Janet: Oh, ask Gavin that one. He’s the source documents they’re putting them up. It’s becoming impossible for people to actually internet buff! Gavin: The internet has changed everything. fudge what has happened in the past in Wicca Suddenly people could communicate one- or even blatantly lie about it. A good example on-one without looking at each other. So it of this was a gentleman who came across meant people could start by being secretive, documents proving the connection between they could use pseudonyms. Websites could Aleister Crowley and Gerald Gardner. And go up and nobody could see where the website what did he do? Scanned them, put them had come from. So suddenly people had this up on a website, so everybody could see. So big new method of communication, where this is what it’s doing, its changing things people could go up and considerably and it’s say, “this is what we’re caused a snowball. doing in paganism, Because everyone with this is what we’re doing a computer, anybody in witchcraft.” And with an internet it’s interesting that for connection, can go up every one Christian site and get information on on the internet, there is Wicca. You don’t even one pagan [site], which need to buy a book, tells you a lot about there’s so much out the modern pagan there. movement, that it’s not scared to grasp a new Tony: So, what was the technology, whereas connection between Christianity has been a Aleister Crowley and bit reticent. Paganism Gerald Gardner? has gone, “right, this is for us, we’re going to Gavin: Gerald’s first do it.” So the biggest Book of Shadows was websites up are pagan, a mishmash of bits of if you look around the folk tradition and some Illustration from The Book of Kells world amongst all the religious sites. So it’s become incredibly important, an important vehicle for the modern pagan movement. You’re getting cyber-covens formed, you’re getting groups of people meeting up, discussing witchcraft, discussing paganism. It’s also broken down the secrecy that existed within Wicca, because people are publishing material up there. If somebody comes across interesting
stuff he wrote himself. Well, he just felt that wasn’t enough and he wanted acceptance of this new religion he was forming. He wanted the acceptance of Wicca. He’d been introduced to Aleister Crowley. He approached Aleister Crowley about OTO membership, and he was made a member of the OTO. There isn’t any doubt about this because the first copies of High Magic’s Aid actually have all the details
The Crooked Path Journal - Summer 2014
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