Witchfather: A Life of Gerald Gardner, Vol 2: From Witch Cult to Wicca

Witchfather: A Life of Gerald Gardner #2

by Philip Heselton

A Life of Gerald Gardner Volume 2. From Witch Cult to Wicca by Philip Heselton From the author of the highly acclaimed "Wiccan Roots", this is the first full-length biography of Gerald Brosseau Gardner (1884-1964) - a very personal tale of the man who single-handedly brought about the revival of witchcraft in England in the mid 20th Century. From Gerald's birth into an old family of wealthy Liverpool merchants, through an unconventional upbringing by his flamboyant governess in the resorts of the Mediterranean and Madeira, it tells how, having taught himself to read, his life was changed by finding a book on spiritualism. During a working life as a tea and rubber planter in Ceylon, Borneo and Malaya, he came to know the native people and was invited to their secret rituals. But it was only on his retirement to England, settling on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire, that destiny took him firmly by the hand. Through various twists and turns involving naturist clubs and a strange esoteric theatre, he became friends with a group of people who eventually revealed their true identity - they were members of a surviving witch coven. One evening in 1939, as the hounds of war were being unleashed, he was initiated into the 'witch cult' by these people, who called themselves 'the Wica'. Gardner was overwhelmed by the experience and was determined that the 'witch cult' should survive. This book chronicles his efforts over the remaining quarter century of his life to ensure not only that it survived but that it would become the significant player on the world religious stage that it now is - "the only religion that England has ever given the world", in the words of Ronald Hutton, Professor of History at the University of Bristol, who calls it "... a very fine humane, intelligent, compassionate, shrewd, and based upon a colossal amount of primary research". Born in 1946, Philip Heselton is a geographer and retired local government officer who has written extensively on Earth Mysteries and our spiritual relationship with the landscape. He has also carried out extensive research into the story of the modern witchcraft revival, chronicled in his books, "Wiccan Roots" and "Gerald Gardner and the Cauldron of Inspiration". Hutton has described him as being "... the most interesting, valuable and enjoyable author who has yet written on what is becoming one of the greatest riddles in the history of modern the origins of pagan witchcraft. ... Nobody has ever done more than Philip Heselton to reveal the world of magic, paganism, naturism and faerie that lay behind the garden gates of inter-war English suburban villas; and perhaps only he could have done it at all."

Genres: Wicca, Nonfiction, Crafts, Spirituality, Witchcraft, Biography

686 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2012

Reviews

[Steve Cran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Philip Heselton is an authjor that cuts to the chase and get's down to the core of everything. He has written some fascinating books on Wicca and more importantly it's sources. Now he has written a thorough biography and has done his research into related sources. His biography relies a lot or has taken a major beginning from Bracelin's earlier work and Gerald Gardner's writings. He has taken the various claims and investigated their veracity. Not an easy thing to do.

Gerald Gardner was born in Bundensellands just North of Liverpool to William and Lois Gardner. The family had patriarch bought several houses in that new area of Bundenselands also known as the "Glen" The patriarchs name was Joseph. The family made their money making blockstops out of wood in the far east. Later on they made their money in the rubber production business. The Gardners were also involved in the Customs department. As a youngster Gardener was taken with asthma and could not thrive in those English winters. His nanny nicknamed "Com" took all around the mediterranean, and Africa. He has no formal education and thus taught himself to read and write. Com was a real party animal who sported lots of lovers and drank massive amounts of alcohol.
When he was around 18 years of age he interned on a plantation. From the tea plantation he himself went into the lumber and rubber business. While in Malaysia and Borneo Gerald befriended the natives and learned many things about their culture, religion and magic. He bacame an expert an the Malaysian weapon called the Keris. He was an amateur archaeologist who made some importatn finds about Malaysia. Later on he himself would work for British customs and was in charge of enforcing British opium laws. Gerald himself did take bribes.

Towards the end of his career he met Donna and got married. He took leave and used stored up vacation time to retire early. He later moved to New Forest and was involved in a nudist club. He would later meet the witches throught the Rosicrucian Theater in the town of Christchurch. Dafo or eEith Grimes initatiated him. THe book talks about his begining in the Witch cult and about the relations that he formed.

One must remember that Gerald was a trickster who was very capable of stretching the truth and telling tall tales. Sometimes what he said could not be verified. He even bought a doctorate from an Americans Unioversity that had a miserable reputation. yet he also shed light on Malaysia, archaeolgy and witchcraft. Great book if you wanna be come more familiar with the "Father of Modern Witchcraft"

[Yvonne Aburrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

More exciting than volume one. Really enjoyed it.

[M. Todd Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I learned from this book that I had not understood before was that Gardner did not really become involved in "the witch cult", as he initially called it, until he was retired. He spent most of his adult life living and working abroad due to his asthma; he only settled in England and began getting in touch with people doing "witchy" things when he was in his fifties (hence, no doubt, his widespread nickname of "Old Gerald"). Once again I urge readers interested in modern witchcraft and paganism to persevere despite the cranky formatting of the Kindle edition and read this book.