Yorkshire Gardnerian

One must always remember what magic is and how it works.
It is not a case of pressing a button or on turning a tap. It is work, and often hard work.

Gerald Gardner – The Meaning of Witchcraft.

this is totally something I feel we all should have!

Simplicity in our tools can aid in our search for humility.

Charles Clark once said: "...I cannot for the life of me, let any part of the Craft out of me or tone down, for it is my life, my reason for living."

We keep seeing on forums the statement that we are a cult, and Yes, such a dangerous cult that we will make you think for yourself, and do some hard work, and all you will get in return is some personal growth.

We don’t deny we are…

The Dance itself is the first and last expression of a Magic Circle, and is one of the best ways of raising the Cone of Power.

Bibliography: Patricia Crowther, Covensense

Merry Meet and Merry Part It is a common misconception that our tradition is rather cult-like. Yet, we neither restrict our members' freedom nor impose control over them. Covens are groups of people that gather together to share and encourage one another's development. One of the key differences is the freedom to leave and ability to move on. Your independence is always maintained, and your involvement is completely voluntary. Being initiated into a coven is a life-changing and profound experience. Initiation will leave you changed. Your perspective will be reshaped, and your life will hopefully be enhanced by the realisations and changes you undergo while working with the coven. Remember always, that you are free to break away from your coven at any time, but when you do, you do so as a different person.

Remember always, that you are free to break away from your coven at any time, but when you do, you do so as a different person.

By the flame that burneth bright,
O Horned One!
We call thy name into the night,
O Ancient One!
Thee we invoke, by moon-led sea,
By the standing stone and the twisted tree.
The we invoke, where gather thine own,
By the nameless shrine forgotten and alone.

Within Gardnerian Wicca, as in many communal traditions, economic and social inequalities can influence the resources available to covens. Some will have dedicated Temples, far too many tools, and large private libraries, while others run in more modest environments, relying on creativity and adaptability to host rituals in their living rooms or gardens. Yet, it is often in these humbler settings that our practices truly thrive. The lack or even abandonment of the material things can inspire a deeper focus on the heart of the craft. Producing extraordinary initiates who embody the humblest expression of the tradition. Not all Covens will have the same resources, and the most minimalist of environments can nurture the most profound spiritual growth.

Inequality in Wicca?

We have to remind ourselves that not everyone has what we have, or that we will ever have what others have, and that’s okay. Wicca is not about the accumulation of THINGS, but the accumulation of virtues and practices within our lives.

“The meaning of witchcraft is to be found, not in strange religious theories about God and Satan, but in the deepest levels of the human mind, the collective unconscious, and in the earliest developments of human society. It is the deepness of the roots that has preserved the tree.”

-Gardner 1959

Even if you only have 30 seconds, take the time to recentre yourself and connect.

When speaking a Hindu colleague at an interfaith event, and expressing about the division in some aspects of the beliefs of the Gardnerian tradition, they quoted the Rig Veda: “Ekam sat viprãhã bahudã vadanti,”, “Truth is one, but the wise describe it in many ways.” There is a piece of advice we too pass onto our students, that we should keep peace between ourselves and others, and strive to listen, as they may perceive a truth we may not see. We don’t have to agree with other initiates views, but we should always strive to have the humility to know that the “Truth” is described in many ways and sometimes the best lessons come from outside the tradition and from non-initiates.

There is a piece of advice we too pass onto our students, that we should keep peace between ourselves and others, and strive to listen, as they may perceive a truth we may not see.

Sometimes the best lessons come from outside the tradition and from non-initiates.

For Her law is love unto all beings, Within the heart that Rejoiceth, with Compassion and Humility.

A personal reminder…

For Her law is love unto all beings, Within the heart that Rejoiceth, with Compassion and Humility. Even if those beings are uncompassionate and driven by hate for others, we have to rise above their attitudes and keep pure our highest ideals.

Some days the best thing you can do is light a candle, drink some water, breathe, and touch some grass.

Always act with compassion and humility.

Our Facebook page will no longer be available in the USA for the foreseeable future. A small faction of rightwing republican initiates have taken to reposting our content to turn our messages of acceptance into ones of hatred... All content will still be available here and on Instagram.

“Gardnerian Wicca is a Fertility Religion” This concept relies on a social mythology and ideology of rescuing an ancient dying fertility religion and preserving its practices. This statement however is used to try and enforce a Hetro-centric and Binary policy across the tradition, as gods forbid, we LGBT initiates care about fertility and have our own children. Fertility is not just for sexual procreation: Fertility is of the Land, the Animals, the Peoples spirits and minds. It is our stewardship of the world and the growth and nurture of our tradition. We don’t own anything; we are simply custodians for the brief period we are incarnated in this life. So, stop pushing your Sexual agenda of producing the next generation of initiates, and go touch some grass, feed the local wildlife, let people live their lives. And accept Fertility in our craft and rituals may not be how you perceive it, and that fertility can be in mind and most certainly in body, in the world, and in our lives as initiates.

“Gardnerian Wicca is a Fertility Religion”

Stop pushing your Sexual agenda of producing the next generation of initiates, and go touch some grass, feed the local wildlife, let people live their lives.

The spirits of our tradition are Form and Void, Evolution and Involution, Subject and Object, Unity and Manifold change. For our understanding we have socially set a reduced perspective and limit upon them for our recognition, to aid us in better understanding the complexity of the unfathomable. Many assume we are Priests of one specific God and one Specific Goddess, and yet how can a limit of One depict the Infinite. This is why each of us chooses images, statues, and Avatars of the Divine to work with. Eleanor Bone can often be seen with Egyptian imagery, Doreen Valiente used the Art of BelBucca, Arnold Crowther painted and created his own depictions. Each of us, as unique individuals must find the reflection of the Divine and the avatar that will connect us to the boundless spirits.

The spirits of our tradition are Form and Void, Evolution and Involution, Subject and Object, Unity and Manifold change. For our understanding we have socially set a reduced perspective and limit upon them for our recognition, to aid us in better understanding the complexity of the unfathomable.

“Our base is the Divine Life of the universe. Our means of keeping in touch with it cannot be through any man-made dogma, but through nature, which man did not make. Mens’ hands wrote all the holy books and sacred scriptures; only the book of nature was written by divinity.” Bibliography: Doreen Valiente, Witchcraft for Tomorrow.

“Our base is the Divine Life of the universe. Our means of keeping in touch with it cannot be through any man-made dogma, but through nature, which man did not make. Mens’ hands wrote all the holy books and sacred scriptures; only the book of nature was written by divinity.”

The Gospel of Gerald Gardner. Is not what the Book of Shadows is, and it never will be. Our practice is documented through the generations of initiates through our Books of Shadows, detailing our Mythos and Praxis which is a living breathing thing, it grows differently under different conditions, in different climates and uniquely around the world. We have this as a record of all the work and rituals done by those that have come before us in our lineages, but what we do now may not always reflect what those have done and believed before us. The Book of Shadows is a very influential but also commonplace book of rituals and records, “The Book of Shadows is not a Bible or Quran. It is a personal cookbook of spells that have worked for the owner.” Gardner said this himself. It is not a holy text or religious document as many older initiates now treat the writings of Gardner to be “gospel” which is not how all Gardnerian coven’s work.

We must acknowledge the history and times in which many of our rituals were written, times where there were unjust legal precedent and social ideology, hatred, and bigotry towards the LGBTQIA+, and POC. As a tradition we must now move onwards with a contemporary practice, reflecting modern society and its acceptance towards LGBTQIA+ initiates and those adaptations needed for their inclusion, such as “Post” gendered initiations, and the abandonment of enforced gender roles within rituals. The Gods are beyond gender enforcement and so too should we.

A new Rhetoric we see in our tradition is "Gerald said this, Gerald didn't agree with that" in defense of their hatred to others, but when we quote any other influential initiates, those quotes are toss aside if the person didn't 100% agree with the Prophet Gerald...

got some news for you...

Anyone advertising that they are the only ones that can offer you The TRUE wica Are not coven leaders, they are dangerous cult leaders that will promise you the “truth”, but only mislead and oppress you. “And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free…”, Freedom of expression, freedom of choice, freedom of belief, these are things that all coven leaders should encourage in their initiates. We are a diverse and multinational tradition that has so much variety and cultural influence on our practice, that covens even in the same country can vary due to local idiosyncrasies. THERE IS NO ONE AND ONLY “TRUE WICA”

THERE IS NO ONE AND ONLY “TRUE WICA”

Statements are being made by extremist claiming that anyone not following their political views or opinions should be removed from the tradition.... well sorry to say that your interpretation of Wicca is not the standard and you are the minority for once!

One Initiator, who is sexless, Spirit and the Divine has no Gender and our Initiation isn't material or human, it is between genderless spirit and genderless spirit! “I also think that the Godhead divided itself into two spheres - Male and Female - in order to create life itself. As many occult societies affirm, there exists the Divine Male and Female principles (God and Goddess), but only One Initiator, who is sexless- Being neither male nor female - and utterly beyond our comprehension at this stage of our evolutionary progress. In the future, as we advance, the dawning of a new understanding will occur, I have no doubt.” Bibliography: Patricia Crowther – Covensense. 2009, Robert Hale limited

One Initiator, who is sexless, Spirit and the Divine has no Gender and our Initiation isn't material or human, it is between genderless spirit and genderless spirit!

Due to some negative feedback, we would remind everyone: Yorkshire Gardnerian is run by a QUEER High PriestX, as such this page will always reflect LGBTQIA+ inclusion in our tradition. If this is something that doesn’t align with your own politics or personal beliefs then this page is not a space for you, your politics, or opinions. The mission of this page has always been dedicated to provide contemporary and historical information on the Gardnerian Tradition in Yorkshire, which means that the practices of this tradition and the politics of those initiates that are not based in Britain may not be reflected here. We love and support our diverse craft siblings across the globe, but please understand that your cultural idiosyncrasies will not dictate how we practice here in Yorkshire. And allus remember, ya morngy sod, tha’ll tend ‘t end up arse o’r tit if tha carries on, so Gi’or.

Yorkshire Gardnerian will always reflect LGBTQIA+ inclusion in our tradition.

A few words of wisdom:
And allus remember, ya morngy sod, tha’ll tend ‘t end up arse o’r tit if tha carries on, so Gi’or.
(It's not often I use my native Barnsley dialect, but it's the politest way to respond sometimes)

SEXUALITY IN WICCA. THE INFLUENCE OF BRITISH LAW ON OUR CRAFT Bibliography: British Law - www.gov.uk Doreen Valiente: A Witch Speaks (22/11/1997).

Sexuality, much like sex, can often be a dividing subject within the Gardnerian tradition. Our tradition is often referred to as British Traditional Wicca, and British legality and culture is the reason that Gardner had his views on non-heterosexual sexuality within the tradition. For the entirety of Gardner's life (1884-1964). Same-sex relationships and sex were illegal and culturally unaccepted. The buggery act of 1533 - where non heterosexual sex was punishable by death, was in effect until 1861. Where the penalty was reduced to 10 years in prison. In 1885 the criminal law amendment act, meant that anyone who even witnessed homosexual acts could now be prosecuted. While female homosexuality was always in a legal grey area. the Wolfenden report of 1957 recommended that "homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence" but took ten years for the British government to implement any changes. and in 1967, it was deemed that adults over 21 were able to conduct these acts in private.

This legal view and our traditions foundation of a belief in rescuing a dying fertility religion, gave Gardner his justification for excluding same-sex expression within the early tradition, which in time gave a focus to the "hetronormative" stance of many covens. As the law continued to progress after Gardners death, so too did our embracing of initiates expressing a spectrum of sexual identities. With many who knew Gardner expressing criticism for his opinions: "He was very much against people of the same sex working together, especially if they were gay. In fact, he went so far as to describe gay people as 'cursed by the goddess, well, I see no good reason to believe this why shouldn't mother nature have known what she was doing when she made people this way". Doreen Valiente: A Witch Speaks (22/11/1997). And now with the civil partnership act, Gender recognition act, and the Equalities act. All coming into effect within the last two decades. LGBTQIA+ individuals are now recognised and protected legally from discrimination.

SEXUALITY IN WICCA.
THE INFLUENCE OF BRITISH LAW ON OUR CRAFT

GENDER INCLUSION IN WICCA Bibliography Gardnerian Wicca seekers and initiates (Facebook) – (These posts also include more recent comments) Karagan Griffith -Discussion on Same sex initiation (10/9/2014) Fay Morgan - "Does our Tradition work?" with regards to gender polarity. (30/12/2014) Katie Gerrad (Patheos) - Same Sex Initiation Should Be Valid In Wicca (25/9/2020) thesilverbough271618204.wordpress.com - Weaponizing Polarity: A Critical Response to “Traditional Gardnerians” (19/7/2022)

Gardnerian wicca has traditionally had a heavy leaning towards a binary polarity of extreme masculine and extreme feminine: where there are roles played within the coven structure based on an individual's gender matching their genitals. historically within the tradition this is done through the degree system. Where initiations and elevations are passed from male to female. female to male, enforcing and encoding this gender polarity. However, this is not a criticism of this practice and should rightfully be appreciated as it has historically allowed for gender equality within covens and not allowing one gender to dominate the practice. This leaning towards the confines of a binary gendered practice has within the last few years caused tension within the wider Gardnerian community: with declarations being made by more conservative individuals and equally rebuttals being made by more liberal ones. Yet it is undeniable that in contemporary wicca we are now seeing a rise in applicants and initiates who identify as trans, non-binary, and gender queer. We now live in societies where we are able to express our gender identities more openly, and more of our craft siblings are coming out!

Inclusion of these members into our ritual practice should be a positive experience, as they will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge from differing perspectives of the gender experience. However, the question always comes: "how do they fit into this binary polarity". The short answer is that they don't need to. Our tradition is a living tradition. it grows differently under different conditions, in different climates and uniquely around the world. Which means that while historically we started with a binary polarity in our practise. That the seed of this can be allowed to grow into promoting inclusion of those individuals who identify with the ever-expanding spectrum of gender identities. We can start to do this through the acceptance of non-gendered or post gendered initiation: which commonly are seen through the binary lens as same-sex initiation. We can examine and grow beyond those parts of our practice that have an enforcement of outdated gender roles and allow each person to express themselves through the rituals: to come to a balance and understanding of the identities of our members and not base everything on their genitals.

We don't say any of this to demand a complete overhaul of the tradition, or to abandon practices in their entirety. But to know that these practices are seeds, to be nurtured in our members. So as initiates we need to tend to the growth of our own covens in their own environments. where these individuals can come to initiation. Be accepted how they identify and grow through the practice. The gods are beyond gender enforcement and so too should we.

GENDER INCLUSION IN WICCA - The Gods are beyond gender enforcement and so too should we.

Doreen Valiente

"For Behold: All acts of Love and Pleasure are my rituals."

All people from all Genders, Sexualities', and Identities are welcome in Wicca. No one person, no titles or degrees mean that you can discriminate against another person for how they lead their life, how they interpret ritual, or make a connection with the Divine.

All acts of Love, mean ALL.

Honour We honour the ancestors and the gods of our tradition, for they were the foundation upon which we now work. We honour their wisdom and their guidance, as we work to carry on their traditions. They have provided us with an important spiritual tradition and a deep connection to the world around us. In honouring the ancestors and the gods of witchcraft, we pay respect to their work, their wisdom, and their legacy. We hope that we will continue to grow in their footsteps, continuing their work of magic. We commit ourselves to continuing the traditions and teachings of those who have come before us, and to passing on their wisdom to future generations. We honour you and strive to follow your example.

Humility is an important virtue in the Gardnerian tradition. It is believed that humility helps us to recognize our own limitations and to acknowledge the gifts and talents of others without feeling inferior. Humility allows us to acknowledge our strengths and weaknesses, and to learn from both. Being humble does not mean being weak or submissive, but rather it is a sign of strength and wisdom. By embracing humility, we can become better people and make the world a better place. In Wicca, humility is seen as a way to connect with the divine and to develop a sense of gratitude for all that we have been given. Wiccans are encouraged to practice humility by being mindful of their own actions and thoughts, and by striving to be kind and compassionate towards others.

Mirth Mirth is an important aspect of our tradition especially when balanced with Reverence, as mentioned in the Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente. “Let my worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Therefore, let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, MIRTH and reverence within you.” Mirth is the most joyous emotion; it is a vital key ingredient to any successful practice of our tradition. When we are enjoying our practices, we are more engaged, motivated, and consistent with the work within our covens. We grow stronger through having a steady practice, and when we practice with laughter and laughing at ourselves, we cleanse ourselves of negative influences and emotions. Our Gods enjoy humour, and we enjoy showing our gratitude and appreciation for them by having fun and laughing together. Knowing that our enjoyment of the rituals brings enjoyment to the Gods. Laughter, Joy, and Love are all parts of Mirth.

Reverence is the balancing aspect of Mirth which we have spoken of before, it is a deep feeling of respect, love and awe. In our tradition, reverence for the earth, nature and the divine is paramount. It is believed that the gods and goddesses are immanent in the natural world, and that all things have divinity within them. As such, Wiccans show respect for the natural world by taking care of it and using it responsibly. The rituals and ceremonies of the tradition often involve acts of worship and offerings to the gods and goddesses, as a way of showing respect and reverence. In addition, respect is shown to the ancestors and elders of the community, who are viewed as having knowledge and experience that is valuable to the next generation. We also show respect to ourselves by practicing self-care and self-development. we believe that by developing our own skills and knowledge, we can become closer to their divine nature and make the world a better place.

"Honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you." The last four Virtues of the Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente, and have many interpretations, here are ours.

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