm actually so fucking tired that I'm just going to crash. I mean, it is Saturday night, though. So you could, you know, there are worse things you could be doing on Saturday night.
00:05:02
Speaker
True, true, true. This is like I feel like a healthier thing to do on a Saturday night. Drink coffee and be up. that There is a wine fest tonight that I'm missing. so ah o of our um ah girlfriends are out at the wine fest. They were trying to lure me out. And I'm like, sorry, guys.
00:05:22
Speaker
I have to research like a nerd and then have to record an episode. Have fun drinking wine, though. ah But this is not a ah coffee and wine podcast, although maybe it should be now.
00:05:38
Speaker
yeah maybe we should have an episode about that. We should. Yeah.
00:05:43
Speaker
What are we talking about today? b are having an episode on Gerald Gardner.
Gardner's Influence on Modern Magic
00:05:50
Speaker
We sure are um Also, before we begin, though, I want to shout out our new Supercast subscriber, Brianna.
00:05:58
Speaker
Brianna or Brianna. I'm sorry. i i don't know. um In my head, it looks like Brianna. But then I was looking at it just now and I'm like, actually, that could be Brianna. Yeah. That's Brianna.
00:06:09
Speaker
I don't know. But thank you so much. We love you already. And I hope that you enjoy all of the extra things that we have um for our Supercast.
00:06:20
Speaker
For our Supercast subscribers. yeah it's so It's been a a very um long road and work in progress. But there is like four years worth of stuff on there. So I hope that you find a lot of things that you enjoy. so Yeah.
00:06:37
Speaker
But anyway, so to kick this off real fast, I wanted to give a little disclaimer because I feel like when you talk about Wicca and you talk about some of the topics associated with Wicca,
00:06:50
Speaker
Some people might be offended. so just wanted to throw this out here. Tiffany and I are not Wiccan and we're not initiated into the Gardnerian tradition.
00:07:01
Speaker
This episode is simply an overview on Gerald Gardner and his contributions to modern magic, spirituality, and neo-paganism, We're not experts on Gardnerian Wicca and we're certainly not speaking from within the tradition itself. So if you're interested in ah deeper or inside look into Gardnerian Wicca, we highly recommend checking out the podcast Seeking Witchcraft because she is um from that tradition.
00:07:26
Speaker
But yeah like if you're listening to this and you're Wiccan and you follow the Gardnerian path, just know that we approach this with and like curiosity and a research mindset. like We're not trying to feel like know-it-alls for your tradition.
00:07:42
Speaker
No. Gerald Gardner is somebody that we've had on our list of topics that we wanted to cover for a long time. And we have all the respect for anyone who practices differently than us, um whether it be if you are you know interested in Wicca or you are Wiccan yourself or not.
Gerald Gardner's Travels & Writings
00:08:00
Speaker
and um But that's okay because we're all in this together.
00:08:05
Speaker
Yeah. So also I feel like if we get things wrong, reach out, let us know, because like Sam said, we approach this from like a research standpoint. So we went in and researched this topic to the best of our ability. And so the information we're giving you is information that is out on the internet.
00:08:24
Speaker
So if we're wrong, let us know because we're just kind of, we're doing the best we can on a topic that we are not like experts in. So yeah. To get us started, we're going to kind of go over some background and some early life topics. so Gerald Broussel Gardner was born in 1884 in the quiet seaside town of Blundelsen's Merseyside, which I had to look this up because I was like, this sounds adorable. And it is kind of adorable, but... That's where my ancestors are from, Merseyside. Really?
00:08:58
Speaker
was like, aw. While he's best remembered today as the father of modern witchcraft and the founder of Gardnerian Wicca, Gardner's life was anything but one-dimensional.
00:09:10
Speaker
Over the years, he wore many hats as an English civil servant, a published author, an amateur anthropologist, a folklorist, a collector of oddities, and an all-around occult enthusiast.
00:09:23
Speaker
From a young age, Gardner battled severe asthma. In an era before modern treatment, his family often sent him abroad to warmer, drier climates to help his breathing. And I wish that this was still a like prescription for ailments. Like if I went to the doctor and they're like, you just need a drier climate, go to Spain or something.
00:09:44
Speaker
I wish that was still like what doctors prescribed. That's what my doctor, my allergist told me. Here. and that's ah That's literally what she told me. you shouldn't here. to go somewhere else.
00:09:58
Speaker
You need to be somewhere. Less than 50% humidity at all times. And I'm like, you're telling me this on a tropical island. to What literally do you want do with this information? Yeah.
00:10:12
Speaker
She did not give me a prescription for Germany, though. I was very disappointed. I just feel like they should give us prescriptions to like fucking summer somewhere else or winter somewhere else.
00:10:23
Speaker
I would love that. Anyways, these travels included regular trips through Germany, which planted seeds for a lifelong curiosity about other cultures and traditions.
00:10:34
Speaker
I was also reading that outside of Germany as well, he spent a lot of time in Nice, the Canary Islands, Ghana, the Madeira Islands. And during that time is when he really became interested in spiritualism as a topic.
00:10:50
Speaker
He never also attended school. Did you read that? Yeah, he taught himself how to read, apparently. Isn't that wild? I was like, okay, well, that's that is really interesting. So- As an adult, his quest for better health and adventure took him first to Salon, which is now known as Sri Lanka, where he ran a tea plantation.
00:11:13
Speaker
He later moved to Malaysia, immersing himself in local culture and taking a deep interest in magical rites and ceremonial weapons, particularly the distinctive melee dagger, i think is how you say it, and it's called the Karis.
00:11:30
Speaker
This fascination led to his first book, Karis and Other Melee Weapons, and that was published in 1936.
00:11:38
Speaker
When he was a young man, he would travel back and forth from England to Southeast Asia, and he resigned not once, but twice from the Freemasons. And he became very fascinated in learning about the magical and spiritual practices from the indigenous people of Southeast Asia.
00:11:55
Speaker
While he was in Malaya, he converted to Islam, but I don't believe he ever actually practiced Islam. And he was also influenced by theories related to the mother goddess and religions in Palestine featuring male and female deities and the Egyptologist Margaret Murray, which I know you're going to mention.
00:12:13
Speaker
A little bit later, right? Briefly, yeah. Briefly a little bit later. um Gardner was never shy about his hobbies, some of which raised eyebrows even then. He was a devoted nudist, believing that being unclothed connected people more deeply to nature and stripped away societal constraints.
00:12:33
Speaker
He also had a collector's obsession, amassing magical artifacts, ritual tools, and rare curiosities, many of which later became part of his personal witchcraft museum.
00:12:45
Speaker
Combined with his flair for theatrical ritual, Gardner quickly earned a reputation for mystical flamboyance. His publishing career spanned both fiction and nonfiction, and his works were A Goddess Arrives, published in 1939, as fiction, also fiction,
00:13:06
Speaker
highm magics aid in nineteen forty nine also as fiction Witchcraft Today in 1954 as nonfiction and The Meaning of Witchcraft in 1959 also as nonfiction.
00:13:19
Speaker
The first two were presented as fiction at the time, but many believe that they contain genuine occult knowledge disguised in story form as a clever way to share witchcraft teachings while it was still illegal in England.
00:13:33
Speaker
On occasion, he published under the pseudonym Skier, adding to his mystique. On one of his periods of living back in England, he became interested in the Western esoteric tradition of Rosicrucianism.
00:13:47
Speaker
Rosicrucianism is an esoteric movement that was developed in the early 17th century in Europe, and it blends Christian mysticism, hermeticism, alchemy, and Kabbalah, as well as occult philosophy as a way to bring you on a path of spiritual enlightenment.
00:14:03
Speaker
Over time, he also left the Rosicrucians because he didn't agree with some of the beliefs of the Rosicrucians, which I thought like it's just kind of interesting that he like no wonder he ended up developing his own religion because it's like yeah he tried all of them and it was just like this is not a fit for me.
Creation of Gardnerian Wicca
00:14:23
Speaker
In 1938, Gardner and his wife, Donna, returned to England and settled in the New Forest area. There he met a woman known as, i think it's Dafoe?
00:14:36
Speaker
Not 100% sure. Yeah, I don't know. When I read that, I was like, Dafoe. But like, William Yeah.
00:14:46
Speaker
I was like, I don't know. And i I tried looking up like how to say it and there was nothing yeah helpful. So Defoe, Daffo, I don't really know. um So he he meets her and they become involved with the Rosicrucian Order Cratona Fellowship.
00:15:04
Speaker
And the following year in 1939 proved pivotal for him. So Gardner was initiated into the fellowship and he began building deeper connections within occult circles.
00:15:16
Speaker
And he joined the Folklore Society Also, after meeting anthropologist Margaret Murray, whose witch cult theory would heavily shape his own witchcraft narrative.
00:15:29
Speaker
Yeah, so speaking of this time, right? So there was this this time in 1939 where he claimed to stumble upon a circle of naked women performing ah a ritual in the woods, who later turned out to be members of what he called the New Forest Coven.
00:15:48
Speaker
And he said that they initiated him into this ancient secret witch cult that Tiffany was referring to. And he recalled hearing them chant Wicca during his initiation, like They saw it like he was hiding in the woods, like trying to observe that like what they were doing. And they caught him.
00:16:06
Speaker
a bush. Yeah. Yeah. They caught him in this bush. Yeah. Undressed him. And like he was totally naked. They blindfolded him and they initiated him into this cult.
00:16:17
Speaker
So I don't know. But ah yeah. So apparently that's where he got the word Wicca from. And when I was reading to like. Depending on who did the research and like wrote the, whether it was an article, I came across a couple like published papers on Gardner.
00:16:35
Speaker
It's like a divide. Some people believe that the new Forrest Cubbon was real and some people believe that he just made it up to bolster like how people thought of him in this realm.
00:16:46
Speaker
I could see that as well, just based on the fact that he's created this religion, but he's trying to tie it back to like ancient practices as well. yeah It's like, okay, but this but this isn't though. And
Witchcraft Act & Public Awareness
00:16:58
Speaker
so that's one of the things, like whenever if you're just now becoming entrusted in magic and paganism and stuff, and you're and you're researching, for a lot of people, whenever they hear Wicca, they assume that it's just this very old religion. like Mike and I were talking about this the other day.
00:17:14
Speaker
And he was like, wait a second, this is this was only founded in the nineteen fifty s And I was like, yes. Like, it's definitely not Celtic paganism or anything, Druidism or anything like that. Well, that's very eclectic, too. Like, he kind of went from thing to thing and being like, I like these things and not these things. And I like these things and not these things. And created this thing that fit.
00:17:39
Speaker
his beliefs and his outlook and the way he practiced, which I love. Yeah. But, but it like, it's like you're saying, it's not like this ancient thing that he was a part of. like Right. Yeah.
00:17:52
Speaker
And it's a very divided topic too. it is. When you're looking at Gardner, like people are like, nah, that man did not do any of that. And other people are like, no, he did. And it's amazing. and i can And that's what I was referring to whenever we first started is like some people could be really upset by this episode depending on what you believe. And that's fine.
00:18:14
Speaker
Yeah. so We're just here to share the information. Yeah. But another like cool thing, and we have mentioned this already. I think you actually discussed this on the podcast. Probably, i don't even remember if this was probably season two, maybe. I didn't get the actual episode.
00:18:30
Speaker
But um if you remember us discussing the Operation Cone of Power in 1940, during World War two Gardner and his coven performed a magical rite called the Cone of Power near Highcliffe.
00:18:42
Speaker
while sky-clad, so butt naked, and chanting to psychically repel Hitler. They invoked the chant, you cannot cross the sea, and supposedly this caused Hitler to cancel Operation Sea Lion and and instead chose to invade the USSR. So moving on into more of the Wicca realm, Gardner's new forest initiation gave him the inspiration to formalize a new religious framework,
00:19:11
Speaker
which is what we now know as Wicca. In building its structure, he blended elements from ceremonial magic with a strong nod to Aleister Crowley, British folklore, Freemasonry, Murray's witch cult theory, and even a dash of his nudist philosophy.
00:19:27
Speaker
The result was a ritual-based system with a clear hierarchy and symbolism. While Gardner was the driving force, he didn't work alone. One of his most and influential collaborators was Doreen Valiente, who helped refine Wicca's ritual framework, editing Gardner's Book of Shadows to tone down overt Crowley influences and make the material more accessible.
00:19:53
Speaker
By the 1950s, Gardner had formalized his version of the craft, complete with coven structures, degrees of initiation, seasonal celebrations, and ritual tools, where he then began initiating new members.
00:20:08
Speaker
And obviously, like... We could talk on Wicca like in a full episode, but we're talking on Gardner. So this was just kind of a little like snapshot at what Wicca was.
Gardnerian Wicca Structure & Beliefs
00:20:21
Speaker
And for this time, it's also important to understand the witchcraft acts that were in place. So for centuries, the Witchcraft Act made practicing or even claiming to be a witch a criminal offense in England.
00:20:34
Speaker
The original 1541 law under Henry VIII made witchcraft a felony punishable by death and property forfeiture. Later versions varied in severity.
00:20:46
Speaker
So in 1562, under Elizabeth I, the death penalty applied only if harm was caused and lesser offenses meant imprisonment. In 1563 in Scotland, the act made both practicing and consulting with witches capital offense. In 1586 in Ireland, they basically mirrored the English 1562 act.
00:21:11
Speaker
And then 1603, James the first expanded the act, removing the benefit of clergy for those that were like, quote unquote, invoking the spirits.
00:21:22
Speaker
But 1951, act was repealed. the act was repealed clearing the way for Gardner to speak openly about witchcraft. He sees this moment basically by stepping into the public eye with witchcraft today and the meaning of witchcraft, turning a like basically secretive practice into a growing spiritual movement.
00:21:41
Speaker
I know you mentioned like this isn't a Wicca episode, but I absolutely did go into a little bit of detail. Because I went back and forth. I was like, I know... like we're talking about Gardner, but maybe we need a little bit of, at least a little bit. And I was like, well, don't do, don't make it a Wicca podcast.
00:21:58
Speaker
Cause you know how I can be like, I'll fall down rabbit holes. Yeah. So um I did want to cover a little bit about his spiritual movement and Gardnerian tradition. So the tradition of Wicca taught by Gerald Gardner until 1964 and his initiates, largely as it was passed on from the original coven in the is is the Gardnerian traditions.
00:22:23
Speaker
It's one of the oldest traditions of the neo-pagan revival and one of the most widespread of Wiccan traditions around the world. Gardnerian Wicca is the foundational tradition for modern Wicca, and it operates as an initiatory mystery-based religion with membership gained through initiation and organized through covens led by a high priestess and a high priest.
00:22:44
Speaker
The path includes a degree system, and And advancement often requires studying for, quote, a year and a day, ending at a third degree status that enables leadership roles within the coven. So if you are, like, for instance, listening to Seeking Witchcraft, sometimes she'll have guests on her podcast and they will talk about how they're a third degree gardenerian or a first degree, second degree. That is what that means.
00:23:11
Speaker
So as far as deity structure, Gardnerian covens honor a horned god and mother goddess with the use of specific oath-bound names for the deities that are hidden from non-initiates, meaning we do not know those names. And if we were Gardnerian Wiccan, we would not be able to share them with you anyway.
00:23:29
Speaker
As far as ethical guidelines, they have the read, which is, and it harm none, do as thou wilt, acts as advice for members, kind of like um It's not like a ah hard and fast, like you cannot break this rule, but it's kind of like advice, like how in Pirates of the Caribbean, they're like, oh, it's more like guidelines anyway.
00:23:50
Speaker
That's how, whenever I was reading about that, that's kind of how it sounded to me. I could be wrong though. So if I am, let me know. But it made it seem like whenever i was researching it, that it wasn't like a hard and fast rule that everybody had to abide by that.
00:24:02
Speaker
But it was just nearly like, this is advice. You should do this. And as far as rituals and tools, traditional magical tools, such as the athame, the wand, the chalice, and pentacle are used and associated with an element.
00:24:17
Speaker
There's a book of shadows that Tiffany's already mentioned. And Members will replicate the coven's Book of Shadows and can add their own contributions to it. And traditionally, so like each member would have their own Book of Shadows, right?
00:24:30
Speaker
They would traditionally burn it upon a witch's death to preserve secrecy, which I thought was- crazy and kind of cool. But also really cool. Like what a cool tradition to have. Like this was yours and it goes with you.
00:24:43
Speaker
But also for me, I'm like all that knowledge. Right. That's what I was about to say. All that knowledge is gone. That's so sad though too because it's like, well, couldn't there be like a library or something you just- Like a coven library. Yeah. A Wicca library. That would be really cool though. That would cool. were member, you would have to like have a membership card get in and Yeah. That would be kind of cool.
00:25:05
Speaker
Missed opportunity, guys. Yeah. If you are listening to this and you are a gardener and Wiccan, maybe you should do that. Maybe. So also ah one of the biggest parts of this tradition and is a hallmark of the tradition is practicing sky clad. It's believed to enhance communion with nature and also keep you from burning alive if you are doing spell work and working with fire and you're in long robes. So there, as far as seasonal festivals and celebrations, gardenerian Wiccans observe the wheel of the year, which includes eight Sabbaths that align with seasonal cycles, as well as fats, which are rituals on full or new moons.
Controversies & Legacy of Gardner
00:25:49
Speaker
So that's just kind of a brief overview of the tradition itself and some of the things that they do I'm glad that you did that because when I was like, let me just do a small one. i had already like started falling down these research holes and you know how sometimes I'll get like focused and then I'm like, here's all this information that you don't really need for this episode, but I found it. yeah So I'm glad that you did it.
00:26:16
Speaker
um And i'm I'm sure it's no surprise that while Gardner built and left a legacy, there was also some controversy surrounding both him and Wicca. Most people know Gardner as the father of modern Wicca or the father of modern witchcraft, which we mentioned at the beginning.
00:26:33
Speaker
He's credited with bringing witchcraft into the public eye and shaping it into an organized modern religion, though some argue that his real gift was actually marketing.
00:26:44
Speaker
Without him, Wicca might not have become a household name. Due to the eclectic framework of Wicca, there's also a bit of divide on how it's perceived.
00:26:56
Speaker
Many of his critics say this makes it more like a collection of Gardner's greatest hits than an actual like ancient tradition. But on the other hand, most of his followers see it as a brilliant revival.
00:27:10
Speaker
There was the Book of Shadows that Sam mentioned, and there was like this mystery surrounding Gardner and his Book of Shadows. He claimed to be preserving an ancient text, but many scholars believe that he wrote or he heavily rewrote it himself.
00:27:26
Speaker
Either way, it became the blueprint for countless Wiccan traditions. 1951 repeal of the Witchcraft Act in England gave Gardner the perfect opening to talk openly about his beliefs.
00:27:37
Speaker
And it's pretty clear that he took full advantage of that, but some saw him as a liberator while others thought he was just chasing fame. Either way, again, he created this living legacy that's still relevant today. And then there is the elephant in the room that is the nudity factor.
00:27:55
Speaker
Gardner promoted practicing skyclad as part of a ritual purity and freedom, But many skeptics have wondered if this was just like spiritual conviction or just his own personal preference.
00:28:08
Speaker
Gardner was often considered extremely divisive, but he was also deemed undeniably influential. So whether you love or dislike his work, Gardner shaped how the world sees witches today.
00:28:21
Speaker
So even traditions that reject his methods often define themselves in contrast to him. And Gardnerian Wicca went international within a decade of his death in 1964, spawning dozens of offshoot traditions and inspiring a wave of neo-pagan revival that's still growing today.
Wicca in Mainstream Witchcraft
00:28:43
Speaker
So, sure, there's a lot of controversy and there's a lot of like skeptics, but obviously he did something right. Yeah. Yeah.
00:28:54
Speaker
um I will say my biggest beef with him, well, not even with him, but with Wicca in general, is the fact that, and i we have both seen TikToks about this, where it's like, if you go into any occult shop, all of the, like, most of the stuff is geared toward that. And it's like, okay, but I don't want something that is overtly Wicca-looking. Like, you know what I mean? Like, I don't need this. Like, I want something that's a little bit more rustic.
00:29:20
Speaker
You know what I mean? And I feel like in the occult spaces, because Wicca is so popular as a religion, it has kind of become the Christianity of paganism.
00:29:32
Speaker
And I mean it with all due respect, like I'm not going to talk much about it, but like, I mean it in that whenever you're going into occult shops or metaphysical shops and you're looking for specific tools or whatever, a lot of it is geared toward Wicca as opposed to belief systems.
00:29:51
Speaker
which so it can be really difficult to find what you're looking for sometimes, which is difficult, which, you know, just kind of sucks. Yeah, it's okay. First of all, I think the the other thing for me is that because it is so like prominent, and it is kind of like the mainstream way that witchcraft is looked at, especially for somebody that's like,
00:30:16
Speaker
new to witchcraft or paganism or anything, when you try to, like, research topics like this or just any topic in that realm, yeah you're going to be, like, everything's going to be heavily influenced by Wicca or it's going to be, like, Wiccan websites.
00:30:32
Speaker
And it's, like, okay. I mean, that's great if that's what you're looking to, like, get into, but it does make it a little bit harder for somebody new coming in and not really knowing what everything is, where it's like, oh, am I Wiccan? And then like the more you start looking, you're like, oh, well, no, I'm still like in this realm, but all the information is Wiccan.
00:30:51
Speaker
Right, yes. and And I think it can make it very confusing if you are just starting out because you might think that like, oh, I have to be Wiccan or am I Wiccan? And then it's like, oh no, but I don't practice in a coven. So that means I could never be Wiccan. Like yeah all of these things just make it a little bit difficult but yeah that's why we're here to help you so and that's why we still talk about these topics too because obviously you know it's it's prevalent and it's big for a reason it's just not like our practice but that doesn't mean we can't research it and talk about it and help inform you say if you're interested in it
00:31:33
Speaker
Yeah.
Episode Conclusion & Announcements
00:31:34
Speaker
And point you in the right direction, like Seeking Witchcraft. Which is an amazing podcast. I still listen to her a lot, even though I do like i am not wicked. She has some amazing guests on her podcast and i really enjoy it.
00:31:49
Speaker
Me too.
00:32:01
Speaker
That's a wrap on this episode of Get In Loser, We're Doing Witchcraft. We hope you had as much fun as we did. If you love this episode, we'd be eternally grateful if you left us a five-star review wherever you listen to your podcasts.
00:32:13
Speaker
It helps more witches, seekers, and magical misfits find our show. Want even more Get In Loser content? Join our Patreon or Supercast company. as a member, you'll get early access to episodes, a monthly newsletter, exclusive printable shadow work and gremial pages, access to our witchy book club, promo codes for merch, and so much more.
00:32:32
Speaker
Just check the show notes for the link or search Get In Loser We're Doing Witchcraft on Supercast and Patreon. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at GetInWitches or email us at We'reDoingWitchcraft at gmail.com.
00:32:46
Speaker
Next week, we're exploring dream work and how to connect with spirits through your dreams. Until next time, stay magical, stay curious, and as always, blessed be witches.