Wiccan Alphabet

Common Terms & Phrases dictionary
Aboriginal: Pagan tradition of the native Australian people.

Adept: An individual who through serious study and accomplishments is considered highly proficient in a particular magickal system.

Akasha Spirit: The fifth element, the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe.

Alchemy: A branch of High Magick developed in the Middle Ages which sought to magickally and/or chemically turn base metals into gold.

Altar: A special, flat surface set aside exclusively for magickal workings or religious acknowledgement.

Amulet: A magickally charged object which deflects specific, usually negative energies. A protective object.

Ankh: An Egyptitian heiroglyphic widely used as a symbol of life, love and reincarnation. It is a cross with a looped top.

Arcana: The two halves of a tarot deck.The Major Arcana consists of 22 trumps, the minor Arcana consists of 56 suit cards (Sometimes called the lesser Arcana).

Aspect: The particular principle or part of the Creative Life Force being worked with or acknowledged at any one time.

Asperger: A bundle of fresh herbs or a preforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding ritual, for purification purposes.

Astral Plane: A place which is generally conceptualized as an invisible parallel world which remains unseen from our own solid world of form.

Astral Travel/Projection: The process of seperating yor stral body from your physical one to accomplish travel in the astral plane or dream time.

Astrology: The study of and belief in the effects the movements and placements of planets and other heavenly bodies have on the lives and behavior of human beings.

Athame: A cleansed and concecrated ritual blade. Usually double edged, and black handled. It is never used to cut anything on the physical plane. Pronounced several ways: Ah-THAM-ee, ATH-ah-may, ah-THAW-may

Aura: The life-energy field which surrounds all living things.

Auttomatic writing: Form of divination where the channeler uses a pen, paper, and an altered state of consciousness to receive messages.

Balefire: A fire lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors/ They are traditional on Yule, Beltane, and Midsummer.

Bane: That which distroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, dangerous.

Banish: To magickally end something or exorcise unwanted entities. To rid the presence of.

B.C.E.: Before common era. Synonymous with B.C. without religious bias.

Bells: Often used as ritual tools. They can be used to invoke directional energies, to ring in the sunrise on a Sabbat, or to frighten away faeries and baneful spirits.

Besom: A witch's broom.

Bi-Location: A type of astral projection during which you maintain awareness of your present surroundings.

Bind: To magickally restrain something or someone.

Blood Of The Moon: A woman's menstural cycle. Should this cycle occur on a Full moon or New moon, she is far more powerful than during any other time of the month, as long as she acknowledges this strength within herself.

Book Of Shadows:A witch's book of spells, ritual, magickal lore. Much akin to a magickal cookbook. Also known as a BOS.

Boline:A white-handled knife, used in magick and ritual for purposes such as cutting herbs or piercing a pomegranate.

Burning Times: Reference to a historical time from around 1000 C.E. through the 17th century when it is said that up to nine million people were tortured and burned by church and public officials on the assumption that they were the Christian version of Witches. This turned into an extremely profitable venture, as all land and property was seized from the accused individual and portions given to the accuser ( in reward fashion) and the remainder seized by the church officials. Historians indicate that the majority of people tortured and murdered were women and children.

Call:Invoking Divine forces.

Cauldron:Linked to witchcraft in the popular mind, this symbolizes the Goddess, the waters of rebirth.

C.E.: Common Eras, Synonymous with A.D. but without religious bias.

Censer: A heat-proof container in which incense is burned. It is associated with the element Air.

Ceremonial Magick: A highly codified magickal tradition based upon Kabbala, the Jewish-Gnostic mystical teachings.

Chakras: Seven major vortexes found in the human body. Each is usually associated with a color. They are: Crown- white; third-eye - purple; throat - blue; chest - pink or green; navel - yellow; abdomen - orange; groin - red. Smaller vortexes are located in the hands and feet as well.

Chalice: A ritual tool. It represents the female principles of creation.

Channeling: A New Age practice wherein you allow a discarnate entity to "borrow" your body to speak to others either through automatic writing or verbally.

Chaplet: A crown for the head usually made of flowers and worn at Beltane.

Charge: The Originally written in modern form by Doreen Valiente, it is a story of the message from Goddess to Her children.

Charging: To infuse an object with personal power.

Charms: Either an amulet or talisman that has been charmed by saying an incantation over it and instilling it with energy for a specific task.

Circle: Sacred space wherein all magick is to be worked and all ritual contained. It both holds ritual energy until the witch is ready to release it, and provides protection for the witch.

Cleansing: Removing negative energies from an object or space.

Collective unconsciousness: Term used to describe the sentient connection of all living things, past and present. See also Akashic Records.

Coming Of Age Ritual: At age 13 for boys, and at the time of a girl's first menses, Pagan children are seen as spiritual adults. The ritual celebrates their new maturity. Generally this is the age when they are permitted membership in covens.

Cone Of Power: Psychic energy raised and focused by either an individual or group mind (coven) to achieve definite purpose.

Conscious Mind: The analytical, materially-based, rational half of our consciousness. The part of our mind that is at work while we balance out checkbooks, theorize, communicate, and perform other acts related to the physical world.

Consecration: The act of blessing an object or place by instilling it with positive energy.

Coven: A group of thirteen or fewer witches that work together in an organized fashion for positive magickal endeavors or to perform religious ceremonies.

Covenstead: The meeting place of witches, often a fixed building or place where the witch can feel safe and at home.

Craft:Witchcraft.

Crone: Aspect of the Goddess represented by the old woman. Symbolized by the waning moon, the carrion crow, the cauldron, the color black. Her Sabbats are Mabon and Samhain.

Cross-Quarter-Days:Refers to Sabbats not falling on the solstices or equinoxes.

Days of Power:See Sabbat. They can also be days triggered by astrological occurences - your birthday, a woman's menstrual cycle, your dedication/initiation anniversary.

Dedication:The process where an individual accepts the craft as their path and vows to study and learn all that is necessary to reach adept ship. It is a conscious preparation to accept something new into your life and stick with it, regardless of the highs and lows that may follow.

Deosil: Clockwise, the direction in which the shadow on a sundial moves as the Sun "moves" across the sky. Doesil is symbolic of life, positive magick, positive energies.

Dirk:Ritual knife of the Scottish tradition

Divination:The magickal art of using tools and symbols to gather information from the Collective Unconsciousness. This can be on people, places, things and events past, present, and future.

Divine power:The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate force of all things.

Dowsing:The divinitory art of using a pendulum or stick to find the actual location of a person, place, thing, or element.

Drawing down the moon: a ritual preformed during the full moon by witches to empower themselves and unite their essence with a particular deity, usually the Goddess

Drawing down the Sun: lesser known and lesser used companion ritual to drawing down the moon in which the essence of the sun god is drawn into a male witch

Duality: the opposite of polarity When used as a religious term it separates two opposites such as good and evil places those characteristics into two god forms

Earth Magick: the energy that exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind , and other natural objects

Earth Plane: metaphor for your normal state of consciousness, the everyday world we live in

Elements: earth, air, fire, and water

Elementals: archetypical spirit beings associated with one of the four elements sometimes called faeries

Eleven: secretive traditions of the craft which works with elementals

Eostre's Eggs: colored, decorated eggs of Ostara, named for the goddess Eostre

Esbat: a ritual occurring during a full moon and dedicated to the moon goddess

Evocation: to call something from within

Faerie Burgh: mound of earth that covers a faerie colony

Familiar: an animal that has a connection with a witch or her family can also dwell on the astral plane

Fascination: a mental effort to control another person or animals mind a.k.a mindbending

Folklore: traditional sayings, stories, cures, and wisdom which is separate from mythology

Folk Magick: the practice of projecting personal powerand energies within herbs and crystals to bring about needed change

Gaea/Gaia: mother earth

God: male form of deity

Goddess: female form of deity

Grain Dolly: figure woven at Imbolc from dried grains collected at the previous harvest traditionally burned at Yule

Great Rite: symbolic sexual union of the goddess and god that is enacted at Beltane symbolizes the primal act of creation

Green Man: another name for the god

Grimorie: a magickal workbook containing information of ones journey thru witchcraft

Grounding: to disperse excess energy created during magical works by sending it into the earth also a means of centering ones self in the physical world before a ritual

Guardians: the four quarters

Hand Fasting: pagan wedding

Herbalism: act of using herbs to facilitate human needs both magickally and medicinally

Higher Self: that part of us which connects our corporeal minds to the "Collective Unconscious" and with the divine knowledge of the universe

Hiving Off: this term is used for a small coven which splits off from a larger one

Horned God: NOT SATAN!! usually the form of a man with stag antlers

Initiation: a process whereby an individual is introduced or admitted into a coven usually a ritual

Incense: ritual burning of herbs, oils, or other aromatic items to scent the air during acts or ritual

Invocation: to bring something in from without

Jew-itch: name coined by some pagans of jewish descent who are seeking the pagan roots of their religion

Karma: the belief that ones thoughts and actions can either be counted against them or added to their spiritual path across several life times

Kabbala: mystical teaching from the Jewish-Gnostic tradition

Labrys: a double headed ax which symbolizes the Goddess in her lunar aspect origins from crete

Left-Hand Path: refers to the practice of using magick to control others to change the will of others for personal gain Dark Magick

Libation: portion of food given at a ritual to deity, nature spirit, or ghost

Macrocosm: the world around us

Magick: the projection of natural energies to bring about needed change Energy exists in all things : us, plants, stones,colors, sounds, movement

Magick Circle: a sphere constructed of personal power in which ritual are usually performed within it the witch is protected from outside forces

Magickal System: the basic set of guidelines relating to the worship of specific Gods and Goddesses or cultural traditions

Male Mysteries: pagan study which attempts to reclaim the power and mystery of the old Gods of for todays pagan males

Matrifocal: term used to denote pre-patriarchal life when family clans centered around and lived near or on clan matriarch

May Pole: sexual symbol of Beltane representing the phallus

Meditation: reflection, contemplating, a quiet time in which a practitioner may either dwell upon particular thoughts or symbols or allow them to come unbidden

Megalith: a huge stone monument or structure Stonehenge

Menhir: a huge stone probably erected by early people for spiritual reasons

Microcosm: the world within us

Monotheism: belief in one supreme deity who has no other forms or aspects

Mother: the aspect of the Goddess representing motherhood, mid life, and fertility represented by the full moon, the egg, the colors red and green sabats are midsummer, and Lughnasadh

Myth: lore about any land or people

New Age: the mixing of metaphysical practices and structured religion

New Religion: pagan term used in reference to Christianity

Nursery Rhyme: cute poems supposedly written for the amusement of children much pagan lore was written into these during the burning times

Occult: literally meaning hidden

Occultist: one who practices a variety of occult practices

Ogham: Celtic runes ancient alphabet of Celtic people

Old Ones: a term which refers to all aspects of the Goddess and God

Old Religion: a name for paganism as it predates Christianity by at least 20,000 yrs

Pagan / Neo Pagan: general term for followers of wicca and other magickal or shamanistic or polytheistic earth based religions

Paganing: when a baby is presented in circle to the goddess and god and given a craft name which she /he will keep until about 13 and can choose their own in a coming of age ceremony

Pantheon: a collection or group of Gods and Goddesses in a particular religious or mythical structure

Passion over Ritual: ritual observed when a loved one has died

Past Life Regression: act of using meditation to pass thru the veil of of linear time and perceive experiences encountered in a previous existence

Path Working: using astral projection to accomplish a goal

Patriarchal: term used to apply to the world since the beginning of a male dominated society

Pendulum: a divinitory device consisting of a string attached to a heavy object such as a crystal or ring or root. The movement of the object determines the answer to the question

Pentacle: the circle surrounding a five pointed upright star worn as a symbol of witches beliefs many consider the inverted to be a blasphemy of their faith and is associated with satanism

Pentagram: an interlaced five point star with one point up it represents the five elements Earth , Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit it is a symbol of protection

Personal Power: the energy which sustains our bodies

Polarity: the concept of equal opposite energies Yin and Yang is an example

Polytheism: belief in the existence of many unrelated deities

Poppets: anthropomorphic dolls used to represent certain humans in a spell

Projective Hand: the hand one uses for writing also the hand used to send power from the body

Psychic Mind: the unconscious mind at work when we sleep or dream our direct link to the Divine

Psychism: the act of being consciously psychic

Receptive Hand: the non dominant hand in which you receive energies

Rede: basic code or laws of witchcraft

reincarnation: the process of repeated incarnations in human form to allow evolution of the soul

Ritual: a specific form of movement a manipulation of objects or inner processes designed to produce desired effects

Ritual consciousness: a specific alternate state of awareness necessary to the successful practice of magick

ritual tools: general name for magickal tools used by witch

Runes: a set of symbols used in both divination and magick

Sabat: a witch's festival

Scourge: small device made of leather or hemp that resembles a whip and is used in flagellation rites

Scrying: a method of divination

Shaman: a man or woman who has obtained knowledge of the subtler diminsions of earth

Shamanism: the practice of shamans

Shillelagh: a staff traditionally made of blackthorn wood

Sigil: a magickal seal or sign

Simple Feast: a ritual meal shared with the Goddess and God

Sky Father: shamanistic in origin the male sky god

Skyclad: the act of ritual in the nude NOT sexual in nature

Solitary: pagan who worships alone

Spell: a magickal ritual accompanied by spoken words with a specific need

Spiral: a symbol of coming into being

Staff: ritual tool which corresponds with the wand or athame

Stang: a two pronged trident from Rome used in place of a wand

subconscious mind: part of the mind which functions below the levels we are able to access in the course of a normal working day

Summerland: the pagan land of the dead

Sympathetic Magick: the concept of likes attract most common way spells are worked

Talisman: an object charged with personal power to attract a specific force or energy

Tarot cards: set of 78 cards which feature pictures and symbols used to connect the diviner with the collective unconscious

Threefold Law: karmic principle that energy that is released is returned three times over

Tradition: a branch of paganism or wicca

Trilithon: a stone arch made of two upright slabs with one laying across the top

Triple Goddess: one goddess in three aspects, maiden , Mother , Crone

Virgin: youngest aspect of the triple goddess also known as the maiden represents the waxing moon colors are white and blue

Vision Quest: using astral projection also called path working

Visualization: the process of forming mental images

Wand: ritual tool brought to the craft from ritual magick

Warlock: reference to a male witch means oath-breaker or liar very offensive term

Web Weaving: networking

Wheel of the Year: one full cycle of the seasonal year

Wicca: a modern pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature

Widdershins: counter clockwise used for dispersing negative energies

Witchcraft: magick, mostly using personal powers in conjunction with stones and herbs

Yggdrasil: one of the best known tree of life symbols

The principles of the Wiccan Belief as described by the council of witches in 1974

Principles of the Wiccan Belief:

1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarters.

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility towards our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary it is sometimes called "supernatural", but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity-as masculine and feminine-and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship. 2

5. We recognize both outer and inner, or psychological, worlds -- sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. -- and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7. We see religion, magick and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it -- a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft, the Wiccan Way.

8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch -- but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature. 3

9. We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and our personal role within it.

10. Our only animosity towards Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only way," and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the origins of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.

12. We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil", as defined by Christian tradition. 4 We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.

13. We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

The Creation of the Universe- Wiccan version.

The Story Of Creation
Long, long ago there was only darkness~~a deep, ebony ocean of empty infinity~~the void that was no place. From this place of nothingness, Spirit drew in upon itself and, with a mighty burst of joyful vibration, our Lady of Light exploded into being, Her essence the totality of perfect love and perfect trust. In Her heart She held the presence of Spirit, and there was no part of Her that was not divine.

In delight, our Lady began the Great Work. She danced among the heavens, Her bare feet beating out the rhythm of all creation, giving birth to every pattern of energy as sparks of light catapulted from Her flying hair and extended fingertips. She created the stars and planets, and bid them to dance with Her. As they began to move, so the cycle of the year was born, and the divine symphony of the universe came into form. She gave them names of power, each unto their own. These things moved from the void, into the thought, given the breath of light, and then into the world.

Our Lady chanted the words of perfect love and perfect peace and, as these sounds fell to the Earth, the trees, flowers, and grasses took root in the fertile soil of Gaia. From the pure, white light of Her breath came the colors of the universe, turning all things to vibrant beauty. From the bubbling laughter in Her throat sprang the sounds of the clear, running water of the springs, the gentle lapping vibrations of the lake, and the roaring of the oceans. Her tears of happiness became the rains of our survival. Our Lady was the Presence, and the Presence our Lady.

And when Her dancing slowed, the Lady sought a companion to share the wonders of the many worlds. As the Holy Spirit, She created the God as Her soul mate. Because our Lady so loved the Earth, the energy pattern of the God contained both the essence of the Presence and the divine energy of the Earth~~and He was known by many names: Green Man;Lord of the Forests; King of the Fields; and Father, Son, and Sage.

Together, the Lord and Lady created all the beings of Earth. The Lord's power moved through Her, and She showered the Earth and all upon it with Her blessings. Together, They designed the birds, animals, fish, insects, reptiles, and people of our world. To protect and guide the humans, the Lord and Lady fashioned the angels, guides and spirits of power. These energies still walk with us, although we often cannot see them.

To each being our Lady gave a unique vibration in which to communicate, and the Lord bestowed to each the fire of passion and the burning instinct to survive. As a gift for his magnificent handiwork and caring for the creatures of Earth, our Lady gave our Lord a crown of stag antlers, which He wears upon His great head. This aspect of half man, half animal would forever show His joy in both the human and animal creations of the Presence. The crown will always be a symbol that people can spiritually work with the duality of their own natures to reach into the core of Spirit.

Together, the Lord and Lady blessed the first humans with free will. "We are the gods, and the gods are us!" the people cried. And the Lord and Lady smiled. "We are all one," said our Lady, and through a web of silver light She connected each human to the other, and then linked the humans to all other energy patterns on the planet. When this was done, She wove Herself and Her Lord into the divine tapestry of pulsating energy. "Love is the law, honor is the bond," said the Lord as He empowered the tapestry of life.

Our Lady has many names: Isis, Astarte, Bride, Diana, Aradia, Innana, Hecate, Mitzu Gami, and thousands more. The Lady walks within and beside each woman and man of every race and every place. She is Maiden, Mother, and Crone. She is the sacred trinity of all religions. Indeed, She is the Holy Ghost.

The Lord has many faces, from the strong Cernunnos to the delightful Pan, and Osiris, Tyr, Anubis, Ra, Apollo, Odin, and thousands more. He guards and guides us and resides in each man and woman of every race in every place. When thunder roars in the heavens and lightning cracks from the ground, the Lord and Lady dance the divine myth of creation so that we may remember Them and know that we are never alone, and that we are one. When the sun rises each morning, we bask in the joy of His love for us, and when the moon moves through Her phases, we understand the cycle of birth, growth, death, and rebirth, as is the nature of all things, and we honor Her power.

But as the humans began to grow and prosper, they forgot about their divine parents. Although the Lord and Lady called to Their children, they did not listen. They were lost, fighting the demons they themselves had created. Not wishing to abandon Their children, the Lord and Lady decided to create healers and workers of harmony among the humans to remind them of the divine source and to show them the way home to the arms of the Mother. Within each special soul would be the remembrance of the Great Work: to love, create, and move in harmony. And so the Lord and Lady drew forth energy from the realm of angels, the realm of power animals, the realm of the dead, and the realm of humans, instilling these special soul with the divine energy of the Presence through the miracles of magick. These beings of power were called Witches.

Historical Witchcraft Timeline

15,000 B.C.
Ancient people revere healers who are known as Witches, who practice magic

2000 BC
Babylon's Code of Hammurabi instructs, "If a man has laid a charge of witchcraft and has not justified it, he upon whom the witchcraft is laid shall go to the holy river; he shall plunge into the holy river and if the holy river overcome him, he who accused him shall take to himself his house."

3rd cent. AD
Under the pre-Christian Roman Empire, punishment of burning alive was enacted by the State against witches who brought about another person's death through their enchantments.

306 AD
The Christian Council of Elvira (Canon 6) refuses last rites to those who had killed a man by a magical spell because such a crime could not be effected "without idolatry" (i.e. the help of the devil).

313
Conversion of Emperor Constantine; Christianity is granted official toleration by the Roman Empire.

314
Canon 24 of the Council of Ancyra imposes five years of penance upon those who consult magicians. Here, the offence lies in participation in paganism.

383
Priscillian of Avila was executed. He was accused of Manichaeism, but the official reason for burning him was witchcraft.

600A.D.
Christian Pope Gregory The Great proclaims “all gods of the heathens are Demons”

785
The Council of Paderborn rules that sorcerers are to be reduced to serfdom and made over to the service of the Church.

Prior to the 9th century CE:
There was a widespread popular belief that evil Witches existed. They were seen as evil persons, primarily women, who devoted their lives to harming and killing others through black magic and evil sorcery. The Catholic church at the time officially taught that such Witches did not exist. It was a heresy to say that they were real. "For example, the 5th century Synod of St. Patrick ruled that 'A Christian who believes that there is a vampire in the world, that is to say, a witch, is to be anathematized; whoever lays that reputation upon a living being shall not be received into the Church until he revokes with his own voice the crime that he has committed.' A capitulary from Saxony (775-790 CE) blamed these stereotypes on pagan belief systems: 'If anyone, deceived by the Devil, believes after the manner of the Pagans that any man or woman is a witch and eats men, and if on this account he burns [the alleged witch]... he shall be punished by capital sentence."

906
The document De ecclesiasticis disciplinis ascribed to Regino of Prüm describes popular notions of witchcraft and states it is the duty of priests to "instruct the people that these things are absolutely untrue and that such imaginings are planted in the minds of misbelieving folk, not by a Divine spirit, but by the spirit of evil."

906
Canon Eposcopi, a collection of church laws, appeared. It declared that belief in witchcraft was heretical.

906 CE:
Regino of Prum, the Abbot of Treves, wote the Canon Episcopi. It reinforced the church's teaching that Witches did not exist. It admitted that some confused and deluded women thought that they flew through the air with the Pagan Goddess Diana. But this did not happen in reality; it was explained away as some form of hallucination.

Circa 975 CE:
Penalties for Witchcraft and the use of healing magic were relatively mild. The English Confessional of Egbert said, in part: "If a woman works witchcraft and enchantment and [uses] magical philters, she shall fast for twelve months...If she kills anyone by her philters, she shall fast for seven years." Fasting, in this case, involved consuming only bread and water.

1022
A group of pious and ascetic mystics who denied key tenets of Christianity were burned as witches in Orleans. Contemporary Christian writers branded them as Devil worshippers who indulged in sex orgies and the murder of children - standard accusations for all dissident groups at the time.

1080
Pope Gregory VII writes a letter to King Harold of Denmark forbidding witches to be put to death upon presumption of their having caused storms, failure of crops or pestilence.

Circa 1140:
Gratian, an Italian monk, incorporated the Canon Episcopi into canon law.

1141
Hugh of St. Victor wrote Didascalicon, which included a strong denunciation of using or studying magic: Magic was not accepted as part of philosophy, but stands with a false claim outside it; the mistress of every form of iniquity and malice, lying about the truth and truly infecting men's minds, it seduces them from divine religion, prompts them from the cult of demons, fosters corruption of morals, and impels the minds of its devotees to every wicked and criminal indulgence. ... Sorcerers were those who, with demonic incantations or amulets or any other execrable types of remedies, by the cooperation of the devils or by evil instinct, perform wicked things.

1200
Christianity hasw replaced traditional religions, which Christians call paganism

circa 1203:
The Cathar movement, a Gnostic Christian group, had become popular in the Orleans area of France and in Italy. They were declared heretics. Pope Innocent III approved a war of genocide against the Cathars. The last known Cathar was burned at the stake in 1321 CE. The faith has seen a rebirth in recent years.

1225
In Germany, the secular law code "Sachsenspiegel" designated death by fire as the proper punishment for witchcraft.

1227:
Pope Gregory IX established the Inquisitional Courts to arrest, try, convict and execute heretics.


1231
Conrad of Marburg was appointed as the first Inquisitor of Germany, setting a pattern of persecution. In his reign of terror, he claimed to have uncovered many nests of "Devil worshippers" and adopted the motto of: We would gladly burn a hundred if just one of them was guilty.

1233
Pope Gregory IX proclaimed Conrad of Marburg a champion of Christendom and promoted his findings in the Papal Bull Vox in Rama.

1252:
Pope Innocent III authorized the use of torture during inquisitional trials. This greatly increased the conviction rate.

1265:
Pope Clement IV reaffirms the use of torture.

1258
Pope Alexander IV declared that Inquisitors should not concern themselves with divination, but only those which "manifestly savored of heresy."

1258
Pope Alexander IV instructs, "The Inquisitors, deputed to investigate heresy, must not intrude into investigations of divination or sorcery without knowledge of manifest heresy involved." "Manifest heresy" is defined as: "praying at the altars of idols, to offer sacrifices, to consult demons, to elicit responses from them... or associate themselves publicly with heretics."

1275
The first "witch" is burned to death after judicial sentence of an inquisitor, in Toulouse, France. Her name was Hugues de Baniol and she "confessed" to having given birth to a monster after intercourse with an evil spirit and to having nourished it with babies' flesh which she procured in her nocturnal expeditions.

1280
First appearance of images of a witch riding a broom.

1320
Pope John XXII authorized the Inquisition to began persecuting sorcery and witchcraft.

1324 - 1325
Lady Alice Kyteler, her son and associates in Kilkenny, Ireland, were tried for witchcraft. For the first time, stories of mating with demons were linked with stories of pacts with Satan. Lady Alice escaped to England, but others were burned.

1326:
The Church authorized the Inquisition to investigate Witchcraft and to develop "demonology," the theory of the diabolic origin of Witchcraft.

1300-30
Beginning of the witch trials in Europe.

1330:
The popular concept of Witches as evil sorcerers is expanded to include belief that they swore allegiance to Satan, had sexual relations with the Devil, kidnapped and ate children, etc.

1334
Large-scale witch trial in Toulouse, France, in which 63 persons were accused. Of these, eight were handed over to the state to be burned and the rest were imprisoned.

1347 to 1349:
The Black Death epidemic killed a sizeable part of the European population. Conspiracy theories spread. Lepers, Jews, Muslims and Witches were accused of poisoning wells and spreading disease.

1374
Pope Gregory XI declares that all magic is done with the aid of demons and thus is open to prosecution for heresy.

1398
The theology faculty at the University of Paris declared that all forms of magic or divination involved some sort of pact with the devil and were thus heresy, justifying the persecution of every possible sort of witchcraft.

1400
Peter de Gruyères, a secular judge, carries out large-scale witch trials in Bern, Switzerland.

1428
Witch trials of Brianqon took place in the Dauphine. About 167 local people were burned as witches between 1428 and 1450.

1430's:
Christian theologians started to write articles and books which "proved" the existence of Witches.

1431
Trial of Joan of Arc took place and included allegations of witchcraft.

1435-50
Number of witch trails rises sharply.

1436-7:
Johannes (John) Niderwrote a book called Formicarius, which describe the prosecution of a man for Witchcraft. Copies of this book were often added to the Malleus Maleficarum in later years. Some sources say that the author Thomas of Brabant; this is apparently an error.

1440
Notorious trial of Gilles de Rais, who was accused of witchcraft and debaucheries.

1450:
The first major witch hunts began in many western European countries. The Roman Catholic Church created an imaginary evil religion, using stereotypes that had circulated since pre-Christian times. They said that Pagans who worshiped Diana and other Gods and Goddesses were evil Witches who kidnapped babies, killed and ate their victims, sold their soul to Satan, were in league with demons, flew through the air, met in the middle of the night, caused male impotence and infertility, caused male genitals to disappear, etc. Historians have speculated that this religiously inspired genocide was motivated by a desire by the Church to attain a complete religious monopoly, or was "a tool of repression, a form of reining-in deviant behavior, a backlash against women, or a tool of the common people to name scapegoats for spoiled crops, dead livestock or the death of babies and children." Walter Stephens, a professor of Italian studies at Johns Hopkins University, proposes a new theory: "I think Witches were a scapegoat for God." 3 Religious leaders felt that they had to retain the concepts of both an omnipotent and an all-loving deity. Thus, they had to invent Witches and demons in order to explain the existence of evil in the world. This debate, about how an all-good and all-powerful God can coexist in the world with evil is now called Theodicy. Debate continues to the present day.

1450:
Johann Gutenberg invented moveable type which made mass printing possible. This enabled the wide distribution of Papal bulls and books on Witch persecution; the witch hunt was greatly facilitated.

1484
Pope Innocent VIII publishes the bull Summis desiderantes affectibus ("Desiring with the Greatest Ardor") condemning witchcraft as Satanism, the worst of all possible heresies. The bull also officially grants Heinrich Krämer and James Sprenger, Dominican inquisitors, the right to prosecute persons of any class or any form of crime. Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull "Summis desiderantes" on DEC-5 which promoted the tracking down, torturing and executing of Satan worshipers

1486
Heinrich Krämer and Jacob Sprenger publish Malleus maleficarum ("The Hammer of Witches"), a learned but misogynistic book blaming witchcraft chiefly on women. It was reprinted many times thanks to the newly-invented printing press and was a major influence on the witch-hunt hysteria of the next two centuries. It was regarded as the standard handbook on witchcraft until well into the 18th century.

1486-1487:
Institoris (Heinrich Kraemer) and Jacob Sprenger published the Malleus Maleficarum (The Witches' Hammer). It is a fascinating study of the authors' misogyny and sexual frustration. It describes the activities of Witches, the methods of extracting confessions. It was later abandoned by the Church, but became the "bible" of those secular courts which tried Witches.

1488
Papal Bull was issued, calling upon European nations to rescue the church because it was "imperiled by the arts of Satan."

1490 King Charles VIII issued an edict against fortunetellers, enchanters, necromancers and others engaging in any sort of witchcraft

1500:
During the 14th century, there had been known 38 trials against Witches and sorcerers in England, 95 in France and 80 in Germany. 4 The witch hunts accelerated. "By choosing to give their souls over to the devil witches had committed crimes against man and against God. The gravity of this double crime classified witchcraft as crimen exceptum, and allowed for the suspension of normal rules of evidence in order to punish the guilty." 7 Children's testimony was accepted. Essentially unlimited torture was applied to obtain confessions. The flimsiest circumstantial evidence was accepted as proof of guilt.

1508
Mass witch trials in Biarn occurred.

1517:
Martin Luther is commonly believed to have nailed his 95 theses on the cathedral door at Wittenburg, Germany. Apparently it never happened; he published his arguments in a less dramatic way. This triggered the Protestant Reformation. In Roman Catholic countries, the courts continue to burn witches. In Protestant lands, they were mainly hung. Some Protestant countries did not allow torture. In England, this lack of torture led to a low conviction rate of only 19%.

1529
Inquisitorial witchcraft trials took place at Luxeuil.

Circa 1550 to 1650 CE:
Trials and executions reached a peak during these ten decades, which are often referred to as the "burning times." They were mostly concentrated in eastern France, Germany and Switzerland. Witch persecutions often occurred in areas where Catholics and Protestants were fighting. Contrary to public opinion, suspected witches -- particularly those involved in evil sorcery -- were mainly tried by secular courts. A minority were charged by church authorities; these were often cases involving the use of healing magic or midwifery.

1530s
Prosecutions for witchcraft begin in Mexico.

1532
The penal code Carolina decrees that sorcery throughout the German empire should be treated as a criminal offence, and if it injured any person, the witch was to be burned at the stake.

1532
Declaration of the Carolina Code in Germany which imposed the penalties of torture and death for witchcraft. This code was technically adopted by the 300-odd small independent states which comprise the Holy Roman Empire.

1542
Henry VIII issued a statute against witchcraft.

1547
Repeal of statute of 1542 during the reign of Edward VI.

Circa 1550 to 1650 CE:
Trials and executions reached a peak during these ten decades, which are often referred to as the "burning times." They were mostly concentrated in eastern France, Germany and Switzerland. Witch persecutions often occurred in areas where Catholics and Protestants were fighting. Contrary to public opinion, suspected witches -- particularly those involved in evil sorcery -- were mainly tried by secular courts. A minority were charged by church authorities; these were often cases involving the use of healing magic or midwifery.

1563
Queen Elizabeth issued a statute against witchcraft.
Johan Weyer wrote De Praestigiis Daemonum. This book described his belief that witches were just mentally disturbed old women and that it was the belief in witches which was caused by Satan. He was forced to leave the Netherlands and his book was denounced by Jean Bodin.

1563
Council of Trent resolved to win back Germany from Protestantism to the Catholic Church; intensification of religious struggles and persecutions results.

1563:
Johann Weyer (b. 1515) published a book which was critical of the Witch trials. Called "De Praestigiis Daemonum" (Shipwreck of souls), it argued that Witches did not really exist, but that Satan promoted the belief that they did. He rejected confessions obtained through torture as worthless. He recommended medical treatment instead of torture and execution. By publishing the book anonymously, he escaped the stake.

1566
The first Chelmsford witch trials. This trial was the first to appear in a secular court in England and resulted in the first woman being hanged for witchcraft, Agnes Waterhouse. This trial also produced the first chapbook, or tabloid newspaper, relating to witchcraft.

1572
The Protestant ruler of Saxony imposes the penalty of burning for witchcraft of every kind, including fortune-telling.

1579
The Windsor witch trials; also the second Chelmsford trials.

1580-1630
Period in which witch-hunts are most severe.

1580
Jean Bodin, a French judge, published Daemonomanie des Sorciers condemning witches. According to Bodin, those denying the existence of witches were actually witches themselves.

1580:
Jean Bodin wrote "De la Demonomanie des Sorciers" (Of the punishments deserved by Witches). He stated that the punishment of Witches was required, both for the security of the state and to appease the wrath of God. No accused Witch should be set free if there is even a scrap of evidence that she might be guilty. If prosecutors waited for solid evidence, he felt that not one Witch in a million would be punished.

1582
St. Osyth Witches of Essex (case tried at Chelmsford).

1583
121 persons are burned as witches over three months in Osnabruck, Germany.

1584:
Reginald Scot published a book that was ahead of its time. In Discoverie of Witchcraft, he claimed that supernatural powers did not exist. Thus, there were no Witches.

1584
Publication of Discovery of Witchcraft by the skeptic Reginald Scot who argued that witches might not exist after all.

1589
Third Chelmsford witch trials.

1589
Fourteen convicted witches at Tours appealed to King Henry III, who was in turn accused of protecting witches.

1590
Witch trials in North Berwick, Scotland.

1590
William V began a witch hunt in Bavaria.
The North Berwick witch trials began when an alleged coven of witches was exposed in 1590-91, resulting in Scotland's most celebrated witch trials and executions. King James VI (who became James I of England), a devout believer in witches, even took part in the proceedings. The torture applied to the victims was among the most brutal in Scotland's entire history of witchcraft prosecution.

1592
Father Cornelius Loos wrote of those arrested and accused of witchcraft: Wretched creatures were compelled by the severity of the torture to confess things they have never done... and so by the cruel butchery innocent lives were taken; and, by a new alchemy, gold and silver are coined from human blood.

1593
Warboys witches of Huntingdon were put on trial.

1597
Publication of Demonology by James VI of Scotland (later James I of England).

1597
Case of the Burton Boy (Thomas Darling) in Staffordshire.

1604
James I released his statute against witchcraft, in which he wrote that they were "loathe to confess without torture."

1604
Case of the Northwich Boy.

1605
Abingdon witches and Anne Gunter.

1608:
Francesco Maria Guazzo published the "Compendium Maleficarum." It discusses Witches' pacts with Satan, the magic that Witches use to harm others, etc.

circa 1609:
A witch panic hit the Basque areas of Spain. La Suprema, the governing body of the Inquisition, recognized it as a hoax and issued an Edict of Silence which prohibited discussion of witchcraft. The panic quickly died down.

1609
In response to a witch panic in the Basque region, La Suprema (the ruling body of the Spanish Inquisition) issues an "Edict of Silence" forbidding all discussion of witchcraft. For, as one inquisitor noted, "There were neither witches nor bewitched until they were talked and written about."

1610:
Execution of Witches in the Netherlands ceased, probably because of Weyer's 1563 book

1612
Lancashire witch trials.

1616:
A second witch craze broke out in Vizcaya. Again an Edict of Silence was issued by the Inquisition. But the king overturned the Edict and 300 accused witches were burned alive.

1616
Case of the Leicester Boy (John Smith).

1618
Start of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) during which the witch hunt throughout Germany was at its height.

1620
Case of the Bilson Boy (William Perry).

1625
Start of general decline of witch trials in France.

1628
Trial of Johannes Junius, mayor of Bamberg, for witchcraft.

1631:
Friedrich Spee von Langenfield, a Jesuit priest, wrote "Cautio criminalis" (Circumspection in Criminal Cases). He condemned the witch hunts and persecution in Wurzburg, Germany. He wrote that the accused confessed only because they were the victims of sadistic tortures.

1631
The Jesuit Friedrich von Spee publishes Cautio criminalis against the witch craze

1631
Publication of Cautio Criminalis by Friedrich von Spee, opposing the witch hunt.

1632
Death of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg marked the end of the persecutions in this principality (1609-1632).

1641:
English law makes witchcraft a capital crime.

1645
Case of the Faversham witches, Kent Witchfinder-general Matthew Hopkins and the Chelmsford (or Manningtree) witch trials.

1646
Death of Matthew Hopkins from tuberculosis.

1647
First hanging for witchcraft in New England.

1647
Publication of Discovery of Witches by Matthew Hopkins.

1649
Case of the St. Albans witches, Hertfordshire.

1652
"Dr. Lamb's Darling": the trial of Anne Bodenham and the trial of the Wapping Witch (Joan Peterson) near London.

1655
Last execution for witchcraft in Cologne (where persecution was already less severe).

1662
The Bury St. Edmunds witch trials.

1668-76
Outbreak of witch-hunts in Sweden.
November 1668 Rev. Samuel Parris preaches in Salem for the first time.

1670
Rouen witch trials.

1674
Trial of Anne Foster in Northampton.

1679 - 1682
The notorious Chanibre d'ardente affair: Louis XIV's star chamber investigated poison plots and heared evidence of widespread corruption and witchcraft. More than 300 people were arrested and 36 executed. The affair ended with a royal edict which denied the reality of witchcraft and sorcery.

1684:
England declares that the colonies may not self-govern.

1684:
The last accused Witch was executed in England.

1684
Last execution for witchcraft in England (Alice Molland at Exeter).

1688:
Following an argument with laundress Goody Glover, Martha Goodwin, 13, begins exhibiting bizarre behavior. Days later her younger brother and two sisters exhibit similar behavior. Glover is arrested and tried for bewitching the Goodwin children. Reverend Cotton Mather meets twice with Glover following her arrest in an attempt to persuade her to repent her witchcraft. Glover is hanged. Mather takes Martha Goodwin into his house. Her bizarre behavior continues and worsens.

1688:
Mather publishes Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions

June 18, 1689
Samuel Parris is officially hired as Salem Village's minister.

November, 1689:
Samuel Parris is named the new minister of Salem. Parris moves to Salem from Boston, where Memorable Providence was published.

1690's: Nearly 25 people died during the witch craze in Salem, MA: one was pressed to death with weights because he wouldn't enter a plea; some died in prison, the rest were hanged. 5 There were other trials and executions throughout New England.

October 16, 1691:
Villagers vow to drive Parris out of Salem and stop contributing to his salary.

October 1691
Joseph Porter, Joseph Hutchinson, Joseph Putnam, Daniel Andrew
and Francis Nurse become the elected majority to the Salem
Village committee.

1692
Between May and October, 19 people are tried and hanged as witches in Salem, Massachusetts.

January 20, 1692
Samuel Parris' nine year old daughter, Betty, falls ill; more young girls in Salem Village also fall ill.

February 1692
The Salem Village physician, Dr. William Griggs, concludes that
the girls are bewitched

January 20, 1692:
Eleven-year old Abigail Williams and nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris begin behaving much as the Goodwin children acted four years earlier. Soon Ann Putnam Jr. and other Salem girls begin acting similarly.

Mid-February, 1692:
Doctor Griggs, who attends to the "afflicted" girls, suggests that witchcraft may be the cause of their strange behavior.

February 1692 The Salem Village physician, Dr. William Griggs, concludes that the girls are bewitched

February 25, 1692:
Tituba, at the request of neighbor Mary Sibley, bakes a "witch cake" and feeds it to a dog. According to an English folk remedy, feeding a dog this kind of cake, which contained the urine of the afflicted, would counteract the spell put on Elizabeth and Abigail. The reason the cake is fed to a dog is because the dog is believed a "familiar" of the Devil.

February 25, 1692
Parris's servant, Tituba, and her husband ,John Indian, are advised by Mary Sibley to bake a witch cake. She hopes the cake will help the girls identify the person(s) who are bewitching them.

Late-February, 1692:
Pressured by ministers and townspeople to say who caused her odd behavior, Elizabeth identifies Tituba. The girls later accuse Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne of witchcraft.

February 29, 1692
Thomas and Edward Putnam, Joseph Hutchinson and Thomas
Preston swear complaints against Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah
Osborne. They are later arrested for suspicion of witchcraft.

February 29, 1692:
Arrest warrants are issued for Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne.

March 1, 1692:
Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin examine Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne for "witches teats." Tituba confesses to practicing witchcraft and confirms Good and Osborne are her co- conspirators.

March 1, 1692
Salem Town Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin

March 1, 1692
Tituba confesses to witchraft

March 7, 1692
Sarah Osborn, Sarah Good and Tituba are sent to a Boston prison.

March 11, 1692:
Ann Putnam Jr. shows symptoms of affliction by witchcraft. Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott, and Mary Warren later allege affliction as well.

March 12, 1692:
Ann Putnam Jr. accuses Martha Cory of witchcraft.

March 14, 1692
Martha Corey is summoned to appear before the magistrates and
answer questions.

March 19. 1692:
Abigail Williams denounces Rebecca Nurse as a witch.

March 19, 1692
A warrant is issued for Martha Corey's arrest.

March 19, 1692
Rebecca Nurse is accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams.

March 21, 1692:
Magistrates Hathorne and Corwin examine Martha Cory.

March 21, 1692 Martha Corey's hearing begins.

March 23, 1692: Salem Marshal Deputy Samuel Brabrook arrests four-year-old Dorcas Good.

March 23, 1692
Edward and Jonathan Putnam file complaints against Rebecca
Nurse.

March 24, 1692:
Corwin and Hathorne examine Rebecca Nurse.

March 24, 1692
Rebecca Nurse appears before the Salem Magistrates.

March 26, 1692:
Hathorne and Corwin interrogate Dorcas.

March 28, 1692:
Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft.

March 28, 1692
One of the afflicted girls, possibly Mercy Lewis, accuses Elizabeth
Proctor of witchcraft.

April 3, 1692:
Sarah Cloyce, after defending her sister, Rebecca Nurse, is
accused of witchcraft.

April 4, 1692
Jonathan Walcott and Nathaniel Ingersoll file complaints against
Sarah Cloyce.

April 8, 1692
Warrants are issued for Sarah Cloyce and Giles Corey for
suspicion of witchcraft.

April 11, 1692:
Hathorne and Corwin examine Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor. On the same day Elizabeth's husband, John, who protested the examination of his wife, becomes the first man accused of witchcraft and is incarcerated.

April 11, 1692
Sarah Cloyce and Elizabeth Proctor appear before the Salem
Magistrates.

April 11, 1692
John and Elizabeth Proctor,Rebecca Nurse,Sarah Cloyce,Martha
Corey and Dorcas Good are sent to a Boston prison on this night.

Early April, 1692:
The Proctors' servant and accuser, Mary Warren, admits lying and accuses the other accusing girls of lying.

April 13, 1692:
Ann Putnam Jr. accuses Giles Cory of witchcraft and alleges that a man who died at Cory's house also haunts her.

April 19, 1692:
Abigail Hobbs, Bridget Bishop, Giles Cory and Mary Warren are examined. Deliverance Hobbs confesses to practicing witchcraft. Mary Warren reverses her statement made in early April and rejoins the accusers.

April 19, 1692
Mary Warren appears before the Salem Magistrates under
witchcraft charges.

April 21, 1692
Arrest warrants are issued for Mary Easty,Edward and Sarah
Bishop,Deliverance and William Hobbs,Sarah Wilds,Mary
Black,Nehemiah Abbott,Jr. and Mary English.

April 21, 1692
Abigail Williams identifies the Rev. George Burroughs as the
"Black Minister".

April 22, 1692
Mary Easty is found guilty of witchcraft by the Salem Magistrates.

April 22, 1692:
Mary Easty, another of Rebecca Nurse's sisters who defended her, is examined by Hathorne and Corwin. Hathorne and Corwin also examine Nehemiah Abbott, William and Deliverance Hobbs, Edward and Sarah Bishop, Mary Black, Sarah Wildes, and Mary English.

April 30, 1692:
Several girls accuse former Salem minister George Burroughs of witchcraft.

April 30, 1692
Upon the request of the Salem Magistrates, Boston Magistrate Elisha Hutchinson issues a warrant for the Rev.George Burroughs' arrest.

May 2, 1692:
Hathorne and Corwin examine Sarah Morey, Lyndia Dustin, Susannah Martin and Dorcas Hoar.

May 4, 1692:
George Burroughs is arrested in Maine.

May 4, 1692
George Burrough is arrested at his home in Wells, Maine. He is
then extradited to Salem Town.

May 7, 1692:
George Burroughs is returned to Salem and placed in jail.

May 8, 1692
George Burroughs is examined by the Salem Magistrates.

May 9, 1692:
Corwin and Hathorne examine Burroughs and Sarah Churchill. Burroughs is moved to a Boston jail.

May 10, 1692:
Corwin and Hathorne examine George Jacobs, Sr. and his granddaughter Margaret Jacobs. Sarah Osborne dies in prison.

May 10, 1692
Arrest warrants are issued for George Jacobs, Sr. and John Willard
for suspicion of witchcraft.

May 10, 1692
Sarah Good dies in prison.

May 14, 1692:
Increase Mather and Sir William Phipps, the newly elected governor of the colony, arrive in Boston. They bring with them a charter ending the 1684 prohibition of self-governance within the colony.

May 14, 1692
Increase Mather and Massachusetts Royal Gov. Sir William Phips
return to Boston after securing the new colonial character.

May 18, 1692:
Mary Easty is released from prison. Following protest by her accusers, she is again arrested. Roger Toothaker is also arrested on charges of witchcraft.

May 18, 1692
Mary Easty is released from prison.

May 20, 1692
Mercy Lewis becomes gravely ill and Mary Easty is blamed for
her illness. She is arrested again for witchcraft.

May 21, 1692
An arrest warrant is issued for John and Elizabeth Proctor's son,
Benjamin.

May 23, 1692
Susannah Sheldon testifies Joseph Rabson, a deceased man,
appeared to her and stated that Philip English had murdered him.

May 27, 1692:
Phipps issues a commission for a Court of Oyer and Terminer and appoints as judges John Hathorne, Nathaniel Saltonstall, Bartholomew Gedney, Peter Sergeant, Samuel Sewall, Wait Still Winthrop, and Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton.

May 27, 1692
Gov.Phips establishes a Court of Oyer and Terminer to investigate
the allegations of witchcraft. Lieutenant Gov. William Stoughton,
Nathaniel Saltnstall, Bartholomew Gedney, Peter Sergeant, Samuel
Sewall, Wait Still Winthrop, John Richards, John Hathorne and
Jonathan Corwin are its members.

May 28, 1692
An arrest warrant is issued for John and Elizabeth Proctor's second
son, William May 28, 1692 An arrest warrant is issued for John Alden.

May 28, 1692
Martha Carrier is arrested upon complaints of Joseph Holton and
John Walcott.

May 31, 1692:
Hathorne, Corwin and Gednew examine Martha Carrier, John Alden, Wilmott Redd, Elizabeth Howe and Phillip English. English and Alden later escape prison and do not return to Salem until after the trials end.

May 31, 1692
The court examines Philip English, husband of Mary English.

June 1, 1692
Mary English testifies that Mary Warren had confessed to lying in
court.
June 2, 1692:
Bridget Bishop is the first to be tried and convicted of witchcraft. She is sentenced to die.

June 2, 1692
Susannah Seldon reports that the specters of Mary English, Bridget Bishop and Giles Corey appeared to her.

June 2, 1692
Bridget Bishop's trial begins under the court of Oyer and Terminer and she is found guilty. She is sentenced to hang.

June 8, 1692:
Eighteen year old Elizabeth Booth shows symptoms of affliction by witchcraft.

June 10, 1692:
Bridget Bishop is hanged at Gallows Hill. Following the hanging Nathaniel Saltonstall resigns from the court and is replaced by Corwin.

June 15, 1692:
Cotton Mather writes a letter requesting the court not use spectral evidence as a standard and urging that the trials be speedy. The Court of Oyer and Terminer pays more attention to the request for speed and less attention to the criticism of spectral evidence.

June 15, 1692
Twelve ministers of the colony advise the court not to reply on
spectral evidence for convicting suspected witches.

June 16, 1692:
Roger Toothaker dies in prison.

June 29-30, 1692:
Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good, and Elizabeth Howe are tried, pronounced guilty and sentenced to hang.

June 29, 1692
The cases of Sarah Good, Sarah Wilds, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah
Martin and Rebecca Nurse are hanged on Gallows Hill.

July 19, 1692:
Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good and Sarah Wildes are hanged at Gallows Hill.

July 19, 1692
Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Wilds, Susannah Martin and
Rebecca Nurse are hanged on Gallows Hill.

July 23, 1692
Fearing that they can't get a fair trial in Salem Town, John Proctor
and other prisoners write a letter from prison to the Reverends Increase Mather, James Allen, Joshua Moody, Samuel Willard and John Bayley. In the letter, they ask the ministers to support their request for a change of venue for the trials.

August 2, 1692

William Beale testifies before an Essex County grand jury that
when he was laid up in bed sick in March, Philip English's
specter appeared to him. The next day his son, James-who had been recovering from smallpox- complained of a pain in his side and later died.

August 5, 1692
The Court of Oyer and Terminer reconvenes to try the Rev. George Burroughs, John and Elizabeth Proctor, George Jacobs Sr., John Willard and Martha Carrier.

August 5, 1692:
George Jacobs Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John Willard and John and Elizabeth Proctor are pronounced guilty and sentenced to hang.

August 19, 1692:
George Jacobs Sr., Martha Carrier, George Burroughs, John Willard and John Proctor are hanged on Gallows Hill. Elizabeth Proctor is not hanged because she is pregnant.

August 19, 1692
George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacobs Sr., John Willard
and Martha Carrier are hanged on Gallows Hill.

August 20, 1692:
Margaret Jacobs recants the testimony that led to the execution of her grandfather George Jacobs Sr. and Burroughs.

September 9, 1692:
Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Dorcas Hoar and Mary Bradbury are pronounced guilty and sentenced to hang.

September 9, 1692
Six accused are tried and condemned by the court.

September 16, 1692
Giles Corey refuses to stand trial, so the Court of Oyer and
Terminer order the sheriff to pile rocks on him.

Mid-September, 1692:
Giles Cory is indicted.

September 17, 1692
Nine accused are tried and condemned by the court.

September 17, 1692:
Margaret Scott, Wilmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Abigail Faulkner, Rebecca Earnes, Mary Lacy, Ann Foster and Abigail Hobbs are tried and sentenced to hang.

September 19, 1692
Giles Corey is pressed to death.

September 19, 1692:
Sheriffs administer Piene Forte Et Dure (pressing) to Giles Cory after he refuses to enter a plea to the charges of witchcraft against him. After two days under the weight, Cory dies.

September 22, 1692:
Martha Cory, Margaret Scott, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Willmott Redd, Samuel Wardwell, and Mary Parker are hanged. Hoar escapes execution by confessing.

September 22, 1692
Martha Corey, Mary Easty, Alice Parker, Ann Pudeator, Margaret
Scott, Wilmot Reed, Samuel Wardwell and Mary Parker are hanged on Gallows Hill.

October 3, 1692:
The Reverend Increase Mather, President of Harvard College and father to Cotton Mather, denounces the use of spectral evidence.

October 8, 1692:
Governor Phipps orders that spectral evidence no longer be admitted in witchcraft trials.

October 29, 1692:
Phipps prohibits further arrests, releases many accused witches, and dissolves the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

October 29, 1692
Gov.Phips dissolves the Court of Oyer and Terminer.

November 25, 1692:
The General Court establishes a Superior Court to try remaining witches.

November 25, 1692
A Superior Court of Judicature is created to try the remaining
persons accused of witchcraft. William Stoughton, Samuel Sewall, John Richards, Wait Still Winthrop and Thomas Danford are its members. Spectral evidence is no longer considered in the remaining trials.


January 3, 1693:
Judge Stoughton orders execution of all suspected witches who were exempted by their pregnancy. Phipps denied enforcement of the order causing Stoughton to leave the bench.

January 1693:
49 of the 52 surviving people brought into court on witchcraft charges are released because their arrests were based on spectral evidence.

1693:
Tituba is released from jail and sold to a new master.

May 1693:
Phipps pardons those still in prison on witchcraft charges.

January 14, 1697:
The General Court orders a day of fasting and soul-searching for the tragedy at Salem. Moved, Samuel Sewall publicly confesses error and guilt.


1697:
Minister Samuel Parris is ousted as minister in Salem and replaced by Joseph Green.

1702:
The General Court declares the 1692 trials unlawful.

1706:
Ann Putnam Jr., one of the leading accusers, publicly apologizes for her actions in 1692.

1711:
The colony passes a legislative bill restoring the rights and good names of those accused of witchcraft and grants 600 pounds in restitution to their heirs.

1712
Jane Wenham of Walkern in Herefordshire was last person convicted of witchcraft in England.

1722
Last execution for witchcraft in Scotland.

1736
Repeal of Statute of James 1 (1604).

1745:
France stopped the execution of Witches.

1745
Last execution for witchcraft in France (of Father Louis Debaraz at Lyons).
1749
The last trial for witchcraft in Germany is carried out at Würzburg.

1752:
Salem Village is renamed Danvers.

1754
Torture is abolished in Prussia.

1775:
Germany stopped the execution of Witches.

1775
Last official execution for witchcraft in Germany (of Anna Maria Schwiigel at Kempten in Bavaria). 1787 All witchcraft laws in Austria were repealed.

1782:
Switzerland stopped the execution of Witches.

1782
Last known execution for witchcraft takes place in Switzerland, in the Protestant canton of Glarus.

1792:
Poland executed the last person in Europe who had been tried and convicted of Witchcraft. A few isolated extra-legal lynchings of Witches continued in Europe and North America into the 20th century.

1807
Torture is abolished in Bavaria.

1822
Torture is abolished in Hanover.

1830's:
The church ceased the execution of Witches in South America.

1875
Birth of Aleister Crowley, occultist who influenced Gerald Gardner.

1885
Birth of Gerald Gardner, founder of Wicca.

1890s
Aleister Crowley joins the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which William Butler Yeats was also a member.

1899
Charles Godfrey Leland publishes Aradia or the Goddess of the Witches.

1910
Crowley meets a leader of German Masonic order called the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), a combination of Masonic rites and the traditions of the Rosicrucians, the Templars, the Illuminists, and Bengali Tantrism. Crowley was soon initiated into the order and progressing through the degrees of the order.

1912
Crowley is named Grand Master of the O.T.O. for Great Britain and Ireland.

1921
Margaret Murray published The Witch-Cult in Western Europe.

1926
Birth of Alexander Sanders, founder of Alexandrian Wicca.

1928
A family of Hungarian peasants were acquitted of beating an old woman to death whom they thought was a witch. The court used as an excuse the argument that the family acted out of "irresistible compulsion."

1929
Margaret Murray published her article “Witchcraft” in the 14th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica.

1939
The O.T.O. in Germany is effectively dissolved by the Nazis.

1939
Gardner joins the Folklore Society and presents a paper on witchcraft.

1939
The year Gerald Gardner claims he was initiated into a witch cult called the New Forest Coven, led by Dorothy Clutterbuck.

1940
Zsuzsanna Budapest, feminist writer and leader of Dianic Wicca, is born on January 30.

1940s
Gardner joins the nudist group The Fiveacres Country Club.

1946
Gardner begins work on High Magic's Aid, a fictional novel partially based on those of his Southern Coven. The witches of his coven opposed making their rituals public, which is why it was presented as fiction and filled out with rituals from other sources.

1947
Gardner and Edith Woodford-Grimes start a company called Ancient Crafts Ltd.

1947
Gardner meets Crowley at Crowley's home in Hastings for the first time on May 1, and visits him again several times during May.

1947
Gardner becomes a member of the O.T.O. in May and is authorized by Crowley to found an O.T.O. encampment and initiate new members.

1947
Crowley dies on December 1.

1947
On December 27, Gardner writes a letter claiming to have been designated as successor to Crowley as leader of the O.T.O. Karl Germer assumed leadership instead, and held it until his death in 1962.

1949
Gerald Gardner publishes High Magic's Aid under the pseudonym Scire.

1950
Gardner begins distancing himself from Crowley and the O.T.O. in favor of Wicca.

1950
Gardner states in a letter that Crowley had participated in the witch cult but left in disgust due to the leadership of the High Priestess and the nudity.

1951
Gardner founds the "Northern Coven" in London and holds a small rite at his home near the British Museum on May Eve.

1953
Doreen Valiente is initated by Gardner, and soon became High Priestess.

1954
Gardner publishes Witchcraft Today, an event which many regard as the founding of Wicca.

1957:
Massachusetts formally apologizes for the events of 1692.

1959
Gardner publishes The Meaning of Witchcraft, in which he first uses the term "Wica."

1963-64
Gardner winters in Lebanon to help his failing health.

1964
Gardner dies of heart failure on the SS Scottish Prince in the Mediterranean. His body is buried at the next port of call, Tunis.

1976
A poor woman in Germany was suspect of keeping dogs as familiars (devil's agents). Neighbors ostracized her, threw rocks at her, threatened to beat her to death, and finally burned down her house, badly burning her and killing all the animals.

1977
In France, a mob killed an old man suspected of sorcery.

1980:
Dr. Lawrence Pazder (1936 - 2004) and Michelle Smith wrote "Michelle Remembers." The concept of humans in league with Satan, which had been largely dormant for decades, was revived. Although the book has been shown to be a work of fiction, it is presented as factual, based on Michelle's recovered memories. 6 This book was largely responsible for triggering a new Witch/Satanist panic in the U.S. and Canada

1980 to 1995:
Two types of trials were held in North America, which repeated many of the same features of earlier Witch trials:
Staff at some pre-schools, day care facilities and Sunday schools were accused of ritual abuse of children. Evidence was based on faulty medical diagnoses and
Tens of thousands of adults, victimized by Recovered Memory Therapy, developed false memories of having been abused during childhood. In about 17% of the cases, these memories escalated to recollections of Satanic Ritual Abuse. Hundreds of parents were charged with criminal acts. Almost all of them were innocent. Most of the charges involved acts that never actually happened.
Sanity has since prevailed. Most of the accused have been released from jail. Those held in the state of Massachusetts are an exception.

1981
A mob in Mexico stoned to death a woman suspected of witchcraft.

1989
Valiente publishes The Rebirth of Witchcraft, a first-hand account of the history and development of Wicca.

1990's:
Some conservative Christian pastors continue to link two unrelated belief systems:
The imaginary religion of Satan-worshiping Witches promoted by the Church during the Renaissance, and
Wicca and other Neopagan religions which are nature-based faiths and which do not recognize the existence of the Christian devil.

1991
Aiden A. Kelly publishes Crafting the Art of Magic, Book I, which aims to show that Gardner's Book of Shadows could be entirely traced to earlier sources.

1994 to 1996:
Several hundred people were accused of witchcraft in the Northern Province of South Africa, and were lynched by frightened mobs. 8

1999:
Conservative Christian pastors occasionally call for a renewal of the burning times, to exterminate Wiccans and other Neopagans. One example shows the intensity of misinformation and hatred that fear of Witches can continue to generate in modern times. In 1999-AUG, Rev. Jack Harvey, pastor of Tabernacle Independent Baptist Church in Killeen, TX allegedly arranged for at least one member of his church to carry a handgun during religious services, "in case a warlock tries to grab one of our kids...I've heard they drink blood, eat babies. They have fires, they probably cook them..." During speeches which preceded his church's demonstration against Wiccans, Rev. Harvey allegedly stated that the U.S. Army should napalm Witches. One of the Christian's signs read "Witchcraft is an abomination" on one side and "Burn the witches off Ft. Hood" on the other. 9 (Ft. Hood is a large army base near Killeen TX. A Wiccan faith group is active there.)

History of Ancient Wicca

Witchcraft has been around for centuries and many people have published books on its history. Many thousands of years ago people depended upon hunting to survive. Everything they did and all the tools they used were dependent upon hunting. They saw the forces of nature as spirits or deities. This is what we call Animism. A god controlled that wind. A god controlled the sky. A god controlled the waters. A god controlled the hunting.

These ancient people hunted many horned animals. Naturally therefore, they saw their God of Hunting as having horns. With time these people started to perform simple rituals. These people acted out their hunts using models of deer or other animals and attacked them. In their minds, if this went well then the hunt would also go well. This was the very first step in the development and realization of magick.

These people also realized the wonders of childbirth. They had no real explanation for exactly what happened when a female member was impregnated, so they came up with a Goddess of fertility. She was the one responsible for replenishing the animals to hunt, causing plants and crops to grow and keeping the clans growing ever larger. Just as these people created and drew pictures of their horned god of hunting, so did they create figurines of their Goddess of fertility.

"As people developed, so did the religion-for that is what it had become, slowly and naturally. people spread across Europe, taking the gods along. As different countries developed, so the God and Goddess acquired different names (though not always totally different; sometimes simply variations on the same name), yet they were essentially the same deities. This is well illustrated in Britain where, in the south of England, is found Cernunnos (literally "The Horned One"). To the north the same god is known as Cerne; a shortened form. And in still another area the name has become Herne."

Eventually as these people progressed, they came to use farming more and more, and relied on hunting less. The Horned God came to be seen more as the God of Nature and Death, and the Goddess remained in her role of fertility. Both were worshipped equally, as one could not be without the other.

"With the coming of Christianity there was not the immediate mass conversion that is often suggested. Christianity was a man-made religion. It had not evolved gradually and naturally over thousands of years, as we have seen that the Old Religion did. Whole countries were classed as Christian when in actuality it was only the rulers who had adopted the new religion, and often only superficially. at that. Throughout Europe generally the Old Religion, in its many and varied forms, was still prominent for the first thousand years of Christianity."

"An attempt at mass conversion was made by Pope Gregory the Great. He thought that one way to get the people to attend the new Christian churches was to have them built on the sites of the older temples, where the people were accustomed to gathering together to worship. He instructed his bishops to smash any "idols" and to sprinkle the temples with holy water and rededicate them. To a large extent Gregory was successful. Yet the people were not quite as gullible as he thought. When the first Christian churches were being constructed, the only artisans available to build them were from among the pagans them- selves. In decorating the churches these stonemasons and woodcarvers very cleverly incorporated figures of their own deities. In this way, even if they were forced to attend the churches the people could still worship their own gods there."

"In those early days, when Christianity was slowly growing in strength, the Old Religion-the Wiccans and other pagans-was one of its rivals. It is only natural to want to get rid of a rival and the Church pulled no punches to do just that. It has frequently been said that the gods of an old religion become the devils of a new. This was certainly the case here. The God of the Old Religion was a horned god. So, apparently, was the Christian's Devil. Obviously then, reasoned the Church, the pagans were Devil worshippers! This type of reasoning is used by the Church even today. Missionaries were particularly prone to label all primitive tribes upon whom they stumbled as devil-worshippers, just because the tribe worshipped a god or gods other than the Christian one. It would not matter that the people were good, happy, often morally and ethically better living than the vast majority of Christians . . . they had to be converted!"

"The charge of Devil-worship, so often leveled at Witches, is ridiculous. The Devil is a purely Christian invention; there being no mention of him, as such, before the New Testament. In fact it is interesting to note that the whole concept of evil associated with the Devil is due to an error in translation. The original Old Testament Hebrew "Ha-satan" and the New Testament Greek "Diabolos" simply mean "opponent" or "adversary". It should be remembered that the idea of dividing the Supreme Power into two-good and evil-is the idea of an advanced and complex civilization. The Old Gods, through their gradual development, were very much "human" in that they would have their good side and their bad side. It was the idea of an all good, all-loving deity which necessitated an antagonist. In simple language, you can only have the color white if there is an opposite color, black, to which you can compare it. This view of an all-good god was developed by Zoroaster (Zarathustra), in Persia in the seventh century BCE. The idea later spread westward and was picked up in Mithraism and, later, in Christianity."

Christianity slowly grew in strength, and those that chose to follow the Old Religion were slowly pushed back down. They performed their rituals in the forests or meadows at night so they would be less apt to be seen. It was a dark time for the craft indeed. The Christians claimed that these "witches" were the ones responsible for dead crops, plagues, and so on. They claimed that any witch should be punished or killed for having done these awful things to their people and land.

"In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII produced his Bull against Witches. Two years later two infamous German monks, Heinrich Institoris Kramer and Jakob Sprenger, produced their incredible concoction of anti- Witchery, the Malleus Maleficarum (The Witch Hammer). In this book definite instructions were given for the prosecution of Witches. However, when the book was submitted to the Theological Faculty of the University of Cologne-the appointed censor at that time-the majority of the professors refused to have anything to do with it. Kramer and Sprenger, nothing daunted, forged the approbation of the whole faculty; a forgery that was not discovered until 1898."

"Gradually the hysteria kindled by Kramer and Sprenger began to spread. It spread like a fire-flashing up suddenly in unexpected places; spreading quickly across the whole of Europe. For nearly three hundred years the fires of the persecutions raged. Humankind had gone mad. The inhabitants of entire villages where one or two Witches were suspected of living, were put to death with the cry: "Destroy them all . . . the Lord will know his own!" In 1586 the Archbishop of Treves decided that the local Witches had caused the recent severe winter. By dint of frequent torture a "confession" was obtained and one hundred twenty men and women were burned to death on his charge that they had interfered with the elements."

"A rough estimate of the total number of people burned, hung or tortured to death on the charge of Witchcraft, is nine million. Obviously not all of these were followers of the Old Religion. This had been a wonderful opportunity for some to get rid of anyone against whom they bore a grudge! An excellent example of the way in which the hysteria developed and spread is found in the case of the so-called Witches of Salem, Massachusetts. It is doubtful if any of the victims hung there were really followers of the Old Religion. Just possibly Bridget Bishop and Sarah Good were, but the others were nearly all pillars of the local church up until the time the hysterical children "cried out" on them."

"But what about Satanism? The Witches were called worshippers of the Devil. Was there any truth to this? No. Yet as with so many of the charges, there was reason for the belief. The early Church was extremely harsh on its people. It not only governed the peasants' way of worship but also their ways of life and love. Even between married couples, sexual intercourse was frowned upon. It was felt that there should be no joy from the act, it being permitted solely for procreation. Intercourse was illegal on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; for forty days before Christmas and a similar time before Easter; for three days prior to receiving communion, and from the time of conception to forty days after parturition. In other words, there was a grand total of approximately two months in the year only when it was possible to have sexual relations with your spouse . . . but without deriving pleasure from it, of course!"

"It was no wonder that this, together with other such harshness, led to a rebellion-albeit a clandestine one. The people-this time the Christians-finding that their lot was not bettered by praying to the so-called God of Love, decided to pray to his opposite instead. If God wouldn't help them, perhaps the Devil would. So Satanism came into being. A parody of Christianity; a mockery of it. It was a revolt against the harshness of the Church. As it turned out the "Devil" did not help the poor peasant either. But at least he was showing his disdain for the authorities; he was going against the establishment."

"It did not take Mother Church long to find out about this rebellion. Satanism was anti-Christian. Witch-craft was also, in their eyes, anti-Christian. Ergo, Witchcraft and Satanism were one and the same."

For the next several hundred years those who followed the Old Religion kept themselves and the craft well hidden. Practiced only in complete secrecy, to everyone around it appeared to be dead.

In 1921 Dr. Margaret Alice Murray wrote a book called "The Witch Cult In Western Europe." This book slowly started opening up the world again to Wicca and the Old Religion. Still not accepted very easily, most practitioners of the craft stayed well hidden.

"In England, in 1951, the last laws against Witchcraft were finally repealed. This cleared the way for the Witches themselves to speak up. In 1954 Dr. Gerald Brousseau Gardner, in his book Witchcraft Today, wrote, in effect, 'What Margaret Murray has theorized is quite true. Witchcraft was a religion and in fact it still is. I know, because I am a Witch myself." He went on to tell how the Craft was still very much alive, albeit underground. He was the first to give the Witches' side of the story. At the time of his writing it seemed, to him, that the Craft was rapidly declining and perhaps only hanging on by a thread. He was greatly surprised when, as a result of the circulation of his books, he began to hear from many covens throughout Europe, all still happily practicing their beliefs. Yet these surviving covens had learned their lesson. They did not wish to take the chance of coming out into the open. Who was to say the persecutions could not start again?"

For millennia the Old Religion had been a purely oral tradition. It was not until the persecutions with the separating of covens and the resultant loss of inter-communication that anything was put into writing. At that time when the Witches were having to meet in the shadows, the rituals were finally written down in what became known as The Book of Shadows. The Book was then copied several times over and over and as anything copied this many times, errors were found creeping in.

Eventually people in America started to stand up and speak about the craft. Like so many others before them they had practiced their rituals in secrecy. But soon as they each came out and announced their religion to the world, witchcraft would start to slowly be more accepted on a world-wide basis. Raymond Buckland was one of the first Americans to speak out about the craft, telling people that it was alive and well and had survived the centuries. Sybil Leek, Gavin and Yvonne Frost and many other individuals followed Buckland, helping to unite the pagan/wiccan communities. This was a very exciting time in the history of the craft!

"Today, across America, it is not at all unusual to find open Wiccan festivals and seminars taking place in such unlikely places as family campgrounds and motels such as the Holiday Inn. Witches appear on television and radio talk shows; they are written up in local and national newspapers and magazines. Witchcraft courses are given in colleges. Even in the Armed Forces is Wicca recognized as a valid religion- Department of the Army Pamphlet No. 165-13 "Religious Requirements and Practices of Certain Selected Groups - A Handbook for Chaplains" includes instructions as to the religious rights of Witches right alongside those of Islamic groups, Sikh groups, Christian Heritage, Indian Heritage, Japanese and Jewish groups."

History of Neo-Paganism

The actual origins of the Wiccan religion are shrouded, but whether by time or by secrecy, none can definitively say. There are theories afoot as to our origins that claim the religion is well over 10,000 years old, perhaps as many as 35,000. There are also theories that place the beginning of Wicca in the hands of Gerald Brosseau Gardner in England during the late 1930's and early 1940's, giving Wicca an age of no more than 60 years. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on your point of view), the secrecy that has surrounded the Craft has contributed to a lack of solid documentation in our history. Conversely, that secrecy has also allowed practitioners of our religion to survive, so the heart of Wicca could forward to the modern day. Regardless of your point of view, the lack of documentation has hampered, if not crippled, efforts to reconstruct our past.

It is beyond the scope of this writing to deal with the possible paleolithic origins of the Craft. For a study of the ancient matrilineal practices our race, we recommend Eisler's The Chalice and The Blade. We will also not be presenting the impact of the Inquisiton, which we call the Burning Times, on our people. Interested parties are directed to research the subject either by performing a Net Search, or in the library. We ask you to bear in mind that most histories are written by the winners, and to realize that most of the victims of the Burning Times were not Witches; they were usually Christians who were unfortunate enough to be accused, and an accusation was more than sufficient.

Most, if not all, American Wiccan lineages can be traced to Gerald B. Gardner, an Englishman who was primarily responsible for bringing Wicca to the public eye during the 1950's. It is believed by some that Gardner was initiated into the New Forest Coven circa September, 1939. Believing that Wicca was in the last stages of decline into extinction, he requested permission from the coven Elders to "go public" with Craft. He was denied. As a compromise, however, he wrote a fictional piece, High Magic's Aid, which was published in 1949 under the name "Scire". In it, many of the practices of his coven were allegedly revealed.

In 1951, the Witchcraft Acts were repealed, largely due to the very popular Spiritualist movement. Under the Acts, mediums and spiritualists could be prosecuted as frauds, and several prominent members of Parliament and other officials were strong believers in mediums. The repeal of the Acts, however, also set the stage for the resurrgence of the Craft. In 1954, Gardner's Witchcraft Today was published. The Craft grew steadily during the 1950's, and The Meaning of Witchcraft, Gardner's second non-fiction book on the Craft, was published in 1959. All was not peaceful within the then-fledgling Wiccan community, however. Disagreements about the publicity Wicca was getting, and about how to handle an increasingly-hostile Fleet Street media caused a schism within the movement in the summer of 1957. Gardner was at the nominal head of the pro-publicity faction, while the more secretive opposition was nominally headed by Doreen Valiente, who had been Gardner's High Priestess. Gardner remained influential in the Craft throughout the 1950's and early 1960's, though his health, which had always been somewhat frail, deteriorated. During the winter of 1963-64, Gardner wintered in Lebanon, which was more peaceful in those days. He boarded the SS Scottish Prince in February of 1964 for his trip home, but died of heart failure while in the Mediterranean. His body was offloaded and buried at the next port of call, Tunis. The original burial site was redeveloped into a park, but before this happened, a High Priestess named Eleanor Bone learned of the plan while she was vacationing in North Africa. She collected funds from other British Witches and had Gardner's remains moved to another nearby cemetary, where they rest to this day.

Doreen Valiente was initiated in 1953 by Gardner. From almost the time of her initiation, she operated as the High Priestess of the "main coven". Very early in their relationship, she demonstrated to Gardner that she recognized the sources of much of his ritual material, a fact that did not please him at first. Concerned with what she perceived as a preponderance of "Crowleyanity" (a reference to Aleister Crowley, whose OTO rituals had a great influence on some of Gardner's early material) in the Book of Shadows, Valiente remarked to Gardner that she would like to see some changes to the Book. Gardner dimissively agreed, perhaps thinking that she couldn't produce better work than he had already shown her. He was wrong.

Stripping out most of Crowley's words, Valiente created poetic versions of some of Wicca's most moving pieces, including the Charge of the Goddess. Much of what modern American Gardnerian Wiccans use in ritual owes at least something to Doreen Valiente.

Valiente has written several works including The Rebirth of Witchcraft in 1989. This book forms the core of many Wiccan covens' historical data, as it is written in a no-nonsense manner by a person who was actually there.

This history would not be complete without a short recounting of the controversy that still rages within the Wiccan community over whether Gerald Gardner actually received this religion from those who came before him, or whether he made it all up out of whole cloth. The truth may never be known, but research continues. One of the most prominent, and perhaps notorious, of the researchers was Dr. Aidan A. Kelly, pictured here in August of 1992. Kelly performed research on Gardner's library at Ripley's in Toronto during the early 70's. He concluded that all of the material present in the current Book of Shadows could be traced to other sources that were in Gardner's library. Writing of his work in Crafting the Art of Magic Book I, published in 1991, he presented a side-by-side comparison of current BoS material with that from a book found in Gardner's library entitled "Ye Bok of Ye Art Magical," which Kelly claimed was a manuscript of the BoS. His work has been blasted by more conservative Gardnerians, and another researcher, Donald H. Frew III of California, has found evidence that certain works Kelly claimed were in Gardner's library were in fact not there. Thus, the contoversy remains.

Most Wiccans, if asked, will answer that it doesn't matter. Wicca is a genuine, fulfilling religion, whether it is 10,000 years old, or was invented last Tuesday.