The history of any religious movement can get murky. But the history of American Paganism--with so many invented lineages, so many solitary practitioners, so much resistance to staid definition, so much hiddenness--is especially hard to decipher. But here in Her Hidden Children Chas Clifton tells many never-before-told stories of the origins of Paganism and Wicca in the United States. The people, publications, and organizations that allowed Paganism and Wicca to set roots down in American soil and become "nature religion" are revealed in delicious detail. With a timeline, glossary, and photos of important figures,Her Hidden Children is compelling and important for any student of Paganism or American Religion.
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Review
Chas Clifton has provided a foundational step toward the history of a new religion that is still in the process of emergence. He has brought forth figures, movements, and a constructive historical periodization of which future scholars of Wicca and Paganism will take note. (H-Net Reviews )
Anyone interested in exploring the scaffolding from which feminist Wicca launched itself would do well to delve into this thorough and well-organized history. (Hill, Anne Gnosis Cafe Blog )
He does an admirable job of providing for the first time a formal history of the movement. His book contains a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, all of which enhance the book's usefulness. This book is highly recommended for undergraduate as well as general readers. (W. Michael Ashcraft Magic, Ritual, And Witchcraft, Summer 2007 )
Simply the best single work yet written on the history of American Paganism. It is perceptive, intelligent, sympathetic and persuasive; tactful without sparing scholarly appraisal; personal without losing objectivity; and constantly engaging. It embodies a beautiful mixture of warmth and rigour, and deals strictly with aspects of the subject that can be appraised from precise data, revealing to me- at least- how much more of the latter there was than I had ever thought. (Hutton, Ronald )
Chas S. Clifton's Her Hidden Children is a pioneering look at the history of Neopagan religions in the U.S. Written with the sensitivity and humor of an insider and the dispassion of an outsider, it traces the early development of one of the fastest-growing religious movements in America today, and its uniquely American use of the trope of "nature" to create its identity. This book should be invaluable to scholars of religion, American Studies, and the burgeoning field of Pagan Studies. (Magliocco, Sabina )
An excellent introduction to contemporary Paganism in North America, and required reading for those who wish to understand the growth and appeal of Wicca and Witchcraft in late modern society. Clifton writes from a wealth of experience as a modern Pagan, but with a critical and insightful eye that is so often missing. He has done stellar service to both the Pagan and scholarly communities. (Douglas E. Cowan )
Finally a history of American Paganism from someone who knows the subject inside and out! Chas Clifton has chosen with this book to lay down some basic parameters for talking about modern Pagan history in America. He has done yeoman's work here and should be highly praised. An essential book for anyone interested in our history, and how that history is shaping the future of modern Paganism. The bar has just been raised. (Jason Pitzl-Waters )
Witchcraft is both scholarly interest and avocation for Clifton so he is well situated to trace its rise in the US...One only wishes this excellent study went deeper into the subject. Summing Up: Recommended. (Choice )
Her Hidden Children is a rare gem of contemporary Pagan history and ethnography. ...An important and welcome contribution to academic and non-scholar Pagans alike. (The Pomegranate )
Clifton does a masterful job in articulating how Wicca began as a tradition focused on fertility and mystery rites....Clifton includes a wealth of rich material throughout the book....Her Hidden Children, while possessing the precision and research expected of an academic work, maintains an approachable style that welcomes the lay reader. It is a work of critical significance to the community, and a must-have for any religious library. (Pangaia )
Anyone interested in exploring the scaffolding from which feminist Wicca launched itself would do well to delve into this thorough and well-organized history. (Hill, Anne Gnosis Cafe Blog )
He does an admirable job of providing for the first time a formal history of the movement. His book contains a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, all of which enhance the book's usefulness. This book is highly recommended for undergraduate as well as general readers. (W. Michael Ashcraft Magic, Ritual, And Witchcraft, Summer 2007 )
Simply the best single work yet written on the history of American Paganism. It is perceptive, intelligent, sympathetic and persuasive; tactful without sparing scholarly appraisal; personal without losing objectivity; and constantly engaging. It embodies a beautiful mixture of warmth and rigour, and deals strictly with aspects of the subject that can be appraised from precise data, revealing to me- at least- how much more of the latter there was than I had ever thought. (Hutton, Ronald )
Chas S. Clifton's Her Hidden Children is a pioneering look at the history of Neopagan religions in the U.S. Written with the sensitivity and humor of an insider and the dispassion of an outsider, it traces the early development of one of the fastest-growing religious movements in America today, and its uniquely American use of the trope of "nature" to create its identity. This book should be invaluable to scholars of religion, American Studies, and the burgeoning field of Pagan Studies. (Magliocco, Sabina )
An excellent introduction to contemporary Paganism in North America, and required reading for those who wish to understand the growth and appeal of Wicca and Witchcraft in late modern society. Clifton writes from a wealth of experience as a modern Pagan, but with a critical and insightful eye that is so often missing. He has done stellar service to both the Pagan and scholarly communities. (Douglas E. Cowan )
Finally a history of American Paganism from someone who knows the subject inside and out! Chas Clifton has chosen with this book to lay down some basic parameters for talking about modern Pagan history in America. He has done yeoman's work here and should be highly praised. An essential book for anyone interested in our history, and how that history is shaping the future of modern Paganism. The bar has just been raised. (Jason Pitzl-Waters )
Witchcraft is both scholarly interest and avocation for Clifton so he is well situated to trace its rise in the US...One only wishes this excellent study went deeper into the subject. Summing Up: Recommended. (Choice )
Her Hidden Children is a rare gem of contemporary Pagan history and ethnography. ...An important and welcome contribution to academic and non-scholar Pagans alike. (The Pomegranate )
Clifton does a masterful job in articulating how Wicca began as a tradition focused on fertility and mystery rites....Clifton includes a wealth of rich material throughout the book....Her Hidden Children, while possessing the precision and research expected of an academic work, maintains an approachable style that welcomes the lay reader. It is a work of critical significance to the community, and a must-have for any religious library. (Pangaia )
About the Author
Chas Clifton is professor of English at Colorado State University-Pueblo. He is an editor for The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, a peer-reviewed religious studies journal, as well as the Pagan Studies Series by AltaMira Press.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Edward Wolfe
Format:Paperback
I found this book among many in my local bookstore and purchased it on the fact that the cover was eerily close to a vision in a dream I had over a year ago. I have never been happier to have had such a dream! This book, I found, was completely amazing.
While many books on Paganism focus on practice, perhaps a few focusing on philosophy, very few focus on any actual scholarship. This specific book focuses on the history of contemporary Paganism, from Gerald Gardner to more modern influential groups, such as the Church of All Worlds. The depths the author, Mr. Chas S. Clifton, provides for anyone interested in history and Pagan academia runs deeps.
The author begins with examining Gerald Gardner and the beginning of British Wicca, looking at both Gardner's claims of a long-line of witches and historical evidence to this claim. Following this, the author discusses how Wicca came to America and how it spread.
The second chapter focuses on the change of Wicca from a Mystery Religion to a "nature" religion. The author brings to use the idea that Wicca combined a triple-form of nature, ranging from the Cosmic, Natural (Earthly), and Erotic. He shows us how Wicca became changed through the changing social changes affecting America during this time.
Throughout the rest of the book, Mr. Clifton shows his readers the struggles and effects Wicca has had in America (such as, for example, the effort to change the image of the popular "Witch), the influence Paganism has had in Popular Culture (and vice versa), and a look at other Pagan groups that have influenced Paganism on a whole (which may, or may not, have started before Wicca).
If one is interested in the history of Paganism, specifically Wicca, this is a great book to sate that interest. This book is a wonderful example of Pagan scholarship so needed in the Pagan community. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to be a Pagan, claiming to be a Pagan, or vaguely interested in knowing about Pagans.
While many books on Paganism focus on practice, perhaps a few focusing on philosophy, very few focus on any actual scholarship. This specific book focuses on the history of contemporary Paganism, from Gerald Gardner to more modern influential groups, such as the Church of All Worlds. The depths the author, Mr. Chas S. Clifton, provides for anyone interested in history and Pagan academia runs deeps.
The author begins with examining Gerald Gardner and the beginning of British Wicca, looking at both Gardner's claims of a long-line of witches and historical evidence to this claim. Following this, the author discusses how Wicca came to America and how it spread.
The second chapter focuses on the change of Wicca from a Mystery Religion to a "nature" religion. The author brings to use the idea that Wicca combined a triple-form of nature, ranging from the Cosmic, Natural (Earthly), and Erotic. He shows us how Wicca became changed through the changing social changes affecting America during this time.
Throughout the rest of the book, Mr. Clifton shows his readers the struggles and effects Wicca has had in America (such as, for example, the effort to change the image of the popular "Witch), the influence Paganism has had in Popular Culture (and vice versa), and a look at other Pagan groups that have influenced Paganism on a whole (which may, or may not, have started before Wicca).
If one is interested in the history of Paganism, specifically Wicca, this is a great book to sate that interest. This book is a wonderful example of Pagan scholarship so needed in the Pagan community. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to be a Pagan, claiming to be a Pagan, or vaguely interested in knowing about Pagans.
26 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Jason Pitzl
Format:Paperback
Since the release of Ronald Hutton's "Triumph of The Moon" back in 2000, I have yearned for a book that would take an in-depth look at the history of modern Paganism in America. So I was more than a little excited and hopeful when I heard that Pagan academic Chas Clifton was rising to the task in his new book "Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America". Finally a book that would take a look at how modern Paganism and Wicca took root in American soil and became one of the fastest growing faiths in the country.
Clifton - knowing that he could in no way cover everything that has happened from the 1930s to the present - has chosen with this book to lay down some basic parameters for talking about modern Pagan history in America. First he concentrates on Wicca: it being the largest and most influential modern Pagan religion in America. Secondly, when moving out from Wicca he generally stays with groups that claim to follow "nature" or "earth" religions. Not getting much attention in this history are the "reconstructionist" Pagan faiths and feminist Wicca.
"...the story of contemporary Paganism in America has too many strands to enumerate. Because of my wish to focus on many Pagans' claim to follow "nature religion," I have for the most part set aside those groups that pay more attention to ethnic roots, such as reconstructed Greek, Roman, ot Norse religions. Their history remains to be written. Even these, however, may yet welcome the label of nature religion or earth religion as it becomes more widely accepted in the larger society. Likewise, I have give the origins of feminist Wicca a fairly brief treatment; since the appearance of Starhawk's The Spiral Dance in 1979, it has received much attention, perhaps to the point of obscuring its context in the larger Pagan story."
These limitations allow Clifton to focus on some little known figures and give credit to some unlikely heroes. One of those unlikely figures responsible for the rapid growth of Wicca and Paganism in America is journalist and parapsychologist Hans Holzer. Holzer, who has written over 138 books in his lifetime was one of the first people to introduce the idea of religious Witchcraft to a mass audience. At a time when finding books written by Pagans was difficult at best, just about anyone could find a cheap paperback copy of "The Truth About Witchcraft" during the 1970s.
"Ever since I wrote "The Truth about Witchcraft," hundreds of people have approached me to show them the way to the nearest coven." - Hans Holzer
Another major theme that emerges in the book is the author's discussion of Wicca (and other related faiths) evolving into "earth" or "nature" faiths. The book plots the course of American culture's heightened awareness of environmental issues and how - post Earth Day in 1970 - modern Pagans were uniquely situated to advance themselves as theologically in tune with the needs of the environment. Clifton also lays out three different kinds of "nature religion" that in one way or another encompass most of modern Pagan religions active today. The first is "Cosmic Nature" (dealing with abstract notions of nature), the second "Gaian Nature" (dealing directly with the natural world), and the third is "Erotic Theology" (dealing with the human body).
These three natures blend and intersect with Wicca and other related faiths (and most modern Pagan theologies incorporate at least two of these concepts) to create a unique "earth religion": a religion grounded in our sacral relationship with the cosmos, our ecosystems, and our bodies.
There is so much more I wish I could cover in this review, the "Gardnerian Magnet", the evolution of non-traditional Wicca, how British Wicca spread in America, and how the notorious Satanist Anton LaVey ended up interviewed or mentioned in most of the books about Witchcraft during the late sixties and early seventies. My only quibble with this book is that I wished it three times as large. This is really only what I hope will be the first in a series of books about how modern Paganism emerged and grew in American soil. Chas Clifton has done yeoman's work here and should be highly praised. An essential book for anyone interested in our history, and how that history is shaping the future of modern Paganism. The bar has just been raised.
Clifton - knowing that he could in no way cover everything that has happened from the 1930s to the present - has chosen with this book to lay down some basic parameters for talking about modern Pagan history in America. First he concentrates on Wicca: it being the largest and most influential modern Pagan religion in America. Secondly, when moving out from Wicca he generally stays with groups that claim to follow "nature" or "earth" religions. Not getting much attention in this history are the "reconstructionist" Pagan faiths and feminist Wicca.
"...the story of contemporary Paganism in America has too many strands to enumerate. Because of my wish to focus on many Pagans' claim to follow "nature religion," I have for the most part set aside those groups that pay more attention to ethnic roots, such as reconstructed Greek, Roman, ot Norse religions. Their history remains to be written. Even these, however, may yet welcome the label of nature religion or earth religion as it becomes more widely accepted in the larger society. Likewise, I have give the origins of feminist Wicca a fairly brief treatment; since the appearance of Starhawk's The Spiral Dance in 1979, it has received much attention, perhaps to the point of obscuring its context in the larger Pagan story."
These limitations allow Clifton to focus on some little known figures and give credit to some unlikely heroes. One of those unlikely figures responsible for the rapid growth of Wicca and Paganism in America is journalist and parapsychologist Hans Holzer. Holzer, who has written over 138 books in his lifetime was one of the first people to introduce the idea of religious Witchcraft to a mass audience. At a time when finding books written by Pagans was difficult at best, just about anyone could find a cheap paperback copy of "The Truth About Witchcraft" during the 1970s.
"Ever since I wrote "The Truth about Witchcraft," hundreds of people have approached me to show them the way to the nearest coven." - Hans Holzer
Another major theme that emerges in the book is the author's discussion of Wicca (and other related faiths) evolving into "earth" or "nature" faiths. The book plots the course of American culture's heightened awareness of environmental issues and how - post Earth Day in 1970 - modern Pagans were uniquely situated to advance themselves as theologically in tune with the needs of the environment. Clifton also lays out three different kinds of "nature religion" that in one way or another encompass most of modern Pagan religions active today. The first is "Cosmic Nature" (dealing with abstract notions of nature), the second "Gaian Nature" (dealing directly with the natural world), and the third is "Erotic Theology" (dealing with the human body).
These three natures blend and intersect with Wicca and other related faiths (and most modern Pagan theologies incorporate at least two of these concepts) to create a unique "earth religion": a religion grounded in our sacral relationship with the cosmos, our ecosystems, and our bodies.
There is so much more I wish I could cover in this review, the "Gardnerian Magnet", the evolution of non-traditional Wicca, how British Wicca spread in America, and how the notorious Satanist Anton LaVey ended up interviewed or mentioned in most of the books about Witchcraft during the late sixties and early seventies. My only quibble with this book is that I wished it three times as large. This is really only what I hope will be the first in a series of books about how modern Paganism emerged and grew in American soil. Chas Clifton has done yeoman's work here and should be highly praised. An essential book for anyone interested in our history, and how that history is shaping the future of modern Paganism. The bar has just been raised.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Michael Rohm
Format:Paperback
I read Mr. Clifton's blog, which is where I first heard of this book. It's a wonderful and amazing study of the origins of Wicca in America - while the history of Wicca in England is a necessary topic to cover in a book like this, Clifton thankfully doesn't go into much detail about it (plenty of books can be found covering that subject. The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft is the essential book for that subject).
I only have one complaint - too short! I wish it was longer, much longer. Great book, but I wish the topics were covered more indepth. Still, it's a great history of paganism and "nature worship" in the states and definitely worth a read and a place on any pagan or comparative religion bookshelf.
I only have one complaint - too short! I wish it was longer, much longer. Great book, but I wish the topics were covered more indepth. Still, it's a great history of paganism and "nature worship" in the states and definitely worth a read and a place on any pagan or comparative religion bookshelf.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Witch Without Her Broom
"her hidden children the Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America" by Chas S. Clifton, is a sobering study into the dark and often misunderstood world of "Wicca", and ... Read more
Published on September 18, 2007 by Joseph R. Calamia
2.0 out of 5 stars
Riding the Merry Go 'Round
During the Middle Ages (and well into the Renaissance period) scholars, inquisitors, and other "learned men" established an official definition and depiction of witchcraft. Read more
Published on May 15, 2007 by GroveGuardian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!
A history of American Wicca. Excellent book. Very well written. Clifton makes the "what happened before" accessable to even the casual reader. Read more
Published on August 7, 2006 by Zorya
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