Rebirth of Witchcraft [Paperback]

Doreen Valiente (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1989

One of witchcraft's most widely known figures, Doreen Valiente was a close friend of the late Gerald Gardner, generally regarded as the founder of modern Wicca. Initiated by him in the 1950s and for a time High Priestess of his coven, Doreen helped him rewrite his seminal Book of Shadows and establish witchcraft's international reputation. In this intriguing exposé, Doreen provides an insider’s account of the birth and evolution of the contemporary Wicca movement. She recalls her spat with Gardner that eventually split his coven, the controversy surrounding Alex Sanders, "King of the Witches," and many other witches whom she has known, including “Dafo,” Robert Cochrane, Leslie Roberts, and Sybil Leek. She also describes the clairvoyant communications she received purporting to come from John Brakespeare, an 18th-century witch.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Doreen Valiente (1922-1999) was one of the most well respected and influential leaders of Wicca. Her previous books include An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present, Natural Magic, and Witchcraft for Tomorrow.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Phoenix Pub (June 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0919345395
• ISBN-13: 978-0919345393
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,992,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eyewitness History of the Birth of the Modern Craft, March 23, 2001

By 

Elderbear (Loma Linda, Aztlan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Rebirth of Witchcraft (Hardcover)

An account of the birth (at least in the public mind) of the modern craft. Lady Doreen was there for key moments--without her finesse, the Charge of the Goddess would likely be an obscure and arcane document, used only by Gardnerian & related Wiccan traditions. She took much of Gardner's material and transformed it from awkward, ponderous prose, to liturgical poetry.

She reminds us that the last witchcraft trial in England took place in 1944, at the Old Bailey. One Helen Duncan, a spiritualist medium, was found guilty under the Witchcraft Act of 1735 and sentenced to 9 months in jail. It was not until June of 1951 that this law was abolished. That July, a newspaper carried a frontpage story, CALLING ALL COVENS, describing a forthcoming witches' gathering, opened by Gerald B. Gardner.

She traces the forerunners of the Craft: Charles Godfrey Leland, Margaret Murray, Robert Graves, Dion Fortune, and Aleister Crowley. From this she moves on to Gerald Gardner, and how he came to publicize the Craft. This is followed by a chapter about what it was like working with Old Gerald and one regarding what the intense publicity Gerald generated was like. She writes chapters about John Brakespeare, Robert Cochrane, and Alex Sanders and their traditions.

She points out that during this time period, witchcraft was male dominated, certainly not feminist. Women were allowed to hold fancy titles, like Witch Queen, but stil expected to obey the high priest. Her chapter on Feminist Witchcraft tells of Starhawk meeting up with Zuzanna Budapest, considers women's moon mysteries, and the place of homosexuality in the Craft.

She concludes the book by observing that the emergence of the Craft in modern times must be fulfilling a deep need.

Lady Doreen is a good writer and the material is interesting. Many of the founders of traditions the "inherited" were real characters, and she sprinkles a generous number of anecdotes throughout the book.

The book has a reasonably good bibliography for anybody who wishes to do further research. Serious research into the history of the Craft would also include reading Aidan Kelly's Crafting the Art of Magic, a critical exploration of Gardner's Witchcraft.

(If you enjoyed this review, please leave positive feedback. Other reviews I have written may be accessed by clicking the "about me link." Thanks!)

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good, witchy gossip, December 29, 2000

By 

Annette Hrisko-Allen (pdx,usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rebirth of Witchcraft (Hardcover)

The main reason I picked up this book was due to an interview I once read, in which Valiente expressed her disapproval over the "airy-fairy" attitude that was prevalent in the current neo-Pagan movement. I wanted to know what was different about "Old School Wicca".

This book gives a nice little history lesson on what life was like for a British Witch in the 1950's and 1960's. Valiente gives personal accounts of such now legendary figures as Gerald Gardner, Alex Sanders, Robert Cochrane, Janet and Stewart Farrar, and even Aleister Crowley. She illustrates just how dangerous it was to be a public Witch in Britain at the time; and the trouble they went through with both the press and the police when it came to dealing with accusations of Satanism and committing human sacrifice.

Valiente also describes the hazards of intra-coven politics. Witch wars waged in the media and psychic vampires turning up on your doorstep, hat in hand, with a big grin and a favor to ask. She pulls no punches when she talks about just how awful it can be when you are just trying to be both a helpful pagan and a decent person. While her chapter on "Feminist Witchcraft" seemed a little dated to me, it still expresses some important ideals: the need for women to take charge of their own identity, the necessity for good stewardship of the environment, and finding a way to cope with the ever increasing human population.

Definitely not a "how to" manual for spell casting, this book will give readers a glimpse into the lives of some famous Witches. Some were powerful, some were fragile, a couple were downright deceitful, but they were all human.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pull up a chair..., May 28, 2000

By 

Diana M. McCleery (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rebirth of Witchcraft (Hardcover)

Old Doreen was around for the formative years of the modern Witchcraft movement, otherwise known as Wicca, and was a participant in many of it's early events. (She wrote the famous Charge of the Goddess, for example). Reading this book is like sitting in an Elder's kitchen, with a hot cup of coffee (too much dish here for mere tea, but with cream and sugar, not black) and having her tell you what it was *really* like back then, and what *really* happened. Now that she's passed on, I'm particularly grateful that she's given us this bit of eyewitness history and insight into how our religion took the form(s) it has. Also an indictment of hubris in those she loved, by a true Lady who had her head on straight, her heart in the right place, and her feet firmly on the ground. More interesting to folks somewhat familiar with Wicca than for beginners. Required reading for my own advanced Craft students -- it's that good.