The Gardnerian Tradition

Abstract

Gerald Gardner (1883-1964) was a widely traveled British Civil servant and plantation manager in Southeast Asia for most of his adult life. He was largely self-educated, but was an active contributor to studies of local archeology, folklore, and native weaponry in the colonial outposts where he lived and worked. Although seriously afflicted with asthma when in Europe, in Asia he led a physically-active, often danger-filled life. Old photos of him show a lean, wiry figure in khaki, pistol in belt, reminiscent of Indiana Jones! Although Gardner had an interest in the occult, he had little opportunity to explore it, other than the Masonic Lodges that existed in the larger colonial towns. He also conducted private research on spiritualism, (about which he was skeptical) when he was on leave in England. After his retirement, he returned to England shortly before the Second World War and began to explore the occult more fully. It was in this context that he encountered and was initiated into a secret group that called themselves the Wica in autumn 1939. He found Witchcraft to be a beautiful, deep, and meaningful religious path. Thereafter, he dedicated his life and resources to preserving and promoting Witchcraft, which he feared was a religion on the verge of extinction. During his retirement, he ran a Museum of Magic and Witchcraft on the Isle of Man.