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TWPT: After
Gerald's death and since this reporter you mentioned had put you in
the public spotlight, did you feel that it had fallen to you to
continue Gerald's work of showing the reality of Wicca to the public
and to those who were seeking this path for themselves?
RB: Right from the start (after being initiated) I felt
it was part of my job to try to straighten misconceptions. That was
why I agreed to give interviews. I was then especially inspired to
continue Gerald's work when his books went out of print. I felt very
strongly that there should be something available for anyone seeking
the Craft. I therefore wrote "Witchcraft From the Inside."
I did think that books would be the best way to go, reaching
thousands of people who otherwise could not find any reliable information.
TWPT: How
did you connect with Llewellyn publishing?
RB: I looked to see who was publishing the sort of
books - then referred to as "occult" - and might be
amenable to doing something on modern Witchcraft. There were very few
publishers suitable at that time.
TWPT: Tell
me about when it was you decided to write what has since become one
of the classics of Witchcraft literature, Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft.
RB: I had run a very successful correspondence course
on Wicca (specifically Seax-Wica, since there were no oaths of
secrecy involved) for some years. When I got to the point of having
over a thousand students worldwide I realized I could not continue if
I wanted to write as well . . . there just weren't enough hours in
the day! But I did want to make the material available to someone who
might live, for example, out in the wilds of North Dakota, and be
unable to get in touch with any existing groups. Why should these
people be excluded from the opportunity to join the Craft, I thought?
So I took most of the material I had assembled for my course and
re-wrote it in a non-denominational form; with all new rituals. From
the years of having it as a correspondence course, and getting all
the feedback, I had a good idea of what was needed, the best
arrangement of the lessons, and so on.
TWPT: Were
there those within the community who criticized you for publishing
what might be considered "secret material"?
RB: In actual fact I have NEVER broken my Gardnerian
oath of secrecy, and although I have not been a practicing Gradnerian
for many, many years now, I never will. Even though others have
published the Gardnerian Book of Shadows without regard for the oath,
I would never do so. All that I have published, in the way of
rituals, etc., has been my own composition. I understand that some
have criticized me for publishing what they consider
"secret" material, but other than actual rituals, all that
I have published has been available elsewhere - for anyone willing to
search for it.
TWPT: How
do you feel about the ongoing controversy between the concepts of
coven training and initiation and the solitary who takes care of
those things alone?
RB: I guess there will always be that controversy. In
my early (Wiccan) days I was as guilty as anyone of believing that
you HAD to be a member of a coven to function as a Witch. Happily I
saw the light and came to realize that, back in the "old
days," there were many who lived out in the country, far away
from any organized covens, who still believed in and worshipped the
gods. They were just as much Witches as their city neighbors who had
covens. As a Solitary, the training is more difficult and can take
much longer but, in many ways, becomes more ingrained. Today, with so
much information available, from books and the Internet, there is no
reason why the Solitary's training should not be equally as intense
as the covener's. As to initiation, this is simply a formal
announcement of dedicating oneself to the old gods. This, then, can
be done just as well by a solitary as by someone in a coven
situation. Both are equally valid.
TWPT: Tell
me about the Gypsy influences that I see in many of your books?
Where does that come from?
RB: The Gypsy influences come from my family
background. My father was a full blood Romani, so I am a half-blood.
I had never really taken much interest in my background until about
the early 1980s, when I had the idea of doing a book on various forms
of divination and remembered my grandmother's preoccupation with
cards. This prompted me to start researching my family roots. Happily
my mother has a good memory - even today, when she's approaching her
101st birthday! - so she helped fill in lots of gaps for me.
TWPT: I
notice that you have a new Tarot deck, Buckland Romani Tarot Kit,
coming out in January 2001, tell me how that came about and what you
hope to accomplish with this new kit.
RB: I have always wanted to do a full tarot deck. I did
one similar to my grandmother's one - the Gypsy Tarot Fortune Telling
Deck - but that had a Major Arcana peculiar to the Buckland Gypsies
and used a regular poker-type deck for the Minor Arcana. I wanted to
do a full tarot deck. I finally found Lissanne Lake, who did the
cover for my book "Secrets of Gypsy Love Magic." I loved
her artwork and asked her if she would do the cards for me. She
agreed. I gave her lots of photos and illustrations and told her what
I wanted and she produced it (much like A.E. Waite working with
Pamela Colman Smith). I also wrote a 264 page book giving my own
method of reading the cards. I am VERY pleased with the results
TWPT: What
are your feelings about where Wicca is today and where it might be
headed in the years to come? Do you feel that we have gained ground
in the struggle to be accepted by society in general?
RB: We have very obviously gained ground in acceptance.
I think the presence of so many open Wiccan and pagan communities and
churches attests to that. A good example of the acceptance was shown
in a recent NBC-TV newscast when Tom Brokaw was speaking about the
release of the latest Harry Potter book. As part of the story NBC
switched to a Witch, to get her perspective on the books, then went
right back to the rest of the story; all very matter-of-fact and just
as they might go to any other expert on a particular subject. I
thought that was a wonderful comment on our acceptance. We have also
made a lot of legal headway.
In cases of religious discrimination and abuse, the ACLU in many
areas has been quick to step in and work on our behalf. (The current
case in Louisiana is a good example.) I think Wicca can only go on
from here, gaining in strength and acceptance.
TWPT: What
do you think about those who would push Wicca into the mold of
organized religion? Is this something that needs to be one or not?
RB: To an extent it does need to be pressed into that
mold, but only to gain the acceptance we have spoken of. It should
not be forced to compromise its values in any way.
TWPT: What
correlation do you see between the internet and the growth of Wicca
in the last decade or so?
RB: I think the Internet has done a lot for the
advancement and acceptance of Wicca and I think it will continue to
do so. The Internet - whether we like it or not - is going to be a
very large part of all our lives in the future. Regrettably, however,
there is no control over the content, which means that anyone can
claim to be a Witch and to speak for the Craft.
TWPT: In
your contacts with others along the Wiccan path do you find an
acceptable level of knowledge about Wicca among those who are calling
this path their own?
RB: For many years there has been a pretty obvious
level of knowledge among those coming onto the path. Those without
that knowledge usually fell by the wayside. More and more, however, I
find that enthusiasm and desire are replacing that knowledge, with
many relative newcomers being totally ignorant of the past history -
and struggles - of the Craft. It will remain to be seen how this will
effect our future development.
The trend I see that most worries me, however, is the trend to accept
anything and everything as Wicca, without criticism. It is obviously
extremely difficult to try to delineate exactly what is and what is
not Wicca. Thirty or forty years ago we had a very small selection of
traditions but today "eclectic" is the keyword and new
denominations are springing up overnight, many with practices that
would never be recognized by most of the older traditions. Yet who is
to say what is "correct" is what is not? I have for a long
time been delighted that there is now a selection from which one may
choose, and so find that path that is exactly right for the
individual. But I am terribly afraid that we may eventually dilute
ourselves to the point where the label Wicca is totally meaningless.
This is where the knowledge is important. To have knowledge of the
basic elements of this religion -- and to remember that it IS a
religion -- is to have a good foundation on which to build.
TWPT: As
many of the original founders of this movement disappear from the
stage of life do you see the next generation of leaders coming forth
to pick up where they leave off or is there such a thing as leaders
within the Wicca movement?
RB: In the past there was a need for leaders, in the
sense of those willing to stick their necks out and work for the
acceptance of the Craft. As those past pioneers die out there are not
the new ones to take their place mainly because the need has declined.
TWPT: I
hear that you are a very busy man these days, what can we look for
from Raymond Buckland in the coming years?
RB: I seem to be busier in recent years than I have
ever been - generally working on a number of books at the same time!
I am delighted that my new Romani Tarot deck - with Lissanne Lake's
incredible artwork - is finally available. I am working on another
totally new, non-Tarot, divination deck and book (doing the artwork
myself). I am also working on a massive reference volume on
Witchcraft, that will run to over 1,000 pages. I'd like the time (and
will somehow find it!) to do more fiction. The trouble is, there are
not enough hours in the day or days in the week to do all that I
would like to do.
TWPT: Any
last thoughts or advice that you would like to share with our
readers in closing?
RB: I guess I should say something like, stop the
squabbling and accept one another for what you are, but we are all
human and there will always be petty conflicts within the Craft just
as there are in all other walks of life. A regrettable fact but a
fact none the less. I am happy in the knowledge that, with people
like yourselves, and your readers/followers, the Craft is in secure
hands and will surely continue for many years to come. I cannot
stress enough the importance of knowing the Craft's past in order to
be able to shape its future. I have always been an avid reader (which
may be one of the reasons I've become something of a prolific
author!) and have always tried to inspire my students to be like me
in that respect, if no other. I appreciate this opportunity to
"speak" out and can only end by saying, May the Lord and
the Lady Walk Beside You Always. In love and light - Ray Buckland.
TWPT: Thank
you very much for taking the time to talk to us here at TWPT and
share your thoughts with us. We wish you much success in the years to
come with all the projects that you decide to devote yourself to. |
